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.