Windsong Memorial Hospital

The Windsong Memorial Hospital was completed in January 2015.  Nikita the tiger was the first to benefit from having a tiger sized X-ray machine on site.

The X-ray table can easily handle over 1,000 pounds.  The nearest X-ray machine of this size is nearly 3 hours away.

The Windsong Memorial Cat Hospital is LIVE

State of the art X-ray and software in a lead lined room with lead aprons in fashionable cat prints.

Big Cat Rescue utilizes ZIMS for our animal care records.

Wet table with dental X-ray for any size toothache.

 

The Windsong Memorial Hospital includes an anesthesia machine, heart monitors, overhead surgery lights, a warmer for the patient, blood machines, auto clave, microscopes and more.

The floors are easy to clean and yet a no slip surface.  The surgery table has been replaced with a new, hydraulic table.

The second story loft has a plexiglass viewing window and seating for 20 people to watch the surgery without contaminating the surgery suite.

Video of surgery in the new Windsong Memorial Hospital

View from observatory above shows the delicate eye surgery.

 

The Windsong Memorial Hospital began construction in the Spring of 2014 after the generous donation of an X-ray machine and was completed in January 2015.

Here is a little bit of that history:

Nov. 2014  Steady progress is being made on the new Windsong Memorial Hospital. At this writing the concrete slab has been completed and the shell of the building is complete. The vendor for the X-ray machine has started the production process (they make these one at a time to order).

We explored options for bringing the required 3 phase power to us. Because we are at the end of a long dirt road far from the nearest node of that kind of power, the cost to bring power under the only practical scenario was estimated to be $69,000 by our electric company. In addition it required them to get easements, put in new poles, and then put this into their construction backlog. In short, it would have been hugely expensive and taken months.

With the help of the X-ray manufacturer and our electrical engineering firm we came up with a better solution. Since the X-ray machine is only used intermittently, it can be powered by a generator. Of course, we are not talking about those little units you see in Home Depot. We are talking about a 50kW diesel powered generator that is 8 feet long and weighs a little over one ton! This generator will cost an estimated $25,000 – $30,000 installed. Still very expensive, but less than half the cost of the power line and it can have us up and running MUCH sooner. Currently our engineering firm is completing the electrical drawings that are needed to apply for the electric permit.

So, what is left to do? We need to get the electrical permit, install the wiring and fixtures in the hospital, install the air conditioning and the generator, finish out the inside of the building, get the X-ray machine and install it, and set up the ultrasound system. A lot to do, but we are on the way.

The total cost of the building including the generator is currently estimated to be about $85,000. This week our fundraising received a huge boost from Sarah and Bruce McWilliams, who previously provided the funding for the X-ray machine itself. These passionate advocates for the cats have generously offered an additional $42,500, half the estimated cost of the completed hospital, as a Matching Grant to match all other donations dollar for dollar.

Our sincere thanks to the McWilliams’ for this very generous matching donation and to all of you who help us earn the match!

 

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