A TROON vet has has returned from her volunteer work with the Worldwide Veterinary Service at an International Training Centre (ITC) in Ooty, India.

Inga McDermott, who previously worked at the ITC in 2015, went back this year to deliver new equipment that aims to transform the everyday working life for the centre.

Speaking about her experiences Inga said: "I hope that supplying the ITCs with this equipment will further benefit the excellent standards and services they offer by having access to on-site results and allow participants on the courses to learn how to run and interpret their own lab work."

As part of a course at the Ooty ITC, Inga educated both resident vets and course participants on the uses of the equipment and the interpretation of results.

The course run by WVS at the Ooty ITC is held in very high regard in the area – where many fully qualified vets have had next to no surgical education or experience.

Course participants travel for miles to take part, with one Nepalese vet having travelled for three days to be able to benefit from the education that the course would provide.

Inga continued: "There were so many talented and dedicated vets who just want to do the best they can but who don’t have any other surgical education available.

"It was such a massive step to be able to share the minimum database test with them."

"In India and Thailand your situation or lack of technology is never an excuse for not doing the best job that you can do – they’re so adaptable."

The ‘Minumum Database Blood test’ is a simple method of obtaining immediate results from blood and urine samples, in order to quickly diagnose life threatening problems in small animals.

Inga used the testing methods in emergency settings at Vets Now and last year it occurred to her that this could be transferable to the basic practice or charity settings that she had experienced in her time with WVS.

Vets Now is the leading provider of emergency veterinary care for small animals in the UK.

Both Vets Now and supplier Woodley equipment contributed to lab equipment and training materials for the minimum database to be set up in not only Ooty, but Thailand where Inga worked earlier this year for WVS.

Amanda Boag, clinical director of Vet Now, said: "We’re very proud to have a vet like Inga working for us and fully support the amazing work that she does with WVS.

"As well as being a valuable resource for the training centres, we hope that Inga’s presentation of the minimum database in India and Thailand will encourage the participant vets to consider basic diagnostics in their own practices for the future."

Vets Now is the leading provider of emergency veterinary care for small animals in the UK.