Responsible pet ownership, microchips and the veterinary nursing profession

As an Australian veterinarian, I have read with interest the article in this edition regarding the impending introduction of compulsory microchipping of dogs in the United Kingdom. Legislation providing for compulsory microchipping of dogs and cats was first introduced in Australia in 1998. In my home state of Queensland, compulsory microchipping was legislated in 2008 aiming to permanently identify dogs and cats, effectively manage regulated or dangerous dogs and to foster responsible pet ownership. Veterinarians and veterinary nurses would be the largest group of microchip implanters authorised under Australian legislation. Accompanying this responsibility, veterinary nurses are placed in an ideal position to be advocates for responsible pet ownership educating clients about the value of making a lifelong commitment to maintaining their pet's microchip status and emphasising the importance of microchips in reuniting a lost pet with its owner.

This commitment to ensuring the effectiveness of microchipping is in accordance with the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses, which espouses that nurses must safeguard the health and welfare of animals in their care. Veterinary nurses today can achieve this in a number of ways through their expanding role as key members of the veterinary healthcare team, working either ‘behind the scenes’ in the veterinary practice, or at the ‘coalface’ interacting with clients in the veterinary practice or out in the community. In Australia, veterinary nurses are actively engaged in community education advocating responsible pet ownership through programs such as the Australian Veterinary Association's Pets and People Education Program (PetPEP). With PetPEP, nurses work collaboratively with veterinarians, animal welfare agencies, government agencies, and community and wildlife organisations to deliver the message of responsible pet ownership to primary schoolchildren, the pet owners of the future. As an emerging profession, this educational role is very important for veterinary nursing in raising its public profile and defining the unique contribution that veterinary nurses can make to society.