So, why have we launched a podcast focussing on animal welfare? Well, there are lots of reasons: a lifetime in the veterinary world (I won’t tell you when I started seeing practice), means that I’ve had the opportunity to meet lots of wonderful people doing great work for animals and we wanted to shout about that. We wanted to give a voice to people who might otherwise not be heard.
We live in a society that is human centric, and animals are on the fringes. But many people are working every day to improve the lives of animals, and we would argue that there needs to be more awareness of this work. Improving animal welfare, obviously benefits the animals involved, but it also benefits people, practically and emotionally and everyone needs to know about it.
In this first series we begin by talking to two amazing veterinary nurses: Amy in Australia and Emma in the UK. They may be on opposite sides of the world, but we ended up discussing similar topics.
First of all, education. In order to improve animal welfare, we need to provide information and education for owners and the people working with animals. The role of the veterinary nurse isn’t just about caring for the animals; it’s about caring for the owners and educating them. Anyone who has ever worked in vet practice will know that the central role is that of the veterinary nurse.
Secondly, the lack of awareness about what veterinary nurses do. There are so many TV programmes about vets, but we struggled to think of any that focus on veterinary nursing. Too often, vet nurses are the person in the background, holding the animal for the vet, or assisting, and we think it’s time that the veterinary nurses were front and centre, explaining what nursing is and that it’s time someone made a programme focussing on nursing.
Further episodes of the podcast will see us talk to vets, medics, and other amazing people striving to improve the lives of animals, and alongside that, the lives of people. But for now, find out more about how veterinary nurses improve animal welfare. Find out more on the website and follow us on Spotify.
We would love you to be part of The Animal Welfare Conversation.
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