Husbandry Work

• Kennel cleaning

• Dog walking and grooming

• Maintenance of clinic and kennels

• Building enrichment for the cattery

Veterinary work

• Spays and castrates

• Vaccination programs

• Emergency call outs

• Routine house visits

• Busy Saturday "open clinics"

• Changing bandages

• Providing medication to animals on long term treatment

• Bathing animals suffering with parasite or skin problems

• Gain a knowledge of fluid therapy and anaesthetic monitoring

• Develop skills in wound care and management

• Develop clinical confidence by participating in consultations

• Understand how to diagnose, manage and treat tick and midge borne diseases

• Learn to triage emergency cases

There is only basic medical equipment available on Zanzibar, so the style of work is often a very new experience for people coming from first world countries. Anaesthesia is done using injectable drugs and the monitoring equipment is basic. There is no xray or ultrasound machine. 

Please be aware that this is a busy clinic is a genuine working charity, with a varied annual schedule and workload. We love hosting volunteers, and you will gain a lot of experience with us, however this is not a student or surgery training course. Come prepared to join in with all aspects of the work, and do not expect your days to be solely based around surgery. All the members of this team are willing to dig in and get their hands dirty with all aspects of animal care and we ask our volunteers to adopt the same attitude. No one here is above grooming dirty dogs, picking up poo or cleaning kennels when it needs to be done. Whilst it will not be the focus of your stay, a can-do attitude is important when working as part of a small team for the good of the animals.

At the clinic the animals always come first, so you may work very long days if we are in the middle of a sterilisation drive, or spend many hours on the road when animals in need are far away. Volunteers are encouraged to participate in all aspects of the project, including medicine, animal rescue and inpatient care. As with all placements, the more you put in to your time with us, the more you will get out of it.