Fortune favours Lincs vet as Vet Futures competition winner

A Lincolnshire veterinary surgeon has won a Vet Futures ‘Headlines of tomorrow’ competition for his suggestion that the veterinary and medical professions work together to tackle obesity in animals and humans.

The competition was held at BSAVA Congress in April where Vet Futures-themed fortune cookies contained a message asking those attending ‘What future headline do you want to see?’ and providing a weblink to enter the competition. 

The winner, as chosen by the Vet Futures Project Board which oversees the project which we run jointly with the British Veterinary Association, was David Bull (pictured) with his headline of ‘Vets and medics collaborate to prevent human and animal obesity’.

David, a joint partner at Vets4Pets in Lincoln South and an Advanced Practitioner in General Small Animal Surgery, has now received a Kindle Fire for his efforts.

Speaking of the inspiration behind his entry he said: “The headline was inspired by topical issues, having ‘One Health’ in mind and the issue of obesity in our patients, as well as the general human population.

"I feel that these are some of the big issues of our time, especially that of obesity which has been linked to so many other diseases and is essentially a self-induced problem.

“We see so many overweight cats, dogs and rabbits on a daily basis. It seems to be becoming a more common problem, as well as seemingly more accepted in society.

"This is to the extent that we have some clients that come in worried because they have been told that their dog is too thin, when in actual fact they are in an ideal body condition and are being compared to overweight pets which have become perceived as normal.”

Some of the other topics raised in the competition include the veterinary profession taking the lead in tackling ‘superbugs’, veterinary surgeons topping job satisfaction and wellbeing polls and the profession taking a leading role in One Health and medical advancements.

Vets, veterinary nurses and other members of the practice team can also enter a Vet Futures essay-writing competition, in which they are asked to pen an essay of no more than 1,000 words on an idea that will transform the profession by 2030.

The deadline for submitting an entry is Monday 31 August and the winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the London Vet Show in November.