Gypsy Jan - 11-7-2011 at 04:13 PM
On the first Sunday of every month, the low cost, spay/neuter clinic in Rosarito, (http://givesomelife.com/gsl/) has an even lower cost special for the first one hundred dogs or cats.
Spay/neuter services usually cost $250 pesos; the special price for this last Sunday was $150 pesos or $12.50 US.
We took our two young, female Great Danes and it was a real scene, but the people at the clinic were cheerful, efficient and very well-organized.
After registering, everyone waited outside the clinic on the sidewalk or the street.
Registration started at 8:00 a.m., we arrived at 8:05 and were given #’s 18 and 19. They had five vets on duty and what appeared to be three times as
many helpers.
I was really pleased to see that many/most of the owners were Mexican. We chatted with a Rosarito cop who had a beautiful, well-trained and groomed
terrier, wearing an adorable striped sweater (it was a cold morning).
Mostly, it was small dogs and ninety per cent of them were Chihuahuas,, so our Great Danes really stood out. Robin, the clinic founder, who owns
greyhounds, came by, snapping pictures of her clients(animals, not people) and stopped to compliment us on how well-behaved our dogs were. (Proud,
relieved mom rolls eyes, gives thanks to Dog.)
Now to the gritty details (think MASH): When it is your (their) turn, the vet comes out to the sidewalk, eyeballs the client and decides on the size
of the dose of anesthetic. You stay and wait for the lie down. Meanwhile,, clinic workers are carrying limp bodies of dogs and cats in and out of
the building. Most animals we saw, including our own, who were fasting, vomit a little as the anesthetic takes effect.
When the animal is sufficiently sedated, it is put on a scale, also outside, washed and shaved and carried inside the clinic to the operating table.
Because our girls were so large, there was a fast discussion about the best table to use. If you want, you can go inside and observe the procedure.
We opted out.
When finished, the animals are laid on the floor, on clean newspapers, with dogs and cats side-by-side, and carefully monitored, Once they start
waking up, the clinic will call and let you know. With our large dogs, this took about two hours. The smaller animals recovered a lot faster.
The clinic volunteers used a litter to carry our girls back to our vehicle. They asked me to hold their heads in case they became aggressive. I did
and they didn’t.
When they got home, they wobbled on shaky legs into the house and took laid down in their favorite places. We covered them in blankets and they slept
well and ate a small-portioned breakfast this morning.
[Edited on 11-8-2011 by Gypsy Jan]