I got home this morning to find my cell phone didn’t work in New York (works in the Caribbean and Latin America, but not in Queens) and there was about 6 inches of snow on the ground. I started debating how much the pilot would charge to just hide me in the bathroom and fly me back to Colombia.
After being berated in Colombia by police and airline security, it was a welcome change to pass through customs at JFK. I usually have more trouble getting back into my own country than entering any other. The guy did make me take my glasses off so he could compare my passport photo, then stamped me back into the good ol’ U. S. of A. He smiled and said “Welcome home, miss.” – Double kudos to you, sir. Thank you for your kind sentiment at 6am on a Tuesday morning, and muchas gracias for not calling me ma’am!!
In the last 5 weeks, I've traveled 18,815 miles... can you say FREQUENT FLYER?
Minus the snow, freezing cold, utter exhaustion, 40 lbs of dirty laundry, and jet lag…. good to be home! When do I leave again??
December 22, 2009
Let's talk about how much I love Colombia.....
This morning I had breakfast with RH and the police dogs; and I did NOT get any photos!! They are very hyper and wiggly, so it was impossible to handle my camera and the dogs, but even without photos, it was awesome! The police have 3 yellow laboradors – 2 males, Nicko and Bosco, and one female, Luna. They are beautiful dogs and very well cared for. I was trying to find out (in Spanglish) if they had made any arrests or seizures since working for the Galapagos; I think Luna discovered some illegal sea cucumber shipments?
The woman in Quito did a hack-job stamping my passport – and I spent 20 minutes trying to explain to the metal detector guy that I could not read the exit stamp, and if I couldn’t read it, chances are the US Border Patrol wouldn’t read it either. The woman in customs rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth a few times (pretty universal for “F you” in any language) before re-stamping my passport.
Thank you senora and buenos dias to you too.
My flights from Galapagos and Quito were uneventful, and I even had extra room to spread out and sleep (a HUGE deal for someone with long legs on short planes). I am in Bogata waiting for my flight to NYC, and there is some sort of delay. I couldn’t seem to find out when or from which gate the plane is leaving, so spent about an hour wandering up and down the hall looking for someone who speaks English. The entire Colombian national guard showed up to search everyone on the plane – they actually search you in the hallway BEFORE you can get to the waiting lounge! I think the poor guy who had to dig through my nasty sneakers and dirty laundry probably hates his life right now – my shoes smell pretty rank after 3 weeks ;-)
I must have had 8 people ask me the same questions over and over and over again in
the 10 feet between the hallway and the waiting lounge:
“Are you traveling alone?" -- yes
"Where has your luggage been since you arrived?" -- with me
"Who packed your luggage?" -- I did.
Then that guy went through it and made me pack it all again after he dug through my dirty laundry.
"Where are you going?" -- Nuevo Jork
"Where did you come from?" -- originally...??
"When did you leave?" -- as soon as I get on this plane
"Did anyone give you anything to carry with you?" -- you mean the stranger in the women's room??
Yeah amigo, I’m from New York.
I get the drill.
The woman in Quito did a hack-job stamping my passport – and I spent 20 minutes trying to explain to the metal detector guy that I could not read the exit stamp, and if I couldn’t read it, chances are the US Border Patrol wouldn’t read it either. The woman in customs rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth a few times (pretty universal for “F you” in any language) before re-stamping my passport.
Thank you senora and buenos dias to you too.
My flights from Galapagos and Quito were uneventful, and I even had extra room to spread out and sleep (a HUGE deal for someone with long legs on short planes). I am in Bogata waiting for my flight to NYC, and there is some sort of delay. I couldn’t seem to find out when or from which gate the plane is leaving, so spent about an hour wandering up and down the hall looking for someone who speaks English. The entire Colombian national guard showed up to search everyone on the plane – they actually search you in the hallway BEFORE you can get to the waiting lounge! I think the poor guy who had to dig through my nasty sneakers and dirty laundry probably hates his life right now – my shoes smell pretty rank after 3 weeks ;-)
I must have had 8 people ask me the same questions over and over and over again in
the 10 feet between the hallway and the waiting lounge:
“Are you traveling alone?" -- yes
"Where has your luggage been since you arrived?" -- with me
"Who packed your luggage?" -- I did.
Then that guy went through it and made me pack it all again after he dug through my dirty laundry.
"Where are you going?" -- Nuevo Jork
"Where did you come from?" -- originally...??
"When did you leave?" -- as soon as I get on this plane
"Did anyone give you anything to carry with you?" -- you mean the stranger in the women's room??
Yeah amigo, I’m from New York.
I get the drill.
December 20, 2009
And then there was one....
B left this afternoon, right after a quick jaunt to the other surfer beach near Playa Mann. Some obnoxious kids were chasing a sea lion, and I was ready to chase them. It’s really very sad that some people (especially the ninos!) don’t seem to appreciate the rare beauty of the Galapagos. I don’t like to fight, but I would gladly punch out a few ninos to keep the sea lions safe and happy!
We got a “backstage” tour of the San Cristobal airport (it helps to have friends in high places) and got to see where the police dogs check the luggage for illegal imports/exports (mostly sea cucumbers and shark fins). There are currently 3 police dogs on San Cristobal, and all are spayed or neutered!! YAH!! :-) I am meeting with all of them tomorrow to give them parasite medications and talk to the police about overall care.
The rest of the afternoon I spent with AK (a CIMEI volunteer) having lunch, then walking around and enjoying my last day in paradise. I had my last dinner at Rokas y Cactus – my FAVORITE San Cristobal restaurant – and then hung out with AK on the malecone until way too late. Tomorrow I have to pack, meet with the police, and then leave my island.
Until next time…
We got a “backstage” tour of the San Cristobal airport (it helps to have friends in high places) and got to see where the police dogs check the luggage for illegal imports/exports (mostly sea cucumbers and shark fins). There are currently 3 police dogs on San Cristobal, and all are spayed or neutered!! YAH!! :-) I am meeting with all of them tomorrow to give them parasite medications and talk to the police about overall care.
The rest of the afternoon I spent with AK (a CIMEI volunteer) having lunch, then walking around and enjoying my last day in paradise. I had my last dinner at Rokas y Cactus – my FAVORITE San Cristobal restaurant – and then hung out with AK on the malecone until way too late. Tomorrow I have to pack, meet with the police, and then leave my island.
Until next time…
December 19, 2009
Conquering Kicker Rock
Last night B and I walked along the malecone (Spanish for boardwalk) and FINALLY saw some lobos (sea lions)!!!!!!!!!! I was totally freaked out the first few days by the lack of lobos, but they ALL came out last night!!!!! BABIES TOO!!!!!!! Thank goodness, as my trip would have been ruined if I didn't have my nightly chorus of Lobos singing me to sleep :-)
B and I checked by CIMEI this morning, but the door was still locked and my note was still on the door. We met up with our diving boat at 8:30am, and set out on an exciting diving day!! I don’t remember the captain’s name, but our dive masters were Angel 1 and Angel 2 – both from mainland Ecuador. We used the same dive company last San Cristobal trip, and they were equally awesome this time. News to me, the oil tanker Jessica wrecked right off the coast of San Cristobal, and is apparently a hot dive spot, especially at night. Unfortunately, I learned this with 2 days left on the island, so that’s a BIG definitely for next time!
Not even 5 minutes from the dock, we spotted DOLPHINS!!! The boat pulled over, and we jumped overboard (Adrien screaming, “DO THEY BITE????” diving from the boat). The water was a little choppy, so we didn’t see any in the water, but could hear the sonar dolphin calls from underwater!! I got some awesome video clips once back on the boat, with my Spanglish screaming in the background. There were about 3 dozen dolphins (adults and babies!) feeding right off shore. SO COOL!!!! Too bad they swim faster than me, else I would have been right there in the fish buffet with them :-)
Diving was AWESOME – but no dolphins :-/
We went to Leon Dormido (Spanish for “Sleeping Lion” – aka as Kicker Rock by the gringos), and a hot dive spot for all sorts of great wildlife: sharks, rays, turtles, whales (apparently Shamu isn’t so friendly in the wild). The last few days had DOZENS of hammerhead sightings, but of course, we didn’t see any :-( Did see some awesome fish, Galapagos sharks, sea turtles, lobsters, etc etc etc. My underwater camera case was still wet from the DR (can’t trust me with anything nice) and fogged up underwater :-( :-( :-(
But B had a nice camera with him, so I’m going to poach some shots off of him.
He is also wins the Best Buddy of the Year award – as I was sucking down air like it was no body’s business, and wound up with almost no air on the 2nd dive. I called the 1st dive, as I was at 50 BAR after about a half hour. We were very deep (about 70 feet max) so by the time we got to the surface, I was at about 8 BAR. The 2nd dive, I got to 50 BAR and started running REALLY low just before the 15 feet safety stop. B is buddy of the year for sharing his air with me AND actually having air left – 1000 PSI – he must have little girl lungs ;-) Also, many many thanks to Capt Saam and friends for whipping me into a half-way decent diver. Not panicking and remembering the buddy breathing stuff actually came in handy!!!! Now I need to learn how to use my computer, and not just read it (but definitely came in handy for the safety stops!)
Back on shore, the CIMEI was still closed, so I took a shower and a nap, then went to Renato’s house to find out what happened (I was pretty certain it wasn’t good). He was asleep, but I managed to deduce that the dog had died, either at 9pm or 9am, and he had to go tell the owners that afternoon (I thought it was a street dog :-(...) Pam felt very bad, but it was just one of those things that happen. Even in the states, with top notch technology, chest xrays, blood screens and the whole deal, it still happens.
B and I checked by CIMEI this morning, but the door was still locked and my note was still on the door. We met up with our diving boat at 8:30am, and set out on an exciting diving day!! I don’t remember the captain’s name, but our dive masters were Angel 1 and Angel 2 – both from mainland Ecuador. We used the same dive company last San Cristobal trip, and they were equally awesome this time. News to me, the oil tanker Jessica wrecked right off the coast of San Cristobal, and is apparently a hot dive spot, especially at night. Unfortunately, I learned this with 2 days left on the island, so that’s a BIG definitely for next time!
Not even 5 minutes from the dock, we spotted DOLPHINS!!! The boat pulled over, and we jumped overboard (Adrien screaming, “DO THEY BITE????” diving from the boat). The water was a little choppy, so we didn’t see any in the water, but could hear the sonar dolphin calls from underwater!! I got some awesome video clips once back on the boat, with my Spanglish screaming in the background. There were about 3 dozen dolphins (adults and babies!) feeding right off shore. SO COOL!!!! Too bad they swim faster than me, else I would have been right there in the fish buffet with them :-)
Diving was AWESOME – but no dolphins :-/
We went to Leon Dormido (Spanish for “Sleeping Lion” – aka as Kicker Rock by the gringos), and a hot dive spot for all sorts of great wildlife: sharks, rays, turtles, whales (apparently Shamu isn’t so friendly in the wild). The last few days had DOZENS of hammerhead sightings, but of course, we didn’t see any :-( Did see some awesome fish, Galapagos sharks, sea turtles, lobsters, etc etc etc. My underwater camera case was still wet from the DR (can’t trust me with anything nice) and fogged up underwater :-( :-( :-(
But B had a nice camera with him, so I’m going to poach some shots off of him.
He is also wins the Best Buddy of the Year award – as I was sucking down air like it was no body’s business, and wound up with almost no air on the 2nd dive. I called the 1st dive, as I was at 50 BAR after about a half hour. We were very deep (about 70 feet max) so by the time we got to the surface, I was at about 8 BAR. The 2nd dive, I got to 50 BAR and started running REALLY low just before the 15 feet safety stop. B is buddy of the year for sharing his air with me AND actually having air left – 1000 PSI – he must have little girl lungs ;-) Also, many many thanks to Capt Saam and friends for whipping me into a half-way decent diver. Not panicking and remembering the buddy breathing stuff actually came in handy!!!! Now I need to learn how to use my computer, and not just read it (but definitely came in handy for the safety stops!)
Back on shore, the CIMEI was still closed, so I took a shower and a nap, then went to Renato’s house to find out what happened (I was pretty certain it wasn’t good). He was asleep, but I managed to deduce that the dog had died, either at 9pm or 9am, and he had to go tell the owners that afternoon (I thought it was a street dog :-(...) Pam felt very bad, but it was just one of those things that happen. Even in the states, with top notch technology, chest xrays, blood screens and the whole deal, it still happens.
December 18, 2009
don't pack up just yet....
Today our fearless leader left us :-( and took the hotel room key with her!! I will apparently have to “break into” my room for the next few days, which is OK since the window is easily accessible and the screen is less than secure.
B and I went back to CIMEI this afternoon to clean up and pack, and talked to SharkSky about some SCUBA diving tomorrow. I (finally) got some free CIMEI internet on my computer, so didn’t have to pay $1.50/hour at the café up the road. B left around 3pm to find a phone, and I stayed in the office to “hold down the fort.” I didn’t think that would involve any actual work, but P and L came running back into the clinic literally 5 minutes after B left.
They operated on the 2 dogs from yesterday (2 big spays) and one had just gotten back to its home when the incision started bleeding. I left my Facebook unattended and ran through the usual drill: catheter (minus a t-set, so made my own), fluids, atropine (but couldn’t find a syringe), etc etc etc. The emergencies tend to arrive when you are least prepared and completely unorganized (as seen on the first day, and now again on the last). Apologies to L for screaming at him, but that’s just how I get when I don’t have syringes (bad habit from days at Davis… not proud of it).
While L ran the streets looking for B, P started surgery. Big shout out to her on that – she was obviously freaked out, but got in there like a pro. The dog looked like total crap, but she found the bleed (superficial thank god) and had started fixing it by the time B got back. Hindsight is always 20/20, and apparently the owners told RH AFTER the fact that the dog had been anorexic, lethargic and overally ADR for about 3 weeks – probably NOT a good surgical candidate :-/
The maxi pads from the other night came in handy again for a belly/compression wrap, but the dog did not look good. When we extubated her, there was a huge yellow snot ball on the end of the tube – no bueno. She apparently had several other issues going on, so we loaded her up with fluids, antibiotics, pain meds, and hoped for the best. Fingers crossed, we went to dinner, and planned to check back in on her at 11pm. B called it a night early (we’re going diving tomorrow!!) and I hung around the CIMEI for a while before leaving a note on the door and calling it a night. Hopefully everything will work out, and if not, we’re in the Hotel San Francisco, 2nd floor, rooms 3 and 11 :-/
B and I went back to CIMEI this afternoon to clean up and pack, and talked to SharkSky about some SCUBA diving tomorrow. I (finally) got some free CIMEI internet on my computer, so didn’t have to pay $1.50/hour at the café up the road. B left around 3pm to find a phone, and I stayed in the office to “hold down the fort.” I didn’t think that would involve any actual work, but P and L came running back into the clinic literally 5 minutes after B left.
They operated on the 2 dogs from yesterday (2 big spays) and one had just gotten back to its home when the incision started bleeding. I left my Facebook unattended and ran through the usual drill: catheter (minus a t-set, so made my own), fluids, atropine (but couldn’t find a syringe), etc etc etc. The emergencies tend to arrive when you are least prepared and completely unorganized (as seen on the first day, and now again on the last). Apologies to L for screaming at him, but that’s just how I get when I don’t have syringes (bad habit from days at Davis… not proud of it).
While L ran the streets looking for B, P started surgery. Big shout out to her on that – she was obviously freaked out, but got in there like a pro. The dog looked like total crap, but she found the bleed (superficial thank god) and had started fixing it by the time B got back. Hindsight is always 20/20, and apparently the owners told RH AFTER the fact that the dog had been anorexic, lethargic and overally ADR for about 3 weeks – probably NOT a good surgical candidate :-/
The maxi pads from the other night came in handy again for a belly/compression wrap, but the dog did not look good. When we extubated her, there was a huge yellow snot ball on the end of the tube – no bueno. She apparently had several other issues going on, so we loaded her up with fluids, antibiotics, pain meds, and hoped for the best. Fingers crossed, we went to dinner, and planned to check back in on her at 11pm. B called it a night early (we’re going diving tomorrow!!) and I hung around the CIMEI for a while before leaving a note on the door and calling it a night. Hopefully everything will work out, and if not, we’re in the Hotel San Francisco, 2nd floor, rooms 3 and 11 :-/
Day 3
It is about 2 am and I SHOULD be sleeping, but just got back from my inaugural visit to Iguana Rock – the San Cristobal nightclub that I have managed to miss on all prior visits.
Today was an interesting example of the Rolling Stones’ classic…. “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need” I also need to send out an island-wide mea culpa to my San Cristobal companeros… the running joke is that Ecuadorian time is always an hour behind Gringo time. So Galapagaean time is 2 hours behind Gringo time, and thus the Americans have a good laugh at their expense. HOWEVER… it seems that the Dutch have taken Galapagaean time to a whole ‘nother level – an appointment at 7:30am turned out to be around 3pm! So a big Lo Siento to all my amigos in San Cristobal – sorry to get you up early and make you work through lunch, but we were hungry and tired right there with you!
Everyone showed up dressed and ready to impress at 7:30am, and started off at a nice, but abnormally slow pace. After we heard that the Dutch filmmakers took an hour lunch break, we said screw it and started surgerizing away. When they DID show up, they took RH hostage for a few hours to run around the island looking for “difficult” people resisting sterilizing their pets. Good luck with that. They did bring us a pure-bred Husky and a pregnant lab mix, but didn’t even stay to film the surgery! So the wasted film opportunity turned out in favor of our 3 visiting veterianarias, P, P and R, as we had ample time to spare, and B was able to teach them some awesome surgery stuff. Each one had a pretty interesting, difficult surgery (3 big dog spays) so it was awesome learning and hands on experience. By the time everything was said and done, it was a ridiculously long day, and we could have been done by 3pm, but it worked out the way it was supposed to, and we finished around 5. We actually pushed 2 surgeries off until tomorrow, just because it was so late and it would have been another hour and a half to finish 2 dog spays.
After a MUCH NEEDED shower, EC, B and I had a great dinner at Miconia, and I stuffed myself with almost an entire pizza. Island time being what it is, we were supposed to meet up with the CIMEI people at 8 (I think?) but we were VERY late, and they had almost bailed on us. Again, it all seemed to work out, and after B bought everyone a round of drinks, I think they forgot about our tardiness ;-) We had the whole club to ourselves, and thus, made complete fools of ourselves on the dance floor. There were MANY photos taken (and apparently videos too) that will probably be destroyed due to inappropriate content ;-) but an awesome time was had by all. EC leaves early tomorrow :-( so we will be up early, but it was a great night and an interesting campaign. 3 days of surgery, 31 spays/neuters (18 today!), a handful of poison cases, and one hit by car surgery. Good surgeries, good learning experiences for the vets and great team work by all.
Today was an interesting example of the Rolling Stones’ classic…. “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need” I also need to send out an island-wide mea culpa to my San Cristobal companeros… the running joke is that Ecuadorian time is always an hour behind Gringo time. So Galapagaean time is 2 hours behind Gringo time, and thus the Americans have a good laugh at their expense. HOWEVER… it seems that the Dutch have taken Galapagaean time to a whole ‘nother level – an appointment at 7:30am turned out to be around 3pm! So a big Lo Siento to all my amigos in San Cristobal – sorry to get you up early and make you work through lunch, but we were hungry and tired right there with you!
Everyone showed up dressed and ready to impress at 7:30am, and started off at a nice, but abnormally slow pace. After we heard that the Dutch filmmakers took an hour lunch break, we said screw it and started surgerizing away. When they DID show up, they took RH hostage for a few hours to run around the island looking for “difficult” people resisting sterilizing their pets. Good luck with that. They did bring us a pure-bred Husky and a pregnant lab mix, but didn’t even stay to film the surgery! So the wasted film opportunity turned out in favor of our 3 visiting veterianarias, P, P and R, as we had ample time to spare, and B was able to teach them some awesome surgery stuff. Each one had a pretty interesting, difficult surgery (3 big dog spays) so it was awesome learning and hands on experience. By the time everything was said and done, it was a ridiculously long day, and we could have been done by 3pm, but it worked out the way it was supposed to, and we finished around 5. We actually pushed 2 surgeries off until tomorrow, just because it was so late and it would have been another hour and a half to finish 2 dog spays.
After a MUCH NEEDED shower, EC, B and I had a great dinner at Miconia, and I stuffed myself with almost an entire pizza. Island time being what it is, we were supposed to meet up with the CIMEI people at 8 (I think?) but we were VERY late, and they had almost bailed on us. Again, it all seemed to work out, and after B bought everyone a round of drinks, I think they forgot about our tardiness ;-) We had the whole club to ourselves, and thus, made complete fools of ourselves on the dance floor. There were MANY photos taken (and apparently videos too) that will probably be destroyed due to inappropriate content ;-) but an awesome time was had by all. EC leaves early tomorrow :-( so we will be up early, but it was a great night and an interesting campaign. 3 days of surgery, 31 spays/neuters (18 today!), a handful of poison cases, and one hit by car surgery. Good surgeries, good learning experiences for the vets and great team work by all.
December 17, 2009
December 16, 2009
day 2
Many thanks to B for miscalculating the Daylight Savings time/Galapageñean time change – I was up at (what was thought to be) 8am, and in a hot panic to throw on clothes to be at the clinic ASAP. As I was throwing things into my backpack, I heard a faint “beep beep beep” – from my Blackberry alarm (good for only that in the Galapagos – thanks Verizon for “Global” service) – which was set for 7:30am. I then recalled a moment yesterday that B commented his clock was wrong, and had a nice laugh at his expense ;-)
Breakfast was at the other coffee shop on the street, and I noticed that my favorite island experience was somewhat missing… Prior trips to San Cristobal were filled with sea lions – carpeting the beaches, flopping on the rocks, barking and snorting in chourus with crashing waves. I scanned the boardwalk and didn’t see a single one. When I looked over the sea wall, I saw maybe 3 or 4 in the water or on the beach – compared to the dozens I saw 6 months ago!
Apparently breeding season is coming up, but it did seem a bit odd to not have as many ashore this time of year. I thought it was perhaps from all of the Christmas decorations along the boardwalk, but one other possibility was if this was/is an El Nino year. Whatever it is, it made me sad to not see all of my barking and flopping sea lions on San Cristobal :'-(
We had a slow but successful day in the clinic – no deaths!! After yesterday, it was a blessing to have no issues. We sterilized 21 dogs and cats, and treated one very badly hit by car puppy, who had some nasty tearing and scalding to her flank and practically a degloved rear hock. Anesthesia is a wonderful thing, and after a few doses of narcotics, she was sound asleep and ready for surgery. After a mess of clipping, scrubbing, and dust-bustering, B placed a drain in the flank and repaired the hock (which had broken the joint capsule but not the bone). Wound dressing became an issue, as there were no Telfa pads to be found – again, B McGuiver to the rescue – Anna and I went off the local pharmacy/corner store to find feminine hygiene pads with non-stick, absorbent lining. The man at the counter looked at us like crazy people when we had him bring out every brand/style of pad for us to inspect. But it worked like a last-minute, home-made Telfa pad dream!
After a long day of surgery, cleaning, prepping and organizing, we (finally) met with the Dutch filmmakers who are coming to film the clinic tomorrow for their Darwin documentary (we are part of the Galapagos/invasive species bit). It was nice to have dinner with English-speaking people (although mi español is pretty mejor after a few days ;-) and hear of their adventures around the globe thus far. They are re-creating Darwin’s voyage of the Beagle, and their time in the Galapagos is being spent documenting the changes brought about by humans and other invasive species. I didn’t get the impression they truly understood the complexity and challenge of the Galapagos – I don’t think anyone really does until they experience it first hand. It should be interesting to see what they want/can document, although I get the impression that what they’re looking for, we already fixed a few years back. Oh well… it should be interesting and we will all look great on camera (thanks to lovely uniforms that were custom tailored by the man around the corner from CIMEI). Hair, makeup and coffee is at 7am. Time for beauty sleep…
Breakfast was at the other coffee shop on the street, and I noticed that my favorite island experience was somewhat missing… Prior trips to San Cristobal were filled with sea lions – carpeting the beaches, flopping on the rocks, barking and snorting in chourus with crashing waves. I scanned the boardwalk and didn’t see a single one. When I looked over the sea wall, I saw maybe 3 or 4 in the water or on the beach – compared to the dozens I saw 6 months ago!
Apparently breeding season is coming up, but it did seem a bit odd to not have as many ashore this time of year. I thought it was perhaps from all of the Christmas decorations along the boardwalk, but one other possibility was if this was/is an El Nino year. Whatever it is, it made me sad to not see all of my barking and flopping sea lions on San Cristobal :'-(
We had a slow but successful day in the clinic – no deaths!! After yesterday, it was a blessing to have no issues. We sterilized 21 dogs and cats, and treated one very badly hit by car puppy, who had some nasty tearing and scalding to her flank and practically a degloved rear hock. Anesthesia is a wonderful thing, and after a few doses of narcotics, she was sound asleep and ready for surgery. After a mess of clipping, scrubbing, and dust-bustering, B placed a drain in the flank and repaired the hock (which had broken the joint capsule but not the bone). Wound dressing became an issue, as there were no Telfa pads to be found – again, B McGuiver to the rescue – Anna and I went off the local pharmacy/corner store to find feminine hygiene pads with non-stick, absorbent lining. The man at the counter looked at us like crazy people when we had him bring out every brand/style of pad for us to inspect. But it worked like a last-minute, home-made Telfa pad dream!
After a long day of surgery, cleaning, prepping and organizing, we (finally) met with the Dutch filmmakers who are coming to film the clinic tomorrow for their Darwin documentary (we are part of the Galapagos/invasive species bit). It was nice to have dinner with English-speaking people (although mi español is pretty mejor after a few days ;-) and hear of their adventures around the globe thus far. They are re-creating Darwin’s voyage of the Beagle, and their time in the Galapagos is being spent documenting the changes brought about by humans and other invasive species. I didn’t get the impression they truly understood the complexity and challenge of the Galapagos – I don’t think anyone really does until they experience it first hand. It should be interesting to see what they want/can document, although I get the impression that what they’re looking for, we already fixed a few years back. Oh well… it should be interesting and we will all look great on camera (thanks to lovely uniforms that were custom tailored by the man around the corner from CIMEI). Hair, makeup and coffee is at 7am. Time for beauty sleep…
December 15, 2009
when work and vacation blend together.....
Today was supposed to be clinic set-up day – wake up early, have a casual breakfast, meander down to the CIMEI office and organize for Wednesday and Thursday. EC had a TV interview bright and early, and they followed her to the CIMEI office where a few more shots/footage was collect. As that was going on, a man brought in a dog with a mild prioprism, and after a few minutes of stuttering en español, I convinced him to get the dog neutered
At that point, it seemed like I turned around and all of a sudden there were ½ dozen seizing animals in the office and hysterical people outside. Apparently, an entire neighborhood of animals had gotten into a rat poison supply early that morning, and within 20 minutes, we had 2 cats and 3 dogs seizing in the waiting room. The next few hours were a literal mad house – calling for valium in one room, oxygen and crash cart in the next. Of course, the ONE thing we didn’t bring to San Cristobal was Vitamin K (used to treat warfarin-type poisoning bleeding disorders), and apparently there was an island-wide shortage of Vitamin K (of course… whatever we need we don’t have – but we probably have an ample supply of 25 gauge needles and gauze!!) A few people literally scoured the island and came up with 2 mL of Vitamin K, and (after a brief Google search) a big bag of parsley (apparently a rich natural source of Vitamin K… good to know!)
Unfortunately, despite the injectable Vitamin K and all other emergency procedures, 4 of the animals died within a half hour of each other. First the small kitten, then a puppy, then the older dog, and finally the other cat :-( It was discovered that these people were actually neighbors of each other, and that someone had put out poison (intentional or not) that all 4 animals had eaten (and subsequently vomited up). Death wasn’t done with us yet, as there was a cat that went missing for 3 weeks and came back with a badly broken leg. After euthanizing it, we discovered a HUGE hemoabdomen that would have definitely been inoperable under almost all circumstances. A man brought in his 7 year old Husky (yes, there are Siberian Huskies in the Galapagos…) that had terrible neurologic signs, and was also euthanized. The man was quite sad, and even despite the language barrier, I could tell he was deeply upset. With the help of a translator, I tried to tell him he made a humane, loving decision, and he thanked us profusely for helping. When all of the smoke finally cleared, everything was cleaned, washed and put away; we showered and met up for dinner at the Italian/pizza place at the end of the pier.
After lots of laughs and recalling old memories (and probably making a few new ones… CADILLAC!!!), we saw the man with the husky walk by with ANOTHER husky – apparently it was the older dog’s offspring, and after a few smiles and awkward spanglish, I (think) I convinced him to get the younger dog neutered on Thursday (in front of the documentary TV crew ) We’ll see what comes of it, but fingers crossed!!!
At that point, it seemed like I turned around and all of a sudden there were ½ dozen seizing animals in the office and hysterical people outside. Apparently, an entire neighborhood of animals had gotten into a rat poison supply early that morning, and within 20 minutes, we had 2 cats and 3 dogs seizing in the waiting room. The next few hours were a literal mad house – calling for valium in one room, oxygen and crash cart in the next. Of course, the ONE thing we didn’t bring to San Cristobal was Vitamin K (used to treat warfarin-type poisoning bleeding disorders), and apparently there was an island-wide shortage of Vitamin K (of course… whatever we need we don’t have – but we probably have an ample supply of 25 gauge needles and gauze!!) A few people literally scoured the island and came up with 2 mL of Vitamin K, and (after a brief Google search) a big bag of parsley (apparently a rich natural source of Vitamin K… good to know!)
Unfortunately, despite the injectable Vitamin K and all other emergency procedures, 4 of the animals died within a half hour of each other. First the small kitten, then a puppy, then the older dog, and finally the other cat :-( It was discovered that these people were actually neighbors of each other, and that someone had put out poison (intentional or not) that all 4 animals had eaten (and subsequently vomited up). Death wasn’t done with us yet, as there was a cat that went missing for 3 weeks and came back with a badly broken leg. After euthanizing it, we discovered a HUGE hemoabdomen that would have definitely been inoperable under almost all circumstances. A man brought in his 7 year old Husky (yes, there are Siberian Huskies in the Galapagos…) that had terrible neurologic signs, and was also euthanized. The man was quite sad, and even despite the language barrier, I could tell he was deeply upset. With the help of a translator, I tried to tell him he made a humane, loving decision, and he thanked us profusely for helping. When all of the smoke finally cleared, everything was cleaned, washed and put away; we showered and met up for dinner at the Italian/pizza place at the end of the pier.
After lots of laughs and recalling old memories (and probably making a few new ones… CADILLAC!!!), we saw the man with the husky walk by with ANOTHER husky – apparently it was the older dog’s offspring, and after a few smiles and awkward spanglish, I (think) I convinced him to get the younger dog neutered on Thursday (in front of the documentary TV crew ) We’ll see what comes of it, but fingers crossed!!!
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