Mayhew Int'l to Hold Spay Day at Agrarian University Vet Clinic

The Mayhew International team came to Georgia on October 13 and plans to hold a Spay Day on Sunday, October 16, at the Agrarian University Veterinary Clinic in Tbilisi offering free neutering for street and shelter dogs.

The Mayhew’s Head Vet, Dr. Ursula Goetz MRCVS, GP Cert (SAS), will be carrying out the surgery alongside Dr. Marika Chkhikvishvili, Head Vet at the University Clinic for the past three years, who has been trained at The Mayhew’s Vet Clinic in London as part of their International Vet Training Program. She is now passing the knowledge she has gained to the students and new vets in Georgia.

The Mayhew Animal Home is one of the few animal welfare organizations that provides veterinary trainings in Georgia. It has been regularly sending its vet teams to Tbilisi for the last several years. 

The organization managed to successfuly collaborate with city authorities, local NGOs and the Agrarian University of Georgia- the only establishment so far offering veterinary training and shelter management training in the country, according to The Mayhew International.

Mayhew International’s Spay Day will include spaying and neutering surgery for dogs that are brought to the Clinic from local animal welfare groups and individuals involved with monitoring street and free-roaming dogs in the local communities. Approximately 40 dogs will be spayed and neutered on the day to give vets and vet students the opportunity to see and learn about high volume, but safe and secure, neutering techniques.

The Spay Day will also provide insight into pre- and post-operative care, protocols and techniques for improved animal handling, asepsis, efficient sterilization techniques and pain management.  Implementing these best practice methods significantly helps to control animal discomfort during surgery, the risk of complications post-op and minimizes the risk to the animals before, during and after spay, neutering and general surgery.

During their 10 day visit to Georgia, the Mayhew International team will also be discussing the Veterinary Science Degree curriculum with the Agrarian University with the aim to develop a minors course in dog and cat medicine and surgery starting from the academic year 2016-17.

The team will also be returning to the Municipal Dog Shelter in Tbilisi to provide further veterinary training and advice on shelter management and improvements for the dog and cat environments at the shelter. The Mayhew has been working with Tbilisi’s Municipal Shelter and the Animals Monitoring Agency since 2013 to help them address the issue of free-roaming dogs in the Georgian capital and also sponsors a Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Release initiative with DOG – Dog Organization Georgia, a local charity and shelter that rescues and re-homes street dogs.

The organization claims to see distinct improvements in the veterinary standards of Tbilisi Municipal Shelter and continues to work with the city authorities to implement a dog population management program.

Within its International Veterinary Training Program (IVTP) the UK based charity’s primary goal is to train, teach and empower local vets and nurses to improve animal health and welfare standards. The Mayhew’s veterinary team in its Community Clinic in London is highly experienced in neutering, shelter, medicine and care of welfare cases.  The clinic aims to share veterinary techniques and protocols using the resources that are available, as well as encourage care and compassion for the animals through every step of being looked after and treated.

Until the end of 2015, The Mayhew International welcomed a total of 32 vets from many countries including several Eastern European countries- Russia, Georgia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Peru and Tanzania.

 

 By Nino Gugunishvili

15 October 2016 00:16