Kaikoura trip and life in the earthquake zone

So, whether it was the oversized full moon, the moon man's predictions or just the expected aftershock pattern of a 1 level lower shock than the original, we just had a 5.1 aftershock centred very near to our house... the biggest since Feb 22nd. Hmmm. I don't think we will ever really get used to them.  Hope we get  a peaceful night.

Tomorrow we are visiting our new campus and hopefully, getting access to the office back in our usual space to grab some things, strictly under the supervision of security and only what we can carry.  We won't be wanting to risk overloading the stairs I assure you!!!  I am wondering what sort of breathing exercises to do to relax before the foray, but pretty sure the four flights without lifts will make me breathe differently anyway!

Others are having hassles - businesses can't get in to retrieve essential items. Getting your car out of the cordon is a nightmare for those who can. Many carparks are considered too dangerous to enter and the cars will be left. There are thousands of cars trapped!

For selected places only - http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/4789448/Cars-to-be-retrieved-from-Christchurch-earthquake-zones

Car owners should assemble on the corner of Barbadoes Street and Moorhouse Avenue at 5pm on either day.

They would need to take their keys, ID and proof of ownership. Owners should also register their vehicles at www.police.govt.nz.

Police said extra safety precautions would be in place to facilitate the cars' recovery from the red zone areas.

Owners should use this window of opportunity as it could be some time in future before another attempt to retrieve their vehicle could be made.

Police asked for owners to be patient and said they should also note the following:

- No one would be allowed into the cordon area to retrieve their own vehicle for safety reasons.

- Anyone collecting on behalf of the owner should bring a letter of authorisation.

- People should be dropped off as there was no parking.

- Just one person per vehicle as space was limited.

- Owners should consider bringing a chair and a book as the process would take some time.

- Shelter and toilet would be provided.

I wonder if the toilet will be a portaloo or a delicately screened chemical model?

Poppy had a lot of fun coming away with us to Kaikoura. She was in the stair well with my friend when the big one hit last month... a friend who is trained in dog behaviour.  She pointed out that Poppy might be traumatised about stairs after being fallen on and screamed all over. I was just glad they were both alright and that my friend had kept a firm hold of Poppy's lead or she could have been lost in the towers and I wouldn't have been able to get back to her...  anyway, she seemed ok with the stairs at my parent's house, but she did plant her feet, sorry, paws firmly and refuse to climb the flight at the backpackers in Kaikoura this weekend, so perhaps we need to work on that issue as hauling her up on the end of a lead is not a good look. Going to take more than Schmacko dog treats to get me up the four flights this week....

We had a great time in Kaikoura with beautiful weather on Friday, although the boat trip was cold and damp with a good swell.. buckets required for many of the team, but one of them got these stunning underwater pictures of the Dusky Dolphins. They remind me of the awe and magic of my first swim with them. So graceful, beautiful and in their element...

Night.... :)

Kaikoura trip and life in the earthquake zone

So, whether it was the oversized full moon, the moon man's predictions or just the expected aftershock pattern of a 1 level lower shock than the original, we just had a 5.1 aftershock centred very near to our house... the biggest since Feb 22nd. Hmmm. I don't think we will ever really get used to them.  Hope we get  a peaceful night.

Tomorrow we are visiting our new campus and hopefully, getting access to the office back in our usual space to grab some things, strictly under the supervision of security and only what we can carry.  We won't be wanting to risk overloading the stairs I assure you!!!  I am wondering what sort of breathing exercises to do to relax before the foray, but pretty sure the four flights without lifts will make me breathe differently anyway!

Others are having hassles - businesses can't get in to retrieve essential items. Getting your car out of the cordon is a nightmare for those who can. Many carparks are considered too dangerous to enter and the cars will be left. There are thousands of cars trapped!

For selected places only - http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/4789448/Cars-to-be-retrieved-from-Christchurch-earthquake-zones

Car owners should assemble on the corner of Barbadoes Street and Moorhouse Avenue at 5pm on either day.

They would need to take their keys, ID and proof of ownership. Owners should also register their vehicles at www.police.govt.nz.

Police said extra safety precautions would be in place to facilitate the cars' recovery from the red zone areas.

Owners should use this window of opportunity as it could be some time in future before another attempt to retrieve their vehicle could be made.

Police asked for owners to be patient and said they should also note the following:

- No one would be allowed into the cordon area to retrieve their own vehicle for safety reasons.

- Anyone collecting on behalf of the owner should bring a letter of authorisation.

- People should be dropped off as there was no parking.

- Just one person per vehicle as space was limited.

- Owners should consider bringing a chair and a book as the process would take some time.

- Shelter and toilet would be provided.

I wonder if the toilet will be a portaloo or a delicately screened chemical model?

Poppy had a lot of fun coming away with us to Kaikoura. She was in the stair well with my friend when the big one hit last month... a friend who is trained in dog behaviour.  She pointed out that Poppy might be traumatised about stairs after being fallen on and screamed all over. I was just glad they were both alright and that my friend had kept a firm hold of Poppy's lead or she could have been lost in the towers and I wouldn't have been able to get back to her...  anyway, she seemed ok with the stairs at my parent's house, but she did plant her feet, sorry, paws firmly and refuse to climb the flight at the backpackers in Kaikoura this weekend, so perhaps we need to work on that issue as hauling her up on the end of a lead is not a good look. Going to take more than Schmacko dog treats to get me up the four flights this week....

We had a great time in Kaikoura with beautiful weather on Friday, although the boat trip was cold and damp with a good swell.. buckets required for many of the team, but one of them got these stunning underwater pictures of the Dusky Dolphins. They remind me of the awe and magic of my first swim with them. So graceful, beautiful and in their element...

Night.... :)

Swans with cygnets at Peacock Springs

Today, while taking the vet nursing students around Peacock Springs on our wonderful annual tour, for the first time I have seen a swan sitting on her nest with her cygnets. Only ever managed to see them as an empty nest or swimming with the babies... so this was a real treat. It stretched the limits of my phone camera, but luckily the others with me got some clear pics. We couldn't get any closer - father swan was not happy at us being as close as we were....

We also had some fun with another protective male swan . My partner got some great shots of him, with us all laughing at him from a safe distance, cameras ready for some funniest home video action! Apparently this bird likes to take on the work utes!

Such a beautiful place... on a perfect day.

 To read more about their conservation of endangered birds and see more pictures, just visit my last post on them when we visited in 2009 :)
http://fourpawsandwhiskers.blogspot.com/2008/11/beauty-from-construction-peacock.html

Swans with cygnets at Peacock Springs

Today, while taking the vet nursing students around Peacock Springs on our wonderful annual tour, for the first time I have seen a swan sitting on her nest with her cygnets. Only ever managed to see them as an empty nest or swimming with the babies... so this was a real treat. It stretched the limits of my phone camera, but luckily the others with me got some clear pics. We couldn't get any closer - father swan was not happy at us being as close as we were....

We also had some fun with another protective male swan . My partner got some great shots of him, with us all laughing at him from a safe distance, cameras ready for some funniest home video action! Apparently this bird likes to take on the work utes!

Such a beautiful place... on a perfect day.

 To read more about their conservation of endangered birds and see more pictures, just visit my last post on them when we visited in 2009 :)
http://fourpawsandwhiskers.blogspot.com/2008/11/beauty-from-construction-peacock.html

Note from a Dog

I didn;t write this... but thought it should be shared...

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh.

You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask, "How could you?" -- but then you'd relent and roll me over for a belly rub.

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect.

We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs" you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.

She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -- still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate.

Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love." As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch -- because your touch was now so infrequent -- and I would've defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf. Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said, "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers." You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar, as he screamed, "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life.

You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked, "How could you?"

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind -- that this was all a bad dream... or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.

I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured, "How could you?"

Perhaps because she understood my dog speak, she said, "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself -- a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her.

It was directed at you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of you. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

Note from a Dog

I didn;t write this... but thought it should be shared...

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh.

You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask, "How could you?" -- but then you'd relent and roll me over for a belly rub.

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect.

We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs" you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.

She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -- still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate.

Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love." As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch -- because your touch was now so infrequent -- and I would've defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf. Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said, "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers." You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar, as he screamed, "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life.

You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked, "How could you?"

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind -- that this was all a bad dream... or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.

I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured, "How could you?"

Perhaps because she understood my dog speak, she said, "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself -- a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her.

It was directed at you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of you. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

New Research on Veterinary Suicide Rate

I had a chat yesterday with a vet nurse that I used to work with many years ago in a distant New Zealand city. We both now work in Christchurch, but we spent some time reminiscing on the alcoholism and erratic behaviour of a past boss, and some of the other cases we have heard of concerning drugs and depression... all seemed quite normal, if sad. Today I read my copy of the latest NZ Veterinary Council Newsbrief... and found this information, which struck a particular chord after yesterday's chat!

A new paper in a recent issue of Veterinary Record by D J Bartram and D S Baldwin, finds that veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom are four times as likely as the general public, and around twice as likely as other healthcare professionals, to die by suicide as opposed to other causes.

The paper ‘Veterinary surgeons and suicide: a structured review of possible influences on increased risk’ appears in the Veterinary Record, March 27 2010 pp 388-397.

The paper suggests that a complex interaction of possible mechanisms may occur across the course of a veterinary career to increase the risk of suicide. Possible factors include the characteristics of individuals entering the profession, negative effects during undergraduate training, work-related stressors, ready access to and knowledge of means, stigma associated with mental illness, professional and social isolation, and alcohol or drug misuse (mainly prescription drugs to which the profession has ready access). Contextual effects such as attitudes to death and euthanasia, formed through the profession’s routine involvement with euthanasia of companion animals and slaughter of farm animals, and suicide ‘contagion’ due to
direct or indirect exposure to suicide of peers within this small profession are other possible influences.

No similar research has been done here, but the Council’s Health Committee considers that the same risk factors exist in New Zealand.

Veterinary science by its very nature can expose its practitioners to a greater number of stressors and hazards than those encountered by the rest of the community. Stresses include the physical demands of the work, long hours, fatigue and sleep deprivation, debt, the demands of clients and external bodies and fear of litigation and complaints. Being able to manage the complex act of euthanasia of animals and accompanying grief management presents additional demands.

Veterinarians are also vulnerable to the same physical and psychological disorders as the rest of the community. These disorders occur in veterinarians just as often as in the general population and some such as suicide, alcohol and drug abuse and accidents occur more frequently.

It is therefore not surprising that some veterinarians are working under some degree of impairment. If professional help is not sought, it is often just a matter of time before serious problems occur.

There is help in New Zealand on identifying and managing stress.


www.vetcouncil.org.nz/vetsHealth.php
and some brochures:

http://www.vetcouncil.org.nz/documentation/06_Health_Brochure.pdf
Vets in Stress brochure - an excellent read, whatever your stress is caused by!

and in the UK - check out http://www.vetlife.org.uk/about/

I wrote about the impact of burnout and animal euthanasia last year too - http://fourpawsandwhiskers.blogspot.com/2009/07/animal-euthanasia-and-human-emotional.html

It is an issue we are very aware of when training veterinary nurses here and one of our techniques is to role play scenarios for dealing with animal euthanasia, angry clients, and level of involvement, to name a few topics. I am pleased to see that veterinary training is also using this technique to help graduates manage these issues...

Practice Imperfect


Using interactive theatre in veterinary education to promote mental health awareness
http://www.rvc.ac.uk/practiceimperfect/
 
 
According to Justin Schamotta, Uk Vet students are being warned of the risks:

Predisposition to Suicide Unclear

The predisposing factors are not clearly understood and it is probable that the selection process for veterinary school results in students with a high-risk profile. The course itself doesn't help either. In a presentation to the Veterinary Benevolent Fund, Dr. Jerry Lucke suggests that the demanding teaching programme, exclusion of social skills and self-awareness and the transition from security of the vet school to the business of practice all play a part. "The concern is real about suicide," he says. "The profession and the undergraduate students must understand the risks."

US equine journalist Candy Lawrence, author of Shock Central: Veterinarian Suicides agrees: "Veterinarians are minimally trained, if at all, in psychological issues to cope with the emotional states of their human clients. During vet school, little is addressed in terms of juggling financial aspects of running a practice or anything outside of the technical core complexities of clinical veterinary medicine."

Read more at Suite101: UK Veterinary Students Warned of Suicide Risk: Undergraduate Vets Embark on Potentially Fatal Career http://universities.suite101.com/article.cfm/veterinary_students_warned_of_suicide_risk#ixzz0mL6qIplY


From http://www.samaritans.org/media_centre/emotional_health_news/vets-likely-suicide-051.aspx

In a blog for the Telegraph, professional veterinarian Pete Wedderburn writes: "Thirteen suicides every year may not sound like a high number on a national scale, but when they happen in a small group like the veterinary profession, it's very significant."

According to the study, one of the main factors which may explain why suicide rates among this group are relatively high is the fact that many vets will know, or know of, a fellow vet who has died by suicide.

The report states: "Knowledge of individual suicides can travel readily through the social networks of a small profession.

"Direct or indirect exposure to the suicidal behaviour of others can influence attitudes and increase vulnerability to suicide."

Another key point identified by the researchers is that vets are routinely obliged to put down animals. This, they claim, not only gives them increased access to items such as lethal drugs and firearms (for the euthanasia of larger animals), but could also result in veterinarians becoming hardened to death.

In the Veterinary Record, they state: "Familiarity with death and dying may affect attitudes in regard to the expendability of life."

They add that this familiarity may make it easier for vets to detach themselves from the emotional impact of death, and thus begin to view suicide as a valid "solution to their own problems."

The researchers also found that many people entering the veterinary profession possess the personality traits of high academic achievers, which can include neuroticism and perfectionism – both of which are risk factors for suicide.

From the article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4310596.stm

another factor is that the means to help is always at hand... whether it is sharp tools, euthanasia solutions, or "helpers" in the form of valium, pethidine, morphine or ketamine....

"There doesn't seem to be an awareness that there is help out there for them."

She also said that there was a "stigma" attached to mental health issues.

To cope with the stresses, Dr Richmond said vets mainly turned to alcohol and drugs - including injecting horse tranquiliser ketamine, which they have ready access to.

"That's part of the problem - they are not having to go out and find it in any devious or dishonest way.

"It's sitting there on the shelves looking at them."

Which brings me back to the vet I used to work for... using alcohol to blot out the pain we never identified.
We can all help the professions, whether doctors, dentists, lawyers, vets or nurses... and the people we work with, by looking into why they are drinking or seem angry, erratic or upset.

But spare a thought for the staff who are putting your precious animal to sleep or losing it despite their best efforts, or you can no longer pay for them to do what they want to in order to save the pet.
Or just because you no longer want it.......

New Research on Veterinary Suicide Rate

I had a chat yesterday with a vet nurse that I used to work with many years ago in a distant New Zealand city. We both now work in Christchurch, but we spent some time reminiscing on the alcoholism and erratic behaviour of a past boss, and some of the other cases we have heard of concerning drugs and depression... all seemed quite normal, if sad. Today I read my copy of the latest NZ Veterinary Council Newsbrief... and found this information, which struck a particular chord after yesterday's chat!

A new paper in a recent issue of Veterinary Record by D J Bartram and D S Baldwin, finds that veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom are four times as likely as the general public, and around twice as likely as other healthcare professionals, to die by suicide as opposed to other causes.

The paper ‘Veterinary surgeons and suicide: a structured review of possible influences on increased risk’ appears in the Veterinary Record, March 27 2010 pp 388-397.

The paper suggests that a complex interaction of possible mechanisms may occur across the course of a veterinary career to increase the risk of suicide. Possible factors include the characteristics of individuals entering the profession, negative effects during undergraduate training, work-related stressors, ready access to and knowledge of means, stigma associated with mental illness, professional and social isolation, and alcohol or drug misuse (mainly prescription drugs to which the profession has ready access). Contextual effects such as attitudes to death and euthanasia, formed through the profession’s routine involvement with euthanasia of companion animals and slaughter of farm animals, and suicide ‘contagion’ due to
direct or indirect exposure to suicide of peers within this small profession are other possible influences.

No similar research has been done here, but the Council’s Health Committee considers that the same risk factors exist in New Zealand.

Veterinary science by its very nature can expose its practitioners to a greater number of stressors and hazards than those encountered by the rest of the community. Stresses include the physical demands of the work, long hours, fatigue and sleep deprivation, debt, the demands of clients and external bodies and fear of litigation and complaints. Being able to manage the complex act of euthanasia of animals and accompanying grief management presents additional demands.

Veterinarians are also vulnerable to the same physical and psychological disorders as the rest of the community. These disorders occur in veterinarians just as often as in the general population and some such as suicide, alcohol and drug abuse and accidents occur more frequently.

It is therefore not surprising that some veterinarians are working under some degree of impairment. If professional help is not sought, it is often just a matter of time before serious problems occur.

There is help in New Zealand on identifying and managing stress.


www.vetcouncil.org.nz/vetsHealth.php
and some brochures:

http://www.vetcouncil.org.nz/documentation/06_Health_Brochure.pdf
Vets in Stress brochure - an excellent read, whatever your stress is caused by!

and in the UK - check out http://www.vetlife.org.uk/about/

I wrote about the impact of burnout and animal euthanasia last year too - http://fourpawsandwhiskers.blogspot.com/2009/07/animal-euthanasia-and-human-emotional.html

It is an issue we are very aware of when training veterinary nurses here and one of our techniques is to role play scenarios for dealing with animal euthanasia, angry clients, and level of involvement, to name a few topics. I am pleased to see that veterinary training is also using this technique to help graduates manage these issues...

Practice Imperfect


Using interactive theatre in veterinary education to promote mental health awareness
http://www.rvc.ac.uk/practiceimperfect/
 
 
According to Justin Schamotta, Uk Vet students are being warned of the risks:

Predisposition to Suicide Unclear

The predisposing factors are not clearly understood and it is probable that the selection process for veterinary school results in students with a high-risk profile. The course itself doesn't help either. In a presentation to the Veterinary Benevolent Fund, Dr. Jerry Lucke suggests that the demanding teaching programme, exclusion of social skills and self-awareness and the transition from security of the vet school to the business of practice all play a part. "The concern is real about suicide," he says. "The profession and the undergraduate students must understand the risks."

US equine journalist Candy Lawrence, author of Shock Central: Veterinarian Suicides agrees: "Veterinarians are minimally trained, if at all, in psychological issues to cope with the emotional states of their human clients. During vet school, little is addressed in terms of juggling financial aspects of running a practice or anything outside of the technical core complexities of clinical veterinary medicine."

Read more at Suite101: UK Veterinary Students Warned of Suicide Risk: Undergraduate Vets Embark on Potentially Fatal Career http://universities.suite101.com/article.cfm/veterinary_students_warned_of_suicide_risk#ixzz0mL6qIplY


From http://www.samaritans.org/media_centre/emotional_health_news/vets-likely-suicide-051.aspx

In a blog for the Telegraph, professional veterinarian Pete Wedderburn writes: "Thirteen suicides every year may not sound like a high number on a national scale, but when they happen in a small group like the veterinary profession, it's very significant."

According to the study, one of the main factors which may explain why suicide rates among this group are relatively high is the fact that many vets will know, or know of, a fellow vet who has died by suicide.

The report states: "Knowledge of individual suicides can travel readily through the social networks of a small profession.

"Direct or indirect exposure to the suicidal behaviour of others can influence attitudes and increase vulnerability to suicide."

Another key point identified by the researchers is that vets are routinely obliged to put down animals. This, they claim, not only gives them increased access to items such as lethal drugs and firearms (for the euthanasia of larger animals), but could also result in veterinarians becoming hardened to death.

In the Veterinary Record, they state: "Familiarity with death and dying may affect attitudes in regard to the expendability of life."

They add that this familiarity may make it easier for vets to detach themselves from the emotional impact of death, and thus begin to view suicide as a valid "solution to their own problems."

The researchers also found that many people entering the veterinary profession possess the personality traits of high academic achievers, which can include neuroticism and perfectionism – both of which are risk factors for suicide.

From the article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4310596.stm

another factor is that the means to help is always at hand... whether it is sharp tools, euthanasia solutions, or "helpers" in the form of valium, pethidine, morphine or ketamine....

"There doesn't seem to be an awareness that there is help out there for them."

She also said that there was a "stigma" attached to mental health issues.

To cope with the stresses, Dr Richmond said vets mainly turned to alcohol and drugs - including injecting horse tranquiliser ketamine, which they have ready access to.

"That's part of the problem - they are not having to go out and find it in any devious or dishonest way.

"It's sitting there on the shelves looking at them."

Which brings me back to the vet I used to work for... using alcohol to blot out the pain we never identified.
We can all help the professions, whether doctors, dentists, lawyers, vets or nurses... and the people we work with, by looking into why they are drinking or seem angry, erratic or upset.

But spare a thought for the staff who are putting your precious animal to sleep or losing it despite their best efforts, or you can no longer pay for them to do what they want to in order to save the pet.
Or just because you no longer want it.......

Declawing - of cats and tigers and lions... oh my!

The continuing saga of the lions at the northern Lion Park in Whangarei continues. As a vet, I read today's news with some horror... ( as if the recent death of their Head Lion Keeper and strange business dealings aren't enough)..

Big cats featured on The Lion Man hit TV show are suffering after having their paws 'mutilated' so they could perform with their handlers, says the wildlife park troubleshooter now overseeing the animals’ welfare.Some 29 of the 37 lions and tigers at Zion Wildlife Gardens have been declawed - a practice condemned as 'barbaric' by consultant Tim Husband, hired after the fatal mauling of Zion ranger Dalu Mncube in May.
"One only needs to watch these animals trying to eat to see how they struggle to grip their meat without having the use of claws to hold it. To my mind it's absolutely barbaric,'' Husband told Sunday News.

and perhaps the saddest part of all for the veterinary profession - it was (surprise, surprise), all about money and increasing the public exposure of the lions for the tourists and television! 

The findings of a Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry investigation into declawing at Zion is a 12-page report that considers the possibility of charges being laid over the declawing. But the fact most of the controversial operations, from 2000-2008, were supervised by MAF vets was "problematic to any prosecution".

"Front pad declawing was deemed necessary by Zion's principal veterinarian at the time in order to facilitate close interaction with both handlers and veterinarians, and the need for a commercial income stream to be generated by Zion."
"Key drivers" given by the vet - whose name was withheld - behind his declawing of the big cats included "the animals were being used commercially to permit the financial survival of the zoo", and "close contact with handlers and film crews was required and personal safety was an issue".

Claw removal ( Onchyectomy)  in cats is one of the issues vets rank with tail docking and debarking in New Zealand. Cropping of dogs' ears is illegal here, but the rest falls in the category where it is encouraged that vets only consider performing these procedures when other measures have failed. In Vetscript, October 2008, the NZ Veterinary Association issued this, apparently specifically in response to the declawing of lions.

The Animal Welfare Act 1999 defines declawing as ‘the removal from the foot of a cat by a surgical procedure of the whole or part of one or more claws of the cat’ and categorises this as a ‘restricted surgical procedure’. This means that it can be performed only by a veterinarian or veterinary student supervised by a veterinarian, and that the veterinarian, whether performing the procedure or supervising it, must first satisfy himself or herself that the declawing is in the interests of the animal.

The NZVA has specifically stated said that this procedure
is to be considered contrary to the welfare of large cats.

From The Facts about Declawing

Removal of the last digits of the toes of a cat alters the conformation of their feet and causes them to meet the ground at an unnatural angle that can cause back pain similar to that in humans caused by wearing improper shoes. In my experience on the few I had to do when in practice, they also bleed heavily and there are risks of post operative complications...

Contrary to most people's understanding, declawing consists of amputating not just the claws, but the whole phalanx (up to the joint), including bones, ligaments, and tendons! To remove the claw, the bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons must all be amputated. Thus declawing is not a “simple”, single surgery but 10 separate, painful amputations of the third phalanx up to the last joint of each toe. A graphic comparison in human terms would be the cutting off of a person's finger at the last joint of each finger.

Complications of this amputation can be excruciating pain, damage to the radial nerve, hemorrhage, bone chips that prevent healing, painful regrowth of deformed claw inside of the paw which is not visible to the eye, and chronic back and joint pain as shoulder, leg and back muscles weaken. 

Don't forget, lions and tigers are heavier than domestic cats. They often require further surgery to correct the gait abnormalities and pad damage caused... and then there is the issue of how removing their nails makes it difficult for them to eat meat... with no grip.

This Lion Park recently lost their Head Ranger..sadly he was bitten in the head by one of the tigers while working with him in front of a group of tourists. But when I read this - I have to wonder what impact claw removal might have had on the personality of the tiger - if this is what is reported in domestic ones!

Some cats are so shocked by declawing that their personalities change. Cats who were lively and friendly have become withdrawn and introverted after being declawed. Others, deprived of their primary means of defense, become nervous, fearful, and/or aggressive, often resorting to their only remaining means of defense, their teeth. In some cases, when declawed cats use the litterbox after surgery, their feet are so tender they associate their new pain with the box...permanently, resulting in a life-long adversion to using the litter box. Other declawed cats that can no longer mark with their claws, they mark with urine instead resulting in inappropriate elimination problems, which in many cases, results in relinquishment of the cats to shelters and ultimately euthanasia. Many of the cats surrendered to shelters are surrendered because of behavioral problems which developed after the cats were declawed.

and for those of you who own a furniture shredding feline... check out some alternatives, ( good article)
 or learn to trim them yourself!

One popular, non-surgical alternative to declawing available through veterinarians is the application of vinyl nail caps (marketed in the US under brand names such as Soft Paws and Soft Claws) that are affixed to the claws with nontoxic glue, requiring periodic replacement when the cat sheds its claw sheaths (usually every four to six weeks, depending on the cat's scratching habits).
Apparenly these have arrived in New Zealand - sigh... they do coloured nail caps...

and I am not commenting as I don't know enough about them - but please, think twice before asking for your cat to be declawed.

Declawing - of cats and tigers and lions... oh my!

The continuing saga of the lions at the northern Lion Park in Whangarei continues. As a vet, I read today's news with some horror... ( as if the recent death of their Head Lion Keeper and strange business dealings aren't enough)..

Big cats featured on The Lion Man hit TV show are suffering after having their paws 'mutilated' so they could perform with their handlers, says the wildlife park troubleshooter now overseeing the animals’ welfare.Some 29 of the 37 lions and tigers at Zion Wildlife Gardens have been declawed - a practice condemned as 'barbaric' by consultant Tim Husband, hired after the fatal mauling of Zion ranger Dalu Mncube in May.
"One only needs to watch these animals trying to eat to see how they struggle to grip their meat without having the use of claws to hold it. To my mind it's absolutely barbaric,'' Husband told Sunday News.

and perhaps the saddest part of all for the veterinary profession - it was (surprise, surprise), all about money and increasing the public exposure of the lions for the tourists and television! 

The findings of a Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry investigation into declawing at Zion is a 12-page report that considers the possibility of charges being laid over the declawing. But the fact most of the controversial operations, from 2000-2008, were supervised by MAF vets was "problematic to any prosecution".

"Front pad declawing was deemed necessary by Zion's principal veterinarian at the time in order to facilitate close interaction with both handlers and veterinarians, and the need for a commercial income stream to be generated by Zion."
"Key drivers" given by the vet - whose name was withheld - behind his declawing of the big cats included "the animals were being used commercially to permit the financial survival of the zoo", and "close contact with handlers and film crews was required and personal safety was an issue".

Claw removal ( Onchyectomy)  in cats is one of the issues vets rank with tail docking and debarking in New Zealand. Cropping of dogs' ears is illegal here, but the rest falls in the category where it is encouraged that vets only consider performing these procedures when other measures have failed. In Vetscript, October 2008, the NZ Veterinary Association issued this, apparently specifically in response to the declawing of lions.

The Animal Welfare Act 1999 defines declawing as ‘the removal from the foot of a cat by a surgical procedure of the whole or part of one or more claws of the cat’ and categorises this as a ‘restricted surgical procedure’. This means that it can be performed only by a veterinarian or veterinary student supervised by a veterinarian, and that the veterinarian, whether performing the procedure or supervising it, must first satisfy himself or herself that the declawing is in the interests of the animal.

The NZVA has specifically stated said that this procedure
is to be considered contrary to the welfare of large cats.

From The Facts about Declawing

Removal of the last digits of the toes of a cat alters the conformation of their feet and causes them to meet the ground at an unnatural angle that can cause back pain similar to that in humans caused by wearing improper shoes. In my experience on the few I had to do when in practice, they also bleed heavily and there are risks of post operative complications...

Contrary to most people's understanding, declawing consists of amputating not just the claws, but the whole phalanx (up to the joint), including bones, ligaments, and tendons! To remove the claw, the bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons must all be amputated. Thus declawing is not a “simple”, single surgery but 10 separate, painful amputations of the third phalanx up to the last joint of each toe. A graphic comparison in human terms would be the cutting off of a person's finger at the last joint of each finger.

Complications of this amputation can be excruciating pain, damage to the radial nerve, hemorrhage, bone chips that prevent healing, painful regrowth of deformed claw inside of the paw which is not visible to the eye, and chronic back and joint pain as shoulder, leg and back muscles weaken. 

Don't forget, lions and tigers are heavier than domestic cats. They often require further surgery to correct the gait abnormalities and pad damage caused... and then there is the issue of how removing their nails makes it difficult for them to eat meat... with no grip.

This Lion Park recently lost their Head Ranger..sadly he was bitten in the head by one of the tigers while working with him in front of a group of tourists. But when I read this - I have to wonder what impact claw removal might have had on the personality of the tiger - if this is what is reported in domestic ones!

Some cats are so shocked by declawing that their personalities change. Cats who were lively and friendly have become withdrawn and introverted after being declawed. Others, deprived of their primary means of defense, become nervous, fearful, and/or aggressive, often resorting to their only remaining means of defense, their teeth. In some cases, when declawed cats use the litterbox after surgery, their feet are so tender they associate their new pain with the box...permanently, resulting in a life-long adversion to using the litter box. Other declawed cats that can no longer mark with their claws, they mark with urine instead resulting in inappropriate elimination problems, which in many cases, results in relinquishment of the cats to shelters and ultimately euthanasia. Many of the cats surrendered to shelters are surrendered because of behavioral problems which developed after the cats were declawed.

and for those of you who own a furniture shredding feline... check out some alternatives, ( good article)
 or learn to trim them yourself!

One popular, non-surgical alternative to declawing available through veterinarians is the application of vinyl nail caps (marketed in the US under brand names such as Soft Paws and Soft Claws) that are affixed to the claws with nontoxic glue, requiring periodic replacement when the cat sheds its claw sheaths (usually every four to six weeks, depending on the cat's scratching habits).
Apparenly these have arrived in New Zealand - sigh... they do coloured nail caps...

and I am not commenting as I don't know enough about them - but please, think twice before asking for your cat to be declawed.