This year has seen unprecedented changes across society, and the small animal veterinary profession. 2020 has brought challenges and experiences that no vets could have anticipated in their wildest dreams. The small animal profession has responded and adapted rapidly, enabling vets and their teams to ensure that pets have received the essential care that they needed. We still face a backlog of routine work, the conundrum of how to return to more normal ways of working and the frustrations of missing the benefits of face to face education. The silver lining is the development by the CPD suppliers of remote delivery of education, enabling those in remote locations or with family and caring commitments to fully participate in learning experiences. Companion Animal has always strived to ensure that it supplies high-quality, relevant educational material and we will continue to do so as we move into the next phase of practice.
As the year comes to a close, we have been looking back over the articles Companion Animal has published this year. A few that have stood out are those that discussed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on companion animals: dogs (10.12968/coan.2020.0032), cats (10.12968/coan.2020.0036), equines, parrots, birds and rabbits (10.12968/coan.2020.0037). The trio of articles by Clare Hargrave not only drew attention to how pets would be affected by the restrictions and changes imposed on their human carers, but will have led to vets and practices reflecting on an aspect of animal health and wellbeing that can often come in second place to their physical health (usually the reason the client has brought their animal to the vet in the first place). Another popular article was ‘How do I know if this tortoise is dead?’, by Sarah Brown (10.12968/coan.2020.0023), highlighting the ways in which we can ensure best practice for tortoises and their owners.
In this issue, we have the second in the series of papers on raw diets. The first, a review of the benefits and disadvantages of feeding companion animals a raw diet that aimed to highlight the areas of the discussion where there is least consensus, contributed by Conor O'Halloran at the Royal (Dick) (10.12968/coan.2020.0003), was well received. The second, appears in this issue, by Paul Overgaauw, who discusses the risks from parasites to pets fed raw-food diets. Articles that will be accompanied by CPD online are Oscar Bautista Diaz-Delgado's article on the issues to consider when performing anaesthesia on patients with chronic kidney disease and Ellie Groves' discussion of the gut microbiome, and its role in the patient's health. DNA profiling is the subject of a Product Focus and Nicola Bates give a helpful practical overview of poisons affecting the skin.
Many thanks are extended to the editorial board, who contribute ideas and suggestions throughout the year, as well as reviewing papers when requested. Their help and expertise is invaluable.
As we approach 2021 with uncertainty as to what practice will look like over the next year, which changes will remain and which will fade to be distant memories, the Companion Animal team wishes you all the best for the new year.