Terry is the driving force behind the Spanky Project, which he named after his dog that passed away around the time of his early travels to Cuba.  What started off small, just thriving off the support of individuals invested in helping the street animals suffering from horrible conditions, has developed into something much bigger on so many levels. This has been achieved in part through education in small animal medicine.

 

Terry has been working with the Cuban structures for going on 14 years, through good times and bad, and has worked tirelessly to develop relationships with the decision-makers within those structures. As a result, of his passion and dedication, Terry has been invited to Havana in June to sign a Convenio (a formal agreement), the first to be granted to an animal welfare organization outside of Cuba. Last December, Terry was also bestowed an honorary membership of the veterinarian council of Cuba.

 

Most vets in Cuba are poorly paid and aren't usually trained in small animal medicine. In addition, the island has EXTREMELY limited resources and knowledge in spay/neuter medicine. The Spanky Project is helping the cats and dogs in Cuba by educating and empowering the Cuban people to fix the stray animal overpopulation problem. 

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Twice a year, they hold mass spay/neuter clinics in Havana, performing about 300 surgeries over the course of 5 days. Veterinarians from all over the world come to Cuba to collaborate with local vets to make these clinics a success. In the past they have had a vet from the US, one from Canada and several from Mexico. In between the mass clinics, their Cuban team conducts mini-clinics about once a month, sterilizing about a dozen animals. 

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I've been communicating with The Spanky Project over the past few months. The medicines used for surgery are highly regulated by the government, but they are all prepositioned and ready for Cuba, but the bills are in. "We need to pay for the surgical supplies and medications we'll be using. The supplies required to spay or neuter a cat cost about $25 and a little more for a dog. This number does not include medications, just things like surgeons gloves, suture, syringes, etc. Any monies go toward the purchase of medical supplies that we will need to bring to Cuba with us because they are simply not available in Cuba, even if you have money to buy them."

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To follow the Spanky Project, check out their blog here

http://spankyproject.blogspot.com/

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