Aston Pet Hospital receives funding boost

20 December 2017

Poorly pets in Birmingham are set to benefit after our Pet Hospital in Aston received thousands of pounds worth of new equipment.

The new machines, which include an industrial floor steam cleaner; a centrifuge for spinning or separating lab samples; and an autoclave for sterilising small veterinary instruments, are all now in use at the hospital in Dulverton Road. They have been purchased thanks to funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Trevor Rawlins, Client Services Manager at Aston PDSA Pet Hospital, said the new items were desperately needed and would make a huge difference for sick and injured pets.

He said: “As a charity we have to be extremely prudent about what we spend but this funding has enabled us to purchase vital equipment that we use on a daily basis.

“The new floor cleaner was needed so we could ensure our hospital meets the standards required for clinical cleanliness and no amount of deck scrubbing or mopping is a match for this.

“With regards to our old centrifuge, it was almost 15 years old, was starting to rust and would often fail during spinning of samples. It was causing a backlog of blood samples that required processing so we were having to send them to an external laboratory which involved additional cost.”

Trevor also explained that the previous autoclave was over 20 years old and was beginning to break down.

He added: “We had a backlog of clinical kits and surgical equipment that needed cleaning and without an autoclave this couldn't be done. The autoclave is a paramount piece of equipment which sterilises surgical equipment such as dental instruments so they can be used again. Without it, we couldn't have continued to operate on sick and injured pets.”

The new equipment has been allocated to the hospital as part of a National Emergency Equipment Fund run by PDSA thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Find out more about how players of People’s Postcode Lottery supporting PDSA.