The Mayhew Animal Home recently had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Ioannis Fouskis from Crete, Greece, as part of The Mayhew’s International Vet Training Programme.

Dr. Ioannis Fouskis, who is a private vet and also volunteers and helps at the animal welfare organisation, Crete Animal Welfare Society, spent two weeks training with our Head Vet, Dr. Ursula Goetz MRCVS, GP Cert (SAS) CVO, and the rest of our Vet Team and finding out more about our Community Vet Clinic.

Dr. Ioannis spent time finding out more about The Mayhew’s Community Veterinary Clinic, which focuses on providing preventative veterinary care that benefit the London community and individual pet owners’ long term.

As part of the training, The Mayhew’s Vet Team provided an insight into pre- and post-operative care, protocols, and techniques for improved animal handling, efficient sterilisation techniques and pain management. Implementing these best practice methods significantly helps to control animal discomfort after surgery. It significantly reduces the risk of complications during and post-operation, improves animal welfare and minimises the stress to the animals before, during and after spay, neutering and general surgery.

Dr. Ioannis said: “I first heard about The Mayhew through the charities I help and volunteer for in Crete and thought it was a great opportunity to learn from The Mayhew about the different techniques they use for dog castration and spaying cats.”

“I have learnt a lot about the improved handling and treatment of animals before and after surgery, also the sterilisation techniques they use. I have learnt skills and techniques that I can take away with me and show other vets working at the charities I volunteer for. I really appreciated the veterinary nurses that worked at The Mayhew. In Greece I don’t have any veterinary nurses to help me during surgery, but I’m now considering training a nurse when I get back.”

Dr. Ursula oversees cat spay surgery with Dr. Ioannis

The Mayhew’s Head Vet, Dr. Ursula Goetz MRCVS, GP Cert (SAS), added: “Dr. Ioannis was keen to learn and a real joy to work with. We hope that by providing further training, he will promote animal welfare and pass on what he has learnt at The Mayhew to the charities he helps.”

“The Mayhew International Veterinary Training Programme was established with the aim to promote safe and secure neutering techniques for animal welfare projects abroad and to encourage the advancement of dog and cat population management abroad through education.”

Dr. Ioannis and Dr. Ursula post surgery training

Dr. Ursula Goetz MRCVS, GP Cert (SAS), added: “The vets participating in the training are enabled to not only help the animals, but to also gain an overall understanding of the complexity of animal welfare and population management, so that they are able to have a positive impact on the animals they deal with as well as educating the people involved to help relieve the suffering of animals all over the world.”

“We believe that The Mayhew International Veterinary Training Programme enables veterinary professionals to return to their countries not only with enhanced veterinary skills, but also with a general understanding of animal behaviour, knowledge about shelter medicine and the humane management of street dog and cat population.”

Dr. Ioannis checks his patient is fully recovered from surgery

We’d like to say a big thank you to Dr. Ioannis for taking the time to visit and train with us.