Member-only story
A VETERINARIAN’S LIFE
A Boy, His Cat, and A Lady Doctor
in Africa
A number of years ago I followed my eldest daughter to Uganda where she was working with an NGO in Kampala. My plan had been to lend a hand in any way needed. But using that wonderful new thing, the world wide web, I connected with a woman who was interested in hosting spay/neuter clinics in nearby communities.
So with a hundred pounds of equipment, I made my way to Africa. The cheapest airfare took me from Toronto to New York, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, and my final destination, Entebbe- two days later.
Our first working day was spent in a community about an hour outside of the capital. Along with myself and my daughter was Dr. Berna, a wonderful and skilled Ugandan veterinarian, her assistant, Ibra, and a few students from Makarere University. They had very little opportunity to observe, let alone assist, in small animal surgery so were delighted to be included.
We set up in a schoolroom, using the desks as operating tables which we moved as close as possible to the window openings. There was no electricity, so daylight would have to serve as our surgery lamp.
With the kids out of school, there was a festive mood. People lined up outside holding their dogs on bits of rope, waiting to be registered. Police and…
