His Dog Was Saved From A Deadly Cancer. He Bought A $6m Super Bowl Ad To Thank The Vet.
Scout, a 7-year-old Golden Retriever was diagnosed with cancer and given one month to live in summer 2019. His owner, David MacNeil, the CEO of WeatherTech could not face putting Scout down and brought him to the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine to try and save him. The doctors at the university overcame the one per cent survival rate and managed to nearly eradicate the tumour through chemotherapy and radiation. Scout, who is still happily alive and well will now star alongside the doctors of the university in a $6 million ad to be featured at the Superbowl, funded by David MacNeil to express his gratitude to the doctors for saving his dog’s life.
Editors comment: Some might question whether this money could have been spent in a better way to support the profession, but given the world stage of the Superbowl it is a nice gesture of gratitude and a great reminder of the work that vets do at a time where we sometimes don’t get the thanks that we deserve.
You can watch the ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi2WwRJDii0&feature=emb_title
Free Psychological Support Service Launches In Wake Of Bushfires
Veterinarian wellbeing charity Love Your Pet Love Your Vet has partnered with the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc to produce a free psychological support service to those caring for animals affected by the Australian bushfires. This service will connect these veterinary professionals with volunteer registered psychologists to help them deal with the stress of their job.
Love Your Pet Love Your Vet founder Dr Nadine Hamilton said: “Our veterinarians are already under immense pressure and may already be overwhelmed. The situation faced by our veterinary and wildlife carers as a result of the fires will no doubt be adding additional psychological stress, but there is support available. Don’t suffer in silence when it’s not necessary.”
A link to the service can be found here: https://www.loveyourpetloveyourvet.com.au/bushfire-support
First Heart Disease Clinic For Puppies And Kittens Opens In Solihull
The first UK congenital heart disease referral clinic for puppies and kittens has opened in Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, Solihull. Dogs and cats under the age of six months old will be treated for suspected heart murmurs and if necessary, the doctors will perform keyhole surgery.
The head of cardiology at Willows, Chris Linney said: “This is the first specialist-led, congenital heart disease clinic in the country and will use some of the latest and most advanced equipment available in the veterinary world. As well as advanced ultrasound, we also have state-of-the-art CT available for assessment of complex cases.”
Seattle Clinic Treats People And Pets Together
A centre in Seattle run by non-profit social services organization New Horizons runs a clinic every other Wednesday called One Health Clinic where they bring in a veterinarian and veterinary students, a nurse practitioner and students in health sciences to help give care to young homeless adults and their pets.
Dr. Peter Rabinowitz who is the director of the UW Center for One Health Research said: “It’s the only one that is really treating human patients and veterinary patients as a unit, not separately,”
Read more on this great clinic and its story below.
https://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=55970
RIVER Launches Training Programme For Veterinarians
The Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (RIVER) is producing a skill enhancement programme for veterinarians in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, India. A press release by RIVER says that this new venture aims to: update the skills of veterinarians so as to give an opportunity for refreshing and updating on veterinary techniques which have direct application in the field.
Feeling Overwhelmed? Remember “RAIN”
If you are feeling overwhelmed by a situation that is happening, around 20 years ago Michele McDonald came up with a strategy called ‘RAIN’. This is a four-step process where you are encouraged to:
- Recognise what is going on
- Allow the experience to be there, just as it is
- Investigate with kindness
- Natural awareness, which comes from not identifying with the experience.
For more about this technique, check out the article below.
