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January
23, 2011 - 30 animals were sterilized today Dr. Tello sterilized 30 animals today, 24 dogs and 6 cats. Of the 24 dogs, 21 were female and 3 were male. Of the 6 cats, 4 were female and 2 were male. We had 39 registered and 16 of those were no-shows. Only two of the people bothered to call and say they couldn’t come. We always have no-shows, and to me their lack of consideration indicates a sad lack of concern for their animals. We offer such a wonderful service – and for whatever people can afford to contribute – that there’s no excuse for people to be so thoughtless and uncaring about the time and effort that I and the volunteers expend for the clinics. (And some of the people have missed two or more appointments in a row.) Today two people who had early appointments didn't show up, so therefore Dr. Tello had some unwelcome idle time. We now have a new policy that anyone who fails to show up for an appointment without calling to cancel will not be given an appointment in the future. With the policy that people who have appointments have priority, we are showing consideration for those people who bother to make appointments. If others want to come and take a chance that we have space available, and are willing to wait around for maybe half a day or longer, they are welcome to come. I'm just not going to turn down appointments after the schedule is full, and then have half of the ones on the schedule not show up...only to have them repeat their inconsiderate behavior in the future. It's a rare clinic without some sort of crisis to start the day. This time the girl who gives post-op injections and after care called at 7:00 a.m. to say she was sick. Then at the clinic, the girl who handled registration didn't show up, nor did another girl who helps with various duties. All three had told me they would be there, but the last two didn't bother to call and inform me that they wouldn't. Two more people who had promised to volunteer did not come. An emergency call to Dorreene Reynolds, who had recently returned to Volcan, solved the registration problem. I then thought I'd have Deirdre Doyno handle post-op...she was late because she comes from Cordillera and had trouble getting a bus, but she did arrive. Eymi Pitti called a friend, Nicole Santamaria, to come help with sterilizing the instruments and doing after care. So everything worked out. It always does. But there are usually some anxious moments early in the day. We got permission to sterilize a big female dog that lives at a church. She had been nothing but a puppy mill. My employee, Jose, went to the church and brought her to the clinic. I paid for spaying her. After she was awake, Jose took her back to the church. She’s such a sweet, gentle, dog and I’m so glad she will no longer be subjected to having litter after litter. Marianne
Brown managed to bring two dogs from Paso Ancho that belong to indios. I
paid for the sterilization of those dogs as well. Another woman who brought her dog couldn’t contribute anything, not even a dollar. And several people were unable to contribute even my current cost of $20 per dog and $10 per cat. So with very little in donations, this month was a big “negative cash flow” month. I’ll need to revise my cost per animal because costs of medications and supplies are increasing rapidly. For example, the sterile gloves for Dr. Tello were $16.50 per 50 pair in the recent past. Now they are $21.50, or 43 cents per pair. The disposable sterile surgical drapes were 61 cents each; now they are 71 cents. A new pair of gloves and a new surgical drape is used for each animal. Medications and other supplies are increasing in price as well. Please donate! Your PayPal tax-deductible donations for Chiriqui go through Spay Panama's Animals YES in the USA and are eventually forwrded to me. Please send me an email if you donate by PayPal so I can thank you personally! Donors and amounts are reported on my web page for each clinic. Income and expenses are listed on each clinic web page. Thank you for your help! Your contribution helps make Spay/Panama-Chiriqui services possible. PLEASE BE AWARE that if you donate through PayPal, I cannot credit your donation on my web page until I actually receive the funds. If you have donated through PayPal and your donation has not been credited on my web page, please contact me. Anyone who is local to Volcan, PLEASE talk with your friends and neighbors, explain the importance of sterilization and tell them about our clinics. My goal is to sterilize at least 30 animals during each clinic. Our next clinic will be on February 20, 2011. MANY thanks to our wonderful volunteers and contributors. Without their help and dedication, this important work simply could not be done.
At this January 23, 2011 clinic, we sterilized 24 dogs and 6 cats. With my average cost of $20 per dog and $10 per cat, expenses were $540 plus $200 for building rent, for a total of $740. (We did not have a clinic in December but I had to pay the $100 rent anyway.) With contributions of $323.96, there was a deficit of $416.04. Therefore, since October of 2006 to date, my accumulated deficit is $4,170.29. (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!
Here in Volcan, our small group has been responsible for sterilizing 1,170 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 1,299 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. 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 - 771-5883, 6780-2565 or viajar2566@yahoo.com Back to Clinics Page Back to HOME PAGE |
Dorreene
Reynolds handled registration.