Day 1: Prepared for Surgery 29 April 2008
It was the Big Day today and after the last few additions, the very first FAROS surgery formally opened at 10:00am. Christos and Tassoula were very pleased with the way we have managed to equip the surgery (all thanks to their guidance of course) and we were told that compared with other islands without a veterinary practice, the FAROS surgery is one of the best they have ever seen (check it out for yourselves by clicking the photos below!).
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Within a few minutes, the first FAROS patient (a gorgeous grey cat brought in by a resident in Yialos) arrived for her vaccination. At about 11:30am, there was a Municipal announcement on the tannoy system reminding everyone about FAROS and the vet surgery including opening times (10-2 and 5-8 for the remaining of this week, including Saturday). Day #1 was an overwhelming success. Despite the planned "working hours", Tassoula and Christos worked from 10:00am until 9:30pm with only an hour and a half break for lunch as people kept coming in and we didn't want to turn anyone down. However, we had to ask the owners of two dogs that arrived later in the afternoon to bring their animals in the morning as the vets were busy on an operation.
At about midday I watched how an animal (young Marios in this case) should be prepared for surgery, which included:
- the different types of anesthetics (and time!) that are required depending on the animal's specific characteristics,
- the time needed to properly sterilise surgical equipment inside the dry-heat steriliser
- the use of sterilised gloves, surgical drapes, scrubs, etc.,
- the pre-surgery preperation including the use of clippers, a catheter and oxygen supply.
Then it's the operation itself, and the necessary after-care at the end.
The vets were not here to impress us with how quickly they could do an operation or "cut corners" in any way whatsoever when it comes to an animal's wellbeing, but instead they made sure everything was done properly, professionally and safely for the animals they took into their care.
To get an idea of what happened inside the surgery when Marios was there, have a look at the photos below (for a larger version, click each photo!). The photos go up to when Marios was ready for the operation; I was far too squeamish to film the op anyway!)
At about midday I watched how an animal (young Marios in this case) should be prepared for surgery, which included:
- the different types of anesthetics (and time!) that are required depending on the animal's specific characteristics,
- the time needed to properly sterilise surgical equipment inside the dry-heat steriliser
- the use of sterilised gloves, surgical drapes, scrubs, etc.,
- the pre-surgery preperation including the use of clippers, a catheter and oxygen supply.
Then it's the operation itself, and the necessary after-care at the end.
The vets were not here to impress us with how quickly they could do an operation or "cut corners" in any way whatsoever when it comes to an animal's wellbeing, but instead they made sure everything was done properly, professionally and safely for the animals they took into their care.
To get an idea of what happened inside the surgery when Marios was there, have a look at the photos below (for a larger version, click each photo!). The photos go up to when Marios was ready for the operation; I was far too squeamish to film the op anyway!)
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It's been a very busy day and we expect to have an even busier day tomorrow as many people have already called to book their animals in.
Stay tuned for more news and photos!
Stay tuned for more news and photos!
Updated 29 April 2008, 22:48 // 439 hits