A Colorado veterinarian’s passion for rabies prevention raised nearly $14,000 for Washington State University’s Rabies Free Africa program through a virtual 5K fundraiser this summer.
Dr. Ana McIntosh, chief of staff veterinarian at Polo Springs Veterinary Hospital in Colorado Springs, organized the inaugural Run Wild! Rabies Free Africa 5K after witnessing firsthand the impact of canine rabies vaccination efforts in rural Tanzania. Participants from across the world were invited to run, walk, hike, or donate in support of canine rabies vaccination efforts in Tanzania.
The event far exceeded its original goal, but McIntosh said the race provided much more than financial support.
“It has brought a renewed sense of purpose to my veterinary career,” McIntosh said.
McIntosh’s interest in rabies dates back to a veterinary school externship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s rabies department. There, she saw firsthand how closely animal and human health are connected.
When Vetcor, a national network of veterinary clinics in the United States and Canada, announced its partnership with Rabies Free Africa in 2023, McIntosh immediately enrolled her hospital.
“I love my day-to-day job in clinical practice, but this felt like an opportunity to do something more with my veterinary knowledge and skills,” McIntosh said.
That commitment only deepened during her trip to Tanzania in 2025, where she helped vaccinate nearly 2,000 animals over 10 days in remote villages. Families walked for miles with their pets and waited patiently for hours to receive care.
“It was amazing to see how excited the communities were to have us,” McIntosh said.
One afternoon, a group of children arrived carrying dozens of dogs still waiting to be vaccinated.
“Their enthusiasm to get their pets vaccinated was obvious, as was the pride when holding that rabies certificate up afterwards,” she said. “In that moment, I knew how much the work we were doing there meant to these families. We were truly saving lives.”
The experience displayed the devastating impact rabies continues to have in many parts of Africa, where children account for the majority of human rabies deaths and access to post-exposure treatment can be limited or prohibitively expensive.
“The women I met on the trip were mothers, just like me, who work hard every day to provide for their families,” McIntosh said. “However, their children are dying from a disease that I as a veterinarian can prevent.”
For McIntosh, the race is only the beginning.
“As veterinarians, we are uniquely positioned to eradicate rabies,” she said. “Human physicians can care for exposed patients, but we can control the disease before the dog bites.”
She plans to continue supporting Rabies Free Africa and hopes to make the 5K an annual event.
