VDWoB and Tuition 4 MIssions
Veterinary Dentists without Borders
Through PEIVDF's Veterinary Dentists without Borders (VDWoB) program, missions are first being conducted throughtout the US, eventually expanding operations abroad. The foundation conducted its first missions to the Wildlife Waystation in Sylmar, California (November 08 & March 2009) and the Lake Superior Zoo (October 08).
PEIVDF provides their expert services - and the supplies required in the provision of these service - directly to the animals. That way, PEIVDF's efforts directly benefit each animal on which we work. Facilities as a whole do not receive direct monetary benefit from the provision of PEIVDF services.
Missions offer the opportunity for you to gain hands-on experience by participating in working sessions at the chosen sanctuary or zoo, as well as attending educational sessions during any case load downtime. Clinical dental disease in several exotic species is often treated, so events would normally be eligible for consideration for logging of AVDC training program visitation time and logging of exotic cases in AVDC.
The goals of the missions are to:
- Treat: Provide life improving advanced veterinary dental care and treatment to exotic animlas located in US and overseas captive animal facilities and animal sanctuaries, which are under funded and/or understaffed from a veterinary perspective.
- Educate: Provide educational services to rescue operation workers, as well as to veterinary and caretaker staff at the chosen captive exotic animal facilities/sanctuaries, through lectures, seminars, study groups, and any and all other appropriate means, to facilitate the provision of, and/or improve the ongoing exotic animal veterinary dental care available at these facilities.
- Perpetuate: Develop a curriculum to expand the program’s reach by providing hands-on experience and lectures to qualified rescue operation workers who are pursuing their veterinary dental specialty qualification.
For each mission, PEIVDF needs to ensure we are balancing the needs of the animals with the need to educate the next generation of skilled, qualified exotic veterinary dentists. Currently, PEIVDF is working to educate the next generation of teachers, which at this stage in our development, represents candidates with experience and education in veterinary dentistry, who need to hone their skills working on the many exotic species we encounter in our work. PEIVDF is also collecting information on registered veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants.
As the financial and teaching resources of the charity expand, so too will the pool of workers from which we draw for subsequent missions. In the interim, you can help by donating to the charity to enable us to continue to fund more and more missions to the many facilities that can benefit from our services.
If you would like to be a part of the future of the foundation, please download the form by clicking on the icon at the right:
Fill in the form, save, & email it to us at missions@peteremilyfoundation.org. We will keep your information on file, and as missions are scheduled, we will review the pool of resources available and will contact you if your skills match the current requirements.
If you would like to request assistance in the form of a mission for the exotic animals residing at your shelter, sanctuary, or zoo, please download the Application for Assistance form, fill it out, save a copy, and email it to us at missions@peteremilyfoundation.org. We will then contact you to see if we can be of assistance.