Located on Havana's south eastern outskirts it is one of the 15 municipalities into which the city is divided.
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Numbers from 2004 show the municipality of San Miguel del Padrón had a population of 159,273.
Our day began with a small spay/neuter campaña at the Consultorio Veterinario ofDra.Danis. The campaña location also happens to be her home which she shares
with her husband, Tony.
The government has sanctioned a small consultorio clinic in her home to supplement the larger municipal clinic. A sign is posted on the entrance ... Don't bother "NO MOLESTE" .. outside of the posted hours. In reality, urgent cases are not turned away.
Upon our arrival, our first patients were waiting for us.
Danis (green scrubs on the left) and Dr.Edgar (red cap) met with the caregivers.
Edgar is a veterinarian from Havana who joined us for the day.
Thanks to Susana, I have come to know Edgar.
He is a talented surgeon and is always very keen to upgrade his knowledge and skills.
Danis (green scrubs on the left) and Dr.Edgar (red cap) met with the caregivers.
Edgar is a veterinarian from Havana who joined us for the day.
Thanks to Susana, I have come to know Edgar.
He is a talented surgeon and is always very keen to upgrade his knowledge and skills.
Above is Dr.Travers with the municipal veterinary director.
Here, Edgar is doing a flank spay while the dog's caregiver looks on.It is quite common to have caregiver involvement during these campaigns.
Dr.Linda Pallet has also been donating supplies in Cuba--along with her time-- since 2003.
In the past couple years, Linda has joined forces with the Spanky Project.
This is the first time we have visited Cuba together.
In addition to the spay/neuters performed during this campaña, Linda provided the extra services of checking dental health and giving "manicures"
Throughout Cuba, all veterinary facilities have educational materials posted.Danis' "consultorio" is no exception.
As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The final tally was ...Dogs 11 Cats 3
Not bad for a mornings work.
These little pups were brought by for a visit.I hope we see them at a future campaña.
photo:Susana Hurlich
Next we were off to Finca Vigia/Museo Hemingway.
These are four of the 13 resident dogs.
It was good to be back at Hemingway's home.We were warmly greeted by Ada Rosa Alfonso -Director Museo Hemingway.
My first visit was back in June, 2010. It was then that the seeds were planted for an ongoing project.
June 2010 visit to Finca Vigia
After a wonderful lunch we got down to a little work.
The Spanky Project is continuing it's commitment to Las Mascotas de Finca Vigia.
On this visit, with Danis the project veterinarian, we delivered supplies for ongoing care.
The Spanky Project is continuing it's commitment to Las Mascotas de Finca Vigia.
On this visit, with Danis the project veterinarian, we delivered supplies for ongoing care.
All of the dogs were vaccinated and orally deparasitized with Ivomec.
We had the honour of being given a guided tour of Finca Vigia by Ada Rosa herself.
It was great to have such a glimpse into Hemingway's days spent on the edge of Havana.
Hasta la próxima vez Negrito
(Until next time, Negrito)
After a day full of emotional highs it was back to reality.
Due to economics, the veterinary infrastructure in Cuba is under great stress.
In San Miguel del Padron the only clinic for the municipality is crumbling.
As you can see in this photo, water infiltration is causing problems.
This area of the clinic had no lighting.
Dr.Travers provided illumination via her cell phone.
In true Cuban style ....
Despite the day to day struggles caring for animals a smile is always there.
We had the honour of being given a guided tour of Finca Vigia by Ada Rosa herself.
It was great to have such a glimpse into Hemingway's days spent on the edge of Havana.
Hasta la próxima vez Negrito(Until next time, Negrito)
After a day full of emotional highs it was back to reality.Due to economics, the veterinary infrastructure in Cuba is under great stress.
In San Miguel del Padron the only clinic for the municipality is crumbling.
As you can see in this photo, water infiltration is causing problems.
This area of the clinic had no lighting.Dr.Travers provided illumination via her cell phone.
In true Cuban style ....Despite the day to day struggles caring for animals a smile is always there.
After our fun-filled afternoon at Finca Vigia, Dr.Travers suggested we continue the Hemingway theme into the evening. She heard that Ernest frequented a spot called the Floridita-- this bar also lays claim to being the originator of the daiquiri.
Our next stop was the Hotel Ambos Mundos where we enjoyed the roof top view over Habana Vieja. A few floors down we were able to then drop by Ernest's room on the fifth floor. Note Dr.Belovich count cat toes in the photo on the right.
Finally, we strolled past La Bodeguita del Medio (another Hemingway drinking hole) before calling it a night.
Our next stop was the Hotel Ambos Mundos where we enjoyed the roof top view over Habana Vieja. A few floors down we were able to then drop by Ernest's room on the fifth floor. Note Dr.Belovich count cat toes in the photo on the right.
Finally, we strolled past La Bodeguita del Medio (another Hemingway drinking hole) before calling it a night.
