Week of May 17th

This week we've been busy working on a proposal for canine sterilization. Although we're planning on addressing this dog problem in a holistic manner, we need to make different applications for all the different parts of our program to the appropriate funding agencies that have interests in each specific area.

So why sterilize dogs???

Well, the obvious reason is to limit the existing population from reproducing, further contributing countless puppies to the ever growing population of dogs. But the less obvious reasons are for reasons of animal welfare. When roaming populations are too large, nutritional resources are low, body condition and immune responses are therefore compromised, and diseases spread easily through susceptible animals. Let me show you a few pictures of what we see:

This first dog has mange, and most dogs spend the majority of their time scratching at fleas, like the one below.

This poor dog had bloody diarrhea in the middle of the street, and the puppy below was very sick with runny eyes and nose, emaciation, weakness and dehydration- and was available for adoption!

The other welfare issues we run into are dogs being hit by cars. If you're squeamish, don't look at these ones!

Some people take the problem into their own hands, and poison dogs with strychnine, this poor guy didn't make it....

Overall, the overpopulation problem means that there are lots of unwanted and uncared for pups, resulting in some dogs spending their whole lives sleeping in the street like this old girl in the bottom picture.

Luckily things are changing. People are starting to push really hard for new legislation protecting animals, and making it illegal to treat them badly or let them roam in the streets. There are lots of organizations and associations working together to care for abandoned animals, and then adopt them out to responsible families. The goal is to foster this growing movement in Chile...there is evidence of change and a growing respect for animals everywhere! Here is a sign for a meeting to discuss and debate pet ownership in Chile, a policeman using a trained canine assistant, and a young girl hugging her new puppy.

Lastly, this family near Rancagua, Chile fostered a family of abandoned dogs- one mother and all her puppies. They helped raise the puppies until they were ready for new homes, and then adopted all the puppies out. The mom was taken to a local veterinary clinic where they paid to have her spayed.



Hats off to this family! See you next week!

Week of May 10th

This week we had some bad news...unfortunately we were robbed and both our cameras were stolen. So I have no pictures for you this week! We will be buying a small camera to get us going again this week, so stay tuned next week, when we´ll be back to normal posting pictures again.
I spent some time working on a pudu this week with the wildlife veterinarian that runs the Wildlife Rescue Centre at the University (follow this link http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pud%C3%BA to see what a Chilean Pudu looks like). The pudu had been attacked by dogs, and was just recovering when he punctured his foot, and was limping badly. We anaesthetized him, cleaned the puncture and took an xray, then bandaged up the hoof and woke him up. The injury is quite serious, but at this point we´re really hoping for a complete recovery, as this species is threatened. This is the other side of the dog overpopulation problem...when they exist at such high numbers and roam freely, they form packs and attack wildlife. We hope to expand our work into this area as well.
Until next week....

Week of May 3rd

This week I wanted to give you some idea of where we are working and living. The name of the city is Valdivia, and we live about 15 minutes from the city, in a small village called Niebla, right on the coast (http://encarta.msn.com/map_701517329/valdivia.html ). There are a lot of resident dogs here that are either loosely "owned", or just live in the streets near our house, and live off whatever they find, including garbage. They occupy a territory, and are just always there. Here are a few pictures of the dogs in our neighbourhood.

Our area is called the Rivers Region. The landscape is beautiful, and the culture is a real cross between modern and very traditional, people with higher incomes, and those with very few resources. There are lots of wildlife in the area. Here are a few pictures from the area to give you a general sense of where we are working:

1. Our own dogs enjoying the beach
2. University Austral de Chile marine research centre
3. Hiking to the beach
4. The beach near our place
5. Horse and delivery cart in town
6. Produce market
7. Selling grains at the local market
8. Pelicans
9. Sea lions- right on the sidewalk in town!

Lastly for this week, we had a meeting on Wednesday evening with a student group called Policlinico Movil. They gave us a presentation on what they have been doing, and we were so impressed! For ten years now, this group has been operating in conjunction with private veterinarians in town, bringing valuable mobile veterinary services and education to rural communities around Valdivia. We are looking forward to working together with this creative and vibrant group!

Week of April 30th

This week we made contact with our former government partners in Valdivia. We are planning a meeting with interested professors and students from the Veterinary College sometime next week, just to catch up and see what they've been up to regarding their dog programs, in the last few months. Then, we will be facilitating a workshop to start putting a framework together for our next year of work together. I've attached some pictures of everyday dog sightings. Overpopulation is a complicated issue, involving long term changes in human behaviours, such as city waste management and responsible dog ownership- it is not just about spaying and neutering as many animals as possible.

Mostly we worked with people and their dogs, doing health checks, vaccinations, deworming and talking to them about general health. It was also an opportunity for the veterinary students to get some practice working with clients and their pets.