First international Conference on Dog Population Management

This September , the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) of the UK government, held the inaugural International Meeting on Dog Population Management.

Whilst the UK has a relatively positive reputation for animal welfare, globally the issue of dog population management creates animal welfare, public health and economic concerns. This meeting brought together experts from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia to share experiences and ideas on dog population control. Presentations ranged from chemical neutering solutions to ecological studies of street dog social dynamics, also covered were important topics such as dog bite injury reduction and effective responsible dog management strategies. The JMICAWE was represented by both prof Natalie Waran, and Veterinary surgeon Heather Bacon who presented on the health and welfare issues between dog farming, transport, slaughter, and zoonotic disease risk in China.

This is the first time that a such important issues relating to dog health and welfare have been addressed by a government agency in the UK and it is hoped that meetings like this will form the basis for future collaborations and partnerships to push forward humane dog population management strategies

https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/dogs2012/index.cfm

Developing practical, accessible animal welfare teaching material for Chinese veterinarians.

We are pleased to be working with Hayley Walters, the R(D)SVS Animal Welfare nurse who is currently working with the JMICAWE’s Heather Bacon on developing teaching resources to assist with animal welfare education both here and abroad. They are currently engaged on a project collating information, images and detailed instructions on how to carry out neutering in dogs and cats, causing the animals the minimum of discomfort.

Following a long process, they are now ready to add the finishing touches to what will be an informative, detailed, and practical multi-media educational platform describing best practise for neutering dogs and cats, translated into Chinese to be used as a learning resource for the Chinese veterinary surgeon, vet student and veterinary lecturer. It includes every aspect of neutering from admission/initial examination, surgical preparation, and analgesia protocols to actual surgical techniques, fluid therapy and anaesthesia monitoring with a strong emphasis on high standards of animal welfare.

The promotion of a gold standard approach to animal welfare in this multi-media DVD will be augmented by the two day symposium run as part of the CVMA’s veterinary conference in Suzhou in October this year, where the DVD will be made freely available to attendees.

Further information on the CVMA Annual Conference can be viewed at http://www.cvma.org.cn .