PESHAWAR, Oct 21: Inadequate care of pets have been causing serious health problems to the people, as the keepers of the pets neither vaccinate nor administer anti-worm drugs to them, said a veterinary officer at the Civil Veterinary Hospital on Monday.

“The people do not vaccinate the pets including dogs and cats which is causing hydated cysts and toxoplasma among the women which is the main reason of abortion among the pregnant women,” said veterinary officer Dr Syed Masoom Pirzda.

He said the toxoplasma has become very common among the women but very few people know that this disease was caused by the pets.

Likewise, hydated cyst has also been hitting the pet-owners, because the worms from the pets infects the kidneys.

A lady gynaecologist said that many pregnant women face abortion due to toxoplasma, the main cause of which was pet-keeping and the use of unprocessed milk by the mothers-would-be.

She suggested administration of medicines to de-worm the pets and save themselves from being infected with toxoplasma.

However, Dr Pirzada said every year, about 5,500 pets including 5,000 dogs and 500 cats get vaccinated on average basis in the city.

He also informed that the number of stray dogs and cats was more than 20,000 and 10,000 respectively. He said these pets are also causing health problems to unwary passers-by and the school children.

The VO said that vaccination of a single dog costs about Rs1,500 and cat Rs1,300 which was not affordable for the common people.

The well-off people, however vaccinate their domestic pets on regular basis but the people also need to get their pets dewormed on day 3rd, 5, 7, 10, 14, and 18th day of the birth of the newly born pets.

The pet-keepers, he said should also need to deworm their pets after every three months on regular basis. Similarly, the dogs should be given bath every month while the cats do not need bath.

Dr Pirzada said that many pregnant women suffer early abortion due to toxoplasma, the main cause of which was pets but they do not pay any heed to it and the pet-keepers continue to suffer. Likewise, hydated cyst also becoming common problem but owing to lack of knowledge regarding veterinary ailments, the people do not think that it might have been caused by their domestic pets.

Veterinary experts say that about 20 years back, the municipalities used to kill stray dogs by administering them poisonous stuff. Stray dogs were the major concern of the doctors, because they have put the lives of the school children and passers-by at permanent risk.

A Lahore-based firm also manufactures the vaccines which are cost-effective than those imported from the US, France and Korea but many people still find it difficult to buy them.

People argue that they could not buy the drugs for themselves which are being prescribed to them by the doctors, let alone buying the same for the pets.

Nevertheless, the veterinary officers say the people could be saved from the contagious and preventable diseases only through vaccination.

With the beginning of the local government, the veterinary experts had sent some recommendations to the district coordination officer to start registration of pets in the district which, however fell on deaf ears.