March 14, 2010 - 19 animals sterilized 
today by Dr. Andrés Tello, our wonderful veterinarian. 

Dr. Tello sterilized 9 dogs and 10 cats. Of the 9 dogs, 4 were female and 5 were male. Of the 10 cats, 6 were female and 4 were male. Because of the fewer number of animals and the predominance of cats, we finished by 2:00 p.m. Anyone who is local to Volcan, PLEASE talk with your friends and neighbors, explain the importance of sterilization and tell them about our clinics. The next one will be on April 11th. My goal is to sterilize at least 30 animals during each clinic.

I recently adopted another dog, a big male. He had been hit by a car a few days before I found him. He had a huge, deep open wound on his chest, numerous abrasions, and most serious of all, a badly broken hip. I took him to Dr. Tello, who treated "Rusty," put a pin in his hip, and cared for him for two weeks. Today Dr. Tello removed the pin from Rusty's hip. I was astounded when I saw the pin - it was about six inches long. Dr. Tello said Rusty will be completely normal within a couple of weeks. (Rusty was also sterilized today, which was more difficult because one testicle had not descended.) Rusty gets along very well with the rest of my "pack."

The dog that Dr. Tello took with him from the February clinic to administer chemotherapy is doing well and has been returned to her rescuerers. 

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. Each contribution goes directly to services for the animals or medical supplies.  Except for Dr. Tello, none of us receives any salaries or "perks." Every penny of your contribution goes for the animals.  Your contribution helps make Spay/Panama-Chiriqui services possible.

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

Rosemary Rios, a new volunteer, did a wonderful job as registrar. 
Lynn Longbons administered the anesthesia and other pre-op injections, and trained Mary Binder to give the injections. Mary was a first-time volunteer and she is a welcome addition to our team. 
Devin Licata and Mary Binder administered the pre-op injections. 
Dorreene Reynolds performed pre-op shaving and prepping. 
Jose Espinosa, my permanent employee. He helps weigh and tag the animals, provides transportation for animals in my car when necessary, and helps with various duties. 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. He also trained a new volunteer.
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 and Eymi Pitti cleaned and sterilized the surgical instruments and monitored the animals while they recovered from the anesthesia.

Thanks to Sharon Borgman for donating the soft drinks, Dana Larson for a delicious dessert, and Amanda Rankin for a tasty fruit salad. I provided the main dishes today, jerked barbequed chicken and buns to make sandwiches, plus a cold black-eyed pea salad.

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

Income and expenses: 

At this March 14, 2010 clinic, we sterilized 9 dogs and 10 cats. With my average cost of $20 per dog and $10 per cat, expenses were $280, plus $100 for building rent, for a total expense of $380. With contributions of $262.00, the deficit was $118.00. Therefore, since October of 2006 to date, my accumulated deficit is $3,520.75.  (The clinics began in March of 2006 but it didn't occur to me to keep financial records until October of 2006.)

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 March 14, 2010 clinic. 

Rosemary Rios, registrar	People waiting.	Mary Binder after giving her very first  anesthesia injection. You go, girl!
Dorreene Reynolds and Mary Binder.	Man watching the surgery on his dog.  Francia Pinedo assists Dr. Tello.	Two nice kids with their dog.
They love their doggie!	A pretty male cat who had gotten into lots of fights. After being sterilized, he won't be eager to fight and get beat up.	A nice couple sit with their dog while she recovers from the anesthesia.
This was the wound on my newly adopted dog before I took him to Dr. Tello. The wound was minor compared to the broken hip.	This is the pin that Dr. Tello had put in Rusty's hip that he removed today.	Dr. Tello performs his magic.
Eymi Pitti and Karolyn Rovira	Woman sits with her kitty after surgery.	Lynn Longbons prepares injection for a kitty. (With cats, we close the door just in case they manage to escape.)
	This young woman brought her dog from Gomez - on the bus. It's quite a long trip. She had the impression that the clinics are "free," but she was able to contribute a small amount, $5.00. She adores her beautiful dog and takes very good care of her. She says there are lots of dogs in her area that need to be sterilized, and she said she will talk with their representante about a way to bring a lot of them to our clinics.	Kitty post-surgery. (She had been   pregnant with 5 kittens.)

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!

Here in Volcan, our small group has been responsible for sterilizing 942 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 1,071 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

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