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A Day At the VIDAS Clinic, May 2004
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One day from a VIDAS diary
Seven AM - Volunteers wake to another beautiful morning in the Mayan Riveria. The waves are gently crashing on the beach and a soft wind breezes in the open window. We get dressed and meet up for breakfast. Today, we’re lucky – we’re staying at Ranch Libertad, a beautiful bed and breakfast in Puerto Morelos. Breakfast is fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal and coffee served by our smiling hostesses and our favorite resident, Princess Coconut.
After we eat, the supplies are packed up and everyone loads up to get an early start at the clinic. Today’s clinic is in an empty house on the other side of town rented for the week by Amigos de Mascotas de Puerto Morelos. Supplies are unloaded and the space is divided up into a reception area, preparation area, surgery area and recovery area. Volunteers arrange crates, blankets and towels to make patients as comfortable as possible. Sometimes we have to get creative with our limited space!
By 9:00 the people start to arrive with their pets. Off we go!
In addition to pets, stray street dogs are brought in throughout the day by volunteers, locals and by the ladies of Amigos de Mascotas de Puerto Morelos.
Before surgery, volunteers comfort the animals and let them know everything will be all right,
while families and interested passerbys watch from outside.
The animals are given temporary identification collars and pre-medication sedatives while they wait. Then veterinary students and technicians prep the animals for surgery.
The veterinarians work hard in hot, humid conditions, but always with a smile. When one surgery is finished, another is ready to start!
Then animals are closely monitored before, during and after surgery.
The immediate recovery area is where the animals wake up. Here they can be monitored closely by the doctors and technicians after surgery. When they are more awake, they are moved into the full recovery room where they get lots of comfort and attention from our loving volunteers. They get their ears cleaned, nails clipped, ticks removed and a new collar!
Every opportunity is taken throughout the day to educate the children about animal health.
When they are ready to go home, instructions are given to the owners in Spanish about how to best care for their animal after surgery and how to keep him healthy during his lifetime.
Our volunteers work tirelessly until the last cat or dog is fully awake and ready to be sent home. Finally the day is done.
The sun has set and the beautiful day has ended – most visitors to the Mayan Riviera have enjoyed a relaxing day at the beach, or a visit to the beautiful Mayan ruins, but for VIDAS volunteers the memories are very different. Our rewards are not postcards or suntans, but the satisfaction of making a difference in the lives of people and animals that we see. We head off to enjoy our dinner, at a great local restaurant like Tito’s or Hola Asia. Afterwards, we can relax for the evening, knowing that our hard work this day has touched many.
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A Day at a VIDAS Clinic 2003
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