471 Surgeries in Laos
The World Vets team in Laos recently completed 471 free sterilization surgeries for pets in the capital city Vientiane. World Vets also provided 250 rabies vaccinations, all of which were administered to patients free-of-charge. No-cost veterinary services such as these help low-income communities control animal overpopulation and help to reduce the spread of the deadly rabies virus in high-risk areas.
The three-day event from March 15 to 17 included veterinary volunteers from U.S.A, Canada, Australia, and Israel, led by field service vet Dr. Winnie Neunzig and head technician Christina Sloan. The World Vets team worked alongside volunteers from World Vets’ local partner and host group Vientiane Dog Paradise with its manager Analin Phoutsavath to spay and neuter hundreds of animals. Local veterinarian Dr. Melody Bomon and several Laos veterinary students and other local volunteers also joined in the campaign.
Photo credits to Vientiane Dog Paradise, Winnie Neunzig, and Donna Gingras.
Since November of 2023, World Vets has provided veterinary expertise for monitoring the avian influenza emergency in Galapagos, specifically at the locations of Isla Lobos and Punta Pitt. Working together with the Galapagos National Park and the Biosecurity Agency (ABG) of Galapagos, these remote sites have been routinely monitored with catch and release testing of a variety of species of birds including primarily Blue Footed and Red Footed Booby and Frigate Birds. Testing was also done on other species, include marine mammals in locations around the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. We are very happy to announce that the emergency has now been declared over and these sites will be open to visitors again.
World Vets’ volunteers returned from the Dominican Republic last week after 3 consecutive days of spay and neuter surgeries and veterinary checkups for pets of the Punta Cana community. The World Vets team, in collaboration with Dogs and Cats of the Dominican Republic and their local vet volunteers, performed 385 successful sterilizations, free-of-charge for local pets and their owners. Animals also received rabies vaccinations provided by the country’s government, and some received various other crucial surgeries and/or health treatments. Thanks goes to the volunteers for their skill, professionalism, and dedication to helping so many animals. Thanks also to Mark and Debbie Diekmann and Sylvia Mendez of DCDR, and to the many supporters who provided their time, donated water and snacks, and everyone who came together to help make this campaign a success.
At the start of this month, World Vets completed a large-scale sterilization campaign in the town of Otavalo, Ecuador. Partnering with local group Bienstar Animal Imbabura (BAI) and the Lakefield Veterinary Group, World Vets’ volunteers performed 305 surgeries in 3 days! The team also provided no-cost veterinary consultations and treatments for other animal health issues and participated in a Friday outreach. The community outreach in Ibarra provided animal check-ups, deworming, flea and tick treatment, and other preventative care for 239 animals. All services were offered free of charge to the local community.
World Vets’ Conservation Medicine Program continues to serve dogs and cats in the local community of San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands. A range of veterinary services, including thousands of surgeries, hundreds of medical consultations, and other preventative and emergency care have been provided free-of-charge since the opening of World Vets’ veterinary clinic in November 2021. This first and only clinic on the island provides quality animal care, helps prevent pet overpopulation, and aims to protect the precious biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands.
World Vets ended year 2022 by providing much needed veterinary care to 600 dogs and cats in Cambodia. A small volunteer team of veterinarians, technicians, and assistants delivered free spay-and-neuter surgeries, vaccinations, medical consultations, parasite control, and other veterinary treatments to animals in and around the region of Siem Reap. World Vets partnered with the local organization Paw Patrol to set up clinics in three different pagodas around the city and received valuable financial backing and sponsorship for the campaign from MSD Animal Health.
