A LIFE-SAVING facility for Scotland's sickest pets is months away from opening. But the last push is on for the missing millions needed to provide the kind of equipment that will keep it at the forefront of animal care.
The £10million Small Animal Centre in Bearsden, near Glasgow, will replace the current animal hospital and will build on the cutting-edge treatments and research facilities already available.
Graduates of the Glasgow University-based facility are internationally renowned.
But the building housing the training centre is outdated and failing the students and their teachers.
The Evening Times has
previously reported about
the bid to raise the £3million still needed to finish the hospital, which is due to launch this summer.
More than 6000 sick animals come through the
doors of the current hospital every year, seeking treatment
for everything from cancer to broken bones.
A team of oncologists, neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, medicine specialists and anaesthetists work around the clock - dedicated to saving the lives of pets.
But the team say their current accommodation is cramped and lacking the
vital equipment that
can mean the difference
between life and
death.
The new centre will
help meet
the needs of
a growing patient list.
It has also been designed to be
eco-friendly and blend
in with the environment of
the Garscube estate, where
it is being constructed.
The hospital is being built into the side of a hill, with the roof made entirely from
grass. A glass atrium in the ceiling means the building
will be lit by natural light during daytime, reducing
the amount of electricity it normally uses.
Television presenter Carol Smillie is backing the new hospital, but donations are
still needed from the public.
She said: "The vets at the Small Animal Hospital
are skilled and caring.
"The fundraising campaign is still going on and I would urge anyone who cares about the welfare of animals to
make a donation."
During the past few months the Evening Times has gone behind-the-scenes of the Glasgow Veterinary School, looking at the work of our city's world class vets.
Today we take a look at
two pieces of vital new equipment that will help save the lives of pets.
Appeal for life-saving scanner
THE Small Animal Hospital does not have a permanent MRI machine.
Pets who need a scan before a life-saving diagnosis can be made must wait to use a travelling machine, which visits the school twice a week.
The system is far from ideal. The pets in need of an MRI scan are often dangerously ill, with every hour counting to give treatment a fighting chance of working.
If the £400,000 needed can be raised then the vet school will have their own, top-of-the-range MRI scanner.
The machine uses a system of powerful magnets to give a clear picture of what's happening inside the body - from clots to tumours.
Lecturer Gawain Hammond believes the new machine will make a massive difference to the speed of treatment - and accuracy of diagnosis.
He said: "The MRI is a valuable tool that enables vets to look for changes in soft tissue structures from brain tumours to tendons and ligaments.
"It gives us access to areas not accessible by ultrasound and we can see changes that would not appear in X-rays.
"X-rays tell us what has happened in an animal while MRIs show what an illness is doing now."
Linear Accelerator
PETS with cancer currently have to travel to England for treatment because Scotland lacks the proper equipment to deal with the disease.
The experience can be harrowing, as pets and owners are separated during the treatment - and the travel costs can put the option out of reach for many owners.
But the new Small Animal Hospital is set to benefit from a cutting-edge linear accelerator - a £2million machine that zaps cancer tumours, giving hope to cats and dogs with the disease.
A new joint initiative with the neighbouring Beatson Institute will see the birth
of a unique research and treatment centre.
Senior lecturer in oncology, Dr Jo Morris, said: "Cancer in animals and humans is very similar and distressing for both the pets and the owners. There are 70 different types of cancer that we've found in small animals and we estimate as many as 50 per cent will suffer from it by the age of 10.
"The new equipment will make such a difference to animals as they will be spared the stress of travelling to England and we'll be able to treat them much faster.
"We're very excited about having this machine in Glasgow."
To donate to the Small Animal Hospital Fund call 0141 330 4951 or e-mail campaign@gla.ac.uk
Comment
