Enjoy a healthy life with your pet
Sep 16, 2007
JOSEPH Tumwijukye lives with four cats and a huge, hairy, black guard dog. One of the cats has four kittens. They lie comfortably in the sofas and are treated like part of the family.
By Mary Karugaba and Chirs Kiwawulo
JOSEPH Tumwijukye lives with four cats and a huge, hairy, black guard dog. One of the cats has four kittens. They lie comfortably in the sofas and are treated like part of the family.
He said they have existed in harmony, although he often had to restrain his youngest child, Tina, from eating the kittens' fur.
Robert Kateregga of Maganjo, Wakiso district, also has a unique relationship with his pet cat. “I even feel lonely and worried when Tiger disappears for a while.†When his first cat was knocked dead by a speeding car, he cried like he had lost a relative.
He replaced it with Tiger, but says the memories of his deceased pet keep recurring. Kateregga spends an unspecified amount of money on his pet. “I buy de-worming drugs, acaricides for fleas, shampoo to keep its fur clean and curly and cat food from supermarkets.â€
Psychologists encourage this relationship with pets, but caution that pets can be dangerous to human life. They cause bacterial, fungal, parasitic and viral diseases from scratches, bites or parasites like fleas.
Dr Francis Epatait, the chairman of the Parliamentary Veterinary Association, says if not immunised against rabies, a pet’s bite could be fatal.
The Ngora MP said in order to avoid pet-related diseases, extra care should be taken:
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap after touching them.
If you get scratched or bitten by a pet, immediately wash the area with soap.
See a doctor if the skin becomes red, inflamed, or if you develop swollen glands.
Train your dog or cat not to bite. If an animal bites for no obvious reason, it may be a sign that it has rabies. Rabies is not common, but health officials make sure the animal is examined and the person bitten is given preventive treatment.
See a doctor.
Avoid unprotected contact with pets’ urine.
Pets’ waste should be cleaned immediately so that children do not touch it.
Give pets a clean, spacious abode.
lReport all strange incidents and suspicious animals to public health officials.
Dr Berna Nakanwagi, a veterinary doctor (surgeon) in Kampala, said pets, especially cats and dogs, offer friendship or companionship and create a sense of responsibility towards another living creature.
For people with guard dogs, it creates a sense of security. For the blind, a pet can be a reliable guide, for drowning children a rescuer, for the lost one, a tracker. There are certain important facts one needs to know when they choose to keep a pet, Nakanwagi says.
Vaccination
The current vaccination schedule for dogs in Uganda is as follows;
At six weeks, vaccinate against parvovirosis
At eight weeks, against parvovirosis, canine distemper, canine hepatitis, parainflunza, leptospirosis and bordatella (dog cocktail vaccine)
At 12 weeks, against rabies. Give a booster of the cocktail
At six months, give a booster for rabies and parvovirus only, or a cocktail
These are referred to as the puppy vaccination schedule, after which you have to vaccinate your dog annually with a cocktail vaccine and against rabies.
For cats
At 12 weeks, vaccinate against rabies calicivirus, panleucopenia, and rhinotracheitis. A booster of the same is given at six months and thereafter annually.
It is important to note that the law stipulates that you have to vaccinate your dog and cat against rabies annually due to the zoonotic risk it imposes.
Litter
Pets’ litter, especially that of cats, can be dangerous if the cat is infected with protozoa known as toxoplasma gondii, which cause a disease called toxoplasmosis.
The ocysts of these organisms are secreted in the cat’s faeces and you can be infected with the same when you ingest material contaminated by cat litter. This infection is known to cause abortions.
However, it can be avoided by proper disposal of cat litter and by using gloves when handling it. Fortunately, cats usually bury their excreta and clean themselves. If provided with a litter box, they will also promptly use it with minimal training.
Hunting
Cats should not be allowed to hunt their own food because much of the vermin cats catch like rats, lizards and cockroaches contain intermediate stages of possible disease-causing organisms, like tape worms and the toxoplasma. Regular de-worming (every three months for adult cats and every month for kittens), controls this problem.
Feeding schedule
Adult cats are fed twice a day, while kittens, pregnant and old ones feed several times a day. Clean water should be available to them all the time. Providing a balanced diet is crucial. Since cats are carnivorous, part of the diet should constitute animal protein like meat, fish or chicken.
Contact with stray and wild cats
Prevent contact between your domestic cat and stray or wild ones. This limits your cat from catching diseases and ectoparasite infections and possible injuries arising from fights.
Public Pet clinics
Kampala Veterinary Surgery at Plot 12, Ismail Road in Mbuya (Dr. Berna Nakanwagi)
Country Side Veterinary Clinic in Ntinda, near the stage
The Makerere University Small Animal Clinic at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
The Uganda Veterinary Association Small Animal Clinic in Wandegeya
The average cost of vaccinating against rabies is sh6,000, while vaccinating against all the diseases at once is sh25,000 for both cats and dogs
JOSEPH Tumwijukye lives with four cats and a huge, hairy, black guard dog. One of the cats has four kittens. They lie comfortably in the sofas and are treated like part of the family.
He said they have existed in harmony, although he often had to restrain his youngest child, Tina, from eating the kittens' fur.
Robert Kateregga of Maganjo, Wakiso district, also has a unique relationship with his pet cat. “I even feel lonely and worried when Tiger disappears for a while.†When his first cat was knocked dead by a speeding car, he cried like he had lost a relative.
He replaced it with Tiger, but says the memories of his deceased pet keep recurring. Kateregga spends an unspecified amount of money on his pet. “I buy de-worming drugs, acaricides for fleas, shampoo to keep its fur clean and curly and cat food from supermarkets.â€
Psychologists encourage this relationship with pets, but caution that pets can be dangerous to human life. They cause bacterial, fungal, parasitic and viral diseases from scratches, bites or parasites like fleas.
Dr Francis Epatait, the chairman of the Parliamentary Veterinary Association, says if not immunised against rabies, a pet’s bite could be fatal.
The Ngora MP said in order to avoid pet-related diseases, extra care should be taken:
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap after touching them.
If you get scratched or bitten by a pet, immediately wash the area with soap.
See a doctor if the skin becomes red, inflamed, or if you develop swollen glands.
Train your dog or cat not to bite. If an animal bites for no obvious reason, it may be a sign that it has rabies. Rabies is not common, but health officials make sure the animal is examined and the person bitten is given preventive treatment.
See a doctor.
Avoid unprotected contact with pets’ urine.
Pets’ waste should be cleaned immediately so that children do not touch it.
Give pets a clean, spacious abode.
lReport all strange incidents and suspicious animals to public health officials.
Dr Berna Nakanwagi, a veterinary doctor (surgeon) in Kampala, said pets, especially cats and dogs, offer friendship or companionship and create a sense of responsibility towards another living creature.
For people with guard dogs, it creates a sense of security. For the blind, a pet can be a reliable guide, for drowning children a rescuer, for the lost one, a tracker. There are certain important facts one needs to know when they choose to keep a pet, Nakanwagi says.
Vaccination
The current vaccination schedule for dogs in Uganda is as follows;
At six weeks, vaccinate against parvovirosis
At eight weeks, against parvovirosis, canine distemper, canine hepatitis, parainflunza, leptospirosis and bordatella (dog cocktail vaccine)
At 12 weeks, against rabies. Give a booster of the cocktail
At six months, give a booster for rabies and parvovirus only, or a cocktail
These are referred to as the puppy vaccination schedule, after which you have to vaccinate your dog annually with a cocktail vaccine and against rabies.
For cats
At 12 weeks, vaccinate against rabies calicivirus, panleucopenia, and rhinotracheitis. A booster of the same is given at six months and thereafter annually.
It is important to note that the law stipulates that you have to vaccinate your dog and cat against rabies annually due to the zoonotic risk it imposes.
Litter
Pets’ litter, especially that of cats, can be dangerous if the cat is infected with protozoa known as toxoplasma gondii, which cause a disease called toxoplasmosis.
The ocysts of these organisms are secreted in the cat’s faeces and you can be infected with the same when you ingest material contaminated by cat litter. This infection is known to cause abortions.
However, it can be avoided by proper disposal of cat litter and by using gloves when handling it. Fortunately, cats usually bury their excreta and clean themselves. If provided with a litter box, they will also promptly use it with minimal training.
Hunting
Cats should not be allowed to hunt their own food because much of the vermin cats catch like rats, lizards and cockroaches contain intermediate stages of possible disease-causing organisms, like tape worms and the toxoplasma. Regular de-worming (every three months for adult cats and every month for kittens), controls this problem.
Feeding schedule
Adult cats are fed twice a day, while kittens, pregnant and old ones feed several times a day. Clean water should be available to them all the time. Providing a balanced diet is crucial. Since cats are carnivorous, part of the diet should constitute animal protein like meat, fish or chicken.
Contact with stray and wild cats
Prevent contact between your domestic cat and stray or wild ones. This limits your cat from catching diseases and ectoparasite infections and possible injuries arising from fights.
Public Pet clinics
Kampala Veterinary Surgery at Plot 12, Ismail Road in Mbuya (Dr. Berna Nakanwagi)
Country Side Veterinary Clinic in Ntinda, near the stage
The Makerere University Small Animal Clinic at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
The Uganda Veterinary Association Small Animal Clinic in Wandegeya
The average cost of vaccinating against rabies is sh6,000, while vaccinating against all the diseases at once is sh25,000 for both cats and dogs