Isla Holbox Spay/Neuter Project

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

2011-01-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

It is time to start thinking about 2011 clinics. Our clinics for 2011 will be held May 8, 9, 11, & 12. We hope to purchase another 30 spay packs, another autoclave and new clippers this year. Please consider a tax deductable donation to Isla Holbox Spay Neuter Project.

2010-12-17T20:35:00.001-08:00

Ed and I will be attending the Merida Clinic in January again. The goal this year is 1500 animals!!

2010 Clinics a Huge Success

2010-05-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

Our clinics for 2010 concluded on Wednesday May 12th. This year we were able to help 5 communities by providing free spay neuter services for their animals. The first two days of clinics our entire group was together in Kantunilkin. Kantunilkin is the government seat for the municipality of Lazaro Cardenas in the state of Quintana Roo. It has an estimated population of 6100 people.

We had many new volunteers this year so our first clinic on the 8th was a a training session for everyone as well as a very busy clinic. We altered 89 animals on May 8th. On the 9th the clinic ran like clock work with everyone understanding their jobs and getting right down to business. We unfortunately had fewer animals presented but were able to alter 68 animals during our second day.

May 10th is Mothers Day in Mexico and we always take the day off to rest and prepare for the next two days of clinics.

Tuesday we broke into two groups and headed to two small villages, Cedral and El Ideal. Both villages are Mayan. Maya is the common language in these villages. Many of the children are fluent in Spanish as well as Maya. Some also speak a little English. The dogs are very important to the Mayan people. They are greatly loved by their owners. The people and children were in and out of the clinics all day, as the doors were all open for ventilation. They find the whole process of our clinics very interesting. We make sure we treat the animals with respect as well as their owners. 54 animals were altered in El Ideal and 49 were altered in Cedral. On dog was sedated and had a growth removed from the corner of it's eye.

Wednesday the final day of clinics we again broke into two groups. One group went to Solferino and the other stayed on Holbox. We visited Solferino in 2008 but not in 2009. In Solferino the Ejido donates their building for us to use. It is a nice large area and well designed for a clinic space. 49 animals were altered in Solferino.

The Holbox clinic is held at Casa de Morelia. Morelia has done so much work on the house and grounds. There are many cages and carriers for the animals. The prep area is outside under a palapa roof, surgery is in the kitchen/living area and recovery is in a bedroom. The entire grounds are surrounded by a high fence so if an animal should become free of its carrier it can not escape. We altered 58 animals including a raccoon. We ran out of daylight and were not able to alter all of the rescued kittens that are currently being cared for by Morelia. The local vet on Holbox, Luis, will alter them next week.

We altered a total of 363 animals this year. We have left supplies so that at least 100 more can be altered in our absence. This was a very successful campaign.

2010 Clinic Underway

2010-05-09T04:53:00.000-07:00

This is a long over due update. We were so busy before we left that I just didn't a chance to write. We arrived on Holbox Monday May 3. For the first time all of our supplies were cleared through customs. We had one bag that was delayed but it was delivered to us on the 4th.

Friday evening we hosted a get together at the house we are staying in. Our good friends, Alejandro Vega and Elia brought many delicious snacks. They always are so supportive of our efforts and help us in many ways.

The weather is very hot and humid. Perfect for sitting on the beach or swimming a little hot for working.

The first two days our clinics are in Kantunilkin. Yesterday after a slow start the day went well. 89 animals were altered. It is so rewarding to have the opportunity to help these animals and people. We had many puppies brought to the clinic. They can now live a life without contributing further to the over population problem.

More later.

Planning Underway

2010-04-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

Our clinic is just a month away. We are busy ordering supplies and planning. This year Dr Marilyn and Dr Sherrie will again join us. They both have been with us every year. We can not thank them enough. The great staff from Planned Pethood Mexico in Merida, Drs. Tony, Nelson and Lilliana will also join us for the third year. Dr Aimee Castor from Seattle will come for the first time as will Dr Jeff Young from Colorado. Jeff and his organization Planned Pethood International support international spay neuter and has helped us from our conception. We are looking forward to a very productive clinic!!

Vanancio all grown up

2009-11-28T18:49:00.000-08:00

On our last evening in 2008 Morelia came with this little orphan racoon that had been brought to her as a rescue. Here is Vanancio now, grown up, neutered and a happy healthy house pet. Morelia has an amazing way with animals of all species.

Merida January 2010

2009-11-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

Planned Pethood Mexico is planning a BIG campaign in the Merida area January 11-15 2010. The goal is to alter 1000 animals in the 5 days of clinics. Dr Tony of Planned Pethood Mexico has helped with our clinics the last two years. Ed and I will travel to Merida in January and be honored to help with the clinic. It is so exciting to see so many efforts at spay neuter in Mexico!

2010 Planning Underway

2009-11-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

Our clinics for 2010 are again planned for May. Ed and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary May 8 by altering animals! This has become a tradition for us. Clinic dates will be May 8, 9, 11 and 12. Many of our volunteers from previous years will again join us. We always have a need for more help especially veterinarians and technicians. More surgeons will equate to more animals being altered.

Letter of Determination

2009-07-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

In March we applied for status as a public charity with the IRS. We had expected our letter of determination in May. IRS has had so many applications that instead of taking 60 days to process an application it is taking 120 days. July 13 our letter came and Isla Holbox Spay Neuter Project has been determined by the IRS to be a public charity. This is a huge step and relief.

Thank You!!

2009-05-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

The only way we can help the animals we help and have successful clinics is with the participation and support of our volunteers.

Our volunteers come from all walks of life. Some are veterinarians or veterinary technicians and many are just dedicated “animal people”. All contribute to our cause. This year I asked those coming from the Seattle area to carry supplies to Holbox. Everyone was willing to help. I believe everyone got stopped in customs and had to explain what they were bringing into Mexico.

Holbox is an amazingly beautiful island. It is the perfect vacation spot. The clinic days are not vacation days. We generally leave for the ferry by 7 or 8 AM. The buildings have to be transformed into clinics. It is often hot and dirty. The animals are covered in fleas and ticks. Surgery is difficult as animals are in poor condition and lighting is often minimal. We never know how many animals are going to show up or when. We work until all animals are altered.

Our volunteers were great. Everyone did an amazing job and was very professional. It became routine to think out of the box. The animals all received the best possible care under the circumstances.

Thank you Sherrie, Taylor, Marilyn, Mike, James, Andrea, Laura, Bridgett, Carole, Merilee, Ashley, Moon, Deb, Coley, Ed, Tony, Heraldo, Jessica, Luis, Nelson, Lillian, Morelia, Alejandra, Alejandro, Elia, Roddrigo, and everyone else invovled.

Delema

2009-05-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

Many of the animals that are presented for surgery are in very bad condition. They are malnourished and have an abundance of parasites, external as well as internal. The puppies are often extremely anemic and protein deficient. If these animals were presented for surgery at a clinic in the US they would be treated for these problems before being allowed to undergo the stresses of anesthesia and surgery. Our dilemma here is that there are no other options for these animals. We are here now and only have this one opportunity to spay neuter. If the animals are not altered while we are here they will be contributing to the overpopulation problem. This is one of the harsh realities. I believe we must take the risk and alter every animal we can at our clinics. Last year one dog died post surgery. The dog was an older female that was pregnant. She recovered but died during the night. Her owner was a little boy and he was devastated as was everyone involved. This year we lost two puppies during surgery. Neither animal was a good surgical candidate. Both were small, anemic and parasite ridden. Everyone involved was greatly upset. The owners of these puppies had been explained the risk and accepted the deaths. We altered many puppies that we were very worried about that survived surgery. It is an extremely hard choice to make. The answer is to have more spay neuter available to these communities. If we could arrange for a DVM to be here 3 or 4 times a year these animals could receive treatment for parasites and be better surgical candidates. The animals could be treated for parasites and then be altered in a month. This is of course what I am trying to set up. We have left supplies on Holbox including suture, 30 surgical packs, clippers, scrub, sterile drapes, sterile gloves, syringes and medications so animals can be altered by any visiting veterinarian.

Holbox Clinic May 12

2009-05-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

This sign was posted at Morelia's house the day of the clinic.

The check in area also provided space for animals to be examined before they entered the clinic grounds. Pets brought just for treatment of parasites were kept out of the clinic area.

Our prep area was outside under a blue tarp. As the day went on the wind blew and the tarp got lower and lower. We took the tarp down at dusk and continued to work well after dark.

Morelia's kitchen converted to surgery. Her pet raccoon, Vanezzio, watched surgery from a ledge under the ceiling. Vanezzio is the baby raccoon in the pictures from last year. He is now full grown and has been neutered. He is very active and into everything.

Moon, Laura and Carole in recovery. Recovery was in one of the bedrooms. The bed was moved out to the yard.

Prep in action. Bridgett on the left, Laura on the right.

Koki, the mayor, observing prep. It is so important to get the local governments involved in this project. Our way through customs could de made much easier with their participation. Koki was very supportive of our efforts and offered help. Our lunch was delivered by the police.

On Holbox we had a very long day. We altered 66 animals and treated over 130 for parasites. The reception area was so busy. Dr Tony and his team from Merida performed all of the exams and treated all of the animals for parasites. Animals kept arriving for surgery until 7:30 PM. Knowing this was their only chance to be altered this year we didn't want to turn any away.

Una Mas!

San Pedro

2009-05-14T05:42:00.000-07:00

Clients waiting for us to get started at our San Pedro clinic.

Reception

Check in was in a separate building. Carole was very fluent in Spanish and could talk to the clients.

The building that was used in San Pedro was full of benches and was a meeting hall of some sort. The volunteers had to move benches outside before they could set up the clinic. Building was spacious and provided lots of room for everyone.

Our much used, much abused autoclave. Being able to sterilize the instruments gave a greater feeling of security for our surgeons. many projects use cold sterile methods. We prefer to steam sterilize. The autocalve after this day had major issues. Ed was able to repair it and it continued to work for the rest of the clinics.

San Pedro has a population of about 250 people and we were told there were over 50 dogs that needed altering. Not all animals came and some that did come were just too small to withstand the surgery so they were turned away. 34 animlas were altered in San Pedro.

Esperanza

2009-05-13T20:39:00.001-07:00

Esperanza is a very small Mayan village. The main means of earning a living is by making and selling charcoal. A huge bag sells for 50 pesos, less than $4.

We had expected 10 dogs and had 34 presented for altering.

The building we were using as our clinic turned out to be a jail. The rooms had heavy doors made of bars.

The children had great smiles and were fascinated by what we were doing. They were given small pins with "Spay / Neuter" on them with a picture of cat in a nurses uniform. These were courtesy of Marilyn Christiansen, one of our doctors.

Our gracious hosts allowed the children to finish our lunch. That brought smiles all around. These little ones were all fluent in Mayan and Spanish. Some could even speak a little English.

The animals were delivered and picked up in whatever was available. Cats were often carried in open bags which made for an interesting time after surgery. We over used the cliche "don't let the cat out of the bag!"

We were told that the people were very curious about what we were doing. There has never been a clinic in this area to perform spay neuter for these animals. We were very well recieved and I believe we will be able to build on this next year.

Update

2009-05-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

Our clinics have been going very well. So far we have held clinics in Holbox, Kantunilkin, Chiquila, San Pedro and Esperanza. Sunday was to be a day off but there were cats that were trapped so Dr. Nelson, Dr. Lilliana and Dr. Luis Heroldo altered 13 cats. Each site is unique and offers its own challenges. Tomorrow for our last day we will all stay on Holbox and take care of the animals from the island. We have altered 180 animals in our clinics. It is amazing what a community effort these clinic are. I will add a review of each clinic as soon as I can. We have been working such long hours that it is hard to spend much time trying to write. The autoclave has become a little unhappy so we are having to coax it along. This takes time, energy and patience! Tonight we are trying to trap small black cat that has been around Casa Iguana. I think everyone will be happy to stay on Holbox tomorrow.

Chiquila

2009-05-10T13:56:00.001-07:00

Our transportation to the clinic site

Our clinic site - a school

School before we transform it to a clinic.

Prep Area

Surgery, note the faces at the window

Recovery

The ferry for Holbox leaves from the little village of Chiquila. There are many fisherman and small boats used as private launches to Holbox. The pictures above show our clinic space that was a local school. This building worked great for our clinic. We had three separate rooms so we could keep our admit, surgery and prep areas separate. Recovery was able to share the room with prep. As at all of the clinics the children line the windows to watch the us. They are fascinated by our care of the animals. There were only 20 dogs presented for altering in Chiquila. We had expected many more but after the previous day didn't mind an easy day.

Off to Chiquila

2009-05-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

We were up at 6AM, got the autocalving done and supplies pack for todays clinic in Chiquila. The whole group will be there as that is the only clinic today. Many animals in Chiquila. Have to catch an 8:30 boat. More tonight.

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-05-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

Ed and I are celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary today. And celebrate we did. As my last post mentioned we were up early to start our clinics. We had a great day. In Holbox the clinic was not advertised and the goal was free roaming cats. A few cats were brought to us in traps which we had left on the island. One cat that was trapped didn't need surgery and was saved the risks of anesthesia because he had an ear tip. That is so great, an ear tip on Holbox! Morelia has trapped, ear tipped and altered cats since our last clinic. Only 17 animals today on Holbox, but clinics are planned on Holbox again on Monday. Kantunikin was a very full long clinic. Sixty three animals were altered to day in Kantunilkin. Mainly we altered female dogs. I believe there were 4 cats and 4 or 5 male dogs. Wow! A long day for our 3 veterinarians. Last dog was off the table at about 8:30 PM. Over 12 hours of surgery were performed and 80 animals altered. Many animals were presented to the clinic just for treatment of mange, fleas and parasites. In addition to the medical treatments animals went home decked out in new collars and leads. The smiles on the faces were ear to ear. As usual we had many children watching us and asking questions. A truly great day.
Tonight our dear friends Alejandro and Elia of the Tarpon Club had the whole group for a very late dinner on the beach. Fresh ceviche, guacamole as appetizers, then fried sea trout, rice, black beans and salad. A true feast, topped off with a delicious cake. Thank you Elia and Alejandro.

Underway

2009-05-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

Our first day of clinics is underway. We just delivered volunteers and supplies to the dock for the trip to Kantunilkin. The majority of the group will go to Kantunilkin as there are many animals in need of altering. I will stay here on Holbox with Dad and the doctors from Merida. Once they are familiar with the anesthesia I will head for Kantunilkin. Time to start, more later.

More Fun With Aduana

2009-05-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Dr. Taylor, Dr. Marilyn, Moon, Laura, Andrea and Bridgett all arrived. Marilyn was the only one that had problems in customs. Customs confiscated all of the rabies vaccines, all of the flea products and all of the deworming products. What they allowed through with various people seems totally random. They started out telling Marilyn that they would charge her duty for the donated collars and leads- $2 per leather collar and $1 per nylon collar. Once they got involved confiscating all of the vaccine and flea product they decided that it wasn't necessary to charge duty. Truly seems like who is in charge when you go through customs is what is important not what you are bringing through. The officials were aware that there was a list and Marilyn's name was listed. So Morelia today on top of everything else has to go back to Cancun and get the confiscated items from customs.

Coatimundi

2009-05-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Last year when we first started to organize this project Morelia asked if we could alter raccoons. There are many raccoons on the island and they eat the sea turtle eggs. Wisely my vets declined. This year there is a tame coatimundi that needs to be neutered. Dr. Marilyn is game so we will do it. I understand from Dr. Kamaka, an exotic specialist in Kirkland, that our anesthetic procedure will be fine. Should be interesting!

Meeting

2009-05-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

We came home from dinner tonight to a message on our door that we had a meeting at the alcalde at 8:30. Morelia and Alejandra wanted to inform the mayor, Koki, of the clinics and enlist his support. We met with him for about 30 minutes. He was very supportive and offered any help that we needed. I think we are official now!!

More good news tonight as our first volunteers Dr. Sherrie, Mike and Carole arrived with all their supplies. They were pretty loaded down as they were bringing supplies from volunteers that had decided not to come due to the flu scare. Everything came through customs without a problem except for boxes of donated outdated antibiotics.

Missy Young from Animal Talk was unable to join us this year but she collected and sent down collars and leads for the dogs. Dogs will be given a new collar to wear home after their surgery. Thank you Missy!

Planning

2009-05-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

I just spent an hour with Morelia. She has been talking to the various villages. Everyone is so anxious for us to come and help. We will be going to Holbox, Chiquila, Solferino, Kantunilkin, San Pedro and Esperanzo. Two more villages than last year. They estimate in San Pedro, a village of 200 people, there are 50 dogs that need altering. I always begin to worry at this point that I didn't bring enough supplies. I know we will have plenty of suture and flea control thanks to a very generous donation . I always worry about other supplies and anesthetic agents. We will do as many animals as possible.

It's Here!!

2009-05-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend Alejandro Vega invited us for dinner tonight at his house. As I left Casa Iguana I told Freddie that Morelia might bring our supplies and to put them in Casa Principal, our home in Holbox. We came home to our supplies! Yea. What a great surprise. It looks like everything came through without any problem. Tomorrow we will reassemble the autoclave and start organizing our supplies. We hope to set up clinics in two locations each day. This means I will have to have two cases packed with everything needed. For the last 5 days I have done nothing except lay in the sun and read. Tomorrow I get to start organizing for the clinics. This is great!

No News

2009-05-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

We believe Morelia went to Cancun today as she could not go yesterday. So far no news if she was successful retrieving our supplies. We are keeping our fingers crossed. More as soon as we have news.

Good News

2009-04-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow our supplies are to be released from customs in Cancun. This is good news! The clinic will go on!

Morelia

2009-04-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

We met with Morelia last night. What an amazing person she is. Her house and yard are full of rescued animals. Puppies, cats, pelicans, and a full grown raccoon getting onto everything. Hard to have a conversation while you are watching all these species play together. Everyone is getting along and full of love for the others. The two trouble makers are the raccoon and a basset puppy.
Morelia will contact customs today. She has all the paperwork from Mexico City and knows all the officials to contact. She feels she can get our bags back without a problem. Things are looking up!! The sun is shining!!

Customs

2009-04-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Last year we were worried about getting through customs and of course had our drugs confiscated. The confiscated drugs were not controlled but were taken never the less. This year I divided the items concerned between everyone coming down from the Seattle area so if there was an issue perhaps some items would get through and we could reorder what didn't make it. I never dreamed that this year customs would decide that everything involved with the clinic was medical equipment and could not be allowed in to the country. We had 2 large bags and a cat trap full of all of the supplies. Everything was confiscated. There were 32 spay packs, the autoclave, gauze, sterile paper drapes, suture, needles, syringes,flea spray, plastic containers, catheter plugs, nolvasan, and everything else required for our clinic. I have a meeting with Morelia tonight to begin the process of getting everything out of impoundment. The officials said it would require a letter (not sure from whom) which seems pretty simple except this country is in the midst of a flu epidemic and the government has bigger worries than a small spay neuter clinic. I will add more as soon as I know more.

We Are On Our Way!!

2009-04-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

It is 8:04 AM and we are at Sea Tac awaiting our flight to Cancun. Hard to imagine that in 6 hours we will be warm having left this cold, rainy climate behind. All supplies have been divided amongst volunteers coming from Washington. Our letter providing clearance through customs didn't arrive so all injectables face confiscation again. This year the packing and preparation went so much smoother. So all is ready and well. Well almost, as there is this one little issue called Swine Flu that has really gotten everyone's attention. Of all the things that could affect this trip and project I never dreamed of having to worry about an epidemic of flu. Time will tell if everyone can come as planned to help. I think the next week will be very interesting. If all goes well our clinic will be filmed by Jean Anderson who is an amateur maker of documentary films. I will try to update the blog frequently.

Animals like this little girl need our help.

2009-03-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

Seven Weeks and Counting......

2009-03-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

In just seven weeks we will be in the midst of our second clinic. There is so much to get done in such a short amount of time. I have managed to get a few major tasks accomplished. The IRS form 1023 has been submitted. We are awaiting our determination letter. Our first appeal letter went out last week and donations are coming in. Supplies have been ordered and are stacked all over the house. Surgical instruments have arrived but need to be taped for identification, organized, put in sleeves and autoclaved. Surgical drapes need to cut, packaged and autoclaved. Roddrigo has offered to transport some supplies to Holbox for us, including the autoclave. This will save extra baggage charges. Supplies must be packed and shipped to his home in El Paso.

Our most pressing need is for funds to cover the costs of the surgical packs and supplies. Please consider sending a donation to:

Isla Holbox Spay Neuter Project

33925 Eglon RD NE

Kingston WA 98346

Our Logo

2009-01-14T17:58:00.000-08:00

Thank you MaryAnn Davis!!

Wish List for 2009 and Beyond

2009-01-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

Isla Holbox Spay Neuter Project is now a Nonprofit Corporation in the State of Washington. This will allow donors to receive tax credit for donations.

Wish List for 2009

Non-disposable supplies to remain on Holbox

· Endotracheal Tubes: 3 each of sizes 3 mm to 11 mm (.5mm increments) $2-$6 each
· Canine Spay Packs: 1-20 $100-$300 each (depending on quality)
· Feline Spay Packs: 1-10 $100-$400 each (depending on quality)
· Oster A5 Turbo 2 Speed Clippers: 2 pairs $160 each
· #40 Blades for A5 clippers: 6 blades $21 each
· Thoracic positioners: 2 sets $86 each
· Assorted Carriers and cages

Disposable Supplies

· Nolvasan Solution
· Nolvasan Surgical Scrub
· Syringes 3cc, 10cc, 20cc
· Needles 22 gauge
· Gauze squares
· Surgical gloves size 6– 7 ½
· Alcohol
· Scalpel blades
· Suture material (absorbable, synthetic, monofilament 2-0, 3-0 like Monomend MT)
· Towels
· Frontline Plus
· Revolution
· Ivermectin
· Surgical Tissue Adhesive

Clinic Dates 2009

2009-01-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

Our plans for 2009 are well under way. The clinic dates will be May 8, 9, 11 and 12. May 10 is Mexican Mothers Day so we will not hold a clinic that day. Morelia would like to see us concentrate on the towns on the mainland. Having just returned from Holbox and having seen more cats then ever before I hope also to target TNR on the island. Please contact me if you would like to help in any way.

We Have An Autoclave!!

2008-10-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

Dave Shipe, General Manager of Les Wilkins and Associates, donated an electric autoclave to the Holbox Spay Neuter Project. No more using the pressure cooker on a hot plate at midnight to prepare for the next days clinic. No more burning of instruments in a heat only sterilizer. No more cancellation of surgeries due to a lack of sterile packs. Thank you Dave and Les Wilkins.

Time to plan 2009

2008-08-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

It is time to start planning next year’s Holbox clinic. I am tentatively planning the first week of May for the clinic. April might be cooler but April is high or middle season and May is low. Also Easter is in April this year and that is a busy time in Mexico. So it is looking like May again.

This next year I hope to:

Increase the number of animals treated

Have teams alternate days (1 or 2 days of surgery, 1 day off)

Encourage technicians to accompany vets

Target free roaming cats on Holbox

Try to treat for parasites and erhlichia before clinic

Better utilization of volunteers

Purchase autoclave

Better stock of basics (syringes, fluids, antibiotics)

Purchase trach tubes for clinic to be left with supplies on Holbox

Again provide basic veterinary care and surgery for surrounding Mayan communities

I will plan on using same anesthetic protocol.
Flea / tick control and rabies vaccines will be given.
Everyone will be responsible for their own expenses again.
Morelia will be our contact person. She is a vital asset to the success of the clinics.

Funding is an issue. Expenses last year were over $4000 (many items were left on Holbox and will be used this year) and so far I have received $2690 in donations. This year expenses should be considerably less assuming the suture and supplies left on Holbox are still usable (I expect them to be as long as there isn’t a hurricane!). I had hoped to be able to purchase instruments to be left on Holbox but I don’t see how that will happen this year. I haven’t pursued a 501c3 status. I would really like to become a “chapter” of a existing group rather than set up another 501c3. I’m not sure this will work but seems like the easiest (and cheapest) approach right now. There is another group Spayucatan (www.spayucatan.org) that is active on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula that I have recently contacted.

Please offer any advice or help that you can.

Great Volunteers

2008-06-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

It is definitely time to say thank you to all our volunteers. This picture was taken after the clinic in Kantunilkin on Sunday. Unfortunately some people had already left and are not pictured.
So THANK YOU all. Our veterinarians: Kate Schubert, Sherry Crow, Marilyn Christensen, Kimberly Dauphin, Melanie deHaan, Antonio Rios, Dr Eddie from Tiziman; our technicians Caitlin Schreiner, Abbie DeLeers and Angie; all our assistants: John (translator extraordinaire), Natasha Zweig(translator extraordinaire), Missy Young, Alex, Anna, Ashley Eastway, Harriet Johnson (instrument diva!!), Thad DeLeers, Liz, Ed and Coley Aldrich. Our contacts in Mexico were Morelia Montes, Gabby, Gloria, and Roddrigo. Our good friends, Elia and Alejandro Vega of the Tarpon Club, were who we emailed anytime we were panicking before the clinic. There is no way this clinic would have run as smoothly as it did without each and everyone who helped. Thank you!!!

Disclaimer

2008-06-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Isla Holbox Spay/Neuter project is not associated with Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project. I am the clinic director for Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project and I pattened the Holbox clinic after FCS/NP but there is no association between the two. Just didn't want there to be any confusion on that point.

People do care

2008-06-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have heard it said many times that animals are not cared for in Mexico. I can truly say that the owners we met do care greatly for their animals. The problem is there are NO OPTIONS for care. There are no veterinarians in this area. The closest veterinarian is 1½ hours away. To control population animals are poisoned or puppies and kittens are killed at birth. This is not done out of cruelty. These people have no options. People want to do what is humane. We can and must provide them with options. We will make a huge difference in this area by providing basic medical care and spay neuter services.

Due to the generosity of our donors and volunteers we were able to alter 151 animals in 3 days. We treated many animals for parasites (internal and external) and gave rabies vaccines. At least one broken leg was set and a number of animals were treated for other issues. Supplies and medications were sent to Playa del Carmen for the altering of beach cats and kittens at Peanuts Animal Shelter. Supplies were also left on Holbox for future spay neuter clinics.

I believe this to be a very successful first endeavor. There will be another clinic next spring if not before. I am currently trying to figure out how to do more. I will be trying to secure 501c3 status this next year. I believe the ideal situation in these remote areas would be a mobile unit for surgery. Animals were not transported to us in cars but were carried, led or came on modified tricycles. There are so many little villages that need spay neuter to come to them. The areas that we set up surgery in were very basic. If we had a surgery unit that had surgery table(s), gas anesthesia, an autoclave and heating/air conditioning we could do so much in the remote areas. This is my goal.

Playa del Carmen - Help Needed

2008-06-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

On April 14th I received the following Email:

Hi Kim:
By a common friend in the island of Holbox, Morelia Montes, I got word that you will be traveling to the island to perform volunteer veterinary services in the community. She recommended you and took the liberty to give me your name and address. Maybe you might help us.
We live in Playa del Carmen, in Playacar, and we have a growing community of stray beach cats that wander around and are friendly to some of us. We are trying to neuter them, vaccine them and make aids tests (some have tasted positive), but there are lots of them, it´s too expensive because there aren´t enough volunteers to raise funds to cover these costs. We do have competent vets, but too many homeless cats. And we definitely want to have a healthy and controlled population. Because we love cats, and because we want to preserve our environment.

Would you be willing to come to Playa del Carmen when you come to Holbox? In such case, what do you need, and how many people in your party? Where would you perform the operations? etc. We will do our best to provide with whatever you need.
We are looking forward to hear from you and would appreciate your help very very much.

Thank you in advance, for this favor.

Sincerely,
Nelly.

How do you reply to such a plea? "No" has never been a word that I use in regards to animals in need. So I said I would work on this request. What I finally came up with was for me to send extra supplies to the group to help them alter the beach cats and care for the kittens in Peanuts Animal Shelter. I had originally planned to travel to Playa and take supplies. That evolved into Morelia connecting with them after my departure and delivering supplies. I believe they will also get our drugs that were confiscated in customs.

So today I received this email:
Dear Edson, Kim, and all the staff of feral cat project:

I want to thank you, in the name of the volunteer cat rescue team of Playa del Carmen, for your generous support in Playa del Carmen. Kim left a boz if important supplies for us in Holbox, plus a good amount of medication that will help us operate about 100 cats. With the help of two veterinarias who will be working for free, and the trapping and transport that Kelley and Laura will do, we will surely (in the long run)have a healthier and controlled population. Morelia also offered to lend us a couple of traps, which will make the catch easier.
We hope that in the future you can come and visit us in Playa del Carmen, where we are still offering you our home.
We heard that your clinic in the area of Holbox was a success.
Congratulations! You deserve all our respect. With such works, you will definitely save the planet.
Thank you again, and have a wonderful day.
Nelly and Ivan, Kelley and David, Laura, Claudia, Morelia, and volunteers.
Thank

This is so great. We need to help local groups alter animals. The need is so great and PEOPLE WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING. THOSE THAT CAN MUST PROVIDE OPTIONS!!

Sunday

2008-06-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

I decided Sunday we needed a later start. What I hadn't realized was how long it would take us to get to Kantunilkin and get organized. Consequently we didn't start surgery till close till noon. We had decided to only alter males due to a lack of drugs and sterile packs. There were only 14 dogs requiring altering before lunch. We inventoried supplies and packs and decided after lunch we could alter 5 females and 10 males. We had a great lunch in a nice restaurant in Kantunilkin. Dr. Eddie joined us and brought coconut ice cream. What a treat!! After lunch there were only 4 dogs waiting for surgery. 18 animals altered but 25 total seen and treated for fleas, sarcoptic mange or given rabies vaccines. An easy day for all. Headed back to Holbox during daylight and in time for a nice dinner.

Saturday

2008-06-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday the group headed for Solferino. Dr. Kate and I stayed on Holbox to alter cats. We had two cats delivered to us in pillow cases. The kitchen counter in our unit at Casa Iguana served perfectly as a surgery table. Both kitties were female and some what tame. Surgery went well and when the kitties were recovered Kate and I headed for the ferry to join the group in Solferino. We missed the ferry so hopped a small boat across laguna and took a taxi from Chiquila to Solferino. The clinic was set up in the ejido building. Check in was in the adjacent town square and recovery was next door to the ejido building. There was plenty of room for everyone!! 50 animals were altered in Solferino plus the 2 cats on Holbox. Not a bad day. Got back to Holbox late and faced preparing packs for Sunday. We were out of xylazine for the TKX cocktail (still no drugs fron customs) so decided to just alter males on Sunday in Kantunilkin. Suggested a later start as everyone was pretty tired after two days.

Friday Clinics

2008-05-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Morelia Montes is the go to person on Holbox when an animal needs help. She was our community contact and organized the clinics here in Mexico. She spent many hours explaining the need for spay neuter to the local communities and recruiting volunteers to help us. On Holbox without advertising she had 60 animals signed up for surgery. She asked for 5 teenagers to help at the clinics and got 45. These kids were organized to provide all types of support for us. They collected towels from the local hotels, made sandbags, trapped cats on Holbox, cleaned instruments during the clinic, and provided help in many ways. They seemed to enjoy helping and were very interested in what we were doing with the animals.

Friday morning May 17 we were scheduled to hold surgery in Holbox and Chiquila. Half of our group left for Chiquila on the 7 AM ferry. It was soon discovered that the only xylazine was in Chiquila. Luckily there is now cell phone service on the island and a phone call soon had some xylazine coming to Holbox. We set up our clinic in a small house on the main road from the port. The house served our needs well. Quarters were somewhat tight with 3 surgery tables but very adequate. We had a bathroom, a refrigerator and kitchen area for cleaning instrumants. Our patients were admitted and waited for surgery on the covered porch area. We had a number of dogs and cats waiting for us in the morning. Once we got started the day went very smooth. Morelia had arranged for fresh fruit and yogurt at 10 AM and there was a big cooler (provided by Tarpon Club) full of drinking water. At the end of the day we were treated to a delicious fish lunch at a local restaurant

Thanks to a donation from Missy Young of Animal Talk Rescue we brought down and left on the island 10 cat traps. The kids trapped and brought us cats all day. They were so excited when they arrived at the clinic with the cats. We were able to alter all animals presented. We altered 46 on Holbox Friday.

The group that went to Chiquila had a much different experience. They were in a school building that was quite large but needed quite a bit of set up. I will try to get someone from the Chiquila group to outline the day. 33 animals were altered in Chiquila.

I was very pleased with how the first day of clinics ran. Our animals all recovered well and went home without apparent issues. The caretakers were very thankful for our services.

Quick Update

2008-05-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

I had planned to update every day after each clinic. Of course that didn´t happen. We typically arrived back on Holbox exhausted, dirty, hot and faced getting the next clinic organized. So no time to blog. The clinics went amazingly well. We altered about 150 animals in three days of clinics. That of course did not scratch the surface. Perhaps the most important aspect of the clinics was the introduction of spay neuter to small villages. We were very well received. People want to do the right thing by their pets. They must be presented with opportunities and options.

Holbox is experiencing an unusually hot May. Every day it has been at least 90. This made conditions very difficult for all volunteers from the northern climates! I want to thank every one involved with the project. Every person who came contributed. Thank you. I will recap each clinic in more detail soon.

Worries Justified

2008-05-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

Monday night after a very busy day at the FCSNP clinic we left for Holbox via Maiami. Had an uneventful flight. We flew Alaska Air to Miami and everyone was very nice. I had weighed and rearranged luggage until I was overweight on only one bag. Unfortunatly my scale did not agree with the Alaska scale and we were over weight in 3 bags. Customer service was fantastic and we were only charged for one bag. Thank you Alaska Air!! We arrived in Cancun on time, went through immigration and onto customs. As bad luck would have it they were checking all bags via xray. Our bags went through, stopped, reversed, went back through and got pulled. I was asked if I had medicines in the bags and I answered yes. We were informed that everything was going to be searched and confiscated. A very nice man from SARGARPA came and asked me to show all medictions. I pulled out everything he inspected it and confiscated all injectable meds. So good by to Propofol, atropine, ivermectrine, yobine, xylazine, antibiotics, lidocaine. The official was very apologetic and went to his superior but they insisted all be impounded. He gave me the information to apply for proper import papers from Mexico City. The irony of this is that after our group went through they stopped using the xray machine to expediate the process of entry. Major bad luck!!

So plan b is under way. Drugs are being replaced by Dr. Tony and paper work is being submitted to retrieve our drugs.

Have had a very productive day organzing details with Morelia. Melanie , John, Angie and Natasha are here and helping. John and Natasha are great translators!!

More later.

Border worries

2008-05-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

I have been optimistic about getting our supplies into Mexico. An email Wednesday warned me that our supplies might be confiscated at the border. Panic!! I have spent the day calling and visiting US Customs and trying to gather information for Mexican customs. I am happy to report that I have made headway and think all will be well.

I want to thank MWI Veterinary Supply for the donations they made to the project. MWI has been a big supporter of Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project. When I called Bob Piovesan and told him about the Mexico plans he immediately offered supplies. This has been a great help. Thank You Bob and MWI!!

Tomorrow finish packing, autoclaving and paperwork.

2008-05-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

ISLA HOLBOX
Spay/Neuter Project

For several years we have been visiting Isla Holbox, a remote island 150km NW of Cancun. It has been a goal to sponsor a Spay/ Neuter clinic on Holbox. While visiting over Christmas the clinic began to take shape.

On May 16, 17, and 18, 2008 my dream becomes a reality. A group of veterinarians and technicians will participate in a free Spay/Neuter clinic for the dogs and cats of Holbox and surrounding communities in Quintana Roo. Our goal is to help alleviate the overpopulation problem in a humane manner. The nearest veterinarian is 1½ hours away and will join us. Pet overpopulation has often been dealt with by poisoning unwanted animals.

Ed, Dad and I leave Monday night for Isla Holbox. Many loose ends to attend to before then. Tomorrow a trip to customs to make sure all paperwork is in order. Weekend will be filled with packing and consolidating equipment and supplies.