Dr Amy Jackson-Moss

23/03/2022

If you ever needed proof that dogs feel emotions here it is! The first photo was taken last year shortly after Ellie was rescued from the Grahamstown/Makhanda rubbish dump. The second photo was taken exactly one year after she was rescued by me and the Makana Vet Clinic team! ♥️🐾

Ellie looks depressed and sometimes expressionless in every “before” photo we have of her. But she’s gleaming from ear to ear in every single “after” one!

They do feel things - they definitely do! 🐕

18/03/2022

The rest of the clinic team know me so well… The way they rushed to come call me when the “banana box” arrived because they just knew I’d love this and want to catch it on video says it all! 😂😂😂

16/03/2022

I’ve been saying for a while that I think this country is lacking a good dog magazine… So I’m super glad to see something new and exciting out there! 🤩 There’s some really informative content in here for dog owners and the design and photos are great! Take a look 🐕🐾

OUR FIRST EVER EDITION IS LIVE 🚀

Click on the link below to dive in!

https://issuu.com/hqmagazine/docs/1a_dq_digi_final?fr=sMmM3ZTQyMTY4NzI

16/02/2022

So many people are of the impression that only mixed breeds or pavement specials land up in shelters.

Take a look at this photo posted by the SPCA Uitenhage. All of these dogs are currently looking for homes and are available for adoption. Two huskies, a basset and a jack russell and that’s just in one picture at one shelter.

Moral of the story is… If you’re looking for a new dog and are determined to get a specific breed please look around at shelters first because you’ll be amazed what you can find!

BUT don’t forget or over look the mixed breeds too… Rescue is definitely my favourite breed and I think they make the best pets! 🐕🐾

08/02/2022

Want to find out more about some of the work that I along with the Makana Vet Clinic team are doing in the Grahamstown/Makhanda township communities?

Check out this video created by some of the Rhodes University Journalism Department students by clicking the link below! 😀

https://youtu.be/RXjjwoEGQfw

30/01/2022

I’ve been quiet on here! Mostly because I haven’t really found all my words yet... But they’re starting to come to me and at the moment I’m really passionate about this idea of creating a supportive model of animal welfare. If you’re interested here is more about why! 👇🏻

08/12/2021

I recently read something written by a person working in animal welfare where they mentioned that they were dreaming of a world where they could be happy and excited about a litter of puppies or kittens. I couldn’t believe that a few words that were not mine could so perfectly sum up something that I had been feeling and couldn’t quite wrap my head around for such a long time.

Studies have shown that interactions with dogs and other animals cause our brains to release oxytocin which is why we often feel so good around animals and are comforted by them. I have witnessed so many people see a puppy or kitten in my clinic and their faces literally change in an instant. They light up and then comes the “oh my goodness it is soooo cute!” It happens to me too sometimes even though I have met literally hundreds if not thousands of puppies and kittens in my life and career so far.

But for me there has for a very long time been this internal conflict that’s been going on within my head and after reading those words I finally started to understand it. I am so often caught between the “oh my goodness you are soooo cute” state and the “I have no idea what I am going to do with you” state. It’s really hard to deal with something when the chemicals in your brain are telling you that you should be happy about this super cute little fluffy thing while the other part of your brain is trying to protect you from getting too close to this super cute fluffy thing because of everything else that’s going on around you and all of the questions and scenarios going through your mind. Bottom line there are also just too many of them.

This conflict happens to me in so many different scenarios with puppies and kittens but let’s just pick one that I want to explore - the surrendered puppy… This literally happened to me this week.

I was collecting dogs in the township to be sterilised as part of my ongoing sterilisation project. I don’t often do the collections anymore as I always end up with “projects” and I’ve been told I’m too soft… While out doing collections this week, someone gave me a puppy they no longer wanted. (Side line note both the mom and dad of this puppy have now been sterilised as part of our project so that’s a huge win!)

When handed this puppy, here are just some of the thoughts that went through my mind:
- Adorable little black and tan puppy. Super cute…
- But In my experience black and tan puppies are the least likely to get adopted so what do I do here?
- Do I leave puppy with the owners? Well the owners have already said they really can’t afford to look after this puppy.
- So do I then consider sponsoring food for this puppy so it can stay with its owner? Well who’s going to sponsor it then? Can I sponsor it? No not really. Am I then setting a precedent? Probably.
- Then it would also need vaccinations, deworming and its mangey so we need to throw in some additional treatment there as well. So who’s going to sponsor that? There’s no point in sponsoring a puppy with food to let it die of Parvo in a few weeks right? But puppies dying of Parvo can be considered a blessing in terms of population control right…
- This is also just one of about 30 other puppies I have seen within this street and the street below - one very tiny corner of my town.
- Ok so let’s take it to the clinic then. How long is it going to stay at the clinic?
- Should I try get it into foster care? But all of our fosterers are either full or going away etc? “All of our fosterers” being like 10… The joys of animal welfare in a small town!
- So should I put it up for adoption then? Well how long is that going to take? Is someone going to adopt a little black and tan puppy and now just before Christmas? Who is going to pay for it to stay at my clinic until then? I mean I could but we are already running so low on funds and I am sponsoring so many other animals? I have huge accounts to pay for medicines and goods I’ve basically given away to people and things I’ve done for free. Not to mention the thousands I’m spending on dog food a month. Literally my whole clinic is squatters/BnB guests right now! Actual patients = 2
- Ok so puppy made it to the clinic. Do I vaccinate it? Well if I don’t its going to get Parvo here probably with all the cases we’ve been seeing? But can I vaccinate it? Can I afford to vaccinate it? How long is it going to be here?
- So should I just put it down? Well I did say to the owners I would do my best to look after it. They were sad to see it go. It’s going to break a small piece of my heart to put this puppy down. It’s so cute. I really don’t want to put it down.
- What if it does get a home? Well is it fair if it gets a home? What about all the others that are also looking for homes and have been for a few weeks already?
- Let’s just give it a good meal and we’ll figure this all out tomorrow maybe. Or tonight at 2am.

…

This happens to me nearly every day with nearly every puppy and I’m sure it happens to nearly every single other person working out there in welfare too.

Sometimes I wish I was naive enough to just be able to say “oh my goodness, it’s soooo cute”…

But this here is just one of the reasons why we spay. Because we are very much living in a world that simply does not have space for the dogs and cats that are being born into it every single day. To you it might sound like I’m a stuck record but I am immersed in this every single day and I’m determined to use my voice and my words and my platform to immerse others in it too so that we can make a change and hopefully still within my lifetime.

I am literally just out here dreaming of a world where I (and so many others who are working their hardest every day) can get excited about a litter of puppies and kittens just like everyone else does.

PS If anyone wants to adopt the adorable little black and tan puppy featured in this story and featured below please let me know! I will happily vaccinate, deworm, treat it for mange and castrate it for you too if you do!

01/12/2021

One of the things I love most about working in township communities in South Africa is the children! We always seem to be surrounded by such an inquisitive crowd of little people ranging from all ages and I love how friendly and happy they always are. They are also usually the people who love their dogs the most and are sooooo excited to see them again when we return them after being spayed.

I have seen a range of different toys being played with over the years and things that would to most seem like throw away items can bring the most joy - like old mattresses being used as trampolines and card board boxes used to slide down small hills.

Today I saw two little boys of about 4 years old each with one half of what looked like an old vacuum cleaner with each half tied to a piece of string. They were having such fun pulling them around and making truck noises and they were delighted when I asked if I could take a picture of their cars very proudly showing them off to me.

All I'm saying is... Never take anything for granted!

30/11/2021

Thank you Rotary! 🤩

On Monday evening Dr Amy Jackson-Moss attended a function hosted by the Rotary Club of Grahamstown Sunset where she received an award recognising her service to animals in Grahamstown/Makhanda.

The award was aimed for people in our Grahamstown/Makhanda community who use their vocation or chosen career to serve others. Members of the club made a brief presentation highlighting some of Amy’s achievements and work. Even Ellie from the rubbish dump and General the cat from the electricity pole were mentioned!

Thank you to the Rotary Club of Grahamstown Sunset for having us and for recognising the hard work we have been doing! ♥️🐾

27/11/2021

On this day exactly 3 years ago I qualified as a vet and my life changed forever! 👩🏻‍🎓

Every year since then I have shared this photo on the 27th of November and in keeping with the tradition it seems fitting to share it here for this year's anniversary of this important milestone.

We qualified at what is known as the Oath Taking Ceremony and each of us new vets and vet nurses walked across the stage, signed our oaths and then we all took the oath together promising to uphold our profession to the best of our abilities.

The actual Graduation Ceremony took place in March of the following year but I chose not to attend. The Oath Taking had given me the closure and pomp and ceremony I felt I needed and so I didn't feel the need to attend the graduation - it was also over 1000km away!

It was an overwhelming day. The absolute joy of having reached the end of a gruelling and tough 6 year course (that at times seemed very near impossible) was indescribable. It was the culmination of hundreds of tests, exams, hours and hours of studying and an insurmountable amount of stress - the veterinary course has been described as unlike any other.

The fact that I can still hear the theatre nurses from the academic hospital shouting at me in my head three years later when I do something they wouldn't approve of in my own small theatre is almost testament to how long suffering we were! 🙈

But as the day went on I became increasingly saddened which was strange for what was supposed to be such a joyous occassion. Although I was so grateful for having made it and I was so excited to be returning home, I was dreading saying goodbye. Goodbye to people who had shared in this incredible journey for 6 years. As a class we were very close by the end and had all eventually got to know each other through various group assignments and clinic groups even if we were never really close friends.

At the end of that day and after a ball that night, we all went our separate ways and we spread out across the country to do what we set out to do many years before. Most of my classmates I haven't seen since.

Each year since that day I have written about things I have done and achieved but today I look back with nostalgia and feel the need to reach out to those who shared that incredible journey with me.

I know there are different people for different seasons in life but I do miss my classmates a lot and think about them often - even more so on days like today. We so often dreamt of the days we would be qaulified and could be out there practicing and now I so often dream of going back!

Thank you to everyone who shared in that incredible journey - I am so grateful and so proud of all the good work that is being done all over the world by people I was lucky enough to share a lecture hall with.

Anyway... Here's to 3 years of being a vet and hopefully many many more years to come! 🐕🐾

19/11/2021

For those who know me personally, you’ll know that I like to talk a lot! But for those who have got to know me through my various social media platforms you’ll know that I also like to write long in depth posts about the animals and people I meet in my day to day journey as a vet.

In my short career as a veterinarian so far, social media has been extremely good to me and I could not have imagined trying to do the work that I have done already (and the work that I plan to do) without the various social media platforms available but particularly Facebook.

My relationship with Facebook as a platform and tool to use in animal welfare work started in 2019 when I joined a local animal welfare organisation as a Compulsory Community Service Veterinarian. I used the platform to showcase and write about the various animals available for adoption at the centre and the response was incredible. So many animals have been adopted at this organisation as a direct result of people seeing them on Facebook and I imagine it is much the same for many other organisations who use this platform across the world.

Since then, I have used Facebook for various other things including fundraising, creating awareness, being informative, educating and discussing difficult topics. Earlier this year I used the platform to reveal a very personal part of me and discuss an internal struggle I have had for my whole career so far.

This post about euthanasia and particularly euthanasia of healthy dogs in shelter environments was far more “successful” than I could ever imagine. I’m not sure if successful is the right word to describe something like this but the response was overwhelming and it reached people from all over the world in various different walks of life.

So many reached out to say how well written it was and some said that I’d put in to words something they’d been struggling with for a long time too. A number of other people have also complimented me on my writing over the past few years. Compliments like these about my writing and about my words I brush off as I certainly don’t feel deserving of them! I’m taken back to High School English which was certainly not my strong suit - I was never particularly creative or particularly imaginative. (Although I had absolutely fantastic English teachers who I owe a great deal of success to!)

But I have found more and more over the past year and as I move on in my career that I feel compelled to share some of the experiences I have had and share more stories and opinions about my work and the world we live in and share with such beautiful animals. I suppose it’s because it is something I am so incredibly passionate about, but the words just seem to come to me these days and so far my words have done a great deal for me.

My post about euthanasia helped to raise over R100 000 for sterilisations through a crowd funding campaign but more importantly it also helped people talk about this problem - a topic that has been kept silent for so long. I had people reach out to me to say they were planning to breed their dogs but won’t because of what I said and had booked them in for sterilisations - those were people from the other side of the world and I would not have been able to have an impact had it not been for Facebook.

Over the last few weeks I have been juggling with the idea of starting to share more about myself, more stories and more posts discussing important aspects of animal welfare and things I’m learning along the way. When I thought about finding a platform to use to create this “blog” where I can share my words and my stories, to me the most logical option was to use Facebook and stick to what I know and have done best so far.

So here we are… Welcome to my new page!

If you are interested in following and finding out more about the work I am doing and hearing more about the animals and people I am meeting along the way, please like this page and share it with your friends who may also be interested so we can embark on this journey of saving as many animals as possible one spay at a time!