Free-range dogs and cats: Unforeseeable dangers

(QBĐT) - Currently, people keep dogs and cats without muzzles, let them run freely on the streets, and do not vaccinate them, which is common throughout the province. This situation is very dangerous, in addition to the potential risk of spreading rabies, dogs and cats also bite, scratch, and injure passersby, children playing in parks, residential areas, and even family members who own dogs and cats.

Fear of dogs and cats running free

Currently, in the province, most households raising dogs and cats, especially in rural areas, pay little attention to the dangers that dogs and cats pose. Many households raise dogs and cats but never keep them indoors because their houses are small and unsanitary, and they believe that keeping dogs and cats in captivity will make them aggressive. This leads to dogs and cats being let loose not only biting and scratching, but more dangerously, transmitting rabies to people...

Regarding the issue of dogs and cats roaming freely, Ms. Hoang Thi Ha, Bac Ly Ward (Dong Hoi City) indignantly said: “A few months ago, my child was walking to school when a neighbor’s dog ran out and jumped on him, biting him repeatedly. Luckily, a few neighbors chased him away with sticks. I took him to the hospital to bandage his wound and get him vaccinated against rabies. Up to now, although his health is stable, every time he sees a dog, my child is often scared. Currently, where I live, going into alleys and lanes, there are many dogs roaming freely, people and vehicles passing by are chased by them, very dangerous.”

Recently, a little girl in Le Thuy district was suddenly attacked by her mother dog while playing with her neighbor's puppies. The girl was bitten by the dog many times on her hands and face and bled profusely. Her family took her to Hue Central Hospital (branch 2) and the doctors there performed emergency treatment and stitched up the open wounds on her body. Although she had been vaccinated against tetanus and rabies, the dog bite will greatly affect her psychology in the future. This is not a rare incident but happens a lot in residential areas when dog and cat owners do not control them closely and let them roam freely without muzzles.

Localities organize rabies vaccination for dogs and cats.

Not only in residential areas, in parks and playgrounds, many people calmly walk their dogs without muzzles, some large and fierce dog breeds such as Becgie, Phu Quoc... make people walking and exercising worried about safety. Not to mention, children often hug and pet cute pet dogs, however, if they are bitten or licked on an open wound, if not detected and vaccinated against rabies, it will be life-threatening.

Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine Tran Cong Tam said: Currently, the law does not prohibit households from raising dogs, but there are regulations for dog owners, such as: Must register with the People's Committee at the commune level to be issued a dog management book; must have regular rabies vaccinations; keep dogs indoors, not allowed to roam freely; when taking dogs out in public, they must have a leash and muzzle... These are the regulations, but in reality, it is very difficult to implement because not all people are aware of fully complying.

Rabies prevention work still faces many difficulties.

In recent times, there have been many cases of fierce dogs biting people, causing serious injuries and even death, including dog owners, across the country. In Quang Binh , from 2023 to now, there have been 4 cases of people dying from rabies. However, the results of rabies vaccination for animals in 2023 were low, with some localities having vaccination rates below 25% compared to the plan, such as: Bo Trach, Le Thuy and Minh Hoa.

In order to improve the effectiveness of rabies prevention and control (PCBD) for dogs and cats, from the beginning of 2024, the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine has advised the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) to submit to the Provincial People's Committee a plan to vaccinate livestock and poultry, focusing on rabies vaccines for dogs and cats.

Districts, cities and towns, based on the plan assigned by the Provincial People's Committee, develop and organize the implementation of each locality's plan. Currently, some localities are implementing the PCBD work for dogs and cats quite well. For example, Ba Don town, as of April 8, 2023, the locality has vaccinated 3,860/4,990 dogs against rabies, reaching 77.35%. Communes and wards with a vaccination rate of 95-100% include: Ba Don, Quang Van, Quang Tan, Quang Son, Quang Phong, Quang Tien...

Ms. Le Minh Phuong, Deputy Head of the Economic Department of Ba Don Town, said: In order to achieve high results in the work of PCBD for dogs and cats, the town has directed localities to review and accurately count the number of households raising dogs and cats; set up a monitoring book, and make detailed statistics to have specific plans and solutions to effectively implement the work of vaccination against rabies. Some localities also sent vaccination teams to monitor and mark the number of vaccinated dogs and cats and will take action if households do not comply with rabies prevention regulations and let dogs and cats roam freely on the streets.

In 2024, many localities have a policy of supporting 100% of the cost of purchasing rabies vaccines for dogs and cats, such as: Le Thuy, Quang Ninh, Bo Trach, Dong Hoi City, Quang Trach, Tuyen Hoa, Minh Hoa.

Mr. Tran Cong Tam said: With the drastic participation of all levels, sectors and organizations, the rabies vaccination for dogs and cats is currently going smoothly. However, the implementation process still faces many difficulties, such as: Some people still rely on the State's support and free vaccination; some localities still lack veterinary staff, so inspection and supervision of vaccination are limited; most localities have not yet punished pet owners who do not comply with rabies vaccination for pets, let dogs and cats roam freely or do not wear muzzles in public places; the supply and purchase of vaccines in localities is still confusing and inconsistent due to the lack of a district-level veterinary system...

Implementing the Official Dispatch No. 01/CD-UBND of the Provincial People's Committee on focusing on strictly implementing the work of PCBD, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is actively coordinating with localities to strengthen the monitoring of the rabies situation in animals; promptly notify the health sector when there is an outbreak of rabies in animals, with the risk of infection to humans; establish inspection teams, urge localities to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies with low success rates; guide the implementation of PCBD measures and management of dogs and cats; synthesize, report the situation, proactively advise the Provincial People's Committee to effectively implement PCBD measures...

Thanh Hoa

Quang Binh currently has a total dog herd of over 74,600 dogs, and the plan to vaccinate 50,000 dogs against rabies is to vaccinate. To date, localities have simultaneously deployed and administered more than 8,000 doses of rabies vaccine. By the end of April 2024, the rabies vaccination rate is expected to reach 85% of the vaccination area.

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