75th STERILIZATION CLINIC IN VOLCÁN

(Para la versión en español,
haga clic aquí)

Sunday, August 24, 2014 - 30 animals were operated on by
 Dr. Andrés Tello, our wonderful veterinarian. 


Dr. Tello sterilized 15 dogs and 14 cats, plus he removed a tumor from an already sterilized female dog. Of the sterilized dogs, 13 were female and 2 were male. Of the cats, 10 were female and 4 were male. In addition to sterilizing, Dr. Tello also removed two huge tumors, one from a female dog and two tumors from a male dog. (The male dog has to return in September for removal of still another tumor.) Sadly, one female dog that had been "dropped off" at Raquel and Fred Tejan's and despite everything they did to try to save her, she had to be euthanized today..


Dr. Tello also cauterized a small melanoma from the tummy of a dog. He says that melanomas are very serious for people but much less so for animals.

Dr. Tello operated on "only" 30 animals because the two tumor removals took over an hour each. The male dog not only had a venereal tumor, but another type of tumor as well. Dr. Tello removed those, but the dog has to come back in September to remove still another tumor on the other side of his penis.

This male dog belongs to Amilcar Arauz, who was number 2 on the list. Early in the day Union Fenosa was working on the nearby electrical plant and we had NO electricity until about 1:00 p.m. We had enough light in the building, but electricity to cauterize wounds and remove tumors was an absolute necessity. Amilcar brought his generator and allowed us to use it until electricity was restored. He even refused my offer to reimburse him for the gasoline used by his generator for several hours. He's a really nice man.

In addition to spaying the female dog with a tumor, removal of the tumor was a very complicated surgery. Dr. Tello used 25 double stitches (a total of 50). Some people don't like to see pictures of serious surgery like this, so I did not include them in my regular Picasa web album (link below), but if you want to see an example of Dr. Tello's expertise with this very serious type of surgery, click  HERE.

He also spayed my newest "adoptee." A couple of weeks before the clinic I was walking and encountered what is probably a yellow Lab. She is young and had never even had a first heat. From wounds around her neck and on her rear haunches, it was obvious that she had been tied on concrete and left to starve to death. I'm glad she broke free. She was very friendly and not at all afraid of me. None of the neighbors knew where she supposedly "belonged." (If they had known, I would have immediately filed a denuncia against this cruel person and no way would have he/she gotten  this dog back. Under the new law, the penalty for this kind of abuse is $500 plus community service.)

I called my employee to bring my car to take her to my house. I'm sure she would have starved to death within another week or two. Now she is healthy, energetic, and she's a wonderful, loving dog.

Her name is "Sweetie," very fitting for her. She weighed only 25 pounds at first, just skin and bones. I fed her three times a day, mostly ground beef, and she gained 20 pounds in 20 days. She fits in with my pack very well. Here are some pictures of Sweetie....at first, and then after just a few days. She continues to gain weight and her wounds have healed..

A good reason for sterilizing dogs and cats while they're young is that it's much easier on the animal. When Sweetie woke up from the anesthesia, my employee took her home. I told Jose that she might not want to eat until the following day, but he said she immediately ate a huge bowl of food and was then ready for vigorous play with the rest of my pack.

At this clinic Dr. Tello even sterilized a  young male kitten that weighed less than one pound.

We had no-shows of 2 female cats, 2 female dogs, and a male dog with a tumor....probably a good thing for us, because it was a VERY long day. We were all exhausted. After I got home after 6:00 p.m., I still had a couple of hours of post-clinic tasks that have to be done immediately following a clinic.

Because the two tumor removals took such a long time, many people had to wait for a long time and we thank them for their patience.  Our appointment schedule is not an exact science at best, but when Dr. Tello finds unexpected things, he naturally takes the time to help the animal.  It will wreak havoc on our schedule, but our first concern is for the health and safety of the animals that are entrusted to us.

Our next clinic, #76, will be on September 21st. We already have 28 on the list for that date, which includes two tumor removals. So anyone who wants an appointment needs to call right away.


Be sure to click the link below for the Picasa web album of pictures taken during this clinic. 


I now have a personal PayPal "Donate" button. You can use this "button" to donate. If you already have a PayPal account, you can just log in and specify to send money to "friends or family" at my email address, muffiemae@gmail.com. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can use a credit card. 

Your contribution is not tax deductible. But be assured that every penny goes for the animals. On my web page created after each clinic, I give a complete accounting of income and expenses. (See "Income and Expenses" listed below.) Except for our wonderful veterinarian, neither I nor anyone else connected with the clinics receives any pay or financial benefit. I rent the building where we hold the clinics, and I buy all the anesthesia, medications, instruments, supplies, and equipment. I have no offices, no salaries, no advertising. Every penny goes for the animals. This is a project from my heart, and I pay the deficits from my own pocket. 

Again, other than contributing cash or depositing to my personal bank account, donating to my personal PayPal account (muffiemae@gmail.com) is the best way to help support this important project if you don't need a tax-deductible receipt.

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


Volunteers:

Claudia Flores substituted for Cristina Espinosa for the second time because Cristina was sick. Claudia did a great job.
Don Binder weighed animals, gave the anesthesia injections, plus many other tasks.
Elcy Morales, Jahir Costello and Yiniela Rodriguez helped w
eigh the animals and  and 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, and performed whatever other duties were needed.
Jose Espinosa, my permanent employee, helps weigh and tag the animals, provides transportation for animals when necessary, and helps with various duties. He also takes my car to pick up and deliver animals when necessary. Then Jose and I go to the clinic site on Mondays following the Sunday clinics to clean and organize for the next one.
Rosemary Rios, Maria Cristina Montenegro, and Francia Pinedo assisted Dr. Tello, gave post-op injections of B-12 and antiparasite. They dressed the incisions, took the temperature of the recovering animals, tattooed the ears of female dogs, administered flea and tick treatment, generally checked the well being of the animals, and performed whatever other tasks were necessary. 
Alex Rios lcleaned the surgical instruments and placed them into the cold sterilization solution, and he also helped care for the animals after their surgeries.
Paul Schneider is from Germany for a volunteer project in Volcan, and he is living with Francia Pinedo. He came with Francia to observe and help wherever necessary.

Again, 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: Susan Lovett for the main dish, Don Binder for drinks and dessert, ad Amanda Rankin for fruit. I took organic oranges from my trees for everyone to take home.

Please forgive me if I have neglected to mention any volunteers or contributors!  And many thanks to the people at this clinic who donated more than my actual cost for the sterilization of their animals.

Also thanks to Kit Cooper who donated a rolling backpack, some sheets, and various other items for the clinics.


Income and expenses: 

$  441.00

 contributions by guardians/owners

       25.00       cash donation by Al Jan (formerly from Texas, now in Panama)
      25.00        *Raquel and Fred Tejan (Cordillera)
       20.00       Jim and Julie Alexander (Porterillos)
         9.41         **Clean Water Store (10.00 minus .59 PayPal fee)
       23.97        Cristina Opper (Albany, GA) - ($25 minus 1.03 PayPal fee)
$  544.38         Total Cash Contributions

*Raquel Tejan donated $40, but I credited $25 because I gave Dr. Tello $15 for the euthanasia. (The euthanasia medication is tightly controlled, very expensive, and very difficult to get.)

**Clean Water Store, http://www.cleanwaterstore.com. I recently ordered an ultraviolet sterilization system from them. Their prices are good and customer service is excellent. They have a huge selection of products and information. Check their web site. I thoroughly recommend their products and customer service. They even read my own web site and were kind enough to donate for the clinics. Thank you!

Kit Cooper (from Nicaragua/Florida) also donated a rolling backpack, some sheets, a heating pad and other miscellaneous items. Thank you, Kit, and I really enjoyed meeting you!


Note: The $441 contributions by guardians/owners were for spaying and neutering only. An additional $194 charged by Dr. Tello for removal of tumors and other additional procedures were paid to him direct, and therefore that amount is not added to the $441 listed above, nor is that amount included in my expenses.


At this August 24, 2014 clinic Dr. Tello sterilized 15 dogs and 14 cats. With my average costs of $25 per dog and $15 per cat, expenses were $585 plus $100 for rent of the building, for a total of $685. Income this month was $544.38, leaving a deficit of $140.62, leaving my current out-of-pocket expenses at $1,579.92. 

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

For other pictures taken during the clinic,
click HERE. Click on the first image to
 enlarge it, then you can advance through
the rest of the pictures.

--------------
Right: Jerry Longbons made this wonderful cabinet and he and his wife Lynn donated it for the clinics! We used it for the first time during this August clinic.
This wonderful cabinet is definitely for MY 
benefit as well as the volunteers, so big hugs
and thanks to Jerry and Lynn Longbons!. 

 

I can label the contents of the drawers and will
 hear fewer "Dottie, where is.... and "Dottie, I need...." 
that I normally hear about 47 times a day
during a clinic! 

Here in Volcan, our small group has been responsible for sterilizing 2,628 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.) Added to the 129 animals that Spay/Panama (from Panama City) sterilized in in Volcan in February of 2005, we have sterilized 2,757 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--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 to ANYONE except Dr. Tello. If any of my dogs has a problem that I and my employee can't solve ourselves, I call Dr. Tello and arrange to meet him with my dog at the border of Panama/Costa Rica.) I also arrange to take injured dogs to him that I find in the street.

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
US telephone: 817-349-6345
skype:  muffiemae

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