Day 1: Equitarian Workshop Today we spent the morning with friends from around the world. Our group is comprised of veterinarians, vet techs, social anthropologists, public health students, veterinary students, and animal scientists. After various arrival times into Managuas airport, we awoke face-to-face (literally) at Hostal El Momento in Granada. Granada is a beautiful colonial town, a favorite with tourists, and quite clean. We enjoyed strong café and homemade breakfast followed by an opportunity to acquaint ourselves with the surrounding city. Several Equitarians chose to walk through the open markets and to enjoy a horse-drawn tour of the city. A chocolate museum nearby tempted many with examples of different types of Nicaraguan chocolate. In the afternoon, we toured the World Vets teaching hospital. This site reaches street dogs and dogs belonging to people who otherwise would not be able to afford services. During the summer, 100-200 American veterinary students pay roughly $1,000 for an intensive training in spay/neuter surgeries. In turn, these proceeds support the training of veterinary students from the seven Nicaraguan vet schools. Since 2011, over 300 Nicaraguan veterinary students have been trained in proper surgery technique through a four-day short course or a more intensive 6-month surgical internship. The workshop officially convened in a meeting area of a large, beautiful church. Dr. Julie Wilson discussed the origins and mission of the Equitarian Initiative. Dr. Dave Turoff shared his vision for three goals of the Equitarian Initiative, which include 1) introduce people to this line of work, 2) foster communication between people or groups doing this work, and 3) teach the veterinary students of host countries. He also shared important considerations for establishing an Equitarian project. Nicaraguan veterinary student Claudio Mayorga provided a meaningful perspective of the technical skills that can be gained from working with service-based veterinary groups. The competing popular music from the concurrent church service added another sound dimension. World Vets founder and CEO, Dr. Cathy King, described the mission and logistics of World Vets veterinary services reaching 39 countries on 6 continents, including a Nicaraguan program, collaboration with the U.S. Navy humanitarian missions, and global disaster response. We gained perspective from a World Vets volunteer field veterinarian, Dr. Dana Westerman. The world views and experiences that can be gained from being a volunteer spur her mission to convince U.S. veterinarians of ways to contribute to international efforts: understand the problem, give your money, find money from somebody else, or go on a trip! Dr. Lester Tapia concluded the World Vets seminar with strategies in the establishment of the World Vets surgical training center which provides 3,000 surgeries annually. Drs. King, Westerman, and Tapia all touched on the importance of including a One Health perspective in World Vets work. Dr. Eric Davis, who leads the R-VETS program, took the stage next for two presentations. He shared the importance of considering local needs, being careful not to create dependency or interfere with the development of local resource, understanding the importance of records, and taking care not to pass along bad habits. These messages were exemplified in efforts of the Donkey Sanctuary, shared in a video by Cindy McClinn, to improve the harness and reform practices in brick kilns near Cairo, Egypt. These successful interventions resulted in vastly improved welfare of working donkeys. Efforts such as these will be discussed and shared at the upcoming Donkey Welfare Symposium at UC-Davis in November. The night concluded with dinner at our hostel and greeting many new arriving participants, ready for our first work day tomorrow. Five of the Honduran veterinary students that have now participated in Equitarian projects in Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala joined us too. They are in Nicaragua for a rotation at the Managua zoo. It was a great opportunity to hear how they have grown professionally, and discuss potential externships with the American veterinarians they have come to know.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 01:24:34 +0000