In its efforts to reduce the stray dog population in Fiji, SPCA continues to challenge pet owners' long-held beliefs about castration of male dogs.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals encourages owners of both male and female dogs to have their pets desexed in order to reduce the population growth rate of stray animals.
Many people refuse to have their male dogs desexed due to cultural beliefs about masculinity and misconceptions about the effect of castration on male dog behaviour.
Last week the SPCA outreach team visited seven villages on Kadavu Island to provide free desexing for dogs and cats.
Some villagers did not want their male dogs desexed because they believed the surgery would render them useless as pig hunters.
Male dogs that are not desexed pose a major threat to public health and safety when they go looking for partners to mate with and fight over female dogs. They cause road accidents and spread Transmissible Venereal Tumour (TVT), a potentially fatal type of cancer that affects the genitals of dogs.
Contrary to popular belief castrated dogs are actually better at guarding homes and compounds because they are less likely to roam the streets and get lost or injured.
They are more likely to live a long, healthy life and will be more resistant to cancer and other diseases.
Castration is a simple operation to remove the testicles of male dogs. Dogs can have this operation any time from when they are 8 weeks old.
They are anaesthetised before the surgery so they do not feel any pain.
SPCA Suva clinic performs desex surgeries every weekday. Phone 330 1266 to make an appointment.
West SPCA in Nadi takes bookings for desex surgeries to be conducted when the SPCA veterinarian is next available (once every 1 or 2 months). Phone 9636 977
