Wish List Wednesday

We interrupt this trip to Cuba with a list of needed items.

If you think you can help please let me know.
For those willing to deliver supplies to Havana, Holguin, Trinidad, Camaquey (Varadero soon) I will provide all the needed contact info and back up contacts.
losperros@spankyproject.org

Wormers, flea and tick preventatives are greatly needed.
For your information if an animal has a flea infestation it has worms. Therefore the need
to rid the animal of fleas goes hand in hand with worming.
Any products will be appreciated - collars, shampoos, drops and sprays etc.

Below is a list of specific items requested.

WORMERS
DRONCIT (Praziquantel)
Praziquantel kills mature and immature development stages of tapeworms in the
intestine after a single treatment.

Pyraquantal
Control of all intestinal worms.


Ivomec 1% Injection (Ivermectine) for Cattle & Swine
Do not purchase Ivomec Plus as it has a negative effect on the livers of dogs.
The dosage of this product has been worked out for use on dogs. This is a highly
effective remedy for parasites and mange mites.
This product can be purchase at farmer’s co-ops and TSC Stores in the United States.

Animal shaver with detachable surgical blade. ie Oster A5 Golden (110V) #40 blade
Animal marker kit ie Spaulding Special Electric Tattoo Animal Marker (110V)

FLEA & TICK CONTROL
Permectrin II
Provides long-acting killing power for flies, lice, mites, ticks, fleas and mosquitoes

UK source for wormers



Needles, syringes
Digital thermometers
Gloves
Oral antibiotics

BOOKS - DIGITAL
Veterinary texts both english and spanish
Veterinary material in digital format
Care and training of domestic animals
Care and training of equines

Grooming equipment (Shavers, brushes, scissors, shampoo, nail clippers, flea combs, etc)
Scrub shirts and pants for staff and volunteers.
Black ink cartridge for HEWLETT PACKARD DESK JET 670 C
Type writer ribbons (es Cuba)

On the Road Again

Now that I am back at home I will fill you in on my latest adventures in Cuba.
I will provide - what should be - a day by day look at the trip

Monday February 11 2008

On February 11th I departed for Havana via Air Canada.
My plea for an extra weight allowance was denied by Canada’s national airline. Unlike Sunwing Vacations, Air Canada was true to their word in responding to my request in a timely manner. Yes, I did have a generous allowance to start with and I maximized all of my 140 lb. limit.

Departing at 09:15 the outside temperature was -18c with a windchill of - 30c. This kid was primed for some heat and humidity.

This was a two week venture to Havana and Trinidad with a possibility for time in Sancti Spiritus.
Meeting me in Havana would be Barbara Calm DVM from Montana USA. As most of you are aware, the United States of America does not allow it’s citizens to freely travel to Cuba. With this in mind,Barbara traveled under license provided by Caribbean Medical Transport.

Our goals for the trip included:
- meeting with Nora Garcia,head of Aniplant (Asociación Cubana para la Protección y Bienestar Animal y de Plantas).
-visits to Veterinary clinics
-visits to spay campaigns
-meetings with members of the Consejo Cientifico Veterinario de Cuba
-travel to Trinidad,Cuba and a visit with the founder of the Diana Project for horses.
-travel to Sancti Spiritus, Cuba for talks with the provincial veterinary council.
On the surface one would think that this would not provide two full weeks of activity.
If you add a little tourism, some of the Jazz Festival and a day off for “El Dia del Amor” the two weeks would fly by quickly.

Próspero Y Feliz Año Nuevo !

Well here we all are another year older. The Spank Project also has another year under it’s belt with this being year five.
Since 2003 the Spanky Project has been helping people who help animals. From the early days with a focus on Havana now we have contacts in Trinidad Cuba.

I have received many requests for delivery contacts in towns other than Havana.It is my hope to add other locations such as Holquin, Camaquey, Moron and Cardenas in 2008.

The year that has just past was full of wonderful developments.

Our dog Skeeter successfully recovered from Heartworm.

I became a member of Veterinarians Without Borders Canada.
Also helping make 2007 memorable were some of the people I have come to know in the past year including Liz , Sudah Yehuda Kovesh M.D., Harold Hosein

We've got a full year ahead to help the animals of Cuba. Let’s make the best of it.
If you would like to help I would love to hear from you.

For myself trips in February and New Year Eve are in the works

During my trip to Asia some good news was received.
“Success!! Shaggy arrived in the UK on Saturday afternoon., 17th Nov. I am now a happy, excited owner of a dog once again. “

By the sounds of it the process was not an easy one

“What a drama Operation Shaggy has been. Amparo and I spent all day going from place to place in a taxi. I needed official permission from the head of the vetinerary clinic in Habana, followed by legal validation of her signature at another office in another part of Habana. The rest of the day was spent at the airport, gathering all the other bits of paper to be signed and stamped. Amparo and I thought that was the end of it and the day of the flight would be easy. Wrong again! Another whole day was spent at the airport running from one office to the other - to the Customs office 3 times, an examination by the airport vet, paying for one thing in one office and another in another office. We were exhausted. Even Amparo was confused at the end of the process, and she speaks the language. I had 13 official stamps on my papers! She said it must be easier to move an elephant that it was to get one little dog to the UK. I could never have done it on my own.”


Sound like the exit process for pets could be streamlined a little. I think this is something we can work on.
All the best to Marilyn and Shaggy.

Asian Musings

I'm back home and trying to get into my home time zone. During my trip I observed less stray street dogs than I expected. Dogs in the streets seemed to have collars for the most part and seemed to be in good shape. Contrast this with Cuba where the sight of a dog with a collar is a rarity and the physical condition of the strays is painful to see. Part of the reason for the lack of street dogs may be that Thit Cho (dog meat) is a part of some diets. We heard from our group leader that dog meat is imported into Vietnam from Laos and Thailand. Below find a loved dog on the border of Thailand and Cambodia. This stone relief carving was spotted at Angkor Wat, Cambodia. It depicts dog fighting and was carved in the 12th century.

View From The Road

Sorry for the gap in posting but I’ve been on a bit of a trek.
The posting is coming from Hoi An, Vietnam. I am in week two of a three week journey from Bangkok through Cambodia to Saigon then north to Hanoi with a few stops.
Here are some photos taken along the way.


Bangkok cat sunning near a Budhist temple.

Resident dog Bangkok Protestent Cemetery

Heartgard Plus Donation

Thanks to the generous, group, individual, company, whose name would not be revealed to me, for the generous donation of Heartgard Plus.
I traveled to Toronto yesterday where I was presented with 290 six month treatments of HeartGard Plus.
Heartgard is an Ivermectine based product for the prevention of Heartworm. The Plus portion is Pyrantel with takes care of a number of parasites.

The next step is to get the supplies to Cuba.
If your located in Canada, traveling to Havana and have some space in your luggage I would love to hear from you.


*due to the temperature sensitive nature of Heartgard I cannot ship via courier or post during winter months.
If you are in Southern Ontario contact me and we can make some arrangement.