I think the letter was posted with the original story. But I think you can get a copy if you go to Operations Potcake's Facebook page. But it was approved by the Vet association at a meeting they held and I would assume all the Vets attended and therefor approved.

I keep coming back to two things. 1) The VMAB says they can deal with the problem on their own with local vets and 2) They can't possibly work more than 3 days because it's too much of a hardship.

You have people that will come and work 18 hrs a day, for weeks on end, at no profit (yes, it does cost to do surgery, about $18 per surgery, not $50)………..and from those 2 things, it always leads back to the 2 main issues. 1) Greed and 2) Pride

If you can't give more than 3 days, then you can't fix the problem. So back to the number 2, you have two choices, if you truly want the problem fixed. 1) Get out of the way or 2) Get back on board and work together to fix the problem.

We all hope the VMAB will make the right choice and do the right thing for the animals.

They have done the same thing for years…………and promised, for years, that they could handle it. In the mean time how many thousands upon thousands of animals have suffered while they count their money?

I know you are afraid the packs of dogs and rightfully so. But the one thing that is proven and has years and years of statistics behind it, is that simply killing the animals does not work. Spaying and Neutering, plus education, and lots of public outreach is the only solution. That is also a proven fact. So if you want to make your neighborhood a safer place for you and the children, then help spread the word and tell your neighbors to spay and neuter and maybe volunteer to post flyers or have the BHS folks speak at the school or your local church. It will help!

BVMA,

Do you have a problem with people getting their food from a food bank? Do you have a problem with the parents of a sick child getting free medical care? Would it matter if the people suppling the food to the food back were from the U.S or some other country? Would it matter where the Dr. came from that was treating the child? I know the Nassau has the "good" hospital and the "other" hospital. If you can pay, you go to the "good" one, if you can't you go to the "other" one. I have yet to see one of your grocery stores saying that the food bank has to pay them to get food to feed the needy. But I am guessing that if they did a story on the grocery stores requiring all the food banks purchase their food from them at a profit, they would have the same feedback you are getting. You are not unique, you just made a bad choice and now you reap what you sow……..you keep trying to put a good spin on what you have done and frankly, the hole you are digging keeps getting deeper.

Read the post about the actual cost of supplies.

Business is business……..people shop where they can afford to shop and some have to use free food banks. Why do you think being in the Vet business should be any different?

Thank you for that very accurate breakdown of costs. It is obvious the BVMA numbers are padded.

I have read their letter and it is very clear that they do not want foreign vets coming in to work for free. They are trying to backtrack now, because frankly, they are getting destroyed in the media. If in fact, the intent of their letter was to open a dialog about the option for another plan, they might want to rethink who they have write their formal letters. Because from the looks of the comments in this blog (many of which post direct quotes from the letter) everyone seems to have the same interpretation of the meaning.

First they agree to work with the groups that comprise Operation Potcake. Then they see how much money was raised and how much money the volunteers spent getting to the Bahamas and they think (Ka-ching!) we can get all that money and we can say we will do the job and make some money as well! Didn't anticipate the pushback on you plan, did you? Why is everyone acting this way towards you? Because they do not like being lied to, they do not like promises being broken, they do not like people who can't give 10-14 days out of their year to volunteer to help those less fortunate. I'm not as all saying that none of the vet association doesn't volunteer, but the letter from your leader certainly does not reflect that.

So let's say you do 500 surgeries for $50, we now know the actual cost of the supplies is roughly $17, but I'll round up in your favor to $20. They pay you $50 x 500 = $25,000. Actual costs are $10,000. That gives your a nice profit of $15,000. Here is the problem with your thinking, you assumed people were dumb, but they aren't, no even close. Animal Welfare volunteers are some of the smartest people I have ever met and some of the most passionate. That is a bad mixture if you try to BS them and then do something that is not in the best interest of the animals. One can see from this blog, that you have found that out.

In your letter, you also mention you can only do 3 days, just too much of a hardship for you to do more. That doesn't bode well with people either, not people who spend their vacation time going to volunteer to help animals, not the people who plan their days off a year in advance to be be able to volunteer more. So, you grudging offer to work for 3 days and make a profit, even if it is not your normal profit margin, that pisses them off.

In the end whatever is decided about the money, you cannot make the impact required to address the overpopulation in 3 days with just a few vets. Battles are not won by a few soldiers taking out a few other soldiers. It takes an army. You were offered a well trained, dedicated army to help you fix your problem. They deal with the dogs that would never, ever grace the doors of your clinics.

I hope everybody can swallow their pride, lick their wounds and honor the commitments they made.