Goat injured by Dog

Elise (the veterinarian) and I were out getting a quick lunch one day, but before we could even sit down the shop owner told us about an injured goat.  He explained that it had been attacked by a dog, and needed help.  We followed him thru some paths to a spot close by, and the goat was laying in the street screaming, surrounded by the neighbors.  What initially appeared to be a simple bite wound turned out to be fatal.  The injury had broken ribs, punctured a lung, split the spleen in half, and caused a huge hernia thru which intestines were moving.  In the end, we had to euthanize the goat, there was nothing that could be done to save her.  This is in Udaipur, India, at Animal Aid.

Instead of waiting for the ambulance, we transported the goat to the hospital on a motorcycle.

There are two resident goats at Animal Aid, they both came over at various times to comfort the injured goat.

There are two resident goats at Animal Aid, they both came over at various times to comfort the injured goat.

Shaved and getting scrubbed with betadine.

 

Surgery

Dogs are brought to Animal Aid (in Udaipur, India) for various reasons...this one had been injured (probably hit by a car) and it's lower leg was shattered.  There was no other option but to remove the leg.  Animal Aid will then monitor the dogs progress/recovery, and assess their chances of being able to live back in their neighborhood or stay at the sanctuary forever.  (India isn't like the USA...the majority of dogs don't have "owners" and they fend for themselves for the most part.)  So many dogs do incredibly well after an amputation surgery, especially if there's not been damage to the spine and paralysis.   Also, the dog won't be released back into the neighborhood without several conversations between Animal Aid and the neighbors, encouraging them to take responsibility for the dog, feeding it and making sure it's acclimating back to the area alright.

Worldwide Veterinary Services, Kolkata, India

On December 17, while I was in Kolkata, India on a trip, my friend Antonia brought me with her to the Worldwide Veterinary Service location in the city.  She had already volunteered with them for a few weeks earlier in the trip (she's a veterinarian), and was going back for one last day of surgery.  I've been a vet tech in the past, but they had that part pretty well covered by their staff, so I took some photos instead.  At certain points in the day, they had 4 surgeries going on simultaneously.  It was quite an experience!

They have a surgery...tank.  It's huge!  This day, however, all but one of the surgeries were performed in another location, inside the building.

The dogs are shaved/prepped with a straight blade.  These guys have got steady hands.

Antonia examining a dog that needs his eye removed.

Waking up from surgery.

Antonia is scrubbed in and ready.  One of the techs is putting her "risers" in place.  The table height is fixed...so the best they can do is maker her taller.  :)

Records for each surgery are meticulously maintained.

Each dog that's spayed gets a notch in her ear, so that future veterinarians will know that she's all set.

Watching the IV drip.

Monitoring heart rate and breathing.

Waking dogs are placed on the floor and observed.  As they wake up, they are transferred to cages and then the next day are brought back to their neighborhoods and released.

There's a lot of surgical instruments to clean...

The medical tank has a large TV screen so people outside can watch what's going on...inside.  Interesting.