Dogs are best friends with benefits. They work with us, keep us company, give us unwavering loyalty, protect and cheer us up and never ask for more than a little love and respect in return. Little wonder then, that from cave dwellers right up to fashionistas with designer pooches, our furry friends are our most trusted allies. In fact, in Nepal dogs are even gods certain days in the year. Here are some tips about dog care.
BASICS
The first and most important considerations before you decide on getting a dog is whether you are willing to make a longterm commitment. Dogs are 'till death do us part'. Sharad Singh Yadav of Nepal Veterinary Clinic and Research Centre in Baneswor has a checklist:
. Do you have enough space for the breed of your choice?
. Do you have good bedding that's warm in winter and out of the direct sun in summer?
. Are you prepared to spend time with your puppy that needs constant care?
If the answers to all the above is 'yes', then congratulations, you're ready to get yorself a dog. There is a good reason they call infatuations puppy love-at that age, all dogs are irresistible. Make sure your pick is at least 45 days old and weaned from the mother. Choose the liveliest, most happy one. Look for clear bright eyes, a shiny coat and a moist nose. Observe them at feeding time: the one with a big appetite will usually be assertive and energetic too. Boy or girl? Yadav usually favours females, "It is standard to want a male but I find females are very loyal and are not as aggressive."
HEALTH
Timely deworming and vaccinations are crucial. Suderson Prasad Gautam and Narayan Prasad Ghimire run Kathmandu Veterinary Clinic, one of the oldest vet practices in Nepal. They say worms must be treated before any vaccine is administered. Deworming should start as early as four weeks and continue approximately every month for half a year. After that, biannually is good enough. Between six to eight weeks, pups are ready for DHPPiL to protect them from canine distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza and leptospirosis. It requires a booster shot after 28 days. The importance of the rabies vaccine can't be over stressed.
Always make sure a licensed vet administers the vaccine. Be wary of door-to-door services. Make sure a fresh disposable syringe is used. Keep the used vial so there's no chance of misuse.
RABIES
There are an estimated 200 cases of human rabies infection reported each year in Nepal. According to Durga Datt Joshi, chairman at the Nepal Vet Council, many go unreported because once hydrophobia sets in, death is inevitable.
The simplest and most effective way to deal with a dog bite is to immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water for 15 minutes. Then seek medical attention. This procedure reduces the risk of rabies by up to 50 percent.
NUTRITION
Like us, dogs also benefit from a varied diet. "Keep meat to a minimum," advises Yadav, who also doubles as the vet at Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Nepal (SPCAN). "They need a lot of protein which they can get from eggs, milk and lentils. Include fibre through vegetables like carrots and beans. Give them a multi-grain mix, seasonal fruits are very good for dogs, especially bananas for the digestive system." Vegetarian diets that exclude fat, oil, spice and sweeteners suit the dogs at SPCAN, he says, and they are living longer, healthier lives.
GROOMING
Dogs, unlike humans, don't need frequent baths, says Swoyam Prakash Shrestha of Pet Clinicare 'n' Vet Consultancy. It's a common mistake people make. Twice a month is more than enough so their protective oily coating doesn't dry out. "Never use human soaps or shampoos. The pH of their skin is alkaline and ours is acidic," he cautions. Regular brushing is good for your dog's circulation.
TRAINING
Big or naturally exuberant breeds need discipline since they could unintentionally hurt children or adults. Ram Babu Pokhrel at Mount Everest Kennel Club relies on techniques of positive reinforcement to train dogs. Punishment, he found, doesn't work quite as well. He teaches clear hand and voice commands, which the owner must also learn. Both you and your dog need to learn together.
LOVE
Taking all your dog's needs into consideration is useless if you can't actually devote time to doing it yourself. It's not good enough to have others put in the work if all you'll do is occasionally pat the dog. The most necessary factor in your canine relationship is love, because to your dog, you are the centre of the universe. "Love your dog equally from puppy to adulthood," advises Shrestha. "Otherwise you could end up with an insecure animal with psychological problems."
Adopt a dog
The many stray dogs on the streets of Kathmandu hunger for a little love. And given half a chance, they make the perfect companions, as Mera Thompson, manager at Arya Tara School for nuns, knows. She took in Sangye through SPCAN's adoption program and considers it one of the best decisions she's ever made. Although she grew up with a pedigree dog, Mera says she wouldn't get one again. Sangye is missing a leg and part of her tail (left). She'd been hit by a car and spent two years in neglect. Now Sangye uses a wheelchair to get around and the two have worked out a very happy schedule. "It's a huge responsibility and requires true compassion. But if you have the extra resources and are willing to dedicate yourself, I strongly recommend adopting a dog." Dogs are brought to the SPCAN shelter. Once they are strong, Sharad Singh Yadav and his team castrate or spay the animal, vaccinate it and put it up for adoption. Last year, they had 32 adoptions.
Adoption days are on the last Sunday of each month.
Contact: 4467953
KAT person
What is Charlotte Uhlenbroek (pic, below), the British wildlife commentator who some speculate replaced David Attenborough, doing setting up a dog shelter in Kathmandu named KAT? Charlotte was born in London, grew up in the jungles of east Africa, studied chimpanzees in west Africa for her doctorate, spent time in the Amazon and has travelled the globe filming the natural world for the BBC. But wait, that still doesn't answer our question.
This animal lover, it turns out, has a soft spot for city mutts. When she was living in Nepal between the ages of five and 14, she had four dogs plus rabbits, guinea pigs, parrots and cats. She constantly brought home more animals.
Charlotte came on a visit to Nepal last year. "The essence of Nepal was the same," she recalls. But she found a lot of things had changed. She was appalled by the condition of the street dogs. Poisoning by the municipality has never been a humane or effective way to deal with them. The dogs continue to breed. Plus it's not safe for people and other animals. She also wanted to tackle the problem of rabid dogs on the streets. Charlotte decided to start up a project with Jan Salter, a long-time Kathmandu resident, artist and dog do-gooder in her own right.
The Kathmandu Animal Treatment (KAT) Centre, where Charlotte is patron, offers a very pragmatic solution to the street dog problem: sterilisation or birth control to reduce the population and rabies vaccinations. The team at KAT, which includes manager Khageshwar Sharma, will work systematically area by area while also collecting data on canine population dynamics to monitor the impact of their efforts.
Already 44 dogs have passed through their kennles located on route to Budhanilkantha, most of them females that were spayed and the rest were males. All dogs received treatment for any diseases and also got vaccinated. KAT's target is 60 dogs a month for this year but hopes to work up to 200 a month by next year.
The next phase involves public education. KAT doesn't expect attitudes to change overnight, but it wants people to take responsibility for community dogs by vaccinating them and spaying females. The local municipalities, the World Health Organisation and the Humane Society International are all pledging support. Charlotte shot a short film that she will use for fundraising efforts in England. "There is a lot of work to be done," she says. "But we are very optimistic that we can get the job done." (SB)
Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre: www.katcentre.org.np
