We woke up this morning bright and early to walk down to the dock and meet Selaine. Today we are running another sterilization and vaccination clinic, but this time in San Pedro. San Pedro is directly across the lake from Panajachel, and has some wonderful community coordinators that contact Selaine when they have animals which need sterilization or treatment.
We first arrived to San Pedro to the news that there were two females in heat that needed to be caught in order to prevent further breeding. Even though in Canada it is usually advised against to spay a dog in heat, here it is very common because it is important to prevent new litters of pups. Unfortunately, when one of the dogs was found it was surrounded by a pack of males. As we blogged about earlier, it can be very dangerous to attempt to remove a female when she is surrounded by unsterilized males. This meant that we would have to leave her until she was through her heat, at which time Selaine and Dr. Estrada would return to spay her.
When we started the clinic in the morning we had only 4 dogs. We thought it might be a pretty quick day. Boy were we wrong! As the day continued the clinic filled up. Dr. Estrada was kept extremely busy with both dog and cat spays and neuters (completing 14 by the time the day was through!). It was also an amazing day for all four of us as we got to assist in a surgery each! Under the supervision of Dr. Estrada, Michelle assisted in a dog spay, Mike and Sabrina assisted in dog castrations, and I assisted with a cat spay. We were all extremely excited!
We also were allowed to practice placing catheters, drawing blood for SNAP tests, and giving anesthesia with the help from Dr. Estrada's amazing assistant Charlie.We are happy to say that all the SNAP tests we have performed here in Lake Atitlan have been negative! We were also able to collaborate with Charlie and Dr. Estrada on different restraint and anesthesia techniques. They were very interested in the kitty burrito technique, es muy fascile! Dr. Estrada was also very interested in discussing the spay and neuter techniques we use in Canada, asking how they were different from what he performed here.
Puppies recovering after their neuter surgery
It was another great day of communicating with locals as well. With the help of Selaine we are able to communicate results of SNAP tests, instructions for home care after surgery, and possible health risks for local dogs. The locals are all very receptive, and seem extremely grateful to have our assistance.
Waiting for their dogs to recieve annual vaccinations.
I would like to make a special mention at the end of this blog to how awesome it was to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Estrada. He was an enthusiastic and patient teacher, and each of us felt very comfortable under his instruction. As vet students, it is so important to have a teacher who is just as excited about your successes as you are. He was definitely this kind of teacher, cheering excitedly when I was able to find the uterus on my first try with the gancho (spay hook).
Overall, these two clinics have definitely enhanced our knowledge and experience. We are very happy that we could be involved in AYUDA's initiatives, and we feel that our presence was definitely appreciated.
Terri
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