Dioctophyma renale peeks its ugly head again, this time in a sample from a TTSPCA dog. Theresa and I were reading slides from dog samples I collected from the TTSPCA yesterday when she came across a strange egg she hadn't seen on the microscope before. It quickly dawned on her that it looked a lot like another egg she knew: Dioctophyma! The dog had quite a few eggs. They are actually sort of pretty and intricate; they are also signs of future or current health complications for this poor dog. Two run-ins with D. renale in one year is a lot more than than I expected!

After processing the samples, I went around the the medical complex to get some questionnaires filled out. I got 8 in about an hour. Slow and steady. I know that I can get 1,000 resident questionnaires completed before I leave; not sure about the tourists so much.

I'm excited to meet up with Gigi for the Orisha festival tonight. I got a nice 3-hour nap in and am ready for whatever may be in store for the rest of the evening/morning.

Happy Birthday to my loving aunt, Auntie Annie, and my crazy cousin, Kaila!


D. renale eggs

Yay for progress. I finished processing all of the cattle samples and read the slides for parasites, and started on the dog samples today. I worked through lunch time and finally ate a meal around 3:30. It felt good to get it done. Studio film club night was fun. I bonded with Gigi, Ras, and Jacob over beers. The movie, Stranger than Paradise, was... strange. There were some funny scenes, but not really my kind of movie. I can't complain. The venue, lighting, and atmosphere make it worth going, even if the movie is a little off. I postponed going to an Orisha festival with Gigi to tomorrow. It will give me time to rest up for what may be a long night!


Stranger than most movies I've seen (with the exception of The Saddest Music in the World)


The Entrance


Gigi and Ras


Bottle lamp. Studio Film Club has really neat decor.

OMG! I was on the radio! Sita and Sara from the TTSPCA were on the radio program discussing the issues concerning stray dogs in the country. I somehow worked up enough courage to call in and I got through (I'm guessing it not like getting through to Z100)! I was nervous but I thanked Sita and Sara for their work at the TTSPCA and mentioned my research and current findings. Hopefully, I can generate some interest... or everyone in Trinidad and Tobago was asleep. Eh, I tried.

Waterloo Wednesday was a success. Six dogs got Endovet tablets and I gave the unopened ones to Radha and Balram for them to give to any new dogs that may come this week. I also administered questionnaires to 16 people, dropped off birthday gifts for Vishi and Rianna, and did some bird watching. I didn't collect any samples; the dogs haven't eaten for some time now and didn't have any samples to give me, I suppose. They seem so content with simply being able to exist. They are truly touching creatures, those Waterloo dogs.

I sent my first serious "future" email today to a professor at UPenn regarding a potential postdoc position. Who knew that Penn has a Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society? Sounds right up my alley.

I'm spending the rest of this rainy afternoon entering questionnaire responses into a database while listening to music.


The good...


...the bad...


...and the hungry!


Hello, Tourists!


Balram and cool grandson


Dogs waiting for a vienna sausage. People stopped in their cars to watch me do this.

Two-farm Tuesday! I managed to collect 24 samples today thanks to the help of two young farms hands. The first farm I went to was a large-by-Trinidadian standards farm with 48 dairy animals. It only took an hour for me to get all the samples I needed. The second farm was a repeat. I went there with Daniel and Sophie a few weeks ago, but the samples were thrown out. The farmer is a lovely woman who grew up in Santa Cruz. I guess she took a liking to me an offered me two GIANT pieces of cake. She said I was too thin. Whatever gets me delicious cake. I was done with both farms by 10am and decided to hunt down two other farms for the project. I recruited Farmer Lyons and Farmer Singh to participate. I'm heading to their farms next Monday, which will bring my farm total to 18! One left in Trinidad and one left in Tobago!

My day started early with Sparky waking me up with unnecessary barking. My alarm was set for 5:45, but I only heard it after the first snooze. Needless to say, I took a sweet nap this afternoon/evening. Getting ready to watch either Malcolm X or Meet Joe Black.

My grad student spotlight is featured on the new Cornell website! Haha, the picture they used was of me cutting open Sweetie's kidney in my bathing suit. Hilarious. Click here to check it out. Chris, my former roommate is also featured. Nice job, Cornell Vet Med!


Very skinny cows

Easter Monday = Holiday in T&T. Four day weekend! I spent the morning hanging out with Dad. I made french toast for breakfast and he watched my attempts to train the pups to lie down. I think it can happen. I just have to be consistent about it. They have already gotten better about not jumping up for treats, though, they do forget sometimes. I should also praise the pups for not using the bathroom on the porch for four straight nights! They are well on their way to being house-broken. Check out my video of Zaradoodle learning how to lie down.

Off to fly a kite in the Savanna with Auntie Andrea, my mother's friend of many years. Hopefully I can harass some people to fill out my questionnaire.




Nita with my St. Patty's sock


Next time I tell someone to "go fly a kite," they will understand that I am not at all happy with them. I didn't succeed at getting my kite up :-(

Happy Easter! Nothing to report today; Jesus was risen today and all I did was take naps. Go figure.

Last night could have been my first night of uninterrupted sleep in a long time, except that Mr. Prior Carew actually took me up on my request to take the dogs for an early morning walk. When I said "early" I meant around 7ish, you know? Like normal people? No, no. Dad thought that 5:30AM was appropriate. Sigh. I must admit it was fun. The pups barked at all the neighborhood dogs, and when we made it to the savanna, they ran around like wild beasts! Sparkle had the best time. It's now noon, and I'm freshly showered and dressed after a much-needed nap. Where to today? Wallerfield? Carlsen Field? I'm thinking both. Ha! Right. 5 more farms to go in Trinidad and one more in Tobago. I'd like to take Meg to a sheep and goat farm when she visit! Maybe she can watch me in action :-)


Me and my doggies! They make me so happy.


Bobolee remains. A bobolee is an effigy of Judas that is dragged through the streets and beaten with sticks. One way to celebrate Good Friday.


Judas' lower body

Dad and dogs


Nita


Gita


Zara

Sparky has two beds and several rugs on which to rest his pampered little head. Where does he decide is a better spot? Such a learned dog I have!

I went back to Mt. St. Benedict today after a hearty lunch with Dr. Basu and Theresa. Dr. Basu kindly treated us to a delicious meal at a Chinese restaurant with really good food. I needed to work off the lo mein and various rice dishes. I stayed at MSB for three hours, looking for birds and discovering other cool wildlife in the area. There are so many dragonflies in T&T; not to mention butterflies. I saw two new birds, but I don't think I'll be able to identify them. I have about 20 birds left to reach my 200 birds goal before I leave! I know I can make it.

Okay! Another semi-productive day. Baby steps. I didn't make it to the TTSPCA today. I ran late leaving the house and decided to head to UWI to do the extractions. I ended up going to Mt. St. Benedict during my incubation wait and saw 2 new birds! Finally, the Red-legged Honeycreeper graced me with his presence. The second bird was the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. I saw a bunch of repeat birds as well. Twas a great lunch break.

Just got an email about transporting Sparkle and Zara to the US of A. $209 per pup plus a ton of running around. First stop: the Ministry of Trade and Industry to drop off an application for an export license. Then a custom's shipping bill for export declaration (whatever that means). Then rabies vaccines in mid-May. Then a health certificate from the vet with 10 days of them traveling. And I need to book my ticket and buy pet carries! To get the three of us to the US of A is going to be $1000 easily, and we are flying into Newark. Great.

I'm getting excited and nervous about returning to New York. A lot has changed and will change, and some things will, unfortunately, remain the same. Living in Trinidad has been an escape from my reality and an entry into a new one. I can see myself coming back here to work. There is so much good research to be done in conservation and roaming dog management. Ah, one can dream...


Hike through the forest


Ouch!

THREE more months. THREE MORE months. THREE MORE MONTHS! Helter skelter time. I popped into UWI to prepare for 38 DNA extractions tomorrow as well as a visit to the TTSPCA for some dog samples. This was after I finally finished revising a paper for publication and took a two-hour nap. Semi-productive work day, I'd say.


How much are the puppies in the doorway? The ones with the waggly tails...


Banana, King Orange, Grapefruit, Mango smoothies for Dad and me

Tomorrow starts the first official day to myself. I have had at least one visitor for the past 3 months. Not that I don't adore all of my guests, but I am in need of some Miguella time. Time to veg out and read a book or something, you know?

Today was a highly productive day. I took the pups to Dr. Adam for their vaccinations and to remove their spay stitches. I also gave him his present from Mom and me: a desk nameplate with a clock! I think he liked it. Then I headed to Auntie Vilma's to drop Kaila off and to see her new pup(pies). They are so tiny! Their legs are shorter than my pinky. My pups were sort of intimidated by them. Don't worry, Nita, Gita and Zara, you are still mine! I also dropped off letters from the TTSPCA to the Ministry of Multiculturalism and the Ministry of Tourism. Let's see what happens with this Waterloo situation.

I came home to do some light research. Case in point: how much would the average Trinidadian pay to spay and/or neuter their dogs at a private veterinarian. I was astounded by the costs. $900 to spay Zara at a clinic in central Trinidad. Now, maybe the people who answered the phones heard a cashier drawer opening when they heard my accent, but still! Not many people are going to pay that much. And that's more than I paid for all four of my dogs at the TTSPCA plus a couple hundred bucks. Madness. Madness, I tell ya.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Sunny! I paid him a quick visit and dropped off some birthday fruits.

I was feeling a little adventurous today and decided it was time to relax my hair. For those of you who aren't aware of what exactly that means, every 4 months or so, I apply some caustic chemical to my hair with the hopes of making it straighter and also having it not fall out. So far so good for both of those things. Tomorrow should be a better judge of the situation. I'm taking it easy tonight. The plan is to set up a visit to some farms for Thursday, and maybe the TTSPCA on Friday. CRUNCHTIME!


Puppy Madness! Oh, and Kaila's hair madness too.


Uncle Sunny!

Lazy Palm Sunday. I took a nap for most of the day until about 3pm when Dad called for lunch. It's been so hot! And this past week with Liz was packed full of fun. I needed to rest. I'm in the process of some light cleaning. Laundry: check. Dishes: check. Rugs and mopping: not checked.

I think I'm going to take the dogs for a quick walk around the block. They're a little too hyper. Busy, busy week ahead! The pups have to go to Dr. Adam tomorrow. I have to drop of letters from the TTSPCA in POS. I have to visit various ministries to get the documentation to bring Pucky and Zara to the US of A. Tomorrow is also Uncle Sunny's birthday so a quick stop in Diego Martin. I have to go to at least 2 farms this week and the TTSPCA for samples. I want to head back to Waterloo to give the dogs more Endovet and to drop off birthday gifts for Vishi and Brianna. The anniversary of Grandpa's death is coming up in early-May and I would like to get a nice tombstone and flowers to decorate the grave site. Crunch time! Only three more months left in T&T!

Nita, Gita, and Zaradoodle.

As of today, Liz has seen 122 different species of birds in the wild an a total of 130 birds in all (caged included)! Not bad, I think! I took Liz to Waterloo to show her my stray dog friends. They followed us around and I'm sure it made Liz a little uncomfortable having mangy pups jump up on her. Some of the dogs were actually looking better! I would like to think it's because of the Endovet tablets Sophie and I gave to them back in February and March. The remaining three of the litter of 9 pups who were dumped at Waterloo in December are looking so much better! I can actually see fur!

After Waterloo, we headed down to the Wildfowl Trust to check out some ducks, cormorants, anhingas, egrets, and herons. Liz's favorite spot was a tree that had a bunch of different species of birds nesting together. We also saw a giant caiman there. It's great how animals can get together without eating each other :-)

Our next stop was the Caroni Swamp for our own private bird santuary tour! The Madoo brothers didn't have any other clients for the day, so Liz and I had to boat to ourselves. So great. The highlight was seeing the Greater Ani again. We tried to see it at another stop earlier, but the trees where I first saw them were cut down. The Anis were right at the etnrance of the swamp, waiting to greet Liz. Liz loved the watching the Scarlet Ibises as they headed to their nesting sites.

And our last stop was The El Socorro Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Liz wanted to see the Boat-billed Heron. She also saw some Spectacled Owls, Zeus, the Channel-billed Toucan, a Yellow-crowned Amazon, some Blue and Yellow Macaws, and Lovebirds.

We have three more birding stops tomorrow where she may see handful of shorebirds. We are also off to Detta's to see the Pawi!


Vishi, my long-lost birding friend. He's turning 10 next week!


Sean and Darren Madoo, bird sanctuary guides, playing checkers


Inside the Caroni Swamp Bird Sanctuary Visitor's Centre


Our own private tour!


Darren, captain, my captain

At daybreak, I said goodbye to my partner-in-crime of six weeks. Sophie headed back to the US of A. Because of her early flight, Liz and I had to opportunity to check out the Trincity Sewage Ponds in the morning. I was amazed at the amount of species there in the morning. After seeing maybe 15 species of birds, we headed Asa Wright to meet up with Rachel, a former Cornell student here helping another Cornell student, Julian, with his research on Little Hermit Hummingbirds. So many Cornellians in T&T!


"Bye, Sophie!" Said in a Prior voice.


Liz identifying a flycatcher


Julian ready to hack a trail in Brasso Seco


Hummingbird nest!


Julian's rainforest home

Oh my goodness! Liz had meat today! That's right. My 14-year vegetarian friend split a bake and shark with me at Maracas. She says it was worth it. Can't go wrong with tamarind sauce, mango chutney, pineapples, and a host of other condiments.

Today is Sophie's last full day in T&T . What better way to spend it than a beach lime at Maracas with Zara and Pucky!

Oh and speaking of the pups, they have lost their baby puppy teeth! The are chewing on stuff around the house more than ever. Favorites: mine and Dad's socks, my underwear, nailfiles, and flip-flops.


Sophie, Liz, and me at the Maracas Lookout


Bake and shark before


Bake and shark after!


Zara and Sparky on the beach

Sea turtle tracks. Liz and I may have just missed a mother leatherback/hawksbill/green sea turtle!


Lia and a Chachalaca


Sophie and Liz at the mangrove


Pond birding


River by Bloody Bay