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WSAVA to launch certificate in pain management
"The certificate provides recognition to professionals advancing their knowledge on pain management." - Dr Bea Monteiro

Course will promote the importance of companion animal pain management.

Veterinary professionals are invited to register their interest for a new certificate in pain management which is being launched by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) with support from Zoetis.

The certificate will promote the importance of companion animal pain management as a discipline, and give individuals an internationally recognised qualification in the subject for the first time.

It is based on the updated Global Guidelines for the Recognition Assessment and Treatment of Pain that were released by the WSAVA Global Pain Council (GPC) at the end of 2022. The GPC says that despite rapid advances in pain management, pain in companion animals is underdiagnosed and undertreated.

The online course is available free of charge to all companion animal veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses/technicians and includes content that’s tailored to their different roles. 

The course includes three modules that will be delivered via recorded lectures from members of the GPC and other global experts. The modules will cover:

  • Understanding and assessing pain 
  • Preventing and treating pain 
  • Pain management in practice 
The International Veterinary Academy for Pain Management (IVAPM) is supporting the dissemination of the Certificate.

Chair of the WSAVA Global Pain Council Dr Bea Monteiro said: “The new WSAVA Certificate in Pain Management will help veterinary professionals to understand the critical importance of pain management for companion animal health and welfare. It will show them how to assess pain using the latest knowledge of pain-related behaviors and validated pain scales. Finally, it will guide them in treating pain effectively, using the most appropriate drug and non-drug therapies, based on the availability of particular analgesics and other therapies in the region of the world in which they are in practice. 

“The Certificate provides recognition to professionals advancing their knowledge on pain management. It is the next step in the Global Pain Council’s campaign to raise awareness of the importance of pain management and to support veterinary teams in diagnosing and treating it effectively – a development which will benefit companion animals around the world and the humans who gain so much from their companionship. We are grateful to Zoetis and the IVAPM for their support and hope that WSAVA members will enjoy the course we have created.”

Those who are interested in the new certificate can register their interest online.

 

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Strangles survey seeks views of horse owners

News Story 1
 With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.

The survey, which has been designed by Dechra, aims to raise awareness of Strangles and promote best practices to prevent its transmission. It includes questions about horse owners' experiences of strangles, together with preventative measures and vaccination.

Respondents to the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win two VIP tickets to Your Horse Live 2025. To access the survey, click here 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
DAERA to reduce BVD 'grace period'

DAERA has reminded herd keepers of an upcoming reduction to the 'grace period' to avoid BVD herd restrictions.

From 1 May 2025, herd keepers will have seven days to cull any BVD positive or inconclusive animals to avoid restrictions being applied to their herd.

It follows legislation introduced on 1 February, as DAERA introduces herd movement restrictions through a phased approach. Herd keepers originally had 28 days to cull BVD positive or inconclusive animals.

DAERA says that, providing herd keepers use the seven-day grace period, no herds should be restricted within the first year of these measures.

Additional measures, which will target herds with animals over 30 days old that haven't been tested for BVD, will be introduced from 1 June 2025.

More information is available on the DAERA website.