Cape Town - The Animal Welfare Society of South Africa (AWSSA) makes a difference in the life of a Cape Town family and their little pet.
At the weekend, a little hamster called Teddy was treated by the AWSSA for sarcoptic mange, a form of mange caused by an itch mite .
The sarcoptic mange was so unbearable that the tiny hamster started to scratch incessantly and had started to go bald.
Suitable treatment was given to the hamster and the animal welfare organisation explained that in order to rid him of this condition, follow-up treatments were required.
However, the owner, Gail Pieterse became worried when she heard the infestation was highly contagious and can cause infection and vision problems to humans if left untreated.
Pieterse said she was lucky none of her family members got sarcoptic mange as they did not have the hamster for long.
“I am just cautious and very observant by nature. I noticed something like a patch on the hamster which seemed to be getting bigger and by that time I already looked online as there were a few scenarios including sarcoptic mange. I then had instructed my kids not to pick the hamster up.
“For a precautionary pressure I took it to the vet and they immediately knew what it was, told me how to handle the pet and gave it medication,” she said.
Her advice to pet lovers is to firstly look at the pet shop where the animal was bought.
“I learnt a few lessons in this and it is very important where people buy animals from. The pet shop where I bought this hamster is clearly not taking care of the animals. If I remember clearly, this hamster was probably in a cage with probably another 100 hamsters. Little did I know at that stage, it was probably not the best buy but I was trying to make my son happy after his cockatiel died a few days before that,” she said.
Spokesperson for AWSSA Allan Perrins said their inspectors will visit the pet shop to inspect the health, welfare and living conditions of the animals.
“The pet shop owner will be given 48 hours to remedy any shortcomings noted and all sick and injured pets will be confiscated into our care. As we head towards Christmas may the plight of this little hamster serve as a reminder to desist from giving pets as presents and to always adopt instead of shop,” he said.
Weekend Argus