Pathways To Pet Care

Photo by Tacoma Wela.

By Dayanti Karunaratne | Editor

When it comes to animal care on Molokai, the first stop is often Facebook. It’s typically where pet owners go to find out where to get their furry friends examined, spayed or neutered,  examined, or just to find compassion as they struggle to maintain their pet’s health on an island without a full-service veterinarian. The good news? Options are growing.

For over 20 years, the Molokai Humane Society (MHS) has served the community with spay and neuter clinics, vaccinations, prescriptions and non-urgent surgeries at their Hoʻolehua headquarters. More recently, the Molokai Community Vet Hui (MCVH) was created to host weekend clinics, outfitting a shipping container in Kamalo to serve as an examination space. 

The MHS and the MCVH are both registered non-profits. There’s also Infinity Vet, which has a mobile clinic, and the Maui Humane Society’s on-island officer to call.

The Dispatch recently connected with these groups to help readers navigate their choices for pet care.

Following some disruption in services after the spring storms, the MHS is currently scheduling appointments four days a week, with a veterinarian coming in every other week. It keeps a waiting list for spay and neuter appointments. Pet owners are urged to call 808-558-0000 to get their name on the list. 

MHS Executive Director Hoala Davis said that in the past they have held free, large-scale clinics, but these are funding dependent, so it’s recommended to book and pay rather than wait for an event that isn’t guaranteed.

Davis said that the MHS does not do emergency care, and surgeries are currently on hold, but it  can help with flea and tick prevention, vaccinations and bloodwork.

“We are also able to provide telehealth care with current patients who have been seen by our vet within the last year,” Davis said. She noted that their visiting vet, Dr. Cheryl Mukai, has been coming to Molokai twice a month for almost five years. “That shows some amazing dedication,” she added.

Photo by Tacoma Wela.

“I highly recommend people bring in their pets for wellness checks to establish care, to ensure they have options if something should happen to their pets,” Davis continued. “We help as much as we are able, but our hands are tied if owners do not set up some kind of veterinary care.”

The MCVH is also helping pet owners connect with telehealth care, and it also brings in vets from other islands. Representatives from both groups are supportive of each other. 

“As far as I see it, we’re lucky to have two options on island for our pets and animal needs,” MCVH representative Jenny Webster said. 

Webster and her partner, Tim Robinson, do much of the legwork on clinic weekends, as the clinic is located on their Kamalo property. 

MCVH hosts clinics about every month, offering exams, vaccines, treatments and wellness checks.

As with the humane society, the MCVH in-clinic visits make it possible for telehealth appointments in the future. While they do not facilitate these appointments, once pets have been seen at their clinic, people can work directly with the vet, according to that provider’s policy, to schedule telehealth care.

MCVH is now working solely with professionals from Big Island Pet Care Center in Kea’au. That  partnership  for the coming year allows MCVH to do more, explained Webster. For example, Ross and her team can communicate exactly what kind of equipment and supplies they need for various surgeries. From there, Webster and her team use monies from their fundraisers and donations to stock the clinic.

Their partners on the Big Island are willing to do spay and neutering, but that equipment is expensive, so more funds need to come in before they can offer that service. 

The partnership was spearheaded by Dr. Kimmy Ross, the former MHS vet who relocated to Big Island a few years ago. It’s not an easy trip from Kea’au, but Ross and her team said they are thinking about the big picture: opening a second location on Molokai. 

“It fills our hearts to do this,” said Tacoma Wela of Big Island Pet Care, noting that most staff don’t get paid. “It’s all volunteer based. It’s whoever can, when they can.” 

Webster said the MCVH is feeling a lot of support from the community, with local businesses making cash donations, purchasing equipment and supplying them with products to run their fundraisers. 

Their next confirmed clinics are July 30 to Aug. 2, and Aug. 27 to 30. Visit molokaivethui.org to make an appointment.

Infinity Vet is a mobile service that visits the island, with its next visit occurring August 13 to 14.

“We do surgeries in the comfort of pet’s homes, which is why our fees are a bit higher than going to a clinic,” said Dr. Krysta Scimeca of Infinity Vet. 

Infinity Vet does wellness checks as well as preventative and diagnostic care. She said for complicated cases they try to stabilize the animal and have facilitated transport to Maui, where she is headquartered. Sometimes they have to recommend owners take their pet to Oahu for hospitalized care. She added that the Molokai trips are becoming difficult for her practice, so they might have to reduce their visits from every month to every four months.

Visit www.infinityvet.net to make an appointment with Dr. Scimeca. 

Over the past year, the Maui Humane Society has been on Molokai to respond to calls about stray or sick animals, animal cruelty, dangerous dogs and leash- law violations. They can also provide short-term care for stray dogs; if not claimed, these dogs may be transferred to Maui Humane Society for care and rehoming. 

All of this means that options for pet owners on Molokai are growing, but bad things do happen, so prepare in advance by making contact with one (or more) of the visiting veterinarians. Then, if you’re in need of expert advice, you and your pet can do a virtual appointment.