Students work at the animal health clinic in Ngô Xuân Quảng Street in Hà Nội’s Gia Lâm District. — Photo laodong.vn

HÀ NỘI — Phạm Xuân Vân, 88, a retired lecturer of the Animal Health Department under Việt Nam National University of Agriculture, has run a charity clinic to examine and treat thousands of pets for free for more than seven years.

Vân said the purpose of the clinic, in Ngô Xuân Quảng Street in Hà Nội City’s Gia Lâm District, was to rescue and treat animals for free, including offering veterinary acupuncture and massage for homeless dogs and cats, which she studied in Viet Nam and Cuba.

After people heard of the clinic, they started to bring their pets not only from Hà Nội but also nearby provinces for free treatment, she said.

Many pets at the clinic, were diagnosed with leg paralysis, metabolic diseases and epilepsy, she said.

Therefore, Vân often treated them with veterinary acupuncture and massage to rehabilitate them.

However, the method took time. So, the pets had to stay at the clinic for some time until they were fully recovered, she said.

The owners only had to provide food for their pets while the medical expenses were free, she added.

Love is also medicine for any kind of wound, so she always talks with the pets during treatment.

The clinic can receive and treat a maximum of 40 pets at the same time, Lao động (Labour) online newspaper reports.

Phạm Xuân Vân, 88, reads a document related to animal acupuncture in her clinic. — Photo laodong.vn

Wholehearted lecturer

The clinic is also a place for students of the university’s animal health department to apply what they have learned in reality.

There are more than 50 students from the department registering to work at the clinic to give free examination and treatment for pets.

Treating thousands of animals for many years had helped Vân research and learn veterinary acupuncture methods without anaesthesia to instruct the students, she said.

Nguyễn Vân Anh, 23, manager of the clinic said she had worked at the clinic for three years since she was a third-year student.

“Vân inspires me and other students so much. She is 88 years old already, sometimes she is tired but she still goes to the clinic to treat the animals,” Anh said.

Anh said dozens of pets which suffered from paralysis had recovered and some could even walk normally after being treated with acupuncture and love from Vân.

Thanks to Vân’s devotion, Anh and other students at the clinic were encouraged to research veterinary acupuncture, Anh said.

“The clinic is my joy," Vân said. — VNS