Spenden
- Activities
- About NetAP
- Your help
- Education
- Media
In May 2024, we were in Durres, Albania, for the first time. The Swiss/Albanian organisation JETA Tier und Mensch runs a small local animal shelter and asked for help to promote neutering. Animal welfare in Albania is definitely in its infancy and established programmes are lacking. The need for neutering is huge. The stray dog situation is dire, with stray dogs everywhere, far more than in any other country we have worked in. JETA’s aim was not only to neuter more dogs, but above all to improve the quality of neutering. The focus of the first mission was therefore on coaching the local vets and not on neutering as many dogs as possible.
The preparations were intensive. It was not easy to organise the required anaesthetics locally, but gentle anaesthesia is essential for the quality of a castration. JETA managed what at first seemed impossible and organised all the important medication. We brought the rest of the material with us. Vet Andy Pfulg travelled there by car so that he could bring as much equipment as possible.
On site, our team worked with a total of four local vets and coached them specifically on the procedures (including hygiene, technology and recovery) and anaesthesia. It was not easy to get the veterinarians, some of whom were experienced, to accept new, modern procedures. It took a great deal of tact on the part of Dr Susanna Käppeli, head of operations, and Valerie, the anaesthesia specialist, to show the men the advantages of our approach. But the results were convincing: the dogs were fit again more quickly, had no complications and seemed more relaxed after the operation than they would have been with the usual local anaesthetic. The vets had previously complained that the cats often screamed and were stressed when they woke up, but quickly realised that our anaesthetic kept the animals relaxed and calm.
In many countries, we observe that anaesthesia plays a subordinate role for the medical profession and, in particular, that too little value is placed on adequate analgesia. Although the animals are immobile during the operation, they feel pain, which has a negative effect on the important recovery phase and their entire life. It is often a lack of knowledge about the effects of the various drugs.
Unfortunately, the additional cost of a gentle anaesthetic also puts many vets off, even though they charge far more for spaying and neutering in Albania, for example, than their colleagues in other countries. It remains to be seen how much they will implement the new findings.
138 dogs and cats were neutered this week. JETA itself was also coached so that the conditions for carrying out neutering operations on site can be continuously optimised. The heart and soul that the founder puts into the animal shelter and local animal welfare has convinced us to include Albania firmly in our area of activity and to plan regular missions on site.
