Salvador 475 years: City Hall opens the first public veterinary hospital in Bahia in the Canabrava neighborhood

Salvador now has a broad and modern healthcare structure to care for domestic dogs and cats in medium and high complexity services. The City Hall inaugurated this Monday (25) the Municipal Veterinary Hospital (HPVet), located on Rua Artêmio Castro Valente, in Canabrava, next to the Manoel Barradas Stadium (Barradao). The delivery was made by Mayor Bruno Reis and is part of the actions celebrating the city’s 475th anniversary.

The hospital will start providing services this Tuesday (26th) and will be open 24 hours a day for animals in hospital, while elective care will take place from Monday to Friday, from 8am to 5pm. On Saturdays, the location will be open from 8am to 12pm for return appointments. 40 tokens will be distributed daily, on a first-come, first-served basis. Pets in an emergency situation will be welcomed immediately.

In his speech, Bruno Reis highlighted that this is the first public veterinary hospital in Bahia. “It is with great emotion that we are here to make this historic delivery to Salvador. This hospital will help alleviate the pain of thousands of families in our city who sometimes do not have the money to guarantee their own medical care, let alone their pets. People who are at home suffering, seeing their beloved animal in agony. Now, these people will have a public unit, which will provide free service every day”, he said.

“Every animal that is brought here by its owner will be cared for. You will be welcomed with all the affection, with all the love. Anyone who has a pet knows how important it is to the home. He knows how much animals have the ability to be a companion, to be the balance of the family, to be joy for the children. The animal manages to bring in its heart a love of its own, a love that cannot be combined. With this vision, we have been prioritizing the care of animals in Salvador”, added Bruno Reis.

HPVet will be administered by the Salvador Animal Protection Directorate, which is part of the Secretariat of Sustainability, Resilience, Welfare and Animal Protection (Secis). The building has two floors and occupies an area of ​​1,400 square meters. For the construction of the equipment, R$14 million were invested. However, for the operation of the hospital, the City Hall will contribute almost R$1 million per month.

Secis holder, Marcelle Moraes highlighted that the municipal investment will bring a significant return to millions

They look like guardians who need to provide quality of life and dignified conditions for their pets. “Salvador, without a doubt, is consolidating itself as a reference in the country in public policies for animals with the delivery of this hospital. It is a way of reversing the scenario of countless urban social problems linked to animal causes, such as deaths due to being run over or mistreated and the transmission of diseases; since care for these cases will be offered free of charge”, he stated.

Structure – The unit has more than 70 beds to accommodate pets from independent owners or NGOs. The hospital has clinical veterinary care and a day hospital service, which will allow, for example, hospitalizations to treat serious cases, including a ward isolation for infectious diseases. The emergency will operate around the clock with healthcare teams and surgeons on standby.

In addition to the medical clinic, HPVet will provide free access to a range of specialists in areas such as orthopedics, ophthalmology and the reproductive tract of animals; as well as medium and high complexity exams, such as X-rays, imaging exams, ultrasound, blood count, among others. The location will also have an anti-rabies vaccination station and will provide teleconsultation between a veterinarian and the owner.

The mayor stated that the inauguration of HPVet is a milestone that consolidates the advances that Salvador has made in recent years in animal care. “Animal protection has some foundations. The first is education, and the City Hall has invested in this, showing everyone who has a pet the importance of it being well looked after. Another foundation is the castration policy, which in recent years we have greatly expanded, whether with Castramóvel or with various clinics that we hire in our city. Another foundation is vaccination, so that diseases are not transmitted, and we have carried out several joint efforts”, he said.

“There is also identification. Every time we neuter or vaccinate, we register. Soon, we will take the next step, hiring a census for all the animals in our city, so that we can define public policies more precisely. Another license is the distribution of rations that the City Hall carries out, mainly to institutions, helping those who need it most. But, without a shadow of a doubt, of all the actions, the most beautiful and most important is this Public Veterinary Hospital”, he added.

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