BONTOC, Mountain Province – Free neutering services and a dog fun show was organized by the Provincial Veterinary Office of Mountain Province in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture–CAR and Baguio City Veterinary Office at Bontoc on April 6. The event was a joint activity with the local government.
Dr. Cameron Odsey, DA-CAR Regional Technical Director for Regulatory and Research, rationalized the event as he welcomed the guests and participants of the dog show. “Spay and neuter are not being cruel. We want to control the population of dogs and the number roaming around and spreading rabies. Our concern is to control animal disease. Through this, management of disease in humans is possible,” he said.
Rabies is fatal and has no cure but it is completely preventable.
The anti-rabies program in the country includes (1) rabies vaccinations; (2) deworming; and (3) responsible pet ownership, which is the provision of proper shelter, good nutrition, and regular grooming.
“The dog show showcases good pet ownership and how these pets are well taken care of. Rabies incidence in CAR is lower compared to other regions in the country and we want to maintain that,” said Dr.Odsey.
Further, dogs competed for the categories of sporting, non-sporting, best puppy, best original costume, and crowd favorite in the dog fun show.
Four dogs were spayed and 14 were castrated. One cat was also spayed, totaling to 29 pets neutered.
By Ayra Galanza
