By Vet James Forbes

We have received these photos and informations from the Australian vet James Forbes, who has helped at the clinic in Upper Dharamsala.

James, Australian vet filing a 25 plus year old mare’s teeth in a rice field close to the western nunnery at Norbalinka,south/east of Dharamsala,with one of the nuns helping.Luckily the mare was quiet as she was not tranquilised & just had a rapidly made rope headcollar on.

This is Robert, Danish vet & James doing a bone pinning on a street dog, with a week old mid-femur fracture,in the clinic. Again using very basic instrumentation, no X-rays, vicryl as stainless wire,a bent 18gauge i/v needle to thread it around the bone to help stabilise it & the only available Steinman pin we could find at the local hospital. After strict confinement the dog was walking comfortably two weeks later. It also had a proximal fracture of its opposite tibia, which was cast.

Trine,a Danish student helping James castrate the above mare’s 6 month old foal at the western nunnery with the owner supporting the front legs. Intravenous anaesthetic was used, with the foal up & eating within 10mins.We only had basic instruments but with artery forceps, transfixing sutures, a scalpel blade & a pair of scissors all went well.