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WSAVA develops new guidelines
rabbit with vet
“Animal welfare science is a new and rapidly developing discipline..."
Companion animal welfare at the heart of new standards
 
New guidelines are being developed to assist veterinary teams in optimal clinical care for companion animals.
 
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s (WSAVA’s) Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee (AWWC) has been working to generate standards that offer evidence-based advice to protect the health and welfare of pets, their owners and veterinary surgeons. The WSAVA already has clear global guidelines on areas including vaccination, nutrition and pain management.
 
Co-chair of the AWWC, Dr Shane Ryan, said: “Animal welfare involves more than ensuring the animal’s physical health. Veterinarians act as the pet’s advocate – as the animal’s voice in the consultation room - and we have the responsibility and the opportunity to help owners care for their pets in a way that optimises their welfare and quality of life.
 
“Animal welfare science is a new and rapidly developing discipline and, as a result, many veterinarians may not be completely up-to-date with contemporary animal welfare concepts. Current and scientifically-supported information is necessary to enable them [to] maintain the highest welfare standards and to be able to answer questions confidently, both from their clients and the public.
 
“Given the importance of the human-animal bond, our Global Guidelines will provide comprehensive and pragmatic advice on all aspects of welfare in the clinical setting, both from a veterinary and an owner perspective. We hope the Global Guidelines will enable veterinarians, wherever they are practicing, to demonstrate leadership in animal welfare to an increasingly knowledgeable pet-owning public, which expects the highest standards of care for its animals.”
 
He added: “The AWWC aims to make welfare issues an everyday consideration for small animal practitioners around the world. We are grateful to our sponsor WALTHAM® and to the WSAVA’s Friends of Animal Welfare donors for their generous support in enabling us to develop our WSAVA Global Guidelines. We intend to launch them at the WSAVA World Congress in Singapore in 2018.
 
“They will add to the other resources we offer, including our recently launched online welfare training modules, which are available for free download at http://tinyurl.com/hfs6s3s.”
 
The WSAVA is an umbrella organisation focused on enhancing the clinical care of companion animals around the world.  

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.