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WSAVA Monthly NEWs - December, 2007 WSAVA Activities and Committee ReportsContinuing Education Committee Update and New Logo The WSAVA Continuing Education programme was started 15 years ago and is highlighted with a “new look” – a logo dedicated to the WSAVA global CE activities (see figure). Fifteen years ago, WSAVA and FECAVA joined forces to provide post graduate education in the emerging countries of Eastern Europe and the Baltic States. The pilot programme was targeted at six countries and from these beginnings, a series of meetings has developed that spans five continents and includes forty one countries.
From the very outset we have been strongly supported by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Intervet and Bayer Animal Health whose enthusiasm and financial commitment has enabled the programme to flourish. National Associations have also given generously of their time, money and personnel to assist the scheme. AFVAC ( France ) , ASAVA ( Australia ) , BSAVA (UK) , DSAVA ( Denmark ), HVMS ( Greece ), NACAM ( The Netherlands ) , NSAVA ( Norway ), SVK ( Switzerland ) and VOK ( Austria ) are all generous sponsors in an international scheme.
The purpose of the scheme is to encourage both individual learning and to assist member associations to develop their own self sufficiency and continuing education programmes. This theoretically will make the project self limiting and it would be considered a triumph if that ever happened! Currently the focus of activity is moving from Europe to other parts of the world and it is delightful to see financial strength and development in countries being mirrored in their desire for continuing education in small animal veterinary surgery and their ability to become self sufficient.
Countries involved in the programme are:
Europe: Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Rumania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Asia: Iran, China ( Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Guangzhou) , Hong Kong, India, ( Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Chennai ) Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand,
Africa: Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa
South America: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Columbia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela
For more information on WSAVA CE programs and upcoming CE events, please visit the Continuing Education Program page of the WSAVA website (www.wsava.org).
NEWS From Around the WorldUnited States – Animal Welfare
Cruelty Argument Sways California Courts on Declaw Ban
A lengthy court battle over the regulation of veterinary medicine—specifically declaw procedures—ended Oct. 10, 2007, when the California Supreme Court upheld a declaw ban issued by the city of West Hollywood. The court rejected a request from the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) to review an appellate court decision to uphold the ban.
Veterinary professionals attribute the city’s success to an argument that declaw procedures are cruel. Another feather in the city’s cap is the fact that the Practice Act does not specifically list the declaw procedure in its definition of veterinary medicine. West Hollywood city officials have mentioned adding tail docking and ear cropping to the ban.
The CVMA had voiced concerns over the implications this court ruling has over municipal/outside control over other procedures under the auspices of the veterinary profession – and potentially for other medical professions. Additionally, the CVMA raised concerns over needless euthanasia or pet relinquishment for cats that would otherwise be kept if declawed, as a last resort to curb furniture or other home damage.
Previous attempts to ban declawing at the state level—through the Practice Act—have failed and while another state-level attempt is not expected, some cities—including San Francisco—are attempting local bans.
United States – Legislation Regarding Pet Food Safety
JAVMA News November 1, 2007 Legislation passed by Congress in September contains food safety provisions requiring the Food and Drug Administration to set ingredient and processing standards for pet food. The new law, which applies also to human food, establishes an early warning system to alert the public about unsafe pet food.
Congress directed the FDA to improve communication with the public, companies, and professional organizations during recalls, including the posting of information and a searchable, user-friendly recall list on the agency's Web site. A reportable food registry must be set up so the FDA can issue alerts about foods that could harm people or animals. The agency is to provide more detailed reports to Congress on food inspections as well.
Under the new law, state and federal authorities must work together to improve food safety programs. Food companies are obligated to quickly report contaminations of their product after determining there is a problem and to make records available so contaminated foods can be traced without delay.
The legislation was Congress' response to high-profile cases of contaminated human and pet food. A massive pet food recall was initiated this past March after many pets became sick or died after eating certain brands. Subsequent testing of the suspect food found it was adulterated with melamine and cyanuric acid. Ensuing hearings in the House and Senate highlighted areas where additional food safety regulations were needed.
The Pet Food Institute, a trade group representing U.S. pet food manufacturers, is analyzing the law and working with the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine to understand its implications, according to Kurt Gallagher, a PFI spokesperson
WSAVA Monthly NEWs – November, 2007 WSAVA Activities and Committee Reports Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) – WSAVA Vaccine Guidelines Available Online The Vaccine Guideline Group (VGG) was convened in order to develop guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats that have global applications. The VGG recognizes that the keeping of pet small animals is subject to significant variation in practice and associated economics throughout the world, and that vaccination recommendations that might apply to a developed country, may or may not be appropriate for a developing country. Despite this, the VGG strongly recommends that wherever possible, ALL dogs and cats receive the benefit of vaccination. This not only protects the individual animal, but provides optimum "herd immunity" that minimizes the likelihood of outbreak of infectious disease.
With this in mind, the SAC and VGG has developed Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats to assist veterinarians throughout the world in developing vaccination strategies based on disease incidence and sound immunological principles, both of which are covered in the Guideline text. The Guidelines also contain information on vaccination in the shelter environment. Pictured: WSAVA Executive Board members (from left to right) Drs. David Wadsworth (President Elect), Brian Romberg (President), Anne Sorensen (Secretary), and Luis Tello (Member) congratulate Scientific Advisory Committee Chair Dr. Anjop Venker-van Haagen (third from right) and Member Dr. Michael Day (third from left) on the Vaccine Guidelines Group (VGG)accomplishments. The Guidelines have recently been published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice (Day MJ, Horzinek MC, Schultz RD. Guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats: Compiled by the Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). J Sm Anim Pract 2007;48(9):528-541) However are also available online via the Scientific Advisory Committee page of the WSAVA website. Unique to the guidelines published on the WSAVA website is a series of disease summary sheets and a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) section for added reader benefit. For more information on this and ongoing updates on canine and feline influenza virus, visit the Scientific Advisory Committee page. Microchip Committee - Microchip Transponders and cancer: a request for information
"Is there any evidence that tumours form at the site of transponder implantation in companion animals?"
Rumours and media reports from various countries have recently hinted that implanting transponders into companion animals may predispose them to tumour development at the site of implantation.
The WSAVA Microchip Committee has reviewed the available evidence and come to the conclusion that from the tiny number of such cases reported compared to the huge numbers of animals that have been implanted this effect is extremely small, if it exists at all. The benefits of transponder implantation, backed up with a reliable, accurate and available database, far outweigh this risk. Further details are available on the Microchip Committee page of the WSAVA website.
However, in order to monitor the situation the Committee would be interested to receive details of any cases were tumours have developed in companion animals at the site of transponder implantation and where there is suspicion of an association. In the first instance details should be sent to the WSAVA secretariat at fasanne@fasanne.dk, WSAVA Website – 2007 Update Beginning in January 2004, Dr. Walt Ingwersen took over the editorial responsibilities and has overseen a variety of revisions that have expanded the websites content, enhanced its user-friendliness, and continues to ensure information is kept current through frequent updates. Key to this is publication of the WSAVA Monthly News and updates on Executive Board, Committee and Standardization Project activities.
Enhancements that have been implemented in the past 3 years include:
• Expanded translations of the WSAVA monthly news to now include Italian, Spanish, French, and Chinese versions in addition to English.
• A website search function – located in the upper right section of the Homepage, visitors can now quickly search the WSAVA website using key words through a Google Custom Search function.
• WSAVA Handbook online – located on the upper left hand section of the home page, this feature replaces the hard copy of the WSAVA Handbook. When looking for a member association, visitors can now either do so alphabetically via the online Handbook or via geographic location via the Member Associations link located in the lower left region of the Homepage.
• Links to the WSAVA Congress proceedings, which are now indexed by CABI.
• Links to the past Congress Animal Welfare Forums to the Animal Welfare Committee section.
• Posting of the WSAVA semi-annual News Bulletins online as pdf files.
• Posting of Standardization Projects brochures online as pdf files. The Impact
Website statistics of traffic flow over the last 3 years clearly support the value of the WSAVA website. 2004: Total Hits=841,655; Monthly Average Hits=70,140; Daily Average Hits=2,300; Total Page Views=204,131 2005: Total Hits=1,519,783; Monthly Average Hits=126,649; Daily Average Hits=4,318; Total page Views=334,171 2006: Total Hits=1,830,873; Monthly Average Hits=152,573; Daily Average Hits=5,016; Total page Views=410,952 This represents a 2.2 fold increase, or greater than 100% increase in website traffic flow between 2004-2006 and this tend continues in the first half of 2007. Other statistics of interest: The largest number of visitors were from North America (primarily USA but including Canada), which represented approximately 42% of visits. Second place goes to the EU with the UK, Spain, and Italy leading the pack. Other top 10 visitor geographic regions included Mexico, Australia, and China. 91% of visitors came directly to the www.wsava.org siteGoogle was the most common referral search engine. The most popular pages/sections viewed have been: Homepage, microchipping, animal welfare and tail docking, congresses, and member association pages.
All in all, these numbers indicate a continued and growing interest in the WSAVA and its various initiatives and member associations.
WSAVA Monthly NEWs – October 2007 WSAVA 2007 Sydney Congress Highlights The beautiful city of Sydney, Australia welcomed 2,048 delegates representing 67 countries during the 32nd WSAVA Congress held from August 19-23, 2007. The top 5 countries of attendee origin were Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the USA. The continuing education (CE) program was comprised of over 240 lectures (including 4 State-Of-The-Art Lectures or SOTALs) accommodated into 8 streams with over 23 disciplines presented by 70 speakers from 10 different countries. This was complemented by 95 oral or poster Abstract presentations and several Pre-Congress meetings that included the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS), a PennHIP training seminar, and a Triple Tibial Osteotomy workshop. As well, the Animal Welfare track continues as a Congress Highlight, attracting more attendees year-over-year. The Congress was supported by Prime Partner Hill’s, Partners Intervet, Fort Dodge, and Novartis, as well as over 80 other exhibitors within the Exhibition Hall.
Evenings were spent meeting old friends and making new ones at a variety of lively social events. The Opening Ceremonies took place on Sunday, August 19 at the Sydney Convention Centre and featured a didgeridoo performance, joined later by a trio of lively violinists called String Angels, as well as opening addresses by Drs. John Holt, Di Sheehan, and Brian Romberg, including presentation of the WSAVA Awards (see later). This was followed by a cocktail party in the Exhibit Hall that featured a variety of entertainers including a pair of human kangaroos and dancing geckos. Wednesday night played host to the Gala Evening, which featured wonderful Australian dishes complimented by superb regional wines followed by an evening of dancing that saw the dance floor crowded with revelers. The Closing Ceremonies wrapped up the Congress on Thursday afternoon and featured Irish Line Dancers and the Irish Congress organizing committee inviting guests to attend next year’s Congress in Dublin, Ireland on August 20-24, 2008. And all of this took place with the back drop of Sydney, including the iconic Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge (affectionately called “the Coat Hanger”), which many a brave attendee conquered during their memorable Sydney Bridge Climb. The Sydney Congress was a tremendous event, complimented by many pre, congress, and post-congress tours arranged by the Congress Organizing Committee, all of which will leave attendees with many fond and lasting memories.
For more information on the 2007 WSAVA Congress, including a photo gallery, visit the Homepage of the WSAVA website at www.wsava.org. WSAVA Assembly Meeting WSAVA President Dr. Brian Romberg welcomed the Assembly members after a 10-month hiatus since the last assembly meeting in Prague, Czech Republic on October 10, 2006. He provided assembly members updates from a very active WSAVA leadership, including the Executive Board and various committees, which he highlighted in his Congress President’s Message (see August WSAVA News).
An election of Officers was also held that included filling the Vice President vacancy created by Dr. Terry Lake’s resignation (prompted by the demands of his burgeoning political career in British Columbia, Canada) and also included the addition of Dr. Di Sheehan (following nomination by Australia) to the Executive Board in the position of Honorary Treasurer. The “new” Executive Board, pictured left to right, is now comprised of Drs. Luis Tello (Executive Board Member; Chile), Brian Romberg (President; South Africa), Anne Sorensen (Honorary Secretary; Denmark), Jolle Kirpensteijn (Vice President; Netherlands pictured in the back row), Di Sheehan (Honorary Treasurer; Australia), David Wadsworth (President Elect; UK), and Larry Dee (Immediate Past President; USA).
The assembly members voted in favour of accepting 4 new full member associations from Ecuador (AMVEPE), Morocco (AMVAC), Namibia (VAN), and the Philippines (PAHA), as well as one associate member from Albania. Additionally, Jeju, South Korea was chosen as the site for the 2011 WSAVA Congress.
Additional Assembly Meeting highlights included:
• A revised and more equitable fee structure that will reduce reliance on outside sponsorship dollars
• Acceptance of the 2008 budget
• Announcement of Hill’s as a long-term Prime Partner for the WSAVA Congresses
More details will be provided in the Assembly Minutes. 2006 WSAVA Award Winners (for more complete information visit the Awards page) WSAVA WALTHAM International Award for Scientific Achievement This award is based on outstanding contributions by a veterinarian who has had a significant impact on the advancement of knowledge concerning the cause, detection, cure and/or control of disorders of companion animals. Dr. Craig Greene, Professor Emeritus Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia, School of Veterinary Medicine. WSAVA INTERVET International Award for Service to the Profession
The Award is presented to a person who has given exemplary service in fostering and enhancing the exchange of scientific and cultural ideas throughout the veterinary small animal world. Dr. Stephen Ettinger, Co-Editor of the Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine and founding partner of California Animal Hospital Specialty Group and Emergency Services. WSAVA Saki Patsaama Award This award is presented to a clinical researcher for excellence in the field of canine and feline orthopedic medicine and surgery. Dr. Peter Schawalder, Professor and Head of the Division of Surgery and Orthopedics at the University of Bern, Switzerland. WSAVA Hills Excellence in Veterinary Healthcare Award This award recognizes the outstanding work of veterinarians in promoting companion animal healthcare and the family pet/veterinary bond through a special sensitivity to both clients and patients using leading edge clinical nutrition and advanced medical and surgery techniques. Dr. Jody Lulich, Professor, University of Minnesota and Co-Director of the Minnesota Urolith Centre, Minnesota, USA. Future Congresses Dublin, Ireland – August 20-24, 2008 The Veterinary Ireland Companion Animal Society (VICAS) will host the World’s companion animal veterinarians to the 33rd WSAVA Congress and 14th European FECAVA Congress in 2008 in Dublin, Ireland. Ireland has a population of 4 million of which 2,000 are veterinarians. The Congress will have a distinctive Irish flavour, making your stay in Ireland a valuable and informative experience. The social program promises to give you a chance to enjoy our legendary Irish hospitality!! Sao Paulo, Brazil – September 7-11, 2009 Geneva, Switzerland – June 2-5, 2010 Jeju, South Korea - 2011 Proceedings Available On-Line
Proceedings from the WSAVA 2007 World Congress are now available on-line via the WSAVA website. Contents include Congress abstracts as well as proceedings from 240 lectures covering 23 different disciplines by 70 speakers. Disciplines covered include acupuncture, anesthesiology, behaviour, cardiology, clinical immunology, dentistry, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, exotic animal medicine, feline, gastroenterology, immunogenetics, infectious/parasitic disease, nephrology/urology, neurology/neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, pathology, pharmacology, reproduction, standards of care, and surgery. Proceedings are also available for the Animal Welfare forum as well as the Practice Management track and 4 separate State of the Art Lectures (SOTAL) providing cutting-edge information on current topics from world-renowned veterinary scientists.
The WSAVA World Congress proceedings are also available online in a partnership with IVIS (International Veterinary Information Service), a New York based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of animal care by providing up-to-date, clinical information to veterinarians, veterinary students, and animal health professionals, WSAVA.
WSAVA Monthly NEWs - September, 2007
Select WSAVA Assembly 2007 Committee Reports Animal Welfare At the Prague WSAVA Congress in 2006, the Executive Board of the WSAVA re-structured the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) of the WSAVA, appointing Drs. Roger Clarke and Ray Butcher as Co-Chairmen of the new committee. The members of the old AWC were thanked for their assistance in the past and the new committee will work by co-opting members on an ad-hoc basis as the need arises.
The Proceedings of all the Animal Welfare Seminars since 2001 have now been placed under an animal welfare heading on the WSAVA Web site.
64 of the WSAVA Member associations are signatories to the WSAVA Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals and we encourage those Associations who are not yet signatories to become one; the committee will be writing to these Associations to see if they can find a way to adapt their policies to enable them to sign up. Animal welfare is one of the main reasons for the existence of the veterinary profession and we need to be advocates for the welfare of our patients.
Ray Butcher is a past President of WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) and has been working closely with Welfare Societies to see if the veterinary profession and welfare groups can work more closely together.
Dr. Jim Edwards, a past-president of the World Veterinary Association (WVA) is now in charge of the VAWN (Veterinary Animal Welfare Network) that communicates regularly with the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) on welfare-related matters. The WSAVA AWC has already established close links to VAWN in relation to small animal welfare (see additional news item below).
The AWC is looking at strategies to improve the animal welfare seminars held at WSAVA Congresses and also the possibility of working with the newly formed Federation of Asian Small Animal Veterinary Associations (FASAVA) to hold a welfare seminar in Asia in conjunction with the next FASAVA Congress in Bangkok. WSAVA Scientific Advisory Committee The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) was created to advise and assist the WSAVA Executive Board in developing links with the academic world involved in research and development in Small Animal Veterinary Science. Its aim is to stimulate academic participation under the auspices of the WSAVA and at the same time to promote worldwide access to knowledge resulting from research.
The SAC advised the Congress Organizing Scientific Committee of the WSAVA Congress 2006 in Prague. The SAC also examined, commented on, and approved the scientific program for the WSAVA Congress 2007 in Sydney. During the WSAVA Congress 2006 in Prague, the SAC met with the chair of the Organization Committee for the WSAVA Congress 2008 in Dublin. Not only were the State-of-the-Art Lectures discussed, but also the prepared scientific programs (streams and lecture topics and speakers). The SAC was very much in agreement with the plans of the Organizing Committee for 2008. The contacts with the Organizing Committee for the WSAVA Congress 2009 in Sao Paulo were established. In late 2006 and early 2007, contacts between the SAC and the Organizing Committee for the WSAVA Congress 2010 in Geneva were formalized.
The SAC advised the WSAVA Executive Board on the selection of the recipients of the WSAVA/Waltham International Award for Scientific Achievement 2007 and the WSAVA/Hill’s Award for Excellence in Veterinary Healthcare 2007.
The SAC has reviewed the project submitted by the Proposal Committee of the WSAVA International Renal Standardization Study Group and has sent a detailed report and comments to the WSAVA Executive Board.
The SAC has prepared texts for the WSAVA website about recent knowledge concerning avian influenza and canine influenza, including a list of addresses of web pages where news reviews have been updated and published.
The WSAVA “Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG)” associated with the SAC has completed guidelines for good practice (“standard of care”) for vaccination of dogs and cats. The (VGG) will present the Guidelines during the WSAVA Congress 2007 in Sydney. The Organizing Committee of the WSAVA Congress in Sydney was very helpful to include a lecture in the main program of the Congress. The guidelines are intended for teachers at veterinary institutions, students, companion animal practitioners, and veterinary policy makers (e.g., national societies); their recommendations should also be understandable to the public. Further publication will be online through the www.wsava.org website and will be announced later. The online version will be updated, when needed, over the years.
The SAC has initiated a plan to develop “WSAVA reference labs” to help scientists, specialists, and practitioners in small animal sciences to obtain access to the most reliable laboratories worldwide. There is a need for standardization of diagnostic methods and criteria for an ever increasing range of small animal diseases. New methods can be expensive and the case load for individual small animal hospitals may be too small to allow them to develop enough experience to become competent in the diagnosis of all rare conditions. A good alternative is to send the material to a competent laboratory or institution. The object of the SAC is to establish a database with links to the home pages of laboratories which can perform certain tests under controlled quality.
The WSAVA has developed guidelines for formal application of research projects for the WSAVA . Similar guidelines for WSAVA “standardization” projects will be developed.
The SAC will in the near future prepare papers discussing the influence of Evidence-Based Medicine and Comparative Medicine on Companion Animal Medicine. GI Standardization Group
Endoscopy Report Guidelines - The Endoscopy Report Guidelines, as developed
by Dr. Mike Willard and discussed and approved by the Standardization
Group, was presented to the membership of the Comparative Gastroenterology
Society at the 2007 ACVIM Forum in Seattle. The proposed guidelines were
endorsed unanimously by the Society. To recap what has happened to date, the GI Standardization group decided that we needed to address endoscopy as well as histopathology. This decision was made because so many GI biopsies are taken endoscopically, and quality of biopsy is thought to seriously affect diagnosis. The first concern was to take steps to substantively improve the quality of gastrointestinal endoscopy. While addressing training programs might be an apparently logical first choice, we believed that this approach would have minimal effect of what really transpired in practice. We decided that defining and documenting outcome was a better place to start. Training programs will eventually be addressed, but first we addressed the outcome.
The idea is that if one can provide all the information required by a standardized endoscopy report, then it is very likely that the procedure was performed appropriately (we are assuming that the endoscopist can recognize whether or not something was appropriately examined). We reviewed the literature dealing with standardization of reporting of endoscopic techniques in human gastroenterology and then came up with recommendations for what a gastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy form should contain. Input was obtained from the Comparative Gastroenterology Society membership and the United Kingdom Internal Medicine group. After obtaining as much input as possible from these groups, the recommendations were refined and a sample form was constructed. The purpose of the sample form was not to prescribe the only way such a form could look; rather, it was to give an example of what an acceptable form must contain (i.e., patient data, procedure performed and why it was performed, equipment used, complications encountered, what documentation was employed, samples taken, findings and recommendations). Check boxes are used so that it would be documented that everything that should be looked at was in fact looked at, even if it was normal and would not normally be written down in a free text form. These forms are now available online and posted to the GI Standadization Group page of the www.wsava.org website.
We are currently looking at how many biopsies should be taken to ensure diagnosis, and that information has been accepted as an abstract at the coming ECVIM in Budapest.
Another piece of (good) news to share. The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Board of Regents has invited the WSAVA Gastrointestinal Standardization Group to develop, present, and publish an ACVIM Consensus Statement on "Histopathologic Standards for Canine and Feline Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)" at the 2008 ACVIM Forum in San Antonio (presentation) and in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (publication). Obviously, we were very, very pleased to learn of this invitation! NEWS From Around the World
At its meeting in Taiwan on World Veterinary Day, the WVA (World Veterinary Association) Council finalized plans to launch a new global network for veterinarians to communicate on animal welfare matters. This is to be facilitated through the WVA website at: http://worldvet.org/News-index-catid-6.html.
The input into the WVA website will be moderated to protect the integrity of the WVA and VAWN from unsuitable material being made public through the WVA/VAWN website pages. The WVA has so far appointed two regional leaders to assist moderate the information submitted so that contributions can be published in several languages for regional audiences. Dr. Leopoldo Estol from Argentina who promoted this development and Prof. Andrew Fei from Taiwan have agreed to participate in these roles.
Veterinarians are encouraged to publish news, items of interest, papers, and to initiate discussion on animal welfare related topics.
WSAVA Monthly NEWs - August, 2007 PRESIDENT’S REPORT ASSEMBLY MEETING SYDNEY AUGUST 2007 My first term on office has been very busy and my sincere thanks go to the members of my executive who have fulfilled their obligations enthusiastically and efficiently. A special thank you to our Honorary Secretary Anne Sorenson and her assistant Pernille Blok Rissom for their tremendous effort in responding to numerous e-mails, sending out correspondence to the assembly members, and collating all the minutes and material for our meetings. Without them we could not function as an association. I have received many invitations to attend association meetings which I appreciated. Unfortunately I was only able to attend a few of these. I attended the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) in Orlando in January and would like to thank Colin Burrows and Philippe Moreau for their hospitality. Larry Dee and Jolle Kirpensteijn were also in Orlando and we used this opportunity to meet with some of our sponsors and to finalize the very important congress sponsorship with Hill’s and the Renal Standardization Project agreement with Hill’s and Bayer. In April I attended the BSAVA congress in Birmingham. My thanks to Mike Jessop and his association for their hospitality and for sponsoring my accommodation. Your Executive Board (EB) held a meeting in Dublin in April. A full day was spent on strategic planning under the guidance of David Wadsworth. Many very important issues were discussed and major initiatives proposed, which will be shared with the Assembly meeting in August in Sydney. We also had the opportunity to meet with Nicola Neumann and her 2008 Dublin Congress organizing committee. We visited the congress centre and the venue for the social events. They are presently hard at work finalizing their scientific program and obtaining sponsorship. Terry Lake has decided to pursue his political career and as a result of this has indicated that he will not have enough the time to devote to the WSAVA and has reluctantly tendered his resignation as Vice President. Terry has been an invaluable member of our committee both as the Honorary Treasurer and recently as the Vice President and he will be sorely missed. We wish him all the very best in his future career and hope that we will still see him at future WSAVA congresses. Jolle Kirpensteijn has only been a member of the EB for one year but his experience in organizing congresses and his personal contacts with the sponsors has been of immense value to the association. He has helped us to secure some new sponsorship with a number of other opportunities in the pipeline. He has introduced many new ideas to the running of our administration, the bidding process for congresses, and has been intimately involved with David Wadsworth and Terry Lake in formulating the new subscription proposal which will be debated and voted upon during the Assembly meeting. Jolle has relinquished his position as Honorary Treasurer to stand for the now vacant Vice President’s position. This brings me to the matter of the elections. We are extremely fortunate in having such worthy candidates in Jolle Kirpensteijn (Netherlands), Roger Clarke (Australia), Di Sheehan (Australia), and Jiri Beranek (Czech Republic) all of whom have willingly offered their services to our association. To those who get elected I welcome you on board and to those who unfortunately do not get elected, I trust you will continue to work within your association in keeping the WSAVA in the forefront. I would also like to thank Anne Sorenson for making herself available to stand for another term of office as the Honorary Secretary. The EB have also recommended that Luis Tello remains the additional Executive
Board Member for another year, managing the important Public Relations portfolio. We have before us three superbly presented bids to host the 2011 World Congress. They are from Korea, Malaysia, and New Zealand. As per the WSAVA Congress Standard Operating Protocol (SOP), I will inform you of the EB’s preferred host at the Assembly meeting. In order to do this fairly, visitations to each of these countries was carried out by Jolle Kirpensteijn where he had in depth discussions with their organizing committees, visited the congress centers and ascertained other criteria such as accommodation and the ease of getting to these venues. Our various committees have been very active during the year and to all committee chairs and members a very special thanks from all of us for giving of your time to work on behalf of our association. The Animal Welfare Committee under the co-chairmanship of Roger Clarke and Ray Butcher has set a number of goals for their committee to achieve. Their aim is also to have this committee recognized as the spokes body for small animal welfare globally. The Continuing Education Committee is being run by David Wadsworth, ably assisted by Luis Tello and Roger Clarke. Our thanks Bayer Animal Health, Intervet, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition for their ongoing sponsorship of this important program. I would also like to thank AFVAC, BSAVA, DSAVA, HVMS, NSAVA, SVK and VOK for their contribution towards this program. This is very much appreciated and shows the spirit of co-operation between the members of our association and we would be more then happy if other associations or organizations followed suit. The Financial Advisory Committee of Klaus Dreier, Umesh Karkare, and the Honorary Treasurer play a very important role in overseeing the accounts of the association. The proposed new subscription structure is fully supported by this committee. They also support the efforts of the EB to put our association on a much more stable financial footing and with our ultimate goal of being able to employ a permanent CEO as well as initiating other projects. Unfortunately due to health reasons, Klaus can not be present in Sydney and we wish him a very speedy recovery. Klaus’s term of office as member of this committee has come to an end and as per the constitution I would like to recommend to the Assembly that Link Wellborn (USA) be appointed to replace him. Currently we are faced with a negative net annual income and are fully reliant on the administration fee we receive from the various sponsorship contracts to finance our daily management costs. This is not a healthy situation and, as discussed in Prague, could be partly overcome by increasing our member subscription fees and by receiving increased revenue from congresses. The EB has set a number of goals for the association but without a healthy bank balance these can not be achieved. The Hereditary Diseases Committee is chaired by Urs Giger with Jeff Sampson, Ake Hedhammer, and Peter Markwell as committee members. Urs was instrumental in negotiating a sponsorship for this committee of $25,000 a year for three years from Mars for which we are most grateful. Due to the importance of this subject the EB took a decision to instruct congress organizers to include a stream on hereditary diseases at all WSAVA congresses from 2008 onwards. The Microchip Committee is chaired by Fred Nind and he is assisted by Dan Aja, Lawson Cairns, and Washizu Makoto. I would like too thank Marc Buchet, a past chairman and member of this committee his contribution over the past number of years. The PR and Editorial Committee of Luis Tello and Walt Ingwersen have kept us all in the loop with monthly newsletters, the news bulletin, and updated information on the activities of our various committees and associations on our website. The news bulletin is being produced as an online publication and it is essential that you as your national representatives ensure that all your members receive copies of this bulletin in either a hard copy or electronic form. Your contribution by updating your association’s details and news is essential. The handbook as discussed in Prague will no longer be available in hard copy form and will be available on line. The Scientific Advisory Committee under the leadership of Anjop Venker van Haagen has carried out their duties with the usual diligence. They were instrumental in initiating the Vaccine Guidelines project the results of which will be made known to us at this congress and are investigating other potential projects which may be of interest to the WSAVA. They developed a set of guidelines for assessing scientific and standardization project submissions. They also play an important role is monitoring the scientific content of our congress program and for nominating the congress award winners. The WSAVA Standardization Projects remain one of our most important undertakings. Thanks to our sponsors we have managed to complete two projects: the Liver Standardization Project (sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition) and the Vaccine Guideline Project (sponsored by Intervet) with the Gastrointestinal Project (sponsored jointly by the WSAVA and Hill’s Pet Nutrition) due for completion this year, the results of which will be presented at the WSAVA World Congress in Dublin next year. The sponsorship of the Renal Standardization Project has been signed and is due to start in 2008; our sincere thanks to Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Bayer Animal Health for their support of this exciting project. A special thank you to the leaders of these projects: Jan Rothuizen, Marion Horzinek, Richard Washibau, Larry Coghill, and David Polzin and all their team members. We truly appreciate the personal time you forfeit on behalf of our association and the effort you devote to these projects. We are very fortunate to have Claudio Brovida as the Special Projects Co-Coordinator. Claudio has a very responsible undertaking especially making sure that all the contractual agreements pertaining to each project is fulfilled. Thank you very much Claudio for your dedication to this task. We have maintained a strong and cordial relationship with FECAVA, FASAVA, FAFVAC, FIAVAC and I thank them for this. Finally to Dianne Sheehan and the members of her congress committee – we are very grateful to you and your team for this undertaking. I know the many hours you have all dedicated to the organizing of this congress – the sleepless nights, the anxiety, the ups and downs, but I am positive that over the days of August 19-23, this will all have been forgotten and you will be able to smile on a job well done. When we finally arrive “down under” I am confident that we will experience a congress with a well-developed scientific program, great social events, and the opportunity to explore the beauty of Australia in the form of pre-and post-congress tours. No longer will Di be using her punch line “just how long can you keep saying one day I’ll go to Sydney, Australia.” In conclusion, I invite those that haven’t registered to do so – its not too late! For those that have, I wish you all safe travels and a pleasant conference. Enjoy meeting up with old friends and making new ones and please show our support for the sponsors, without whom this conference could not take place, by visiting the commercial exhibition. Warm wishes
Brian Romberg
President WSAVA
WSAVA Monthly NEWs - July, 2007 WSAVA Activities and Committee Reports Continuing Education (CE) in Peru
On May 1, 2007 in Lima city at the Meliá hotel facilities, 160 delegates attended the third sponsored WSAVA CE in Peru. Presiding was Dr. Luís Gomero as president of the organizing committee and treasurer of the Peruvian Small Animal Veterinary Association (PSAVA). Dr. Rau Benavente , PSAVA president and Peru’s WSAVA representative gave the opening address and WSAVA welcome on behalf of Drs. Romberg, Wadsworth, and Tello, and also reminded everyone of Drs. Varga, Dee, and Tello’s ongoing confidence and commitment to CE in Peru. The CE was provided by Dr. Roberto Antelo from Uruguay and Drs. Luisa Echevarria and Juan Chu from Peru and focused on reproduction of dogs and cats. It was also an opportunity for attendees to spend valuable time meeting and discussing with their colleagues from the PSAVA, particularly over the lunch hour. There was 11 hours of CE and fellowship in a very enjoyable environment. Dr. Luís Gomero closed the meeting with words of thanks to the WSAVA for their past and present support. WSAVA Member Association Updates Two Exceptional CE Opportunities for WSAVA Members BSAVA and the Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP)
The BSAVA is offering JSAP (the WSAVAs official publication) to WSAVA members at a discounted price. The standard personal price in 2007 is £193. However, WSAVA members can receive the Journal for £179 in 2007; £184 in 2008. This includes 12 issues per year in print and online access to all articles (currently dating back to 2002).
JSAP is a monthly peer-reviewed publication integrating clinical research papers and case reports from international sources, covering all aspects of medicine and surgery relating to dogs, cats and other small animals. These papers facilitate the dissemination and implementation of new ideas and techniques relating to clinical veterinary practice, with the ultimate aim of promoting best practice. The JSAP publishes high quality original articles, as well as other scientific and educational information.
To take advantage of this offer, WSAVA members will simply need to visit the following webpage (http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/subs.asp?ref=0022-4510&site=1)
and click on the WSAVA member rate which applies. British Veterinary Association (BVA) and In Practice
The BVA’s CE journal In Practice is being made available at a discounted price to WSAVA members. Any members taking up the offer will receive not just the paper journal but also access to its online archive, representing more than 25 years of accumulated veterinary expertise.
In Practice has been published since 1979, and has proved highly popular among UK students and practitioners. Published 10 times a year, it contains practice management information and concise, authoritative clinical articles, presented in an attractive and highly readable format. It aims to cover all the species commonly encountered in veterinary practice, including farm animals as well as companion animals. The emphasis is very much on the practical, and on keeping readers up to date with current thinking on diagnosis, treatment and procedures.
The whole back catalogue of articles from In Practice is available online at www.bvapublications.com. The archive is fully searchable, providing quick and easy access to some 1400 clinical articles, representing a substantial resource in terms of practitioner-oriented CE. Articles (in English) are available as PDFs, and the archive continues to grow as each new issue is published. To see what is available in In Practice, visit http://inpractice.bvapublications.com/
In Practice is available on annual subscription. Subscribers receive the paper journal and free access to the online archive for the period of their subscription. Under the terms of the offer, individual WSAVA members will be able to subscribe to the journal at a 25 per cent discount. For members outside the UK, this will mean an annual subscription rate of £86.25 (Africa, £78.75).
WSAVA members wishing to take up the offer should email louise.walpole@tenalpspublishing.com for details. The WSAVA would like to thank the BSAVA and our member association BVA for making this leading edge, scientific resource available to WSAVA members for the listed discounted price. This is very supportive of WSAVA’s overall commitment to veterinary CE and increasing the training and level of veterinary care available globally for small animals. WSAVA World Congress Sydney 2007 Update At Early Bird Closing date April 30th, the WSAVA 2007 Congress already had over 1,000 registrants! This promises to be an exciting and well attended meeting. The scientific program is up on the web site for all to see at www.WSAVA2007.com and Eastern Australia has finally had some rain and the August springtime in Sydney promises to be beautiful.
The meeting begins on the Sunday19th with pre-Congress meetings and the opening ceremony and Welcome reception in the Exhibition Hall on the Sunday evening. This will be a night of surprises with food and drink and entertainment for all. There are three pre-Congress meetings that nicely complement the robust WSAVA World Congress scientific program:
Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society
Topics include the animal emergency patient presented by Dr. Dez Hughes; acute fluid therapy and anesthesia/analgesia in the small animal emergency patient by Dr. Sarah Haldane; managing the patient with bite wounds to the chest and abdomen by Dr. Dan Brockman; and a case-based panel discussion.
Registration fee is $100 Australian and will include a proceedings booklet with morning and afternoon refreshments provided.
PennHIP Training Seminar
The seminar consists of 7 hours of lecture (morning and afternoon) covering the current understanding of canine hip dysplasia with specific emphasis on the science to support the PennHIP radiographic procedure. Ample opportunity will be provided for hands-on practice of the technique through the use of bone and simulated mechanical models. Attendees will receive 6 hours of continuing education credit. Technicians are welcome to accompany a veterinarian for a small fee. Interested veterinarians can register by visiting the PennHIP website at www.pennhip.org or by email at pennhipinfo@pennhip.org. Triple Tibial Osteotomy (TT0) Workshop
To include topics ranging from TPLO theory and new concepts, diagnosis and decision making, pre-surgical planning, instrumentation, meniscal surgery, TTO surgery step-by-step, post-op care & results, and will be followed by an afternoon practical session. This workshop will be lead by Drs. Warrick Bruce, Geoff Robins, and John Lapish. The Exhibition is a huge one and the exhibitors are out to impress. If you are bringing friends or family, Sydney has lots to see being one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There is the maritime museum and aquarium right outside the conference hotels and Star City Casino for those inclined to gamble. Sydney has hundreds of marvellous restaurants and Sydney is famed for its seafood restaurants and Sydney Rock Oysters - but don't stop at the oysters try the lot!
Sydney has many other theatres and the Opera House is near Circular Quay , where all the ferries spread out on Sydney Harbour. Take guided tour of the Opera House and then take a ferry to Taronga Zoo across from the Quay or another ferry to Manley Beach to have a cocktail at the Manley Pacific Hotel overlooking the water. Visit Bondi Beach and see our famous surf beaches and lifesavers. Shopping is also great fun and there are many unusual things to see and buy. You will have the opportunity to book tickets for a walk over Sydney Harbour Bridge. This is an amazing experience as you walk over the high arch and not the usual footpath. Have a look at our registration brochure and you will see what I mean. This is a once in a lifetime experience but not for the faint of heart. The Sydney 2007 Congress will also be the inaugural meeting of the Federation of Asian Small Animal Veterinary Associations (FASAVA) and many vets from Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Thailand, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia and China will be attending the meeting. Veterinarians from the Federation of Indian Veterinary Associations will also attend this meeting.
The Gala Dinner is on Wednesday evening 22nd August and the seats are limited by the size of the dining room so don't forget to book a seat when you register. After the Congress the whole of Australia is waiting for you from the Great Barrier Reef to the wineries of south eastern and western Australia to the warm beaches in far away Broome in north western Australia. In the centre lies Ularu (Ayres Rock) a huge red monolith revered as a sacred place by Australia's indigenous people who have occupied this land for over 40,000 years.
WSAVA Monthly NEWs – June, 2007 WSAVA Activities and Committee Reports Executive Board Meeting and Strategic Planning Session
As part of a Dublin, Ireland WSAVA 2008 World Congress site visit, the WSAVA Executive Board (EB) held both their regularly scheduled business meeting as well as an association strategic planning session.
Business Meeting: Aside from ongoing e-mail correspondence on a variety of association initiatives, including day-to-day administrative activities, the WSAVA EB meets formally four times per year to discuss association business; two of these meetings occur by teleconference, and two occur in person (one in association with the annual World Congress and the other as part of an upcoming World Congress planning/site visit). During their recent meeting in Dublin, Ireland, a number of issues were discussed by the EB including the resignation of Dr. Terry Lake as Vice President, upcoming World Congress venue updates, committee and standardization projects (updates presented in the May News and below), association finances, and various miscellaneous issues that had been forwarded for the EB’s attention.
Due to Dr. Terry Lake’s ever-increasing workload associated with his recent election as Mayor of Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, he did not feel that he could carry out his WSAVA duties with the attention they deserve. As such, he regretfully tendered his resignation as WSAVA Vice President effective at the upcoming Assembly meeting in Sydney, Australia. To date, the WSAVA has received two nominations for this position: Drs. Roger Clarke (Australia; co-chairs of the CE and Animal Welfare Committees) and Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn (Netherlands; current WSAVA Honorary Treasurer). In order for Jolle to stand for this post, he would have to resign as Honorary Treasurer and nominations for this position are now being awaited by the Honorary Secretary. Strategic Planning Session: Many of the initiatives discussed at the last WSAVA Strategic Planning Session, held in 2005 and chaired by now WSAVA President Dr. Brian Romberg, have either been or are being successfully implemented. While issues specific to board and committee long-term planning were discussed, a focus was placed on reviewing WSAVA identity and branding, association financial independence, and creating broader global awareness of the WSAVA and its initiatives. The outcome was a number of recommendations that will be forwarded to the Assembly for consideration, which encompass the WSAVA’s logo and mission statement, membership dues restructuring to increase the association’s financial independence, the position of a permanent secretariat, and an expanding role of the WSAVA website to provide association-specific information. WSAVA Standardization Projects Updates The Gastrointestinal Project is nearing completion and the results of this study will be presented at the congress in Dublin in 2008. Many thanks to project leader Dr. Robert Washibu and his committee, comprised of Drs. Bilzer, Day, Guilford, Hall, Jergens, Minami, Wilcock, and Willard. WSAVA would like to extend our sincere thanks for all their hard work and to the co-sponsor Hill’s Pet Nutrition for helping make this project possible.
For a brochure overviewing this project, please visit the GI Standardization Group page of the WSAVA website. The exciting news is that Hill’s Pet Nutrition together with Bayer Animal Health have agreed to sponsor the Renal Standardization Project. This project will be under the co-chair leadership of Drs. Larry Cowgill and David Polzin, and is anticipated to take approximately four years to complete.
The final outcome of this project will be to provide:
• A publication of a standardized system for classification of pathological lesions in canine glomeruli that is accepted and adopted throughout the world and that is based on a refinement of the system currently used in human medicine
• A description of the prevalence of precisely defined canine protein-losing kidney diseases in a large population of dogs and the correlation of the history, physical examination findings, and clinical laboratory data with the pathological disease classification
• The production of an atlas of glomerular diseases of the dog where the agreed standardized histopathological classification will be clearly presented together with the data on prevalence of the diseases and the clinical correlates of each major disease. This atlas will serve as a as an educational tool and will ensure widespread dissemination of the results of the project throughout the world.
• The definition of the natural history of progression of the canine kidney diseases defined in the cross-sectional part of this study by longitudinal follow-up of the cases from which biopsy material was submitted. These follow-up data will define the prognosis of each disease when dogs are subjected to current methods of standard care for protein-losing kidney disease. For a brochure overviewing this project, please visit the Renal Standardization Group page of the WSAVA website. WSAVA extends a heartfelt thank you to our good friend Dr. Claudio Brovida who both initiated and oversaw these projects; his insights and leadership have been invaluable in bringing these projects to completion. The Vaccination Guideline Group (VGG) under the leadership of Prof Marian Horzinek and the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) has completed their task and WSAVA thanks go to Intervet who provided the sponsorship for this study. Dr. Michael Day will present the findings of this group in Sydney in a lecture entitled “Global Companion Animal Vaccination – A report of the WSAVA Vaccine Guideline Group”. WSAVA Continuing Education Program in Malaysia – A Letter of Thank You On behalf of the Malaysian Small Animal Veterinary Association, I wish to convey our sincere gratitude to the WSAVA Continuing Education Program (CEP) for conducting such a program here in Malaysia.
Dr. Roger Clark of Australia was here with us from 24 to 27 March 2007 to conduct a series of talks on soft tissue surgery and orthopedics. The talk was very well received by our members who turned up in large numbers on quick notice. There were about one hundred and eight participants made up of private senior practitioners, younger veterinarians and faculty members.
The meeting was held as a series of talks followed by a fellowship dinner. Members of the association had a good opportunity to interact with Dr. Clark and a time to exchange ideas and renew old friendships. The Executive Council of MSAVA took the opportunity to meet with Dr.Clark to discuss future working relationship with regards to conducting CEPs on a regional and shared basis. We also had time to discuss the upcoming WSAVA Sydney Congress and Malaysia’s bid for the Congress in 2011.
Overall, it was a very fruitful event and judging by the demands from our participants we would be glad to see more of such considerations coming our way and we will be more than happy to organize.
I would take this opportunity to thank all the three major sponsors namely Hills, Bayer, and Intervet for their support and encouragement in making this endeavor a success.
Our good wishes and gratitude to Dr. Clark for coming over to conduct these lectures and for a wonderful time of fellowship.
Finally I place on record the Association’s appreciation of Dr. S. Sivagurunathan, the local CEP Chairman, and his team for organizing this WSAVA / MSAVA CEP. Yours truly,
Dr. Paul C.S., President MSAVA NEWS From Around the World
News from AAHA re: Pet Food Recall Continues to Expand, FDA Adds Ingredients to Its Import Surveillance List
Melamine and melamine metabolites, described by FDA officials as "waste products from chemical manufacturing" have been found in rice and wheat gluten ingredients imported from China and used in pet foods. At this time, government officials say melamine, which is used in fertilizers and plastics, may have been added to gluten to boost protein levels. Officials believe the combination of melamine and metabolites may be causing pet fatalities, which primarily present in cats as acute renal failure. Officials have confirmed that it was added to farm animal feed, but do not know how it will affect human health.
FDA officials received an invitation from the Chinese government to inspect two of the country's production facilities that produced tainted wheat and rice glutens and said they hope the recall will prompt pet food manufacturers to be more careful when selecting sources for food ingredients. Meanwhile, politicians are scrutinizing the FDA's surveillance of food safety and the agency's response to the recall.
Additional and more complete information can be found on the AAHA website at:
http://www.aahanet.org/About_aaha/petfoodrecall.html WSAVA World Congress Sydney 2007 Update Animal Welfare Stream: A Congress Highlight
The animal welfare stream at the WSAVA Congress to be held in Darling Harbour, Sydney this August promises to be an exciting event. The Welfare stream, which is presented at each Congress, is dedicated to presenting a scientific approach to animal welfare. This year the theme is genetic engineering and gene therapy and speakers will include:
Dr. M. Fisher, New Zealand - The ethical justification for using animal in genetic research
Prof Alan Trounson, Monash University, Australia - Public perceptions and scientific reality of genetic research
Dr. Simon-Peterson Jones, Michigan, USA - Inherited eye diseases
Dr. Rick Le Couteur, California, USA - Genetic markers and neurological diseases
Dr. Alan Wilton, University NSW, Australia - DNA markers in the diagnosis of disease
Associate Prof Bruce Parry, University of Melbourne, Australia - Haemophilia A in German shepherd dogs
Dr. Ian Gunn, Monash University, Australia - Problems in establishing a "Gene Bank" for endangered species While a Congress highlight, this is but a small portion of the scientific program available to attendees, which can be accessed and viewed in full at the Sydney Congress website. In addition, the website contains information on pre-congress meetings, social events, and various tours of both Sydney and Australia in general. One of the highlights and “must see” visits in Sydney is the Sydney Opera House. It is a short taxi ride from the Congress Centre and has many show offerings during the WSAVA World Congress week including:
• Utzon Room Music Series is an inspiring season of chamber music curated by Marshall McGuire in the stunning and intimate surrounds of the Utzon Room.
• TrioZ - Individually they are well known to Australian audiences for their dynamic performances and their impeccable musicianship.
• Opera Australia Premiere: A Streetcar Named Desire
• Berlioz Symphonie fantastique; Tugan Sokhiev conductor - With the composer in the grip of a fever-dream and obsessive unrequited love, symphonie fantastique whirls one through elegant ballrooms, desolate countryside, the execution of the artist, and an orgiastic gathering of witches, in a delirious, Gothic trip.
• Prokoviev Piano Concerto No.3 in C major - Powerful Russian pianist, Boris Berezovsky performs Prokofiev's Third Concerto, an exhilarating virtuoso showpiece in which the soloist takes on the orchestra in an ever-more frenetic battle of wits.
• Sydney Theater Company: Don's Party by famous Australian playwright, David Williamson
There is no shortage of things to learn or do while attending the WSAVA World Congress in Sydney so be sure to register soon!
WSAVA Monthly NEWs - May, 2007 WSAVA Activities and Committee Reports Hereditary Diseases Committee - under the guidance of Urs Giger has received a sponsorship from Mars to help finance their projects for three years. WSAVA is very grateful to Mars. The other members of this committee are Jeff Sampson, Ake Hedhammer and Peter Markwell and the aim of this committee amongst others will be to:
• Establish minimal and optimal standards for the diagnosis of specific hereditary diseases
• Gather information on the management of hereditary diseases
• Provide educational material for veterinarians
• Provide information and recommendations on the control of hereditary diseases Animal Welfare Committee - under the co chairmanship of Ray Butcher and Roger Clarke has been very active since the Prague congress. They have set out the following goals for this committee:
• To identify companion animal welfare issues Worldwide and priorities them
• To investigate and collate known scientific data and encourage debate on issues identified as priorities.
• To propose the adoption by the WSAVA Assembly of WSAVA Position Statements where appropriate
• To propose positive actions by WSAVA Executive where appropriate
• To increase awareness of companion animal welfare issues and to communicate WSAVA policy / findings to the membership and other appropriate parties.
• To propose a change in the Constitution of the WSAVA (1.3) to include the promotion of high standards of Companion Animal Welfare as a stated main objective of the WSAVA. Microchip Committee - new chairperson is Fred Nind. Many thanks to Marc Buchet for chairing this committee for a number of years and for all his input. The members of this committee are Roger Clarke, Lawson Cairns, Dan Aja, and Washizu Makoto. WSAVA Members in the News
Exemplifying the WSAVA mission to work for the betterment of small animal veterinary medicine around the globe, the following WSAVA members have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to veterinary medicine. AAHA Practitioner of the Year – Dr. Link Welborn, AAHA WSAVA representative
This is AAHA’s highest honour and is given to a veterinarian in private practice who has demonstrated commitment to AAHA, the profession, the community, his/her patients, and excellence in small animal medicine and surgery.
A 1982 Honours graduate of the University of Florida, Dr. Link Welborn owns four AAHA-accredited veterinary hospitals in Tampa, Florida and has been involved within AAHA since 1992, serving in a variety of capacities, including member of the AAHA Board for seven years and President during the 2003-2004 term. He is currently the Chair of the Accredited Referral Practice Task Force and his service to AAHA also includes chairing the Standards Enhancement Task Force and the Accreditation Program Task Force.
In addition to his AAHA connections, Welborn has been affiliated with numerous other professional veterinary organizations throughout his career, including the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues, Veterinary Council for Preventative Healthcare and the Florida Veterinary Medical Association. Blue Cross Animal Welfare Charity J. A. Wright Memorial – Dr. Ray Butcher, Co-Chair of WSAVA Animal Welfare Committee
This award celebrates the memory of Alf Wright, better known around the world as the fictitious James Harriot, and is presented to recognize outstanding contributions to the welfare of companion animals. BSAVA Bourgelat Award – Dr. Urs Giger, Chair WSAVA Hereditary Defects Committee
This award is presented annually by the British Small Animal Veterinary Association as the primary international recognition for truly outstanding contributions to the field of small animal practice. BSAVA Simon Award – Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn, WSAVA Treasurer
This award is presented annually to a member of the BSAVA for outstanding contribution in the field of veterinary surgery. The award was instigated by Mr. J. Thomas in honour of his seeing-eye dog “Simon”, a golden retriever guide dog who had become blind but had his vision restored through surgery. SAVA Boswell Award – Dr. Lawson Miller Cairns, past SAVA WSAVA representative and member WSAVA Microchip Committee
This award is presented by the South African Veterinary Association for eminent service rendered to the profession through the SAVA. Dr. Cairns has served the SAVA in a number of positions for 22 years. WSAVA Member Association Updates
New WSAVA Member – Guangdong Small Animal Veterinary Association At the WSAVA Assembly meeting on October 10, 2006 in Prague, the Guangdong Small Animal Veterinary Association (GSAVA) was accepted by Assembly vote as a full WSAVA member association. Since its founding in 1994 as the first Chinese provincial veterinary association dedicated to small animals (currently shared with Beijing and Shanghai SAVAs), GSAVA has enjoyed a very close relationship with WSAVA and co-hosted several CE seminars in Guangzhou, China. GSAVA has 120 members and its current president is Prof. Dr. Huijun Xiong. For further contact information, visit their member association page posted on the mebers section of the WSAVA website under Asia. WSAVA World Congress Sydney 2007 Update With over 70 speakers from 10 different countries (including from all over Australia) giving over 240 hours of outstanding continuing education for small animal veterinary practitioners, the choices of what to attend will be hard but won’t dissapoint! Some highlights include:
SOTALS or State of the Art Lectures - As their name implies, these lectures are designed to provide the attendee with the most recent information on current topics of clinical interest from world-renowned leaders in the specific disciplines involved.
• Brain Tumours in Animals: Past, Present, and Future – Dr. R. LeCouteur, USA
• Genetics of GI Disease – Dr. E. Hall, UK
• Bacterial Resistance and its Management in the 21st Century – Dr. M. Papich, USA
• Leishmaniasis: A Global Zoonosis – Dr. G. Baneth, Israel
Advanced Lectures – designed for the general practitioner wanting more indepth information on the lecture topic, there are 20 advanced lectures covering a variety ot topics including:
• Immunopathology of Atopy – Dr. R. Mueller, Germany
• Imaging of the Canine Pancreas – Dr. T. Spillman, Finland
• Serum Biochemistry in Juvenile Patients - Dr. J. Charles, Australia
• The rationale for Surgery in Hip Dysplasia – Dr. S. Roes, USA
General Lectures – present current updates on a variety of topics including
• Chronic Renal failure: What’s New in Prolonging Life and Kidney Function – Dr. D. Chew, USA
• Rodent and Pocket pet Dentistry – Dr. R. Salter, Australia
• Feline Hypertension: Risks, Diagnosis, and Management – Dr. C. Atkins, USA
• Glaucoma Updates – Dr. S.Peterson-Jones, USA
Complimentary Tracks – In addition to the tradtional topics opf medicine & surgery, there are several complimentay encompassing:
• Exotics
• Animal Welfare
• Nurses
• Acupuncture
• Managment
Hats off to the Sydney Scientific Program Committee, co-chaired by Drs. Jill Maddison and Prof. David Church, who have truly designed a program that is true to the diversity of veterinary medicine and literally provides something for everyone, regardless of clinical focus.
So don’t delay – visit www.wsava2007.org for more information and registration details!
WSAVA Monthly NEWs - April, 2007 WSAVA/ASAVA Wold Congress – a Letter of Invitation
The Australian Small Animal Veterinary Association (ASAVA) is the host for the WSAVA 32nd Congress in 2007 from 19th to 23rd August, when the WSAVA Congress comes back to Australia for the first time in 20 years! Congress Chair, Dr. Di Sheehan, would like to cordially invite all veterinarians and vet nurses to join us at this exciting event at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour. Our scientific programme committee, under the chairmanship of Dr Jill Maddison and Professor David Church, have put together a terrific 4-day extravaganza. Over 23 topic streams and around 8 streams a day will be given by speakers from all over the world, including Australia, UK, US, Europe, and Canada. The programme can only really be fully appreciated by visiting our website. Please go to www.wsava2007.com . Programme highlights include state-of-the-art lectures, CPD that is relevant to all delegates – from general practitioner to specialist. Some of you may have visited Sydney. Many will have enjoyed a summer Christmas on Bondi Beach with friends, family or colleagues but have you ever spent time in the Blue Mountains, bushwalking or enjoying an open fire in August? Maybe you could snow ski at Perisher or Thredbo? Spring is the perfect time to visit the magnificent wineries in the Hunter Valley and taste some of the seasons’ new vintages. Sydney has many attractions from beautiful Palm Beach, cruising on the Hawkesbury River, or visiting many attractions of the city itself. You may wish to catch a show at the Opera House or climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 12.5% of the 2.7 million annual tourists visiting Sydney are from the UK; many return for repeat visits. Want to come to Australia but don’t want to miss out on the full summer sun? Simply plan a visit to the beaches of Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast... or better still... the Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier Reef are just a short internal flight away. Beautiful clean sandy beaches await with similar temperatures to those you would find in summer in France, Spain, or Italy. For the first time visitor, you will be “bowled over” (no pun intended!!) by the friendly people, the ease of travel, excellent public transport system, the favourable exchange rate, and the mesmerizing beauty of one of the world’s great cities. Sydney is the gateway to other Australian cities and landmarks including Uluru (Ayers Rock), the Kimberley’s, Broome, the Daintree, and Kakadu National Parks. Whether it be your first visit to Australia, or your fifteenth, some things will never alter – Australia will always be a great place to visit for all seasons, the rite of passage of veterinarians will continue between our two countries and your hosts, the ASAVA and the WSAVA Congress Organizing Committee, will look after you and put on a show that will not be forgotten. Visit www.wsava2007.com for details on how to register. WSAVA President’s Report – an Update from Dr. Brian Romberg The Executive Board (EB) members have been very active since Prague and I would personally like to thank each and every member for the tremendous amount of work they are doing on behalf of the Association. Besides the daily e-mails that bounce back and forth between 7 countries, we had a teleconference in early February and are planning an EB meeting in Dublin in April. This will give us the opportunity to visit the 2008 World Congress site as well as to meet with the Congress organizing committee. We will be having a very important strategic planning meeting while in Dublin, taking into account all the opinions and suggestions voiced by our members. It has always been the duty of the president elect to run this meeting and Dr. David Wadsworth has been collating all the material.
Dr. Terry Lake officially handed over his treasury position to Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn on the 1st of January, 2007. Many thanks to Terry for the most efficient way he handled our finances and kept us in reign. And welcome to Jolle, a most capable replacement!
Dr. Anne Sorensen, WSAVA secretary, has been keeping up with the tremendous volume of work under trying conditions. She has been living in a motor home for going on 2 months since the collapse of her house roof due to the heavy rainfalls experienced in Denmark. She is been ably assisted by Dr. Pernille Blok Rissom. Thank you very much ladies!
We have been presented with 3 superbly presented bids to host the 2011 World Congress. They are from Korea, Malaysia, and New Zealand. These bids will be discussed at the next EB meeting. If all these bids are acceptable to the Board the presentations will be sent out to all Assembly members. Please scrutinize them very carefully so that you can vote on them at the Assembly meeting in Sydney. As per the Congress SOP, I will inform you of the EB’s preferred host at the next Assembly meeting.
From my side, I was privileged to be invited to attend the NAVC in Orlando in early January. I thank Drs. Colin Burrows and Philippe Moreau for the hospitality afforded me. I congratulate Colin and his team on an exceptionally well-run conference. Drs. Larry Dee and Jolle Kirpenteijn were also at this conference and we had the opportunity to meet with some of our major sponsors and to finalize certain important sponsorship deals which will be revealed to the members shortly. Larry Dee and I were invited to Lakeland to lunch with Dr. Bill Jackson (1996-1998 WSAVA Past President; pictured in the middle with myself and Larry Dee, WSAVA Immediate Past President) and his wife Barbara and I am pleased to inform those of you that know them that they are in good health and are planning to come to Sydney.
In April I have been invited to attend the BSAVA congress in Birmingham. To all our other member associations who have sent me invitations to attend their meeting I apologize for not taking up your kind offer but I am limited to the amount of time I can be away from my practice. My other trip this year will be to Sydney and next year I plan to attend at least 3 meetings in other regions of the world. WSAVA Activities and Committee Reports Continuing Education In addition to the WSAVA World Congress in Prague in October, 2006, the WSAVA sponsored 26 CE events in 22 countries within Europe, Asia, South America, and, for the first time, Africa (Madagascar) with 3,850 individuals attending (up from 2,900 in 2005). Host countries included When one factors in the Prague WSAVA World Congress, WSAVA provided CE to 6,846 attendees in 2006 covering topics that spanned all small animal medical/surgical disciplines provided by speakers representing virtually very continent of the globe (Antarctica excepted).
The WSAVA would like to extend its sincere thanks to the members of the CE Committee (Drs. Varga, Brauner, Tello, and Clarke), the Prague World Congress Organizing Committee (Chair, Jiri Beranek), and all the various volunteers from the respective host country associations for their tireless efforts to make these events a reality.
A special thanks to the major sponsors of the WSAVA 2006 CE activities:
• Bayer Animal Health
• Hills pet Nutrition
• Intervet Animal Health News Bulletin Available On an annual or biannual basis, WSAVA summarizes the association-relevant significant events that occurred in the previous 6-12 months and compiles then into a News Bulletin. January 2007 was the most recent News Bulletin and it was posted to the WSAVA website in February. To read, simply go to www.wsava.org and use the hyperlink titled News Bulletins located in the left-hand column of the Homepage and then click on News Bulletin 2007 PDF File.
WSAVA Monthly NEWs - March, 2007 WSAVA World Congress Sydney 2007 Update In six short months, small animal veterinarians, scholars, nurses, and industry representatives will meet in the beautiful city of Sydney, Australia for the 32nd WSAVA World Congress on August 19-23, 2007. WSAVA World Congresses have focused on providing cutting edge continuing education (CE), drawing on the expertise of the global veterinary profession and this year is no exception. The 2007 Organizing Committee has put together an exciting scientific program that not only covers the core veterinary disciplines of medicine, surgery, ophthalmology, neurology, cardiology, dermatology, behaviour, reproduction, diagnostic imaging, anesthetiology, critical care, densitstry, and infectious disease, but adds in exciting new programs covering immunogenetics, acupuncture, and pharmacology. This complements four SOTALs (State of the Art Lectures), an Animal Welfare forum covering alternatives to animal use in experimentation, the WSAVA Awards Lectures, and the abstracts and poster sessions.
But wonderful CE is only half the charm – the other lies in the land down under itself and the organizing committee has arranged for a number of pre or post-congress tours, including the Great Barrier Reef and Ayers Rock to name but a few. For the more adventurous, you can even bungee jump or look forward to climbing the “Coathanger” (Sydney Harbour bridge).
So join us for the WSAVA Congress in the “land down under” and leave a “fair dinkum” (genius). Because as Di Sheehan of the organizing committee so aptly puts it “just how long can you keep saying ‘one day I’ll go to Sydney, Australia?’” That day has come!
Proceedings Available On-Line Proceedings from the WSAVA/FECAVA/CSAVA 2006 World Congress are now available on-line via the WSAVA website (link on the right-hand column of the Homepage). Contents include Congress abstracts as well as proceedings from 268 lectures covering 29 different disciplines by 93 speakers. Disciplines covered include anesthesiology, behaviour, cardiology, clinical immunology, clinical nutrition, clinical pathology, clinical pharmacology/toxicology, critical care, dentistry, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, endocrinology, exotic animal medicine, gastroenterology, infectious/parasitic disease, nephrology/urology, neurology/neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, reproduction, respiratory medicine, and soft-tissue surgery. Proceedings are also available for the animal welfare forum as well as the practice management track and 6 separate State of the Art Lectures (SOTAL) providing cutting-edge information on current topics from world-renowned veterinary scientists.
The WSAVA World Congress proceedings are also available online in a partnership with IVIS (International Veterinary Information Service), a New York based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of animal care by providing up-to-date, clinical information to veterinarians, veterinary students, and animal health professionals, WSAVA. Within the first week of online access, the 2006 WSAVA World Congress proceedings enjoyed greater than 6,000 visits with the most popular article being Update on Inflammatory Bowel Disease by Dr. Alex German from Liverpool, UK. NEWS From Around the World New York, NY - The American Kennel Club® announced today that the Yorkshire Terrier, fondly called the “Yorkie” by millions of enthusiasts, has overtaken the beloved Golden Retriever and the iconic German Shepherd Dog to become the second most popular purebred dog in America according to AKC® registration figures. The Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in the country once again—a spot it has held since 1991. 2006 Most Popular Dogs in the U.S.
1. Labrador Retriever
2. Yorkshire Terrier
3. German Shepherd Dog
4. Golden Retriever
5. Beagle
6. Dachshund
7. Boxer
8. Poodle
9. Shih Tzu
10. Miniature Schnauzer Despite the prevalence of the Yorkie and the increased popularity of other small breeds, the Top 10 once again includes four large breeds all known for their intelligence, versatility and ability to be a loving family companion - the Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd Dog, Golden Retriever, and Boxer. The German Shepherd Dog rose in popularity to third in 2006. Kindness: The New Pet Pain Relief: Jennifer Perret; SPARK Plug, University of Guelph
A pill, a hug and some encouraging words could be among the treatment veterinarians prescribe for pets after a procedure, if University of Guelph researchers can find just how effective a little love can be for helping relieve pain. Professor Patricia Turner of the Department of Pathobiology and her research team are studying how social networks and positive attention can reduce anxiety and alter an animal’s perception of pain.
Turner hopes kindness may provide another means to improve comfort for animals undergoing painful procedures.
“We know that providing pharmacologic support is a major aspect of pain management, but it is not always sufficient,” says Turner. “We are looking for non-pharmacologic ways to reduce stress and pain.”
Pain and stress are known to reduce an animal’s ability to heal, says Turner, making recovery slower. Other variables, such as a strange environment, can increase stress and alter an animal’s response to pain relievers. Stepping up medication may help reduce an animal’s post-operative discomfort. But it could also increase side effects, says Turner. That’s why she and her team are looking for alternative approaches.
In the first phase of the researchers’ study, rats were put in two groups and given varying attention levels. Within these groups, rats were also divided into single and paired housing subgroups, to evaluate how living with a close ‘buddy’ influences pain response.
The first group of rats received basic care and attention, while the other group was named, spoken to and handled more frequently by caretakers. The animals were then observed for their tolerance to mild heat discomfort. Initial findings suggest that paired animals actually showed discomfort more readily than rats housed alone. And within those paired animals, those more frequently handled were even more likely to show discomfort earlier than those receiving basic care. However, animals with buddies were more responsive to pain relievers than those housed alone or handled less – leading the researchers to believe that handled and socialized animals are less stressed overall.
The research team is now looking at how natural corticosteroid hormones in the rats change as a measure of their stress response. This study will also be broadened to determine the effects of extra positive attention on dogs, and whether those that come from multi-dog households respond differently to pain than lone-dog households.
Ultimately the team hopes that the added attention could be a way to alter an animal’s perception of pain, increase the effectiveness of pain relievers and reduce the need for additional medication.
“If the technician or caretaker spends more time with an animal, just petting and speaking to them, the animal may require less medication, go home faster and have a better experience,” says Turner. “That’s what we’re hoping to find out.”
Also involved in this research is Professor Francesco Leri of the Department of Psychology and Professor Suzanne Millman of the Department of Population Medicine. This research is supported by Pet Trust.
WSAVA Monthly NEWs – February 2007 WSAVA Activities and Committee Reports WSAVA Enters into Partnership with CABI
The WSAVA and CABI have agreed for WSAVA Proceedings to be indexed in the CAB Abstracts Database. The full text of the articles will also be archived in the CAB Abstracts Plus full text repository so that veterinarians, researchers, and students can access the information in the future. Indexing the WSAVA proceedings in the CAB Abstracts Database will place the proceedings in the largest database on veterinary medicine in the world, and this will increase the exposure of papers delivered at the WSAVA to veterinarians around the globe.
CABI, formerly known as the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux is an intergovernmental, not-for-profit, organization that publishes databases, scientific information, and carries out scientific services in agriculture mainly in developing countries. It has been indexing veterinary information since 1930 when the Veterinary Bulletin was first published. They also started Index Veterinarius in 1932 to cover the whole field of veterinary medicine, and these two publications were incorporated into the CAB Abstracts Database in 1972 so that they could be searched as an online file since 1972. The CAB Abstracts Database aims to cover all of the published literature on all areas of veterinary medicine, as well as animal production and all aspects of agriculture and related subjects. It now contains over 5 million references with abstracts. To create the database, CABI scans over 7,000 journal titles published around the world, as well as conference proceedings, books, and other materials. This database is used in one form or another in most veterinary schools and research establishments throughout the world and is used more and more by practitioners. In 2007, CABI is putting all of its veterinary information onto one site (www.vetmedresource.org) in response to request from practitioners and practitioner associations including the database with over 1 million veterinary records, review articles, news, and the Animal Health & Production Compendium. Continuing Education Uruguay, South America – a report from Dra. Griselda De Gregorio
On November 18, 2007, SUVEPA (Sociedad Uruguaya de Veterinarios Especialistas en Pequenos Animales) successfully organized the WSAVA South America CE seminar in Montevideo, Uruguay. The main subject was cardiac and respiratory diseases. Dr. Helio Autran de Morais from Madison, Wisconsin, and Dr. Marina Suarez and Dr. José Roca from Montevideo, were the lecturers. The meeting enabled us to meet colleagues and sponsors during the scientific and social events. The attendance was approximately 130 veterinarians. Cuba – a report from Dr. Jesús Moreno Lazo
With the support of the WSAVA and NSAVA and organized by the Scientific Veterinary Council of Cuba (SVCC), the fourth annual Cuban Veterinary CE event was held in Pinar del Rio City on November 24 & 25 and in Havana City on November 27. The speaker was Dr. Kjetil Ueland with the main topic being veterinary dentistry and over 550 delegates attended the lectures. The event in Pinar del Rio was combined with a celebration of significant contributions made by leading members of the provincial art and science community during a show titled “The site of Science and Art: Veterinarians.” The SVCC also granted honorary certification to Dr. Ueland and expressed gratitude to both the WSAVA and NSAVA for their support in further developing the knowledge of Cuban veterinarians. Plans are already underway for the fifth annula Cuban Veterinary CE event scheduled for November, 2007, to be held in conjunction with fourth “Friends Forever” meeting, which is a scientific and cultural project that is held every two years. All are invited to join in this CE and social event so mark your calendars accordingly and son’t hesitate to contact Dr. Jesús Moreno Lazo for more information at ccvpr@princesa.pri.sld.cu. Microchip Committee Although rare, failed microchips (transponders) do occur in previously implanted animals. Additionally, some animals are implanted with two transponders, particularly in situations where governmental regulations stipulate the use of an ISO transponder yet the animal has already been implanted with an older, non-ISO transponder (e.g., animals relocating with their owners from the United States to Europe). In an effort to document the occurrence and provide assurances of animal identification to authorities in these situations, the WSAVA has worked in conjunction with the ISO committee overseeing the global standardization of microchip technology (WG3). The result is a recommended protocol for identifying and documenting these occurrences and this can be accessed on the WSAVA website at the Microchip Committee page (www.wsava.org/MicrochipID.htm). WSAVA Member Association Updates During the recent December, 2006 FAFVAC (Federation of French Speaking Veterinary Medical Associations) Congress in Bordeaux, France, a partnership with WSAVA was established that would see FAFVAC translate the WSAVA News (both monthly and semi-annual news bulletins) into French for posting to the WSAVA website as well as distribution amongst FAFVAC members. This would complement translations in Italian, Spanish, and Chinese, which are already available online at www.wsava.org and is now available for our French-speaking colleagues. NEWS From Around the World The Alliance for Rabies Control
The Alliance for Rabies Control (ARC) was created to alleviate the burden of rabies across the developing world by promoting and implementing public health and education programs whilst addressing the needs of wildlife conservation and animal welfare.
Approximately 55,000 people die of rabies each year in Asia and Africa, and children are particularly at risk from this terrible disease – around 100 children die of rabies every day. These are wasted lives, as rabies is a disease for which all the tools for control are available; what is lacking is the motivation, commitment, and resources to effectively control rabies in parts of the world where the disease continues to exert a heavy burden.
Recognizing these priorities and challenges, ARC (a UK charitable organization) was formed in 2006. The establishment of the ARC marks the start of a new kind of initiative in the field of rabies: an independent, non-profit organization bringing together public and private expertise to establish a partnership involving field personnel, academics, and a wide range of organizations with an interest and concern for rabies in Africa and Asia and reduce the impact of this terrible disease on human and animal health.
To increase awareness within the veterinary profession the ARC are promoting a worldwide “Run for Rabies” event in the summer of 2007. To find out more about the ARC, visit their website at www.rabiescontrol.org.
WSAVA Monthly NEWs – January 2007 WSAVA 2007 Congress – A Letter of Invitation from Diane Sheehan, Chair WSAVA Organising Committee Just how long will you keep saying “one day I’ll go to Sydney, Australia?”
As chair of the Congress Organizing Committee, it gives me great pleasure to invite you to the 32nd WSAVA Congress in Sydney, 2007. The dates to put in your diary are the 19th to 23rd of August, 2007.
The Congress will be held at the state-of-the-art Sydney Convention Centre at Darling Harbour. The Convention Centre is within easy walking distance of many hotels, apartments, restaurants, shops, and attractions such as harbour cruises, the Sydney Aquarium, the IMAX theatre, the Chinese Gardens, and the Powerhouse Museum. It is a brief walk or monorail ride into the city centre for more fabulous sightseeing and shopping.
Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It has the capability, sophistication, and facilities required to make the Congress a huge success.
Sydney is also the gateway to Australia. There are wonderful opportunities for pre- and post-congress tours, whether you want to journey into the Outback to be awed by the grandeur of Uluru (Ayers Rock), swim and enjoy the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, enjoy our fabulous beaches, hike in one of our many National Parks, or sample some of our fabulous Australian wines in our beautiful wine-growing areas. Or marvel at our wonderful wildlife – take the opportunity to cuddle a koala, kick around with a kangaroo, or play with a platypus! Come and experience Australian culture and the raw, diverse, beauty of our magnificent country.
The scientific co-convenors, Drs. Jill Maddison and Professor David Church, are internationally recognised speakers and leaders in veterinary medicine. They have used their collective experience and contacts within the international veterinary community to ensure that the scientific program is of the highest standard. There will be four full days of lectures, as well as a pre-congress day, with at least eight streams per day covering 23 different topics. It will include State Of The Art Lectures (SOTAL) and lectures pitched at both generalist and advanced level so that there will be something for everyone in small animal practice.
Our social program will be spectacular! The Opening Ceremony on August 19th will be followed by the “Laying Of The Dust” – a great Australian tradition where travellers wet their whistle (have a drink or two!), make new friends, and catch up with old friends. During the week there will be many other opportunities to meet new and old friends – at the Australian Night, the Gala Dinner, and the Grand Finale. So...just how long can you keep saying “one day I’ll go to Sydney, Australia?” We look forward to seeing you and your family in Sydney for the WSAVA Congress 2007, from August 19-23. Call for Abstracts
The Sydney 2007 WSAVA World Congress Organizing Committee invites submissions for individual oral papers and poster displays to be presented at the WSAVA 2007 Sydney Congress. For subission details, visit the Congress website at www.wsava2007.com.
Key dates to remember are:
• April 1, 2007 – call for abstracts closes
• May 1, 2007 – authors will be notified of the review outcome
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