I am SO excited about the up and coming campaign April 29th, 30th and May 1st, 2016 in Cancun, Mexico.  We are aiming to spay and neuter 400 to 500 dogs and cats in 3 days.  It won’t be easy, but it can be done!  Long hours, lots of work and thankfully the dedicated vets from Vets in Action will be on the scene operating non stop. 

Save our Scruff, one of my rescue partners in Canada is funding and bringing down supplies and volunteers for the campaign.  It is a LOT of work from coordinating flights, who’s bringing down what, where are they going to stay, what is every one going to eat and drink, where are we hosting the campaign… its a lot of work, but it will be WELL worth it!

Did you know that one litter of pups can produce 63,000 puppies?  That is a LOT.  Cats, are even higher!  With the amount of animals on the streets in Mexico, spay and neuter IS the only solution.  You can’t turn a corner without seeing a homeless dog or cat.  There used to be campaigns up to twice a year in Cancun but that has not happened in a couple of years now and I am so worried that all the work that was done over those years will quickly and easily be undone.  And it will, if we dont hurry up and get back on the campaign track.  I was so excited when S.O.S brought up possibly doing a campaign, at the time it was just an idea they threw out at me and I took it and RAN with it haha!  I know it will be a great success as the Vets in Action team are amazing local surgeons with excellent training in low cost, less invasive, teeny tiny incisions which makes recovery and healing shorter and FAST surgical techniques thanks to Planned Pethood International and the Spay and neuter guru himself Dr. Jeffrey Young.  Dr. Jeff has travelled the world teaching his techniques for years.  I am so greatful to be able to work with such a great team of vets headed by Dr. Luis.  This campaign WILL prevent a lot of suffering and poor little lives from being born to suffer.

During this campaign, we will be providing the dogs and cats with all their injections, AND dewormer and flea and tick meds.  This makes the cost per surgery approximately $30 per animal.  We are using only the BEST injectable antibiotics and meds we can buy.  IF there are enough funds left, we will also be buying vaccinations in bulk to also give FOR FREE.  After all, we do want the animals to have the best recovery and live long, healthy, non puppy and kitty producing lives.  If you would like to sponsor a dog or cat surgery, you can do so via Paypal at donations@allpetsdeservevets.org  Please specify in your donation that you are a dog or kitty sponsor.  I will be SURE to send you a photo and basic information on the dog or cat that was spayed and neutered thanks to your donation!

Some of the things we will be doing for the animals as they come through the clinic are;

Basic examination,  surgery, nails clipped, ears cleaned, ticks and fleas picked and meds applied, fur brushed, the badly matted dogs will get a nice shave in recovery while they are still sleeping, for those animals that come in with leashes or collars fashioned out of anything from wire, seatbelts, chains, rope – will be fitted with a leash and collar to take home.  The volunteers will be working along side the owners in recovery, showing them the basics on animal care.  The education here for owners is very low.  We will be working with the locals to help change that.

We are currently looking for corporate sponsors as well for the campaign to help us cover the costs of the supplies and other things needed, like lunches and cold drinks for the vets and volunteers.  If you are interested in becoming a corporate sponsor for the campaign, please write me at pamela@allpetsdeservevets.org  We will be advertising the campaign internationally, and will include your logo on ALL our campaign fliers, news updates, facebook pages and MORE. 

For those of you who would like to donate items, here is a general list of items that we will be needing.  Please contact me to arrange to have these items brought down, if you are donating from Canada or the USA.

Surgical Clinical Items

• Surgical drape or surgical gowns (we cut gowns and make our own drape)
• Sterile pouches (envelopes) for packing drape and gauze into to be sterilized for surgeries.
• Syringes 1 ml and 3 ml with 22 gauge to 24 gauge needles
• Surgical gloves sizes 6.5 to 8
• Examination gloves sizes medium and large
• Cold sterile/chlorhexidine
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Alchohol
• Surgical masks/hats
• Sleeves of 4×4 gauze
• Intubation tubes sizes 3 to 8.5 (with the bulb working)
• Catheters 20 gauge to 24 gauge
•  Tape
• Suture – suture material is REALLY important.  We can only use the best absorbable suture as many of these dogs do go back to dirt floors.  The suture we need is pds/monocryl 0 to 3-0.  We can use braided vicryl, (same sizes) but only internally as the braided suture can trap in dirt and increase the chances of infection. Reels are also excellent as we can swag our own suture onto syringe needles.  Expired suture is accepted as we test the strength before surgery.

Non Surgical Items

• Collars and leashes all sizes
• Cones- all sizes
• Food and water bowls
• Eye drop lubricant for cats
• Collapsible wire crates all sizes
• Transport crates sizes medium to extra large
• Puppy X pens
• Bathing mitts
• Shampoos – medicated and non medicated
  
• Flea and tick meds
• Heartworm medication
• Dewormer
• Towels, blankets, bedsheets, pillow cases, old bath mats
• Dog shirts and sweaters
• Dog nail clippers
• Clippers!  We are always in need of professional clippers for prepping dogs for surgery and for shaving down the really matted dogs whose owners can’t afford grooming services.

If you have anything you would like to donate for the campaign, or not sure of how you can help please do not hestitate to contact me! 

I cannot wait for campaign day.  These campaigns are SO addictive!  Once you’ve participated in one… you are hooked for life.  I know I am.  I am hoping though, that within my lifetime, I can see a Cancun that no longer NEEDS spay and neuter campaigns.  It CAN and WILL happen, but it can’t happen without the support and dedication of volunteers and sponsors. 

While we all wait for this campaign to kick off… here are some adorable photos of my daughter Kathryn with puppies.  These puppies are lucky because they found their way here.  They will never spend a day of their life suffering or having to survive without, as their momma has had to experience in her life.  Please help us to stop the overpopulation and end the suffering the unlucky ones face.  We can be the change.  We can make a difference and the only way we will do it is together!

Pamela

Ms. Ears! I could go on for HOURS about this little spitfire and the antics her and Bolillo got up to at my friend Rebeccas house. There wasn’t a dog or pup she didn’t try to make friends with but wow, could she go. She has little dog syndrome for sure haha! She was brought to me by her owner who had her locked up in a bathroom for MONTHS. She was too much for him and his dog according to him. I did make sure he understood that walking her and lots of toys was the solution so she wasn’t always all over his other dog who could not stand Ears energy, also, sterilizing her… but he did not want this girl anymore. Education is so needed down here.  I do what I can, but more needs to be done! Ms. Ears is one of the MOST unique pups I have ever seen.  She has the fur and markings very similar to a sheppard pup, but she’s a fully grown little chihuahua cross. What she is crossed with is any ones guess but wow. She is stunning. Ms. Ears, along with a lot of the pups and dogs that are rescued here are taken into foster through one of my rescue partners, Save Our Scruff in Toronto, Ontario. They are placed into foster care, until the perfect home is found! Ms. Ears was of course, a foster fail and she is now officially the Princess Pooch of Michael and Jim!  Congratulations to Ms. Ears (now Bella) and her new Dads. I could not be happier for them or her! She has settled in well, adjusted to the snow, is all over them (literally) for cuddles and snuggles and entertains them daily with her silly girl antics. Since the owner lied to me about her age, we had to guess based on her teeth and she was about 8 months of age upon intake.  Her parents have chosen TODAY as her official birthday so please join me in wishing her a Happy Birthday with many, MANY, happy years to come. I am so glad to be connected to her new family and be able to watch her as she grows into the amazing dog she will be.  If you want to watch her with me, you can follow her on instagram @bellabellacoachella Thank you to EVERYONE who helped me to help Bella.  From rides to the airport, fostering, donations for food and vetting.  Together, we helped the world because we have one less dog in need. Ears, my little stinker, I am so proud of you and happy for you.  I love you always! ~ Momma Pam

What a crazy two weeks! 

First, for those of you reading this on our facebook page, please be patient.  My posts post automatically from the website (great time saver!) but facebook does not recognize the enter button so it posts my posts as one gigantic paragraph.  To read it the way it is meant to be seen (with ALL the photos!), please scroll down to the link below!  I have a LOT to update and pictures to show!

 

Update 1.  This is my favorite.  All Pets Deserve Vets and Save Our Scruff based in Toronto, Ontario is teaming up to bring a FREE 3 day spay and neuter campaign to Cancun!  The dates are April 29, 30 and 1st of May!  We are teaming up with a local team of skilled vets, Vets In Action and aim to spay and neuter 100 dogs and cats per day! That will prevent THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of animals from being born just to suffer.   Save Our Scruff (SOS) is raising the funds currently and looking for volunteers to come down!  Spaces are limited and support is GREATLY needed!  If you are local here in Cancun and wish to help or donate, please contact me directly!   If you are out of the Cancun area and would like to help out in ANY way, please contact SOS via their website Here! 

Update 2.  We have a NEW Momma and 4 puppies here!  My great friend Irene, who has worked in dog rescue for years down here… she called me to tell me about a litter of pups and a darling sweet momma at the car ferry in Punta Sam.  She was very worried about their safety and thankfully, I had the space and resources to be able to take them in.  The momma is young.  Maybe a year and a half old.  She is super intelligent and very sweet.  She will get adopted so quickly once her and her babies are ready!  I really hopes she passes all of her traits onto the pups!  She house trained herself in hours.  (She sits at the kitchen gate to let me know when she wants out to do her business).  She is constantly caring for, watching over, snuggling, cleaning her puppies.  She sits right away when she approaches you for pets or hugs.  Every photo I take of her, she is ALWAYS smiling!  Yet another street dog with the sweetest personality, is a street dog.  I cannot understand why.  Oh well, no point looking back only forward!  She has all the opporunities in the world now!  Momma and her puppies will ALL end up in loving, caring forever homes now!  no more sleeping out on the street for these lucky 5!  This momma needs a name so if you have ANY ideas please send them to me!

Update 3.  The reason I have been so busy and unable to update is this past week we helped in sending out 10 dogs to Canada for adoption in 7 days!  I recently connected with Dr. Luis Moncada, a skilled spay and neuter king and head vet of the Vets Association here in Cancun.  I did not know that he cared for a shelter of 70 dogs!  I was totally blown away and so impressed by how much they do for these dogs and how fantastic they look!  All perfectly vetted to a T.  So happy and well socilaized!  I had to get in and help them get some of their beloved animals find homes through my rescue partner in Toronto.  Really good homes for adoptions down here are so rare and hard to come by.  Especially when you’re talking about the common street dog.  Does not matter they come in all shapes, colours and sizes…  finding them homes is much, much easier abroad.  Thankfully, people do volunteer to be escorts for dogs to get back to Canada and I have to say, without volunteer escorts, some of our dogs just would not make it into homes at all.  If you are interested in being a flight volunteer, please contact me!  In the meantime, look at these happy doggies!  I know that in no time, I will be doing an update about them in their new happy homes!

 

 

Update 3.1 haha!  Kaila, one of the dogs that travelled was not quite sure about what was going on by the time she arrived in Toronto.  If anyone knows our Mexi’s, they are also nicknamed Houdinis.  These babes can back out of a collar or harness in the blink of an eye!  Silly Kaila did JUST that and took off running in the airport parking lot in Toronto.  She played hide and go seek VERY well with a group of dedicated people who are amazing at tracking and capturing lost dogs.  It was so scary for all of us, but I have to say… Kaila is not a dumb dog by any means.  She was trapped on the third day in a live trap and is in foster with her 4 legged friend Napoleon in foster.  She is much more appreciative of the warmth and constant love and attention.  She really has settled in very well and got a clean bill of health from the vet after she was captured.  See if you can spot her in the photo below!  I really have to send a HUGE thank you to the group of dedicated people who were out 24 hours a day until kaila was caught and safe.  I was totally blown away by your dedication, knowledge and organization! Kaila really put her survival skills and the eye sight of her rescuers to the test! haha!   I am so glad the “baby diaper” worked!  There are some things a mexi cannot resist! 

My last update for today, and possibly my favorite.  (I do have more to come!  I just need to get ready for a meeting tonight re:spay and neuter campaign!)

Cesar.  One of the loves of my and my family’s life.  He is a red cocker boy who was so misunderstood because of his previous life and how he handled stress.  I could go on about him for ever.  Just know, I believed in him.  I knew he was capable of so much more than what he was labelled and I did not settle for him.  He has a home with another doggy sibling and a mom that adores him as much as we do.  He has adapted so well to being a pet, not a puppy guarding dog that he now enjoys all the things in life he never would have had the chance if I allowed him to be mislabelled.  This photo of Cesar not only gave me the biggest smile, but also the happiest tears.  His Mom said Cesar not only LOVES the snow, but was jumping on strangers tobaggans and riding with them down the hill!  This right here made having to say good bye to him worth it for my heart.

 

I am finally finished the website editing (I do still have a few success stories to fill in) but otherwise, I am SO HAPPY and GRATEFUL for the new website! 

It looks AMAZING. Heidi A great friend of mine, did ALL this work in such a short time I am blown away!  You can find her info at the very bottom of the home page.  If you need a website, she is your woman!  It has all the info you could need about our projects, our animals, volunteering… if there is anything you think I should add please let me know! 

There are so many things being worked on right now to prepare for the mobile clinic!  As I write this, I am making up pamphlets for adults on basic dog care, simple signs to know when your animal needs help and of course, HOW to get that help! 

It will talk about the importance of spaying and neutering, common illnesses and what the signs and symptoms are, preventing diseases and simple cures for things like fungus and yeast infections.  I cannot wait to get this pamphlet into the hands of the people! 

Basic things will help them better help their pets and keep their animals healthy and happy for years to come!  When the animals are healthy, they are a lot less likely to get dumped in the streets. 

Now for the CONTEST! 

It’s 50/50 CONTEST TIME! ANYONE from ANYWHERE can participate and the MORE you share, the more cashola can be won!!! 50/50

Rules!

1. Visit my new page and click LIKE. Once you click like, make sure you hover over it and click on “get notifications” to ensure you don’t miss out on any updates!!!

https://m.facebook.com/allpetsdeservevets/

2. Pick a NAME for the ADORABLE puppy in the picture above,

Make a $5USD PayPal contribution to donations@allpetsdeservevets.org via “send money to friends and family” and post the name for the puppy in the comments section. I will add the names that were already submitted to the bottom of THIS post, so there aren’t duplicates. If by accident you do submit a duplicate name, I will email you so you can submit another one but please check the list!

3. The name submission part of the contest will run from today, February 21, 2016 until 10pm EST Facebook time next Sunday, February 28, 2016 10pm EST.

4. By 10:30pm EST, there will be a Facebook post featuring a survey on the “All Pets Deserve Vets” facebook page with ALL the names entered via PayPal and voting will commence! Voting will run for one week’s time until March 6th, 2016 10pm EST Facebook time! The name with the MOST VOTES wins half the pot and gets to name THIS ADORABLE PUPPY! So, make sure you share it LOTS and get your friends and family to vote for your name choice! (If they aren’t participating themselves that is, hehe!) 

5. The winner will receive half of the pot via PayPal within minutes after the winner is announced! To help you with your name choices, here is the history of the sweet pup!

Age: 5 months

Colour:  Black and Tan

Description: Short stubby legs with gigantic paws

Personality:  SWEET and playful!

Fur: Wire haired rough coat, yet sleek and it SHINES!

His Story: This pup was brought to me only 2 or 3 days after Christmas by caring members of the community. They found him alone and scared in the street. At first, we thought he may be lost, so they were going to ask around if anyone had lost their puppy, and they did!  But no one claimed to own him.

After he got a good meal in him and started pooping… I knew he was a Christmas present gone wrong. For 2 days he pooped diaper jelly. That’s right, he ate baby diapers. Gross, right? Not to these dogs… I still waited for 2 weeks… now almost 2 months and no one has come claim him so he is now a part of “All Pets Deserve Vets” and will be placed for adoption soon!

This is why pets given as presents is a BAD idea! He didn’t know he was doing anything wrong… he just knew he wanted to eat diapers and probably made a big mess doing it.  I am grateful he was brought here because ANYTHING horrible could have happened to this happy guy on the street. 

Don’t forget! Participants CAN enter more than once! There is no limit! Just remember to include all your name choices in the comments section so they can be included in the voting survey.

Example: Jane Doe sends $25 and gets 5 name choices! It not only helps the project, but also increases your chances of winning and naming this adorable pup!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE and remember to follow the page! Our 50% share of the donations will go towards the registration fees of “All Pets Deserve Vets” here in Mexico so we can be one step closer to getting the mobile outreach program on its feet!! There is a LOT of exciting stuff coming up soon and I CAN’T wait to share it all!! Thank you in advance for all your support and remember to… SHARE SHARE SHARE!!!!

Ticks cause a lot of damage to animals down here.  Because of the humid tropic temps, they flourish all year round – attacking pets and animals of all kind and some humans too!  They carry diseases like anaplamosis and ehrlichia that can kill an animal easily.

 

As I was spraying today, (I fumigate once a week to fight the battle against the ticks) I got really excited.  I remembered one of the things I used to do for the community I lived in.  I would save up all my plastic bottles.  I would mix it with mostly water and a half a cap full of this product called Bovitraz.  

 

Bovitraz has a wide range of uses, but what I like it for most of all is spray for ticks.  Ticks like to climb up the walls and burrow into little holes, lay eggs and get hungry.  By spraying the walls once a week, I have barely any ticks, and no real need to put flea and tick meds on the dogs here at my home.  When I was operating a shelter, it was really important to spray because having up to 45 dogs and puppies can equal a HECK of a lot of ticks if you’re not careful.  The disapointing thing about flea and tick meds is, they dont really repel anything.  Sure, once the liquid has soaked into the system of the dog, they can kill off what ever ticks are feeding on the animal, but… they still need to feed and the dogs can still get sick.  Now, on those cases where they have tons of ticks, yes!  Get those meds on them.  But for locals here, those meds are expensive and it does not get to the root of the problem and get rid of the ticks and their nests.  They keep coming and coming.  

 

 Bovitraz has a wide range of uses.  It can be used as a dip for mange and fleas and ticks.  It does need to be done carefully as Bovitraz is a strong pesticide, but it is great to treat those severe cases.  A half a capful of bovitraz, costs about 5 or 6 pesos.  It can kill all the ticks currently on the animal, kill the mange mites and with proper fumigation and care, the animal can live comfy and tick/mange free!  Bovitraz is SUCH a cheap, efficient option for the locals but many dont know how to effectively use it.  With the mobile clinic we will be able to teach them, provide them with their first few bottle mixes, help show them how to safely use it on their animal in the severe cases, and encourage them to do a good wall, property line spray – even if bi weekly or monthly, it will STILL have an impact!  One bottle of Bovitraz can last a household easily 6 weeks to 3 months depending on how often they choose to spray.  A bottle costs 120 pesos at the feed stores.  Its easily accessable!  The owners will know where to get it in their community.  And an even happier outcome for the animals?  Pet owners are a LOT more likely to allow their animals to come inside the home IF they are not covered in parasites and pesky bugs!  

 

I really cant wait to get the wheels turning on the mobile clinic.  It is going to make a world of difference to both the animals and the people!  Please keep an eye out for a special fundraiser coming soon to get the clinic on the road or you can visit the site under donations and I will put those donations aside for the mobile vet clinic fundraiser!  Please say in the comments section “mobile” to be sure it goes towards that specific fundraiser.  🙂