Visit to Noistor Thai Rescue Clinic

Last month Sam and I visited the NOISTAR Thai Animal Rescue Clinic on the small island of Koh Tao in Thailand to volunteer our services.  We had a suitcase full of basic surgical equipment & vetinerary supplies donated by VETMED that had been carted on 2 planes 1 boat and quad bike to reach it's final destination.... the huge Thai smiles and gratitude that greeted us made it all worth while!

This tiny basic clinic provides food and essential emergency medical care for all of the stray cats and dogs on the island who are affected by severe flea allergies, mange, disease and road accidents to name a few.

Noistar has done some amazing work since it first opened in 2002, including de-sexing over two-thirds of the cats and dogs to control the population that was rabidly spiralling out of control.

Upon arrival at the clinic we were warmly welcomed by their one and only devoted Thai Vet Jei and her small group of hard working volunteers.     While we were there a local volunteer arrived with all the islands cafes and restaurants scraps in a giant tub strapped to the back of his scooter!  20 or so hungry homeless dogs who just hang out around the clinic knowing that they'll get a good feed quickly devoured their feast of rice, curry and all sorts of dubious looking plate scrapings!

It was a fantastic & rewarding experience and with the exception of a few 3 legged or hairless cats and dogs we were surprised by how generally healthy and well fed these animals were. However this is purely down to the devotion and passion of the Noistar Rescue team. They are completely self- funded and rely on donations and charity fundraisers to keep up their good work.  Giving us a tour of her 1 room clinic, Jie pointed out the recent second hand x-ray machine that was kindly donated  - but they simply cannot afford to run it or even afford the surgery tools to repair a simple fracture.  While there is food scraps in abundance the immense cost of simple flea prevention and basic pain killers means many dogs are suffering needlessly. 

Despite living pretty wild all of the cats and dogs we encountered were so gentle and friendly and just happy to get a stroke and a pat ..... one small group of dogs even followed us into the ocean for a dip to cool off!    

Just a small donation can make a huge difference and change an animals life.  $10 can pay for a cat or dog to be neutered or treat 3 animals with skin problems such as mange, ticks and flea allergies etc. which are excruciating for the animal but so easy to cure with the basic supplies that we take for granted.

Jess Carr