29^th April 2017 marks World Vet Day and we are celebrating our vets here in London and also the international vets we train as part of our International Vet Training Programme, who return to their countries not only with enhanced veterinary skills, but also with a general understanding of animal behaviour, knowledge about shelter medicine and the humane management of street dog and cat population.

This day is made even more special with our very own Dr. Mo being awarded with The Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH) Special Recognition Award 2017 for his outstanding work helping thousands of animals in London and Afghanistan over the past 15 years. Read more about Dr. Mo and his ground-breaking work here.

World Vet Day pays a special recognition to the veterinary profession, celebrating the significant contribution vets have on our society. At The Mayhew we are so proud of our vets who play a key part in helping the hundreds of neglected, abused and unwanted animals who come through our doors every year.

Our Veterinary Work in the UK

Our Community Vet Team works tirelessly providing veterinary care for all of our animals going through the adoption process, preventative care that benefits the London community and individual pet owners.

One such patient that was helped this year is Abbey, a 14-month-old Staffy cross who was found abandoned underweight, soaking wet and shivering after being dumped in a canal.

After a full health check our Vet Team discovered that poor Abbey was suffering from a chronic ear infection. Our Head Vet, Dr. Ursula Goetz MRCVS, GP Cert (SAS) CVO, said: “We noticed that Abbey’s right ear was irritating her and she scratched it a lot. On further inspection, we discovered that Abbey had a very narrowed ear canal, so much so that hardly any air was able to get through the ear canal anymore. This usually happens through chronic ear infections, which causes the body to react with inflammation which will, over time, narrow the ear canal more and more until it becomes impossible to treat the ear other than with surgery.”

Abbey had to have a Total Ear Canal Ablation (TECA) and a Ventral Bulla Osteotomy (VBO) on her right ear, which means that she had to have her whole ear canal removed and her middle ear flushed and cleaned out. The surgery will help take away the constant discomfort and soreness in her ear. If left untreated, the chronic infection can over time even cause damage to her sense of balance, meaning she might have developed a permanent head tilt to the extent of falling over and not being able to walk in a straight line. Thankfully this risk is now removed and Abbey is on the road to recovery.

International Vet Training Programme

The Mayhew International Veterinary Training Programme was established with the aim to promote safe and secure neutering techniques for animal welfare projects overseas and to encourage the advancement of dog and cat population management abroad through education.

As part of the training, The Mayhew’s Vet Team provide an insight into pre- and post-operative care, protocols and techniques for improved animal handling, efficient sterilisation techniques and pain management. Implementing these best practice methods significantly helps to control animal discomfort after surgery. It significantly reduces the risk of complications during and post-operation, improves animal welfare and minimises the stress to the animals before, during and after spay, neutering and general surgery.

We recently welcomed Dr. Ioannis Fouskis from Greece, Dr Nuno Rocha from Portugal and Dr. Ana Metskhvarishvili from Georgia as part of The Mayhew’s International Vet Training Programme.

Dr. Ioannis learnt skills and techniques that he can take away with him and show other vets working at the charities he volunteers for. He says: “I really appreciated the veterinary nurses that worked at The Mayhew. In Greece I don’t have any veterinary nurses to help me during surgery, but I’m now considering training a nurse when I get back.”

Dr. Ana Metskhvarishvili had heard of Mayhew International as we have previously visited the Agrarian University Vet Clinic as part of Mayhew International projects in Georgia, where she studied. Dr. Miriam Chkhikvishvili, who is Head Vet at the University Clinic in Georgia, has also been trained at The Mayhew’s Vet Clinic in London as part of their International Vet Training Program.

Of the Vet Training Programme, Ana says: “I have learnt new techniques for pain management. It is very different here to Georgia and I am looking forward to taking my new knowledge back home and sharing it with the vets in Georgia.”

Dr. Nuno Rocha agrees that it is vital to pass on their newly learned skills and he will share the new techniques learned, such as flank spaying, with his colleagues in Porto.

Dr. Ursula Goetz MRCVS, GP Cert (SAS), added: “The vets participating in the training are enabled to not only help the animals, but to also gain an overall understanding of the complexity of animal welfare and population management, so that they are able to have a positive impact on the animals they deal with as well as educating the people involved to help relieve the suffering of animals all over the world.”