Thom and Connie's Challenge
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Thom and Connie's Cuale Clinic Challenge
Puerto Vallarta Mexico has an enormous problem with dog and cat overpopulation. There are so many who are homeless and living in the street. The Cuale Island in the center of the city has become a dumping ground for unwanted cats and baby kittens. As a result of Vallarta’s perfect year-round weather, the cats who survive breed up to four times a year so the island is continuously filled with more and more cats. Seeing this situation led local SPCA board member Luz Maria Wong to start a free spay and neuter clinic on the island.
Initially, the plan for the clinic was to provide surgeries for 30 animals on the first Sunday of each month. Locals usually have one day a week off, and it’s a Sunday. Word spread quickly so the number of animals doubled. A Facebook page was started in 2016 to promote the clinics, and it quickly became popular. By the end of 2016, the clinic had provided 665 surgeries. The numbers continued to grow in 2017 with several clinics reaching over 100 animals, so the total for the year was 880. This year, because we’ve become known as a high quality, high volume clinic, we’ve had overwhelming numbers, consequently we’ve had to begin turning people away. At this time we don’t have the resources to do more surgeries in a single day.
Since we’ve had to turn so many people away the past few months, we’ve decided to hold a second clinic this month. This will be a test for us in many ways. We have to find the funding for a second clinic because we pay professional veterinarians and vet techs to provide their services. We’ve had an increase in their fees this year as well as an increase in medical expenses such as injectable anesthesia, new stethoscopes and digital thermometers. It will be a test to see if a second clinic will be as well attended, and our volunteers’ stamina will also be tested as the clinics are long hard days. If the clinic numbers show that a second clinic is needed more often, we will consider holding two clinics a month during part of the year.
The clinic is extremely grateful to have Connie and Thom's support for future clinics and they have issued a match challenge to their friends.
More photos can be found here https://www.facebook.com/cualespayneuterclinics/
Puerto Vallarta Mexico has an enormous problem with dog and cat overpopulation. There are so many who are homeless and living in the street. The Cuale Island in the center of the city has become a dumping ground for unwanted cats and baby kittens. As a result of Vallarta’s perfect year-round weather, the cats who survive breed up to four times a year so the island is continuously filled with more and more cats. Seeing this situation led local SPCA board member Luz Maria Wong to start a free spay and neuter clinic on the island.
Initially, the plan for the clinic was to provide surgeries for 30 animals on the first Sunday of each month. Locals usually have one day a week off, and it’s a Sunday. Word spread quickly so the number of animals doubled. A Facebook page was started in 2016 to promote the clinics, and it quickly became popular. By the end of 2016, the clinic had provided 665 surgeries. The numbers continued to grow in 2017 with several clinics reaching over 100 animals, so the total for the year was 880. This year, because we’ve become known as a high quality, high volume clinic, we’ve had overwhelming numbers, consequently we’ve had to begin turning people away. At this time we don’t have the resources to do more surgeries in a single day.
Since we’ve had to turn so many people away the past few months, we’ve decided to hold a second clinic this month. This will be a test for us in many ways. We have to find the funding for a second clinic because we pay professional veterinarians and vet techs to provide their services. We’ve had an increase in their fees this year as well as an increase in medical expenses such as injectable anesthesia, new stethoscopes and digital thermometers. It will be a test to see if a second clinic will be as well attended, and our volunteers’ stamina will also be tested as the clinics are long hard days. If the clinic numbers show that a second clinic is needed more often, we will consider holding two clinics a month during part of the year.
The clinic is extremely grateful to have Connie and Thom's support for future clinics and they have issued a match challenge to their friends.
More photos can be found here https://www.facebook.com/cualespayneuterclinics/
Organiser
Glenda Bland
Organiser
Austin, TX
