KVASU Deans' visit

The JMICAWE team were pleased to welcome Dr Latha and Professor Tresamol from Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in India during a recent visit. We have been working with the KVASU team for several years to develop enhanced veterinary student education, improve animal welfare and to develop India's first ever 12 month veterinary nurse training programme. Veterinary nurses are instrumental in improving welfare for veterinary patients whilst they are in the clinic so we are really delighted to report that the vet nurse training programme has started, is going well, and that there are 8 students at each of their three campuses.

The student veterinary nurses are working in the 3 veterinary teaching hospitals alongside the patients, vet students and veterinary doctors and are receiving 1 hour of lectures or tutorials each day, 6 days a week. There are written and practical exams to be passed too. Employment prospects are good for Indian VNs, as small animal clinics increasingly recognise the value of veterinary nursing support.

The JMICAWE team, including e-learning developer Louise Connelly, have been building a free online VN skills course to assist the lecturers and the students by provide interactive teaching and learning resources which will complement the teaching the students are already receiving, in addition to supporting lecturers to deliver new subject areas. We look forward to its launch and receiving feedback.

Here are Dr Latha and Professor Treasomol enjoying a tour of The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and meeting one of our more unusual patients.

IVSA Animal Welfare Conference, Munich, Germany

IVSA Animal Welfare Conference, Munich, Germany

JMICAWE Director, Cathy Dwyer, has just attended the 2^nd International Veterinary Student Association Animal Welfare Conference, hosted by vet students from the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich. The conference took place over the weekend with students travelling from as far afield as Indonesia, Uruguay and the USA to attend, with some students then returning home for lectures and even exams on Monday!

The conference covered some diverse themes, including human behaviour change for equines in South East Asia, how humanitarian aid can also be about animal welfare, brachycephaly in dogs and welfare of reptiles.

Cathy gave a talk on how maternal care can influence the stress responses and welfare of offspring, participated in a panel discussion on vegetarian or vegan diets for companion animals, and led a workshop on recognising and monitoring animal stress. But most of all she was inspired by the interest, excitement and passion of the student delegates to learn more about animal welfare and their commitment to making a difference in the world and improving animal lives.

 

Heather Bacon in team behind WSAVA Animal Welfare Global Guidelines

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association has published 'Animal Welfare Global Guidelines for Companion Animal Practitioners and the Veterinary Team'.

The guidelines, launched during WSAVA World Congress 2018 in Singapore, aim to bridge differing perceptions of welfare around the world and help veterinary surgeons and nurses tackle the ethical questions and moral issues which impact welfare. 

They also offer guidance to ensure that, in addition to providing physical health advice and therapy to their patients, veterinary surgeons and nurses can advocate for their psychological, social and environmental wellbeing.

Heather Bacon played a significant role in compiling and launching these Guidelines and we congratulate her for her involvement.

3-day small animal care workshop in Vietnam

Veterinary nurse Hayley Walters and veterinary surgeon Dr Heather Bacon have recently returned from a very successful trip teaching Government vets in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The 3 day workshop was aimed to improve standards of small animal care in veterinary practices and included subjects such as asepsis, dog and cat behaviour, surgical techniques, and blood biochemistry and haematology interpretation.  The topics were chosen by the delegates and the workshop was hosted and co-funded by Animals Asia. There were practical sessions in bandaging and intravenous cannula placement, with lots of questions after each lecture.

Hayley said, “What was so lovely about this workshop is that the Government vets requested it and suggested the topics themselves. Good veterinary practices aren’t achieved by the latest equipment or state of the art buildings, but by a solid knowledge in subjects like asepsis, behaviour, critical thinking, pain recognition, and bandaging.  We were pleased to be able to deliver what they wanted and spurred on by their enthusiasm".