Clinic Report, news and updates

[NewsLady]

 

On Sunday August 25, Amigos de Animales spayed or neutered 225 animals, 116 dogs and 109 cats. Our year to date total is now 1727 and the total since the beginning is 16,769. This month we had nine vets working; yes, nine! Dr Tello is training some new Panamanian vets in the specialized spay hook method so that they will be ready to work at our clinics in the future. Having all these vets working made for a very fast day, we were done by 4, even with Carmencita bringing in 14 more animals at 1pm. I can remember just a few years ago when we were at our old place, the former Sandwich Shop, and 100 animals would keep us until after dark. But one thing has never changed, fast or slow, and that is our emphasis on safety and care for the animals that are entrusted to us for these important services. Working in Registration has given me a new perspective on our clinics. I see how patient and kind and worried our patrons are as they check in and how pleased they are when they leave. They will invariably say thank you to us and say how appreciative they are for our services. This time there was a man who was not able to write or spell his name, so we witnessed his “X” on the signature line. But there he was with his beloved dog and was even able to pay in full. Seeing a man like that helps us realize just how far we have come into hearts and minds of the people of Boquete. Thanks to Andy Mitchell, our data processing at the clinic is going well. Even though he was not even at this clinic, he was available by phone and there to answer any questions or problems that had arisen during the day. And many thanks to Karen Salacki for being right there with us and trouble-shooting when needed. We said good bye to Sharon Szotak this month. She and George are heading to Tennessee to begin their new adventures there. Many thanks to Sharon for all her hard work with Animales over the years, we will miss you! We were also fortunate to have with us Nicholas Mellana, whose care and attention in Recovery triage has been such a wonderful asset to our clinics. We always learn something new when Nicholas is there and are further assured that the animals get the best in recovery. We have been fortunate in having Melanie Peters working in triage the past few months, though she is leaving soon to return to the US to care for her mother. Thank you and come back soon, Melanie. And of course, in attendance was Dra Chely. Dra Chely has been with us from the beginning in 2005 and in all those years, she has only ever missed one clinic! She is so important to Animales, both her work in Intake/Anesthesia at the clinic and her care and advice after the clinics to anyone who needs some extra help. Many thanks to Gia Cordero who has joined us at Intake. She just started at the July clinic and this month due to travels of some of the regulars, she found herself the most senior member of that station. She stepped up and did a great job as did some of the newbies who joined her. Thank you to Gia and Jeff and Craig and Gijs. Have you ever wondered where Carmencita goes after the clinic? This is often where she ends up later that night – with Gijs and Hanny at Casa de los Animales. She leaves the sick and homeless dogs with them knowing that they will get great medical care and hopefully new homes. Katrina Kneebone and the education team are continuing their work at the schools, albeit with a brief break the past couple weeks as the schools have been on vacation. Katrina tries to make her sessions understandable and relatable to her audience of 4th and 5th grade students. She started with a story about when she was small and had a pony to care for. She told the students that that was how she learned about the needs of animals, not just horses – that immediately captured the students’ attention; the children were interested and engaged thanks to her stories. Katrina is very patient with her students and takes the time to explain the whys as well as the hows of animal care. NEXT CLINIC Our next clinic will be Sunday September 29. To volunteer, contact Alicia at akcleavenger@hotmail.com Animales needs you! We are always looking for volunteers to work at the clinics, no experience needed, just a love of animals and a desire to make a difference in your community. To pre-register, and you must pre-register, go to our website at aadab.org and click on the Register Here button. Also you can contact Magaly at boqueteanimales@gmail.com or 6563-8686 for phone or whatsapp to request the link to register. We always appreciate any food donations to keep our vets and volunteers well fed. Thank you all for what you do. Together we are making a difference, Alicia McGuigan President, Amigos de Animales Thank you to our photographers, Fran Hogan and Cynthia Dunne. Both of them were so busy at the clinic, and the animals were coming in so fast, that they did not get as many photos usual. But what we have is wonderful and we greatly appreciate it! If you take a great shot at the clinc that you want to share, send it to me, Alicia, at akcleavenger@hotmail.com