SAVMA Public Health/Community Outreach Grant Summary

Editor's note: The following is a trip summary from a veterinary student that received a grant from SAVMA's Public Health and Community Outreach Committee to participate in an externship in an underserved area.  If you are interested in receiving funding for your own externship, please contact the committee at savma.phcoc@gmail.com.  Applications must be received 45 days prior to the externship experience.

Lori Newman
Tufts V’13

I recently returned from a Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS) trip to San Carlos and White Mountain Apache Reservations in Arizona.  I participated in a field clinic providing vaccination and spay/neuter services for dogs and cats living on those reservations.  

RAVS was incredibly valuable for me. I gained experience in several technical domains, including placing intravenous catheters, performing intubation, administering injections, performing physical exams, and running anesthesia cases for surgery. I saw cases that I am unlikely to encounter at Tufts, such as puppies suffering from parvovirus and animals covered in ticks or sarcoptic mange. I learned that tick-borne diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever pose a health risk to not only dogs but also people on the reservation. Several children have already died of this disease, and the tribe is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control to fight it.

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