By Tupou Vaipulu

A team of New Zealand vets (SPAW) are back in Tonga for the first time this year, to conduct their free veterinary treatments and surgeries on local pets and animals at the Tokomololo Veterinary Clinic.

They started their services yesterday, 13 May 2024, at MAFF's Livestock Department in Tokomololo, and so far, they’ve successfully completed over 70 surgeries and treatments.

De-sexing surgeries such as spaying and castrations were mostly performed today. Dogs that were spayed included Laika and Taika.

Wolfie

Meanwhile, Wolfie, an 8-year-old poodle, received a comprehensive oral health treatment and a rotten tooth removal. Wolfie also has a dislocated jaw but, unfortunately, he cannot be treated here in Tonga as "it's too late for him now" said Dr Geoff.

Wolfie came in to Tonga from Fiji a couple years ago with his owners. While in Fiji, Wolfie broke his jaw and got an infection in the jaw bone that hadn't healed until he was checked by Dr Geoff Neal in October 2022.

Dr Geoff said they put him on some special medication and that it had cured the infection in the jaw. However, he said that the bone was already severely damaged such that he is missing some of the bones towards the back of his jaw.

"It isn't something that can be fixed now" he said, "It may have been able to have been fixed back when he lived in Fiji" but treatments there were unsuccessful too.

More cats than dogs

Lead Vet Dr Geoff Neal told Matangi Tonga that they treated more cats than dogs yesterday, however, cats and dogs are not the only animals they’ve treated.

“We’ve also treated horses, pigs, a pigeon and even a bull before”, he said, but not on this trip so far.

The SPAW team are in Tonga for the next four days performing animal clinical services and will return to New Zealand on Saturday, 18 May 2024.