Veterinary aspects of an emergency response

With climate change impacting our environment and influencing the frequency and severity of disasters such as bushfires and floods, the veterinary community needs to be prepared for this type of emergency and know how to respond to assist animals and colleagues as well as help protect veterinary infrastructure.

Erica Honey, Master Emergency Management, BSc (Hons), GradCertPDev, RVN, and MBA/MHRM candidate, runs a consultancy service dedicated to building a resilient and sustainable veterinary community by growing leadership, organizational culture, and animal emergency preparedness.

“Unfortunately, it is no longer a matter of if, rather when, a veterinary hospital will experience an emergency. This could have a direct impact on infrastructure or patients presenting, helping in the field, or assisting your colleagues in other hospitals. Whether veterinary hospitals are in the urban or rural environment, we need to be ready,” explained Honey.

Erica Honey, Master Emergency Management, BSc (Hons), GradCertPDev, RVN, and MBA/MHRM candidate (Image courtesy of Erica Honey)

“It is key for our industry’s resilience to establish emergency plans for our veterinary hospital, and create evacuation and shelter-in-place kits. Furthermore, meeting with key stakeholders such as local government, emergency services, animal care and boarding facilities, wildlife organizations, and rehabilitators is important to discuss how you can support each other. It is a ‘One Health’, ‘One Welfare’ and a suggested ‘One Emergency Management’ approach, where everyone works together to grow community resilience,” she continued.

Honey worked as a veterinary nurse in general practice and emergency and critical care – including 6 years as the veterinary nursing supervisor at the emergency and critical care at Murdoch University’s veterinary teaching hospital. Her career has also included working in a part-time role as the inaugural State Animal Welfare Emergency Coordinator at Western Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, where her master's research contributed to the establishment of the State Animal Welfare in Emergencies Support Plan.

In a secondment role at Murdoch University, Honey worked on projects including workplace health and safety as well as emergency management. Recognizing a deeper purpose, Honey has since focused on building a resilient veterinary community through her consulting firm, Erica Honey Consulting, which she established in 2021. For the past 13 years, Honey also has volunteered with the Cockburn State Emergency Service in outer metropolitan Perth.

“Emergency and disaster planning takes an all-hazard and worst-case approach. This includes a focus on the highest risks the veterinary hospital will face and should also include contingencies for all likely scenarios. Even if the hospital decides it won't address a particular type of response, e.g. large animal emergency rescue, such as a float rollover, the hospital should have contingencies in the plan for which veterinary hospitals are trained to perform this type of response. This way if the hospital receives a request to help, veterinary professionals know who to refer the caller to,” Honey stated.

“Expect emergencies to be frightening and stressful. Expect utilities to be gone, and phones to not work. Be prepared for your team members to need to leave to attend to their own families and their animals. Your contingencies will cover how to mitigate risks such as these and can reduce the teams’ stress.”

The training for veterinary emergency responders that Honey is involved in conducting, covers bushfire safety, disaster triage, and medicine, emergency and disaster induction, first aid and mental health first aid, and understanding of the Australasian Interservice Incident Command System (AIIMS) which emergency services following during emergency responses.

“Training is important because in emergency responses such as a bushfire, veterinary responders must deploy with official permission. This ideally occurs with an experienced organization and the teams will work under the State Animal Emergency Support Plan. This helps to promote a safe response as responders can also utilize the resources and networks that are well-established and funded,” explained Honey.

“Veterinary personnel are encouraged to join the Animal Emergency Incident Management Network, in Australia and New Zealand. This charity works with a variety of stakeholders in the animal emergency management space and helps to advocate for animals and the people who care for them in emergencies.”

The Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience is also developing an ‘Animals in Disasters’ handbook, and this upcoming publication will complement the National Planning Principles for Animals in Emergencies established in 2012 which Honey contributed to. Honey shared with her top emergency management tips for the veterinary community.

“Focus on planning initially at the vet hospital, then on a district-level plan – and work with others to see how you can help each other. Create evacuation kits and shelter-in-place kits. Ensure you have the basic training, and invest in more training over time. Engage with the community and help clients to be prepared,” she said.

“Ensure any organization you volunteer with deploys officially with approval from the Hazard Management Agency and works under the respective state or territory support plan for animals or their local plans. Take care of yourself first, then the team, the victim - this will help to boost your resilience,” Honey concluded.

Australia’s first female Australian chief veterinary officer

Beth Cookson, BVSc, EMPA, MANZCVS (Epidemiology), has been appointed Australian chief veterinary officer after the recent retirement of Mark Schipp, BSc, BVMS. Cookson is the first female to be permanently appointed to the role and in another first, she is based regionally outside of the capital Canberra, in the Far North Queensland city of Cairns.

“I am thrilled to have been appointed as the first woman to hold the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer position. I join a growing cohort of female chief veterinary officers within Australia and internationally, which reflects the changing demographic of our profession,” Cookson exclusively told 

Beth Cookson, BVSc, EMPA, MANZCVS (Epidemiology), Australia's first female chief veterinary officer (Image courtesy of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) 

Cookson was Deputy Australian Chief Veterinary Officer with a focus on northern Australia and her career includes more than 15 years in government policy, operational, and leadership roles.

Cookson designed and led the delivery of animal health surveillance programs in northern Australia, delivering biosecurity capacity building programs in near neighboring countries, and having senior executive responsibilities for biosecurity import risk analyses and international trade negotiations for the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

“I take up the role at a time where we continue to face significant challenges in our regional and global environment. While Australia continues to be free from many significant exotic animal diseases, we have seen the unprecedented global spread and impact of diseases such as high pathogenicity avian influenza in recent years, as well as spread of significant exotic diseases in our region, such as lumpy skin disease, foot-and-mouth disease, and African swine fever,” said Cookson.

“Veterinary services are essential to addressing these challenges, as well as championing and providing stewardship to combat antimicrobial resistance and other issues across sectors alongside our health and environment colleagues with a One Health mindset. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to continue to lead and influence this important work that ensures Australia maintains our favorable animal health status and looks abroad to support our regional partners and influences globally. It is an honor to be a member of the strong global veterinary community and work to ensure positive animal health outcomes as Australian Chief Veterinary Officer,” she concluded.

Articles

Updates on the veterinary nurse who is educating veterinary professionals and emergency services on leadership and resilience skills and how they can safely assist animals in emergencies, plus meet Australia’s first female chief veterinary officer.

Veterinary scene down under: Australia welcomes first female chief veterinary officer, plus how emergency teams can safely help animals

The exterior of the new CityVet clinic in McKinney, Texas, is shown. (

CityVet is expanding its’ network of veterinary-owned practices with a new clinic in McKinney, Texas. The Dallas-based animal health system currently operates 34 practices and plans to open the doors to the newest facility on January 8, 2024.

CityVet has operated in the Dallas-Fort Worth region for 25 years utilizing a personalized approach to veterinary medicine, according to an organizational release.

 The McKinney clinic will provide full-service care for pets, including preventative care, diagnostics, same-day walk-ins, surgery, and dental care.

Michelle Rodgers, DVM, a graduate of Colorado State University, will lead the team at the new clinic. A veterinary medicine practitioner for more than 28 years, she has experience specializing in preventive care. Rodgers also aims to promote the human-pet bond by serving as an advocate for her clients and the health of their pets.

“We are excited to partner with Dr Rogers on the opening of our 35th clinic in the Dallas-Ft Worth area. She is an exemplary veterinarian, and we know that her and her team will provide the highest standard of care for our new neighbors,” said David Boguslawski, president and CEO of CityVet, in the release.

Rodgers noted that CityVet offers partnership opportunities to veterinarians that foster growth while providing support and allowing medical autonomy. “That [autonomy] allows us to provide the best quality of care to our patients and clients,” she said, in the release.

Rodgers also said that she is looking forward to building long-lasting relationships with clients, their pets, and the local community. “Our team believes in creating a warm and welcoming environment that allows for open communication to address any concerns and questions that pet owners may have,” she added, in the release.

A celebration commemorating the opening of the McKinney clinic is planned for February 10, 2024. Hosted by Rodgers, the Valentine’s Day-inspired event will feature pet pictures, a pet treat truck, a vintage bike bar with adult brunch beverages, and a build your own bun cinnamon roll bar, according to CityVet.

CityVet, a leading network of veterinary-owned practices, will officially open its doors in McKinney on January 8th, 2024. News release. CityVet. January 3, 2023.

The facility joins CityVet, a network of more than 30 practices in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. 

New veterinarian-owned clinic to open in northern Texas

Editor’s note: All names and businesses in this dilemma case are fictitious, but the scenario is based on real occurrences.

Peach Pet Clinic is a busy urban companion animal clinic. As with many urban veterinary clinics, the clientele and professional staff are very diverse. This workplace was made up of many cultures and opinions. Normally this would lead to stimulating interactions, except the year was shaping up to be a bit more volatile than most.

In recent weeks, there had been several heated discussions of political and world situations among staff. Additionally, conversations of this nature had arisen with some clients during pet health care visits. A staff veterinarian and 2 technicians had started wearing buttons and, in one case, a tattoo advocating their positions regarding a global crisis.

The expressing of these nonveterinary commentaries came to the attention of the hospital manager. One client said she was uncomfortable being exposed to debates on political and world issues while simply seeking care for her pet. Another owner said he did not mind the staff’s non–pet-related advocacy but was unhappy that it was biased and did not reflect his feelings on the issues at hand. This led clinic management to rethink workplace policy concerning such issues. A staff meeting was called, and new directives were discussed.

The hospital manager and medical director told staff that they understood the strong feelings that one might have about current political and world events. Additionally, they admitted that there was no information in the employee handbook concerning workplace behavior regarding such events. It was made clear that the primary directive of Peach Pet Clinic was to render excellent, compassionate care to patients. Discussions not related to veterinary health care (other than accepted social niceties) were not appropriate in the workplace. This included buttons, signage, and any type of notice not related to animals and their care. It was also recommended that staff not engage in nonveterinary discussions that have the potential to become volatile.

The hospital manager went on to say that all clients should feel comfortable and welcome at the clinic. Losing clients for reasons not associated with veterinary care was unacceptable and unprofessional. Several staff members disagreed, indicating that their desire to passively display their stance on certain issues was part of their right to free expression. One staff member noted the fact that many employees wear religious jewelry in front of clients. The hospital manager said certain protections concerning religion, race, and gender had been clearly identified in the workplace. The Peach Pet Clinic determined that, going forward, any display or discussion of personal viewpoints involving clients must be approved by the management team.

Several staff members did not agree. They maintained that any healthy discourse was an asset to the clinic. The hospital manager respected their opinion but made it clear that the new policy was to be implemented and followed. Do you feel that the administration of the Peach Pet clinic overreacted? We would like to know.

It really is not difficult to establish an excellent rapport with your pet patients. Respect and kindness usually do the trick. With pet owners it is a different story. When seeing clients, the common denominator is the pet. Discussion about subjects outside of veterinary medicine can be risky. To maintain a loyal and adherent clientele it is always best to act in a professional manner. Honest, transparent, veterinary medicine is the key.

 is director of Voorhees Veterinary Center in Voorhees, New Jersey. Although many of the scenarios Rosenberg describes in his column are based on real-life events, the veterinary practices, doctors, and employees described are fictional.

Conversations between veterinary professionals and clients should be limited to appropriate discussions

Talking politics in the clinic

To better gauge owners’ thoughts on the current state of veterinary care in the United States, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) surveyed 1000 pet owners. The online survey, fielded by TRUE Global Intelligence, gathered information from September 8 to 14, 2023 and each participant had to live in the US, be between 18 and 99 years old, and own at least 1 cat or 1 dog.

89% of participants have owned a pet or pets in the past, while the other 11% were first-time pet owners.

The key findings from this survey are as following

88% of pet owners believe that having a veterinarian physically examine their pet and talk to them in person is what leads to the best care.

79% of pet owners prefer that a veterinarian oversee their pet’s care.

76% put their pet’s health and safety above all else as a top priority for veterinary care.

72% prefer to meet a veterinarian in person before allowing them to care for their pet.

80% agree it would be dangerous for anyone other than a licensed veterinarian to make recommendations about life-or-death decisions for their pet.

“Pet owners want to feel confident that their animal companions are receiving the highest quality care. This new research shows that pet owners have a clear preference for in-person and veterinarian-led care, which we know is the best option for animal health,” said Rena Carlson, DVM, AVMA president, in an organizational release.

“The in-person visit and physical examination is the most valuable tool a veterinarian has. It allows them to use sight, sound, touch, and smell to identify potential health issues, supports the collection of diagnostic samples necessary to develop a treatment plan, and helps avoid a misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, which can lead to additional animal suffering and more cost for the pet owner.”

80% say they expect a veterinarian who they would allow to treat their pet to be personable and friendly.

79% agree they want a licensed veterinarian, not a veterinary technician or midlevel employee, to be in charge of their pet’s care.

76% of owners put “pet’s health and safety” in their top 3 priorities versus only 11% of owners putting “availability of online / telemedicine appointments” in their top 3 priorities.

The AVMA also surveyed current wait times in veterinary care and found that 60% of pet owners waited three days or less to see a veterinarian; 76% waited less than a week. Only 6% waited 3 weeks or more. Additionally, for emergency services, the survey found that 78% of those whose pets needed emergency care received help in 2 hours or less.

The full results of the survey are available on the AVMA website.

2023 Pet owner attitude survey: Key findings. American Veterinary Medical Association. November 2023. Accessed January 2, 2024. https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/AVMA-2023-Pet-Owner-Attitude-Survey-For%20Release-20231101.pdf

New AVMA research finds pet owners overwhelmingly prefer veterinarian-led care for their pets. News release. American Veterinary Medical Association. November 7, 2023. Accessed January 2, 2024.

American Veterinary Medical Association sought to get an in-depth look at pet owners’ perception of veterinary care

Veterinary association shares 2023 owner attitude survey results

Morris Animal Foundation announced the 24 students who were accepted into the Foundation's Veterinary Student Scholar program, offering students the opportunity to be involved in mentor-guided research. The program aims to help foster accepted students' passion for animal health science and inspire a career they find fulfilling.

“Our Veterinary Student Scholar program stands as one of the most impactful investments for advancing animal health research,” said Kathy Tietje, PhD, MBA, chief program officer at Morris Animal Foundation, in an organizational release.

 “We are thrilled to support students from veterinary schools around the world at this pivotal stage in their careers."

According to the release, each of the 24 students are all in good standing at an accredited veterinary medicine program and will receive a stipend of no more than $5,500. The stipend will be used to help the students pursue a research project, with guidance from a mentor.

The following 24 students were selected for the program:

Annalise Cavender from Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine will be working on a project that aims to accurately diagnose coccidioidomycosis, also known as Valley Fever, using a focused assessment with sonography in trauma point-of-care ultrasound.

Boaz Pkemoi from the University of Nairobi Kenya will work on a project that focuses on the detection of parasites in Eastern black rhinos and then correlate their presence with post-translocation morbidity.

Jack Friend from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University College Dublin will work on a project that aims to determine therapeutic targets for metastatic canine mammary tumors through a network pharmacology approach that analyzes proteomic data.

Estefania Benavides from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine will work on a project focusing on determining neurogenerative and neuroinflammatory biomarkers in canine meningoencephalitides of unknown origin.

Savell Robinson from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University will focus on examining how heartworm diseases survive without causing any damage to the immune and hemostatic response.

Courtney Hegwer from the Long Island College of Veterinary Medicine will investigate canine anxiety and fear-based behavior, management, and their association with fecal cortisol concertation as it measures acute stress.

Caro Wilson from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine will work on a project that will identify alleles, biological pathways, and genes that underlie recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis pathogenesis in thoroughbred and standard racehorses.

Bipin Basyal from Tribhuvan University Nepal will investigate the status of 

 and assess the patterns of antibiotic resistivity of involved pathogens that were isolated in the feces of healthy dogs living in the Rupandehi district.

Dennis Ronzani from Ross University of Veterinary Medicine will use the Golden Retriever Lifetime study from the Morris Animal Foundation to correlate neoplasia and physical activity in golden retrievers.

Yeonosoo Choi from the University of Bristol will focus on the correlation between glomerular Eps homology domain protein 3 expressions, loss of glomerular endothelial cell fenestrations, and chronic kidney disease in feline patients.

Madilyn Kriskovich from the University of Oregon will examine castration on feral horse herd through a simplified method using an Equitwister instrument.

Bashunga Niyomukiza Laurence from the University of Rwanda will work to assess the current status of wildlife diseases that are affecting species, namely buffalos, lions, and rhinoceroses, in the Akagera National Park.

Laurie Boucher from the University of Montreal will focus on studying biomarkers indicators of intestinal health in the equine microbiota.

Camila Felisa Chacón from the National University of Littoral will work to identify and determine new sensitive biomarkers to pesticide exposure as a way to assess the risk of damage to exposed wildlife before any irreversible health imbalances occur.

Christina Kandane Arachige Don from Utrecht University will investigate the genetics in huskies causing malocclusion, also known as overbite.

Marianne Caudron from the University of Montreal will work on a project focusing on the association between behavioral factors and the recurrence rate of feline idiopathic cystitis patients.

Zack English from Colorado State University Teaching Hospital will review the spatial relationships between the mitral valve and aorta in canine degenerative mitral valve disease.

Shelly Lownds from St. George’s University will screen frog species, looking for a chytrid fungus called 

Miranda Michlanski from Oregon State University will work on a project that will help better understand the prevalence and burden of 

, in marbled murrelets, both at a population level and then once it is stratified by age and sex, plus the implications this has for this species.

Tyler O’Brien from Western University of Health Sciences will take a deeper look at genetic variations that can make dogs susceptible to underlying anxiety, depression, and stress.

Gabriella Balaa from the University of Missouri will focus her project on evaluating the sensitivity and specificity of a previously neonatal sepsis scoring system with the addition of serum amyloid A measurement regarding sepsis detection in foals.

Sally Carnevale from Tufts University will conduct a project investigating the role of macrophages in the upregulation of microRNA-145 and αSMA in valvular interstitial cells using cytokines as a way to replicate the microenvironment created by macrophages.

Faith Yang from the University of California, Davis, will evaluate the effect of walking and substrate surfaces on the food pad weight loading of the Magellanic Penguins, with and without pododermatitis.

Marie Clarissa Mutoniwase from the University of Rwanda will assess what impact human activities have on the transmission of wildlife disease in Volcanoes National Park.

“Research is the gateway to understanding and innovation,” said Ronzani.

 “The Morris Animal Foundation Veterinary Student Scholar program allows young minds, like myself, to learn and practice the methods that make proficient research.”

The program was created in 2005 and had about 600 students participate. Multiple students who have participated had their findings published in peer-reviewed journals as part of larger projects.

 Past programs funding through the Veterinary Student Scholar program have provided funding to students all over the world and helped some even transition into investigators helping future researchers.

Foundation Selects 24 Veterinary Students for Mentorship Program. News release. Morris Animal Foundation. December 19, 2023. Accessed January 2, 2024. https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/foundation-selects-24-veterinary-students-mentorship-program

Morris Animal Foundation disclosed the students accepted to its Veterinary Student Scholar program 

Twenty-four veterinary students selected for mentorship program 

 readers! We are so excited for 2024 and all of the exciting content and conferences that are on the horizon. While the first Fetch conference of 2024 is not until we head to Charlotte, North Carolina from 

 team will attend conferences across the country before that. Be sure to check in to see where we are heading and what content is heading your way!

The American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine recently took a deep dive into the loan repayment program through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture that will provide aid to veterinarians in areas facing a veterinary shortage.

On this week’s episode of The Vet Blast podcast, host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA kicks off the year with Ricky Walthers, DVM, chief medical officer at Pawlicy Advisor to learn more about recent trends in pet insurance, misconceptions about pet insurance, and more.

dvm360's Australian correspondent Phil Tucak, BSc, BVMS, kicks off the veterinary scene done under by sharing updates on one veterinary nurse who educates veterinarians and emergency services on how to safely assist animals in emergencies, plus Australia welcomes its first female Australian chief veterinary officer.

Airvet, a pet telehealth services provider for employers, announced it was the first veterinary telehealth company in California to make a fully veterinary-client-patient relationship compliant remote diagnosis and written prescriptions.

, Whit Cothern, DVM, executive director, Veterinary Professional Services, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, gave more insights for veterinary professionals to understand better Senvelgo, Boehringer Ingelheim’s new velagliflozin oral solution.

Want to head to a Fetch conference this year, but are not sure where we are heading? If so, check out all our locations, dates, and more on the Fetch dvm360 

Here is a sneak peek at this week’s headlines 