On the 13^th July 2010 I embarked on a journey to Fiji to help out at the SPCA for three weeks to step in while their veterinarian was away.

There are only three vets available to service the entire country of Fiji. One runs a private, small animal clinic in Suva, another works for the Department of Agriculture and the third works for the SPCA also based in Suva. Even though it is a very challenging undertaking, the majority of small animal welfare and care for all of the islands is handled by the SPCA.  So stretched are their resources that if the Veterinarian needs to take a holiday they face the disheartening reality that they may not be able to provide a comprehensive service in their absence.

There is also a small branch of the SPCA in Nadi, which is the main town on the western side of the main Vitu Levi Island. This clinic has one vet nurse on duty at all times but there is no resident veterinarian. However they still manage to provide veterinary care and assistance to animals in need to the best of their ability.

The nurses and volunteers at both the Suva and Nadi clinics all work very hard and they do an outstanding job with the limited resources and training that they have. Most of the nurses can do routine castrations and speys for both dogs and cats and have enough experience to know what to do with common cases, such as, parvovirus, demodicosis and heartworm. I was really impressed by the level of competence of these nurses and their management of both surgical and medical cases. Despite their incredible deeds in difficult circumstances, there is still a great need for veterinarians to help service both the SPCA and Fiji.

During my three week stay, I had the opportunity to work in both clinics, Suva and Nadi. I attended to a variety of cases and performed routine surgeries such as desexing of cats and dogs. One day in the Nadi clinic, I managed to achieve seven dog spays and five cat spays on top of a perineal hernia repair. Other surgical procedures I was regularly called on to perform were amputations (tail and limb) resulting from hit by car victims, and stitching up battle wounds from territorial skirmishes and other unknown traumas.

In addition to operating the main two clinics, SPCA organizes trips out to remote towns and islands to provide much needed desexing opportunities for the smaller villages in an effort to reduce the stray population of both dogs and cats. While some of these animals are owned and cared for it is often difficult for the locals to get them to Suva or Nadi for surgery or other checkups due to the expense and travel limitations.

The stray animal problem is significant on Fiji and the resorts are not immune, they too call on the assistance of the SPCA. I was fortunate to be involved in a trap, neuter, release project for cats on Muscat Cove Island Resort. Much of the trapping was at night or first thing in the morning, and over the two days we managed to catch and desexed twenty cats (nine females and eleven males), which was more than is usually achieved. It was a challenging process as even though some of these cats were being fed by the staff, they were essentially wild. Catching and anaesthetising cats without handling them is difficult, and the recovery was often unavoidably without proper monitoring, less than ideal but the best we could do under the circumstances.   

Aside from Muscat Cove, I also had the opportunity to another island, Matangi Island, which is a private resort run by avid animal lovers. The main reason for my visit was to check on a goat that had fallen from a cliff and was unable to stand. As soon as I saw this poor creature I knew that there was little that I could do to help her, and I helped her to go peacefully. Once I had pulled myself together after that ordeal, there were a number of other animals on the island which I checked while I was there, including lots of dogs (about 14 mini fox terriers) and cats (both tame and wild), a couple of bats and even a pig which needed her feet trimmed.

Islands like Matangi, often go for several months without any veterinary service and when a vet is available they are put to good use, to their maximum capability. It was a really long day and I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it, but wow, what a sense of accomplishment I felt.

The SPCA is a remarkable organisation, they do a fantastic job with the limited resources and staff they have available to them. They are by no means held back by their limitations, instead they continue to passionately advocate for animal rights and welfare and provide quality veterinary service to all animals in their care.

Thank you to Animal Aid for organising and allowing me to take part in this amazing trip, as well as to WSPA for getting me there. It was an incredible experience and I know the SPCA and the animals of Fiji are all very grateful for the help and care I was able to provide.

Adele Cheing BVSc (Hons)

Adele Cheing has been with Animal Aid for 2 years, her travel arrangements were funded by WSPA and her wages covered by Animal Aid. This is Animal Aids first international effort and we hope that we have the opportunity to offer our services in this way and let more of our staff experience these invaluable and mutually beneficial opportunities in the future.