“I am strong as a lion,” proclaimed celebrated East London wildlife veterinarian Dr Frank Scholtz, who was horribly gored twice by a buck.
But real fight would come later when he had a near-death battle against a mightier foe — a drug-resistant superbug.
Scholtz, 64, interviewed by Go! in a busy day at his clinic, which has reopened at Floradale Centre, said he had recovered from the dreadful injuries wreaked by a mountain reedbuck he was treating.
Scholtz, who has worked with wildlife for more than 30 years, was gored in the right leg and lower torso by the buck’s 38cm-long horns — an attack he says “nearly killed” him.
Worse was to come.
Despite the severity of the injuries, he initially felt fine, but six days later that he was poleaxed by a pathogen.
The father of two, who has a supportive partner, was rushed to hospital where he became infected with the potentially lethal superbug Clostridioides difficile.
He spent three-and-a-half months in a hospital fighting for his life.
A superbug is a bacteria that has become resistant to antibiotics, making infections extremely difficult to treat.
“I’m glad it’s all over now. I’m definitely back. I’m working four days a week and I get three days off,” Scholtz said.
He said he hovered in the balance between life and death for seven days as medical staff in ICU fought to defeat the pathogenic bug which burned through his body.
“I was basically dying. I had pipes connected to my lungs because I had liquid inside them. So I was done, boet! It was serious and I was finished.
And then he and his body fought back.
“Even the hospital staff couldn’t believe it when I recovered. That bug went through my body, hey.”
It started in his gut. The retching and diarrhoea was diabolical. “That bug is a gastrointestinal bug, so I couldn’t stomach food and I was weak. I was like a skeleton once.”
His connection to animals goes back to childhood and also started with a wild encounter.
When he was five, a vicious dog bit his arm — a scar he still carries today. But the frightening incident did not deter him from pursuing veterinary work.
“I’m happy I’m back at the clinic. It’s nice and quiet here — you can even see the monkeys.
“Every other clinic in town has too much cement and busy roads, and pets hate it. This place is perfect. You can come from Cintsa, leave your dog here, go shopping, and fetch it afterwards.
“I love walking dogs here. You can even check them for lameness, and the animals love it here.”
But his mind drifted back to that hospital bed where something marvelous also happened.
It came to him that his clinic was his life’s purpose, but not right in the city centre.
He was heading for the hills on the city outskirts.
This thought kept him going and when he came out he closed his clinic in Berea thinking he would lose customers, but they have been loyal and are coming to see him in his new place.
He is deeply grateful for this loyalty.
He had changed the way he worked and the new clinic, which he runs with the help of one receptionist, is designed to be affordable for the community.
“I work with lions and buffalo — there are no safety measures. You just hope you don’t die,” he said, casually.
“I help a pet and sometimes the owner can’t pay. That’s why I opened this place.
“When I had a bigger practice with staff, we had to charge certain fees.
“But now I don’t have to charge big fees because I don’t have a lot of staff running around.
“I designed this clinic for the tough economic times we’re facing. People come here and they can’t believe what they pay.”
After being discharged from hospital, Scholtz went to recover with his daughter in Cape Town.
Speaking about his coming back from the edge, he said: “Now it’s about purpose and helping people, just giving back to my community. I don’t want to sound like a goodie-goodie, but this practice is about my community.”
Scholtz said he hopes to hand over the clinic in the next three years. “I want to see a vibrant person come to this place and move it forward — not be as lazy as I am — take on more cases and build a great future. Because this is going to be the best practice in East London,” he said.
