December 2011 - Australian Veterinary Association

ADVANCING
VETERINARY SCIENCE
Australian Veterinary Association
December 2011
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
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AVA Qld Division President’s Word
Editor’s Note
Celebrating 75 Years of Veterinary Science at UQ
Out And About With AVA Queensland…
Closure Of Pastoral Veterinary Clinic, Goondiwindi,
A Difficult Decision For The University Of
Queensland
• Hello From The EO’s Desk
• Slaughter Of Exported Australian Cattle In Restraint
Boxes
• Unwanted Pets: What Can Vets Do?
• Future Of The SE Queensland Branch
• The Era Of Small And Many: Reversing The
Trend Of Generations
• National Broadband Network Workshop 3
November 2011
• Animal Anthropomorphism: Virtue Beyond Duty
• Vet Veteran Hangs Up His Boots
• AVA PetPEP
• “Strike It Lucky” AVA Qld Division Conference
2012 Program & Registration Form!!!
Australian Veterinary Association
Queensland Division
2012 Conference
23 – 25 March 2012
Sofitel Gold Coast,
Broadbeach
Veterinary Science for Fun and Profit
Registration Form and Conference Program inside!!!
AVA QLD DIVISION EXECUTIVE, STANDING & SUB
SUB--COMMITTEES
President
Tony Thelander
President Elect
Tess Guilfoyle
Honorary Treasurer
Bob Rees
Honorary Secretary
Michael O’Donoghue
Executive Committee Members
Bruce Pott, Andrew Easton, Patricia Clarke, Robert Hedlefs, Nigel
Thomas and Carmel Kerwick
Invited Executive Committee
Members
Malcolm McLennan, Jon Hill and Robert Cassidy
Honorary Newsletter Editor
David Paxton
Veterinary Education
Michael O’Donoghue (Convenor), Sue Fowkes, Sue Lapham, Patricia
Clarke and Sandra De Cat
Animal Welfare
Ray Barbero, Laurie Dowling and Robert Cassidy
Body Corporate Rep. – AVA House John Odlum
Historian
Malcolm McLennan
Policy Councillor
Robert Hedlefs
AVA Qld Division President’s Word
Dr Tony Thelander
Hendra issues
As 2011 draws to a close I would
like to bring members up to date
on Queensland Divisional activities. Two major events seem to
have coloured the year with the
floods and cyclones in the early
part and the Hendra outbreak in
the middle to latter part of the
year. For these events, 2011 will
long be remembered and not in a
good way for many, still, it is not always the event but
how we deal with adversity which counts for most in the
end.
On the positive side, although the 2011 Hendra outbreak
recorded a record number of reported cases, there were
no human fatalities and our epidemiological knowledge of
the disease, prevention and protection awareness has
increased substantially. For those of you who have not
done so yet – log on to the AVA Website and make sure
you view the Hendra PPE video on U-Tube. This video
has been professionally produced and needs to be
viewed by all practicing veterinarians (including small animal vets who may be called to check out a neighbour‘s or
family member‘s sick horse). You also gain one CE point
for doing so.
By the time this newsletter goes to print, the AVA, EVA
and Biosecurity Queensland will have met officially 3
times to discuss current and ongoing Hendra strategies.
Delegates from AVA, EVA and equine groups will have
participated in the Nationally run Hendra Congress to
prioritise allocation of some $12M in research funding.
Qld Division will have met with Dept of Health on veterinary involvement in the C3 bat issue and as a result, we
will shortly be surveying Queensland members on this
issue in order to ascertain which practices would be
available to assist bat handlers in the humane destruction
and dispatch of bats which have had direct contact with
members of the general public.
Conferences
One of the pleasures of holding office in Division is that
as President, you get to visit all the branches and take
part in their general meetings. Apart from the fellowship
of meeting with one‘s colleagues and picking up a few
CE points, it is great to see how each branch serves its
members and one quickly realises that the branches ARE
the Division. In the past few months I have been to
Cairns for the NQ Branch; to Agnes Water for the CQ
Branch; to Hobart for the Brisbane Branch and to the
‗Spirit House‘ in Yandina for the Sunshine Coast Branch.
Of particular note was the trip to Tasmania for the combined Brisbane Branch/Tasmania Division Conference
held in Hobart at the beginning of November. Approximately 20 Queensland members made it south but they
were outnumbered by about 100 Tasmanians who came
from all parts of the island to make the occasion a great
success. We are beginning to see collaboration between
various groups in the AVA now so perhaps this is a way
forward to improve appeal to more members and to offer
quality continuing education.
Strategic plan
In September the Division had its Strategic Planning
weekend to ratify our Strategic Plan for the coming year.
Our Strategic Plan is aligned with the National Plan in
order to assist in achieving the goals of the National
body. While all this may seem a bit boring to members, I
thought I would share the AVA Mission which is at the
core of why the AVA exists:
AVA MISSION: To drive the success of the veterinary profession to benefit animals, the environment, the community and our members
I think this is a spot-on statement and whenever we get
lost as members, Branches or Divisions, it is good to
come back to the Mission for guidance.
Membership
State membership numbers remain a problem with our
membership falling to 36% of registered vets despite a lot
of work being done in this area. The main demographic
which is not represented as members of their professional association is the largest which consists of young
veterinarians (mostly female these days) who work in city
practices. In the past, the AVA was all things to all people but clearly we need to improve our relevance to the
different groups within our profession if we are to
strengthen our membership. To this end, AVA National
has put aside funds to employ a market researcher with
the aim to running some focus groups involving different
demographics in order to better understand how we can
best serve more sections of the profession. I feel that
this course of action is appropriate and timely and I encourage participation by any members who are approached to assist in this research.
Mentor scheme
Our Mentor scheme for new grads has concluded its first
year and I am happy to report no major incidents to date
but there are some good reports of mentors assisting
their mentees in times of personal need. In fact as the
scheme proceeds, an emerging trend seems to be that
as new grads begin to find their feet in practice, they are
relying less on the guidance of their mentors. Still there
is that safety net there for the difficult times and thus far I
think we can hail the scheme as a success. We are
grateful to Hills and Cenvet who are now co-sponsoring
the scheme and as we commence a second round of
matchups to next year‘s final year students, I ask any
member not yet involved to consider participation in this
very worthwhile scheme. Just phone the office (07 3423
1844) and put your name down.
AVA PetPEP
On the subject of volunteers, Queensland members
should be proud of our home grown school based program AVA PetPEP. We have achieved over 400 school
visits State-wide in the last school year alone; we now
run the program at a modest profit which goes directly
back into developing program resources and we continue to grow each year. AVA PetPEP represents an
excellent and professional way for practitioner members
to become involved in and to be recognised by their local
communities but demand is exceeding supply in some
areas – yes, we need more volunteers. So if you are not
involved and would like to make a difference to the lives
of children and their pets in your community, please call
Jana (AVA PetPEP Education Officer) in the office on
07 3423 1788 and become involved.
As Christmas descends upon us I would like to thank our
hard working team (Amanda, Gill, Jana, Sam and
Camilla) for looking after our Division so professionally
this year. Our team works tirelessly on a multitude of
issues affecting our profession, organises events on behalf of our membership and makes the job of elected officers so much easier. A safe and relaxing Christmas to
all!
Editor’s Note
Dr David Paxton
In this issue we are fortunate to have
a paper written by Professor John Pearn AO RFD for
Queensland News. It is about anthropomorphism and
brave animals, but also about what it is to be a brave altruistic human being. I particularly like Professor Pearn‘s
―reflexive dynamic‖ by which humans bestow on, and
then draw from, moral qualities in animals. Anthropomorphism and anthropocentricity. I heard Professor Pearn
speak on this issue and asked if he would write a paper
which our readers might ponder over the holiday period,
and he courteously agreed. He has kindly mentioned my
book: a sample chapter can be viewed at
www.compositeconversationalist.com
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moval of blood between slaughterings remains unanswered at time of going to print.
Many readers will be saddened to read of the demise of
the Pastoral Veterinary Clinic at Goondiwindi.
Even
though they are 45 years old, my own memories of the
PVC remain vivid. The Queensland News also is passing
to peace, at least in its present form. This is the last hard
copy edition. At the Strategic Planning meeting in September, it was decided that the Queensland News should
go digital. What this means is yet to be decided: email
format like the Veterinary Surgeons Board newsletter?
Or an interactive bulletin board like the DEEDI newsletter? Or an expanded Grapevine? Or a fully fledged
magazine like Orion Magazine? As always, comments
are welcome.
Please address them to
avaqld@ava.com.au
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There is also a paper by Bill McKibben who is a well
known writer on alternatives to current economic orthodoxies. His argument for intellectual nimbleness in agricultural economics may resonate with some readers who
wonder if Big is Beautiful, and if the shareholder hegemony is intelligent.
The Centre for Companion Animal Health has provided a
paper on the rationale for early desexing, which will help
straighten the edges of the debate on this issue. Professor Jacquie Rand made a Powerpoint presentation to the
Divisional Executive on this. Her office modified the paper at very short notice so
that we could squeeze it in
to this last paper edition.
The welfare of Australian livestock exported for slaughter
is a major issue, which Queensland News has not been
able to cover. Although industry was approached, there
was no reply. In June QN was fortunate to reprint Dr Kev
Sullivan‘s paper on Five Freedoms in the confinement
feeding industry as a standard for good practice. Now,
QN approaches the issue obliquely by summarizing the
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry verbose webpage on the Mark IV restraint box for slaughter
of Australian cattle. The Mark IV certainly seems an improvement, but a query to the department concerning re-
Dr David Paxton and
Gill Arnold
2
Celebrating 75 Years of Veterinary Science at UQ
Eleanor Fischer
―Many of the School‘s achievements would not have
been possible without the support and the commitment
of dedicated alumni.‖ Professor Hill said.
More than 170 alumni,
industry collaborators and
friends of The University
of Queensland‘s School
of Veterinary Science
recently gathered at the
Gallery of Modern Art to
celebrate the School‘s
75th anniversary.
―The School of Veterinary Science is looking forward to
continuing the tradition of excellence established over
the past 75 years.‖
Held on 21 October,
2011, the celebration dinner recognised the ongoing dedication of excellent teachers, researchers, support staff, students, industry and government supporters who
have contributed to the
quality and longevity of veterinary science at the University of Queensland (UQ).
Dr Tony Thelander, Dr Isobel Johnstone
and Mrs Roslyn Thelander
Honorary UQ professor and serving member on a number of international committees, Professor John
Mackenzie, delivered the keynote address on the topical
issue of emerging zoonotic diseases and viruses. Professor Mackenzie, a leading expert in this area, has recently chaired the World Health Organisation (WHO) International Health Regulations Emergency Committee.
―In the immediate future we are seeking accreditation
with the American Veterinary Medical Association which
will create opportunities for all graduates for greater international recognition of their qualification. This accreditation will ensure we are able to attract the most able
students from around the world into our programs,‖ said
Professor Hill.
The School of Veterinary Science has a long history of
excellence in all areas of veterinary science including
research, teaching, clinical practice and support of the
profession. The University has a reputation for graduating self reliant, independent and highly capable veterinarians who possess the initiative and problem solving
abilities required for success in veterinary practice.
The School is proud to count key alumni such as Professor Peter Doherty and Dr Catherine Shuetze amongst its
graduates. Professor Doherty is a Nobel Laureate for
discoveries concerning the specificity of the cell mediated immune defence and was Australian of the Year in
1997. Dr Catherine Schuetze is a recent recipient of The
University of Queensland‘s (UQ) Young
Alumnus of the Year
award for founding
Vets Beyond Borders.
For more information
about the School of
Veterinary Science,
including opportunities for mentoring
students and supporting research activities, visit: http://
www.uq.edu.au/
vetschool/
Dr Malcolm McLennan, Mary Cameron and
Dr Ranald Cameron
Professor Jonathan Hill, Head of School, took the opportunity to thank the School‘s many supporters for their
past and ongoing commitment.
Dr Vivienne Fischer and
Mark Fischer
3
Out And About With AVA Queensland...
The AVA Central Qld Branch Conference
This event was held in October at Sandcastles Resort at Agnes
Waters. The Conference was well attended and feedback has
been positive from delegates and speakers alike. A good time
was also had by all!
Delegates enjoy the Sunset LARC Tour at the
AVA Central Qld Branch Conference
Sunshine Coast Branch Lunch
& Annual Meeting
The Sunshine Coast Branch Annual Meeting was held at The
Spirit House on 27 November
where Kim Evans handed the
Branch Presidency to Leisa Denaro.
Sunshine Coast Branch members with
family at the Annual Meeting
Award Presentations
Two very highly regarded members of the AVA
were recently acknowledged at an AVA Qld function. Dr Gaille Perry received an MSA and
Roma Round Up
The Roma Round Up was
held at the Explorers Inn at
Roma, attracting almost 40
delegates, this two day event
was a great success!
AVA TAS BVP Conference
The BVP Branch travelled to Hobart this year to host its Branch
Conference in conjunction with the Tasmanian Division. A fantastic program lured over 20 delegates from the Sunshine State and
more than 150 delegates
(including vets and vet
nurses) attended the conference from Tasmania.
It wouldn’t have been a
BVP Conference without
the Phil Moses Trivia
night – delegates pictured
here enjoying this evening.
Russ Duigan was also awarded with Life Membership from the Australian Veterinary Association.
Recent Grads In Practice Event
On 26 November, in conjunction with Provet, the AVA Qld Division hosted a Recent Grads In Practice Event.
Graduates qualified in 2009 and 2010 came along to listen to speakers and participate in discussions regarding topics surrounding transition to practice.
An AVA Qld Division first; this event aimed to provide support to those who had recently graduated and working in
practice to achieve self development and work/life balance. This afternoon seminar, supported by Provet and Medfin
provided opportunities for delegates to catch up with colleagues they may not have seen for a while and be involved
in a number of sessions to assist them in these early years of their careers. A successful event which AVA Qld and
those attending would like to see happen again in the future.
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Closure of Pastoral Veterinary Clinic, Goondiwindi, a difficult decision for the
University of Queensland
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After development of the new
$100 million facility at Gatton and an extensive evaluation of the School of Veterinary Science‘s operations,
the University of Queensland has made the difficult decision to close its Pastoral Veterinary Clinic (PVC) in
Goondiwindi on 31 December, 2011.
Goondiwindi region over past decades.
Dr Hill acknowledges the past success of the PVC is in
part due to the efforts of its staff, past and present.
―Students have greatly appreciated and enjoyed their
clinical practice time in Goondiwindi and the staff members are to be congratulated,‖ said Dr Hill.
The PVC was established by the School of Veterinary
Science to provide rural clinical placements for veterinary science students in the care of both small and
large animals.
As an example, he notes that the current senior veterinarian, Dr Mac Kneipp, has established extensive relationships with local groups, researchers and rural industry representative, which have provided students with a
high quality experience during their 2 week rural rotations.
In early 2011 the PVC‘s small animal clinic was discontinued leaving only the large animal service.
However, the recent evaluation of operations has found
that training in large animal veterinary practice is now
catered for at the new state-of-the-art veterinary facilities at the UQ Gatton Campus and at the UQ Dayboro
Clinic.
Veterinary students will continue to receive quality training in rural practice. This will be through a focus on beef
and dairy cattle practice training at the Gatton Campus
(commercial 250 cow dairy herd, piggery, beef cattle
extensive and intensive operations, together with a
sheep flock and goat herd), the Dayboro Veterinary
Clinic (dairy herd health, peri-urban general practice
cases). Training in equine procedures is already underway through the busy UQ Equine Hospital.
The Head of the School of Veterinary Science, Dr Jonathan Hill, said that the decision to close the PVC was a
difficult one as the Centre has long-standing ties to the
community. He highlighted that the education of many
veterinary students has benefited from time spent in the
throughout the weekend. This will be a great opportunity
to earn some CE points (reporting of CPD completed in
the calendar year has now been incorporated with the
registration renewal process) and catch up with colleagues at a fantastic venue on the Gold Coast.
Hello from the EO’s desk— Amanda Anstiss
Welcome to the December edition of the Qld News! As
we head towards the end of 2011 it is hard to believe
the year is over already.
Finally, this will be the last copy of the Queensland
News you will receive in the post. The decision has
been made by the Division Committee to ‗go green‘ with
our communication in 2012 and so you will see AVA Qld
Newsletters, Grapevine and other relevant updates delivered electronically from January 2012. Although
things may look a little different, our aim will still be to
provide you with current and informative articles and an
interesting read. You will hear from the AVA Qld Division office at least once a month and as always your
input is welcome. If you have any stories of interest,
please email them to us at avaqld@ava.com.au
We have had a busy time in recent weeks. On the opposite page, you will see a snapshot of just some of the
events and activities which have taken place throughout
the state. Events such as these would not happen without industry and member support. On behalf of the Qld
Division Executive Committee and Branches, I would
like to thank those who have supported the AVA here in
Queensland in 2011. I would particularly like to acknowledge the support of Provet, who this year came on
board with AVA Qld Division as our Gold Education
Supporter. AVA Qld has also been involved in a range
of meetings recently (mentioned by Tony in his President‘s Word), have provided input onto the Proposed
New Dangerous Dog Offence and were also asked to
contribute to the Draft Queensland standards and
guidelines for the welfare of animals – Breeding Dogs.
We are currently surveying members to provide input to
the Equine Nursing and Veterinary Nursing Continuous
Improvement Project.
The AVA Qld Division Office will be closed over the
Christmas/New Year period from 22 December to 6
January (inclusive). Should you require assistance during this time we ask that you please contact AVA National on 02 9431 5000. I would like to
take this opportunity to wish all of our
members and your families a safe and
happy Christmas and I look forward to
working with you again in 2012.
I would like to draw your attention to the program and
registration form at the back of this newsletter to let you
know about the 2012 State Conference we have
planned. The AVA Qld Division Conference in 2012 titled “Strike it Lucky” Veterinary Science for fun and
profit will be held in conjunction with the BVP Branch
on the Gold Coast, 23-25 March. We have an exceptional line-up of speakers
5
Slaughter of Exported Australian Cattle in Restraint Boxes
Adapted by Honorary Editor from http://www.liveexports.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/1999099/acvoassessment-of-restraint-boxes.pdf Slaughter of Exported Australian Cattle in Restraint Boxes
Also considered were photos, design specificationsand
industry-funded research reports on the use of the
Mark I and Mark IV restraint boxes. These materials
were compared to the internationally accepted animal
welfare guidance for the slaughter of animals of the
OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
Introduction
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This adaptation is to summarise a lengthy document
which can be consulted at the above address.
On Monday 30 May 2011 the ABC‘s Four Corners program aired footage of the mistreatment of Australian
cattle in Indonesian processing facilities. Senator Joe
Ludwig, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, requested that his department immediately investigate the footage and provide options on how the
welfare outcomes for the live export trade could be
improved, including an independent, scientific assessment of the ongoing appropriateness of both the Mark I
and Mark IV restraint boxes.
The ―Mark I box‖ is as designed and operated in Indonesia before any modifications were made. It should
be noted that a number of ‗copy boxes‘ and modified
Mark I boxes are used in Indonesia.
Background
Since 1998, the Australian livestock export industry
has funded development of cattle restraint boxes,
mainly for use in South-East Asia for halal slaughter of
cattle. These designs relied on the use of springs and
levers, as opposed to pneumatics, hydraulics or electricity. The stated rationale was to improve on traditional methods of restraint by developing cost-effective
units that were easily installed, compatible with existing skills and processes, serviceable and not reliant on
electricity supply. Traditional methods of restraint
used for local cattle in South-East Asia involve manual
handling and casting procedures. Earlier industry research identified the traditional casting and restraint
processes as key welfare issues. In addition, these
methods were not always effective for imported Australian cattle, unfamiliar with human contact. As Australian animals are larger and less tractable than local
breeds the risk of injury to workers using the traditional
methods was relatively higher. Workers responded to
in various ways, some of which included inhumane or
unacceptable methods of restraint in an attempt to cast
the animal while avoiding injury to the stockman.
The Australian Chief Veterinary Officer conducted this
assessment using the World Organisation for Animal
Health (OIE) Code as the internationally accepted
guidance on animal welfare, in particular Chapter 7.5
of the Code dealing with slaughter of animals. Both
Australia and Indonesia have endorsed this chapter for
animal welfare. This assessment was conducted as a
desktop exercise, as access to facilities in Indonesia
was not available to the Australian veterinary group
sent to Indonesia by the Australian Chief Veterinary
Officer on 11 June 2011.
The assessment, based on material provided to the
ACVO, concluded that slaughtering of cattle using the
Mark I restraint box did not comply. The Mark I restraint box is designed to use the escape response of
cattle to make them trip and fall and to restrain them
by ropes applied to the feet. Both of these objectives
are contrary to OIE guidelines. Footage of the Mark I
box shows that in many cases the floor of the restraint
box was slippery, there was noisy clanging of metal,
animals were falling onto sharp concrete edges and
animals were injured and distressed.
The live export industry identified slaughter methods in
Indonesia as an area that required investment and improvement. Over the years of Australian investment in
this field a number of developments have attempted to
improve animal welfare, handling, restraint and slaughter processes.
The ACVO assessment found that proper use of the
Mark IV restraint box is consistent with the requirements of the OIE Code.
Even with suitable equipment, poor animal welfare outcomes can result from lack of slaughterman competency in animal slaughtering and inadequate operational procedures. These types of deficiency can be
addressed through proper procedures and training.
The OIE considers that methods of restraint for
slaughter without stunning should meet several basic
requirements:
Minister Ludwig directed his department to implement
a moratorium on the installation of any new Mark I
boxes with Commonwealth funds across global markets.
Methodology
As no on-site observations were possible, an assessment of the ongoing appropriateness was carried out
by viewing available footage, including of slaughtering
operations, and still images of the Mark I and Mark IV
restraint boxes used for the slaughter of cattle in Indonesia. Images were sourced from Animals Australia,
the RSPCA, the ABC and Meat & Livestock Australia.
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Provision of a non-slip floor,
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Ensuring that the restraining equipment does not
exert excessive pressure, thus causing the animal
to struggle or vocalise,
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Engineering equipment to reduce the noise of hissing air and clanging metal,
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Ensuring equipment has no sharp edges that
would harm animals,
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Using restraining devices appropriately and not
jerking them or making sudden movements.
It is worth noting that the initial design of the Mark I
restraint box predated OIE provision of international
guidance for the welfare of animals during slaughter.
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The manual version of the crush then restrains
the animal using a load binder strap system to
lock it against a pivoting wall that is sloped
slightly inwards. The hydraulically controlled version uses a purpose-built steel panel section that
moves across from the opposite side to support
the animal‘s belly and lock the animal in place
against the pivoting wall,
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The floor then lifts by 250 mm using hydraulic
power (powered by hand in the manual version
of the Mark IV box) to raise the centre of gravity
of the animal, and the wall then pivots under hydraulic control to ensure smooth travel, bringing
the animal to a horizontal position at approximately waist level of the slaughterman,
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Once horizontal the head is restrained and
slaughter can proceed.
The use of restraining boxes in the Middle East and
South-East Asia has the following benefits:
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Improved animal handling pre-slaughter and during the slaughter process as it removes the need
to incapacitate cattle in an attempt to restrain
them effectively,
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Increased processing efficiency and improved
safety,
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Demonstrated commitment to improving animal
welfare standards in the export chain.
Development and operation of the Mark IV restraint box
While traditional methods of restraint for slaughter
have been effective for local cattle in the Middle East
and South-East Asia, they have not always been effective for imported Australian cattle unfamiliar with
human contact and handling procedures. Consequently there has been a tendency to use inhumane
unacceptable methods of restraint in an attempt to
cast the animal while avoiding injury to the stockman.
Restraint boxes were developed through designs culminating in the present Mark IV which can be operated manually or automatically. Specific features of
the Mark IV design in operation are:
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The crush is designed to fit animals up to 450 kg
live weight,
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Cattle enter the crush and stand on a raiseable
steel floor,
Hydraulic Mark IV Restraining Box
What’s On!
Check out the AVA Events calendar
providing you with an up-to–date
list of upcoming events online
Go to the AVA website and
click
on the events tab!
www.ava.com.au/events
7
Unwanted pets: What can vets do?
Professor Jacquie Rand BVSc, DVSc, Diplomate ACVIM, MACVS and Corinne Hanlon BSc,
Centre for Companion Animal Health, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland
Experience in Australia and USA, shows that approximately 10% of cats and dogs arriving at shelters are
untreatable, that is, their behaviour makes them an unacceptable risk to the community, or for welfare reasons, their health issues are not manageable. Therefore, with appropriate resources, approximately 90% of
dogs and cats entering shelters are treatable and rehomable.
Magnitude of the problem
The homeless and unwanted pet problem is significant,
with an estimated 250,000 cats and dogs euthanased
annually in Australian shelters and pounds. The total
figure is more likely to be closer to 400,000 per year, if
pets with a good or very good prognosis that are euthanased at the owner‘s request at veterinary practices are
included. Euthanasia of treatable and adoptable pets is
a global problem, with similar statistics in the USA to
those of Australia; euthanasia rates of 8-10 per 1000
human population occur in both countries.
Cat statistics
Of cats entering shelters, slightly more than half are
kittens; most are brought in by members of the general
public either as strays or owner-surrendered cats. Of
adult cats, approximately half are owner-surrendered
and half are stray. For kittens, 40% were surrendered
by owners of the queen and 60% were stray. In contrast to common perception of cats entering shelters,
only a minority (10%) of cats are feral, and the vast majority are socialised to humans. Of adult cats surrendered by owners, the most common reasons are related
to factors associated with the owner, predominantly accommodation issues, rather than cat specific factors;
behaviour and health together accounted for less than
10%. In contrast, over 60% of kittens surrendered by
owners were because there were too many and they
were unwanted.
In Australia it costs an estimated $250 million annually
for government and animal welfare agencies to manage
the unwanted pet problem. However, RSPCA national
statistics show the number of dogs and cats entering
shelters has not decreased substantially compared to 710 years ago, despite this expenditure. Not included in
this financial cost to the community, is the human cost.
Studies have revealed that 50% of shelter workers directly involved with euthanasia develop post-traumatic
stress, predisposing them to depression, substance
abuse, high blood pressure, sleeplessness and suicide.
The health costs associated with these shelter workers
has never been measured. Data shows that the staff
turnover rate in shelters is proportional to euthanasia
rate.
For both adult cats and kittens, behaviour was not a
major reason given for relinquishment, but the behaviours causing problems were predominately unsocial
and aggressive behaviour (40%) and inappropriate
elimination (approximately 20%).
Loss of business
It is estimated that veterinarians lose 175 patients per
year per veterinarian or 15% of their client base annually due to dogs being surrendered to shelters because
of behavioural problems. Research shows that many of
these dogs visited a veterinary practice in the 12
months prior to them being surrendered. If veterinarians were more alert to the possible consequences of
their clients‘ dogs‘ unwanted behaviour – then this
could prevent many dogs from being surrendered in the
first place. In fact, there is substantial scope for veterinarians to increase their business by providing behaviour modification programs for clients, including puppy
classes.
Seasonal entry into shelters
In contrast to public perception, the admission of adult
cats to shelters is relatively constant throughout the
year and there is no increase associated with the December-February holiday period. However, entry of kittens into shelters is very seasonal, with an influx beginning late September and peaking through spring and
summer. The influx decreases in April to a low in August, with only one third the numbers of kittens entering
shelters compared to the peak months.
Dog and Cat Statistics
Outcomes
Based on National RSPCA statistics, the number of
dogs and cats reclaimed and rehomed each year is
steadily increasing; however, in dogs the total number
euthanased is similar to that in 2003/2004, and in cats,
it is substantially higher. The majority of animals entering shelters and being euthanased are adult dogs, adult
cats and kittens; puppies are a minority and are more
readily rehomed.
In Queensland, 71% of adults and 61% of kittens are
euthanased; only 6% of adults are reclaimed by the
original owner, and of those reclaimed, only a small percentage are microchipped. For both adults and kittens,
about one third are euthanased for medical reasons,
mostly treatable conditions, such as cat flu and ringworm. Fewer than one in five cats are euthanased because they are feral. Few kittens are euthanased for
behavioural reasons other than feral (16% of kitten
euthanasia). Many are euthanased because they are
too young, with most shelters routinely euthanasing kittens under 4 weeks of age. In contrast, of dogs that are
euthanased, more than 50% are euthanased for behaviour problems, and half of these are for aggression to
people or other animals.
Of dogs arriving at RSPCA shelters nationally*, 35%
are reclaimed by the original owner, 28% are found new
homes, leaving 29% to be euthanased. A similar number of cats (30%) are found new homes, but only 4%
are reclaimed, resulting in a euthanasia rate of 59%,
which is double that for dogs.
8
Veterinarians need to include spey/neuter in the initial
preventive health program for kittens; the message
should be vaccinate and desex. For that to happen,
requires that professional organisations such as the
AVA, embrace early-age desexing for kittens, as has
the American Veterinary Medical Association. Universities need to graduate students who are trained in earlyage desexing of cats, and for this to happen effectively,
animal welfare organisations need to partner in the
training of veterinary students. Also needed are veterinarians who are sympathetic to the problem facing
shelters and are motivated to make a difference. Unfortunately, the perception of veterinarians is often one of
antagonists to what animal welfare shelters are trying
to achieve. Universities need to partner with shelters to
increase awareness of graduates of the magnitude of
challenges facing shelters. For example, provide the
opportunity for a shelter rotation for all veterinary students, especially in later years of course.
Facts: Kittens from owned queens
In summary, over half the cats entering into shelters
are kittens and nearly 40% of kittens were from owned
queens. However, the Queensland Household Survey
found 94% of owned cats are desexed. In Sydney, desexing rates are 97%. So why are the kittens coming
in? Data from Australia and USA have found that 1220% of owned queens that are ultimately desexed
have a litter of kittens first. Staggeringly, the number of
kittens born from cats that were ultimately sterilised
was calculated at only slightly less and not statistically
different from those that were never sterilised (2.5 versus 3.4). Therefore, we as veterinarians have a responsibility to reduce the ―spey delay‖ and promote
early-age desexing. It is vital that the cat-owning public
are educated that it is not good for the cat to have a
litter of kittens, it is not good for the kids to see the cycle of life (which is very short for unwanted kittens) and
they are not too young (cats can be pregnant by 16
weeks of age).
Strategies to prevent unwanted kittens from
unowned queens
An extensive study of 1660 cats** investigating the
long term risks and benefits of early-age gonadectomy
concluded that the benefits of desexing before or after
5 months of age were overwhelmingly in favour of early
-age desexing. For both males and females, it resulted
in better behaviour and health compared to cats desexed later than 5 months of age. In male cats, there
were decreased signs of abscesses, aggression, sexual behaviours, urine spraying, and in both males and
females asthma, gingivitis and hyperactivity were reduced.
Of kittens entering shelters around Australia, 56% are
stray but most are socialised to humans; they are not
feral. The population of cats fed by people who do not
perceive they own them is equal two thirds of the
owned cat population, but only 1 in 5 are desexed. This
is an opportunity for veterinarians to simultaneously
help address the problem of unwanted kittens, and develop these semi-owners as clients. We know the
postcodes where the greatest number of kittens are
coming from each year, and when they are coming in.
What is needed are targeted desexing campaigns in
these areas supported by social marketing messages
which are effective in getting these semi-owners to either stop feeding the cat, or have it desexed and identified. This needs to be supported by opportunities for
the desired behaviour, that is, affordable and accessible desexing. Increasingly, shelter-driven programs,
either community clinics or mobile vans, or for-profit,
high volume, low cost desexing clinics will fill this gap if
veterinarians do not take the opportunity to be involved. For example, practices in a given area could
work together offering subsidised desexing on a quiet
day of the week once a month from April through to
September. There is the opportunity for veterinarians to
be proactive and negotiate with local municipal councils and shelters to provide subsidies for desexing. This
includes linking up with the National Desexing Network
that has substantial resources including providing financial assistance for people to desex their pets. It is
quite possible that for these agencies, every dollar
spent in the community on subsidised desexing is less
than the cost of taking in a kitten, holding it and rehoming or euthanasing it. This needs to be costed out, and
UQ‘s Centre for Companion Animal Health is urgently
seeking funding to carry out such a study, because it
could result in a substantial change in how animal welfare agencies and government agencies allocate resources.
Facts: Stray kittens
In Victoria, a study found that of 33% of phone respondents owned a cat but 22% of respondents said they
fed a cat that was not their own and not the
neighbour‘s. In both Australia and USA, this population
of ‗semi-owned‖ cats is estimated to be equal to two
thirds of the owned cat population. However, only 20%
are desexed. Clearly strategies that target owned cats
will have limited effect on this population of cats and
kittens. What is urgently needed is to better understand
what drives this human behaviour, and what are the
barriers to these people taking ownership and having
the cat desexed.
Questions to consider…
How would the veterinary profession respond to a disease that was responsible for the death of between 5
and 15% of all dogs and cats annually?
What can we as veterinarians do?
We need to focus on preventing unwanted kittens being born, both from owned queens and from unowned/
semi-owned queens. To achieve this will need targeted
evidence-based strategies. Clearly, if $250 million is
spent in Australia every year in managing a problem
which is not improving, different strategies are required.
Strategies to prevent unwanted kittens from
owned queens
9
Strategies to prevent unwanted owned
adult cats and dogs: act early!
Data show that most dog and cat owners who relinquished a pet visited a veterinarian in the preceding
year, and that the majority of dogs and cats are relinquished within 9 months of acquisition. Therefore, veterinarians and veterinary technicians are at the front
line of prevention of relinquishment. By being proactive
and acting early to manage behaviour and other problems, veterinarians can save many lives.
It is critical that owners of puppies and kittens are advised on the importance of socialisation, training and
prevention of problem behaviours. Far more puppies
die as adults because of behaviour problems, than
ever die from parvovirus. Recommendations to keep
puppies and kittens isolated until their final initial vaccination program is complete will contribute to puppies
and kittens developing fear-related behaviours to people and other animals, which can ultimately cost them
their life. Veterinarians need to ask about behaviour in
each consultation, and have a process of providing
information and support for owners who indicate they
would like assistance in managing problem behaviours. Not only will this strategy help to prevent subsequent relinquishment for behaviour, but it makes good
business sense. Ultimately, behaviour clinics similar to
the model for puppy preschools, could be run by
trained animal technicians in the evening, providing
cost-effective and accessible behaviour management
services to clients.
So in summary, what if.....
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Every veterinary student graduated sympathetic to
the challenges facing shelters, are motivated to
help from practice, and graduate skilled at earlyage spay/neuter in cats?
Every veterinary practice incorporated early-age
desexing for cats in their initial preventative health
program together with vaccination?
Shelters redirected significantly more resources
into subsidised spay/neuter programs?
10
These programs are targeted to:

The postcodes generating unwanted kittens

Are targeted for autumn and winter to stop the
kitten Tsunami in spring and summer, and
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Are supported by effective social marketing
messages to overcome the behaviour of people feeding cats without neutering, and to stop
the ―spey delay‖.
Would it be good for business? Would we
kill as many cats & kittens?
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the generous financial support of the following people and organisations this research was possible, Mr Guy Farrands, The Elsie Cameron Foundation,
PIAS, Hill‘s PetCare , and the Australian Veterinary
Association (Animal Welfare Trust). We would also like
to thank RSPCA Queensland and Australia for their
support and assistance with our research.
As a veterinarian or veterinary practice − if you would
like to be involved in helping solve the unwanted pet
problem please email us on ccah@uq.edu.au. Additionally if you currently provide early-age desexing at
your practice and would like us to promote this on our
website please let us know.
The work of the Centre for Companion Animal
Health is made possible by donations. If you
would like to contribute to research to reduce the
number of unwanted pets entering shelters, or research to improve the health of dogs and cats,
please call on 3365 2122 or email: ccah@uq.edu.au
*RSPCA (2009). RSPCA Australia National Statistics
2009-2010. Accessed 19th April 2011 from: http://
www.rspca.org.au/resource/stats.asp
**Spain, Scarlett & Houpt, Long term risks and benefits
of early age gonadectomy in cats, JAVMA Vol 224,
No.3, 1 Feb 2004, p372-379: Study = 1660 cats
Future of the SE Queensland Branch
Dr Malcolm McLennan, President SEQ Branch
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The Annual Barbeque of the SE
Queensland Branch will be held at Biosecurity Queensland, 17 Mile Rocks Road, Oxley on 9 December 2011.
 There are increasingly members with no finely focused
special veterinary interests, as in the case of universities and students, retirees, part-time participants, industry;
At the barbeque, the future of the Branch was discussed.
Members who were unable to attend are asked to make
their opinions known to AVA House 3243 1844 or
execqld@ava.com.au as this was an important matter.
There is a need to re-define the SE Queensland Branch.
Low attendance numbers at meetings is evidence of this.
At the same time there seems to be an increasing need
to provide members with a forum in which current issues
can be ventilated. These are of general rather than specific interest, and yet are very important. Members need
to know more about what is happening in the world
rather than less. Examples include gender and age
groupings, environmental contamination; urban animals;
governance of the profession in Queensland; animal
welfare; markets such as exports and food supply; liaison between professional loci; invasive pests and diseases; global implications of financial, regulatory and
scientific developments; Australian Veterinary Association feedback and resources available to members; policy challenges and decisions.
In the past, the SE Queensland Branch was a forum for
members in CSIRO, University of Queensland, AQIS,
Department of Primary Industries. Times have changed.
Organizations have moved to different locations, and
representation of members in the organizations has
changed also. There is an increasing membership of
retired veterinarians.
Traditionally, Branches have serviced members on a
geographic basis, and the natural logic of this structure
holds good for most Branches still. However the SE
Queensland Branch has some differences in that the pull
of a regional ―capital‖ is less clear:
 There are disparate centres of gravity for members in,
How can the SE Queensland Branch be reborn to
meet these changing needs? Should it be resuscitated or euthansed? It is something members of the
Division must discuss. No one else can do it for us.
Please send in your comments and do try to attend our
Barbeque.
for example, the Gold Coast, Brisbane metropolitan
and Gatton;
 There are competing streams of special interest, for
example, small animal practitioners, equine practitioners, specialist practitioners, veterinary academics,
AQIS and DEEDI professionals;
Provet QLD Nurse Of The Year Award
On Sunday afternoon the 20 of
November, Provet Queensland
held its 3rd Annual Veterinary
Nurse of the year award.
A huge thank you to Provet’s sponsors for their support – this event
could simply not go ahead without
them.
There were 27 nominated nurses this year and the calibre of nominations was amazing. They were so inspiring
and showed the level of respect and admiration the industry has for our nurses.
Boehringer Ingelheim, Kong Australia, Merial, AIRC, Virbac, Fuzzyard,
Mavlab, Varco, Bayer, Troy, Intervet
MSD, Proctor & Gamble, Smtih &
Nephew and Idexx.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas
from AVA Queensland!
A huge congratulations to all the nominated nurses and
their employers and peers who took the time to tell their
story. It was difficult to pick a winner but the stand out
nominee and official Provet Qld Veterinary Nurse of the
year for 2011 was …. Amanda Barker from Northside
Vet Care.
11
The Era of Small and Many: Reversing the trend of generations
Bill McKibben
Courtesy of Orion Magazine www.orionmagazine.org , reprinted from the November/December 2011 issue
structure of a new agriculture composed of CSAs and
farmers‘ markets, with fewer middlemen. Which is all for
the good. Such farming uses less energy and produces
better food; it‘s easier on the land; it offers rural communities a way out of terminal decline. You could even
imagine a farmscape that stands some chance of dealing with the flood, drought, and heat that will be our destiny in the globally warmed century to come. Instead of
the too-big-to-fail agribusiness model, this will be a nimbler, more diversified, sturdier agriculture.
And what works on the farm works elsewhere too. Think
about our energy future—the phrase that engineers like
to use now is ―distributed generation.‖ Since our old fuels were dense in BTUs and concentrated in a few locations, it made sense to site a few giant generating stations where coal or uranium could easily be brought and
burned. But the logic of sun and wind is exactly the opposite: millions of rooftops and ridgelines producing
power. You can do it in cities as easily as in the country—new satellite and airplane mapping of New York
City‘s five boroughs showed that the city‘s rooftops
could provide half its electricity. If you can do that in
New York, imagine Shaker Heights, not to mention
Phoenix. And once you‘ve done it, you‘ve got something
practical and local: an interconnected grid where everyone brings something and takes something away. A
farmers‘ market in electrons.
Painting by Suzanne Stryk
Earlier this year, my State‘s governor asked if I‘d give an
after-lunch speech to some of his cabinet and other top
officials who were in the middle of a retreat. It‘s a useful
discipline for writers and theorists to have to summarize
books in half an hour, and to compete with excellent local ice cream. No use telling these guys how the world
should be at some distant future moment when they‘ll no
longer be in office—instead, can you isolate themes
broad enough to be of use to people working on subjects from food to energy to health care to banking to
culture, and yet specific enough to help them choose
among the options that politics daily throws up? Can you
figure out a principle that might undergird a hundred different policies?
Many of us get a preview of life in the age of small and
many when we sit down at our computers each day. Fifteen years ago we still depended on a handful of TV
networks and newspaper conglomerates to define our
world for us; now we have a farmers‘ market in ideas.
We all add to the flow with each Facebook post, and we
can find almost infinite sources of information. It‘s reshaping the way we see the world—not, of course, without some trauma (from the hours wasted answering email to the death of too much good, old-school journalism). All these transitions will be traumatic to one extent
or another, since they are so very big. We‘re reversing
the trend of generations.
Or another way to say it: can you figure out which way
history wants to head (since no politician can really fight
the current) and suggest how we might surf that wave?
Here‘s my answer: we‘re moving, if we‘re lucky, from the
world of few and big to the world of small and many.
We‘ll either head there purposefully or we‘ll be dragged
kicking, but we‘ve reached one of those moments when
tides reverse.
Take agriculture. For 150 years the number of farms in
America has inexorably declined. In my state—the most
rural in the nation—the number of dairies fell from
11,000 at the end of World War II to 998 this summer.
And of course the farms that remained grew ever larger—factory farms, we called them, growing commodity
food. Here in Vermont most of the remaining dairies are
big, but not big enough to compete with the behemoths
in California or Arizona; they operate so close to the
margin that they can‘t afford to hire local workers and
instead import illegal migrants from Mexico.
But the general direction seems to me increasingly
clear. Health care? In place of a few huge, high-tech
hospitals dispensing the most expensive care possible,
all the data suggest we‘d be healthier with lots of primary and preventive care from physicians‘ assistants
and nurse practitioners in our neighborhoods. Banking?
Instead of putting more than half our assets in half a
dozen money-center banks that devote themselves to
baroque financial instruments, we need capital closer to
home, where loan officers have some sense for gauging
risk and need.
But last year the USDA reported that the number of
farms in America had actually increased for the first time
in a century and a half. The most defining American
demographic trend—the shift that had taken us from a
nation of 50 percent farmers to less than 1 percent—had
bottomed out and reversed. Farms are on the increase—small farms, mostly growing food for their
neighbors. They‘re not yet a threat to the profits of the
Cargills and the ADMs, but you can see the emerging
Your average state or city leader could help push
change in those directions: small investments in, say,
slaughterhouses and canneries will help local farmers
diversify. New zoning regulations can make rooftop solar quicker and easier to install. Higher reserve requirements will move money from Wall Street‘s casinos back
12
to Main Street‘s banks. None of them will produce utopia—we will still have endless problems, but they‘ll be
more limited. A careless local farmer can still sicken his
customers, but he can‘t sicken millions of them at once.
A corrupt banker can wreak havoc in his community,
but not so much havoc that it topples the financial system. Problems will stay problems, instead of ramifying
into disasters. If a hailstorm wrecks my solar panels,
I‘ve got an issue, but it‘s not blacking out the East
Coast.
ing floor and in the hospital ward they‘re doing their
very best to block the transitions we need. Their
money, earned under the old bigger-is-better paradigm,
gives them great power to block change: just look at
how skillfully the fossil fuel industry has used the Tea
Party to stifle legislation that would speed the transition
to renewable energy. Watch Big Ag write the next Farm
Bill—it won‘t be pretty. Big Pharma would happily keep
our current medical system, never mind that it‘s bankrupting us all even as we fall further behind other nations on everything from life expectancy to infant mortality.
All economic life is a bet—many small wagers at decent odds won‘t make anyone a billionaire, but they
should keep most of us out of the poorhouse. And
that‘s both the virtue and the trouble with this transition.
The virtue is obvious; the problem is that there are always a few people determined to hit the jackpot. In our
world, most of those people are not actually persons—
we call them corporations. But their power over our democracy is very real, and on the farm and on the trad-
It‘s possible they can delay the transition too long—the
physics and chemistry of climate change, for instance,
demand quicker change than many of our systems can
easily manage. But all the money in the world can‘t, in
the end, hold back history. It‘s heading toward something different and new and interesting. Or many many
somethings, each of them small and beautiful.
National Broadband Network Workshop 3 November 2011
Courtesy Dr Bob Rees, Honorary Treasurer
Dr Bob Rees attended a breakfast session on the NBN
system for the Division. He provided this report for the
information of Members.
estimates that there will be a saving of 25% in internet
costs under NBN, compared to the standard model. It is
also possible to run a hybrid model where some of the
data storage is Cloud based and some ―on site‖.
The first presenter was NBN Co representative Richard
Bullock. He detailed progress to date, the strategy of
NBN Co and information about the roll out in Qld.
The final presenter was Jim Barkley, Chief Information
Officer at Logan City Council. He promoted a web site
designed for small business that contains a tool kit for
accessing the latest IT information and applications
(See www.ichoose.org.au ).
Toowoomba and Townsville are in progress while the
Brisbane suburbs of Aspley and Goodna will be completed within 12 months.
The Queensland Department of Employment, Economic
Development and Innovation issued some handouts on
the ways the NBN may be applied in various sectors of
the economy. The document Veterinary Services of the
Future , models an example of how NBN might enhance
veterinary intervention. For example, veterinary practitioner Dr Rowan Kilmartin and specialist farrier Darrall
Clifford decided to publish the results of their experience for a wide audience. Their initial choice was to
base the publication on DVD, with on-line lectures, interactive presentations and videoconferencing. NBN, however, offers speeds of 1 gigabit per second and this will
enable their idea to be expanded to include video footage of horses in action. With video conferencing, consultation and diagnosis (eg viewing X-ray, ultrasound
and endo/arthroscope images), a strategy for treatment
will be possible in real time, saving time, money and
benefit the animals.
―The National Digital Economy Strategy‖ is a publication
of the Federal Government and is available on the NBN
Co website www.nbn.gov.au .
Another Federal Government program known as ―The
Digital Enterprise Initiative‖ will commence late 2011
early 2012.
The second presenter was James Callahan from Smartnet. This company deals in Cloud technology and services, which means Companies/Associations no longer
need to maintain and constantly update expensive hardware such as servers. All data is stored and managed
by the Cloud provider.
This seems to be the way information technology is going. There are also financial benefits from using Cloud
technology. The best thought from this presenter was
―It‘s not just about having a web site, it is having an
internet strategy‖.
The third presenter was Dan Pearson from Ct4
www.Ct4.biz . This is also a Cloud technology business and Cloud was described as ―a subscription model
compared to the standard server model‖. This company
Celebrating 250 years of the veterinary profession — Vet2011
13
Animal Anthropomorphism: Virtue beyond Duty
Dr John Pearn MD PhD DSc FRCP FRACP
theme was afforded scientific underpinning following the
demonstration that 98.4% of human DNA was shared
with that of the chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes ; and 90%
with that of mice. One sees a parallelism in the way humankind strives to record in permanent form the cultural
record of extreme examples of duty, courage and loyalty. For humans, the Victoria Cross is afforded primacy
in the British Commonwealth Order of Precedence of all
bestowed decorations. For animals, its parallel is the
Dickin Medal, the world‘s highest award for animal courage. It was instituted by Mrs Maria Dickin (1870-1951)
in 1942. To date, 61 Dickin Medals have been awarded
by the (U.K.) People‘s Dispensary for Sick Animals.
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Following the death of John Simpson Kirkpatrick at Anzac Cove on 19 May 1915, his donkey ―Murphy‖ was evacuated with the withdrawing
troops of the Australian Army Medical Corps on the night
of 16 December 1915. A Lemnos donkey, ―Murphy‖ was
returned to his island home, never to be seen again. His
memory, nevertheless, is perpetuated in statues
throughout Australia, on coins and on the postage
stamps of four nations. Australia‘s highest award for
animal courage, the Purple Cross, was bestowed upon
―Murphy‖ on 9 May 1997 by the Acting Prime Minister.
Awarded by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Australia (RSPCA), the citation for the
Purple Cross reads, in part:
The Dickin Medal is sculpted in Portland stone in the
Animals in War Memorial, in Park Lane, near Marble
Arch in central London. Designed by David Backhouse,
the monument features, in bronze, mules and a dog.
Also engraved in the stone of the memorial are other
animals who have served in war, including elephants
and pigeons. The monument was unveiled by the Princess Royal on 24 November 2004 and has become a
site of special visitation for all with a love of animals and
their service to and interactions with humans.
―To recognise the deeds of animals which
have shown outstanding service to humans,
particularly if they show exceptional courage
in risking their own safety or life to save a
person from injury or death‖.
This is the phenomenon of anthropomorphism. It is the
imparting not only of human intellectual traits to animals,
but the attribution of moral, ethical and behavioural
qualities – both good and bad – upon individual animals.
The phenomenon is as old as recorded history.
The recognition of animal courage, in numismatic form,
is commemorated in more than 30 medals. One classifies these into four classes – (a) medals for animal courage; (b) war service medals to animals; (c) coins and
medals depicting animals as metaphors of virtue; and
(d) performance medals, awarded for primacy in
strength and endurance.
The world‘s oldest surviving culture, that of the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia, imparts human qualities to the
Rainbow Serpent and to numerous totem animals. The
pre-literate oral history of the ancient Greeks ascribed
human qualities to the good centaur, Chiron; and evil
morals to the Drakon of Thebes; to the serpent, Nymphe; and to Ekhidua. A thousand years later (circa 335
B.C.) Aristotle, writing in the Nicomachean Ethics (Book
III, Chapters 6 – 12) described two types of animal courage. One type, common to humans and animals, was
that engendered by anger. The other was the consequence of deliberative choice. Aristotle wrote that such
courage could be observed in both children and animals.
In addition to the medals that humans bestow upon animals for courage, service, strength and endurance,
there are least five different medals which are awarded
to humans for saving animal life. These include the
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(U.K.); the National (UK) Canine Defence League Silver
Medal; the People‘s Dispensary for Sick Animals Cross;
the Royal New Zealand SPCA Gold Medal of Merit; and
the RSPCA Australia Human Award Medal, this latter
instituted in 1990.
Today, sixty percent of owners of cats and dogs acknowledge celebrating their pet‘s birthday, or of including them in celebratory affirmations of love such as the
giving of presents at Christmas. The Queensland veterinary surgeon and Editor of the Queensland News, Dr
David Paxton, in his book, Why It’s Okay to Talk to Your
Dog, noted:
Humans bestow ethical and moral qualities upon animals in two separate and distinct ways. The first is a
two-way or reflexive dynamic in which humans attribute
a virtue to an entire animal species. The strength, vigilance and soaring freedom of raptors, especially eagles
and falcons, is one example. The perceived loyalty and
endurance of certain breeds of dogs, Newfoundlands for
example, are another. Having made such an attribution
to a whole breed or species, as a reverse process humans then use the metaphor of the generic animal virtue
(so bestowed) to identify individual humans with the attributed virtue. The two supporters portrayed on the
British Royal Coat of Arms, the lion (strength, courage
and unconquerable dominance) and the unicorn (purity
of motive and integrity of life) are examples, and today
feature on coins of the United Kingdom.
―I think it is okay to talk to your dog. I talk to
Toby all the time. I do not talk to Toby
about the meaning of life. He would not be
interested, having abrogated the cerebral
side of things to his human partner… Toby
communicates by body language and trusts
implicitly that I will respond‖.
Since the 1930s, biologists have acknowledged that animal behaviour, like that of humans, could be both fixed,
instinctual or automatic on the one hand yet be adaptable and modified by experience on the other. This
14
The second dynamic by which humans impart anthropomorphic virtues upon animals is the process where individual animals are selected for their perceived courage
or service beyond the call of duty. When ethicists and
philosophers speak of such terms as ―courage‖ and
―bravery‖, they define three grades of service to others –
that of duty, supererogation and altruism.
ance of duty; but is certainly seen in acts of both supererogation and altruism. Whether animals display true
altruism is contentious, but all would agree that individual animals undoubtedly manifest courage. The concept of bravery, observed in the acts of individual animals, is the realised or manifest form of extreme courage.
Duty is that service, or obligation to render such service,
implied by a social or moral contract between two individuals, whether these be human or animal. It refers to
acts or the intention to act which is defined by the imperatives of ―must‖, ―should‖ or ―ought‖. Most do not
regard duty as a virtue, but rather an inescapable obligation. The performance of duty is therefore not necessarily a virtue and thus is not normally rewarded although its dereliction may be a cause for criticism, sanction or punishment.
Humans and animals have co-evolved since their domestication in Neolithic times. Our destinies are enjoined both individually and socially. The bonds are
such that kings and countries adopt the symbols of animal virtue on their flags, crests and armorial bearings.
The ecosystems which we jointly inhabit with animals
are fragile. The human virtues of duty, supererogation
and altruism will be needed for the preservation of the
ecosystems of a future world confronted by such threats
as climate change, habitat loss and species extinction.
One manifestation of respect for the animal kingdom is
the comforting acknowledgement that the concepts of
duty and courage coexist in the conjoined world of living
things.
A higher grade of such service is supererogation – going
beyond the call of duty. This implies responding to demands over and above that normally involved in the social or contractual relationships between individuals, human or animal, which are implied by the more basic concept of duty. Supererogation is the anthropomorphic
bestowal of a higher virtue upon animals, for acts of loyalty or endurance beyond that normally seen or imposed.
Examples are portrayed in the statue to
―Bobby‖, the Skye Terrier, who spent every night at his
master‘s grave (in the suburb of Greyfriars in Edinburgh)
for 14 years after the latter‘s death in 1858. An Australian example is the Purple Cross which was awarded to
the Pikeman‘s Dog, ―Wee Jock‖, posthumously at a
ceremony at the Ballaarat (sic) Fine Art Gallery on the
30 November 1997. The Pikeman‘s Dog was a terrier
who showed great devotion at the Eureka Stockade on
3 December 1854. Among the 30 miners who were
killed in that engagement, was one defending the stockade with a pike. Known as the ―Pikeman‖, and his dog
as the ―Pikeman‘s Dog‖, the slain miner lay unclaimed
on the scene of death for many hours. His terrier, ―Wee
Jock‖, guarded his body throughout the hours it lay unclaimed at that tragic scene and later accompanied it on
the death cart as the bodies were transferred to the local
cemetery.
The highest virtue in the service relationship of one to
another is that of altruism. Altruism is the physical act of
going beyond supererogation, with the added element of
perceived personal risk involving danger. The risk may
be the threat or reality of punishment; or that of loss of
reputation or property. It may be physical injury or death
itself. Giving one‘s life that another might live, in the full
knowledge of the potential of death resulting from such
an act of altruism, is afforded the highest level of esteem, even veneration, in most societies including our
own. Many social animals, some genera of bees and
ants for example, sacrifice their lives for the good of the
colony; but it is inconceivable that they do so with free
will in the face of a perceived, interpreted risk. Thus
many do not believe that altruism, as defined above, can
be bestowed upon animals as a virtue.
Courage may or may not be necessary in the perform15
Editor‘s Note: Professor Pearn AO is an Affiliate Member of the Veterinary Behaviour Chapter of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists and Senior Paediatrician, Royal Children‘s Hospital, Brisbane. He is also
Major General RFD in the Australian Defence Force.
His paper is an uplifting seasonal message at a time
when acts of animal bravery in Afghanistan are reported
frequently, as in the recent case of ―Sarbi,‖ the Australian bomb detector dog awarded the Purple Cross in the
same military operation for which his handler, Corporal
Mark Donaldson, was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Vet Veteran Hangs Up His Boots
Tom Threadingham, Gatton Star
RENOWNED veterinarian Mike Campbell retired from
the Gatton Veterinary Surgery last week after treating
animals in the Lockyer Valley for more than 37 years.
Mr Campbell said he had treated a countless number of
animals with varying injuries and had a database of
more than 9000 clients.
From small beginnings starting the surgery in the bedroom of a house in 1973, Mr Campbell worked tirelessly
helping animals across the region to build the Gatton
Veterinary Surgery into what it is today and thanked all
who had been involved over the years.
―I‘ve spent many nights of my life treating sick animals
and it is always a great joy to see them recover successfully,‖ he said.
―I certainly have had a lot of exciting cases that have
occurred over the years, I wish I‘d have recorded them
all.‖
―I‘ve just been very proud to be the local vet and I‘m
sure the new owners (Jason Grey and Louise
Cosgrove) will continue the practice successfully,‖ Mr
Campbell said.
Mr Campbell said he would still work part-time and help
out when needed but planned on taking a well deserved
break.
―I‘d really like to thank my loyal customers and dedicated staff for that time.
―I plan to spend time with my family, do a bit of fishing
and surfing, I still ride a surf board. I‘ll go to Rainbow
Bay or thereabouts.‖
―I‘ve been in partnership with Russell Duigan (from the
Laidley Veterinary Surgery) for all but one year of it so
I‘d like to thank him too.
―But more importantly I‘d mostly like to thank my wife
Anne for being my receptionist and assistant particularly
in the early years. Her support has been immeasurable.‖
Mr Campbell said he had entered the veterinary profession due to his love of animals and that the profession
had changed significantly over the past three decades.
―There have been a lot of changes in the profession
over that period where we practically used to do everything in the paddock, if we didn‘t do it in the paddock it
never got done,‖ he said.
―Whereas now there are a lot more referral and specialist centres among a lot of other changes.‖
Over the course of his long career with the surgery, Mr
Campbell said he had also been the vet for the Gatton
Show Society and the Gatton Race Club.
Mike Campbell with the new owner
of the Gatton Veterinary Surgery
Jason Grey
16
The AVA’s Pets and People Education Program
AVA PetPEP would like to thank the 180 veterinarians and animal care groups who participated in AVA PetPEP School Visits throughout 2011. With support from Veterinary practices, Local Councils, DEEDI, RSPCA Qld,
Wildlife Groups, Assistance Dogs and Dog Obedience Clubs, AVA PetPEP has educated over 25,000 students
from 404 School Visits. These students were taught the important key messages below.
Responsible
Healthy Living
Safety Around
Pet Ownership
(pets and people)
Animals
Welfare of
Animals in the
Animals
Community
AVA PetPEP Out and About
Council Areas
Over the past three months AVA PetPEP has been able to
attend a variety of events to
promote the program.
 A regional trip to Far North Qld which included Cairns,
Tablelands and Innisfail was organised to meet with
supporters to discuss the program
 Attended the Qld Education Resource Expo to promote
the program to educators and to provide an
opportunity to answer questions about the program
 Presented at the UQ Vet Tech presentation to talk to
Veterinary students to promote the benefits of AVA
PetPEP and how it can be a part of their future.
Councils that are currently subscribed to
AVA PetPEP
Sunshine Coast Regional Council
Cairns Regional Council
Townsville City Council
Mackay Regional Council
Bundaberg Regional Council
Fraser Coast Regional Council
Gladstone Regional Council
Gympie Regional Council
Lockyer Valley Regional Council
Central Highlands Regional Council
South Burnett Regional Council
Whitsunday Regional Council
Banana Shire Council
Burdekin Shire Council
Longreach Regional Council
Brisbane City Council
Thank you for your support.
Show Your Community You Care About Their Pets
AVA PetPEP is a great way to deliver engaging interactive lessons about pet ownership whilst
showing your community that you care about their pets.
AVA PetPEP is looking for more Vet Practices to join our team today.
This is your opportunity to help educate the next generation of pet owners – the ones who live in
your own community. You’ll be promoting socially responsible pet ownership while also
demonstrating in a practical way that your practice is a caring member of your community.
If you would like to get involved please call the AVA PetPEP Office on 07 3423 1788
or email: petpepqld@ava.com.au
17
Provisional Program - AVA Queensland Division Conference 2012
Small Animal
Stream
12.00pm
1.00pm
1.45pm
2.30pm
3.00pm
3.45pm
4.30pm
Large Animal Stream
Practice Mgmt Stream
Registration & Lunch
Biosecurity Awareness – For
Best Practice: Turn A Skin Consult
When You Do Not Get Lucky
Into A Dermatology Work Up For Fun
Mark Cozens
And Profit - Mike Shipstone
Theatre Protocols in SA Surgery
Phil Moses
Diagnosis And Treatment of Hip
Dysplasia
Gordon Corfield
Use Of Herpes Vectored Systems
For Hendra Vaccine
Graham Burgess
Diagnosis And Treatment of Elbow
Dysplasia
Jason Mouatt
The Diagnosis And Management Of
Intestinal Obstructions - Jason Beck
Jaw Fractures – Traumatic And
Iatrogenic; Putting It All Back
Together
Gary Wilson
Best Practice: Dollars & Dentistry –
Teeth For Fun And Profit
The Wilsons
Afternoon Tea
Government Perspective on
Hendra
Fiona Thompson
Private Practice Perspective on
The VSS Approach - Turning Caring
Hendra
And Best Practice Into A Profitable
Nathan Anthony
Business
Phil Moses & Terry King
Veterinary Drug Controls for Food
Animals
Sandra Baxendell
5.15pm
Vet Nurse Stream
Fluid Therapy
Terry King
Theatre Protocols In SA Surgery
– How To Teach Your Vet To Do
It Right!
Phil Moses
Patient Assessment PreAnaesthetic
Anita Parkin
Anaesthetic Emergencies/
Complications
Anita Parkin
Assessment Of Analgesia
Including Pain Scoring
Anita Parkin
Sponsor Session
6.30pm Welcome Drinks 7.00pm Poolside Informal BBQ
Small Animal
Stream
Large Animal Stream
7.30am
8.00am
8.30am
9.00am
9.45am
10.30am
11.15am
11.45am
12.30pm
3.00pm
3.45pm
4.15pm 5.00pm
Vet Nurse Stream
Registration
Sponsor Session
Presentation and VSB Question and Answer Session
Phil Moses, Edith Hampson & Jon Hill
Screening And Management
Considerations For The Geriatric Dog
And Cat
Sheri Ross
Lower Urinary Tract Disease In The
Senior Pet
Sheri Ross
Diabetic Management - Keeping
Them Sweet!
Ann Thompson
Cardio-Renal Syndrome: A Clinician’s
Guide To Recognising And Treating A
Common Presentation
Brad Gavaghan
Working Up The Coughing Dog
Bruce Mackay
1.15pm
2.15pm
Practice Mgmt Stream
Working Up Cushing’s Disease
Ann Thompson
Evaluating The Asymptomatic Patient
With Elevated Liver Enzymes
Danielle Bowles
Safe & Effective Equine Dentistry –
No Luck Required
Gary Wilson
New Techniques In Analgesia
Anita Parkin
Live Animal Exports - Securing
Animal Welfare Assurance
Roly Neiper
In-Patient Protocols For Fun And Profit
Trudie Humphrys
Live Export – The Facts
Laura Timms & Geoff Parker
Using Nurses For Fun And Profit
Jodie Wilson
Morning tea
Stem Cell Transplants in Cattle
Michael Holland
The Consult Room Sales Formula Sam Bowden
Update On Oestrus
Synchronisation In Mares
To Be Advised
Scott Norman
Lunch & AVA Qld Division Annual Meeting
(Lunch will be served in the Exhibition and Annual Meeting areas)
The Role Of Kisspeptin In
How To Get A Lot Of Clients Without
Reproduction…. Kiss What?
Spending A Cent On Advertising
Scott Norman
Sam Bowden
Percutaneous Fetotomy - Tips To
What Makes Practices Profitable
Aid Success
Tony Thelander
Scott Norman
Afternoon tea
Strike It Lucky – Hot Tips To Success
For The Random Alpaca Callout
Working Up Eye Cases
Edith Hampson
Marketing Your Practice To The
Community Using AVA PetPEP
Jana Pini
Malcolm Heath
Securing Your Financial Future
Stephen Welsh
How To Run A Behaviour
Stream In A Clinical Practice
For Fun And Profit
Cam Day
Lab Medicine Workshop
John Mackie
Lab Medicine Workshop
John Mackie
Lab Medicine Workshop
John Mackie
6.30pm Drinks Reception 7.00pm Black Tie and Trivia Dinner
Small Animal Stream
9.00am
9.15am
10.00am
10.45am
11.15am
12.00pm
Practice Mgmt Stream
Large Animal Stream
Sponsor Session
Neoplasia: An Update On
Classification (Lymphoma, Mast Cell
Tumour, Sarcomas, Melanoma, Gist)
John Mackie
Intrauterine Diagnostics In The
Mare
Tonya Collop
The Business Of People: Starting Off
On The Right Foot, Practical
Interview Hints And Tips
Sue Crampton
What’s New For Mast Cell Tumours
Maurine Thomson
Intrauterine Treatment Of Mares
Tonya Collop
Merchandising in your Practice Mayhem or Magic
Mark O'Byrne/Graeme Dixon
Metronomic Chemotherapy
Stuart Walton
Antimicrobial Resistance In Small
Animal Practice
Darren Trott
Product Hygiene Index – Keeping
Our Export Meat Safe And
Wholesome
Samantha Allan
Vet Nurse Stream
Physiotherapy Workshop
Lindsay Connell
Morning tea
12.45pm
Lunch
18
Understanding The AVAPM Chart Of
Accounts - Warren Foreman
Digital Marketing – Growing Your
Business Through Online Activities
James Ramsden
Morning tea
Antimicrobial resistance
Combined with SA Stream
AVA QUEENSLAND DIVISION CONFERENCE 2012
REGISTRATION FORM – TAX INVOICE
ABN – 63 008 522 852
Delegate Information
AVA Member No
First Name
Last Name
Practice/Company
Street Address
Suburb
State
Post Code
Telephone
Mobile
Fax
Email
Please indicate which conference stream you
will attend primarily
Large Animal
Small Animal
Please tick appropriate box
AVA
M e m be r
Non AVA
M e m be r
Students (AVA
Members only)
& Nurses
Early Bird Full Registration (closing 16 January 2012)
$625 
$1250 
$450 
Full Registration (after 16 January 2012)
- Includes lecture notes, lunches, tea breaks,
welcome drinks, Dinner (Friday and Saturday)
$695 
$1390 
$490 
Day Registration – Friday or Sunday only
$220 
$440 
$160 
Day registration – Saturday only
$280 
$560 
$200 
Practice Management
Vet Nurse
Registration (prices include GST)
Social Program
Proceedings – Hard Copy (Conference notes will be provided to delegates in soft copy free of charge)
$50 
Accompanying guest
- Includes lunches, tea breaks, welcome drinks,
Dinner (Friday and Saturday)
Early Bird Rate (closing 16 January 2012)
$430 
Full Rate (registrations received from 17 January 2012)
$450 
Poolside Informal BBQ (Friday evening)
*Please advise name* __________________________
Poolside Informal BBQ (Friday evening)
– Children aged 4 - 12
*Please advise names* __________________________
*Please advise name* __________________________
$120 
$30 
__________________________
__________________________
Black Tie and Trivia Dinner (Saturday evening)
*Please advise name* __________________________
$150 
Total
Please indicate dietary or special requirements:
Payment Options
 Cheque – make payable to the “Australian Veterinary Association”
 Visa
 MasterCard
 Diners
Card number: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Exp Date: __ __ / __ __
Name on card: _______________________________________
Signature:
_______________________________________
Date: __ __ / __ __ / __ __
Please return to:
Gill Arnold, AVA QLD Division
3/2404 Logan Road
Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113
Ph: 07 3423 1844
Fax: 07 3423 1505
Email: avaqld@ava.com.au
Privacy Notification – The Privacy Act 2001 provides that, before your name and address details can be
published in the list of conference delegates for distribution to fellow delegates or any other party, you must
give your consent. If you DO NOT wish to have your name, address and details included in the list of delegates
please tick here: Privacy Act:  Please do NOT include my name in the Delegate List
Australian Veterinary Association
Queensland Division
2012 Conference
23 – 25 March 2012
Sofitel Gold Coast,
Broadbeach
Veterinary Science for Fun and Profit
AVAPM Roadshow
Workshop
26 & 27 March 2012
Sofitel Gold Coast - Broadbeach
The AVAPM Roadshow Workshops will kick off on the Gold Coast following the AVA QLD Division Conference. This roadshow will provide extensive hands-on experience on the various topics.
The workshops will consist of 4 workshops over 2 days:
Workshop 1: Chart of Accounts
Workshop 3: Digital marketing
Workshop 2: Frontline management
Workshop 4: Marketing and merchandising
A second and third roadshow will follow in WA and NSW later in 2012.
AVAPM Brochure and Registration Form Coming Soon!!!
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is subject to our credit assessment criteria. Terms and conditions, fees and charges apply. Deposit products are issued by Investec Bank. Before making any decision to invest in these products, please contact
Investec Professional Finance, a division of Investec Bank, for a copy of the Product Disclosure Statement and consider whether these products suit your personal financial and investment objectives and
circumstances. We reserve the right to cease offering these products at any time without notice. Income Protection/Life Insurance is distributed by Experien Insurance Services Pty Ltd (Experien Insurance Services)
which is an authorised representative of Financial Wisdom Limited. AFSL 231138 (AR No.320626). Experien Insurance Services is part owned by Investec Professional Finance Pty Ltd.
ent an
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A “Graduate Concession” on membership is
available to newly graduated veterinarians.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
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AVCB (Conservation
Biologists)
AAVMA (Avian)
ACV (Cattle)
AGVA (Greyhound)
AHV (Holistic)
APV (Pig)
ARV (Reproduction)
ASAVA (Small Animals)
ASV (Sheep)
AVAG (Acupuncture)
AVAWE (Animal Welfare & Ethics)
AVBIG (Animal Behaviourists)
AVDS (Dental)
AVI (Industry)
AVHS (History)
AVPA (Poultry)
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All AVA Branches are FREE
This is the best way to network with the veterinarians
around your geographical area; you are free to choose
as many branches as you want. The following are
AVA branches available in Queensland:
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Central Queensland Branch
Darling Downs & South West Branch
North Branch
South East Queensland Branch
Sunshine Coast Branch
• Access to AVA helplines and advice services
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