February 14, 2010 - 25 animals sterilized 
today by Dr. Andrés Tello, our wonderful veterinarian. 

Again, we had a beautiful day.  Dr. Tello sterilized 16 dogs and 9 cats. All were female except for one male dog that also had a venereal tumor. During the January clinic, Dr. Tello operated on a huge tumor in a female dog and it needed a second operation today. There were two very sick dogs that he took home with him to treat. One has a vaginal tumor too large to remove surgically, so he will administer chemotherapy.

Here's a heartwarming story: A woman brought a small female dog that she didn't want. Another Panamanian woman offered to contribute $10 for the dog's operation and she said she would adopt it. When Dr. Tello was spaying the dog, he found that she had been pregnant a few months back with only a couple of puppies, but they had died inside her and she did not abort them. Infection would have soon set in and killed her. She also had a hernia, filled with fluid, that Dr. Tello fixed. The dog was also covered with ticks. We sprayed her liberally with Frontline spray, and while she was recovering from the anesthesia, the adoptive owner was repeatedly picking ticks off of her. So, finally, a happy ending for this poor little doggie that had led a miserable life up to now.

Because the majority of the animals were female dogs (which take longer for surgery), we had a long day even with fewer than 30 total animals.

Please inform your friends and neighbors about our clinics and the importance of sterilizing their pets. Besides preventing the eventually fatal venereal tumors in both male and female dogs, sterilization also prevents the birth of many puppies and kittens that would end up homeless and suffering miserable lives. Remember, in 7 years a female cat and her unsterilized offsprings can be responsible for the birth  of 420,000 cats; in 6 years, a female dog and her unsterilized offsprings can be responsible for the birth of 67,000 dogs. Please help to end the overpopulation!

Please donate! A donation of just $20 per month will pay for the cost of sterilzing one dog; a $10 donation will pay for the sterilization of one cat.

MANY thanks to our wonderful volunteers and contributors. Without their help and dedication, this important work simply could not be done. 

Olivia Kroekel did a wonderful job as registrar. 
Lynn Longbons administered the anesthesia and other pre-op injections. 
Argelis Gomez administered the pre-op injections. 
Dorreene Reynolds, a first-time volunteer, performed pre-op shaving and prepping. 
Jose Espinosa. He is my permanent employee and I donate his time and work to the clinics. He helps weigh and tag the animals and give the anesthesia and often helps with pre-op shaving and prepping. Jose and I go to the clinic site on Mondays following the Sunday clinics to clean and organize for the next one.
Wally Ewen performed post-op care: cleaned the surgical site, tattooed the ears of female dogs to indicate they have been sterilized, gave injections of vitamin B-12 and antiparasite, and administered flea and tick treatment when necessary..
Francia Pinedo assisted Dr. Tello and helped with translations. Francia is a good friend and I know her to be an excellent - and HONEST - real estate agent in Volcan. Her web page is http://www.volcan.paradisepanama.net 
Karolyn Rovira cleaned and sterilized the surgical instruments and monitored the animals while they recovered from the anesthesia.

Thanks to Anabel Rios for translating this web page into Spanish. Anabel is a certified translator. If you need professional translating work, contact Anabel at 6493-6029.

Thanks to Mary and Don Binder for providing sandwiches, Dana Larson for a delicious pot of soup, and Richard Kongable for the soft drinks. Volunteers Lynn Longbons and Dorreene Reynolds also brought some sweet goodies.

Please forgive me if I have neglected to mention any volunteers or contributors! 

Income and expenses: 

At this February 14, 2010 clinic, we sterilized 16 dogs and 9 cats, plus a second surgery for a tumor. With my average cost of $20 per dog and $10 per cat, expenses were $430, plus $100 for building rent, for a total expense of $530. With contributions of $479.00, the deficit was $51.00. Therefore, since October of 2006 to date, my accumulated deficit is $3,402.75.  (The clinics began in March of 2006 but it didn't occur to me to keep financial records until October.)

Please donate! I very much appreciate your contributions, which are welcome and needed! (US citizens: please contact me about how to make IRS tax-deductible contributions.)

Following are some pictures taken during the February 14, 2010 clinic. 

Olivia Kroekel, registrar	Dorreene Reynolds shaves a kitty.	Lynn Longbons (left)
Doggie fast asleep.	Waiting their turn.	This doggie was very well groomed and cared for. Such a pleasure to see!
Francia Pinedo and Dr. Tello	Wally Ewen works in post-op.	Our only male dog today, and this big guy had a venereal tumor.
Waiting their turn.	Rosemary Rios with her kitty. She says she want to volunteer at the clinics.	A BIG female dog in recovery.
Argelis Gomez.	Another kitty being shaved. Their eyes stay open under anesthesia; we put mineral oil in them so they don't dry out.	Sweet little dog just waking up after surgery.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our clinics today, and to those who had their pets sterilized. 

Here in Volcan, our small group has been responsible for sterilizing 923 animals to date. Added to the 129 animals that Spay/Panama (from Panama City) sterilized in in Volcan in February of 2005, we have sterilized 1,052 dogs and cats! 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.

Dorothy Atwater - 771-5883, 6780-2565 or viajar2566@yahoo.com

Back to Clinics Page

Back to HOME PAGE

Tag Heuer