Pet tips and home truths

FUN FACTS: Vet Services Wairarapa will be launching a Facebook campaign to encourage responsible pet ownership, with pictures of staff members' pets -- like Rose the English bull dog.

A leading Wairarapa veterinarian says positive motivation, rather than a "carrot and stick approach", is the key to sensible and caring animal ownership.

Stuart Bruere, practice manager at Vet Services Wairarapa, and his practice are launching a social media campaign to help encourage responsible pet ownership, and to curb the effects of indiscriminate breeding and pet dumping.

Dr Bruere said the number of stray and abandoned animals continues to be a problem in Wairarapa, with rescue organisations constantly fielding reports of wandering cats and puppies dumped in urban and rural locations.

Throughout the year, Dr Bruere will be posting tips for animal owners to consider and the positive benefits of pet de-sexing on the practice's Facebook page, illustrated with pictures of staff members' pets.

He said the idea came from a recent post featuring head vet nurse Deb Cartmell's bull dog Rose, explaining the health benefits of de-sexing female dogs. A bitch's chances of developing mammary cancer is 50 times less if she is neutered within the first year of life. The post was viewed more than 3300 times in 24 hours.

"It clearly struck a chord," Dr Bruere said.

"We need to look at how we're engaging with people -- with de-sexing in particular, the carrot and stick approach, that you're rewarded if you do and bashed if you don't, doesn't seem to be working.

"It's about appealing to people on an emotional level and giving them some positive incentives they can connect with."

Dr Bruere said he also wanted to discuss the pressing issue of the feral cat population in Wairarapa -- a result of unwanted kittens being dumped in rural communities.

"On average, one unneutered female cat could be responsible for the birth of up to 45,000 kittens over a period of 10 years.

"Things like that have a massive effect on our native bird population."

Another topic of discussion is toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease which causes infectious abortions in sheep, and is spread through cat faeces contaminating pastures.

Dr Bruere said farms in areas where cats are routinely dumped are seeing a spike in abortions, even in ewes which have been vaccinated against toxoplasmosis, as the high infectious challenge overcomes immunity in some sheep.

"The idea is we put out these messages people can grab on to, and realise they can be part of a community that keeps animals safe."

Dr Bruere will also be posting about the costs incurred by pets -- including a breakdown of the expenses of owning a single cat.

He said some people argue de-sexing is too expensive.

"But when you compare that to the cost of feeding a pet throughout its life, it's minor."

Aside from indiscriminate breeding, Dr Bruere said attitudes towards pet ownership play a role in animal abandonment.

"People start off getting this gorgeous, furry bundle of joy, but then they're hit with the constancy of caring for this animal and the novelty wears off.

"A dog or cat may live 20 odd years, so it is important to be prepared for that commitment."