The team at Te Are Manu (TAM) have hit the new year at full steam. We are very fortunate and thankful to the relief staff and volunteers who worked with TAM through the festive season. It was a busy time for human and animal alike.

The most exciting news we have to report is that our new medical director has arrived. After a year of advertising worldwide and with the assistance of former medical director Dr Mike and Vets Beyond Borders, we were thrilled to find the perfect fit for our busy clinic. Dr Rose Hasegawa arrived off the plane on Monday and went straight to work.

As a charity that relies on donations and volunteers, we sometimes find ourselves very short staffed. Whilst we love the fact that we have seen a lot of growth in the community making use of the wonderful facilities at TAM, when the clinic has only one vet, it is easy for us to become overloaded due to limited capacity – imagine having only one doctor for the whole of the Cook Islands. This will give you an idea of what our vet faces at times.

Like any doctor’s surgery, appointments are a must. Calling ahead and making plans saves you time and ensures a smooth-running clinic. Whilst there has been a real push to desex as many animals as possible, when the vet is in surgery it means there will be no consultations. I can assure you after meeting Dr Rose she is every bit the superhero but hasn’t mastered being in two places at once.

So what does the typical day at Te Are Manu look like? Generally, any scheduled surgeries are done first thing in the morning, with patients being checked in and prepped between 8.30-9am. On some days surgery hours can continue well into lunch time. On other days when we don’t have many surgeries, we may be able to fit in a couple of consults – but again these are by appointment only. By scheduling surgery in the morning, it means there is a high chance that your fur baby will be able to come home at the end of the day and recover at home in familiar surroundings with their humans around to care for them.

The afternoons are when we schedule consultations, so if you need to visit the clinic with your pet, please call the clinic on 27719. Turning up without an appointment for a nonemergency is not a good idea if you are time constrained – just like turning up at the Hospital or the Puna clinics, you could be waiting for hours or turned away and asked to come back at another time. TAM does have a range of flea treatments and other off-the-shelf pet supplies (e.g dog collars) which are available for pick up at TAM any time between 9am-4pm, no appointment is necessary for these.

With the current staff shortage, TAM wishes to advise the public that we have had to reduce our service hours effectively immediately to the following:

• Clinic Hours Monday (27719) – Friday 8am-4pm (By appointment only)
• Afterhours emergencies (57206) – 4pm-8pm Monday to Friday, 10am-12pm Saturday and Sunday

In the case of an emergency outside of these hours you can ring the clinic from around 8am Monday to Friday on 27719 or bring your animal straight to the clinic at this time. (This applies to any emergency during our opening hours – in a life or death situation for your animal you can bring them straight in ... if possible have someone call us while you are on your way so we can prepare for your arrival)

Please note we do not do home visits after hours – you must be prepared to bring your animal to the clinic in Arorangi – ask a friend or family to help if you do not have transport. We have all the medications and equipment at the clinic which we need plus it is also a safety issue with our volunteer vets.

Also note: Animals who have been admitted to the clinic must be picked up by 4pm. We are not permitted to keep animals overnight. Should there be an unexpected hold up please ring the clinic to make arrangements.