Vet’s dedication to diabetic patients rewarded in Professional Carer of the Year awards
Latinka (Lilly) Ivanova, Partner and veterinary surgeon at Medivet Bell Green in Coventry, has been voted Professional Carer of the Year, winning the award for her exceptional dedication to managing diabetes in her patients. Supported by MSD Animal Health, the manufacturer of Caninsulin®, the awards aim to celebrate the unique commitment that is often required by practice staff to successfully support owners in caring for pets with the condition. The initiative is part of Pet Diabetes Month, which takes place in November with the aim of raising awareness of pet diabetes among owners.
A diagnosis of pet diabetes can be overwhelming for owners, many of whom require reassurance and long term guidance from the veterinary team. Vets, nurses and other practice staff members from across the nation were nominated for the awards by friends, family, clients or colleagues for their outstanding efforts to provide this support. However, it was Lilly’s dedication to one diabetic dog, Rusty, that inspired multiple nominations and impressed the panel of judges. Lilly was delighted to be crowned Professional Carer of the Year and to receive the accompanying prize of registration for London Vet Show 2015.
Amy McSheffrey, head vet nurse at Bell Green, was just one of the people who recognises Lilly’s exceptional endeavours and put her forward for the award, “The diagnosis of diabetes came as a huge shock to Rusty’s owners but thanks to Lilly’s commitment, dedication and support they have been able to manage the condition for the previous 14 months. Lilly has given up hours of her own free time, often dropping personal plans to make home visits and always makes herself available for help or advice at any time of day. Even during a break from the practice, she kept in constant contact with Rusty’s owners, offering them her full support.”
Rusty’s owner believes Lilly’s dedication saved their dog’s life, “One weekend, Rusty’s blood sugar dropped dangerously low. We phoned Lilly who talked us through the recovery procedure before immediately visiting us at home in her own off-duty time, following up with numerous phone calls over the weekend. That, to me, is far beyond the call of duty and certainly demonstrates amazing dedication and support - our precious vet deserves a medal for caring for our beloved Rusty, and ourselves.”
Despite often being a daunting task, the vast majority of pet owners feel positively about treating their pet for diabetes, with 90 % of cat owners and 70 % of dog owners saying that they would ‘without a doubt’ recommend that others in a similar position do the same.1,2 This level of client satisfaction and confidence in managing the condition is only possible thanks to the commitment of vets like Lilly and other dedicated members of the veterinary team.
Amy believes there couldn’t be a more deserving winner, “Lilly is truly a one in a million vet. Her enthusiasm, kindness, and hard work makes her a brilliant carer for all her patients and she is more than worthy of this award. I'm sure that without Lilly, Rusty and his owners would not have been able to make this journey they have come on with his diabetes.”
For more information and a range of useful tools to help successfully manage pet diabetes, vets and nurses should visit www.caninsulin.co.uk. Owners should also be encouraged to go to www.mypetonline.co.uk/petdiabetes where they can access a whole host of fun resources and find out more about Pet Diabetes Month.
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