A stray dog problem is one realized by St George's University School of Veterinary Medicine; the Ministries of Health, Tourism, and Agriculture; Pothounds against Pregnancy organization, and the Grenada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. All of these organizations have been working together to decrease this problem. It is being addressed through outreach programs in Rabies vaccination /identification programs, with animal control personnel, Educational outreach programs, and Spay/Neuter programs.

The Ministry of Health has created an animal control team this year to address the problem. At the SGU Small Animal Hospital at St George's University, we have assisted the Ministry of Health in training the animal control officers and staff. Enforcement of a leash law and animal identification procedures are necessary and being implemented by the animal control officer staff.  

To assist in identifying owned animals, we at the SGU Small Animal Hospital and at the GSPCA are working with the Ministry of Health to implement a rabies vaccination program with tags to identify owned dogs, thereby decreasing the danger of the rabies to not only the animals, but to humans. This year alone clinicians at the SGU Small Animal Hospital have vaccinated and tagged over 600 dogs against rabies. Vaccination clinics are also held by student veterinary groups, in conjunction with volunteering clinicians, in various parishes in Grenada each term. An average of 100 additional animals are vaccinated against rabies during each clinic.

Education is a big part of reducing the stray dog problem.  We have worked diligently with outreach programs into the communities with educational programs as does the GSPCA. This summer during a Parvo outbreak in dogs, with the assistance of a professional audiovisual person and the Veterinary Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, we produced a public service educational alert to the dangers of the disease. This DVD was distributed to the TV and Radio stations for broadcast. Further audiovisual material is being produced in conjunction with the University Public Relations personnel for future TV and Radio educational outreach on animal care. Clinicians and nurses regularly visit secondary schools with informative talks on animal care. Tours by both school children and adults are regularly conducted and they also provide educational material. An estimated 500 tour the facility annually. Open day at the University further helps educate some of the 500-600 students attending from throughout the island, on animal care. Research to allow more healthy lives for the animals in Grenada is also being conducted by the SGU Small Animal Hospital on Grenadian animals, in the areas of skin related parasites, heartworms, intestinal parasites, and tick borne diseases.

At the University, we spay and/or neuter over 300 animals per year, without cost, to owners unable to afford these procedures, in addition to approximately 100 we do for owners who remunerate the University. Both the Veterinary Hospital and the GSPCA conduct additional spay neuter clinics to further reduce the stray problem. To assist the suffering stray animals many of our students also adopt these animals and we help them restore the animals to good health. Students also helped the clinicians and nurses distribute some 24 pallets of donated animal food throughout the island after hurricane Ivan.

At St George's University we recognize and work diligently with the other concerned groups to help with the stray dog problem. It is a serious problem which is being addressed in several ways. It will require sustained concerted efforts by all to reduce the problem.

Dr John S McKibben

SGU Small Animal Hospital

St. George’s University