Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Nonpoisonous snake bites are painful and can cause infection, but venomous snake bites can kill a dog….Read more

Bloat is technically called Gastric Dilation and Volvulus syndrome (GDV) but will be referred to…..Read more

All dogs will cough sometimes – coughing in dogs is as common as it is in people. Most coughing will resolve …Read more

If the dog is not eating it can be a symptom of one of many things and can be simply that …Read more.

• A common symptom that the dog has fever cited among dog owners is dryness of the nose. This is however not an accurate reckoner of fever….Read more.

The only sure way of taking a dog’s temperature is using a thermometer…Read more.

Unlike humans dogs normal temperate range is higher. 99-102 degree Fahrenheit is considered normal for dogs…Read more.

An injury can occur in a dog from play, from their curiosity, accidents or a dog fight. In most cases these injuries are skin deep, there will be some bleeding..Read more.

Most people will gladly share their food with these dogs. And there lies a large problem…Read more.

Grape and raisin (dried grapes) are highly toxic to dogs and even small amounts can be fatal. Since they are a common food item the chances of poisoning are high. …. Read more.

Anxiety in dogs is very common since they are social, emotional and responsive animals. They adapt easily to their surroundings and mostly are very friendly and are creatures of habit. Changes in the immediate …. Read more.

Spay/ Neuter (or commonly called ABC for Animal Birth Control in the case of India Stray Dogs) is a surgical procedure to remove the reproductive organs of male and female dogs. Surgery can be …. Read more.

The term urinary tract infection describes a variety of conditions infecting the urinary tract. The conditions that UTI describes include:…. Read more.

Dogs come into contact with several substances and can eat many things that are toxic.  If left untreated poisoning can be fatal and learning and treating it might save your dog someday….. Read more.

Since dogs can’t tell you about how they feel examine your dog routinely for any changes from normal, thereby identifying and addressing medical problems before pronounced symptoms appear….. Read more.

Vomiting or throwing up is a common side effect when a dog is sick. It could apply to almost every illness in a dog…… Read more.

A convulsion/seizure is an occurrence when a dog’s muscles rapidly contract and relax……. Read more.

Diarrhea is when your dog has an abnormal stool (loose stool). This could occur once or frequently. Either way, it is best to pay close attention to this illness…….. Read more.

The first step of rescuing dogs is to learn the basics of giving care that will save the dog. Keep essential medicine and equipment with you and keep your actions clear……… Read more.

Ear hematomas develop when the tiny blood vessels in the floppy part of the dog ruptures. The vessels bleed under the skin and form a fluid-filled pocket………. Read more.

The bad thing about maggot wounds is that they are surprisingly common. The good thing is that unless a large part of the dog’s body or organs have been eaten away they are very easy to heal……….. Read more.

There are 4 types of things that would cause skin disease in a dog.  All conditions (other than truly auto immune conditions) can be completely reversed………… Read more.

The inability of the kidneys to remove waste products from the blood is kidney failure. The bodies of animals produce toxins all day, everyday………… Read more.

It is one of the most frequent killers of dogs and is almost always fatal because of the stage at which it starts getting treated………… Read more.

Tick fever is a broad, generic term that identifies a group of diseases. This group includes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, babesiosis and ehrlichiosis…………. Read more.

The simple fact is Rabies and Tetanus have NO CURES, have 100% human fatality after symptoms appear and both lead to excruciatingly painful deaths………….. Read more.

Ticks are very bad news – for any dog –  they often cause tick fever and many times it is fatal. A single tick that has tick fever can create………….. Read more.

• It is one of the most frequent killers of stray and pet dogs and fatality is very high

• It is deadly and very common. So you might miss a rabies shot but don’t miss one for Distemper………….. Read more.

Mange is a type of inflammatory skin disease caused by tiny parasitic mites on dogs. Nearly all dogs carry mites in small numbers throughout their lives………….. Read more.

Acute moist dermatitis is commonly called wet eczema (we’ll refer to it as wet eczema). It appears as a spontaneous eruption on the skin as a small area…………. Read more.

Giving an injection many times can save a dogs life and can be simple and safe, as long as you know the correct procedure…………… Read more.

If you have a dog, or rescue dogs, keep a treatment kit handy with you with the following essential supplies:………….. Read more.

Most skin conditions are mistakenly called ‘mange’ when they are actually skin allergies. Mange is not easily transmittable………….. Read more.

This is a common condition in old dogs .They get arthritis and this causes very severe inflammation and pain. Assuming the dog is about 20 kg take these steps………….. Read more.

Ticks and fleas are not just a nuisance – they are a major cause of disease and death in dogs. This commonly overlooked by dog parents………….. Read more.

Ivermectin is wrongly used 99% of the time including by vets. It is reno-toxic too. It’s oral/injectible use is only in the case of mange, however, both sarcoptic…………. Read more.

The entire proceedings of the conference including presentations and video’s of speakers will be made available here…………. Read more.

The entire proceedings of the conference including presentations and video’s of speakers will be made available here..………… Read more.

You’re driving your car when you see a dog on the side of the road. With a sinking feeling, you realize he’s alone. What should you do?……… Read more.

VOSD only accepts dogs within the terms defined in the VOSD Standard Operating Procedure v3.0 (also given here https://vosd.in/vosd-rescue-sop-3-0/ ) As you can see this does not include pups or a whole litter. We have hundreds of gravely ill and injured dogs and pups have very high mortality in such an environment and we can’t endanger them any further.

As and when we are able to isolate the pups from the adult dogs and carry out with such rescue this will be announced on the VOSD website and social media pages. 

VOSD currently does not have Emergency Dog Rescue Services. We are able to provide rescue support only where local volunteers are able to take custody of the injured or sick dog and stabilize the dog with proper treatment from private vet clinics or other NGOs. After that we can take a decision to bring the dog to VOSD Sanctuary on a case by case basis. We don’t have a rescue team or ambulances to cater to emergency rescue situations and hence can’t help. We hope to restart dog rescue services soon. We don’t have a helpline number. Best way to reach us is by writing to info@vosd.in 

VOSD does NOT adopt out dogs. VOSD is a permanent home for our rescued dogs. It’s for this reason:

• Dogs in our care are so because these could NOT be adopted out by several agencies over several months. This may be due to reasons of health, age, aggression, breed etc. A lot of these dogs come in with life-threatening conditions and/or need lifelong maintenance. 
• Since we only take in these dogs and once they come in – they are assimilated into our population. It takes time for the new dog and for the existing ones to create that space. Once it is done it is extremely distressing for a dog to be brought out of that system where he is used to his playmates and his routine. 

Our system is effective to the point that more than 450 dogs have come to us from all over India. 

That said there are several agencies in Bangalore and other cities that you can adopt dogs from and there are hundreds of dogs waiting to get adopted with them. You can as easily give them a chance. 

VOSD Sanctuary admits rescued stray dogs and pet dogs who cannot survive on the streets and who cannot be re-homed for any reason… Read more

VOSD Sanctuary admits rescued stray dogs and pet dogs who cannot survive on the streets and who cannot be re-homed for any reason… Read more

Once you complete the process VOSD will be in touch with you to find the best fit for your time. We accept very few volunteers after strict scrutiny…Read more.

VOSD Sanctuary: VOSD has a philosophical construct of not leaving any dog behind and the dogs that can’t be released after treatment (at our partner’s facility)…Read more.

You can still register a rescue call with us for all dog cases which are not urgent. We work with our partner teams across India and volunteers to support dog rescue and treatment cases….Read more.

VOSD does not take in a pup, or a litter, or a litter with a mother. We have hundreds of gravely ill and injured dogs, and pups have very low immunity and very high mortality in such an environment, and we can’t endanger them any further.

VOSD started as a website in 2010 and started the rescue in Oct 2013. By 2014 VOSD Rescue operated the world’s largest citywide rescue covering 1900 sq kilometres with a pickup in a 2hr window, with a fleet of 10 vehicles, 30+ staff and a trauma centre with 125+ resident dogs, over 300 treatments daily and 10+ dogs admitted daily. VOSD ran its own blood bank, the world’s first dedicated CRM that tracked dogs from reporting, through pick up, updating each individual medical procedure to the reporter throughout the treatment, through to the dogs final GPS tracked and photographed release. All this functionality was available to any user through the world’s first mobile app.

However, Jan 2014 onwards over 6 criminal and civil charges were filed against VOSD and trustees by a group of animal activists to force VOSD to close. Effective 1 Sept 2015 all VOSD activities that are carried out in the public domain in the city of Bangalore were ceased. VOSD, therefore, no longer provides emergency rescue services.

VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital continues to function and is today’s the world’s largest no-kill sanctuary and hospital with over 850 dogs and takes in over 200 dogs from over 30 Indian cities. The VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital is over 3 acres of land with 50+ enclosures each over 1000 sq ft, 50+ individual kennels each over 100sq feet, a hydrotherapy pool, over 100,000 cubic ft of water in 2 pools for the dogs to swim, an underground water storage of over 150,000 litres, a fully equipped 10,000sq feet hospital, water & garbage recycling, full power backup and residences for up to 10 vets & volunteers in separate ladies and gents accommodation.

VOSD does not put down dogs for reasons of lack of resources including space, funds, expertise etc. Any dog that comes to VOSD is guaranteed to have the best chance at a full fulfilling life at the same level of medical, nutritional and other care available to a dog at home. We have (had) rescued dogs with artificial tendons, blind, triple amputees, spinal surgeries and those on lifelong support for their failing hearts, kidneys, livers, etc.

VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital is the home for dogs on death row across the country. Most of the dogs that come to VOSD come in because they were waiting to be put down.

VOSD has a very strict written policy on euthanizing a dog which requires 2 professional vets to sign for a dog to be euthanised if they think the dog is unbearable pain and no chance of recovery. However, VOSD Founder is the 3rd signature, and it carries a veto on this. There are at least 2 dozen dogs at this time that were signed off by India’s top vets but live at VOSD.

VOSD does not provide emergency rescues through our own team. We are able to provide rescue support only where local volunteers are able to take custody of the injured or sick dog and stabilize the dog with proper treatment from private vet clinics or other NGOs. After that, we can make a decision to bring the dog to VOSD Sanctuary on a case by case basis.

No, VOSD does not directly run spay-neuter programs dogs. These are typically government-funded programs in Bangalore, and VOSD does not participate in government programs or takes government funding in any form or manner.

Though you could as an individual or an institution request for support for an ABC (spay-neuter) program under the VOSD GRANTS program

VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital is located 65km from Bangalore CBD and is a 2hr drive. Dogs that are rescued by VOSD or by others are brought here from all over India by flight, road and train.  

a. VOSD Veterinary & Legal advice is available to people and their dogs across India as a free service

b. VOSD Emergency Rescue was available in the city of Bangalore but was suspended on 1 Sept 2015. 

c. VOSD Dog Care products are shipped across India

d. VOSD Grants are available to individuals and institutions changing the lives of dogs across India

VOSD is subject to a lot of abuse and has been targeted with over a dozen police cases registered against VOSD by various Bangalore based ‘animal activists’ and NGOs and cases of arson, threats and poisonings. To protect ourselves and our staff, we feel it is best that we are available only electronically. It is for the same reason that VOSD has no listed address(es) or locations.

VOSD can only be contacted electronically either via email, messaging on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or via the VOSD App (coming soon)

VOSD gets over 30,000 emails a year and a similar number of electronic messages. Most of the situations where support is requested are covered in the VOSD FAQS. Autoresponders on all messaging point to this FAQ and a request to write to info@vosd.in in case you still need support. It is expected that you read the FAQ. Only if a question is not adequately covered in the FAQ, will it be responded to individually through the VOSD trouble ticket system. If the question is already addressed, the ticket will be closed.

VOSD takes in only dogs that do not find a home – this can be because they have severe disabilities, health or behavioural issues or age. These dogs have the comfort & care of high-quality living facilities, caring staff, high-quality medical care for life. VOSD does not adopt out dogs or look for homes. This is their home for life. This is why VOSD is not a shelter.

VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital has 100s of dogs that are old, infirm, and/or undergoing treatment. Our first responsibility is to the dogs in our care, and no situation that jeopardises their future is allowed.

VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital has 100s of dogs that are old, infirm, and/or undergoing treatment. Our first responsibility is to the dogs in our care, and no situation that jeopardises their future is allowed. 

The dogs necessarily need to have DLHPPi & Rabies protection. No dog without DLHPPi on record at least 5 days prior will be admitted. All VOSD dogs get vaccinated annually. 

VOSD gets over 30,000 emails a year and a similar number of electronic messages. The messages we receive on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, are infrequently monitored. Most of the situations where support is requested are covered in the VOSD FAQS which the autoresponders on all messaging received point to. We request you to write to info@vosd.in in case you still need support. This email ID is connected to a trouble ticket software that generates a unique to each conversation – some resolutions may require scores of separate email exchanges over a period of time — and these are combined in the system into one ‘ticket’ in the system. This system allows us to track a request till it is ‘closed’, as in VOSD has executed the request or we have determined that it can’t be met. The system also allows us to access any request that has been made to us over a period of time. This connection between the info@vosd.in and the trouble ticket system is managed by a team and is the reason we request you to write to info@vosd.in

VOSD can only be reached electronically and respond to messages we receive on email, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Twitter. 

Filling up a form ensures that you have accepted the terms of the surrender to VOSD as per the VOSD Standard Operating Procedure and can’t claim you did not agree to these terms for each individual. 

VOSD gets over 30,000 emails a year on info@vosd.in. This email ID is connected to a trouble ticket software that generates a unique to each conversation – some resolutions may require scores of separate email exchanges over a period of time — and these are combined in the system into one ‘ticket’ in the system. This system allows us to track a request till it is ‘closed’, as in VOSD has executed the request or we have determined that it can’t be met. The system also allows us to access any request that has been made to us over a period of time. 

VOSD gets over 30,000 emails a year and a similar number of electronic messages. The messages we receive on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, are infrequently monitored. Most of the situations where support is requested are covered in the VOSD FAQS which the autoresponders on all messaging received point to. We expect that you go through this FAQ and resolve your situation. Only in case, we determine it is not covered in the FAQ will you get and individual reply.

Effective 1 Sept 2015 VOSD has closed the Canine Blood Bank which was a free service.

Dogs can be surrendered to the VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital for lifelong care if it is:

1. A dog you rescued (link)

2. A pet dog that you can’t keep for aggression or another reason (link)

3. An old street dog that you find can’t fend for itself (link)

4. A street dog that has lost a limb or a vision etc (link)

5. An abandoned pet dog (link)

6. Any dog that has suffered cruelty (link)

7. A dog that is is in imminent danger of being euthanised because of lack of long term medical care (link)

Old and infirm dogs found on the streets of Bangalore, or indeed any other city, have a safe home at VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital for the rest of their life. There are no charges for this service. However, you cannot just message about a dog. You need to take the dog into your possession, get it checked by a vet so we can continue its medication and ensure that the dog is vaccinated. You can find more details about the VOSD Hospice here.

The Patriot Dogs program is where the Service Dogs from the RPF, Karnatak Police, Kerala Police, Military etc retire with VOSD. You can find more details here.

VOSD takes in only dogs that do not find a home – this can be because they have severe disabilities, health or behavioural issues or age. These dogs have the comfort & care of high-quality living facilities, caring staff, high-quality medical care for life. VOSD does not adopt out dogs or look for homes. This is their home for life. 

With over 850 dogs at the present moment and 200+ dogs coming in each year to the VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital the focus on the staff and caretakers is to take care of the dogs including medical care, feeding and cleaning and maintenance of the facility spread over several acres. There is no way of stopping this work to identify a dog and update you. Most of the time it is not even possible to identify a particular dog from the description (say brown and white Indian dog – there would be at least 2 dozen dogs of each description) or name since what you called the dog for the period it was with you becomes irrelevant as most dogs get renamed to something that the staff can remember which typically reflects their personality or resemblance to another dog.

You can volunteer/ intern with VOSD as a trained paramedic, a vet, of a business professional with experience in content, digital marketing, branding etc. You can find more details here.

VOSD provides a variety of mechanisms where we directly impact the lives of dogs across India. Due to the persistence of a category of Bangalore’s activists and NGOs to continue with legal action against VOSD over the last 5 yrs VOSD will not re-establish and provide rescue services directly. Rescue support is still provided but through volunteers or the VOSD Grants program.

If you are an individual or an institution anywhere in India that supports dogs and run a Rescue program, ABC program, Feeding program etc you can make a structured proposal with your credentials, detailing a specific objective, budgets and schedules to request for financial support from VOSD under the VOSD Grants program. Unstructured, open-ended or loosely worded requests are not responded to. You will find more on the VOSD Grants program here.

This will be available again in the future. A date cannot be specified at this time. 

Many large Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) and Managing committees (MC) write to us asking us to take away all the stray dogs from their societies/gated community/ buildings etc. Read More

Facing hostile neighbours if you feed or otherwise take care of dogs is not new. But it has to be dealt with in a firm manner. First stay calm.. Read more.

The simplest way forward will be to approach the owner as a neighbor and concerned citizen. And offer to help.. Read more.

For the first time in India, there are a comprehensive set of rules notified by the Central Government (therefore applicable across ALL states) called.. Read more.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on 25 May 2017 issued a series of notifications under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960... Read more.

Sexual Abuse of Street Dogs in India: An analysis of the phenomenon, the law, 1st hand accounts & press reporting *** The full report can be seen and downloaded here ***.... Read more.

“When we look at the rights of animals from the national and international perspective, what emerges is that every species has an inherent right to live...Read more.

The Supreme Court of India banned the use of bulls and bullocks in performances such as jallikattu, bullock cart racing, etc….Read more.

The Supreme Court of India pronounced a landmark judgement in the matter titled “Animal Welfare Board of India Versus A. Nagaraja & Ors.”...Read more.

There has been a battle raging for many years (see bottom of this article for previous VoSD articles) between the horribly abused Jallikattu bulls...Read more.

For everybody that stands up for animals and Animal Rights, the following two Police..Read more.

A Revised Circular has been issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India on Pet Dogs and Street Dogs...Read more.

This is the SECOND PART of our 2 part series on the subject,‘THE USE OF ELEVATORS BY PET DOGS’....Read more.

India is the land of the ‘Holy Cow’, and cow slaughter is strictly forbidden by law across India, except in the states of  West Bengal & Kerala.….Read more.

If you are a pet parent, and live in a multi-storeyed apartment complex, and your Apartment Owners’....Read more.

The Allahabad High Court has passed an order that is opposite to the ambiguous views of the Karnataka High Court, the Bombay High Court, the Shimla High Court....Read more.

The scope of this study is restricted to experimentation on beagle dogs in India. It arises out of the authors interest in dogs...Read more.

Shimla has an interesting history with dogs – the Municipal Corp created a dog pound to remove the dogs from the streets....Read more.

The Supreme Court of India on 6 Feb, 2013, stayed the order passed by the Karnataka High Court on the 7th of December, 2012…..Read more.

This is an analysis occasioned by an article in the Bangalore Mirror of 19th October, 2012, titled, “Police have power to kill strays”,….Read more.

The Election Commission of India, established under the Indian Constitution in the year 1950, and vested with the power to superintend and control the conduct of elections….Read more.

If you feed stray dogs or otherwise tend to them it is likely that you face resistance from some in the residential locality to stop this activity....Read more.

This is a query that comes very often. Pet parents are told by their ‘neighbors’ that their pets are causing problems namely, noise littering and spreading disease...Read more.

The entire proceedings of the conference including presentations and video’s of speakers will be made available here for Activists for Stray Dogs to leverage on....Read more.

The entire proceedings of the conference including presentations and video’s of speakers will be made available here. This is the 3rd video of the this information...Read more.

The entire proceedings of the conference including presentations and video’s of speakers will be made available here. This is the 3rd video of the this information...Read more.

The entire proceedings of the conference including presentations and video’s of speakers will be made available here. This is the 1st edition of the this information...Read more.

The entire proceedings of the conference including presentations and video’s of speakers will be made available here….Read more.

This is a series of posts on Kashmir where getting a head-start into writing has been a nightmare since it seems a highly personalized polarized situation…..Read more.

The Voice of Stray Dogs is making available a set of old AWBI Guides – very valuable but now sadly out of print and circulation..….Read more.

The Voice of Stray Dogs is making available a set of old AWBI Guides – very valuable but now sadly out of print and circulation.…...Read more.

The Voice of Stray Dogs is making available a set of old AWBI Guides – very valuable but now sadly out of print and circulation.….Read more.

The Voice of Stray Dogs is making available a set of old AWBI Guides – very valuable but now sadly out of print and circulation…..Read more.

The President, Veterinary Council of India informed the Chairperson, Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) that pursuant to…..Read more.

In the backdrop of continued ‘conflict’ between those feeding their community dogs and neighbors/ Resident Welfare Associations....Read more.

Treatment of strays by government servants: If any Govt. Servant indulges in act of cruelty to animals he will be making himself liable for action under Prevention...Read more.

Responsible feeding of dogs in a locality should go hand in hand with spaying/neutering and vaccination too...Read more.

You will find the richest sources of data in population, rabies control and other issues pertaining to strays here....Read more.