The Barkly Blitz

The 8 day Tennant Creek Animal Health Program

The Barkly Shire’s 8 day Animal Health Week commenced on Monday 16 July in a pavilion at the local showground. We set up a MASH style hospital with 4 ‘work stations’, anaesthetic machines, beeping monitors, an industrious veterinary team and dogs having surgery under full anaesthetic to waking up in the ‘recovery ward’. 

Dr Judith Mulholland was the principal vet of the team. She is supported by 2 vet nurses, Denise Pagliaro and Cathy McAdie, the Barkly Shire vet, Malcolm McGrath, South Australian vet Libby Varcoe and AMRRIC vets Jan Allen and John Skuja. The Barkly’s Regional Animal and Environmental Health Officer, Brian Radovic is full of praise for his Indigenous team of Barkly Shire Ranger, Carl Mohrholz, Animal Health Workers, Marcus Neil (Canteen Creek), Digger Nelson and James Bonney (Ampilawatja) who have supported the program.

There were 186 desexings done with the majority being bitches. This should see a great reduction in puppy production in the town of Tennant creek and surrounding 7 urban living areas. Dion, of Cheeky Dogs, has been an avid supporter of the program, often directing the team to dog households needing the desexings services offered and coming every day to watch the surgeries.

This was a highly successful effort with support from many community groups. The Barkly Shire is setting a benchmark for community dog health.