PETWISE
Seeking more ethical treatment for the nation’s stray dogs
We asked a number of veterinarians how best to deal with this issue and what can be done to improve the plight of stray animals in Pakistan.
Dr. Syed Saleem Ahmad
(Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences; CEO Saleem Vet Clinic)
We ran a pilot project with U.S. funding for rescuing stray dogs. We caught the strays with a catcher and sometimes we needed to use dart guns. Then we operated - that is castrated or neutered - and vaccinated them. We kept them in a shelter home and then handed them over to animal lovers. It was a very successful project. To shoot or give painful drugs to animals is unethical. The best solution is to make shelter homes for these stray animals. And if an animal needs to be put down [for instance, in case of diseases where we have no other option], it is better to first tranquilize them.
Dr. Rehan Mehmood
(Owner Pets and Vets)
Firstly, there should be legislation in our assemblies to stop cruelty towards stray animals. Secondly, awareness should be raised in our society about treating stray animals with kindness, with media, seminars, animal shows, and the addition of subjects in school education [working towards inspiring kind behaviour towards animals].
A large portion of stray animals consists of dogs, and the main perceived threat of dogs is biting, which, in very rare cases, leads to rabies. However, the rabies vaccine is available at a very cheap rate - for less than Rs. 80 per animal - and its immunity lasts for three years. Our NGO, Save the Animals Foundation, undertook the task of vaccinating strays and made almost 80 percent stray dogs “rabies free” in some specific areas of Lahore for three years [proving that this disease can be easily prevented]. The government should collaborate with animal NGOs and other institutions for the betterment of stray animals.
Dr. Rashid Hussain
(Veterinarian, Asim Pets Clinic)
The most important thing is to educate people that all strays and pets should be surgically fixed so that they do not reproduce. The major problem is lack of resources and the Pakistani people’s lack of information about animals.
Dr. Waseem Hassan
(Veterinary surgeon; owner SurgVet Pet Hospital Karachi)
In Pakistan, people complain to the authorities for culling of dogs due to [the fear of] dog bites and sometime they don’t like their barking in the streets. There are two main solutions for stray management. The first involves educating the community about animal kindness. The second and permanent solution is mass vaccination and surgeries to stop their further breeding so that they spend the rest of their life peacefully. After surgery and vaccination, they should be marked with some type of tattoos or any collar [to show they have received the procedures] and the community should be educated about the whole procedure. A third solution is to make shelter houses for strays.
Dr. Awais Anees
(Principal Veterinary Surgeon, Lahore Animal Hospital)
As a practicing vet surgeon, I think the only logical way to keep dogs off the streets is to have zero garbage in the city. A.B.C. (Animal Birth Control) programme is another way to control the dog population. The cost can be drastically cut through chemical castration of male dogs. At Lahore Animal Hospital, we do low cost sterilization of stray adopted animals with free rabies vaccination. I have also heard the Lahore City Government in collaboration with University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore is about to launch Rabies Free Lahore.
