Parasite Prevention

By the unavoidable close contact between animals and humans, especially children, the consequences of mange, worms and other parasites can range from unpleasant and itchy, to epilepsy and other serious illnesses. Parasites in the intestinal system can cause leaky gut syndrome, which allows food to pass through the intestinal wall into other parts of the body. This in turn helps to weaken the immune system against serious diseases including tuberculosis. Although very contagious, only three injections are required to prevent animals from carrying this disease.

Every day, the clinic at Bons Amigos opens it's doors to treat the dogs brought to them with a number of various conditions, but it is every Saturday, when they are not at school, that the clinic is full of children who have brought their dogs in need of treatment for skin complaints, ear problems and worse.

The team at Bons Amigos also periodically leave the confines of the clinic to visit other areas of Praia where the stray population is an issue, so they can treat all of the dogs brought to them by the local communities.

The medication that the clinic needs to treat the multitude of dogs they see every week is expensive and not readily available in Cape Verde. The clinic is in constant need of funding to enable them to continue to treat the dogs, which is another vital aspect of our work.