June - July 2015

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PET CARE
81 Jun-Jul15
A BETTER BEAR
Alane recently travelled to Chengdu, China, where she worked
alongside the team at Animals Asia to perform a world-first surgery
on Claudia the moon bear. Claudia was lame after fracturing a
bone in her elbow; a team of “super vets” repaired the fracture
in a series of surgeries, using the latest technology and a lot of
compassion. Alane reflects on the once-in-a-lifetime operation:
“We created a 3D printed model of Claudia’s fractured right
elbow using the images from her CT scan. This gave me the
opportunity to see and feel what her broken bone would look like
at surgery; I had little means of knowing what her normal anatomy
would be, including the location of major nerves, muscles and
blood vessels. The 3Dmodel made me much more prepared, and
also helped me develop a plan for how to fix the bone.
I placed a large titanium plate and 10 screws to repair Claudia’s
fracture, and thankfully it went very smoothly – credit to the
team at Animals Asia, and the 3D model. Claudia has recovered
beautifully. I’ve seen videos of her walking in her den, lounging,
and playing. I’m so humbled by the experience, and grateful to
have been able to help.”
To follow Claudia’s recovery or to find out how you can help,
visit
VSH Hong Kong is at 1-2/F Lucky Centre, 165 Wan Chai Road, Wan Chai.
2408 2588 |
For many of us, our pets are as
much a part of our family as
we are. So it makes sense that
when they’re ill, we do what we
can to make them well again.
But what happens when the family
dog sustains injuries that are beyond
the capabilities of the local vet? Or when
your ageing cat still has nine lives but
suffers from cataracts? Until recently,
there wasn’t much that could be done.
With the exception of a few general
practitioners, there were no specialist
vet surgeons practising in Hong Kong.
Enter Dr Alane Cahalane, and the
new VSH. Bringing with her years of
experience in North America and the
backing of VSH San Diego, a specialty
practice established in 1990, Dr Alane
and her team of specialists are filling a
gap in animal care.
The purpose built, 14,000-square-
foot facility offers 24-hour emergency
care, and referral-only consultation and
surgery. Alane stresses that the practice
was designed to complement what’s
currently offered by the exceptional
general practice community that exists
here, not replace it. Since arriving in
Hong Kong she has worked hard to
develop relationships with the city’s
vets, and she believes that this practice
will become the standard for veterinary
medicine in Asia.
The hospital has staff on site 24 hours
a day, and currently offers surgery and
ophthalmology. From hip replacements
to cancer treatment, diagnostics and
minor procedures, the team at VSH
can handle just about anything. They’re
hoping to expand into internal medicine
and critical care later in the year.