Next September 19 and 20, Lanzarote will host the 1st Congress of Veterinarians and Veterinary Assistants (ATVs) in the Cabildo.
It will be a pioneering meeting point on the island, where professionals will share knowledge and experiences with a single objective: to improve the lives of animals. As Minister of Animal Welfare, I am proud to promote this congress, but I also experience it from a deeply personal level. At home we live with three adopted cats, each with their own health problems.
Seeing how they have overcome difficulties thanks to our affection, patience and, above all, the essential support of veterinarians and assistants, has served as a constant motivation. Each recovery is a reminder that adopting is an act of responsibility and love, and that with the right help we can transform the life of a vulnerable animal.
Therefore, every time I talk about animal welfare, I also think of them, and the importance of continuing to promote adoption over buying.
This congress is, precisely, a tool to strengthen that support network. It will allow our professionals to update themselves on essential clinical topics from nutrition and ophthalmology to radiology or dermatology and also reflect on current challenges such as the ethical management of feline colonies or the use of new technologies in veterinary practice.
My commitment to animals is born from personal experience and is reinforced by public responsibility. I am convinced that Lanzarote should be a benchmark in the Canary Islands in the protection and care of animals, and this congress is a fundamental step towards that goal.
Because when we talk about animal welfare, we also talk about humanity, values and the society we want to build.
