No electricity, no water but the surgeries continued!

Today was the second day of our clinic in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. The day started off with Sarah and Katrina heading off on a farm call to check on a horse with severe anemia and photosensitization. Back at the clinic we had a steady flow of appointments and surgeries all day long. Katie and the crew from Pelican Eyes have done a fantastic job of getting the word out and keeping things moving smoothly through the day. All of the students had the opportunity to do several surgeries. We have all been very impressed with how well the students surgical skills have progressed in just two days. Part way through the day the power went away (as well as the water). Fortunately, our mobil clinics are equipped to run without either. We were happy to have plenty of headlamps, as they came in very handy today. Dr Shelley hung out her shingle and and was the primary vet seeing appointments today. She saw more than 30 appointments today alone ranging from skin conditions, to paralysis, to parasites and tumors. Two of her clients were gringos and the rest were local Nicaraguans. All were very grateful for the consultation and treatments they received. Kyle and Rachel ran the anesthesia induction and IV catheter station, while Jere and Paulynne oversaw the recovery ward. All of the vets really enjoyed teaching today. Dr Kazi spent quite a bit of time mentoring Fernando and Lester (Nicaraguans) in surgical techniques. His animated teaching stlye kept us all entertained! As we were winding down for the day we were presented with another dog hit by a car. Ironically, this dog also had a broken pelvis just like Surfer, the dog we saw yesterday. Speaking of Surfer, he did well through the night and was able to urinate, deficate and stand with assistance. He will be spend the next 6 weeks receiving care fromt the Stones and Waves Veterinary crew who well help rehabilitate him from his injuries. We will keep our fingers crossed that he will be able to recover without surgery. As I write this blog, the group is roasting organic coffee in the kitchen with some classic rock playing on the stereo. The coffee smells good and the mood is great!