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Latest report from IAR Trichy

1st December 2007

by Dr Deike Schacht

Puppy receiving treatment at IAR TrichyLatest news from Deike Schacht on IAR Trichy is that everything there is working well. Moves by the government of Tamil Nadu towards implementing the Animal Birth Control and Anti-Rabies programme have prompted a restructuring of the team’s work.

Outside Trichy

The IAR team started working outside the Pudukkottai municipality in April 2007 and has operated on 900 dogs so far (the target is 1800 dogs with two vets operating one day a week). In November they were also asked to take over the ABC unit of Thanjavur municipality which had been established by one other NGO. The ambitious target there is to treat 360 dogs per month, with two vets working three days a week.

Both municipalities are about 60km away from the IAR clinic. They provide infrastructure, a vehicle, attendants and catchers and IAR sends a vet nurse, material and surgeons.

Nagercoil municipality, whose commissioner we know from Pudukkottai, asked IAR to send a quotation for operating on 3000 animals. Their reply is expected within one week.

Trichy

The IAR clinic is functioning very well. Owing to the heavy workload outside the centre the team has reduced the number of operations in the clinic premises to 120. Half of the animals are supposed to come from inside Trichy city limits and half from outside. All animals come from the surroundings of the clinic.

As usual IAR is also taking care of animal welfare cases and puppies. And most of IAR’s patients are still dogs. There is also a solid number of private customers coming to the regular consultation hours from Monday-Saturday in the morning or evening. For the past eight months IAR has also been giving regular surgery training to internees (Indian veterinary sciences students from Tamil Nadu). This has been initiated by Dr Anandagiri, Hon Vet Surgeon at IAR Trichy who is clinician at the government veterinary hospital in Trichy.

One new vet is under training (number three) and a fourth one is eager to join once the work order comes in for Nagercoil or Trichy. At least one more vet nurse is also needed. We have printed and partly distributed a very good Dog Bite Prevention leaflet in Tamil, the print costs of which have been kindly donated by Samrakshana Animal Welfare Society in Trichy. We have also rebuilt our puppy kennel area and are now able to cater better for smaller puppies and cats in the future.

IAR has also approached the Trichy corporation at various times to get the work order for Trichy itself. Dr Schacht paid a personal visit to them in November and it seems fairly likely that IAR will get the job.

The clinic is in need of a second vehicle and it is hoped that John Hicks will be able to arrange one via the Animal Welfare Board of India.

Thanks to Dr Jothiraj (finances), Dr Padmavathy (senior vet) and Dr Inbaselvi (junior vet) the work at Trichy is being done perfectly!