7 Jul 2023
British Hen Welfare Trust and PoultryDVM have joined forces to create the Poultry Vet Guide, which aims to enable vets to check symptoms of poorly hens, diagnose them and provide treatment options.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Image: © Adobe Stock / Murilo
A digital guide aiming to help vets diagnose and treat poultry has been created in a transatlantic partnership.
The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) and PoultryDVM in the US have collaborated to produce the Poultry Vet Guide, which would enable vets to quickly check symptoms of poorly poultry, diagnose them and provide treatment options.
The guide has a subscription fee, but the two bodies have kept the fee as low as they can because they want to improve veterinary support for poultry across the globe.
Vets Sharon Evans and Rebecca Gounaris have provided extensive input.
Kelly Rutkowski, from PoultryDVM, had been working on a guide several years ago for a Master of Business degree and heard of the BHWT’s similar aspirations.
She said: “The reason I focused on poultry was because I felt like there was a huge gap in the advice and knowledge that’s out there.
“There is a growing population of people keeping pet chickens, but a lack of resources to take care of them, which is why I saw the need for the site.”
Jane Howorth, founder of the BHWT, said: “This online guide is the result of a wonderful team effort, including vets with years of poultry experience, resulting in an outcome that will support veterinary professionals by making it easier to treat pet poultry.
“Spreading knowledge is the key priority to better equip vets everywhere to diagnose and treat the growing numbers of pet poultry, which is why we’ve made this information as affordable and accessible as possible.
“I’d like to encourage vets to sign up to access the guide, I have no doubt it will become an invaluable tool when faced with a poorly bird.”
