1. Challenges for private companion animal vets
(and incidentally also welfare groups)
Ray Butcher ICAWC, RIGA 2011

2.  Reflects my own
experiences – largely UK
based
 Old enough to remember
the “old days”
 Unique position – have
been a high profile vet
“politician” / involved in
welfare charities / a
private practitioner all at
the same time

3.  Evolution of companion
animal vet practice in UK
and worldwide
 Changing situation in
welfare charities
 Parallel evolution but
prejudices perhaps rooted
in the past (esp at local
level)
 Stress the need for
collaboration
 Pointers for the future

4. Thames flood 1953

5.  Intensive agriculture

6.  Development of
companion animal
practice
 Vet nurse training
 Changing client
demands and
expectations

8.  Massive investment in terms
of money and facilities
 Change in attitudes of vets
and staff – women, work/life
balance
 Employment and Health and
Safety legislation
 Competition
 Facing the reality that practice
is a business

9.  Emphasis on
positive health care
and prevention
rather than treating
disease
 In UK – much of
this done by nurses

10.  Trend to specialisation
◦ Species
◦ Disciplines

11.  Evolution of Nursing
Profession
 Working with other
animal health
professionals –
physios, behaviourists
etc.
 Still barriers in some
countries

12.  Continued change in
client expectations (not
related to costs only)
 Reduced standing of
“professions”
 Economic crisis > impact
on own business as well
as clients

13.  Not to illicit sympathy!
 Stress practice is a
business
 This is what we do to
feed our families
 Making a profit is
desirable – indeed
essential!!
 Difficult decisions
 What is best for
welfare?

14.  Private registered
Hospital
 50 staff
 Image important as a
“service provider”

18.  Internet
 Meetings
 networking

19.  Accidents and disease
 Positive animal health
 Family health
 Community Health

23.  Well-meaning but
lacking overall plan
 Dealing with crises
but doing nothing to
change anything long
term
 Care about animals
more than people
 Often felt abandoned
by society

24.  Thought they could
solve the problem
themselves
 Unwilling to work
with others
 Own welfare
standards in own
facilities often
substandard

25.  Many examples
 Become professional >
successful as businesses
 Staff make up - range of
professionals -not
necessarily “animal
people”
 Alliances > cooperation >
bigger political clout
 Educational programmes
essential component

26.  Re-homing – not just
numbers but matching
the right dog to the
family
 CNR – community
involvement, stressing
aftercare
 Every intervention is an
education opportunity

28.  Also important
 Caring but professional
 “Playing the system”

29.  Internet
 Meetings
 networking

30. VET Local
Practice Charities
1950 - 1985:
Identifying new challenges
Economic pressures
Rapidly changing societal needs
1985 – 2011:
Reality check:
Business plans
Re-focusing aims
and objectives
Professionalism

31.  Aims and objectives much in common
 Challenges much in common
 Much greater cooperation at international /
national level
 May still be “in-built prejudices (esp at local
level)
◦ Vets - “Only interested in money”, “Do not care
about animals”
◦ Charities - un-realistic expectations, “mad”, Poor
standards of welfare

33.  Promotion of humanity – concern for all living
things (including people)
 Professional
 Recognise the importance of considering and
working with other stakeholders (including
locals)
 “One medicine” philosophy

35.  Important concept –
control of whole
population not “strays”
 Consider “free roaming”
not stray
 Image – “stray” >
unwanted/expendable

36. Free Roaming
Owned dogs
Lost
Owned dogs
abandoned
Owned dogs
wandering
Community
Dogs
Feral
Dogs

37. TOTAL DOG POPULATION
Confined / Controlled Free Roaming
LOST Owned dogs
Returned Lost
Dogs in breeding /
commercial Owned dogs
Abandonment abandoned
supply chain
Owned Re-homing Owned dogs
Dogs wandering
Culture
Community
Education??? Dogs
Feral Dogs

38.  Direct physical injury to
humans, their pets or
livestock, and wildlife.
 Indirect injury as a result of
road traffic accidents
 Reservoir of disease to
humans and their pets
 Pollution from faeces, urine
etc
 General nuisance - noise

39.  Loss of human and
animal life
 Fear of the disease
 Cost / availability of
vaccination
 Cost / availability of
post exposure therapy
(PET)

40.  ICAM Framework

41.  Initial data collection and identification of
major stakeholders
 Interpretation of the data and identification of
local priorities
 Consideration of potential components of
strategy
 Agreement of overall plan, setting aims and
objectives and delegation of tasks
 Implementation, monitoring and evaluation

42. Human
NGOs Animals Animal
Health
General Health Ministry Educators
Public Vets
Ministry
Municipality

44.  “….. I promise above all
that I will pursue the work
of my profession with
uprightness of conduct and
that my constant
endeavour will be to ensure
the welfare of the animals
committed to my care”.

45.  Ensuring animal
welfare is a key
element of our role
 Have we risen to the
challenge?

47.  Moral obligation
 EU – Treaty of
Amsterdam > Legal
obligation

49.  Can we argue that this is an area that will
help to build the business?

51. 55,000 human deaths in
Africa and Asia every year –
especially children
100 deaths in children every
day

52.  May include owned
animals that are
allowed to wander
 Clients or potential
clients

54.  Important concept
from “James Herriot”
era.

55.  Direct involvement
 Linked to compulsory
vaccination
 Linked to neutering

56.  May be compulsory
visit to vet
 Marketing opportunity

57.  Pet dogs potentially
most productive
 Requires vet
involvement
 Cost implications
 Needs compromise?

58.  Responsible Pet
Ownership
 Opportunity to
market clinic

59.  Moral obligation – care of living things and
promoting humanity
 Professional obligation – “animal advocate”
 Professional obligation to community – have
expertise to improve public health

60.  Professional obligation to clients – have
expertise to protect health of pets
 Enhanced image as “carer” will impact on view
of community to clinic
 Potential opportunity to market clinic with
increase workload and client base

61.  Goodwill
 Image
 Community
responsibility
 Potential increase in
client base
 Developing surgical
skills?
 Financial gain?

62.  More satisfied owner
 Healthier dog
 Better educated owner
> better potential to
take up vet services

65.  Vets and welfare charities have joint role as
part of “community health care team”

66.  The need to change the way people behave
 Educated public better for animal welfare and
better for vets so “win / win”

67.  Rabies / zoonoses
 Bites

68.  Owners - “My dog doesn’t bite”
 Sponsors &Vets – not keen on negative image
68

69.  Problem of
communicating a
“FEAR message”
Witte K. 1996; Cho & Witte, 2005; Gore & Bracken, 2005 69

71.  Improved welfare involves educating people
to change their attitudes and behaviour
 Can only be successful if multiple
stakeholders in the community work to an
agreed strategy
 Each stakeholder group will have their own
agenda
 Maybe historical “baggage” – concentrate on
points of common interest / agreement
 May need compromises
 Must be perceived advantages to get “buy-in”

72. Human
NGOs Animals Animal
Health
General Health Ministry Educators
Public Vets
Ministry
Municipality