Insights and ideas from the world of large animal rescue

The social media hashtag #LivestockCare2019 for the 2019 LCC was buzzing over the course of the event – especially during the keynote presentation by Dr. Rebecca Gimenez Husted. She shared experiences, learnings and insights based on the Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue training sessions she delivers across the United States, Canada and internationally.

A couple of tweets that generated a lot of “likes” simply stated: “Never tired of listening to this fine woman” and “So many great tips and so much great information.”

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Dr. Rebecca Gimenez Husted delivered a wealth of knowledge and tips in the keynote presentation at the 2019 LCC

Here’s a sampling of some of the key insights from Gimenez that drove the discussion:

• Safety is paramount –  “In every situation what’s important is safety – for self, team and the animal.”

• Teamwork drives success – “Pull everyone together and work together. Teamwork, pre-planning, and resources are critical to ensure safety and to execute the appropriate actions when called for.”

• Communication now saves problems later – “Don’t wait to establish how things are going to work. Let’s make decisions now so we’re ready.”

• Managing ‘the Human Factor’ – “In large animal rescue we talk a lot about human factors. It’s not the cow, the horse, the pig that’s in the mud. It’s about how we come together as human beings to make this work . . . to make the rescue safe and successful for everyone involved.”

• Questions power planning – “Pre-planning is about not just asking the right questions but answering them as earlier as you can – have a plan ahead of time. What are you going to do? Who’s going? Who are you calling? What do you need? What’s really important is how we work together to make this kind of thing happen . . . we can’t work together well unless we’ve answered those basic things.”

• Why AFAC is leader – “I actually talk about AFAC a lot as I travel across North America and around the world with my training sessions. That’s for a lot of a reasons, including what a great example this organization provides. The things AFAC does in animal welfare and care are excellent. Great ideas and resources such as the livestock emergency trailers also stand out. You have a lot to be proud of here in Alberta.”

Thank you to the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association for sponsoring!