One of the fears expressed was whether pet owners will have sufficient access to pet food supplies. An even greater concern was around what will happen to pets that get injured.

The highest cause of patients being admitted to the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha is broken bones, fractures and wounds, due to pets being run over by motor vehicles. One dog was already admitted to the Clinic on the first day of lockdown.

"A community member had found a young dog lying in the road. According to other community members who had seen the pet, the dog had not been able to walk for three days," says Dr Lara Murray.

"He had pelvic and vertebral fractures. The damage was severe and we decided that, in this case, it would be kinder to send the dog to heaven. I shudder to think how long this dog would have suffered if we were not open during lockdown," adds Murray.

The Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha will be run by thirteen experienced staff members including veterinarians. "Unfortunately, we are not able to run at full capacity during this time but we are open to any pets from the Khayelitsha community with life-threatening emergencies. We will make sure no animal suffers," says Marcelle du Plessis, fundraising and communications manager.

Currently, the clinic's hospital is full of pre-lockdown patients. The clinic has indicated that these patients will be taken care of until they are healthy and will then be delivered to their homes.

"We expect our hospital to remain full as new emergency cases fill up any gaps that discharged patients leave behind," says du Plessis. "We also expect pets to be handed over during this time."

"We will need to keep them in our small shelter facility until we can open our doors to adoptions and fosters again," adds du Plessis. "On the second day of lockdown, three pets had already been handed over."
 
Mdzananda's ambulance will also still be available. The staff who are going out into the community will be equipped with gloves, masks and sanitiser.

At the physical hospital, the staff are also taking great precautions. Pets are handed over for treatment at the front gate to avoid people entering the property. The receptionist also assisting people at the gate with food sales and inquiries.

The clinic has indicated that this will take its toll and the organisation is asking the public to assist. During lockdown, the Clinic will not be able to generate it own income from adoption fees, consultation fees or our onsite vet shop sales.

This usually generates R81 500 per month. Therefore, the clinic is appealing to members of the public to make a once-off donation or to become a 'Paw Member' and donate R50 or R100 per month.

To sign up as a Paw Member, individuals can visit www.mdzanandasecure.co.za. Donations can be made to Mdzananda Animal Clinic at:
  • Standard Bank savings account
  • Account number: 075595710
  • Branch: Rondebosch
  • Branch Code: 025009
  • Reference: Covid19 and your name
"I'd like to ask the public to put their virtual hands together for our staff, risking their lives on site in the first two weeks of lockdown. Because of them you can rest assure that the pets of Khayelitsha in good hands," concludes du Plessis.

For more information, visit www.mdzananda.co.za contact info@mdzananda.co.za. You can also follow the Mdzananda Animal Clinic on Facebook.