Spay And Neuter Clinics

Television comes to the Creole dogs:
Visit of Dr. Specht in the Dominican Republic

03/13 - 03/20/2012

When Dr. Specht, known as "TV-vet" in Germany, told us in summer 2011 that he would like to come to the Dominican Republic with a camera man of the German TV channel SAT 1, we could hardly believe it. Television visiting the Creole dogs?

But the Cuban Dr. Specht, who also runs a mobile practice in Hamburg, has good contacts to television and shortly afterwards we received the call: "Camera man Andreas G. of SAT 1 and I will be flying to the Dominican Republic in March".

And really, March 13th they took the plane to Puerto Plata.

Approaching Puerto Plata

Arrival in "POP"

First impressions of the life in the Dominican Republic…

Young fruit vendors near the hotel Tropix where Dr. Specht and Andreas G. stayed.

Money exchange in a busy street.

The motorcycle is one of the favorite means of transportation.

…and the beauty of the island.

It was planned to portray the whole range of the fantastic work the A.A.A.S. do in the Dominican Republic, spay and neuter clinics as well the work of the community outreach team in poor areas, providing food and treatment for strays and animals of poor families.

March 14th - 16th a field clinic was held in Marinata.

A.A.A.S. volunteers touring Marinata. Here they come across an old acquaintance: Diesel, the bitch which used to live between the Cabarete gas station and Dr. Bob's.

Three years ago she had vanished without a trace. She has made Marinata her home and is obviously doing well.

The surroundings of Marinata are very rural.

Also the host, who had offered his house for the clinic,has a small farm.

As usual, the whole equipment was brought from the A.A.A.S. clinic in Sosúa to Marinata.

The camera man takes a first look at the site…

…and tries first shots.

The A.A.A.S. had hung up posters everywhere, advertising time and place of the field clinic. In a hurry we had designed the flyer for the Association for Aid and Support of the Creole dogs which Judy had asked for…

Verein zur Hilfe und Förderung
des kreolischen Hundes e.V.

Association for Aid and Support
of the Creole dogs
Germany

Asociación para la ayuda y el apoyo
de los criollos perros
Alemania

…and so our logo, the small Creole dog, was to be seen everywhere as well.

People came in crowds to see the vet with whom they could talk about the problems of their animals in their mother tongue.

The porch of the house served as check-in, waiting room and recovery.

Inside everybody is very busy, as usual during a field clinic.

Cold sterilisation was used for the instruments this time instead of the autoclav because of the frequent current break downs.

Patients are being prepared for surgery…

…shaved and intubated…

…and are placed on the tables of Dr. Specht…

…and surgeon Dr. Sue Harvey, who is staying in the Dominican republic for several months.

The camera man…

…is always present.

In the recovery…

…animals are monitored with great care.

The cats of the house…

The little red tom was neutered during the clinic.

Many puppies were brought for vaccinations and dewormers.

Chihuahuas are the favorite dogs of many Dominicans. Small and with little appetites, they are the perfect dogs for crowded homes and tight budgets.

As always, a lot of children came with their pets.

A little girl gave her balloon to volunteer Kelli as agift to thank for the treatment of her dog.

Kelli was very moved:"It was probably the only thing the girl owned!"

The children got along right away with the Spanish speaking doctor.

The Cuban doctor fits in well in the Dominican Republic. It takes a second look at the imprint of his T-shirt to know that he is a doctor from the far away Germany.

Raul arrived with his dog at the clinic when the list for spay and neuter was already full. Since his dog was a male, faster and easier to operate than a bitch, he was asked to stay in case one could sqeeze him in.

He turned out to be a great help, showing pet owners how to hold their animals, helping to get nervous, scared animals out of and inte cages and opening mouths which didn't want to swallow dewormers... Do we see here a future A.A.A.S. volunteer?

Needless to say that his dog was neutered that day!

33 animals in total were spayed and neutered in Marinata by Dr. Sue Harvey and Dr. Specht: 20 bitches, 8 males, 3 queens, 2 toms. Average age: 2.9 years.

The first morning, before the clinic opened, the A.A.A.S. volunteers found a special gift in front of the door.

After a first check-up the puppies were taken to Sosúa where they await adoption:

At the same time a successful adoption took place! Peyton , Preston and Pixie found their families.

They went to their new homes with food, bowls leashes and collars and will be taken care of by the A.A.A.S. community outreach program for the rest of their life.

Dr. Specht would like to return for a vaccination program because outside of Sosúa there are still a lot of dogs in bad health.

Rabies, distemper and parvovirus are much more frequent than in Germany…

…just as mange and other skin diseases.

Also they need a future.

The report about the A.A.A.S. will be broadcasted in several episodes in the SAT 1 morning show. We will try to announce the dates as early as possible on Aktuelles.

Spay and Neuter clinic
with Dr. Susanne Vogler

03/04 - 12/04/2012

Talking to Dr. Vogler for the first time, I realized immediately that she is an exceptional surgeon. We talked about a spay and neuter project for hotel cats on Jamaica and Dr. Vogler said: "All right, I'll bring my neuter board along ( a board where cats are hung up for surgery side by side like sausages, an uncanny sight but very effective!) and I can do about 15 cats in the morning." I knew right away that we had found one of those rare surgeons who can do a great job all alone without assistence, few means and in the most basic conditions, simply made for the Caribbean! We considered ourselves blessed!

Due to organisational problems in Jamaica it is not possible to run effective clinics there right now - Don't worry, cat lovers, a cat project is still in the back of our mind! - and Dr. Vogler flew therefore to Puerto Plata on March 4th. Great excitement and happiness about all the medical presents Dr. Vogler had brought along!

The A.A.A.S. supplies must surely have shrunk considerably during the big World Vets clinic.

Judy had planned about 9 surgeries per day (exact statistics to follow) considering that her volunteers, most of them having to work for a living as well as donating time to the A.A.A.S., had already the big World Vet clinic in February behind them and two more clinics ahead of them in March. Most of them won't see the beach until April, by then preparing already for three clinics in May!

Thinking about our own humble beginnings and the A.A.A.S.' dire need for vets in spring 2008, half a year after the clinic's construction had been finished, we feel deep gratefulness towards all the wonderful vets who have followed our call!

Dr. Vogler was surprised that not more OP's had been scheduled. Judy said: " Dr. Vogler could have easily operated twice as many animals. She has to come back for a field clinic!"

Inbetween the surgeries Dr. Vogler took the time to answer people's questions who had come to have their animals treated for various health problems.

Dr. Vogler's first patient on March 5th was a kryptorchid, a male with an interior testicle. No problem for the experienced surgeon.

Judy raved: "Dr. Vogler's surgery is outstanding, every cut, every suture is absolutely perfect! The animals recover fast and can return home the same day."

Also other patients with difficult conditions - a torn womb, a deep, old neck injury, not adequately treated by a local vet - were no challenge to Dr. Vogler.

With Marina and Francine she had two German-speaking volunteers, and they had lots to talk about in their native tongue.

In the check in area there are also cages to keep the dogs safely before surgery.

Preparations for the surgery

The patient is given a pre-med…

…it is shaved…

…intubated…

…operated…

and closely monitored during recovery.

This young lady waiting to be spayed has hit it really lucky: She was adopted by the owner of a steak house after she had walked into the restaurant begging for food. The owner decided that she was far to young to walk the streets on her own. Well, enjoy your future meals!

Many people, who brought their animals to Dr. Vogler, had been waiting already patiently at the World Vets clinic and had to be refused in the end because there were just too many patients, like these two…

Names and addresses of the pet owners had been taken down and they were notified immediately when Dr. Vogler arrived. There are also always cats among the patients.

Dr. Vogler stayed in the nearby appartement of "WG", Judy's German boyfriend, and could use a bycicle to go back and forth from the clinic or explore the surroundings.

After surgeries she accompanied Marina who took the dogs back to their owners, poor families living in the "campo".

Now it was Dr. Vogler's turn to admire the work of the A.A.A.S.: "Every animal monitored by the A.A.A.S. Team is exactly documented, with the dates for the next dewormer, parasite treatment and vaccination. It is simply fantastic!" Especially when one considers that the A.A.A.S. community outreach program takes care of more than 700 animals by now! It takes a while to recognize that animals can be happy and healthy also in such surroundings…

…like Suzie…

…and Negrita…

…who love to go for truck rides with their owner…

…provided they and their families are helped by the A.A.A.S.

A witness:" In 5 years since we arrived, the difference is huge!! Healthy dogs, better educated owners, less puppies, and yep dogs just hanging with people!!! The effort put in by AAAS have made a big impact for these animals…. "

The last day a pug was brought in to be neutered. For the dog it was the second try. The first time the vet had stopped the surgery because the pug stopped breathing. Judy did the anaesthesia and Dr. Vogler operated fast and expertly - the dog showed no signs of having any trouble . During the whole time of its recovery phase the loud pug-snore could be heard everywhere…

The last patient came on Saturday though there were no more surgeries scheduled for this day: Lassie, a bitch with a sticker sarcoma. Lassie is a beach dog of about 8 years which is taken care of by a Dominican family. She has had a litter of 10 puppies recently. For 9 of them places could be found. Now the family could be talked into having her spayed.

Lassie was spayed, the tumour was cut out electrically and she received a chemotherapeutical treatment with vynchristine which will have to be repeated in a week because the tumour is malignant.

34 animals were operated in total: 19 bitches, 9 males, 4 queens, 2 toms. Average age: 1.9 years.

Farewell lunch at the Kiosko beach bar

"You say Good bye … we say hello!"

Dr. Vogler's first comment after returning:

"It was wonderful!"

She promised to come back in February/March 2013.

And we have taken another big step towards our goal to win as many excellent surgeons as possible who are willing to donate their vacations once a year to Caribbean animal welfare!

Spay and Neuter Clinic
with Riccarda Schünemann and Sabine Pohl

02/09 – 02/27/2012 in Cafemba, Puerto Plata and Sosúa Abajo

During the first days Riccarda Schünemann and Sabine Pohl worked in Cafemba, Puerto Plata, for the Asociación Protectora de Animales de Puerto Plata, "Amigos de 4 Patas".

"Amigos de 4 Patas" is a very young organisation, which the A.A.A.S. is trying to help.

Carolina Beltran-Torres from Columbia, who moved to Puerto Plata 3 years ago, founded the association because she was distressed by the misery of Puerto Plata's strays.

Riccarda Schünemann and Sabine Pohl were the first foreign vets who came to the Amigos de 4 Patas.

The check-in

The patients…

Carolina had announced that the clinic was reserved for strays, asking pet keepers for understanding and telling people to bring in the stray dogs of their neighbourhood.

In Puerto Plata animal protection and welfare is at its beginnings; a lot of things are still lacking.

Examinations and treatments took place on newspaper, printer's ink is well-known for its desinfective properties.

There were no clippers. The dogs had to be shaved with disposable razors, a tremendously time-taking task.

There were no drapes. The second day a volunteer brought cloths instead.

There was no diazepam for the anaesthesia, only ketamin and azepromazin effecting a short and not very deep anaesthesia during which the dogs constantly twitched - normalfor a Dominican vet and very disturbing for the German vets. Luckily some xylazin could be obtained. The dogs slept now quietly during the operation and for about an hour afterwards - which worried the volunteers used to dogs waking up again right after surgery.

Puerto Plata is still lacking a community outreach program like the one in Sosúa, where strays are monitored and regularly treated against parasites. The dogs were so infested that fleas jumped at times directly underneath the scalpel of the surgeon. Actually Riccarda Schünemann and Sabine Pohl should have worked on 2 tables side by side but the second table turned out to be only half as high which brings back memories of our first clinic in Jamaica where our vet Heike Müller worked the whole time at a table only 90 cm high.

Despite all difficulties the animals were treated expertly.

The volunteers of the Amigos de 4 Patas did their utmost to help but they don't have the medical knowledge of the A.A.A.S.' trained team.

Carolina found this dog in the street. Most likely it had been hit by a car, its hip-joint was dislocated.

This bitch was in heat, her uterus was brittle and one ovary tore off, there was a lot of blood…

"In Germany we would have used a suction machine." remembers Riccarda Schünemann. Here gauze had to do. But all went well. One look at her teats shows that she had had her last litter not too long ago. It was about time to break the vicious circle of death and "rebirth" into misery.

On the way to the "recovery"

Everywhere peacefully sleeping dogs…

…and volunteers who are deeply concerned because the dogs don't wake up right away, as after a surgery performed by a Dominican vet.

A big Thanks to Harold, in whose home the clinic was held.

We got an email fromthe Amigos de 4 Patas, thanking our association Aid and Support for the Creole dogs and the German vets Riccarda Schünemann and Sabine Pohl:

"Thanks so much to to Aide for Creole Dogs for sending us Dr’s Riccarda and Sabine. They had quite an experience here working in the small town of Cafemba,Puerto Plata DR on Feb 21-22. They were not quite expecting to work in such a place and I am sure this opportunity gave them a new perspective on working in third world countries. You just never know what may happen.

Following the two days in the village they joined with another group who was also working in the area and together over 150 dogs/cats were sterilized vaccinated, 200+ treated for parasite and 30 or so treated for other medical problems.

We thank them for donating their time and expertise hope they will visit us again in the future.

Thanks to all."

And we, we have the utmost respect for the way in which these two young vets managed this difficult task! Like the Amigos de 4 Patas, also we would consider ourselves happy to continue working with them.

During the second half of the week Riccarda Schünemann and Sabine Pohl worked with the vets of the American organisation World Vets which has been sponsoring medical supplies to the A.A.A.S. for some time. The organisation engages itself worldwide in spay and neuter projects, veterinary training programs and desaster management. In February a team of 14 people, 6 surgeons, veterinary technicians and volunteers, came to hold a 3-day spay and neuter clinic in Sosúa.

A tour bus took the team from the airport to their hotel.