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Canadian
veterinarians Dr Ken Seaman and Dr Rebecca Ferrier perform
surgery (neuter and spay) on these two dogs at TTSPCA. Photos:
Dilip Singh
BY
MARSHA MOKOOL
The driver of the maxi taxi swerved to avoid another maxi
which abruptly stopped to pick up passengers on the Priority
Bus Route.
There was a huge thump followed by a whimpering sound. As
I looked back, I saw the body of a small, furry dog lying
in a pool of blood.
While the passengers seemed appalled over the incident,
the driver shook it off as a regular occurrence on the busy
route. That half-dead animal laying helpless on the side
of the road was just another statistic in his eyes.
The growing problem of animal overpopulation on our streets
has prompted the TTSPCA to bring in a foreign team to assist
in spaying and neutering the homeless dogs, which breed
rapidly in this nation.
Canadian
veterinarian Dr Ben Weinberger (right), TTSPCA manager Theresa
Awai (centre), and health technician Shivani Maharaj observe
a dog that has just been anaesthesised for surgery.
Three Canadian vets and three veterinarian technologists
from the Canadian Animal Assistance Team (CAAT) are currently
in Trinidad doing some free spays and neuters on dogs and
cats to control the overpopulation of strays.
The three CAAT veterinarians are Dr Rebecca Ferrier, Dr
Ken Seaman and Dr Ben Weinberger. The veterinary technologists
are Jackie Emard, Isabelle L’Hebreux and Katrina Wutke.
The team, which was here for two weeks, departing on November
19, did approximately 30 surgeries (spays and neuters) a
day on animals, mostly dogs, at the Mucurapo Road shelter.
The services also included vaccinations, general examinations,
enucleations (surgical removal of the eyeball) and general
care.
“We
are also targeting pet owners in the lower income bracket,
who are unable to afford the cost of neutering and spaying,”
said shelter administrator, Theresa Awai.
These pet owners are referred by the Animal Welfare Network.
The team also visited schools to talk about the proper treatment
of pets and the importance of neutering and spaying.
“The
educational aspect is a huge part in promoting responsible
pet ownership,” said Dr Rebecca Ferrier.
In an interview during the team’s visit, Awai noted
that an unspayed female stray dog, her mate and all of their
puppies, could add up to 512 pups in three years if none
are neutered.
In four years, the figure could add up to 2,048 and in six
years, it can skyrocket to 67,000 dogs, according to the
TTSPCA.
Last year, the TTSPCA attended to 5,000 dogs and cats. Eighty
per cent of the 700 homeless animals had to be euthanised
because they were sickly, diseased or just too old to be
rehoused.
“We
can only manage 30 spays and neuters a week at the TTSPCA.
The Canadian team is helping us out a lot and we are very
grateful for their services,” said Awai.
Local
veterinarian Dr Raymond Deonanan operates on a dog while
TTSPCA inspector Mark Haynes looks on.
Spaying and neutering:
Spaying is the removal of the female reproductive organs,
and neutering is the removal of the male testicles.
“The
animals are given a general anaesthetic so they don’t
feel anything. They are also given something like a super
aspirin for dogs that prevents them from feeling sore the
next day,” said Dr Ken Seaman.
“It
surprises me how quickly dogs recover after surgery. It
amazes me that you can go into the abdomen of a dog and
the next day they will want to run around and play,”
he said.
His colleague, Ferrier added: “We will be moaning for
days if we endured that kind of surgery.”
Pals or pets?
The Canadian team expressed strong sentiments about the
patent disregard for animals in this society.
“In
the short space of time that I have been here, I have noticed
a lot of neglected dogs wandering all over the place,”
said Ferrier.
“All
they seem to want is attention and affection. At the beach,
they run up to you and want to be petted. They actually
want that attention before they want food,” she added.
While many of the dogs are healthy and adoptable, some of
them are brought into the shelter with mange, broken limbs
and worm-infested wounds.
Canadian animal health technologist Jackie Emard also shared
her concerns about the growing population rate of street
animals.
“The
more strays you have, the more they will breed and the more
they will become a nuisance. This puts them at risk for
being poisoned, mistreated and run over on the streets.”
she said.
Raymond Deonanan, a veterinarian attached to the TTSPCA,
said, “Some strays can spread diseases, such as mange
and tick fever, to healthy animals.
“They
can also spread parasites, that are carrying these diseases,
to people they come into contact with,” he added.
CaAt
to the rescue:
The Canadian Animal Assistance Team is a volunteer organisation
committed to the care of animals worldwide.
This team was part of the huge contingent of voluntary workers
who rescued and treated thousands of animals in the aftermath
of hurricane Katrina, the devastating hurricane that hit
Louisiana in September 2005.
CAAT deployed 82 volunteer veterinarians and technologists
in teams of 10 over an eight week period to aid in the massive
animal relief effort of dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, goats
and other animals found in an enfeebled, dehydrated state.
The teams worked at several shelters and triage centres
in New Orleans and surrounding areas, where they performed
examinations, placed IV catheters, vaccinated and dewormed
animals.
“The
condition in which some animals were found alive is a testament
to the amazing spirit and will to live of these creatures,
reaffirming the value of animals in our human lives,”
said one of the veterinarians.
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