Equine Welfare in Practice: A Collaborative Outreach and Education Program with Michigan State University, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and Universidad Veracruzana

SIMPLE SUMMARY: There is great need for veterinary care for working equids worldwide. Further, students in the United States (US) need more primary care experience with equids in their veterinary curricula. To address these needs we developed a collaborative “Equine Welfare in Practice” outreach and education project to provide veterinary care to working equids in Mexico, while at the same time providing an opportunity for veterinary students to gain “hands-on” experience with equids. Veterinarians from Michigan State University, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and Universidad Veracruzana developed a two-week community based project in which US and Mexican veterinary students work as teams, supervised by veterinarians, to provide care to working equids in rural Mexican communities. From 2017 through 2019, 24 US students and 25 Mexican students, interns and residents examined, vaccinated and dewormed more than 2200 equids and performed more than 80 castrations, 100 rectal palpations for pregnancy diagnosis, 220 dental floats and 320 hoof trims. The project is largely supported by private donors with supplies provided by several pharmaceutical companies. Overall, the project has exceeded all expectations and future directions include implementation of community based engaged research and exchange programs for post-graduate veterinary training. ABSTRACT: There is great need for veterinary care for working equids worldwide. Addressing this need provides an opportunity for veterinary students to gain primary care experience. An annual two week collaborative outreach and educational program with Michigan State University (MSU), the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the Universidad Veracruzana (UV) was developed to provide care for working equids in rural Mexican communities. From 2017 to 2019 24 US veterinary students and 25 Mexican veterinary students, interns and residents examined, vaccinated and dewormed more than 2200 equids and performed more than 80 castrations, 100 rectal palpations for pregnancy diagnosis, 220 dental floats and 320 hoof trims. They also treated many wounds, sarcoids, vampire bat bites and tick infestations and also saw unusual cases including tetanus, eye injuries, nuchal bursitis, cervical vertebral malformation and suspected vesicular stomatitis. Development of the collaborative MSU-UNAM-UV Equine Welfare in Practice Clerkship required vision, learning, relationship building, creativity, fund-raising and perseverance to develop and agree on mutually beneficial objectives for all participants. The project is largely financed through private donations and supplies provided by pharmaceutical companies. The outcome has been a highly successful program that could be used as a model by other Colleges of Veterinary Medicine world-wide.