AHMEN Vet Team Update
During the summer of 2006 new ground was broken in Honduras!!! Volunteering one week of their time, a group of Auburn University veterinary students, a father and daughter combo, and a middle-aged horse/animal enthusiast provided basic animal healthcare in and around the villages of Limon and Yorito, Honduras from July 8-23. Over 1000 animals ranging from horses to cats and all in between were medicated for a variety of internal and external parasites, immunized against many pathogens, and treated
for various conditions
ranging from bacterial infections to bat wounds
We did everything possible considering the time, resources, and knowledge available to our team. Unfortunately, we never got our veterinarian but we did the best we could through conglomerating a few vet students’ brains with the hard working hands of our support volunteers and translators.
While organizing the teams and gathering supplies and funds during the spring of 2006 it became very discouraging looking at the task as a whole. In order for such a team to be successful we knew that lots of supplies and funding would have to be attained and volunteers would have to commit. Some of us doubted it could happen. But God made it happen! Although we didn’t get a veterinarian, volunteers fell from the sky and donations came though in every possible way. When the wheel hits the dirt, veterinarians have very little free time on their hands. But they sure are generous when it comes to helping out a just cause! And so was everyone else!!!
Listed below is a table outlining the domestic animals and pathogens for which we treated/vaccinated and the approximate total number of each animal seen during the two one week trips.

Species Total # Vaccines Treatments
Dog 550 Rabies External/Internal parasites, wounds, various conditions.
Cat 10 Rabies External/Internal parasites.
Pig 110 Leptospirosa External/Internal parasites
Cow 135 Leptospirosa, Multiple Clostridial bacteria. External/Internal parasites, wounds, various conditions.
Horse 260 None External/Internal parasites, wounds, various conditions, hoof work..
Goat & Sheep 5 None External/Internal parasites

We were extremely lucky to attain the supplies needed in order to do this work. Just as with human medicine, veterinary supplies including drugs, vaccines, and equipment can become very expensive. Donation of funds and tangible supplies by individuals, churches, and organizations made this mission work. Without the hard working hands of our volunteers and support from people back home, this could not have been the success it was.

Through vaccinating, we hope to lower the incidence of disease in these populations of animals. Pathogens like lepto may cause reproductive failure in an entire herd and clostridia may cause sudden death in non-immunized individuals. Such problems of production lead to economic hardships and less food on the table. Furthermore, lepto and rabies are zoonotic which means these diseases are transmitted from animals to humans. Many of the external and internal parasites for which we treated are also transmitted in this manner. Scabies, tick-transmitted diseases, and a variety of worms are all zoonotic. Honduras has the highest incidence of Rabies in the western hemisphere. This phenomenon is due in part to an un-vaccinated animal population and the close association people have with their animals. We hope to lower the incidence wherever we vaccinate.

The animals of Honduras play an integral role in the lives of its people. Horses and mules are transportation and plowing stock, pigs and chickens provide protein in the diet, and cattle provide income and milk. Furthermore, people live in close association with their animals. Therefore, the people often have their animal’s diseases. It is more than just important to have healthy animals in Honduras. It is essential.


In the summer of 2007 we hope to expand upon our success in 2006. As of this moment, we plan to add another week of veterinary work in country leading to a total 3 one week teams. Once again, work will be done in the Limon and Yorito areas. We hope to expand upon our vaccination program to include horses and other pathogens associated with cattle. We also hope to expand upon our parasite control strategy by not only treating while in country, but hope to leave enough parasiticide with owners for use throughout the year.

We are also praying for a veterinarian’s presence on all three teams. Such a person would provide us with the knowledge and know-how to far surpass the basic animal health care being offered at this point. Small animal population control, herd management dilemmas, and equine health assessment and treatment are just a few of the situations in which a veterinarian would be of great benefit.

There have also been talks of incorporating public health, environmental, and intensified animal husbandry work with the veterinary team. These sentinel areas associated with the overall health of a country such as Honduras often revolve around animals in many pertinent situations. We would like to have consultants and educators with expertise in any of these areas. We are also considering distributing Spanish animal husbandry pamphlets to the people as educational tools.
In observing the overall poor condition of horses and all too common lameness issues, a need for simple hoof manag-ement was noted on last years trip. We were able to do a small amount of hoof work last summer, but saw a need for much more. We also were informed that there are no farriers and no tools in many of the villages we visited. A farrier is in the works for this year’s teams. We hope to leave tools, hoof trimming and cleaning people, and trimmed toes in the villages we visit.

As mentioned above, a farrier, public health worker, environmental worker, soon-to-be veterinarian, animal enthusiasts, and veterinary students are all considering work on this years teams. None of these have committed fully and more volunteers are needed at this time. As of now, we have no supplies and no funding but are praying that much of what is needed can be obtained by the container date in March.

If you or anyone you know has a talent or offering that could benefit this team in any way please feel free to contact me. Furthermore, if anyone else has any questions, interests, or ideas, I would really like to hear them.

Shawn Terrell (334-315-4334) terresl@auburn.edu