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Veterinarians are the Future
In 2004, SNAP-Mexico, a subsidiary of the US-based Spay-Neuter Assistance Program, partnered with University of Michoacan de San Nicolas de Hidalgo veterinary faculty and the Sociedad de Protectora de Animales (SPA) to provide training, equipment and operating
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University of Michoacan de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, site of the Spay
and Neuter Clinic in Morelia, Mexico.
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support for a stationary spaying and neutering clinic at the veterinary college in Morelia.
The goal of the clinic program is not only to provide top-quality spaying and neutering services for animals in Morelia, but to provide training opportunities for Mexican veterinary students in SNAP’s US facilities to learn modern anesthesia and surgical techniques.
Beginning in August 2004, every six months two graduate veterinary students will be selected from the college of veterinary medicine at the University of Michoacan to participate in an intensive one-month surgical residency in SNAP’s Houston facilities. The students will learn anesthesia and surgical techniques as well as patient monitoring and pain management skills. Upon return to Mexico, the graduate students will participate in an internship in the stationary spaying and neutering clinic in Morelia, under the supervision of the surgery department professors, where they will spay and neuter dogs and cats from the community. SPA, a local volunteer animal rescue organization, will provide transpiration and after-care assistance for animals sterilized through the clinic program.
The SNAP-Mexico Morelia clinic not only provides skills, training and resources to veterinary student in Mexico, but we are helping to elevate the importance of spaying and neutering services for veterinarians graduating from the college of veterinary medicine to carry into their professional careers throughout Mexico.
Morelia Surgery Clinic
Veterinary Teaching Curriculum
Humane Animal Control Program
Even though Monterrey is Mexico’s most modern city, the government is unable to sufficiently fund animal sheltering and control programs to protect the public health. Frequently roundups of stray and unwanted animals occur throughout Monterrey after an animal attack or publicized animal-biting incident. Most often, attacks and bite are inflicted on children or the elderly. With rabies endemic to Mexico, the threat of spreading disease from animals to people is very real.
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Roundups result in hundreds of dogs and cats being crammed into one of seven outdated Centro Anti Rabicos (CARs) in Monterrey. There is no money for adequate staffing, proper sanitation, food, veterinary care, or humane euthanasia of unclaimed and homeless animals. The short yet miserable existence for animals in CARs is mitigated only by a torturous death. Because there is no money for drugs to humanely euthanize homeless animals, dogs are crudely electrocuted and puppies, kittens and cats are inhumanely drowned in government CARs across Mexico. Partnering with the Asociacion Defensora de los Animales (ADA) volunteers, the United States-based American Humane, SNAP-Mexico has adopted two of Monterrey’s CARs to |
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SNAP's Gil Costas, DVM, director of international programs, and Doug Fakkema, director of international training, teaching humane euthanasia by injection to Mexico's veternarians.
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demonstrate humane animal care principles. SNAP-Mexico’s veterinarians supervise the overall animal care program in the CAR facilities; ADA volunteers provide regular food and water for animals in the two CARs adopted by SNAP-Mexico, the government workers contact SNAP-Mexico when a sick or injured animal needs to have medical attention, and SNAP-Mexico provides drugs and training for humane euthanasia by injection for animals who are to be destroyed.
The Nuevo Leon state government is supportive of the humane shelter initiatives, and training all government CAR workers in humane euthanasia by injection techniques for homeless animals. With additional funding and support from US-based animal protection organizations, training and supervision can be provide by SNAP-Mexico and sufficient quantities of drugs and supplies can be purchased to help more animals.
Guidelines for Euthanasia Training Class |
