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News & Reports association of charity vets
Sharing knowledge, building an association ALMOST 100 people gathered at Nottingham vet school on January 24 for the third meeting of the Association of Charity Vets (ACV). The association’s chair, Rachel Dean, commented that the delegates brought with them a wide range of knowledge and experience and that one of the purposes of the association was to ensure that this was shared among its members. The meeting covered a wide range of subjects, from clinical governance, through animal hoarding and animal abuse, to dealing with a disease outbreak in an animal shelter. Delegates were also offered a choice of workshops on topics such as dealing with wildlife, illegal imports and acting as an expert witness. Discussing clinical governance in a charity environment, Steve Howard, head of clinical services at the PDSA, said that keeping things simple was key. He described two clinical audits that the PDSA had carried out – one looking at postoperative complications and the second at general anaesthetic deaths. He also considered the importance of protocols which, he said, gave clarity to staff and clients on the standards to be expected. Benchmarks were ‘invaluable’ when developing protocols and designing audits and, to keep things simple, a protocol should focus on one area only, while a single question should be posed when designing an audit. Noting that the RCVS recommended the use of checklists, Mr Howard described the surgical safety checklist introduced by the PDSA about 18 months ago. This was designed to minimise risk, with clinicians and staff running through the list before induction of anaesthesia, before surgical intervention and then before closure of the wound.
Hoarding
People who hoarded animals were often oblivious to the squalor that they were subjecting themselves and the animals to, said Phil Wilson, senior prosecutions case manager for the RSPCA. The reasons why people hoarded had not been fully elucidated, he said, and several had been suggested. Hoarding behaviour crossed demographic and socioeconomic boundaries and, when tackling a hoarding case, it was essential to try to get to the underlying explanation for why a person was keeping excessive numbers of animals. Many hoards began as ‘shelters’, with some hoarders being convinced that they 112 | Veterinary Record | January 31, 2015
Import dilemma: workshop to discuss the importation of companion animals, particularly dogs and cats, took place during the charity vets’ meeting. Among the issues raised was that, while many dogs and cats with foreign microchips may well have entered the UK legally, animal shelters could come across strays with a microchip from a country where rabies was endemic, but would have no further information about them. This raised a number of dilemmas: Should such animals be tested for rabies? Should they be screened for other diseases, such as babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, leishmaniosis and dirofilariosis? Who would bear the cost of such testing? Should infected animals be treated? And what were the implications for rehoming?
were providing sanctuary for the animals. He said that while the hoarder’s heart often started ‘in the right place’ they usually underestimated the financial and other commitments required to run a shelter. While it was possible to have a large number of animals and to look after them properly, hoarders became overwhelmed by the number of animals they had taken on. Tackling hoarding required a multiagency approach, said Mr Wilson, with all the necessary agencies working together simultaneously. He discussed some of the statutory provisions under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act that could be used when dealing with a hoarding case. When confronted with hoarding, the immediate welfare needs of the animals and the people involved had to be secured, together with the relevant evidence. It was also important to consider long-term objectives, he said, and not to be surprised by reoffending: the behaviour underlying the hoarding had to be addressed for a change to be made.
Abuse
As with hoarding, abusive behaviour crossed social boundaries, and anyone could perpetrate abuse, said Paula Boyden, veterinary director of Dogs Trust and a member of the Links Group, a multiagency organisation set up to tackle domestic
abuse in women, children and animals. She discussed the four main types of abuse – physical, sexual, emotional and neglect – and some of the terminology used to define them. It was important to be familiar and comfortable with the terms used, she said. Giving some examples of abuse cases that had been seen by vets, Mrs Boyden said that what was being seen in practice was ‘very much the tip of the iceberg’. Many abused animals would not be brought into a practice as they would be killed by their abuser.
Dealing with disease outbreaks
Outbreaks of infectious disease in animal shelters can develop very quickly and, sometimes, it does not matter if the cause is unknown – those dealing with an outbreak simply need to know that the situation is unusual. This was one of the messages from a joint presentation by Dr Dean and Jenny Stavisky, lecturer in shelter medicine at Nottingham vet school. An outbreak could be defined as cases of disease in excess of what would normally be expected in a defined community, geographical area or season. A number of diseases could be of concern in dog and cat shelters – parvovirus, ringworm, kennel cough, distemper, feline infectious peritonitis and
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 1, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
News & Reports Giardia, for example – and it was important to know what was ‘normal’ for a particular shelter. In some shelters an underlying level of disease would be ‘normal’ while in others, one extra sneezing animal would be ‘excessive’. There were various routes by which a disease could be transmitted as well as various interventions, including euthanasia, that might be effective in breaking transmission. Those dealing with an outbreak needed to decide what interventions offered the best chance of stopping it. After an outbreak had been tackled, it was important to deal with the aftermath. Those running the shelter should review the situation and what went wrong (with a no-blame approach) as well as what went right. This could then be used to develop a plan for the next time; such a plan should consider how an outbreak might be prevented, make provision for early identification, decide on the threshold for action and plan ahead for how to tackle the problem.
The importance of knowing what is normal was also emphasised in an afternoon workshop on dealing with wildlife. Bev Panto, from the RSPCA’s wildlife centre at Stapeley Grange, discussed a range of challenges facing vets dealing with wildlife species. Vets in practice were presented with a huge range of wildlife species, she said, and they needed to know what ‘normal’ was for these species, or to be aware that they did not know what normal was, whether this related to behaviour, anatomy or physiology. Giving some examples, she highlighted self-anointing behaviour in hedgehogs (which could be mistaken for a neurological problem) and also the fact that many species of diving bird could not walk particularly well, meaning that an assessment of their ability to walk as part of a clinical examination was not really appropriate. Miss Panto also emphasised that, when dealing with wildlife species, vets had to bear in mind their own health, and that of their staff and their regular patients. There were many zoonotic diseases that could be transmitted by wildlife.
Way forward
The final session of the day was a discussion of a potential constitution for the ACV. Describing this as a move towards formalising the association, Dr Dean said that once a constitution was agreed, the association could begin to build its membership and provide resources, including a website. It could also begin to have an influence on the veterinary profession. A draft constitution, which outlined the objects of the ACV, various categories of membership, and matters such as finance, meetings and the officers and committee, was discussed and amended. It was adopted through a unanimous vote, a result that Dr Dean described as ‘an excellent conclusion to the day’. n A stream of lectures on shelter medicine will form part of the scientific programme at this year’s BSAVA congress. The congress will be held in Birmingham from April 9 to 12, with the shelter medicine stream taking place on April 12. doi: 10.1136/vr.h467
January 31, 2015 | Veterinary Record | 113
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 1, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Sharing knowledge, building an association
Veterinary Record 2015 176: 112-113
doi: 10.1136/vr.h467 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/176/5/112
These include:
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Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
News & Reports association of charity vets
Sharing knowledge, building an association ALMOST 100 people gathered at Nottingham vet school on January 24 for the third meeting of the Association of Charity Vets (ACV). The association’s chair, Rachel Dean, commented that the delegates brought with them a wide range of knowledge and experience and that one of the purposes of the association was to ensure that this was shared among its members. The meeting covered a wide range of subjects, from clinical governance, through animal hoarding and animal abuse, to dealing with a disease outbreak in an animal shelter. Delegates were also offered a choice of workshops on topics such as dealing with wildlife, illegal imports and acting as an expert witness. Discussing clinical governance in a charity environment, Steve Howard, head of clinical services at the PDSA, said that keeping things simple was key. He described two clinical audits that the PDSA had carried out – one looking at postoperative complications and the second at general anaesthetic deaths. He also considered the importance of protocols which, he said, gave clarity to staff and clients on the standards to be expected. Benchmarks were ‘invaluable’ when developing protocols and designing audits and, to keep things simple, a protocol should focus on one area only, while a single question should be posed when designing an audit. Noting that the RCVS recommended the use of checklists, Mr Howard described the surgical safety checklist introduced by the PDSA about 18 months ago. This was designed to minimise risk, with clinicians and staff running through the list before induction of anaesthesia, before surgical intervention and then before closure of the wound.
Hoarding
People who hoarded animals were often oblivious to the squalor that they were subjecting themselves and the animals to, said Phil Wilson, senior prosecutions case manager for the RSPCA. The reasons why people hoarded had not been fully elucidated, he said, and several had been suggested. Hoarding behaviour crossed demographic and socioeconomic boundaries and, when tackling a hoarding case, it was essential to try to get to the underlying explanation for why a person was keeping excessive numbers of animals. Many hoards began as ‘shelters’, with some hoarders being convinced that they 112 | Veterinary Record | January 31, 2015
Import dilemma: workshop to discuss the importation of companion animals, particularly dogs and cats, took place during the charity vets’ meeting. Among the issues raised was that, while many dogs and cats with foreign microchips may well have entered the UK legally, animal shelters could come across strays with a microchip from a country where rabies was endemic, but would have no further information about them. This raised a number of dilemmas: Should such animals be tested for rabies? Should they be screened for other diseases, such as babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, leishmaniosis and dirofilariosis? Who would bear the cost of such testing? Should infected animals be treated? And what were the implications for rehoming?
were providing sanctuary for the animals. He said that while the hoarder’s heart often started ‘in the right place’ they usually underestimated the financial and other commitments required to run a shelter. While it was possible to have a large number of animals and to look after them properly, hoarders became overwhelmed by the number of animals they had taken on. Tackling hoarding required a multiagency approach, said Mr Wilson, with all the necessary agencies working together simultaneously. He discussed some of the statutory provisions under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act that could be used when dealing with a hoarding case. When confronted with hoarding, the immediate welfare needs of the animals and the people involved had to be secured, together with the relevant evidence. It was also important to consider long-term objectives, he said, and not to be surprised by reoffending: the behaviour underlying the hoarding had to be addressed for a change to be made.
Abuse
As with hoarding, abusive behaviour crossed social boundaries, and anyone could perpetrate abuse, said Paula Boyden, veterinary director of Dogs Trust and a member of the Links Group, a multiagency organisation set up to tackle domestic
abuse in women, children and animals. She discussed the four main types of abuse – physical, sexual, emotional and neglect – and some of the terminology used to define them. It was important to be familiar and comfortable with the terms used, she said. Giving some examples of abuse cases that had been seen by vets, Mrs Boyden said that what was being seen in practice was ‘very much the tip of the iceberg’. Many abused animals would not be brought into a practice as they would be killed by their abuser.
Dealing with disease outbreaks
Outbreaks of infectious disease in animal shelters can develop very quickly and, sometimes, it does not matter if the cause is unknown – those dealing with an outbreak simply need to know that the situation is unusual. This was one of the messages from a joint presentation by Dr Dean and Jenny Stavisky, lecturer in shelter medicine at Nottingham vet school. An outbreak could be defined as cases of disease in excess of what would normally be expected in a defined community, geographical area or season. A number of diseases could be of concern in dog and cat shelters – parvovirus, ringworm, kennel cough, distemper, feline infectious peritonitis and
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 1, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
News & Reports Giardia, for example – and it was important to know what was ‘normal’ for a particular shelter. In some shelters an underlying level of disease would be ‘normal’ while in others, one extra sneezing animal would be ‘excessive’. There were various routes by which a disease could be transmitted as well as various interventions, including euthanasia, that might be effective in breaking transmission. Those dealing with an outbreak needed to decide what interventions offered the best chance of stopping it. After an outbreak had been tackled, it was important to deal with the aftermath. Those running the shelter should review the situation and what went wrong (with a no-blame approach) as well as what went right. This could then be used to develop a plan for the next time; such a plan should consider how an outbreak might be prevented, make provision for early identification, decide on the threshold for action and plan ahead for how to tackle the problem.
The importance of knowing what is normal was also emphasised in an afternoon workshop on dealing with wildlife. Bev Panto, from the RSPCA’s wildlife centre at Stapeley Grange, discussed a range of challenges facing vets dealing with wildlife species. Vets in practice were presented with a huge range of wildlife species, she said, and they needed to know what ‘normal’ was for these species, or to be aware that they did not know what normal was, whether this related to behaviour, anatomy or physiology. Giving some examples, she highlighted self-anointing behaviour in hedgehogs (which could be mistaken for a neurological problem) and also the fact that many species of diving bird could not walk particularly well, meaning that an assessment of their ability to walk as part of a clinical examination was not really appropriate. Miss Panto also emphasised that, when dealing with wildlife species, vets had to bear in mind their own health, and that of their staff and their regular patients. There were many zoonotic diseases that could be transmitted by wildlife.
Way forward
The final session of the day was a discussion of a potential constitution for the ACV. Describing this as a move towards formalising the association, Dr Dean said that once a constitution was agreed, the association could begin to build its membership and provide resources, including a website. It could also begin to have an influence on the veterinary profession. A draft constitution, which outlined the objects of the ACV, various categories of membership, and matters such as finance, meetings and the officers and committee, was discussed and amended. It was adopted through a unanimous vote, a result that Dr Dean described as ‘an excellent conclusion to the day’. n A stream of lectures on shelter medicine will form part of the scientific programme at this year’s BSAVA congress. The congress will be held in Birmingham from April 9 to 12, with the shelter medicine stream taking place on April 12. doi: 10.1136/vr.h467
January 31, 2015 | Veterinary Record | 113
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 1, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Sharing knowledge, building an association
Veterinary Record 2015 176: 112-113
doi: 10.1136/vr.h467 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/176/5/112
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
