Dear Vet Treks Family and Friends,
With a full and grateful heart, I am writing to thank you for your steadfast support of Vet Treks. Your generosity, trust, and belief in this mission have made everything we have accomplished possible.
It is hard to believe that Vet Treks has now worked in Kenya for more than a decade. Over those years, together with our extraordinary local partners, we have built something meaningful and lasting: a model that supports veterinary professionals, strengthens local capacity, and improves the lives of animals and the communities that care for them.
Where We’ve Been…
During our most recent campaign in May 2025, our teams worked side-by-side with Kenyan veterinarians and veterinary students to deliver care and share surgical best practices. In that single campaign alone, 736 dogs, cats, and donkeys received rabies vaccinations; 317 dogs and cats were safely sterilized; and 16 senior veterinary interns gained hands-on experience in high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter techniques. This work supports a One Health approach, recognizing that animal welfare, human health, and environmental wellbeing are all interconnected.
The 2025 Vet Treks, KSPCA team
When we concluded that campaign, we donated more than $20,000 worth of surgical equipment, medications, and clinic supplies with our partner organizations – including the KSPCA, the Community Animal Health Initiative, and the University of Egerton’s School of Veterinary Medicine – so that hundreds more animals would benefit long after our teams returned home.
Donating surgical instruments and supplies
Across all our years in Kenya, Vet Treks has helped support more than 1,200 sterilization surgeries, administered nearly 8,000 rabies vaccinations, provided accredited continuing education for 170 veterinarians and students, and donated over $40,000 in veterinary equipment and supplies. Every number represents healthier animals, safer communities, and a stronger, more connected veterinary profession.
Practicing the all-important Millers Knot
Who We Are…
None of this would have been possible without our incredible volunteers. One hundred and ten veterinarians and support crew members have traveled with Vet Treks to Kenya over the years, giving their time, energy, financial resources, and hearts to this work. I especially want to recognize two “lifers,” Dr. Judy Reens and Dr.
Ashley Ackley, who together have volunteered for ten campaigns! Many others participated in two or three campaigns. To every volunteer who showed up with compassion and determination – thank you. You are the soul of this organization!
Dr. Judy
Dr. Ashley
Vet Treks operates with no paid staff. Our Board of Directors – Nancy Harrison-Finley, Steven Davis, Stacey McKenna, Jennifer Braaskma, Dr. Scott Zaari, and Dr. Raena Furtado, and myself – works year-round to ensure transparency, accountability, and strong stewardship of every donated dollar. We are also grateful to Lauren Palumbo and Robbin Meneses of 3rdSight.org for their organizational support.
Most importantly, I want to honor the Kenyan partners we have collaborated with over the years: the Africa Network for Animal Welfare, the University of Nairobi, the Kenyan Veterinary Board, Dr. Paulin Gitonga of the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands Extension (ASALs), Dr. Mohsin Likoniwalla of the Community Animal Health Initiative
(CAHI), and most recently, Drs. Desmond Tutu and James Nyariki and their dedicated team at the Nairobi KSPCA. Their leadership, expertise, and commitment to their communities have been the foundation of everything we have done together.
Today, The KSPCA, the Community Animal Health Initiative, and other Kenyan organizations are collaboratively running high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter and rabies vaccination programs. That is exactly what Vet Treks set out to support: locally led, sustainable veterinary services that continue between and beyond our campaigns. Watching these teams grow and collaborate has been one of the greatest rewards of this work.
KSPCA and CAHI teams ready for their campaign in September, 2025
Where We’re Headed…
As we look toward 2026, Vet Treks is actively exploring how our mission can continue to grow and evolve. Our Board is engaged in focused planning conversations as we evaluate potential partner organizations, emerging regions of need, and new ways to support veterinary colleagues around the world. In addition to future local campaigns, we are thoughtfully examining educational and programming models that may allow us to expand our reach, deepen our impact, and share knowledge more broadly — while staying true to our core commitment to strengthening local veterinary capacity.
The world feels complicated and fragile in many ways right now, which makes this work feel more important than ever. I continue to believe deeply in the quiet power of collaboration – one animal, one veterinarian, one student, one community at a time. Over the years, Vet Treks has built friendships, trust, and shared purpose across cultures and borders. These relationships are how we show, in small but meaningful ways, that compassion, respect, and collaboration can create lasting change for animals, for people, and for the planet.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for walking this journey with us. Because of you, thousands of animals have known relief, countless families have known safety, and a generation of veterinary professionals has gained tools they will carry forward for the rest of their careers. As we step into the next chapter, wherever it may lead, we do so with gratitude, humility, and hope.
Whether through sharing our story or making a gift, thank you for helping Vet Treks carry this mission forward.
With deep appreciation,
Dr. Lisa McCarthy
