One Health

Leadership perspective: what is needed right now and how to change minds? This non-hysterical look at the big picture provides information regarding the crisis we are facing, and details the leadership skills for you to personally take it forward into practice and your lives to feel like you’re making a difference. The time is past where we can all sit back hoping against hope that someone else will lead us out of this situation. There are things that every individual can do, but more power to effect change comes with better strategy – this lecture focuses on the practical delivery of change into existing structures.

What is happening in the veterinary sector: a high level perspective: Medical journal The Lancet has called climate change “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century”, but also the greatest public health opportunity. The veterinary sector has a moral obligation to mitigate against and adapt to the triple threats of global heating, resource scarcity and biodiversity loss. The transformative change required for this endeavour has been forced by the global pandemic; the question is how we choose to emerge from one crisis, in order to deal with the next? Small animal veterinary practice has a unique set of environmental impacts, not least the greenhouse gas effects caused by release of volatile anaesthetic agents, but also single use plastic consumption, hazardous waste production, and resource use. Some opportunities are clear; others present a wicked problem with interdependent impacts, inadvertent consequences of changes, and embedded behaviours all contributing to the tangled puzzle. We will need to show the best of what we can do; work collaboratively, think laterally, dissect the detail whilst seeing the bigger picture, and showing leadership in the workplace and in our communities. This lecture will highlight the excellent environmental sustainability work that is underway in the small animal sector, and the opportunities for growth and participation.

 Tim Nuttall, Senior Lecturer in Dermatology at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, summarizes the EMA categorization of antibiotics for use in animals for prudent and responsible use.

  For World Antibiotic Awareness Week this month (18–24 November) Fergus Allerton a European and RCVS Veterinary Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine provides an update of antibiotic stewardship guidelines.

  British science is facing arguably its biggest ever peacetime challenge – to develop reliable diagnostic tests and an effective vaccination for the human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the causative organism of COVID-19. If there is one researcher who truly understands how difficult the task will be, and what is needed to succeed, he is Joe Brownlie. The former head of pathology at the Royal Veterinary College led the team which solved the mystery of a coronavirus strain causing respiratory disease in dogs. He told John Bonner what lessons that project can teach us in dealing with the current pandemic.

Animal welfare organizations receive hundreds of calls each year asking for advice on rehoming pets from the parents of children who have - or are at risk of developing - allergic diseases. But if a child reacts to the allergens produced by domestic animals, is it necessary to avoid any further contact? On the contrary, there is mounting evidence to suggest that keeping a pet may be just what the doctor ordered for a child with an allergic condition like asthma. John Bonner looks through the literature.

Caring for patients with the various chronic diseases linked to obesity is a major part of the job for small animal practitioners these days – treating not just the dogs but the owners as well. Research shows that vets have an important role in ensuring that their clients undertake enough exercise to keep themselves lean and healthy. John Bonner reports.

Recent cases in The Netherlands and France have raised the profile of the disease but many countries have to contend with rabies on a daily basis. The symposium identified seven key recommendations for progress.

For 17 years the Sri Lankan government used mass slaughter to curtail outbreaks of rabies in Colombo. The policy failed and now a project run by the Blue Paw trust is showing how veterinary expertise can solve the problem.

‘One Health’ proposes the unification of the medical and veterinary professions and the WSAVA One Health Committee was established to represent the interests of small animals in the agenda.