​​Field, Abroad, Reaching-out Veterinarians

Grenada

On the Caribbean island of Grenada, FARVets worked with the Grenada SPCA, led by Dr. Sharon Sage. The groups collaborated to organize feline sterilization and vaccination clinics at the SPCA’s facility, and in a remote part of the island. In addition to medical care, FARVets also educated cat owners about health care and welfare issues. Dr. Maza gave lectures on feral cat management at the St. George’s University College of Veterinary Medicine for the animal welfare club.

Mexico

Mexico is another country that Dr. Maza and FARVets frequent to assist local animal welfare organizations. Coco’s Cat Rescue, led by Laura Raikes, invites FARVets every year to participate in wellness, vaccination and sterilization clinics in Playa del Carmen.  Coco’s has recently built a new facility from which they run a low cost spay and neuter clinic manned by two full time veterinarians with special medical discounts for stray and recently rescued animals.  Although not operating as a shelter, Coco’s has a kitten rescue program and keeps up to 20 kittens on site for adoption at one time.

Also in Mexico, Tierra de Animales (Land of Animals) in the forests outside of Cancun is a sanctuary for neglected animals that has a dedicated indoor/outdoor facility for the housing of stray and abandoned cats. FARVets provides vaccines and medical care for cats in preparation and hope that they will be adopted into loving homes. Tierra de Animales offers shelter for over 200 dogs as well, and FARVets participants have helped with bathing and deworming the dogs in the sanctuary.

SOS el Arca is a no kill shelter located on the outskirts of Playa del Carmen founded by Sylvie Goetz in 2011.  It is a group housing based shelter serving as the home to over 100 dogs.  The organization rescues adoptable dogs from local pounds where animals are euthanized after a three day holding period.  FARVets participants assess animals with medical issues and provide flea, tick and deworming treatments.

Bulgaria

FARVets partnered with the phenomenal staff at Dobro Hrumvane clinic in the capital city of Sofia, Bulgaria this past year.  Sofia was the first Eastern European destination incorporated into FARVets pantheon of international partners.  The overwhelming feral dog and cat problem in the city coupled with inadequate local resources made Sofia an ideal location for a FARVets clinic.  Reports of feral dog problems in the city even include rabid attacks.  Dobro Hvumvane offers occasional low cost services for stray animals at one of their two clinics.  The hospital allowed FARVets to use this clinic space to run a week long free spay/neuter clinic for local rescue groups.  FARVets modified the single table surgical suite to accommodate three simultaneous student surgeries and completed a total of 83 sterilization surgeries over four clinic days.  FARVets plans to return to Bulgaria annually.   

Animal Rescue Sofia is the only registered non-governmental dog shelter in Bulgaria.  The no-kill facility is home to over 200 dogs, mostly animals rescued from the street.    FARVets examined dogs with medical problems, worked with animals with behavior issues and administered deworming medication and Certifect, a flea and tick preventative donated by Merial.  FARVets participants also helped organize supplies for the new veterinary clinic Animal Rescue Sofia is building on site.

Nicaragua

In January 2016, FARVets partnered with Paulette Goudge, PhD and the wonderful staff at La Mariposa; a Spanish school and Eco-hotel outside the pueblo of La Concepcion in Nicaragua. La Mariposa is much more than a tourist destination; the non-profit organization rescues street dogs, provides free medical care for local animals, rescues horses for use in their rehabilitation program and much more.  Paulette founded La Mariposa in 2006 and has worked to make sure the non-profit benefits the surrounding community by providing jobs and supporting local industry.  Working with the staff at Mariposa, FARVets ran three days of free surgical sterilization clinics at two separate la Mariposa sites, and a one day free wellness clinic. The FARVets clinic provided over 140 locally owned animals with medical care. Street dog overpopulation is an overwhelming problem in Nicaragua and FARVets is planning a return trip in November 2016 to run additional spay/neuter clinics with La Mariposa in the villages surrounding La Conception.