International Zoo Veterinary Group

20/12/2024

IZVG Pathology is hiring!

After three successful years, IZVG Pathologist Andy Rich is leaving IZVG to travel the world.

We want to recruit another enthusiastic and capable anatomic veterinary pathologist with a passion for zoo, wildlife, and exotic species to replace him.

The post is available from March 1st, 2025.

More details about the job and how to apply can be found at: https://www.izvg.co.uk/practice/pnews.htm.

Principal Pathologist Mark Stidworthy said “It has been a pleasure to work with Andy and we wish him all the best in his new adventures. Please apply if you are a veterinary pathologist excited by this role, in which you will work exclusively with zoo, wildlife, exotic and aquatic species. I would be delighted to discuss the role informally with any prospective applicants by email or phone. Contact details can be found through the web link.”

International Zoo Veterinary Group (IZVG), the largest freelance zoo veterinary practice in the world. Experts in all aspects of zoo and wildlife medicine.

12/12/2024

For our clients to organise orders and submissions over the Christmas period, our Christmas opening hours are as follows:
Office – The office will be closed completely on Wednesday 25th December, Thursday 26th December, and Wednesday 1st January 2025.
The office will close at 2pm on Tuesday 24th December and Tuesday 31st December.
On the days between Christmas and New Year, the offices will be open but operating on a reduced service.
The office reopens, as normal, on Thursday 2nd January 2025.
Please note, orders will not be despatched on Tuesday 24th December and Tuesday 31st December.
The last date for orders of non-stock items for Christmas delivery is Tuesday 17th December at 2pm.

IZVG Pathology – The laboratory will be closed completely on Wednesday 25th December, Thursday 26th December and Wednesday 1st January 2025.
We will close for receipt of routine samples at midday on Tuesday 24th and Tuesday 31st December.
The laboratory will be offering a limited service on Friday 27th and Monday 30th December with reduced staffing levels.
The last day for water microbiology testing before Christmas will be 19th December 2024 – this is due to incubation times and to enable confirmations to take place with no delay.
Please ensure that the samples are sent directly to Nationwide Laboratories before this date.
Please contact the pathologist via [email protected] if you have any questions during this time.
A normal service for all samples will resume on Thursday 2nd January 2025.

09/12/2024

IZVG has always been a strong supporter of WVI since inception, and with only 24 hours left on the Big Give Christmas Challenge, if you are planning on donating, why not do so while your donation is doubled!

Click on Wildlife Vets International to find out more about this incredible charity.

05/12/2024

The Wildlife Vets International Big Give is now LIVE! For a short time only, any donation to WVI is doubled!

Our Big Give is LIVE! https://bit.ly/christmaschallenge24

Give now to have your donation doubled and make twice the difference to saving some of the world’s most threatened species.
Happy everyone!

“It’s vital we protect the health of our planet’s amazing wildlife. We need vets to get the training they need to maximise what they can do practically to contribute to conservation. WVI is in a unique place to help provide that training, but we can’t do it without your support.”
Prof. Anna Meredith OBE, expert in Conservation Medicine and WVI Trustee

24/11/2024

It’s been a busy weekend for the team at BVZS British Veterinary Zoological Society conference. As well as running a stand we presented talks, chaired sessions and wholeheartedly enjoyed the silent disco. But by far the most important part was seeing IZVG vet Elliott take on the role of BVZS president for the next 2 years - congratulations Elliott!

31/10/2024

Happy Halloween from all at IZVG! 🎃 👻

Why not share your pumpkin carving efforts with us in the comments!

11/10/2024

This week we had the privilege of working on a world first - brain surgery on a European Brown Bear.

IZVG zoo and wildlife vet Elliott worked alongside specialist wildlife veterinary surgeon Romain Pizzi and the dedicated team at Wildwood Trust to perform the world's first hydrocephalus surgery in this species.

The hydrocephalus was diagnosed in collaboration with Fitzpatrick Referrals, who kindly facilitated an MRI scan for Boki.

Boki has captured the hearts of the UK public, and has been nothing but a star patient, with some links to the articles covering the surgery below:

https://news.sky.com/story/boki-the-bear-doing-well-after-successful-brain-surgery-but-not-out-the-woods-13231636

https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2024-09-13/brown-bear-suffering-from-seizures-at-wildlife-park-is-taken-to-mri-scan

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/brown-bear-undergoes-brain-surgery-at-british-wildlife-park/ar-AA1rWMGd

Video Credit: Wildwood Trust UK.

Wildwood Kent

04/10/2024

🦭🦦🦈🐊🐬🐠🐡🦀🦞🦐🪼🦎🐙🦑🐢🪱🐟Happy World Animal Day AND Happy International Zookeepers Day!
🦥🦝🦜🦌🐃🦬🦘🦒🐪🦧🦏🦛🦓🦍🐆🐅🐘

🤩 A huge thanks to all the keepers who work alongside us 🙏

30/09/2024

What a week! Over 600 delegates, more than 40hrs of lectures/workshops attended, countless cups of coffee drunk and we won't mention the pints of lager or glasses of wine.....

Thanks to American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians, American College of Zoological Medicine and The Toronto Zoo for a fantastic conference. See you next year in Hungary!

27/09/2024

For our UK clients with birds in their collections, please be aware of the Alert emailed to you yesterday.
‼️Action is required for registration with APHA by 1st October in England and Wales and 1st December in Scotland‼️
Please review the Alert and speak to your lead clinician if you have any questions.

25/09/2024

It’s the European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians/AAZV annual joint conference this week in Toronto. Elliott and Karen have headed over the pond and are having a great time with over 600 zoo vets from across the globe, including our hugely missed ex colleague Nic. However the highlight has to be Elliott coming joint first in the darting competition. 🔫 🎯

13/09/2024

Elliott and Matt from the clinical team recently working on a collaborative effort in an MRI scan on a European Brown Bear.

It is always a pleasure to collaborate with colleagues; not only other veterinary professionals, but the dedicated teams in zoological collections providing the daily care and attention to these incredible animals.

🎥 credit: Wildwood Trust UK

10/09/2024

‼️🚨🔔Want to come and join our team 🥸🙋🤝?
We have an Animal Health Technician opportunity available, please see our website for more information on the role and how to apply:

https://www.izvg.co.uk/practice/pnews.htm

Closing date for applications is Friday 4th October, interviews intended to be held week commencing 14th October.

International Zoo Veterinary Group (IZVG), the largest freelance zoo veterinary practice in the world. Experts in all aspects of zoo and wildlife medicine.

22/07/2024

We're really excited to have collaborated with the Natural History Museum, London and other institutions in publishing our latest IZVG paper entitled 'Fatal Hymenolepis nana-associated visceral larva migrans in captive juvenile white-tailed antsangies (Brachytarsomys albicauda)'. Along with the obvious importance of sharing scientific findings with peers and colleagues, this paper will also help vet Karen in her quest to become a Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine.
You can read the full paper here (available for another month):
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021997524002639?dgcid=coauthor

19/07/2024

Our Christmas meeting only seems a week ago, but we’ve just had our summer gathering at IZVG HQ. It’s always great to get (almost!) everyone together to review policies, look at new research, discuss cases and generally have a good old catch up. And it’s sunny too!

14/06/2024

Huge congratulations to IZVG vet Matt and his new wife, Natalie on their wedding day last month!

30/05/2024

Next up for BIAZA Love your Zoo/Love your Aquarium week it's pathologist Andy Rich telling us what he loves most about working in the industry:

'Being a zoological veterinary pathologist is a particularly unique way of caring for zoo and aquarium animals. I am involved in diagnosis and disease investigation through biopsies of alive animals, and post-mortems, allowing animals to be treated most effectively and zoos to be made aware of diseases in collections, so that changes can be made. I have always been interested in the more weird and wonderful species, and as there is such a huge diversity of animals in zoos, as a pathologist this means having to constantly think outside the box. Many of the conditions associated with these animals that I come across daily have never been seen or been reported in the textbooks. I feel that, in veterinary science, this job is at the cutting edge of zoo and aquarium disease research...the greater impact of this, as a zoo pathologist, is that I can contribute toward global wildlife conservation efforts through my experience, research, and teaching of zoological diseases.'

29/05/2024

On the third day of BIAZA's Love your zoo/Love your Aquarium we're asking IZVG clinician SJ Smith what draws her to zoos and aquariums:

'What do I love most about being a zoo vet? I don't know where to begin! Every day is different, presenting a new challenge. I feel grateful to work with a variety of incredible species - there is always something new to learn; I am never bored but often amazed and frequently amused! What more could you ask for in a job?! It has been fantastic to see the advancements in captive animal welfare in the time that I have been a vet, and the positive impacts this has on their quality of life. I have worked with some amazing people during my time as a zoo vet; from veterinary professionals to keepers and conservation biologists. Animal people are the best people, in my opinion; dedicated, professional and caring. It is a privilege to be trusted by them and an honour to work alongside them, to play an active role in making sure zoo animals have the best live possible.'