Another factor was the increasing smash and grab incidents in the area. This is worsened by load-shedding, which leaves the area in darkness and staff more vulnerable to criminal attacks.
The decision to continue the service for horses, farm animals and wildlife was motivated by the fact that treating small animals in an emergency required “the full-time presence of a veterinarian on the premises, as one might have to deal with a number of cases through the night”, Delport said.
“A different approach is followed in dealing with emergencies in horses; fewer cases are seen and this does not require the ongoing presence of a veterinarian on the premises.
“Staff are rostered for after hours work and are called upon to assist when required. A similar approach is followed for wildlife emergencies, while few farm animal emergencies are seen. These two large animal clinics generally close at 4.30pm on a typical work day.”
The decision was a last resort and the only “responsible decision” they could make given the staff shortages, but he added that the faculty is “investigating alternatives and will review our decision should this situation improve”.
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Night vet services for small animals discontinued at Onderstepoort
Reasons include crime risk, load-shedding and staff constraints
Image: NQUBEKO MBHELE
The University of Pretoria's veterinary science faculty has cited staff shortages, load-shedding and crime as reasons for discontinuing its after hours services for pets at its Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (OVAH).
The faculty confirmed the discontinuation of the service from April in a brief statement on Monday on social media.
It said the decision was not taken lightly and “various factors were taken into account”.
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“The emergency service for dogs and cats will only be available from 6am — 6pm daily. All hospitalised patients are still cared for by our veterinary sisters and students, but we are not able to take in new cases after 6pm or before 6am.
“For dog and cat emergencies [outside those times] please contact one of the Pretoria 24/7 veterinary facilities. Please note that after hours/emergency arrangements for horses, farm animals and wildlife are not affected by this decision.”
Some pet owners commented on the post, saying they were shocked at the move and asked for the decision to be reviewed as the hospital is the nearest for residents living in Tshwane north.
University spokesperson Rikus Delport clarified that night nursing staff would still be available to “care for patients admitted to the intensive care and high care units available after hours”.
“It is only the emergencies late at night or early morning that we are not able to assist with owing to staff shortages. Veterinarians will also be on call to cover emergencies for small animal patients already admitted and on weekend mornings.
“For general emergencies, staff working with small animals will be available from early mornings to 6pm in the evening, so we will still cover emergencies during a large portion of the day.”
He said the decision was based on the faculty's inability to recruit enough staff to operate the 24-hour small animal section, worsened by the countrywide shortage of veterinarians.
“Many recently graduated veterinarians leave the country to work elsewhere (mostly Europe and Australia). This makes it difficult to recruit veterinarians for after hours positions, as those who are looking for employment have a large choice and opt for daytime positions,” he said.
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Another factor was the increasing smash and grab incidents in the area. This is worsened by load-shedding, which leaves the area in darkness and staff more vulnerable to criminal attacks.
The decision to continue the service for horses, farm animals and wildlife was motivated by the fact that treating small animals in an emergency required “the full-time presence of a veterinarian on the premises, as one might have to deal with a number of cases through the night”, Delport said.
“A different approach is followed in dealing with emergencies in horses; fewer cases are seen and this does not require the ongoing presence of a veterinarian on the premises.
“Staff are rostered for after hours work and are called upon to assist when required. A similar approach is followed for wildlife emergencies, while few farm animal emergencies are seen. These two large animal clinics generally close at 4.30pm on a typical work day.”
The decision was a last resort and the only “responsible decision” they could make given the staff shortages, but he added that the faculty is “investigating alternatives and will review our decision should this situation improve”.
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