Marley’s Miracle: World Vets gives an old boy a new lease on life
By: Jane Ebbitt, CARE Nevis Animal Society
For the second year in a row a World Vets team arrived on the tiny Caribbean island of Nevis to assist the local rescue group CARE Nevis Animal Society with pet wellness and a mass free spay-neuter clinic. For four days the team led by World Vets field service veterinarian, Dr. Winnie Neunzig, worked alongside the CARE volunteers from early morning till well after dusk, their immense efforts yielding amazing results of 283 spay-neuters, 92 vet consults, 400 vaccinations and 4 elective surgeries for other serious health problems.
For one dog in particular, the World Vets visit became a life-saving mission. That dog is ‘MARLEY’.
The old and the young, Marley comforts a puppy
Marley is very dear to our heart, he is the ‘Grandpa Patriarch’ of the CARE Rescue Shelter, our first rescue found on a local beach in November 2009. The victim of a dog fighting ring, he had been abandoned and was starving, near death, when we picked him up. The indomitable spirit of this dog, who was given 6 months to live back in January 2010, has been our motivation that every stray animal deserves a second chance at life and love. Marley is so gentle his self-imposed mission in life is to welcome every puppy to the CARE Rescue Shelter. He nuzzles, protects and tells them all that their days of running scared are over.
Marley’s tumors
Last year Marley developed a testicular tumor and other large tumors on his underside. We watched in dismay as the tumors doubled in size within a year. Due to his age of approximately 11 years, and risk factors, no vets would tackle surgery to remove them. We asked World Vets field service veterinarian, Dr Winnie, and World Vets volunteer, Dr Mike Henes, if they believed he would survive surgery to remove the massive tumors, which were weighing Marley down. They gave Marley 75-25 odds of making it,and, although it was a difficult decision to make, there really was no other choice.
From left to right, Jane Ebbitt, Dr. Winnie Neunzig, Dr. Mike Henes and LVT Corinne Anders
And so, Winnie and Mike assisted by senior Vet Tech, Corinne Anders, got to work and operated on Marley. For 30 minutes scalpels flashed, clamps were placed and needles stitched up the wounds at lightning speed. With no complications at all during the procedure, Marley’s 3lbs of tumors were removed and a now ‘streamlined’ Marley emerged from the operating table to recover.
Within 24 hours our Patriarch of the CARE Shelter was rejuvenated, recovered and back amongst all the puppies that he loves so much. He now walks with a spring in his step, greeting the puppies with his usual snuffles and big licks.
We can’t thank the World Vets team enough for giving our Miracle Marley’ yet another lease on the life he loves living. We are so, so… grateful.
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- Marley
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- Jane Ebbitt with Marley in recovery
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- Marley’s tumors
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- The old and the young, Marley puppy sits Sweetie
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- From left to right, Jane Ebbitt, Dr. Winnie Neunzig, Dr. Mike Henes and LVT Corinne Anders
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- Dr. Mike Henes with Marley after surgery
Last year World Vets received a request for assistance from an animal welfare organization operating on the small Caribbean island of Nevis; a 36 square mile island with only 10,000 local inhabitants located just south of the more famous island St. Kitts. Pet overpopulation was identified as being a major issue for the island’s communities. Given that Nevis is such a small island, World Vets felt compelled to undertake this project as the control and preservation of a healthy animal population is of great importance. For instance, not only 
does it have a huge impact on human health but the overall sustainability of island life as a whole.
previous record held on our longstanding small animal project in Ecuador.