As part of an event in honor of Mandela Day, veterinary students and experienced specialists collaborated with the WanderVet team. Dr. Annari Greyling, whose desire to become a veterinarian was a long-held aspiration, is now realizing her commitment to animals outside of her private practice.
Through the organization WanderVet Animal Welfare in Pretoria, Greyling and her team deliver veterinary care to communities where financial and geographical barriers impede access to services.
During the outreach event on Mandela Day, 42 animals were sterilized. Furthermore, each pet received vaccinations, deworming treatment, and treatment for fleas and ticks. The animals were provided with food, toys, and warm blankets, and the campaign proceeded without any surgical complications.
When the problem is access, not compassion
Greyling notes the common misconception that residents of underserved areas do not care for their pets. She emphasizes that all pet owners encountered deeply loved their animals; they lacked access to help, not compassion.
Reencountering these barriers during trips, Greyling decided to establish WanderVet. Her idea was to provide veterinary services to those who needed them, as she often wondered how many animals simply needed assistance.
She asserts that receiving basic veterinary care should not depend on factors such as service availability.
The WanderVet team provides necessary veterinary care directly to communities where access may be a problem.
Pet sterilization and preventive care in communities
Sterilization helps prevent unwanted litters and reduces the burden on animal welfare non-profit organizations. Vaccination and parasite control are equally important elements of preventive care.
Greyling says the long-term impact goes far beyond one day: sterilization prevents future suffering, vaccination protects entire families, parasite control improves quality of life, and education empowers people to care for their pets long after the team leaves.
Community education on pet health
For Greyling, treatment and education are inseparable. Her goal is not to save communities, but to walk alongside them, build trust, educate, and deliver veterinary care where it is most needed.
Greyling also views the outreach work as an opportunity to inspire the next generation of veterinary professionals. During the Mandela Day campaign, veterinary students and young doctors volunteered alongside experienced colleagues.
She hopes that such projects will remind young professionals of the reasons they chose this profession, helping them reconnect with their purpose.
Educational programs for communities provide pet owners with practical knowledge to maintain their animals' health even after the outreach program concludes.
Collaboration makes care possible
Greyling believes that animal welfare requires joint efforts from veterinarians, animal welfare organizations, volunteers, and businesses. She maintains that no single organization can solve animal welfare issues alone; only by working together do they achieve more than the sum of their individual efforts.
Dotsure supports WanderVet's initiatives, helping to increase the accessibility of preventive veterinary care and educational programs in areas where barriers to receiving help persist.
For Greyling, this is the essence of veterinary medicine: bringing tangible benefit to the lives of animals, the people who care for them, and the communities in which they live.