Renée Poirrier, DVM, an alumna of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, and director of the Louisiana State Animal Response Team, traveled to the Domincan Republic and Haiti Feb. 7-14 to join an international coalition of animal emergency aid workers in Haiti. She responded as a member of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Emergency Relief Network, in support of the Animal Relief Coalition of Haiti (ARCH), which is jointly led by IFAW and the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

The trip’s mission was to assist the Haitian people with animal-related issues arising from recent earthquakes. The ARCH coalition is focusing on restoring community structure by treating livestock, poultry, donkeys, and horses in affected areas, and promoting public health by vaccinating animals for infectious diseases such as rabies and anthrax, which are transmissible to people. The long-term goal is to establish a network of community animal health clinics in the region.

Here is Dr. Poirrier’s diary of her trip:

Sunday, Feb. 7: I flew into Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and met team members Bill Tanguay of the Animal Rescue League of Boston and Todd Stosuy from Santa Cruz California Animal Control. I stayed overnight at the Euro Hotel in the historic district and watched the Saints win the Superbowl in the hotel lobby with an EMT group from Baton Rouge on their way home from Haiti