Dog population increases, pet care improves in Kohima

Our Correspondent
Kohima, April 4 (EMN): Kohima has reported an increase in dog population by at least one thousand in the last three years and improved pet care, according to Veterinary Surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Yhome.

She was speaking to journalists during the free anti-rabies vaccination camp conducted at the Veterinary Hospital Kohima on Monday.

Yhome, a veterinary surgeon at Veterinary Hospital Kohima, estimated the dog population is more than 5000 in Kohima town currently. In 2018 and prior to Covid-19 pandemic, the dog population was around 3000 to 4000 (maximum) but now it has really increased.

‘Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, children and parents felt that they needed to have a pet dog at home to keep them company, which was why there is an increase in dog population’, she said.

‘We have seen that dog populations have increased over the last two to three years. People are now rearing more dogs as owners are bringing two/three dogs for vaccines. Further, dogs that are brought to the hospital consisted more of crossbreed and exotic breeds than the local breed. This indicated that people started rearing dogs for pet purposes’, she observed.

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‘Previously, people reared local dogs but now it is the case of rearing cross breeds and exotic breeds, which are for pet animal purposes’, Yhome added.

Speaking about the awareness level among dog owners with regard to pet health and timely vaccinations, she said that the majority of the pet owners in Kohima town know how to take care of their pets. They knew how to do proper medication and vaccination and sometimes they are “more aware than us”, Yhome said.

‘Some of them used to come forward for regular check-ups even when the pet is healthy. The owners would come to the hospital and inquire about the dog's diet, the type of bathing they should give, and the kinds of shampoo and soap that need to be used. All this shows that people have become really aware of pet care’, she added.

A total of 108 dogs were registered during the free anti-rabies vaccination camp conducted by the veterinary hospital, under Chief Veterinary Office in Kohima on Monday.

She said the turnout was “quite good”. Slowly, the public is coming forward to vaccinate their dogs/pets, she said and added that around 10 to 15 dogs are being vaccinated on a daily basis.

The hospital also plans to conduct vaccination in the villages and in different colonies in Kohima this year.

The camp was conducted to give dogs the anti-rabies vaccine to free themselves from the disease. ‘Rabies is a deadly disease that can be spread from dogs to humans and animals. That is why people need to vaccinate their dogs to keep away from the disease’, Yhome advised.

Normally, dogs are given a vaccine at the age of three months which is followed by a yearly vaccination. But for unvaccinated mothers, the puppy has to be vaccinated at two months and a booster dose at one month, and yearly vaccination.

‘When a dog is being infected with rabies, it will show symptoms of hiding in corners, refusing to take food, running around aimlessly and trying to bite any object, becoming very furious. But one cannot say that all dog bites are related to rabies’, she said.

As for the facility, she said that there is no facility in Nagaland to conduct rabies tests and all samples are sent to Assam for laboratory tests. There are also hardly any positive cases of rabies as samples mostly return negative, she informed.