N Rivas - VET HAPPY PETS
I recently spent 6 week in Rivas Nicaragua (in between Pet Sitting gigs). I spent 2-4 hours a day feeding 10-20 street dogs chicken liver & crunchy dog food (these snobs would NOT eat just the crunch dry dog food!! I mean REALLY!!).
Each time I got some money, I'd go buy medicine for parasites & ticks/fleas. If I was lucky enough to catch one of them & put a collar & leash on them, I'd take them to the vet for shots for those &/or vaccinations.
It was SOOOOO SAD as some were just bones.
One had his eye blown out & was bones but towards the end of the stay it was no longer swollen - it had sunken in.
My FAV - "Negra" had the same STD vagina tumor that killed my old bud Macha - but I left some $$ for a vet to do the chemo shots on her to see if that can help. It just broke my heart - THOUGH - towards the end I learned why it was harder at night finding dogs - because MANY dogs actually HAVE a "family" - well, at least a home to sleep in at night - BUT - these people at least give them a place to sleep - but OFTEN turn them out onto the street the rest of the time to fend/forage for themselves/find their own food & RARELY do they get them the vaccinations they need, vitamins, things for fleas/ticks or parasites & even rarer do they "fix"/spay/neuter them. With that said, I DO understand being that Nicaragua is the POOREST nation in the America's so they need to focus on feeding their families first.
My first weekend I volunteered at a Cat Spaying/Neutering Clinic - just to hold the babies & try to calm them down before/after their surgery. People thought I was strange (so what else is new - I'm used to that) but think about it - when YOU go for surgery aren't YOU nervous? Imagine someone grabbing you & shoving you into a box or bag or cage, putting you in a car (or on a motorcycle), taking you to this strange place (or not so strange - but a place you might not have fond memories of - the vet), giving you a shot & they not knowing what's going on uncontrollably have NO control over what they're feeling as they get knocked out - only to wake to feel the same way - can't walk or talk - & in pain!! I'm going to do more of that type of volunteering in the future - just holding them, giving them massages, sharing energy with them. I even held a wild cat!!
Before I go back next time I'm going to start a Crowd Funding campaign to raise some $$ to get them fixed & proper vaccinations & things & hopefully find some full time families for them that can take good care of them. Especially because THEY give back SOOOOO MUCH to us!!
http://SarongGoddess.com/RivasNicaragua-StreetDogs
Read MoreEach time I got some money, I'd go buy medicine for parasites & ticks/fleas. If I was lucky enough to catch one of them & put a collar & leash on them, I'd take them to the vet for shots for those &/or vaccinations.
It was SOOOOO SAD as some were just bones.
One had his eye blown out & was bones but towards the end of the stay it was no longer swollen - it had sunken in.
My FAV - "Negra" had the same STD vagina tumor that killed my old bud Macha - but I left some $$ for a vet to do the chemo shots on her to see if that can help. It just broke my heart - THOUGH - towards the end I learned why it was harder at night finding dogs - because MANY dogs actually HAVE a "family" - well, at least a home to sleep in at night - BUT - these people at least give them a place to sleep - but OFTEN turn them out onto the street the rest of the time to fend/forage for themselves/find their own food & RARELY do they get them the vaccinations they need, vitamins, things for fleas/ticks or parasites & even rarer do they "fix"/spay/neuter them. With that said, I DO understand being that Nicaragua is the POOREST nation in the America's so they need to focus on feeding their families first.
My first weekend I volunteered at a Cat Spaying/Neutering Clinic - just to hold the babies & try to calm them down before/after their surgery. People thought I was strange (so what else is new - I'm used to that) but think about it - when YOU go for surgery aren't YOU nervous? Imagine someone grabbing you & shoving you into a box or bag or cage, putting you in a car (or on a motorcycle), taking you to this strange place (or not so strange - but a place you might not have fond memories of - the vet), giving you a shot & they not knowing what's going on uncontrollably have NO control over what they're feeling as they get knocked out - only to wake to feel the same way - can't walk or talk - & in pain!! I'm going to do more of that type of volunteering in the future - just holding them, giving them massages, sharing energy with them. I even held a wild cat!!
Before I go back next time I'm going to start a Crowd Funding campaign to raise some $$ to get them fixed & proper vaccinations & things & hopefully find some full time families for them that can take good care of them. Especially because THEY give back SOOOOO MUCH to us!!
http://SarongGoddess.com/RivasNicaragua-StreetDogs
