Equine Welfare in Practice: A Collaborative Outreach and Education Program with Michigan State University, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and Universidad Veracruzana.
Abstract: There is great need for veterinary care for working equids worldwide. Addressing this need provides an opportunity for veterinary students to gain primary care experience. An annual two week collaborative outreach and educational program with Michigan State University (MSU), the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the Universidad Veracruzana (UV) was developed to provide care for working equids in rural Mexican communities. From 2017 to 2019 24 US veterinary students and 25 Mexican veterinary students, interns and residents examined, vaccinated and dewormed more than 2200 equids and performed more than 80 castrations, 100 rectal palpations for pregnancy diagnosis, 220 dental floats and 320 hoof trims. They also treated many wounds, sarcoids, vampire bat bites and tick infestations and also saw unusual cases including tetanus, eye injuries, nuchal bursitis, cervical vertebral malformation and suspected vesicular stomatitis. Development of the collaborative MSU-UNAM-UV Equine Welfare in Practice Clerkship required vision, learning, relationship building, creativity, fund-raising and perseverance to develop and agree on mutually beneficial objectives for all participants. The project is largely financed through private donations and supplies provided by pharmaceutical companies. The outcome has been a highly successful program that could be used as a model by other Colleges of Veterinary Medicine world-wide.
Publication Date: 2019-04-13 PubMed ID: 31013919PubMed Central: PMC6523699DOI: 10.3390/ani9040164Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This study presents the implementation and effects of an annual, two-week outreach program conducted by Michigan State University, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and the Universidad Veracruzana, which provides veterinary care for working equids (horses, donkeys, and mules) in rural Mexican areas. This collaborative project gives veterinary students clinical experience and has successfully treated more than 2200 equids from 2017 to 2019.
Participants and Activities
- The program engaged 24 US veterinary students and 25 Mexican veterinary students, interns, and residents from the three universities mentioned above.
- The services provided by these participants extended beyond basic care and included examinations, vaccinations, deworming, castrations, pregnancy diagnosis through rectal palpation, dental care, and hoof trims.
- Additionally, the participants treated various specific medical conditions in the equids such as wounds, sarcoids (skin tumors), bat bites, tick infestations, and other uncommon cases like tetanus, eye injuries, nuchal bursitis, vertebral malformation, and suspected vesicular stomatitis.
- All these activities provided the veterinary students with extensive hands-on experience in critical fields of veterinary medicine.
Program Development
- The establishment of the collaborative MSU-UNAM-UV Equine Welfare in Practice Clerkship program involved various stages, including vision building, education, relationship strengthening, creativity, fundraising, and robustness.
- The stakeholders had to work together to develop and affirm shared beneficial objectives that satisfied all parties involved.
Funding and Supplies
- The project primarily operates on private donations and contributions from pharmaceutical companies in form of medical supplies.
Conclusions
- The outreach and educational program has seen great success, both in delivering much-needed veterinary care in rural Mexican communities and as an effective learning platform for veterinary students.
- Given its achievements, the program has been suggested as a structural model for similar initiatives by other global Veterinary Medicine colleges.
Cite This Article
APA
Schott HC, Estrada-Coates A, Alva-Trujillo M, Petersen AD, Kinsley MA, Esser MM, Casillas J, Garcia-Seco E, Madariaga-Najera M, Fernando Martínez JA, Herrera-León A, Hernández-Gil M.
(2019).
Equine Welfare in Practice: A Collaborative Outreach and Education Program with Michigan State University, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and Universidad Veracruzana.
Animals (Basel), 9(4).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9040164 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, 736 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. schott@msu.edu.
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Veracruzana, Miguel Ángel de Quevedo s/n, esquina Yáñez, Colonia Unidad Veracruzana, Veracruz, Veracruz C.P. 91710, Mexico. aestrada@uv.mx.
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Veracruzana, Miguel Ángel de Quevedo s/n, esquina Yáñez, Colonia Unidad Veracruzana, Veracruz, Veracruz C.P. 91710, Mexico. mialva@uv.mx.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, 736 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. peter240@msu.edu.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, 736 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. kinsley1@msu.edu.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, 736 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. essermel@msu.edu.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, 736 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. casill15@msu.edu.
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, D.F. México C.P. 04501, Mexico. elenitags.eg@gmail.com.
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Segundo edificio, Planta Baja, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, D.F. México C.P. 04501, Mexico. madariaganm@hotmail.com.
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Segundo edificio, Planta Baja, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, D.F. México C.P. 04501, Mexico. fm1577@yahoo.com.mx.
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Segundo edificio, Planta Baja, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, D.F. México C.P. 04501, Mexico. arturher9@hotmail.com.
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, D.F. México C.P. 04501, Mexico. marianohg.mexico@gmail.com.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.
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