Helping over 150 dogs through out Nicaragua…
You wouldn’t guess he is scared of needles!
In 2019 we sailed Chuffed from Costa Rica to Mexico, stopping in Nicaragua along the way. We wanted to deliver veterinary care to in need communities and animals, and had made some contacts to get us started.
Our first stop was San Juan Del Sur, a once popular tourist destination, which has seen a decline in visitors with the civil unrest experienced in the country these past years. There is no veterinarian in town, and the government has been otherwise occupied and is no longer running vaccine campaigns. So this is where we stepped in! An amazing local organization ‘Ikigai Rescue’ was finding its feet in a new town and we teamed up to provide vaccines for 75 animals and host a big spay day!
I guess he was scared of needles too! But he insisted on holding every one of his dogs!
We vaccinated dogs in two locations North and East of San Juan Del Sur. These rural areas do not receive the veterinary attention they need, and are quite impoverished making regular veterinary care unobtainable to the locals. Lola, one of the founders of Ikigai, had been spreading the word in advance of my arrival, and organized the purchase of the vaccines.
People came from miles around to get their dogs vaccinated, at the low cost of around 30 cents per animal. This low cost clinic allows owners to take responsibility for their pets, whilst making it affordable for everyone. It was a real family affair, with kids holding dogs, and everyone patiently lining up to see the veterinarian.
While providing vaccinations we also took the opportunity to give every dog worming and flea medication, and treated any illnesses or injuries. Over the course of two days, in two locations, we treated over 75 animals, mostly dogs but even a few cats!
The dream team at the spay clinic
Towards the end of our time in San Juan we also hosted a spay campaign with a local veterinarian. Lola’s organization had never hosted a spay campaign, and it was very exciting to help establish their name as a trusted source for veterinary care in the area. We provided desexing for 25 animals, and proved to the local people and veterinarians that Ikigai Rescue is a wonderful organization to work with to help animals in need. The clinic ran so smoothly with the help of many volunteers from all over the world!
Since we have left San Juan Del Sur Lola’s organization has provided vaccinations for a further 75 animals and has a spay day organized for July! It is so wonderful to see the ongoing effects of the work we do.
Our next stop for animals was a town in the North of Nicargua, Asseradores, which also happens to be where the only Marina is located on the pacific side of Nicaragua! Puesta Del Sol Marina was a real treat after being in rolly anchorages for weeks, located deep in the estuary it is equipped with lovely showers, a pool, clean water and diesel it has everything a cruiser needs.
Asseradores is also famous for a big wave called ‘The Boom’, aptly names because the barrels really do BOOM onto the beach! The community here is impoverished and remote, many people are living in tin shacks with plastic tarp roofs, and of course when the living conditions are poor for the humans so too are the conditions for the dogs.
the vaccine campaign in asseradores was a real community event, and i think i put on a good show!
We came with 100 vaccinations in total, to provide rabies control and the core vaccines to 50 dogs. Once again we treated every other condition we saw and every dog (and the few random cats) received worming and flea medication during their visit. I really loved working here because we literally just rocked up and I walked down the street to where I had heard a group of young woman hold weekly exercise groups. After speaking to them the whole thing was organized and with in four days we were hosting a morning vaccine clinic completely organized by these local women! They took names, made sure people waited their turn, helped hold dogs and clean up. It was really special to see the community come together to help deliver vaccines to their dogs. And believe me people LOVE their dogs here!
The amazing women who helped make the campaign in asseradores come together so smoothly!
In the end we provided treatment to over 150 animals in Nicaragua, a huge effort for a small organization like ours, but of course we were able to do it because we are not working alone! Without a patrons and donators who contributed to this project all of this wouldn’t be possible. So thank you!
If you would like to make a donation to help provide treatment to animals in need please follow the links below!!!
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