From left, Dr. Jessica Nelson and veterinarian technician Lauren Ruiz are on island to support the spay and neuter clinic conducted by the Saipan Humane Society at the Koblerville Community Center.
Ruby Ma, left, the clinic manager of Saipan Humane Society, prepares a dog for surgery with the assistance of Toshi Tagawa of the Saipan Mayor’s Office-Dog Control Program.
RUBY Ma, the clinic manager of the Saipan Humane Society, said visiting veterinarian Dr. Jessica Nelson and veterinarian technician Lauren Ruiz can accommodate 10 sick animal visits on Friday, Feb. 16.
SHS is now in its second week of at-cost spay and neuter clinic at the Koblerville Community Center. Spay and neuter surgeries are in high demand as SHS staff expected they would be.
Ma said because Nelson has been performing “high volume, high quality” operations since the clinic began last week, SHS can add sick visits to the last day of the clinic.
Nelson and Ruiz had performed 138 dog and cat spay and neuter surgeries by the time Variety visited the clinic on Monday, with dozens more scheduled for the rest of the week. The pair likewise had performed amputations and other emergency operations on pets that required them.
“Since Dr. Nelson is so fast and [the pets] don’t have complications, we started [scheduling] sick visits,” Ma said.
To schedule a sick visit with the visiting veterinarian staff, reach out to info@saipanhumanesociety.org/.
Nelson said her clinical experience is the reason she is able to perform quickly.
Variety witnessed her in action as she and Ruiz neutered a female dog in around eight to 10 minutes. Staff from the Saipan mayor’s Dog Control Program and SHS volunteers or staff prepared the animals before their operations by sedating them and shaving the hair from the area to be treated.
“When you do it often enough you get pretty quick at it,” Nelson said. “It [comes from] a lot of practice because you’re repeating the same procedure over and over again. You get comfortable with the procedure, you get comfortable with the potential complications, and you know what to expect, so that all cuts down on your time.”
Nelson said animals that undergo spay and neuter surgeries see health benefits.
“[Female dogs] live like 25-30% longer,” she said, adding that the surgeries also reduce the risk of infections and allow female animals to avoid the toll of pregnancy on their bodies.
Nelson said male dogs, for their part, won’t feel the urge to reproduce, and so are less likely to get run over as they pursue a mate. The surgeries also reduce their risk of trans-venereal tumors, which Nelson said males can get through mating.
Currently, there are no veterinarians that operate permanent clinics in the CNMI. SHS has relied on the support of the Banfield Foundation to bring veterinarians to Saipan.
Lauren Cabrera, the SHS executive director, has expressed interest in increasing the number of midlevel veterinarian positions in the Commonwealth through training opportunities.
Costs
Spay and neuter services for dogs and female cats cost $75 per animal. The same services cost $50 for male cats.
Ma said with the support of the Saipan Boonie Babies, SHS was able to raise funds to offset the cost of these procedures for qualified residents. Contact SHS for details, Ma said. For more information, go to https://saipanhumanesociety.org/.
Ma, Cabrera and the SHS staff and volunteers said they are also grateful to the Saipan Mayor’s Office and its Dog Control Program for the support.
SHS also thanked AK Toyota Saipan for sponsoring the on-island transportation of Nelson and Ruiz; and Spicy Thai Restaurant, Original Lucky Bill, The Shack, American Pizza and Grill, Godfather’s Bar, and Great Harvest for providing food.
SHS is also grateful for the support they received from Pacific Eco, which provided laundry services for the clinic, Ma said.
Ashley Pangelinan, left, and Lei Tenorio, volunteer at the ongoing clinic. They help keep an eye on the animals whose sedative wears off.
