WordVet Nevis and CARE Nevis Days 1 and 2

This may be a bad introduction to my first blog (first!) because as a vet prepper, these past few days I have skipped two days of school to go to a different island, drive crazily across Nevis picking up animals and communicating with locals to get their pets spayed and neutered for free, thanks to WorldVet and CARE Nevis. Really... not a good introduction to island life, but it sets a good tone for what working as a future vet is all about! And it’s OK. It’s vet prep, you can miss a few days of lectures. But 1^st semester-4^th or 5^th, nope, never..

I hopped on a 6am ferry from St Kitts to Nevis on the Sea Hustler. (Isn’t that a cute name?) This is thanks to my awesome husband for waking up so early just to drop me off. 

I get picked up by "Beeman" on Nevis, a peculiar and kind expat Brit who raises bees. I go with Beeman, and other CARE Nevis volunteers, to pick up animals for the locals that want their animals "fixed".

CARE Nevis is an animal welfare organization that rescues animals in need on the island. Their volunteers are excellent, however for the safety of some volunteers that don't exclusively work with dogs or cats, CARE reached out to Ross students who do have more experience working with animals. And WorldVet is a global organization that allows vets, technicians and students to provide these services to communities.

Now, I am more of an equine handler and vet assistant, and you will learn more that I never felt right in a small animal clinic. I love my dog and know how to treat my dog, but other peoples’ dogs and cats? For the most part, I have great confidence getting along with new dogs, but cats continue to elude me.

One thing you cannot count on is a local correctly describing their dogs’ demeanor.

On one of my trips to pick up a dog with Gigi: "It Tiger a nice dog?" I ask.

-"No, he's bad!"

-"He's bad?!"

Well crap. Luckily, I brought a slip leash, and I am ok with putting myself in harms way rather than getting Gigi bitten. If all else fails, Tiger’s owner can handle him easily.

But when I meet Tiger is wagging his tail, readily licking the back of my hand, and rather than the huge mastiff we expected, he is a 40 pound mix breed dog with great body condition. I think his owner was playing around a bit. Also these dog are not typically lap dogs; they live mainly outside and are loyal, and used for protection, so they are not your well behaved, basically trained dog.

Gigi made a good point during one of our stops when a local waved us down and asked if his dog could get fixed today. This local looked tough complete with face tattoos, but had a kind smile and instead of a huge dog he brought up his fluffy cute dog named “Smalls” that needed neutered. Big, tough and macho looking doesn’t necessarily mean they want to keep their dog’s “cojones”.

One of our pickups from a sweet boy, Thunder.

You realize that these owners, although they have little money to take care of themselves, they seek companionship and are willing to do as much as they can for their animal. They share their meals with them. And in return, their animals are used for protection.

 But when there isn’t an affordable method for preventative care, they see that their animals suffers. Even when they make attempts to prevent breeding by tying up and putting up fences, some other dog will jump the fence and impregnate their unspayed female. And it pains them to see their animal in trouble or in pain and they have no outlet for help. Even if their animal doesn’t ever have puppies, they see their animal’s life cut short by pyometra, and they are heartbroken from that.

So these three days of free spay/neuters  was a hit. It was great working, laughing and helping the locals. This is what it is all about: community education and outreach for health and well being of the animal and the human population. Of course, I also got my hands dirty handling animals, feeding new born pups and watching catheter placements and surgeries and helping dogs wake up after surgery.

One of my charges. This grouch did not like being woken up from his naps for feedings!