Comunication

 
    1. SPAY DAY INTERNATIONAL 2010
      2.  
    2. Spay Day No.14
      3.  
    3. Spay Day No.12
      4.  
    4. Spay Day No.10
      5.  
    5. Minisero del Lavoro della Salute e Sociale
      6.  
    6. The Year 2008
      7.  
    7. Spay Day No.9
      8.  
    8. Spay Day No.8
      9.  
    9. Spay Day No.5 6 7
      10.  
    10. STRAYS AND THE ENVIRONMENT…….
      11.  
    11. WSPA 2008
      12.  
    12. Spay Day 4
      13.  
    13. Spay Day 3
      14.  
    14. Report from Laura
      15.  
    15. Pets in Europe
      16.  
    16. Canine Ehrlichiosis
      17.  
    17. Rescuer of the Week

    18. SPAY/NEUTER WEEK IN LADISPOLI
      NOVEMBER 2005

       

       

       

SPAY DAY INTERNATIONAL 2010  
LEGA PRO ANIMALE in Italy celebrated SPAY DAY INTERNATIONAL 2010 with another free of charge spay/neuter event for stray cats in the Region of Campania. This 16° “spay day” for stray cats took place on February 19th at the Spay and Neuter Centre for Dogs and Cats of Lega Pro Animale in Castel Volturno and was another big success: 161 cats (105 female and 56 male) were neutered. All of these cats had been caught by their care takers (69 different people). 

Even if there was no sign of Spring, obviously the mating season for cats had begun: 17 cats were pregnant with 79 kittens and 6 cats operated on were already on a heat cycle.

There is a lack of correct information and only a few people know that cats can have 4 litters per year and each time up to 8 kittens can be born! Nearly nobody is aware of the fact that kittens 5 months of age can be fertile and have fun with male cats. And strangely only a few people realize that every time a cat is mating a pregnancy will definitely follow.

Keeping entire cats indoors is not a solution: the cats themselves will “show” the owner their disapproval (aggression, “ignoring” the litter box and more). The only solution is neutering the animals, female and male, performed by a vet under total anaesthesia. Once neutered the animals no longer produce sexual hormones and do not feel the necessity to search for a breeding partner. Another most positive side effect: the cats are less likely try to go outside and they will have less possibilities of getting infected with contagious diseases. In other words: the welfare of the animal improves.

LEGA PRO ANIMALE would like to offer at least one “spay day” on a monthly base for stray cats. Anyone who lives in the area and feeds stray cats and wants to get them neutered can call 0823-859552.

Dorothea Friz

www.legaproanimale.com

 

Anyone who wants to send a donation towards the work of LEGA PRO ANIMALE can use the following options:

 

In Italy :

conto corrente postale: 109 738 16

Banco Posta IT81 Q 07601 14900 0000 109 738 16

 

In the UK male your donation to:

AISPA, 136 Baker Street, London W1U 6DU

Attn. Susan Dale –secretary

ADD: FOR LEGA PRO ANIMALE

 

In the USA male your donation to:

FRIENDS OF ROMAN CATS, Susan Wheeler

Rappwheel@aol.com

ADD: FOR LEGA PRO ANIMALE

 

14° “SPAY DAY” FUER STRASSENKATZEN IM ZENTRUM DER

LEGA PRO ANIMALE IN SUEDITALIEN  

Dieses mal waren es 105 Katzen (72 Weibchen und 33 Kater), die auf den Strassen eingefangen und ins Sterilisationszentrum der LEGA PRO ANIMALE gebracht worden sind. Unglücklicherweise hat es in der Nacht vor dem Operationstag geregnet und viele der Tiere, für die ein Termin ausgemacht wurde,  sind nicht in die Fallen gegangen.

Und dieses Mal war es richtig aufregend: Am Donnerstag kam ein Mann von der Stromgesellschaft und teilte uns mit, dass wir am Freitag den 27° November – also unserem Kastrationstag – von 9 Uhr morgens bis 4 Uhr nachmittags ohne Strom sein würden. Na super, dachte ich und Gott sei Dank verfügen wir über einen Generator; es sollte keine Probleme geben. Als wir dieses Gerät anschafften, habe ich an Notfälle gedacht und wollte einfach die wichtigsten Funktionen abgedeckt haben. Natürlich habe ich nicht an Kastrationstage gedacht, an denen wir ohne Strom sein würden: der Autoklav verbraucht 2 Kilowatt in der Stunde und der läuft an solchen Tagen ununterbrochen um die Operationsbestecke zu sterilisieren. Wir haben einfach alle anderen Gebäude vom Strom abgeklemmt (und natürlich ist die Tiefkühltruhe mit unseren Essensvorräten aufgetaut!).  Normalerweise haben wir auch einen Heizofen, auf dem wir die Deckchen für die Katzen nach dem Eingriff aufwärmen. Die haben wir einfach auf den Autoklaven gelegt und das Problem war gelöst. Fast zu Beginn haben dann noch unsere OP-Leuchten den Geist aufgegeben (wohl wegen den Stromschwankungen, die der Generator erzeugt hat) und wir haben kurzerhand die Schreibtischlampen am OP-Tisch festgeschraubt und weiter ging’s . ……

Die Kastration von Hunden und Katzen stellt die einzige Lösung dar, um das Angebot von Hunden und Katzen der Nachfrage anzupassen.  Eine einfache Rechnung: die 72 Kätzinnen, die wir an einem einzigen Tag kastriert haben, hätten im nächsten Jahr 4 mal Junge geworfen. Wenn wir „nur“ 3 Kätzchen pro Wurf rechnen, wären 864 Katzenwelpen zur Welt gekommen, von denen nur ein geringer Prozentsatz überlebt hätte. Die meisten sterben bei uns, bei Autounfällen oder an Krankheiten.

Ich bin sehr froh, dass unsere „spay days“so gut von der Bevölkerung angenommen werden. Katzenbetreuer aus der gesamten Region Kampaniens rufen an, um Termine auszumachen. Der nächste Kastrationstag ist schon geplant (am 11. Dezember!) und schon nach 48 Stunden hatten wir 50 Katzen auf der Liste. Ich hoffe nur, dass wir genügend Gönner finden, dass unsere so wichtige Arbeit weitergeführt werden kann damit das größte Elend verhindert wird.

Herzlichen Dank dem internationalen „spay team“: Teresa (Italien), Dora (Italien)), Isabella (Italien), Renate (Schweiz), Michelangelo (Italien), Celine (Deutschland), Eve (England), Lynn (England), Giovanna (Italien), Mena (Italien) and naturally to the vets: Gigi, Giuliano, Emanuele, Dorothea und Lorenzo.

 

Dorothea Friz, DVM

Presidente LEGA PRO ANIMALE

More Photos here!      

 

BITTE HELFEN SIE UNS, DEN NAECHSTEN “SPAY DAY” MOEGLICH ZU MACHEN:

In Italien:

LEGA PRO ANIMALE

Conto corrente postale: 10973816

Codice IBAN: IT81 Q076 0114 9000 0001 0973 816

Codice BIC/SWIFT: BPPIITRRXXX

 

In Deutschland, wenn Spendenquittung erwuenscht:

Deutscher Tierschutzbund e.V.

Sparkasse Bonn, Konto Nr. 40444, BLZ 37050198

IBAN: DE 88 37050198 0000040444

BIC: COLS DE 33

Mit dem Vermerk: fuer LEGA PRO ANIMALE

Eine Spendenquittung wird Ihnen unaufgefordert zugestellt!

 

In der Schweiz:

Schweizer Gesellschaft fuer Tierschutz

Postscheckkonto 80-5540-4

Mit dem Vermerk: fuer LEGA PRO ANIMALE

 

Spay day 12

The 12th “SPAY DAY” (providing free-of-charge neutering for stray cats) offered by the animal protection organization LEGA PRO ANIMALE, located in the southern Italian city of Castel Volturno, was another great success: 115 cats (78 female and 37 male) were caught and then brought to LPA’s SPAY AND NEUTER CENTER.  A team of 4 vets trained in high volume and young animal spaying/neutering and assisted by numerous volunteers from all over the world ( USA , UK , Germany , Ukraine ) worked untiringly from 8 a .m. to 6 p.m.  The result was more than satisfying, especially when thinking about all of the unwanted kittens that will not be born in the future.  A female cat can have up to 4 litters a year, with up to 8 kittens in each litter.  During this “spay day,” 13 cats were pregnant with 62 kittens (thus averaging 4.8 kittens per litter).  Very simple mathematical accounting shows the success:  more than 900 kittens less will be born in the next year (78 cats x 3 litters x 4 kittens per litter).  And this accounting does not consider the kittens of the kittens, because they can become pregnant as early as 5 months of age…….

    

We can also easily calculate the number of kittens that had been already born to the cats brought in on July 10th:

   

11 cats were under 4 months of age and never had a litter.

23 cats were between 5 and 12 months of age and most of them showed evidence that they have had a litter already:  23 x 4 = 92 kittens

26 cats were in between 1 and 3 years old.  Using the a median of 2 years of age, they had already produced over 600 kittens:  26 x 2 (years) x 4 (kittens per litter) x 3 (litters) = 624

12 cats were between 4 and 7 years old and had bore 720 kittens already: 12 x 5 (medium age) x 4 (kittens per bitter) x 3 (litters)

6 cats were over 8 years and had 576 kittens already.

 

THE 78 FEMALE HAD PRODUCED OVER 2000 OTHER CATS BEFORE BEING SPAYED!

 

These calculations make it easy to understand why there are so many stray cats in this region.  Now we know why there are so many sick kittens, many with their eyes popped out, in miserable condition.  A high number of these kittens are dying.  Spaying and neutering is therefore a benefit for all of the cats and dogs in this area.

   

The organization LEGA PRO ANIMALE wants to continue and if possible to increase the PREVENTIVE MEASUREMENTS of birth control thru the increased sterilisation of cats and dogs.  They are always looking for sponsors and volunteers.

    

LEGA PRO ANIMALE

cc postale 10973816

codice IBAN IT81 Q076 0114 9000 0001 0973 816

codice BIC/SWIFT: BPPIITRRXXX

 

Or English tax payers can mail their donations to AISPA, 136 Baker Street , London , W1U 6DU , Attn:  Mrs. Susan Dale (secretary) to make use of the Gift Aid Scheme.  Please do not forget to add a note saying:  “For LPA/Spay Day.”

 

 

10° “SPAY DAY” FOR STRAY CATS

LEGA PRO ANIMALE

SOUTHERN ITALY

The year 2009 started very well with the International Spay Day that was transformed into a “spay week” (neutered 200 cats: 108 female, 92 male) spent in Tropea, south of Calabria . March 20th followed with the first “spay day” (day of free of charge spaying/neutering of stray cats) in 2009 offered by LEGA PRO ANIMALE.

Vets and volunteers from all over the world worked together in a very harmonic way and 105 cats (69 female and 36 male) were spayed/neutered in a single day. 24 of the female animals were pregnant at the time of surgery and 107 kittens never had to find out how cruel the world can be. 12 of the females we operated on passed a heat cycle at the time of surgery.  These cats would certainly have delivered litters of kittens too. If we assume an average of 4,5 kittens per litter over 300 kittens were not born thanks to our action –through just one day of work! If other animal protection societies would do the same and “spay days” like ours could be offered frequently, the entire stray problem could be put under control:

PREVENTION (= spaying/neutering) is better than CURING (searching for responsible people and preventing the death of people who got attacked by strays, as happened last week in Sicily)

Dorothea Friz

President LEGA PRO ANIMAE

 

PLEASE HELP WITH A DONATION TO ENABLE THIS NEXT S/N EVENT:

In Italy:

LEGA PRO ANIMALE

Conto corrente postale: 10973816

Codice IBAN: IT81 Q076 0114 9000 0001 0973 816

Codice BIC/SWIFT: BPPIITRRXXX

 

In the UK mail your donation to:

AISPA, 136 Baker Street , London , W1U 6DU

Attn. Susan Dale – secretary

Add: FOR LEGA PRO ANIMALE

 

Letter

Mrs. Francesca Martini              att: for Onorevole Martini”                              

Sottosegretario di Stato

c/o Ministero del Lavoro

della Salute e Sicurezza Sociale,

ROMA

                                  

Dear Mrs Martini

For eighteen years I have run a national program in the United States dedicated to ending the overpopulation of cats and dogs.  When we began, we were killing 12 million cats and dogs in our shelters every year.  Today that number is about 4.3 million.

The way we were able to accomplish this was to encourage every possible method of delivering spay and neuter services to those in need.  We now have large clinics that spay and neuter 20,000 animals a year, using three veterinarians and several vet techs.  There are now nearly 50  of these large clinics in the country, and you can see a map of them by going to www.humanealliance.org and looking at the NSNRT tabs at the top of the screen.

Another very important delivery system has been the mobile spay clinic.  These clinics come in many sizes

and have allowed us to bring the services to the people where needed.  It is much easier to bring the clinic where it is needed than to try to catch animals, bring them to a location far away and then take them back.

           

We understand that Dr. Dorothea Friz in Castel Volturno has successfully used a mobile clinic to spay and neuter over 4,000 animals safely and effectively so we are glad to hear that these systems are in use in Italy as well.  We understand that there is a very large cat and dog overpopulation there, and are certain that moreof these mobile clinics would be most useful in clearing up this problem in Italy as it has been here in the U.S.  Dr. Friz informs me that there has been some questioning of her use of a mobile clinic, and we certainly hope that something can be done to reverse any negative actions regarding this program. There is no doubt in my mind that mobile clinics serve a very important role in ending the overpopulation of cats and dogs.  Given the large numbers of stray animals that still exist all over the world we need to promote these creative and effective ways of addressing the problem.

If you would be interested in seeing our Guide To Mobile Spay Clinics, a 92 page document, you can download it from our web site, www.spayusa.org.  We hope to hear from you regarding your situation in Italy, and wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Esther Mechler, Director

SPAY/USA

THE YEAR 2008: WHAT WE DID FOR DOGS AND CATS…..

No wonder that I am completely exhausted and not a penny anymore in the account: in the year 2008 we broke our own record! I was so proud of the number of almost 2200 neutered in 2007, but this year we reached the number of 2238:

 

977 dogs (2007 „only“ 695):

 

  •  526 „adozione strada“: this is a project that re-homes strays directly to a family, without taking them to kennels: whoever finds a dog in the streets and is willing to identify/register it under their name, we offer free microchipping and neutering. These animals cannot be abandoned anymore (because the owner will be fined) and they do not produce anymore unwanted puppies. They “occupy” a place that is not “producing” anymore. (Somebody who wants a dog may not necessarily neuter it. It will produce a litter of puppies twice yearly which are more likely to be dumped in the streets). If more projects like this are started everywhere it is just a matter of time before dogs will not be abandoned anymore. We were able to neuter this high number of dogs, because a Swiss foundation sponsored the expenses for 450 surgeries. SUPER THANKS!

  • 100 strays were neutered free of charge (dogs that live permanently in the streets, but somebody feeds them)  

  • 21 privately owned dogs were neutered free of charge, because the owners were not able to pay    
     

  • 66 dogs as shelter in-takes were neutered  

  • 10 dogs were neutered during our only “spay tour” to Ladispoli in our mobile clinic  

  • 253 private dogs were neutered and the owner paid for (197 female for a price of Euro 100,00 each and 56 male for a price of Euro 67,00 + taxes each).

 

+ 1261 cats (2007: 1503):

  • 174 strays, during the year taken in by their care takers   

  • 631 strays during our 6 “spay days” in our clinic   
     

  • 153 stray cats during our “spay tour” to Ladispoli ALL FREE OF CHARGE!!   
     

  • 46 private cats were neutered free of charge because their owners could not affordthe fee for the surgery   
     

  • 14 cats as shelter in-takes
     

  • 243 private cats were neutered and the owner paid for (169 female for the price of Euro 62,50 and 74 male for a price of Euro 33,00 + taxes)

817 dogs were micro chipped free of charge and registered with the local authority

640 stray cats were micro chipped free of charge and registered in our data

During the year 2008, 1745 animals found in the street were taken to our clinic and examined free of charge (for 2627 private animals the owner paid for the veterinary fees, offered at a very low cost to make vet’s visits available even to low-income people)

ON AVERAGE 18 ANIMALS PER WORKING DAY WERE EXAMINED IN OUR CLINIC!

At this point, many thanks to the team of LEGA PRO ANIMALE: Gigi, Lorenzo, Giuliano (vets), Isabella (vet’s assistant), Giovanni (warden in the clinic), Giuliano (warden in the kennels), Teresa, Dora, Rosa, Anna, Michelangelo (regular volunteers) for the immense work load and long office hours. A special thanks to Claudi who takes care of the German and Italian home pages and Andrea who is a fantastic fundraiser and takes care of the English website. Myself (Dorothea) is working as a vet, but takes care of the entire correspondence, writes the newsletters in 3 languages, tries to get in contact with the press, authorities and politicians, takes care of bank and administration, teaches animal welfare in schools, gives courses and speaks on congresses, writes proposals and takes care of the entire fundraising. HELP!!!

During the year 2008, 75 dogs and 24 cats were taken into our centre. 9 dogs (mostly small puppies dumped outside the gate in boxes) died; one had to be euthanased because of nervous distemper.

In the year 2008, 77 dogs were re-homed and this time more than half of this number here in Italy. “Only” 28 dogs found a wonderful home in Germany . All 12 cats were re-homed with families in our area.

In spite of all these efforts, still 33 dogs are in the centre in Castel Volturno. Together with the 4 buffaloes, about 60 free-roaming cats, 1 goat, rabbits, ducks, geese, they “devour” food worth Euro 1.000,00 a month.

This is a simple “preview” of the yearly report 2008 that I anticipate. Thanks in the name of all the animals we could help, thanks to your donation and support.

At the moment, the clinic is closed for 3 weeks. For myself, it should be the long expected holidays to get a rest, but there is so much work to do in the office... We will re-open February 2nd, in time to get the first cats who are on heat in the surgery room. We have so many requests for free of charge neutering, especially for dogs, but no money left to perform these surgeries. WE ALL HOPE TO RECEIVE YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT EVEN IN THE NEW YEAR 2009! Only consequent neutering will prevent the misery of thousands of unwanted puppies and kittens ending up on the streets or in mass kennels.

THANKS!

 

LEGA PRO ANIMALE 

Banco Posta

Codice IBAN: IT81 Q076 0114 9000 0001 0973 816

Codice BIC/SWIFT: BPPIITRRXXX

To take advantage of the GiftAid Scheme in the UK, which will increase your donation for 28 %:

English citizen can mail their donation to AISPA, 136 Baker Street, London, W1U 6DU, attn Mrs. Susan Dale, segretary. Please add:  for LEGA PRO ANIMALE

 “SPAY DAY”  number 9

Maybe Christmas was too close or the weather was not suitable: out of 100 female cats pre-booked for our final “spay day” in 2008, only 71 showed up. Together with 28 tomcats we nearly reached the “ 100” level. But anyway it had been a busy and successful event, considering that we worked with 3 volunteers fewer than last time. Rosa got the flu and very high fever and was unable to give us a hand. Michelangelo’s car refused to start in the morning and it had been impossible to fix. And we simply forgot to ask Eve for help…. Nevertheless the rest of the LEGA PRO ANIMALE team mastered the task: Mena and Isabella worked in the reception and fixed double labels on all the cages and traps. Lorenzo took care of the anaesthesia, Armando fixed nearly all the males and the other 3 vets (Gigi, Giuliano and Dorothea) spayed the females. Dora, like always, cleaned the instruments with lots of patience and fed the autoclaves to make sure that enough sterile surgical packs were available. Giovanna, a cat caretaker was forced to remain and help and she took on the job of post-op care; after surgery assisting the animals incase they vomited. Teresa did 2 jobs: she prepared the animals for surgery (fixing them on trays and shaving them) and she took care of them after surgery (laying them in between warmed blankets in their cages). All went well, even if the stress level was rather high.

Some of the animals were already going through a heat cycle or were in the early stages of pregnancy. Unbelievable, thinking about the cold and wet weather here! Only one spay day prevents millions of unwanted kittens, most of which finish under cars or die from diseases. “Close the spigot” is the magic word. Members and supporters of LEGA PRO ANIMALE are always stressing the importance of spaying and neutering to keep the stray problem limited.

The team of LEGA PRO ANIMALE is more than willing to keep going with high volume spaying/neutering, but is constantly searching for sponsors to make these events possible and to cover the expenses.

For those who want to help:

Banco Posta

IBAN: IT 81 Q 07601 14900 000010973816      BIC: BPPIITRRXXX

Or English tax payers can mail their donations to AISPA, 136 Baker Street , London , W1U 6DU , attn: Mrs. Susan Dale (secretary) to make use of the Gift Aid Scheme. Please do not forget to add a note saying: “for a spay day”

 

SPAY DAY NO. 8 – A MARATHON FUNDRAISER!

On Friday the 28th of November 2008 LEGA PRO ANIMALE offered its 8th “spay day”. These days they have become very popular and people from all over the Region of Campania catch stray cats to be neutered and spayed  free of charge in the spay and neuter centre in Castel Volturno.

This time it did not turn out to be a “marathon of surgeries” despite the fact that the day had been sponsored by Andrea Hunt from England who participated in the Great North Run Marathon. She run 21 km to support the work of LEGA PRO ANIMALE and AISPA, an incredible effort which was a huge success: Andrea managed to collect the money to finance our 8° spay day – THANKS A LOT!

116 cats (78 female and 48 male) from all over the Region were spayed and neutered. After one night in the recovery rooms of the spay and neuter centre, the cats were picked up by their caretakers the morning after surgery to be released at their feeding points.

Neutering is the only way to fight the stray problem.  Dogs and cats are very prolific: dogs that are not under control (and most of the Italians in the south let their dogs go for walks on their own!) give birth to up to 12-15 puppies twice yearly, a female cat can “produce” up to 24 kittens a year. If you consider the fact that puppies and kittens of the age of 5-6 months can be pregnant already, it is more than clear why there are so many animals in the streets – dead and alive.

LEGA PRO ANIMALE is constantly searching for funds to offer further spay days for stray cats. There is a big demand.

 

 Spay Day

SPAY DAY No. 5 - Friday 30th May 2008

Maybe the very hot weather which is dominating southern Italy at the moment or the superficial nature of the local people made it happen: over 50 appointments for free sterilisation of stray cats did not show up. We called the cat caretakers to find out why the animals did not arrive.

Some explained that the cats did not cooperate and did not enter the traps, but about a third of them said that they simply had forgotten their appointment. Unbelievable, but true, in spite of us offering free of charge spaying/neutering for feral cats living in colonies where somebody is feeding them.

The S/N team of LEGA PRO ANIMALE went home unusually early on Friday 30th of May, but they still had been successful. Vets Dorothea, Gigi, Giuliano and Lorenzo, together with the untiring volunteers from all over the world: Teri and Genni USA ), Isabella, Teresa, Rosa and Mena ( Italy ), Marianne ( Belgium ) and Dana ( UK ) as a great team managed to spay/neuter 79 cats (56 female and 23 male). Most of the female animals were on heat or already pregnant. Therefore this event helped to prevent a big stray cat problem in the area which dominates southern Italy , plus all the risks connected concerning animal welfare, public health and safety.

The sponsors of the event this time had been the German members of NATO stationed in Naples . Mrs. Skodowski, the wife of Brigadier General of the Joint Force Command in Naples came to the centre of LEGA PRO ANIMALE to personally hand over the donation. And if this wasn’t enough, the German NATO personnel volunteered to help in the centre over 2 weekends to erect the new fencing for the dog kennels, which had been donated by a Swiss donor.

In the name of all the Italian stray cats and the dogs homed temporarily at LEGA PRO ANIMALE, a big “THANK YOU” to everybody involved.

 

SPAY DAY No. 6 - Friday 18th July 2008

 

Another successful Spay Day took place for stray cats at our centre in Castel Volturno.
104 stray cats (76 female and 28 male) caught in various locations in Campania were sterilised free of charge!

SPAY DAY No.7 - Friday 10th October 2008


INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: 131 STRAY CATS NEUTERED

Veterinarians and volunteers from several different countries ( Great Britain , USA , Italy , Africa and Germany ) worked together for over 12 hours during our 7th SPAY DAY event which took place on 10th October 2008. The results were fantastic: 131 cats (93 female and 38 male) that live permanently on the streets in the region of Campania , were caught and taken to the spay and neuter centre of LEGA PRO ANIMALE in Castel Volturno for neutering.

The youngest cats were only about 6 weeks old; the oldest was estimated at over 10 years of age.  All of the cats were also implanted with a microchip (that is registered at the LEGA PRO ANIMALE) and given a “SMC” tattoo on the tummy close to the surgery incision (females) and in one of the ears (females and males). Another “green point” was tattooed in their other ear which can be seen from far away and easily identifies that the cats have already been neutered.  Only mass surgery events such as this will aid in reducing the huge feline stray problem.  Focusing only on the 93 female cats that were spayed, which certainly would have had at least two litters next year, about 1000 unwanted kittens will now not be born!!!!  This number does not take into consideration that any kittens they would have had would have already reached fertility by the age of 5-6 months…

These “spay days” have became very popular, especially since the state veterinary services, which by Italian law should be regularly performing such surgeries free of charge, are not providing them like they should.  We already have over 30 requests for free s/n of stray cats during the next event which will take place as soon as we found a sponsor to cover the expenses (approximately Euro 2.000,00).  If you would like to have more information about the work of LEGA PRO ANIMALE, would like to volunteer, or would like to make a donation, please contact us.   

 

 STRAYS AND THE ENVIRONMENT…….

was the project recently studied by the pupils of the International School .  The children of serving NATO personal attend the school which is situated in Bagnoli, Naples . It has a good mix of English, German, Greek, Danish, Turkish and Italians; a real international community of young people from the ages of 6 to 20.

It all started with a bit of excitement when the large bus of 50 students and their teachers on board ended up in the ditch outside our centre. Thank goodness we were able to pull it out again with our tractor!

The pupils were split into two groups during their visit to our shelter and clinic.  In particular, the younger ones were more than happy to go inside a large kennel/run and play with about 25 dogs. The animals also enjoyed their visit very much and it looked like they could do this every day!

The presence of Emilio-Giovanni and his buffalo brothers created lots of questions and the Mozzarella di Buffalo production and the problems connected were discussed. Nearly all of the pupils took a quick look in the surgery room where they could watch a dog being spayed through a window. But Apollo, a tiny puppy, had been the hit of the day. The younger children sat on the floor and the little pup went from one lap to another.

As the older students were working on an environmental project, their teacher had a very wise idea to include the stray problem. A day after the students visited the centre of LEGA PRO ANIMALE, Dorothea Friz went to the International School to teach them in an interactive lesson how stray dogs and cats inflict on the environment. Besides diseases that can transmit from uncontrolled and treated dogs to humans, the stray animals can be a serious risk for public safety. An underestimated problem is the excrement of the animals, especially those dogs that spend their life in one of these enormous Italian dog pounds where they keep up to 2000 dogs at a time. Faeces and urine of dogs cannot be composted in large amounts and should be treated as special rubbish.

The students were very interested in how to approach the stray problem and how the “production” of dogs and cats should be regulated by the “demand” for them. Together they worked on the account of how many puppies can be born from one pair of dogs in one year and they could not believe the numbers of animals produced in a relatively short time, counting all the puppies from the puppies within the years. They decided that spaying/ neutering is the best method to prevent unnecessary suffering of animals.

The younger students had lots of fun answering the questions: ‘what does a dog/a cat need for living?’ etc. They all actively participated and found the correct answers.

Hopefully all of these young citizens will be responsible pet owners in the future.   

 

 WSPA 2008

 

Dorothea Friz has worked for over 26 years in southern Italy to try and reduce the enormous number of stray dogs and cats, received the 2008 award “in recognition of her Outstanding Contribution to Animal Welfare” from WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals).  


The celebration took place in London, during the Annual General Meeting of WSPA and representatives from member organisations from all over the world were present.  Together with the award she received a cheque for £ 1,000.00, prize money sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Compton from Australia, for the work of the animal welfare organisation LEGA PRO ANIMALE, which was founded over 20 years ago by Dorothea Friz.  

The principals of this organisation are to use methods such as spaying/neutering and permanent identification/registration of pets to reduce the enormous number of pets being abandoned every year encouraging the stray population.  One of the projects of the organisation is the “adopt a stray” programme: whoever picks up a dog in the street to give it a home and takes over legal ownership of this animal (identification with microchip and registration), receives from LEGA PRO ANIMALE free spaying/neutering and free microchipping for this animal.  Dorothea is constantly trying to find sponsors for this project and successfully spayed/neutered, free of charge, nearly 500 stray dogs alone in the year 2007 locally.  These animals are no longer producing puppies and cannot be abandoned anymore because, through the identification, the owner can be found and risks a penalty, because abandoning of dogs in Italy has become a crime.

Dorothea Friz was very pleased about the nomination of the award and in a spontaneous speech she declared to continue her difficult work in favour of the animals in southern Italy.  She talked about Italian kennels where enormous numbers of dogs are recovered and kept in tiny spaces for a life time, very often without any veterinary care, proper food and the possibility to live following their habitat (in the Region of Campania alone, 15,000 dogs are kennelled at public expense, and there are a high number of more dogs kept in private kennels).  These animals will never have a chance to be re-homed, because there are too many of them and the owners of the kennels will lose the money that is paid by the communities where the dog has been caught (about 3 Euro per day per animal).

Dorothea is very pleased that the term “protection” of animals is now more often referred to as “guaranteeing animal welfare” all over the world. This means that the simple “rescuing” of animals is not enough. All animals need to be kept respecting the “five freedoms”.  A fact which is not guaranteed in most of the Italian kennels for dogs.

Her short speech was answered with a hefty applause.   

 

 The Fourth Lega Pro Animale Stray Spay/Neuter Day

It was not your ordinary day at the clinic for the Lega Pro Animale team.  Instead, their most recent free stray cat spay/neuter day which was held on Friday, 14 March 2008 in Castel Volturno, turned out to be a day of non-stop action which yielded excellent results!  Veterinaries and volunteers worked in perpetual motion for over eight hours as 91 local stray or parco cats (52 female and 39 male), ranging in age from four months to eight years old, were spayed or neutered.  It quickly became evident that the word about these now recognized events had spread far and wide, as cats arrived not only from the local area, but from as far away as the center of Naples and several communities in between.

Dr. Dorothea Friz, Lega Pro Animale veterinarian and founder worked tirelessly performing surgery after surgery along side her staff vets Gigi, Giuliano, and Lorenzo and Dutch vet students Fraukje and Manon.  Several volunteers consisting of six Italians (Isabella, Mena, Dora, Rosa, Enza, and Teresa) and one American (Teri) assisted the team every step of the way.  Upon arrival, Isabella worked swiftly yet methodically to ensure that each person dropping off a cat or cats completed the necessary paperwork and that each cat was properly identified to facilitate a smooth pick-up on Saturday morning.  The cats were then moved to a holding room where they awaited anesthesia.  No sooner than one cat left the operating room, Lorenzo had already carefully anesthetized another and taken it to Fraukje and Manon to be micro-chipped and prepared for surgery.  The surgical procedures were then carried out by the sure hands of Dorothea, Gigi, Giuliano, Fraukje, or Manon.  To make certain the vets could work uninterrupted, Mena and Dora ensured that the proper surgical tools were sterilized and readily available.  Upon the completion of a spay/neuter procedure by one of the vets, Teresa returned the cat to its carrier, covered it in a warm blanket, and took to a quiet recovery area where Rosa, Enza, and Teri monitored their progress until each cat was fully awake.  There the cats stayed overnight, covered and warm until they were picked Saturday morning to be released at their feeding areas. 

The Lega Pro Animale team took their experiences and lessons learned from each of the previous three spay/neuter day events and incorporated them into this event to make this one the smoothest running yet.  For the first time reservations for the event were required (and which were kept by all!), limiting the number of cats presented for services to a more easily managed number (thus avoiding the overwhelming number of cats brought in during the third spay/neuter day). 

The success of this event and the hope it inspires cannot be denied.  As a result of the efforts of the Lega Pro Animale team, hundreds and potentially thousands (if not millions!) of future cats have been spared a deplorable existence.  The only acceptable way to effectively confront and overcome the stray animal crisis is through the education of the populace and the continuation of catch, spay/neuter, and release programs such as those provided by Lega Pro Animale.  Every cat and dog deserves a forever home where it is loved, fed, and properly cared for by a loving individual or family.

In order for Dr. Friz and the Lega Pro Animale team to continue their good work, they need support of others.  Monetary donations are always appreciated; however there are other ways that one can contribute to the success of their good work.  Volunteering time to assist the staff with such activities as building maintenance, gardening, playing with the dogs, or other such requirements are other ways to become involved.  Donating much needed items such as old towels, sheets, blankets, curtains, and clothing can also help Lega Pro Animale would also be welcomed.  Please help make a difference by supporting Lega Pro Animale today!   

 

PRESS RELEASE

MARATHON LIKE 3° SPAY DAY


If talking about success about the first two “Spay Days” for stray cats in July (72 animals were spayed/neutered) and September 2007 (74 animals), the 3° spay day nearly made reach the breaking point of staff and volunteers (from England, Germany and Italy) of LEGA PRO ANIMALE: 195 cats were spayed/neutered in only one day which lasted 14 hours with only half an hour break for a quick lunch. 130 female cats and 65 male cats were trapped and brought in by persons who take care of these animals in the streets around their homes. This event took place at the SPAY AND NEUTER CENTRE in Castel Volturno on Friday Dicember 14th, 2007 and all the surgeries were offered free of charge.  

     

In spite of the strike of the lorry drivers which caused a lack of gas in entire Italy and making cars lining up at the gas stations for hours, nearly 100 cat caretakers showed up and at a certain hour unfortunately some had to be sent back without having their animals neutered. Already at 07.30 a .m. a car waited outside the gate with several trapped cats. The veterinary clinic of LEGA PRO ANIMALE seemed to be a big market with people shouting and screaming when they delivered the cats. Animals arrived not only in cat cages and traps, but in bird and rabbit cages, laundry baskets and some even in closed plastic sacks. The animals, after surgery, recovered one night in a warm place at the centre and were picked up the next morning to be released at their feeding point. The noise level reached nearly the same height like the day before during the admission. One cat escaped from a broken cage over night, but could be caught in the middle of other numerous cages and closed in a safe box.  

        

Spaying and neutering of stray cats normally is a job the Italian state veterinarians should do. The “new” Italian animal protection law introduced in 1991 (16 years ago!) which does not allow anyone to kill healthy and friendly animals, is very good documenting preventative measures for the stray problem. 

       

For example, parco cats should be caught, spayed/neutered and released on the same spot from where they were taken. Surgery should be offered free of charge by the Government vets, which unfortunately is not offered everywhere. However if they do, one has to wait many months, sometimes over a year, before the animal can be seen, and it can be quite  difficult to catch the stray for their ‘appointment’! Sometimes female cats will have two litters of kittens before they find the time to work on them.  

        

The stray problem (cats and dogs) is an enormous issue for  public health and safety and causes high expenses covered by the tax payers. The stray problem therefore should be on top of the agenda of every authority involved. Neutering is the only way to reduce the number of stray animals in the streets in a permanent way, but at least 70 % of all the animals (strays and owned!) need to be “treated” to see any signs of success.  

        

Dorothea Friz, DVM, president and founder of LEGA PRO ANIMALE, a non Government organisation which is dedicated to reducing the stray problem in Italy, is thinking of offering a “spay day” on a monthly basis, but in future with limited admission of cats, for example through appointments.  People who feed stray cats and are interested in getting them neutered should contact LPA on 0823-859552 Monday to Thursday 1500-1800 or contact the English website: 

        

   www.geocities.com/fondazionemondoanimale.  

             

Highly welcomed:

Bed sheets, blankets, towels, volunteers, donations (conto corrente postale: 10973816 LEGA PRO ANIMALE) or a donation through AISPA, 136 Baker Street, London, W1U6DU to claim the 22% tax benefit through the Gift Aid Scheme.

Report from Laura
 

Having recently returned from a week’s visit to a spay clinic in Italy, I wanted to write to you to highlight some of the issues which were brought to my attention and make people in the UK more aware of the problems which face vets out there. On the drive from Villa Literno to the Lega Pro Animale with Dorothea Friz (the Head vet at the clinic), I honestly thought I was being driven through a 3rd world country. Not just because of the litter scattered along the roadside (due to the Mafia’s refusal to collect it, but because of the dead dogs lying there welling in the heat, ready to burst at any moment. This sight was apparently commonplace. I had no idea that there was such a serious stay problem in Naples.
 
During my week’s stay at the sterilisation clinic, despite speaking only enough Italian to order a glass of Pinot and lasagne, I soon realised that unfortunately the majority of Neopolitans have very little respect for their animals and the few which were taken to the clinic were the fortunate ones.
 
The Lega Pro Animale was founded in 1986 by a German vet, Dorothea Friz, who moved to Italy 24 years before for a better quality of life, not knowing about the task that lay ahead of her. 30 minutes from Naples, she runs the clinic. It is a cross between the PDSA, a rescue centre and a boarding kennels, all of which is funded by donations, the income from the kennels and the small fees they charge the clients. She is quite a remarkable lady.
 
The shelter takes in abandoned cats and dogs, (as well as the odd rabbit and buffalo), and aims to rehome them. Dorothea still has good links with her native Germany and frequently drives dogs across the border to new homes there. Many of the strays have been dumped at the entrance gates, some in good health with name tags on, some left when their owners have gone away on holiday and others on the verge of death.
 
Dorothea has a policy that she will not rehome an animal without ensuring that it is fully vaccinated, wormed, microchipped and neutered, so if the dog is abandoned or lost again, it can be returned to its rightful owner.
 
The clinic runs a “catch, neuter and return” scheme with volunteers (often from the nearby NATO army/navy base) bringing strays in for neutering. They also offer free neutering and microchipping to locals who collect animals off the street and want to rehome them. Of course, locals abuse this and just bring their own pets in claiming to have found them, but at least they are being responsible.
 
The age and stage of oestrus are not an issue for the vets operating on them. They cannot risk waiting until they are 6 months old before they neuter them because by then, 2 cats could easier have produced several hundred offspring. They will neuter kittens as young as 2 weeks, even operating intra-abdominally on males before the testes have descended. All animals are tattooed near their surgery wound, with ‘SMC’ for sterilised and microchipped, and stray cats have a green spot tattooed in their ear for easy identification. What a good idea. Only recently did I see 2 bitches, from Edinburgh Cat and Dog Home, anaesthetised for spaying, only to open them up and discover they had already been spayed. Surely an extra scratch in the skin to make a tattoo the first time would have saved the dog from unnecessary anaesthesia, surgery and pain.
 
Spaying is performed via a midline approach; flank incisions would be considered too extreme and alien for many of the uneducated locals. Scrotal castration is carried out in both cats and dogs. Years of experience mean that Dorothea has the surgery down to a fine art, completing a cat spay in just 8 minutes. Absorbable skin sutures are used so that animals can be released the following day with no need for them to be recaptured to have their stitches out.
 
One of the main problems in the South of Italy is education, or lack of it. The stray problem has been going on for so long that it is normal for Neopolitans to see dogs scavenging through rubbish bins, riddled with fleas and ticks. The younger generation do not know any different. The clinic now receives more publicity as it is filmed regularly for a Sky TV programme, “Pet Hospital”, but 80% of the viewers are from the more affluent North. The problem continues in the South, where fewer can afford Sky.
 
Further problems arise due to the lack of education. People are not aware about the need for vaccinations or regular flea and worming control. During the week I was there, I saw several puppies and dogs suffering from Parvo, Distemper, Ehrlichia, Leishmaniasis and severe worm (Dipylidium caninum) infestations. The owners of 2 Rottweilers puppies with Parvo came to the clinic twice daily while they were put on IV fluids. On the day I left, they still had profuse diarrhoea and vomiting, with little signs of improvement. I wondered how long they would carry on with this routine – probably until the Parvo got the better of them. (These 2 actually had a happy ending; I have since heard that the perseverance of the owners and staff paid off and they survived).
 
Sadly Dorothea and her 3 colleagues’ efforts to control the stray population are hampered by the police interfering and local vets who believe she is taking all of their business away. They have strong feelings against her spay days and mobile spay clinics which travels to nearby towns. They can neuter as many as 100 animals in one day with 2 or 3 vets working simultaneously in her purpose built Ford transit. The Police do not think she has the right to neuter animals off the street but if they are not chipped, they do not officially belong to anyone. Surely they should be grateful that she is helping to reduce the numbers? People have even launched official complaints about the clinic’s work but by Italian law. They have been refused access to the documents so Dorothea is instigating a court case.
 
Dorothea is desperate to find another vet to join her team, but again, the Italians are making this difficult for her. A young German is interested but it has taken nearly a year to complete the relevant paperwork. All of her documents from University have to be translated and proofed by the Italian Embassy in Germany, and as yet, she is still not eligible to work there. You would have thought that being a member of the EU would make it easier to work abroad nowadays. Italian vets are not interested in the work, and the nursing staff is non-existent. The clinic has 3 office staff, who have been given basic training, but the majority of the time the vest operate alone or with each others’ help. Veterinary nursing is not recognised as a career in Italy.
 
My time at LPA was certainly an eye opening experience and it was a just a shame I could not have stayed for longer. I would like to encourage people in the UK to find out more about the incredible work that Dorothea Friz and her vets do out in Naples.
 
Any donations can be made through The Anglo-Italian Society for the Protection of Animals, a London-based charity. Using this service, they are not taxed as heavily, but please specify that the money is to go directly to the LPA. Donations can be sent to Susan Dale (Secretary), AISPA, 136 Baker Street, London, W1U 6DU.
 
For further informations you can contact Laura, the author of the article: laurathescorer@hotmail.com
 

Doro & Laura

 
New NGO “Pets In Europe” Launches Welfare Campaign for Pets
Across Europe
 

Press Release – Brussels, 4 May 2007
 
National Pet NGOs gathered in Brussels on 3 May 2007 to join the newly created organisation, Pets In Europe (PIE), officially beginning their campaign to improve pet welfare across Europe via the European Institutions.
 
Chris Laurence from Dogs Trust, UK, the new Chairman of PIE, kicked off the inaugural meeting of the organisation saying that “it is past time for pet NGOs across Europe to come together to form a common front to ensure that all European pets receive the same high standards of welfare. To do this, actions taken individually and at a purely national level are simply not enough.”
 
New members of PIE acknowledged that there is a high variation in the level of protection for pets in the different Member States, with some Member States failing to enforce even the most basic legislation and standards of care for pets.
 
The new Vice-Chairman, Max Ferrugia from International Animal Rescue in Malta, explained that “Indeed, the objective of Pets in Europe will be to push the European Institutions to adopt legislation requiring all Member States, not only to introduce a high standard of care for pets, but also requiring them to enforce this legislation, taking incompliant Member States to the European Court of Justice if necessary.”
 
The official inauguration of Pets In Europe was topped off by the presence of Portuguese Socialist MEP, Paulo Casaca, ex-President of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Animal Welfare, who not only provided his full support for the PIE initiative, but also indicated that while it may be an upward battle with the EU Institutions, he has full confidence that PIE will ultimately prevail in the end, attaining a high European standard for the protection of pets.
 
Note to editors:
 
With membership of national pet NGOs from 17 EU Member States and growing, PIE represents the interests of and the need for protection of pets across Europe.
 
PIE aims to obtain the adoption of legislation at the European Union level, recognising and enforcing the fact that keepers of companion animals have a duty of care towards them.
 
For further information about PIE, contact: jessica.adkins@be.grayling.com Telephone +32(0)4.739.47.31

Canine Ehrlichiosis
is a disease of dogs and is found worldwide.
 

How is Ehrlichia transmitted?
 
Ehrlichia is transmitted by the Brown Dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The immature form of the tick feeds on an animal infected with Ehrlichia. When these immature forms or a mature form of the tick feeds on another animal, the Ehrlichia is passed on to that animal. The Ehrlichia can remain alive in the developing tick for up to 5 months. This means a tick could become infected in the autumn, and infect a dog the following spring.
 
Because the disease is transmitted by the Brown Dog tick, it can occur wherever Brown Dog ticks are found.
 
What are the symptoms of Ehrlichiosis?
 
Ehrlichiosis can have three phases. Signs of the acute phase of the disease usually develop 1-3 weeks after the bite of the infected tick. The acute phase of the disease generally lasts 2-4 weeks. The Ehrlichia enter certain cells of the body and reproduce inside of them. These cells are found in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, blood, and bone marrow. As a result of the infection, the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen are often enlarged. Anaemia, fever, depression, lethargy, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, joint pain and stiffness, and bruises are often seen.
 
In the subclinical phase, the animal may show only slight anaemia. During this phase, the dog either eliminates the Ehrlichia from the body or the infection may progress to the chronic phase.
 
The chronic phase generally develops 1-4 months after the tick bite and can be either mild or severe. Weight loss, anaemia, neurological signs, bleeding, inflammation of the eye, fluid accumulation in the hind legs and fever may be seen. Blood tests show that one or all of the different blood cell types are decreased. One cell type, the lymphocyte, may increase and be abnormal in appearance. This can sometimes be confused with certain types of leukaemia. If a dog becomes chronically infected, the disease can keep coming back, especially during periods of stress.
 
A decrease in the number of platelets (platelets help the blood clot) in the blood is the most common laboratory finding in all phases of the disease. Changes in the protein levels in the blood are common. The most common protein, albumin, is decreased and other types of protein called 'globulins' are increased.
 
Since one tick could be infected with and transmit more than one disease (e.g., haemobartonellosis or babesiosis), it is not all that uncommon to see a dog infected with more than one of these diseases at a time, which generally causes more severe symptoms.
 
How is Ehrlichiosis diagnosed?
 
A highly accurate blood test, which tests for the dog's antibodies (proteins produced to fight off the infection) to Ehrlichia is available. It is called the indirect immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) test. The antibodies may not be detected in the early phase of the disease, since it takes some time for the body to make them. As the disease progresses, the antibody level will rise significantly. Often, two tests will be done 2 weeks apart and the results compared. Dogs with an active infection will show a significant rise in the amount of antibody present.
 
The antibodies can last for one or more years after the infection, but they do not make the dog immune to Ehrlichiosis - the dog could get reinfected.
 
Sometimes, the organism can be seen inside cells on a blood smear. To find them, a small drop of blood is spread over a microscope slide, stained, and examined under the microscope. The organism can only be found in the bloodstream for about 3 days during the acute phase of the disease. So this method of diagnosis could miss some cases of the disease.
 
How is Ehrlichiosis treated?
 
The antibiotics, tetracycline or doxycycline are used. Treatment is for 2-3 weeks. Some dogs will need blood transfusions or intravenous fluids depending on the severity of the disease. Generally, the prognosis during the acute phase is good, if the animal is properly treated. Dogs who go on to the chronic phase have a poorer prognosis. German Shepherds and Doberman Pinschers tend to have a more severe chronic form of the disease.
 
The drug, imidocarb dipropionate, is sometimes used in conjunction with the antibiotics. It is given as an injection, but may not be available in all areas.
 
Some of the damage caused by Ehrlichia may be due to the dog's own immune response to the organism. For this reason, high doses of corticosteroids (e.g.; prednisolone) are often given during the early phase of the disease
 
How can I prevent Ehrlichiosis in my pet?
 
Tick control is the main way to prevent Ehrlichiosis. Products which repel and kill ticks are excellent choices. Tick collars containing the active ingredient amitraz (Preventic collars) are also used, sometimes in conjunction with other repellents, in those areas with high tick infestations.
 
Information source for Ehrlichiosis: www.peteducation.com

Rescuer of the Week


Best Friends Animal Society
Author: elizabeth 
Quelle: http://network.bestfriends.org/Blogs/PostDetail.aspx?bp=3197&g=1ab1ab37dd654d36b15aff4357c7b0ff

Italy: Lega Pro Animale

February 19, 2007 : 12:49 PM  

This Wasn’t The Life She Expected!
The story of Lega Pro Animale
By Elizabeth Doyle

Today, Dorothea Friz lives in southern Italy where she often spays and neuters about 20 animals a day, argues with politicians about enforcing animal welfare laws, looks after a small shelter, and stars daily on a show called Pet Hospital. She’s a hero to Italian animals!

But how did this happen?

Dorothea had a completely different life planned for herself. She wanted to work with cows! She grew up in Germany and graduated from vet school at the University of Munich. She never wanted to treat dogs and cats, “because you have to have a psychological degree to treat the owners,” she said with a laugh. Instead, her plan was to work among the grazing cows like those she’d known throughout her childhood. But something was wrong …

As soon as she went to work, she noticed something. The cows which had once roamed pastures so freely were suddenly kept in tiny enclosures where they couldn’t walk at all. They were packed together like sardines. “Intensive farming” is what it was called, and Dorothea couldn’t stand it. Having grown up in a rural area, farms had been part of her childhood, and so had the animals. But this was a new world. And this wasn’t a world she wanted to work in.

Dorothea took a “year off” and traveled through Europe, winding her way to Greece. She just needed time to think. She loved the warm weather down south, and thought about taking a job in Greece, but there didn’t seem to be any jobs. So she tried Italy, and was offered one immediately. So why not? The food, the wine, and the glorious weather – one could do worse.

She worked at a vet clinic in Naples, but she hadn’t been there long when she noticed something. Strays – everywhere. This was something very new to Dorothea. In Germany, the dog and cat population is well under control. It is illegal even for the government to put animals to sleep there who aren’t sick, and there is no dog overpopulation.

Italy was different. Though Italy also doesn’t put homeless animals to sleep, Dorothea said that because the stray problem is still not under control, the shelters are overcrowded and the strays run about everywhere. In the south, she said, the problem is primarily stray dogs, while in the north around Rome, it’s stray cats. Dorothea had a new plan in life. She wanted to do something about it.

In 1986, she opened Lega Pro Animale in Castel Volturno, southern Italy. Since its inception, she and about four staff vets have spayed and neutered nearly 40,000 animals! They travel Italy in their mobile vet clinic, doing trap/neuter/return. They offer low cost spay/neuter to family pets (And it's free if you adopted a stray.) Plus, they keep a shelter for animals who may have been pets, or for one reason or another, cannot live on the streets. They have about 60 dogs, and 50 cats up for adoption. (Oh, and goats, rabbits, ducks, and a couple buffalo too!) Thanks to Dorothea’s excellent diplomatic skills, donors have provided land and state-of-the-art facilities. The animals live on about 10,000 square meters.

Lega Pro Animale has also become a place where many vets and vet students gather to receive training on the all the latest and best spay/neuter techniques. But Dorothea says that running a clinic and shelter isn’t enough. “A stray problem is really an educational problem,” she said. “Strays are not falling from the sky.” In her experience, the stray population is continually nurtured by private pets who are running around un-neutered. Therefore, she has also opened a sister organization called Fondazione Mondo Animale, which travels Italy, teaching children in schools about the problem of strays and the importance of spay/neuter. She organizes conferences and seminars. And she lobbies the government for better enforcement of some of Italy’s excellent animal welfare laws.

Her greatest educational coup came recently though, when she was invited to be on a TV show called Pet Hospital. On the show, she’s filmed daily, doing her work. And she gets the chance to describe what she’s doing and why. “I finally have the opportunity to talk to all the population in Italy,” she said.

Dorothea has great hopes for the final end to her work. She thinks the stray problem in Italy can be conquered, and animals throughout Italy can be living better lives within just five to ten years. Between her work, and cooperation with other rescuers and vets around Italy, that’s what she hopes to accomplish!

“If somebody told me 30 years ago that I am doing this work and especially arguing with politicians, I would have laughed,” she said. But sometimes, the very best outcomes simply plan themselves!

To learn more about Dorothea’s work, or to learn how you can help, visit her website at www.fondazionemondoanimale.com

SPAY/NEUTER WEEK IN LADISPOLI
NOVEMBER 2005

I am trying to write this with my cat on my lap. It is the day after I have returned from a very exciting and exhausting week in Italy and my animals just want my attention. My four dogs are now sleeping peacefully but my cat is desperate for affection and has eventually settled for my lap and the regular stroke I am able to give him while I search for inspiration.
 
For any of you reading this article who have thought or who are thinking of volunteering to help Dorothea on one of her mobile spay/neuter projects, I thoroughly recommend the experience. It was jolly hard work but immense fun and I didn’t stop laughing all week. Here I attempt to pass on my week in Ladispoli and the work we achieved and the enjoyment we experienced along the way.
 
My week started on Sunday afternoon at Stansted Airport where my adventure began. For only a £40.00 return ticket to Naples, I quickly checked in with no large or heavy bags, just my rucksack which I took on the plane with me, so avoiding having to wait for any baggage on arrival in Naples.
 
The flight was on time, non-eventful and we even arrived almost half an hour early in Naples. It was great to see Dorothea again since the last time I was able to get out to Naples was January 2005 when we rehomed some more lucky dogs in Germany. After an enjoyable pizza in a local restaurant in Pinetamare, a short distance from Castel Volturno, where Dorothea and I caught up on life since we’d last seen each other, we arrived at Lega Pro Animale to be greeted by Dorothea’s family – Muecke, Popodama, Laska, Smilla, Zoppa, Maus and Chicco. A short while later and after much loving of all the animals, it was time to get our heads down as we had an early start the following morning.
 
Unfortunately, 4:00 am came far too quickly but I extricated myself from between the two Great Danes who had shared my bed with me during the night and the day began.
 
We were joined by Giuliano, another vet who was coming with us to work alongside Dorothea throughout the week. I joined Dorothea in the spay/mobile van which had been kindly donated by AISPA, while Giuliano drove the orange vehicle and followed us towards our destination. The journey up the A1 autostrade to Rome was non-eventful. We were not sure if we had allowed enough time since we were hitting the ring road around Rome at rush hour, and we were right! Traffic came to a standstill and it took us a further hour to travel just a few kilometres. Our hosts contacted us to see where we were and we eventually arrived in Ladispoli at the Town Council building approximately an hour overdue. While this tardiness is totally acceptable to normal Italians, we felt uncomfortable at being late. We met Franca and ANITA, two of the volunteers helping on this spay/neuter project, who then directed us to San Nicola where our work was to be carried out.
 
Several other volunteers were already waiting for us and we began the process of unloading the vans and setting up. Already cats and dogs were arriving and it became clear, very quickly, that it was going to be a very busy week with lots of work to be done.
 
Anna and Astrid from the Town Council were there to oversee the project; Astrid was kept very busy throughout the whole week registering the dogs and cats as they arrived at the site. She was a real hard worker, arriving before us every morning and leaving after us each evening, locking up the facility before she left.
 
We had several problems when we set up everything in the building we were given to use. Immediately it became apparent that there was not enough electricity for all the systems we needed to use. Most important we needed power to run the spay mobile van with strong lighting but we also needed radiators for warming the recovery room and for warming the blankets and clothes we used both for under the animals during the operation and also for post-operation when they needed to be laid on a warm blanket and covered with a warm cloth. We needed a great deal of power for the sterilisation unit – again this was essential for our work since without sterilising the surgical instruments, Dorothea and her veterinary team could not carry out the surgeries. In addition, we needed to use clippers to shave the cats and dogs prior to surgery and they also used electricity, we needed lights, of course, to work by and also we needed to use the kettle which was very important in keeping the vets from becoming dehydrated and of course giving them their essential fix of coffee! This amused me since I have never seen so much coffee drunk in my life – what with the very strong Italian coffee that was regularly being provided by our Italian hosts and the Nescafe that I was providing. No wonder the vets performed so much surgery throughout the week, they must have been high on adrenalin, or perhaps just coffee! One of the Italian volunteers remarked to me how, when she was living in England (she spent two years in Lewisham when she was younger), she just loved the kettles we use and really missed the kettle now she was back in Italy. It always did make me wonder throughout my travels in Europe, why the Italians and other Europeans appeared not to use kettles in their homes. I think it must be, especially in Italy, because the power supply to the houses is far less than in England. As a result of this, we had many black outs when the power being used was too much and we tripped the switches. Eventually our hosts plugged us into several separate sources within the building complex and, provided we didn’t use more than one radiator or providing we pulled the radiator plug out of the socket when we wanted to boil the kettle within the recovery room, things settled down and we were able to get on with our work.
 
Once we had set up everything and attempted to instruct the many Italian volunteers in how Dorothea wished procedures to be followed (and this was not an easy task believe me as so many of them wanted to be in charge - there were too many Italian chiefs and not enough Indians! I was an Indian and so that was OK by me!), the Monday began with neutering and spaying of all the dogs that had been brought to the clinic. I may be wrong here but I seem to recall that almost every dog brought in for surgery was female.
 
Dorothea explained to me that the mentality in Italy, while slowly coming to terms with the need to neuter cats and dogs in this country, they still did not believe that they should neuter the males! After all, it was only the females that were causing problems to those who owned them! Those who owned males didn’t have the consequence of puppies of kittens and so, in typical Italian style, anything not causing problems to themselves directly wasn’t worth worrying about. Dorothea spent much of the week trying to educate anyone she came into contact with, that if they neutered all females then the poor males would be left frustrated by not being able to mate, as well as risking health problems in the future. One thing that did become apparent was that those vets spaying female dogs and cats in the Rome area were simply sterilising and not totally spaying the animals. Dorothea also explained to me that this was causing problems because when an animal is just sterilised (this means that the tubes are tied but the ovaries and uterus are not removed) then the animal continues to come into heat, sometimes continuously and of course they still smell nice to the males and still attract them to mate. For the male animals this means that they still have females to mate with but for the females this is not good for their health (THEY WILL HAVE A HEAT CYCLE STRAIGHT AFTER THE MATE, THEY CAN HAVE INFECTION IN THE UTERUS/BLADDER AND MAMMARIE TUMORS).
 
How wonderful it was when Dorothea’s lectures and hard work paid off with individuals. One wonderful couple, Cecilia and Angelini who took us in to their house and gave us the most wonderful meal on one evening and also fed us with a delicious lunch while we were working on one of the days, ended up bringing their young male dog, Ugo to be castrated. She completely changed Angelini’s mind and he ended up telling everyone he came into contact with that they should neuter their male pets – even the dentist and anyone in the surgery waiting room when he went for treatment during the week we were there!!
 
Anyway, back to the first day and the afternoon which was spent spaying and neutering over 20 cats that had already been brought in both in traps and cages. In fact we were not able to operate on all the cats that were brought in that day as 9pm came all too quickly. This meant that we had to bed down all the cats we hadn’t been able to operate on and give them some food. Curiously, it disturbed the Italians that there were several cats that would be staying safe in their traps and cages over night before surgery and then another night in a cage after this. The procedure was always that once a cat was operated on it was kept overnight to make sure that it could recover before being released back into its cat colony. Remember that these cats live on the streets with kind people feeding and taking care of them. What interested me the most was how all the Italians were concerned about was that the cats were not kept without food. It made me realise again how important food is to Italians. I always found it funny whilst living in Naples that they couldn’t understand how food wasn’t as important to me as they thought it should be! So it made me chuckle when I saw how important it was to them that all the cats were fed. You can imagine the smell in the building the following morning with stale cat food and lots of urine and poo!!
 
Every morning began with people collecting the cats that had been operated on the previous day, cleaning out the recovery room, mopping down the floors and preparing for the next animals that were amassing to be operated on.
 
On the Monday evening we were taken to the place where we were to sleep during the week we were working there. This was a Catholic retreat run by nuns and usually used by people during the warmer months of the year. Our rooms were clean and basic and we dropped our luggage in our rooms before going to eat at the local restaurant. The commune (town council) paid for our accommodation while we were working in Ladispoli and also for our lunch and evening meals. The food in the restaurant was excellent and it gave Dorothea, Giuliano and myself time to unwind and discuss the day’s events before walking back to the retreat to catch up on some well-earned rest.
 
We rose on the Tuesday morning for breakfast at 7:15 am. This had been agreed with the convent/retreat sister the previous evening. What a night we had had! The bedrooms were extremely cold, there was limited bed linen and the hot water just wasn’t! I slept with all the contents of my rucksack covering me and Dorothea just froze all night. To make matters worse, her hot water bottle which wasn’t very hot because there was very little hot water, leaked during the night ; she was not at all happy to say the least! When we got down to breakfast everything was in darkness and it was another 10 minutes before the Sister showed up to let us into the dining room. As we left the retreat that morning I was fairly certain that we wouldn’t be spending another night there. Dorothea spoke with the organisers of the week and plans were made during the Tuesday to re-accommodate us elsewhere.
 
On the Tuesday we operated on 61 cats. We began working at 8:30 am and finished surgery at 8:00 pm. We were joined on this day and on Wednesday by Francesca, a public vet, who had been released from her work in Rome to help Dorothea on our project. This was another rather eventful day with the Carabinieri arriving in the middle of the morning following a complaint made to them by the local vets in the area; they had reported Dorothea for killing cats! The truth is that they were obviously not very happy that we were doing something to try to stop the regular increase of dogs and cats in the local area and subsequently take away some of their business. The police stayed for about half an hour checking the paperwork, which the town council had provided, legally allowing us to work in the area. I found it very funny that Giuliano and Francesca (especially Giuliano) were so frightened that the Carabinieri had arrived. Giuliano practically hid under the cages and kept asking me, every time I went in and out of the recovery room, whether the Police were still here? This only reinforced my previous deductions that many of the Italian men which I have met are total cowards!
 
During the day a solution to our sleeping problem emerged. A very kind American lady called Judy had been bringing various cats to be neutered throughout the Monday and Tuesday and when she heard of our predicament she offered three bedrooms in her house to us. Ideally, she lived very close to where we were working and both she and her husband were absolutely wonderful hosts. She had heard that Dorothea froze during the previous evening and so gave us electric blankets on our beds. She gave us full access to her house over the period we were there and I was even allowed to share my bed with Micho, a most adorable cat with only three legs and lots of love. She really took care of us and is truly one of God’s angels here on earth.
 
How ironic the provision of the electric blanket proved to be as, after a couple of nights into our stay with Judy, Dorothea appeared in the kitchen in the morning looking very sheepish to tell us that she had had a disaster with the electric blanket; she had left it on while she was reading and suddenly could smell burning. When she investigated, she found that the electric blanket had burned through the sheets and the mattress and was smouldering. She thought that if she put her hands over the area it would starve the smoke of oxygen and solve the problem but it became apparent that this was not working and she ended up pouring water over the area! The whole episode was met with a very calm Judy who was more concerned about the blisters Dorothea had sustained in the incident. What else could happen in such an action-packed week?
 
On the Wednesday, Dorothea, Giuliano and Francesca operated on another 60 or so cats. We were also joined by Deborah and Karen, two ladies who help out at Torre Argentina, the cat colony in Rome. It was fun to have some English speakers around me for the day and especially as they could help me make myself understood with my Italian colleagues. They are both married to Italians and so speak both languages perfectly. Deborah came with me to set some traps in Judy’s garden so that we could catch some of the cats who come to feed there.
 
In the afternoon I went out in the van with Judy to try and catch some cats from other areas around San Nicola. When we arrived at the beach where Judy feeds the cats daily it was amazing how so many cats appeared from nowhere to feed; I have never seen so many stray cats in one place. We were not successful at catching any on this occasion because we had a bad experience with an ignorant Italian woman who saw us feeding the cats and asked us what we were doing. Judy, who speaks perfect Italian, explained that we were trying to catch the cats to neuter them. This woman, unable to grasp the importance of what we were doing, was obviously incensed at this and asked us how we would like to be kidnapped and sterilised. Inexplicably, she was furious and even though we asked her to come back with us to see what we were doing, as soon as we mentioned Dottoressa she said it was experimentation. Judy tried to explain that we were trying to save these cats from starvation, living a horrible existence, continually having babies and being killed and horribly injured by car accidents but she did not want to know. It was then that I realised that we needed to carry some leaflets explaining the Italian law and actually how we were adhering to that law and also why we were doing what we were doing and perhaps we can learn a lesson about this local public ignorance for the future. Judy and I came away from this experience feeling both sad and frustrated at Italian narrow-mindedness.
 
In addition, on the Friday Judy went back to the beach area to try and catch some of the cats there and she witnessed a man drive up, dump a Dalmatian dog and drive off. The weather that day was atrocious, with heavy winds and rain and she tried in vain to catch the poor dog but it just ran off. Back at base we were all terribly upset that we were unable to help this particular dog and we still wonder where it is and if it survived the terrible weather conditions that day. The total lack of respect towards animals in southern Europe will never be understood by northern Europeans.
 
Two other events that happened stuck in my mind and I must tell them here. It was always very difficult for the vets to anaesthetise the cats that were brought in, in their own cages, since they were mainly plastic and had very little visibility. Dorothea made it clear that she preferred for the cats to be caught in the traps that we provided. What she didn’t expect was for an unidentified male helper to take one of the cats caught by Judy in one of her cages into the bathroom to transfer it from the private cage into the trap. The cat freaked out and in trying to get away covered himself in some disinfectant that was kept in the bathroom to clean out the cages. The result was one drenched cat with the worry that the disinfectant would be absorbed through the skin and a (cat)astrophic end to another successful day. The cat was anaesthetised and Francesca asked me to check with Dorothea whether it was safe to fill a bucket with water and immerse the cat in it. Dorothea didn’t think this was a good idea and suggested that we saturated towels in water and scrubbed the cat with them to try and remove as much disinfectant as possible. Once she had finished the operation she was performing, Dorothea joined us in the fight to save the cat’s life. When it became apparent that scrubbing the cat with saturated towels was not removing the disinfectant Dorothea filled another bucket with warm water and as I was about to rinse the towel I was using, she screamed at me to not rinse my towel, she picked up the sleeping cat by the scruff of its neck and immersed its body totally in the bucket washing off the offending disinfectant. The cat was then dried with a hair dryer before being neutered and kept under constant monitoring in a very warm place. The following morning the healthy cat was released back into its commune smelling very fresh, with absolutely no fleas, and certainly the cleanest cat in San Nicola!
 
The other event that stuck in my mind was a lady who came to register a female cat and her two kittens to be neutered. The cats were in the car with the children and Dorothea went to get them. The mother was in her own cage but the kittens were in what I can only describe as a plastic dolls house with a very insecure plastic roof. Dorothea carried this dolls house into the pre-operating area making sure that the lid did not come off and once inside this kitten just flew out of a huge opening in the side of the house and climbed the walls and windows trying to get out. There happened to be a large opening which the owner had forgotten to mention to Dorothea and how lucky we were that the kitten didn’t escape until shut in the secure room. We just couldn’t believe it!!
 
It took us a while to find our way around Ladispoli and in the beginning we got lost trying to get from where we were working to restaurants and back to where we were sleeping. On one particular evening, when we had eaten in Ladispoli and were returning to San Nicola, we took a wrong turning and so decided to turn around in a petrol station. In most Italian petrol stations they don’t have self-service but always have a man on the pumps to serve you. Well, it was hilarious when we drove past this very enthusiastic attendant who was obviously happy to be getting a customer only to have us drive straight past him with three faces looking at him out of the car windows. These little events made us laugh our hearts out.
 
I became aware on the last day that we were working of how some of our Italian colleagues felt quite strongly about people using the service, which we were providing and which the commune was paying for, when they could afford to neuter their dogs in their local vets. One incident in particular caused a little bit of friction and we inadvertently became embroiled in the argument. A gentleman turned up and asked if he could bring his pure bred German Shepherd to be spayed and was told that he could return with her on the following Monday and Dorothea would operate on the dog. The man looked at the facilities and went away happy to bring his dog on the agreed date. What we didn’t know was that one of the female Italian volunteers had seen this man who, in her opinion, looked very well dressed as she commented “he was wearing Prada shoes and other designer clothes” and she also commented that he was “driving a rather nice car” (Authors note: the car was a Volkswagen Golf which is hardly affluent by northern European standards). Wrongly, she asked him if he had money because this facility was for people with no money. He told her that he didn’t have enough money and went off planning to come back on the Monday with his dog. The volunteer asked Dorothea whether this man should be able to get his dog neutered for free and she was incensed when Dorothea told her that it was irrelevant how much money the man had, the fact was that he had come to get his dog neutered and that was all that was important (Dorothea was correctly advising that this man neutering his pure bred dog would encourage all of those people that he would then come into contact with or speak to – but if she turned him away he would probably never again consider a visit to a vet to get his dog neutered). The volunteer was very unhappy about this as it seemed so unfair to her. She was unable to see beyond, the man’s so called wealth, and totally overlooked the welfare of the dog.
 
Finally, to show what fun we had I want to tell the following little story. When we arrived in San Nicola and unpacked all the bags of bedding we were going to use for the animals, we came across a toy stuffed rabbit which was bounced about the room throughout the week. When Friday came and the last cat was being spayed by Dorothea, Giuliano decided to prepare the toy rabbit for surgery! He tied its legs to one of the sterilised operating boards we were using when we prepared the cats for surgery and shaved its stomach. He then sent me out to Dorothea to tell her that another cat had been brought in for operating. She questioned me as to whether it was masculine or feminine and then told me to tell Giuliano to prepare the cat and bring it to her. Giuliano put the prepared rabbit on the floor of the operating theatre, underneath the operating table, but Dorothea immediately ‘smelt a rat’ when she saw Glauko, one of the public vets who helped out on the Thursday and Friday, me and Giuliano looking at her round the door of the van; she laughed when she saw the rabbit. Giuliano then passed the rabbit to Carmelina, one of the volunteers and told her it had just been operated on and needed to go into the recovery room. Carmelina didn’t even look at the rabbit she was holding on the tray but just did as she was told! It was so funny to watch her. The story didn’t end there though as the rabbit was put into a recovery cage, wrapped up and left with the other dogs over night with a sticker on the cage for Dottore Friz. The following morning the sticker was changed for Paulo, one of the volunteers who was coming to pick up several cats she had caught. When she arrived Giuliano told her that the cat in that cage had died and she was ever so upset until she looked closely and saw she had been ‘got’ with the rabbit! It was a fun ending to a fun week.
 
One thing that I learnt from my time in Ladispoli was how many good people there are in this world, as well as bad. We met some truly wonderful people who gave up their time and their homes to us. It made me feel very humble and uplifted that in this day and age, when so many people are too busy to care about others, there are still some people around prepared to give everything.
 
Thank you Dear Doro for letting me accompany you on such an enjoyable week.

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