Human behaviour change conference Dorking, Surrey 19-21 September 2016

You may be asking, what is human behaviour change?  Follow this link to find out more. http://learningaboutanimals.tumblr.com/

JMICAWE is the academic partner for this exciting new initiative in September.  Read what conference organiser Suzanne Rogers has to say about it:-

"This international conference will be the first in a field that is rapidly becoming recognized as a key component in animal welfare work. Modern practice is moving away from the traditional approach of focussing on service provision (e.g. veterinary care, training, or hands-on assistance) or raising awareness and towards those activities as part of a more human-centered approach to generate change that lasts.

The conference will include presentations on human behaviour change theory from key speakers and submitted presentations and case studies selected from peer-reviewed abstracts.   Early bird tickets are available before 30th June 2016.

http://www.hbcanimalwelfare.com/

The aims of the conference are:

·         To highlight the importance of human behaviour change (HBC) in animal welfare work.

·         To educate on core elements of HBC theory through key presentations from leading experts.

·         To facilitate sharing of information and experiences of HBC for animal welfare. 

·         To encourage embedding of HBC in inter-sectoral collaboration, innovation and policy. 

·         To explore novel methods for the monitoring and evaluation of HBC approaches and provide evidence-based information illustrating its value."

Animal Behaviour & Welfare CPD event

JMICAWE organised a two day Animal Behaviour and Welfare CPD event last week. The event was aimed at veterinary nurse lecturers to help improve their teaching to the next generation of veterinary nurses (VNs) in dog and cat behaviour and animal welfare.

20 delegates from all over the UK enjoyed the CEVA sponsored event which was attended by VNs, VN lecturers, student VNs and vets.

Hayley Walters said, “Much needs to be done to improve veterinary education in animal behaviour. The event was inspired by speaking to several student VNs who didn’t feel confident in advising owners about problem behaviours in their pets at home. Some of them had also learned about dog and cat behaviour through external lectures or whilst in practice. This is worrying as not being able to recognise what an animal is saying to us through its body language or facial expressions can potentially be dangerous for the VN and also lead to a deterioration in welfare for the patient”.

The feedback from the delegates was very positive and we hope to run events like this again in the future.

JMICAWE delivers Vet Ed workshop in Beijing

Vet Heather Bacon and vet nurse Hayley Walters have just returned from a 3 day veterinary education workshop in Beijing, China.

Organised in conjunction with Chinese veterinary education company ‘We Care Pet’, over 30 delegates (who were mostly vets) attended the event.  Anaesthesia, pain recognition, animal welfare, patient care and a hands-on clinical skills workshop were just some of the subjects that were taught. 

The subject which received the most positive feedback though was dog and cat behaviour. Almost no animal behaviour teaching is taught in Chinese vet schools despite it being of huge importance when it comes to improving welfare, recognising pain and noting if animals are improving or deteriorating in the clinic.

Prizes were given to the most outstanding delegates who demonstrated a huge willingness to increase their knowledge and improve patient care in their clinics.

Hayley said, “We were very impressed with the dedication the delegates showed to learning during this workshop and are hopeful that improvements to animal welfare will be made now they have returned home. An understanding in why an animal behaves the way it does and that body language and facial expressions are all forms of communication, is of paramount importance when treating animals. Too much focus is placed on teaching about physical health only when mental health is equally as important”.

Heather and Hayley will be returning to China later this month along with Professor Nat Waran to deliver another veterinary education workshop in Jilin, this time to veterinary lecturers.

Equid welfare study in Guatemala

One of our undergraduate students, Keana McCosh, is currently part-way through her trip to study pain recognition and assessment in working equids, thanks to a bursary from World Horse Welfare.

Follow the link below to read all about her worthwhile work at the Centre.

http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/Article/Identifying-pain-in-Guatemalan-working-horses?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_content=guatemala_june_2016_keana&utm_campaign=international

Please participate in an equine hoof care and health survey

Today's blog is on behalf of one of our MSc student.  In her words:-

“No hoof, No horse” as the old saying goes. Foot-related lameness can affect horses for a multitude of reasons but a healthy, sound hoof is essential for good horse welfare. My dissertation project (MSc) at the University of Edinburgh aims to understand the current attitudes and knowledge of equine hoof care. This survey is particularly aimed at horse owners and equine professionals (such as veterinarians and farriers). So if you work with horses or have an interest in horse care and health, then please complete the following short survey and feel free to share it among friends and colleagues. Thank you for your participation!

This is the link to the survey which is now open online and ready for responses:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/TMTNW7G

Thank you for assisting HC with her dissertation.

Animal Behaviour & Welfare CPD Event 13 & 14 June 2016

JMICAWE's Hayley Walters is organising a two-day CPD event at the Dick Vet next week.  All veterinary nurses, trainers, lecturers and students are very welcome to attend, we have some excellent expert speakers including Dr Paula Boyden of Dogs Trust and Professor Danielle Gunn-Moore.  For more details and to book, http://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/studying/cpd/courses/day-courses