Kalahari_vet

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Kalahari_vet

🩺 Veterinarian
🐾 Conservationist
🌍 Adventurer
📍 Namibia

*Back the Pack*

04/12/2023

INTERNATIONAL CHEETAH DAY!

What an incredible privilege to have worked with this amazing species on a regular basis when I was part of the Cheetah Conservation Fund team in Namibia. This organisation works hard to contribute to the survival of the species, research and education are key♥️🐾

Photos are from the most memorable experiences with wild and rewilded cheetahs, one had broken out of a reserve onto farmland and needed a short ride in the back of the vehicle to be returned. We used this moment to educate surrounding farmers and their staff.

18/10/2023

W A R N I N G G R A P H I C C O N T E N T !

This cow had given birth out in the field and had a pr*****ed uterus. When she came back with her newborn calf, the farmers noticed a jackal had been attracted to the blood and the cow had bite wounds in the v***a. The uterus itself seemed fine and they managed to put it back in place. They closed the v***a with fence wire in order to prevent another prolapse, as this is all they had access to. When I had a look I could smell the infection and see necrotic tissue and inflammation around the bite wounds and wire they placed. I placed 5cc lidocaïne with a caudal epidural (Co2) to make sure the cow would not feel any pain and went to work; I first removed all the wire with wire cutters, then cleaned up and debrided all the wounds and sutured the jigsaw puzzle back together, leaving some space between sutures to let the wound be able to drain. Only then I placed a creative modification of the Buhner suture to prevent another uterine prolapse, as we also do not have the special Buhner needle and tape. Normal suture material will cut through the skin so I placed it through dripline material to reduce the pressure in several locations. One has to be creative when you have limited options available out in the field! In any case it’s a lot more tissue friendly then fence wire.

She received pain medication and long acting antibiotics

02/10/2023

D A R T I N G

When we are closing in on the dogs and ready to attempt darting for collaring, we set up an area where I am usually hiding in/under a bush in the very early mornings and late afternoons, usually for hours on end, with a personal record of 7 hours ! I prepare myself as best as I can by measuring the distances of all the surrounding bushes, so I can very quickly estimate how far the animals are from me. This is necessary because I adjust the pressure of the dart gun to that particular distance, as too little pressure will result in the dart dropping to the ground before it hits the animal and too much pressure will make it either fly over the animal or hit it too hard, resulting in possible injury. A dart is much slower than a bullet and flies in a curved trajectory. It can change its direction entirely by a gust of wind or when hitting a blade of grass. They call it the “art of darting” for a reason!

These attempts are often made a few consecutive days and even though lying down seems quite a relaxed position to be in, I can tell you after 5-7 hours without barely any movement my whole body is sore! Taking a nap is also out of the question as I have to stay vigilant, you never know when the dogs may suddenly decide to rock up. On top of that this semi desert area makes it that I can go from feeling hot and bothered to freezing cold all in one session. The only things we do for conservation.. It is however quite a special feeling when the wildlife around you seems completely unaware that you’re there and is just going around it’s usual business, while you watch the sun rise or set.

30/09/2023

E X T R E M E T E M P E R A T U R E S

We are working in a semi desert area. Which means temperature differences can be extreme !
As we have been battling with freezing temperatures earlier this season, we are now dealing
with very hot days of around 40 degrees celcius , whereas at night it can still be between 3 and
8 degrees celcius. We were very cold overnight in the car without blankets , we even used the
emergency foils !
The temperature difference is so large that I have had the darts that I pressurised in the early
morning “explode” due to overpressurising; as the air inside the dart expanded so much in such
a short time due to the increasing temperature, we also see this happen with the tyre pressure
of the vehicle during the day. Physics lessons for us all!
This also shows how important it is for us to be prepared for all scenarios when we immobilise
African wild dogs because an animal under anaesthesia can not regulate its body temperature;
this means we need ice packs and cool water to be able to cool them down and (foil) blankets
and heating packs to warm them up ready with us at all times! We do however completely avoid
darting when it is too hot or too cold.

06/09/2023

G R A T E F U L

So grateful for the support so we can continue treating animals in underprivileged communities! And a special thanks to & for the ongoing support and donation of some valuable medication.

10/08/2023

W O R L D L I O N D A Y

It’s world lion day !
It’s always amazing to see these animals in the wild and I have had the privilege to work with this species on several occasions. Namibia boasts FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) and TB (Tuberculosis) free lion populations and therefore frequent testing is a big priority. This includes compulsory annual checks on (the small amount of) captive lions that have to be done.

07/08/2023

P A N G O L I N

MEFT contacted us for assistance on a ceased live Pangolin from the illegal wildlife trade. Since it couldn’t be determined how long the animal had been held, quick action to make sure the animal was stable was requested from us. We always try to help where we can.

I examined the pangolin (without sedation or anaesthesia) on arrival at MEFT, the animal was alert and responsive. I advised to keep the animal in a quiet dark space and keep contact with humans as limited as possible.

The animal has gone into rehab and release.

03/08/2023

🐾🩺

31/07/2023

S T R O N G A N D H E A L T H Y

Collaborating with state veterinary offices!

These puppies have just been given a 5in1 vaccine by them and we’re supplying dewormer to make sure the puppies grow up as healthy and strong as possible.

27/07/2023

🐾💪🏻

27/07/2023

C H E E T A H

When at Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) I was asked whether I could help out with a potential seriously injured wild cheetah. So I joined the CCF veterinarian Dr. Mercelin Gawanas and my old colleague veterinary technician Vistoria Tuhemwe (on the photos with me) for the work up. It was very exciting to work with her again and see how much she’s grown into the profession. I helped clean an stitch up some of the very deep wounds and luckily the cheetah has recovered very well.

24/07/2023

A few weeks ago I spent a week helping the Cheetah Conservation Fund with their Rabies vaccination campaign, we vaccinated more than 300 dogs and cats. I also did health checks and gave medical care when needed.

14/06/2023

G R E A T N E W S ! 🐾❤️

30/05/2023

F A R M D O G

This dog seemed of last night and didn’t eat much this morning. She seemed to struggle to eat and only managed to take in a few kibbles. The farmer found swelling under the tongue; I examined it and it had at least one puncture wound. This could have been caused by numerous things like a sharp piece of bone she chewed on, a stick or a (insect/snake) bite.

The dog luckily didn’t have a fever and seemed otherwise fine on the clinical exam, except for a low bcs, but this is one of the working dogs we have now provided a bag of food for. She has now received treatment with antibiotics and painmedication and the farmer will make sure she only gets soft food for a couple of days. Please consider to leave a donation, for our treatment of the Mongrel Livestock Guarding dogs (and all the other animals) we need veterinary supplies, this is only possible with your help! Link in Bio : https://www.gofundme.com/f/kawdcp?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

29/05/2023

G E T T I N G B E T T E R

A few days ago we went to have a look at the calf who suffered from bad ulcers in both eyes. Fortunately it seems that the eyes are healing very well!

25/05/2023

W E N E E D Y O U R H E L P 🐾
https://gofund.me/2648db5a

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#worldwilddogday #kalahariwilddogproject

Let them be our legacy for the future generation . . . . @bensonboone #bensonboone #endangeredspecies #kalaharivet #veterinarian #wildlifevet #conservationist #conservationvet #beautifulthings #pleasestay #trending #viral #africanwilddog #afrikaansewildehond #paintedwolf #conservationproject #raiseawareness @kalahariwilddogproject @stichtingkalahariwilddogs

This cow had not been doing well for 3/4 days; she had been eating and drinking minimal amounts. We were asked to check her and see if we could do anything for her. She appeared very lethargic on the clinical exam and had a mild fever. She was also quite dehydrated; this is something that can happen quite quickly when an animal doesn’t drink well with the current high temperatures we’re experiencing. She also had an increased heart rate, which could be caused by a fever or pain (or both) and there was decreased rumen movement. The farmer explained he didn’t see her defecate for a while. In this season, with an ongoing drought and very little for the cattle to eat, I am mostly worried about the animals ingesting poisonous plants or foreign bodies like wires, sticks and plastic bags, but with these symptoms the list of differential diagnoses is long. For now I have opted to support with symptomatic treatment; NSAIDs, antibiotics and plenty of IV fluids with electrolytes and dextrose and we will keep a close eye on her the coming days. The farmer will supplement her with some hay and make sure she has easy access to water. . . . . #kalaharivet #conservationist #farmlife #kawdct #kawdcp

Today is world animal day and 2 days ago it was world farm animals day. Both of these days are focused on celebrating animal welfare and animal rights, creating awareness and improving lives of those who cannot fend for themselves. As a veterinarian it is something I strive for on a daily basis. This bull had been lame for almost 2 weeks and could barely put weight on the left hind leg. He was hanging out around the water trough all day, mostly lying down; it was too painful for him to walk into the bush and look for food, which at the moment requires a lot of walking due to the drought. The bull isn’t used to be handled and our diagnostics in the field are extremely limited but it seemed he had sprained the foot/claw while fighting with another bull. The least I could to is treat him with painkiller/anti inflammatory drugs to make sure he could keep moving and find enough to eat. When we saw him again a couple of days later he was a lot further from the water trough and moving around much easier. These animals are the source of life for these underprivileged communities that often do not have access to any veterinary care. . . . . #worldanimalday #farmanimalday #farmanimals #veterinarycare #veterinarian #vetlife #wildlifevet #onehealth #kawdcp #kawdct #kalahari #kalaharivet #bull

D A R T G U N E X P L A I N E D This is a practise dart filled with water , just to show how it works. The 2 holes in the needle are covered with a rubber collar, the dart is pressurized in the back with air through a one way valve. When the dart hits the animal the collar is pushed back and the content of the dart is released into the animals muscle. This video shows that in slow motion. Every time we go out on a mission to try and dart the wild dogs I have to refill my darts with the appropriate tranquillising drugs. In the dark, sometimes in a moving vehicle. These are reusable darts, so every day I will have to clean those to make sure the plunger still slides smoothly otherwise it may not inject the full dose of anaesthetics when we do get to dart an animal. The darts basically allow to give an injection from a distance and could also be used to provide treatments to injured animals, like long-acting antibiotics. . . . . . #dartgun #thisiswhatwedo #conservationvet #namiba #thisisafrica #wildlifevet #travelingvet #veterinarian #kawdcp #conservationist #tiktokveterinarian #kalaharivet #howdoesitwork #rememberingwildlife #africanwilddog #lycaonpictus #paintedwolf

P U P P Y We had a young boy come approach us about his puppy that’s training to be a mongrel livestock gaurding Dog. With some translations he expressed that he wanted to know if we could provide “treatment” for his puppy. With a distended belly and lots of fleas, which presented as anemia, we treated the little guy for internal and external parasites ❤️ . . . . #mongreldog #farmdog #guarddog #helpingout #kawdcp #happytohelp #treatment #thisiswhatwedo #africanwilddog #paintedwolf #travelingvet #wildlifevet #vetlife #conservationvet #youngboy #namibia #africa #thisisafrica

G R A T E F U L We checked up on a Domestic Dog that I treated a few weeks ago. the dog had several severe injuries and today we found him to be completely healed and feeling much better! With a waggy tail and lots of pets, we treated him for internal and external parasites. The farm owner was extremely grateful and we couldn’t be more happy to help! If you're interested in what we do or you want to know how you can help us help these farmers? please have a look on our website kawdct.org or consider a donation https://www.gofundme.com/f/kawdcp?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer #thisisnamibia #thisisafrica #kalahari #veterinarian #vetlife #wildlifevet #travelingvet #paintedwolf #africanwilddog #conservationk9 #thisiswhatwedo #conservation #farmdog #treatment #helpingout #happytohelp #kawdcp #kawdct Kalahari African Wild Dog Conservation Project

G O O D M O R N I N G ! 🐾 #thisisafrica #namibia #thisisnamibia #kalahari #veterinarian #vetlife #wildlifevet #travelingvet #paintedwolf #africanwilddog #conservationk9 #thisiswhatwedo #kawdct #kawdcp #conservationvet #conservationist

E A R L Y M O R N I N G S After many days in the field we couldn’t be more thrilled to have seen the Danieb pack. Not only did we have the opportunity to lay eyes on this previous pack of four, we were thrilled to find an additional four pack members. This now pack of eight African wild dogs has acquired four new wild dog pack members. Not only are we elated on the pack growth, but also that one of the newest memebrs is one of the KAWDCT collared dogs. This gives us the opportunity to monitor and collect data from a newly formed pack! #africaconservation #africanpainteddogconservation #savethewilddog #lycaonpictus #conservationaction #kawdct #kawdcp #kalaharivet #travelingvet #earlymornings #thisiswhatwedo #conservationk9 #sleepy #coffeeaddicts #africanwilddog #paintedwolf #travelingvet #wildlifevet #vetlife #veterinarian #kalahari #thisisnamibia #namibia #thisisafrica Kalahari_vet Kalahari African Wild Dog Conservation Project

M A N ' S B E S T F R I E N D Our family dogs, the conservation k9's, the farmdogs, the strays and the african wild dogs...These are the dogs we have to miss when we're traveling, the dogs we meet along the way, the dogs that keep us warm when Namibian nights get cold. The dogs we're desperately trying to save. They live, and die, for their pack.. And we love them all 🐾❤️ . . . . #backthepack #dogs #doglover #africanwilddog #lycaonpictus #paintedwolf #staffordshirebullterrier #germanshepherd #chihuahua #conservationk9 #kawdct #kawdcp #kalahari #rememberingwildlife #conservation #thisiswhatwedog #wholetthedogsout #woof #puppy #paws #staffy #staffylove #bushdog #pitbull #staffygram #germanshepherdsofinstagram #chihuahuasofinstagram #frenchiesofinstagram #frenchie #frenchbulldog #dogsofinstagram #doggygram #mansbestfriend

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