April 24 is “World Veterinary Day”, created by the World Veterinary Association (WVA) in 2000 to celebrate the contributions of veterinary professionals around the world. The theme of this year is “Veterinarian response to the COVID-19 crisis”. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed the remarkable contribution that veterinarians made to animal health, welfare, and human health.

1. The Story of Dr. Huo

 “Dr. Huo, please help me save him!”

Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him. Could you please leave him alone outside the door, and I’ll take him away to treat 10 minutes later.

The outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in the lockdown of Wuhan, which also caused that all the animal hospitals and clinics must be closed under the restrictions. Though 2020 it’s a tough year for Dr. Huo, the owner of the Animal Hospital located at Nanhu District Wuhan, he still stuck to diagnose and treat diseases and dysfunctions of animals in the hospital. It’s this special time made Dr. Huo deeply aware of the important role of veterinarians. He stayed at the hospital day and night to better offer treatments. For patients who need emergency and critical care, he adopted non-contact method, then. He also created WeChat groups, offered pet owners recommendations timely, and guided them how to take care of them.

There are thousands of people like Dr. Huo, working every day on the front lines to guard our pets heath.

2. The story of RWD

In 2020, RWD has hold series of online veterinary courses to help veterinarians improve their skills, both in theory and in practice.

From anesthesia in small animals (dogs, cats, birds, exotic pets etc.) to mechanical ventilation in anesthetized animals, from dental practice to the effective communication between veterinarians and pet owners, the courses provided the valuable content for vets. It’s unexpected that all the courses were well received. 20,710 veterinarians took part in our webinar series, and more than 14,658 watched the replays. A veterinarian said, “All the living creatures deserve to be cared for. I hope that I can grasp more professional knowledge to help more animals in need.”

3. The Story of Researcher

The development of test strip for accurate and early diagnosis of COVID 19 is an urgent need for effective infection prevention and control, as infectious diseases spread more rapidly in animals.

Professor Zhang Gaiping, the academic adviser of Chinese Association of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, led his team to immediately launch the research of vaccine and the test strip which plays a significant role in the difficult time in preventing and controlling the pandemic. It’s them who developed the test strip through their hard work to provide the protecting for human and animals. 

During the pandemic, we are deeply aware that the health of people, animals, and the environment are linked to one another, and we have witnessed the remarkable contribution that veterinarians made to the COVID-19 response–for the benefit of animal and human health!

At the same time, we learned more about the needs of veterinarians for clinical applications. In order to help veterinarians to diagnose and treat animal patients safer and more efficient, RWD will put forth all effort to continually provide vets with professional veterinary medical solutions to achieve the best animal healthcare.

Last but not least, let’s pay high tribute to the veterinarians and wish them a happy holiday!