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February
20, 2011 - 29 animals were sterilized today Dr. Tello sterilized 29 animals today, 18 dogs and 11 cats. Of the 18 dogs, 16 were female and 2 were male. Of the 11 cats, 6 were female and 5 were male. We were blessed with another beautiful sunny day for the clinic. Again, there were some anxious moments early in the day. Two of the Panamanian girls who promised to help did not show up. I had called them just two days earlier to confirm they would come. This happens too often, so now we have a new rule regarding volunteers: if they don't show up and haven't called to let me know, they will not be invited back. Although I appreciate everyone's help very much, I am tired of being surprised at every clinic with the number of essential volunteers who don't show up. All the girls enjoy being at the clinics and helping, so I think the new rule with prompt them to be responsible enough to let me know if they won't be coming. The new rule regarding clients who don't show up is apparently helping. There were relatively few no-shows for this clinic. I publicized the rule in the 60 announcements for the clinic that I posted all over town: When anyone with an appointment doesn't show up without having called to cancel, they will not be allowed to make another appointment. They can bring their animals to a subsequent clinic, but they will have to take a chance that we will have time that day. And without an appointment, they will likely have to wait a long time. I will include this requirement in the 60 notices I post each month. Dr. Tello performed one very serious and time-consuming surgery today - and saved the life of still another dog. The owners wanted to bring her because they said she had a hernia. They said she had already been sterilized. But when I asked them if she still went into heat, they replied "yes." I told them that in this case, the dog had not been properly sterilized but merely had her tubes tied. We see this all too often. Simply tying the tubes is very dangerous to the dog. She still goes into heat, still has sex, and is still vulnerable to venereal disease/tumors. In addition, simply tying the tubes often causes massive infection in the uterus...which this dog had. Well, this dog indeed had a hernia in her stomach - in addition to her other problems. The owners said a local "vet" had operated on her three times. The first time was to "sterilize" her. The second two surgeries were because she continued to have problems. The local "vet" was the one who caused all the suffering of this dog. Not only was her uterus filled with pus, her uterus was constricted with a piece of nylon suture tied around it. Dr. Tello also found a 10-inch piece of curled nylon suture free floating inside of the dog. Whoever did this to this poor dog should be shot! Thank God for Dr. Tello. He performed a long and complicated surgery, but the dog will be fine now. I'm glad her owners brought her to the clinic because she would soon have been dead from the internal infection. This surgery was very gory, so I don't want to post any pictures on the main foto album. But if anyone wants to see the pictures, they can click HERE. (With a normal spaying and neutering, Dr. Tello makes very tiny incisions resulting in almost no blood loss.) I’ve had to revise my cost per animal because costs of medications and supplies have increased greatly. I now estimate my costs as $22 per dog and $11 per cat. In my posted expenses for each clinic, I do not include miscellanous expenditures that I incur each month. For example, paper and ink for printing 60 announcements of the clinics, for printing the registration forms and the after-care instructions that are given to each client, for printing two-page handouts about the benefits of sterilization; drinking water for the clinics; coffee, milk, and sugar that I provide each time; garbage disposal after the clinics; laundry detergent for washing approximately 8 loads of blankets after each clinic and the electricity to dry them; gasoline to provide transportation to people who need it, etc. 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 so I can find out what happened to it. 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 March 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 February 20, 2011 clinic, we sterilized 18 dogs and 11 cats. With my average cost of $22 per dog and $11 per cat, expenses were $517 plus $100 for building rent, for a total of $617. With contributions of $515.00, there was a deficit of $102.00. Therefore, since October of 2006 to date, my accumulated deficit is $4,272.29. (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 1,199 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 1,328 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 - 6780-2565 or viajar2566@yahoo.com Back to Clinics Page Back to HOME PAGE |
Jacky
Suna handled registration.