Letting dogs and cats roam free - disregarding people's health and lives

Obsess

Often going to Thong Nhat Square (Hai Duong City) to exercise in the afternoon, Ms. Pham Tu Phuong always feels uneasy when seeing many people walking their dogs without muzzles. Some dogs have large, fierce bodies and run around in crowded places. Children playing in the square are often frightened when they see dogs approaching. "Last year, while I was walking on the street, a stray dog ​​suddenly attacked me and bit me on the calf. Until now, I am still very haunted. In a crowded place like this, if a dog unfortunately gets rabies and attacks many people, the consequences will be unpredictable," Ms. Phuong worries.

Ms. TTKA in Nam Sach district has been attacked by dogs roaming the streets six times. The most recent time she was bitten on the leg by a neighbor’s dog was half a year ago. “Perhaps not many people have been attacked by dogs as many times as I have. After each time, I was very scared even though I was injected with anti-venom in time. Now, whenever I see a dog roaming the streets, I am scared,” Ms. KA shared.

Many people have been attacked by cats. Not long ago, Mr. NVD in Hai Duong City had to get a rabies vaccine injection after being bitten by a cat, leaving deep wounds on his leg. Fortunately, his life was not in danger, but the wound affected his health, making it difficult for him to walk for many days.

Letting dogs and cats roam freely is a common habit of many people. This seems normal, but in fact, it is an act of disregard for the health and lives of oneself and others. In fact, many people have been attacked by their own dogs and cats, some of which have died. From 2016 to now, 4 people in Binh Giang, Kim Thanh districts and Chi Linh city have died from rabies. These people were bitten by dogs and cats but subjectively did not get vaccinated. In the first 8 months of this year, the whole province had about 3,300 people who had to go to vaccination clinics to get vaccinated against rabies after being bitten by dogs and cats. Of these, more than 70 cases had to use anti-rabies serum because these two pets caused deep, large wounds in some dangerous locations on the body, with the risk of rapid disease development.

Strong measures needed

From urban to rural areas, it is not difficult to see people letting dogs and cats roam freely without muzzles. The state stipulates that those who keep dogs must notify the village chief or the commune-level People's Committee, commit to keeping them within the family's premises and regularly vaccinate them against rabies. In case the owner takes the dog out of the house, it must be on a strong leash, muzzled and not allowed to roam freely. Those who do not comply with the regulations will be fined. However, these regulations do not seem to be of much concern to many people.

Many years ago, dogs that were left on the street without muzzles were dealt with by local authorities by beating them to death. However, this method caused negative reactions and was met with resistance from the people. Currently, the management of stray dogs and cats is of little concern to local authorities. “Each commune and ward should restore a force that specializes in handling stray dogs and cats, but change the method of handling them. Instead of beating them to death, severely fine owners of stray dogs and cats and announce their names on the local radio system. Changes in regulations and sanctions must be seriously considered, adjusted, approved and specifically implemented by authorities. There must be strong measures for this situation to change,” said Mr. Nguyen Trung Kien in Tu Ky.

September 28th is World Rabies Day. This is an opportunity for relevant levels and sectors to widely disseminate information about the dangers and measures to prevent rabies. Mobilize forces, especially the people, to participate in monitoring, detecting and promptly reporting to local authorities cases of dogs, cats and other animals suspected of having rabies for handling. Require pet owners to vaccinate their dogs and cats against rabies, and not to let dogs and cats roam free in public places...

Mr. Cao Xuan An, Head of the Department of Prevention of Infectious Diseases - Parasites - Insects (Hai Duong Province Center for Disease Control) recommends that people need to get vaccinated against rabies to prevent death if they are unfortunately bitten by a dog or cat. People bitten by a dog or cat should immediately go to the nearest medical facility for timely treatment. The rabies vaccine has no contraindications regarding age or subjects, anyone can get vaccinated. This vaccine is always available at public medical facilities or vaccination service rooms, priced at only 200,000-300,000 VND/dose.