Contact Us
info@placencia-pets.org
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 Since
its inception, PHS has struggled with the problem of a place to
provide vet services to local pet owners and distressed animals.
Over 200 Placencia area pet owners use
veterinary services provided through
 the
PHS monthly clinics, including surgical and general veterinary
services.
And, PHS clinics now serves not only pet
owners from Placencia and Seine Bight Villages, but also from
locations off the Placencia Peninsula such as Monkey River and
Independence Villages and Dangriga Town.
 The
Placencia Village Community Center in Placencia Village is currently
used for all monthly veterinary clinics. (Clinics were once held
under people's houses and in local homes -- wherever a space became
available.)
 However,
Placencia's Community Center is the only indoor public meeting and
activity space for the entire Peninsula. In addition to the monthly
PHS clinic, the Center’s uses include the Placencia Village pre-school
program, public meetings such as Village Council meetings, special
events such as talent shows and beauty contests, and private events
such as the annual meeting of the Placencia Producers Cooperative.
Because of the Center’s multi-functional
characteristics, using the Community Center for monthly PHS veterinary
clinics has presented many problems and “challenges” for PHS and the
Placencia community, including:
- Scheduling
Conflicts: PHS attempts to schedule clinics as far in advance
as possible. However, changes in monthly clinic dates often occur
because veterinarian schedules change due to meetings, emergencies,
etc. Rescheduling use of the Community Center on a last minute
basis then becomes problematic due to other groups having already
reserved the Center.
Consequently, area pets may not receive needed veterinary care,
vaccinations are delayed, dogs and cats cannot be neutered resulting
in unwanted puppies and kittens, and community members learn that
they may not be able to rely on regular veterinary care for their
pets.
- Conflicting
Uses: Local parents of pre-schoolers recently became upset when
ticks and fleas were discovered in the Community Center after a
monthly vet clinic. PHS sprays the area used for the vet clinic
with Baygon, but the building is old, with many cracks and crevices
in the walls and woodwork, and pets sometimes wander outside of the
area used for the clinic. Therefore, it is likely that some fleas
and ticks may escape the spraying. The Center is also frequently
used for events that include food and beverages, a use not
compatible with veterinary clinic use.
- Lack of
Storage, Equipment and Sanitary Facilities: Each time a clinic
is held, all supplies must be transported to the Center by BOTH
local volunteers AND the attending veterinarian. Nothing can be
stored, including cleaning materials, veterinary supplies, or even
an examining table. (Right now, the “examining table” is the top of
an old wooden table placed on top of an old, no longer functional
deep freezer. In the past, the table top has even been placed on
top of stacks of beer crates left over after a Placencia Fisherman's
Coop annual meeting). Only one small bathroom is available, and no
hot water.
A permanent clinic building, including a
small apartment for a veterinarian, would also allow PHS to attempt
to recruit a permanent veterinarian for the area.
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