VBB & Bayer Animal Health Care Project

Dogs are capable of transmitting a number of infectious diseases to humans, termed ‘zoonoses’. Rabies is by far the most serious, well-recognized and well-documented canine viral zoonosis in India with at least 30,000 human deaths reported each year. In developing countries such as India, uncontrolled populations of stray and semidomesticated dogs exist in close proximity to increasing densities of human populations in urban environments and humans often share a close relationship with semi-domesticated dogs in rural settings. In these communities the risks of disease transmission are high.

Bayer HealthCare Animal Health has launch a three year research project in India aimed at surveying mosquito and tick-transmitted infectious diseases in street dogs (canine vector-borne diseases) and zoonotic gastrointestinal parasites that can spread from animals to humans. The project will be conducted as a collaborative effort between Dr Rebecca Traub, Lecturer of Veterinary Public Health at the School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Queensland and Vets Beyond Borders. Dr Megat Abd Rani, who is undertaking her PhD associated with this project, will accompany Dr Traub to India for a 5 week period in June 2008 to commence fieldwork. Blood, faecal and lymph node aspirates will be collected from anesthetized dogs undergoing routine sterilization under the Vets Beyond Borders’ animal birth control programs in Sikkim and Ladakh. Street dogs will also be sampled in Delhi under the kind support of Dr Vinod Sharma and in Mumbai under joint collaborations with Dr Gatne, Bombay Veterinary College. These samples will be screened for important infectious diseases of dogs, such as canine heartworm and tropical canine pancytopaenia as well as for those parasites capable of infecting humans, such as canine hookworm, roundworm, the hydatid tapeworm, and intestinal protozoa such as Giardia. Obtaining such data in the past has often not only been limited by financial factors, logistics and available expertise, but also the lack of appropriate diagnostic tools that can provide comprehensive data on the nature of these infectious diseases. The development and use of appropriate molecular tools in the current project will overcome these problems. Upon completion, this project will provide a comprehensive report on the parasites and vector-borne diseases affecting stray and semi-domesticated dogs in India, along with practical, yet effective means of prevention and control.

From Strength to Strength in Ladakh

This year all the dogs are also being rabies vaccinated. This is important as there was an outbreak of rabies in Eastern Ladakh in March this year and the local government is funding the cost of the vaccines to help prevent its spread to urban areas. As well as rabies vaccinating all the dogs being neutered, the team have so far held two vaccination days so far this season with the public being informed by radio, posters and through word of mouth. The turn outs have been encouraging with a total of 86 owned dogs being vaccinated, most of which had been desexed in the past two years of operations.

Another exciting event was the visit from the US by expert wildlife vet Dr Mark Johnson who introduced some new catching equipment and techniques that has made the dog catchers job much easier and meant that fewer of the stray dogs will escape neutering.

There are some serious site improvements occurring with a new clinic being built and the completion of the perimeter fence, new toilets and dog holding pens. The team are awaiting the arrival of a solar refridgerator that has been ordered and to commence the use of a government vehicle that has been promised. All of these things will help the efficiency of the programme and have benefits for the welfare of local animals and the health and safety of the community.

All of this has been made possible through Vets Beyond Borders partnership with the Ladakh Animal Care Society and most importantly by the generous funding of the Foundation Bridgitte Bardot.