The University of Liverpool has opened its new 10 million pound state-of-the-art Small Animal Teaching Hospital, placing the University at the forefront of small animal veterinary care in the UK.
The hospital, based at Leahurst, Wirral, provides the most sophisticated therapies and treatments available to small animals in the UK. Its facilities include MRI and CT scanning, a keyhole surgery theatre, a radiotherapy unit and digital X-ray technology. The 86-room hospital, servicing the whole of Northern England and North Wales, can accommodate up to 72 in-patients. The facility is also used to train the 600 students on the University's Veterinary Science degree programme in their final years of study.
Patron of the University's Veterinary Development campaign which has funded the hospital, His Grace, the Duke of Westminster, said: "The University of Liverpool's academic expertise spans a wide range of specialisms which is why the institution is ideally placed to provide such a wide breadth of treatments to animals in this country. The Small Animal Teaching Hospital is a European Centre of Excellence in researching, treating and managing illness in small animals."
The launch will also mark the opening of Europe's first Hill's Pet Mobility Centre to enable a range of orthopaedic and musculoskeletal research projects that could lead to improved treatments for conditions such as arthritis in cats and dogs - a condition which affects 20% of adult dogs and 50% of cats over 10 years of age.
Funded by Hill's Pet Nutrition, the centre features innovative equipment including a gait analysis system, canine treadmill and kinematic motion capture technology which enables vets to study animal movement in a non-invasive manner. A patient's movement is assessed on the treadmill and then evaluated using the gait analysis system so progressions in their mobility can be tracked whilst receiving treatment.
Treatment for cancer in small animals will be provided by the hospital's Johnson Foundation Radiotherapy Unit - the only radiotherapy unit in the UK supported by both a therapeutic radiographer and a specialist veterinary oncologist.
The unit's linear accelerator will provide tumour control and pain relief across a broad range of cancers and will also be used to train health science students on the University's radiotherapy degree programme.
The referral-only Small Animal Teaching Hospital houses four operating theatres - one equipped with the latest technology for keyhole surgery which has become increasingly important for the treatment of animal diseases as it reduces the need for extensive surgical procedures and so decreases recovery time and post-operative pain.
The hospital's imaging facilities are unrivalled in the UK, boasting two digital X-ray rooms, two ultrasound rooms and a dedicated echocardiography room for scanning hearts. The hospital is the only one in the UK with both an MRI and CT scanner in-house.
Professor Sandy Trees, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science commented: "These new facilities will enable Liverpool to provide world-class clinical treatment for cats and dogs as well as support a programme of research projects into diseases affecting small animals.
"Our veterinary students will be trained in the most-up-to-date techniques available, which mean our graduates will consequently have a significant impact on the quality of animal health and welfare in the UK."
The University is grateful for the support of Sir David and Lady Barnes, the Garfield Weston Foundation, Hill's Pet Nutrition, the Johnson Foundation, Lord Leverhulme's Charitable Trust, the Pet Plan Trust, and the Westminster Foundation and numerous other generous donors.
1. The Small Animal Teaching Hospital opened on Friday, 8 June.
2. Hill's Pet Mobility case studies:
Harvey, six-year old chocolate Labrador. Harvey is one of the first patients to be treated at the Hill's Pet Mobility Centre. His owner Gill Derbyshire from Altrincham, Cheshire, noticed Harvey was not as lively on longer walks as he used to be and on 'bad days' would run with a limp or not exercise at all. His lack of exercise as a consequence of his mobility problems caused Harvey to put on weight. Gill said: "We really wanted to see Harvey's 'good days' return, when he would run around happily fetching a ball. We heard about the diet for dogs with osteoarthritis that had been developed at the University of Liverpool and were referred by our vet to specialists there. After 21 days of being on the prescription joint disease diet, created by the University vets, Harvey is much better and we're seeing many more 'good days'."
Max, eighteen-month-old black Labrador. Max's owner, Dave Sharp from Prenton, Wirral, was surprised to see his dog Max limping after a long walk in the Lake District at such a young age. He was referred to canine arthritis specialists at the University of Liverpool's Small Animal Hospital who diagnosed elbow dysplasia. Dave said: "Despite minor surgery, Max was still showing signs of arthritis after his operation so following analysis in the Hill's Pet Mobility Centre, the vets prescribed their special joint disease diet and recommended specific exercises which have helped alleviate some of his discomfort. It has really helped improve his mobility to the point where we can now take him back out on longer walks and we're looking forward to returning to the Lakes this summer."
3. Veterinary firsts at the University of Liverpool:
a. University vets were the first in the UK to carry out an elbow joint replacement operation on a dog in 2004
b. Europe's first animal weight management referral clinic opened at the University in 2005
c. The University was the first to introduce a BSc in Bioveterinary Science - the first cohort of students graduated in 2004
d. The veterinary school was the first in the UK to be incorporated into a university, in 1904.
e. The veterinary school was the first to gain faculty status in the UK in 1952
f. The University introduced the UK's first MSc in Veterinary Infection and Disease Control in 2004.
4. The University of Liverpool is one of the UK's leading research institutions. It attracts collaborative and contract research commissions from a wide range of national and international organisations valued at more than ВЈ100 million annually.
Contact: Joanna Robotham
University of Liverpool
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