Naples Coastal Animal Hospital Went To BAARK! In The Bahamas

The staff of NCAH traveled to the Bahamas to set up a BAARK! (Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness) spay and neuter clinic May 23-May 26.

“Bahamas No More Mamas 2024”

BAARK!’s Mission is to carry out spay/neuter and education projects to reduce the homeless animal population and end the suffering of dogs and cats in The Bahamas.

QUESTION: How can ONE person save 100 homeless animals?

ANSWER: It’s easy! Just spay ONE!!

A most sincere thanks to the generosity of our client donors, corporate sponsors, our BAARK! hosts, and local volunteers without whom this mission would not have been possible. This was an amazing opportunity for our staff who are always looking for ways to make a difference in the lives of animals everywhere.

UPDATE: We had quite an adventure in Nassau! Our staff and friends performed 69 spays and neuters in 24 hours! We certainly feel as though we have made a positive impact on the community and the lives of the animals we treated.

We arrived on the island and as we traveled to the abandoned newspaper printing press that BAARK! had acquired for our makeshift veterinary surgical “clinic,” it was apparent that the need for spays and neuters was underserved in the area by the large population of homeless/ownerless dogs and cats.

We established our “clinic” in the printing press, setting up an animal intake area, preoperative area, two surgical suites with anesthesia, a treatment area, and a post-operative recovery area.

Our typical day began with a couple of our staff members accompanying the local BAARK! volunteer to go out into the community to get homeless intact dogs and cats and bring them back to the “clinic.”

These animals were humanely coerced and captured and a detailed account of their location was made for their release the next day.  Part of the BAARK! mission is community outreach and education and whenever possible we addressed and educated the community on the benefits of spaying/neutering including the perils of pet overpopulation.

In addition to the animals we brought to the “clinic,” due to BAARK!’s ongoing community outreach, several pet owners scheduled to take advantage of our free services and brought their pets into our “clinic” to be spayed and neutered.

Once the animals were brought into our care, we gave them names for identification, gave them a thorough physical exam, and prepared them for surgery including premedication and sedation.

After the animals were sedated and prepared for surgery they were brought into the surgical prep area where our staff would insert an IV and get the animals ready for their surgery.

Once fully sedated and ready for surgery, the animals were moved into one of the two operating theaters. We had them both running non-stop for the each of the 12-hour days we operated.

When the surgeries were completed, the patients were transported to the recovery area to remain under constant supervision while they recovered from the anesthesia. At this point they were all administered a heartworm preventative, a deworming medication, and microchipped for future identification.

Once recovered from anesthesia, they were put back in their beds to recover from the surgery, and given a nice meal. They continued to be monitored by BAARK! volunteers who walked them, fed and watered them, and monitored them for any discomfort.

The following day the animals were released back to the exact site of their capture and were joined by the several curious animals, many of them BAARK! patients themselves, to welcome them home.

This process played out over our two days and the BAARK! staff and volunteers made it run like clockwork.

It was an emotionally difficult yet rewarding experience for our staff and the volunteers who accompanied us. The need for these types of services is significant and the work BAARK! does for the sake of animal welfare in these areas is important.  Perhaps our biggest contribution was inspiring the local veterinary community to donate their own time and services in the form of a free spay/neuter clinic to the BAARK! mission the week after we left. We are proud to be a part of the BAARK! mission in the Bahamas, and look forward to having this opportunity in the future.