While staying at our campsite in Botswana, I met a group of Europeans that had been volunteering at the local animal clinic. I told them how I’m a certified veterinary nurse back home, so they invited me to volunteer with their furry friends for the day. 🐶 🐕
MAWS (Maun Animal Welfare Society) provides free veterinary services to low-income villagers across Botswana. 
Their clinic relies heavily on donations, and on the help of both long and short-term veterinary volunteers to work at the clinic. They have on-site accommodation for volunteers- a cute house with a kitchen, WiFi and on-suite bathroom.
Their facility is absolutely impeccable, and their stock of veterinary supplies is enough to provide adequate veterinary care for a wide-array of medical conditions. 
The facility itself has dog runs to house the recovering animals, which is kept up very well. 
During my time at the charity clinic, I was able to see an animal with a ruptured tumor.
The dog had been scratching at the mass, so we were able to apply some healing cream and wrap the growth to protect it. 
The dog looked so lovely and proud with her red sash that we gave her the pageant nickname, ‘Ms. MAWS 2017.’ 😛
We also saw an incredibly anorexic dog with a lame leg. Optimistically, she was more than eager to eat, so we started feeding her small, frequent meals of high-calorie dog food. 
I was also able to play with three puppies that were recovering from Parvovirus.
They’re obviously feeling a lot better now. 😀
The most adorable case of the day was this giddy little puppy that had been previously treated for anorexia and lethargy. Now he is full of energy with a tiny little potbelly. 
Overall, if you have the time and are interested in volunteering with MAWS, feel free to follow the link below and contact them. They are more than interested in veterinary volunteers, as well as, all animal lovers that are willing to provide a helping hand. 🙂
http://www.maunanimalwelfare.com/
My god, those dogs are so skinny it breaks my heart !!!!!! Lara
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Yes, it’s quite sad. I’m hoping they will recover well after some TLC from the clinic. Thank you for checking out the post. Take care. 🙂
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Hello, I was referred to your site by a friend, Tracy Lazarus, who knows your mom. Thanks for sharing your adventures! I have been enjoying them 🙂
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Thank you for checking out the blog! I’m so glad you have enjoyed the posts. I’ll try to keep things interesting. 🙂 Take care.
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Oh that’s the thing about pets. People ‘throw’ them away like discarded toys. We need people to be reminded that a pet is for life! We mean the pet’s life.
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Hi Megan,
It’s Arnie, we met at MAWS on the day that you were there. Thank you for helping out and it was great to meet you.
A bit of an update since you left:
The skinny brown dog has been named Buddy and is being looked after by the other vet nurse, Alex. He is putting on weight slowly but his eyes are bright and once he’s strong enough his left rear leg will be amputated. He should be fine and Alex is going to adopt him.
Sadly Ms MAWS 2017 wasn’t so lucky. Her condition worsened very quickly and she was put to sleep a day or two later. Very sad but at least she died with dignity and not a slow death in the bush.
As for the giddy little pot bellied monster, he’s coming to Europe in the next 3 – 4 months and we’ll either keep him or find him a great home via our rescue dog charity!
Keep well, enjoy your travels and hopefully see you in Barcelona!
Cheers,
Arnie and Samantha
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Wow! Thank you so much for the update. I’m happy to hear that Buddy and the puppy are doing so well. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that things continue on this positive note. Safe travels back to Europe. Hope to see you both in Spain. Take care. 🙂
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Hi there,
You are incredibly lucky to of had the chance to volunteer.
I have also written an article on Parvovirus if you could check it out that would be great. https://youngcurlyt.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/canine-intestinal-parvovirus/
Youngcurlyt
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Thanks for checking out the blog! Will do! 😀
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Great blog here! Additionally your website a lot up fast! What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate hyperlink to your host? I want my website loaded up as quickly as yours lol
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You actually make it seem really easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be actually one thing which I think I would never understand. It kind of feels too complicated and very extensive for me. I’m having a look forward in your next post, I’ll attempt to get the dangle of it!
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Excellent blog right here! Additionally your website loads up fast! What host are you the usage of? Can I get your associate link to your host? I want my website loaded up as fast as yours lol
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What a lovely post! I used to live in Gabs. When I saw the Botswana tab in your menu I was filled with happy memories.
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Wow! That must have been incredible! I always feel like living in a country gives you a completely different perspective than just traveling there. I would love to head back to Botswana, and other countries on that continent again someday, when travel becomes more accessible. Let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later!
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A good few years in both Botswana and South Africa — both incredibly beautiful countries. I guess they will always be a part of me. 🙂 I hope you get to explore Africa again soon!
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