World Vets Responds to Nepal Earthquake: Animal Rescue Updates

World Vets Disaster Response Team is extremely busy in Nepal, racing to save animals caught in the wake of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that has killed more than 6100 people and countless animals.  While the response to human casualties is justifiably prioritized, there are many animals that are in a desperate situation and World Vets is on the ground in the strike zone to help them. Already there has been a huge demand for life-saving veterinary work not only for companion animals but also for street dogs, livestock, horses and donkeys. The livelihood of many people in Nepal is dependent on livestock and working animals, and our work is not only helping the animals but also the families of Nepal who depend on them for their own survival.

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Your support allows us to provide urgent care to animals impacted by this disaster.

Please support World Vets’ International Disaster Relief Fund now. Your donation is urgently needed. Thank you.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSE

World Vets response to the Nepal earthquake focused primarily on the remote and outlying rural villages in the country. These locations proved to be the hardest hit and in need of urgent, and often times life saving, veterinary work for primarily livestock. Our disaster response team was one of the first to arrive after the earthquake and worked in collaboration with local animal rescue groups, local and government veterinarians as well as other international aid agencies.   Our services included direct animal care, capacity building for long term impact, establishing and providing training for specific treatment protocols for challenging veterinary cases unique to this disaster.  We also provided direct financial support to local animal welfare groups.

UPDATE (May 18, 2015)

World Vets veterinarian Dr Ben Brown traveled with other NGO volunteers to the village of Kuvenda close to the Tibetan border this weekend. This is a prominent dairy area in this district and he will be treating cases here over the next few days. Below is a picture of Dr Brown with the Sapkota family who live in the area. Their son works for Animal Nepal, an animal welfare organization based in Kathmandu with whom World Vets is collaborating in country efforts.

sapkota family Tibetan border

UPDATE (May 15, 2015)

World Vets veterinarians Dr Ben Brown and Dr Springer Browne provided health checks and medical consults in Nepal for the Los Angeles County Fire Department K-9 Search and Rescue dogs, trained by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, led by Captain Andrew Olvera. Stetson, Pearl, Rugby, Riley, Tanker and Ripley are the heroic dogs! Most of our work in Nepal has been focused in rural villages near the epicenter, but we were happy to be able to assist these hard-working dogs that have played a very important role in the rescue efforts.

UPDATE (May 14, 2015)

World Vets veterinarians, Dr. Springer Browne and Dr. Ben Brown, have been able to follow up on a few animal cases that they treated since their arrival. We are happy to report that there have been some great outcomes! One such animal is Dwarika – a small dog who received emergency surgery for life-threatening injuries. As a result of the earthquake many dogs have been displaced into unfamiliar territories and are getting attacked by other dogs that are fighting for survival. This is what happened to Dwarika (pictured below). She still has some healing to do since the ordeal, but she is feeling much better now.

 

UPDATE (May 12, 2015)

Earlier today another massive earthquake hit the already devastated country of Nepal. Our veterinary team is working under difficult conditions, but we have heard from them and they are safe. World Vets is continuing to help the animals & people of Nepal.

UPDATE (May 11, 2015)

One of the most urgent animal needs following the earthquake is helping the many milk cows that have traumatic limb injuries and downer cow syndrome. Our vets have livestock expertise and have been treating many of these cows. Since there is a limited window of time to initiate treatment and many more animals that need help in remote regions, World Vets veterinarian Dr Springer Browne held a workshop to teach the specific treatment protocols to Nepalese veterinary professionals as well as other local and international NGO’s. This will enable many more animals to get the help they need.

 

UPDATE (May 5 – 9, 2015):

World Vets disaster relief team continues to work in Nepal with much of the efforts focused on animals in rural villages. The livestock in these villages are not only providers of milk, but they are considered family members that are loved. Our work not only brings care to injured and sick animals, but also to the families that depend on them and also to help prevent the spread of disease. Our veterinarians have been collaborating their efforts with several local and international animal welfare organizations and government agencies who have all come together to help animals impacted by the disaster.

 

 UPDATE (May 4, 2015)

News coverage from Channel NewsAsia of our work in rural Nepal, where World Vets veterinarians have been working to help animals injured in the earthquake. Read article here

UPDATE (May 1, 2015):

There has been a huge demand for our veterinarians in Nepal and today was another long with many animals saved.   Just to mention a few, there was a pig that was injured from falling bricks, a dog that was rescued from an water ditch and a dog that had severe fight wounds.  Because of the earthquake, many dogs are getting displaced into unfamiliar territories as the seek refuge and they are getting attacked by other dogs fighting for survival.

UPDATE (April 30, 2015) :

Dr. Springer Browne of World Vets and Dr. Suman Khadka from Animal Nepal assess a cow that had been trapped between collapsed buildings for three days.  The cow had recently been rescued in Baneswor area of Kathmadu and was suffering from a severe metabolic disease from the ordeal. She was in very bad shaped and would have died without treatment.  They got to work right away administering intravenous treatments to which she showed rapid signs of improvement.  They will go back and check on her tomorrow but thankfully she is expected to make a full recovery.   Tragically, another cow died before we knew about the situation and our vets were able to get there.

Communication channels are inconsistent but details are coming in on the rescues that are happening in the field. We will provide updates of some of those stories on this page.

 

UPDATE (April 27, 2015) Our disaster response veterinary team has been activated and is deploying to Nepal.   Our first responder vets will be there for at least three weeks, with additional support to follow as needed.

Your support allows us to provide urgent care to animals impacted by this disaster.

Please support World Vets’ International Disaster Relief Fund now.  Your donation is urgently needed.  Thank you.

Dogs and Damaged Building 1Fire Station Pulchowk area in Lalitpur district

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World Vets is a registered 501c(3) Non Government Organization.  All donations to World Vets are tax deductible.  Tax ID # 20-4637447

Thanks to the Fondation Brigitte Bardot for their support of our disaster preparedness and relief efforts.

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MISSION STATEMENT: 

World Vets Mission is to improve the health and well being of animals by providing veterinary aid and training in developing countries and by providing disaster relief worldwide.

BREAKING NEWS-Nepal Earthquake

UPDATE:  Our disaster response veterinary team has been activated and is deploying to Nepal.   Our first responder vets will be there for at least three weeks, with additional support to follow as needed. (April 27, 2015)

ALL UPDATES FROM THE FIELD ARE POSTED HERE

In the wake of the massive earthquake that hit Nepal earlier today, our rescue team is on standby and will be ready to deploy if local rescue groups or authorities need our help.   The 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit near Kathmandu on Saturday causing massive destruction and casualties.  It had been predicted that a huge earthquake would hit the region sometime in the coming years and because of that, World Vets and a local animal welfare group in Nepal had already been collaborating to prepare for such an event.

In addition to our ongoing veterinary aid programs around the world, World Vets provides disaster relief support and rescue teams for major international disasters where animals are impacted or public safety and health is impacted by animal related situations.  World Vets has previously responded to disasters such as the Haiti Earthquake, Thailand Floods, Japan Tsunami, Philippines Typhoon, Bosnia Flooding etc.  Our support includes such things as direct veterinary care and on the ground rescues, reuniting pets with owners, addressing public health and zoonotic disease issues and coordinating supply donations.

We are continuing to assess the situation and our teams will be ready to deploy if Nepal animal welfare groups seek our assistance. Donations are urgently needed to support the rescue efforts.

The development and gear for our disaster response rescue program was graciously funded by the Fondation Brigitte Bardot of Paris, France.   We depend on the support of the public, foundations and individual donors to support each deployment and ongoing rescue efforts.  Please consider making a donation to our international disaster response program that helps animals in these situations.  DONATE HERE

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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 puppy sits Sweetie

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

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

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.

 

The Little Team that Could! Ecuador

During the month of April World Vets had a team in Ecuador. We anticipated this to be a challenging project as this is a very high volume clinic and our team was just half the normal size.

However, despite our limited volunteer force, our team well exceeded expectations in relation to the number of animal patients that could receive services. Working in two municipalities in Northern Ecuador, our little team was able to perform hundreds of free sterilization surgeries in just a short period of time. Needless to say we are thrilled at the outcome of this project!

We’d like to thank our tireless volunteers and leaders, PAE-Ibarra, the municipalities of Atuntaqui and Otavalo, as well as Fondation Brigitte Bardot for making this great effort possible!

 

8 Week Student Internship Available this Summer with World Vets!

World Vets seeks an enthusiastic and hardworking student intern who is ready for an adventure! This summer (starting June 1st) we have an exciting internship opportunity based out of our Latin America Veterinary Training Center. This center is located in Granada, Nicaragua, and is also home to our International Veterinary Medicine (IVM) Program. The IVM Program is World Vets student program that provides international students with an opportunity to gain practical veterinary experience as well as hands on instruction in relation to performing clinical tasks.

As part of this opportunity, the student intern will work alongside World Vets staff and volunteers, out of our Latin America Veterinary Training Center, to aid and assist with the execution of this summers IVM Program. More details are provided below.

Tasks/Responsibilities

– Assist with local logistics and coordination as it pertains to the IVM Program, in addition to providing general animal care. Activities and tasks may consist of the following

  1. Taking part in animal collection and returning animals to their homes/communities following recovery
  2. Tending to surgical patients post op in recovery; monitoring, grooming, and administration of post op medicines
  3. Taking part in community outreach activities, which provide free veterinary services for dogs, cats and horses in outlying rural communities
  4. When appropriate, helping to prep animal patients for surgery
  5. Miscellaneous administrative/data collection duties

– Act as social coordinator for IVM Program participants while the program is underway. This will consist of the following

  1. Welcoming students/instructors to program housing upon arrival and showing them around the house and to their rooms (and, labeling rooms with the names of who will be sleeping where each session)
  2. Being the “go to” person should anyone have any “tourist related” questions in relation to where they can go to do this, where they can go buy that, best places to eat etc.
  3. Getting everyone signed up for an activity prior to the designated free day and getting these activities* lined up (and collecting money for this if needed)
  4. Take part in group activity that is scheduled the day after arrivals
  5. When there is free time or during evenings, organize activities or social get-togethers where people can get to know each other, have fun, and experience more of Granada. I.e. rally up people to go out to dinner, to go shopping etc.

*World Vets has 3 set activities that we offer to coordinate for IVM Program participants

Eligibility

  • This internship opportunity is open to pre-veterinary and/or veterinary technician students. Veterinary students may also be considered, however, getting surgical experience is not part of this opportunity.
  • Preference will be given to those who have participated on a past IVM Program session.
  • We seek a student that is able to commit to 8 consecutive weeks, from June 1 – July 29, 2015.
  • Spanish fluency or conversational Spanish is desired, though not a requirement.

Conditions

  • This is a non paid internship, but an excellent opportunity to gain experience working with an international non profit and with animals in need
  • There is a fee associated with this internship opportunity. In exchange for this fee, the following will be provided for the intern; housing for the duration of the internship, airport transfers (on assigned days), ground transportation related to clinic activities, breakfast, and lunches on clinic work days, program supplies and full participation in program activities, in addition to a World Vets scrub top and/or gear.
  • What is not provided (and what the intern will need to cover): International airfare, optional excursions/activities, dinner, Nicaraguan tourist visa ($10 USD), travel and/or health insurance, personal equipment necessary for the opportunity (i.e watch, stethoscope, water bottle), incidentals and anything not specifically outlined as included.

If interested, please send a copy of your current resume/CV to info@worldvets BEFORE APRIL 30th. Please list your full name, and include the past IVM Program session you participated on and whether you are able to commit for the full 8 weeks.

 

 

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