++ Campaign report from our castration action in Ciolpani, Romania ++

The campaign in Ciolpani on 17/03/2022 was our first action of the year in this place.

The goal was to continue the awareness campaign that we started last year at here, Knowing that at this time many females and bitches are already in heat or pregnant.

The campaign was successfully carried out at the clinic of Dr. Lilian Banu. A small but welcoming location where we were able to neuter 48 animals in one day.

Our last neutering campaign in this area was at the beginning of December and the demand was great that we now plan visits here every three months.

At the beginning of the day, the cages were already neatly lined up with patients waiting patiently for us. As Dr. Banu told us, the demand in the community and the neighboring villages is very high, but the motivation of the people is limited because of the time needed (bring in the morning, pick up in the evening). The inhospitable weather was also not uninvolved in the fact that of over 80 animals registered for castration, only 48 actually showed up. The education and awareness work must continue to be consistently expanded in this community. Here, the traditional, widespread and very outdated view prevails that females should give birth at least once. A view that is still held and supported even by older school veterinarians.

Dr. Banu told us that despite surveillance cameras in front of his clinic - and despite the fact that he knows virtually all the residents of the area personally - countless puppies are still abandoned in front of his clinic. Which forces him to drive them back to their families to ask them to take the animals back so they can be fed. He also uses this as an opportunity to educate about the need for neutering to appeal to a sense of responsibility.

Our team was organized in such a way that it could have handled another 20 castrations in addition to the 80 originally planned. Therefore, we were quite efficient in handling the 48 surgeries on the action day.

We had a double cherry eye case that we were able to treat and the majority of the cats were in the beginning stages of pregnancy. Despite the smaller than expected crowd, we received much gratitude from those who came. They thanked us profusely for our support and dedication. One of our top priorities is the safety of our cat and dog patients before, during and after their surgeries. Therefore, we took dogs in first for their appointments so they would not have to wait outside (which was obviously easier for the cats). These waited patiently next to us in the warm clinic where we could observe them closely. They were expertly cared for and pampered by our veterinary student volunteers in the post-operative area. We were pleased to have experienced volunteers who had been part of other campaigns back on board.

The sweetest thank you to our team came directly from one of our patients after her surgery. In the form of her - very unique - toothy smile. She is a special rescue case - two years ago she was found by a local lady. The dog had a severe movement deficit in all four limbs. The finder did her best to help her - and - fell head over heels in love with the little girl. When she took her to be spayed, it was unmistakable that the two had formed a deep bond. The little one, although she still has some deficits, loves the lady who gave her a chance and she endured the surgery like a world champion. We were happy to see the couple reunited and the lady thanked us profusely for improving her dog's life by spaying her.

As mentioned above, we continue to strive to return to this community on a regular basis as our schedule allows. We hope that over time, our efforts - made possible by the kind and unwavering support of SUST - will have their impact in the community, and we can continue to support Dr. Lilian Banu in building a culture of responsibility among pet owners in and around Ciolpani.