World Vets Nicaraguan staff recently deployed to provide much needed disaster relief and support for animals affected by tropical storm Nate. They have been distributing potable water, dog food as well as providing veterinary attention for animals in need. If you’d like to contribute to our disaster response efforts in Nicaragua, you may do so here
World Vets Celebrates World Rabies Day
World Rabies Day (Sept 28) is an international global day of action to raise awareness for rabies prevention. World Vets had a veterinary team in Nicaragua this year to celebrate World Rabies Day where we hosted a community outreach activity to vaccinate dogs against rabies.
Help us vaccinate more dogs and make a contribution to our rabies vaccination drive here
Now Recruiting! Civil – Military Humanitarian Aid Missions 2018
World Vets is the veterinary non-governmental organization (NGO) currently represented on two U.S. Navy led humanitarian aid missions: Pacific Partnership and Continuing Promise. These missions provide medical, dental and veterinary coverage to regions in South East Asia and the Pacific as well as Latin America and the Caribbean. The goal of these missions is to strengthen alliances, improve upon the capacity to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and finally, to improve security cooperation among partner nations.
World Vets contributes veterinary manpower and skills to accomplish these mission`s VET requirements by organizing volunteer opportunities for veterinary professionals. As such, our teams work alongside and in collaboration with US Army vets and technicians as well as animal health care professionals and local veterinarians in host nations.
*Information regarding the 2018 Continuing Promise mission can be found here
*NGO veterinary volunteers will not be needed for the 2018 Pacific Partnership mission. As such, World Vets will not be recruiting a team for this engagement in 2018
Who can volunteer on World Vets team?
Volunteer positions on World Vets veterinary team are open to:
- World Vets members who have previously volunteered with our organization
- Qualified Veterinarians and veterinary technicians who are licensed to practice within the USA and/or Canada*
- Those who can commit to at least 2-3 consecutive weeks
*Qualified veterinarians and/or veterinary nurses from the UK, Australia and/or New Zealand are also eligible, however may only be considered if they have previously volunteered with World Vets
An ideal candidate has education in addition to experience relating to both large and small animals, public health, animal husbandry, zoonotic diseases, production and nutrition as well as sterilization surgery (companion animals). The focus of these missions is capacity building and contributing to sustainable projects. As such , team members should also be capable of speaking/giving presentations and/or hands on instruction to host nation partners on specific veterinary related topics and/or activities.
A few special notes:
- Humanitarian aid missions will not take place on board a hospital and/or Navy ship. As such, prospective volunteers may be part of an expeditionary force based “on the ground” for the duration of the veterinary engagement.
- Prospective volunteers may be responsible for providing their own lodging/meals for the duration of their participation.
- Learn more about general health and documentation requirements here
- Learn more about volunteer responsibilities here
Continuing Education provided for veterinarians in Paraguay
Since 2014 World Vets has supported the skills training and development of veterinary practitioners in Paraguay. We recently sent our lead veterinary instructor from World Vets Latin American Training Center to provide continuing education to our local veterinary partners in Asuncion. It was a full week of high quality instruction in surgical techniques and safe anesthesia! We thank our hosts ADOPTAME con amor y responsabilidad for their dedication to provide quality veterinary care for the animals of Paraguay.
Help Working Horses! Volunteer on our Equine Welfare Project
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