In some good news for pet owners living in Gurugram, a computed tomography (CT) scanner and a dedicated ophthalmology unit will soon be operational at a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital in DLF Phase-III.
Salisha Whitney Correia, a postgraduate in veterinary surgery and radiology who works at CGS Hospital, said that the CT scan machine for pets, which costs ₹2 crore, will be the first in India.
Dr. Correia said that a CT scan for pets is identical to the one done for humans and the machine is mostly the same too. The procedure at CGS Hospital will be conducted under the supervision of a qualified veterinarian.
Currently, CT scans of pets are done in machines meant for humans.
The new machine will help veterinarians spot the exact location of tumours and facilitate surgical approach and minimise surgery time.
It will also help understand the extent of canine and feline cancers and could prove helpful in cases of injuries, said Dr. Correia.
The new ophthalmology unit will help deal with eye-related ailments. “Cataract has become common among dogs, but its treatment is not available in India. The new unit will help deal with eye-related ailments,” said Dr. Correia.
Spread over a sprawling campus of more than one acre, the hospital is a unit of CGS Charitable Trust under DLF Foundation. It offers diagnostic endoscopy, laparoscopy, echo-cardiography and minimally invasive orthopaedic surgery.
Vaibhav Bishnoi, a postgraduate in veterinary surgery and radiology, said that ‘titanium elastic nailing’ technique being used for fixing fractures in pets was minimally invasive, cheap and required minimum post-operative care.
Dr. Bishnoi, who has performed the procedure on more than a dozen dogs over the past two years, said that the orthopaedic unit also carried out knee-cap and hip-displacement surgeries.
Many facilities
Equipped with air-conditioned in-patient facility for around 20 dogs, the hospital also boasts a boarding facility for canines, grooming services, a pet shop, in-house pharmacy and separate microbiology and pathology laboratories.
The hospital also has a separate OPD for cats.
Samar S. Mahendran, director of the hospital, said heart disease, diabetes and kidney stones have become common among dogs and cats, and that there was need to create awareness among pet owners.
“We aim to set standards in pet care and the hospital is run as part of a Corporate Social Responsibility activity,” said Dr. Mahendran.
Dr. Correia said that on an average the hospital attends to around 100-120 patients a day and performs five to six surgeries daily.
The hospital is open round-the-clock with emergency services available from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. Stray dogs and cats are also provided treatment.
Pet owners come to the hospital from as far Patna, Indore, Assam, and even south India.
Dr. Correia recalled how a family came to them with their dog that had a nasal discharge, and was treated successfully.
“Having tried all local doctors, they came to us for treatment. We conducted rhinoscopy and diagnosed fungal infection. It required flushing of nasal cavity once a week and the dog, Eva, remained admitted for two weeks. The treatment continued for over three months and the family would come with their dog every time the doctor called them,” said Dr. Correia.