Several dogs, house pets and street dogs were found to have been injected with Sangini—a hormonal vaccine used as a temporary contraceptive by women—in Phidim, Panchthar. The act is a violation of animal rights, one that reflects sheer negligence on the authorities’ part towards the health and well-being of the canines.

The veterinary hospital and livestock service expert centre had organised a sterilisation camp from February 10 to 12 in Phidim, the district headquarters of Panchthar. During the examination, out of the 86 female dogs brought to the health camp, 13 were found to be infected with pyometra, an infection in the womb. Six of the 13 dogs were suffering from fatal infections.

According to the centre, the infected dogs were administered Sangini, not suitable for dogs.

“A serious infection in a dog’s womb, medically known as pyometra, is caused due to the Sangini injection in dogs,” said Dr Manoj Mahato, chief of the veterinary hospital and livestock service expert centre in Panchthar. “It is very dangerous and can prove fatal in many cases.”

Mahato added that since the temporary contraceptive injection developed for human beings was used in dogs, it caused open and closed pyometra in the animals. According to him, dogs with closed pyometra sustain serious infections in the womb and die after some time. The veterinary doctors removed the uterus of six dogs—four pets and two strays—with severe pyometra.

Sangini, which is produced by Nepal CRS Company, is administered to women in public health institutions. Private clinics, with the approval of the production company, can also provide the service through trained doctors.

Basantaraj Pandey, the vice chairman of the pharmacy entrepreneur association in Panchthar, claimed that not a single private clinic administered Sangini injections to women in the district. “One or two clinics used to provide the service in the past,” Pandey said. “But we sent the service seekers to the public health institution once the government started providing Sangini injection free of cost a few years ago.”

The public health institutions denied misusing Sangini injection. “There is no possibility of misusing the injection as it is administered to the women who visit the health institutions,” said Dr Buddhi Bahadur Thapa, chief at Panchthar District Hospital. “There is no misuse of the injection in the district hospital and its subordinate health institutions.”

However, a woman who brought her pet to the sterilisation camp said that Sangini injection was easily available at private clinics and hospitals. “I took my dog to the clinic three times and received similar service from the district hospital twice,” the woman said on the condition of anonymity.

The woman said that the private clinic charged her Rs250 while the hospital charged Rs100 per injection. “But I wasn’t aware of the repercussions of administering Sangini on my dog,” she said. “She is currently very sick.”