Saipan Humane Society provides critical care through Banfield partnership

A vet and vet tech are on Saipan until Oct. 4 to provide critically needed pet healthcare. 

Dr. Melissa Salgado, who is from New York, and Amber Schweiss from Texas, are in the CNMI for the first time thanks to Banfield’s Mars Ambassador program, which sends experts like them to destinations around the world to give back to the community.

“Everyone has been so kind…we have just had so many really nice interactions with the clients which in veterinary medicine can be a little more on the rare side,” said Schweiss. 

They’ve seen about 40 pets a day so far, that’s double what they usually see in the states. They’re working with the Saipan Humane Society.

“We definitely provide more accurate diagnoses and five more security information to our pet owner and our team. we learn a lot of different diagnoses…it really is a great help for us to enhance our skill,” said Director of clinical services Ruby Ma.

Dr. Salgado said they are treating a lot of wounds and skin allergies but both of them, with more than 30 years of experience combined, treated their first case of.

“Transmissible venereal tumors -- it is essentially an STD that animals get. So that is why it is important to neuter and spay your pets because then they are less likely to want to mate as well and to prevent it from happening. So it causes tumors and needs to be treated with chemotherapy,” Dr. Salgado said. 

Saipan Humane Society continues to fill the gaps with its limited resources on Saipan.

“The team here is so great and they jump in and work their tails off to help everyone,” said Salgado.