8:00am Set up the clinic under a tin pergola in the middle of a field. Two operating tables made from doors, propped up with drums – complete with gas anaesthetic machine, heart monitors, oxygen monitor and two wet sterilisation surgical kits.

8:30am to 1:00pm Treat patients, mainly de-sexing and castrations. We also treat transmitted venereal tumours and all dogs receive antibiotics and pain relief post-op as well as being microchipped. Really hectic as we generally have only 10 minutes between patients to prep the operating table and scrub/sterilise equipment.
Lunch – phew, some time to rest.

1:30pm Three puppies brought in by owner. Two have been run over by a car some time ago, one with an infected jaw and other with a damaged pelvis. Not sure if they’ll survive but they’re bright and happy. The owner really loves them and wants to give them a go so we treat them and hope for the best. We can check on them next week as we’re here for a month.

The remoteness makes it virtually impossible to treat animals in the way we can in Melbourne – there just aren’t any vets in town, with the closest an hour’s flight away. It’s made it quite apparent to me that vet programs in Indigenous communities need to be developed in consultation with the local people in a way that is sustainable and culturally appropriate.

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