Part of a caring crew
Truro vet spends long days of surgery at spay/neuter clinic in Ecuador
Gwen Mowbray-cashen toiled through 12- to 14-hour days, under more primitive conditions than she normally encounters. And she’d gladly do it again.
The Truro veterinarian was one of the volunteers who went to Ecuador in August for a World Vets spay/neuter clinic.
“It was a very rewarding experience,” she said. “We were exhausted at the end of the day, but it was a good exhaustion, and we were spending time with like-minded people.”
The 15-member team consisted of five veterinarians, two veterinary technicians, three veterinary students and animalhandling volunteers. They set up in a community centre and performed surgery on 272 dogs and a few cats.
“We got there at eight in the morning and people were lined up down the street, waiting with dogs and cats,” said Mowbray-cashen. “They didn’t have pet carriers, so there would be cats coming in rice bags. A World Vets team recently took part in a spay/neuter clinic in Ecuador. Truro veterinarian Gwen Mowbray-cashen, second from the right in the second row, was one of the team members.
“We did mostly spays, and a lot of the and to people who just want to help,” said animals had already had litters. They were Mowbray-cashen. “Don’t be overwhelmed; in quite good condition compared to the as long as you like animals you can be dogs we saw in Nicaragua, and they were trained to help.” good to work with. There was only one dog Her sister, Fran Mowbray, who is a fishwe had to muzzle. eries biologist, was one of the helpers in
“We saw a lot of dogs wandering around, Ecuador, and while they were in the area some alone and some in packs, but never the women took an extra week to see the saw any aggression between them.” Galapagos Islands.
She was able to provide many of the dogs with collars or harnesses she collected before leaving Truro.
Using medication provided by drug companies, the volunteers were able to treat the animals for parasites.
World Vets is an international non-profit organization that provides veterinary care in areas where little exists. It partnered with a group in Ecuador to arrange a location, obtain equipment and provide translation services.
“I highly recommend taking part in these programs to my fellow professionals,
While in Ecuador, the highest the temperature reached was 25 C, and it was a dry heat, which the volunteers found comfortable.
Mowbray-cashen plans to continue work with World Vets programs, and will be collecting collars and harnesses to take on her next trip.
“We got there at eight in the morning and people were lined up down the street, waiting with dogs and cats. They didn’t have pet carriers so there would be cats coming in rice bags.”
Dr. Gwen Mowbray-cashen