Romania Animal Rescue expanded its outreach to include a capacity-building model.
By shifting focus to include training, the impact of our mission multiplies exponentially—turning a single skilled team into a nationwide (and international) network of high-standard veterinary care.
The Veterinary Training Camp Program addresses a critical bottleneck in animal welfare: the "skills gap" in high-volume, low-stress spay/neuter techniques.
Why the Capacity Building Model Works
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Sustainability: Instead of providing a temporary fix, you are embedding permanent expertise within local communities.
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Quality Control: By teaching the specific skill sets of Dr. Aurelian Stefan and his team, we ensure that animals receive a high standard of care regardless of the location.
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Scale: One trained veterinarian can perform thousands of surgeries over their career, far surpassing what a traveling team can do alone.
Key Specialized Techniques
In these training camps, veterinarians often learn advanced surgical methods designed for efficiency and animal safety in field conditions. One of the most vital techniques taught is the Flank Spay or the Keyhole Ovariohysterectomy.
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Small Incisions: Minimizes trauma and speeds up recovery time, which is essential for street animals that cannot be monitored for long periods.
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Efficiency: High-volume techniques allow a single vet to help more animals in a shorter window of time without compromising safety.
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Pain Management: Training often includes the latest protocols in multi-modal analgesia to ensure the welfare of the patient post-surgery.
Veterinary Training Camp
The Veterinary Training Camp (VTC), hosted at the Center of Hope in Romania, has truly become a global hub for high-standard, high-volume surgical education. By shifting from just "doing" the surgeries to "teaching" them, RAR has created a sustainable legacy that spans over 17 countries and helps thousands of animals every year. Up to 500 veterinarians have attended the training.
Countries: Romania, Canada, Hong Kong, Egypt, UK, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Spain, France, Finland, Greece, South Korea.
What Makes VTC Unique
While many courses focus on standard surgery, the VTC is designed for the realities of animal welfare. This means prioritizing speed without sacrificing safety, and minimizing trauma to ensure street animals can recover quickly even in less-than-ideal environments.
Mini-Invasive Techniques: The course emphasizes keyhole incisions and the use of spay hooks. This "stitchless" approach (sutureless ligation) drastically reduces surgical time and post-operative pain.
The Flank & Inguinal Approach: A specialized skill rarely taught in standard clinics, the flank spay is vital for lactating mothers. It allows them to return to nursing their puppies or kittens immediately without the risk of an incision on the mammary line being compromised.
Support for Cryptorchid Patients: Attendees learn to use ultrasound-guided techniques to locate undescended testes, turning a potentially complex and invasive surgery into a streamlined procedure.
Global Community of Surgeons
Since its inception, nearly 500 veterinarians from around the world have traveled to Piteasca, Romania, to train. The program is not just for veterans; it is designed to be a "confidence incubator" for:
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Vet Students & New Graduates: Who may have the theory but need the hands-on volume to feel "sole charge" ready.
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Experienced Vets: Seeking a "refresher" or to learn the "Stefan method" of high-volume surgery.
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Animal Welfare Advocates: Professionals looking to start or improve spay/neuter projects in their own countries.​
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The "Multiplier Effect"
The collaboration with experts like the Stefan brothers and the RAR Veterinary Team creates a "Master-Apprentice" system. When a vet graduates from the Training Camp, they don't just take home a certificate; they take home the ability to mentor their own staff, further spreading the RAR standard of care.
Center of Hope: A Modern Legacy
The training takes place at a state-of-the-art facility built with green technology (solar panels and electric charging). Because the Center of Hope also functions as a Homeless Animals Hospital, students often see complex cases beyond routine spays, from orthopedic emergencies to internal medicine, providing a rich, immersive clinical environment.
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​As Dr. Daniel Barbu, a VTC mentor, says: "It's really important to pass this on to the new vets starting so we can keep raising the standards of veterinary care in our country." This philosophy of mentorship is what ensures that every animal, regardless of its owner's income, receives world-class care.
A Review from Our Colleagues in Cluj
We are Georgiana Pop and Oana Badelita and we are the beneficiaries of the scholarship at the Center of Hope, Piteasca, Romania for March 2021. First of all, we are very grateful to all the parties involved who made this scholarship possible for us. We are currently working in Cluj-Napoca which is the second largest city in the country and have always wanted to learn surgery but unfortunately, haven’t had the chance. At our current practice there is a lot of work with social cases and much help needed for spaying and neutering.
The experience: was literally life changing. Our skills improved and our confidence sky-rocketed.
The staff: was very professional and helpful. From the very first day they showed and explained everything from pre surgery work until postop management. They were with us every step of the way. Our techniques evolved very quickly day by day and when the day came to leave for home, we felt ready to perform surgery at our practice.
The accommodation: It felt like home. The center is cozy, clean, greatly equipped with everything you would need to feel welcomed. We also got to get involved with different cases in the clinic as volunteers. The clinic is modern and also well-equipped.
What we’ve learnt: it’s more than just surgery. The skills it involves, the patience, the knowledge, the purpose. Our admiration grew for the team and their projects. We couldn’t wait to wake up in the morning and look for the spay shuttle.
It is because of this training that we felt really confident in what we had to do and performed surgery on our own after the first day we returned home. We know we can reach for help whenever we need and we believe that this unique experience provided not only good knowledge and modern techniques but also helped us develop great abilities.
We are so grateful for this opportunity, for you, for dr. Aurelian and his team.
Thank you once again,
Sincerely,
Georgiana Pop and Oana Badelita, DVM