Vet Charity Challenge Bursary Helps Vet Work At Carribbean Animal Hospital
8 years ago 
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Veterinary surgeon Emily Capes from Park Vets in Sidcup, Kent has just returned from 2 weeks working at an animal hospital on Carriacou, a Caribbean island near Grenada. Emily’s trip was funded through a bursary from the Vet Charity Challenge.
Jason Rogers from BCF Technology commented, “Emily and her team the Flying Squirrels have taken part in a number of events with the Vet Charity Challenge. It is great to see how Emily has used the bursary to make a real difference to the lives of cats and dogs on the island.”
Emily added, “Having just got back from my two week stay helping out at the Carriacou Animal Hospital in the Caribbean - I wanted to say a big thank you to the Vet Charity Challenge for awarding me the bursary to allow me to have had such an amazing experience. During our stay we carried out several neuters, lump removals and emergency surgeries. We treated diseases I had not encountered before like heart worm and tick fever which were prevalent. We also saw cases of dogs that had been poisoned with 'lannette' an insecticide - for which atropine was the antidote.”
The Vet Charity Challenge is a one day event in September where up to 50 teams of four spend time, running, walking, cycling and kayaking along with some mental and physical tasks. Over the past four years the event has raised over £115,000 for a number of animal based charities. Recently at the London Vet Show the team handed over cheques for £15,000 to charities Canine Partners, SPANA and International Cat Care.
Emily’s travel diary
We arrived in Grenada at 10pm following 15 hours of travel from the UK where we stayed in a guesthouse organised by a friend of the clinic. The next day we got the local ferry to the small island of Carriacou where we were greeted with a big smile by Kathy the manager of the animal hospital. I thought we had arrived in paradise. The sun was hot (average 35?C) the sea was blue and the beach was empty. The atmosphere was very relaxed and the locals friendly. Very few tourists make the trip out there.
The clinic itself is opposite the beach and the 'waiting room' was a bench on the sand. This meant that hydrotherapy - making use of the sea - was a popular task. When we arrived at the clinic we were greeted by the clinic's six resident dogs that had all been adopted by Kathy and the gang for various reasons.
The hospital consisted of a combined consulting and operating room with an anaesthetic machine, autoclave and well equipped pharmacy. There was a balcony area with cages for dogs that were hospitalised or recovering from surgery. We stayed on site at the hospital in bedrooms there and the accommodation was clean and mosquito nets were provided which came in useful.
Our daily schedule would be to work in the mornings, either consulting or operating then we could have most afternoons off allowing us to enjoy the island. We also carried out home visits for those who couldn't drive or were unable to bring their animals in. Sometimes carrying out minor operations on their kitchen table.
There were no imaging or blood testing facilities on-site, so we had to treat most cases on clinical suspicion which was challenging.
By the end of the two weeks it was sad to say goodbye, the trip was an exciting adventure and I helped make a difference to the lives of a number of cats and dogs on the island. I would be more than happy to go back and be a part of such an important and worthwhile experience.
The Vet Charity Challenge is sponsored by BCF Technology, Dechra Veterinary Products and Kruuse also supported by the VMPA, Mojo Consultancy and Veterinary Practice magazine.
For more information visit www.vetcharitychallenge.co.uk or like us on Facebook. Search for Vet Charity Challenge. For more information on volunteering to work at the Carriacou Animal Clinic visit www.carriacouanimalclinic.com
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