Racecourse vets from across the country share expertise at continuing professional development (CPD) event~
~Ongoing CPD days form part of GBGB’s long term welfare strategy ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’~
On Wednesday, racecourse veterinary surgeons from across the country joined together at Nottingham Greyhound Stadium for the Greyhound Board of Great Britain’s (GBGB) eleventh annual Vet Training Day.
The event, which offered a series of educational sessions with veterinary experts, was an opportunity for vets within the sport to exchange ideas and discuss the latest research and best practice in greyhound care.
Following a welcome from GBGB’s Veterinary Director Dr Simon Gower, the morning began with a session on assessing greyhound behaviour delivered by Dr Sarah Heath FRCVS, a leading veterinary specialist in behavioural medicine. Earlier this year, Dr Heath collaborated with GBGB on a series of in-depth webinars about understanding greyhound behaviour.
GBGB Independent Director Professor Madeleine Campbell then provided an update on the delivery of GBGB’s long term welfare strategy, which was followed by a session on handling any emergency situations involving animals delivered by Dr Emma Punt from the British Animal Rescue and Trauma Care Association.
In the afternoon, Associate Professor of Veterinary Anatomy Dr Richard Payne returned to speak on a range of topics relating to greyhound care, both in the kennel environment and at the racecourse.
Throughout the day, updates were also provided on regulation and the industry more broadly by GBGB’s CEO Mark Bird, Executive Veterinarian Tiffany Blackett and Senior Stipendiary Steward Duncan Gibson, whilst Welfare Manager Paula Beniston spoke to attendees about ongoing homing efforts and responsibilities.
GBGB Executive Veterinarian Tiffany Blackett said:
“It was excellent to see so many vets and industry representatives attending our racecourse Vet Training Day on Wednesday. This annual event provides a perfect forum for those within the industry to share their experiences and continue to develop their skills through sessions from external veterinary experts. We all came away from the day with some really valuable information applicable across all aspects of our work with greyhounds.
“Thank you to the team at Nottingham Stadium for their hospitality, and to all the brilliant speakers for sharing their expertise.”
Simon Gower, GBGB Veterinary Director, said:
“This year’s Vet Training Day was a really good event which was well attended. The presentations were diverse and included regulatory updates, scientific papers and topics related to the Welfare Strategy. As always there was a lot of lively debate and positive input from the delegates
“Special thanks to the speakers who entertained and educated us throughout the day.”
