VN May 2022

Vetnuus | May 2022 46 I was astonished and thankful to get this feedback from last month's chat. Comments are seldom received, and I thank the vet concerned for his effort in this. For this reason, I have decided to use it for this month's contribution. Dear Michael I have just read your recent article As always, I was astounded at the depth of your sincerity and the empathy with which you handle topics So, if I look back at my career, I do not think that I have ever had one day in which I was depressed. I may have been bored, but certainly not depressed For a long time, I was also of the opinion that "depression" was a disease of lazy people. It is the first time I have publicly disclosed this opinion, as I have since realised that depression is indeed a serious disease. It deserves more respect from unsympathetic people like myself. I have also spent some time studying and trying to understand the 'syndrome' – if I may call it that I am ashamed of my initial opinion of depression. Two years ago, I employed two veterinarians as young colleagues to hopefully take over my practice I have always been a 'loner', and if I had a bad month , it did not really matter; I would make it up the next month. Suddenly the pressures of having to pay salaries have surfaced. Indeed, a different kettle of fish as the pig industry is suffering from its worst downturn in many a year. Producers are cancelling farm visits, and medicine sales have decreased by nearly 20%. Small emerging farmers have, for all practical purposes, disappeared. It is difficult and near impossible to make money by feeding out of a bag. Most of my established producers have feedmills on the farm, and they mix diets up to R600 per ton, less expensive than compounded feeds. Nutrition, especially swine nutrition, has become one of my pet hobbies We as vets are not trained well enough in nutritional aspects How do we fit it into a full curriculum – you may well ask? So here we are in April of 2022 What will tomorrow hold? An old Chinese curse says: " may you live in interesting times " A gentleman called Dave Barry wrote: " after you have heard from two eye-witness accounts of an accident, it makes you wonder about history " v Life plus 23 without parole Mike Lowry Mike Lowry has been in veterinary practice for "life plus 23" years. In this column, he shares his experiences and opinions . Regulars I Life plus 23 + 23