First three animal welfare organisations welcome Bravecto® donations through #BravectoCares campaign

It’s been a busy week for the Bravecto® team as the national #BravectoCares campaign officially kicked off with donations of 4 000 Bravecto® Spot-On to three incredibly-deserving animal welfare organisations; People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), Animal Anti-Cruelty League (AACL) and South African Veterinary Association’s Community Veterinary Clinics (SAVA-CVC).

“After such a difficult past year, Bravecto® wanted to find a way to help our committed animal welfare non-profit organisations achieve their goals, despite the tough financial environment,” explained Carolyn Chelchinskey, Business Unit Manager at MSD Animal Health, makers of Bravecto®. “With flea and tick protection such a vital part of animal health and wellbeing, we decided to launch the #BravectoCares campaign which will see us donate R9 million worth of Bravecto® Spot-On stock. Considering our long-standing association with PDSA, AACL and SAVA-CVC, we thought it was fitting to launch the #BravectoCares campaign with these donations.”

The first handover to SAVA-CVC took place on Monday, 17 May at the offices in Monument Park, Pretoria. Established in 1998, SAVA-CVC supports veterinarians that provide education and primary veterinary care for animals in very low-income communities. The clinics work to increase responsible pet ownership to prevent the problems that shelters respond to, such as vaccinations for preventable diseases, ecto- and endoparasite diseases, malnutrition and overpopulation.

“Analysis of donations and support received between 2019 and 2020 shows a sharp decline,” explained Claudia Cloete, Manager and Director for SAVA-CVC. “Unfortunately, the need has increased since more pet owners are not able to provide for their pets due to their income declining. The gap between our donations and the need has increase exponentially.”

The second handover, to PDSA, took place at the Athlone office in Cape Town on Wednesday, 19 May. This welfare veterinary healthcare service provider looks after companion animals whose owners cannot afford the cost of private veterinary healthcare. PDSA focuses on providing primary veterinary healthcare to dogs, cats and horses belonging to people from the poorer communities.

Commenting on the handover, Patrick Horrigan, CEO of PDSA, said: “As a non-profit organisation, we rely heavily on donations of all forms. This product donation will allow us to provide free tick and flea control to hundreds and hundreds of dogs from needy households. In these tough times brought on by the pandemic, with household disposable income under huge pressure, many pet owners are really struggling to provide optimum care for their beloved pets.”

He said the kind donation will make a positive impact on pest control within the communities they serve: “The Bravecto® will reach the community via our mobile clinics, our hospitals and treatment centres as well as our regular community spay campaigns. For this we are most grateful.”

The final handover for the week, which took place later that Wednesday, was at the AACL offices in Epping 2, Cape Town. Celebrating its 52nd birthday this year, AACL is dedicated to promoting kindness and preventing cruelty to animals in exceptionally poor informal settlements and industrial areas. The organisation aims to provide shelter for abandoned animals, promote a safe and efficient adoptions programme, prosecute animal cruelty cases and run welfare hospitals for lower income groups.

“Given the uncertain times we find ourselves in amidst the pandemic, I can say that this year has been exceptionally challenging for many welfare organisations,” said Kelly Arendse, Marketing Manager at AACL. “Financially we have struggled but we were able to still service impoverished communities and their animals in need. Because we are not funded by the local or national government, seeking donations has been challenging, but it is because of the ongoing support of our donors, such as these, that we are able to continue to promote kindness and prevent cruelty.”

The #BravectoCares campaign will include 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® 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 six-month #BravectoCares campaign will sponsor 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.