Technology for Improving Street Dog Welfare and Capturing Data in Digital Format during Street Dog Sterilisation...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Welfare
• Public Health

Background:

• Street dogs pose public health risks due to zoonotic diseases and limited veterinary care.
• Sterilisation is a humane method for controlling street dog populations.
• Large-scale sterilisation programs face challenges in resources, staffing, facilities, and recordkeeping.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address challenges in street dog sterilisation programs, particularly accurate location recording for dog return.
• To introduce a mobile application designed to improve the efficacy and reliability of sterilisation programmes.

Main Methods:

• Development of a mobile phone-based application, HSIApps, by Humane Society International.
• Utilisation of field experience and data collection for street dog location recording, clinical, and postoperative treatment.
• Facilitation of precise return of sterilised dogs to their original capture locations.

Main Results:

• HSIApps ensures accurate return of dogs to their captured locations, promoting dog welfare.
• The application generates valuable data reports to enhance program efficacy and reliability.
• Improved recordkeeping minimises welfare issues and postoperative complications associated with incorrect dog return.

Conclusions:

• Mobile applications like HSIApps can significantly improve the management and success of street dog sterilisation programs.
• Accurate location tracking is crucial for ensuring the welfare of sterilised street dogs and the effectiveness of population control.
• HSIApps offers a practical solution to common challenges in large-scale animal management initiatives.