News and Updates

Veterinarians at JCT are always on their toes. With their vast experience and expertise, vets are prepared to handle any emergent situation that may show up in the course of their duty. Given the unfortunately large size of stray animals, ownerless dogs, cats and cattle often meet with accidents that need specialized medical help. These accidents kill a lot of such creatures. Fortunately, people of Ahmedabad are getting aware of Jivdaya Charitable Trust, which is an embodiment of hope for the vulnerable speechless animals. One of the most challenging and critical cases for us was a stray dog that had impaled itself on a garden fence. Time was of an essence in this case.

Guards of a community garden were trying to chase this dog out when it panicked and tried to make an impossible leap over spiked gate. To the utter horror of the onlookers, its body got caught on a spike which had laterally cut through his soft body to emerge out of the top! The pain it felt does not need to be described in words. Let’s just say, its piteous howling was just as blood curdling has the wound itself.

When brought to our centre, there was a deep wound where the spike had pierced its body. It had got skewered from the lower abdomen and out through the rump of the dog. During a complicated surgery, our senior vet Dr Shubhangi Rajmane, found that the bladder had ruptured completely and the inner cavity was filled with urine. The chances of a lethal infection were ripe and doctors had to make their move without any delay. Thankfully, the rapid response of the rescuers gave it a good fighting chance. With the vet’s deft and swift actions, the dog still pulled through the surgery. Needless to say, it is one heck of a courageous canine!

If the urine wasn’t drained and left for a few more hours it would have resulted in a severe case of Peritonitis which would have added more complication or even resulted in death. In an intense surgery that lasted for about three hours Dr Shubhangi also had to explore the intestines (as much as possible) and other vital organs for rupture or damage. The bladder was fixed and the dog’s wounds were sutured closed. Although the situation was critical, the dog had his stars to thank that all other vital organs were unharmed. Else, the case would have been too convoluted to have any reasonable hope.

Currently, he is under the watchful care at JCT where caretakers look after his medications and food. They regularly report his health progress to the doctor. The good news is, he’s responding to the follow-up medication and is on his feet again. He is also able to pass urine on his own now. As is the case with us, humans, physical recovery in animals is incomplete without love. There are quite a few animals who respond strongly to love and care. A few gentle caresses, baby talk and friendly pats fill a creature with positive energy. A dog can make phenomenal recoveries as long as he receives love. We are looking forward to releasing him back to his area once he has recovered completely

Unlike this dog, most stray animals are not so lucky. Life of a stray, be it cat, dog or cattle, is a never-ending battle with misery and hopelessness. Even as most days end in hunger for them, other dangers are lurking around the corner. Road accidents kill a large number of ownerless animals and if you live in the country, you would have surely seen a carcass of a dog or a cat lying on the road having been overrun by an automobile. Most residential societies want no stray in their campus or gardens and their guards are instructed to ensure that. These animals can transmit diseases if they bite.

In any progressive society, there should not be any ownerless animals simply because it would be inhuman. The only way to prevent such cruelty to dogs is to get them sterilized. Sterilization is an Animal Birth Control (ABC) method that does not let the animals reproduce. Neutering (in males) and spaying (in females) are the ONLY effective methods to check dog population. Please note that simply killing will be futile (illegal too). For every dog killed, there are several others who would take its place. That’s because the dog is a territorial animal. Packs of dogs have social hierarchy led by the ‘alpha male’. Thus, if any member is killed, the others will replace them. The number of puppies born each year can easily outdo any number that’s killed. Sterilization will lead the dog population to dwindle and in future, make it almost nil.