The Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre is one of very few in North America; it is the only one in a Canadian veterinary college. Dr. Alice Crook is the Centre's coordinator and has been with the Centre since 1994, when it began life as the Animal Welfare Unit. Dr. Caroline Hewson is the Research Chair and joined the Centre when it was launched in 2000. There are also 2 graduate students (Nina Wojciechowska, DVM and Julie Christie, BSc), working with Dr. Hewson, and a Management Committee drawn from the Atlantic Veterinary College, with an external member from the Atlantic provinces.
The Animal Welfare Centre provides service, research, and education in the welfare of dogs, cats, horses, and wildlife. The focus on these species makes the Centre unique in Canada. Projects are funded or undertaken only if they are thought likely to provide tangible benefits to animals. Several innovative projects have come out of this approach including the following:
Medical and surgical care of homeless dogs and cats, Humane education, and Neutering feral cats on PEI, all of which were initiated by Dr. Karen Gibson. In 2001, Dr. Gibson received the CVMA's Humane Award for her work.
AVC humane dog training programme (Dr. Norma Guy), Improving care of epileptic dogs (Dr. Alastair Cribb), Canine lungworm in the Atlantic provinces (Dr. Gary Conboy), and Treatment of immune failure in newborn foals (Dr. J. McClure).
All the projects are listed on the Centre's Web site (www.upei.ca/awc). Veterinary student projects are also funded, through the Student Project Fund. These projects have included a workshop on euthanasia and grief, and a leaflet about canine cosmetic surgeries, which inspired the Centre's most recent venture.
A series of public education leaflets for distribution to veterinary clinics have been developed by the Centre. In addition to the one already mentioned on canine cosmetic surgery, 3 other leaflets were printed, entitled Feral Cats; Declawing; and Caring for Your Horse. For further details, contact Dr. Alice Crook ([902] 628-4360; e-mail acrook@upei.ca). Leaflets on other welfare topics are currently being written.
Another new development at the Centre is the organization of externships in large animal welfare and companion animal welfare. These externships will be for final year veterinary students at the AVC, and the Centre will fund 2 scholarships to help students meet the cost of the externships.
(by Dr. Caroline Hewson, Research Chair, Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre)
