Update: on February 21 we reached our target amount! That means we can tackle our surgery room. In the meantime we have already received the ultrasound and it is a fantastic improvement. Thank you so much on behalf of all seal nurses and veterinarians for the donations! Your support is greatly appreciated. Would you also like to contribute to the Sealcentre? Our daily work (and costs) continues of course. Through the button below you’ll navigate to our donation page.
Read below for more information about what the Sealcentre uses the surgery room for and why this action has been started.
For fifty years, Sealcentre Pieterburen has been taking in sick, weak and orphaned seals. Many seals recover with us through good nutrition and medication. But sometimes that is not enough and surgery is needed. Maybe you remember the seal Destructor? Via an endoscope, a fishhook was removed and after his recovery, he could be released back into the Wadden Sea! The surgery room of the Sealcentre has a need for replacement. The costs are estimated at €48,300.
Why is the surgery room in need of replacement?
In the current surgery room at the Sealcentre, most common surgeries can be performed without any problems. At the time, the operating room was created because a large part of the equipment was donated by hospitals and practices. These devices are now getting too old to continue performing surgeries properly in the future. Some parts are in poor condition or lack functionality. For the specialist surgeries, supporting doctors bring their own equipment, ideally the Sealcentre would like to have this equipment in house.
Which parts of the surgery room will be replaced?
Our veterinarians Ana, Anna and Stella have a desire to renew the basic components in the operating room. This means for example a good surgery table that is sturdy and wide enough, an operation lamp without duct tape, a heat blanket and good chairs for the surgeons. Also, we would love to have our own instruments, like small tools and a sterilizer to clean operation material. The desire after that is to also purchase specialistic equipment that will improve and make the surgeries easier, for both the veterinarians and the seals. These are an ultrasound machine (to make echoes), an endoscope (a camera for examining inside the body) and a probe pulsioxymeter (equipment to measure heart rate and oxygen).
Surgery room costs:
- Surgery table: €4,000
- Surgery lamp: €8,000
- Chairs: €300
- Heat blanket: €100
- Tools: €200
- Sterilizer: €5,000
- Ultrasound: €15,000
- Endoscope: €10,000
- Rectal probe for pulsioxymeter: €700
- Ventilator: €5,000
Click on one of the blocks at the bottom of the page for more information about the different devices and small equipment for the operation room.
