Clinic expands staff, extends hours
By Graham Culliford

S.P.A. veterinary clinic 
7 Los Pinos
across from the bus station on Calzada de la Estación. 
Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm & Sat, 10am-2pm
152-6124

The Sociedad Protectora de Animales operates a The clinic is an integral part of the facility and operates first and foremost to maintain the health of the resident cats and dogs in the SPA shelter.

The clinic veterinarians check the health of all animals admitted to the shelter. They de-worm them and rid them of external parasites and give them rabies and multiple vaccine shots to protect them from the ailments most common to cats and dogs. In addition, all animals entering the facility are treated for any condition they might arrive with—ringworm, mange and injuries are commonplace.

Each animal coming into the facility undergoes a period of isolation to ensure they are not carriers of any infectious condition that might be transmitted to other inhabitants. Once their period of isolation is over, all animals of breeding age are either spayed or neutered. (Kittens and puppies are not sterilized until they reach an age where it is appropriate to do so.)

Each morning one of the veterinarians checks all the animals staying in the facility and treats any animal diagnosed as not being in optimal health. Individual health records are kept for each animal so that animals that take a little longer to find adoptive homes are given appropriate booster shots, preventative flea and tick treatments and de-worming.

Recently the SPA has enhanced its animal care capability, extending its veterinary staff to two. Dra. Maria Vanessa Belmont Gelacio and Dra. Adriana Guiterrez Morales share the clinic hours at the SPA, each providing capable care for the facility animals.

In addition to shelter care, the SPA is committed to providing basic low cost animal health care to low income families. Accordingly, the clinic offers vaccinations, parasite treatments, sterilizations and treatments for a range of common ailments in cats and dogs—all at a modest price. The clinic cannot undertake trauma surgery nor does it offer treatment for degenerative conditions of aging animals. It is not equipped to offer the comprehensive services provided by many of San Miguel’s excellent veterinarians.

Typically the clinic veterinarians see animals of low income Mexican families, many of which are brought in because the family notices that the animal is ailing and they want to be proactive in finding treatment. Nearly all these animals are well cared for and loved—frequently the entire family comes to see their animal attended to. Vanessa and Adriana take care to explain what the problem is, how it has come about, how it can be prevented in the future and what the treatment entails. Their role is as much educational as it is corrective. Each consultation is an opportunity to emphasize the importance of spaying and neutering to prevent over-population, and the clinic is performing increasing numbers of sterilizations as a result.

Because the SPA clinic has greater veterinary coverage than in the past, the hours have been extended. The clinic is now open from 10am to 4pm Monday through Friday and 10am to 2pm each Saturday. Consultations are usually on a walk-in basis, but sterilizations need to be scheduled by calling Lucia at 152-6124.