Hello FML and other friends--

Our vet here in Addis Ababa, Dr Dawit, would like to spend some time
with US vets with modern facilities and with ferret-shelter owners w
lots of experience diagnosing their charges. He can come for 3-4 weeks,
and can travel. The goal is to observe/experience the use of machinery
such as ultrasound, gas-based anaesthesia, xrays, in-house labs, etc,
etc. There are no such facilities here in Ethiopia.

None. And I do not mean just for ferrets. I mean NONE.

Dr D's main practice is cats and dogs and some large animals. He and
the other local vets are tremendously hampered by these lacks, as you
can imagine. They rely on the literature, and on their experience and
intuition -- both are considerable in Dr Dawit's case -- but it's next
to impossible for them to get direct info about what's going on deep
inside.

Untill the postmortem, that is.

We are planning to set up a diagnostic clinic and a lab. You can see
that the misery of animals and owners -- not to mention of the vets
at work here -- that these facilities would be avoided is enormous.

We need to learn what's available, what works best, what the costs are,
what the sources are. Also, as a separate quest, we shall be looking
for donated (used or new) equipment, supplies, etc. And funds, of
course.

So we have these requests:

   o Can you invite or help us find invitations from vets, shelter
     owners, and commercial labs? Dr D wants to learn more about
     ferrets and to get experience directly applicable to the bulk of
     his practice, cats and dogs.

     Given the short amount of time Dr D would be in the US, we will
     divide our efferts to a large extent -- I would look into
     in-house vet labs and commercial labs, and Dr Dawit would
     concentrate on observing at vets and shelters.

   o Can you help with fundraising?

     Or identify some sources of potential help for us?

     Or, if you know fundraising but don't have the time to actually
     do some for us, can you give us some guidance?

The invitations to Dr Dawit, and even those to me, would help Dr D
obtain his visa to visit the US if the invitations were in writing.
Faxed w/ letterhead as part of the invitation would be best. The next
best -- and very good -- would be invitations via email. You have my
address, and here is Dr Dawit's:

        [log in to unmask]

Dr Dawit is a great guy, by the way. Not just a skilled and
conscientious vet, but a kind, observant, refined, and intelligent
person! You will like him and enjoy his company on all those levels.

He and/or I can go through England or Frankfurt on the way to the US,
and while in the US, we can go to different states. Mass, Oregon, and
Calif are already planned.

[Posted in FML 5950]