Alley Cat Rescue, in Mount Rainier, Maryland, has gone to the dogs. A group of four veterinarians, Drs. Bill Preace, Perviaz Manzoor, Ajaz Alvi, and Javaid Manzoor, two vet technicians, Emily Lemus-Mansilla and Denise Hilton, and two administrative professionals, Louise Holton and Kylie Luik, left the cold and snow of the north to visit sunny Puerto Vallarta and hold a spay and neuter clinic. This event greatly improves the lives of some area cats and dogs.
The scene of a high-volume spay/neuter clinic is something to behold for the very first time. There are stations within the clinic and lots of activity besides the surgery.
A volunteer can be seen cuddling a patient in the recovery room after recent surgery. There can be as many as 12 dogs or cats recovering from surgery at the same time.
There is an estimated 45-thousand stray dogs and close to 100-thousand feral cats roaming the area. Over 90-percent of them are capable of producing offspring.
"There has long been conjecture inside the veterinary community, particularly in the U.S., as to whether or not spay and neuter is the answer to pet overpopulation and, of course, it is the answer to pet overpopulation," says Dr. Bill Pearce, "It is a simple procedure that is tremendously, in my opinion, overpriced in all parts of the world that I visit but particularly in third world countries, you look at the condition of these animals, it makes you want to kill somebody."
The clinic took place March 2nd and 3rd. Alley Cat Rescue and a group of Puerto Vallarta animal lovers, including area vets and their assistants, organized it.
"We were contacted by an American working in Mexico, who has a passion for animals, and she asked if we could send some help to curb the overpopulation problem," says Louise Holton, President, Alley Cat Rescue, "We jumped at the opportunity to come down with some vets and our expertise with working with stray animals in the U.S."
It is the first clinic of this size in Puerto Vallarta. It included six vets, four vet technicians and over 30 volunteers. The amount of supplies was daunting, but many items were donated, everything from food to surgical equipment. And the experience was a good lesson for everyone involved.
Kylie Luik of Alley Cat Rescue says, "It was a lot of work because we had never done a clinic and we talked to other groups who had previously done clinics but most weren't particularly helpful, but now that we've done it we can really come up with our own list of supplies that really has the essentials on it."
Nearly 100 animals were spayed or neutered at no cost to the pet owners. This saves almost 1.5 million unwanted little ones from being born over the next six years.
Alley Cat Rescue is already thinking about when they can return. For more information about Alley Cat Rescue, visit www.saveacat.org
To check out the video for this event go to www.banderasnews.com, local news, Alley Cat Rescue's Snip & Clip Clinic.
Items needed for future clinics in Puerto Vallarta: used comforters, sheets, pillow cases, towels, collars in all sizes, leashes, tables, grooming brushes, clippers and blades, and large plastic storage containers. If you care to donate an item, become a volunteer, or a pet foster parent please contact Laura Gelezunas at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 044 322 107 0144.
