paws 2 june 2011

Paws Talk Inside this issue

Page 1

SPCA Spring Cleanup

Neutering Clinic

Upcoming Events

Page 2

Message from the Clinic

Page 3

• News from the SPCA Nadi

Page 4

• SPCA Clinic Staff at work

Myths on Fleas

Heart Worm Disease

Page 5

• Message from Committee

Education and Awareness

Page 6

What Does One need to know

about Dog Vaccinations

Page 7

SPCA Fundraisings &

Acknowledgements

Seeking Donations

Page 8

Membership

Services Provided

Contacts

Opening hours

S P C A Q U A R T E R L Y N E W S L E T T E R 2 / 2 0 1 1

SPCA undergoes a Spring Clean on 21 May The spring clean was undertaken by the International Student Exchange students from USP and staff of Dulux Fiji. A word of thanks also goes to the organizers Ms. Ruci Wainiqolo from USP International Office, Shalendra Kumar and Joeli Leqa from Dulux Fiji. Come visit us again to admire the outcome of their hard work.

Neutering Clinic 14 to 17 June

During the 3 day campaign 203 dogs and cats were neutered

by our team of volunteer vets.

Upcoming SPCA events to attend

JULY Week of 19 - 23 July - Agricultural Show @ Vodafone Arena

Includes our famous dog-show ! Come visit us and bring your friends to our stall.

Saturday 23 July - BBQ Fish & Chips Fundraiser @ The Pearl, Pacific Harbour 11.30am to 1.30pm lunch and live band at the Beach Bar

1:30 to 2pm live auction with great products!

AUGUST Saturday 6 August – 2011 Annual General Meeting 10am – Fiji Club, Selbourne St.

All financial members for 2011 are invited to attend. Nomination forms for Executive Committee membership are available from the office.

Agenda items include: adoption of new Constitution and Strategic Plan.

Hibiscus Festival 20th-27th Adoption &, membership drives, awareness, licensing, sale of products

SEPTEMBER

September - THE Big SPCA Raffle ! We are still looking donations for great raffle prizes.

Please contact Irava @ SPCA for donations towards the raffle.

Dogs in recovery after the surgery.

Volunteer Vets

relaxing after a

busy day at the clinic.

SPCA - Clinic staff at work

Message from the Clinic We have been busy at the Suva Clinic in recent weeks attending your pets and are scheduled to do the same at a Nadi Clinic as this goes to press. We are planning some changes for 2011, starting with a big emphasis on spaying and neutering pets. The SPCA is faced with the problem of over population of pets on a daily basis. We are aware that cost is often an issue for pet owners when considering spaying or neutering and for this reason we have reduced our prices to $50 for a female dog, $35 for a male dog, $35 for a female cat and $13 for a male cat. We hope to see you, your family and friends and all your neighbors taking advantage of these great prices and getting your pets desexed. Being a responsible pet owner Being a responsible pet owner is something we often talk about at the SPCA but what does it mean? It is not possible for everyone in Fiji to access veterinary services at present and often the cost of providing these services can make them inaccessible to some owners. There are some basic things that all pet owners should be doing to make sure their pets live as happy and healthy lives as possible.

Feed your pet well, pets feel hungry just like we do, so give your pet enough good food to eat.

Keep your pet safe, if your pet gets hit by a car or is in a fight it will feel pain just like us.

License your dog, it’s a legal requirement that your dog is licensed. If your dog is wearing a license we can find and

return your dog to you if it is lost.

Spend time playing with your pet. Pets get bored if they have nothing to do, just like we do. You can train your dog

to walk on a lead or play with your cat with some homemade toys.

Get your pet desexed, if you live in Suva or Nadi you can phone the SPCA for an appointment for de-sexing for

your pet. If you live outside of these areas give us a call at Suva and we will let you know when we are holding a

clinic in your area.

What is desexing? De-sexing, also called spaying or neutering or sometimes sterilization, is the process of making a cat or dog permanently infertile, so they cannot reproduce and have babies. The techniques that we use to de-sex animals are surgical. When an animal has its desexing procedure it has an anesthetic, so it does not feel anything during the procedure and it is not awake, it also receives pain relief so that when it does wake up it does not feel any pain. Animals that have been desexed are generally healthier, they don’t require as much food, they are less likely to wander and get in fights and of course they won’t have babies! De-sexed animals are still good guard dogs, affectionate pets and very happy, healthy animals.

SPCA organises Animal Awareness visits to You !

Please aid SPCA in increasing awareness in Animal Welfare & Being a Responsible Pet Owner.

Book your visit by our team

to your Community groups, Schools, Religious groups & Workplaces.

Contact Lo or Naveena at SPCA on 3301266 / 9982232

or send us an email [email protected] or [email protected]

Please aid the SPCA in creating more awareness and educating every one

on Animal Welfare and Responsible Pet Ownership.

mailto:[email protected]


News from the Nadi Clinic

Renovations at our Nadi Clinic

During August last year, the Western Animal Trust, a trust set up to help support the Nadi SPCA Clinic and the animals in the West, held a Golfing Fundraiser at the Nadi Airport Golf Club. Following on from that Fundraiser, there was a two day Arts & Crafts Christmas Fete organized by Glynis Hilton, Bruni Olsoga, Casey Quimby, Jenny Kirchner, and Tadra Flowers which also raised funds which were donated to the Western Animal Trust. As a result of these fund raising events, plus further sponsorship by Nadi Bay Resort and RC Manubhai Group of Companies, Nadi has been able to improve the shelter facilities available at Nadi SPCA Clinic. A large portion of the roof had been leaking very badly throughout the rainy season, and during heavy rain there had been up to 15 containers catching rainwater inside the property. The stray puppies and kittens had been residing in make-shift pens for over 18 months, and the grounds were constantly deep in mud. These fundraisers and donations allowed Nadi Clinic to re-roof a large part of the clinic and to extend the roof significantly on the outside of the building so that better shelter could be provided, and new pens could be constructed to house puppies and give the cat enclosures cover from the elements. This has allowed the metal framed structure that was used for the old puppy pens to be made into a large cat and kitten play area, fondly known as the “Cat-a-torium”. The recovery and storage area has also been extended and incorporates a kitchen sink unit so that Nadi have a better facility to cater for their sheltered animals. In addition, to these improvements, the back porch has been partitioned off to create a dedicated area for consults and x-rays. To put the icing on the cake, some regular supporters of the Nadi Clinic arrived with paintbrushes and paint to give the outside of the building a face lift. Susan Harris and Lynn Scott who are based at the Nadi Clinic, would like to give their truly heartfelt thanks to everyone who organized and took

part in the fundraising events, and to everyone who donated in any way to this Project and to the Fundraising Events. A Thank You wall is in the process of being created to acknowledge

the main supporters of Projects undertaken at the Nadi Clinic

Nadi Clinic after the renovations

The New Cat Play area – the “Cat-a-torium”

New Puppy Shelter and Cat-a-torium

The New Consult and X-Ray Room

SPCA Clinic Staff at Work

Information on Heart Worm

Page 2

Vet Nurse, Joseph on an outreach clinic in Taveuni, in March.

Nurse Tania in the SPCA clinic surgery

MYTHS ON FLEAS

Flea control begins with understanding how and where fleas live. So here are some myths we would

like to dismiss about fleas.

MYTH 1 Only cats and dogs that go outside are at risk of being

infested with fleas.

= WRONG Fleas are also common on pets that stay in the house.

They can come into the house by finding their way through cracks, doors or any other portal in the house.

MYTH 2 Healthy pets don’t have fleas.

= WRONG

Any pet regardless of whether it is healthy or not will have fleas.

MYTH 3 Fleas are harmless.

= WRONG

They can cause a lot of grief to your pet. Common conditions resulting from flea bites include allergic

dermatitis, flea anemia and tapeworm infection.

MYTH 4 Fleas jump from one animal to another.

= WRONG

Fleas stay on their host for the lifetime of the flea, so one animal doesn’t pick up fleas from another animal.

MYTH 5 One or two fleas seen on my pet isn’t a problem.

= WRONG

If you see fleas on your pet you are only seeing a small percentage of them.

MYTH 6 Once I’ve treated my pet the fleas go away,

my work is done.

= WRONG Flea treatment is not a one-off treatment as it

requires on-going continuous treatment to effectively keep fleas away.

You must treat ALL pets in your household every month.

What Heart Worm?? Heartworm is very common in Fiji. This is spread through mosquito bites. The baby worms live in the blood of infected dogs where they grow into adult worms that live in your dog’s heart and eventually cause heart and lung problems and death. How do you know your dog has heart worm? A simple test that we can do at the SPCA will tell you whether

your dog has heartworm or not.

Prevention It’s easy to prevent but costly and dangerous to cure.

Monthly heartworm prevention medicine Injection once a year

Symptoms of heartworm may include: Loss of appetite, lethargy, exercise intolerance, weight loss,

fever, dyspnea (difficult, laboured breathing, shortness of breath), coughing, weakness, dull dry coat, and haemorrhage.

It can kill your dog if nothing is done about it. For more information or to get your dog tested please contact SPCA.

This is a post-mortem picture of a dog with heartworms The green thread like are the worms that were infected in the dog heart which had caused its death.

Message from the Executive Committee

Education and Awareness Section

DO YOU KNOW our Dog Laws?

Dog licenses are compulsory.

All dogs over the age of 6 months must be licensed with local council.

Unlicensed dog owners and dog owners

that fail to provide evidence of their dog’s licensing can be fined under the Dog Act 1971.

The annual dog license costs $13.50 and

can be purchased from SPCA in Suva or Nadi.

Please renew your dog license for 2011. Buy a dog license today from SPCA to

ensure your dog is licensed.

Dog Act 1971 (Cap 168) Any person who keeps a dog more than 6

months old without holding a licence in respect of such dog shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $50.

Any dog, whether wearing a collar or

not, which is at large (outside your compound) between the hours of 7p.m. and 5a.m. shall be deemed to be a stray dog and could be at risk of being put down.

The Cunningham Kindergarten visited our SPCA shelter on the 28th of April as a part of their Educational end of the term trip. 12 children with their parents/guardians were educated on animal welfare and had time to pet some puppies and kittens too.

International Student Exchange

student from USP

A team of Vet Nurses, Administration Staff and Volunteers undertaking an education and awareness campaign at the Westpac Micro Finance Carnival in Garden City Raiwai.

Kindergarten visits Walu Bay

Westpac Microfinance Carnival

The EC has met nine times already since February and we are making progress with the review of our Constitution (last reviewed in 1986) and design of a new Strategic Plan. The auditing of the 2010 accounts was unfortunately delayed and therefore our planned AGM will now be held on 6 August. Our staff has been very involved in increasing our membership numbers (132 Suva/ 65 Nadi) and we look forward to meeting our members at our upcoming AGM. We are also again looking for dedicated people to join the EC and ask you to see Irava should you be interested and wish to be nominated. The support of our individual and corporate members has been overwhelming the last months by showing their support with the two Palau fundraisers and barrel night. However, more funds to aid our kennel animals are always needed and we look forward to your support at the BBQ lunch at the Pearl in Pacific Harbour and seeing you at our stall at the Agricultural Show. Our Welfare organisation depends entirely on the generous donations of individuals and corporations and again we have to thank Carpenters Motors for their tremendous support for the animals by repairing our Ambulance Van. Courts Home Centers has recently also repaired our two washing machines at cost, so that our animals, kennels and clinic can be properly cleaned again. The recent neutering special and adoption drive at Walu Bay made it a very busy place to be. We offered, 8 dogs, 2 puppies, 1 cat and 7 kittens a new home! Thank you staff for your hard work and dedication shown again and again.

What you need to know

about Canine

Vaccinations What are vaccinations? Vaccinations are a series of injections which are given to prevent an animal from getting certain diseases. Your pet should receive its first vaccination when it is 6-8 weeks old. The vet will tell you when you need to bring your pet back for its next vaccination. Canine Hepatitis Canine hepatitis is a virus affecting the liver of dogs.

How do I know if my dog has canine hepatitis? If your dog has canine hepatitis it will suffer a loss of appetite, fever, depression, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and acute abdominal pain. Your dog will become jaundiced (gums, eyes and skin becomes yellow). If your dog can become very sick and may die within 24 -36 hours.

How can it be treated? Canine hepatitis is treated with intravenous fluids. If your dog recovers it may have long-term problems with its liver and kidneys. Canine Hepatitis can be prevented with a simple course of vaccinations.

Distemper Distemper is a very serious disease that affects dogs.

How do I know if my dog has distemper? Animals infected with leptospirosis will have fever, sneezing, nose discharge, vomiting, diarrhoea, stop eating and will be unhappy and tired. In later stages of the disease your dog may suffer muscle tremors, fits and paralysis (be unable to move).

How can it be treated? Most dogs do not survive distemper. If your dog survives it may have permanent brain damage. You should take your dog to the vet each year to receive a vaccination against distemper.

Leptospirosis Is a bacterial disease that affects animals, mainly dogs, cows and rats. People can also be infected. The infection occurs when skin comes into contact with contaminated water or the urine of an infected animal. Leptospirosis bacteria multiply in the blood. This causes depression, lethargy (feeling tired or sleepy), nausea and vomiting, anorexia (loss of appetite or not eating), fever and joint pain. The bacteria will then infect the kidney and/or the liver, which stops the kidney and/or liver from working properly. How do I know if my pet has leptospirosis? You will know if your pet is infected because it will stop eating, be very thirsty and jaundiced (its gums, eyes and skin will turn yellow).Your dog may have bloody diarrhoea or very dark or bloody urine. How can it be treated? Leptospirosis can be treated by IV fluids (drip) and specific antibiotics. If you think your dog is sick with leptospirosis you should take your dog to the vet for treatment immediately. Your dog can die if it is infected with Leptospirosis and does not get treatment as soon as it is sick. Leptospirosis is worse in puppies and is more likely to cause death. If your dog survives the disease it could become a carrier of Leptospirosis and may need to be given antibiotics to stop the people and other animals around it becoming sick. How do I stop my dog getting Leptospirosis? There is a vaccination for adult dogs and puppies that will prevent some forms of the disease but not all of them. There is a small chance your dog may still become infected after its course of vaccinations. You should also try to reduce the number of rats around your home and drain any pools of water in your yard.

Parvovirus Is a common virus that affects the intestinal lining of dogs. It is highly contagious and can live up to four years in the environment. The virus is shed in the faeces (poo) and can easily be spread when soil is moved around eg on the soles of shoes. How do I know if my dog has parvo? If your dog has parvo it will suffer a loss of appetite, fever, lethargy (be tired or sleepy), vomiting and bloody diarrhoea, which causes severe dehydration, shock and death. Its intestines will be damaged and bacteria will enter the bloodstream, which can cause septic shock (infection of the blood) and death. How can it be treated? If you think your dog is sick with parvo you need to take it to the vet immediately. If your dog is not treated it will die a painful death. Your dog will need intensive care at the vet clinic, which will include IV fluids (drip) and antibiotics. It will take 5 – 7 days for your pet to recover. How can I stop my pet getting parvo? Parvo can be completely prevented with a course of vaccinations, which must start when the puppy is 6-8 weeks old. You should keep your dog away from contaminated areas or dogs that may be sick with the virus. Your puppy needs to have all its vaccinations before it can play with other puppies or with dogs that may not have had their vaccinations. Parvo virus can be killed with bleach. Clean outside areas with bleach before letting your puppy play on them.

SPCA Fundraisers & Acknowledgements

FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES AT SPCA

The biggest support receive since a long time was by Carpenters Motors who are repairing our Van, making it road worthy again shortly. Courts Homecentres, South Seas Services for discounted repair of our washing machines. During the month of May we managed to organise three fundraisers to support our welfare work. Two Chicken Palau Fundraisers We would like to acknowledge the following companies and people for their support: Crest Chicken Wahley’s Butchery Evergreen Rice Flour Mill of Fiji Kundan Singh & Sons J.Santaram & Co.Ltd Cost-U-Less Mr. Ron Welsh Navin Prasad ( Kavan Papers) Our thanks also goes to all who placed their orders. Barrel Night held on the 27 May 2011 at Birdlands The sponsors for this fundraiser were: Fosters Group Pacific Ltd Foneology Ms. Ulamila Bulamaibau Avondale Motors Mr. Waisale Naqiolevu Dr. Robin Yarrow Mr. & Mrs. Atkinson Mrs. Gilly Huggets Mr. Jak Tavanavanua

Our thanks also goes to all who supported the event

through their purchase of tickets.

The ladies responsible for the tasty SPCA Palau. Finance Officer- Sarita Dutt and Vet nurse –Aritka Naidu – I have a feeling they might be changing their profession

True spirit of SPCA’s team work; Tukai (Kennel Staff); Sarita (Finance Officer); Artika (Vet Nurse)

Looking for Generous Donors for

Kennel Projects Construct a play park for animals

Build a shower area for our Animal Upgrade the fencing

An industrial washing machine

Reception Area - Chairs

Offices - Filing cabinets

Outside Area - new billboard

All donations, whether it be Cash or in Kind

will be VERY MUCH appreciated by the Animals of the SPCA.

Join SPCA

SPCA members receive a 10% discount on

all our products and services.

I don’t want to join SPCA but I’d like to

make a donation of $____

I want to become a member of SPCA

I want to renew my SPCA membership

Individual membership (annual) $20

Family membership (annual) $35

Life membership $400

I don’t want to join SPCA today but I’d like

to make a donation of $______

Today’s date ____________

Name __________________________

Postal address _____________________

______________________________

Phone _________________

Mobile _________________

Email __________________________

Contact details SPCA Fiji - Website: www.spca.org.fj

Suva Clinic Opening hours 155 Foster Rd Walu Bay Suva Surgery - 9am to 1pm (Mon – Fri) Phone: 330 1266/3304 632 Consults - 1pm to 4.30pm (Mon-Thurs) Emergency 24/7 - 9922634 Consults - 1pm to 3.30pm (Fri) Email: [email protected] Sat - 9am to 1pm Sun - Emergency only

Nadi Clinic Opening hours Opposite Luxury Pools Tues – Fri - 8.30am to 5pm Martintar Nadi Sat – 8am to 2pm Phone: 9363977 Sun and Mon – Emergency only Email: [email protected]

We Need You - Become a SPCA Member Now!

Ordinary Member $20/year includes 10% discount on services, plus electronic newsletter Paws Talk

Junior Member $5/year excludes discount on services, includes electronic newsletter Paws Talk

Corporate Member $100/year includes your corporate logo on a kennel or on a location of your choice,

plus electronic newsletter Paws Talk

Life Member $400 includes 10% discount on services, plus electronic newsletter Paws Talk

and your option for inclusion on the ‘Life Members Wall’

Stray Animal Friend $50 sponsor a stray animal: its capture, neutering, de-worming and release,

plus electronic newsletter Paws Talk

Friend of SPCA – IS FREE and includes our electronic newsletter Paws – give us your email!

Donations in Cash or Kind? We offer to place your corporate logo/name on a kennel, in reception area

or in a location of your choice. Includes our electronic newsletter Paws Talk

Special Discount (services rendered in excess of $120 includes a free ordinary membership)

Fees are due annually on 1st of January, with only half annual fee if paid after 30th June.

Memberships are effective immediately: you will receive a 10% discount straight away!

All memberships include one voting-right at an Annual General Meeting

SPCA SERVICES

Veterinary Consultation

Vaccinations dogs & cats Heart worm injections

Neutering, de-sexing clinics Surgery

Orthopedic surgery Radiology -X-Rays

Blood tests Import & Export of pets

Arranging Outreach Clinics

Other Services Boarding Services

Transportation Pet Care Advice

Animal Welfare Education

Grooming

Merchandise & Medication

De-Worming medication Heart worming medication

Flea & tick products Dog collars & leash

Dog & Cat food bowls

Adoption fees (outside campaign periods)

Kitten - $50 Puppies -$70

Adult Cats - $25 Adult Dogs - $50

inclusive of the dog license of $13.50

Note All prices are inclusive of

de-worming and neutering.

http://www.spca.org.fj/



paws 2 june 2011

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