Additional Services
We offer the following additional services to our local community:
- Basic Veterinary Services
- Microchipping
- Crematorium
- Walmer Township Clinic
Basic Veterinary Services & Dipping
Basic veterinary services are offered by our in-house veterinarian for pets of underprivileged owners, who would otherwise not be able to afford veterinary care. As living costs keep increasing, sadly the number of pet owners who apply for animal welfare rates are increasing as well. Our hospital treats and sterilises hundreds of animals every year, including those housed at AWS PE and we rely on the contributions from loyal supporters to help subsidise veterinary care.
Pet owners who are unemployed, receiving a minimum wage or experiencing financial difficulties may apply to have their pet sterilised by completing our means test application form at the shelter. Please make an appointment with our office staff (041 366 1660) and they will advise on the necessary documentation to include in your application.
Our animal hospital is located on our premises and is registered with the South African Veterinary Council. It features a fully equipped theatre where basic surgery and sterilisations are undertaken by our qualified veterinarian. All animals admitted to AWS PE are seen by the veterinarian and undergo a stringent health check to ensure that contagious and fatal diseases do not endanger the lives of other animals.
We also have a dip bath on our premises where dogs can be dipped by hand. This helps to eliminate parasites such as ticks and fleas. Our dipping bath is located at the entrance of AWS PE and is available to the general public. The cost of dipping is R20 and a dipping ticket can be obtained from the office staff at reception.
Microchipping
If your pet goes missing, you can’t always rely on a collar to bring him/her back. Collars can break, become detached, taken off, or owner and address details on a tag can become illegible. As a result, it may be impossible to trace ownership back to you when your pet is found. Sadly, some pets that are not reunited with their owners may end up being euthanised.
A microchip for dogs and cats gives the best protection with a permanent ID that can never be removed or become impossible to read.
The microchip carries a unique code which identifies your pet. By entering the code into a computer database, your pet can be traced back to you. The microchip does not transmit until a special scanner is passed over your pet. Most veterinary practices and welfare organisations, including AWS PE, have these scanners readily available to allow quick access to your contact details so you can be reunited with your pet.
Dog and cat microchipping is a simple procedure. A veterinarian simply injects a microchip for pets, about the size of a grain of rice (12mm), beneath the surface of your pet's skin between the shoulder blades. The process is similar to a routine vaccination, it takes only a few seconds, and your pet will not react any more than they would to a vaccination. No anaesthetic is required.
The cost of microchipping at AWS PE is R220. Please phone our office on 041 366 1660 to make a microchip booking with our vet.
Crematorium
At AWS PE we share a deep and sincere love and concern for all companion animals. They give us so much love and they're such faithful friends. We understand that your pet is part of the family and realise how difficult it can be for everyone involved to lose such a cherished friend. We hope that when you, as a pet loving owner have to say the final farewell, we can be of assistance through our trusted cremation services.
AWS PE has the only licensed and dedicated pet cremation facility in Port Elizabeth and as is required by legislation, our crematorium has an air emissions license. We offer a professional, dignified and compassionate cremation service for your beloved companion. You can bring your deceased pet to us yourself, or if your pet is at your veterinarian, you may request that your veterinarian does so on your behalf.
Our service allow for communal or individual cremation. With individual cremation, you may choose to have your pet’s remains returned to you. In that case, your pet's ashes can be collected from our office/your vet, and you can request for the ashes to be put in a cardboard box or a small wooden casket. You can also have a plaque placed on our Remembrance Wall.
We can assure you that your beloved friend will be treated with the utmost care and respect at all times.
Please do not hesitate to contact our office, via wardens@awspe.co.za for further information on cremation arrangements.
Cost
Communal cremation: <30kg - R350; >30kg - R500
Individual cremation: <30kg - R500; >30kg - R650
Wooden casket: R150
Plaque on our Remembrance Wall: R100
Walmer Township Clinic
Twice a week a team from AWS PE visits Walmer Township to provide much needed basic care to the resident pets. Walmer Township is one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the Eastern Cape and home to +/- 70 000 residents and countless animals.
The AWS PE clinic is set up on the side of a dirt road, in the heart of the township. Residents count on our presence and they’re often found waiting with their pets when we arrive. People and their pets (mostly dogs) arrive on foot, by car, by wheelbarrow or even by shopping cart. It is encouraging to see the community coming to receive assistance for their pets.
Services offered by our team includes dipping - to combat external parasites such as ticks and fleas and mites that cause mange; and deworming for internal parasites which is recorded in their clinic booklet. Pets who require vaccinations or need to be sterilised are referred to our vet at the shelter.
Our primary mission is the health and wellbeing of the pets, but we also have a secondary responsibility to educate the residents of the Walmer Township. We aim to empower them with knowledge about responsible pet care and ownership. This includes understanding the absolute necessity of sterilising their pets to combat uncontrolled breeding.
Our clinic provides these services purely through donations from the public and our supporters.
