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VET NURSE GOES WALKABOUT
I am now back from my travels and have many a tale to tell. It was an experience like no other, and it was emotionally challenging, physically demanding and spiritually draining! BUT, it was worth it! The funds that were raised to help these animals was invaluable as I was able to buy hot-water tanks for the project in Nepal, equipment and medicine for patients in Thailand and even helped a street dog project in Bangkok on my way home. This would not have been possible without the kindness and support of friends and the public. To all of you who helped me fulfill this project: THANK YOU, from me and the animals who you have helped with your support.
The blog has been updated with new photos of the projects, but because I was in places where the internet cafes worked only on dial-up, had power shortages, keyboards in Hindi or all of the above, I have a backlog of 'Blogs' to upload.
Feel free to check the blog out for updates over the next few weeks.
http://vetnursegoeswalkabout.spaces.live.com
Thank you, from me and the furries!
Helen
THAILAND APRIL 2009 - JULY 2009
I have returned from my three month project in Bangkok, working for SCAD, the city's 100% charity animal rescue,/neutering service/adoption program. The three months spent with SCAD were fantastic and despite being pregnant, I haven't worked that hard in a long time! My job was to organise and establish a viable and fully functional veterinary clinic for the centre that would deal with the weekly cat and dog neutering projects taking place, and help treat the many injured and sick animals of Bangkok's busy streets. With a population well over 3/4 million stray dogs within Bangkok city, this charity has its work cut out for them; as they are the only recognised organisation tackling the huge problem of animal birth control .
The biggest difficulty I had was the lack of resources, and despite having nursed in India and Nepal last year with the barest of equipment, on a day to day basis this proves more difficult. Trying to neuter 20+ dogs with only 6 full spay kits only 2 spay hooks and no stethoscope was a challenge, and not having gas anesthetic really made me tighten up my anesthesia monitoring skills again! Donations do come in though, but sadly often the drugs are out of date or ruined by the intense heat and climate of the country; I was working in 44deg Celsius each day and the medicines often melted. It was a happy day when a set of drip leads and saline bags were donated to us, as I had a very sick puppy who needed fluids, so this was fortuitous. Regardless, there is now a full dispensary that works wonders with a little imagination and good knowledge of medical applications for all scenarios! A computer in the little office/surgery records all the patients records and a full dispensary is in place too. There are enough basic supplies to cover most situations and the vet nurse who took over from me is continuing to build the clinic up.
As hard as it was emotionally and mentally, it was such a satisfying role for me. I thrive off stress and hard-work and feel I have left behind a clinic where work can continue smoothly with basic equipment, medicines and protocols in place, and I already have a stream of Vet Nurses lined up to work for the clinic over the next 18 months, until I can get back there with my family for a longer stint. However, it goes without saying that without the support of the public this organisation cannot continue their fantastic work, and my little clinic will shrivel up. So, having been back for a mere 2 months I have already dragged my staff and poor husband along to 3 different fundraising projects and with the K9 Playtime Dog Show a few weeks away, I hope I can raise enough money to get some much needed equipment and nurse wages out to Thailand.
NEPAL 2010
My next project is with HART, a new animal charity opening up in Pokhara, Nepal, next year. HART aims to treat the millions of stray animals in the area, as the nearest vet clinic is over 200km away! They also aim to tackle the problem of equine mismanagement in the area, something that occurs regularly as horses, mules and ponies are used for trekkers into the Himalayas with very little knowledge or care.
My husband, son and I will move out to Nepal for a year and I will help train staff to be vet nurses, run a few courses in animal care and psychology and help get this charity off the ground. Once again this is a charity that runs solely off the publics generosity and love for animals, so all my fundraising efforts are split between the Thailand and Nepal clinics. Donations sometimes come in from kindly vet clinics in my area that offer medicines or bedding, and we swiftly get these out to the clinics so they can be of use.
The September Dog Show will certainly be a financial boost for HART's clinic if we can get good attendance, and hopefully this means I can buy some stethoscopes and thermometers - a vital start for any clinic!