Thousands of the country’s neglected and homeless dogs and cats are being protected from life-threatening diseases through the ongoing #BravectoCares campaign, with two more animal welfare organisations receiving Bravecto® donations. The first two July winners – Joburg-based Animal Allies and Cape Town’s Grace Animal Sanctuary – received the welcome donations on 7 July and 9 July respectively.
“Congratulations to our latest #BravectoCares winners, we commend you for the incredible work you do even under the most trying of circumstances,” Carolyn Chelchinskey, Business Unit Manager at MSD Animal Health, makers of Bravecto®. “We’re so happy that Bravecto® is able to play a part in the selfless work being done, particularly in light of the current restrictions which impact traditional fundraising methods. We encourage the support of our animal welfare organisations, most of which rely on public support for survival, as they continue to protect our vulnerable animals.”
The fourth official #BravectoCares donation
Following community nominations and online voting, a further two recipients were selected for the July donations. Animal Allies, a non-profit organisation based in Lyndhurst, was established in 2010 with a focus on the treatment and sterilisation of animals in impoverished communities, as well as to trap-neuter-return feral cats.
Commenting on the recent #BravectoCares donation, Manager at Animal Allies, Karen Chitongo, extended thanks to Bravecto®, saying: “We see many animals with tick bite-related diseases and skin problem, but with this wonderful lifesaving treatment, we will hopefully see fewer cases of sick animals.”
She said there had been a much greater need for donor support in recent months: “Most households are struggling even more now that many have lost their jobs and others have a lower income. This has resulted in a greater need for support from us in helping their animals. We are so grateful for Bravecto’s® donation which will be key in helping us deal with these problems.”
The second donation was made to Grace Animal Sanctuary’s GraceLand location in Joostenbergvlakte. This is a non-profit rescue and rehabilitation centre that cares for injured, lost, abandoned and abused animals before placing them in their forever homes. Grace also has an outreach programme in Wesbank where they care for between 600 and 700 animals. They focus on education at grassroots level, assist with feeding, veterinary care and sterilization within the area.
Commenting on the donation, Caron Burger, Founder of Grace Animal Sanctuary said: “We have a huge need for tick and flea control and parasite control with many of the animals we look after, especially with our outreach programme, and of course the animals in our care. The donation will help at our mass sterilization drive taking place on 19 July where our aim is to sterilise 67 animals for Mandela Day.”
In addition to the most recent donations, the #BravectoCares campaign has supplied thousands of doses to:
- The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA)
- The Animal Anti-Cruelty League (AACL)
- The South African Veterinary Association’s Community Veterinary Clinics (SAVA-CVC)
- The Animal Welfare Society of SA Animal Hospital & Care Centre
- The Transkei Animal Welfare Initiative (TAWI)
- Phoenix Animal Care and Treatment (PACT)
- The Society of Animals in Distress
The #BravectoCares campaign provides donations of Bravecto® Spot-On for Dogs and Bravecto® Spot-On for Cats. Bravecto® Spot-On for Dogs provides effective protection of four months against ticks, and six months’ protection against fleas, while for cats there is Bravecto® Spot-On for Cats which protects cats against ticks, fleas and ear mites for three months, as well as Bravecto® Plus which protected cats against ticks, fleas and heartworm and it provides a treatment for intestinal worms. Bravecto® It’s is a convenient and affordable method for treating parasites, providing this extended protection through just a single dose.
Also included in the Bravecto® range is the popular Bravecto® Chew for dogs which, with a single treatment, provides 12 weeks of flea and tick protection. After treating, Bravecto® Chew starts killing fleas within two hours, effectively killing more than 95% of fleas within 12 hours over the 12-week period.
How to get involved in #BravectoCares
The #BravectoCares campaign is sponsoring Bravecto® Spot-On to 13 pre-selected and nominated animal welfare organisations. Communities are encouraged to nominate and vote for organisations through the ‘Bravecto South Africa’ Facebook page. To nominate an organisation to receive Bravecto® Spot-On donations, follow the ‘Bravecto South Africa’ (@Bravecto.SouthAfrica) Facebook page. Nominations will open on a regular basis, and you can name or tag an organisation using the #BravectoCares hashtag. The finalists will be announced on Facebook, and supporters are then encouraged to vote for the winner through comments on the post. Winners will be announced on Facebook, and the welcome donation handed over.
For more information about #BravectoCares or the Bravecto® range, visit www.bravecto.co.za or @Bravecto.SouthAfrica on Facebook.
