The Kingdom of Tonga does not have a permanent veterinary clinic so the locals rely on trips by South Pacific Animal Welfare (SPAW) volunteers for treatment of their pets, as well as the provision of flea/tick and worm treatment as it cannot be purchased on the island. SPAW fundraise so that we are able to provide any treatment needed at no charge to the pet owner.
In August this year, I ventured to Tonga with eight others; three veterinarians and six veterinary nurses, to spend five days volunteering with SPAW. Despite unforeseen circumstances meaning we were two veterinarians short, we successfully managed to complete 185 surgeries. These were mainly speys and neuters of dogs and cats, with a few limb amputations and wound stitch ups thrown in. A grand total of 587 animals seen! This was the busiest trip SPAW have had with a record number of animals treated.
We arrived on a Saturday evening and due to everything being closed in Tonga for church on the Sunday, we were able to take a pre-work relaxation day at the beach on the beautiful Pangaimotou Island.
After a welcome day of rest, we got straight into the hard work on Monday morning. SPAW sets up base at the local Ministry of Forestry, Farming and Fisheries building, which is easily cleaned, well-lit and luckily for us has a much needed air conditioning unit! They advertise to locals who are encouraged to arrive at the clinic without needing appointment times, bringing their own pets as well as those of their friends or neighbours.
De-sexing local dogs and cats significantly improves the animal’s health and wellbeing, as well as reducing their suffering. Each animal that comes in is de-sexed, sent home with pain relief, vaccinated and treated for fleas and worms. We also treated them for any other ailments. SPAW distribute dog and cat food for younger or malnourished animals as pet food is not easily accessible or affordable (or good quality). We usually try to ensure animals go home with an extra flea/worm prevention to last through until our next trip if supplies allow. We also try to make sure that each animal will leave with a collar and lead as this denotes ownership in Tonga, hopefully meaning that it is less likely to be stolen, killed or eaten.
We would like to thank everyone who has generously donated collars or leads or to the SPAW ‘Givealittle’ page. SPAW has another trip heading over to Tonga at the end of November and will continue collecting collars and leads as most of the ones already donated were gratefully received by Tongan pet owners on the August trip. If you have unused collars and leads at home or wish to donate some to SPAW please drop them in to our VetCare Grey Lynn or Unitec clinics.