A NEW ORANGE BOX IN GSTAAD. HERMÈS CHALET CENTRAL, GSTAAD. TEL. 033 744 4321
If dog, cat, or any other common pet has an accident in Saanenland there are several courses of action that might be appropriate. For smaller injuries, such as cuts, one can visit the local vet. For more serious injuries, such as fractures, taking the pet to clinics in Thun or Interlaken may be necessary. For all pet injuries, irrespective of their severity, it is best to get in touch with a local vet first. The two main vets in Saanenland, Dr Neff and Dr Hauswirth, spend much of their time touring farms, so agreeing an appointment in advance is necessary to ensure the vet’s presence in the practice at the agreed time. For emergencies, they work together to ensure that one or the other is always on call. Whilst the pattern of who works on which day and who covers which weekend is irregular, either Dr Neff or Dr Hauswirth is always available on their office number. Emergencies will even be tended to in the middle of the night. Dr Neff and Dr Hauswirth can treat small problems locally. They can medicate, deal with wounds and do tests on common pets. Only exotic animals can sometimes be beyond their expertise. Starting from September, the list of injuries that can be dealt with will lengthen substantially. Dr Hauswirt will retire and will be replaced by Dr Frolos. She intends to offer X-rays, blood tests and simple operations. It is hoped that expensive trips to the animal clinics in Thun and Interlaken will therefore become less common. Even after Dr Frolos takes over, extensive treatment, for example surgery, will still need to take place in Thun or Interlaken. These animal clinics are open 24 hours a day, with specialized doctors on call day and night. Making the step to the clinic should be checked with the local vets. A doctor in Thun commented, “pet owners often lack the expertise to determine whether their pet’s injury is an emergency or <strong>no</strong>t.” Therefore it is recommended that pets are always brought to the local vet to be checked first. This gives the vet a chance to stabilize the injury, and then make an informed decision about whether or <strong>no</strong>t a trip to down the valley is necessary. They can also suggest the form of transportation that is most appropriate. Usually a car or taxi is sufficient. In exceptional circumstances, where time is critical, or if the pet is particularly prone to further injury, a helicopter may be recommended. The clinic in Thun has a football field next door, which, with advance <strong>no</strong>tice, can be used for landing. No matter what situation a pet is in, help is at hand. Finally it is worth remembering two things. Firstly, GSTAAD FYI Keeping the dogs barking and the cats meowing One reader’s experience Driving from Gstaad to Feutersoey, we came upon a dog that had been hit by a car. It was badly wounded, but completely conscious and in great pain. The man who had driven over the dog had called the police who had just arrived at the scene, and there were four or five officers there when we arrived. There was a friend of mine with the dog in the middle of the road. It was <strong>no</strong>t possible to move the dog without a muzzle, a blanket and a stretcher, and having only been called out for a dog, the police had only brought a dog cage. They went to get a stretcher, and we had the blanket and the muzzle in our car. The police were mainly interested in finding the owner of the dog, which only had a collar without a name tag or a chip. We kept insisting to find a vet and that we would pay for all the expenses. Then we finally got them to start calling the different vets. It was Sunday, and there was <strong>no</strong> vet available; either they were <strong>no</strong>t answering or they were in the Alps. We tried every small animal vet from Bulle (where someone answered the phone but was <strong>no</strong>t able to handle this case) to Thun. They were the closest that could take care of her. But by this time the dog had been lying in the sun and police car for some considerable time, and doing 45 minutes on the road would have given her <strong>no</strong> chance to survive. We therefore called for a helicopter. The police drove with her to Saanen airport and one policeman, two pilots, and my husband flew with her on the 15-minute ride to Thun. They were able to land on the football field just across from the clinic, where a taxi and the police were there to help. Her front leg needed to be amputated, and she had several fractures in her hind quarters. That same evening they were able to contact the owner, who drove to the clinic and elected to have her put to sleep. Maybe she could have been saved but it would have taken some time for her to live a <strong>no</strong>rmal life. If the owner had <strong>no</strong>t showed up we would have taken care of her. Animals have the same feelings and feel pain just like we do; they also have the same right to live if are you <strong>no</strong>t able to reach a vet, you can and should get in touch directly with the animal clinic. Secondly, standard insurance does <strong>no</strong>t cover these costs and they must be borne privately. INFORMATION Dr Neff: 033 744 35 31 Dr Hauswirth: 033 744 31 41 By Timothy Kilchenmann Animal Clinic Thun: 033 222 44 77 Animal Clinic Interlaken: 033 822 21 41 on this earth. It is <strong>no</strong>t because we are more intelligent that we should treat animals without respect. It is <strong>no</strong>t right that it was impossible to find a vet during the weekend. For humans there are always doctors on duty. The police came to the scene but without a list of different vets, and suitable first aid supplies such as a stretcher, muzzle etc. They were in <strong>no</strong> hurry to get the dog to a vet to alleviate its suffering, except for the suggestion to take her to a forester and have her shot in the head. I do <strong>no</strong>t think they would do this with a person or a child. 7 Photos: Art collection
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