Prioritizing immediate concerns, while focusing on the long term outcome, is the basis of our health program.

 

• Our veterinary program operates a mobile veterinary team that visits the communities in which we work on a regular basis, establishing pre-arranged visit days, to provide basic preventive management training, to attend those animals that are found sick and injured, to provide follow up to our deworming program and to do dental checks on equines.

 

• The mobile veterinary team also provides emergency services as needed and follows up on the treatment programs for injured or sick animals that are in their owners care.

 

• Thru the association main offices, the staff provides the same services for walk in patients.  It’s here that long term patients are attended, some returning back to their original homes, while others are kept by the association for further treatment.

 

• Our deworming and parasite control program is based on fecal sampling, to reduce the commonly used method of “across the board” deworming which has led to the creation of resistance to de-wormers in many countries.

 

• Poor body condition or horses that are generally healthy but underweight commonly have problems, caused by teeth, which in many cases causes the animal to feel pain when chewing or to drop the feed, thus intake is reduced and weight and health problems arise.

 

• Spaying and neutering campaigns are run monthly by the organization, for both cats and dogs, inclusive request veterinary interventions on horses, pigs, sheep and goats are accepted by the association, on a per case basis.

 

• Identify the most common diseases and problems affecting the animals of the communities, thus helping the Community Training staff to focus their training and educational plan to fit the needs of the community.

We consider that many of the health and welfare problems seen by our program are preventable, the reduction of the number of animals being “cured”, due to having prevented the problem at owner level thru education and training is the most effective way to use funds.

 

• Our educational and training programs are multifaceted and take into consideration the very low educational levels of many of our beneficiaries, including a large segment that are unable to read or write.

 

• Our community training program whether in groups or one by one, are based on the concept of “Learning by Doing”, a very effective educational model, especially when working with the educationally disadvantaged.

 

• The staff dedicates part of its time, producing easy to understand, pamphlets, technical hand outs and documents on a wide variety of subjects, relating to the health, nutrition, management, equipment, and handling of their animals. This compilation of material, gives the community of which most have no access to neither written nor electronic forms of information, the basic tools, for preventive care. 

 

• Based on the health and management issues of each community, our Community Training staff, provides the appropriate training directed at the specific needs of the community.  The subject matter can be as varied as: controlling vampire bat bites, feeding and nutrition, the benefits of spaying/neutering or to how to avoid colic.

 

• We consider that any action taken to improve the welfare and health of the pet or companion, should be thoroughly explained to the owner, so he understands the “why” of “what” is being done, this is the job of the Community Training staff.

We consider that animal welfare starts at home and that animal cruelty and abuse needs to be stopped there also. That is why we work directly with animal owners, within their own communities, to change the way animals are looked at and treated.

 

Every action we take is focused at showing owners that, there are major responsibilities, when a new member of the family is added, whether it’s for companionship, or to work, providing the much needed sustenance for the family as working horses do.

 

The hardest part of the task, is to  bring down, the established mindset that animals, are not sentient beings, that they do not feel pain, nor suffering nor pleasure, that their health, nutritional and psychological needs, are in some ways very similar to ours.

 

That ownership comes with its privileges, the love, joy and  trust , that the animal gives to his owner, but it also comes with responsibility, that of equally providing love, nourishment, housing and health.