January 26, 2012
PRESS RELEASE
Concerned organizations are once again coming together to address the problem of dog and cat overpopulation in Jamaica. February is Spay-Neuter Month and the Jamaica Veterinary Medical Association (JVMA), the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA), the Veterinary Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries (VSD), the University of Technology (UTech) and the International Spay-Neuter Network (ISNN) are collaborating in holding a 3 day free surgical clinic to sterilize dogs and cats – this time in the heart of Kingston.
Spay is the term used for the surgical procedure performed on female dogs or cats in which the uterus (womb) and ovaries are removed. This stops the female from coming on heat, breeding and, hence, giving birth to scores of unwanted puppies or kittens in the course of her lifetime. The procedure also reduces the risk of breast cancer and eliminates the danger of reproductive tract infections and tumours.
Neuter is the term generally applied to the surgical procedure for the removal of the testicles of the male – also called castration. This reduces or eliminates typical male behaviours such as roaming and fighting with other males which often lead to wounding, maggot infestations, and straying away from home where they would otherwise be keeping watch. Neutering does not affect territorial behaviour – the natural desire to keep intruders out of the dog’s home environment. In male cats, it reduces the spread of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), which is the cat-infecting relative of HIV.
Controlling the population of unwanted dogs and cats is of great benefit to the society. It reduces the public health risk from diseases that can be spread by stray animals such as leptospirosis and some worm infections, reduces the incidence of bites and injuries to people and livestock as well as the unpleasant and unhealthy occurrence of decomposing carcasses of animals killed by motor vehicles on our streets, to name a few. The opportunity is also provided to offer some humane education to the public – especially children. Learning to care for and treat animals well has the desirable spin-off of helping people relate to each other better.
The clinic will the held at UTech’s Schoolof Public Healthlocated at 21 Slipe Pen Roadin Kingston(beside the Blood Bank) from Sunday February 5 to Tuesday February 7 2012. The target population will be animals from inner city areas which normally have little or no access to veterinary care. Surgeries will be done at no cost to the owners or bearers of the animals, although donations will be welcome.
Animals brought in for surgery should have no food from the evening before the surgery and no water from the morning they are being brought in. Puppies and kittens however may have a small meal in the morning. They will be returned to their owners/care-givers with home-care instructions once recovered from anaesthesia.
Much of the funding, equipment and medical supplies for the clinic were secured by ISNN – a registered charity in theUnited States, with local organizations supporting in many ways. TheUniversityofTechnologyhas taken keen interest in the spay-neuter programme and very kindly provided the location. All personnel taking part are volunteers – donating their time and energy to this very worthy cause.
For further information, persons can call the JSPCA at 929-0320 orPhoenixVeterinary Clinic at 926-5060.
Please visit the following website for more information ISNN.
www.spay-neuterjamaica.org
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