A dog is never "just a dog."

This is the story of Tom and my puppy Spot’s death. It is detailed and graphic but I feel it is important to show what can happen when you don’t get your pet vaccinated in time.  If any current or future pet owners here in Jamaica or anywhere else choose to adopt a pup it is so important to get them vaccinated for their own health and because you never want to go through what we went through. It was heartbreaking and will stay with me forever. So you have been warned, continue reading at your own risk. 

I woke up Monday ready to churn out the last of my lessons for Wetlands Day and looking forward to a great week and a jam packed weekend! Next thing I know I wake up Tuesday morning to find my dear puppy Spot is very sick and will not eat or drink anything. This worried Tom and me greatly and we gave a local veterinarian a call. She told us that no matter what he might have, we need to make sure he stayed hydrated. So Tom and I hunted down a syringe and started force feeding him a mixture of water containing dissolved sugar and a rehydration salt packet from our PC med kit. 

We force fed him 40ml of this solution every 2 hours and by Tuesday evening he was looking much better. His mama stopped by and he went out to play with her I really thought he would be eating by Wednesday morning but no dice. I had gotten up a couple times during the night to force feed him more of the solution and pepto bismol but he still looked pretty sick. I kept in touch with the Vet but she couldn’t be sure what he had and since she has no car and is a teacher at the College of Ag, Sci, and Ed. (CASE) she couldn’t just leave to come check him out. So I hoped he’d be okay, loaded him up with two doses of solution before Tom and I left for school and headed out. It was Wetlands day and had I known what I do now, (that he had the Parvo Virus) I would have re-scheduled or had Tom stay home. But I didn’t know and I was really nervous because this was the first real day that I was going to teach some Env. Ed lessons at my School and I really wanted Tom’s help and support. 

 So we left for school and hoped he’d be okay till we got home around 4. So we were gone from 8am-4pm and this took its toll. As soon as I saw him I realized that we never should have left him for so long. He looked worse than the he had Wed. morning and was clearly much too dehydrated. I was distraught to say the least and so angry at myself and Tom for not realizing we shouldn’t have left him for that long. 

I immediately gave him 40ml of the water/salt/sugar solution, and tried to give him some more pepto bismol but he through it all up not 10 minutes after I gave it to him. This was a new development and worried me even more. I called the Vet and she said that she was free after 11am the next day and if we could get him to her she would look him over and could give him some pain medication. So every 2 hours until Thursday morning at 9:30am I force fed him 40ml of the solution. Some he kept down and some he threw up. He was still urinating every couple hours so I felt confident I was keeping him at least somewhat hydrated.

Unfortunately when I went down to hydrate him at 5:30am he had had 3 bouts of bloody diarrhea. He looked like death, and there was nothing I could do. My host mom, Miss P, was already awake and came to check on me and Spot and saw the mess and immediately started helping me clean up. I went to get Tom and he sat with Spot, while Miss P and I cleaned up the mess. It was gross and I was terrified and new he was dying but didn’t know what I could do.

We continued to force feed him the solution until we left for the Vet at 9:30 Thursday morning. We carried him in a Rubbermaid tub on a bus to Port Antonio where the CASE Campus is and saw the Vet at 11am. (Everyone on that bus I’m sure thought we were crazy. Most rural Jamaicans just don’t form any kind of American style attachment to dogs. Dogs are for protection, that’s it.)  The Vet was amazing, she was kind and gentle and so caring with Spot and with me, bc I was a mess! She immediately diagnosed him with Parvo, a nasty virus. My heart immediately sank. I knew if it was a bacterial infection, he could have a chance but with a virus, it would be a long shot. I’m not normally a negative person, but I don’t know, I could just tell it was bad, really bad.

So the Vet gave him some pain meds and a prescription for an anti-nausea medication. Tom then took Spot back home to get him hydrated and I went into town to the pharmacy to get the prescription filled. This took so much longer than I thought it would which stressed me out even further because I wanted to get home to my puppy. I finally got home and Tom said that Spot had passed one more fairly large bout of bloody diarrhea. Not good. I immediately got him his anti-nausea meds and he just lay down with the drowsiness they caused. I continued to sit with him and force fed him one more dose of hydration solution and just prayed that he’d pull through. 

But as we sat there together his breathing became more labored. I called for Tom to come downstairs because I could tell something was wrong, but before he could get there Spot’s frail little body seized up and he yelped in pain as he died from internal bleeding. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through. That poor innocent creature died in my arms. I felt his breathing and his heart stop and his tiny body go limp. I wept over him and apologized incoherently. It had taken so long for me to get his prescription filled and to come home that I barely got to spend 2 hours with him before he died. I miss him so much. He was an amazing lil pup who showed up in our lives at just the right time, when I was really homesick and unsure of what to do at the school. He lifted my spirits so much and brought me so much happiness and I had failed him. I know hind sight is 20/20 but it’s hard not to blame myself for his death. 

Parvo is a completely preventable if you get your puppy vaccinated early. It’s a virus that mostly affects puppies and no matter how much amazing care you provide in whatever country you live, if your puppy gets this virus it is a 50-50 chance they will survive it. The virus attacks the lining of the intestines and basically liquefies it and causes the animal to bleed internally. All you can do to treat it is hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I wish I had done a million things differently but there is no way for me to know if even then he would have made it.

That evening Miss P found 2 shovels and Tom and I went out back passed the gully and buried Spot deep beneath a tall Mango tree. Tom then helped my weeping self back upstairs and held me while I cried myself to sleep. The next morning we woke up, packed, and left for our weekend trip to Kingston.

Rest in Peace Spot. I know you are up there in Puppy Heaven with all the other Puppy Angels with an unlimited supply of turkey neck!

The very first day he showed up on our doorstep Nov. 6, 2012

In January of 2013. Such big boy!

 

Miss Chelsea: Newest teacha inna JA Primary School

This week was relatively low key so I thought I’d take the time to tell you about my school. It is a small primary school very high up in the Blue Mountains. There are 98 students in grades 1-6; however, there are only 4 classrooms. Miss G. is the senior teacher and is a pro with Grade 1. She has been teaching at this school for at least 25 years. She even taught Tom’s supervisor Phillip when he was in Grade 1.

Grade 2 & 3 is a combined classroom and is taught by Ms. S. She is a force of nature and if I was a grade 2/3 student I would be petrified of disobeying her. This is not to say that she is a bad teacher. On the contrary she is very bright and knows her material very well and teaches with confidence. However, she is truly Jamaican in her teaching style which is very different from what I am accustomed to.

Grade 4 & 5 is also a combined classroom taught by Mrs. B. Mrs. B is awesome! She may not know everything but she works really hard to vary her teaching style and to challenge the students. She even spent her own money to purchase fun teaching aides including puzzles, flashcards, and an awesome board game. As far as I can tell buying teaching materials yourself isn’t as common among Jamaica teachers as it is American teachers. Though I could be wrong, I’ve only met a few JA teachers.

Last but not least we have Ms. J,  grade 6 teacher and school Principal, as well as my supervisor. How she makes the dual job assignment work boggles my mind, and in reality the students do suffer when her administrative duties take her out of the classroom. What’s worse is that she knows the students suffer but there isn’t much she can do about it. She’s requested another teacher from the Ministry multiple times but there’s just not enough money. I try to help when I can but most of the time I cannot manage a whole class because students here are not very inclined to listen to the short white girl. I guess I’m just not intimidating enough! It also doesn’t help that they associate me with fun outdoor activities. But honestly that’s really ok with me.

And then there is ME! I have taken on the title of Environmental Education Coordinator, as well as Reading Room Advisor if you want to get fancy about titles. I was able to take over a classroom that was just being used to store nasty old furniture including desks, doors, a mattress box spring, and an old oven among other things. The school has asked the Ministry if they may dispose of the items but has been repeatedly told no because the items are Ministry Property and that the Ministry will take care of it. Yeah I’m pretty sure that stuff has been in there for years. Anyhow, I cleaned up the empty half and Ms. J provided me with a curtain to hang across the middle of the room so I don’t have to look at the pile of junk in the other half. Tom and I also cleaned out the bookshelves that frame the blackboard and we organized all the books by subject. Most are donated textbooks from the USA, though we also found a lot of old library books. What’s great is that now that the books are clean and easy to locate the teachers are using them as resources in their classroom. I also kept any science/natural history type library books I found in my room and now the kids spend a ton of their free time reading in my office/classroom. Really inspiring to see the students choose to spend time reading!

Lately at school we have been training for sports day on Feb. 8. This has been rather chaotic and I’ve been in a perpetual state of over-use induced laryngitis. These kids are just so excited to get out of the classroom and run around that it can be very challenging to wrangle them and perform any kind of organized training. However they still are out there running so I guess training is being accomplished one way or another. 

Training inside the resource room due to rain. :(

Looking at pictures of something on my computer in my office/classroom!

Training Schedule I posted outside my office so the kids would stop asking me when their grade was going to train! Worked like a charm!

Rebel Salute 2013

This weekend I traveled to Ocho Rios to meet up with a couple of other PCV ladies to attend Rebel Salute. What is Rebel Salute you ask...well as far as I know it is the largest Reggae Concert in Jamaica and definitely one of the largest in the world.

Here is a summary of what the concert is all about from their webpage: Rebel Salute is undeniably a masterpiece! What began as a show to commemorate the January 15 birthday of reggae icon Patrick “Tony Rebel” Barrett has become a staple on the live music events calendar. Every year since its first staging in 1994 in Brooks Park, Mandeville, Tony Rebel and Flames Production Inc. has delivered a world-class roots show unlike any other while promoting and preserving the healthier aspects of reggae music. The show has since then been moved to Richmond Estates, Priory, St. Ann. Rebel Salute has captured the adoration of roots reggae lovers worldwide. Combined with the warm hospitality and abundant culture of the Jamaican people, this event is not one to be missed. Hailed today as a spiritual renaissance, it has become the bedrock for the exposure and celebration of Jamaican roots music. As the first cultural event for the New Year, the showcase has become a very proud process of reclaiming the moral high ground once occupied by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and others. Nothing can be more symbolic of Jamaica’s cultural legacy than a resounding clash between the heart and the mind: “when the music hits, you feel no pain”. Source: http://rebelsaluteprod.com/About.aspx

Over all the concert was amazing. There were thousands of people there. Unfortunately it had rained Saturday morning so what began as a nice grassy field was a total mud pit by the time we arrived at about 11:30pm (Jamaican parties start really late). But we braved the mud and enjoyed ourselves to an amazing and integral part of Jamaican culture. Though I didnt understand all the lyrics and could not recognize every artist that came on stage it was a delight to be surrounded by the Jamaican fans. There were many moments when I just looked around at the crowd in what felt like slow motion soaking up where I was and what I was experiencing! One of my favorite nights in Jamaica thus far. Good Friends, Good Music Good Times!
 

 

Claire and I

Brandi and Courtney

All us girls having a blast!

Claire with her friends from the Police Youth Club

The noise maker salesman. These horns are soooo loud and everyone uses them instead of yelling or whooping. They are hard to deal with for very long and can almost be migraine inducing.

                                         Chronnix

Ready, Set, Blog!

Happy New Year!

So up to now Tom and I have been a terrible bloggers. I just can't seem to get into this writing thing. But I can't say that's really much of a surprise. I was always that girl who loves getting new journals/diaries/notebooks but then never wrote much in them and they just sat on my shelf looking pretty but mostly just collecting dust. However, since sharing the PC experience is part of PC's 3rd goal I am going to try and remedy the situation. I am going to try to write one blog post per week with pictures. The pictures may not relate to the post but whatever, everybody likes pictures so yeah...

I arrived in JA the first time in March of last year with everyone else. It was a whirl wind first 3 weeks. Training in Hellshire was a great introduction to Jamaica and its culture. Our host parents Barbra Reid and Peter Wanliss are wonderful people who made us so comfortable and taught us much. Big Ups to all the staff and PC Volunteer Leaders (3rd year extension volunteers) as well, including but not limited to Ann, Joan, Aieka, Tia, Adam, Taylor, Jason, Anika, and Dan! In the first 3 weeks we learned all about PC policies and had lots of language and cultural sensitivity training, safety and security training and started to scratch the surface of our sector training. It was exhausting! But we also did fun things like visit the National Art Museum, the University of the West Indies, Port Royal, and of course had our first JA beach experience at Hellshire Beach.

Then as the story goes...The last morning of training in Hellshire a group of us went down to the football (soccer) pitch and while playing a friendly 3 on 3 game I snapped my Achilles. I spent 4 more days on island and then was on MediVac in WA DC until May and was finally MedSept to Montana (home) until September 9 when I returned to JamRock for the long haul!

So I have been back 4 months now... and I'm not gonna lie, it's weird. Not bad-weird but very different-weird. For some reason I thought it wouldn't be that different. That may be because my initial experience in JA was in an area that wasn't that different. Kingston is very similar to big cities in the states. But I don't live in or near Kingston and I've never actually lived anywhere but the USA, specifically the NW of the USA and this week I am missing it a lot! Everyone says its normal but its strange to be behind everyone else with all the emotional stages. It makes me feel very isolated at times. I am missing a ton of stuff right now.

Such as (and some of it may seem very lame):

*Driving! (I truly disdain being dependent upon others to go places)
*Listening to NPR/music radio while driving
*Fixed orientation to TIME. (ie- early=on time; on time=late; and late=unacceptable)
*The ability to purchase delicious dark chocolate, almonds, and apples (they are here but we can't really afford them).
*Our dog, Abby (Spot (our pup here) is great but he isn't Abby)
*Coffee stands and easy access to a piping hot or iced americano with cream.
*Dark chocolate dipped peanut butter cookies from the Good Food Store/Bernice's Bakery
*Prosciutto and fig pizza from Biga Pizza
*Being able to call my mom and dad, and any of my friends who only have cell phones (like most of the world) whenever I want without it running up their phone bills (damn Verizon for charging them to receive international calls, grrrr!)
*Real furniture. I soooo miss couches and recliners.
*Bath towels fresh from the dryer, all soft and fluffy.
*Smell of snow in winter and fresh cut grass in spring
*All baked goods! Especially those from Bernice's Bakery and Rosauers in Missoula.
*Teaching for MNHC. You'll always have a piece of my heart and are definitely my dream job. I may come back and camp on you're nice new stoop until you hire me. ;)
*Being able to identify most of the plants and wildlife I see when I take a hike through the woods.

Oy! I could go on but it's getting laborious. That's all for now...but don't worry I remembered. Pictures!

Meet Jack aka Scar Face. Spot doesn't beg but the cat sure learned quick.

Tom giving in to the Jack's begging and letting him nibble a chicken bone.

Tom and Jack, likkle blurry but still fun.

Much Love,

Chelsea