CHENNAI: The next time a strange insect bites your pet and you don’t know where to go, fret not, for the critical care unit at the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) is now the best destination for animals in distress. Revamped with the support of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the Experiential Learning Critical Care unit for small animals at the Veppery campus is the first of its kind in the country.
Highly essential in treating critically ill animals, the unit is equipped with 10 intensive care enclosures,complete with cushions and beds for small animals.There is also continuous renal replacement therapy equipment, a centralised oxygen therapy unit, a vital sign monitor, anesthetic apparatus, intensive care ventilator and blood componnet therapy system. This is to manage various cases of critically ill conditions such as cardiopulmonary failure, renal failure, sepsis, life threatening anemia and poisoning cases.
“Our critical care unit has been strengthened with this additional equipment amounting to a cost of about `40 lakh and this would go a long way in ensuring the animals’ health,” says S R Srinivasan, Director of Clinics, TANUVAS.
The newly tiled and spotless unit has the facilities to treat diseases that cause sudden multi-organ failure where the animal crosses over to a critical period can be treated — the most common being acute renal failure, insect bites and rat fever besides injuries due to accidents.
According to Srinivasan, the unit on an average sees about 10 small animals being admitted for treatment per day,most of them being dogs although a significant number of cats and birds also arrive with complications. “This is not a full stop to the upgradation of the facilities. A continuous attempt to improve the services including that of the technical and support staff will be made,” he adds.
Additional civil work to the tune of `20 lakh, also funded by ICAR, will be carried out at the facility.