Please Join Us in Eradicating Cancer from the Stray Dog Population
Our aim is to reduce the incidence of Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumours (CTVT) and treat those stray dogs infected to improve the overall welfare of the canine population of Kathmandu, in Nepal.
Background
This form of cancer has many different and complicated names, but the most commonly used is Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumors (CTVT), which is a sexually transmitted tumor of dogs that mainly affects the external genitals, but also other body parts as well.
It is one of only three known types of cancer that can spread between individuals of a species in the whole of the animal kingdom. In Kathmandu Valley there are an estimated 7,500 infected dogs and this number grows month by month.
One of the main reasons as to why this cancer is spreading so rapidly through the stray dog population in Nepal is thus the many years of unchecked breeding and lack of systematic health screening conducted in the stray population.
Scarily however, this cancer can be transmitted through direct transfer of cancer cells, for example when a dog sits in a particular area and the cancer cells from their bodies are left on the ground, and then are picked up again when a new dog rests there.
Objective 1: Reduce the transmission of CTVT within the stray dog population of Kathmandu in 2020/21
Objective 2: Increase the number of cases screened and admitted to KAT for CTVT treatment annually
Objective 3: Improve public knowledge of CTVT to increase the number of community reported cases
Research
This type of infectious cancer (called a transmissible tumor) affects both male and female dogs, causing horrific genital disfigurement, pain and eventually death. We have seen a shocking rise in the number of dogs infected with this cancer, to the point where in mid 2019 over 30% of dogs admitted to KAT were co-infected with CTVT.
In the first half of 2019 dogs admitted with this form of transmissible cancer comprised almost 30% of all the dogs which KAT treated. It is clear to see that the number of dogs which are being treated who are infected with cancer has been going up dramatically and unless measures are taken soon this epidemic will become an uncontrollable animal welfare crisis.
The data suggests that when applied to the whole dog population within Kathmandu, a whopping 7500 dogs are right now infected with CTVT. In response to this emergency KAT is setting up a brand new program, the first of its kind anywhere in Asia, to research, provide information, treat and fight the spread of this cancer: the KAT Cancer Control Program. This year alone (2019) we have already treated some 280 cancer patients successfully, helping to prevent its spread to other dogs, but to really make an impact we need to screen, isolate and treat 1000s of dogs to bring this cancer under control.
“The KAT Cancer Control Program is the first of its kind anywhere in Asia”