Waynesboro veterinarian provides training in India

WAYNESBORO -- It is thousands of miles apart in geography and a quantum dose of culture shock when comparing northwest India to the Shenandoah Valley, but for Dr. Bruce Bowman, a passionate practice of veterinary medicine is the same anywhere.

The Waynesboro veterinarian and owner of Commonwealth Veterinary Clinic spent three weeks in June and July in Kashmir.

Bowman provided veterinary care and training through an organization called Christian Veterinary Mission, which seeks to serve others and change lives and communities by improving the care of livestock and animals.

The organization also seeks to identify parts of the world needing veterinary care, Bowman said.

For three weeks, Bowman traveled -- on foot, by horseback and in a four-wheel-drive vehicle -- with a spectacular backdrop of the Himalayan Mountains framing his trek.

"It was like one continuous camping trip," said Bowman, who stayed in a Quonset hut at 11,000 feet.

Never at an altitude of less than 4,000 feet, Bowman traveled to one as high as 15,000 feet.

While he tended to cattle, sheep and goats that desperately needed care, Bowman also encountered Kashmir residents who lacked basic medical attention themselves. "There was one man who had been injured by a bear. Gangrene had set in in his arm," Bowman said.

Bowman provided the man basic -- and perhaps lifesaving -- wound care.

As for the livestock, Bowman witnessed wildlife injuries and malnutrition.

And Bowman discovered that in India, veterinarians occupy a special place in the professional pecking order.

"They do not treat livestock," he said. "They treat dogs and cats in the center of the country where people have money."

Communication was disjointed. There were no newspapers and no Internet access, but Kashmir residents did have cell phones.

Part of Bowman's mission was to build relationships.

In villages, Bowman found "students who peppered me with questions."

"I felt like the students learned a great deal and will put things in practice in a remote area," he said.

Bowman said that although the people of Kashmir can manage, and have for centuries, "they need to empower themselves with knowledge that enables them to provide for themselves."

He can envision doing another outreach for Christian Veterinary Mission in two years, perhaps as a large-animal vet in Tibet.

"Those people are desperately underserved. I would enjoy being the first one to provide veterinary care to them," he said.

And Bowman said he would also enjoy seeing the majestic peaks of Tibet.

Bob Stuart is a staff writer for The News Virginian in Waynesboro.