105th Spay/Neuter Clinic in Volcan

[Dottie Atwater]

On May 21st, Dr. Tello sterilzed 23 dogs and 13 cats. Of the dogs, 19 were female and 4 were male. Of the cats, 6 were female and 7 were male. This brings our total of dogs and cats sterilized to 3,921. http://spaypanama-chiriqui.org/105th.html

We are very fortunate to have such a skilled and compassionate veterinarian as Dr. Andres Tello! He is the best veterinarian I have ever known--anywhere. 

Dr. Tello also performed several examinations, removed two tumors, and performed a complicated surgery to remove an enormous ear hematoma. Sara Cotton brought this neighborhood dog (already spayed). Sara will give the dog the necessary treatment after the surgery.

Sara has brought several dogs from her neighborhood to be sterilized and paid for the surgeries herself. Bless you, Sara!

Regarding clinic costs: Now most (but not all) clients are able to pay $25 per dog and $15 per cat. However, costs still exceed income. Dr. Tello is the only one who is paid, but there is the cost of anesthesia, medications, supplies, and equipment--and of course rent for the building. The cost of the anesthesia alone is $3.80 per cc. 

No one is turned away for inability to pay, and we also give some "complimentary" sterilizations of dogs that wander near the clinic. Now we have another potential "mascot" that we want to neuter. Every time I go to the clinic, he accompanies the other local dogs we have sterilized. This one is still afraid of people, but little by little, he is gaining trust. I was recently able to feed him a treat by hand. Probably by the June or July clinic, we will be able to lure him into the clinic building to be neutered.

Thanks to generous donations lately, my out-of-pocket expenses have been reduced significantly. (In the past the deficits have sometimes been more than $4,000.) Special thanks to our financial contributors! See the income and expense breakdown for this clinic on the web page. And see the link to the photo album on the web page, too.

We had a BIG surprise when Danielle McGrath brought her dog Oscar for teeth cleaning. And she thought  two molars would need to be extracted--there was a hole into the gum above two upper molars on each side of Oscar's mouth. But what a surprise! Dr. Tello found a stick embedded crosswise in Oscar's mouth, which created the holes above the teeth into the gum. It had been there for maybe a month and was partially dissolved by saliva. Danielle said Oscar never complains about anything, so she had no idea!

Both Oscar and his sister Gracie are very lucky dogs. In November of 2015, I rescued the two puppies that were only about four weeks of age. Danielle adopted them both and they have a very good home.

Our next clinic will be on June 18, 2017. Please call for an appointment right away. The clinics fill up rapidly.

As always, many thanks to Dr. Tello, our volunteers, those who bring their animals to be sterilized, and everyone who contributes, whether financially or otherwise. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 

Dottie