MEMBERS’ MAGAZINE JULY-AUGUST 2016 Dr. Merle Olson - solvet LOOKING FOR AN EASY AND FUN PROJECT TO HELP PETS AND PEOPLE? Participate in the first annual TAILS OF HELP MONTH fundraising campaign! OCTOBER 2016 Tails of Help Month is our annual public fundraising campaign where you, members of the veterinary community, can join together with animal enthusiasts and businesses across Alberta to provide aid for animals in need. Throughout October, small fundraising events led by veterinary clinics and local businesses alike will help to raise awareness and funding for Tails of Help to let us do what we do: Help keep the four-legged members of low income Alberta families happy and healthy for years to come! For more information or to order your FREE Tails of Help Month Fundraising Kit, register to participate in the rst annual Tails of Help Month today! Register at www.tailsofhelp.ca/tohmonth or by email [email protected] Scan for more information Premier & Title Sponsor Platinum Sponsor “Tails* “Tails of Help”of Help” is seeking is seeking to raise to commitments raise commitments of $200,000 of $200,000 during its during scal year its fiscalending yearOctober ending 31, 2016October through 31, its2016 fundraising through campaigns.its fundraising We estimatecampaigns. that it Wewill estimatecost our organizationthat it will cost $40,000 our toorganization raise this. We $40,000 plan toto useraise the this money amount. to fund We essential plan to veterinary use the money care for to ill orfund injured essential pets ofveterinary owners who care are for experiencing ill or injured nancial pets of hardship.owners in Our Alberta goal iswho to keep are experiencingpets healthy and financial with their hardship. loving families. Our goal For is further to keep information, pets healthy please and contactwith their Andrew loving Ewan families. at 403-XXX-XXXX For further information,or visit our website please at see www.tailsofhelp.ca. our website at www.tailsofhelp.ca, Our mailing address or is 1260contact – 5328 Andrew Calgary Ewan, Trail ExecutiveNW, Edmonton, Director, T6H at4J8. 587-575-8415 Our organization or [email protected] incorporated under the Companies Our mail- Act (Alberta)ing address and isis a 1260registered – 5328 charity Calgary under Trail the IncomeNW, Edmonton, Tax Act (Canada). T6H 4J8. Tails of Help is incorporated under the Companies Act (Alberta) and is a registered charity under the Income Tax Act (Canada). Editor’s Notebook A Modest Profession love veterinary medicine! It is not just for the animals, it is for the people in the profession. The Iunique feature of veterinary professionals is that they 20 do so many things extraordinarily well, but they are too reserved and modest to tell anybody what they have done. I have been told that at some professional meetings, during the social gatherings the discussions Inside this Issue centre around who has the largest annual gross salary, or VOL. 18, ISSUE 4 who has the latest and most expensive car, or who just 2017 Call for Resolutions ........................................................................10 bought a vacation home in Maui. Fortunately, when we Provisional Approval of New VPEs ..........................................................16 get together we talk about ‘unexciting’ things like family Midge Landals' Retirement .....................................................................19 and friends, what the kids are doing, and of course, the never ending “interesting case.” We are not boring, we On the Cover - Dr. Merle Olson .........................................................24-25 are a very humble and down-to-earth group. Alberta’s veterinary professionals have demonstrated REGULAR ARTICLES they deserve mountains of praise for their response to Editor’s Notebook ....................................................................................3 the request for aid during the largest natural disaster that has ever affected Alberta—“the beast” in Fort President’s Report .................................................................................4-5 McMurray. This is a disaster of historic proportions, Registrar’s Report .....................................................................................6 and Albertans from all walks of life rolled up their Council Highlights .....................................................................................9 sleeves and went to work helping people. The veterinary community was right in the middle doing their part. Complaints Director’s Report .............................................................12-14 The Alberta government asked us for help, and every Membership Matters ..............................................................................15 call for assistance that went out from the ABVMA PIPS Tips .................................................................................................16 office was met with a landslide of volunteers willing to CVMA Report.....................................................................................18-19 help. Veterinary teams worked within Fort McMurray at ground zero the minute they were allowed in. Keeping You Current ..............................................................................20 Animals that had been left behind and later evacuated Dean’s Corner (UCVM & WCVM) .......................................................22-23 were transported to Edmonton to an emergency centre Student’s Corner (UCVM & WCVM) ...................................................26-27 where they were triaged and treated by veterinary AHT News ..........................................................................................28-31 health care teams that had travelled from all around the province. Some worked all night, then went to their CE Opportunities ...............................................................................32-33 day jobs in the morning. Some took time away from Classified Ads.....................................................................................34-46 their regular employment to work at the centre. Some never seemed to go home. There was never a shortage of The ABVMA Members’ Magazine is a bi-monthly publication of the Alberta veterinary care by dedicated professionals. Veterinary Medical Association and the Alberta Association of Animal Again, I will say that I love the people of the Health Technologists delivered free of charge to members of the ABVMA. veterinary profession. You should all shout from the rooftops how totally amazing that you all are! However, PRODUCTION CONTACT US I know that you won’t. You all make me very proud to Editor – Dr. Darrell Dalton Alberta Veterinary Medical Assocation Design, Layout & Printing – Burke Group Bldg. 3, Elm Business Park be part of this great profession, and I promise to never Communications and Professional Suite 104, 9452 – 51 Avenue, NW pass up an opportunity to let people know how great Enhancement – Kathy Naum Edmonton, AB T6E 5A6 you are. ADVERTISING Phone: 780-489-5007 Display Advertising – Kathy Naum Toll-Free: 1-800-404-2862 Classified Advertising – Brenda Betnar Fax: 780-484-8311 Darrell Dalton, DVM EDITORIAL POLICY Return Undeliverable Registrar, Alberta Veterinary Medical Association The magazine welcomes letters to the Canadian Addresses to: editor on any topic related to the veter- Alberta Veterinary Medical Association inary profession. All letters must include Suite 104, 9452 – 51 Avenue, NW the author’s name. The editor reserves the Edmonton, AB T6E 5A6 Canada right to edit letters for clarity, length and correction of factual inaccuracies Canadian Publication Mail Agreement 40014637 WWW. ABVMA.CA 3 President’s Report IT WAS CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT WHEN I express my sincere gratitude in particular to the opened the door, and our eyes locked on ABVMA, the Alberta Spay Neuter Task Force, each other. I knew she had been on the road the Alberta SPCA, the Edmonton Humane for over five hours and was exhausted. She Society and the Calgary Humane Society for was scared and trembling, and not sure what their massive involvement and work on this to make of this peculiar encounter. I knew effort to evacuate, treat, house and reunite right away she needed some comfort, but she thousands of Fort McMurray animals. was wary, as we were strangers. Initially, she The Alberta public should be aware that cowered as I reached for her, but she relaxed due to the hard work, dedication and generous the moment I started to stroke her face. As I donation of time and resources from many held her in my arms, I realized she reeked of ABVMA members, the health and welfare of smoke, but I didn’t care; she was safe now. all these animals was ensured and those animals Sorry to disappoint you, but if you think that were ill received the timely medical care this is the opening to a racy romance novel, they required. Veterinarian and veterinary Kevin MacAulay, DVM you should get your mind out of the gutter! technologist volunteers from the ABVMA The experience I described above is one I community triaged each animal that arrived President, Alberta Veterinary experienced first-hand with one of many cats at the Animal Reception Centre to determine Medical Association when I volunteered at the Fort McMurray if they were in need of any medical attention. Animal Reception Centre in Edmonton in May. If basic medical treatment was required, these Overall, I would like to applaud the overwhelming response from the ABVMA community during