Do or Die for Croatian students

Fifteen veterinary students from Croatia visited South Africa recently as part of the International Veterinary Students Association exchange program. During their 2 week stay their program included exposure to community outreach activities.

They could not have made a better choice than to approach the South African Veterinary Association CVC to arrange a visit to one of the eighteen CVC’s in South Africa. Early on a Wednesday morning they set off to Soshanguve in the Winterveld. Upon arrival at the Loate Police station, a large number of dogs with their owners were waiting patiently to see the vet.

Under the guidance of Dr Dave Kenyon and Ronel, his vet nurse wife, the students quickly had to set up a working station to attend to the almost eighty dogs that had to be vaccinated, dewormed and dipped. The excitement of having a hands-on experience in this totally unknown environment, made them reluctant to return to the Faculty to resume their extensive programme.

The day was sponsored by the South African Veterinary Foundation which kindly sponsored transport and lunch for the students and the deworming drugs that were used. By making the students available to assist in one of the largest CVC’s in Gauteng, they also alleviated the burden of a single veterinarian that services this large community in the northern parts of Gauteng.