From Davis to Nicaragua: Forging Partnership in Veterinary Care

David Kim
UC Davis, '14

About a year ago, Eric Eisenman, a fellow classmate, approached a few students, including myself, about forming a student-run project to provide free veterinary care to a developing country.  We had just attended a lunch talk given by Dr. Richard Bachman, who spoke of his experience with Oregon State’s IVSA program that organized international veterinary trips.  It seemed strange that UC Davis did not have a similar program, and we were all eager at the idea of starting something new.  The amount of work for our group, which we named International Veterinary Outreach (IVO), seemed daunting as we began the long process of becoming a 501(c)(3) as well as planning inventory, permits, and fundraising, but slowly, things started to fall into place.  Through a mutual connection, we were able to make some contacts in Jiquillio, a small fishing village on the northwest coast of Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the western hemisphere.  Gerry Caceres and Don Montgomery, business partners of a hostel, were dedicated to philanthropic work from building schools and a medical center for the community to starting a turtle conservation program.  They were very open to working with us as there was a canine overpopulation problem and a general lack of veterinary care in the area.  We were also extremely fortunate to have Dr. Eric Davis, former RAVS and current RVETS director, mentor and join us on our trip along with Dr. Ahne Simonsen and Cindy McClinn, an amazing technician.

Winter came quickly, and soon enough, we were off.  Luckily, we didn’t run into any problems with customs in Managua with all the medical supplies we had, and a few hours later, we arrived at Monty’s Surf Lodge.  The next day, we set up our clinic at the local community center, which was essentially a huge shipping container with an extended roof to provide solace from the sun.  Before our arrival, Gerry had driven around Jiquillio, announcing our mission through a megaphone, and by the time we finished setting up, we had a line of people waiting with their pets, many unused to being on a leash.  Most of the animals were dogs, but we also saw some cats as well as some livestock.  We all got plenty of practice that week performing physical exams, administering vaccines and parasite control, prepping for surgery, and monitoring anesthesia.  I can still hear the kids hysterically laughing every time I took a rectal temp as I tried to look dignified, a difficult thing to do given the circumstances.  

Throughout the week, we rotated from Jiquillio to Padre Ramos, a nearby village, and each night, we had rounds, discussing interesting cases and improvements to be made for the following day. Although our trip was intended to be a scouting mission, we ended up seeing over 170 animals, and under Dr. Davis’ supervision, we performed 20 spays and neuters and treated 4 transmissible venereal tumors with chemotherapy.  Overall, we were well received by the community, and as we plan our summer trip and get closer to obtaining our 501(c)(3), I’m excited for the potential and growth of IVO, making it sustainable for future veterinary students to participate in an amazing project.

Comments

[Julie Stafford]

It is great to see ideas spread! I attended our Oregon State University's IVSA trip to Ometepe, Nicaragua last year. I'm glad that other schools are working to help increase animal health and welfare in Nicaragua, it is sorely needed. Cheers!