Hospital care for
stray and temple animals.
When a stray or temple animal on Koh Phangan is sick or injured, PACS is the only place it can go. We admit in-patients, treat them under veterinary care, and keep them until they are well enough to return to the community.
What we treat
PACS operates as a true in-patient hospital. Animals that need care are admitted, housed in the clinic’s wards, and monitored through recovery — not just treated and sent away. Over the years 2001 to 2017, our veterinary team admitted 4,091 in-patients and completed more than 22,000 examinations. At peak capacity, around 15 animals are in-patient on any given day.
The range of conditions we see reflects life on the streets: trauma from road traffic, wounds from territorial conflict, long-untreated skin and eye conditions, and infections that spread quickly in warm climates. Below is a breakdown of the main admission categories from our records.
Admission categories
- Wounds — 2,134 cases (approx. 40% of in-patients) — Bite wounds, lacerations, abscesses, and injuries from road traffic are the most common reason an animal is admitted. Many arrive after days or weeks without treatment, requiring cleaning, debridement, and extended wound management.
- Infections and illness — approx. 35% of admissions — Viral and bacterial infections, parvovirus, distemper, tick-borne diseases, and general systemic illness. In-patient care is often critical here — animals need IV fluids, medication, and isolation from healthy animals in the ward.
- Road traffic accidents — approx. 13% of admissions — Fractures, internal injuries, and neurological damage from vehicle collisions. Some animals require surgical intervention; others need weeks of confined rest and physiotherapy before they can weight-bear again.
- Skin problems — approx. 12% of admissions — Mange (sarcoptic and demodectic), fungal infections, and chronic dermatitis. Left untreated, these conditions cause severe hair loss, secondary infections, and intense discomfort. Treatment typically runs for several weeks.
- Eye problems — approx. 5% of admissions — Conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, eye injuries, and chronic conditions. Prompt treatment can often preserve sight; without it, many conditions progress to irreversible blindness.
Most animals, once recovered, are returned to the area where they were found. That is where their territory, their social network, and their community feeding sources are. Returning them there is the right outcome — not just a compromise.
Keep the wards open.
In-patient care is the most resource-intensive work PACS does. Medications, IV fluids, surgical supplies, staff time — every night an animal spends in recovery is funded entirely by donations.