A short history of veterinary dermatology in Canada

The Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology

The Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology (CAVD) is a federally incorporated nonprofit organization. Its history can be traced back to 1984, when it evolved from the Ontario Veterinary Dermatology Interest Group based on the model of the pre-existing British group. Three Ontario veterinarians, Drs. Lowell Ackerman, William (Bill) Schroeder, and Bernhard (Berney) Pukay (Figure 1) took notice of the widespread interest in the booming specialty and later considered expanding their group nationally.

Figure 1.

The 3 founding members of the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology in 1985 in Toronto. This photograph was taken in front of the first veterinary practice limited to Veterinary Dermatology in Canada. From left to right: Drs. William (Bill) Schroeder, Lowell Ackerman, and Bernhard (Berney) Pukay.

The first official meeting took place at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Ontario Veterinarians (SOV) in February 1985. The following summer, the 3 founding fathers gathered at Dr. Schroeder’s residence in Fenelon Falls, Ontario, to discuss a tentative constitution following in the footsteps of the American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology. The constitution was ratified at the Annual SOV meeting in Toronto in February 1986. The CAVD was born with Dr. Ackerman as first president.

The first annual symposium was held as a satellite conference to the 23rd World Veterinary Congress in Montreal in August 1987. The second and third conferences took place respectively in September 1988 in Vancouver in association with the British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association, and in July 1989 in Ottawa in association with the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. These continuing education events, followed by others in the subsequent years, helped establish the reputation of the Academy in the country.

The primary goal of the CAVD is to promote the advancement of Veterinary Dermatology with a singular united voice in Canada. Its Executive Committee is dedicated to enhancing the specialty and making it better known to Canadian society and the veterinary community at large.

Did you know?

Dermatologic conditions, including the ones affecting the ears, often are the primary reason for consulting a veterinarian.

Based on claim reports from pet health insurance providers, skin allergies are the most common canine health issue, directly followed by ear infections, non-cancerous skin masses, and skin infections.

The Academy assists in providing continuing education with the objective of advancing the profession’s capabilities in dermatology. In 2018, there was a grand total of 40 dermatology continuing education events (lectures, workshops, and webinars) in 28 cities located in 9 provinces and 1 territory. The CAVD sponsored a third of these events.

The CAVD offers financial support through 4 categories of grants: research, technician, resident grants, and an education travel grant. The latter is a travel stipend to cover a portion of expenses associated with attending the World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology.

The Academy disseminates scientific knowledge and news of value to the membership via a newsletter (The Bulletin) in both of Canada’s official languages. It also regularly disperses bilingual e-newsletters to its members. Veterinary Dermatology is the official journal of the CAVD. This scientific journal is produced by Wiley-Blackwell, a publisher based in the United Kingdom. Since January 2018, the Canadian Veterinary Journal includes a regular “Veterinary Dermatology” feature, written by members of the CAVD.

The current Executive Committee is composed of 9 Directors: the President, the Treasurer, the WAVD representative, the Grant chair, and 5 Members-at-large (Figure 2).

Figure 2.

The Executive Committee of the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology at a meeting in Cambridge, Ontario, in October 2018.

Front row: Lisa Collis (AB, Member-at-large), Jennie Tait (ON, Member-at-large), Frédéric Sauvé (QC, Grant Chair), Charlie Pye (PE, Member-at-large). Back row: Becky Valentine (AB, Member-at-large), Stephen Waisglass (ON, Treasurer), Vincent Defalque (BC, Immediate Past-president and WAVD Representative), Kinga Gortel (BC, President). Absent: Jangi Bajwa (BC, Member-at-large)

Membership is open to veterinarians, veterinary technicians/technologists, and industry representatives. In 2018, the CAVD had a robust membership of 326 members (Figure 3).

Figure 3.

2018 CAVD membership breakdown by geographic distribution.

Veterinary students and veterinary technician/technologist students are entitled to become free affiliates until December 31st of the first year following their school graduation. The CAVD had 303 student affiliates in 2018.

The role of Canada in a global specialty

In March 2010, the World Association for Veterinary Dermatology (WAVD) was formally incorporated as a non-profit limited liability company registered in Scotland, succeeding the World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology Association. The primary goal of the WAVD is to promote the worldwide advancement of Veterinary Dermatology.

The CAVD is one of the 8 member organizations under the auspices of the WAVD. Our sister organizations include the American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology (AAVD), the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD), the Asian Society of Veterinary Dermatology (AiSVD), the Asian College of Veterinary Dermatology (AiCVD), the European College of Veterinary Dermatology (ECVD), the European Society of Veterinary Dermatology (ESVD), and the Dermatology Chapter of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (DCANZCVS).

The World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology (WCVD) was initiated by member organizations representing American, Canadian and European specialists in veterinary dermatology. More recently, organizations from Asia and Australasia have joined. Every 4 years the WCVD is organized by 1 of the WAVD member organizations, with the goal to be better and more successful than the predecessor.

Along with France, Canada is 1 of only 2 countries to date to have hosted the WCVD twice (Figure 4). The CAVD was instrumental in the organization of these meetings. The growing number of attendees attests to the truly international nature of this event.

Figure 4.

Proceedings of the 2nd and 7th World Congresses of Veterinary Dermatology hosted in Canada 20 years apart.

The 2nd World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology took place in May 1992 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal with more than 500 delegates.

Twenty years later, in July 2012, a highly successful 7th World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology attracted more than 1600 veterinarians, dermatologists, pathologists, basic scientists, exhibitors, and accompanying persons from over 50 countries to the Vancouver Convention Centre. Congress delegates had the option of attending lectures from world-class experts delivering cutting edge, state-of-the-art research as part of an extensive program of both advanced and comprehensive continuing education. In conjunction with 7 streams of lectures covering topics in allergy, oncology, infection, immune-mediated disease, and barrier function, there was a specific focus on feline, equine, and exotic dermatology. Fourteen small workshops allowed for informal exchanges of ideas between experts and participants in wide ranging subjects from otitis to parasites, as well as interactive cytology, comprehensive and advanced dermatohistopathology, and parasitology/mycology laboratories. Company-sponsored forums presented the latest findings on pharmaceutical and dietary research. The Vancouver congress was a showcase for original scientific research and featured 69 free communications and 122 poster presentations.

The prestigious World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology provides an unparalleled opportunity to join leading international experts for a 4-day Congress featuring the latest innovations in cutting edge science and practical applications for veterinary dermatology. Multiple lecture streams ensure there is something for everyone, from the expert to the general practitioner! The next World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology will be held in Sydney, Australia, October 20–24, 2020.

Links of interest.

Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology (CAVD) www.cavd.ca

World Association for Veterinary Dermatology (WAVD) www.wavd.org

9th World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology (WCVD9) www.vetdermsydney.com

The early years of the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology, as relayed by Dr. William Schroeder, CAVD honorary and founding member.

As with so many things in life, it was the confluence of a number of circumstances that brought Drs. Ackerman, Pukay, and I together. Dr. Ackerman had just started the first dermatology specialty clinic in Toronto. Dr. Pukay had become a member of the Ottawa Animal Hospital with an interest in dermatology, and I had begun to refine my techniques in intradermal allergy testing in dogs. All 3 of us recognized the high percentage of skin cases that came through our clinics. We also felt the lack of information about veterinary dermatology among practitioners. This information deficit would hopefully be corrected through the Ontario Veterinary Dermatology Interest Group, which would be affiliated with the Society of Ontario Veterinarians.

Then one fine summer day in 1985, Lowell and Berney appeared at my home in Fenelon Falls to discuss the expansion of the mandate for the Interest Group. We had to persuade the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association to let us run lectures with their annual meeting and thus take dermatology seminars from coast-to-coast. We developed an action plan, killed a bottle of champagne, and celebrated the birth of the CAVD.

At the American Animal Hospital Association meeting, I believe it was in Atlanta, we established a very good liaison with our colleagues of the American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology. We also made contact with some European veterinarians. I was invited to give a lecture in Germany which was followed by a meeting with the executives of the European Society of Veterinary Dermatology. Representing the CAVD, I started working with Dr. Hans Koch to seek a suitable location for the first World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology. It was agreed that Dijon, France would be the site of the first WCVD. It was also agreed that Congress sites would alternate between Europe and North America. The rest is history!