Episodes

Sneak preview! We are still finalising things, but I wanted to let you know that Animal Welfare Conversations is launching a new award for Animal Welfare. The Alex Fraser Medal for Animal Welfare will be awarded on an annual basis to someone who has shown outstanding commitment to improving the lives of animals. More information about how to nominate someone (or put yourself forward for consideration) will be available soon, but I wanted to let you know that this will be happening later in th...

Welcome to the next episode of the Animal Welfare conversation. This week we’re joined by Dr Bronwyn Orr, who is a veterinary surgeon in Australia. Dr Bronwyn Orr has a particular interest in animal welfare, completing a Master of Science majoring in International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law from the University of Edinburgh and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from University of Sydney. She is a Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists by examination in Animal We...

In this episode we catch up with Dr Marc Abraham OBE, BVM&S MRCVS, or ‘Marc the Vet’ as he’s usually known, a multi-award-winning veterinary surgeon, author, broadcaster, and animal welfare campaigner. Marc qualified from Edinburgh University in 1995, and during one nightshift at his Brighton out-of-hours emergency clinic in 2009 treated some poorly pups, then decided to campaign against irresponsible dog and cat breeding practices such as puppy farming. He founded awareness campaigns #WheresMu...

In this episode we catch up with Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today Magazine. Beverley Cuddy has been the editor of Dogs Today magazine since in launch in 1990 when it was part of the Daily Mail group. From childhood she was dog mad and worked at the weekly show dog papers before six long years at the Kennel Club trying to reform them from within! She has campaigned for a better dog world for decades - some of the successes include an end to quarantine and the start of Pet Passports, the end ...

In this episode we meet Sam Fontaine MSc PGCAP BSc DipAVN(Med) RVN FHEA SFRET Sam qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2002 and after a short time in general practice, joined the University of Glasgow’s Small Animal Hospital as their first dedicated oncology nurse in 2003. She spent 16 years in the SAH working both in the oncology service, and latterly as the deputy nursing services manager, where she co-led a team of over 50 veterinary nurses and veterinary care assistants. During her time in c...

In this episode we meet Emma Ruggles RVN CertVNECC APVN (Wildlife and Zoo Animals) L3CertSAHydro. Emma has worked in the veterinary industry for 10 years and qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2016, and has always had a passion for small animal emergency and critical care and wildlife conservation. After 1 year of working as an RVN in practice she started the CertVNECC qualification, and became a Locum RVN as of June 2018. Since then as well as working as a locum across the UK in bot...

In this episode we chat to Lacey Pitcher RVN about the world of veterinary nursing, and that impact of that on animal welfare. We consider the importance of understanding socio-economic factors in animal welfare, sharing personal experiences and emphasizing the need for empathy and understanding towards pet owners. It’s likely that we’re going to see a shift in the veterinary profession's approach to care, and we consider the importance of collaboration, empathy, and contextualized care. Trust ...

In this short intro episode, we highlight new episodes for May, otherwise known as Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month. So, we're focussing on the impact of veterinary nursing on animal welfare. In our first 3 episodes we chat to Lacey Pitcher of the VN Times, Emma Ruggles, hydrotherapy vet nurse, and Sam Fontaine, programme lead for the MSc in Advanced Veterinary Nursing Practice at Glasgow Vet School. The first new episode goes out on 17th May so we hope you will join #TheAnimalWelfareConvers...

In this episode we take a break from interviews, and Mary considers the impact of the CMA report on animal welfare. Recent years have seen many changes in veterinary practice, and in particular the corporatisation of the industry. Whilst there are still independent practices out there, many of the UK's veterinary practices are owned by small number of large corporates. In this situation vets and veterinary nurses are employees of a larger company, and are not responsible for pricing decisions. ...

This edition of Animal Welfare Conversations focusses on veterinary life in Australia. We’re joined by Dr Tanya Stephens BVSc, MSc, IAWEL, MANZCVS, FRCVS. Tanya is a veterinary practitioner in Australia, who has been able to combine a clinical career in practice alongside research on kangaroos, actively supported the profession, completed further studies in the area of animal welfare, and received a number of awards for her veterinary work. Her main interests are in animal welfare, research, e...

In this episode of The Animal Welfare Conversation we are joined by Joe Bailey, CEO of the Humanimal Trust, a charity set up in 2014 by Professor Noel Fitzpatrick to support collaboration between human health professionals and veterinary professionals, to enable knowledge sharing for the benefit of humans and animals. We find out more about one medicine and discover why education is central to improving animal welfare. We consider sentience and how important it is to ensure that all animals have...

In this episode we catch up with Dr Matt Morgan, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, adjunct Professor, regular BMJ columnist and author of One Medicine - What animals can teach us and why it matters. We chat about the physiological, anatomical and behavioural similarities between humans and animals and how we can improve veterinary care for animals, alongside improving medical care for humans. We find out more about the concept of one medicine, how human medicine advances were inspired by t...

In this episode we chat to Dr Simon Doherty. With experience in veterinary practice, industry, academia and professional representation there is a lot to talk about, including how innovation and sustainability can improve animal welfare and what the UK can learn from around the world. As always, we ask Simon what animal welfare means to him. More information about the podcast and our guests can be found on the podcast website, where you can also subscribe to our newsletter. Animal Welfare Conve...

In this episode we chat to vet Dr Sean Wensley, about animal welfare science and how was can all make a difference

Discussing Animal Welfare in relation to wildlife

We were delighted to chat with Amy Lyons in our more recent edition of Animal Welfare Conversations. Working as a veterinary nurse in Australia Amy sees a variety of different animals – anything from wombats and kangaroos through to rabbits and dogs. We look at how the role of the vet nurse is central to animal welfare – through vet nurse training, the challenges of working with wildlife, common husbandry conditions, owner education and the reality of working in practice. We compare life as a ...

Welcome to Animal Welfare Conversations A podcast for veterinary nurses, vets, vet students, and anyone who just loves working with animals. This podcast is for you if you want to feel part of a larger conversation and community around animal welfare in the UK and beyond. Our first season is all about highlighting the good work that’s already going on in animal welfare. Meet the humans working in animal welfare We have an inspiring list of guests for season 1. We’ll be talking to vet nurses...