Companion collection - Interviews

  Epilepsy is one of the most intensively studied neurological conditions in dogs but much of what we know about the disease has been gathered from research on an unrepresentative population of referral practice patients. Matthew James and colleagues were awarded this year’s BSAVA PetSavers Veterinary Achievement Award for a project which investigated how epileptic dogs are managed in first-opinion practices and what can be offered to improve their treatment. John Bonner reports…

  BSAVA volunteers are instrumental in the success of the Association, at the same time as nurturing their own personal development. RVN Kelly Eyre talks to Companion about her new role as Deputy Chair of the Congress Organizing Committee in preparation to step up to Chair in 3-years-time.

  ‘Every blood donor is a hero’ – according to the World Health Organization, which used the phrase to promote World Blood Donor Day a few years back. But so too are the people who plan and manage blood donation schemes. They ensure that the procedure is comfortable and safe for those that both give and receive this magical life-saving fluid. People like Charlotte Russo, the veterinary nurse responsible for running the transfusion medicine service at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals at the Royal Veterinary College. John Bonner finds out more…

  In a country where human healthcare is still largely free at the point of delivery, grumbles about the costs of veterinary services are a regular topic for debate in the national chatroom. So, someone who will cheerfully agree to pay an annual vet bill stretching nearly into seven figures is a very unusual client. John Bonner went to meet Patrick Williams, Chief Executive of the Cinnamon Trust to find out more about his charity, a small but powerful force in the world of animal welfare.

 Jenny Hammond, Professor of Veterinary Education at the Glasgow Vet School, was the recipient of this year’s BSAVA Amoroso award for outstanding contributions to small animal studies by a non-clinical member of university staff. Jenny helped lead the team that redesigned the undergraduate curriculum at Glasgow and continues to influence thinking on how to train new generations of veterinary graduates at home and abroad.

  A novel oral vaccine for dogs has been declared a game changer in efforts to lift the ancient curse of rabies, the most deadly of all zoonotic diseases. Gowri Yale, Scientific Advisor to the Mission Rabies charity, told John Bonner how the product will be used to control canine rabies in India and what barriers may stand in the way of eliminating a condition that kills about 60,000 people a year worldwide.

  This month, Carl Gorman steps up to the plate as the new BSAVA President for the coming year. Carl talked to John Bonner about his early career, his many and varied interests and the goal he has set himself for his presidential year.

  BSAVA members can be pleased with the way their organization dealt with the challenge of continuing to provide high quality CPD during the COVID-19 crisis. But in a rapidly evolving educational landscape, there is no room for complacency; the Association is working hard to ensure that the training it offers will suit the changing needs of its audience. Dr Claire Vinten, new Head of Education at Woodrow House, told John Bonner what the BSAVA will be doing to stay top of the class.

 Robyn Lowe is one of those rare individuals that appears to have almost inexhaustible reserves of energy. As well as working in a busy small animal practice, she is a tireless campaigner to improve the mental health of all members of the veterinary team, she treads the streets of Manchester providing outreach care for pets owned by homeless or vulnerable individuals, and she hammers away at a computer keyboard correcting the misinformation about veterinary treatment that is generated and spread via social media platforms. And at weekends she likes nothing more than to go hiking across the UK countryside in the company of like-minded colleagues.

 Mark Lowrie was born in Liverpool and grew up in the Cheshire village of Frodsham. He attended the local High School where he remembers playing the title character in the school production of ‘Oliver’. That was a one-off event, he recalls, noting that the role had been played a few years earlier, with presumably far more success by a certain Daniel Craig. Realizing that even at local level, competition for a career on stage would be tough, he took his mother’s advice and opted for one in veterinary medicine. A good choice by the man who was named PetPlan Vet of the Year 2022.