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Guidelines for Visiting Vets
If you are a licensed veterinarian, you might want to consider joining our Visiting Vet Program. If you are in Australia contact our Australian affiliate, “Bali Street Dog Fund, Australia”. You may contact them at: The Bali
Street Dog Fund Australia Natasha
Burton and Paula Hodgson If you are in a country other than Australia, contact us direct for information. To see the the dates, photos and read comments of past visiting vets, go to Visiting Vets. Here are a few tips and some information about what you can expect when visiting with us. General Practically all of the foreign veterinarians who have with the Foundation have found it to be a satisfying and exciting experience. Many come to us with the intention of only working a week and end up spending several weeks. It's a great way to experience Bali and get to really know the people. You'll also be helping to improve our programs. We prefer that volunteers work for at least a week as the learning curve takes a few days. Volunteer and become part of the Yudisthira family. Type of Work Your time will be divided between the Foundation clinic and the field clinic. You will have one or two recently graduated veterinarians interning with you. Our intern program is supported by the Udayana University in Bali (Teaching Programs), the Veterinary Association and the Minister of Agriculture. Programs will include sterilizations, vaccinations, and education (in the field tent clinic). While doing field work you will accompany our field team which consist of a local supervising vet, assistant vets, veterinarian students, dog catchers and a driver. Programs are flexible to the conditions in the field, which are many. The work is further described under “Programs”. Vets should be prepared to work under "rough" conditions where instruments and equipment is very limited. There is almost no diagnostic lab testing available and x-rays are hard to arrange. Maintaining a sterile environment is always a big problem as much of the work is done outdoors. Ours is a catch, neuter and release program. We do not have kennels. All of the stray dogs are wild and bite. Therefore they are caught in nets and Xylazine is immediately administered. Some may be shocked by this, but this the only way that we can catch them. Before surgery in the field clinic they are given Ketamine plus Valium if needed. The surgery is performed in the open usually under cover. Basic equipment such as a table, sandbags, towels, instruments and sutures are provided. Despite the non-sterile surrounds and no fresh running water (we bring our own), we try to keep the environment as surgically sterile as possible. Animals are not released until they are swallowing. Upon release, the owners, if there is one, are given post-op and dog care instructions. Ketamine and Xylazine injections are used for anesthetic (The Foundation vets are familiar with the proper dosages). Gas anesthetics are not available. Parvo and distemper are prevalent. Skin diseases include scabies, demodex, dermatophytoses and flea allergy dermatitis. These can compound into severe chronic "street dog skin" - i.e. alopecia, hyperpigmentation, lichenification, and even severe ulceration. Most animals are young and most illnesses seen are preventable and uncommon in the 1st world. i.e. brush up on simple illnesses that are no longer seen in the West. Other common problems seen are associated with trauma from free roaming and poor nutrition. Working Guidelines It is illegal for foreign veterinarians to practice medicine in Bali. The only way in which the Foundation can use the services of foreign vets is through a special arrangement with the government and national veterinarian association. Under this arrangement, we register visiting vets with the authorities as a teacher of local veterinarian students. Thus, vets working for the program must be fully licensed and certified in their home country. The foundation has been fortunate to have been helped by several 3rd and 4th year vet students from around the world. However, due to the government requirement that we only use certified licensed vets, students cannot do surgeries. However, foreign vet students can assist with the field work by helping to catch dogs, prepping them for surgery and assisting the surgeon. All of our visiting students have found their work with us to be an enjoyable and a great educational experience. Please follow these guidelines when in Bali. Failure to do so can jeopardize the Foundation and the licenses of its veterinarians.
These rules apply to all of the time that a visiting vet is in Bali, not just when they are working with us. In order for a visiting vet to work with us, we have to register them with the Ministry of Agriculture and therefore all of the vet's actions while here are our responsibility. Local vets will and have reported us to the authorities if any of these rules are violated. Please take these guidelines seriously. Failure to abide by them can result is the closure of the Foundation. Required Information The Foundation needs to know the following information. In most cases, this will be communicated to us by Bali Street Dog Fund, Australia.
Upon review of this information we will tailor a schedule and program to your and the Foundation's needs. Bring With You
Visas If you are coming for less than 60 days, then you should come in on a tourist visa that is automatically issued by Immigration upon your arrival. Immigration counts the first day you arrive as your first day in-country. If your stay is for longer than 60 days then you will have to leave Indonesia within 60 days and then return again. You can do this all in the same day if you wish. The Foundation is not in a position to arrange for other types of visas. Accommodations The Foundation will make arrangements for your accommodations and advise you of such. If possible and desired we will try to arrange for staying with one of the Foundation members or other free accommodations. However we cannot be guarantee this. Otherwise, we can make arrangements to fit within your budget. Simple accommodations in clean small hotels (called losemans or homestays) can be found for as little as US$5 a day. Food can be very cheap in Bali if one avoids the hotels and high-end tourist restaurants. One can eat local food in “Warungs” for as little as US$4 a day and in small tourists restaurants for about US$7 to US$10 a day. Transportation Generally, the Foundation will make arrangements for your transportation from your place of residence to the work. Local transportation is very cheap ranging from US$0.10 per ride on local shuttles (called “bemos”) or US$2 for a taxi ride within the southern portion of the island. Car rentals are available for about $20 per day. We strongly advise that you do not rent motorbikes as the driving in Bali is dangerous, accidents are frequent and, motorbikes are particularly susceptible to serious injuries and fatalities. Further, Bali lacks adequate emergency medical care and facilities (see below). You will need an international driver’s license to legally drive in Bali. Leisure Time We also recognize that you will also want to enjoy the many pleasures of Bali and will be happy to help and make arrangements for sightseeing and other leisure activities that you may wish to do. Medical Care Be advised that medical care in Bali is not up to Western standards and adequate emergency medical treatment may not be available. Many tourists die from accidents each year that they might have survived in the West. Consequently most expatriates living here have evacuation insurance. You should check your insurance policy for coverages. Contact Numbers:
The “62” is the country code for Indonesia. When dialing from inside of Indonesia drop the "62" and add a leading “0” to the area code (i.e. dial 0361... or 0812...). When dialing from a landline in Bali to one of our landlines (i.e. 0361...) you may also drop the "0361"
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