We all love and care for our families and we don’t exclude the furry family members! That’s why we have spoken to an amazing programme about the knowledge of rabies and got knowledgeable insight from a pet store that is dedicated to helping your furry friends through nutrition and a travelling groomer who makes your pets feel safe in their own homes while being groomed.
Funda Nenja has been making a difference to the lives of the people and dogs of Mpophomeni township community since 2009. The name roughly translates from isiZulu to mean ‘learning with a dog’. The Funda Nenja model aims to nurture children into caring and responsible young adults while opening up possibilities for their self-development. The dogs are used to teach these principles and, in doing so, creates the bond between child and dog as well as teach the children discipline and respect. Another major aspect of the Funda Nenja programme is the Animal Welfare Programme which is headed up by Dr Daniela Steckler, a local veterinarian from Howick Small Animal Clinic. This weekly primary veterinary care programme offers all dogs free veterinary care such as deworming, tick and flea control, and more. Any more serious medical conditions are referred to the local vets, such as Howick Small Animal Clinic. All dogs joining the dog school are required to be sterilised which is done through free sterilisation programmes. The most important aspect of the veterinary care programme is that all the dogs are vaccinated against rabies.
Rabies is more common than you realise. Worldwide, about 60 000 people die of rabies each year. 40% of those are children and 99% are infected through dog bites. Rabies is currently underreported by a factor of up to 160 times in Africa due to non-reporting or misdiagnosis as another form of viral encephalitis, or cerebral malaria. As of 14 December 2021, 291 cases of dog rabies were reported in KwaZulu-Natal alone. And, sadly, a 
total of 19 laboratory-confirmed human rabies cases had been reported in South Africa for 2021, six of which were in KwaZulu-Natal. Rabies is a central nervous system disease and is transmitted through bites, licks, and scratches from infected mammals. It is almost always fatal once clinical signs appear. Only a few human cases have survived with life-long effects.
The good news is that rabies is 100% preventable through vaccines! This protects both humans and pets. The “Zero by 30” rabies elimination campaign aims at ending human deaths from dog mediated rabies by 2030 by creating awareness, educating the public, accessible post-exposure treatment as well as mass dog rabies vaccinations.
Howick Small Animal Clinic and Midlands Veterinary Clinic are passionate about assisting the “Zero by 30” rabies elimination campaign and protecting our community, and pets against rabies. That’s why they offer free rabies vaccines for pets. This is done at the free nurses’ clinic from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Howick Small Animal Clinic, and Tuesdays and Thursdays at Midlands Veterinary Clinic. You can also call the vaccine helpline on 086 016 0160 to get assistance with getting your pet vaccinated.
If bitten by a suspected animal with rabies, it is paramount to wash the wound with water and soap for 15 minutes, getting post-exposure prophylaxis consisting of vaccinations and rabies immunoglobulins is also necessary. In case of an incident with a suspected rabid animal, the victims have the right to be taken to the nearest hospital by ambulance and victims do not have to wait in a hospital queue but must be seen by a nurse or a doctor immediately.
Let’s all help make a difference by vaccinating our animals and educating family, friends, colleagues and staff about rabies.
House of Paws is all about your pets! Trish and Cherylann are passionate about nutrition and healthy diets which result in happy, healthy pets and give them a longer life expectancy.
Dogs, especially, are known as man’s best friend and they get so much pleasure when the results of the advice given helps. Whether it is dogs with anxiety, boredom, diet-related skin issues or joint problems, there is a long list of fantastic trainers who have been so successful with helping with all sorts of problems owners come across.
Cherylann has helped with rescue groups and rescued many dogs over the years. Her passion is training and competing and most of her dogs have jobs to do. Tripp is the only Irish Wolfhound in South Africa who competes in carting, and Gaea does agility. The once young Arya has completed her puppy training, and Cherylann is looking at getting her involved in agility and maybe flyball. There have been many owners over the last few years who have benefited from Cherylann’s experience and advice.
Trish has also rescued many horses, cats and dogs over the years, and at one time ended up with a pack of up to 10 dogs on their smallholding in Leckhampton Valley. Happy healthy dogs is her passion and after losing a beautiful Great Dane crossed Ridgeback, Milo at five years of age to Lymphatic cancer, her passion for the best nutrition available became her life mission. Trish is very knowledgeable about horses, her husband and daughter competed in eventing for many years where she made a very good groom and got loads of exercise fetching forgotten hats, crops, jackets etc. Trish has a very happy, friendly disposition and, besides nutrition, is passionate about customer service.
So many clients of Executive Petcare Travelling Groomer wonder why their furry family members experience so much anxiety and resistance when it comes to grooming. “Why does my dog shiver with dread?” Well, basic grooming such as licking, scratching, and rolling in a little dust is natural grooming behaviour for our dogs. Us humans add a bath, nail clipping and a shave, and it can be a very unnatural and stressful experience. Some dogs really love it and I have some who fall asleep, and some jump in the bath, but then some just need some help along the way.
Brushing your pooch in between seeing your groomer is a wonderful way to bond with your dog. How often you should groom your pooch all depends on breed, hair length, and lifestyle. Long-haired breeds who enjoy an indoor and outdoor lifestyle may need more brushing to keep them comfortable and free from burrs and mud. Style cuts for your Schnauzer or Yorkie, every five to seven weeks. But don’t leave it to avoid doing it.
I aim to listen to my clients and their needs to deliver a loving, stress, force, and cage-free grooming experience. Give extra love and care for your senior, and special needs pets. Loving what you love most!