Thank you vets
THE 2022 World Veterinary Day was held on April 30th, 2022 and is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of veterinarians to the health of animals, people and the environment.
The veterinary profession is a profoundly rewarding pursuit.
Safeguarding animals against illness means protecting those who can suffer, but cannot speak.
Veterinarians are called upon to ensure these animals have a voice and an advocate who ensures their welfare is a priority.
Veterinarians are aware though that this burden can be physically and mentally taxing. Stress, burnout and other health issues have risen in recent years, particularly during the pandemic.
Veterinarians, much like their patients, need proper tools and support to maintain their personal health and wellness. Healthy animals require healthy advocates. Resilient veterinarians are better equipped to handle the daily challenges and crises that may occur in their practices.
Resilience cannot be facilitated solely by individual veterinarians though. It requires appropriate support by associations, institutions and governments to ensure adequate education, training, mentorship, and collegiality. It also requires ongoing research to better understand the mental and physical burdens veterinarians face and the opportunities to provide greater support.
The 2022 World Veterinary Day will celebrate efforts from veterinarians, veterinary associations and others to strengthen veterinary resilience and bring attention to this important cause
St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies has this to say about what veterinarians do:
“Working with animals just scratches the surface of what veterinarians do. Some common veterinarian duties include:
Diagnosing conditions; Administering vaccines; Prescribing medication; Performing surgeries; Completing diagnostic tests; and
Educating pet owners. Veterinarians can provide pet owners with valuable information to keep their animals healthy. In fact, Banfield Pet Hospital’s State of Pet Health suggests listening to a veterinarian’s nutrition recommendations is one of the best ways to
combat common issues like osteoarthritis, skin allergies, and animal obesity.
Responsibilities can vary, depending on a vet’s focus area.
“Just like human medicine, where there are specialties in internal medicine, surgery, dermatology, and emergency, veterinary medicine has also started to move that way,” Dr. Lee explains.
Veterinarians specialising in behavioral medicine perform detailed evaluations to determine whether there’s a medical reason for animal conduct issues and help develop treatment plans. Veterinary toxicologists, on the other hand, may work in an office setting, often answering pet owners’ questions.
Dr. Lee consults for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Animal Poison Control Center. Pet owners and vets call these types of centers to connect with a specialist when they suspect an animal has consumed a dangerous substance.
“At the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Centre, we counsel both pet owners and veterinary professionals on how best to treat the poisoned pet or patient,” Dr. Lee says.
Some potential courses of action are teaching someone how to induce vomiting at home, directing a person to seek veterinary attention nearby, or even nonaction in the event the substance in question isn’t harmful.”
In Fiji as in most other countries in the world the veterinarians, interns, technicians and support staff concentrate on animal care and well-being. SPCA would like to see every animal with a caretaker, as many strays as possible off the street, and all owned animals off the street.
We would like to see the caretakers doing as much as they can to educate themselves and their families on the welfare and care of their animals. We think these are attainable
goals.
is a doctor of veterinary medicine with SPCA Fiji Islands. The views expressed are the author’s and do not reflect the views of this newspaper.