volunteer abroad - World Vets - to improve the quality of life of animals, people & the environments in which they live by providing veterinary...

Compassionate Couple Helps Animals on Their BIG Day!

May 08

J.F.Hannigan Photography

Newlyweds Paige & Derek Lough share a love for animals. Paige is a Veterinarian and Derek is a Landscape Architect. Together they live in Guelph, Ontario with their rescued dogs Lucy and Callie (pictured here) and cats Todd and Freddie. For their big day they asked friends & family to contribute to World Vets and help animals in need around the globe!

Paige volunteered on a veterinary field project in Roatan with World Vets in 2016. This experience inspired her to choose World Vets as a recipient of donations on her & Derek’s big day. Paige explained, “I was inspired by the program, the amazing team I worked with, and the team leader in particular Winnie Neunzig.” She is looking forward to her upcoming World Vets volunteer experience on the island of St.Vincent.

The generous pair had a wedding at Niagara on the Lake, Ontario on January 21st, 2017. Friends and family of Derek & Paige raised $400 USD in honor of the couple! This is enough funds to provide a complete health exam and spay/neuter surgery to six animals in need. What’s more, the couple plans to match this value with an in-kind donation of much needed supplies.

We can’t express enough how thankful we are to have such compassionate supporters like Paige & Derek. All funds raised by this event directly benefit World Vets and go towards the care of animals that would otherwise have no access to life-saving treatment.

Inviting friends & family to donate in your honor is a wonderful way of supporting the work that we do. You can register any upcoming event, including weddings, graduations, and birthdays! To make World Vets a part of your special day, click an image below!

Thank you Team Cabarete! Success in the Dominican Republic

May 05

A World Vets team has just returned from a very successful spay/neuter campaign in the Dominican Republic! We not only provided 276 sterilizations, but also tended to many other surgical cases that were needed. All of which acted to greatly improve the overall health and wellbeing of each animal patient. We’d like to thank our dedicated volunteers as well as local partners Dogs and Cats of the Dominican Republic (DCDR) for an outstanding effort! See pictures

One special patient our team treated was a puppy named Bobby (pictured below). Bobby was hit by a motorbike and his front leg got run over. He received much needed TLC from our volunteers and after spending the night with them, was able to go home all patched up and good as new to his owner.

Volunteer this Summer! Veterinary Field Project Opportunities

Apr 10

World Vets operates countless veterinary field projects to help thousands of animals receive quality veterinary care each year. What’s more, all veterinary services on such projects are provided free of charge for local pet owners and the community.

We have two small animal veterinary field projects scheduled this summer in the following locations:

Otavalo, Ecuador: August 8 – 15, 2017

St.Vincent & the Grenadines: August 16 -23, 2017

Why don’t you join us!

Volunteer opportunities on veterinary field projects exist for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students and assistants (those who do not have any previous veterinary or animal experience). Learn more about volunteer descriptions here

Get out of the Cold! Join us in the Dominican Republic

Jan 23

World Vets operates countless veterinary field projects to help thousands of animals receive quality veterinary care each year. What’s more, all veterinary services on such projects are provided free of charge for local pet owners and the community.

World Vets has been operating veterinary field projects in the Dominican Republic since 2011. Over the years, our efforts have consisted of providing spay/neuter training, large scale sterilization campaigns as well as product donations. This year World Vets will continue to work in the Dominican Republic and facilitate free veterinary services to the small animal population in Cabarete.

Join us on our next campaign! April 22 – 29, 2017 Read more

Volunteer opportunities on veterinary field projects exist for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students and assistants (those who do not have any previous veterinary or animal experience). Learn more about volunteer descriptions here

Seeking DVM’s Interested in “Cultural Clinical” Experience Summer 2017

Jan 23

World Vets has a unique opportunity for DVM’s looking for a “cultural clinical” experience. A “cultural clinical” experience may be characterized as an opportunity for a veterinarian to volunteer their skills abroad meanwhile gain a cultural experience in the process.

We have such an opportunity at our Latin America Veterinary Training Center located in Granada, Nicaragua. This opportunity coincides with our International Veterinary Medicine (IVM) Program where vets are involved in clinical activities, which include providing surgical instruction to English speaking veterinary students in addition to participating in outreach campaigns that are set up in outlying rural communities.

Both as part of this program, as well as outside of the program, many opportunities exist to learn about and experience the local culture as well as study and/or practice Spanish.There are many Spanish schools in Granada where volunteers can formally study with a tutor, though many informal settings present themselves simply through participation in World Vets activities. For instance, socializing with World Vets Nicaraguan staff and local pet owners.

This “cultural clinical” opportunity is available for both a short and long term duration. It is currently being offered during the months of June and July 2017. What’s more, this opportunity is RACE – approved for continuing education credit.

The minimum time requirement is 1 week (7 nights) and the maximum duration is 8 weeks. There is a minimum fee of $250 USD/week, which includes your lodging and most meals. Learn more

*This opportunity is also available to licensed veterinary technicians

: Armando Raudez Photography

: Armando Raudez Photography

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

World Vets Celebrates 10 Years!

May 03

Photos: Empowerment International/Armando Raudez

This year marks World Vets 10 year anniversary! For a decade it has been our mission to improve the health and well being of animals by providing veterinary aid and training in developing countries and by providing disaster relief worldwide. As the info-graphic below shows, in this time, we have undertaken 223 projects worldwide serving over 135,000 animals and providing close to 60,000 hours of veterinary training. What’s more, all services and training have been provided at no cost for beneficiaries.

Why do we do what we do? We strongly believe that all animals deserve kindness and compassion, as well as excellent care. As such, we strive to create a world where all animals have access to skilled veterinary care. To achieve this we operate many programs, most notably veterinary field projects which provide direct veterinary care, in addition to our training programs for students and veterinary professionals alike.

Our work not only depends on the generosity of individuals, foundations and public support. We also rely on volunteers to help us deliver veterinary services and training abroad.Though our programs, we provide countless international volunteer opportunities for veterinary professionals, students aspiring to this vocation and for the everyday animal lover who simply wants to travel with purpose. Since our inception we have deployed over 4500 volunteers with the mandate to make quality veterinary more accessible.

We graciously thank all of our supporters and dedicated volunteers who have been with us throughout the years. Together we have reached a great milestone! We look forward to continuing our work and having an even greater impact with your help!

Join the celebration and help us create a better world for Animals. There are many ways to help and be a part of World Vets mission to improve animal health worldwide. Learn about all the ways you can contribute to our cause here.

Student Summer Opportunity: Nicaragua

Mar 25

World Vets International Veterinary Medicine (IVM) Program is our long established student program. Based at our Latin America Veterinary Training Center, which is located in Granada, Nicaragua, the IVM Program facilitates a unique learning opportunity and cultural experience for students. Students are exposed to working in both clinical as well as field condition settings in a foreign country. They are also able to get hands on training, from highly skilled instructors, in a low stress environment conducive to learning.

We have just completed our Spring program, which welcomed thirty seven students and volunteer instructors over a two week time span. Not only did students walk away having gained immeasurable skills, they also provided free veterinary and sterilization services for over 200 animals.

If you want to experience a new culture and gain new skills, World Vets IVM Program is the perfect fit! Our summer program still has positions open for veterinary as well as pre-veterinary and veterinary technician students! Learn more and join us this summer here

: OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

World Vets benefits from Travelocity “Travel for Good” contest

Jan 20

A few weeks ago World Vets received a most welcomed surprise. We learned that World Vets volunteer Courtney Vaudreuil participated in the Travelocity “Travel for Good” twitter contest. We were even more shocked when she won the grand prize! What did she win? An opportunity for her and friend Carole Angelo to travel and volunteer with World Vets. What’s more, Travelocity also made a significant monetary contribution to World Vets in support of our international efforts to help animals!

Courtney claimed her prize earlier this month by joining us in Nicaragua for a veterinary field service project. This project had our team provide free spay/neuter services for companion animals in undeserrved communities and to benefit those who are unable to afford this service. In a four day period, over 200 free sterilizations were provided!

But, it doesn’t just stop there. Prior to Courtney’s trip, she was trying to collect donations of dog collars and leashes to give out during the project. While she succeeded in getting some, Travelocity surprised her with a large donation of collars and leashes during the project, which she then distributed to animal patients at the clinic site.

A common thing we often hear from our volunteers is how amazing it is that individuals from all different backgrounds and geographical locations can come together and accomplish so much good in just a short amount of time. We believe this wouldn’t be possible if our volunteers didn’t share a common goal and passion. World Vets has been very lucky in this sense in attracting outstanding volunteers that want to dedicate their time, energy and skills as part of our projects that help animals.

We depend heavily on our volunteers to achieve our mission and in turn bring much needed veterinary care to animals all over the world. We not only have a need for veterinarians, but anyone who is an animal lover! In other words, in order to volunteer it is not necessary that you have previous veterinary or animal related experience. Courtney and Carole did not come from a veterinary background yet they still filled a very important role as “assistant” in tending to animals recovering after surgery. Read more about volunteer descriptions here

We are extremely grateful for this opportunity and thank Travelocity for choosing Courtney and supporting World Vets!

Travelocity believes that voluntourism makes us and our world better. They want to support people who have the desire to travel for good, which is why they re-launched the Travel For Good program this past fall. Travel For Good aims to support individuals who have causes they’re passionate about, and through this program, Travelocity strives to help to make a difference all over the world.

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.