Antique Veterinary Office Tells Dog Owners to Provide Anesthesia and Antibiotics for Free Dog Castration

Without a doubt stray dogs are a public safety hazard. Here is the most recent case of a stray dog causing the death of a person. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/461681/club-employee-killed-in-accident-in-lapu-after-trying-to-avoid-stray-dog

A club employee did not make it home after he died due to a road accident in Lapu-Lapu City on Thursday morning, September 1.

Local police from Lapu-Lapu City confirmed that a 33-year-old man was killed in a freak accident along Brgy. Basak there. 

The victim was identified as Mark Caballero, a resident of A. Lopez Street, Cebu City. Caballero, according to police, was an employee of a club located also in Brgy. Basak.

Police Staff Sergeant Junell Mayola of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO) said Caballero was on his way home around 6 a.m. on Thursday.

While traversing the southbound lane of the highway, a stray dog crossed the road, prompting him to swerve the motorcycle he was driving. As a result, Caballero crashed onto the center island, head first. 

Mayola also clarified that the victim was wearing his helmet, contrary to reports circulating on social media. He added that the helmet flew off due to the impact of the crash.

This man was not killed in a freak accident. He was killed when he swerved his motorcycle to avoid hitting a stray dog. An accident to be sure but not a freak one like frozen human waste falling into your house from an airplane. 

The solution is simple: get rid of stray dogs. However, seeing as street dogs, known as aspins, are the national breed it is not as easy as destroying them and there would be a huge public outcry if that happened. Remember the fiasco over Oplan Dog Hang?

"Wag nang manlaban, isuko na ang alagang hayop! Upang hindi na makapinsala at makadumi sa kapaligiran."

This phrase translates roughly to:

"Don't resist, surrender your pet dog. In order not to harm and pollute the environment."

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2018/09/oplan-dog-hang.html 

Castration and sterilization are the more humane ways to end the stray problem.  Antique is seeking to reduce its dog population by offering free castration. There is only one catch.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1182725

Antique’s Provincial Veterinary (ProVet) Office will conduct mass dog castration this whole month of September to limit the dog population and deter possible cases of rabies in the province.

 

“The ProVet staff will be going to the different municipalities of the province for the activity, depending on the schedule given by the municipal agriculture officers,” Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil, chief of ProVet’s public health division, said in an interview on Thursday.

 

Ardamil said three veterinarians of the office would conduct the castration but dog owners would be the ones to provide the anesthetic, antibiotic, and other needs.

How in the world will dog owners be able to procure anesthesia and antibiotics? You have to be a doctor to get your hands on those things. This is ridiculous. Perhaps they mean the owners has to pay for those things but then that makes the castration not free at all. And are they really going to go house to house castrating dogs?  You need to do that in a sterile environment. You can't just do it anywhere without risking infection or worse. Maybe they have a truck where they perform the operation? Who knows? I do know no owners are going to be able to provide anesthesia or antibiotics.