An outstanding veterinary career

The letter informing me I was the recipient of the BVA Outstanding Service Award (Chiron Award) was a totally unexpected surprise. Being considered a suitable recipient by my peers is a huge accolade. When I look at previous recipients of the award - Sarah Cleaveland, Ray Butcher, Des Thompson to name but a few - I am truly humbled.

My career in One Health

As a student I anticipated my veterinary career would be as a GP vet.  That changed when I joined Intervet UK (now MSD Animal Health) as a vet adviser, providing technical support for small animal medicines, most notably dog vaccines. This gave me a solid grounding in canine infectious disease which has been invaluable. I was also responsible for two corporate social responsibility projects, Forging the Link and The Afya Serengeti project, both of which have had a lasting impact.

Forging the Link raised awareness of the link between abuse of animals and abuse of humans, which I had previously been unaware of. It’s a difficult subject to comprehend, as we do not expect our clients to deliberately hurt an animal then bring it to us to get it fixed. Although vets are not mandated to report this, there are moral and ethical considerations when faced with suspected abuse. MSD’s enduring membership and ongoing support of the Links Group has really helped to raise awareness of the link. I’ve also been able to continue this work through Dogs Trust’s involvement, including Freedom, our specialist pet fostering service for dogs belonging to people fleeing domestic abuse.

The Afya Serengeti project (now the Afya Program) involves donating canine rabies vaccines to rabies endemic areas. With most human cases of rabies the result of dog bites, vaccinating dogs reduces human cases. Professor Sarah Cleaveland is an inspiration, I vividly recall discussing her work in Tanzania and the additional impact it had on the health of the wildlife in the Serengeti National Park. This One Health element has stuck with me and is why I have been vocal in the area of puppy smuggling and dog importation, both the welfare impact and the risk of non-endemic disease.

Thanks to my talented colleagues

Like the Chiron Award, winning BSAVAs J A Wight Memorial Award and WSAVAs Global One Health Award were huge and unexpected honours. All of these awards are testament to the brilliant and talented people I have had the privilege of working with.

I’ve worked with the Links Group for 20 years. I often describe the team as small but mighty, constantly punching above its weight. This includes past colleagues, Freda Scott-Park and Wendy Sneddon, and current trustees, including vice chair Vicki Betton. Thanks to MSD, we now deliver undergraduate training at most of the UK vet schools. I am incredibly proud that this is well and truly in the veterinary curriculum.

I would also like to acknowledge Helen and Ranald Munro. Their work as forensic veterinary pathologists, and Helen’s research which gave us the diagnostic indicators for non-accidental injury, very much put animal abuse, the link and our role as veterinary professionals onto the map. In addition to their significant contribution to the profession, they have been unassuming mentors to me. I owe them a huge gratitude.

I have often said that puppy smuggling will be on my epitaph. I am therefore delighted that vet MP Danny Chambers’ Puppy Smuggling Bill is making progress through Westminster and hope that at last it will get over the line. A DT conference on puppy smuggling in 2013 identified the same problems we see today, highlighting how important this is. Westminster vets Lord Trees and Neil Hudson MP have also been so supportive of this issue over so many years. With our experience of working with illegally imported dogs, Dogs Trust was able to adapt and quarantine dogs belonging to Ukrainians coming to the UK following the invasion of their country. To see the impact when they were reunited is an everlasting memory; one of many thanks to some amazing colleagues at DT.

An unexpected career

If I had asked the newly graduated me what I would be doing 30 years hence, it would not be this. Things don’t always go the way we want or expect them to. The career path I have taken was not planned, yet each role has taught me new skills along the way. I hope my story can inspire other veterinary professionals to follow their interests and forge their own uniquely rewarding career.