Monday, October 19, 2015

When vets make mistakes, Greyhound racing and separation of turtles joined at the yolk sac

We're used to seeing news reports about Siamese twins being separated. What about turtles joined at the yolk sac? (This baby saw shell was not involved).

Last week’s post on being a new grad resonated with a lot of readers. In the spirit of sharing experience, Dr Nick Marsh shared an account about an error of judgement that may have contributed to the death of an animal.
“…we need to share because there is no feeling in the world like that black feeling of despair and taint, and I want people to know that I have felt it too – and I’m willing to bet anyone who has worked in the medical field has felt it at some point in their career. It’s normal. It’s secret. It’s taboo.”
You can read about that case here. Errors of medical and veterinary judgement can cause morbidity and mortality - being open about these can be tough, but its also important for clinicians to identify near misses and complications, be open about them, learn from them and commit to change.

In Australia right now there is serious, overdue debate about the place of the greyhound racing industry. Important animal welfare issues such as “wastage” and live-baiting are in the mainstream news. The Good Weekend provided some thought-provoking coverage here.

SAT reader Sean sent this amazing video of the separation of turtles joined by the yolk sac. Somewhat less complicated than your typical Siamese twin separation surgery and a tad more rudimentary (dental floss was used) but gripping nonetheless. Watch it here.