Graduation Day for MSc students

Last week saw the latest cohorts graduate from the online MSc International Animal Welfare, Ethics & Law.  "A fantastic time was had", writes Dr Fritha Langford, Programme Director, "and it was great to meet our graduates and their families in Edinburgh. We were also thinking of all our graduates who were not able to come to Edinburgh for the ceremony.

Well done all of you, many congratulations - you have all worked so hard and deserve every success in the future."

Small Animal Veterinary Training in Goa, India

Heather Bacon & Jess Davies are joined in Goa this week by Roxy Woodrow RVN, who previously helped the team out with workshops in Vietnam earlier this year.  

This time, they are running a pilot project at PetZone with AniHeal Veterinary Group, training a group of 30 small animal vets and vet nurses.  

The two day workshop will equip delegates with the basic skills needed to handle, diagnose and treat dog and cat patients in a clinical setting.  It is hoped to roll this pilot project out across India in the future.

       Roxy Woodrow

Zoo Academy highlights importance of animal welfare and legislation in Zoo UK zoos

Zoo Academy highlights importance of animal welfare and legislation in Zoo UK zoos

JMICAWE’s Heather Bacon recently visited Sparsholt College to participate in the launch of the new ‘Zoo Academy’ as well as to deliver animal welfare and ethics teaching to UK zookeepers enrolled on the Diploma in the management of zoo and aquarium animals (DMZAA).

As a DEFRA-appointed zoo inspector and the course organiser of the welfare and ethics teaching for the DMZAA, Heather was pleased to celebrate progress in education on animal welfare and legislative protection of zoo animals in the UK. The newly-founded Zoo Academy, headed by Andy Beer, will incorporate training of a range of zoo professionals including zookeepers and zoo inspectors in the legislative, welfare and ethical responsibilities of zoos.

Heather said “We’ve recently seen increased momentum in the recognition of the importance of animal welfare across the UK zoo community, and the development of the Sparsholt Zoo Academy brings that into focus by recognising the increasing specialisation and need for training of professionals across the zoo community.”

Photo L-R: top row: Tim Jackson - Sparsholt Principal, Heather Bacon - JMICAWE, Douglas Richardson - RZSS and independent zoo consultant, Andy Beer - RZSS and programme director of the DMZAA, others - zookeeper students on the DMZAA

Large Animals 3Rs Symposium

On 20th November, we look forward to welcoming c. 75 attendees and speakers to the University of Edinburgh's 3Rs awards for large animals studies, held at the Roslin Institute.

Following the success of the laboratory animals awards back in May, a poster competition will be held for application of 3Rs to studies using large animals models, with prizes per category for scientists and animal technicians/vet nurses/grooms who come up with an original, scientific or technological initiative that minimises animal suffering and improves the welfare of animals used in research, or has contributed to a reduction in the number of animals used; or has led to the development of an alternative, non-animal method.

We look forward to seeing successful candidates' work at the Symposium tomorrow, with a morning of talks and posters, all co-organised with Bioresearch and Veterinary Services.

Two JMICAWE Directors in Hong Kong!

Two JMICAWE Directors in Hong Kong!

JMICAWE Directors past and present recently attended and presented at the UFAW ‘Animal Welfare Beyond Borders’ meeting hosted by City University in Hong Kong.

JMICAWE Director from 2011 to 2016, Prof Natalie Waran, gave a keynote presentation on the ‘Lessons Learnt’ in animal welfare, drawing on the experiences of the Centre in developing its work in UK and overseas, and how animal welfare is changing in different cultures across the world.

Current Director, Prof Cathy Dwyer, gave a presentation in the same session on the welfare of farmed animals and how animal welfare issues need to be considered as part of sustainable development to feed a growing human population.

Other University of Edinburgh and SRUC colleagues were also presenting including the Programme Director for our MSc in International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law, Dr Fritha Langford, who discussed the impact of educational interventions in bringing about changes in animal welfare. And two of our PhD students also presented their work with Steph Easton describing her work in evaluating the impact of animal welfare training for farmers in China, and Syamira Zaini discussing approaches to assess cat pain and welfare in veterinary clinics in Malaysia. 

The conference was well attended by delegates from across the globe, and lively discussions were held on the state of play for animal welfare worldwide, the mechanisms that we can use to influence animal welfare, and practical steps to improve animal welfare. JMICAWE was delighted to help support UFAW and City University in delivering the conference.

JMICAWE attends 2nd World Congress on Farm Animal Welfare in Beijing

JMICAWE attends 2^nd World Congress on Farm Animal Welfare in Beijing

JMICAWE Director Cathy Dwyer, along with SRUC colleague Dr Fritha Langford and PhD student Steph Easton, attended the 2^nd World Conference on Farm Animal Welfare hosted by the International Cooperation Council on Animal Welfare (ICCAW) in Beijing. This followed the previous very successful meeting in 2017 in HangZhao and was attended by 500 delegates, including about 40 from Universities, NGOs and companies based outside China, including FAO, RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming, World Horse Welfare and the Donkey Sanctuary.

The conference demonstrates the increasing interest in China in animal welfare in food-producing animals, and it was good to see the participation of so many Chinese Universities and producers in the meeting. The first day involved a plenary session with talks from Chinese and International delegates to set animal welfare in an international food security context and to explore opportunities for progress. The second day consisted of parallel meetings focusing on specific species areas, with SRUC colleague Malcolm Mitchell delivering a presentation on animal transport in the horse session, and Cathy contributing to the panel discussion in the ruminants session. A highlight of the meeting was the ceremonial signing of the Beijing Consensus on Animal Welfare, to which JMICAWE is a signatory, which was developed in conjunction with FAO and sets out an agreement to work together to improve farm animal welfare. This set out three important areas of consensus:

1.       To support the recommendations of the 43^rd session of FAO’s Committee on World Food Security on improving farm animal welfare

2.       To advocate that government agencies, international organisations, scientific research institutes, the food industry and consumers understand and support animal welfare

3.       To respect and support each country in the exploration of farm animal welfare-friendly farming models that adhere to the requirements of sustainable development.    

‘’We are very happy to be part of this Consensus and its recognition of the need to include the welfare of farmed animals within the context of sustainability and food security’ said Cathy ‘and we look forward to working with our partners to improve welfare in farming practices globally’.      

Beijing Consensus on Animal Welfare

Buy a Puppy Safely - Scottish Government launches new campaign

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN TO HELP PUT AN END TO PUPPY FARMING AND THE MISERY IT CAUSES

The new campaign launched on 7th November and will focus on raising awareness of the tactics used by illegal breeders to deceive buyers both on and offline; and the pitfalls of buying illegally-bred puppies and the warnings signs to look out for.

Research shows that Scots are more likely to buy an illegally-bred puppy than they might think, with only 24% of Scots buying from an approved breeder and 1 in 4 (25%) considering using an online advert or website to buy a puppy.

Most illegally bred puppies are sold online through social media or small ad sites, and distressingly 1 in 4 of pups bought online die before their fifth birthday and 1 in 3 get sick or die in the first year.

The Buy a Puppy Safely campaign was launched by the Minister for Rural Affairs and Natural Environment, Mairi Gougeon in Edinburgh, as the Scottish Government calls on the public to learn about the warning signs of an illegally-bred puppy.  Minister for Rural Affairs and Natural Environment, Mairi Gougeon said: “Illegal puppy farming only leads to misery - many suffer from congenital health problems or behavioural problems, causing distress to owners and leading to expensive vet bills that can cost thousands of pounds. So, we’re working with animal welfare charities to raise awareness of the real consequences of buying illegally and highlighting how to spot the warning signs of an illegal dealer. I know that a lot of people will be considering buying a puppy at this time of year, so my message to them is to do your homework first. The most important thing is to see the puppy with its mother, and to get the correct paperwork. If there’s no mum and no paperwork, then walk away and report your concerns to the Scottish SPCA helpline.”

Mike Flynn, Scottish SPCA Chief Superintendent said, “The launch of the Buy a Puppy Safely campaign is a welcome step forward in the fight against puppy farming, which is having a devastating effect on animal welfare in Scotland."

The trade of puppies in Scotland online is estimated to be worth £13 million per year but shockingly a large proportion of these are believed to be illegally bred puppies including popular breeds such as Pugs, French Bulldogs, Cockapoos and Miniature Dachshunds.

To help Scots avoid the heartache, misery and financial responsibilities that come with illegal puppy farming, the Scottish Government has launched a new website https://www.buyapuppysafely.org where buyers can find out how to spot an illegally bred puppy, both online and in person when meeting the puppy.

Hanoi Zoo workshop

Following the Government veterinary workshop held in Vietnam, veterinary nurse Roxanne Woodrow and veterinary surgeon Dr Heather Bacon travelled to Hanoi Zoo to provide a 3 day teaching course to zoo vets from all over Vietnam.

The course which focused on captive animal welfare and preventative healthcare, was hosted by Hanoi Zoo and supported by Animals Asia. 

Around thirty vets attended, travelling from all over Vietnam to come to Hanoi zoo for the course. It incorporated both theory and practical demonstrations, with one day of lectures followed by two days interacting with Heather and Roxanne plus the Animals Asia team Kat, Diem and Huong throughout health checks on the Hanoi zoo bears. Preventative healthcare in captive animals seemed to be a subject that is hugely under-taught to the Vietnamese vets who listened avidly to the lectures delivered by Heather and requested further resources to learn about the specific species they cared for. 



Timelapse video of the practicals

It was great being able to relate the theory to practice with the two days of bear health checks. The vets were requested to arrive early morning so that every step of the process was demonstrated and explained. The enthusiasm from the vets was fantastic who were all very eager to get involved helping Heather while she performed the dental, or joining Roxanne and Kat at helping preparing medications and monitoring the anaesthetic. Minimal monitoring equipment was used to emphasise the importance of knowledgeable and experienced staff over expensive monitoring equipment. The positive feedback from the vets highlights the importance of this training and the continued teaching required in this field.

Dr Cuong of the Hanoi zoo said:  “During the last three days I (and I also believe I’m speaking for every participant of the workshop) have gained a great amount of veterinary knowledge as well as have learnt about basic principles and steps of animal anaesthetic process, which I consider highly practical and helpful for our work at Hanoi Zoo. I have been far more aware of the various issues which can rise in our work as zoo vets and also been provided ideas of how to prevent and solve these potential problems”

The JMICAWE team hope to continue to offer support to vets in Vietnam and have already been invited to coordinate a follow-up workshop with Hai Lam from Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, who said “Thank to your workshop, I learned so much and applied it to anaesthesia of our animals… To bring up the best outcome, I would like to organise a workshop for vets and animals people in Cuc Phuong as well as vet students in Ha noi and in vets of local animal practice. I truly want to improve animal welfare of the area and motivating more vet students to work for wildlife. For that reason, I think that this opportunity would be an exciting occasion to spread out the skill and the animal welfare spirit.”

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".

Delphi Workshop in Edinburgh

Delphi Workshop

At the beginning of September, we held our Delphi study workshop in Edinburgh. This was a very exciting milestone for us as it was the final step of the project, and the first time that we had any of our animal welfare experts all together in one place.

Prior to the workshop, we recruited almost 150 experts within 10 different species groups (cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, exotics, wildlife, cattle, pigs, sheep/goats, and poultry). Our animal welfare experts were a mixture of researchers, veterinarians, charity sector, industry, and government/policy. We asked all of them to complete two online surveys with the intention of ranking extensive animal welfare lists according to three different criteria: severity, duration, and prevalence. We then invited a sub-section of our experts, 20 in total, to come to Edinburgh for the workshop.

The purpose of the workshop was to ask our experts to work together during 2 days of activities and discussions to try and come up with a final list of priority welfare issues for each species, as well as an overall list of priority welfare issues for managed animals in the UK. No mean feat!

Despite the incredibly difficult nature of the task, we were very pleased with how well all of our experts worked together, and the interesting discussions that arose along the way. Remarkably, we were able to reach consensus on the final lists for all 10 groups. The final results of the workshop, and study as a whole, will be presented to our project funders, the Animal Welfare Foundation, by the end of November, and will also be published in several peer-reviewed journals. We will be sure to share these links with everyone when they become publicly available.

Thanks again to all of our fantastic experts.

Fiona C Rioja-Lang

Camels in Canada

Camels in Canada

I was delighted to be supported by JMICAWE to attend the 2018 Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE) in Prince Edward Island on the east coast of Canada. Its organisation was led by Professor Michael Cockram (previously of Edinburgh Vet School) at the University of PEI, on the outskirts of Charlottetown. Campus, town and indeed the whole island are pretty, and the lovely weather while we were there made the whole event – conference, side events and tours – a thoroughly enjoyable occasion.

That was helped by the famous friendliness of ISAE, and I have been glad to play some small part in that as a member of Council, including at the Council meeting (my last, as my term has now finished), at the AGM, and wherever else appropriate, such as during the traditionally enthusiastic dancing after the congress banquet. The conference’s scientific programme was also consistently high in quality, and I played my part in conferring, too. Indeed, I was doubtless in the category identified by our President Bas Rodenburg in his opening remarks as People who Frequently Ask Questions. His point was to encourage others to participate as well, and that was successfully achieved. An innovation of recent years has been ‘Eating with Ethologists,’ which arranges for students to share lunch tables with senior scientists of their choice. I greatly enjoyed this, and the students I met then and at other times were also enthusiastic about the opportunities for communication, both scientific and personal. I was glad throughout the meeting to represent Edinburgh and our work on welfare education for vets and others.

Finally, I gave the closing talk of the congress, with the title ‘On the ubiquity and utility of camels.’ This was a light-hearted look at the striking frequency with which animals appear in our everyday idioms: for example, ‘the straw that breaks the camel’s back.’ Yet this also reminds us of the importance of animals in our cultures, round the world and through the ages, and of understanding their behaviour and protecting their welfare for both their benefit and ours.

Mike Appleby