Vet Times The website for the veterinary profession https://www.vettimes.co.uk Behind the scenes at Battersea Author : Eileen Green Categories : RVNs Date : September 1, 2014 Eileen Green VN Times editor visits the UK s oldest and most famous animal rehoming centre to gain an insight into the work of its VN employees who swapped private practice for the home s charitable charms and why they wouldn t have it any other way PAUL O Grady s award-winning television show For the Love of Dogs has brought the work of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home into the homes of millions of viewers all across the country. The third series starts this autumn and is sure to attract huge audiences once again, as the comedian and presenter spotlights some of the animals brought in, their heart-wrenching stories and the wonderful work done by Battersea staff as they care for them and find them loving homes. VN Times editor Eileen Green went to Battersea to speak to veterinary nurses about what it is like to work at the UK s best-known animal rehoming centre. Pivotal role Battersea Dogs and Cats Home cares for about 400 dogs and 250 cats across its three centres at any one time and veterinary nurses are at the heart of everything it does. The home, which relies entirely on public donations, last year dealt with 5,421 dogs and 3,120 cats at a cost of 12.7m. It has 355 staff members across its three sites Battersea in south London, Old Windsor in Berkshire and Brands Hatch in Kent - including 19 veterinary nurses, six student VNs and three veterinary care assistants (VCAs). The nurses are involved in every aspect of care of the animals. 1 / 16
Nurses are pivotal to what Battersea does, said RVN Justine Carpenter. We see the dogs and cats when they first come in and give them the care and treatment they need. It is a lovely feeling meeting their new owners and seeing the animals go off to loving new homes. Miss Carpenter s colleague Lauren Griffiths, who is also an RVN, agreed. Some animals arrive in really bad condition, and then you see them go home as brand new dogs, she said. It s wonderful. We are these dogs family their temporary mums until they go to their forever mum. Miss Carpenter, 25, joined Battersea in October 2012 after qualifying in July 2011. She had attended the RVC, completing a three-year foundation degree and a top-up BSc one-year course. She then worked at an orthopaedic referrals practice in Wimbledon, south-west London. It was a very lovely practice, with lots of close client relationships, she said. But then I decided to move to the charity sector because I wanted to experience dealing with animals in need. For me, that s the reason I became a nurse. As much I loved our private practice animals, they did have homes to go to; they had owners to cuddle up to at the end of the day. Battersea is the place I wanted to be. When you qualify, you review where you want to be and where you want to go with your career. These animals abused, malnourished and in need are the reason I became a veterinary nurse. So much fun Miss Griffiths, who is 23 and has worked at Battersea for seven months, worked in private practice for just under five years. She joined straight from school, completed an NVQ and stayed for a further year after qualifying. She then went to Australia for six months and, on her return, saw the job advert for Battersea, applied and was successful. I love it here, she said. I had always wanted to do charity work and I don t think I ll ever go back to private practice. When I told people I was coming here, they said I would be bored; that I wouldn t see the sorts of things I d been used to in private practice. But the opposite is true. I ve had so much fun and have seen so many different things. Battersea has a non-selective policy and aims to never turn away a stray. Animals can be brought in by local council dog wardens and other charity groups, or by members of the public. A member of the home s lost and found team sees the animal and gets as many details as possible about it medical history, diet, behaviour and so on from the person bringing it in. Frequently, the dog or cat has been found on the streets, but sometimes owners hand over their pets because they can no longer look after them. The cat or dog is then taken to a kennel block or 2 / 16
cattery, where a nurse and/or vet will check it. Miss Carpenter said it was a testing environment for the nurses. With strays we obviously don t have their history, so it s very much a case of working it out ourselves, she said. All we have to go on is the dog or cat s general condition. A vet comes in and does a clinical exam, but the nurses go on intuition. If there are no medical issues, dogs go to the intake kennels and begin a seven-day behaviour assessment. That period also allows owners to reclaim their missing pets. If the animal isn t claimed and is suitable for rehoming, it goes to a kennel block open to the public. Animals that need medical attention are taken to kennel blocks for treatment. Battersea neuters and vaccinates all the animals in its care. Infection control is fundamental and dogs are divided into the red block for those with kennel cough or other illnesses, and the green block for those without. Preoperative and postoperative dogs are also housed in the green block. There are separate teams of vets and VNs to deal with the two areas, so there is no risk of contamination. The same infection controls apply in the areas dealing with cats one ward for cats with cat flu and another for those without. Miss Carpenter said: Dealing with kennel cough is a fundamental part of the job here. In private practice you don t see it very often and most of the time you wouldn t allow dogs with kennel cough into the premises; the vet would do a home visit or see them in the car. Sometimes the dogs that come to us contract kennel cough because they may have been moved around so many different kennels and been interacting with many different dogs. With a lot of them we don t know where they have been; what they ve associated with. They could be bringing anything, we just don t know. We have to keep a close eye on them and nip things in the bud very quickly. Usually, one nurse is on duty in each ward, helped by a VCA. The first job for the nurse every day is to do a visual check on all the dogs there could be 11 in the kennel cough area. If there are no problems, such as sickness or diarrhoea, the dogs are given any medications they need and have their breakfast. They then go out into a yard and the VCA cleans the kennels from top to bottom. A vet then goes in, consults the nurses and checks each animal. The nurses rush into work to check the dogs particularly those with kennel cough, as they are our sickest, said Miss Carpenter. We have to walk past the block to get to our staff room and the nurses often stop to check even if they are not on duty in the ward that day. I think everyone prefers working there because as soon you have done something to make the dogs feel so much better, or you see them change during the day or the next morning, you think 3 / 16
yes, they are on their way we can get them out of here. It s a wonderful feeling. Battersea has extremely well-equipped facilities, with digital x-ray systems, high-spec operating theatres, intensive care units, endoscopy and ultrasound equipment, a dispensary, an autoclave room, a laundry area and, of course, the blocks where would-be owners can see the cats and dogs. The nurses play an essential role in the workings of the surgical areas premedicating animals, prepping them, monitoring the anaesthetics and then discharging them. Miss Carpenter said: It is a brilliant place to work; there is so much variety. She added it was also a great place for student VNs to learn. We get many interesting cases and students get massively involved, within reason, she said. Because we are lucky enough to have so many nurses, there is time to take students to one side and explain what is going on. The other day we had a German shepherd dog that had fallen from a balcony at a flat and the following day we had a cat that had been involved in a road accident. We get a lot of traffic accident animals here, with cats running across busy roads. Some cases stay in the memory, she said. We had a stray a Staffordshire bull terrier called Patrick that came to the home. The next day, someone noticed he had a kebab skewer sticking out of his stomach, she said. He went straight into theatre. He had eaten the skewer, but amazingly it had missed all his vital organs. He was a very lucky boy and is now doing beautifully well with a family. Another dog, Barney, swallowed four pairs of knickers. He passed most of them, but we had to remove one pair. The VNs are able to hand-rear some of the very young animals, taking home kittens, puppies and/or rabbits. You re not a Battersea veterinary nurse unless you re balancing a dog, puppy, kitten, budgie or rabbit in your life, said Miss Carpenter. Battersea euthanises its animals as a last resort, and only for medical, behavioural or legal reasons. The number of cats and dogs euthanised is falling every year. Miss Carpenter said: If an animal is euthanised it will be because we have exhausted every avenue and it would be solely in its best interest. It s not like private practices where, sadly, you are sometimes asked to euthanise an animal because the owners can t afford the treatment needed. 4 / 16
The animal is assessed over a period of seven days and considered by a panel of experts. Feral cats, for example, can be found homes on farms, while police forces and search and rescue teams might be able to take on some of the dogs. Owner interaction Prospective owners can walk into Battersea and ask about rehoming a dog or cat. They can then view the dogs and cats available and, if they see one they like, they can inquire about it. People can also register first, stating their requirements, and an animal can then be matched to them. Veterinary nurses are heavily involved in speaking to prospective owners and advising them on responsible pet ownership. They outline what treatments, if any, the pet has undergone and what further treatments/vaccinations and so on might be needed. They treat the new owners as they would clients in a private practice, stressing the need for pet insurance and so on. All rehomed Battersea animals get four weeks free insurance from Petplan, but the home emphasises that cover needs to be put in place once that period is over. The nurses are able to keep track of the animals in their care on the home s computer systems. On some occasions, when a dog has been at Battersea for some time and become very popular with staff, there will be a crowd of people waving it off with its new owners. Pet owners can also telephone the nurses for advice and help, even after the animal has left Battersea. If it s something we think they need to see their vet about, we will advise them to do so, said Miss Carpenter. Clients are very grateful for our help. Both Miss Carpenter and Miss Griffiths heartily recommend Battersea as a place to work as VNs. You re a different kind of nurse here you re a Battersea nurse, said Miss Carpenter. If you see an advert for a job here, do apply. There s a great team here and veterinary nurses have an input into every aspect of the home. You do see lots of sad things, but the overall morale is high; the nursing team keeps you motivated and keeps spirits up. Teamwork is so impressive we all do everything we can to help each other. It can be very emotive at times, but there is a real buzz. Overall, this is a fantastic place to work. The animals are happy to be here. They are obviously here for negative reasons they ve been dumped or abused or whatever but this place is their saving grace, a real life-changer. 5 / 16
Miss Griffiths said it was extremely rewarding to see the transformation of some dogs. It is humbling to see the bait dogs that have been so badly treated by humans and yet allow us to treat them, she said. They seem to know we are trying to help them. You often build a particular bond with a dog and it s great to follow it through and meet the new owners. Every day is different. I don t want people to think this is a standard sort of place where you just do spays and neuters. It s not your average place it s Battersea. 6 / 16
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A dog in Battersea s kennel area. 8 / 16
Justine Carpenter checks on a canine patient. 9 / 16
Battersea s south London branch. 10 / 16
The revamped cattery at Battersea. 11 / 16
Justine Carpenter counts medication dosages for patients. 12 / 16
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Clockwise from top left: Justine Carpenter and fellow nurse Chris Hann analyse a patient s x-ray; Miss Carpenter and Mr Hann prepare theatre; surgery being performed at Battersea; the Battersea operating theatre. 14 / 16
Paul O Grady comforts a dog in theatre at Battersea. 15 / 16
Above: Justine Carpenter with her three foster kittens Clive, Gladis and Gordon. Right: RVN Lauren Griffiths with Penfold the cat. 16 / 16 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)