A nurse s view through Thailand

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Leo Jefferson
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1 Vet Times The website for the veterinary profession A nurse s view through Thailand Author : Emma Hadland Categories : RVNs Date : August 1, 2008 Emma Hadland BSc(hons), VN, describes the cats and dogs she saw, in a rescue centre and on the streets, during a trip to Asia TRAVELLING through the vast city of Bangkok I choked back the fumes. Dogs were led in many areas of the street, taking in the few sun rays that managed to penetrate the deep smog. Strange breeds that I ve never encountered back in the UK lay in the gutters, roads and even across the cool surface of stone table tops. As wise travellers you are told not to touch animals due to the risk of contracting rabies or other zoonotic diseases if you are bitten. Already, I chat away to them in a language they don t understand or probably care to listen to. I pat them gracefully on the head, but they don t growl, flinch or look at all concerned. I presume this is due to the many Westerners who pass through every day. They wait for food, but my Aussie sidekick steps in he knows what I m thinking. He tells me not to feed them as it encourages scavenging. As we sit in a market café, little does he know I slip a few nibbles under the table. The dog s easily satisfied tum leads him to roll over contentedly in the street. Walking through the city and heading down towards the islands of southern Thailand, skin infections such as mange are highly evident among the strays. Breeding control is obviously nonexistent. Dogs sit everywhere and, surprisingly, on the islands many actually wear collars. Cats are less abundant and are often bobtailed, although the ones I saw were friendly and in the usual array of colours. After experiencing the harsh nightlife that Koh Phangan provides, I managed to crawl up one 1 / 11

2 morning to visit the island s rescue centre, PhaNgan Animal Care (PAC), principally a nursing centre for animals. The centre has a staff of two veterinary nurses, an administrator and a voluntary clinical assistant. On occasions, they will enlist veterinary help for neutering programmes that help to control the animal populations on the island and improve health. I was dumbfounded at the dedication a small centre that lacks modern facilities can provide. It not only treats the array of sick animals that are brought in, but it also teaches the local high schools about understanding these animals and respecting them. This is vital if the animals are to survive without cruelty or neglect. It provides a rabies vaccination programme, a vast level of parasitic treatments to the array of skin conditions that I had witnessed, and emergency care, along with a high level of basic nursing and critical care for hospitalised patients. Reading some of the case notes, it s a lot like nursing at home, but many animals are left until their condition is serious and critical. So much so that they collapse, are in a serious way and in need of emergency care. Ruptured pyometras, deep, infected wounds that may have been inflicted by a dog or monkey. On one occasion a sea turtle was admitted to PAC by a fisherman because it was just floating on the surface of the sea. The hours of care are immense but they are often successful due to the team work and perseverance that each nurse provides. My trip later led me to Vietnam. Within the first day I had experienced puppies piled high in a wicker basket on the back of a motorbike, and a whole roasted dog in the market place. I also saw a skinned whole dog, upside down, with its throat slit and completely intact, including its teeth, which seemed more prominent than ever. As a Westerner it is heart-wrenching to see this type of behaviour, but we have to appreciate the culture of other countries and their need for food. I will always be grateful to those who teach about other cultures, the respect Westerners have for these animals, and the dedication that the few rescue centres provide for relieving suffering for some animals. 2 / 11

3 A dog scratches itself and I look on as we sit on Koh Phangan beach. 3 / 11

4 A small kitten is tied up in a cardboard box of food at a street market in Hanoi, Vietnam. 4 / 11

5 A group of pups is caged up in a little basket on the back of a motorbike in Vietnam. 5 / 11

6 Startling we see a whole roasted dog tied onto the back of a motorbike in Hanoi. We also 6 / 11

7 saw more roast dog in the markets. 7 / 11

8 8 / 11

9 Left: A young Vietnamese girl holds a large snake in the hope of claiming tourists money in response. 9 / 11

10 10 / 11

11 Above: A dog and cat sleeping on the streets of Thailand. 11 / 11 Powered by TCPDF (

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