Dr Kate and Nurse Geraldine are back from the Utopia group of Aboriginal settlements in Central Australia. In a hectic week they helped desex 184 dogs in a temporary vet hospital at the Arlparra basketball courts.
A remarkable collaboration between vets and nurses from Canberra, the Tennant Creek Shire council, AMRRIC (Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities) vets based in Darwin and the local Ampilatwatja health service worked to improve animal health and welfare, and human health.
The vets spent half their time in surgery and the other half out in the camps talking to the people about dog health and the benefits of desexing.