Mongolian Herder Veterinarian Training

Mongolian Autumn was generally pleasant and kind to animals and herders. However, the cold came earlier with October snowfall of 10 to 15 cm on the ground, and up to 45 cm thick snowfall and storm in November.

Our team traveled around 1800 km on snowy, slippery and icy off roads from one Bag to another and Soum center areas of Khentii and Tuv provinces in November 2022.

In the scope of the Autumn project for herders, we reached out to herder families in their winter pastures, and delivered First Aid Kits and Medicine packages. All the herders were provided with First Aid Kit usage and medicine instruction. 

During our Autumn Medical checkup, we carried endoscopic ultrasound equipment and delivered preliminary checkup alongside with sonography diagnosis to 75 herders. The herders got professional advice on their medical condition and further treatments.

Special thanks to our donors who made our project possible and helped us to reach out to those herders in the remote area with medical service and First Aid Kit and Medicine. 

In addition to donating directly to our projects, GlobalGiving allows our supporters and donors to create their own fundraising pages to invite their networks to support Mongolian Herders and their livestocks. There are many ways you can help us through fundraising such as celebrating your birthdays and running a race. 

Also, please kindly be aware that you can become our monthly donor.  You can do this via GlobalGiving. Recurring donors, even for small donations and support, are especially helpful as these are resources that enable us to continue our work. 

Thanks very much for your support for our projects in Mongolia. 

Your donation helps us continue our efforts to help Mongolian nomadic herders and their livestocks in the wide steppe of Mongolia.

Links:

• Steppe and Hoof NGO website

Summer is the most hectic season for herders on the account of producing dairy products and looking for the best pastures and meadows to have their livestock grazed on. During this period, the nomadic immigration from one pasture to another is very frequent. Despite the seeking for the green and good pasture, there is a big risk of spreading animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease and cattle plague, and leaving the wounded animals behind or loosing time to treat their animals properly. Thus, we conduct our veterinary training in Tuv Province and in the region to provide herders with substantial knowledge on how to distinguish common animal diseases like foot and mouth and cattle plague, especially for their ruminants, prevent parasite infections among horses and treat horses’ wounds properly. 

Throughout our summer training we have visited herders’ summer pastures, and checked their animals and treated those in need besides educating the herders with veterinary care and medicine. Some of the veterinary treatment took two to four hours. 

The conditions treated ranged from lameness, weight loss, diarrhea, nutritional deficiencies, chronic wounds, and a spinal injury.

We have provided treatments including anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, intravenous fluids, electrolyte and multivitamins, topical anti-inflammatory medication, wound care, eye medication, and drenching via nasogastric tube. Herders were advised on the reasons for the medications used, were dispensed medication to continue treatment where necessary, and educated on further treatment, nursing care and rehabilitation plan of the treated horses. 

Out in the steppe, it’s a far cry from being able to pick up the phone to a vet for some advice or need someone to treat animals. Thanks to our summer veterinary service, horses got special treatment and herder families’ livestocks in remote area got checked up. 

By educating the herders and their local community, we hope to carry on improving animal welfare and herders' veterinary and medicine knowledge across the vast Steppe of Mongolia even further.