IFAW's Animal Rescue Blog

IFAW Haiti: IFAW's Dr. Dick Green recounts some remarkable stories from the front lines of the disaster

UK vet Laura Dobson on her experience volunteering at IFAW's dog and cat centre in Cape Town

This post was filed by Laura Dobson, a UK vet that volunteered her time and expertise at IFAW’s Dog and Cat Center in Cape Town, from September through December 2009.

In May 2009 Emma Milne gave a talk at the Royal Veterinary College on her experiences working in two animal charity clinics in South Africa. The clinics, sponsored by IFAW, are based in Johannesburg and in Cape Town.

After a five year slog through vet school (never mind the A-levels) I’d been feeling somewhat overworked and slightly disillusioned with the whole idea of entering the rat race of modern veterinary practice. With finals looming I was struggling to summon the energy to immerse myself in the enormous task of revision that would hopefully get me over the final hurdle.

Emma’s inspirational talk about the work being done in South Africa sparked a new found enthusiasm for vetting. Having already visited the beautiful and diverse country of South Africa for a couple of months in 2008 I needed no further encouragement to contact the main IFAW office in London once I had my BVetMed certificate in hand.

On 14th September I landed in Cape Town due to start three months working at the IFAW Dog and Cat Center in the township of Khayelitsha. Although I knew I was throwing myself in the deep end as a new graduate I wanted to use the opportunity to bring my routine surgery skills up to scratch and practice some basic medicine. Luckily I started with some other more experienced volunteers who helped me find my feet.

The permanent team at the clinic were very supportive throughout my time there. Despite some of them not even finishing school their years of experience, willingness to learn, personal drive and determination to help animals and improve the dog and cat populations of the township have resulted in a very established and well functioning clinic. This consists of a first opinion veterinary service for local animals, a hospital for inpatients and a reasonably well equipped surgery area for the free pet sterilisation service. The permanent staff do consulting, hospital duties, collect and drop off animals and also do all the anaesthetising and preparation of animals for surgery. The clinic mainly relies on volunteer vets to be able to run the free sterilisation service, but also accurate veterinary assessment of hospital patients and assistance with some of the consultations is much required.

I clearly remember my first day – a Monday – mobile clinic day. Jane (the project manager) and the rest of the team took us out to a neighbouring township ironically called Happy Valley. It was an area that the mobile clinic had only just started visiting. Consisting of dirt streets, plastic chemical port-a-loos and hundreds of corrugated iron shacks of varying quality, Happy Valley is home to a mostly unemployed population who survive by scavenging on rubbish dumps or by recycling tins and bottles. Alcoholism is a widespread problem and its effects are evident. On first impression, providing some help to areas like this may seem like a hopeless mission. However, on subsequent visits to Happy Valley many people started to recognise the clinic pick-up trucks (‘bakkies’). Gradually a trust was built up and there was a realisation that we were there to genuinely help, rather than deviously confiscate animals as previous organisations had done. It was great to see animals coming back for second vaccinations, having people ask for flea and worming products, seeing mange cases for follow up treatments, removing stitches from sterilisation ops and even people just wanting advice on the best way to care for their animals. Children in particular were very curious and keen to help. Even in the relatively short time that I was in South Africa there was a noticeable improvement in the dog and cat populations of Happy Valley.

Job satisfaction is certainly one of the most enjoyable aspects of working at the clinic. On the whole animals come to the clinic with obvious conditions requiring quite straight forward treatment. Therefore it is often easy to make a very significant difference to the quality of the animal’s life. Basics such as educating owners, vaccination schemes and neutering services over time makes a huge difference to the health of the entire population. This is something that the permanent staff have noticed since the clinic set up in Khayelitsha just over thirteen years ago.

Working as a vet with the public and their animals, there are always interesting people and entertaining cases. Something I came across a few times was the concept of witchcraft. There was a man who was convinced his neighbour was performing spells on him with the assistance of a big ginger cat. This was something to be taken seriously and for its own safety the cat came to stay at the clinic until the neighbourly dispute had been resolved. Several times I was asked to cut out the worm from under the tongue of dogs who were ‘eating too much’. To the owners’ disbelief I explained that the worms were in the intestines and that we had tablets for that sort of thing! After a very long consultation with an elderly man who insisted on chatting to me in Xhosa, he gave me an extra R10 (approximately 80p), a wink and a toothless grin and told me to “keep it for drinkies”. I doubt I will ever be tipped in the UK for my veterinary services!

By far the most enjoyable part of being at the clinic is working with the people there. There is a very relaxed and homely atmosphere and everyone is very welcoming. As I got to know people better the individual characters, senses of humour and the cheeky personalities became apparent. I found it easy to form friendships and enjoyed experiencing the cultural differences. Jane, a petite lady with smiling eyes, brings an incredible amount of dedication, energy and enthusiasm to the project. It really wouldn’t be the same without her.

Although I’d heard plenty of horror stories about violent crimes committed in the townships, I never actually felt threatened or witnessed anything first hand. However, I never put myself in any unnecessarily risky situations and I was also well looked after by my new clinic family.

Returning to the UK this December has been not only a climate shock, but also a reverse culture shock. I had really settled into my surroundings and felt very at home in South Africa. There is no doubt in my mind that I’ll be back to the clinic and I’d like to visit the IFAW center in Jo’burg at some point too. Now, back in UK private practice my township experiences have certainly given me some enlightening perspectives on life and vetting which keep me smiling from day to day.

 

IFAW Haiti: Lassie Gets Lucky

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW) J.C. Bouvier who is on the ground in Port-au-Prince working with the Animal Rescue Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) teams.

In the morning, our vet met the team in the camp, and we proceeded to journey down into Port-au-Prince, Haiti...we took a brief stop at the tent city we had scheduled the afternoon to introduce our vet and ensure that the residents were ready to bring their animals to us for aid when we returned later that afternoon...

Our next stop was at the village where Dik the dog lives on Lilavois Street in the neighborhood of Bon Repos. His owner Keith was happy to see us, and our vet was able to asses his condition...when the building he was in collapsed during the earthquake...rubble must have fallen on his spine...and while he has no detectable fractures...his spine was injured...our veterinarian, Dr. Thomas, administered anti-inflamatory medication and steroids to help Dik heal...his owner thanked us and we moved on...

The day prior we had made arrangements to meet with a villager who was to bring 50 dogs to a location we had been working in...we arrived in the manner of the traditional Haitian appointment (read: 40 minutes or so after the agreed to time)...the villager didn't arrive...however there was a person who said there were six dogs in a house nearby that needed attention...

We arrived at what once had certainly been an attractive set of four houses...with wonderful mature plantings...and architecture, but had clearly been neglected over time and partially destroyed the earthquake...here we found "Lassie"...she came when called...and after a moment of scurrying around....showed us all a terrible embedded wire wound in her neck...

The team quickly set up a field station where "Lassie" was tranquilized, her wound was cleaned and prepped for stitching...once she was treated, vaccinated and given a nutritional boost...Dick Green said, "Lassie is one lucky dog, if we hadn't stopped here...she would have been dead within a week, there were maggots already in the lesion..."

We finished our work for the day and headed back to our camp...another long day...but the people whose animals we treat are genuinely grateful...

We're still working on the video featuring Dik the dog, look for it to come up on the blog soon...

IFAW Haiti: A Long but Valuable Day for Animals

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW) J.C. Bouvier who is on the ground in Port-au-Prince working with the Animal Rescue Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) teams.

The ARCH team started the day with a call from the vet who was to help us with the treatment for the Dik, dog we met the day before, she told us the meeting wasn't going to happen...not to worry, we have arranged for our trusted contact in the Haitian government who is also a vet to help us tomorrow, stay tuned for the video we hope to bring you of that encounter...

We spent the rest of this morning returning to a village where we had
been the day prior to vaccinate additional animals we were scheduled to meet...along the way, we watched as locals began a scramble to keep a food truck from leaving their area...some of these desperate folks began climbing up the back of the moving truck...it was quite a scene...

After tending to all the dogs and cats in need of aid in that area..at
mid-day the team moved on, discovering a road-side enclave with
"beaucoup de chien" or many dogs...some of which were in dire
need...including one small flea ridden stray pup amid some rubble...after asking around...we could find no owner...however he was staying with a family in the village...we treated the pup for a leg
injury and he was given the usual regimen...

The ARCH team will deploy tomorrow to tend to more animals, including those residing in a "tent city" where earthquake refugees are taking shelter until the threat of aftershocks subsides and they can rebuild...more tomorrow...
 
For more information, please visit, www.ifaw.org

IFAW Haiti - The Work for Animals Continues in Port-au-Prince

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW) J.C. Bouvier who is on the ground in Port-au-Prince working with the Animal Rescue Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) teams.

Yesterday, ARCH teams were again hard at work, helping dozens more animals from several Port-au-Prince communities...in the morning of the 29th, the ARCH coordinating team leader and IFAW Emergency Relief Manager Dick Green met with a top official from the Haitian Ministry of the Environment...while IFAW, ASPCA and AHA staff deployed into some of the harder hit areas...over the course of this 48 hour period dozens more animals were helped with vaccinations, flea baths and nutritional supplements...

Today, the 30th, the teams found a badly injured dog named Dik, whose owner says he had been in a building with a seven year old boy when the earthquake struck...although injured, Dik was able to be pulled from the rubble...When we inquired about the boy's situation, the owner said that despite every effort, the boy didn't survive... 

After evaluating the Dik's injuries, a plan was set to bring full veterinary support to Dik's aid tomorrow...stay tuned for a video update on Dik's situation...

For more information on IFAW's efforts, please visit http://bit.ly/arbhaiti

IFAW Haiti: ARCH Teams Treat Dozens of Animals, Many More Need Help

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW) J.C. Bouvier who is on the ground in Port-au-Prince working with the Animal Rescue Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) teams including the Dominican Republic Based Sodopreca, who are the focus of this post.

1.28.10

Yesterday the ARCH team continued its work on the ground in Port-au- Prince, Haiti, with the Dominican Sodopreca team treating 38 animals yesterday alone...treatments for animals in these circumstances include vaccinations, de-worming and nutritional boosts. Several of the dogs treated yesterday were puppies found living with families in the city...and the families were very receptive to the Sodopreca teams efforts...after meetings with Haitian officials in the morning, the ARCH team will begin to develop a more in-depth plan for the aid of Haiti's animals.

 A highlight of the trip so far for the Sodopreca team was the meeting of the one and only Julio Iglesias at the Dominican Embassy. The guys say he was very interested in the work of the ARCH team and overall a very nice guy...

While the city is beginning to return to a quasi normal state of function, there are still many animals who need our help...for more information, please visit www.ifaw.org

IFAW South Africa: Saving township dogs from a deadly epidemic

This is a report from International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Campaigns Officer, Lisa Cant-Haylett, who is based in IFAW’s Cape Town, South Africa office.

Just last Thursday, Cape Town newspapers carried front page headlines warning of an outbreak of the often deadly Canine Parvovirus.

Animal welfare groups in the affected areas reported they were being forced to euthanize dozens of sick dogs, while dozens more were being treated for the disease.

As the worst affected areas are only a short distance away from Khayelitsha, where IFAW’s dog and cat project operates, it seemed logical that it would only be a matter of time before Parvo made the jump to the township where the disease would quickly spread among the many immuno-suppressed dogs. As it was, we had two puppies with Parvo brought in on Friday alone – these two pups were immediately quarantined away from the other dogs and, sadly, one of them died over the weekend.

We decided that rather than take a wait-and-see approach, a pre-emptive campaign to vaccinate dogs was essential. Jane Levinson, the clinic co-ordinator, got the ball rolling by making contact with vaccine manufacturers Intervet and distributors Norpharm. In no time they had committed to providing the much needed vaccines at greatly reduced cost, including a number of free doses.