Quality time in Kathmandu
Truro veterinarian shares her skills, and takes time for a special tribute
TRURO, N.S. – A trip to Nepal gave a local veterinarian the opportunity to provide an important service to the people there and, in the process, the chance to honour her mother in a very special way.
Dr. Gwen Mowbray-cashen, a Truro vet, spent six days spaying and neutering dogs at a World Vets clinic in Kathmandu.
The tent they worked in had no sides, but provided shelter from the sun.
“We used head lamps for extra light, but we had to work quickly because dogs don’t regulate their body temperature well when they’re under anesthetic, so they need to be kept warm,” said Mowbray-cashen. "The days were warm, about 20 to 25 degrees, but it went down to eight to 10 at night.”
Street dogs are numerous in Kathmandu, a city of about 1.8 million people, with busy narrow streets and air filled with the smell of burning rubbish. People throughout the city feed the dogs but because most of the animals don’t have specific homes, no one is responsible for spaying or neutering.
Other volunteers, including Mowbray-cashen’s sister, Fran, handled intake, sedating dogs, shaving surgery areas and watching over the animals during recovery.
During their time there, Mowbray-cashen and Fran had time to take a personal journey – scattering some of their late mother’s ashes in a region of the world that had special significance.
“Mum taught English and trekked in Nepal.
“She was a really avid traveler, going to every continent except Antarctica, and really felt we were all part of a global community. Possibly, growing up in England during the war resulted in her realizing there was more to community.”
Her mother attended university at the age of 65, taking Asian studies and learning enough Mandarin to communicate while travelling.
“That epitomized Mum’s willpower,” said Mowbray-cashen. “As a family of four offspring we take some ashes when we travel and spread them to commemorate her sense of adventure and global community. It’s a way of remembering her, I think she would truly appreciate.”
A guide took the sisters to a forest where they scattered ashes; then they rode an elephant into the jungle to spread a few. Elephants are ridden for safety, as the rhino population is unlikely to attack them.
They also went to Pokhara, a city northwest of Kathmandu with a large lake.
“Across the lake there’s a World Peace Pagoda. We spread some near there. We felt it was very fitting, Mum being a pacifist. I think she would be proud of us for finding such good spots for her.”
Through the spaying/neutering program, World Vets worked with the largest shelter in Kathmandu, Sneha’s Care. Staff and volunteers from the shelter went out at night to catch dogs for surgery, using colour-coded collars to identify which neighbourhood they were from.
While in for surgery they were also treated for parasites and vaccinated against rabies.
“Most of the dogs were released back to their communities, with the ones that were badly injured being kept at the shelter,” said Mowbray-cashen.
With six vets working, 264 dogs were operated on in five days.
Mowbray-cashen has previously volunteered in World Vets clinics in South America and hopes to help with one in Peru in 2020.
More information on World Vets can be found online at https://worldvets.org/