The proliferation of homeless dogs in recent years is becoming a matter of major concern of the general public. The matter has made headline news after there have been four deaths of persons who were bitten by dogs infected with rabies and died for lack of adequate medical attention.
While Padela, an association of veterinarians and volunteers, has conducted campaigns to vaccinate stray dogs, animal control experts point out that these efforts are not enough to stem the rising incidences of rabies in communities throughout the country.
A feature in El Nacional highlights that the stray dog population is out of control. Writer Jorge Gonzalez explains that the deaths recently reported are evidence that there is not a program to control the population of stray dogs (castration or sterilization), nor periodic vaccination of these by Public Health or by city governments. He said at present only natural conditions, malnourishment, illness and death by traffic accidents are the controls.
He is also critical of the shutdown of the Centro Antirrábico Nacional (CAN) that dealt with the issue in the past, delegating the role to public hospitals without previously training medical staff on handling of cases of persons bitten by animals resulted in four deaths in 2018. The protocol is that a person needs to receive four dose of anti-rabies vaccine to avoid contracting the potentially fatal disease.
Gonzalez alerts that if the animal population is not checked the country may have to confront major issues of many people being bitten by the dogs that could lead to an epidemic of canine rabies. He alerts the stray dogs reproduce rapidly and often roam city streets, feeding off garbage in improvised dumps.
In the last report before its shutdown, the CAN, reported that 35-40 persons were bitten daily by dogs in 2016. These cases were attended to by the specialized staff of the CAN. That means that in 2015, 16,310 persons were bitten by dogs. That same year, the CAN vaccinated 348,836 stray dogs. And during that period there were no reports of persons dying from dog rabies.
Gonzalez attributes the overpopulation of dogs and cats in Greater Santo Domingo to owners abandoning their pets. Many pet owners discover that they cannot maintain their dogs or cats and simply allow the animals to fend for themselves on the streets. There are also a large number of dogs that run away from their homes and end up on the streets.
While Law 248-12 on Animal Protection and Responsible Ownership has provisions for the safety and welfare of domestic animals and pets, the law is rarely enforced. There is also a Unidad de Proteccion Animal at the Attorney General Office, whose role is to prosecute those who mistreat animals.
Gonzalez called for city governments to create shelters for animals until adoption can be found for these. He said there is no department in the country to rescue sick or injured animals.
Read more in Spanish:
El Nacional
Diario Libre
Listin Diario
7 January 2019
