A day in the life of a Pemba vet

As if being a new grad isn't enough to keep me on my toes...being a vet in Pemba also requires you to be a dog trainer, an owner trainer, a groomer, a dogfood provider,an animal shelter, and a hairstylist (since we own clippers). Yes, things that most vets in the states are--to a degree, but things are on a whole different level here!

Kathryn (a vet from the UK) and I have compiled our inventory and are working from the guest bedroom and skully in our house. We've finally come up with a list of prices and are incredibly busy. We've also had offers to travel and do clinics in surrounding cities. Once we get Pemba sorted, we'll start expanding our territory. Its great to have a place people can bring their pets to for surgeries but it's almost essential to make house calls to see what kind of environment the pets live in and to meet the guards and maids who actually do most, if not all, the feeding and medicating of the animals.

Crime is really low here, some petty theft, but that is about it. Having dogs helps ensure good security though, since the majority of people here are muslim and don't want anything to do with dogs. Most people here own dogs for "security" purposes and they don't have any idea how to care for a dog, much less train a dog with simple commands. Some owners don't see their dogs for months at a time since often the dogs are kept in dark rooms during the day (with or without fresh water and/or windows) in hopes that their dog will sleep all day to guard the yard better at night, full of energy...Lets just say there is a LOT of owner education going on here right now! Most of these dogs aren't what we would consider security dogs in the states, they aren't aggressive, they are STARVED for attention.

A good portion of what we do here is charity work: spaying and neutering strays and finding homes for them and treating litters of stray puppies infested with parasites and finding homes for them as well. There are a lot of locals and missionaries here that own pets that often can't afford at-cost care, so there is a huge need for charity funding here.
One way I've decided to being raising money for veterinary care for the local pets is to host a race day here in Pemba in association with the International School. I'm planning a 3K, 5K, 10K, and a half marathon for October 23. There have been a huge number of supporters already and lots (about 7) of people have expressed interest in running the half--which is SO exciting for me! People have already signed up to volunteer so I'm really hoping and praying that this is going to be a huge success and maybe even become something we can do yearly or bi-yearly to help raise animal awareness and charity funds.

As this progresses, I'll try to keep you posted!!