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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 2019-05-07
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CPD to help vets deal with suspected abuse cases
Three sessions have been organised across the UK in 2019.

Sessions offer advice on establishing a practice protocol

A new CPD course for veterinary professionals has been launched to provide advice on coping with cases of suspected animal abuse.

Organised by the BSAVA and the Links Group, the Links Veterinary Training Initiative comes in response to increasing research showing a link between violence to animals and violence towards humans.

“Suspecting animal abuse can be an alarming and sensitive issue to confront but our training courses should give veterinary teams the skills and support they need to help deal with such cases,” said Jennie Bartholomew, education coordinator at the BSAVA.

Each session offers advice on establishing a practice protocol and selecting a Safeguarding Liaison Officer (SLO), who will assist practice staff in suspected abuse cases. Through the SLO, relationships can be formed with RSPCA officers, police domestic abuse officers and aid agencies, giving staff support to call on if they suspect something might not be right.
 
Past BSAVA president and course lecturer Freda Scott-Park said: “There are few veterinary practices that do not encounter animal abuse, not daily, but the incidence is increasing. Cases can be quite complicated to diagnose but often vets find they develop a sixth sense that something isn’t right. 

“By defining the complexities and difficulties in diagnosis, the course aids vets, veterinary nurses and receptionists to understand how to proceed – to ask the right questions and how to seek help from the correct people. Information from the veterinary practices may allow human healthcare professionals to investigate troubled households, offering support to the family and potentially improving or saving a human victim’s life.”

Three sessions have been organised across the UK in 2019. They are free for BSAVA members and cost £40.00 for non-members.

  • Wetherby Racecourse, Yorkshire - Sunday, 12th June
  • Woodrow House, Gloucester - Monday, 16 September
  • Jesus College, Cambridge - Sunday, 27 October


For more information and to book your place visit www.bsava.com/cpd/Links-Group-CPD
 

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RSPCA braced for ‘hectic hedgehog month’

News Story 1
 The RSPCA says that it is bracing itself for a ‘hectic hedgehog month’ after calls to the charity about the creatures peaked this time last year.

More than 10,000 calls about hedgehogs were made to the RSPCA’s national helpline in 2018, 1,867 of which were in July. This compares with just 133 calls received in February of the same year.

Evie Button, the RSPCA’s scientific officer, said: “July is our busiest month for hedgehogs. Not only do calls about hedgehogs peak, but so do admissions to our four wildlife centres as members of the public and our own officers bring in orphaned, sick or injured animals for treatment and rehabilitation.” 

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News Shorts
ASF traces found in seized meat at NI airport

More than 300kg of illegal meat and dairy products were seized at Northern Ireland’s airports in June, DAERA has revealed.

A sample of these were tested at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, resulting in the detection of African swine fever DNA fragments.

DAERA said that while the discovery does not pose a significant threat to Northern Ireland’s animal health status, it underlines the importance of controls placed on personal imports of meat and dairy products. Holidaymakers travelling overseas are being reminded not to bring any animal or plant products back home.