A Wyndham couple has made an extraordinary gesture to thank local vets for saving their four-legged friend.
David and Kim Larkin brought Angus their shih tzu-cross to the Melbourne University Vet Hospital in Werribee last month with a perineal hernia on his backside.
The condition is common in small breeds of dogs and can be fatal if left untreated.
They were so impressed with the doctors’ ability to save Angus’s life that they decided to make a donation so the hospital can buy life-saving equipment that usually costs about $30,000.
The multiparameter monitor being purchased with the donation, is a piece of technology that could help save thousands of pets’ lives every year.
The hospital’s Dr Monique Stanley said the equipment would enable specialists to better monitor animals during surgery and would drastically change the way pets are treated.
“At the moment we have to use a whole range of equipment to do all the jobs that this one piece will do on its own,” Dr Stanley said.
“It will basically help us monitor every animal that needs to have surgery.
“It’s really great that this family has chosen to make this donation and help save so many other pets.”
Development officer at the hospital Fleur Kellenbach said more than 17,500 pets were brought in for care every year and about 70 per cent of them would benefit from the multiparameter monitor.
