SAVMA PHCOC: Serving Island Dogs

By: Kelle Keyles

I am a student at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine currently doing my clinical

year at The Ohio State University. I have brought my love of the island animals and knowledge

of St. Kitts and Nevis’s severe lack of resources back stateside with me; I want to continue to

help support the animals of the island through many different facets. The first way is by sending

mostly donated supplies to St. Kitts and Nevis, having it be picked up by students or locals and

distributed to the local veterinary clinic. During my time on the island, which was almost 2 years

consecutively due to travel restrictions during COVID, I learned how the local clinic and

veterinary staff provide care to the local population. The entire clinic is run by one local woman

who is the technician and one veterinarian, with the addition of local volunteers from time to

time. It was a privilege to see first hand how they used minimal resources to cater to the local

animals in need.

My wife lived on the island with me and was hired by the first and only physical animal shelter

on the island. She worked as the foster and adoption coordinator and kennel attendant for about a

year which allowed us to take in some animals from the local clinic that were abandoned or

surrendered there. Once at the shelter we were able to get them into foster and adoptive homes.

The local animal population on St. Kitts and Nevis are severely underserved, often resulting in

owners having to surrender their pets. The stray population on the island is also very high and the

limited resources makes it difficult to control the population and get them proper medical care.

Veterinary care for small animals is already limited on the island as most of the local

veterinarians work with the agriculture department with the livestock and large animal

concerns.Since leaving the island for my clinical year at The Ohio State, I have been

brainstorming ways to continue to support the animals of St. Kitts and Nevis and help provide

them with veterinary essentials such as dog food, cat traps for spay/neutering feral cats, and

donated medications. In conjunction with sending down resources to the local veterinary clinic

on island, Ponds Veterinary Clinic, we have also been flying out puppies rescued from the streets

or abandoned at the local clinic We have partnered with a local vet student run rescue in Ohio, as

well as a Ross Alumni who works for a rescue in Pennsylvania . These are the two primary

locations our island dogs go when they come to the states. We have imported a total of 14 dogs

so far to the United States and we continue to keep contacts and options open for transporting

more dogs in the future.

I am able to continue to supply resources to the local clinic and continue to fly dogs off island

with the collaboration of Ross University Veterinary students on island. They help by

volunteering at the local clinic, picking up packages and pallets sent down, as well as fostering

and being flight buddies for dogs being flown off island. Students have been fundamental in our

ability to provide more assistance to the island while living in America. Students coordinate with

us to rescue and provide them with health care and a foster home, as well as prepare them for a

flight to one of the rescues we partner with. Students have been willing to help pick up shipments

from customs and distribute them to the local clinic and local community members in need. We

hope that with each experience they have learned that there are ways to continue to help the

island even from America that they will be inspired to do the same when they leave. St Kitts and

Nevis is a beautiful country, with some of the greatest people and they deserve to be able to

provide their animals with the best medical care. The stray animals living on the street deserve

loving homes and access to adequate medical care too. We are proud to still remain a part of the

community of students and locals that help the animals on the island and will always work

towards growing and changing for the better for them. We have since started a non-profit to

continue our support of animals and locals on the island, called Penelopes Rescue Mission.

SAVMA PHCOC: FARVets in Guatemala

By: Vivian Lee

During March of 2022, I had the immense pleasure of travelling to Santiago Atitlán,

Guatemala, a small mountain city located near Lake Atitlán, a massive volcanic crater in

Guatemala’s southwestern highlands, as part of the FARVets Program. FARVets is a non-profit

organization dedicated to planning, organizing, and implementing sterilization clinics to assist

animal welfare groups abroad. As part of this program, I worked closely with Fantasma Animal

Rescue, a local organization in Lake Atitlán that focuses on animal rescue, spay and neuter

clinics, and vaccinations. There is a historically high number of stray animals in Atitlán,

Guatemala with animals having a few familiar faces in their lives but not being provided the

proper nutrition and veterinary care needed to thrive. Many of these animals will go from

restaurant to restaurant in search of food, and at the end of the day they have no home to go

to.

Due to the overpopulation of animals, many of them are susceptible to disease, injuries,

and malnutrition. During the clinic, I performed multiple wellness procedures such as physical

exams, vaccinations, dewormings, topical parasite control, and other medical procedures as

necessary as possible. In addition, I performed my first ovariohysterectomies and castrations

with veterinary supervision, as well as assist with anesthesia and the recovery of the patients.

By offering these free veterinary services, our team was able to help hundred dogs in getting

the veterinary care and attention they need to ensure that the population is left healthier and

happier. Since I have limited amount of small animal clinical experience, being able to improve

on my surgical skills in addition to animal restraint, drawing blood, giving IV medications, and

placing catheters made me significantly more confident in my abilities and will surely help my

future career as a clinician.

I was lucky enough to attend this location in Guatemala, which has more than 20 Mayan

ethnic groups and is most notably home to the Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel people. This town is rich

in Mayan culture and is known for textiles, ceramics, holistic therapies, and other handmade

crafts made by the locals. As an advanced Spanish speaker, it was an honor to be able to speak

to the local people in Spanish and help translate many of the veterinary medical terms so that

they could understand what procedures we were performing and answer any questions they

had. As a second-generation Cuban Chinese American, it was invaluable to experience their

culture and see how open they were to helping their animals and giving them a better chance

at life. Being that this was the first time I had travelled internationally since COVID, it was a very

eye-opening experience and really helped bring perspective into my life that I still take along

with me today.

One of the most important missions of this trip for me was to help educate the local

citizens and pet owners of common canine and feline health issues. This ensures that we not

only leave the animals we treated in good condition, but by making locals aware of common

health issues and the importance of veterinary care, we will indirectly help other animals in the

future. A wonderful opportunity I was given as part of FARVets was to visit a local children’s

school about a 5-minute walk from the clinic location, and we spoke to the kids about the basic

needs of animals, what the clinical signs of rabies are and what to do when they see a dog with

rabies, and what a veterinarian’s role is. Many of them were eager to learn more, ask

questions, and engage with us. I left feeling like we had made a very positive impact on the

community and sparked better relationships for the next time the program visits Santiago.

Finally, not only did I gain many skills, but also I gained a family. Although we had only

spent one week together, we spent the entirety of our long days working hard in the clinic and

learning a lot about one another. I had the pleasure of working with three incredible

veterinarians who put a lot into making it an unforgettable experience, and were extremely

patient and enthusiastic to teach us veterinary students. It really demonstrated to me what a

positive and healthy work culture is, and how much the time flies by when you are having fun.

The other Cornell veterinary students who were part of the trip, some of which whom I had

never spoken to, were so supportive, encouraging, and had a lot to teach me as well. I still hold

many of these people close to my heart, and look forward to hopefully working with them again

in the future.

I am forever grateful for my experience with FARVets and would highly recommend it to

anyone who is interested in pursuing an opportunity abroad that will change your life. I would

like to thank SAVMA’s Public Health and Community Outreach Committee (PHCOC) for

awarding me the Underserved Areas Grant to help offset the costs of this program. I would also

like to thank the following people for making my FARVets experience possible: Dr. Jesse

Navatta, Dr. Mark Fealey, Dr. Mariana Prado, Claudia Guinansaca-Aguilar, Emmy Luo, Stacy

Kaneko, Kaela Toback, Sandra Pinto, Sara Dutra, and Dr. Paul Maza.

About Vivian:

Vivian Lee (she/her) is a third-year veterinary student at Cornell University’s College of

Veterinary Medicine with a keen interest in conservation medicine and aquatics. She

has had various experiences at institutions including Mystic Aquarium, Mote Marine

Laboratory and Aquarium, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, University of Florida’s Tropical

Aquaculture Laboratory, and The Marine Mammal Center.

She currently serves as the SAVMA Delegate for Cornell University and the

International Exchange Officer-Elect for National SAVMA, representing veterinary

students on a national and international level. In her spare time, Vivian enjoys going on

hikes with her guide dog in-training, Siggy, as well as dancing and travelling.

Vivian is happy to speak with everyone (pre-vet students, vet students, and current

veterinarians), and you can connect with her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivian-

marie-lee/

CDC Public Health Essay Contest

The Public Health and Community Outreach Committee (PHCOC) has organized an essay contest to award 10 awards of $200 to individuals who attended the 2021 CDC Veterinary Public Health Q&A Panel. This contest is meant to encourage interest in public health and support those considering a career in veterinary public health. In order to be eligible for this scholarship, the student must be a SAVMA member in good standing attending an accredited school or college of veterinary medicine. 

The biennial CDC Day was held virtually this year as a Q&A Panel featuring veterinary public health professionals on January 11th, 2021. Essay applicants should have attended or watched the recording of the webinar.

Students must answer the following question in 500 words or less: Describe what you learned from the CDC Public Health Panel and how this is important to you and your future veterinary career.

Apply at this link by March 1, 2021. If you have any questions, please email savma.phcoc@gmail.com.

November PHCOC Newsletter Quiz

Please read the article in this month's SAVMA Public Health and Community Outreach Committee Newsletter, and then take the quiz for a change to win $25!  Winner's will be randomly selected within one week of the newsletter email (Approximately 11-10-2020).

Questions? Email us at savma.phcoc@gmail.com Attn: SAVMA PHCOC Newsletter Editor

September PHCOC Newsletter Quiz

Interested in the methodology of COVID tracking?  Could you use a little extra cash?  Look no further!

Please read the article in this month's SAVMA Public Health and Community Outreach Committee Newsletter, and then take the quiz for a change to win $25!  Winner's will be randomly selected within one week of the newsletter email (9-25-2020).  You can find the article here and then continue on to the quiz, it's that easy!