Mangaia Vet Trek III

Day 3- Working all day long

Having established and streamlined our surgical system yesterday, starting operations this morning was a breeze. As our patients arrived at the veranda, our marvelous clinic director had their details recorded often before anyone else realized they were there. Our surgical routine then consisted of:

• A quick health check followed by a sedative injection, after which we had 15min to ready the surgical equipment as the patient got progressively more sleepy

• A second injection to induce full anaesthesia, which generally lasted long enough for us to prepare the surgical site, perform the operation and stitch-up

• Anti biotic and pain-killer injections and then a final needle to reverse the anaesthetic … 20min later the patient was generally ready to walk away

Working in this manner we could have 2 or 3 surgeries happening simultaneously, and several other patients in varying stages of sedation or recovery. In amongst all the hustle and bustle, it was important we didn’t forget the most critical procedure (well, aside from the actual surgery), which was the placement of a very stylish ‘E’ tattoo in the left ear of each patient. This is not, as you may think, the latest gang tattoo, but rather a way of permanently identifying animals that have been de-sexed so that future Vet Trek-ers don’t have to go around peering and groping at animal’s private parts to check.

Helping us achieve our morning surgery count of 15 were a group of local volunteers who we trained up as assistants- able to pass sterile supplies to the surgeons, give injections, clean instruments and so on. Having so many willing hands was a great asset, and allowed the operations to flow quickly and consistently. It was also really heartening, as the first vets here in over a year and a half, to see such interest and enthusiasm from the locals. The number of people coming in for a look, to ask questions or offer assistance, was amazing and is perhaps the best demonstration of how much the Vet Treks are appreciated by the community.

Having whizzed through the small animal procedures in the morning, the afternoon was given over to large animal work with the team dividing in two and heading out to treat pigs and goats for worms. Returning to our accommodation at the end of a long day, everyone was ready for a bit of R&R … but, sadly, the surgical drapes still needed washing and the equipment still needed sterilizing … and to make matters worse we’d managed to leave the lid of our pressure cooker (essential for preparing the kits for tomorrow) behind- inside the locked meeting hall. Several phone calls, a couple of false trails and a guided motorcycle tour later we eventually obtained a key to the building from the lovely ex-mayor. A short ride to collect the lid and then a long evening of pressure cooking and we were finally ready for tomorrow.

Day 3 tally-

5 female cats, 3 male cats, 4 female dogs, 3 male dogs all de-sexed

21 pigs, 32 goats, and 2 cats treated for worms and fleas (in addition to the surgical cases)

One consult to check a goat’s swollen udder, and one euthanasia for a cat with in-operable cancer