Throughout 2020, the AMRRIC team assisted Dr Sam Phelan in the Roper Gulf region on several occasions, including in Beswick, Bulman, Ngukurr, and Numbulwar.
For two weeks in October 2020, AMRRIC Program Manager Dr Chelsea and Education Officer Michelle assisted Roper Gulf Regional Council (RGRG) veterinarian Dr Samantha Phelan in conducting veterinary service programs in the Roper Gulf. This program entailed visiting the communities of Ngukurr and Numbulwar to perform desexing operations and deliver anti-parasitic treatments.
In Ngukurr, Dr Chelsea and Michelle assisted Dr Samantha with dog and cat desexings and Dr Chelsea also performed a tail amputation on a cat who had suffered an unfortunate injury, getting caught in a door. This procedure went well, and this special patient is now happy and healthy back in his home.
Numbulwar is situated right on the coastline of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Ceremony was also occurring at the time of the veterinary program, which gave the town a fantastic lively atmosphere. This, paired with the picturesque setting, made for a wonderful and productive veterinary program. A good number of dogs and cats were desexed and Dr Sam delivered on-ground education to community residents about Parvovirus and Ehrlichiosis, whilst delivering anti-parasitic treatments. Ehrlichiosis is a newly detected tick-borne disease in dogs in Australia that affects dogs. For more information, see AMRRIC’s new animation.
Whilst in these two communities, Dr Chelsea and Michelle also collected tick samples from patients to send to labs in Australia to aid in the maintenance of effective tick preventatives available to Australian pet owners.
AMRRIC are happy to have been able to assist Dr Sam Phelan and Roper Gulf Regional Council with their veterinary service delivery and look forward to continuing to support their animal management program in the future.
