Firstly, I’d like to say a massive thank you to Dr Caroline Thursfield who heroically ran the London Marathon for us this year in a knockout 3 hours and 55mins. She also raised over £7,000 to support our projects!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!
Thank you to all our supporters – your support has enabled us to have another amazing month! Parcels The total number of parcels dispatched this month is 106 with the value of products totalling £18,451.71. These have gone to charities across the globe striving to give the best care possible to the animals they look after. Teams We ran two courses in Thailand, four in Ooty and one international course in Goa. Additional teams went out to projects in Malawi, Senegal, Thailand, Laos, Bolivia and Myanmar. Our supported charity in Bolivia, La Sende Verde, also hosted Leanne last month and we look forward to supporting this brilliant charity with their veterinary requirements and the outstanding work they are doing to help animals caught in the illegal wildlife trade in South America.
Truck The truck moved to a new location this month: Pernem! Thanks to the education and awareness teams, a lot of owners living in this rural region turned up requesting sterilisation and vaccination for their dogs. Praveen has been working hard overseeing the truck, and with support from the local municipality, we are having even more impact for the animals and communities across India.
Ranchi Praveen’s team completed 2,280 vaccinations and 950 surgeries. Increased support from the Government is enabling the programme to expand and help more dogs like Tikki, who was one of this month’s rescues. She had a badly injured neck after having wire tied round it as a puppy and this caused significant damage as she grew. Our team are now working to help restore her back to full health! Hicks The WVS Goa team had an incredible month, completing a total of 813 animal birth control surgeries and 38 adoptions alongside their other treatments this month!! They also trained 25 vets and three vet assistants in best recommended practices in animal birth control surgery! Karlette and her team have done amazing work and the celebrations of World Veterinary Day were definitely a highlight!!! None of this would be possible without The Marchig Trust, Dogs Trust Worldwide, BBF and our amazing supporters who are making the centre such a success! Ooty Ilona was invited to speak at the World Veterinary Day celebrations run by the India Veterinary Association in Kerala this month and used the opportunity to promote new methods of rabies and disease control in the state.
Our junior resident veterinarian Dr Kavin has also informed us of a great case study at the centre. The owner had become worried when his cat stopped eating and struggled walking on its hind limbs. After initial assessment it was clear the cat was suffering from several fractures of its back leg, most likely caused by a car accident. Thankfully Dr Kavin was able to amputate and the cat is now free from pain and learning how to navigate life on three legs! The Working Equine Programmes also continue to power forward thanks to the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Trust and WTG and are going from strength to strength as the projects expand. Thailand 13 courses have been run through the Thai ITC so far this year. This is incredible and a testament to the hard work and focus of the teams. I’d also like to welcome Dr Malisa who is our new Thai vet who has joined the team of power! It’s incredible to see the centre grow each year and it’s all thanks to our supporters who enable us to continue treating every dog that comes through our doors! Dogs like Nin, who recently suffered a dislocation (chronic hip luxation) and needed a challenging operation to correct, would have nowhere else to go without our centre. Malawi Amazing work by Paul, Debs and the team this month in averting the dog cull at the University in Zomba and coming up with a great humane solution. I’d also like to welcome Dr Muona – the first Malawian vet to join our team full-time!!! Very exciting and a definite step in the right direction in powering the centre forwards.
Young Vets Club The hard work of Nicky and Katharyn in driving forward the Young Vets Club is phenomenal. We held our first activity day at Gorse Farm with Pilgrims Vets in addition to a poster competition with the twinned schools in India and the UK. A sincere thanks to the Countess of Shaftesbury for her generosity and support in presenting the awards, also to Sharon Etherington for being our brilliant judge. Thanks as well to FSM school for kindly hosting the event. Make sure you visit our exciting new website www.youngvetsclub.com for more information. Let’s fire it up for May and make it the best yet!!! Together, we can BE the difference! ROCK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!! Luke