Rarotonga - Land of the 3 legged dog!

I took a few days off from laying in the sun and flying to pacific atolls to work at Esther Honey Foundation.  EHF is a charity helping animals in the South Pacific. As in a lot of developing countries dogs roam free even if they are owned. The major problem here is road traffic accident - it's a island full of 3 legged dogs!

My first morning this big boy came in having been run over - it initially looked very bad with very laboured breathing. The clinic had an x-ray machine and we snapped a pic of his chest. We then had to drive 2 km on a moped to the local hospital to have it digitally processed! Fortunately over the next few days he made a good improvement - these island dogs are tough!

A lot of Australian veterinary student and veterinary nurses come over to volunteer here. 

What happens to the operating room when a dog wakes up badly from an anaesthetic!

Lee and Bailey from Oz working on a dog

 
I was presented with a a dog with a large mass in his mouth - probably an acanthomatous epulis - rostral mandibulectomy probably would have been the op of choice but in the islands as soon as dogs  go home they are out roaming the streets, eating bones etc. I decided a mandibulectomy would be too great a risk for wound breakdown - so I did a wedge excision instead - a compromise - but  that's the situation  in developing countries - whether it be through lack of equipment, lack of drugs or qualified staff. But we do the best we can...

Saying goodbye to the team as they raise funds for Esther Honey at the Saturday market.