Overpopulation of strays a public health hazard

BY SARAH WILKINSON-EYTLE

Thursday, April 14, 2011

AS a veterinarian I feel compelled to respond to the letter from the Animal House in the Observer of April 2, 2011, "Stray animals are not vicious".

It is both a blessing and a curse that the issue of stray dogs on our island has come to the attention of the media and hence the public. It is indeed tragic that it took the death of a child for this issue, which has for quite a while been on the agenda of our Veterinary Association (JVMA), to come to light, and I call on all agencies, governmental and non-governmental, private citizens and public entities not to let that life be lost in vain. Let us use the tragic death of little Dimitri Thomas to galvanise us to take the action that is necessary to correct the endemic problem that exists.

The work, obvious dedication and love of animals by the representative of the Animal House must be recognised and applauded. This is mirrored by many individuals and a few organisations across Jamaica that dedicate their time and resources to care for stray and abused animals and to address the problem of overpopulation. However, their well-meaning, but sometimes ill-informed rhetoric can be an impediment to proper public education.

Overpopulation of stray dogs is a public health hazard.

From faecal contamination (published studies estimate 0.34kg/dog per day on average) of the environment, the transmission of zoonotic diseases to dog bites, the risk does exist and the risk increases as the numbers grow. In Jamaica we are thankfully free of many of the deadly zoonotic diseases such as rabies, but scabies, visceral larval migrans, cutaneous larval migrans and leptospirosis which do exist here, are diseases of significant public health concern. Dog bites also pose a potential risk, especially in situations of high population density and low food resources which encourage the formation of pack behaviour in order to ensure survival. Dog packs can do severe damage to people and livestock. Though the writer of the article has been fortunate enough not to have encountered these conditions, they do exist.

The final point that must be covered and probably the main concern of the Animal House is the welfare of the stray dogs themselves. Stray dogs are themselves subject to grave risk - vehicular injury, abuse and injury by people and injury by other dogs as they compete for food or mates. Those dogs that have no owner also struggle to survive with little food and heavy parasite burdens. They indeed live in abject conditions. These are the dogs that are witnessed by visitors to our island and these are the subject of the frequent visitor complaints recorded on international tourist websites. Some tourists see Jamaica as a less than humane society because of their perception of how we treat our animals and, because of this, do not wish to return.

Solutions

The solution to the problem of stray dog overpopulation, which is one that has developed over many years, is multifactorial. It is not to be solved by wholesale slaughter or mis-treatment of animals. It necessitates public education and the cooperation of multiple public and private entities. The laws that need to be revised and strengthened to enable sustainable control programmes straddle three ministries of government -- Health, Agriculture and Local Government. The action needed to reduce the population that exists and to implement spay/neuter programmes requires the involvement of public and private veterinarians, shelter owners and managers, property owners and the public.

The World Organisation for Animal Health, the OIE, has recognised and addressed this problem by publishing internationally sanctioned methods for Stray Dog Control. The OIE also recognises that the existence of stray and feral dogs poses serious human health, animal health and welfare problems and has serious socio-economic, political, and religious implications in many countries. Also "whilst acknowledging human health is a priority including the prevention of zoonotic diseases, notably rabies, the OIE recognises the importance of controlling dog populations without causing unnecessary or avoidable animal suffering".

Recommendations

In July 2008, a special sub-committee was established by a decision of the Jamaica Veterinary Board and convened by invitation of the Dr Christopher Tufton, minister of agriculture and fisheries. In their final report, this committee recommended that:

(1) A survey be conducted to establish the population of owned and stray dogs in Jamaica especially in the urban areas and tourist centres.

(2) The existing laws be reviewed in order to establish and strengthen the regulatory framework necessary for the control and welfare of these animals within our borders.

(3) The ministry develop a policy framework to promote:

(a) Responsible pet ownership

(b) Support for stray dog and cat population control programmes in the urban areas and tourist centres

Action

The veterinary profession in Jamaica is acutely aware of the problems affecting our animals. It is also acutely aware of the problems of the access of the public to veterinary services. The spaying/neutering of an animal are surgical procedures which must be done in a safe, controlled environment by a skilled veterinarian. These skills, the drugs, tools and the maintenance of the facilities to deliver this service come at a cost. There is no publicly owned clinical animal health facility in Jamaica. There are no tax incentives or special benefits for veterinarians or veterinary clinics who serve the public. Except for the few who work in government service as regulators and some in industry, the majority of veterinarians are private practitioners struggling to keep their small businesses afloat as they provide quality care to their patients. The cost of care is real, whether it is for neutering a dog or maintaining a cat in kidney failure. The charges for the medical and surgical services that we offer are far below what would be charged for similar services by our colleagues in the human medical field who have the benefit of insurance plans and a parallel public health system.

How do we bridge the gap - between the real need out there for veterinary services and the veterinarians who are ready and willing to provide these services, but yet need to make a living and pay their student loans, suppliers and staff? What are the roles of the government, the animal welfare activists, the tourism industry stakeholders, the veterinarians and the general public?

We veterinarians, both private and government, have started the process. We have demonstrated our awareness and willingness by our participation in free spay/neuter clinics and offering low-cost services to needy clients at our clinics. The time has come, however, for a more sustainable approach to stray-dog population control.

We reiterate the need for:

(1) The strengthening of the legislative framework

(2) The promotion and encouragement of responsible dog ownership

(3) The establishment of an islandwide spay/neuter service that makes the process affordable to the public and employs veterinarians and veterinary assistants to deliver this service in a professional manner.

Dr Sarah Wilkinson-Eytle is president of the Jamaica Veterinary Medical Association.

secretary@jvma.org

To our readers: Mark Wignall's column did not arrive in time for publication.

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Overpopulation of strays a public health hazard