One Welfare

One Health is by now a familiar concept. One Health has been part of the veterinary profession for many years; “One Health recognizes that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. The goal of One Health is to encourage the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally to achieve the best health for people, animals, and our environment” as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Veterinarians are, and have been, champions of One Health using the concepts in daily practice. It is almost impossible to discuss the concepts of One Health without considering One Welfare.

One Welfare is an emerging term. Similar to One Health, One Welfare looks at issues from a wider, national, global and holistic perspective. The concept refers to not only animal welfare but includes human welfare and societal mental health, as well as environmental conservation. It uses One Health concepts and ideas and applies them to welfare and environmental issues. As veterinarians we are the leading advocates of animal welfare. We are also keenly aware of the positive effects animals have on humans such as companionship, food production, and biomedical research. We need as well to be aware of the interactions among animals, humans, and the environment and their impact on each other.

Wellness and mental health in our profession is a major concern for the CVMA. We have unfortunately seen too many examples of serious mental health issues in our profession. Veterinary blogs, meetings, and conferences are full of wellness topics. Every provincial association offers some form of a wellness program for its members. Mental health has become a major challenge for the profession. We, however, are not the only professionals dealing with mental health issues. Wellness is a major concern for society in general. As veterinarians we also see mental health concerns with our clients and how that affects the care of the animals under their control. Anyone who has had any experience with animal hoarding or poor farm animal living conditions will know this all too well. Also many food animal practitioners can tell you the concerns about the environmental impact of intensive livestock operations and the need to address them. When examining welfare it is natural to look at the bigger picture and take a more holistic approach.

One Welfare seems to be gaining momentum. An International One Welfare conference was held September 26 to 28th, 2016 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The conference provided national and international experts an opportunity to learn and collaborate on human and animal welfare concepts. Things are happening at educational institutions as well. The Western College of Veterinary medicine (WCVM) has formed a partnership with the department of psychology and has a social worker available for WCVM students as well as the clients of the teaching hospital and farm services. I have heard nothing but positive feedback about this arrangement and suspect other schools will follow the WCVM’s lead. The WCVM has also developed a unique mentee education program that educates students on how to be mentored and how mentorship works. This fits the holistic One Welfare concept.

The University of Calgary has developed a no-cost clinic for disadvantaged pet owners that has the dual benefit of helping the owners and their animals, and also aids in teaching students One Welfare concepts. It’s great to see that many other schools are following suit and providing veterinary services to low income society members, including the homeless population. Just recently I read a news story about human homeless shelters accommodating pets. It is also fantastic to see societal natural disaster plans that include animal evacuation protocols. Huge success stories with One Health and One Welfare are emerging. Community Veterinary Outreach programs in Ottawa and Toronto have been very successful, with thanks to driven individuals such as Dr. Michelle Lem and her colleagues. In addition, the CVMA Convention will feature a session on Remote Veterinary Care in Rural Canadian Communities and a panel discussion on Accessible Veterinary Care.

It is dificult to separate the welfare of an animal from the health of an animal. Maybe the term One Health already means One Welfare. Maybe we should start using One Health and One Welfare together when we discuss the concepts. Regardless, the complex issues of human and animal welfare, and environmental conservation will only become more important in global society. One Welfare will promote not only animal welfare but human and societal well-being.