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Limited Time “Deposit Option” Available on Veterinary Field Projects

Jun 04

Volunteering on a World Vets veterinary field project just got easier! We are now offering a limited time “deposit option” on volunteer positions for select upcoming projects. At the time of registration, only half of the project fee will be due and the remaining half will be owed at a later date.

We are currently offering this opportunity on the following veterinary field projects;

Otavalo, Ecuador: August 8 – 15, 2017
Eligible for “tech/student” and “LVT/RVT” positions

St.Vincent & The Grenadines: August 16 – 23, 2017
Eligible for “LVT/RVT” positions

Our “tech/student” position may be filled by a licensed vet tech, non-licensed vet tech, vet student, pre-vet student, vet tech student and/or veterinary assistant. Read more about this volunteer position here

Our “LVT/RVT” position may be filled by a licensed, certified and/or registered veterinary technician and/or veterinary nurse. Read more about this volunteer position here

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.

The Best Mother’s Day Gift? A Mother-Daughter World Vets Adventure

May 01

What’s the perfect Mother’s Day gift? A trip with World Vets! Drs Colleen Mullally and Petrice Eisele both brought their moms to volunteer alongside them on our most recent campaign in the Dominican Republic. Why not make your next trip a mother-daughter World Vets adventure?

: Dr Petrice Eisele with mother Bonnie Greer

Upcoming volunteer opportunities that still have vacancies are:

Otavalo, Ecuador: August 8 -15, 2017
St.Vincent & the Grenadines: August 16 – 23, 2017
Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua: November 4 – 11, 2017

*If your mother does not have any veterinary and/or animal related experience, she can fill an “assistant” role on our veterinary field service projects. Read more about volunteer descriptions

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

A Facility Serving the Community & Beyond: World Vets Latin America Veterinary Training Center

Mar 24

World Vets has been operating veterinary field service projects in Latin America since 2008. During our time working in this region of the world, we experienced that many local veterinarians and veterinary students with whom we worked had received minimal, if any, surgical instruction and in turn did not perform sterilizations. Meanwhile dog and cat populations ran rampant as the local capacity to de-sex animals, and thus humanely control their reproduction, was limited to non-existent.

To address the gap in veterinary surgical skill, in addition to animal population control efforts, World Vets founded the Latin America Veterinary Training Center (LATC) in 2011. The main objective, and cornerstone of the center, is to provide free surgical instruction and training to Latin American veterinarians and upper level veterinary students. As such, it is our aim to equip trainee participants with the necessary skills and competence they can in turn use to benefit the animals in their own communities. The center also prides itself on teaching as well as practicing high quality veterinary care. Subsequently, the facility is equipped with modern equipment such as central oxygen, pulse oximeters and fluid pumps, as well as an autoclave, ultrasound and microscope.

The LATC is located in Nicaragua and since its inception has established relations with all the veterinary schools in the country. It has even received acknowledgements from such institutions regarding the invaluable skills our training has provided its students. The LATC training program has also developed to the point where weekly sessions are offered year round and we host participants from many Latin American countries such as Mexico, Guatemala and Paraguay. We have also incorporated an ongoing internship program, which allows those selected to obtain greater clinical experience and mentorship.

Furthermore, as a result of the activities at the LATC, World Vets is able to provide thousands of free sterilizations and health treatments every year for local animals in Nicaragua. We operate daily pick ups/drop offs for animals living in outlying rural communities, which make spay/neuter and other needed veterinary services accessible for those who otherwise could not afford it. We even operate outreach clinics in other nearby areas benefiting animals, due to distance, do not have access to the LATC or our pick up/drop off service.

Often times we also encounter unique or emergency cases that require immediate attention. One such animal was Pinta. She had an old wound that had been growing and growing on her left hind leg. Her owners were very concerned but admitted they were not able to afford the transport into the city and the associated veterinary costs. Although challenging to the size of the wound, our LATC team was able to clean the wound of old tissue and close it enough to allow it to heal. After three weeks in our care, Pinta is almost healed and ready to go back to her family! Unfortunately without care, Pinta was unlikely to survive the infection. As Pinta’s case highlights, many local animals benefit greatly from the free services provided at the LATC, not only from spay/neuter but life saving veterinary interventions.

: Pinta recovery

: Pinta after surgery

: Pinta recovery

In short, the LATC greatly benefits its immediate community and beyond through the training and mentorship provided to its trainee participants. What’s more, it also provides essential veterinary services for local animals and rural communities who otherwise may never have access to quality veterinary care. If you support capacity building of future and present veterinary professionals, and if you believe that all animals deserve access to skilled veterinary care, we encourage you to support our Latin America Veterinary Training Center! We also accept corporate sponsorships and welcome other partnership opportunities.

We’d like to thank Fondation Brigitte Bardot for their ongoing support of our Latin America Veterinary Training Center

Requesting World Vets Veterinary Assistance

Mar 24

World Vets receives requests for veterinary assistance year round from locations all over the world. While we are not able to help everyone, we welcome inquiries and the potential to establish new partnerships for the benefit of animal health and welfare. One of the main ways we are able to assist animals worldwide is by sending veterinary teams to provide free veterinary services. In this way we operate veterinary field service projects that are either classified as small animal, equine or livestock and animal husbandry. Learn more about requesting veterinary assistance here

If you volunteer with or represent an animal welfare organization and are interested in welcoming a World Vets veterinary team to your location, we ask that you first investigate the following things before requesting assistance;

Are foreign veterinarians legally permitted to provide veterinary services in your location as a volunteer? For instance, are there any local laws banning veterinarians from other countries in performing surgery or practicing veterinary medicine.
If foreign veterinarians are allowed to volunteer their services in your location, are there any requirements for them to provide veterinary services? (i.e. credentials, specific documentation or permissions)

If you are a traveller or tourist, the best way to obtain potential World Vets assistance for a location is to provide our information to a local animal welfare organization operating in the area. Have them reach out to us directly to inquire about potential veterinary assistance. As a standard policy, we do not seek out project partners or work where we are not wanted. As such, in order for us to consider assisting anywhere, we require that a request be generated from within the location in question from a locally based stakeholder.

Special notes

Requests for veterinary assistance are only considered for locations outside of North America
Requests for assistance that involve the recruitment of individual veterinarians and/or volunteers for placements with other organizations are not considered
World Vets does not plan projects in areas that are at war or have a high threat of terrorist activity. For this reason, we are not able to consider project requests for areas that have major safety concerns and/or travel advisories per the U.S State Department. Specific regions of the world that we are unable to consider for assistance at this time (due to security concerns) include the Middle East, Central Asia and various parts of Africa.

One Easy Way to Support the Animals of Granada

Mar 07

For the month of March, we are hosting a fundraiser for the World Vets Latin America Veterinary Training Center. Our center provides free spay and neuter services to the street dogs of Granada Nicaragua while training Latin American veterinarians in proper surgery and anesthesia techniques.

Over the course of 5 years we have successfully performed over 12,000 sterilizations & trained hundreds of Latin American veterinarians and senior vet students. Thanks to your support, this professional training is provided at no cost for trainees.

We sincerely appreciate your support! All donations to World Vets are tax deductible.

Life Saving Work in Roatan, Honduras

Mar 04

Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands located off the coast of Honduras in the Caribbean. Even though it may be the largest island of the archipelago, there is still more to be desired in relation to the health services provided for the small animal population. This is in part due to the limited number of practicing veterinarians on the island as well as the local population’s inability to pay for veterinary services.

To address the growing need for accessible veterinary care, World Vets has been sending veterinary teams to Roatan since 2008. Our teams not only provide much needed spay/neuter services to help control the small animal population, they also provide medical consultations, in addition to life saving procedures as is the case with Jasper, a dog that was treated on our most recent campaign.

Jasper came to be castrated, though also had substantial tumors in his scrotum that were also looked after during the surgery. While everything went well with the procedure, Jasper experienced difficulties with coagulation so he continued to bleed from the surgical site. Our team suspect this was likely due to erlichiosis (a tick-borne illness) that is highly prevalent on the island. To remedy this, our volunteers utilized pressure wraps around the area to stop the bleeding. This helped, though what he needed was more blood.

Luckily there was a large dog who had come for a consultation and whose owner was more than willing to allow our team to collect blood from him to give to Jasper. And so, in the midst of sterilizations and health consultations, our volunteers found themselves involved in an emergency a blood transfusion! We are happy to report that Jasper is doing great!

We thank Fondation Brigitte Bardot for their ongoing support of our small animal project in Roatan

Scholarship Announcement | MD Koenig Veterinary Technology

Jan 31

World Vets is excited to announce the MD Koenig Veterinary Technology World Vets Scholarship. Veterinary technicians are essential team members in all aspects of veterinary medicine. This scholarship will recognize one outstanding individual by honoring them with a 1 week paid project fee for the World Vets International Veterinary Medicine Training Program (IVM) located in Granada, Nicaragua.

The World Vets IVM Program is designed for students who wish to gain clinical and practical experience and be immersed into international veterinary medicine. Participants receive hands-on instruction in a wide variety of clinical and surgical activities and participate in various field operations such as community outreach, data collection and much more. More information on IVM can be found by clicking HERE.

The MD Koenig Veterinary Technology World Vets Scholarship opportunity is open to veterinary technician students currently enrolled in a degree program at an AVMA accredited institution or a graduate not exceeding 6 months after successful completion of such program.

Details for the scholarship can be found here: MD Koenig Veterinary Technology World Vets Scholarship Details

Application instructions can be found here: MD Koenig Veterinary Technology World Vets Scholarship Application

The deadline for the MD Koenig Veterinary Technology World Vets Scholarship Application is Wednesday, March 15, 2017. The recipient will be notified by World Vets no later than April 1st, 2017.