On-site First Aid Treatment for Prevention and Cure of Maggot wounds in Street Animals:
It is the onset of warm weather and humid conditions that trigger an onset of maggot wound related queries on our helpline and the below treatment protocol has been shared aplenty by us through our website www.jaagruti.org, e-mail queries and blog based queries.
A horrifying number of street animals die tragic and slow painful deaths owing to maggot infestations. But, maggot wounds can be prevented and treated on site very easily (if noticed before it is too late) and these unfortunate deaths can be prevented if animal welfare volunteers read through this article below and back the knowledge so acquired with animal handling skills and some amount of patience, determination and dedication; all of which are essential qualities that are required to help heal a voiceless animal.
What are Maggots and how do they infest an animal? :
Flies get attracted to garbage, carcasses, rotting food, open wounds and faeces and use them as substrate to lay their eggs. A particular type of fly, called screwworm flies has a special fondness to lay its eggs on fresh, untreated open wounds on any animal’s body and that is what can trigger maggot infestation. These wounds could be there on an animal’s body due to a fight they might have gotten into, itching, licking, accidental injuries etc. A wound of the size of a pinhole may be enough for a fly to get attracted and lay eggs on. In areas the animal can reach with his tongue, these fly eggs are usually licked off. Danger areas for an animal where maggot infestations are common are the ears, anywhere on the head and neck, back of the body, anus.
These eggs, once laid on the wound site of an animal can hatch within a few hours into larvae or “maggots”, which start out very small just like a thin rice grain but then start feeding into the flesh and organs of any animal (be it a calf, a cat, a tiger or a dog) and then they (maggots) grow fat and up to an inch long. Alongside, they penetrate into the animal’s body and the wound increases in surface area and deepens in no time, resulting in more flies getting attracted to that side and laying even more eggs, thereby infesting it even further with maggots.
Left untreated, maggot wounds are fatal as the animal may die due to the maggots tunnelling into their brain or vital organs (depending on the site of the wound), blood loss or secondary infections.
Where and how will you see maggots or understand that the animal is infested with maggots and requires treatment?
You won’t see maggots crawling like ticks or lice on the skin surface or hair, instead what you will see is a ‘hole’ in the body of the animal and maggots crawling their way on the wound surface or inside it eating away the flesh and the most potent indicator that an animal has a maggot wound would be that you will smell rotting flesh. This stinking smell will only get worse as the maggots multiply and penetrate through the body of the unfortunate animal.
How to prevent Maggot infestation?
Prevention is surely better than cure, when it comes to Maggot wounds. Please try to understand that maggot wounds can be fatal/life threatening if not treated on time. Also, note that maggot infestations occur when any small wound on an animal’s body is left untreated and in most cases, that is where it all starts from and especially so in warm, hot and humid weather!
So, if you notice that your neighbourhood street dog/cat/cow/donkey has an open wound, follow the steps below to prevent that wound from becoming infested with maggots:
How to treat a maggot infested wound?
Once you spot a wound-hole on the body and smell of rotting flesh in an animal, be rest assured that the smell is of maggots chewing away on the animal’s flesh. Any time wasted hereafter will only increase the maggot wound/infestation in size and prolong the animal’s suffering and pain, please ACT FAST and follow the steps below:
We believe following the above steps does help and over July 2014 to November 2014, as part of the On-site First Aid Service for Street Animals that we at JAAGRUTI™ run in North West Delhi, we have followed the steps detailed in this article to treat on-site (i.e. on the very streets these animals live) 24 animals with maggot infested wounds. This included 2 donkeys and 22 dogs and depending on the severity of wounds, it has taken us 2 weeks to 4 weeks to treat all animals. We have been able to do this only because people from the community, where this maggot infested animal was being treated came forward to handle the animal while our team, was administering treatment; and also ensured that the wounded animal was being fed well to help speed up their recovery. From our end, after doing topical treatment to clean and dress the maggot wound, we were also using assistance from trained veterinary professionals to inject the required dosage of antibiotics, Inj. Ivermectin and multivitamins to kill deep seated maggots, minimise infections and promote wound healing. Please consult your local veterinarian and use tablets and syrups mixed in feed to substitute for injectables.
Do let us know if the above works for you too.
Please refer to this Slideshow on Treatment of Maggot Wounds in Dogs
By Vasudha Mehta, Co-founder & Trustee, JAAGRUTI™:
Cooperative Housing Societies(CHS) and Resident Welfare Associations(RWA) spreading fake news saying that dogs and cats can cause COVID is a violation of the Disaster Management Act 2005.
Strict action will be taken against such misinformation by the Government of India.
Please take note and share with societies who are spreading misinformation about animals spreading #COVID19.
Details of how to and whom to complain are shared in the images below.
Animals don’t spread or get #coronavirus. We humans do.
Don’t be a #COVIDIOT. Don’t spread misinformation, it’s is not only irresponsible but also a criminal offence.
Please do file a formal complaint if a CHS/RWA or member of such CHS/RWA does not desist from spreading false information even after your warning and sharing facts.
Globally, over 17 lakh people have been infected with COVID-19, whereas, there have been only 4 isolated and rare cases of animals that have tested positive for COVID. Experts suggest that these animals got it from their positive pet parents with whom these animals were living.
NO cases in India whatsoever, and NO evidence GLOBALLY to prove that animals spread it. Instead, there is more than enough evidence to prove that humans spread the virus to other fellow humans and that is precisely why we are in a lockdown, animals are not.
So, if at all anyone has to be scared, it’s the animals who should be scared of us and not the other way round.
You are way more safe with an animal than with an unknown human.
Please share widely!
*Text Credit: Meet Ashar
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (abbreviated as ‘MHA’) on 25th March, 2020 has issued an addendum (meaning “add-on”) to its guidelines issued on 24th March 2020, asking Veterinary Hospitals and pharmacies to remain operational during the lockdown, which includes private Veterinary Clinics, too. This is part of the Government’s effective action step to prevent animals from suffering without medical aid.
P.S: Para C(f) and Para D of the Addendum under the signature of Union Home Secretary Government of India, are really good, providing scope for Wildlife Vets and Animal Husbandry Department Vets serving for domestic and companion animals.
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This addendum comes on the same day as the PM’s request to the nation, to be “Compassionate Citizens” & feed the hungry, both the poor humans and neighbourhood animals. The video can be watched below –
Original source: www.pib.gov.in
Please read the Press Release, Download the MHA Order and MHA guidelines dated 24th March in different languages from https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1607997
Private Animal Ambulances are working hard even during Lockdown in the City of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
They are here to help animals in distressed situations, they are for Small Pets and Street Animals, and are paid services: some of them may voluntarily subsidize their rates for ferrying street animals to pet clinics or animal hospitals; and beinging them back. Caretakers of these animals are expected to accompany their animals.
These Private Animal Ambulance services are working day and night for rescues and emergency cases.
Please feel free to call them on the below mentioned numbers, however, BE PATIENT, RESPECTFUL and DECENT with them, everyone is trying to do the best they can in these times –
Sunil Pachupate – 9833544414
Pradip Kadam – 9892481023
Rajesh Savla – 9930906026
Yogesh Sagveka – 9869186735
Tirupati Balaji – 8082056950
Mehul – +91 98202 81309
Yogesh Shinde – 9664699356
Hitendra Mota – 8369081332
Nanu – 9819626311
Anil Pachupate – 9820521218
Please carry printouts of the PM’s advisory to the States about street animal welfare, and the letter from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Upamanyu Basu, to show the authorities if they stop you from feeding.
Please also keep an eye out for animals that may be suffering inside closed pet shops and inform the authorities immediately.
Sharing the same below for ready reference:
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News Article in ‘The Print’ dated 23rd March by Journalist Sanya Dhingra (Please scroll below for relevant images, that you can download, print and keep handy, while you feed/look after animals in need and street animals in general. This is the time to show humanity, kindness and compassion to all living beings)
The Narendra Modi government has told all states to ensure that medical help for animals is treated as an essential service, which does not get suspended during COVID-19 lockdowns across the country.
While several states announced lockdowns Sunday in a bid to arrest the spread of the deadly disease in India, they did not include veterinary services in the list of essential services that would be exempt under it.
In a letter addressed to all chief secretaries dated 23rd March, the Centre said, “It is requested that veterinary hospitals and dispensaries in the state, including private veterinary clinics, veterinary pathologies, animal shelters etc. function in the normal course and the veterinary services be considered in the list of ‘Essential Services’.”
The letter, written by the joint secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Upamanyu Basu said, “It is necessary to ensure continuous emergency services in the animal husbandry and veterinary sector, especially in emergent animal health issues situations.
“These May include but are not restricted to, emergency services like disease diagnosis and treatment, monitoring of any emergency livestock and poultry diseases, immediate disease reporting, etc.”
However, the government has urged veterinarians and other related officials to ensure strict personal hygiene and avoid public gatherings.
‘Animals and birds should not suffer during lockdown’
On the same day, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) wrote another letter to all states emphasising that all law enforcement agencies ensure that animals and birds do not suffer due to hunger during the lockdown due to COVID-19.
Please carry printouts of the PM’s advisory to the States about street animal welfare, and the letter from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Upamanyu Basu, to show the authorities if they stop you from feeding. Please also keep an eye out for animals that may be suffering inside closed pet shops and inform the authorities immediately.
“This is a valuable service consistently provided by compassionate individuals and the absence of it may cause a large number of animals and birds to suffer and die and carcasses of the dead animals and birds may further spread different diseases amongst community which will be difficult to control,” Dr O.P. Chaudhary, Director of the AWBI has written.
Meanwhile Delhi Government has issued the following order as well.
“The situation is quite alarming,” BJP MP Maneka Gandhi said. “In some places, food is being stopped…No animal grains and chara is being allowed to come to Haryana from UP. Even pedigree from Hyderabad is being stopped by Mumbai,” she said.
“Animals and birds cannot be allowed to starve in the country in this manner.”
In coronavirus crisis, lessons for us, writes President Ram Nath Kovind – in The Hindustan Times, dated March 20, 2020
“Respect Nature
*Humankind’s craving to control nature and exploit all its resources for profit can be wiped out in a stroke by an organism we cannot even see with the naked eye.*
*Let us remind ourselves that our ancestors saw nature as our mother, and asked us to respect it. At some point in history, we forgot ancient wisdom. When pandemics and abnormal weather phenomena are becoming the norm, it is time to pause and wonder where we lost the way, and how we can still make a comeback.*
*Inter-dependency is also something we tend to overlook in normal times. In my speeches, I have often referred to the Sanskrit dictum, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, which means the whole world is but a family. Today, it turns out to be truer than ever before. We realise how deeply each one of us is connected with everybody else. We are as safe as we take care of safety of others, not only of human beings but also of plants and animals.*
“
Detailed article in below link. 👇
India news – Hindustan Times – https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-coronavirus-crisis-lessons-for-us-writes-president-ram-nath-kovind/story-2I0H2GtmOBIUOfOwUJf4JN.html
Please read.
However, during a lockdown, you may do what is essential and unavoidable, for instance – feed strays that you have been tending to. Nobody can stop you from feeding strays responsibly. Remember, you are merely discharging your constitutional duty of being a responsible citizen as mandated by Article 51(A)(g) of the Constitution of India by looking after animals and showing compassion towards them. Imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code means gathering of more than 5 people is prohibited. For feeding/medicating, it’s generally only one person and probably one more to help/assist. You are not in violation of any law if you do it responsibly.
“There is no greater heroism than motherhood. All hail down to these mothers out there”.
A Cow’s Milk is for their calves, much like human breast milk is meant for the human child we give birth to. And it’s only mothers milk that a child really needs.
But, little do we “humans” realise what these Moms go through, every year, throughout their life.
It doesn’t end with the cows, think of the calves which are starved off their mothers milk and male calves are just left to die or sold to the leather industry for their ‘Veal‘
Be it New Year’s Day or Mother’s Day, think about these Moms who can’t speak as they live in an unimaginable life of suffering.
There are alternatives to Cow’s Milk available in the market these days and better still, like, you can make milk with soaked almonds and nuts, much healthier and with no cruelty inflicted upon these moms!
Last week, thanks to the initiative of the Principal of D.A.V Public School, RK Puram, Mrs. Sanjana Dutta, we were invited to conduct an Awareness Workshop on ‘Compassionate Citizenship’ for students of Class 4th and 5th. Our objective while conducting such awareness workshops is to inculcate within these young students, who are at such an impressionable age, empathy and respect for all living beings and the resources, Mother Earth offers us. These kids, learnt how they could go about caring for animals on the street, in the wild, about being sensitive towards our lifestyle choices and the Environment we co-inhabit with all other species, in our day to day lives.
One student, stood up at the end and asked me, “Mam, we will do all this but how will other understand it?”, my answer was, “They will understand it through YOU. This wave of compassion will spread through all of you.
That’s how this works. That’s how kindness spreads”.If you want such workshops to be conducted in your School, kindly email us at contact@jaagruti.org.
Love and light, to all for the New Year 2020
Vasudha Mehta & Team JAAGRUTI
Holi, the “Festival of Colours” is around the corner. As you play around and enjoy getting drenched in colours, please be mindful that the same may be very torturous and harassing for street animals.
A few things to remember and teach kids and adults, alike:
1. Be sensitive, empathetic and understanding, these colours are toxic and harmful for all.
The coloured powders that are used during the festival are made with synthetic chemicals, which contain toxic metals or dyes that can cause skin allergies, rashes or even blindness in people and animals.
Animals can easily inhale the powder, which can cause nasal irritation and respiratory allergies or infections.
If an animal gets the powder in his or her eyes, quickly flush them out with clean water.
2. Teach children not to throw colours or water balloons at animals: Kids may or may not realise that this frightens and hurts animals and if animals react in self-defence then it’s you as a parent who has failed, but to shove yourself of that blame, you will blame the that animal. Why do this? Better would be to teach your child to be compassionate and kind towards these voiceless animals.
After all, kindness to animals will make this world a better place to live in.
Have a Heart that cares💓🐶
Its chilly and cold today in North of India. Its raining too…open the gates of your verandah, hearts and home to give temporary shelter to these voiceless animals. Place a piece of rug, jute sack, old blanket for a bedding.
The gesture will warm them up as well as your heart & soul.
Be human. Be kind. The world will become a better place this way!
Snake Charmers know very well how to make money by exploiting belief. It’s upto us to rid ourselves of superstitions and pity!
The traumatic life of a Snake held captive!
They don’t drink milk naturally rather they are forced ro drink it by keeping them deprived of water and thirsty, for being reptiles, they only want water
Fangs and teeth are broken resulting in an infected mouth. The infection soon spreads to the other parts of the body
Milk is usually vomited out as Snakes can’t digest it
Stitched mouth
Cobras are caught several weeks before the festival of Nagpanchami or generally for street entertainment or by Sages/Sadhus who roam around in saffron robes, conning pilgrims and innocent people!
The mouths of these Cobras are stitched, fangs and teeth are broken, they are locked up in dark, unhygenic baskets for several days, they are offered no food or water, haldi, kumkum and other irritants are sprinkled on them, forced to drink fluids (milk) that they can not digest (they vomit it out!), they are roughed up and tortured to show their hoods at each and every devotee’s house.
How much more can these reptiles handle? They really can’t and suffer a slow, agonizing death.
Take action – if you spot a snake charmer, firstly never pay & encourage them, inform the local Forest Department, NGOs working for snakes/wildlife conservation and even the nearest Police Station.
Spread this message to as many as possible and let’s save these reptiles together.
Photos used in this Article are kind courtesy of “Friends of Snakes Society“
A Zoo is nothing but a prison, where innocent animals are held captive for life, for no fault of theirs.
Be the Change. Say NO to ZOOS.
Water is crucial to every living being’s survival on this Planet, be it plants, animals, birds, insects, fishes….every ‘living’ being needs it.
The Animal Water Bowl Project is thus worth including In Your ‘Yearly’ Resolution List.
You can pledge or encourage your kids to pledge that, “Everyday I will provide safe drinking water to all the animals at my place”.
Not only will it inculcate a feeling of responsibility and compassion, but also give great satisfaction when you/your kids actually see thirsty birds, animals and insects quenching their thirst, thanks to the clean water you put out for them daily.
These voiceless innocent beings need safe drinking water too, just like Humans. And, as we humans are responsible for destroying the habitats and rivers, that they relied on, all in the name of development, it is now our responsibility to save their lives by providing the things which are possible rather than ignoring them.
Love has no colour, race or species and Kindness to Animals, birds and all lesser beings will only make this world a compassionate and a better place to live in…
Think over this for a moment
Dogs are not as efficient at releasing heat as we are; they are built to conserve rather than release heat and tend to heat up faster than we do. Dogs do not sweat in the same way humans do and can easily become overheated, which can lead to heat stroke and severe medical complications.
Watch for the above-described signs of heat stroke in dogs and contact a veterinarian immediately if you suspect your dog is in distress.
Your dog’s saliva may be sticky due to dehydration and if shock sets in, they may experience seizures and collapse — which can be fatal. Petsshowing signs of heat stroke should be cooled down as soon as possible and should always be checked by a veterinarian.
Summers are here. Animals and Birds face as much difficulties with soaring temperatures as we do. Place a water bowl for birds and animals near your home/office places. Remember, however to clean the bowl and place fresh water in there daily.
You are more likely to spot Large birds like Kites in dehydrated condition having fallen flat on the ground in this weather.
Share this awareness poster made by the good folks at Jivdaya Charitable Trust Ahmedabad that educates us on what we need to do if we spot a dehydrated bird.
Below is the copy of the Legal Notice sent by a Delhi based Animal Welfare Activist Rishi Dev to the Concerned Office Bearers in the SDMC i.e. South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
It is to be noted that SDMC had advertised with a lot of media coverage their ‘intent’ to levy a fine of Rs.500 and ‘haul up’ every pet owner any time that they err and do not pick up the poop off their pet dog.
While we at JAAGRUTI strongly endorse ‘responsible pet ownership’ and do encourage pet owners to pick the poop up after their dog has done it and help keep the surroundings clean and do it ourselves as well, what these SDMC these office bearers should understand that in a country in-famous for open defecation, is that such a one-sided dictat has to be thought through before being ‘imposed’ lest it gets misused by the Municipality staff and RWA (Resident Welfare Association) office bearers to ‘harass’ pet owners and many street dog caretakers. In any case, with pet abandonment on a rise in big cities, such ill-thought out words coming out someone in as responsible a public position like a Mayor of the Corporation, will only instigate more people to abandon their pets.
Instead through awareness messages, SDMC should encourage environment-friendly messages on the relevance of picking up a pet dog’s poop, not using polythene bags, planting trees, relevance of Street Dog Animal Birth Control and Anti-Rabies Vaccination drives etc. What we as a Country and as Indians need is some sensitivity and compassion and Empathy drilled into our minds to encourage responsible citizenship rather than ill-thought of dictats that only offend some and appease some.
In Rishi’s own words, “The following legal notice was sent to the concerned officials. Also the MANY MANY letters that animal lovers wrote to SDMC Mayor had their effect. As of now SDMC cannot implement this law, in the absence of a proper legal procedure. Plus they have not replied to our legal notice and have not defended their stand. Thanks to all the genuine animal lovers who participated in this campaign. If SDMC still goes ahead with this without a legal procedure, then contempt proceedings will be initiated. If anyone comes to know that they are discreetly going ahead then kindly inform us.”
TAKE ACTION: South Delhi people can still keep writing letters to the SDMC Mayor whose address is in the Notice-remember to send your letters registered Via India Post. Keep the Receipt of the Post safe with you.
It is a very self-explanatory notice that touches upon a lot of issues and thus it is important every street dog caretaker as well as Pet owner reads it.
Years that we spend in school are amongst those times when our minds are most ‘impressionable’ i.e. receptive to new facts, new learnings every day. These are also the times when we are much more innocent at heart and can be sensitized into becoming a truly compassionate and kind-hearted individual who thinks beyond himself/herself.
In the Year 2014, CBSE i.e. Central Board of Secondary Education (India) had sent an advisory to all its 18,000 affiliated schools across India strongly urging them to implement a policy that bans students and staff members from wearing leather shoes in favour of animal- and Earth-friendly canvas shoes. CBSE proposed this as an “ethical” and “compassionate” way to protect the environment and animals from harm.
For not many kids and adults, or even self-proclaimed ‘vegetarians or vegans’ alike, understand, even in today’s time that leather is nothing but skin of a terrified animal, that was cruelly, painfully inhumanely slaughtered in front of their kin (often dismembered/de-skinned when it is still conscious and breathing) , and they are subjected to this brutality for their meat that you eat and/or the shoes or belts that you are wearing or the bag or wallet you are carrying or showing off!
“[B]uying leather directly contributes to encouraging the growth of factory farms and slaughterhouses …“, says the CBSE advisory. “Leather … shares responsibility for all the environmental destruction caused by the meat industry as well as the pollution cause by the toxins in tanning.”
Alternative to Leather Shoes in case you are wondering: CANVAS SHOES
The link to the Advisory on CBSE website can be accessed by clicking here, and the screenshots of the Advisory can be read by clicking on Images below (it’s a 2 page circular)
We understand as per information available on the Web that the Indian States of “Himachal Pradesh and Punjab have already moved to ban leather shoes in schools and in Goa, most schools already use canvas shoes”.
Take Action: If your school is amongst one of them that still forces you to wear Leather Shoes, then we request you to take a print out of this advisory and discuss this with the Head of your Schools, for Sir Paul McCartney once rightly said, “”If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian”. Watch the Movie by clicking here.
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P.S: If you have an inspiring story or anecdote of yours to share with others to spread the wave of kindness around and more sensitivity and understanding on the need to voluntarily oppose the use of Leather goods, then please type it down in the comments section below.
Let’s spread ‘JAAGRUTI’. Let us all Inform.Share.Inspire
*Guest Post by Ms.Madhu Goyal
Recently there have been several complaints about unethical practices at some dog boardings, of dogs being confined in unaoccupied broken-down buildings, dogs chained to gates and driveways in the hot sun without water and in their own excreta, dogs kept on rooftops with no shade from the summer sun, dogs being returned to pet parents covered in ticks and suffering from high/tick fever and other ailments, of pet parents being billed double the boarding rate agreed on, pets being held hostage, etc. This is not to say there aren’t any good boardings. Of course there are, run by genuine dog lovers. It is your job as a responsible pet parent to figure out which one is right for your dog, if for some unavoidable reason you are forced to use the services of one.
Here are some general guidelines to help you sort the good from the bad. The key is to use your common sense.
First, do some research, don’t go solely on recomendations, and question, question, question! If someone you know has had a good experience at a particular boarding, put that place at the top of your shortlist, but check it out personally anyway before you send your dog there.
Visit the boarding, preferably unannounced, don’t be fooled by the boarding’s self-promotion or the photos you’ve seen – photos can be doctored. If the boarding owner/owners object to the visit, you can be sure they have something to hide. Avoid that boarding.
Does the place smell bad? If it does, go home.
Is it scrupulously clean? If not, go home!
Are there other dog boarders that you can see? If not, then obviously it’s not a good place for your dog. If yes, check their condition. Are they clean, tick free, healthy? Do they look happy? Are the dogs chained? If yes, your dog will be chained too.
Are the dogs protected well from the elements/heat/cold? If not, Leave!
Other than the boarding owners, is there adequate, caring, clean, 24X7 support staff? If there is no other staff, it’s not a good sign.
Ask who will walk, exercise your dog, how many times and where. Check to see if the play/walk area is secure, clean and wholesome.
Do the dogs look scared in the presence of the boarding owners/staff? If they do, they are probably beaten into submission.
Is the place secure, with high boundary walls and gates that a dog cannot jump over?
Is there fresh, clean and plentiful drinking water available to the dogs? Some boardings give their wards very little water because dogs pee after they drink, and the boarding owners don’t want the bother of cleaning up the pee.
Inspect the living space. Is it clean, airy, well ventilated, cool in summer, warm in winter? Is there enough bedding? Is it clean and does it smell fresh?
Question the boarding owners about what, how often and how much their boarders are fed. If possible, inspect the refrigerators for cleanliness and freshness of the food. If there are no refrigerators, the dogs are most likely fed stale food.
Inspect food and water bowls for cleanliness.
Go through the contract, preferably with a lawyer. If it is one-sided and protects only the rights of the boarding owners and does not say anything about the rights of the pet and pet parents, don’t sign.
Make sure you have the boarding rates in writing so that there are no surprises later.
Ask which veterinary clinic is used if, God forbid, a dog falls ill while in the care of the boarding. It is your right to demand vet/path lab bills/receipts for all treatment given to the pet, and daily updates on his/her condition. Also, be sure to keep in constant touch with the vet regarding your dog’s condition and course of treatment.
If you are out of town, ask a friend or family member to occasionally visit your pet at the boarding to make sure all is well. If the boarding objects to this, strike it off your list.
A little forethought will save your dog a lot of pain and distress, and you a thousand regrets.
We are quoting below verbatim from the Facebook post put by, Advocate Ms.Anjali Sharma, so that those who feed street dogs in Delhi and elsewhere can use this information BELOW to counter the misinformation that has spread following recent news reports in Delhi on this subject.
So, please read below, relax and download the Complete order issued by the Delhi High Court below and gear up to counter all the unruly “RWA” members or neighbours who have been fed some fodder by our misreporting Media outlets in the City.
After you have finished reading what we have quoted below, please also read the below links once again.
*2010 Order by Delhi High Court on feeding street dogs
*Indian Street Dogs and their Rights
SO HAS THE DELHI HIGH COURT BANNED STREET DOG FEEDING THROUGH A RECENT ORDER?
OF COURSE NOT. Please read the ACTUAL ORDER which I’m sharing below, & not the trash that some Hindi tabloids have published. The order passed is case specific – involving a case where 2 parties are residing in a common property. One resident objected to the other resident feeding street dogs. He wanted the dogs removed from the area, & wanted their feeding banned. THE COURT HAS NOT DONE THAT. The Court simply said – don’t chain street dogs in the common drive-way of the property in which both parties are residing, don’t feed them there, don’t cause nuisance for the other resident. THATS ALL. This order is in line with the earlier orders passed by the Delhi High Court in 2009 – 2010. Even in those cases, in which I had appeared for the Animal Welfare Board of India, the High Court had emphasised that feeding must be done carefully & in a responsible manner.
– Above text is as quoted by Ms.Anjali Sharma ADVOCATE in her Facebook post on 31st July 2017.
We are quoting below in Hindi, the words of Saurav Gupta, an Animal Welfare activist on this subject so as to calm down the nerves of all of you who communicate in Hindi.
दोस्तों एक भ्रांति और डर आज कुछ पशुप्रेमियों में है जो कुछ कुत्तों को खाना डालते हैं दोस्तों मैं उन्हें आश्वस्त करना चाहता हूँ की ये उच्च न्यायालय का आदेश केवल एक केस में आया है, दो पार्टियों के झगड़े में एक civil-Suit की सुनवाई के दौरान विशेष तौर पर इस एक केस में ये आदेश पारित किया गया है, ये कोई P.I.L या Writ Petition नहीं है जो पूरे दिल्ली में लागू हो ये बस एक केस में एक पार्टी के ख़िलाफ़ आदेश है. कुछ हिंदी अख़बार वाले इस केस में बिना Court Order पढ़े ख़बर लिख रहे हैं और कुत्तों को खाना डालने वाले हमारे पशुप्रेमी उन ख़बरों को पढ़ कर बिना बात के डर रहे हैं.
दोस्तों मैं सप्रीम कोर्ट के एक वरिष्ठ अधिवक्ता के साथ हूँ जिनसे मैंने इस ऑर्डर को डिस्कस कर रहा हूँ उनका कहना है कि हमें इस केस में सप्रीम कोर्ट जाने की या परेशान होने की बिलकुल जर्रूरत नहीं है कोर्ट ने कहा है कि driveway में किसी कुत्ते को ना बांधा जाए और स्ट्रीट डॉग को फ़ीड करते समय पब्लिक की सावधानी व साफ़ सफ़ाई का ध्यान रखा जाए,जिसके लिए मालवीय नगर के S.h.o ko भी उचित कार्यवाही के लिए निर्देशित किया गया है।
कोर्ट ने इस ऑर्डर में कहीं नहीं लिखा की स्ट्रीट dogs को खाना ना डाला जाए, कोर्ट ने 2009 से 2011 तक चले उस हाईकोर्ट के केस के आदेशों को ही जारी रखा है जिसमें हाई कोर्ट ने साफ़ तौर पर दिल्ली पुलिस को निर्देशित किया था की स्ट्रीटdogs को फ़ीडिंग करने वालेपशुप्रेमियो की सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित की जाए तथा एम॰सी॰डी॰(MCD) को निर्देशित किया था कि स्ट्रीट dogs के फ़ीडिंग point तथा फ़ीडिंग का समय निर्धारित किया जाय। उसी आदेशों को इस आदेश में जारी रखा गया है।। बस इतनी सी बात को बढ़ा चढ़ा कर अख़बारों में छापा जा रहा है।
दोस्तों ये ऑर्डर दिल्ली में किसी भी अन्य केस में मान्य नहीं होगा, इसलिए आप किसी भी पशुप्रेमी को परेशान होने की ज़रूरत नहीं है। जब तक हम लोग बैठे हैं तब तक आपको इस तरह के आदेशों में चिंता करने की बिलकुल ज़रूरत नहीं है.
The High Court of Himachal Pradesh has come down heavily on a newspaper, for indulging in repeated misquoting and misreporting of the orders.
As explained by Ms. Anjali Sharma, Advocate on her Facebook Page, “This is a very significant order passed by a Division Bench of the H.P. High Court at Shimla – holding that inaccurate (mis)reports of Court orders with a bid to ‘sensationalize’, are tantamount to criminal contempt of court. Contempt notice issued to the reporter, though actually, the editor should be charged with contempt too. .
This order is Significant, because of the slew of mis-reporting around the 18th November order passed in the stray dogs cases by the Supreme Court.
It would be a good idea for anybody witnessing misreporting in cases involving animals to immediately write to the reporter & the editor of the newspaper, & cite this judgment. Because of course, contempt of court will pack a stronger punch than even a complaint under the Press Council Act, which unfortunately provides for fairly tepid consequences.”
The Interim order of the Supreme Court of India passed on the 18th Nov 2015 while hearing ‘all street dog related matters’ emphatically directs that the laws made viz. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 have to be implemented and that there shall not be any indiscriminate killing of dogs. The Supreme Court Order observed that “There can be no trace of doubt that there has to be compassion for dogs and that they should not be killed in an indiscriminate manner…”
The key points in this Interim Order issued by the Honourable Supreme Court of India on 18th November 2015 are as follows:
The Order states- “There can be no trace of doubt that there has to be compassion for dogs and they should not be killed in an indiscriminate manner, but indubitably the lives of the human beings are to be saved and one should not suffer due to dog bite because of administrative lapse.”
It further reiterates that, “Rule 6 of the Animal Birth Control Rules 2001 enacted under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, provides for obligations of the local authority. Rule 7 deals with capturing/sterilisation/ immunisation/release. Rule 8 deals with identification and recording and Rule 9 provides for euthanasia of street dogs. Rule 10 deals with furious or dumb rabid dogs.” and goes on to add that, ” As we find, the local authorities have a sacrosanct duty to provide sufficient number of dog pounds, including animal kennels/shelters, which may be managed by the animal welfare organizations, that apart, it is also incumbent upon the local authorities to provide requisite number of dog vans with ramps for the capture and transportation of street dogs; one driver and two trained dog catchers for each dog van; an ambulance-cum-clinical van as mobile centre for sterlisation and immunisation; incinerators for disposal of carcasses and periodic repair of shelter or pound. Rule 7 has its own significance. The procedure has to be followed before any steps are taken. Rules 9 and 10 take care of the dogs which are desirable to be euthanised.”
To explain to our readers Rule 9 – it means that only mortally wounded or terminally ill dogs i.e.when and only when a dog is unfit for survival/has no chance of recovery/healing which is medically proven by a Government certified Veterinary Doctor and it’s survival causes more pain for it is when u can think of euthanising.
….and then the order hammers home the point, that for now that the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001, (for short, ‘the 2001 Rules’) shall prevail over the provisions contained in any local Act/Municipality Act by stating that, “for the present it is suffice to say that all the State municipal corporations, municipal committees, district boards and local bodies shall be guided by the Act and the Rules and it is the duty and obligation of the Animal Welfare Board to see that they are followed with all seriousness. It is also the duty of all the municipal corporations to provide infrastructure as mandated in the statute and the rules. Once that is done, we are disposed to think for the present that a balance between compassion to dogs and the lives of human being, which is appositely called a glorious gift of nature, may harmoniously co-exist.”.
And towards the end of this Interim Order passed by the Honourable Supreme Court of India, instructions are laid out for the Local bodies to follow, “The local authorities shall file affidavits including what kind of infrastructures they have provided, as required under the law. Needless to emphasize, no innovative method or subterfuge should be adopted not to carry out the responsibility under the 1960 Act or the 2001 Rules. Any kind of laxity while carrying out statutory obligations, is not countenanced in law.”
“A copy of the order passed today be sent to the Chief Secretary of each of the States and the competent authority of Union Territories, so that they can follow the same in letter and spirit. We would also request all the High Courts not to pass any order relating to the 1960 Act and the 2001 Rules pertaining to dogs. Needless to say, all concerned as mentioned herein-above, shall carry out this order and file their respective affidavits as directed“…are the concluding lines of this order as the matter gets listed for Final Hearing and Disposal on 9th March 2016.
The Press Release issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India on the above stated order, is shared below.
Most of the times, RWAs (Resident Welfare Associations) are antagonistic towards the existence of street dogs but, this time around, we at JAAGRUTI were in for a pleasant surprise as we were requested over for a vaccination drive for young street dogs and pups in this West Punjabi Bagh area based colony in Delhi. What makes it all the more unique was that this Vaccination Drive was sponsored by the RWA as well. In all, 9 pups were vaccinated with a 9-in-one vaccine and dewormed, 2 (namely Dholu and Molu) were given Anti-Rabies Vaccine, this was done with active participation of their caretakers, Mrs. Babita, Mrs. Kavita and Mrs. Meenakshi. From amongst the same, one puppy was also treated for a maggot infested wound, which Ms. Babita, their caretaker was already treating following the steps outlined on our Article to treat Maggot wounds, we helped clean the pus on the wound and injected antibiotics to hasten her recovery.
Those who wish to avail of JAAGRUTI’s On-site First Aid Service for Street Dogs / Animals are requested to read the link https://jaagruti.org/first-aid-and-vaccination-service-for-street-dogs-animals/ and write to us on firstaid@jaagruti.org. Support of local caretakers is essential to restrain and treat the animal during the entire course of On-site Treatment.
Contributions towards our medicine and transport costs are essential to support to keep up our efforts to sweat it out and treat animals on the street day in day out. Do consider supporting us by clicking on www.jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti. If you would like to contribute medicines in kind, please connect with us on contact@jaagruti.org or message us on Facebook and we will get back to you with our requirements. Thank you.
This brown coloured male dog stays at a Police Check Post in Pitampura area of Delhi and thus we named him “Chowki”. We had even got him sterilized and now we were alerted to him having Aural Haematoma in his left ear.
[An aural (ear) haematoma is a collection of blood or serum, and sometimes a blood clot within the pinna or ear flap. This blood collects under the skin and causes the ear flap to become thickened. The swelling may involve the entire ear flap or it may involve only a small area. Aural haematomas usually occur as a result of local irritation to some part of the ear. When something irritates the ear canal, a dog is likely to respond by scratching or shaking the head. Excessive shaking causes blood vessels to break, resulting in bleeding. – Information Source www.vetwest.com.au]
He was constantly shaking his head and walking with a head tilt. Since it was early days yet as we were alerted in time, we chose to drain the pus off through a needle prick, first on the 19th November 2015 (a big burst of pus came out this day) and then on 21st November 2015 (pus was less in comparison to the first day) and injected the antibiotics directly into the ear flap, while putting him on a 5 day antibiotic course. We are glad to report that he is doing fine now :) with no more swelling in his ear and no more head shakes!
Those who wish to avail of JAAGRUTI’s On-site First Aid, Treatment and Vaccination Service for Street Dogs / Animals are requested to read the link https://jaagruti.org/first-aid-and-vaccination-service-for-street-dogs-animals/ and write to us on firstaid@jaagruti.org. Support of local caretakers is essential to restrain and treat the animal during the entire course of On-site Treatment.
Contributions towards our medicine and transport costs are essential to support to keep up our efforts to sweat it out and treat animals on the street day in day out. Do consider supporting us by clicking on www.jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti. If you would like to contribute medicines in kind, please connect with us on contact@jaagruti.org and we will get back to you with our requirements.
Our Activity Report from 1 April 2015 – 31 October 2015
includes 243 First Aid cases, 35 ABC/Street Dog Sterilization surgeries and 243 vaccinations.
Break up below:
* 35 – Dog Sterilization/Animal Birth Control Surgeries (25 Females + 10 Males) mainly of dogs being looked after by Press-waalahs/dhobis, Rikshaw Pullers, Tea sellers/chaiwaalas and Maali/Gardeners.
* 175 Anti Rabies Vaccinations and 68 Nine-in-one Vaccinations, were administered to Street dogs of which 80% were administered free of cost by us.
* 74 Street Animals treated for Maggot wound infestations (thousands tutored online on how to treat them)
* More than 20 Educational Workshops conducted by us on topics as diverse as Compassion towards Animals, Animal Laws of India, Street Animal First Aid and our Waste Paper Recycling Initiative
* 46 Skin Infection episodes
* 24 Wound and Injury cases
And the others comprise of treating predominantly Street Dogs with Ear and Eye Infections, Gastric Infections, Cough, Deworming, Deticking, Limping/Leg injuries and a single case of treating Vaginal Granuloma.
If you believe in the merit and efficacy of JAAGRUTI’S On-site First Aid Service for Street Dogs/Animals, please consider making a #Diwaligiftforanimals by clicking on https://jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti to help us sustain our work.
Thank you :)
Previous Activity Report for those of you who maybe interested:
From 1 May 2014 till 31 March 2015, we have attended to 620 On-site First Aid and Vaccination cases of Street Animals, which includes Street Dogs primarily and also donkeys, cats, cows, horse and a little goat kid!
* Each of the cases we attend to are documented with a treatment sheet and photographs/videos wherever and whenever possible.
We are very proud of our little team’s big effort.
We at JAAGRUTI have perhaps become experts at treating Maggot wound infested Street Animals and teaching others to do likewise :)
Read on…
As part of Jaagruti’s On-Site First Aid Service for Street Animals, from 1st April 2015 till 31st October 2015, we have successfully treated 73 Street Dogs and a Stray Cat for maggot infested wounds, off which all but 5 we couldn’t help heal uptil recovery, as three of them we couldn’t find after few days of treatment and two others died due to old age and Parvovirus infection respectively.
The remaining 69 have all healed, with just a couple of them still being checked on by us daily as their wounds were grave or discovered towards end October 2015); and we have detailed treatment sheets and photos to authenticate our statement and we are extremely proud of our little team’s big efforts!
Most importantly, as part of the way we offer and administer the “Jaagruti On-site First Aid Service for Street Dogs/Animals”, we also educate and inform caretakers (if any) of these street animals to do daily dressings and administer oral medication to help heal the animal, after we have done the difficult bit for the initial treatment period. As most of the street dogs we attend to have caretakers belonging to the low-income group BUT big-hearted category, we even give them follow-up medication which they need to administer.
We work and treat ON-SITE, in the animal’s natural environment, in a place they know as their home. We don’t believe in doing “rescues” and sending animals off to shelters for treatments.
Healing is faster and the Animal is comfortable and the Caretaker is educated to treat Maggot wounds this way.
We are happy because we are the “changemakers” that we had set out to be.
Because these caretakers, once empowered through the information at their disposal have also gone onto successfully treat other street animals for maggot wound infestations.
And, our Informative Article titled, “Treating Dogs with Maggot Infestations” penned down by us on the basis of our experiential learnings on our very popular Jaagruti blog (www.jaagruti.org) has now clocked 53,134 hits!
Add to that the many people whom we have guided through WhatsApp, e-mail and Facebook/Phone/blog based consultation to treat their street animals of maggot infestations and we feel super! Even people as far as US and Australia write to us on this subject.
This Diwali, if you want to appreciate our efforts, consider contributing towards our On-site First Aid Service by clicking on https://jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti, as 99.5% of what we do is self-funded because a 2-member team can’t do it all, from posting funding appeals to treating so many animals On-Site. We choose to do the latter instead.
Please pitch in towards #Diwaligiftforanimals
Thank you :)
“Angrez” as the guards on this site office of Delhi Metro in Sarvapriya Vihar of Delhi call him is this brown coloured light-eyed boy.
With severe maggot infested wound on his left ear and head region (and two more near his anus and on his inner thigh) was spotted by Vipin’s tenant who then conveyed it to Tonia and Tonia connected with us at JAAGRUTI and we all went there today. He was found sitting behind a steel board in the shade…collectively we leashed and muzzled him to find not 1 but 3 sites filled with maggots on him.
Over two hours we cleaned him up of most of his maggots and then dressed and bandaged him up and placed him in Tonia’s car to send him to a private boarding near Ashram that she had arranged where we will continue treating him.
The cost of the boarding is a tad expensive and we would like some of you to come forward and contribute towards the total expected amount of Rs.15000/- that Tonia would have to incur on the boarding costs and our travel costs from Pitampura to Ashram till he recovers over a month’s time span. His treatment is on us!
If you would like to contribute towards Angrez’s treatment, please find ways to do so (online and bank transfer) on this link http://www.jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti (Contribute for ‘Angrez’)
Thank you.
Note: Please drop an email to contribute@jaagruti.org when you do make a contribution to help us track and acknowledge it.
Meet ‘Maggie’, this brown coloured male Street dog with a big maggot wound on the upper back region. He is a self-found case like many that we do in Pitampura area of Delhi and thus the responsibility of treating him On-site is entirely on us. While he wasn’t cajoled with food on Day-1 (he was sulking because he had a wound!), his spirits picked up as soon as his wound was clear of maggots and with food to gorge on, he has been letting us treat him every day ever since. It has been over two weeks since we began treating him. We will continue to keep treating him till this horrible humid weather goes away!
Just a footnote: this boy was sterilized by us two years back and we even get him vaccinated annually as part of the vaccination drives we have been doing in this area over the past many years.
Consider contributing to JAAGRUTI™ to help us sustain our On-site First Aid Service for Street Animals.
We would be able to expand our reach only if people contribute. We have been an entirely self-funded effort thus far and working quietly on the ground since around 6 years now.
You can contribute online or make a bank transfer by accessing details on https://jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti/.
Please note: Request you to drop in a mail to contribute@jaagruti.org when you make the RTGS transfer/NEFT transaction with your complete name, address, amount transacted (transaction reference number) and your PAN Card no. so that we can track the same and acknowledge it gratefully. Thanks.