The Hawaiian Humane Society is seeking licensed veterinarians to assist with community outreach clinics in District 9 (Ewa Beach, Waipahu, Mililani). Pet Kōkua Wellness Clinics are pop-up veterinary clinics that assist low-income and houseless pet owners with wellness checks, vaccinations, flea/tick preventatives, heartworm tests and preventatives, deworming, and treatments for minor illnesses and injury, at no cost to the owner.
Clinics are generally hosted one to two times a month, are 4 hours long and are generally appointment-based. The Pet Kōkua Program is able to offer veterinarians a stipend of $250 per clinic due to a generous grant from the City & County of Honolulu. If interested, please email outreach@hawaiianhumane.org with your general availability. You may also call Suzy Tam at 808-356-2225 with any questions.
Mahalo to HI-EMA for their donation of PPE to veterinary clinics around the state. Oahu’s distribution was held August 28-29th and was a success due to the generosity and hard work of many HVMA members. Thank you to everyone who donated their time and energy, especially Jamie Furutani, Mililani Mauka Veterinary Clinic, and Waipio Pet Clinic. We could not have done it without you!
We are working to coordinate similar smaller distributions on the neighbor islands. Please contact us if you are on a neighbor island and want to help.
Greater Good Charities will be offering a gift to our Kauai community through their Good Fix program. This is one of the charities that was instrumental in the Paws Across the Pacific program in Oct. 2020 when over 600 shelter animals were flown from the main Hawaiian islands to the U.S. mainland for adoption.
The Good Fix program will establish a humane mass trap-neuter-release program targeting the free-roaming cat overpopulation problem on Kauai. Some owned cats will also be included in the totals. Good Fix will work with local volunteers and will also deploy a team of specialized trappers throughout the island to maximize the number of cats sterilized. The program will encompass dual licensed HQHVSN (High Quality High Volume Spay Neuter) vets and MASH style experts to complete the work. The goal is to sterilize 15,000 cats over the year in 6 rounds. Sterilized cats will also be microchipped and FVRCP vaccinated. Dates are set for Oct 3-8 & 11-16, 2021; Jan 23-28, 2022; Jan 31-Feb 5, Mar 27-Apr 1 & Apr 4-9, 2022.
Besides public outreach, Greater Good Charities is inviting our veterinary community to learn more and participate in their program! Vets/techs interested in participating can contact the veterinary medical director of Greater Good Charities, Dr. Ruth Parkin, at ruthparkin@greatergood.org for an application. It is all volunteer work, but travel and accommodations for the medical team members who commit to an entire clinic session would be covered. Any non-medical persons interested in helping with trapping or other volunteer aspects can also contact Dr. Ruth Parkin. Participating vets will also be offered $150 vouchers to offset cost of dog spays for clients who might benefit from the financial support.
There is a plan in progress to address relocation of cats in certain wildlife/bird sensitive areas. It may become part of a “farm/barn-cat” program. The team is aware that this topic is high priority. The team is also aware of the Toxoplasma issues on island and will be including educational information on their community outreach to encourage the public about the importance of controlling overall free-roaming cat numbers.
Dr. Ruth Parkin and Dr. Julie Levy made a productive initial visit to Kauai on June 22 and 23,2021 for a site visit and to meet with local veterinarians and groups involved with animal welfare. They were delighted at the warm welcome they received and they look forward to working for the benefit of Kauai and hopefully our sister islands as well.
Act 31 – Establishes the crime of sexual assault of an animal. Standard veterinary, animal husbandry, and conformation judging practices are exempt. Effective June 7, 2021.
Act 91 – Protects veterinarians from civil liability for rendering emergency aid to an animal, even if an owner is not available to consent to care. Requires veterinarians to report suspected animal cruelty or the injury or death of an animal as part of a staged fight. Protects veterinarians from civil liability for making such reports. Effective June 25, 2021.
Act 182 – Bans the unsupervised tethering of a dog under the age of six months. Bans tethering in a configuration that endangers the dog. Bans the use of tow or log chains to tether a dog. Effective July 6, 2021.
Act 5, Special Session – Requires dog and cat owners to have microchip identification implanted in their dogs and cats, and to register the microchip number and the owner’s contact information with a microchip registration company. Requires animal organizations to implant a microchip in all stray dogs and cats in their custody that do not have microchip identification. Effective January 1, 2022.
David had an epiphany as a young child that he would become the world’s first ANIMAL DOCTOR, pioneering a new field and contributing a new found profession to the world. Much to his dismay, he was informed of the veterinary field and settled for that. He was born and raised in Hawaii, and after obtaining his DVM at Colorado State University in 2018, returned to the islands to work at Hawaii Kai Veterinary Clinic, where he has been ever since.
Along with his girlfriend Jayeon, he has been slowly building up their home zoo of rescues and their COVID garden. They have two cats Amaru and Dotori, a red footed tortoise, and recently a couple ducklings. They also enjoy hiking, surfing, and other outdoor activities.
David looks forward to expanding his knowledge and experience in general practice. He is especially interested in gaining more training with exotics and expanding his abilities in rehabilitation work.
Eric Jayne, DVM, worked with Cat Friends, Molokai Humane Society, and the Hawaiian Humane Society, served as the Hawaii HSVMA representative, and was due back in the islands later this summer. He was with his partner Sally visiting their dear friend, Dr. Lori Gossard, in North Dakota when a semi truck hit their car from behind. Eric was killed instantly. He was a great man, an adoring husband, and doting father. He was tireless and committed to improving human and animal lives. His impact was felt by many, and will continue to be.
Sally plans to keep their non-profit, Sovereign Nations Veterinary, fully running and contributing back to the indigenous communities they serve. A celebration of life service for Eric was held in Des Moines, and a prayer vigil in his memory at the Rosebud Sioux Tribe reservation. His family started a go-fund-me page to help continue his work at https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-honor-of-dr-eric-jayne.
The Hawaii Cat Café (a Hawaiian Humane Society offsite adoption partner) closed to the public for two weeks starting Tuesday, July 27 due to a confirmed case of panleukopenia. The Hawaii Cat Café has dedicated their space for the next two weeks to quarantine & monitor cats who were potentially exposed. They are working closely with the Hawaiian Humane Society veterinary team to deliver diagnostics and care as needed. Over thirty cats have been adopted from Hawaii Cat Café over the last two weeks – these adopters have been contacted to inform them of the panleukopenia exposure and have been offered a physical exam and vaccination through our Veterinary Services department.
To date, we have no additional confirmed cases in our cat population, which includes our other partners. Our vaccine protocols include vaccination of all animals on intake, vaccination of kittens/puppies between 4-18 weeks every two weeks while in our care, and to vaccinate dogs and cats >18 weeks twice (if they are in our care at least 2 weeks).
If you have any questions or concerns or see any suspect/positive panleukopenia cases, please reach out directly to Dr. Carter at kcarter@hawaiianhumane.org
Dr. Trevor Leo Rodrigues, 64, of Papaikou, HI, died at the Hilo Medical Center on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. He was born in Tanzania and was the owner of Aloha Veterinary Center. He was also a member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Portuguese Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of Hilo Bay, and the Makule Soccer League.
A compassionate and caring man who was always willing to help anyone who walked through the clinic door, he was admired for his selflessness, love of animals, and dedication to using his knowledge and understanding to help the community. His passing is a great loss for his family, friends and the veterinary community, and he will be deeply missed.
Private family services were held.
He is survived by his wife Colleen Rodrigues of Papaikou, HI, sons Jensen (Clarice) Rodrigues of Oahu, and Shea (Chaunda) Rodrigues of Hilo, HI, step-daughters Tiana (Dylan) Magdaro of Keaau, HI, and Kaylee Magdaro of Papaikou, HI, as well as brothers Kevin (Regina) Rodrigues of Kona, HI, Clarence (Keiko) Rodrigues of Kaneohe, Oahu, HI. He is also survived by four grandchildren, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and a nephew.
The Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association regretfully reports the unexpected passing of Dr. Lei Sachiko Yamasaki, D.V.M., M.S. on May 8, 2021. Lei was born and raised in Honolulu, HI, graduated from Roosevelt High School, and earned a B.A. in Zoology (with a Marine Options Program Certificate) at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. She completed an M.S. degree in Animal Sciences also at UHM, and she received her DVM from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA. During her years as a student, she participated in many programs that led to cherished friendships and future collaborations, including: Hanauma Bay, Oceanic Institute, HDOA Aquaculture Development Program, AquaVet I/II, Los Angeles Zoo, University of Arizona Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory, USGS Honolulu Field Station, USDA APHIS/Veterinary Services, and the University of Florida Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory.
Following graduation, she returned to Hawaii to work at Moana Technologies, LLC and in 2012 joined the Hawaii Department of Agriculture as the Aquaculture Veterinary Medical Officer. At HDOA, she supervised the Hawaii Shrimp Health Certification Program and provided dedicated diagnostic and regulatory services to support the aquaculture industry that she loved. She worked on projects relating to the presence of Nile tilapia and Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis in Hawaii and molecular and histologic diagnostics for fish/shrimp/oyster pathogens. She supported education and aquaculture in the community as a Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair judge, Technical Committee member for the Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture, Advisory Subcommittee member on invertebrate and aquatic biota for the State of Hawaii, and many other events with endless energy and a smile that lit up every room.
Lei was a lifelong scholar and never tired of pursuing new projects or learning new things. Yet she still managed to carve time out to enjoy the natural beauty of the world through her hobbies of surfing, hiking, fishing, traveling, conservation, and animal rescue. She was a dedicated and respected veterinarian whose love of animals was evident in the menagerie of animals that she cared for over the years: her beloved Simon, Emma, Mao, Copper, Atsila, and many others.
Lei will be forever remembered and missed by her family (parents Michael and Joann, sister Ann), friends, and colleagues from around the world.
The Hawaii Board of Veterinary Medicine has recently reinterpreted Hawaii’s veterinary practice law and begun rejecting the practice of veterinary sponsorship. This practice previously allowed many out-of-state specialists to share their services with our clients on a short-term or intermittent basis. All of us have benefited from referring our clients to visiting dermatologists, radiologists, surgeons, as well as our few emergency care centers that operate 24/7. This interruption in veterinary sponsorship has limited service hours at emergency clinics and worsened the backlog of surgery cases in Hawaii.
If your clients are being affected, please encourage them to file a complaint with the DCCA and Board of Veterinary Medicine to insist that they must immediately return to honoring the practice of veterinary sponsorship in Hawaii as clearly allowed by HRS 471(2)-5.
You must be logged in to post a comment.