My day at Merton hospital...

by Joe Chamberlain.

 

In the Easter holidays, I went to see my mum at work. My mum is a veterinary nurse at The Blue Cross animal hospital in Merton, South London. It was one of the best days of my holiday.

In the morning, the staff cleaned out the kennels by cleaning the walls with a special wall mop (above). They also cleaned out the cage of a rabbit called Currant Bun (below).

Then I watched everything that went on in 'the hub'. This is where the nurses get animals ready for being operated on. In the hub I also saw a dog being shaved; he was very matted. Then I saw a vet called Nadine do an ultrasound on a dog called Katie.

The surgical instruments were washed for use in operations. Then they were wrapped up for autoclaving. Autoclaving steams all the germs away at a very high temperature.

For me, the best and last job of the day was bathing a dog called Bonnie (below) with a special shampoo that helps her dry skin condition.

She was very good because dogs usually struggle when having a bath. She was a sweet dog, and if I could have a dog it would be one like her. At the end of the day I was tired but happy as I got to see lots of cute animals. When I grow up I'd like to work with animals, especially if it is in a place as caring as The Blue Cross.