A Summer to Remember

Well, I never would have guessed that my first time traveling out the USA, I would travel all by myself! And that it would turn out to be one of the best weeks of my life!

This last June, I headed off to Belize to help volunteer in a week-long spay/neuter and treatment clinic at the Hopkins Belize Humane Society. 

The Hopkins Belize Humane Society is a "one of a kind" organization that was started by a vet and his wife in 2008 and has continued to grow ever since. It services all the surrounding small costal towns as well. They host 6-9 free clinic weeks a year by having volunteer vets come from the U.S. 

In 4 days, we treated over 130 animals (mostly dogs, there are few cats in Belize...) and did around 36 spays/neuters! While in the U.S., spays and neuters are not necessarily as crucial,  in struggling countries, like Belize, the dog population can reach staggering heights and they often have little care or food. So, one of HBHS's main goals is to spay/neuter as many dogs as they can!

Dr. Jessica Braun performing a spay surgery 

Dr. Jessica Braun and I prepare a dog for surgery

Mange is very common in Belize

Most of the dogs brought in were malnourished

Mangy and bowlegged puppy

After surgery, we inspected this dog and found multiple bot flies

Mangy dogs

The last day of clinics, we traveled to the nearby town of Dangriga

The clinic was held in a classroom at an old Catholic church

Our view from the church!

Six bot flies were removed from this puppy

Ted and Ned recovering from their surgery

Reflecting on this short yet crammed week spent in beautiful Belize, I know without a doubt that I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Not only was it amazing to help make a huge difference in numerous animals' lives, but it also further ignited my passion to  pursue the veterinary field. I've already spent hundreds of hours in the local veterinary clinics back in my hometown, and while it was also inspiring, nothing honesty compares to volunteering in a veterinary clinic in a third world country/developing nation. At a nonprofit organization like HBHS that runs on its donations, money is not a concern and we never had to turn back animals because their owners couldn't afford it. Instead, we worked as fast as we would getting as many animals in as we could. The only thing holding us back was the amount of hours in the day! 

Look for more posts coming in the future about my experience in Belize, because as I said before, it was a crammed packed week! 

Until Next Time, 

NAT