The Mexico Clinic

Project Goals:

Immediate

1. To illustrate to the local inhabitants that spaying and neutering their pets is a safe procedure.
2. To perform procedures on locally "owned" or cared for animals and avoid the feral population.
3. To perform these procedures for free but avoid negatively impacting local veterinarians.  This necessitates avoiding animals whose owners can afford the operations at other, local, facilities.
4. To perform 2-4 day clinics twice yearly.
5. To utilize the clinics to educate the locals on sterilization procedures, general pet health care and nutrition.
6. To validate and nurture the human-animal bond.

Long Term

1. To address the feral population problem once the confidence of local inhabitants has been gained.
2. To construct, organize, and maintain a "shelter" and initiate a long-term logistical plan for population control and health care for the area.

The Mexican Dilemma:
Anyone traveling to Mexico is immediately aware of the immense overpopulation of dogs and cats.   Current problems in the United States pale in comparison with those of our southern neighbor.   In an effort to improve the existing situation, doctors and staff at  North Idaho Animal Hospital (NIAH) have created the Mexican Project.  

Twice annually, free spay and neuter clinics are held in two small towns in the state of Nayurit, Mexico.  This area is on the Pacific coast approximately one hour north of Puerto Vallarta.  These towns were chosen because they are somewhat isolated and both exhibited an extreme over population problem. 

The animal owners are very poor, thus without our assistance their animals would not be sterilized.  We are careful not to perform surgeries on animals that would otherwise visit local veterinarians because we do not want to negatively impact local veterinary practices. 

This project has been funded primarily by NIAH, however more assistance from local inhabitants and from other generous individuals is beginning to relieve the tremendous financial burden inherent in this type of undertaking.  Ms. Bety Grimes and Ms. Upi Viteri have been instrumental in organizing logistical support in Mexico and donations

Your donations are desperately needed and appreciated as the duration of this project will depend on achieving financial stability.  These donations are not yet tax deductible, however we are working on this for the future.  A small annual donation is more valuable for the stability of the project than is a one-time larger donation.  In addition, should you have a desire to visit and assist the project in person, please contact us.  We can promise you an unforgettable experience.

Thank you for your interest and your help.
Donations can be sent to the address above.
THANK YOU!

Questions? E-mail Us! 

SANDPOINT: For several days during the past November, villagers of the Mexican town of Sayulita arose to something completely new in their pueblo. Drs. Robert Pierce and Dawn Mehra, veterinarians from Sandpoint’s North Idaho Animal Hospital (NIAH), flew 1,200 miles in an attempt to restrain the spiraling animal population in Sayulita and in San Pancho, Mexico.  Local support helped initiate the project, however, logistical concerns, work permits, and the organization of equipment and medical supplies took months. And then, after a year of labor, NIAH opened what they refer to as, “the southern branch.”
                “Our first trip was a family vacation, the first ever,” explains Dr. Mehra, “We dreamed of uninterrupted sleep and quiet beaches.” That dream did not develop along expectations. There are two parallel worlds in Sayulita. Although they coexist, the people and pets rarely interact. By day, the villagers meander between shops, cafes, and the beach.. By night, the dogs and cats slink out of the cracks. The dogs spend the night hours searching for mates and food throughout the gullied dirt streets of the town. This evening ritual is enough to exhaust even a well- fed dog, of which there are few.
                “Although constantly hungry for food and attention, they certainly seem to have more fun than the humans!” Dr. Pierce recounts, “We didn’t sleep for the first week due to the incessant yipping and howling of hierarchal and mating rituals. Even ear plugs weren’t enough.” In addition to the ruckus, the veterinarians found the conditions of the animals intolerable. They were skinny, scabby, and flea bitten.
                And so this past November, as a warm sun rose over Sayulita, a loose group of locals migrated toward the center of town. Some, using simple twine or old rope, pulled their dogs behind them in anticipation of the up-coming event. Others draped their adopted pets across saddles and trotted into the village on skinny horses. Cats were sacked in pillow cases and burlap bags, and one family thought to bounce their dog in a wheelbarrow. As the sun hinted of the heat to come, all gathered in anticipation of the first spay-neuter clinic outside a local Sayulita café.
                Dressed in shorts and sandals, Drs. Pierce and Mehra presided over several days of veterinary surgery. Clint Eberley, owner of Northern States Pest and Weed Control, located in Sandpoint, assisted as the anesthesiology technician. Eberley is a veteran of countless late-night emergencies at NIAH’s Sandpoint office. “The spay and neuter clinic was much more routine than the typical trauma cases we see during NIAH emergencies,” Eberley smiles, “however the lack of high-tech equipment and the language barrier certainly added some stress.
                The spay and neuter clinic was a moral victory and hopefully only the beginning. “The endeavor cost more than we were expecting,” Dr. Mehra frowns, “However, the greatest hurdle was the huge bridgeal void. Sterilizing pets in Sayulita (and other small towns in Mexico) remains a completely foreign concept”. The doctors goals are simple: spay and neuter the local animals, initiate the bridgeal process by illustrating the safety and effectiveness of the operations, and advocate the amazing power of the human-animal bond. The clinic hopes to send another group down in the spring to push the cause a little further.
                “This experience really helped remind us of how fortunate we are to have organizations like Sandpoints’ local Panhandle Animal Shelter,” emphatically remarks Dr. Mehra. “Our local pet overpopulation problem is always on the verge of becoming like the Mexico problem, however, we have many large advantages: Thankfully, most people here understand the need to spay and neuter pets before they have puppies and kittens.”
                North Idaho Animal Hospital reminds everyone to spay and neuter animals before they reach breeding age, and to support Panhandle Animal Shelter and other similar facilities. Anyone wishing to help control pet overpopulation on local or global efforts can make monetary contributions to NIAH’s Mexico fund.

Clinic Updates

2005, April-  This clinic was performed in honor of Ms. Amy Lathrop, a previous volunteer who recently passed away from metastatic melanoma.   Amy was only 24 when she died.   She had a long lifetime of projects, however, and the Mexico Clinic was one of her most important ones (according to her mom, Marty). Thanks to Amy for inspiring us!

We performed 72 sterilizations, with only a few minor complications. Most of the animals were from San Pancho. There were only a few from Sayulita due to the absence of a Sayulita coordinator and funding (we hope this is temporary). Dr. Andy Broadus (Kellog, ID) and Dr. Jose Gonzalez (Sayulita) helped spread the workload out and make us all more efficient. The project total is now approximately 365 animals for both towns.

Update 2003- We're back!   Unable to decline another adventure, we resumed our procedures in November in Sayulita and San Pancho.   60 total animals were sterilized, half in each town.   The total project number is 290 animals.

Update 2002: December 14-15 (San Pancho and Sayulita, respectively).  Drs. Pierce and Mehra were joined by Dr. Jose Gonzalez who is the new veterinarian in Sayulita.  Dr Gonzalez was excited to assist in surgery and was soon performing his own operations.  He is very skilled and is a tremendous addition for the local community.  Members of the Sayulita and San Pancho communities are currently  collecting money to send Dr. Gonzalez to Idaho for 2 weeks of training at North Idaho Animal Hospital.  The operations went very smoothly, thanks once again to our group of steadfast volunteers.   In addition to the core group we were very fortunate in having Ms. Amy Lathrop and Ms. Marty Lathrop join us from Florida.  They both worked tirelessly for both surgery days.  This made us wonder how we ever did it without them.  Thank you to all the volunteers.  The totals for this trip were 56 bringing the project total to 286.

Note: There is no question that we have made a difference, especially in San Pancho.  There are far fewer feral animals roaming the streets and beaches.  Numerous local inhabitants concur on this observation.   We had planned to end the project after the December, 2002 clinic.  This was due to financial reasons.  We have spent well over $10,000 dollars on this project even after all of the kind donations.  It is, however, difficult to abandon all of our volunteers and the community especially when we can see the difference our work has effected.  So we are considering the options.  Increased donations would help and perhaps going only once a year would reduce the costs.  The decision will be posted on this site.  Thank you once again from all of us.

Update 2002:  April 14-15 (San Pancho and Sayulita, respectively).  Drs. Pierce and Mehra were joined by Dr. Randy Pedersen and son Dr. Bruce Pedersen (who works as a relief doctor at North Idaho Animal Hospital).  Heather Pedersen (wife of Dr. Bruce Pedersen) volunteered for the two days of surgery, assisting in anesthesia and surgical preparation.   In addition to these volunteers, our steadfast group: , Bety Grimes, Kerry Hodge, Upi Viteri, Irma, Judith, and a host of others continue to be inspirational.   Clint Eberley, who has been an integral part of the project since the outset, was unable to join us on this trip.  We thank all of you and apologize to any of you we may have missed.  Our totals for these two surgery days were 55 animals bringing the project total to 230.

Update 2001: November 10th and 11th (Sayulita) and on November 17th and 18th (San Pancho) NIAH returned to perform a total of 92 operations.  This brings the project total to 175.  We are all very pleased at the results and feel that the locals are recognizing the value of limiting population growth.  Our next tentative dates will be in spring of 2002.

Update 2001: April,  due to financial inability we had to cancel this trip with the hope of acquiring funds for November.

Update 2000:  On November 10-13 we returned to San Pancho for two more days of surgical clinics.  Our expectations were exceeded with a total of 50 animals sterilized.  Our attempt will be to return in the spring and to include the town of Sayulita in the next clinic.

Update 2000:  April 20 marked the second spay neuter clinic, this time in San Pancho, Mexico.    Nearly 40 animals were sterilized, however, that is not nearly enough.  The local population is supportive and is beginning to realize that the procedures are safe and effective.

Update 1999:  November marked our first clinic in Mexico.  Details are given in the letter printed above.

We have enclosed two letters to the Mexican Government regarding our project below:

To the Government of Mexico 25 May, 2000

Re: San Pancho Spay / Neuter Program

Between April 15th -22nd , 2000, North Idaho Animal Hospital completed the first official “Surgery Day” in San Francisco (Pancho), Nayurit, Mexico. The project was completely successful and achieved each of our goals. A review of our goals is offered below, as well as, a summation of the April project numbers, and our hopes for the November visit.

Our involvement with this area of Mexico began in 1998 with a visit and the establishment of friendship with the local inhabitants; both North American and Mexican. The existence of an over-population of both dogs and cats is obvious in the San Pancho area and is common in other parts of Mexico. As veterinary medical doctors, we are familiar with the problem in the United States and understand that it is manageable but that it requires an evolution of thought and attitude.

Our goals for the initial stage of this project are simple: 1) To illustrate that sterilizing dogs and cats is a safe effective procedure with no untoward effects; 2) To perform these operations on locally maintained (“owned”) animals with the complete consent of the “owners”; 3) To avoid operating on animals whose owners can afford surgery and who would otherwise use local veterinarians (in Bucerias and Puerto Vallarta); and 4) To return on a consistent basis (twice yearly) to adequately nurture these new ideas and help encourage them to take hold.

The next stage of the project involves catching and operating (or euthanizing) on members of the feral population and establishing a “shelter” where homeless animals can be maintained, treated, sterilized, euthanized, or adopted as the situation dictates. This represents an end goal which may take years to achieve and will require the support of local veterinarians. In order to reach this goal, our primary goals must be well established, understood (by the local population and the local doctors), and supported. The example may serve other areas of Nayurit and of Mexico.

During April, 33 dogs and cats were spayed and neutered (14 female dogs, 7 male dogs, 4 female cats, 8 male cats). The most effective surgeries, from a reproductive-reduction standpoint,  are on the females and it is encouraging to view the numbers of female dogs in particular. Virtually all of these dogs were in heat or in stages of early pregnancy. No problems or complications were reported during the weeks following the operations and the general consensus was that the surgeries were safe and effective. Needless to say, this information will spread throughout the pueblo and will have beneficial consequences for the future of the project.

Our November trip will be scheduled to include at least one full day of surgery in San Pancho and, additionally, one day in neighboring Salulita.

Rather than 2 veterinarians, we hope to enlist 3 veterinary medical doctors and 1 human medical surgeon. Our goal will be to increase the numbers without sacrificing the safety or comfort of our patients.

We have several people to thank for assisting us in our efforts. This includes many locals who volunteered their time and equipment during the operation days and also during the days preceding and following. Most importantly we must recognize Greg and Bety Grimes, Upi Viteri, Pat Dicarlo, Judith Anderson, and Costa Azul Resort. All have given beyond expectations and without them we would not be continuing.

Thank you

Dr. Robert N. Pierce, Dr. Dawn Mehra, Dr. Bruce Pedersen, Dr. Joel Goodwin

7 December 2001

 On November 10th and 11th (Sayulita) and on November 17 and 18 (San Pancho) North Idaho Animal Hospital personnel returned to perform sterilization surgeries on Mexican dogs and cats.  Once again this was performed as a community service for the local inhabitants of the two Mexican towns. 

 The purpose for continuing our project, started in 1999, includes reducing the numerous homeless animals and educating the local population as to the efficacy and safety of these procedures.   Additionally, we strongly believe that nurturing the human-animal bond can lead to beneficial societal behavior on the part of the humans.  We continue to insist that our goal of reducing overall numbers in these geographically separate towns is attainable.  

 Both clinics were very successful with a total of 92 operations performed.  This included 45 operations in Sayulita and 47 operations in San Pancho. This brings the project total to 175 animals.

 Owners were sent with specific discharge instructions following surgery, however, in many cases children were present for the animal’s release and instructions were not given directly to an adult.  In future clinics this will be avoided.  Instructions will be read to the adult in charge and then sent home.

 We extend our gratitude to all of those who help us continue this project.  This includes the many individuals who volunteered their valuable time and energy at the clinics, during the organization phases, and during clean-up.  It also includes those who have donated, and continue to donate financially for the tremendous expense of these surgery clinics.  We have been overwhelmed with the quality of the people assisting us.  Words are inadequate to express our thanks and admiration.

 Our next tentative date will be in March, 2002 if funds can be raised.  We plan only one day in each town in April, and two days in each town next November.  When the dates are confirmed you will be contacted.  Donations can be sent to North Idaho Animal Hospital.

 Sincerely,

Dr. Robert N. Pierce, Dr. Dawn Mehra, Dr. Bruce J. Pedersen and the staff of North Idaho Animal Hospital