Incompetency in surgery for animal birth control may kill the dogs from wound infection say the doctors.
Experts say that there have been multiple complaints about stray dogs being released without their wounds having healed.
The anti-rabies vaccination and birth control surgery causing infection in stray dogs is a concern for doctors. Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP), Animal Division, operated and vaccinated more than one lakh dogs till September 2022.
Dr. Ravi Kumar, Joint Director of the Animal Husbandry Department at the BBMP, said that dog bite and rabies cases are reducing every year. He said, “Every day, 500 to 600 dogs are taken for vaccination. We keep the dog for three days after the operation to monitor any complications. Post the observation period, all the dogs are sent to the same location from where they were lifted.”
He further explained that the dog catchers take Global Positioning System (GPS) pictures of the location while catching the dogs so that the dogs must be relocated and released at the same location.
Dr. Suhash Rao, a veterinary doctor, said that the first vaccine to the dogs is given after three months of birth for rabies, and the second one follows 23 days later. Booster doses are given every year. “We go for a pre-surgical evaluation for birth control, and then we perform surgery and give anaesthesia to avoid further complications. Anaesthesia is always a risky procedure, whether it is for animals or humans,” he said.
Keerthan, who is working with Charlie’s Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, an NGO, said that people have complained to the BBMP about the dogs getting released without their wounds being properly healed. “In the worst case scenario, dogs can also die of infection and other complications if the wounds are not healed properly,” he said.
He further suggested that the government needs to empower the service providers with more equipment and concentrate on more scientific observations rather than being sentimental.
