|
Hundreds, if not thousands, of puppies and kittens won’t be born into suffering and end up dying painful deaths thanks to CANDi’s second annual free spay and neuter clinic. Nearly 450 dogs and cats were sterilized during two separate week-long clinics outside Cancun, Mexico in October. That figure will have a significant impact on local animal overpopulation.
Animal welfare organizations estimate that one dog and her offspring produce 67,000 puppies in six years, while one cat and her offspring produce a staggering 420,000 kittens in seven years. About 80 percent of the unwanted newborns die before reaching the age of eight weeks. "The key to animal overpopulation and animal abandonment is to spay and neuter," said CANDi founder and President Darci Galati. "But unfortunately, people in many parts of the world just can't afford these procedures. CANDi wants to help change that." Working toward that change were volunteer vets and vet techs from the UK, US, and Canada, who put in long hours in a small operating room. Many other volunteer animal lovers manned a makeshift admittance area and an outdoor recovery room. These people did everything from trimming nails and removing ticks to cleaning kennels (and ears!) and reassuring nervous patients. The first week of the clinic was held in San Cosme, which is an hour and a half drive from Cancun. The second week was in Bonfil, ten minutes outside Cancun. Compared to the luxurious tourist amenities of Cancun, both towns are quite impoverished. The clinics catered primarily to owned animals, but many strays were also treated. At the Bonfil clinic, volunteers arriving for work were greeted by long lines of people who had brought their pets in wheelbarrows and on bicycles. Because spay and neuter procedures in Mexico can cost as much as someone’s monthly wage, most of these people could not otherwise afford vet care for their pets. "One of the most rewarding parts of this clinic was seeing how much these people love their dogs and cats and how grateful they were to have these services available," Darci said. CANDi partnered with Vet Ventures, a group of volunteer vets that focuses on the world’s under-served animal populations; Pan-American Medical Mission Foundations, a nonprofit that provided beds and other amenities to volunteers in San Cosme; Isla Animals, an animal welfare organization on Isla Mujeres, an island a short ferry ride from Cancun; and RAP (Respecta, Ayuda y Protege or Respect, Help and Protect) Cancun Animal Rescue serving greater Cancun. The Marriott Courtyard in Cancun provided volunteers with reduced room rates and Dr. Elliott Kaplan, a veterinarian and member of CANDi's Advisory Council, helped the effort by sending two of his staff members to assist during the first week of the clinic. Though most of the clinic services were for spay and neuter, other procedures were conducted. One dog had a growth removed from its lip, another had surgery to repair a broken femur, and still another had surgery on his eyelids. There were heart-warming moments (A litter of tiny orphaned puppies was nursed by a succession of surrogate moms.), as well as sad scenes. (Several volunteers left their posts in the recovery room to comfort a woman as her severely ill dog was humanely euthanized.) There were even some rescues. One of those took places just blocks from the clinic when Galati and Laura Cull of CANDi came upon a skinny Doberman with a horrific open wound near his anus. Laura stayed with the dog—now known as Segundo—while Darci went to get a leash. They took him back to the clinic where a vet repaired his wound, an infection from which was rapidly spreading internally; removed a hernia; and mended the hack job that someone had done to shape his ears. Segundo was also neutered. Because Segundo had such a hard time after surgery, Laura dedicated herself to being his nurse for a few days. Volunteer Tammy Larsen then flew Segundo back with her to California. Segundo has most likely found his forever home now with Tammy, who reports that he has gained 12 pounds and remains so excited by the prospect of mealtime that he dances in circles and does flips. "Like any animal, Segundo deserves to live a safe, healthy, and happy life," Darci said. "We're so glad that we could help him do that. We hope that his story—not to mention the suffering averted by the many sterilizations we were able to perform in Mexico—is just the first of many more to come." |
