Mii the Goat

Here’s a story about a Billy goat named Mii. We first came across him last year when he was only about two weeks old. His mom was having problems with a swollen mammary gland and we were called out to help out. Everything went well and now a year later Mii is all grown up.

About two weeks ago now we got a call out to see a goat which had been attacked by a dog. When we got to the house, situated at the foothills of Te Manga (the tallest mountain), we found the big male goat, Mii, sitting down unable to get up. On inspection of Mii we found he had a major wound to his rear right leg which needed to be stitched up as well as other bite wounds to the face and other legs. So we decided that we would need to load Mii into the back of the car and take him back to the clinic for his stitch up.

Before leaving however we examined another goat they had, a female with two kids (the partner and mother of Mii). In the examination we also found that she had a pretty significant wound to one of her mammary glands which needed stitches. Because the goat had two kids we decided that it would be best if the mother goat stay at home and that we would come back and stitch her up. So after taking Mii goat back home we raced back and Sophie performed the stitch up with the goat still standing and the two kids closely watching, amongst other kids and family members.

With Mii bleating away back at home Sophie suggested that we leave the wound open for two days as it would be full of bacteria from the dogs’ mouths. After the two days were up we stitched up the site to see if we could save the leg. Unfortunately Mii was not getting up and the wound was not improving. We told the owner that we might have to put Mii down and sent the goat home with the hopes of improvement or at least spending a few days with his owners.

Two days later on the check-up of both the goats we found Mii standing and “walking”, without using his injured leg. This was great news as we now had the option of amputating the leg before the infection spread. So we spoke to the owner and got the go ahead for the amputation, carting him back to the clinic in the boot of the car, which I’m starting to think he’s rather enjoying.

After a long surgery last Friday, and an even longer period sitting with Mii in the living room making sure it’s temperature was going up and breathing well, we had a healthy three legged goat. He’s now munching away at our bushes and grass and the owners are probably keen on getting him back as all the staff here have fallen in love with his wonderful character. He will probably have one last trip back home tomorrow where his little 5 year old friend, the daughter of the owner, is always asking about him.

An Eventful Week

Well, it’s been another eventful week. Among the many desexings of cats and dogs and our low stocks of Ketamine we had a few interesting cases of note that the occasional blog browser might be interested in.

We received an emergency call on Tuesday afternoon asking us to please come out to treat two goats who had been attacked by a pair of dogs in the hills. After seeing them both we decided to bring the big male goat back to the clinic in our little car, which I think the goat quite enjoyed, while we stitched up the mother goat on the property as she had two kids . So far both the male and the mother goat are looking good and eating well. Hopefully the male goat will be able to go home soon as he does make an awful racket when he wants some attention.

We also have a dog who was hit by a car. The vets knocked off the top of the bone with a chisel and hammer so a false joint could be created. The dog is now walking on that leg, so we are extremely hopeful. Unfortunately, we had another evening call last night with a dog that had been hit by a car in the middle of a downpour. The dog’s leg had been shattered and was already very old so we had to put her to sleep. Our thoughts are with the family.

Yesterday we went around the island to treat all of the Raro horses with their bi-monthly deworming thanks to a generous donation mentioned in an earlier blog. We also treated the horses we missed earlier, having to outsmart a few of them by hiding the worming medication in apples. I don’t think they liked us much after the fact as they trotted off and wouldn't even eat the leftover apple parts. Oh well.

On the homefront, we decided to do a bit of painting in our kitchen to prepare for the arrival of a new stove/oven. The old oven began putting a thin black film over everything that we cook as well as the wall behind the stove making a new stove a top priority. Leftover paint from the landlord's painting of the house exterior will allow us to give the kitchen a small revamp while our new oven is being unloaded off the boat. Take a look at what we have already done. We used chalkboard paint on the doors so that we can label which sections of cupboard belongs to each volunteer as well as where certain items can be found. I think it will really make a difference.

One last thing; we would also like to thank Emma Kierycwk and Carl Hartnett for their kind donations from Melbourne. They are two vet nurses who spoke to a previous volunteer, Dilly, about coming over to the Cook Islands. As I understand the story, Dilly asked them (or told them) to bring over as many supplies as they could as we could make good use of whatever they could bring. So on Wednesday they strolled up with a suitcase full of suture and bandaging materials, syringes, and other useful odds and ends. Thank you all so much. I know the vets really appreciate donations like these!

New volunteers arrive pretty regularly at Esther Honey. We've already had just under fifty volunteers for 2011 with a couple of team members coming back for seconds. This week three new volunteers begin their tenure: Marja, a vet from Scotland, as well as Heather and Melody, two vet students from California and Ohio. Each is staying for about three weeks. I'm sure the vet students will learn a lot from their experience as the cases we treat here are different from the cases they would typically see in practice in the US or the UK. Welcome ladies.

 

This week we received donated roofing material made from palm fronds to create shade for the hospitalized patients. These fronds were kindly woven by Elmah McBirney who looks after a lot of animals herself and has always supported the Esther Honey Foundation and the work that we do here in various ways. Last year she made a dozen or so surgical drapes for us when our old ones were wearing away. She’s a real blessing to animals on this island. The old roofing material was taken down creating a mess as the frayed bits and pieces spread out on top of the gravel. The clinic cats, Craig and Orlando, seemed to enjoy the debris and drooled and rolled around in it.

More donations arrived today from all over the world! Michelle sent us some animal shampoo and frontline spray from Australia, also thoughtfully tucking in some music for the car as our CD selection is pretty minimal. We've all memorized the country album that is in the car now including Michelle who I'm pretty sure knows all the tracks.

We received an additional surprise from Scotland's Glasgow Veterinary School, a letter announcing that Esther Honey was one of the beneficiaries of a student fundraiser. I'm guessing the students produced a naked calendar which they sold to raise money for their favorite charities. We were elated to find a cheque enclosed for $400.00 GBP! These funds will go a long way here in the Cook Islands. Thanks guys! I'll get a copy of the calendar which includes a photo of Elspeth, a current volunteer, and Dawn Rogerson, who volunteered last year.

Elspeth’s mum put the icing on the cake by sending a lovely note and package that was filled with suture and bandaging material. Just what we need! Thanks mum!

It’s great to get these little care packages. I love picking things up at the post office which aren't bills.

In the pictures we have up top the three new volunteers from left to right: Heather, Melody, and Marja. The next picture is of Jeff putting up the weaved palm fronds on the side of the "Monkey Cage". And last we have a picture of our supervisor who mostly fell asleep on the job.

Dancing and Gun Shot Wounds

Well, last night was a goodie. The Esther Honey clinic team spent the evening being treated by Tata Crocombe and the Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa staff to an “Island Cultural Night” and feast in appreciation for the work that the Foundation and Esther Honey volunteers do here. It was a great night with a huge Umu (local underground oven) feast with all the trimmings. Needless to say, by the end of the meal, we were stuffed. They even showed us how they prepared the Umu so next time we can do one here at the clinic.

After the food came the dancers who were stunning with their bright smiles and well-coordinated hands. They even managed to pull two of us on stage with about twenty or more other guests to dance with them. Little did they know at the time that they were pulling up the Papa’a Dancer of the Year and Jocelyn, who must have been secretly practicing, because she surprised us all by revealing her hidden dance talent. :P Everyone really enjoyed the night and we are truly thankful for the Rarotongan’s generosity in showing their appreciation of our work.

As always, even if we do go out, we need to have the emergency phone with us just in case an animal needs our help. Luckily we were not needed during our wonderful time at the Rarotongan or later at the Whatever Bar where we went to practice our newly acquired and improved dance skills.

At 12:30am, however, Spike, a dog with a gunshot wound to his rear right leg came into the clinic. EHF Vets Sophie and Eli and our support team worked until 4am trying to stabilize the dog as well as stop the bleeding from the rather large wound.

Luckily the next day was a national holiday which gave the team a bit of time to relax and catch up with sleep. We all went for a quick refreshing dip in the ocean and then allowed rest of the day to just melt away.

Update: Spike was up and about the next day although we are concerned that he may have to lose his leg due to the massive muscle loss from the gun shot. There is also concern that he is too large to cope on three legs for any length of time, but time will tell and we are hopeful.

(All photos from Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa)

Island Horses

Care for Island horses

Yes we treat horses. The Esther Honey Foundation's mission is to offer affordable care for small companion animals but we have been providing compassionate care and service to horses and any animal who is suffering since our arrival.

Yesterday, Esther Honey received a large donation to help improve the health of island horses from Fiona Fredrickson, a New Zealand tourist and frequent visitor to the Cook Islands. During her most recent visit, she and her partner visited the horses on the back roads near the Rarotongan Beach Hotel and dewormed each of them for us. Fiona was concerned about the on-going care for the horses after she left. She returned home and generously shipped more than $1400 worth of horse supplies, including shampoo’s and medications to Esther Honey.

To my knowledge, there are twelve horses living on the island. Five belong to the riding stables, including one who is retired. Three are munching down at the prison paddock keeping the grass down and not doing much else. The remaining four are scattered around the island; a stunning white horse in Muri, a black pony by the palace in town and two in hidden fields, one by the Queens Representative and the other in Matavera. All need basic care and these supplies will go a long way in providing it for them.



Just last month a horse dentist came to visit his family and he generously offered his expertise examining most of the horses on the island and grinding down their teeth and hooves. He definitely found himself a big job as I kept finding more horses for him to look at. He has since returned home and said he might be able to send some good rasps for the horses teeth as ours are pretty blunt.

This island has a fairly rich history in the use of horses for transportation and races on the beach which has nearly been forgotten. There used to be hundreds of horses. Now those that remain are all getting up there in age and there are not any mating pairs left. It seems that the horses may disappear from Rarotonga unless additional horses are imported. In the mean time, Esther Honey will be glad to look after the few that Rarotonga does have.

Exports and Imports

Being the only vet clinic in the Cook Islands, as well as having the only veterinarians, Esther Honey sometimes has to do jobs that in other countries are often referred to more skilled institutions. Just yesterday we had to go to a house where nine cats were being kept, trapped inside a house they normally get to walk in and out of with no problems, so that they could be checked over and dosed with worming pills and flea treatment before being sent off to New Zealand three days later.


As the Esther Honey Foundation has the only veterinarian staff on the island the exportation of dogs or cats to any countries in the world has to be authorized by the veterinarians who are volunteering their time here. Although I’m getting pretty comfortable with sending animals to New Zealand, other places around the world are proving to still be a bit of a hassle, especially when they don’t recognize the Cook Islands as being rabies free like New Zealand, Australia and maybe a few others. It’s even worse when they keep changing their protocols and requirements.


Here in the Cook Islands we do not have much of the equipment or certification to do the many tests required by countries around the world for animals to be imported into their countries. However, we still manage to get this done. We are in the process of sending two cats to Spain and have already given them Rabies shots as well as sent serum samples to Australia to be tested. We are just waiting for time requirements to be met now.


Nine cats to New Zealand isn’t much harder than one cat to New Zealand except getting them all together for a check-up in a house with the windows all closed so that they can’t escape. Hot work. About a year ago we helped another family moving over to New Zealand export seven cats with no problems, so hopefully this goes without a hitch. The cats that are going with this family are all local cats which are loved very much, so hopefully they will enjoy their new romping grounds in New Zealand, even if it is a bit chillier. Makes me want to stay in Rarotonga.