Vet Times

Tag: welfare

  • The cases that stay with you

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    We are deep into a busy term of teaching and have veterinary care assistant students in centre, as well as nursing diploma and nursing degree groups. We are also supporting students in practice and ensuring nursing progress log (NPL) completion. It’s so important in teaching to relate theoretical and practical elements to cases. We can use standard cases…

  • Only the best will do

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    All too often the deciding factor in an animal’s veterinary treatment is cost. It has to be a factor because there is no NHS for pets. But it is unfortunate that, when undertaking the care of an animal, many people underestimate this cost or even seem to give it no consideration at all – although this is a…

  • MOOC popularity

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    Following a previous blog in which I mentioned MOOCs (massive open online courses), I took the plunge and signed up for a University of Edinburgh course on Animal Behaviour and Welfare – along with more than 23,000 other people from around the world! As MOOCs go Animal Behaviour and Welfare is quite short at only five…

  • When is a law not a law?

    When is a law not a law?

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    It’s finally hot. SUPER HOT! Time to moan loudly about the lack of air conditioning, talk up the merits of wearing scrubs, and attempt to cover yourself in enough fake tan to hide the pasty white of working long shifts inside. Time also for pets to suffer: heat stroke, fly strike, grass seeds – they’re…

  • How far is too far?

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    In my interview for Glasgow vet school, I was asked the question “how far is too far?”, and recent episodes of The Supervet on TV had me musing on the topic again, particularly as I had used The Bionic Vet as an example in my answer. At the time I discussed kidney transplants in cats…

  • Where should we get our pets from?

    Where should we get our pets from?

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    I gave a lovely Clinical Coach training course this week. It’s always lovely to welcome new CCs to the fold and, to add to the good feeling, there were three ex-students on the course, all freshly qualified and ready to train others – I was bursting with pride! I demonstrated our college’s virtual learning environment…

  • Glasgow Vet School Rodeo

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    The Glasgow Vet School Rodeo is an annual charity event organised by vet students. It is traditional for second year students to make the event happen, and so this year, I was involved in its organisation. My responsibilities included taking minutes at weekly meetings, correspondence with print media for advertising, compiling the programme and poster/flyer…

  • Do we need diversity of a different kind?

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    There is an ever-present drum beat in the profession’s media, and that is of ever-improving standards and regulation; steadily increasing bureaucracy, compulsory CPD, increasing practice standards and the inspections and approvals and licences that come with them. All very well and good. I’m all for it; I’m just like you – always thinking how can I do this…

  • The wrong trousers

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    Utilitarian. That’s my ethical outlook, apparently. Participants in the A-FAVP.1 module of the CertAVP have to analyse their ethical stance by answering a questionnaire, and that’s what I came up as: utilitarian. I was surprised by the word. It’s not one I’d use to describe my attitudes, but apparently my main focus is on the…

  • Ignorance is bliss

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    Over the last month there’s been quite an uproar over the reality of the production of halal and kosher meat, which has finally been brought to forefront of the public eye after the controversial decision to ban slaughter without stunning in Denmark. There has been nationwide outrage and horror at the claims that slaughter without…