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Written by Playacommunity.com
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Monday, 24 March 2008 08:42 |
{mosimage}Spay Panama will hold its second and final spay and neuter Blitz of the year in Gorgona on Sunday, April 20th at the Casa Comunal. The previous Blitz, in February, sterilized 160 dogs and cats that were either homeless or owned by low income Panamanian families. Although this will have reduced the number of unwanted births, it was apparent that it was just the tip of the iceberg. All you need to do is look around our beaches and our streets and you will realize the work that still lies ahead. After all, just one female dog and her offspring can be the source of up to 67,000 puppies within six years! To tackle the problem, Sheila Scott and Jill Parodi from Coronado, Mary Rhodes and Terry Phipps from Altos del Maria, and Kathy Kress of Gorgona formed an action group. Their top priority was to hold one more Blitz in Gorgona before the rainy season made conditions impossible. Pat Chen, Spay Panama’s founder, agreed to bring her dedicated staff of veterinarians and assistants back again with a goal of sterilizing at least 120 more animals!
Donations Needed
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You can help by donating money, time and/or supplies. Spay Panama charges a minimal fee of $20 a dog or $10 a cat for neutering, which does not even cover their expenses. The local pet owners themselves can seldom afford to contribute even a dollar. In February, costs exceeded $3,000 but thanks to the generosity of our community, we were able to help all those who were in need. We hope we can count on you one last time in 2008!
Volunteers Needed
Besides money, the success of these blitzes is dependent on the dedicated efforts of many volunteers! In one day, 5 veterinarians and a staff of 6 assistants are aided by an army of volunteers to form an assembly line that can neuter an average of 18 animals every hour. Volunteers are assigned to three-hour shifts starting at 8am and jobs range from purely administrative to “hands on”. Here is a brief description of the positions:
Scheduler: Greeting the pet owners and determining if they have an appointment. Getting their information and assigning them a number.
Check-In: Filling in an info sheet, weighing the animal and labeling a ID collar for the animal.
Pre-Op: Helps the Spay Panama assistant with shaving animal, cleaning area, clipping ear of cat or tattooing ear of dog.
Vet Tech: Helps vet by keeping table clean, swabs away blood, throws away soiled materials. NOT for the squeamish.
Post-Op: Cleans the incision, flea sprays, cleans ears, monitors animals’ recovery.
Taxi: A team to carry sedated animals to and from the operating tables.
Aftercare: Give pet owner a bag of food and a sheet of care instructions. Verbally go over key elements.
Drivers: Carry animals in crates and their owners to and from Casa Comunal. If you are not able to be a driver, but have a pickup to loan for the day, that works too!
Supplies Needed
The supplies most needed are the loan of dog and cat crates. These will be returned to you AFTER they have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Other things needed are a couple of big bags of dog food, cases of paper towels, and folding chairs. The weary volunteers need cases of bottled water and lunch.
If you have any help to offer or have any questions, please contact Mary Rhodes. Her cell phone is 6752-5815 and her email is
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 03 June 2008 10:46 |
