Representatives from The Donkey Sanctuary will be at this year's British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress in Liverpool to share expert knowledge about the care and welfare of donkeys and other equines.
The Donkey Sanctuary will be at the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool from Wednesday 13 to Saturday 16 September, co-exhibiting with World Horse Welfare, to share expert knowledge about the care and welfare of donkeys and other equines.
Experts from both charities will be on hand to explore the sensitive topic of ‘end of life’, which is being discussed at a specific session during the event - based on key findings from Advancing Equine Scientific Excellence’s ‘Equine End of Life’ collaborative research project, to which The Donkey Sanctuary contributed.
Faith Burden, Director of Research at The Donkey Sanctuary helped coordinate the research project to ensure donkeys and mules were fully represented in the study. She said: “We were able to reach out to our network of donkey owners and practitioners to ask for their help examining attitudes to end of life issues. Euthanasia is an important final act in the care of any animal, it is always a painful decision but one that should be taken at the right time when their quality of life deteriorates. Assessing quality of life can be difficult, this is particularly true for donkeys who are stoic in nature and often hide signs of pain. The findings of this study will help us to better support donkey and mule owners dealing with difficult ‘end of life’ issues - ultimately finding the right time to prevent suffering.”
Staff from The Donkey Sanctuary will be on hand to discuss and share a range of information about donkey and mule-specific veterinary care, including a ‘Growing Old Gracefully’ DVD and leaflets on geriatric care, nutrition and veterinary support. There will be advice available on donkeys and their differences to horses, work experience and CPD at The Donkey Sanctuary and news of the charity’s global efforts, including its sustained efforts to halt the booming trade in donkey skins for traditional Chinese medicine.
The Donkey Sanctuary and World Horse Welfare’s exhibit demonstrates the importance of collaboration between animal welfare organisations and the team welcome everyone at BEVA Congress 2017 to the stand.
