27 Jul 2022
A surgical nurse at London Vet Specialists will be spending a month on the Indian Ocean island working at an animal hospital for UK-based charity WECare Worldwide.
Rachael Buzzel
Job Title
Holly and Bella.
A vet nurse is jetting off to Sri Lanka on a mission to help care for the country’s three million street dogs.
London-based Holly Brown, a surgical nurse at London Vet Specialists (LVS) in Belsize Park, is leaving on 2 August and will be spending a month on the island working at an animal hospital for UK-based charity WECare Worldwide.
“Avid” dog lover Miss Brown was attracted to the charity due to its incredible dedication to helping Sri Lanka’s millions of street dogs. She said was excited by the challenge and is looking forward to making a meaningful contribution to a cause she has supported for years.
She said: “I am taking a break from my work with LVS to volunteer abroad for WECare, a charity I have followed for years and watched grow.
“I will be assisting in the hospital as an emergency care nurse as they have a lot of emergency surgery cases. I will be triaging emergencies, performing life-saving first aid, monitoring patients during procedures and postoperatively. I’ll also be helping the in-patients and carrying out any other tasks in the hospital that need to be covered.
“It’s a well-run hospital and I feel I can really help make a real difference there with my experience at the RVC and at LVS.”
Miss Brown added: “In Sri Lanka, it’s estimated there is one dog for every six people and a lot of them are street dogs in need.
“I am an avid dog lover and have two dogs myself, called Bella and Limmy, so feel this charity is a fantastic cause.
“I like that they have a lot of projects going on, such as vaccinating against rabies and neutering clinics, plus an emergency hospital and education programmes for the local community.”
WECare was set up by UK vet Janey Lowes in 2014 when she saw the plight of the street dogs while on holiday in Sri Lanka. Realising the dogs had no access to high standard veterinary care, she decided she couldn’t turn her back on them.
Dr Lowes moved her life to the island and, since 2014, WECare has grown from a one-woman band to a dedicated team of 30 individuals. The charity has a core team of permanent staff, but said it wouldn’t be able to run without amazing volunteers like Miss Brown.
For more information and to support WECare, visit the WECare Worldwide website.
