World Veterinary Day is observed annually in April to recognise the vital role veterinarians, and the whole veterinary profession have in animal health, welfare and public health. This year’s theme is ‘animal health takes a team’, which highlights the collaborative nature of veterinary care and the importance of teamwork.
At WVS we believe that collaboration and teamwork are vital to our mission to improve the standard of care globally. We wanted to spotlight how we are supporting veterinary professionals globally through training. Working to create a brighter future for animals, we are dedicated to providing training and education programmes to promote long-lasting improvements in animal welfare.
Raising the standard of care
In many countries access to high quality and affordable veterinary training is limited, making life-long learning and training difficult for veterinary professionals. To increase access to quality veterinary care relies on training a workforce of competent and confident veterinary professionals. We provide expert training opportunities to help foster a new generation of compassionate and skilled veterinary professionals. By providing accessible training, we are ensuring that effective care can continue in the future. In 2024, we trained 2,863 vets worldwide.
At the heart of this is collaboration – by sharing knowledge with veterinary students and professionals and collaborating with other charities and organisations we can raise the standard of care globally. We can empower the global veterinary community and ensure that whenever and wherever an animal is in need, they have access to high-quality veterinary care.
International Training Centres (ITCs)
We have six ITCs located in India, Thailand, Malawi, and Ecuador, that act as hubs for our veterinary training programmes. We offer a surgical training course for local and international veterinary professionals, which focuses on teaching spaying and neutering skills and learning best practice in animal welfare. We also provide training opportunities for veterinary nurses and assistants, and specialised courses for veterinary professionals. Our ITCs play a crucial role in fostering sustainable change by imparting knowledge and empowering the veterinary community.
Past participants
“My experience in the veterinary training program was truly exceptional, and I owe a great deal of gratitude to the WVS vet team for their invaluable guidance and mentorship. The highlight of the program was undoubtedly the opportunity to participate in real-time surgeries.” Dr Gospisetty Nagasai, WVS Hope ITC
“Thank you for the incredible opportunity to be part of this 12-day course. It was an enriching journey that was both knowledgeable and inspiring. The course content was comprehensive and impactful, and we felt motivated to use the knowledge we’ve gained to help animals in need.” Shalini Peddi, WVS Hicks ITC
Outreach projects
A crucial part of our mission is to bring expert care to where it’s most needed. From our ITCs our teams conduct outreach training programmes to support communities in need and help train veterinary professionals. Our Veterinary Taskforce and All-Terrain Clinic (ATC) focus on delivering these training programmes to hard-to-reach locations, and in places with limited access to care. Our Veterinary Taskforce team work globally to elevate the standard of care by providing veterinary services to communities in need, conducting surgical training courses, and championing the One Health approach. The ATC is our self-sufficient mobile veterinary hospital that provides veterinary care and surgical training courses to communities around India.
Large animal projects
Many equines receive inadequate care or no care at all. This can be due to a lack of training and knowledge within communities, the distance to travel for veterinary services, and the cost of veterinary care. We are committed to changing this. To sustainably enhance equine health and welfare, we focus on bridging gaps in veterinary knowledge by offering training opportunities for professionals and equipping owners with essential support and guidance. We work with universities and NGOs in South Asia, Africa and South America to ensure long-lasting change in access to veterinary care for equines.
WVS Academy
The WVS Academy is our online platform that allows veterinary professionals to access high quality resources to guide best clinical practice in resource limited settings. We have created a community for vets to browse resources and progress their skills across a broad range of subjects. We created this as many existing veterinary CPD (continued professional development) platforms are often inaccessible, as they are expensive or targeted at vets working in developed countries with different equipment and priorities. The WVS Academy is working to ensure that every vet has access to continued learning and training.
Programme Spotlight: WVS Veterinary Taskforce, Ranong, Thailand
In March we ran a spay and neuter campaign in Ranong in the South of Thailand in collaboration with Lanta Animal Welfare (LAW). This project was organised as this province is being affected by uncontrolled free-roaming dog population, which is impacting tourism and community well-being. The aim of this outreach project was to support with controlling the free-roaming dog population, improving animal welfare in the area, exchanging knowledge and establishing appropriate surgical standards for spaying and neutering. This campaign was set up at the largest temple in the province, with the local community supporting with accommodation, food and transport. Many locals were interested in bringing their dogs to participate in the spay and neuter programme, with the team performing 91 sterilisations.
Alongside this, our team supported LAW’s veterinary team through surgical training. Some of the vets at LAW were new graduates with no surgical experience, so our team took this opportunity to demonstrate our surgical protocols. We had the opportunity to provide training on aseptic techniques, anaesthesia, and the steps for performing spay and neuter surgeries. This was a good opportunity to collaborate and exchange knowledge with LAW, as they adopted parts of our spay and neuter protocol to improve their surgical standards, enhancing the welfare of animals receiving these services.
Programme Spotlight: Equine training programmes, Chile
In Chile we work in partnership with veterinary schools of the Catholic University of Temuco (UCT) and Santo Tomás University (UST) to provide accessible veterinary care to communities and to train veterinary students. We run practical training courses to share knowledge and review and refine local knowledge and skills. In March, UCT continued their weekly carthorse clinic reaching 26 horses and supporting the training of 28 veterinary students. With this clinic equines undergo clinical examinations, deworming, vaccinations, dental work, farriery and any treatments needed.
UST campuses Viña del Mar and San Clemente (Talca) specialise in equine medicine. Both venues operate from small clinics as well as mobile units which attend rural communities that rely on their horses for their livelihoods. In March, students and staff from UST conducted outreach campaigns to provide veterinary care to communities in need. These initiatives provide opportunities for hands-on practical veterinary training, with students gaining experience in how to treat a wide range of injuries and illness and providing care under the supervision of qualified veterinarians.
Programme Spotlight: WVS Veterinary Taskforce, Raigad, India
In February, we organised a surgical training outreach programme in India working alongside Happy Umbrella Foundation (HUF) to train veterinary professionals. The intensive training aimed to enhance surgical skills among the participants, with six veterinarians and one veterinary assistant attending. The course covered surgical techniques, anaesthesia protocols, patient preparation, aseptic surgery, post-operative monitoring, and pain assessments.
Initially, many of the participants found surgery challenging but with the support of our expert team and having the experience of hands-on training, their confidence and skills improved. To further enhance their knowledge, lectures were given on topics such as responsible antibiotic use, rabies, and animal welfare.
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