Coronavirus and JMICAWE
In these difficult and challenging times we at JMICAWE just wanted to update you on our response and activities. As of last week we have moved to working from remotely and will not be in the office until told otherwise. Our teaching is now on line or suspended, dissertation students who were planning to travel for their projects are now being offered different areas of research and we are looking to support our students remotely as much as possible. As with everyone else, the most important thing is that we limit the spread of the virus and practise social distancing and isolation as much as we possibly can.
However, we are still working hard to promote animal welfare and to support teaching practices that help veterinary students and others learn more about animal welfare. At the moment we are working on our provision of on-line resources that can be accessed remotely anywhere in the world, from your homes if need be. We are working on promoting better welfare for farm animals, companion animals, street dogs and wildlife, and will be adding to our resources in this area through the summer.
Remember also, if you are at home and wondering how to fill your day, there is a lot of excellent learning material on line, including our own MOOCs (on animal welfare, dog and cat behaviour and poultry behaviour and welfare) so why not consider signing up for some free on line learning? There is more information about our courses and MOOCs here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/jeanne-marchig-centre/cpd
We would also like to remind everyone that dogs and cats and other companion animals are not carriers of the virus; and there is no need to relinquish pets to shelters, which will be quickly overwhelmed and unable to care for these animals, especially if rehoming rates dry up. Please see some advice from Nancy de Briyne of Federation of Veterinarians of Europe here:
‘Just wanted to inform you that FVE made a special webpage for COVID and the veterinary profession. You can find it here: https://www.fve.org/covid-19-faqs/ and some leaflets together with FECAVA.
We also specially call for owners not to abandon their pets, which seems a worry in some countries. Please keep on spreading the word that at this moment, there is no evidence that animals can become ill and spread the virus further. IDEXX and other companies already tested thousands of dogs and cats on COVID, and all cases were negative. Two dogs so far in Hong Kong tested weak positive without being sick (both owners had COVID). Further tests showed that there was no evidence that COVID made the dogs sick or that the dogs could spread the virus. Pet owners should always maintain good hygiene practices (including handwashing before and after being around or handling animals, their food, or supplies, as well as avoiding kissing them) and under no circumstances should they abandon their pets. If an owner has COVID, close contact with family members, including pets, should be avoided.’
