The communities of American Samoa are served by one veterinarian clinic. COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges for all of us around the world, and the veterinary clinic is no exception. Limited supplies, shipping delays, restricted travel to and from the island and quarantines have added to the difficulties of providing relief for the islands’ animals. Coconut Mutts’ goal is to continue to provide much needed supplies and resources to the clinic and communities that will provide life-saving treatments to the islands’ animals and plan for future spay/neuter clinics. Supplies include flea/tick treatments, dewormers, dog collars and bottles. From dog beds to flea combs, bandages to kitten and puppy formula, Coconut Mutts is honored to continue to help any way we can. Any little bit helps.
The clinic itself is small. A white single story, squat building. A reception area, surgery and a few rooms make up the clinic. Painted concrete floors, chipped, but clean. White cinder block walls keep out the most intense heat during the day, but the two air conditioning units struggle to keep the interior cool for all the clinic’s inhabitants – people and patients alike. Kittens mew from cages in a small room where newspapers are stacked on the counters waiting to be used for litter boxes. Sometimes a random chicken can be heard clucking from one of the enclosures on the floor.
Outside a row of shaded kennels house the clinic’s larger patients. Dogs hairless from mange. Mothers with their puppies. Puppies with no mothers. Some poke their noses curiously at friendly hands. Others cower into the far recesses of their kennels. The clinic staff struggles to keep up with helping the animals in American Samoa. The heart and expertise are there, but the supplies and essentials needed to effectively treat and care for patients are not. The clinic lacks basic equipment, such as an x-ray machine and even a freezer.
All donations go toward purchasing the following items for the clinic.
Wish list for clinic—major items:
centrifuge to spin microhemotocrit tubes
washer/dryer
freezer
anesthesia vaporizor for isoflurane
hot water heater DONATED!
CBC machine
chemistry rotors for Abaxis machine
new cages for housing animals in clinic—preferably stainless steel
Stainless steel examination table
dentistry tools
Always needed items:
flea and tick prevention
shampoos
bandaging material
vaccinations
deworming medication
ivermectin
pyrantel pamoate (dewormer)
animal carriers—small cat to large dog size
animal food
heartworm tests
leptospirosis tests
parvo tests
IV fluids and administration sets
puppy pads
Coconut Mutts 