Integrated Wildlife/Community Programs
The interplay between community welfare, livestock management and wildlife is a complex issue, particularly in countries such as Guyana, South America where resources, educational services, and access to health care for both people and animals is limited. The majority of the country is rural and remote, and large sections are inhabited by Amerindian tribes. The south of the country, a region known as the Rupununi, is comprised of savannah, forests and mountains, and supports many villages who rely, in part, on livestock for subsistence.

RAM Community Based Animal Healthcare Worker Program
Another RAM project is the Community Based Animal Healthcare Worker Program. This program was developed by director Bruce Langlois DVM with the help of Dr. Sandra Chapman. The goal of the program is to provide education and training to people in various places of the world, who rely on livestock for their livelihood, but have no access to veterinary healthcare. Livestock owners and caretakers are recruited from local villages and, upon completion of the course, become designated animal healthcare workers. The training program starts with one to two days of classroom instruction covering topics such as basic anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and how to perform a physical exam and identify and treat common diseases. Following this instruction, the students travel to neighboring villages for three to four days where, under the supervision of the veterinarians, they gain hands-on experience with examining animals, developing lists of medical problems, and initiating treatment programs. They also learn to perform routine procedures such as humane livestock handling, administration of medications and castration of different species. By the end of the course, the students have seen a large variety of cases and have a working knowledge of diseases that are prevalent in their area. Students are also given a comprehensive textbook, written by Drs. Langlois and Chapman, to keep as a reference for future use. This project has been successfully completed with the Wapashani and Makushi Amerindians in Guyana, as well as with the Maasai tribe in Kenya. Other courses are currently being scheduled.

Agriculture Consultation
In many remote areas of the world, where access to equipment and other resources are limited, livestock and agriculture are raised by traditional methods. In these circumstances, small changes in practices can have a great impact on production. RAM Vet volunteers with backgrounds in animal husbandry, crop production and veterinary medicine can evaluate the agricultural community and make recommendations for improvements. This typically involves a period of immersion into a community to understand why certain practices are performed. A thorough understanding of the culture is necessary to be able to make recommendations that will be accepted and followed. Previous agriculture consultations have resulted in an artificial insemination program in Guyana to improve the genetics of the cattle, a dip tank reactivation program in Kenya to control tick borne disease and a thorough deworming program to control parasites in the goats of the Appalacian Mountains in northeastern Tennessee. These programs, while challenging to implement, result in sustainable changes that have long-lasting effects on improving the heath and welfare of people and their animals.

Disease Surveillance and Control
In the past, RAM vets have been called in to help with livestock disease surveillance and to consult on setting up disease control programs in remote areas of the world. One such program involved assisting the government of Guyana in testing over 650 head of free-ranging cattle for foot and mouth disease. When foot and mouth disease broke out in neighboring Brazil, the Guyana livestock industry was devastated when regulations ended all exports of cattle. The project of screening the cattle was completed on the dairy herds on the coast of Guyana, but cattle in remote areas in the south needed to be tested. It was a task the government and its veterinarians saw as impossible, so they called upon RAM for assistance. A team of RAM veterinarians and volunteers completed the surveillance in 10 days. Gaining access to these cattle can be challenging, especially during the rainy season, but RAM Vet volunteers helped the government meet the deadline for this testing. Due to the success of this project, Guyana was issued a foot and mouth disease free status, and can now export livestock again. RAM Vet volunteers are available to assist in similar situations in the future.

RAM Veterinary Center
Remote Area Medical is in the planning stages of an ambitious project to build a Veterinary Center in the Rupununi of Guyana. This facility will consist of a veterinary clinic, pastures, paddocks, chutes and stocks for livestock handling, and a laboratory, pharmacy and classroom for instruction and seminars. There will also be living quarters for visiting professionals and a caretaker. The clinic will be used by visiting veterinarians to examine, diagnose and treat problems in cattle, sheep, horses and small animals. In addition to being used as a fully functional veterinary clinic, the facility will also be utilized for a variety of projects including the RAM Community Based Animal Healthcare Worker Program. Other classes will include training for artificial insemination, livestock management and crop production. The center will also be utilized for agricultural, livestock, wildlife and eco-health research. Fundraising is currently underway for this project.

Volunteers/Donations
RAM Vet has a large variety of projects and is in need of volunteers. Veterinarians, veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, and agricultural experts are especially needed. RAM Vet seeks individuals who have a spirit of adventure, a love of animals and a desire to help animals and the people who depend upon them. If you would like to learn more about one of the RAM Vet projects, are interested in becoming a volunteer, or would like to make a donation to support RAM Vet projects, please contact the veterinary director, Dr. Bruce Langlois, by e-mail at brucelangloisdvm@yahoo.com or phone at (616) 437-6597. Thank you for your interest and support.

Recent Expedition Update:

Remote Area Medical Teams up with Best Friends Animal Society
At the request of Best Friends Animal Society, the largest sanctuary for abused and abandoned animals in the nation, Remote Area Medical traveled to Ica, Peru and Beirut, Lebanon to provide educational and surgical services. In August 2007, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake ravaged the city of Ica in Peru, causing widespread death and destruction. This left an expanding population of hungry, homeless companion animals and no means of dealing with this problem as the town struggled to recover from this catastrophic event. In November 2007, RAM Veterinary Director Dr. Bruce Langlois and veterinary student Jessica Perpich took on the mission to perform spay/neuter clinics in small communities surrounding Ica. Another key accomplishment of the expedition was to train the local veterinarians to efficiently perform spay/neuter clinics and to improve their surgical techniques, so they can continue to assist in controlling the problem of pet overpopulation.

Almost halfway around the world from Peru, another country struggles to deal with a man-made “disaster” – war. At the outset of the war in Lebanon, many people fled the country, but were unable to take their pets along, so these animals were left to the streets to fend for themselves or confined in buildings. Dr. Bruce Langlois traveled to Beirut, Lebanon in February 2008 to work with a devoted group of volunteers from an organization called BETA (Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). This is the only animal rescue organization in the city. They initiated a spay/neuter program and enlisted the help of Dr. Langlois to assist them in assessing their shelter and spay/neuter program. In addition, he trained 3 local veterinarians and helped them to improve their surgical techniques. By the time of his departure, all the animals at the shelter were surgically sterilized.