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Help Working Horses! Volunteer on our Equine Welfare Project

Aug 15

In Nicaragua, especially in low income households, horses are heavily relied upon for transportation, whether it be transporting people or raw materials. As a result, horses bear the brunt of much hard labor resulting in wounds, lacerations as well as poor health and malnutrition. To alleviate the hardships they face, World Vets has been providing free veterinary services for the working horse population in Nicaragua for many years.

Our equine welfare project is based in Granada and targets both carriage and cart horses as well as those owned by low income households who cannot afford veterinary care for their horses. Since its inception, we have expanded our reach and now operate mobile clinics in both urban and rural areas as well as other localities within the department of Granada.

The veterinary services that we facilitate at no cost include hoof and dental work, vaccinations, castrations, de-worming and wound treatments. Our main focus has been to improve the comfort and quality of life of working horses, and so we often distribute donated halters, leads and padding to horse owners as well.

If you have been looking for a way to help horses abroad, we have volunteer opportunities available as part of our equine welfare project in Nicaragua. Our next set of mobile outreach clinics are scheduled in December and volunteer positions are still available! Learn more

Organizing a volunteer trip for your group just got easier!

Jun 08

If you are a student group, veterinary corporation and/or veterinary practice looking to volunteer abroad or provide an international volunteer opportunity for your colleagues, look no further. World Vets is able to provide a custom trip for groups in Nicaragua!

Aside from communicating your interests and objectives, there would be minimal requirements of you in organizing the experience for your group. World Vets will handle in-country logistics, pre-trip planning and all veterinary-related coordination. We will also facilitate all the veterinary supplies and medicines that would be needed.

Here are some examples of recent and/or upcoming custom trips;

World Vets recently welcomed a student group from Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) of Saskatchewan, Canada. We organized a two week program for them that combined clinic with activities out in the field. They received hands on experience in carrying out tasks related to patient prep and monitoring as well as performing sterilizations under the instruction and guidance of World Vets veterinary staff. They even tended to medical consultations during community outreach visits where they worked with both small animals and livestock, and made a visit to a wildlife sanctuary. What’s more, they helped to collect baseline data that will aid World Vets in monitoring and measuring animal health and wellbeing in the Laguna de Apoyo area.

In the coming months we will host a veterinary cooperate group for a one week small animal field project. As part of this trip they will have 3-4 days dedicated to providing veterinary services and 2-3 days for leisure and sightseeing. Veterinary services will be provided in a field setting and incorporate a rabies vaccination campaign in celebration of World Rabies Day (Sept 28). Read more about this trip

To inquire about a custom trip to Nicaragua for your group, please write to trips@worldvets.org

A few special notes:

Our custom trip opportunity is currently only offered for/in Nicaragua
Scheduling and dates are subject to availability
To be eligible for a custom trip, student groups must have a minimum number of 8 -10 people. Veterinary groups must be able to fill up to 15 positions, where at least 5 of which are DVM and 2 are LVT/RVT.

Small Animal Field Projects: More than Spay/Neuter

Aug 02

World Vets operates multiple international field service projects throughout the year. These veterinary field projects provide direct veterinary services and care to animals in need on a large scale over a short amount of time, and may target small animals, equines and/or livestock. To aid in the delivery of such assistance, we have volunteer opportunities that not only facilitate quality veterinary care but also enable individuals to be a part of the work that we do around the world.

One big misconception about small animal field projects is that spay/neuter is the only service or surgery provided. While sterilizations do make up the bulk of surgeries performed, our teams encounter a variety of patient cases, which often times require emergency or special procedures to be undertaken. On our most recent campaign held in Peru, we saw and treated a variety of such cases, including but not limited to tumor or mass removals, a perineal urethrostomy, eye nucleation, and a complicated pyometra.

With that being said, our small animal field projects help to control the small animal population. However, they also provide much relief for patients in unique circumstances and lend expertise in tackling such special cases.

See more Peru pictures

Use your CE Allowance to Volunteer with World Vets

Dec 11

World Vets is excited to announce that we are now offering RACE-approved continuing education (CE) credit for veterinarians and technicians!

Our CE program is offered at World Vets’ Latin America Veterinary Training Center located in Granada, Nicaragua and coincides with our International Veterinary Medicine (IVM) Program. Veterinarians and technicians who sign up as instructors as part of the IVM program will have the chance to include the CE option at the time of their registration.

Veterinarians and technicians can combine 23 hours of lecture and lab time to refine current skills and learn new skills in student instruction and field medicine/surgery. Participants can also gain insight into “One Health” concepts and applications as they relate to international veterinary medicine.

Learn more

Volunteer Opportunity for Veterinarians in Thailand

Nov 05

World Vets has a new partnership that will provide an exciting opportunity for veterinarians to volunteer in northern Thailand. The volunteer opportunity is located at an elephant sanctuary (about an hour north of Chiang Mai) that is home to ~ 40 elephants, ~80 water buffalo and 400+ dogs. The sanctuary is located along a river in a beautiful and picturesque valley where rescued elephants spend their days freely roaming. The 400+ dogs living at the sanctuary are mostly rescues from the 2011 Thailand flood, which World Vets assisted and provided disaster response.

This volunteer opportunity is for small animal veterinarians who can commit at least 1 month (up to 3 months if possible) to volunteering. Opportunities are available starting in January 2016 and will be available throughout the year with flexible start dates. Up to 2 veterinarians can be accepted during any time slot.

Volunteer Registration to Close for April Opportunities!

Mar 17

Volunteer positions are still open on our upcoming opportunities in April 2015! If you have been considering joining a team, volunteer registration will close in the next few weeks! Join us on an `island hopping` spay/neuter campaign in the Caribbean or in the Andes mountains of Ecuador!

Veterinary field service projects have volunteer opportunities for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students and those who do not have any veterinary or animal related experience (assistants). You can read more about what you would be doing on a small animal field service project here

April volunteer opportunities:

Otavalo, Ecuador: April 8 – 16, 2015
San Andres Island, Colombia: April 21 – 30, 2015

A standard veterinary field project is scheduled for 8 days/7 nights, with 3 veterinary service days. However, both April opportunities are for a 9-10 day duration and consist of five days dedicated to providing veterinary care and services for animals in need.

April 2015 Volunteer Opportunities Released!

Feb 09

World Vets has just released long awaited veterinary field service opportunities scheduled for the month of April 2015. Join us on an `island hopping` spay/neuter campaign in the Caribbean or in the Andes mountains of Ecuador!

Veterinary field service projects have volunteer opportunities for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students and those who do not have any veterinary or animal related experience (assistants). You can read more about what you would be doing on a small animal field service project here

April volunteer opportunities:

Ibarra, Ecuador: April 8 – 16, 2015
San Andres Island, Colombia: April 21 – 30, 2015

A standard veterinary field project is scheduled for 8 days/7 nights, with 3 veterinary service days. However, both April opportunities are for a 9-10 day duration and consist of five days dedicated to providing veterinary care and services for animals in need.

Volunteer Registration to Close for March Opportunities!

Jan 23

Select volunteer positions are still open on some of our upcoming opportunities in March. If you have been considering joining a team, volunteer registration will close next month!

For students looking to get surgical or clinical experience over their spring break, our International Veterinary Medicine (IVM) Program is the perfect fit. Spring session dates with availability are: March 21 – 28, 2015.

We also have opportunities for students, as well as vets and techs on veterinary field projects to Roatan, Honduras and Charlestown, Nevis. Both are small animal, spay/neuter, projects.

Low Cost Volunteer Opportunity in the Caribbean this Winter!

Oct 14

Join World Vets in the Caribbean for a One Health concept project which collaborates with local government including the department health!

World Vets has been contributing to island health in San Andres Island since 2012 by providing free large scale spay/neuter campaigns, in addition to other treatments for companion animals. This winter a World Vets team will travel to sister island, Providence Island, from December 8 -15, 2014. Read more project details here

The project fee associated with this volunteer opportunity is significantly lower than other opportunities currently available. We are seeking veterinarians, technicians, students and/or assistants to complete our team. To learn more about what you may expect to do as a volunteer on a field service campaign, please see here

This field service project will be led by World Vets first Canadian field service veterinarian, Dr. Steve Kruzenski. You can learn more about Steve here

Successful Clinic Operated in Dominican Republic

Jun 03

For the past two years World Vets has been working in the Dominican Republic to address the issue of overpopulation in companion animals. Working alongside local partners, Asociacion de Amigos por los Animales Sosua (AAAS), we recently carried out a successful operative over Memorial Day weekend. On this recent campaign, we provided high volume spay/neuter services in addition to other much needed veterinary care with great results.

We’d like to thank our team of dedicated volunteers, Asociacion de Amigos por los Animales Sosua (AAAS) as well as Fondation Brigitte Bardot for their continued support of our efforts in the Dominican Republic.