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🇻🇪 Venezuela /Disasters & Emergencies

Prioritize Vaccinations in Animal Shelters After Venezuela Earthquakes, Vets Urge

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Veterinarians are urgently calling for prioritized vaccination of animals in shelters following recent earthquakes in Venezuela.
  • The focus has shifted from mass vaccination in affected areas to targeted interventions in critical points due to logistical and resource limitations.
  • Increased cases of infectious diseases, particularly canine parvovirus, are being reported in shelters due to stress-induced immune system weakening.

Veterinarian Raúl González, volunteering after the recent seismic events in Venezuela, stressed the urgent need to prioritize vaccinations for animals housed in shelters. He believes this is crucial to prevent outbreaks of contagious diseases during this emergency phase.

Initially, the plan was to conduct widespread vaccination campaigns in the affected zones. However, limitations in resources and logistics made this impossible. The current strategy now focuses on identifying critical areas requiring immediate attention and deploying mobile veterinary teams with full equipment.

Now the focus is to identify those hot spots of attention that require service and to be able to move directly there with all the equipment.

— Raúl GonzálezThe veterinarian explaining the shift in strategy for providing veterinary aid after the earthquakes.

González warned that the introduction of an infected animal into a shelter poses a significant risk to the health of the resident animal population. While initial emergency responses focused on trauma, fractures, limb injuries, and heatstroke, the veterinary teams are now seeing a rise in infectious diseases, most notably canine parvovirus.

The entry of an infected animal into a shelter puts the population of pets that remain in those spaces at risk.

— Raúl GonzálezThe veterinarian highlighting the risks of disease transmission in animal shelters.

He explained that stress significantly weakens animals' immune defenses, making them more susceptible to illness. Each rescued pet undergoes a comprehensive clinical evaluation, with laboratory tests conducted when necessary. Some dogs and cats required amputations due to severe injuries and necrosis, but González noted that these animals can adapt and live fulfilling lives with proper care.

The Veterinary Rescue Brigade (Brivet) has been active, setting up veterinary points in Playa El Yate and a command center in Caraballeda. They have attended to over 480 animals and facilitated 210 reunions with owners, mobilizing 64 veterinarians from across the country. For animals whose owners remain unidentified, Brivet provides medical care and shelter while working on relocation or adoption processes.

The stress decreases the defenses of the animals.

— Raúl GonzálezThe veterinarian explaining why animals are more susceptible to illness after traumatic events.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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