Veterinary scene down under: IV fluid shortage updates, and more news

Intravenous fluid shortage

With intravenous (IV) fluid therapy being an integral part of veterinary medicine, veterinarians across Australia are being impacted by a critical shortage of intravenous fluid supplies – an issue which is also affecting the human health system.

“Manufacturing issues, increased demand and supply chain disruptions have meant human and veterinary hospitals around the country have been forced to ration IV fluid supplies and some veterinary clinics have postponed elective procedures,” said Sally Colgan, BVSc, DipVetClinStud, Diplomate ACVS, MAICD, president of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), exclusively to dvm360®.

“We now understand this supply disruption seems to have disproportionately affected the Australian market. [Veterinarian’s] access and use the same types of fluids and many of the same manufacturers as human medicine. As [veterinary] practices are much smaller than human hospitals, their budget and capacity to maintain large stocks of IV fluids is limited.”

Sally Colgan, BVSc, DipVetClinStud, Diplomate ACVS, MAICD, president of the Australian Veterinary Association (Image courtesy of the Australian Veterinary Association)

Veterinary clinics have been impacted to varying degrees across the country. Colgan said the AVA understands that the supply situation is patchy and while some practices have been able to implement measures to manage supplies, others are at critically low levels.

Since June, the AVA has been working with manufacturers, suppliers, regulators such as the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, the respective state and territory veterinary boards, and regulatory professionals to source and share information and advocate for the supply of IV fluids for the veterinary profession.

“In late August, we met with a range of Australian Government Ministers and Shadow Ministers at Parliament House in Canberra, stressing the impact of the supply crisis on the veterinary profession and advocating for better supply chain management and increased transparency on supply issues,” explained Colgan.

“We have connected with our Australian Medical Association counterparts and conducted numerous media interviews on the issue. We continue to provide weekly information and guidance to vets, including sharing Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists resources to assist with fluid use, algorithms to help inform optimum fluid use, and client information handouts. Our IV fluids information page is accessible to all veterinarians, ensuring the profession is kept up to date with any developments on this critically important matter,” she continued.

After their meeting with the Federal Health Minister Mark Butler's office, the AVA has now been included in the National IV Fluids Working (Response) Group. The Minister's office has also recently announced an extra 22 million IV fluid bags have been secured over the next 6 months.

Funding boost for Veterinary and Community Care charity

The Perth-based Veterinary and Community Care (VaCC) charity has received a AUD $50,000 Animal Welfare Grant from the Western Australian Government, to help support the groups community centered veterinary practice for animal custodians experiencing vulnerabilities, which works to improve the health and wellbeing of animals and all who care for them.

Paul Davey, OAM, BSc, BVMS, one of the founding directors of VaCC, explained to dvm360 that the Animal Welfare Grant will be a critical part of the charity’s planning and resource management, and will support the Perth Street Vets operation and the Directed Care Program for the next year and a half.

“We are very grateful for the support that the Animal Welfare Grant offers, and we feel it validates our work, and is acknowledgment of the need. The most critical part of VaCC’s strategic planning is to create Australia’s first collaborative training program for Veterinary Social Workers,” said Davey.

The Perth Street Vet work (Image courtesy of Veterinary and Community Care)

“We strongly believe that veterinary social workers are the most important part of any program that supports the veterinary needs of the animals in the care of people experiencing vulnerability, such as the people at risk of homelessness whose animals are cared for by the Perth Street Vet team.”

Davey said that the fundamental role that veterinary social workers provide is to assist with the personal challenges of people who are experiencing vulnerabilities, which then enables the veterinary teams to focus on the animal problems.

“This will ultimately make veterinary teams more sustainable, functional and resilient, particularly when managing the more stressful aspects of their work. Once we have veterinary social workers on the ground, our plan is to expand these support activities beyond the limited services of the Perth Street Vet team, and create support hubs all over Western Australia,” explained Davey.

“Unfortunately, we will need substantially more funding than what the Animal Welfare grants can offer once we have the veterinary social workers in place, and so we see this is as small win on the way towards more challenging battles. We feel we have the people, culture and systems in place ready for those conversations, and welcome anyone who would like to help to contact us through our website.”

Wendy Till, another VaCC director, is Australia’s only formally qualified veterinary social worker and will be working with Murdoch University and the University of Tennessee to collaboratively deliver the veterinary social worker training, along with an extensive queue of qualified and experienced social workers keen to up-skill themselves.

“An advanced society can be measured by the way they care for their less fortunate people and the animals in their care. VaCC are focussed on enhancing the human animal bond that exists between people experiencing vulnerability and the animals that are their companions. With our natural resources, affluent circumstances, peaceful international relationships and high class education, health care and governance - Western Australia should be showing the world how to navigate this challenging space,” explained Davey.

“VaCC gives government a ready-to-go pilot program to explore this further, and genuinely change lives with a relatively small outlay. The environment has never been better to get behind this concept, with the Federal Animal Justice Party working towards a Medicare equivalent for animal owners, the WA Labor Party working hard on Animal Welfare reform, and the current economic pressures in Australia leading to high rates of neglect and dumping of animals as a result of escalating costs of veterinary care, and shrinking household disposable income.”

Perth Street Vets run a monthly clinic in inner city Perth and Davey said the Animal Welfare Grant will secure the immediate future of that program.

“The pet owners in danger of homelessness that can access that service will be very grateful to the state government for this, and will be greatly relieved that the wellbeing of what is often the most important thing in their lives, will continue to receive excellent medical care,” said Davey.

“However, we are laser focussed on the bigger picture and want to take every opportunity to demonstrate that this is a small part of a much larger jigsaw that we are determined to complete. We are optimistic that the state government is aware of the importance of this work and is in the process of securing additional support, but until we have a comprehensive program that covers all Western Australian animal caregivers that might be experiencing vulnerabilities such as homelessness, we will continue to raise awareness, demonstrate the need, and be receptive to any offers of assistance,” Davey concluded.

First veterinary practice in Australia achieves Fear Free Veterinary Practice Certification

The veterinary team at Avoca Drive Animal Hospital (Image courtesy of Fear Free, LLC)

Avoca Drive Animal Hospital in Erina, New South Wales, has become the first veterinary practice in Australia to achieve Fear Free Veterinary Practice Certification.

"Having drilled down to what drove us to become veterinarians in the first place—seeing pets healthy and happy—it seemed clear that there was a significant component missing in our veterinary curriculum: animal emotional wellbeing," said Elizabeth O'Connor BVSc, FFCP-V, the owner of Avoca Drive Animal Hospital, in a statement.¹

"Achieving this milestone of being Australia's first fully Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice means the world to us. It strengthens our bond as a team, connects us to our mission, and aligns us with clients who deeply care about their pets' emotional wellbeing."

The entire team at Avoca Drive Animal Hospital became Fear Free Certified individually while the practice worked to incorporate all 36 mandatory Fear Free standards into their workflows and patient care.

The process to become Fear Free Certified then involved an assessment of the practice’s facilities, protocols, and team dynamics to ensure a comprehensive and consistent Fear Free experience for all patients.

"The certification of Avoca Drive Animal Hospital is a significant step forward for Fear Free and the veterinary community in Australia. By becoming the first Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice in the country, Avoca Drive is enhancing patient care and inspiring other practices in the Oceania region to adopt Fear Free methods,” said Randy Valpy, CEO of Fear Free.¹

Reference

Avoca Drive Animal Hospital Becomes First Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice in Australia. News release. Fear Free, LLC. August 20, 2024. Accessed September 3, 2024.