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Humboldt penguin undergoes sight-saving surgery at Chester Zoo
Munch's (pictured) surgery was performed by the team at Eye Vet, which kindly donated its time and equipment to support the zoo despite the financial difficulties resulting for the pandemic.

Vets and keepers pull together to treat animal despite financial impact of COVID-19.

The veterinary team at Chester Zoo has performed rare surgery to restore the sight of a four-year-old Humboldt penguin that was diagnosed with cataracts.

Keepers noticed that the penguin, named Munch, was having trouble navigating his enclosure and that his eyes had become misty. He was also swimming much slower than usual and was struggling to dive for fish at feeding time.

“Typically, Munch would confidently make his way around his home and so as soon as we noticed a change in him we immediately called in our vet team,” said parrots and penguin keeper, Sophie Bissaker.

“Penguins can live up to the age of 30 and so it’s unusual for a bird so young to develop a loss of sight but that’s where we suspected the problem might lie.”

The veterinary team discovered that Munch had cataracts, with little sight left in his left eye and no vision at all in his right. The deterioration was so severe that the team decided specialist treatment was the only option to save Munch's vision.

Veterinary ophthalmologist, Iona Mathieson, said: “I’ve been in the veterinary field for almost 24 years and Munch was the very first penguin I operated on – they’re not regular clients that’s for sure! Unfortunately, because his quality of life was impacted by the diminished sight, surgery was the only option we had available to us.

“We’re really happy to report that the surgery was successful and we are hopeful that Munch will make a full recovery.”

After surgery, Munch was kept away from the rest of the group in the main penguin pool. Though he was joined by his life partner Whurly during his recovery.

He is now back in the main penguin pool and, with daily eye drops to aid his healing, is moving and feeding more confidently every day.

Images (c) Chester Zoo.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.