VetScript August 2020

nzva.org.nz

ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS AND VIEWS Past, present and Wellbeing friend future or foe?

YOUR ROLE when medicines go wrong

T H E O F F I C I A L M AG A Z I N E O F T H E N E W Z E A L A N D V E T E R I N A RY A S S O C I AT I O N • AU G U ST 2 02 0

THE CANNABIS CONUNDRUM

VetScript August 2020 – i

NZVA conference Ju n e 2 0 2 1 4 2 – 2 2 Christchurch Companion Animal Epidemiology and Animal Health Management

Sheep and Beef Cattle

Complementary Medicine Equine Nursing

Veterinary Business

Workshops 25 June 2021

Dairy Cattle Equine

Wildlife

Deer Food Safety, Animal Welfare and Biosecurity

www.nzva.org.nz New Zealand Veterinary Association

T +64 4 471 0484 | E vetlearn@vets.org.nz

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL 2 Mirjam Guesgen, VetScript Editor NEWS AND VIEWS 4 Grant McCullough, NZVA President 5 Kevin Bryant, NZVA CEO 6 NZVA veterinary team 8 News 12 Give our crossword a try!

13 Global lab – check out what’s happening in veterinary schools around the world 14 Massey research update

40 COVER STORY

IN THE LAB

18 Seton Butler, VCNZ

32 The cannabis conundrum

50 The search for the source

PROFILE

IN THE FIELD

16 Animal welfare and ethics update

54 Diagnosing deadly disease

20 Meet Queen’s Birthday Honours recipient Vince Peterson

38 Your role when medicines go wrong

56 Social media – wellbeing friend or foe?

IN THE WORKPLACE OUT THERE VETTING

40 Strength in numbers

24 East Coast Bays Vets – embracing change in the name of care

46 Asking the right questions – getting recruitment and reference checks right 48 How employers can support their teams’ mental health and wellbeing

ANIMAL WELFARE 28 Building the bond – the past, present and future of animal welfare

14

WELLBEING

VETLEARN 58 Take a look at the exciting opportunities for professional development 64 CLASSIFIEDS

20

24 VetScript August 2020 – 1

EDITORIAL

www.nzva.org.nz

VetScript AUGUST 2020 • VOL 33 • NO 7 ISSN 1170-280X COVER IMAGE The cannabis conundrum (IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM)

VetScript is published monthly (except January) by the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) as a service to its members.

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Bette Flagler M: 021 956 122 E: bette.flagler@vets.org.nz EDITOR Mirjam Guesgen M: 022 099 7734 E: vetscript@vets.org.nz ADVERTISING MANAGER Tony Leggett T: 06 280 3162 M: 027 4746 093 E: tony.leggett@nzfarmlife.co.nz CLASSIFIEDS ADMINISTRATOR E: classifieds@vets.org.nz ART DIRECTOR Amanda Trayes NZVA OFFICE Level 2, 44 Victoria Street Wellington Central PO Box 11212, Manners Street Wellington 6142, New Zealand T: 04 471 0484 F: 04 471 0494 E: nzva@vets.org.nz www.nzva.org.nz NZVA BOARD Independent Chair: Flora Gilkison President: Grant McCullough Members: Peter Blaikie, Mark Bryan, Kate Hill, Cath Watson DISCLAIMER VetScript is published by the New Zealand Veterinary Association Incorporated (NZVA). The views expressed in the articles and letters do not necessarily represent those of the NZVA or the editor and neither the NZVA nor the editor endorses any products or services advertised. The NZVA is not the source of the information reproduced in this publication and has not independently verified the truth of the information. It does not accept legal responsibility for the truth or accuracy of the information contained herein. Neither the NZVA nor the editor accepts any liability whatsoever for the contents of this publication or for any consequences that may result from the use of any information contained herein or advice given herein. This provision is intended to exclude the NZVA, the editor and its staff from all liability whatsoever, including liability for negligence in the publication or reproduction of the material set out herein. The entire content of VetScript is copyrighted by the NZVA. VetScript is produced for NZVA members and approved subscribers only. No material from this publication may be reproduced in any form, or quoted from either directly or indirectly in other media, without the permission of the editor.

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Legalisation for all?

Kiwis will soon be asked whether we should legalise the sale, use, possession and production of cannabis. Where will it leave veterinarians and the animals in their care?

THE LEGALISATION OF recreational cannabis in Canada was, by many accounts, an uneventful legal change. In the days and months that followed 17 October 2018 (legalisation day) Canadians did not descend into a munchie-driven stupor. The nation’s productivity levels didn’t suddenly grind to a halt as people stayed home to chill on the couch with their supplies. This lack of change isn’t anecdotal. Statistics Canada data gathered in 2019 revealed that the number of people who reported using cannabis in the previous three months, particularly 15- to 24-year-olds, was almost identical pre- and post-legalisation.

Pre-legalisation I worked in a boutique dog store in Toronto. It was the kind of place that sold organic dog food and an array of Instagram-worthy accessories and bedding. The store also sold cannabidiol (CBD) tinctures – hemp-derived products with no actual CBD – packaged in attractive amber dropper bottles. They were particularly popular with customers who had older canines. I shied away from talking about the products unless someone mentioned them first, because I was unsure about their efficacy and legitimacy. Customers told me they were seeing great results, but were they just seeing what they wanted to see?

While Canada’s legalisation of cannabis products for people had the impact of a gentle wave on the seashore, pet owners were left out at sea. A growing number of people were seeking alternatives, or additions, to their animals’ pain, seizure or appetite medications, but there were (and still are) no products available intended for animals that veterinarians could prescribe. Instead, the veterinarians were left trying to figure out the ramifications of human health and drug legislation for them and their clients. Pet owners were largely left to their own devices, either at the mercy of companies peddling hemp products claiming to be CBD or administering their own, human-intended, supplies to their animals.

When I spoke last month to Sarah Silcox, President of the Canadian Association of Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine, she told me about the immense struggle her team had undergone to make headway in clarifying what veterinarians could and couldn’t advise when it came to cannabis. While a large part of that struggle came from veterinarians not being included in the legalisation conversation, a lingering stigma around cannabis use was affecting the views of some veterinarians.

New Zealand is at the precipice of recreational cannabis legalisation. We know that Kiwis are already using cannabis and we know they’re already giving it to their pets.

To deny that the plant is an issue for veterinarians is naïve. It takes the veterinary profession down the same path as Canada’s.

Whatever your personal thoughts about the plant, I urge you to consider the reality of the situation. Learn about the legalities of cannabis and the efficacy of the products. The feature on page 32 is a good starting point, but use your own expert networks to do more research.

Mirjam Guesgen, Editor, VetScript

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Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997 | No. A011184 | ©Copyright 2020 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health New Zealand Limited. All rights reserved. NZ-CAN-0025-202.

NEWS AND VIEWS

Pride well deserved NZVA President Grant McCullough applauds veterinarians and others for their work during the lockdown, and looks ahead to the ‘new normal’.

WHAT REALLY STRUCK me in the past few months of the COVID-19 crisis was the collegiality and professionalism shown by New Zealand’s veterinarians as we faced the virus. I witnessed many examples of veterinarians at all levels in the profession acting for the greater good.

People did things like sharing protocols and other documents so that other veterinary practices could use them during lockdown. These were valuable documents that would not normally be shared. I saw clinics that don’t normally work together sharing after-hours duties. I saw veterinarians and veterinary nurses taking on significantly greater workloads, partly because appointments were taking longer than normal with the restrictions at the higher alert levels. Many people were going beyond their usual roles, as could be seen in Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) veterinarians taking on regulatory roles to inspect veterinary clinics. And in all this, the NZVA national office team continued to provide excellent support to members while working from home.

This spirit of cooperation was also evident in the collaboration between MPI, the NZVA, Massey University and VCNZ during the lockdown. Our involvement with this group has certainly paid dividends for the profession, most notably in our being seen in a great light by the Government and the public. Veterinarians in many other countries haven’t had the privilege of providing an ‘essential service’ during lockdown, and those in New Zealand certainly didn’t take it for granted.

Importantly, New Zealand veterinary practices followed the guidelines for business practice at each alert level. There were no serious incidents or breaches of the guidelines, which is something that can’t be said for several other sectors.

A real highlight during the lockdown was the online discussion forums organised by the NZVA for several sectors.

Among the most interesting was a recent veterinary graduates forum; I was very impressed with the Massey University graduates who attended. Many had been in the workforce for as little as a week before the lockdown hit, and their strength and resilience struck me as outstanding.

The NZVA’s education team handled the World Veterinary Association Congress (WVAC) situation admirably. While the congress’s cancellation was a huge disappointment, the team turned the situation around by organising WVAC online.

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The special COVID-19 panel discussion highlighted the profession’s ability to work together around the world. I heard a staff member from one of the international organisations comment on how great it would be if the world’s governments could collaborate as well as the veterinarians did during WVAC. It was a pleasure to honour Vince Peterson in a This Is Your Life-type session on the evening he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. The session highlighted the wealth of relationships Vince has developed during his career.

You can read more about Vince’s life and achievements on page 20 of this issue.

The NZVA will be part of shaping the post-COVID-19 ‘new normal’ way of practice, and will continue to encourage conversations with members to help us create the change.

NZVA staff have already responded to member suggestions in relation to member wellbeing and support for employers. Some of the ways we’re responding include: » member wellbeing: free CPD programmes, webinars and supporting resources. These are all on the Wellbeing Hub in the members’ section of the NZVA website. The Wellbeing Hub will be regularly updated, and I encourage you to take advantage of these resources » business support: during the lockdown the NZVA enabled members to access an employment lawyer so that employees and employers could get some personal and direct support.

The service was used extensively. The NZVA national office also arranged several Zoom forums for employers to get together and share experiences. These included a Zoom session on human resource challenges. Members were invited to webinars on the economic outlook and strategy, and more recently I suggested that the NZVA start a Zoom series called ‘Lunchtime Chats’ as a place for people with a wide range of experiences to discuss issues on an informal basis. These have now started, and the team is also close to rolling out some additional CPD offerings in the area of leadership.

I feel honoured to have been the NZVA President during this difficult time. I hope the NZVA has helped you in some way, and I look forward to working with you all to further develop the veterinary profession in the brave new post-lockdown world!

Grant McCullough, NZVA President grant.mccullough@vets.org.nz

NEWS AND VIEWS

Valuing veterinarians NZVA CEO Kevin Bryant says it’s time to highlight the veterinary profession’s skills and contribution.

SINCE I JOINED the NZVA in September last year, a persistent theme has emerged in my conversations with members, special interest and regional branch leaders, and board directors.

It’s the view that veterinarians are not well recognised for the collective contribution they make to animals’ health and welfare and to many aspects of life in this country. I freely admit that, while I’ve always admired the important work done by the profession, it wasn’t until I took up this role that I began to understand the full breadth and depth of your contribution.

The stories I’ve heard about the way some clients treat you are a clear indication that they have little understanding of the value you offer. In fact the contribution that rural veterinarians make has gone largely unsung for many years, particularly in our urban communities, and I know that companion animal veterinarians also don’t receive the respect they deserve. This is a country with one of the highest companion animal ownership rates per household in the world, and with most owners viewing their pets as family members.

I believe it’s time for the value of your contribution to be better recognised.

For example, misperceptions about fees need to be addressed if we’re to overcome challenges such as workforce and business sustainability and veterinary wellbeing. If the public has a better understanding of the costs of veterinary services, and the value those services represent, they may be more prepared to pay for services they might otherwise see as expensive.

For many people, taking an animal to a veterinarian for the first time is their first experience of non-taxpayer-subsidised medical care. Faced with having to pay the full cost of the service, they can struggle to see value in what is in fact a very reasonable fee. Unfortunately, this can lead to new client relationships getting off on the wrong foot. If perceptions can be changed, practices will be better placed to charge appropriately, and therefore look after their people better in terms of remuneration and wellbeing.

As many members know, long-held beliefs can be hard to change. It can also take a while to change misperceptions, but that doesn’t mean we should shy away from the issue.

At the NZVA we’re doing something about it. To support our vision of veterinarians as valued animal health and welfare

knowledge leaders, we’re planning a nationwide advertising campaign to enhance the reputation of the veterinary profession.

It will make it clear that veterinarians deliver in animal health and welfare expertise, and offer excellent value for money.

The campaign will also seek to enhance the profession’s overall reputation with the public.

As mentioned in this issue’s column from the NZVA veterinary team, many groups advocate on animal health and welfare but none has the expertise, training or qualifications that veterinary professionals do. We plan to design the campaign so that practices can use some of the material to target consumers in their local markets and through social media channels.

We believe the campaign will offer significant benefits for members, because the material will only be made available to members, and only members will get advance notice of advertising placements they can use to support their own promotional activities. It’s my hope that the campaign will soon be added to the list of benefits that members tell me they value (others include this magazine, CPD, wellbeing resources, mentoring and standards’ development).

We aim to demonstrate the ways that veterinarians provide unequalled value through their unique expertise in areas ranging from biosecurity to companion animal health. We want to capture the authentic voice of our people, so we’ll be looking for members to contribute to the campaign before it’s launched.

We’re also keen to feature our members at a local level through case studies, which will help to add a human face to a campaign that’s all about relationships.

Before we go live, we’ll launch the campaign to members so you’re familiar with its messages. A personal touch goes a long way, and the chances of the campaign meeting its objectives will be greatly enhanced if you take advantage of opportunities to reinforce those messages with your clients.

As you probably know, advertising isn’t cheap, so we’ll be seeking financial support from stakeholders who, like me, want to support the profession to grow and to prosper.

I look forward to providing updates on progress – creating a campaign that I hope will be the start of a sea change in perceptions of the profession in this country.

Kevin Bryant, NZVA CEO kevin.bryant@vets.org.nz

VetScript August 2020 – 5

NEWS AND VIEWS

Seeking a balance In representing our members, the veterinary profession and the animals in our care, the NZVA veterinary team has a key role in lifting our reputation and voice on animal welfare issues.

GIVEN THE HUGE variety of work that veterinary professionals undertake – whether they’re rural veterinarians or those working with companion animals, industry and government – it’s fair to say we collectively represent a huge repository of knowledge and expertise in this country.

With such diverse experience and expertise, it’s no surprise that we don’t always agree. For the NZVA veterinary team this can make things challenging, especially when we’re developing agreed positions or deciding on advocacy positions and priorities.

In previous columns we’ve outlined how we consult and how the Member Advisory Group (MAG) and others contribute to the process. At its inaugural meeting, the MAG decided that a key priority for the NZVA should be enhancing our reputation and voice on animal welfare issues. Its collective view was that if veterinarians don’t advocate on animal welfare, someone else will fill the void.

When it comes to animal health and welfare, veterinarians have a unique qualification and skill set.

Others with interests in animal welfare vary greatly, from activists who don’t share our science-based approach, or even agree that humane animal use is appropriate, to those advocating for outcomes different from our own. It’s therefore critical that the veterinary advocacy voice is heard in all the right places, with a robust and science-based approach underpinning our positioning and rationale.

If we had to sum up our approach in one word, it would be ‘balance’. We try to balance the needs of our members with our commitment to animal welfare science when taking a position on any animal welfare issue. This balance is relevant to all industry groups involved with animals, but, as we noted in a previous column, veterinarians have the additional responsibility enshrined in our Code of Professional Conduct – to “protect animal welfare and alleviate animal suffering”.

If we’re to consolidate and enhance our reputation as qualified and trusted animal health and welfare experts, it’s important that the NZVA advocates publicly

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and makes our views known in a range of forums. This includes offering solutions, as a failure to do so could lead to undesirable outcomes for animals, our members and the veterinary profession.

A good example is our advocacy work to change the way fireworks are regulated in this country. Currently, fireworks can be sold to anyone for private use, and despite a limited sales period during the year they can be stockpiled and lit at any time of the day or night.

This presents an ongoing threat of psychological and/or physical harm to firework-anxious animals.

The veterinarians treating these animals can also be affected, particularly if they are, for example, called out in the middle of the night. The stress and sleep loss caused by dealing with this sort of situation can have significant effects on their wellbeing. There’s also a greater risk of professional complaints in this type of work. To resolve the animal and human welfare risks, we advocate a ban on private sales.

There are many other examples of the NZVA’s work in advocating for legislative or regulatory reform to support better member and animal welfare. These include, to name a few, changes to animal welfare regulations (such as those relating to transport, disbudding, bobby calves, equine dentistry and tail docking), the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997 and advertising guidelines, and the radiation code of practice and guidelines.

Once we achieve our advocacy goals, either we cease our work in the area (for example, tail docking in dogs) or we support our members with guidance to enable them to comply easily with any new rules (for example, disbudding guidelines).

Our understanding of animal welfare science, and society’s views and expectations, continues to evolve and contribute to incremental improvements that enhance animal welfare. The veterinary voice is a critical part of this, and a huge part of what the NZVA veterinary team does on your behalf and for the animals for whom you care.

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NEWS AND VIEWS

NATIONAL OFFICE UPDATE The NZVA represented the membership in the following ways this past month. » Supporting regional network meetings. » The veterinary team presented drafts of new policies and positions to the standards committee and outlined the new framework for that process. » The NZVA attended the Farm to Processor Animal Welfare Forum, a biannual primary sector meeting to discuss animal welfare issues including drought, disruptions resulting from COVID-19 and future options for carcass disposal. » The NZVA Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) provided veterinary advice to the Visionary Vet Group Meeting (Pāmu). » The NZVA CVO and other stakeholders, including practising veterinarians, reviewed the animal welfare section of the VCNZ Code of Professional Conduct. » The NZVA CVO attended the Companion Animal New Zealand board meeting, where primary concerns were urban animal management and companion animal welfare. » The NZVA is a support agency in the national emergency response, and as part of this the NZVA CVO attended the animal welfare subfunction meeting. » The NZVA, VCNZ, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Massey University met to share information as part of the Monthly Veterinary Leaders Meeting. » The NZVA attended the Greyhound Racing New Zealand Animal Welfare Committee meeting – the NZVA CVO sits on the committee, addressing key issues in the Hansen Report. » The NZVA veterinary team attended the Companion Animal Veterinarians special interest branch Executive Committee meeting, where they are working to support companion animal veterinarians and their practice. » The NZVA attended several Winter Grazing Action Group meetings. The group is working on farm system maps and meeting short-term industry expectations in all wintering systems.

VETERINARY SCHOLARSHIP HELPS STUDENT GO FURTHER MASSEY UNIVERSITY VETERINARY science student Kate Poole has been awarded a $2,500 scholarship from Agcarm.

Growing up on a sheep and beef farm in Tararua in southern Hawke’s Bay, Kate developed a passion for farm life. The 20-year-old wants to use her veterinary degree to evolve the country’s farming systems and better understand diseases in small animals. “I see myself working in a mixed practice environment with a whole lot of production animals around me,” she says.

Kate says she will use her scholarship to pay for the travel costs associated with clinical placements. “This means I’ll have the freedom to choose placement clinics based on my interests.”

Agcarm offers two scholarships a year (one in the field of veterinary science and one in horticulture) to support education and to raise awareness of careers in agriculture-related industries. n

» The NZVA CVO attended several antimicrobial resistance meetings with regulators and the industry to discuss the issue.

VetScript

» The NZVA CVO attended the Animal Welfare Practice Group meeting, engaging with MPI, SPCA and Crown solicitors on key points of law to set common expectations on a variety of issues and protect the profession’s interests.

Deadlines for October 2020 issue

» The NZVA CVO sits on the National Adverse Events Committee, a cross-disciplinary government group that addresses current adverse events and ensures wraparound support for affected parties. » The NZVA CVO is the local Otago representative for the Otago Rural Advisory Group. She met with them to discuss general business. n

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EDITORIAL COPY 20 August DISPLAY AND CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 1 September LATE CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 20 September Contact the editor at: vetscript@vets.org.nz

PHOTOGRAPHY: SUPPLIED

NEWS AND VIEWS

DAYS OF NOTE 2–8 AUGUST INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE DOG WEEK 8 AUGUST NATIONAL CBD DAY (US) 9 AUGUST INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 15 AUGUST INTERNATIONAL HOMELESS ANIMALS DAY 20 AUGUST WORLD MOSQUITO DAY

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CURRENT AND ASPIRING FEMALE LEADERS SCHOLARSHIPS OF $1,000– $5,000 are now available to women working in veterinary science, to help them take part in online leadership development courses. The scholarships are offered by Women & Leadership New Zealand, which also runs the courses.

Applications are open to junior through to executive female managers. Recipients will benefit from course content such as learning about emotional intelligence and conflict, career and professional growth, team dynamics, how to lead innovation and change, and how to empower teams.

To find out more or register your interest, visit www. womenandleadership. co.nz/scholarships.html.

Expressions of interest close on 11 September. n

NIGHT AT THE VIRTUAL MUSEUM The Museum of Human Disease at the University of New South Wales, Sydney has launched a virtual version of its museum for the general public.

THE MUSEUM – which displays real organs and body parts – has the only publicly accessible medical pathology collection in Australia. It houses more than 2,500 specimens, including lungs, brains and body tissue, that have been affected by disease.

Visitors can now roam the space virtually, seeing up-close how diseases like cancer, heart disease and obesity affect the body.

“It’s so important to understand how diseases work – especially during a pandemic,” says Museum Director Derek Williamson. “By learning more about past outbreaks and how they affect the body, we can also learn why some diseases are coming back.”

Tickets to the virtual museum are by donation to support the work of the museum.

Entry is free for students and staff at the University of New South Wales.

As the museum contains real body parts, visitors are warned that the displays can be confronting for some.

The virtual museum works on all major web browsers and devices. It is also virtual reality-enabled. Tickets can be booked by searching ‘Museum of Human Disease’ on Eventbrite www.eventbrite.com.au. n

RETIRED? CONSIDER THE RVN! THE NZVA NOW has a Retired Veterinarians Network (RVN), which replaces the previous Retired Veterinarians Branch.

The RVN provides an opportunity for veterinarians to keep in touch with colleagues at local, regional and national levels, mainly through social events. These may be bike rides, games of golf, café meetings or attending local NZVA regional branch meetings.

Importantly, the RVN provides a way for members to retain contact with the NZVA, encourages continued involvement with the organisation and offers a way for members to contribute on issues confronting the profession. Membership is free for retirees or anyone over 65 who has been an NZVA member (or member of an equivalent overseas organisation) for more than 30 years. Contact retired-veterinarians@nzva.org.nz. n

VetScript August 2020 – 9

NEWS AND VIEWS

SOULSBY ONE HEALTH FELLOWSHIPS AWARDED FIVE VETERINARIANS HAVE been awarded a total of more than $96,000 for projects on zoonotic diseases, sustainable food production and food poverty.

The funding comes from the Soulsby Foundation – a charity that provides travelling research fellowships known as Soulsby Fellowships to medical doctors and veterinarians undertaking projects in One Health.

This is the first year the fellowships have been open to applicants from Australasia. Of the five winners, two are from the region (specifically Australia). » Juan Pablo Villanueva-Cabezas (Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Australia) is studying milk production systems in Bhutan, particularly animal husbandry and food safety practices, in the hopes of improving cattle and human health by raising awareness of zoonotic disease. » Vito Colella (University of Melbourne, Australia) is determining whether targeting dogs in Cambodia is more effective in controlling hookworms in children than humantargeted strategies alone. » Lisa Cavalerie (University of Liverpool, UK and International Livestock Research Institute, Ethiopia) is studying the benefits and risks of livestock ownership to maternal health in women in Ethiopia. The aim is to develop sustainable livestock health management to improve maternal and child health. » Mark Nanyingi (Universities of Liverpool, UK and Nairobi, Kenya) is investigating the presence of Rift Valley fever virus in people, livestock and mosquitoes in Kenya. He aims to develop a human-animal integrated surveillance system that will inform national policy and decision-making in the event of outbreaks. » Kelsey Shaw (Emory University, US) will study schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, in Tanzania. The country has a high number of cases despite decades of control efforts. Kelsey’s project will investigate whether this reduced biodiversity leads to increased transmission of schistosomes to humans and livestock.

Each fellowship covers travel and subsistence expenses in carrying out the project. n

To report suspected exotic land, freshwater and marine pests, or exotic diseases in plants or animals, call:

0800 80 99 66

LOCKDOWN PROVIDES RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY A COMMENTARY PUBLISHED in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests that worldwide lockdowns due to COVID-19 (which it calls the ‘anthropause’) could be a valuable opportunity to study the effects of human activity on wildlife.

The paper suggests pooling data from numerous field studies globally and comparing the effects on animals of different levels of lockdown restriction, including ‘control sites’ where little has changed, such as remote geographical areas.

One such project is the COVID-19 Bio-Logging Initiative (www.bio-logging.net), in which a large research group is gathering and pooling behaviour, movement and physiology data from biologgers – small devices attached to animals. One of the main questions the group wishes to answer is, “Are the movements of animals in modern landscapes predominantly affected by built structures, or by the presence of humans?”.

Having detailed and widespread data on human-wildlife interactions could help identify species that are greatly affected by human activity, as well as thresholds where human activity levels begin to have detrimental impacts on animals. n REFERENCE: Rutz C, Loretto M, Bates AE, Davidson SC, Duarte CM, Jetz W, Johnson M, Kato A, Kays R, Mueller T, et al. COVID-19 lockdown allows researchers to quantify the effects of human activity on wildlife. Nature Ecology & Evolution doi: 10.1038/s41559-020-1237-z, 2020

VIRTUAL VETERINARY NURSE NOW AVAILABLE THE VIRTUAL VETERINARY nurse, mentioned in the July issue of VetScript, has now launched. Sophie and her colleagues are digital employees who can be part of the team at your veterinary clinic.

For more information please visit www.virtualvetnurse.co.nz. n

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IMAGERY: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, SUPPLIED

NEWS AND VIEWS

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The kibble’s fibre content is supported with psyllium to help ease the digestive transit and encourage regularity and optimal stool consistency. It also contains enough energy to help maintain a healthy body weight.

Gastrointestinal patients often present with decreased appetite and weight loss, so a palatable diet is vital. Royal Canin says that all of its gastrointestinal tract diets are highly palatable to encourage spontaneous consumption, recovery and maintenance.

You can order Fibre Response from your Royal Canin representative or by contacting Consumer Care at 0800 420 016 or consumercare.anz@royalcanin.com. n

US SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR PET INSURANCE HALF OF US pet owners would not be able to pay an unexpected $5,000 veterinary bill, according to a survey by pet health insurance broker Pawlicy Advisor.

The survey discovered that nearly 20% of pet owners could pay a $5,000 veterinary bill if it came up and that 30% “would seek financing options such as a loan, a credit card or a payment plan offered by the veterinarian”. The other half couldn’t cover the expenses at all.

According to company CEO and co-founder Woody Mawhinney, the findings, drawn from 20,000 people who showed an interest in pet insurance, highlighted “both the importance and the urgency of having pet insurance as COVID-19 pushes many into financial insecurity”.

Fewer than 10% of New Zealand pet owners had pet insurance in 2019, according to market research company Canstar. n

SUPPLY CHAIN AMPLIFIES CORONAVIRUS RISK A NEW STUDY has highlighted the ease with which

SOOTHING BALMS FOR ITCHY HOUNDS FUR LOVE MOISTURE balms can be used to relieve mild allergic dermatitis in dogs – including contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, food-associated allergies and parasitic dermatitis. It’s a step in managing and treating skin irritations before using steroids or antibiotics.

Made with sweet almond oil, coconut oil and hemp seed oil, the balms provide an option for dog owners looking for a product that’s safe for dogs, both topically and if ingested. Fur Love moisture balms can be applied frequently to dry patches (for dogs who predictably develop skin irritations) and also used preventatively to maintain skin integrity.

RRP $35.00 (100ml), buy online from www.thefurlove.com. n

viruses spread and mutate in wild populations close to humans, and concludes that trade can amplify the presence of viruses like COVID-19.

The study, pre-printed on the server bioRxiv, looked at the presence and diversity of coronaviruses in animals at wildlife-human interfaces in three provinces in Vietnam between 2013 and 2014.

The researchers found at least one of six coronaviruses in 34% of field rats destined for human consumption and 75% of bats near human dwellings.

In field rats, the odds of being infected with coronavirus jumped significantly along the supply chain, with 20% of field rats caught by wild traders being infected compared to 32% in large markets and 56% in rats sold in restaurants.

The study’s authors say the results suggest “maximal risk” for end consumers. n REFERENCE: Huong NQ, Thanh Nga NT, Van Long N, Luu BD, Latinne A, Pruvot M, Phuong NT, Vinh Quang LT, Van Hung V, Lan NT, et al.

Coronavirus testing indicates transmission risk increases along wildlife supply chains for human consumption in Viet Nam, 2013–2014. bioRxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.05.098590, 2020

VetScript August 2020 – 11

NEWS AND VIEWS VetScript 18.ccw

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12 – VetScript August 2020

hich produces a particular

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NEWS AND VIEWS

GLOBAL LAB UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS Researchers designed a mathematical model to analyse the effects of vaccination programmes for controlling haemorrhagic septicaemia outbreaks in cattle in India. They modelled an outbreak originating in the Murshidabad district, West Bengal using a transmission coefficient of 0.335 and a basic reproduction number of 1.011. Introducing a vaccine on days five to 20 reduced the proportion of susceptible animals from 0.99 to 0.40. The authors concluded that even simple mathematical models could help inform epidemiological research and vaccination campaign decision-making. https://ndpublisher.in/admin/issues/ JARv10n1b.pdf

Mirjam Guesgen showcases research being conducted at veterinary schools around the world.

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Researchers investigated the cross-taxa drivers of lead exposure in birds.

They analysed lead concentrations in the blood and livers of facultative American crows, bald eagles, golden eagles, red-shouldered hawks, redtailed hawks and obligate scavengers black vultures and turkey vultures.

The more reliant the birds were on scavenging, the more they were exposed to lead. Facultative scavengers had higher lead concentrations in autumn and winter than they did in spring and summer, likely because they switched to consuming dead prey, which may be contaminated. https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/etc.4680

UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN VETSUISSE FACULTY BERN AND ZURICH A paper published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences demonstrates that parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5) is capable of infecting different brain cell types in cattle.

Using metagenomics, researchers identified the virus in three brain samples and noted a high viral load in the animals. They also sequenced the genomes of the virus and found a longer genetic sequence coding for a small hydrophobic protein. The study concludes that PIV5 is a probable cause of encephalitis and neurological disease in cattle. www.mdpi.com/14220067/21/2/498

A study has shown that the Dysgen genetic test for canine hip dysplasia has no prognostic value for Danish Labrador Retrievers. The test, based on seven single nucleotide polymorphisms, was evaluated using 39 Danish Labrador Retrievers with known radiographic hip scores: 14 with hip dysplasia (FCI grade D or E) and 25 without hip dysplasia (FCI grade A or B). There was no association between hip score and the Dysgen test results, leading the authors to conclude that using single nucleotide polymorphisms as genetic markers for predicting inheritable diseases needs further refinement. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/abs/10.1111/age.12951

THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND Domestic cats are more likely to survive snakebites than dogs, and this may be due to differences in blood plasma clotting according to new research from the University of Queensland and researchers from Brazil. When researchers tested cat and dog plasma against 11 different snake venoms, they found that the venoms acted faster on dog plasma than on cat plasma and the spontaneous clotting time was faster in dogs. The authors conclude that dogs need faster snakebite first aid and antivenom than cats. www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/abs/pii/ S1532045620300697?via% 3Dihub

VetScript August 2020 – 13

MASSEY

NEWS AND VIEWS

UNIVERSITY

RESEARCH UPDATE

Just a squeeze might do it Sophia Holdsworth, a PhD candidate in Massey University’s Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, tests a treatment for ailing newborn animals.

BACKGROUND Some newborn farm animals who are apparently healthy do not behave normally after birth. They have no desire to be near the dams, they lack coordination or cannot stand without help, and their sucking reflex is often absent, preventing their drinking any colostrum or milk. Without intensive veterinary intervention, these newborns often die.

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The ‘thoracic squeeze’ is gaining popularity as a therapeutic approach (Toth et al., 2012; Aleman et al., 2017).

It involves looping a soft rope three times around a newborn’s chest and tightening it firmly to produce sustained pressure across the thorax. This causes the animal to enter an apparent nonresponsive state, characterised by loss of posture, eye closure and no movement for as long as the squeeze is maintained.

Once the squeeze is released they recover immediately, with normal healthy behaviours (Aleman et al., 2013; Stilwell et al., 2019).

The same response to the thoracic squeeze has been demonstrated in healthy newborn foals (Toth et al., 2012). However, previous studies have not provided detailed information on behavioural responses to the squeeze, and there are no reports on responses to the thoracic squeeze in other healthy newborn mammals.

This study aimed to provide a detailed characterisation of behavioural responses to the thoracic squeeze in healthy newborn farm mammals. It recognised

PHOTOGRAPHY: SUPPLIED

NEWS AND VIEWS

that to apply the squeeze as a therapy it must first be demonstrated as safe – and studies on this would also provide insights into the potential mechanisms underlying the behavioural responses to the squeeze. However, regardless of mechanisms, this technique may have significant practical benefits for the animal production industry.

METHOD We applied a 10-minute thoracic squeeze to 17 piglets and 16 calves aged between 12 and 36 hours. All animals were assessed to ensure they were healthy and vigorous before being included in the study. Their physiology was monitored throughout the study to evaluate their health.

Behavioural responses to the squeeze were evaluated, and classified as: » successful induction: characterised by posture loss, eye closure and no head or limb movements » low-intensity arousal: characterised by open eyes and movements of the head and limbs that lasted less than 10 seconds before the non-responsive state was resumed » high-intensity arousal: characterised by persistent struggling lasting longer than 10 seconds, with righting onto all four feet that prompted an immediate discontinuation of the squeeze.

RESULTS All piglets were successfully induced into a non-responsive state after a thoracic squeeze, and this state was maintained for the full 10 minutes in over half of them. All piglets showed either reduced or absent reflexes during the squeeze.

Piglets for whom the squeeze was discontinued before the full 10 minutes appeared to take longer to induce than piglets who remained in the nonresponsive state. They also displayed more low-intensity arousals during the observation period.

In contrast, 81% of the calves were induced into a lower responsive state, characterised by lateral recumbency and no head or limb movements. Half of all calves squeezed maintained this state

SOPHIA HOLDSWORTH

for the full observation period. Neural reflexes remained present in nearly all of the calves.

Calves for whom the squeeze was discontinued before the 10 minutes took less time to be induced than calves for whom the squeeze was maintained. These same calves also showed higher rates of low-intensity arousal immediately after the squeeze than did calves who were maintained for the full 10 minutes.

Based on evidence from this and previous studies, it is highly unlikely that the observed response was due to the animals fainting. No significant changes in venous pH, breathing rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation or blood pressure have been reported during the application of the squeeze.

WHERE TO FROM HERE This pilot study demonstrated a generalised effect of a thoracic squeeze on newborn farm mammals and characterised their behavioural responses.

However, the mechanisms underlying behavioural responses to the thoracic squeeze are unknown, and the animals’ neurological state during the squeeze’s application is unclear. One theory

proposes that the squeeze mimics the compressive actions of the birth canal during the birth process (Mellor, 2017).

This compression is thought to facilitate the transition from unconsciousness before birth to consciousness after birth. By replicating this compression in the thoracic squeeze, it is thought that the brain transition can be repeated, enabling the newborn to display healthy behaviours after the squeeze (Mellor, 2017). However, this hypothesis has yet to be investigated.

The absence of or reduction in neural reflexes observed in our study suggests that the piglets and calves were in a state similar to sedation. As such, there would be benefits to exploring the pain responses of newborns during the thoracic squeeze to determine whether the apparent sedation is accompanied by analgesia. This information could be useful for developing a low-stress, analgesic method of restraint for painful husbandry procedures such as tail docking and castration.

REFERENCES: Aleman M, Weich KM, Madigan JE. Survey of veterinarians using a novel physical compression squeeze procedure in the management of neonatal maladjustment syndrome in foals. Animals 7, 69–81, 2017 Aleman MR, Pickles K, Conley AJ, Standley S, Haggett E, Toth B, Madigan JE. Abnormal plasma neuroactive progestagen derivatives in ill, neonatal foals presented to the neonatal intensive care unit.

Equine Veterinary Journal 45, 3, 2013 Mellor DJ. Transitions in neuroinhibition and neuroactivation in neurologically mature young at birth, including the potential role of thoracic compression during labour. In: Aleman M, Weich KM, Madigan JE. Survey of veterinarians using a novel physical compression squeeze procedure in the management of neonatal maladjustment syndrome in foals. Animals 7, 69–81, 2017 Stilwell G, Mellor DJ, Holdsworth SE. Potential benefit of a thoracic squeeze technique in two newborn calves delivered by caesarean section. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 68, 1–4, 2019 Toth B, Aleman M, Brosnan RJ, Dickinson PJ, Conley AJ, Stanley SD, Nogradi N, Williams CD, Madigan JE. Evaluation of squeeze-induced somnolence in neonatal foals. American Journal of Veterinary Research 73, 1881–9, 2012

PhD candidate Natalie King compiles research projects underway at Massey University.

VetScript August 2020 – 15

U

NEWS AND VIEWS

Welfare and ethics

UPDATE

Virginia Williams, for MPI and the NZVA, provides an update on welfare and ethics.

INSIDE OR OUT? Pasture-based or confinement systems for cows? An article in the New Zealand Veterinary Journal asks the question in the context of dairy cow welfare, while accepting that consumers “perceive pasture-based systems of milk production as natural and therefore better for cow welfare than confinement systems”. In reality, many systems lie between the two extremes, with pluses and minuses for all. The authors conclude that the optimal system gives cows an element of choice for both environments. They also stress that, whatever the system, the quality of management may be as important as the system of management in ensuring good dairy cow welfare and addressing societal concerns.

AUTOMATIC VS CONVENTIONAL MILKING SYSTEMS An Australian study aimed to determine whether transitioning to automatic milking systems caused changes in the humananimal relationship. In particular, it looked at stress levels in cows on five farms that were making the transition. The farms were first visited when they operated conventional milking systems, then a year later when they had completed the transition to automatic milking systems.

After a year cows decreased their avoidance distance from farmers by approximately 27% and farmers spent less time interacting with cows in the automatic system. Cows were also less fearful around people and showed reduced stress responses to close handling.

REFERENCE:

REFERENCE:

Mee JF, Boyle LA. Assessing whether dairy cow welfare is ‘better’ in pasturebased than in confinement-based management systems. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 68, 168–77, 2020

Wildridge AM, Thomson PC, Garcia SC, Jongman EC, Kerrisk AL. Transitioning from conventional to automatic milking: Effects on the humananimal relationship. Journal of Dairy Science 103(2), 1608–19, 2020

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PHOTOGRAPHY: IMAGERY:ISTOCKPHOTO.COM ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

NEWS AND VIEWS

STREET ANIMALS AND PANDEMICS WellBeing International reports that India’s lockdown in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, ordered on 24 March and extended until 30 June, had some unintended consequences for the country’s many street animals. The animals’ diets mostly comprise leftover food from restaurants and eateries, so when the lockdown closed those businesses and put good Samaritans who also fed the dogs off the street, they began to starve. Fortunately the Indian Government declared that feeding street animals was an essential service, enabling animal organisations and advocates to distribute food where it was needed.

IMPROVING GLOBAL DOG WELFARE The World Small Animal Veterinary Association and World Animal Protection (formerly the World Society for the Protection of Animals) have announced a new memorandum of understanding to improve the welfare of dogs globally.

This will allow them to work collaboratively to raise awareness of animal welfare issues and promote animal welfare education.

The agreement will prioritise the importance of the veterinary role in humane dog population management and in the control and eradication of rabies. Both organisations intend to mobilise veterinary professionals to enhance the harmonious co-existence of dogs and humans.

AN UPDATE ON LIVE SHEEP EXPORTS Following up the item in last month’s column on live sheep exports, Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has introduced new measures to limit heat stress for the animals. Sheep exports are now prohibited at times when ships would arrive in the Middle East during the hottest parts of the year, mainly between May and October.

PERSIAN CATS A Royal Veterinary College study has estimated that around two-thirds of Persian cats in the UK, where the breed is said to be the second most popular, suffer from at least one health condition. Because of the breed’s large, flat eye sockets and brachycephalic conformation, ophthalmic conditions are common, including chronic epiphora related to kinking of the nasolacrimal ducts that can result in facial irritation, non-healing corneal ulcers, corneal sequestra, entropion and decreased corneal sensitivity compared to non-pedigree cats.

Other key findings from this study were that dental disease was more common in males, while claw/nail problems were more common in females. The most common causes of death were kidney disease (23.4%) and cancer (8.5%), with the average lifespan of a Persian cat put at 13.5 years (which is a long time to have eye problems!).

REFERENCE: O’Neill DG, Romans C, Brodbelt DC, Church DB, Černá P, Gunn-Moore DA. Persian cats under first opinion veterinary care in the UK: Demography, mortality and disorders. Nature Scientific Reports 9, Article number 12952, 2019

VetScript August 2020 – 17

NEWS AND VIEWS

A unique role of care VCNZ’s Seton Butler discusses the legal and other requirements of consultant veterinarians.

A ‘CONSULTANT VETERINARIAN’ is a veterinarian who provides a limited range of veterinary services, often treating a particular type of clinical case.

They are not uncommon in production animal medicine.

A ‘clinical case’ in herd health is concerned with the morbidity patterns of common disease complexes as they relate to a group of individuals (the herd), for example, mastitis, lameness and reproductive disorders.

This context is important because consultants need to be clear on the conditions and cases they consult on, as this affects their responsibilities under the Code of Professional Conduct. For example, a production animal consultant may advise on reproduction services, which in many cases consider lameness, nutrition and disease complexes such as milk quality (the incidence and cause of mastitis) due to their significant potential impacts on cycling and conception rates.

The code’s expectations of consultancy services in relation to conduct are very specific. Veterinarians must: a) ask the client who their usual general veterinary practitioner (GVP) is b) ask the client for consent to contact this veterinarian and share relevant information while treating the animal(s) c) only authorise the use of restricted veterinary medicines for specific clinical matters they have consulted on d) arrange for 24 hour emergency care in relation to the matters consulted on.

Given clients’ propensity to use the services of more than one veterinarian, I believe the onus is on consultant veterinarians to ensure they outline their involvement and the scope of the

18 – VetScript August 2020

services they’re providing to the other veterinarians involved. It should be evident that it is in the best interests of the owner and the animals that the GVP is kept fully informed on the veterinary care provided. Cooperation will improve the veterinary care of animals as well as help manage any potential risks of treatment.

Identify a GVP: Are they the veterinarian who makes the most visits to the farm? or treats the most animals? or authorises the most restricted veterinary medicines (RVMs)? Where this is unclear it may be prudent to ask the owner to assign a GVP. If they would prefer not to, the veterinarians should find a way to work together.

It is worth stressing that a client’s decision to decline point b) does not prevent services being provided, but this should be noted in the clinical records.

It is important here to explore the treatment risks. The code states that: Farmers should not have any RVM on their farm unless the RVM is linked to a current and valid authorisation.

To help farmers, veterinarians must provide information about the products they authorise, and consider what products are already on the farm before authorising more.

Before authorising RVMs for future supply, veterinarians should request and review information from the farmer about what stocks of products are already on farm, and the expiry dates of that stock.

A consultation should include a review of RVMs being used on farm and their stocking levels, and a check that the owner has a valid authorisation. It should also consider the implications of

concomitant use and potential residues in food-producing animals, and confirm that the products being administered are supervised appropriately. (I suggest that this include RVMs that the consultant has authorised and how they overlap with those authorised by another veterinarian.)

Point c) above ensures that a consultant has their client’s consent, and enough information, to provide advice on the cases they are consulting on.

This has specific implications under the Agricultural and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997 that include, among other things, the competence of the RVM users, managing adverse events related to RVMs, and ensuring all necessary information is provided to the person authorised to use the RVM. Interestingly d) is the same but different, in that when a consultant veterinarian undertakes a veterinary consultation they remain responsible for making provision for continuous emergency care in relation to the matters they have consulted on. This overlaps with the adverse event reporting responsibilities of an RVM. They can, however, make specific arrangements with colleagues in the area to provide emergency care eg, a nutritional consultant warns the GVP of ruminal acidosis risk with using high starch supplements.

Being geographically distant from a client does not absolve a consultant veterinarian from the need to provide emergency care, and there may be a greater need to communicate with the client’s GVP. This communication also helps with follow-up veterinary care they need to provide.

Welcome to the NZVA wellbeing hub We recognise that a veterinary career can be stressful and demanding at times and there are periods, such as new and recent graduates and those returning to the profession after a break when veterinarians may be particularly vulnerable.

It is very important for the NZVA to provide members with wellbeing support. The Wellbeing Hub is a new member benefit initiative and will continue to be updated as more useful resources are added to the collection. It will provide access to valuable resources to help veterinarians remain healthy and well, as well as providing support to those who are struggling with stress, anxiety or burnout.

www.nzva.org.nz/edhub-wellbeing

PROFILE

ASTONISHED but proud Queen’s Birthday Honours recipient Vince Peterson talks to Matt Philp about a veterinary career that began in the 1960s, and of the important work being done for veterinarians facing potentially career-ending legal action.

A MONTH AFTER Vince Peterson took on his first job, the two other veterinarians servicing the West Coast of the South Island left for greener pastures. With the ink on his degree barely dry, the then 23-year-old was suddenly responsible for a 500-kilometre beat, from Paringa in the south to Seddonville north of Westport. It was 1964, the roads were mostly unsealed, and for the next three years his only reinforcement was an occasional locum during the spring months.

“During the first spring I drove 11,800 miles [roughly 19,000 kilometres] in two months, and had a week off with the measles,” says Vince, whose learning curve during that first of his 13 years on the West Coast was as steep as the Denniston Incline. “You either learned quickly, or you gave up.”

Clearly, he didn’t quit. In June this year, Vince was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the veterinary profession, recognising a career that included 38

20 – VetScript August 2020

years of clinical practice and an 18year stint as chair of the Veterinary Professional Insurance Society (VPIS).

His response? “I was astonished,” says the 79-year-old, who lives in Timaru with his wife, Robin. “My first reaction was ‘Why me?’”

Vince supposes that the honour relates to his work with VPIS, a nonprofit body that provides professional indemnity insurance to 80% of New Zealand’s veterinary practices. Vince was chair from 1998 to 2016, a period when VPIS came of age, and he remains a board member.

On his watch the organisation deepened its expertise, with veterinarians from diverse fields bringing their knowledge and experience to the board. “Whenever a claim comes in, somebody who knows that specialty area handles it. That’s a powerful tool to have in your locker box.”

It’s becoming increasingly in demand, too, as society grows more litigious. “There’s a greater emphasis

NEWS PROFILE AND VIEWS

PHOTOGRAPHY: VIVIENNE LAURSEN

VetScript August 2020 – 21

PROFILE

now on people wanting recognition for alleged grievances. A lot of it is driven by external things – Google is a big influence.”

Vince has been there himself. In 1990 a dog owner sued him after their animal’s jaw broke during a dental procedure.

While the claim was ultimately dismissed, it was a difficult experience.

“The first thing that happens when things go wrong for a veterinarian is they think, ‘Oh, hell, I’m going to get struck off’. When that happens to a graduate who’s been out less than three years, they

22 – VetScript August 2020

envisage their whole world collapsing,” says Vince, who stresses the pastoral nature of VPIS’s role. “Our job is to get hold of them and say, ‘Listen, you may have made a mistake, but it’s not the end of the world. You have to trust me to help you get through.’”

Vince’s own veterinary career was by no means preordained. In fact, it wasn’t until the end of high school that he began seriously contemplating doing veterinary studies, prompted by his experience growing up on a South Canterbury dairy farm. In the early

1960s that meant training in Australia – in Vince’s case at the University of Sydney, from which he officially graduated in the same month he started practising in Hokitika.

Dairying was the main focus on the West Coast. “Herds were on average 80 to 100 cows, and every farmer milked them.

Compare that to today, when you have herds of 800 to 2,000, and probably a lot of veterinarians never see the farmers. So it was a totally different game. Back then you’d meet the farmers and you’d know them all on a first-name basis.”

NEWS PROFILE AND VIEWS

“MOST PEOPLE THINK VETERINARY SCIENCE IS ABOUT ANIMALS; IN FACT, IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE.”

Vince says he “grew up” on the West Coast, as a clinician and a person.

“One thing you develop is experience dealing with people. Most people think veterinary science is about animals; in fact, it’s about people.”

The insight served him well when he eventually left the West Coast to open Aorangi Veterinary Services in Geraldine, with colleague Dave Walker. That was a different world in every sense.

“The practice was half small animals and half everything else, a merry mix of horses, sheep, cattle, a little bit of dairy, and pigs,” he says. As for the human animals, “On the West Coast people appreciate you for what you can do and whether you can do it well. In

Canterbury there was still the remnant of the old British class system.”

He adapted. “You have to learn to talk to people. If you can’t get on with people, you’ll never make a veterinarian.”

Notwithstanding that cornerstone principle, much else has changed in his time. The feminisation of the profession has been a welcome development. The trend of increasing specialisation – or aspects of it, at least – strikes him as more problematic. He cites young veterinarians referring procedures that they really ought to tackle themselves. “How are they going to get experience? When I graduated I knew there was a lot I knew nothing about.

You do it yourself, and you learn.”

Regrets? It would have been good to have a little more freedom at veterinary school to take the odd academic side trail, to study classics, say, or some other interest. “There was a whole university you didn’t get to touch.” But otherwise he’s happy with his career, if still flummoxed at being singled out for honours. “All the people who’ve been involved in VPIS contributed to it,” he says.

As for achievements, if he’s proud of anything it’s the pastoral work with VPIS, getting alongside veterinarians who’ve made mistakes.

“I’ve helped a lot of people to rescue their careers who otherwise would have been lost.”

VetScript August 2020 – 23

NEWS AND VIEWS

EMBRACING CHANGE IN THE NAME OF CARE Mirjam Guesgen talks with Practice Manager Kirsten Beaumont, at East Coast Bays Vets in Auckland’s Browns Bay, and hears about the practice’s culture and commitment.

Tell us about your background and the clinic.

East Coast Bays Vets was one of the first three veterinary clinics to open on the North Shore. Now I think there are about 20. It’s the only place I’ve ever worked!

I started as a student veterinary nurse, then worked as a veterinary nurse parttime and eventually full-time. When the previous practice manager left I took over her role but kept my role as a veterinary nurse as well. I’ve made the practice

manager role more official. By that I mean implementing things like performance reviews with the staff, preparing material for our BESTPRACTICE accreditation and taking over the human resources side of the practice.

You do all that on top of your veterinary nursing role?

That’s right! I manage by delegating particular tasks. Every veterinary nurse has a section of the clinic to maintain.

For example, we have three consultation rooms and it’s one veterinary nurse’s job to deep-clean those regularly and ensure that the drugs are stocked and not expired.

I also try to build morale in the team and make sure people’s hard work is acknowledged. I promoted two of our staff to head surgical nurse and head reception nurse respectively. They were already doing a lot of the tasks that I expect from head roles, but I wanted to give them that recognition and also

They’re out there in the provinces and the cities, veterinarians doing the everyday work in neighbourhood and country clinics. In this series, VetScript visits a different clinic every month.

24 – VetScript August 2020

PHOTOGRAPHY: MARCEL TROMP

NEWS AND VIEWS

Left: Practice owner Steve Gordon and Practice Manager Kirsten Beaumont.

Above (left to right): Veterinary nurses Lauren Yeaman, Teri Weeks and Kylie Buchler, with Kirsten Beaumont.

Below (left to right): Head Surgical Nurse Sophie Pettit, veterinarian Abi Swan, veterinary nurses Kathryn Stirling, Teri Weeks, Kirsten Beaumont (cuddling clinic cat Mr Crymble), Tayla Pavis and Georgia Ovington.

and one working surgeries. At 10am one veterinarian will help out with either surgeries or consultations. In the afternoon three veterinarians consult until around 5pm.

The veterinary nurses usually work set hours. I organise a roster about a month in advance, using a three-week rotation where veterinary nurses work early, late or relieving shifts. For the early shift they

work from 8am to 4.30pm. In the late shift two veterinary nurses work from 12pm until everything is cleaned up after closing, usually around 7.30pm. Then a veterinary nurse starts at 10am each day to relieve people for tea breaks and help out as needed. A veterinary nurse on the early shift is in the role for the whole week, and apart from myself everyone rotates weekly.

show that I expect them to keep to that standard!

Who else works at the practice?

We have five veterinarians, including Steve Gordon, who’s the Managing Director. Of the veterinarians, one is a locum and one is a new graduate. The new graduate has been with us for about a year now. We also have 10 veterinary nurses.

How do you manage who’s on when?

The veterinarians have specific hours and days of work; they are pretty much the same every week. Only two of them work full-time. Steve works three days a week and covers when other veterinarians are away. Each veterinarian also has a dedicated surgery day each week.

In the mornings there are usually two veterinarians consulting before 10am

VetScript August 2020 – 25

OUT THERE VETTING

This page: Practice owner and veterinarian Steve Gordon (pictured top and bottom left) says he is really just a small part of an awesome team.

Opposite page: Once word got out on the clinic’s Facebook page that veterinary nurse Lauren Yeaman was skilled with rabbits, owners came rushing in.

We’re really busy; that’s why we have so many veterinary nurses. When we get a quiet day it’s nice.

Do you roster after-hours?

No, we have two after-hours clinics on the North Shore and we give clients the option of either one.

Why did you choose to become BESTPRACTICE accredited?

Steve and I are very similar in that we want this practice to be the best it can be. Whatever needs doing, we want to achieve it. When BESTPRACTICE accreditation first came out – and there was discussion on making it compulsory – we thought, “Why don’t we just go get it as soon as we can

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then?” It just seemed natural to both of us as a way of providing the best work environment.

The accreditation gives our staff pride in working here and it also helps to differentiate us from other practices. There are so many small animal practices on the North Shore now, we need to stand out.

What other accreditations does the practice have?

We’re also a Cat Friendly Clinic. That’s an accreditation run by International Cat Care. Similarly to BESTPRACTICE, you have to meet certain standards to achieve gold, silver or bronze accreditation.

We are gold accredited, which means our cat kennels are a certain size and

everyone working in the practice has some form of training in cat-friendly handling.

Our waiting room has a ‘cat corner’, where cats can stay hidden from the dogs and there’s shelving owners can put their cat carrier on so the cats are off the floor. In each consultation room we have non-slip mats and we also put down a towel that’s been sprayed with a cat pheromone spray.

We put boxes in the kennels for the cats to hide in or sit on top of, and we have a never-ending supply of Temptations! It’s all about low stress, low handling.

Right now, we’re working towards Fear Free accreditation. It’s not available in New Zealand yet but is very popular in the US and Canada. It’s similar to the Cat Friendly Clinic but it applies to all animals. Again, everything is low stress, low handling. So many animals come in terrified to be here; we want to make it less scary for them.

You also have the MyVet app. What is it and what does it do?

Clients can use it to see their pets’ files, make appointments, renew prescriptions

NEWS AND VIEWS

and buy food. When a client makes an appointment it links with our VetLinkSQL software. Clients can’t access all their pets’ histories but they can see what they’ve spent money on. It frees up some time for me and the other veterinary nurses.

We’ve also just adopted a veterinary nurse chatbot. We’re trialling it for Ambit [the artificial intelligence company that created it]. I have a feeling that in the future the chatbot and our website will take over from the app.

You seem very open to new technologies.

We’re really lucky that Steve likes anything new. He likes technology and he likes to be at the forefront.

Tell us about your veterinary nurse, Lauren.

Lauren came here as a student and we hired her from there. She’s very hard working and is constantly coming up with ideas to improve the practice. For example, she knows a lot about rabbits and does a lot of reading about them. She wants to introduce a rabbit veterinary nurse clinic to give them health checks and provide advice to owners.

I didn’t know that Lauren had multiple sclerosis until last year. She kept it private because she wanted to prove that she could do the job. She wants to travel to Moscow for treatment, where they will basically reset her entire immune system.

All going well she should have a better prognosis. We want to get her there but it requires a lot of fundraising. Everyone at the practice has donated to her Givealittle page or donated items for raffles. At the end of the year, all the veterinary nurses will do the Tough Guy & Gal Challenge.

The money they get from fundraising will go to Lauren.

How do you build resilience in your practice?

Our staff all get on really well. We’re like a little family, which helps boost morale and maintain the passion we all came into the industry with. Even on bad days, we support each other. We understand that we’re all human.

We encourage openness and honesty and that helps us address problems and learn from our mistakes. We also support special interests and continuing education, and this means we’re lucky to have a range of skills in the clinic and are always learning from each other.

You can contribute to Lauren’s Givealittle page by visiting https://givealittle. co.nz/cause/laurensms-treatmentreprogram-her-life.

Celebrating success, no matter how small, is also a big part of our practice. We have staff meetings where we congratulate staff members for achievements inside and outside work. We also have a compliments box where staff can put notes acknowledging things that team members have done that are awesome.

What are your thoughts on the future of the veterinary profession?

I think it has a bright future. If lockdown has shown us anything, it’s that we’re seen as essential from clients’ perspectives.

People are placing more value on having pets in their lives. They’re also becoming a lot more educated about their pets’ care.

One example is that we provide laparoscopic desexing. We have people ringing us from all around New Zealand saying they’ve been researching the best ways to get their dogs desexed and that they’re trying to find a clinic that does it laparoscopically. The fact that owners are going to that much effort for a routine procedure is huge.

VetScript August 2020 – 27

ANIMAL WELFARE

BUILDING

the bond

Nikki Kells, Senior Lecturer in Animal Welfare Science at Massey University, delves into the past, present and future of the concept of animal welfare.

THE PEOPLE ON our planet have a long, rich and diverse history of interaction with animals, and that history has included a concern for their wellbeing, particularly those under our direct care. However, the emergence of animal welfare as a scientific discipline has its roots in the more recent past.

HISTORY The science of animal welfare arose out of ethical concerns for animals’ quality of life.

During the mid-20th century, rapid human population expansion and concurrent advances in technology led to the emergence of intensive farming systems that are commonplace in developed countries today. Increasing urbanisation also meant people were no longer in touch with how their food was produced.

This changed with the publication of the landmark Animal Machines in 1964, in which British author Ruth Harrison detailed the intensive poultry and livestock production systems operating in England at the time. The book, along with the ensuing public concern, was the catalyst for a UK Governmentcommissioned inquiry into the ‘welfare of animals kept under intensive husbandry systems’. The resultant report (Brambell Committee, 1965) provided not only recommendations

28 – VetScript August 2020

for ensuring the welfare of intensively farmed animals, but the underpinnings for our current scientific understanding of animal welfare.

WHERE WE ARE NOW Broadly speaking, the term ‘animal welfare’ refers to the quality of an animal’s life. More specifically, it can be described as a subjective state within an animal that reflects how it is experiencing the world (Beausoleil et al., 2016) – that is, how it is feeling.

For those closely involved with animals, it is a given that the animals experience feelings such as pain, fear, boredom and pleasure. However, the acceptance of animal emotions is a work in progress for some. This is due partly to a carryover of a belief that subjective experiences were outside the realm of scientific study, because they could not be directly observed.

Today, advances in technology (such as in brain-imaging techniques) and scientific understanding (particularly in the field of affective neuroscience) mean there is a significant body of evidence supporting the generation and experience of a range of negative and positive subjective states in non-human vertebrate and cephalopod animals (see the review by Kremer et al., 2020).

ANIMAL WELFARE

FOR THOSE CLOSELY INVOLVED WITH ANIMALS, IT IS A GIVEN THAT THE ANIMALS EXPERIENCE FEELINGS SUCH AS PAIN, FEAR, BOREDOM AND PLEASURE.

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VetScript August 2020 – 29

ANIMAL WELFARE

GIVEN THEIR CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH ANIMAL OWNERS AND MANAGERS, IT MAKES SENSE THAT VETERINARIANS ARE ALSO POINTS OF CONTACT FOR ANIMAL WELFARE ADVICE.

Indeed, the evolutionary advantages of negative experiences such as pain and fear, and positive experiences such as pleasure associated with play and maternal bonding, are readily apparent in terms of survival. So it is unsurprising that such experiences are conserved across complex species.

Animal feelings are not a vague, fluffy, unscientific idea; they are evidence based and quantifiable.

It is useful at this point to distinguish briefly between ‘animal rights’ and ‘animal welfare science’: » Animal rights proponents typically oppose people’s use of animals in

30 – VetScript August 2020

any context, be it food, research, entertainment or companionship. » Animal welfare science seeks first to understand what a ‘good life’ means for a given animal, then to apply this knowledge to improving the lives of animals under human management.

Advances in our understanding of animals and their subjective states have allowed us to confidently assign subjective experiences to animals, and provided us with evidence-based frameworks for making judgements about animals’ welfare.

Although an animal’s welfare is ultimately characterised by the sum

of its experiences, it is important to note that these are influenced by a multitude of internal factors (eg, health and physiological status) and external factors (eg, the physical and social environment). Welfare assessment frameworks must consider these factors when determining welfare status.

The Five Domains Model is a prominent example of such a framework.

Developed by David Mellor and Cam Reid in 1994, it has been revised and extended significantly in the intervening years (Mellor and Reid, 1994; Mellor and Beausoleil, 2015). The model focuses on the different areas, or ‘domains’, in which welfare may be influenced. In brief, it consists of four physical/functional domains: nutrition, environment, health and behaviour. Within these domains, species-specific indicators of welfare compromise or enhancement are evaluated to infer the overall welfare state of the animal in the fifth, or mental state, domain (Mellor, 2017).

Using such models allows us to gauge animals’ current welfare status, identify areas for welfare improvement and evaluate the success of any improvements we make. The assessment also provides the basis for animal welfare accreditation schemes, such as SPCA’s Blue Tick, and farm animal qualityassurance protocols.

So what does the knowledge and understanding of animal feelings mean for our everyday interactions with animals? To me, it means that we have to acknowledge that the way we manage animals affects their experiences. Most importantly, it means we have a duty to ensure that animals under our direct influence have the best experiences possible.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE While animal welfare science is responsible for improving our knowledge of animal welfare, the role of disseminating this knowledge does not lie solely with the scientific community.

Veterinarians have always been the first port of call for animal owners and

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ANIMAL WELFARE

This abbreviated version of the Five Domains Model summarises survival-related and situation-related factors and their associated physical/functional domains, and provides examples of negative or positive affects assigned to the mental domain. The overall affective experience in the mental domain equates to the welfare status of the animals. For full details Mellor DJ. Moving beyond the ‘Five Freedoms’ by updating the ‘Five Provisions’ and introducing aligned ‘Animal Welfare Aims’. Animals 6(10), 59; doi:10.3390/ani6100059, 2016.

Physical/Functional Domains SURVIVAL-RELATED FACTORS 1: Nutrition Negative Restricted water & food; poor food quality

Positive Enough water & food; balanced and varied diet

2: Environment Negative Uncomfortable or unpleasant physical features of environment

Positive Physical environment comfortable or pleasant

SITUATIONRELATED FACTORS 3: Health Negative Disease, injury and/ or functional impairment

4: Behaviour

Positive Healthy, fit and/or uninjured

Negative Behavioural expression restricted

Positive Able to express rewarding behaviours

Affective Experience Domain 5: MENTAL STATE Negative Experiences Thirst Hunger Malnutrition malaise Chilling/overheating Hearing discomfort

Breathlessness Pain Debility, weakness Nausea, sickness Dizziness

Positive Experiences

Anger, frustration Boredom, helplessness Loneliness, depression Anxiety, fearfulness Panic, exhaustion

Drinking pleasures Taste pleasures Chewing pleasures Satiety Physical comforts

Vigour of good health & fitness Reward Goal-directed engagement

Calmness, in control Affectionate sociability Maternally rewarded Excited playfulness Sexually gratified

Welfare Status

managers concerned about the health or productivity of animals in their care.

Given their close relationships with animal owners and managers, it makes sense that veterinarians are also points of contact for animal welfare advice.

And given this, it is important that all veterinary practitioners have a good understanding of animal welfare and how it might be enhanced in a given situation.

Public concerns about animal welfare continue to be important drivers of efforts to improve that welfare.

Nowadays they extend beyond farm animals to include animals used in entertainment, research and work, and as companions. As a result, the industries and activities involving

animals are likely to be held accountable for increasingly high standards of animal welfare if they wish to maintain their social licences to operate. Veterinarians, as animal care professionals, have a role in this.

REFERENCES: Beausoleil NJ, Stratton RB, Guesgen MJ, Sutherland MA, Johnson CB. Scientific evaluation of animal emotions: Brief history and recent New Zealand contributions. The Journal of New Zealand Studies doi:10.26686/jnzs.v0i22.3946, 2016 Brambell Committee. Report of the Technical Committee to Enquire into the Welfare of Animals Kept under Intensive Livestock Husbandry Systems. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London, 1965 Harrison R. Animal Machines. Vincent Stuart Publishers Ltd, London, 1964

Kremer L, Klein Holkenborg SEJ, Reimert I, Bolhuis JE, Webb LE. The nuts and bolts of animal emotion. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 113, 273–86, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j. neubiorev.2020.01.028, 2020 Mellor DJ. Operational details of the Five Domains Model and its key applications to the assessment and management of animal welfare. Animals (Basel) 7, doi:10.3390/ani7080060, 2017 Mellor DJ, Beausoleil NJ. Extending the ‘Five Domains’ model for animal welfare assessment to incorporate positive welfare states. Animal Welfare 24, 241–53, doi:10.7120/09627286.24.3.241, 2015 Mellor DJ, Reid C. Concepts of animal wellbeing and predicting the impact of procedures on experimental animals. In: Glen Osmond, SA, Australia. Baker R, Jenkin J, Mellor DJ (eds).

Improving the Well-being of Animals in the Research Environment. Pp 3–18. Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching, 1994

VetScript August 2020 – 31

NEWS COVER AND STORY VIEWS

With New Zealand’s cannabis referendum just around the corner, clients are already looking for ways to make the plant part of their pet wellness regimes.

Mirjam Guesgen investigates the efficacy and legalities.

32 – VetScript August 2020

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NEWS COVER AND STORY VIEWS

EVERY MORNING, CALIFORNIAN Andrea Cullipher prepares a special breakfast for her 10-year-old Basset Hound, Axel. She carefully measures out a few drops of cannabidiol oil and drips it onto a piece of bread to feed to her companion. It’s a routine she’s followed for several years, ever since the medication prescribed to treat Axel’s painful arthritis began to lose its effect.

According to her story in a recent issue of the Los Angeles Times (Spillman, 2019), Axel can now go for longer walks and has “noticeably more energy”.

However, Andrea didn’t choose this treatment option based on advice from her veterinarian. Her hairdresser recommended it because, although cannabis is legal in California, it’s illegal

federally and none of the 30-some states where it is legal has a provision for pets.

This means veterinarians aren’t allowed to prescribe or recommend cannabis to their clients. Even talking about anything cannabis related puts a veterinarian’s licence at risk.

With the legalisation of cannabis for people potentially on the horizon for New Zealand, the issue of whether and how cannabis products could benefit pets is front of mind. But as examples from overseas demonstrate, the pet cannabis landscape is a minefield of legal issues and misinformation. Kiwi veterinarians need to be ready.

Pharmacologically, the cannabis plant has two key components: cannabidiol (CBD) and the psychoactive component

delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

However, there may be more than 100 other compounds, including terpenes. The plant can be sold commercially in many forms: dried flowers or buds, oils derived from the flowers, hemp fibres from the stem, and hemp seeds or seed oils that contain only trace amounts of CBD and are instead high in essential fatty acids.

Pet products fall mainly into two camps: nutritional hemp seed or seed oil products; and medicinal products containing CBD. The nutritional products are a good source of fatty acids or protein, and are similar to products such as flax seeds (Leizer et al., 2000).

Medicinal products – which can include bone-shaped biscuits, edible oils, pills and topical lotions – tout benefits such

VetScript August 2020 – 33

COVER STORY

as anxiety relief, anti-inflammatory properties, the ability to treat skin conditions, pain relief and seizure control.

But it’s unclear whether CBD products live up to their claims in pets, says Mike Gieseg, an investigator for a New Zealand veterinary research company. “There just hasn’t been enough work done,” he explains. “We literally have no clue, even though they seem to be quite useful for a lot of conditions.”

A 2018 blinded, crossover study investigated the effects of a high-CBD product on 16 dogs with osteoarthritis (Gamble et al., 2018). The dogs showed small but significant improvements in pain scores, as rated by veterinarians and owners, with no side effects observed, suggesting that CBD may make dogs with chronic pain more comfortable.

Another study, from 2019, showed that

34 – VetScript August 2020

seizure frequency in dogs with intractable epilepsy decreased by an average of 33% after 12 weeks of using an oral CBD product compared to those treated with a placebo (McGrath et al., 2019). However, the number of dogs whose seizure activity decreased by more than 50% was similar in both the CBD and placebo groups, and dogs on the CBD product showed a significant increase in serum alkaline phosphatase activity. Another (uncontrolled) study of 122 dogs with canine atopic dermatitis noted that those treated with a cannabinoid analogue showed reduced pruritus and skin lesions and improved quality-of-life scores (Noli et al., 2015).

Mike, who recently compiled a cannabinoid review, says that although there has been a lot of research into the use of cannabinoids in laboratory

rodents, rabbits and monkeys, there isn’t enough evidence from companion animal studies to justify the veterinary use of CBD products. However, he does state in his review that CBD products are unlikely to cause harm to these animals. The full review will be available to read in the September issue of Companion Quarterly.

“Unfortunately, the excitement around cannabis products still appears to be mostly hype,” he says, “but that may change with time and it’s perfectly possible that major uses will emerge in coming years. Compared to many herbal remedies, cannabis definitely contains pharmacologically active ingredients.” He says legalisation may open the door for more studies.

Despite a seeming lack of evidence of the efficacy of CBD pet products, consumers worldwide are flocking to buy them. A quarter of pet owners in the US use CBD products for themselves, their pets or both, and, between 2018 and 2019, products marketed for pets made up $14.6 million in sales for regulated cannabis retailers (Nielsen, 2020). A 2019 report stated that 94% of Canadian pet owners surveyed believe cannabis products work well as an adjunct therapy, and 78.5% prefer them to conventional medication (Kogan et al., 2019). In February 2020 pet store giant PetSmart added CBD-infused tinctures, balms and gels to its regular product stock.

Even lifestyle maven Martha Stewart is

COVER STORY

THE ENTHUSIASM ISN’T JUST OVERSEAS... NEW ZEALAND PET OWNERS ARE ALREADY USING CANNABIS PRODUCTS AS SUPPLEMENTS FOR THEIR ANIMALS.

jumping on the bandwagon and making a line of CBD pet products.

The enthusiasm isn’t just overseas.

According to one veterinarian (who was given anonymity for legal reasons), New Zealand pet owners are already using cannabis products as supplements for their animals. They say clients are admitting to using anything from locally made, questionable-dosage tinctures to local oils with sophisticated manufacturing processes and measured CBD amounts. They say several clients have even successfully imported high-end pet cannabis products from overseas. It is currently illegal to use cannabis products without Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) authorisation.

According to VCNZ Professional Advisor Seton Butler, while it’s not a veterinarian’s job to police the use of these products, they expect veterinarians to be clear with clients that it’s not appropriate to be using unconsented treatments on their pets.

New Zealand company Helius Animal Health has openly announced that it plans to develop a line of medicinal CBD products for pets. Its website states that although the immediate focus is on offthe-shelf nutraceuticals, the company’s ultimate goal is to make a product for osteoarthritis pain management in dogs.

Cannabinoid chews for anxiety and shampoos for skin conditions will follow.

Helius plans to register its products under the ACVM. To date no one has presented a veterinary product for registration, but any hemp or cannabis product intended for use in animals, including nutraceuticals, would have to follow the same regulatory process as any other veterinary medicine. A company would need to provide data and information on the product’s chemistry and manufacturing, evidence of the product’s efficacy and safety in the target species, and any other information to define and address the risks associated with the product’s use. That information would then be reviewed by New Zealand Food Safety’s ACVM team to determine whether the product could be registered.

It’s questionable whether Helius or another company would have the resources to provide this kind of information. “The reality is, running these trials is really challenging and expensive,” says Mike, who coordinates many clinical trials.

The legality of cannabis products isn’t straightforward in New Zealand.

Numerous pieces of legislation and regulations apply and the rules for products intended for human use

are different from those for products intended for animal use.

For example, hemp seed for people can be found on supermarket shelves around the country. According to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (section 1.4 4–6), it is allowed as a human food as long as it comes from a low-THC cannabis plant and its THC and CBD levels are below a certain threshold. The code doesn’t apply to animal feed, so the THC and CBD thresholds are set at zero. The compounds also can’t show up in an animal’s meat or milk, which is a possibility when cows, horses or other food-producing animals are fed hemp seed cakes or leftover cannabis stalks. The presence of even trace amounts of the compounds in meat and milk products puts our exports in jeopardy.

This zero tolerance in animal legislation has been criticised by hemp growers, who are looking for sustainable ways to dispose of their by-products.

When it comes to medicinal use, people can be prescribed cannabis-derived products consented by the Ministry of Health. Veterinarians can authorise consented human drugs only for animals in their direct care (similar to the use of human anti-convulsive therapy when necessary) but can’t advertise their use in animals. To date, the only drug consented in New Zealand is Sativex (which contains

VetScript August 2020 – 35

COVER STORY

...THERE ISN’T ENOUGH EVIDENCE FROM COMPANION ANIMAL STUDIES TO JUSTIFY THE VETERINARY USE OF CBD PRODUCTS.

both THC and CBD), and it only has approval for use for cases of severe spasticity due to multiple sclerosis. In the absence of an appropriate consented human drug, veterinarians may also apply to New Zealand Food Safety to import other, non-consented, cannabis products from overseas if they can make a case for it to the ACVM team. Again, these products can only be used for patients in their care and can’t be advertised for sale.

The anonymous veterinarian quoted above says the regulations are a frustrating, confusing double standard.

They want to use cannabis products to help their patients suffering from chronic pain, seizures or cancer.

The NZVA has emphasised in its complementary medicines policy that any treatment advice should be based on sound, scientific efficacy data. “If such evidence is not available, those promoting such treatments should refrain from making unproven claims about their efficacy,” the policy states.

Seton says that VCNZ takes a similar stance. “Where a client is making a choice between conventional treatment and alternative or complementary therapies, the veterinarian should present the client with information including which options are available and an assessment of the expected risks, side effects, benefits and

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cost of each option. This allows clients to make an informed choice.” When it comes to CBD products, the VCNZ says there’s currently little evidence to support their use and “a lot of unknowns” when it comes to side effects.

It’s difficult to say how the legalisation of recreational cannabis will change veterinarians’ and clients’ access to cannabis products for pets. Anything specifically intended for therapeutic use will still need to be registered under the ACVM Act as a veterinary medicine.

It's unclear though how changes in the classification of the cannabis plant or the THC compound would change access to products with nutritional claims. If there are tight age or other restrictions on cannabis, there may be little change at all.

New Zealand Food Safety’s ACVM team is currently in discussion with the Ministries of Health and Justice about what the future of hemp and cannabis regulation might look like. That’s good news for veterinarians, because it means animals are being considered at the same time as humans.

That wasn’t the case in Canada, when legalisation left veterinarians scrambling to understand how they could help their clients. “After two years of back and forth, we still don’t have any products approved for animal use,” says Sarah

Silcox, founding director and President of the Canadian Association of Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine. The association is advocating for the right to authorise medical cannabis use for animals, but the best it can do right now is advise veterinarians to recommend particular low-THC, high-CBD human products.

Post-legalisation, Sarah encountered a significant issue: a rise in animal emergency visits for THC intoxication.

“Legalisation was a double whammy because you had increased access to cannabis products and also a reduction in the stigma. So whereas before you had all your cannabis products tucked away in a cookie jar at the back of a cupboard, they’re now out on the counter or left on the coffee table for Fido to clean up.”

The association is now advocating that cannabis products be labelled “Keep out of reach of children and animals”. It’s also conducting education campaigns for veterinarians and clients on the signs of THC intoxication to look for: pets becoming wobbly or uncoordinated, hyperactivity, disorientation, vocalising, pupil dilation, excessive drooling or vomiting. Sarah stresses that although THC itself is fairly safe, intoxication can lead to vomiting, choking and dangerous falls.

COVER STORY

Clients asking about cannabis products for their pets doesn’t come as a surprise to NZVA CVO Helen Beattie. “We know that veterinarians are becoming increasingly aware of the need for a conversation about cannabis and animals,” she says. “As far as the NZVA is concerned, any veterinary medicine that has demonstrable efficacy in veterinary species and provides us with additional treatment options to improve an animal’s quality of life will always be welcomed. But this hinges on veterinarians having access to safely manufactured, registered, effective products.”

Leaving the door open to discussions about cannabis is crucial, says veterinarian Paula Short. “It’s dangerous if we shut down the conversation too early. We want our clients to feel they can be up front with us if they’re using it,” she says.

VCNZ also advocates for veterinarians to act as a source of advice, particularly

around overdose symptoms, side effects and taking safety measures such as making sure any products are stored where pets can’t access them.

Sarah’s advice as a veterinarian post-legalisation? “Whether it’s legal or not legal, whether we have products approved for animals or not, if your clients are choosing to use this product, as veterinarians it’s our duty to provide harm reduction education and make sure clients are being as safe as possible.”

Leizer C, Ribnicky D, Poulev A, Dushenkov S, Raskin I. The composition of hemp seed oil and its potential as an important source of nutrition. Journal of Nutraceuticals, Functional & Medical Foods 2(4), 35–53, 2000 McGrath S, Bartner LR, Rao S, Packer RA, Gustafson DL. Randomized blinded controlled clinical trial to assess the effect of oral cannabidiol administration in addition to conventional antiepileptic treatment on seizure frequency in dogs with intractable idiopathic epilepsy. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 254, 1301–8, 2019

REFERENCES:

Nielsen. New data from Nielsen and Headset reveals 74% of CBD buyers have pets. www. prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-data-fromnielsen-and-headset-reveals-74-of-cbd-buyers-havepets-300998612.html?tc=eml_cleartime (accessed 15 June 2020). USA, 2020

Gamble LJ, Boesch JM, Frye CW, Schwark WS, Mann S, Wolfe L, Brown H, Berthelsen ES, Wakshlag JJ. Pharmacokinetics, safety, and clinical efficacy of cannabidiol treatment in osteoarthritic dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 5, 165, 2018

Noli C, Della Valle MF, Miolo A, Medori C, Schievano C. Efficacy of ultra-micronized palmitoylethanolamide in canine atopic dermatitis: An open-label multi-centre study. Veterinary Dermatology 26, 432–40, 2015

Kogan L, Hellyer P, Silcox S, Schoenfeld-Tacher R. Canadian dog owners’ use and perceptions of cannabis products. Canadian Veterinary Journal 60, 749–55, 2019

Spillman S. Why some pet owners are turning to CBD to treat their ailing animals. www.latimes.com/ lifestyle/story/2019-10-04/pets-cbd-pain-anxiety (accessed 15 June 2020). USA, 2019

You’re in good company with MAS.

The insurance, investment and lending provider to NZ professionals.

Hanna Gray (and Charlie) Veterinary Surgeon and MAS Member

Experience MAS today at VetScript August 2020 – 37 mas.co.nz

IN THE FIELD

YOUR ROLE WHEN MEDICINES

GO WRONG

MPI’s Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines team outlines the reasons and procedures for reporting medicine-related adverse events.

NEARLY 1,700 VETERINARY medicines are registered under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) Act 1997. Each has conditions that aim to manage the risks of its use to animal welfare, trade, agricultural security and public health.

However, by the time they are launched even the most extensively studied veterinary medicines (products) will have been used in a relatively small number of animals in controlled environments. This means that their full efficacy, safety and residue profiles, and the suitability of their registration conditions, may not be fully established until after they have been used on a large number of animals under realworld conditions. If problems arise, the veterinarians and owners using the products have a responsibility to act – and the most important tool for doing this is ‘adverse event reporting’.

Through adverse event reporting, a product’s risk profile can be verified and its risk management controls confirmed as adequate. It is the superpower for end users of veterinary products, because as a feedback tool it gives veterinarians, owners and animals a voice.

The system works best when all adverse events, whether they are identified on labels or not, are notified when they occur. If there is any doubt about the potential involvement of a veterinary product, the event should be reported.

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WHAT IS AN ADVERSE EVENT? In essence, an adverse event happens when something goes wrong when an animal is treated with a veterinary product. It includes a failure to achieve efficacy claims, illness, death and withholding-period issues.

Events that should be considered adverse include: » injection and application site reactions » clinical abnormalities and deaths » a failure of a product to meet its label efficacy claims, including events that have non-product-related causes, such as anthelmintic or antibiotic resistance » a failure of a product to perform as expected, even if inefficacy does not result (eg, premature regurgitations of capsules, problems using a product due to a characteristic of the product) » suspected product quality issues leading to toxicity » unacceptable residue levels in meat, milk or eggs » human reactions to products, particularly those not recognised on-label.

Other adverse events that should be reported include: » those that occur in domestic and farmed animals as a result of exposure to vertebrate toxic agents (VTA) such as rat poison, and chemicals used on plants, including fodder crops (these products are managed for these animals under the ACVM Act)

» VTA residues occurring in the edible tissues of wild animals caught for human consumption » all cases of environmental or other non-target-species exposures to VTAs (these should be reported to the Environmental Protection Authority).

Animal feeds and supplements are also regulated by the ACVM Act but they (along with many other products such as shampoos used to treat animals) do not have to be registered before they can be sold. The producers are still required by law to produce products that are fit for purpose, but how they do this are not assessed by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) before they go to market. For this reason any adverse events related to these products should be reported.

WHY SHOULD ADVERSE EVENTS BE REPORTED? There are seven good reasons for veterinarians to report all adverse events they encounter.

1.

Reports of adverse events are the only real-time, New Zealandspecific mechanisms for confirming that the conditions applied to product registrations can manage the product risks effectively.

2.

Adverse event reporting may be the only way to discover product

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IN THE FIELD

quality issues that could have serious and widespread consequences unless action is taken urgently.

3.

4.

Warnings of product issues can be communicated quickly and widely if all instances are reported.

MPI can only impose label warning statements of potential adverse effects if there is enough data supporting a true product-event relationship.

5.

The extent and impacts of product characteristics that develop unexpectedly in the field (eg, sludge forming at the bottom of a product, unable to fully re-suspend) may only be identified and rectified if all instances encountered are reported.

6.

The use patterns and risk profiles of established products can change over time, and this may necessitate changes in conditions.

7.

It may not be apparent that an event is an isolated incident or representative of a product-wide problem until it is considered alongside other event reports from users of the same or similar products. MPI is the only agency that can evaluate adverse event information for similar products sold by different companies.

HOW CAN I LODGE AN ADVERSE EVENT REPORT? Veterinarians and animal owners can send adverse event reports to MPI, the product registrants or the parties responsible for the products.

To report an event to MPI, complete and send the MPI adverse events report form (which includes guidance) at www. mpi.govt.nz/processing/agriculturalcompounds-and-vet-medicines/ adverse-events-with-acvms.

Given that the reason(s) for an adverse event is not always clear, MPI needs as much detail as possible to establish and assess causality. We recommend that veterinarians include clinical records with adverse event reports.

Each report provided to MPI is sent to the responsible party for investigation, and a closure email is sent to the veterinarian or owner summarising MPI’s decision on the products’ involvement.

Product registrants must by law report all adverse events they receive to MPI, so if a report is sent only to the registrants, MPI will be notified.

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VetScript August 2020 – 39

INNEWS THE WORKPLACE AND VIEWS

40 – VetScript August July 2020 2020

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

IN THE WORKPLACE

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Caitlin Sykes showcases a Kiwi-made veterinary service that’s also an international success story.

GOOGLE, APPLE, FACEBOOK, Amazon – when we think of tech company success stories, it’s common to think of firms that have trod paths from the US. However, veterinary software firm ezyVet has flipped that notion on its head.

From its Auckland headquarters, ezyVet has been steadily carving out a niche as a world-leading provider of cloud-based veterinary practice management software. Since its product first launched around seven years ago its team has grown to 130 in three offices (including Dallas and London), and customers in 15 countries are now using the software in a wide range of clinical environments and situations.

“Just like Xero took small business accounting from shoe boxes filled with receipts into a digital environment and created an ecosystem around that,” explains Rafael Lee, ezyVet’s Customer Manager at innovation agency Callaghan Innovation, “ezyVet is digitising what has traditionally been an environment of clipboards and paper-based records in their own niche, of veterinarians.”

It’s an approach that has particularly resonated in the US market, which now accounts for 79% of ezyVet’s business.

“It’s funny – when we talk to veterinarians in New Zealand, a lot of

PHOTOGRAPHY: MARCEL TROMP

them don’t realise we’re a Kiwi company,” says ezyVet founder and CEO Hadleigh Bognuda. “They think we’re from America because we’re so big there.” ezyVet has experienced average tripledigit annual revenue growth in the past half-dozen years, but, says Hadleigh, there’s still much ground to be gained.

The company’s goals include having 50% of all veterinary professionals trained to use its system, and to become the number one practice management software of choice among veterinarians globally.

A serial entrepreneur, Hadleigh ran a technology business before founding ezyVet that supplied pharmacists with tech hardware and other IT support.

“We had our points of difference, but a laptop is a laptop and the market was quite cut-throat,” he explains.

“I saw an opportunity with our software to make something unique, where you’re not necessarily competing on price, but more on your ability to solve someone’s problems.”

The company had already partnered with software providers in the pharmacy space, so looked for opportunities among others with similar needs, such as lawyers, accountants and veterinarians. One customer in particular – a large veterinary referral practice in Auckland

“I SAW AN OPPORTUNITY… TO MAKE SOMETHING UNIQUE, WHERE YOU’RE NOT NECESSARILY COMPETING ON PRICE, BUT MORE ON YOUR ABILITY TO SOLVE SOMEONE’S PROBLEMS.”

– was looking for a software solution to capture medical record data that could be turned into letters to referring veterinarians. Unable to find a suitable existing product for the customer, Hadleigh saw an opportunity to develop a software solution.

“That was back in 2007. We employed a fairly small team of talented people and set about building this software product.

VetScript August 2020 – 41

IN THE WORKPLACE

ezyVet CEO Hadleigh Bognuda says the team spends a lot of time showing customers how to optimise the software to meet their needs.

At that point the existing [pharmacy] business was the primary funding source for the ezyVet journey, and it was more of a passion project than something commercial.”

But as development work continued, the phenomenon of cloud-based software – and the business model to sell it by subscription (known as software as a service, or SaaS) – began to gather momentum, amplifying the market opportunities.

Hadleigh says it was difficult to gain traction in the early days in the New Zealand market, where the benefits of SaaS still weren’t widely understood.

However, the company did find early success in Australia, where large referral practice groups could see the efficiency and operational advantages

42 – VetScript August 2020

“WE NEED TO BUILD OUR PRODUCT FOR VETERINARIANS AND WITH VETERINARIANS, BASED ON WHAT THEY’RE TELLING US – NOT WHAT WE THINK THEY’RE TELLING US.”

of running the same practice management solution in real time in several locations. Today, Australia is ezyVet’s second-largest market, accounting for 14% of their business.

When the company dipped its toes into the US market by attending a couple of trade shows, the interest was immediate and strong.

“It was transformational,” recalls Hadleigh. “The people there really ‘got’ the cloud and they didn’t care that we were from New Zealand. It just clicked and took off really quickly.”

The company’s original point of difference in the US was its strong solution for referral-based medicine, and it gained foundation customers through

IN THE WORKPLACE

word of mouth and attending up to a dozen conferences a year.

“Our initial goal was to make it the very best referral practice management solution we could, but over the years we found that customers – particularly those owning corporate practices –wouldn’t just buy referral practices, they’d buy general practices or large animal practices. So we carved out different strategies for each section, and as we invested in developing those over the years each one took off.”

Today, general practices account for about 60% of the company’s customer base. It also offers software solutions for specialty and emergency practices, equine and production animal customers and corporate consolidators, and has found a niche in the education market – prestigious US colleges such as Cornell

University, Oklahoma State University and The Ohio State University are now using the ezyVet platform to help teach the next generation of veterinarians, with a growing number in the pipeline.

One of the major advantages of delivering SaaS is that the product can be constantly and iteratively tweaked and upgraded. However, that relies on the business developing strong relationships with customers to deliver optimised products that best meet their needs.

“We need to build our product for veterinarians and with veterinarians, based on what they’re telling us – not what we think they’re telling us. But that’s a challenge when you have tens of thousands of people using the product.

You need to know which voices to listen to and identify common themes.”

Megan Alderson became ezyVet’s first general-practice customer when she started her business, The Strand Veterinarian, in Auckland in 2009. She looked at a range of practice management software options available at the time but, being cloud-based and available for a monthly subscription cost, ezyVet was attractive because it didn’t require a significant capital outlay for hardware, or ongoing contractual commitments.

“One of the aspects I appreciate most, though, is it’s just a beautiful clinical programme. That’s significant because I think I’ve actually developed into a better veterinarian because of it,” she says.

“Another major advantage is ezyVet’s accessibility. Even as it’s grown over the years it’s still managed to retain those personal connections with its customers,

VetScript August 2020 – 43

INNEWS THE WORKPLACE AND VIEWS

ezyVet has a goal to grow its staff numbers to 500 within the next three years.

and a willingness to listen and help meet their needs.”

Given the large number of veterinarians using its software, the company now has one of the largest repositories of cloud-based veterinary medical data globally, and leveraging that is a focus of ongoing research and development. Since 2018 the company has received backing from Callaghan Innovation, which is co-funding R&D to take the company’s technology to the next level. In particular, ezyVet is looking at how it can use data captured on its platform to track and learn from behaviours and trends.

“Identifying these can have great impacts – be they clinical, financial or related to efficiencies,” explains Hadleigh. “And in each sector these could also be different, whether we’re looking at disease control issues for equine veterinarians or how primarycare veterinarians can increase vaccine adoption rates. There’s a lot of scope across the platform and the dataset to do some pretty cool things.”

The company’s data also points to resilience in the veterinary community during the COVID-19 pandemic. While revenue among its customers was down about 14% in March compared with the

44 – VetScript August 2020

“THERE’S A LOT OF SCOPE ACROSS THE PLATFORM AND THE DATASET TO DO SOME PRETTY COOL THINGS.”

same month last year, in April 2020 customer revenue was in line with that of April 2019, and in May it was actually up by around 14%.

During the lockdown, says Hadleigh, the company was able to invest more time in product development – including rapidly deploying a solution to help customers to deliver telemedicine – and, like many other businesses, spend time working on the business, rather than just in it.

“What’s been really interesting is that our new sales activity has really ramped up,” he says. “We think part of that is because, during the lockdown period in many countries, people had more time to think about what they were doing with their businesses, what they needed to invest in to be more efficient and weather future storms to be viable for tomorrow – and our software is a good fit to meet some of those needs.”

The company spies ample room to grow. Globally, cloud adoption by veterinary practices is still relatively low – around 12% – so the company has set its sights on increasing its presence significantly in the UK and Canada (currently each market accounts for just one percent of business).

Attracting great tech talent will be key to achieving this. Despite its relatively low profile locally, it hopes its move next year into new headquarters – complete with gym, stunning harbour views and rooftop terrace – will help boost its visibility and cement its position as a local tech company success story.

“We’ve worked hard to get where we are and it feels good to give back to New Zealand – to have our headquarters here and export to the world,” says Hadleigh.

“It’s totally possible to grow a successful global tech company from New Zealand, and we hope to see more of it.”

“When mistakes happen, we’ll be there” Renew your insurance by 30th September to make sure we are

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IN THE WORKPLACE

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS – getting recruitment and reference checks right

Julie South, a recruiter at VetStaff, provides some tips to avoid some potentially significant trips.

IN THE WORLD of recruitment – whether you’re an employer, a candidate or a referee – it’s vital to get things right.

An employer asking the wrong questions could land themselves in hot water, and a failure to ask the right questions could put their clinic at risk. A job seeker asking the wrong person for a reference could do themselves out of a job, and if you’re a referee your comments may well come back to haunt you.

Yes, the recruitment process takes time that you might prefer to spend on other, ‘more important’, things. But I urge you to take a carefully considered approach, even for ‘just’ one-day locums. Question and check everyone and everything. No exceptions: locums, temps, contractors and permanent employees.

THE INTERVIEW The Privacy Act 1993 details the types of questions that employers can and can’t ask candidates. It also specifies that the information you collect must not intrude

46 – VetScript August 2020

unreasonably on candidates’ personal affairs, and puts controls on the type of information you can gather and what your job advertisements can state (see the table for more detail).

If you’re an employer, ask specific, real-scenario questions to find out how a candidate reacts under pressure, gauge their empathy, find out if their values match your clinic’s values, learn how they handle and resolve conflict, and establish whether they have the experience required for the job. Here are some example questions: » X, Y and Z [presentations] have all walked through the front door of your clinic at the same time. What would you do? » A [species] presents with [symptoms].

What would you do? » You arrive at a farm and you notice [event/situation]. What would you do? » You give a customer their bill and they go ballistic, screaming that your clinic doesn’t care about their pet,

you’re only in it for the money and if you truly cared about animals you’d reduce the bill. What would you do? » A customer asks you to give them a few pharmaceutical samples (the boss won’t know, wink wink) rather than prescribe medication. How would you respond? » You have questions about a farm manager’s ability to administer restricted veterinary medicines.

Their behaviour could be described as intimidatory or threatening. What would you do?

Your notes and records must also be respectful, and candidates have the right to see the information you hold on them.

REFERENCE CHECKING – THE EMPLOYER’S ROLE Reference checks take time. Plan for three days from the first contact and allow an uninterrupted hour per referee.

Tell the referees about the role the candidate has applied for and ask each one the same questions (per position).

Prepare your questions ahead of time.

While most will be open ended, there are some yes/no questions you must always ask. You can ask for elaboration once you have the yes or no answers.

The general must-ask questions include: » Would you employ this candidate again? » Have you ever had reason to doubt the candidate’s integrity, honesty, professionalism, ability and skills? » When you employed them, were there any issues or concerns, such as lateness, absenteeism or inappropriate behaviour? » Why did they leave?

REFERENCE CHECKING – TIPS FOR REFEREES Some clinics have a ‘no references’ policy for providing referees. However, employers asked for references must at least provide statements of employment for their former employees. Before you provide a reference – especially if the request has come out of the blue – make sure you have the employee’s permission.

If you don’t you’ll breach the Privacy Act.

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IN THE WORKPLACE

Allowed | required | can do | Questions to ask

Prohibited | unlawful | Questions you cannot ask

Age

Ask for and about levels of skill and experience.

Date of birth. Age. Years they went to school.

Babies, children and childcare

Ask whether they can meet any afterhours/on-call job requirements.

Future family plans, childcare arrangements, whether a woman is pregnant (or plans to be) or not.

Health

Ask whether they can perform the physical tasks required (eg, heavy lifting, large-animal control, walking across uneven paddocks/surfaces). State the position may include exposure to harmful chemicals and X-rays.

Fitness, health or pregnancy (and/or planning pregnancy).

Credit checks

If the position requires money handling, arranging a credit check is recommended – as long as the candidate has given you written permission to do so.

You can’t use a credit check to create a shortlist of candidates.

To avoid a possible breach of privacy, do this only before an offer or make the offer subject to a satisfactory credit check.

You can only do a credit check where there is a due and reasonable cause for you to know this information.

Criminal records

You have the right to ask a candidate whether they have any criminal convictions and, if recent, to ask about the incident(s).

Physical disabilities

If the position requires candidates to have good physical mobility, you can advertise for such a requirement.

Same industry relations

Ask if the candidate is married to, in a de facto relationship with, or a relative of anyone who works at the same organisation or elsewhere in the same industry.

You can’t ask about someone’s marital or relationship status.

Legal right to work in New Zealand

Ask if they have the legal right to work in New Zealand. This is a must-ask question.

It’s unlawful to employ anyone who isn’t entitled to work here. You can ask to see supporting evidence, such as birth certificates, passports and visas.

You can’t ask to see a birth certificate or other documentation to determine age or date of birth.

Reference checks

Make sure you have the candidate’s express permission before you start asking questions about them with a previous employer or colleague.

If you’re a referee, you can’t disclose information about a candidate without their express permission. If you’re an employer and a referee recommends that you talk to someone else, you need the candidate’s express permission to do this.

Ask if working on religious holidays would cause any difficulty for them.

You can’t ask a candidate about their religious beliefs.

Religious beliefs

If a candidate’s religion prohibits them working on Saturdays you must adjust the shifts to suit them, as long as such an adjustment is not unreasonably disruptive to the clinic’s operations.

English language skills

You can advertise a requirement for spoken English to a specific level, and state that shortlisted candidates will have to undertake an oral competency test.

Social media

You can check a candidate’s publicly available social media profile and online activity.

Background checking can’t extend to asking people who are connected with the candidate via social media to check out the candidate’s profile.

As a referee you have the right to keep what you say confidential from the employee (that is, they won’t be told what you said), as long as you’re providing ‘evaluative material’. Evaluative material is information held to determine the suitability, eligibility or qualifications of an individual for employment, promotion and their continuance in, or removal from, employment.

If a candidate asks to see information you hold on them, but you supplied it believing it would be kept confidential, the information can be withheld.

Whatever you do, you must state the truth. If you’d like your comments to be kept confidential say so, keep to the facts and answer just the questions asked.

Avoid unsubstantiated negative comments or claims. You could be held liable if loss is caused as a result of any such inaccurate or misleading statement.

CANDIDATES – HOW TO WORK WITH REFEREES Most employers prefer to talk to candidates’ recent employers. Character references carry little weight.

Always ask your referees for their permission first.

If you think a referee may present you negatively, provide the context by explaining the situation to the interviewer.

Most professional recruiters can spot vindictiveness, so this isn’t necessarily a professional death knell for you.

NEED HELP? OUTSOURCE RATHER THAN SKIP Background and reference checking is far too important to skip or gloss over.

Ask any practice or human resources manager about the grief a wrong hire can cause; the costs of disciplinary action far outweigh the investment involved in reference-checking candidates.

If you don’t have time, consider outsourcing the role. Experienced professionals know what they’re doing and recognise red flags. VetStaff can help with reference checks. We understand New Zealand employment law and Kiwi veterinary clinic requirements.

VetScript August 2020 – 47

INNEWS THE WORKPLACE AND VIEWS

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

that matters MAS Business Advisory Manager Shaun Phelan takes a look at how employers can support their teams’ mental health and wellbeing.

NEW ZEALAND HAS emerged from the strict COVID-19 lockdown restrictions imposed in March and April. Challenges still lie ahead for many businesses, including the need to help their staff deal with the stress and anxiety about what comes next.

Your staff are your greatest asset and their mental and emotional wellbeing has a major impact on the overall success of your practice. So what can you do to help those who need support?

WORKING TOGETHER AND PROVIDING SUPPORT As an employer, there’s only so much you can do to help an employee who’s dealing with difficult situations at home.

What you can do, however, is ensure that their workplace is a safe, supportive and positive environment.

We offered some suggestions for how to make this happen in the July issue of VetScript. Our suggestions included regularly thanking your staff for their work, communicating clearly with your team and being open to their feedback.

Other ideas that are easy to implement include taking time out to do a daily quiz together at morning tea or organising a team trip to the movies or dinner every now and then.

48 – VetScript August 2020

TALKING ONE-ON-ONE Talking freely with staff about mental health issues is a good idea, but it can be difficult to know how to raise the subject with someone.

Before you start, it’s important to be clear in your own mind what you’re concerned about and the best way to have the conversation. Choosing to talk in the middle of a busy day in a public place is probably not going to be appropriate.

Make sure you and the staff member set aside some free time to talk properly without distractions, and perhaps take the conversation off site.

To broach the subject, you might want to keep it informal, and start by asking simple questions such as: » is everything okay with you? » how are things at home?

Be supportive and listen. The best approach is usually to keep things focused on what you can do to help in practical terms. For example, you might ask whether they have someone to talk to, or what the workplace can do to ease their workload. Take what they reveal seriously.

FINDING WAYS FOR THE PRACTICE TO HELP It can be hard to work out whether an employee’s stress or anxiety is due to issues

in their personal life or their work life (or sometimes both).

However, as an employer you’re required to provide a healthy and safe workplace under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. This includes supporting employees’ mental health, so if there’s something in the workplace that’s exacerbating the problem, you need to deal with it.

In addition to meeting the basic legal requirements, you should think about other support your practice can offer.

For example, you could provide contact details for counselling support, change the staff member’s hours or duties for a short time, provide flexible working arrangements or arrange for them to have time away from busy areas in the practice. Just remember, though, that any solutions you offer need to be sustainable.

RETURNING TO WORK If your employee needed to take time off for their mental wellbeing, make sure, when the time comes to return to work, that they provide you with medical certification that they are fit to return and, if necessary, work with them to plan their return.

Your employee may feel vulnerable and anxious about how their colleagues will react to their return. Make sure

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IN THE WORKPLACE

you discuss who can be told about the situation, how much information they’re happy to have shared, and how their return to work will play out week by week.

Remember, employees are entitled to their privacy, so you need to store their health information securely and share it only with those who need to know or whom the employee has agreed to have informed.

If the case is serious, your employee may not be able to return to work at all, or at least not be able to return to their previous role. We recommend that in situations like these you speak to your human resources advisor or our MAS HealthyPractice team before taking any action.

This article is of a general nature and is not a substitute for professional and individually tailored business or legal advice. © Medical Assurance Society New Zealand Limited 2020.

For more information about managing mental health issues in the workplace, or for immediate support for staff members with mental issues, visit:

» business.govt.nz – Managing mental health in the workplace. www.business. govt.nz/news/managing-mental-health-in-the-workplace » Open Minds – Let’s Make Mental Health Part of the Conversation: A guide for managers. www.mentalhealth.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Guide-for-managersApril-2017.pdf » the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand: www.mentalhealth.org.nz » the National Telehealth Service – Need to talk?: Free call 0800 1737 1737 or text 1737 anytime for support from a trained counsellor, www.1737.org.nz » Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 – 8am to midnight » Lifeline: 0800 543 354 – 24-hour telephone counselling service » Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 TAUTOKO (828 865) – includes when someone is concerned about the wellbeing of someone else » Healthline: 0800 611 116 » Samaritans: 0800 726 666 » Youthline: 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz If it’s an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

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Ectoparasites of sheep in New Zealand and their control

Ectoparasites of sheep in New Zealand and their control (Book order form) Visit www.nzva.org.nz/ectobook or complete order form below

The definitive practical guide for sheep veterinarians, edited by Anthony Oswald.

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The first edition of “Ectoparasites of Sheep in New Zealand and their control” was produced in 1985 at the instigation of the Committee of the NZVA Sheep and Beef Cattle Society. That, copies of this volume are still found in many veterinary practices and referred to by practitioners across New Zealand, some 33 years after its publication, is testament to the quality of the information prepared by the contributors and collated by the editor, Dr W.A.G. Charleston.

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While knowledge of the fundamentals of parasite and host biology remain much the same as in 1985, insecticide resistance, new chemical families, market imperatives and the economics of livestock farming are among factors that have brought change. This has resulted in many sheep farmers failing to achieve acceptable levels of control of ectoparasites, in particular blowflies and lice, in their flocks.

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NEWS AND VIEWS

FIGURE 1: Raised nodule on the margin of the tongue.

The search for the source Bernard Vaatstra, from Gribbles Veterinary Palmerston North, and Vincent Girardot, from Levin and Horowhenua Veterinary Centre, discuss a case of systemic cryptococcosis presenting as neurological disease in a cat.

CLINICAL HISTORY A five-year-old desexed, female, domestic, medium-hair cat presented for veterinary attention after being missing for three days. The owner reported the cat was reluctant to eat and move, and was lethargic. On physical examination the cat had a body condition score of 4/9 (3kg) and was moderately dehydrated (approximately 8%). She had a temperature of 38.5°C, elevated heart

50 – VetScript August 2020

rate (260 beats/minute), tachypnoea (70 breaths/minute) and normal blood pressure. The most notable finding was evidence of neurological dysfunction characterised by hind-limb ataxia, weakness and photophobia. A blood sample was collected and a complete blood count, basic biochemistry and electrolyte panel run on an in-house analyser. The only abnormality was a mild neutrophilia (11.53 x109/L,

reference interval 2.3–10.29 x109/L) suggesting inflammatory demand.

During the ensuing day the neurological signs progressed to whole-body twitching and falling to the side. Hypersalivation developed, as well as a nasal discharge and wheezes on auscultation. Based on a clinical suspicion of toxoplasmosis, treatment with clindamycin was instituted 16 then 25mg/kg/day. At this point, the owners declined further testing including advanced imaging and serology. Prednisone was added to the treatment protocol (1mg/kg/day).

Following two days on fluid therapy, the cat was discharged home on a course of clindamycin and prednisone.

There was mild clinical improvement in the following three days and the cat began eating and drinking again. Follow-up neurological exam revealed subtle residual ataxia and positional nystagmus. The prednisone treatment was discontinued.

Eight days later, the cat re-presented very lethargic, anorexic and constipated.

Two nodules were found on the tongue (Figure 1). Prednisone was re-started and the cat was sent home after being given subcutaneous fluid. Another nine days later, the owners opted for euthanasia after progression to prostration and syringe feeding.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSES Differential diagnoses for central nervous system (CNS) disease affecting the brain in cats include feline infectious peritonitis, toxoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), Toxocara larval migrans, bacterial meningitis, primary or metastatic neoplasia (notably lymphoma and meningioma), lysosomal storage disease, hepatic encephalopathy, feline dysautonomia and idiopathic epilepsy. In the New Zealand diagnostic laboratory setting, feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and toxoplasmosis are the most common diagnoses pursued.

Clinicians should also be aware of diseases exotic to New Zealand, including rabies, spongiform encephalopathy and Borna disease virus.

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NEWS AND VIEWS

clear capsule creating a ‘soap bubble’ appearance (Figure 3).

The tongue lesion was composed of nodular aggregates of inflammatory cells admixed with yeasts similar to those in the brain (Figure 4).

The kidneys and pancreas were disrupted by similar lesions to those in the brain and tongue (Figure 5).

FIGURE 2: Brain with meninges expanded by inflammation. Haematoxylin and eosin stain, 20x magnification.

FIGURE 3: Brain with inflammatory infiltrate including many spherical to ovoid yeasts surrounded by clear capsules. One yeast showing budding (arrow). Haematoxylin and eosin stain, 1,000x magnification.

PATHOLOGY At gross postmortem the cat was in poor body condition, weighing 2.31kg.

A 3mm-diameter ulcer was noted on the left cornea. The meninges appeared reddened and congested. Both kidneys had multiple irregular nodules bulging from the cortical surface. A 5mmdiameter mass protruded from the right side of the tip of the tongue.

Tissue samples were collected into 10% formalin for histological examination.

Microscopy of the brain sections revealed widespread expansion and disruption of the meninges, ventricles and adjacent neuropil by dense aggregates of epithelioid macrophages, moderate numbers of neutrophils and fewer plasma cells and lymphocytes (Figure 2). Myriad 5–10µm-diameter, round-oval yeasts displaying occasional narrow-based budding were distributed among the inflammatory cells. The yeasts were surrounded by a thick,

DIAGNOSIS The morphological diagnosis was granulomatous meningoencephalitis, glossitis, pancreatitis and interstitial nephritis with intralesional Cryptococcus sp.

DISCUSSION Neurological diseases in cats are classified according to the DAMNIT-V system: degenerative, anomalous, metabolic, neoplastic, inflammatory, idiopathic, traumatic and vascular. A recent survey from Japan reported the following diagnoses in 174 cats with diseases localised to the brain: neoplasia (31.4%), idiopathic (29.1%), inflammatory (including infectious and immune mediated (13%), and the remainder a combination of degenerative, anomalous, vascular, metabolic and traumatic diseases (Nakamoto et al., 2019). An earlier UK survey of 286 cats with neurological disorders reported a somewhat different distribution of diagnoses, the largest category (92 cats) having inflammatory disease and 51% of those having FIP (Bradshaw et al., 2004).

In addition to a detailed neurological exam, advanced imaging and adjunct testing such as serology for toxoplasmosis, FIV, FIP and cryptococcosis, cerebrospinal fluid cytology and fluid analysis, routine biochemistry and haematology may aid antemortem diagnosis. However, even with the range of diagnostics available in referral centres, a specific antemortem diagnosis is only reached in 30–40% of cases.

Postmortem histopathology is the gold standard for diagnosis. Even here, 17.8% of cats with neurological disease have no histological lesions (Bradshaw et al., 2004) As it is with many cases in primary veterinary care, cost considerations

VetScript August 2020 – 51

NEWS AND VIEWS

FIGURE 4: Tongue with nodular cryptococcosis lesion at the margin. Haematoxylin and eosin stain, 20x magnification.

The initial site of infection by basidiospores is usually the nasal cavity.

The lungs and gastrointestinal tract may also act as portals of infection.

Interestingly in this case no nasal lesion was detected, but there was a focus of infection in the tongue. Hence a penetrating injury to the tongue may have been the initial site of inoculation.

Cryptococcus infections in cats induce less inflammation than they do in dogs, which may reflect differences in infecting strains and/or underlying unrecognised defects in the immune or inflammatory response. An Australian study showed that Siamese, Birman and Ragdoll cats are overrepresented.

Immunocompromised cats (eg, FIV, feline leukaemia virus positive) are not necessarily more prone to cryptococcosis, but have more trouble clearing the infection. Amphotericin B, ketoconazole, fluconazole and itraconazole have all been used to treat infected cats. Surgical excisions of any nodules in the skin or mucosa are also advised. It is recommended to continue treatment until a negative antigen test is obtained (Pennisi et al., 2013).

REFERENCES: Bradshaw JM, Pearson GR, Gruffydd-Jones TJ. A retrospective study of 286 cases of neurological disorders of the cat. Journal of Comparative Pathology 131, 112–20, 2004

FIGURE 5: Pancreas with interstitial cluster of Cryptococcus sp. organisms.

Haematoxylin and eosin stain, 400x magnification.

precluded advanced imaging and extensive diagnostics antemortem.

However, a definitive diagnosis was possible in this case because Ministry for Primary Industries funded postmortem testing in order to exclude exotic diseases.

Since brain disease is difficult to diagnose precisely, even with sophisticated testing, it is not surprising that many companion animal CNS disease cases remain undiagnosed in the primary care setting. The information provided by pathological examination is therefore

52 – VetScript August 2020

very helpful in informing clinicians and diagnosticians of the range of possible causes for future consideration.

Cryptococcosis is the most common systemic mycosis of cats. While FIP and toxoplasmosis more frequently cause CNS disease, cryptococcosis should also be considered an important rule-out.

Most cases are caused by Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gattii. Infection is typically acquired from the environment, eg, bird droppings (especially pigeons), soil and decaying organic material.

Lester SJ, Malik R, Bartlett KH, Duncan CG. Cryptococcosis: Update and emergence of Cryptococcus gattii. Veterinary Clinical Pathology 40, 4–17, 2011 Nakamoto Y, Uemura T, Hasegawa H, Nakamoto M, Ozawa T. Feline neurological diseases in a veterinary neurology referral hospital population in Japan. Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 81, 879–85, 2019 Pennisi MG, Hartmann K, Lloret A, Ferrer L, Addie D, Belák S, Boucraut-Baralon C, Egberink H, Frymus T, Gruffydd-Jones T, et al.

Cryptococcosis in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 15, 611–8, 2013

The authors want to acknowledge Kelly Buckle, from the Ministry for Primary Industries, for funding the histopathology.

NEWSVetCPD AND VIEWS

COURSE DETAILS Online | Workshop COMPANION ANIMAL VETERINARIANS

Get your teeth into best-practice dentistry Improve your techniques in oral surgery and obtain better clinical outcomes with this comprehensive online course.

WITH PETS LIVING longer, dentistry is now a significant component of companion animal practice and practice income. This course is for companion animal veterinarians wanting to achieve best practice in veterinary dentistry. Do you want to improve your dental skills and utilise industry-leading equipment to make dental care easier? Do you want to offer patients and clients better outcomes?

By attending this course veterinarians will improve their techniques and skills in oral surgery, be able to offer a quality dental service and obtain better clinical outcomes for their patients.

Increase your practice income by identifying and treating more oral disease in your patients.

The online course includes two weeks of online learning with Tony Caiafa in the form of pre-recorded presentations, notes and discussion forums.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES: » Increase your understanding of oral anatomy and the anatomical landmarks for successful local anaesthesia. » Improve your knowledge of gingival flap techniques for soft tissue defects in the oral cavity. » Increase your confidence in performing surgical extractions and handling extraction complications. » Learn new techniques for extracting teeth with a minimally invasive approach. » Improve your skills in taking and interpreting dental radiographs.

Further information is available at nzva.org.nz/event/20caden.

The online course is worth up to 6.5 hours of CPD. NZVA members get access to the MyCPD record. n

DATES: Online: 31 August – 13 September 2020 Wetlab: Due to COVID-19 workshop dates will be set later.

TOPICS: » New extraction techniques and instrumentation » Surgical extraction techniques offering improved comfort and outcomes » Gingival flap surgery: oronasal fistula repair and palatal defect surgery » Pain management » Radiographic identification » Avoiding and managing extraction complications » Avoiding and managing extraction complications

TUTORS: Tony Caiafa BVSc, BDSc, MANZCVS Craig Hunger BVSc, MANZCVS Janine van Dam BVSc, MANZCVS John Wood (from iM3)

PRICES: Online course only NZVA member Non-member

$375 $750

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VetScript August 2020 – 53

1

IN THE LAB

FIGURE 1: Leishman’s stained (A) and Diff-Quik stained and higher magnification (B) hepatic impression smears show a variable number of oval, clear, coccidian oocysts with refractile walls.

A

B

A protozoan problem Pathologist Lisa Schmidt, from SVS Laboratories, discusses a case of hepatic coccidiosis in a rabbit.

A 10-WEEK-OLD WEANLING rabbit who weighed 380g (half that of its littermates) presented to the lab. The day prior to their death the kit had appeared normal, but 24 hours later they were lethargic and unable to stand.

Despite supportive care, the kit died.

NECROPSY On necropsy the rabbit was thin, lacked body fat reserves (subcutaneous and intra-abdominal) and had a slight pot belly. The liver had a few scattered round, yellow to pearl grey, spherical nodules up to 3mm3.

54 – VetScript August 2020

CYTOLOGY Impression smears were made of the liver nodules. They showed a variable number of coccidial oocysts (Figure 1) and were supportive of hepatic coccidiosis. For tips on making impression smears, see box.

HISTOPATHOLOGY The bile ducts were dilated with papillary epithelial hyperplasia and periportal fibrosis and inflammation (Figure 2). Coccidial oocysts were seen in the lumina of affected degenerate ducts. A diagnosis of hepatic coccidiosis was confirmed.

DISCUSSION Typically, coccidiosis is a disease of intensively managed animals, especially young, naïve animals who can develop high parasite burdens (Uzal et al., 2016). In rabbits, Eimeria stiedae is one of the most common causes of clinical coccidiosis. Unlike most coccidial infections, Eimeria stiedae preferentially infects the biliary epithelium (Barthold et al., 2016). Naïve rabbits are often infected by ingesting sporocysts (sporulated oocysts) found in the environment of contaminated premises, where they can remain viable for several months, and on fomites. Once ingested, sporozoites invade the duodenum and migrate rapidly to the bile duct epithelial cells via lymphatic and haematogenous routes. Coccidial reproduction begins once organisms are in the bile duct epithelial cells. The prepatent period is 15–18 days and infected rabbits can shed oocysts in the faeces for seven weeks or more (Baker, 1998; Barthold et al., 2016; Uzal et al., 2016). While liver nodules in this case were only 3mm3, they have been reported to be as large as 3cm in diameter in the literature.

Other gross findings that may be seen in affected rabbits include dark-brown to green soiling around the perineum due to diarrhoea, ascites, hepatomegaly and a thickened gall bladder with viscous, green bile and inspissated material (debris) (Barthold et al., 2016).

In this case, the kit showed clinical signs consistent with hepatic coccidiosis. The typical clinical findings are summarised in Table 1. While a serum sample was unavailable for analysis in this case, clinical pathology abnormalities associated with liver

IMAGERY: SUPPLIED

IN THE LAB

2

TIPS FOR MAKING IMPRESSION SMEARS FROM TISSUES STEP 1. Blot the cut surface of the tissue with gauze or paper towel to remove surface blood and serum, until almost dry.

STEP 2. Lightly tap the dried surface onto a dry slide. The tissue can be touched multiple times on the same slide in different locations.

A

STEP 3. Allow the slide to air dry before staining.

If you have a core biopsy, the tissue can be rolled across a piece of paper towel prior to being gently rolled across a glass slide.

disease can be seen. The clinical presentation is described in Table 1.

A definitive diagnosis of hepatic coccidiosis due to Eimeria stiedae is made by demonstrating oocysts in the bile ducts on histopathology (Barthold et al., 2016). In chronic lesions, organisms may be sparse to absent in bile ducts with prominent periportal fibrosis. In this case, postmortem exam findings and cytology were highly suggestive of hepatic coccidiosis. Faecal flotation could also be used to add support to a diagnosis of coccidiosis. In this case, the kit had 4+ coccidia and 700 eggs per gram of strongyle nematodes.

TABLE 1: Clinical

B FIGURE 2: (A) Low magnification showing periportal fibrosis (arrow) and papillary epithelial hyperplasia (*).

(B) Higher magnification showing a few intra-ductal coccidia oocytes (arrowhead).

presentation of hepatic coccidiosis

Typical age

Weanling rabbits

Clinical signs

Anorexia Weight loss or poor weight gains ± Distended abdomen (due to an enlarged liver and/or ascites) ± Diarrhoea ± Icterus

Serum chemistry

Elevated alanine transaminase (ALT) Hyperbilirubinaemia ± Hypoglycaemia ± Hyperlipaemia ± Hypoalbuminaemia ± Hypergammaglobulinaemia

SUMMARY Eimeria stiedae is an important cause of mortality in weanling rabbits, and clinical signs of infection vary with the severity of infection. In mild cases rabbits may have growth retardation.

In heavily infected cases rabbits may show signs related to hepatic pathology including dullness, anorexia and debilitation, and/or diarrhoea and/or constipation. Hepatomegaly, ascites and icterus are also reported.

REFERENCES: Baker DG. Natural pathogens of laboratory mice, rats, and rabbits and their effects on research. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 11(2), 231–66, 1998 Barthold SW, Griffey SM, Percy DH. Pathology of Laboratory Rodents and Rabbits. 4th Edtn. Pp 297– 300. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa, USA, 2016 Uzal FA, Platter BL, Hostetter JM. Alimentary system. In: Maxie MG (ed). Jubb, Kennedy, and Palmer’s Pathology of Domestic Animals Vol 2. 6th Edtn.

Pp 227–39. Elsevier, St Louis, Missouri, USA, 2016

VetScript August 2020 – 55

WELLBEING

SOCIAL MEDIA

– wellbeing friend or foe?

Marie K Holowaychuk asks, “Is Facebook bad for veterinarians’ mental health?”

FOR YEARS, EXPERTS have questioned whether spending time on social media is helpful or hurtful to mental health. I use social media (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter) for my business – to stay engaged with followers, share pertinent information and form new connections. I also use a personal Facebook account to stay connected with friends and family around the world. After living in six different cities in Canada and the US for the past 15 years, it’s easier to post updates on social media than it is to connect regularly with individuals.

However, the downsides of social media are becoming more apparent. Scrolling

56 – VetScript August 2020

Marie K Holowaychuk is a Canadian small animal emergency and critical care specialist and certified yoga and meditation teacher, with an invested interest in the health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals. She facilitates wellness workshops, boot camps and retreats for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students and other veterinary care providers. This column originally appeared in her newsletter. For more information and to sign up to her free newsletter, please visit: www.criticalcarevet.ca.

through social media mindlessly can be a major time-suck. I recently installed the app Quality Time on my phone and was disgusted with how many times I had checked my phone or spent time on social media during the day. Having this awareness has helped me pare down my social media usage, or at the very least use my time more efficiently.

Social media use also leads to comparisons, which can cultivate feelings of envy and depression. It’s no secret that most of us save our best pictures and favourite features for our social media posts, while leaving our dull or downtrodden moments hidden away.

This gives others the false sense that our lives are amazing or even glamorous!

People often say to me, “I’m so jealous of your life and all the travel you get to do” but that’s because they don’t see the hours spent packing, prepping, sitting in airports and spending time alone in hotel rooms. Trust me – it’s not glamorous.

There is more research coming out to explain the positives and pitfalls of social media use, which I hope will guide our decisions on if and how we engage with others online. The 2020 Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Survey revealed that veterinarians using social media for more than 30 minutes per day have poorer mental health and wellbeing than those who do not. Other studies investigating social media use among young adults and the general adult population have found conflicting results when it comes to the duration of social media use and mental health.

Recent studies have begun to investigate the subtler nuances of how people engage on social media and how that affects their wellbeing.

For example, one study compared active social media use (such as messaging a friend or commenting in a group) to passive social media use, including scrolling through and liking posts (Escobar-Viera et al., 2018). Results from more than 700 adults showed that passive social media use was associated with a 33% increase in depressive symptoms, while active social media use

IMAGERY: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

WELLBEING

was associated with a 15% decrease in depressive symptoms. So whether you are sitting and scrolling through posts or reading, commenting and engaging with other users appears to have a big role in the mental health effects.

Rather than try to manage the way in which they use social media, some people have chosen to forego it altogether. Several of my friends and family members have deleted their Facebook accounts to break free from the time-suck/comparison trap of social media, sometimes on the advice of mental health specialists. Studies seem to support this: in Denmark, people who took a week-long break from Facebook had better life satisfaction and positive emotions than those who continued using Facebook. These effects were greater for heavy Facebook users and those who used Facebook passively.

Perhaps a social media hiatus (or holiday) is something each of us could consider to improve our mental health.

I am not opposed to social media and am grateful to have it for the professional and personal reasons stated above. However, I do think the ways in which it is used affect its impacts on our mental health and wellbeing. As such, I would urge anyone using Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media to consider the following five strategies: » Share posts that are meaningful (ie, pertinent life updates) rather than random pictures of food or unnecessary rants. » Engage with others by commenting on their posts or sharing posts from which you feel others would benefit. » Send messages to friends and loved ones to maintain connections with

those in distant time zones whom you cannot readily call. » Search for local events to attend in person, and invite others to join you for face-to-face connection time. » Join or create closed groups where you can engage with like-minded individuals in a meaningful way.

Finally, if you have not done the exercise of logging the time you spend on your phone or social media, I urge you to become aware of your usage by installing a time-monitoring app such as Quality Time, Offtime or Moment. Awareness is the first step to realising that change is needed to foster health and wellbeing.

REFERENCE: Escobar-Viera CG, Shensa A, Bowman ND, Sidani JE, Knight J, James EA, Primack BA. Passive and active social media use and depressive symptoms among United States adults. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking 21(7), 437–43, 2018

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Complete and return (please enclose payment if by cheque) to NZVA: PO Box 1–212, Wellington 6142, New Zealand P +64 4 471 0484 | E vetlearn@nzva.org.nz

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Wellbeing and resilience for veterinarians Fundamental skills required to thrive in the complex veterinary environment. » Start now! | Free for NZVA members through VetScholar | $100 non-members » Author: Belinda Noyes » More information at nzva.org.nz/event/20well

COMPANION ANIMAL VETERINARIANS

Companion animal orthopaedic surgery Learn the latest in fracture management and joint issues.

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» Online: Module one: 3–16 August | Module two: 17–30 August 2020 » Tutor: Richard Jerram » Register now at nzva.org.nz/event/20caortho

COMPANION ANIMAL VETERINARIANS

Get your teeth into best practice dentistry Improve your techniques in oral surgery and obtain better clinical outcomes with this comprehensive online course. » Online: 31 August–13 September 2020 | Due to COVID-19 workshop dates will be set later » Online tutor: Tony Caiafa | Workshop: Craig Hunger, Janine van Dam and John Wood » Register now at nzva.org.nz/event/20caden

COMPANION ANIMAL VETERINARIANS

Veterinary refresher scheme A self-directed course for veterinarians returning to companion animal practice.

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Check out www.nzva.org.nz/educationhub 58 – VetScript August 2020

NEWS AND VIEWS

EQUINE VETERINARIANS

Introduction to race day and competition duty Learn the important skills required for race-day duty and other equine events.

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» It’s not too late to start! » Tutors: Leigh de Clifford | Róisín Mc Quillan | Fred Pauwels | Jenny Sonis | Michelle Logan Tony Parsons » Register now at nzva.org.nz/event/20eqfa

SHEEP, BEEF CATTLE AND DEER VETERINARIANS

On-farm consultancy skills Improve your ability to engage with farmers to improve their farm businesses. » Start online course now! | Due to COVID-19 workshop dates will be set later » Tutors: Graeme Dixon | Lab Wilson CPD Pathway | Awaiting final review for five Massey University credits.

» Register now at nzva.org.nz/event/20consult

SHEEP, BEEF CATTLE AND DEER VETERINARIANS

On-farm parasitology skills

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Latest diagnostics and treatment for internal parasites of sheep, cattle and deer. » Date: October 2020 » Tutors: Clive Bingham | Ginny Dodunski CPD Pathway | Eligible for five Massey University credits.

» Watch this space! More information coming soon!

DAIRY CATTLE VETERINARIANS

Bovine ultrasound Learn the latest techniques in bovine ultrasound and improve your confidence. » Online: December 2020 | Workshop: Date to be confirmed » Tutor: Steve Cranefield » Watch this space! More information coming soon!

Check out www.nzva.org.nz/educationhub VetScript August 2020 – 59

NEWS AND VIEWS

LARGE ANIMAL VETERINARY TECHNICIANS

Fundamental skills and procedures

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36th World Veterinary Association Congress Catch up on what you missed at the virtual Congress and learn at your own pace! » 100+ hours of recorded lectures available on demand until mid-October 2020. » Topics relevant to all veterinary professionals. » Get your subscription now at wvac2020.webinarvet.com

Check out www.nzva.org.nz/educationhub 60 – VetScript August 2020

NEWS AND VIEWS

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CONFERENCE

NZVA Wildlife Conference Looking to increase your skills in bird and wildlife triage? Join us in Nelson for the annual NZVA Wildlife Society conference! » Date: 27–29 November 2020 | Location: Nelson » Lectures | Workshops | Field trips » Find out more at nzva.org.nz/event/20wildlife

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2021 NZVA Conference Save the date for the 2021 NZVA conference! » Date: 22–24 June 2021 | Location: Christchurch » A lecture stream for every interest! | Workshops offered on 25 June 2021 » Watch this space! More information coming soon!

NZVA conference 22–24 June 2021 Workshops 25 June 2021

Companion Animal Complementary Medicine Dairy Cattle Deer Epidemiology and Animal Health Management Equine Nursing Equine Food Safety, Animal Welfare and Biosecurity Sheep and Beef Cattle Veterinary Business Wildlife

NZVA would like to thank our Education Partners

VetScript August 2020 – 61

NEWS ADVERTORIAL AND VIEWS

FINANCE GOING TO THE DOGS?

HOW MANY TIMES have you had a client delay or decline life-saving treatment for their pet because they haven’t been able to afford it? Well, now there’s another answer.

More than 300 veterinary clinics in New Zealand are offering clients flexible, interest-free finance options via FlexiGroup’s Q Card, Q Mastercard and Oxipay – and in turn providing them with more choice when deciding on treatment for their pets.

“Kiwis are already comfortable with long-term interest-free finance, and appreciate the benefits of getting what they need now but paying for it in manageable instalments over the longer term,” says FlexiGroup CEO Chris Lamers.

“It’s better than chewing up their savings, particularly when it comes to unexpected, urgent expenses like veterinary treatment.”

In the past 12 months, FlexiGroup has financed around $2.5 million in veterinary treatments alone. Chris says that clinics offering flexible payment options are experiencing strong growth and uplifts in sales, with an average spend per customer of $550–$700 per transaction.

“For clinics, the finance system is quick and easy to set up in house and online.

We provide sales support and promotional

62 – VetScript August 2020

material to help with communicating to clients, and once a clinic is set up we provide all the ongoing training and support needed for it to offer the service to its clients.

“Q Card and Oxipay are among New Zealand’s most successful consumer finance products, so many customers will be preapproved when they walk through the clinic doors. For those who are not, the on-thespot application process is often very quick. I know of many cases where finance has been a literal life saver,” says Chris.

“When a customer opts to pay a clinic with interest-free finance, the transaction is processed on the spot and we pay the full amount of the transaction overnight, minus a very competitive merchant fee.

This ensures that clinics are not out of pocket for any expenses, or waiting for reimbursements.”

Further supporting the growth and development of veterinary businesses, FlexiGroup also offers a wide range of leasing options.

“Basically, you can lease anything you need to set up your business, including top-of-the-line veterinary equipment, X-rays, autoclaves, computer gear and consumables – even solar power if you want to take the clinic down that route,” says Business Partner Manager Brendan Ward. “The bonus of leasing is that you don’t have to use up your bank credit or cashflow – and it can also be up to 100% tax deductible.”

Brendan has experience in the veterinary sector and understands the demands on clinics. He encourages any clinic with an interest in exploring consumer finance options and leasing to get in touch with him for a chat.

“Our finance and leasing options take away the heavy lifting and leave your cashflow free to invest in other parts of the business. If you’re a business owner or clinic manager looking to add value to customers, build up the business or upgrade technology, it’s worth considering these options sooner rather than later.” n

FOR MORE INFORMATION on leasing options for your clinic, contact Brendan on 022 200 0262 or email brendan.ward@flexigroup.co.nz. To offer your clients interest-free, flexible payment options, contact the QHealth team at QHealth@flexicards.co.nz.

HELPING YOUR BUSINESS TO THRIVE Conserve cashflow, grow your business and keep tails wagging with the range of interest free payment options available for you and your customers through flexigroup.

Lease the latest equipment

Lease the latest vet equipment, computers, consumables you need now without using up your bank credit. NZVA members can obtain pre-approval for up to $250k^* and lease payments may be 100% tax deductible.

Payment options for your Customers

Give your customers the option of interest free flexible payment options via Q Mastercard, Q Card and Oxipay.* Fast, online applications available 24hrs 7 days a week.

Payments paid to your clinic overnight.

For leasing options contact Business Partner Manager – Brendan Ward via email brendan.ward@flexigroup.co.nz or phone 022 200 0262 or to offer your clients interest free flexible payment options contact our QHealth team at QHealth@flexicards.co.nz

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brought to you by Finance Terms and Conditions: *FlexiGroup’s lending, credit criteria and terms and conditions apply. ^Your practice can instantly qualify for a leasing facility of up to $250K for all your equipment needs through a simple application over the phone.

Subject to lending criteria, terms and conditions apply. Rate will be variable depending on date of application. +Annual Account Fee of $50 applies. A $55 Establishment Fee for new Q Mastercard & Q Card Cardholders

and a $35 Advance Fee for existing Q Mastercard & Q Card Cardholders will apply. Q Mastercard & Q Card Standard Interest Rate, currently 25.99% p.a. applies to any outstanding balance at end of a payment holiday or interest free period. Q Mastercard & Q Card lending criteria, fees, terms and conditions apply. Rate and fees are correct as at date of publication, subject to change. #A late fee of $10 is charged if we do not receive your payment by the due date. If you are past due by more than 7 days, your account may be passed to our collections team where a $30 fee may be applied to your account. When you purchase with Oxipay up to a maximum of $1,500, we pay the store and you pay in 4 installments. The first instalment is due when you make a purchase, with 3 remaining installments due every fortnight. 8 weekly payments is only available on purchases of $40 or more.

BESTPRACTICE NEWS CLASSIFIEDS ANDCLASSIFIEDS VIEWS

MASTERTON

Exciting opportunity for experienced production animal veterinarian Are you looking for a chance to reach your full potential in a production animal role? Would you like to work in a wellestablished mixed animal practice with great collegial support but with enough autonomy to develop the role to optimise your work-life balance while fully utilising your strengths and talents?

With our senior production animal veterinarian moving into a teaching role after 23 years at the practice, we have an opportunity for an experienced production animal veterinarian with a particular interest in sheep and beef, to join our team in a permanent position based at our Masterton clinic.

Are you a highly motivated individual who is: • a great communicator with excellent people skills • passionate about all aspects of production animal practice but particularly sheep and beef • able to demonstrate a high standard of veterinary skills with a solid understanding of different farming systems • experienced with at least one to two years in a production animal role • friendly and enjoys being part of a team-oriented clinic • committed to maximising provision of animal health advice, clinical case management and retail opportunities to farm clients?

If you tick these boxes then you’ll fit right in!

We can offer a large BESTPRACTICEaccredited mixed animal clinic, with access to modern diagnostic technology (digital X-ray computed and digital radiography, ultrasound, full range of in-house laboratory equipment).

You will benefit from working with motivated team-oriented colleagues and having enough job flexibility to enjoy all the beautiful Wairarapa region has to offer.

If you really want to progress your career, be well supported in your continuing professional development and are committed to providing excellent service to our clients, we look forward to hearing from you.

Please contact: Nicola Haglund Email: nicola@vswai.co.nz Vet Services Wairapapa 24 Lincoln Road Masterton 5810

64 – VetScript August 2020

TE AWAMUTU

Full-time companion animal veterinarian, parental leave locum We require an experienced full-time companion animal veterinarian to provide cover for up to one year from mid-October 2020.

VE Vets is an established owneroperated mixed practice employing nine veterinarians based in the busy town of Te Awamutu and is BESTPRACTICEaccredited.

The companion animal practice is well equipped with IDEXX, a digital radiology system, a dental machine and monitoring equipment for surgery and hospital care.

We have a varied and steady case load of medical and surgical presentations.

We have qualified veterinary nurses to assist and a senior veterinarian to work alongside daily.

There is no requirement for after-hours work to cover companion animals but there is a Saturday morning clinic that is shared. Remuneration will be competitive and consistent with experience.

To apply for this position, send your CV to our administrator, Sandra Roders, at vet@vevets.co.nz.

VETERINARY LOCUM AGENCY

(Veterinarians and veterinary nurses) For locum enquiries and information on permanent positions, please contact: Ms P Currall PO Box 12147 Beckenham Christchurch 8242 Phone: 03 337 1051 Email: paddy.currall@xtra.co.nz www.vetsolutions.co.nz

TO FIND OR FILL A JOB IN NEW ZEALAND Contact Kookaburra Veterinary Employment Permanent and locum veterinarians, plus free veterinary nurse service.

Email: jobs@kookaburravets.com Phone: +61 266 509090 Fax: +61 266 509091 www.kookaburravets.com More than 15,000 visitors per month.

ASHBURTON

Large animal veterinarian VetEnt Ashburton has an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic large animal veterinarian to join our team!

This is a full-time position that requires a candidate who is a team player and is willing to get involved in all aspects of veterinary work.

You’ll bring solid experience as a large animal veterinarian and be comfortable doing all the things you’d expect, such as farm service work and surgery. As well as empathy and a focus on animal wellness, you’ll have a real flair for working with our clients and looking after them as well as their animals. While you can expect some on-call work for emergencies, you’ll also find that we’re fair and reasonable about it, and still make sure you have that allimportant work-life balance.

We are looking for an energetic team player who will complement our team well. Ashburton is a perfect location for anyone who wants the best of both worlds with access to countless outdoor recreational activities including skiing, with several well-known ski fields nearby. It is a great area for families and keen outdoor enthusiasts.

Our clinic is well equipped and has a great team of progressive veterinary nurses and veterinarians. Our large animal caseload is predominantly dairy with scope to get involved with deer, sheep and beef.

If all this sounds like you, and you meet the conditions of the VCNZ, you could well have found your next career move.

Has your time come?

Apply by emailing your CV and covering letter to careers@vetent.co.nz.

CANTERBURY Mixed animal veterinarian

We have an opportunity for a mixed animal veterinarian to join our team in a busy privately owned practice. All levels of experience will be considered.

Excellent remuneration for skill set.

Please contact us to discuss this further or send your CV to jonathanc@canvet.co.nz.

NEWS CLASSIFIEDS AND VIEWS

ASHBURTON

Lead companion animal veterinarian We appreciate that one of the special things in the world is the human-animal bond. But of course, you know that – that’s why you’re in this job!

We are looking for an experienced companion animal veterinarian to roll up their sleeves and join our Ashburton clinic. This is a full-time position, starting immediately.

We are seeking someone who has a breadth of experience and who aspires to be a team leader – this person will lead the small animal veterinary team and interact with the other members of the clinic leadership team.

You will oversee our busy small animal practice as well as immerse yourself in the day-to-day clinical caseload. You will lead a team of veterinary nurses and other companion animal veterinarians to continue to grow and develop our modern, well-resourced clinic. Treat it as your own.

Relish the challenge.

To succeed in this role you will have: • two or more years’ veterinary experience • a positive ‘can-do’ attitude, be organised and self-motivated and enjoy learning on the job • excellent communication skills, both verbal and written • a strong customer service ethic.

Excited about the possibilities yet?

You should be, because you’ll be joining one of New Zealand’s largest veterinary groups, so you can expect plenty of support to do your best work in the role, in terms of resources and people, and a range of benefits. You’ll step into a highly collaborative work culture that values innovation and future-focused thinking.

There’s never been a better time to take the next step in your career. You’ll grow your skills beyond clinical practice and work and live in a location most would envy.

Are you ready for a refreshing change of scene – in more ways than one? You’ll be working in one of the most stunning areas of New Zealand. There’s a huge range of off-the-clock activities available in the region, from snow sports to hiking and fishing.

Has your time come?

Apply by emailing your CV and covering letter to careers@vetent.co.nz.

LEESTON

ALEXANDRA /CROMWELL

Large animal veterinarian

Mixed animal veterinarian

We are looking for a large animal veterinarian to roll up their sleeves and join our team. You will be based at Leeston but you will also work with our clinics in Lincoln and Darfield. This is a full-time position and requires a candidate who is a team player that is willing to get involved in large animal veterinary work.

We appreciate that one of the special things in the world is the human-animal bond. But of course, you know that. That’s why you’re in this job!

We’re looking for an experienced mixed animal veterinarian who understands the big role that animals play in people’s lives and who is focused predominantly on companion animals.

You’ll bring solid experience as a mixed animal veterinarian and be comfortable doing all the things you’d expect such as consultations, clinical diagnosis, farm service work and surgery. As well as empathy and a focus on animal wellness, you’ll have a real flair for working with our clients and looking after them as well as their animals. While you can expect some on-call work for emergencies, you’ll also find that we’re fair and reasonable about it, and still make sure that you have that all-important work-life balance.

Our Alexandra and Cromwell clinics collaborate with the other local VetEnt clinics in the region and you’ll also benefit from the ability to leverage the collegial networks and support structures from across the national company, meaning you’ll have the benefit of a wider team, while focusing on growing your own part of the business.

In return, you’ll find an array of career advancement opportunities including training support, CPD, clinic exchanges and involvement in our subsidiary operations such as FarmCare, VetEnt Research and PureMilk. You’ll have access to the latest technology in a well-equipped practice and a combined pool of knowledge from a network of supportive and collaborative veterinarians all over New Zealand.

That’s because VetEnt is one of New Zealand’s largest veterinary groups, and we’re all united by our passion for animal care. Based in Alexandra/Cromwell, in the heart of Central Otago, you’ll be able to make the most of your life off the clock, as well. All the scenery and outdoor sports that the South Island is famous for are outside your door and you’ll be welcomed into a friendly small-town community with a relaxed lifestyle. So it’s definitely a role that will allow you to do your best veterinary work.

If all this sounds like you, you’re keen to lead a small team, and you meet the conditions of VCNZ, you could well have found your next career move.

Has your time come?

Apply by emailing your CV and covering letter to careers@vetent.co.nz.

To succeed in this role you will have: • two or more years’ veterinary experience • a positive ‘can-do’ attitude, be organised, self-motivated, and enjoy learning on the job • excellent communication skills, both verbal and written • a strong customer service ethic.

Excited about the possibilities yet?

You should be, because you’ll be joining one of New Zealand’s largest veterinary groups, so you can expect plenty of support to do your best work in the role, in terms of resources and people, and a range of benefits. You’ll step into a highly collaborative work culture that values innovation and future-focused thinking.

There’s never been a better time to take the next step in your career. You’ll work and live in a location most would envy, and you’ll be able to make a professional impact on the veterinary industry.

Has your time come?

Apply by emailing your CV and covering letter to careers@vetent.co.nz.

AUCKLAND

Dental residency Auckland Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery is an American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) approved residency site.

This is a full- or part-time residency position at our practice in Auckland.

Russell Tucker is the residency director.

Applicants must have completed a one-year internship or have equivalent experience in small animal practice.

The successful applicant will receive the necessary training to be able to submit their credentials to the AVDC. The full details of the residency requirements are available on the college’s website, www.avdc.org.

Please forward a letter of intent, CV and references to russellt@kohivet.co.nz.

VetScript August 2020 – 65

NEWS CLASSIFIEDS AND VIEWS

GERALDINE, SOUTH CANTERBURY

RANFURLY

Farm animal veterinarian Gateway Vets is a vibrant, growing practice located in beautiful South Canterbury. Geraldine is a popular town, with a strong sense of community and a broad range of local businesses. There are several local sports clubs including rugby, netball, soccer, squash. Easy travel distances to Timaru and Christchurch make Geraldine a very accessible place for visitors. The wider area is breath-taking, with the Four Peaks mountain range, Mt Peel, several lakes and beautiful river gorges all just a short drive from town. There are also a handful of nearby ski fields to choose from. Connection with the community and a shared love of the area have created a strong personal relationship with our veterinary client base. We pride ourselves on this, and on providing the best service to this community that we love.

The clinic services a wide area, from the mountains to the coast, and from Ashburton, Mt Somers south to Timaru and Fairlie.

Dairy medicine is the main field of work; however, there is a good amount of sheep, beef and deer work and a solid small animal client base as well.

Our team at Gateway Vets has built a reputation for providing a high quality of service, with sound knowledge, excellent rapport and communication, competent practical skill and a logical approach to problem solving. This has led to a rapidly growing client base and therefore the need to expand the team to match this growth and continue to provide an excellent service.

We currently have a team of five veterinarians and are looking for another veterinarian to join for a full-time permanent position. This job will suit someone who shares our clinic values, strives for an excellent standard of practice, and has excellent communication skills and a good sense of humour. Ideally the successful applicant will have large animal experience but we invite recent graduates to apply.

We offer: • an attractive location • excellent practice standards • opportunities for career development • competitive salary dependent on experience • a full-time permanent position for the right applicant.

Enquiries can be directed to: Philip Skinner Email: phil@gatewayvets.co.nz Or made through the clinic: Email: clinic@gatewayvets.co.nz Phone: 03 693 9060

MARKETPLACE

Mixed animal veterinarian VetEnt Ranfurly is a small, friendly and fun team that enjoys helping each other, laughing, and getting the job done. We have a great shared after-hours roster – currently 1:8, which shifts to 1:4 during the spring. Our caseload varies and includes sheep, beef cattle, deer, horses, a handful of dairy farms, lifestyle farms, and large variety of small animal work. The small animal caseload includes a combination of medicine, surgery (especially working dog orthopaedics) and its fair share of weird and wonderful cases.

To accommodate the small animal caseload, we have a digital X-ray machine, in-house biochemistry, electrolyte analyser, a small animal ultrasound and the ability to perform Ossability TTA surgery in-house. From a large animal perspective, we are proactive with animal health planning and have a wonderful and loyal client base; you will have the opportunity to work with a team of three veterinarians with more than 50 years’ combined rural mixed practice experience.

To the job you’ll bring solid experience as a mixed animal veterinarian and an interest in small animals; you’ll be comfortable doing all the things you’d expect, such as consultations, clinical diagnosis, farm service work and surgery.

You’ll be comfortable working in a team – but also independently – and you’ll have the opportunity to upskill in areas of your own interest. As well as empathy and a focus on animal wellness, you’ll have a real flair for working with our clients and looking after them as well as their animals.

Our Ranfurly clinic collaborates with the other VetEnt clinics in the Otago region but you will also benefit from the ability to leverage the collegial networks and support structures from across the national company, meaning that you’ll have the benefit of a wider team, while focusing on growing your own part of the business. You’ll also find an array of career advancement opportunities including training support, CPD, clinic exchanges and involvement in our subsidiary operations such as StockCare, VetEnt Research and PureMilk.

VetEnt is one of New Zealand’s largest veterinary groups, and we’re all united by our passion for animal care. Based in Ranfurly, in the heart of Central Otago, you’ll be able to make the most of your life off the clock, as well. All the scenery and outdoor sports that the South Island is famous for are outside your door – and you’ll be welcomed into a friendly small-town community with a relaxed lifestyle.

Graduates are welcome to apply.

Has your time come?

Apply by emailing your CV and covering letter to careers@vetent.co.nz.

Applications close 31 August 2020.

FOR SALE Fibreglass cages Currently installed in more than 300 practices nationwide, our cages are clean, warm and visually appealing in a range of colours with all stainless-steel fittings.

Jim Grayson Email: jim.l.grayson@gmail.com www.creaturecomfortcages.co.nz

66 – VetScript August 2020

MARKETPLACE FOR SALE Personalised plates “ANMLDR”. See Trade Me listing #2687500634.

NEWS CLASSIFIEDS AND VIEWS

MORRINSVILLE

ELTHAM

NORTH SHORE AUCKLAND Emergency and critical care veterinarian

Veterinarian

Full-time veterinarian

Looking for a work-life balance? Maybe you shouldn’t have been a veterinarian then… but if you want to get close to that Holy Grail of loving work and having a life, then come work with us at MVP Vets in Morrinsville. It’s a way better town than it’s ever given credit for.

We boast a generally wonderful client base and a fantastic work environment. We try to enrich our clients’ lives not only with wonderful service and conversation but also through great cow management. We mostly treat dairy cows but occasionally there is the odd moment of small animal work.

We have some flexibility regarding hours and days to suit your life. After-hours is one night each week and 1:4 weekends during the busy season, which can extend out during the quieter months.

You will be compensated well for working in a job that is your life calling, and if you are keen and interested then there is also the possibility of buying in to the clinic.

Send your CV to mvpvets@gmail.com or call Scott on 027 439 9955.

Due to the unexpected departure of an experienced veterinarian for family reasons, we have a position available from November for an experienced dairy/mixpractice veterinarian.

If you’re looking for a change of environment, or perhaps you’re trying to escape the global pandemic and return to New Zealand, take a look at Eltham Vets.

We are a 10-veterinarian mixed dairy practice in central Taranaki, under the shadow of our beautiful mountain.

We encourage the pursuit of special career interests and will finance your CPD to reach your goals.

We have recently earthquakestrengthened and renovated our historic practice building, added an extra consulting room and dispensary and have plans to modernise and upgrade our companion animal surgery as that side of the practice continues to grow.

Being in rural Taranaki, dairy will always be the biggest component of the practice, but we have enough companion animals, sheep, beef and horses to keep things interesting. So, if you just want to be a dairy veterinarian, we can oblige, but if you want more variety, we can offer that too.

We own a house next door to the clinic that is available for veterinarians to stay in when on call; it is also used by Massey University veterinary students when they are seeing practice with us. We recently became a Massey Externship practice, so if you like passing on knowledge there’s plenty of opportunity for that as well.

A practice vehicle is supplied along with a competitive salary package including profit share and medical insurance, to which you have the opportunity to enrol your family members at greatly reduced premiums.

If you enjoy rural practice, like the great outdoors and want to work in a friendly team environment with people who enjoy their jobs and also enjoy a good laugh, give us a call.

Please send all enquiries to: Alistair McDougall Senior Veterinarian Eltham Vet Services Email: al@elthamvetservice.co.nz Phone: 027 497 4717 www.elthamvetservice.co.nz

CHRISTCHURCH Ferry Road Veterinary Services Companion Animal Veterinarian We are looking for an experienced full-time veterinarian to join our team.

Established in 1977, the practice is locally owned with a sense of community at its heart. We would also welcome interest from part-time or locum veterinarians.

The practice is well equipped with: • ultrasound • dental suite • IDEXX blood analysing suite • Vetlink database • dental X-ray unit • CPD resources: Veterinary Information Network and VetEd The clinic operates six days per week and is a member of the Christchurch Afterhours Clinic. Saturdays (9am–3pm) are shared on a 1:4 or 1:5 rota. The 13-strong team is a very supportive one, including a sturdy backbone of experienced veterinary nursing and office staff. There is excellent collegial support readily available and the practice ethos is mindful of work-life balance.

To apply, please send your CV and references to Nicola Broad n.broad@hotmail.com www.yourpetvet.co.nz

About us Animal Referral Centre (ARC) is a busy, growing, private small animal specialist/ emergency practice established in 2016.

We are independently owned and operated and have specialists in small animal surgery, internal medicine, cardiology and diagnostic imaging. We have all the equipment you would expect in a modern veterinary hospital. Check us out at www. arcvets.co.nz.

We strive to have a cohesive, friendly work environment and encourage collaboration between our specialist and emergency teams to achieve the best patient outcomes.

About you • You have a minimum of two years’ experience in small animal practice (or completion of an internship).

• You are passionate about emergency and critical care (ECC).

• Your experience in an emergency clinic is advantageous but not required.

• You are a team player with excellent communication skills and a commitment to providing outstanding patient care.

• You are motivated, adaptable and have a positive attitude.

The position This position is for a permanent, full-time ECC veterinarian. The roster will involve rotating shifts, including nights, weekends and weekday daytimes. During the weekday shifts there is the opportunity to work alongside our specialist team to improve your skill set in an area or area(s) of your choice.

Why work for ARC? • You will have the opportunity to provide outstanding patient care.

• We have a friendly, supportive team with medical and surgical back-up available 24/7 as well as teleradiology support.

• In-house and external CPD opportunities.

• Support to attain membership of the ANZCVS in emergency and critical care (if desired).

• A roster designed to achieve work-life balance, working no more than one in two weekends.

• Competitive remuneration.

How to apply To apply, please send a cover letter and CV to Rachel.gebbie@arcvets.co.nz or for more information phone 09 281 5815.

VetScript August 2020 – 67

NEWS CLASSIFIEDS AND VIEWS

DUNEDIN Green Island Veterinary Clinic Companion animal veterinarian We require a companion animal veterinarian for our busy, 100% small animal clinic in Dunedin commencing in January 2021.

Our aim is to provide excellent, first line veterinary services to our clients and to give staff the equipment and supportive environment they need to do a great job.

One of our veterinarians is heading overseas and we will be looking for a capable veterinarian who has good work habits and who enjoys working well in a team environment. We have shared values of excellent service, care, attention to detail and enjoying our time at work. The current colleague works every second Saturday morning and has a long weekend (Fridays off) every other weekend. After-hours requirements are minimal. Currently the position involves no weeknight duty and 1:8 or 1:9 weekend night duty. A commission is paid on after-hours call-outs that the veterinarian attends.

The veterinarian will be working with three experienced colleagues.

The practice owner (this is a non-corporate, owner-operated business) has 30 years of experience. One current associate has been with the practice since 2011 and the other associate has seven years of experience so the new veterinarian will have a lot of professional support. The position would suit a practitioner with two to five years of experience; however, applications from any veterinarians interested in the position would be welcome.

The veterinarian would also be supported by five experienced veterinary nurses.

The clinic is well equipped with IDEXX and Vetscan diagnostic lab equipment, DR dedicated dental X-ray and CR general X-ray, Olight fibreoptic otoscope and HD monitor, Easote ultrasound, Olympus endoscopic equipment, IM3 dental cart, ECG, ezyVet practice management and more.

Dunedin offers an affordable lifestyle with great access to a variety of recreational and cultural opportunities. Schools and tertiary institutions are excellent and you can drive anywhere across town in 20 minutes. Lakes, mountains and ski fields are a few hours’ drive away in Central Otago.

Please check us out at www.greenislandvets.co.nz.

Please also check out this reference for the clinic from the departing veterinarian: “The clinic has an amazing team with various backgrounds and experiences. The successful applicant will find both mentorship and flexibility to pursue specific areas of interest. I can be contacted at Kristen.martin.dvm@gmail.com for further feedback.” (Please allow a few business days for response.)

We will offer the successful candidate: • a salary to match skills and experience • paid VCNZ registration and NZVA membership • CPD development to suit interests and skills.

If this enjoyable position with an interesting and variable caseload appeals to you, please contact: Scott Drummond Green Island Vet Clinic 185A Main South Road Green Island Dunedin 9018 Phone: 027 234 4190 or 03 488 2690 Email: scottdrummond@xtra.co.nz

68 – VetScript August 2020

PIOPIO AND TE KUITI, WAITOMO Full-time mixed practice veterinarian

• Great work-life balance, 1:6 roster and no Saturday clinics.

• Competitive salary package based on experience and level of responsibility taken on, including a generous CPD allowance.

• Supportive team environment and excellent support staff.

Join our independent and privately owned, pet-friendly, sixveterinarian practice and become part of a team that works closely together to provide optimum services for the clients in our community. Our staff assist us when we employ new team members to ensure that we continue to have a cohesive team that is likeminded, shares core values and is passionate about high standards of veterinary care. Staff health, safety and wellbeing are paramount to us and we have a relaxed, happy team and environment.

We operate out of two purpose-built clinics in Piopio and Te Kuiti, set in the stunning green rolling limestone country of the Waitomo District. We service approximately 1,500 working dogs, more than 1,000 companion animal clients, more than 25,000 dairy cows, and 260 sheep, beef and dairy support farms.

You will be able to draw on the experience of a practitioner who is a Member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists – Diagnostic Imaging, and learn from a practice that performs most of its orthopaedic caseload, but is happy to refer when necessary.

We have digital radiography and ultrasound in each clinic.

We encourage a good work-life balance and our young veterinarians enjoy a wide range of sports and social gatherings outside of work.

Trekking and biking trails, beaches, hunting, fishing, Waitomo Caves, Lake Taupō, The Hobbit filming site, mountains, Hamilton and New Plymouth are all a short drive away. We will assist you to find suitable accommodation within the community.

We are looking for: • a practical person who enjoys large animal practice, understands farm systems and is a confident communicator with our farm clients • someone who has empathy and the experience to be confident and competent working independently with all the major aspects of small animal practice • someone who fits in well with our team and who is genuinely interested in developing their skills as an excellent mixed practice clinician to take advantage of our varied and interesting caseload.

An interest in ruminant parasitology would be an advantage.

If you would like to know more, or would like to apply, contact: Cathryn Christie, Practice Manager Phone: 021 326 707 Email: cathryn@piopiovets.co.nz

NEWS CLASSIFIEDS AND VIEWS

TAURANGA Part-time veterinarian

This is a unique opportunity to make a real difference.

Are you passionate about helping animals and approaching healthcare with compassion and consideration for animals, people, our community and our environment?

Award-winning Holistic Vets, leaders in integrative veterinary care, combining the best of conventional veterinary medicine and surgery with complementary therapies, has a vacancy for a part-time veterinarian.

We have full hospital and surgical facilities, digital radiography, ultrasound, in-house blood testing and a hyperbaric oxygen therapy unit which helps us to achieve fabulous results with some difficult cases.

To facilitate our growth we require a veterinarian who is capable of providing a high standard of quality veterinary care, has excellent communication skills to give our clients options and value, and who will work efficiently and practically as part of our dedicated and dynamic team in a warm and friendly environment.

Our current workload is largely dogs and cats, 10% wildlife (we work closely with ARRC Wildlife Trust, taking in more than 800 birds annually) and one percent large animals. Prior training in the field of complementary therapies is an advantage.

The position involves participation in our after-hours roster therefore competency in emergency medicine is essential.

To apply, please send your CV to sue@holisticvets.co.nz.

CANTERBURY Full-time veterinarian

Our team is seeking a fulltime, permanent veterinarian to join our enthusiastic and skilled clinical team in our purpose-built facility. We offer a high standard of patient care and are able to offer advanced diagnostics, as well as surgical and medical treatments in a clinic that has been practising for 20 years. The clinic provides a variety of diagnostic equipment including endoscopy, ultrasound, ECG, radiography, fluoroscopy and arthroscopy, and has access to advanced imaging modalities.

The role will be predominantly small animal work (80%) with some large animal and equine practice, including a 1:3 Saturday halfday shift doing small animal consults and 1:5 week large animal on call. A practice vehicle will be available for work-related use.

Suitable applicants will have a high standard and progressive clinical outlook, ideally with a minimum of two years’ clinical experience but all applicants will be considered, including sole small animal veterinarians. Professional development is encouraged to provide the best possible standard of care and some training and development is available in house.

An initial three-month trial period would apply to assess suitability for the role, for both parties.

Send expressions of interest to: Nick Page Rolleston Veterinary Services 5 Brookside Road Rolleston 7614 Canterbury Email: info@rollyvets.co.nz

2020 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING The classified section is a great place to advertise for help wanted and to list items and practices that are for sale or that you want to buy. VetScript accepts classified ads for veterinary technicians, veterinary nurses, practice managers and veterinary office staff, as well as for veterinarians.

Positions at BESTPRACTICE-accredited practices are placed at the beginning of the classified section on a BESTPRACTICE-branded background, so be sure to identify if your practice is BESTPRACTICE-accredited.

All rates are exclusive of GST. Rates General classifieds (minimum charge $132 = 4cm): $33 per column cm Marketplace advertising of items for sale up to $5,000 value (Marketplace is not for employment opportunities); maximum 25 words: $72 for NZVA members, $97 for non-members Relist at 50% off initial fee (continuous relisting only).

For special features, including borders and screens, please contact the NZVA (details below).

Website All classified advertisements are placed on the NZVA website (www.nzva.org.nz) at no additional cost.

Early placement on website (prior to VetScript publication date): $92 Web-only advertising is available in the Classified Advertisements section of the NZVA website: $204 for 200 words; $31 per extra 20 words Relist at 50% off initial fee (continuous relisting only Deadline for booking and copy The 1st of the month preceding publication.

Late classifieds Printed on loose, coloured insert and placed on the NZVA website for one month. Only distributed to New Zealand subscribers. Deadline is the 20th of the month preceding publication.

Quarter page (83 x 115mm): $528 Half page (170 x 115mm): $815 Full page (170 x 230mm): $1,095

VetStaff – 100% Kiwi.

Overseas advertisers (in NZ$) Per column cm (minimum charge $152 = 4cm): $38

Dedicated to finding permanent and locum veterinary staff for Kiwi veterinary clinics.

Advertisements section of the NZVA website: $240 for 200 words; $36 per extra 20 words

To apply, contact: Julie South Phone: 0800 483 869 or +64 27 282 4155 Email: jobs@vetstaff.co.nz

Relist at 50% off initial fee (continuous relisting only).

Enquiries and bookings For enquiries, bookings and to submit copy, please contact the NZVA Membership Coordinator: Phone: 04 471 0484 Email: classifieds@vets.org.nz

www.vetstaff.co.nz

VetScript August 2020 – 69

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