In early February, the Animal Assist team initiated a TNR program for a nearby waste disposal company with several cat colonies. The program was funded by the company owner and resulted in the spaying and neutering of nine cats. The TNR project was successful, thanks to Olebile, a security guard who worked for the company and was an expert in cat catching. During the TNR, the team learned a lot about the many STDs affecting cats, which raised awareness and prompted discussions on related issues.
One day, Olebile called Stacey, sounding sad and worried about his dog Ditsebe, which had swollen genital areas, was very skinny despite being fed a lot, and had blood. The team quickly arranged for Olebile to take Ditsebe to the vet, where he was diagnosed with TVT, a type of cancer that spreads from dog to dog, causing painful lesions and tumors near the genitals, nose, and mouth. The vet immediately sedated Ditsebe and performed an immediate neuter to prevent further mating and breeding, which stops the spread of the disease. Ditsebe also needed three more chemotherapy injections, one per week.
As vet fees are high and the average earner in Botswana does not have much to spare, the team posted a request for donations to cover Ditsebe's expensive treatment. They were overwhelmed with the support received and were able to cover the treatment cost. Fortunately, the vet asked if Olebile had any other dogs of his or that had mated with Ditsebe, and they found out that he had two other dogs. One was a male showing no symptoms and had no interactions, but the female Baby Girl had been on heat and was mated with by Ditsebe. Baby Girl was then spayed and given her first chemotherapy dose, and the other male was neutered to avoid further mating and for various other health benefits.
Ditsebe's treatment has almost finished, and he has responded well to the treatments, and Baby Girl will finish hers a week later. All three dogs have benefited from the spay/neuter, tick treatment, and vaccinations. The team expressed gratitude to everyone who donated and/or shared the posts to get these beautiful dogs their medical treatments and for helping Olebile.
For more info on the health benefits of Spay and neutering please see below:
https://topdogtips.com/benefits-of-spaying-and-neutering-your-dogs/
https://www.caninejournal.com/benefits-of-spaying-and-neutering/
For more info on TVT please have a look at the below info:
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/transmissible-venereal-tumor
https://www.tcg.vet.cam.ac.uk/about/ctvt
If you think you have seen any TVT symptoms in your dog (or any dog, you know of) immediate veterinary treatment is the best way to give them a chance at survival AND stop further spread to other dogs. Please see our VETS page to find a vet near you!