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New Zealand
P.O. Box 11-212 President: Dr. Pieter Verhoek WSAVA Representative Number of members: 635 _______________________________ New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) Companion Animal Society Annual Report 2008 (posted May 2009) The Companion Animal Society (CAS) continues to be the largest Special Interest Branch of New Zealand Veterinary Association. Membership numbers are approximately 630 as vets join and leave at various times during the year. The executive committee, comprising ten vets from all around New Zealand, met five times during 2008 for a total of six days. The President, treasurer, secretary and Newsletter editor form the core of a group which shows significant commitment to CAS and its members. There has been one change to the executive with Dr Catherine Watson replacing long serving South Islander Dr Sandy Cooper. The variety of views and career stages of the committee reflects those in the CAS workforce. Members are employed in companion animal and mixed practice, industry and academia, either full or part time. Most are female and some are raising families. The Companion Animal Society (CAS) exists to improve the knowledge and expertise of CA veterinarians, support and represent its members, promote the profession and foster cooperation with other groups and, support practice development and client relationships. To achieve these objectives, four primary goal areas have been identified: 2008 Continuing Education (CE) We joined with some of the NZVA’s other special interest branches for our main conference in Wellington in June. The theme was “Canine and Feline Endocrinology” and the key speakers were Professors J. Catharine Scott Montcrief and Wallace B. Morrison, both from Purdue University, Indiana, USA. It was a very informative four day programme catering for beginners through to experts. However, numbers were down on previous years. Our members’ feedback suggests they take up the many CE opportunities available to them, including online learning courses. The additional costs of locum cover, travel and accommodation associated with conference attendance may be prohibitive. We continued to progress our goal to hold a WSAVA congress in New Zealand. The intention is to bring a large number of high quality speakers to the southern Pacific and also, to showcase this picturesque country. The Hills CAS Educating the Educators scholarship was well utilised this year with grants awarded to Mike Coleman, Richard Jerram and Duncan Graham for travel to the USA and Hong Kong. The Practitioner on Sabbatical for 2008 was Dr Geraldine Gorman of Northland region. She thoroughly enjoyed her time within the vet faculty at Massey University and in an Australian specialist dental practice. A sponsor is required to enable this 8-10 week sabbatical opportunity to continue. 2008 Representation 2008 Communication 2008 Companion animal health and welfare CAS was an initial stakeholder in the New Zealand Companion Animal Register, which is a microchip database for all species of animals. This register is a win-win-win for vets, the animals and the animal owners. Any profits will go back to animal welfare organisations for projects that benefit the well-being of companion animals. ___________________________________ Annual Report 2007 President, Pieter Verhoek, reported another successful year for the Companion Animal Society. Membership has grown from 640 to 654, which makes up the largest special interest branch (SIB) of the NZVA. There were 3 changes on the executive this year with the resignations of Dr. Mark Owen, Dr Chris Laurenson and Dr Viv Lintott due to work and family commitments. All had made an excellent contribution during the last few years. Dr. Kate Hill, who works at the Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Dr Maureen Forsyth, a feline and zoo practitioner, have joined the committee. Continuing Education for CAS and NZVA members We joined with NZVA and other SIBs for our main conference in Christchurch in July. Local experts lectured on the theme �Focus on Joints�. It was a very practical and well received programme: unfortunately numbers were down on previous years. This may have been due to the closeness, location and timing wise, of WSAVA Sydney. 86 New Zealanders attended the WSAVA Congress in Sydney. The Companion Animal Society in conjunction with VetLearn (a CE and event organizer) bid unsuccessfully to host the congress in 2011. Preparation for bidding proved a great learning experience and we will continue efforts to hold this world-class conference in New Zealand in the future. In October we held a 2 day ultrasound symposium with a strong �hands on� emphasis at the Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The symposium was repeated the following weekend and both events were fully attended. Grants and Scholarships CAS Study Grants were awarded to Dr Robyn Jarrett (Treatment of feline nasal squamous cell carcinoma) and Dr Richard Jerram (Pancarpal arthrodesis in NZ working dogs). The CAS Practitioner in Residence has evolved to become the Practitioner on Sabbatical (POS) scholarship. The recipient veterinarian is able to choose which specialist they wish to see practice with. Dr. Dawn Mills, the POS 2007, thoroughly enjoyed her time at Massey University with the wildlife team, pursuing avain studies. At the time of writing, we are looking for a new sponsor to continue this magnificent opportunity for companion animal vets. Other Business The Companion Animal Society Newsletter, our quarterly journal, continues to attract interesting articles. The editor, Dr Janice Thompson, and the editorial committee meet regularly. Members are very grateful for their hard work & commitment and for the support of our many regular advertisers. In conclusion, it is fully expected that the society will be just as active in 2008! |
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Companion Animal Society of NewZealand Veterinary Association (CAS)