Oudtshoorn Vet Experience Internship

Vet/Animal Activities:

Learn about all the animals you'll be working with here. Mixed Practice Activities: Small Animal:

• Wellness examinations
• Routine vaccinations
• Surgery pre-med, prep & post-op
• Anaesthetic monitoring (ECG, BP, etc.)
• Blood draws
• Observe surgeries
• Observe dental procedures
• Ultrasound
• Radiographic positioning
• In-patient care (IV fluids, blood work, lab testing)
• Faecal worm egg counts
• Microscopy of Common African Diseases (tutorial)

Equine:

• General clinical exams
• Pre-purchase exams
• Health checks
• Pregnancy testing (ultrasound scanning, seasonal)
• Lameness workups (including nerve blocks)
• Observe dental exams & extractions
• Surgery pre-med, prep & post-op
• Ultrasound
• Radiographic positioning

Dairy:

• Pregnancy testing (ultrasound scanning, seasonal)
• Bull fertility
• Udder health and milk in-house culture
• Milk parlour routine observation
• Herd vaccination programs
• Herd management and wellbeing
• Calf rearing

Sheep:

• Wool and sheep industry education
• Shearing (seasonal)
• Lambing (seasonal)
• Teaser ram vasectomy procedures
• Sheep vaccination programs
• Sheep management and wellbeing

Exotic:

• Bird Industry and protection education

Companion Animal Activities: Small Animal:

• Routine healthcare & wellness exams
• Vaccinations
• Deworming
• Wound care
• Laceration repairs
• Pre and post-op care
• Patient monitoring for routine procedures (dentals, spays, neuters) and non-routine procedures (cystotomies, orthopedic procedures, amputations, etc.)
• Routine diagnostics (blood draws, lab work, fecal analysis, x-rays)

Equine:

• General consultations and exams
• Vaccinations
• Deworming
• Fecal analysis
• Lameness exams
• Ultrasound and x-ray
• Reproductive and neonatal work (seasonal)
• Surgeries (colic, angular limb deformities, umbilical hernias, c-sections, etc.)
• Dental work (rasping and occasional extractions)
• Postmortems (when available for anatomy lesson)

Farm Animal Activities: Cattle:

• Reproductive exams with ultrasound
• Evaluation of calf health in rearing units
• Tissue sampling for mineral analysis (blood sampling and liver biopsies)
• Sterile milk sampling
• Udder health monitoring
• Bull fertility
• Herd vaccinations and management
• As needed:
  • Difficult calvings
  • Uterine prolapse repair
  • Down cows
  • Postmortem exams
  • Bovine surgery (LDA correction, mass removal, enucleation, c-section)

Sheep:

• Wool and sheep industry education
• Shearing (seasonal)
• Lambing (seasonal)
• Teaser ram vasectomy procedures
• Sheep vaccination programs
• Flock management and wellbeing

Wildlife Activities: South Africa has one of the most diverse and exciting wildlife populations in the world. Experience the thrilling world of game capture – from immobilization to transport, treatment and release. Learn about the game industry in South Africa, species identification, wildlife conservation, dart gun safety and operation, pharmacology and species-specific drug protocols. At the end of the week, each intern gets a bird’s eye view of the game reserve from our game capture helicopter*.

• Vaccinations
• Immobilization for transport and relocation
• Immobilization for clinical exams, medical treatment, wound repair, measuring horn length and trimming hooves
• Immobilizing buffalo to test for TB, Brucellosis, Corridor Disease and Foot and Mouth Disease
• Immobilizing buffalo for breeding soundness evaluation/examination
• Immobilizing game for sample collection for genetic analysis
• Darting game with vaccines, deworming agents and multivitamins
• As needed:
  • Surgery
  • Rhino Dehorning
  • X-Rays

*Session must be at least 4 weeks.

Free-Time Activities:

Sundays are for students to unwind and explore the unique beauty that South Africa has to offer- guided tours are available and included in the program fee: Cango Wildlife Ranch (conservation & education center), Cango Caves, Mossel Bay (whale & seal watching, sunset cruise, shark cage diving)*, Schoongezicht Wildlife Refuge, John Benn river cruise. Other activities include safari game drives, sky diving, bungee jumping, and more! *Transportation to Mossel Bay is included but activities are an additional fee.                                                               

Please submit an application for this program below. Our team will contact you with more information within 72 hours- if you don’t hear from us, please check your spam folder!

-