Today is World Veterinary Day, and to celebrate we announce the speakers for the International Veterinary Symposium (September 11&12) and take a look behind the curtain at those unsung heroes who put in that extra mile to assure the best treatment for their patients: Our in-house veterinary team.
Operating year round with two full-time vets and one veterinary nurse, our team ensure the wellbeing and good health of our onsite Seeing Eye Dogs, pups, breeding and expectant dogs by performing medical screening procedures such as X-rays and ultrasounds as well as medicine, general healthcare and small surgeries.
Our kennel and puppy attendants are also highly trained and skilled in providing health care for our dogs, and specialists visit our state-of-the-art clinic on a regular basis to perform echocardiography (heart ultrasound) and ophthalmology examinations to ensure our dogs are not carrying any diseases that may impact their work, or that may be passed onto their offspring.
The most common procedure for the team is general health check-ups for our constantly growing number of dogs. Because of this, any major health issues can be detected early and dealt with accordingly. Our Seeing Eye Dog vet team also act as Obstetricians when our breeding dogs are giving birth, closely monitoring the whelp (birth) and, if necessary, performing caesarean to deliver the pups.
And, this September 11&12, with the support of Royal Canin and Greencross Limited, the team will be hosting an international Veterinary Symposium at our National Training Facility in Melbourne:For more information, to register and get ‘earlybird’ rates: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/seeing-eye-dogs-symposium-tickets-43213734443
The event has already attracted a number of delegates from both overseas and at home and features a stellar line up of speakers and a wide range of topics including:
- Prof Claire Wade BSc (Hons) PhD UNSW GCertEd UQ, Chair of Computational Biology and Animal Genetics at the University of Sydney – Genetics for service dog programs
- Dr Richard Woolley BVetMed DipECVIM-CA(Cardiology) MRCVS - Cardiac valve disease in retrievers
- Dr Sam Snelling BVSc FANZCVS (Small Animal Surgery) – Elbow Dysplasia
- Dr Greg Burton BVSc (Hons) MACVSc (Small Animal Surgery), FACVSc (Dermatology) – Dermatology topics for retrievers
- Dr Steven Holloway BVSc MVS PhD MACVSc Dipl. ACVIM - Infectious Disease in Kennel Environments
- Dr Trepheena Hunter BAgSc (Hons) MAgSc BVSc (Hons) MANZCVS (Veterinary Behaviour) - Detecting and Managing kennel stress
The generosity of donors which has contributed to many valuable pieces of equipment, and our dedicated staff who are always supporting our dogs through their stay at the facility and keeping them healthy and comfortable, is essential to creating healthy dogs to serve people who are blind or have low vision.