114th STERILIZATION CLINIC IN VOLCAN

(Para la version en espanol)

 March 18, 2018

 38 animals were spayed/neutered by Dr. Andres Tello,
our wonderful veterinarian. Plus he also performed several other
procedures, including removal of a tumor that required 1-1/2 hours.
 See the explanations below.

Dr. Tello sterilized 21 dogs and 17cats. Of the dogs, 18 were female and 3 were male. Of the cats, 13 were female and 4 were male. This brings our total of dogs and cats sterilized to 4,325.  We are making great progress, especially considering that we have only one veterinarian. But of course he is THE BEST!

Our most time-consuming procedure was at the end of the day. Dr. Tello removed a huge tumor from the hind end of a Doberman. It was the size of a large grapefruit.  Blood, blood, blood was everywhere. Apparently the owner has been out of Panama for quite some time and a neighbor is feeding her. Blake Mitchell very kindly brought her to the clinic. The dog would require four more large doses of antibiotics and five more injections for pain. Sara Cotton and her husband volunteered to go and administer the medications each day.

Rodrigo Morales brought a female dog from Concepcion to be spayed. He knows the owner. Luna is a young Husky. She was starved, just skin and bones, and weighed only 19 pounds. Rodrigo said she had been tied on a short chain.  

After Dr. Tello spayed her, I decided to keep her at my house to regain her health and weight. Now, after feeding her three times a day for a week, I can still feel her backbone, hip bones, and every rib. (Of course we gave her all the appropriate injections at the clinic, including antiparasite.) Because of her long hair, the picture does not show how very emaciated she is.

Even after she gains weight, which may take weeks, I hesitate to return her to such an uncaring and negligent owner. If anyone reading this would like to adopt Luna, I'm sure it can be arranged. Please contact me if you'd like to provide a good home for this sweet dog.

Dr. Tello also euthanized a cat that had been hit by a car.

We had a total of 12 no-shows: 6 female dogs (one with a tumor), 2 male dogs, 3 female cats, and 1 male cat. I do keep records of people who have confirmed appointments but don't show up without notifying us to cancel.

The April 22nd clinic is already fully booked and we are taking reservations for May 20th. For appointments in May, call 6517-8752 (English) and 6640-3171 (Spanish).

Remember, we also offer teeth cleaning of dogs. The cost is $25.00. Please make an appointment if you want this procedure. Today Alex Rios cleaned the teeth of two dogs.

You may click the PayPal "Donate" button below to help the animals. It is to my personal PayPal account at muffiemae@gmail.com and your contribution will not be US tax deductible. Please specify your payment is for "friends or family" so that PayPal will not charge a fee and every penny will go for the animals. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can use a credit card.   

Except for our wonderful veterinarian, neither I nor anyone else connected with the clinics receives any pay. I rent the building where we hold the clinics, and I buy all the anesthesia, medications, instruments, supplies, and equipment--and provide transportation for those who need it. I have no offices, no salaries, no paid advertising. Every penny goes for the animals. This is a project from my heart, and I pay the deficits from my own pocket. 

Thank you in advance for future financial help, and thanks to everyone who has donated in the past.

Volunteers:

Sara Cotton served as registrar in Francia's absence and she did a great job. 
Don Binder weighed animals and gave the anesthesia injections. He and Elcy Morales and Agueda Castillo gave the pre-op injections of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory. They also put mineral oil in the eyes of the animals so they would not dry out, shaved the surgical site before surgery, and performed whatever other duties were needed. 
John Gould helped remove cats from crates to anesthetize them (sometimes dangerous--he was bitten and clawed again today!) John and other volunteers carried animals to and from the surgical table and then to the recovery area, plus he provided help in many other ways.
Various volunteers assisted Dr. Tello and gave post-op injections of B-12 and antiparasite. Those include Alex Rios, John Gould, and Elcy Morales. They dressed the incisions, applied flea and tick treatment, tattooed the ears of female dogs, and generally checked the well being of the animals. 
Alex Rios also cleaned the teeth of three dogs today. Good job, Alex!
Elcy Morales cleaned and sterilized the surgical instruments.

As always, we had a great team of volunteers and everything ran very smoothly! 

We had a lot of delicious food for the doctor and the volunteers! Thanks to everyone who contributed: The main dish by Susan Lovett, drinks by Don Binder, fruit by Amanda Rankin, and dessert by Amanda Dettloff. 

Maria Campanella donated a dog crate and a covered kitty litter box. Thank you, Maria!

Please forgive me if I forgot to thank anyone who donated or contributed.

Income and expenses: 

$    720.00*

contributions by guardians/owners
        25.00

Al Jan (Volcan)
        20.00  Anonymous 
        35.00  Bob Stone
       100.00  Dorreene Reynolds
        48.25  George L. Binder ($50 less PayPal fee)
        10.00  Calendar Sales
$     958.25  Total cash income

*Note: The $720 contributions by guardians/owners were for spaying and neutering only. Payments for other procedures were paid to Dr. Tello separately. Neither those payments nor the charges for other services are  included in the income and expenses.

At this March 18, 2018 clinic Dr. Tello sterilized 21 dogs and 17 cats.  With my average costs of $25 per dog and $15 per cat, expenses were $780 plus $100 for building rent for a total of $880. Income this month was $958.25 leaving an excess of $78.25. Therefore, subtracted from my previous out-of-pocket expenses, there is now an excess of $1,939.58. 

My heartfelt thanks for the generous donations of those who have contributed for this clinic, who have contributed in the past, and who will contribute in the future! We need and appreciate your help! Love and thanks to everyone!

 

 

Be sure to see all the photos taken during the clinic! See my Flickr web album HERE

Click on the first picture to see the captions and advance through all the pictures.

 

 

 

Here in Volcan, our small group has been responsible for sterilizing 4,325 dogs and cats to date. (And this number does not include the extraordinary surgeries that Dr. Tello has performed at our clinics...removal of tumors, amputations, etc., nor the clinic we performed in Davila in which 35 dogs were sterilized.) 

There are many more to go, but we are making progress!  Our goal is to sterilize at least 75% of the dogs and cats in the Volcan area, and thus almost completely solve the problem of homeless dogs and cats, and the terrible venereal disease suffered by so many dogs--but thankfully, we see a lot fewer venereal tumors than we did in the past!.

Remember: In 7 years a female cat and her off springs can be the source of 420,000 kittens.  In 6 years a female dog and her off springs can be the source of 67,000 puppies. Unless your dog/cat is totally confined and unable to continue the population increase (AND the spread of venereal disease), please do the humane thing of having them sterilized!

For the health and safety of your dog/cat, however, have the sterilization performed by a competent vet who is experienced in early sterilization (eight weeks of age and up) and small-incision surgeries, and one who closes with stainless steel sutures....like Dr. Tello, who we are so fortunate to have operate at our clinics. (I do not trust care of my dogs or injured dogs that I find in the street to ANYONE except Dr. Tello.)

Thanks to everyone who participated in our clinics today, and to those who had their pets sterilized. Always remember that TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Dorothy Atwater -  6517-8752 or muffiemae@gmail.com
skype:  muffiemae

Back to Clinics Page

Back to HOME PAGE