New procedure helps save dog and cat (sent with pix)LAMPHAI INTATHEPThe Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Prachuap Khirikhan’s Hua Hin district has for the first time in the world successfully performed the Buccal Mucosal Graft Urethroplasty in dog and cat (correct name) and aimed towards the veterinary education hub of Asia.In Thailand, Dr Wanchart Yippaditr, a veterinarian, said there were a lot of cases that dogs and cats were hit by cars and broke a pelvis bone which damaged their urethra.Normally, they will be operated by วิธีผ่าตัดเปิดและเย็บผนังของกระเพาะปัสสาวะออกทางช่องท้อง which often caused post-surgery complications; for example, the urethral stricture due to fascia, urinary incontinence and wound infection that could spread to the ureteric tube (ท่อไต) and worse cause a kidney failure.“They need very special care, so some owners have no choice but decide putting them to sleep to escape pain. This has driven us to study and seek another better procedure to cure them not to suffer long-term pain and bring back a normal life as soon as possible,” he said.Buccal mucosa had become the graft material of choice as it was flexible, easy to harvest, trim and moisture tolerant, said the veterinarian.A usual size of the graft harvested was approximately 2-3 centimetres and the surgery took only few hours, but the pet required 14 days for recovery at the hospital.At present, five doges and a cat had gone through this surgical procedure, cost 8,000 baht. One of the dogs was from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.“This is the first time in the world, I can say, that the Buccal Mucosal Graft Urethroplasty for urethral reconstruction is successfully performed to cure dog and cat,” emphasised Dr Wanchart.This kind of surgical procedure has ever conducted in dogs but for the medical experiment to new cures for human.Dr Khongsak Thiangtum, a director of the hospital, said that the hospital will continue studying and conducting more researches in order to discover new type of better treatment to steadily move towards an ambitious goal of becoming the Veterinary Education Hub in Asia region.The hospital has been equipped with excellent academic knowledge, a team of experts and high-tech medical equipments. Since four years of service, the hospital has gained trust from up to 100,000 both Thai and foreign customers.In addition, the Princess Chulabhorn International Conference Centre has been constructed for 30 percent inside the hospital’s compound to serve as the international centre for exchanging and studying veterinary education in the region.Kasetsart University rector Wuttichai Kapilakarn said that the university’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicines was one of the leading veterinary education institutes in Thailand which produced about a hundred veterinary graduates with quality each year.The Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Hua Hin was among four animal hospitals under the Kasetsart University“The Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Hua Hin is not inferior to anyone. It could be the 1st leading veterinary hospital in Asean already and we are aiming to be one-fifth of the Asia region’s leading veterinary education institutes,” he said.Apinan Suprasert, a dean of the Veterinary Medicine Faculty, said that the faculty has also begun preparing for the upcoming Asean community in 2015 by implementing a credit transfer of Asean students and organising the Asean Veterinary Student Volunteer Project to promote a better understanding of veterinary profession practices among Asean member countries.“So far, we would like propagate friendship and importantly build the veterinary profession network of individual, team and organisation in the Asean,” he said.(END)