Dr. Dana traveled to Africa in October of 2011 with a World Vets team to give veterinary care to the working donkeys of Kahama, Tanzania. This was by far the hardest trip she has taken to date! The challenges of language and cultural barriers were remarkable.

In Kahama the tiny donkeys are used to pull carts that transport goods to market and bring supplies home to the villages. Without these little guys commerce would be stalled and local economy stymied. These people are poverty stricken and live a life almost inconceivable to Western culture. There are few flush toilets, clothes are second hand and human medical care is practically non-existent. The donkeys are treated like a tool. If they cannot work due to health or lameness problems, they are discarded and left to starve.

The goal of World Vets was to train and equip the local animal care agents in basic care, with the thought that if they received help to improve the health care of the donkeys, it would improve the quality of life of the animals and also the people who employ them. In addition, World Vets presence and concern for the donkeys should increase the value of the animals in the eyes of the people.

In all, 260 donkeys were cared for by the team, and 1000 additional doses of dewormer and tetanus vaccines were left to help even more donkeys. Through your generous donations the World Vets team was able to leave dental and hoof tools with the local veterinarian. This will allow him, now that he is properly trained, to provide foot and dental care to the donkeys in his practice area for years to come.

“I am blessed to be supported by such an outstanding group of friends, family and donkey lovers! 100% of the donations were used solely for the purchase of supplies used for the donkey care on this trip. I was able to make a more significant impact because of your generosity!”

        Dr. Dana

Donate today and help with travel expenses, veterinary supplies and farrier equipment. You can contribute by mailing a check or money order to:

N.E.A.R
10212 273rd Ave SE
Monroe, WA 98272

Thank you for your support!

*Donations are not Tax deductible

On April 24th 2010 Dr. Dana married the love of her life, Jared Westerman, and her new name is Dr. Dana Westerman!

Dr. Dana went back to Mexico for a second time with World Vets in October 2010. This time the team split up into two groups: 1 for large animals and 1 for small animals. Yes, Dr. Dana was on the large animal team! She and Dr. Teri Wrenko, along with Dr. Liz Brakken, Emily Anderson, Carly Arbitman and some local volunteers, went out into areas where the ranchers had never seen a veterinarian! The team worked on horses, goats, pigs and even a few dogs and cats. Castrations and floats were done on white sand beaches and Dr. Dana was able to teach procedures and basic health care to the local ranchers. In return, the World Vets teams were fed well and even got to go for a beautiful moonlit ride on the beach. A well-deserved event after a hard day’s work! Please support World Vets as they travel to third world countries to help animals that would otherwise never see medical help from a veterinarian.

 

 

 

Dr. Bridges recently returned from a 10 day trip to Romania with World Vets. The trip took her first by plane to Bucharest and then a bus ride to Buzau. There was a bit of culture shock as the volunteer group watched stray dogs running loose all over Bucharest, Romania’s capital city. Things became more rural on the way to Buzau, where horse drawn carts shared the road with motorists.

  The group settled into a country inn, got a good night’s sleep, (well sort of…jet lag) and got to work early the next day. Because of the rain, the first day was spent spaying and neutering dogs and cats at a local “shelter”. The facility was really a concrete building with five small tables set up on concrete blocks. The lighting was via headlamp and the anesthesia was all inject able. Not quite like home! The second day a third of the group went farther out further in the country to work on horses. The local vet joined us along with a translator (thank goodness) and we taught him how to sedate and float teeth, pull shoes and trim feet, and even palpated a mare to see if she was pregnant! All new to the local vet!
     In this culture, the horses are tools, not pets and receive very little veterinary care because of the poor economy. It is more important for them to feed their families than float their horses teeth! Not to mention spay and neuter their dogs and cats. You can’t imagine the number of stray dogs running around. The last survey done in Bucharest in 2006 counted over 200,000 stray dogs in that one city!
    Because of the generous donations of our clients, Dr. Bridges was able to take approximately $4,000 worth of tools and dewormers to support the local veterinarians.
    The good news is that the mayor of Buzau signed an agreement with World Vets asking the organization to return four times a year to help get the stray population under control.
    Dr. Bridges hopes to plan a yearly trip to help the animals all over the world. You too can help in many ways! If you can donate either your time or money it would be much appreciated. If traveling is not for you, maybe donating is. Donations are greatly appreciated & accepted at: Northwest Emergency Animal Rescue / Dr. Dana Bridges, and please be assured that every dime that you donate goes towards helping buy supplies for the animals.
    If you prefer to join a team and travel yourself you may. You do not need to be a veterinarian or veterinarian technician to join a World Vets team.
 

Spay/Neuter Project- JANUARY 25-Feb 1 2009 A team of 12 World Vets volunteers traveled to Loreto Mexico to provide free spay/neuter services to this fishing village on the Sea of Cortez. In the end, over 300 dogs and cats were spayed or neutered . Many more were treated for various medical conditions, vaccinated, de-wormed and treated for fleas.

 

 

 

Donate today and help with travel expenses, veterinary supplies and farrier equipment. You can contribute by mailing a check or money order to:

N.E.A.R.
10212 273rd Ave SE
Monroe, WA 98272

Thank you for your support!

*Donations are not Tax deductible