GEORGE NEWS - As if lockdown and Covid-19 aren't challenging enough, Garden Route SPCA (GRSPCA) inspectors recently had to deal with two severe cases that touched them deeply.
On Sunday 19 April GRSPCA field inspector, Vanessa Lucas, was on her way back to the office from a call-out in New Dawn Park when she was stopped by a man who needed assistance with a dog whose hair was apparently falling out.
Lucas accompanied the man to a house in the area. "I got such a fright when I saw the poor dog. From what the man explained on the way to his house I thought it was a severe case of mange, but what I found was a dog starving to death," she said. "I was shocked to the core."
The SPCA team named the pit bull Victor, hoping that they would be victorious and save his life. Unfortunately, Victor's organs started collapsing two days later.
"From the start he was eating, but was urinating more than is normal. This could be a sign of kidney failure," said GRSPCA manager, Salomé Bruyns.
Realising that Victor was suffering and slowly dying, it was decided to rather humanely euthanise him than let him suffer any longer. Victor was put to sleep on Tuesday afternoon, 21 April.
Shortly after Victor was euthanised, Bruyns posted an eulogy on the GRSPCA's Facebook wall: "Sometimes you have to make decisions with your head and not your heart and those are usually the most difficult decisions in life. Your body couldn't take it anymore. It would have been selfish of me to make you suffer because I didn't want to let you go - although all the signs of you dying were there. We tried, my boy.
"For your last two days of life you knew love and people who took care of you and we hope that you crossed the rainbow bridge feeling loved. Always in our hearts."
Victor was taken to the Garden Route SPCA where his chain was removed and he received medical care and food.
Dismal in Dysselsdorp
On Monday 20 April inspector Andrea Auerbach went to Dysselsdorp to pick up an injured dog. The dog had allegedly been slashed with a panga across its back.
"The dog's owner from Dysselsdorp asked for help for her injured dog on Facebook a couple of days before and someone from the Kimberly SPCA saw the plight. They contacted our head office, who in-turn phoned us.
Andrea drove to Dysselsdorp to pick up the dog and used the opportunity to hand out dog and cat food for the pets in the area," said Bruyns.
Thankfully the dog from Dysselsdorp is making a good recovering and will be able to go home as soon as her injuries are healed.
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