First ever Animal Behaviour, Welfare & Ethics session at BSAVA Congress

The first ever Animal Behaviour, Welfare & Ethics session at BSAVA Congress

Heather Bacon & Hayley Walters have been working hard over the past year to organise the first ever BSAVA session on behaviour welfare and ethics at Congress.  Both were speaking last Friday with three presentations each, focused at Vet nurses, but Vets could also attend, and did - every presentation was a sell-out!

The whole week of BSAVA Congress was a resounding success, and particular mention should be made of Heather being awarded The J.A. Wight Memorial Award, sponsored by Blue Cross.  This award is presented annually to a veterinary surgeon who has made an outstanding contribution to the welfare of companion animals.  Our sincere congratulations go to Heather, so wonderful that she has been recognised in this way.

In addition, we are proud to report that MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour student Catriona Gillen was the recipient of the BVBA Veterinary Studies Award (the third consecutive year that a R(D)SVS undergraduate student has either won or been runner-up of this Award).

Heather's presentations to Congress included:-

Street dog health and behaviour:

International adoptions of dogs are increasingly popular – learn all that you need to know about how to manage the behaviour and health of imported street dogs, both in the clinic and at home

Geriatric welfare

Is old age a disease? Is slowing down inevitable? Is confusion normal? Find out what you can do to safeguard the health and welfare of older cats and dogs in your practice

Welfare conundrums

Veterinary ethical dilemmas are common in practice but it’s not just the complex referral surgeries that have welfare impacts! Find out how your routine practices may impact on dog and cat behaviour and welfare.

And Hayley's three presentations were:-

Acute pain and its welfare implications:

Most of us want our patients to be pain free when they are in the clinic with us because we care very much about how our patients feel. But are there even more pressing reasons for making sure our analgesia is adequate?

Good intentions and good welfare outcomes:

We all practice preventative medicine. But do we practice preventing behavioural problems? Can the vet nurse do more to stop the most common behaviour problems from ever occurring? Behaviour problems that result in dogs being euthanised or rehomed. Find out how we might just be able to change the course of a puppy's life.

Improving patient welfare - what the vet nurse can do:

Are your cats stress-free when they are in the waiting room? Does the consult room door cause dogs to put on the brakes? Are your inpatients calm or cowering? Find out what simple, cheap and easy techniques can be applied to help improve patient welfare.

Well done, Team JMICAWE!