The Dog Diaries

A VETERINARIAN’S LIFE

Another day in Peru

In 2008 I traveled to a coastal village in Peru to spend a week spaying and neutering local animals. I was accompanied by family members ( husband and two daughters) and a vet tech from my clinic in Canada. This is an excerpt from my diary. If you want more context just follow the link to the first story about this adventure:

I did not sleep well and Mr. Rooster started his crowing at 5:30, right outside our door.

Coffee and a walk down the one street in town and back along the beach.

A few dogs arrived early and were waiting outside the red door. Their owners followed me in and the surgery day started.

Paola, one of the volunteer assistants is studying human medicine and very skilled at prepping the surgical site with a straight razor.

Yesterday, though, she was a little overzealous with the ear notching — lots of bleeding, lots of flies.

Tom has figured out how to use the cauterizer. It looks like it came out of a wood carving set but will certainly do the trick to stop the bleeding. He has volunteered to take over notching today which Paola is happy about.

Maddie is in charge of Rabies vaccines and flea treatment. She’s getting very confident giving injections- my last hope that one of the kids will follow in my footsteps!

Robin is a floater- cleaning instruments, holding dogs, and doing post-op checks.

We have an area in the shade with blankets for dogs to recover on but they have started to get up and stagger away without us noticing.

Robin has found them sleeping off the anesthetic under bushes, in the shower, and under chairs. Not the cushy job she expected

Related posts:

That priest made an abdominable decision. It is as bad as writing fourty irregardless of common convention. Such misuse should be nipped in the butt. Poeple are escape goats for declining education…

Motivation is a crucial factor in our lives — especially if you’re freelancing like me — because there is no 9 to 5, no boss or superior to give you directions, and absolutely no short-term penalty…