TAPA the Tsunami Animal-People Alliance, (Earlier known as TMAWT) started on 29th January 2005. It started with the sponsorship and participation of HSI Asia and Yudisthira / Bali street dog foundation, Indonesia. TAPA was handed over to an all Sri Lankan team in May 2005.

TAPA’s Aim: Dog population control and prevention of rabies in Tsunami affected areas in the country.

TAPA tries to carry out its CNVR (Catch - Neuter – Vaccinate & Release) Program at least on 75% of the dog population in an area.

TAPA’s method implemented to achieve a stable, healthy population of dogs that are safe for humans is ‘catch-neuter-vacinate-release’ CNVR. This method is internationally recognized and practiced in several other Asian countries.

Chief contributors to TAPA :- (please see full list on www.tunami-animal.org )

HSI (Humane Society International)
Yudisthira / Bali street dog foundation
WSPA (World Society of Protection of Animals)
Animal People News
Best Friends Animal Society USA
Pfizer Animal Health USA
Marchig Trust

Total dog population in Sri Lanka:
There is no written document or statistics on this. Yet it was assumed that the human to dog ratio in Sri Lanka is 8:1. Therefore it believed that the national dog population in Sri Lanka is around 2.5 million.

Total number of CNVR cases completed to date: around 9000
Areas that TAPA has been operating:
Arugambay
Komari
Pottuvil
Thirikkovil
Panadura & Payagala
Kirinda
Boondala
Hambantota
Tangalle
Hikkaduwa

Out of the total CNVR number carried out:
Percentage of male animals - 60%
Percentage of female animals - 40%
Percentage of owned dogs - 34%
Percentage of stray dogs - 66%
Percentage of puppies – 20%
Percentage of dogs less than 2 years - 55%
Percentage of old dogs (above 2 years) – 45%

What are the sequence / procedure of giving anesthesia to a dog prior to the surgery?
First a specific drug is given (Xylazine) for sedation & 10minutes later the anesthetic agent (Ketamine) is administered to achieve anaesthesia.

What are the other medications given to a dog undergoing sterilization?
A long acting antibiotic
A pain killer
Drugs to prevent skin rashers & ecto-parasites
Vitamins
Anti rabies vaccine - ARV
Apart from these, other treatments are also given, depending on the clinical status of the animal e.g there is a high incidence of TVT in the dog population.

Will the above treatments be given to the dogs that are not undergoing sterilization?

TAPA is running a CNVR program which depends on reaching all dogs in the population and also creating healthy dogs. If a dog is deemed unfit to undergo surgery then the team will treat for other conditions depending on the circumstances.
All dogs – owned or not will be eligible for the ARV (anti-Rabies-vaccine). Owners of dogs are encouraged to take their dog to a veterinary surgeon within the area for neutering. Where no such veterinary surgeon can be found to neuter the dog, TAPA will treat and neuter the dog.
Note: ARV is given to all the dogs (Owned or stray), independent of undergoing sterilization.

Why the ear is notched in dogs undergoing sterilization?
Ear notching is TAPA’s method of identifying dogs already completed, this is a sign to the authorities and the public that these notched dogs are safe to humans. TAPA also provides red collars, but these can be lost in time. Once the dog is anaesthetised the ear is clamped and small area notched, the area is cauterized to prevent any bleeding.

What are the steps involved in the preparation of the surgical site prior to sterilization?
Shaving of the site.
Cleaning the site with cotton wool soaked with soap water.
Cleaning the site with cotton wool soaked with a solution, which is a combination of Savalon (Chlorhexidine), surgical sprit & water.
Spraying of surgical spirit on site & leaving for 1 to 2 minutes.
Spraying of an iodine solution (Betadine) on site.

What is the method used to clean & sterilize surgical instruments?
Dipping the instruments in a soap solution. Cleaning the instruments via thorough brushing.
Washing using clean water.
Sterilize via autoclaving.
Note: A properly sterilized instrument set likewise, is used only for a single surgery. A freshly sterilized instrument set will be used for each & every surgery. The effectiveness of the autoclave is tested daily.

What is the average time length required for the surgery?
For Spaying (Females): 15 to 25 minutes.
For Castrations (Males): 5 to 10 minutes

How long will it take for recovery after the surgery?
Variable. That is, depending on the age, clinical status of the animal & the functional status of the kidneys, liver & heart etc. Usually it takes around 1 to 2 hours.

Why is it that the eyes are having a greenish color during anesthesia & recovery?
During anesthesia, the pupil of the eye gets dilated due to the effect of the anesthesia agent. Therefore the internal greenish color (due to tapetum lucidum of the eye) can be seen clearly.

Why do some dogs tend to vocalize during recovery?
Major cause for this is the effect of the anesthetic agent (Ketamine).
TAPA is a major character among the very few organizations & Personals in Sri Lanka, who practice giving pain killers to animals, this works to minimize / prevent post operative pain.

Why apply super glue on the surgical site, after suturing?
That is to achieve a proper sealing on dust, sand or other environmental dirt or contaminants into the surgical site.

After catching a dog, how long will it take to complete the surgery and to achieve full recovery? (Time period required to complete the total procedure)
Approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Why is it important to look after the surgical site after the surgery?
If the dog or the cat starts licking the surgery wound excessively, it might lead to suture dehesion. Entry of environmental dirt & contaminants via this, can lead to wound infection. Wound infection can cause delay in healing and affect the general health of the animal. TAPA uses the best protocols and materials to be conducive to optimum healing.

Should the dog / cats be brought back ten days after the surgery, for suture removal?
No. As absorbable suture materials are used, they automatically get absorbed with time. Using absorbable suture materials is very important, as majority of the dogs operated are stray / ownerless dogs.

How to take care of the dog after the surgery? (Post operative care)
Avoid giving food or water, forcefully to the animal until it is completely recovered. Keep some food & water near the animal, so that it can have it voluntarily when it feels like taking it.
Avoid bathing for one week.
Keep an eye one the surgical site for about one week.

Do the dogs become fat / obese after performing sterilization?
No. However hormonal changes caused by sterilization can lead to extra fat deposition in tissues, which is more common in females. This can be controlled by dietary management & proper exercise.

Is it possible for the bitch to have litters even after sterilization?
No. Both the ovaries and the uterus are removed during spaying. Therefore if the surgery was done properly, there is no such possibility.

What is being done during sterilization of male animals?
Both testicals are surgically removed.

Can the dogs become more aggressive after sterilization?
No significant difference can be seen after sterilisation.

How long would you wait to perform spaying in a bitch after the delivery of puppies?
Spaying would be done 2 weeks after delivery.
Will it stop the milk production in a lactating bitch due to spaying?
No.

Will the females and the males stop roaming after performing sterilization?
Females:
Stop roaming after spaying. If the surgery was done during its heat period, the animal might roam for few more days & thereafter it would stop completely.

Males:
A small percentage of male animals that have attained sexual maturity prior to the surgery might continue roaming even after performing the surgery, but if the castration was done prior to attain sexual maturity, roaming would not occur.
As the number of female dogs in heat will decrease in the community by spaying, ultimately the number of male dogs roaming could decline.

Is it advisable to introduce the pups to a lactating bitch which was subjected to spaying & recently recovered from anesthesia?
Yes.
Low amount of the anesthetic drug can be excreted via milk. But that level is not harmful for the pups.
As skin sutures do not expose to the exterior, the possible damage to the suture while sucking is limited.

Do you carry out spaying in pregnant bitches as well?

If a bitch is suspected as pregnant, that dog is not captured for the surgery. Identifying pregnant bitches by observation is possible only when the pitch is in the terminal state of pregnancy. Therefore bitches in their early or mid pregnancies can be caught and brought to the clinic. The TAPA vets examine all bitches to check for pregnancy, however sometimes pregnancies cannot be found prior to surgery. Once given anaesthesia to the bitch, its harmful for the life of the foetus’ & therefore the spaying is carried out.
In short, the bitches that cannot be identified as pregnant by observation and examination they are spayed. This is not harmful to the female.

It should be noted that TAPA aim to avoid spaying pregnant females.

Is it a sin or is it humane to practice sterilization?

The main purpose of practicing sterilizations in animals is rabies control. The earlier practiced method to achieve this target is mass killing of which was inhumane and absolutely ineffective. CNVR programme carried out by TAPA is very much humane than the previous one, and a humane method to secure & protect the society from a deadly killer disease!

What should the minimum age of a pup to be subject to sterilization?

8 weeks of age in both males & females. If the age is unknown / doubtful, the pup is brought to the clinic & the age is detected by the dentition & considering the individual condition.

What are the advantages of doing sterilization (neutering)?
To humanely manage the population of dogs, this leads to a smaller, healthy population.

In females:
As it stops the ability to give birth thus, the stray dog population will decrease.

As it prevents roaming, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (e.g.: TVT) & other diseases caused by ecto parasites….. etc will be minimized.

In males:
As it stops / minimizes the number of roaming/fighting dogs, dog bites and fear among the local public will decrease. The spread of sexually transmitted diseases (eg : TVT) & other diseases caused by ecto-parasites….etc will be minimized.

Can you reduce the stray dog population by castrating male dogs?
Yes.
Both female & male dogs equally contribute (50% each) to produce a litter. Therefore the male dogs are equally important.

What is the importance of giving the anti rabies vaccine ?

It immunizes the animal against rabies. Due to this immunity, the dog will not get, rabies, even get exposed to the virus.

What is the vaccination schedule for ARV?

The 1st vaccination should be done when the pup is 3 months of age, if the mother is vaccinated within one year.

But if the mother is not vaccinated against rabies / history of the pup is unknown (Stray pup), the 1st ARV should be given at 06 weeks of age, followed by a 2nd dose when 3 months old.

Thereafter should vaccinate annually.

Why is it essential to give ARV annually? Isn’t it sufficient to give just once?
The immunity or the protection formed by a single dose of vaccination will decline with the time. When the immunity drops, the ability of the body to fight against the disease will also get declined. To avoid this drop in immunity it is essential to boost the immune system via annual vaccinations.

What is the difference between Anti Rabies vaccine & sterilization?
ARV is given to protect the animal against rabies.

Sterilization is done to prevent births of unnecessary pups & thereby to reduce the stray dog population. Both should be practiced at the same time to control rabies effectively.

How do you conclude that you have covered 75% of the dog population in an area under the CNVR Program?

There are no statistics on dog population in different areas. Therefore we use a visual count of cases which is done as follows:

The CNVR dogs can be identified by the red collar that we apply to them & by the ear notch. Therefore, when we are traveling within the area, if ear is notched(reliable method) & the red collar is applied(less reliable)in 7-8 dogs out of ten, we roughly assume that we have covered around 75% of the dog population within the area.

Can’t you use the specific injectable used for contraception in dogs (Depo-Provera) instead of practicing sterilization?
To achieve the expected results, this should be administered at the appropriate time/a specific time of the bitch’s sexual cycle. Therefore prior to administer, you should study the sexual cycle of each & every bitch, which is not practical in many environments.

The drug should be given once in every 6 months to get the appropriate result. The TAPA CNVR program means you catch the dog once for CNVR and then once a year after – catching every six months is not practical.

Also if a higher dose is administered or several numbers of doses are administered (even with 6 month intervals), it can lead to pathological conditions in the uterus, such as pyometra. Therefore Depo-Provera injection is not a successful method & does not provide a permanent Solution.

What is Pyometra?
It’s a pathological condition in the uterus, which is due to accumulation of pus within the uterus. It can even lead to death of the animal, if kept untreated for a long time.
Whats the cause of pyometra?
Administration of the contraceptive drug - Depo-Provera is the major cause. Apart from that, hormonal imbalances (In sex hormones) also accounts.

What is TVT?
Transmissible Venereal Tumor, which is a sexually transmitted disease between dogs. It causes tumours in the genitals of the dog, both males and females are affected.

To where would you release the stray dogs after completing the CNVR procedure? Is there is a way of identifying those dogs during your procedure?
Once a dog is caught into net, a number is given to that dog. A plastic tag containing that number is attached to the net. A Description about the place from where the dog is caught is recorded along with dog’s tag / identification number.
The dog is brought to the clinic & CNVR is carried out. Throughout this procedure, the dog is identified by the same tag number. After the surgery, the tag number is written on the red color that’s applied onto the neck & also on the skin of the dog using a permanent marker to read the tag number of the dog from a distance.
After the dog is fully recovered, it is taken back to the same place where it was caught and then released.
Therefore all the dogs are released back to the exact same place where they have been caught.

What are the other common disease conditions that can be seen in dogs brought for CNVR procedure?

Pyometra
TVT
Skin rashes
Tumors & cancers
Eye defects & other conditions of the eye
Wounds, abscesses. Etc..
Leg injuries and other traumatic injuries

What are the follow-up results of CNVR cases? How would you know the wound is healing properly after the surgery?
TAPA has done a research (Study on follow-ups) using 100 dogs which included both stray and owned dogs. The Condition of the surgical wound and the general status of each and every animal was assessed for 07 consecutive days after the surgery.
Results of the overall study showed that 96% of dogs healed with no complication. 4% of dogs did need some further treatment, due to minor swelling or wound redness. TAPA is always responsible to each individual they treat and following up is daily, especially as the team live in the communities with the dogs.
Most of the stray dogs in the country cannot be considered as pure stray dogs, especially in villages & rural areas. They are community dogs that depend on people in their immediate vicinity for food & sometimes even for temporary lodging. Therefore the people living in contact with these dogs also tend to inform the TAPA team about the condition of operated dogs if they observe any changes in the wound or the behavior of the dog.

What is the number of deaths occurred as a result of the surgical procedure? (due to anesthesia, bleeding, or any other surgical complication ).
So far 7 dogs out of 8000 have died. This means approx. 1 / 1500 dogs. The protocols TAPA uses are the best and most humane, every effort is made to promote welfare and improve life for the dogs.

How would you assess the success & the effectiveness of the program in an area after a specific time period?
The authorities no longer kill dogs in the areas where TAPA works, the number of rabies deaths in humans are reduced. The number of dog bites to humans are reduced. Also the community as a whole are more accepting and tolerant of their dogs.

What are the numbers of human deaths reported Sri Lanka last few years?
According to the statistics of Health Ministry:
2001 - 83
2002 - 64
2003 - 76
2004 - 98
2005 - 55

Who does TAPA get agreements and permissions from prior to starting work in an area?

Community leaders
Municipal council / divisional secretariat
Medical officer of Health (MOH)
Public Health Inspector (PHI)
Police
(After the clinic the relevant reports are provided to the MOH the PHI)

Do you think that same day release of dogs after the surgery is successful?
During the same day release, there’s no need to have animal shelters.
Dog shelters are also having problems of their own, such as:

If one dog in the shelter is suffering from an infectious disease it can be transmitted to the other dogs quite easily & can lead to a disease out break. (e.g. parvo, distemper, kennel cough etc..)
If a lactating bitch is kept in the shelter after the surgery, her pups also should be kept in the same premises for feeding
The people in the surround area will protest against the shelter because of the noise & the environmental pollution caused by the shelter.
Keeping dogs in the same premises will cause stress to the dogs and this can delay the healing of the surgical would. On the other hand during the same day release, the dogs are released to their natural habitat on the same day, soon after recovery, therefore these dogs are not under any stress condition after the surgery & the healing process will be more rapid.
Shelters need vast amounts of money and skilled personnel to work and care for the dogs, TAPA have found releasing in the same day is safe and good welfare for the dogs.

Also according to the following up results of animals that are released on the same day after surgery, infections are very rare & healing is achieved satisfactorily.