Sterilisation of dogs has to be done separately for males and females.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court’s decision to sterilise stray dogs has brought together the sentiments of both dog lovers and dog haters, but implementing this decision is not that easy. The sterilisation process is neither easy nor cheap. According to an estimate, there are more than 8 lakh stray dogs in the entire Delhi-NCR region. In such a situation, if even the minimum cost of sterilisation of these dogs is estimated, then it will cost around Rs 2400 crore.
Apart from this, the cost of catching the dogs, sufficient veterinary doctors and staff for sterilisation and the centres to be developed for sterilisation of these dogs will add to this amount. The figure of Rs 2400 crore is only for the sterilisation process, which includes the surgical process and post-surgery care of the dogs.
According to experts, sterilisation of dogs has to be done separately for males and females. Surgery is done for both, but there is a difference in the cost, process and healing of female and male dogs. Here are the details of the estimated general cost.
What is the cost and process of sterilising male dogs?
A veterinarian explains that the best time for the sterilisation of male dogs is between the ages of 4 months and one and a half years. However, they can be sterilised even after one and a half years. It has 3 phases. In the first phase, a blood test is done, looking at the clinical parameters of the male dog. When the reports turn out to be normal, the dog’s testicles are removed through surgery. This is also called castration.
This is followed by the third phase of post-surgery care, i.e. healing. After the surgery, the dog is monitored and taken care of, which takes about 3-5 days. The cost of castrating male dogs is a minimum of 3 thousand to 5 thousand rupees.
What is the cost and process of sterilising female dogs?
In the case of female dogs, the sterilisation can be done only after their reproductive organs are fully developed. This time period is about 6 months. This also happens in three phases. In the first phase, the female dog has to qualify clinical parameters like blood test, etc. It is also seen whether the female dog is pregnant or not. After this, the female is operated upon and her reproductive organs, like the uterus and ovaries, are removed. This surgery and post care of female dogs takes about 10 days or more because the dogs have to be given bandages, antibiotic treatment, etc. The cost of the sterilisation of female dogs is higher than that of male dogs. It costs a minimum of 8-9 thousand rupees.
What is the reason for post-surgery care?
Many times, dogs are left alone the next day of sterilisation, which is bad for their health. They must be looked after thoroughly; otherwise, they may get septicaemia, infection can also spread in the body, or there are chances of other types of health issues, and sometimes, dogs also die. In case of septicaemia, the cost of treatment also goes up.
The role weather plays
The weather also has to be taken care of for the sterilisation of dogs. If it is the rainy season, then there is a possibility of spreading an infection. Apart from this, healing time may also increase.
HIGHLIGHTS
- According to an estimate, there are more than 8 lakh stray dogs in the entire Delhi-NCR region.
- The cost of catching the dogs, sufficient veterinary doctors and staff for sterilisation and the centres to be developed for sterilisation of these dogs will be huge.
- The sterilisation process for males and females is different, and the gender affects the cost, process and healing of female and male dogs.
- The surgery and post0surgery care of female dogs takes about 10 days or more because they have to be given bandages, antibiotic treatment, etc.
The Supreme Court on Friday, 22 August 2025, modified its August 11 direction on stray dogs and said the picked-up animals should be sterilised, vaccinated and released back in the same area.
