Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/683529
4 JURGEN BALZAN A woman who found a stray Springer dog in Siggiewi is accus- ing the Animal Welfare Depart- ment of putting the animal to death despite being assured that no decision would be taken about the dog's well-being before she was informed. Sonja Casha wrote on Facebook that three weeks ago she picked a severely malnourished dog from Siggiewi and after keeping the dog overnight Animal Welfare officials called to pick it up. However, the dog was euthan- ised by an unnamed veterinary within hours of being picked up by Animal Welfare officials de- spite Casha telling the officials that she would take the dog in and pay all medical expenses. This has once again raised sus- picions among animal lovers that stray animals are being euthan- ised to ease the pressure on the department. A spokesperson for animal rights junior minister Roderick Galdes provided MaltaToday with a summary of the medical report which says that the dog was put down because "the veterinarian found a body score of 1 out of 6, meaning that it was emaciated, malnourished, very dehydrated (9%) and the kidneys were found to be very small in size, which could indicate chronic kidney prob- lems." Moreover, the report added, "there was gen- eralised parasitic infes- tation of the skin, pale mucous membranes meaning that the dog was anaemic and the snap tests were found positive for Leishmania, with indi- cation for Ehrlichia." However, Casha insists that the dog's health did not warrant such dras- tic action. Moreover, the Triage policy, which sets guidelines on when strays should be euthanized, states that among others a dog must be unable to stand on its legs. "I wish we had taken a vid- eo of her prancing around our yard, playing with us and jumping up and down. She was not a dog that looked 'critical' at all," Casha said. Moreover, the photo at- tached to the medical report shows the Springer standing on all fours. Speaking to MaltaToday, Ca- sha said the decision to put the dog down was taken "hastily" and she called for greater trans- parency and clarity on how ani- mals are put down. "Such events eat away at the trust people have in authorities. If I ever find a stray dog again, I will not call Animal Welfare," she said. The summary report holds that the action taken by the unnamed veterinarian was in accordance with the Animal Welfare Triage approved by the Veterinary Sur- geons Council on 24 September, 2015. The Triage was drawn up to es- tablish the procedures to be fol- lowed by all private warranted veterinarians who provide emer- gency and follow up veterinary services to the Animal Welfare Promotion and Services Direc- torate. Symptoms which allow veteri- naries to euthanize dogs range from coma to body temperatures below 35 degrees Celsius. Other symptoms include locked jaws, profuse bleeding from more than one orifice and evident frac- tures which include cranial and spinal injuries. Roderick Galdes' secretariat has so far failed to name the veteri- narian who took the decision and how many stray dogs have been put down after being picked up by Animal Welfare officers over the past five years. Systematic euthanasia? Casha's online posts drew plenty of attention and ire from ani- mal lovers, who shared sim- ilar experiences. This compelled Galdes' spokesperson to write a Facebook post on a popular Fa- cebook page, Rubs Puppy Love, in which he hit out at "false infor- mation and baseless allegations against the Animal Welfare (AW) department". Giving an assurance that the department does not take deci- sions on whether dogs should be kept alive or put down, the spokes- person warned that while the department accepts construc- tive criticism, "it is reserving its right to take legal action against those who persist in spreading misinformation and unjustly tarnish the department's repu- tation." This post drew hundreds of re- plies, with many asking for reas- surances that the department is not culling strays be- cause of a lack of resources. In her origi- nal post, Casha said that an- other dog which was in the van when the offic- ers picked the Springer was also euthan- ised despite looking per- fectly healthy. Dog owners who spoke to M a lt aTo d ay said stray dogs and cats picked up by Ani- mal Welfare are "system- atically put down". They said that authorities are taking advantage of legal and reg- ulatory loopholes, and simply put- ting down animals without giving them time to recover, which was a cruel practice. A dog owner said that in other countries, such as the UK, au- thorities wait for seven days before deciding whether a dog is euthan- ised, giving time for the stray to be claimed or adopted. "Many dogs which were found in a far worse state than the euthan- ised Springer have recovered and lived a long healthy life. Every dog deserves a second chance" said one dog owner who volunteers with an animal rights organisation. According to law, rescued stray animals can only be killed if they are dangerous, sick or seriously in- jured to the point of no recovery. The Animal Welfare Act states that, except in cases of an emer- gency, which visibly indicate ex- treme pain conducive to death, "only a veterinary surgeon or oth- er competent persons" (such as a vet's assistant) shall be permitted to put down an animal. The Triage guidelines state that animals suffering from the listed ailments "often die and extending their lives amounts to an exten- sion of their misery and pain." Casha went public with her story after Galdes's secretariat failed to offer an explanation for two weeks. After writing a letter to the jun- ior minister, Casha received a phone call from Galdes' secretary informing her they would look into why the dog was put down. "That was two weeks ago and I haven't heard anything else, so I am writing here in the hope of some answers," Casha wrote ear- lier this week. Galdes however reacted when the story was reported on the Nationalist Party's media, with Galdes taking to Facebook to deny any wrongdoing by the Animal Welfare Department. Accusing Netnews of using Fa- cebook posts to attack the govern- ment, Galdes said Animal Welfare "has no power to decide whether dogs should be put down as is be- ing alleged on Facebook but the responsibility lies solely with vet- maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 25 MAY 2016 News Animal lovers concerned at suspected 'systematic' Dog put down by Animal Welfare without informing woman who found it. Junior minister Roderick Galdes shifts blame on unnamed vet Galdes provided MaltaToday with a summary of the medical report which says that the dog which could indicate chronic kidney prob- Moreover, the report added, "there was gen- eralised parasitic infes- tation of the skin, pale mucous membranes meaning that the dog was anaemic and the snap tests were found positive for Leishmania, with indi- However, Casha insists that the dog's health did not warrant such dras- tic action. Moreover, the Triage policy, which sets guidelines on when strays should be euthanized, states that among others a dog must be unable to stand on "I wish we had taken a vid- eo of her prancing around our yard, playing with us and jumping up and down. She was not a dog that looked 'critical' at all," Casha said. Moreover, the photo at- tached to the medical report shows the Springer standing on Speaking to MaltaToday, Ca- sha said the decision to put the dog down was taken "hastily" how many stray dogs have been put down after being picked up mal lovers, who shared sim- ilar experiences. This compelled sions on whether dogs should be kept alive or put down, the spokes- person warned that while the department accepts construc- tive criticism, "it is reserving its right to take legal action against those who persist in spreading misinformation and unjustly tarnish the department's repu- tation." This post drew hundreds of re- plies, with many asking for reas- surances that the department is not culling strays be- cause of a lack of resources. In her origi- nal post, Casha said that an- other dog which was in the van when the offic- ers picked the Springer was also euthan- ised despite looking per- fectly healthy. Dog owners who spoke to M a lt aTo d ay said stray dogs and cats picked up by Ani- mal Welfare are "system- atically put down". They said that authorities are taking advantage of legal and reg- The medical report states that among others the rescued stray Springer dog was suffering from malnourishment and dehydration