Seamus O’Kane outgoing president of AVSPNI welcomed over 110 vets to the AFBI laboratories, Omagh on 10th January. They had turned out to listen to the four local practitioners who gave presentations on a variety of subjects. Esther Skelly-Smith from Shanaghan Veterinary Services kicked off the day educating the vets on equine pain; this included the understanding of pain and its assessment and management in the horse over recent years. The talk also provided evidence-based updates on equine pain assessment and its application for the practitioners.
Treenie Bowser from Parklands Veterinary Practice, Portglenone spoke next. Treenie’s talk on dairy herd fertility gave her colleagues an overview of genomics in Holstein herds, and tips how they can apply this new technology to farms to assist breeding decisions.
After a quick cup of tea or coffee in the break the vets heard a short presentation from Sarah Campbell of MSD, the sponsors for the day. AVSPNI would like to take the opportunity to thank MSD for their continued support and for helping make events such as this one such a great success.
John Hill then gave a very informative talk outlining some of the challenges facing bees. The talk covered the antimicrobial properties of honey and propolis as well as lots of other very interesting facts.
Brian Jones brought this part of the day to a conclusion with his talk on reproduction in dogs. His talk covered collection, preparation, shipping and storage of fresh, chilled and frozen semen as well as A.I. and causes of infertility in dogs.
When the presentations were finished, the speakers had a chance to relax and enjoy the rest of the day which included the AVSPNI AGM at which Phil Walsh was installed as 2018 President. This was followed by the adjudication and award presentation of the winner’s trophy by RCVS President Stephen May and a three course dinner. Professor May commented on how much he had enjoyed the day. He commended all of the speakers and awarded the Frank Mullan memorial trophy to Treenie for her excellent presentation, rounding up an enjoyable and educational day.
Photo credits: David McKeown
