Animal Welfare Conversations

Sneak Preview - Vet Nursing Awareness Month

In this short intro episode, we highlight new episodes for May, otherwise known as Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month. So, we're focussing on the impact of veterinary nursing on animal welfare. 
In our first 3 episodes we chat to Lacey Pitcher of the VN Times, Emma Ruggles, hydrotherapy vet nurse, and Sam Fontaine, programme lead for the MSc in Advanced Veterinary Nursing Practice at Glasgow Vet School. 
The first new episode goes out on 17th May so we hope you will join #TheAnimalWelfareConversation. 

Episode 8 - Animal welfare and the CMA report

In this episode we take a break from interviews, and Mary considers the impact of the CMA report on animal welfare. 
Recent years have seen many changes in veterinary practice, and in particular the corporatisation of the industry. Whilst there are still independent practices out there, many of the UK's veterinary practices are owned by small number of large corporates. In this situation vets and veterinary nurses are employees of a larger company, and are not responsible for pricing decisions. 
The Competitions and Markets Authority recently examined the provision of veterinary services, and has decided to carry out further work in this area. 
Healthcare for humans and animals has seen ground-breaking advances in recent years, and, as with the NHS, state of the art healthcare has a financial cost. But how much are owners willing to pay, and how much should practices charge? 
As a profession vets and veterinary nurses are not well paid in comparison to other professionals, and much of the cost paid by owners will disappear into practice overheads, including the purchase and maintenance of diagnostic equipment which wouldn't be out of place in a local human hospital. In vet practice, diagnostic tests and surgery are often carried out on the same day - a service which is not always replicated in human healthcare (NHS or private). 
Advances in healthcare have saved the lives of many animals but the cost of veterinary treatment is going up. We consider how this could impact on animal welfare, and ask the question, what do owners want? 
Competition: As mentioned, during April, we are running a competition to win a copy of One Medicine by Dr Matt Morgan, and Through a Vet's Eyes, by Dr Sean Wensley. To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is subscribe to our email list which can be found at Animal Welfare Conversations
 

Episode 7 - Dr Tanya Stephens FRCVS

This edition of Animal Welfare Conversations focusses on veterinary life in Australia. We’re joined by Dr Tanya Stephens BVSc, MSc, IAWEL, MANZCVS, FRCVS.
Tanya is a veterinary practitioner in Australia, who has been able to combine a clinical career in practice alongside research on kangaroos, actively supported the profession, completed further studies in the area of animal welfare, and received a number of awards for her veterinary work.
Her main interests are in animal welfare, research, evidence based practice, ethics and sustainability.
She has recently edited One Welfare in Practice, The Role of the Veterinarian.
Join us as we discuss the challenges of running a practice in the 21st century, controversy around the term gold standard in practice, the art of veterinary science, clinical decision making, climate change and the challenges of animal welfare in Australia. 

Episode 6 - Joe Bailey -The Humanimal Trust

In this episode of The Animal Welfare Conversation we are joined by Joe Bailey, CEO of the Humanimal Trust, a charity set up in 2014 by Professor Noel Fitzpatrick to support collaboration between human health professionals and veterinary professionals, to enable knowledge sharing for the benefit of humans and animals. We find out more about one medicine and discover why education is central to improving animal welfare. We consider sentience and how important it is to ensure that all animals have choice; and look in more depth at why complacency can be one of the biggest challenges to animal welfare. And finally, Joe highlights how everyone can make a difference, and how great things can be achieved if everyone does one small thing every day.
Find out more about the Humanimal Trust Home | Humanimal Trust | One Medicine for Humans and Animals
Biography
Joe Bailey joined Humanimal Trust as CEO in November 2023. She has worked in various animal welfare related roles, predominantly for the RSPCA, as an Inspector and then more recently as Head of farming, welfare and wellbeing for RSPCA Assured. Joe is passionately dedicated to protecting animals, preventing suffering, exploitation and abuse, and not only influencing but delivering systemic change in order to create a better, fairer world for all beings, which is the reason the Trusts aims of converging human and animal medicine-One Medicine-appealed. By building strong relationships with NGOs, Governments, and other organisations both in the UK and globally, she has positively affected change in behaviour and in policies pertaining to welfare, wellbeing and sustainability. Joe is a Nuffield Scholar, having studied ‘The Welfare of man and Beast’ and travelled extensively looking at the correlation between welfare and wellbeing. she is on the Board of One Welfare Phoenix, and has recently become a Trustee of My Black Dog, a mental health charity.
 

Episode 5 - Dr Matt Morgan - One Medicine

In this episode we catch up with Dr Matt Morgan, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, adjunct Professor, regular BMJ columnist and author of One Medicine - What animals can teach us and why it matters. 
We chat about the physiological, anatomical and behavioural similarities between humans and animals and how we can improve veterinary care for animals, alongside improving medical care for humans. We find out more about the concept of one medicine, how human medicine advances were inspired by the animal world, the importance of a joint education for vets and medics, and consider what the medical profession can learn from vets. 
Matt's book One Medicine will be released in paperback in March. 
About Dr Matt Morgan
Matt Morgan is a Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, adjunct Clinical Professor and regular BMJ columnist. He has contributed to >50 scientific articles following his PhD in artificial intelligence including the NEJM, Lancet and JAMA. After appearing on television and radio, he gave the 2023 Woodridge Lecture and was nominated for the Royal Society’s David Attenborough prize for public engagement. His first book CRITICAL tells remarkable stories of patients in the intensive care unit. His second book, ONE MEDICINE, explores how understanding animals can help treat human disease. His third book will look at the lives of patients after surviving a cardiac arrest. His is a member of the BMJ Commission on the Future of the NHS and is the medical advisor for The National Theatre’ in London’s production of "Nye", the story of Aneurin Bevan. He lives in Cardiff with his family.
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Episode 4 - Dr Simon Doherty - Livestock Health & Welfare, Sustainability & One Health

In this episode we chat to Dr Simon Doherty. With experience in veterinary practice, industry, academia and professional representation there is a lot to talk about, including how innovation and sustainability can improve animal welfare and what the UK can learn from around the world. As always, we ask Simon what animal welfare means to him. 
More information about the podcast and our guests can be found on the podcast website, where you can also subscribe to our newsletter.  Animal Welfare Conversations
Further information and links:
QUB Institute for Global Food Security:
https://www.qub.ac.uk/Research/GRI/TheInstituteforGlobalFoodSecurity/
 
Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC):
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/trade-and-agriculture-commission
 
CowSignals:
https://www.cowsignals.com/en/
 
Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL):
https://cielivestock.co.uk
 
British Bee Veterinary Association:
https://britishbeevets.com
 
Crustacean Compassion:
https://www.crustaceancompassion.org
 
House of Lords evidence re supply of veterinary medicines in NI:
https://committees.parliament.uk/event/20208/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/
 
Sustainability
Vet Sustain
 
One Health
UK One Health Co-ordination Group
 
vHive:
https://vhive.buzz
 
Veterinary World
British Veterinary Association
Federation of Veterinarians of Europe
 
BVA Animal Welfare Foundation:
https://www.animalwelfarefoundation.org.uk
 
World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association:
https://www.wavma.org
 
 

Episode 3 - Dr Sean Wensley - Animal Welfare Science

In this edition of Animal Welfare Conversations, I’m delighted to chat to Dr Sean Wensley. We discuss a diverse range of topics starting with what animal welfare means to Sean – that takes us into a fascinating conversation about the physical and mental wellbeing of animals, alongside animal welfare science, ethics and law. We delve into the complexities of each of these, how we can understand what an animal needs and wants and how to assess welfare.
We discuss Sean’s book Through a Vet’s Eyes – How to Care for Animals and Treat Them Better a book which challenges us to see how animals experience the world and how we can make their lives better, across the spectrum of animals kept for food, as companions, for sport, and wild animals impacted by human activity. We discuss sentience, innate behaviour and behavioural needs, and what our relationship with animals should look like, alongside the importance of education and raising awareness about animal welfare problems. We look at the big challenges in animal welfare including breeding for brachycephaly (a ‘flattened face’ in certain dog breeds and other species) but also discuss areas of good work which need to be adopted more widely by animal owners. Although we discuss what governments can do to improve animal welfare, responsibility doesn’t end there, with the individual and society also having a central part to play in continuously striving to improve animal welfare.
Further information
Brachycephalic Working Group – Working together to improve the health and welfare of brachycephalic dogs (ukbwg.org.uk)
RSPCA Assured UK - Farm Animal and Chicken Welfare
BVA policy - Animal welfare strategy
Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) Animal Welfare Strategy - FVE Animal Welfare Strategy: The Veterinary Voice for Europe’s Animals – FVE – Federation of Veterinarians of Europe
World Organisation for Animal Welfare - WOAH - World Organisation for Animal Health Animal Welfare - WOAH - World Organisation for Animal Health
Shock Collars / BVA / Template letter BVA policy - Electric shock collars and training aids BVA policy - Electric shock collars and training aids
PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report - PAW Report - PDSA
Guest Biography
Dr Sean Wensley FRCVS is Senior Veterinarian for Animal Welfare and Professional Engagement at the UK veterinary charity, PDSA. He was President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and chaired the Animal Welfare Working Group of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE). Sean has contributed to animal welfare and conservation projects around the world and received the Global Animal Welfare Award for Europe from the World Veterinary Association (WVA) and the J.A. Wight Memorial Award from the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA). His first book Through A Vet’s Eyes: How to care for animals and treat them better was one of the Financial Times’ Best Summer Books of 2022.

Episode 2 - Emma Onyejekwe - The Wildlife Vet Nurse

This edition of AWC focusses on wildlife with Veterinary Nurse Emma Onyejekwe.
Many of you will know Emma as The Wildlife Vet Nurse and I’m sure that after listening to this discussion you will want to follow in her footsteps working with some amazing animals around the world, and here at home.
In 2023, Emma was awarded a 30 under Thirty Award at the London Vet Show for her work promoting wildlife care. 
In this episode we cover a diverse range of topics, including how to raise awareness about the veterinary nursing role, the important role that veterinary nurses play in education (there’s a theme emerging here), ethical dilemmas of working with wildlife, what opportunities can be created with a veterinary nursing qualification and how to break into wildlife veterinary nursing. Emma’s enthusiasm for caring for wildlife is clear throughout. I really enjoyed having the chance to talk to Emma, and I’m sure you'll enjoy listening.
 
Useful sites and further information on the topics discussed:
The Wildlife Vet Nurse on Instagram / Website / and Facebook
Improving the welfare of both wildlife and domestic cats - British Veterinary Nursing AssociationBritish Veterinary Nursing Association (bvna.org.uk)
Cats and their Owners - SongBird Survival Research (songbird-survival.org.uk)
BWRC | Ethics | British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council

Episode 1 - Amy Lyons - Veterinary Nursing in Australia

We were delighted to chat with Amy Lyons in our more recent edition of Animal Welfare Conversations. Working as a veterinary nurse in Australia Amy sees a variety of different animals – anything from wombats and kangaroos through to rabbits and dogs.
We look at how the role of the vet nurse is central to animal welfare – through vet nurse training, the challenges of working with wildlife, common husbandry conditions, owner education and the reality of working in practice.
We compare life as a vet nurse in Australia with that in the UK, and identify similarities between the two countries for the profession. It’s clear that the role of the veterinary nurse is central to owner support and education – it doesn’t have to be boring, using social media and TikTok, giving glimpses of behind the scenes, can enable practices to engage with owners providing information in a friendly and approachable way.
One surprising element to the discussion focussed on television programmes about vet practice, asking the question why they always focus on the vets, rather than the nurses. Perhaps there’s an idea for a new TV programme there.
Listen now to find out more.
Useful resources related to this episode:
https://www.vnca.asn.au/
https://www.ava.com.au/
Home - Sleepy Burrows Wombat Sanctuary

AWC_Introduction

Welcome to Animal Welfare Conversations
A podcast for veterinary nurses, vets, vet students, and anyone who just loves working with animals.
This podcast is for you if you want to feel part of a larger conversation and community around animal welfare in the UK and beyond.
Our first season is all about highlighting the good work that’s already going on in animal welfare.
Meet the humans working in animal welfare
We have an inspiring list of guests for season 1. We’ll be talking to vet nurses, writers, vets, policymakers, and human doctors to explore the idea of animal welfare and their relationship with the human world.
Gain knowledge and insight for your own practice
Our chats will open up new ideas and ways of thinking and give you a fresh outlook on working with animals in modern times. Lightbulbs and ideas are one thing, but you’ll also get practical steps and actions to start implementing change, too.
Work together to bring about real change in animal welfare
You already do so much to improve the industry, but it’s when we come together that we can really impact change. Animal Welfare Conversations will highlight some areas that need to be addressed. We’ll talk about how change can happen and what you can do to get involved.
Stay informed, stay involved
To make sure you don’t miss any of the new episodes as they’re released, make sure you subscribe to the podcast and sign up to our mailing list where you’ll get more information about the episode and some behind-the-scenes insight, too.
We hope you can join The Animal Welfare Conversation.