Alexandra man Rex Parkin (73) has spent most of his life spearheading the fight to keep Central Otago dogs tapeworm-free. Central Otago reporter Jono Edwards talks to him about curing canines.
After 43 years leading the charge to eradicate hydatids and sheep measles in Central Otago dogs, Alexandra man Rex Parkin is retiring.
Mr Parkin is employed by Vet Enterprises to annually test 2500 dogs in the district for sheep measles (Taenia ovis) in a voluntary scheme.
Since 1973 he has been involved with registering the district's dogs, but after the decision last year by the Central Otago District Council to pass the contract on to an Auckland company and put the service online, he decided he would retire.
He will finish work in late March.
"With half of the work gone, I can't really justify my position, and I felt I wasn't as in control if I wasn't registering the dogs myself.''
Growing up in Ashburton, Mr Parkin said, he never thought of working with animals.
"The subject never crossed my mind. I wanted to build roads and work with machinery.''
But in 1973 he wanted a change of scenery and moved to Clyde with his two young children.
There he joined the team that treated dogs for hydatids in Central Otago, extending to Queenstown and Wanaka, and became its manager in the late 1970s.
In 1958 the New Zealand Government created a compulsory scheme to combat hydatids in dogs, as the parasites were lethal to humans, and it was enacted by councils around the country.
Before safer drugs like Droncit came on the market in the late 1970s, Mr Parkin would have to purge the dogs every 42 days using an irritant liquid.
"We told the owners that it didn't hurt the dogs, but it really burnt their guts out.
"I would get bitten regularly.''
The schemes were successful and in 1996 the Government declared the parasite eradicated.
"That made me feel very proud, to be apart of the team which eliminated hydatids in New Zealand.''
But as hydatids declined, instances of a similar worm, known as sheep measles, increased.
The worm could spread on farms and contaminate the meat of stock, but as it was not lethal, no scheme similar to that for hydatids was created.
Seeing the desire of dog owners to treat the threat, he teamed up with what was then called Central Vets and set up a voluntary scheme where he would personally go to farms and take blood samples from the dogs.
In the 2014-15 financial year, 0.4% of Central Otago sheep tested were found to have the disease.
With Mr Parkin's retirement, Central Otago's ovid scheme will end and dog owners will have to go to vets for testing and treatment.
"It will cost more because they will be sending a few samples away for testing, rather than 500.''
Mr Parkin lives in Alexandra with his wife Elma, but the two also have a house on Siquijor Island in the Philippines, the country of her birth.
They might stay an extra week at the island on their yearly trips after his retirement, but he was trying to think of what else to do with his time.
"I'll clear Lake Dunstan out of trout.''
He had had many dogs over his lifetime and now has a 4-year-old Jack Russell named Bantay, named after a famous Filipino dog used in advertising campaigns to combat dog diseases, including rabies.
"Dogs have an important role in society, especially now with the number of aid dogs that help people.''
For 20 years, Mr Parkin has also talked to pupils at Dunstan High School about animal cleanliness and welfare.
Assistant principal Alan Hamilton said his passion engaged the children.
"He is a fabulous presenter. He has an affinity with the kids and can use comedy well.
"I'm going to see if I can keep getting him along.''
