(Seychelles News Agency) - Pet owners need to be more aware of their animals’ conditions and take preventative measures to avoid health complications, a South African veterinarian currently in Seychelles said.

The Seychelles Animal Welfare Society (SAWS), an organisation aimed at supporting and promoting animal welfare in Seychelles, opened an eight-day vet clinic on La Digue, Seychelles’ third-most populated island.

Marc Walton, a veterinarian providing voluntary services to the local animal welfare society, told SNA that people should be more aware of flea control.

“Most of the allergies I have seen during this campaign were the allergic pink skins caused by fleas,” said Walton.

He advised owners to obtain either tablets or hot shot flea killer, a liquid placed on the back of domestic animals, to treat their pets with. There are also collars that help against these small blood-sucking insects.

During the eight days on La Digue, held between July 17 and 24, Walton said that apart from flea-related allergies, there were pets that came in suffering from allergies to grass or food.

The team that went to La Digue also sterilised, de-wormed and vaccinated both domestic and stray cats and dogs. In total, over 160 animals were attended to. The veterinarian said that sterilisation not only prevents unwanted litters but also “helps prevent some of the cancers and diseases.”

This is the fourth time that Walton has provided his expertise in the Seychelles, a 115-island archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. The first was in a similar campaign in 2016 on the same island. He said that this time he noticed that work has been done to educate people as he sees “less dogs being kept in chains and cages” compared to his work there two years ago.

One of the society’s priorities is to tend to as many stray animals as possible as they have no one to look after them.

“We’ve made a special effort to sterilise them and de-worm them, treat them for ticks and fleas. If anyone sees a dog with an orange plastic disk in their ear, that is one of the island dogs that we have treated,” said Walton.

The society provides this service on La Digue as there is no veterinary clinic or personnel on the island. The founder and chairperson of the animal welfare society, Ella Rene, said that as there is a lack of veterinarians on the island they try their best to bring in foreign vets with funds raised through campaigns.

“In 2016, when we opened the temporary clinic, we sterilised mostly strays. This time, since there are fewer unsterilised strays, we have concentrated on pets,” said Rene.

Walton said that the strays treated in 2016 look better; they are not full of fleas and their general conditions are better.

The small society of fewer than six members, all under 35 years of age, plans to open an after-hours clinic on Mahe, the main island of Seychelles. At the moment they provide boarding services for cats and dogs, provide first aid care to animals and give shelter to over 60 strays. Shelters on both Mahe and La Digue are on the agenda.

Rene encourages pet owners to be more proactive to help reduce the number of strays on the road.

“Small things count, even sterilising male dogs. Many people are reluctant to sterilise their male dogs and these dogs end up roaming the street and getting female stray dogs pregnant and the cycle continues,” said Rene.

People who are interested in helping with animal welfare don’t necessarily need to donate money to them.

“A bag of food or volunteering can go a long way,” added Rene.