Linnaeus reports that last year, it doubled the funding for its Open Access Publication Charge (OAPC) initiative, through which it covers the fees for its associates to publish open access in prominent peer-reviewed veterinary journals.

The Linnaeus OAPC initiative was launched in 2021 and originally allocated £30K for 2022.

However, that figure was doubled after the company received a growing number of high quality submissions. 

33 papers were accepted for funding in 2022, of which 24 have so far been published and the remainder are undergoing peer review. 

The authors comprise clinicians, specialists, residents and interns across nine referral and primary care sites within the group.

The OAPC was introduced by Professor Luisa De Risio, Clinical Research & Excellence Director at Linnaeus (pictured right).

She said: “By making clinical research open access, we can ensure it makes the widest possible impact – while also supporting the author’s profile and career development.

"We are continuing to offer OAPC funding to our associates in 2023 and look forward to seeing the fantastic research published as a result.”

Dechra has launched Tri-Solfen, an anaesthetic and antiseptic gel licensed in the UK for local anaesthesia during and following castration of piglets and provision of castration wound antisepsis,

Tri-Solfen contains lidocaine and bupivacaine to deliver rapid onset and prolonged local anaesthesia, adrenalin to reduce blood loss and cetrimide to lower the risk of infection.

Dechra says the gel is effective in 30 seconds, making it a practical tool to improve animal welfare via cutaneous and epilesional use.

Tri-Solfen was originally developed and launched in Australia by Medical Ethics, a company that specialises in pain management treatments for humans and animals. 

According to the company, more than 100 million animals have been treated with Tri-Solfen in Australia, New Zealand and Portugal, where it is licensed for disbudding, dehorning, castration and general wound treatments in cattle, sheep, pigs and horses.

www.dechra.co.uk

VetSurgeon.org is conducting a survey of veterinary surgeons to find out what you think of the recent RCVS Council decision to redefine 'under care', thereby allowing vets to prescribe veterinary medicines without ever having seen or examined the animal in person. 

The survey is very quick: sub two minutes. It asks simply whether you agree or not, and what you think are the benefits and drawbacks of remote consulting without otherwise knowing or seeing the animal. 

All individual replies are strictly confidential and will not be shared with anyone. Your name is only asked for validation purposes.

To take part: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7235757/Remote-Consultation-Survey 

The results will be published within a week.

BSAVA has produced a Scientific Information Document (SID) about Brucella Canis for veterinary staff in small animal practice.

The Association says it has produced the leaflet after seeing an increasing number of dogs diagnosed with clinical or subclinical infection, along with reports of its zoonotic impact.

The document outlines the most important considerations concerning B. canis including transmission, diagnosis, management, public health implications and legislative requirements.

It takes into consideration information available from relevant Government Departments.

BSAVA says the document is by no means exhaustive but is intended to provide useful information and signpost to further resources.

www.bsavalibrary.com/brucella_canis

Photo: Walker16/Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ceva Animal Health has extended the licence for Eprecis, its injectable wormer for cattle, so it can now be used in sheep and goats as well. 

Eprecis injection (eprinomectin) is an broad spectrum endectocide with activity against gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep¹ and goats².

After Eprecis injection Haemonchus contortus in the abomasum in goats were reduced by 97.8%² and Trichostrongylus colubriformis in the small intestine were reduced by 98.7%².

In lactating dairy ewes Eprecis injection was found to be 99% effective against gastrointestinal nematodes³ and was associated with an increased milk yield of 8%⁴.

The bioavailability of eprinomectin after one Eprecis injection in goats is larger than that reported for eprinomectin pour on^{5, 6,} with Eprecis injection found to be four times more efficacious than eprinomectin pour-on across four dairy goat farms⁷. 

In sheep, the efficacy of Eprecis injection against gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep is 99.6% versus 86.1% for a pour-on formulation⁸. 

Eprecis injection is associated with higher plasma levels of eprinomectin and has a higher efficacy compared to eprinomectin pour-on in dairy ewes naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes⁸. 

This is also achieved using five times less active than a pour-on formulation⁸.

Eprecis injection is administered subcutaneously and there is no need to part the fleece or coat along the animal’s back. 

Ceva says it has excellent syringeability⁹ and a low dose volume (0.1ml/10kg) to help with accurate dosing of animals.

Harry Walby, ruminant veterinary advisor at Ceva Animal Health, said: “Eprecis injection is a highly effective broad-spectrum wormer that is now available in sheep and goats, as well as cattle. 

"The injectable formulation not only allows accurate dosing, but there is no subclinical dose transfer between animals.”

Eprecis injection is available in 100ml and 250ml CLAS vials.

References

1. Charlier et al (2020).  Initial assessment of the economic burden of major parasitic helminth infections to the ruminant livestock industry in Europe. Prev. Vet. Med. 182:105103.
2. Holzhauer, M., Van Schaik, G., Saatkamp, H.W. & Ploeger, H. W. (2011) Lungworm outbreaks in adult dairy cows: estimating economic losses and lessons to be learned.  Veterinary Record 169, 494.
3. Termatzidou, S.A. et al., 2019. Anthelmintic activity of injectable eprinomectin (Eprecis 20mg/ml) in naturally infected dairy sheep.  Vet. Parasitol. 266, 7-11.
4. Termatzidou, S.A. et al., 2020.  Effect of injectable eprinomectin on milk quality and yield of dairy ewes naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes.  Vet. Parasitol. 286, 109245.
5. Eprecis 20mg/ml solution for injection for cattle, sheep and goats SPC (section 5.2).
6. Eprinex Multi 5mg/ml pour-on SPC (section 5.2).
7. Couasnon, F., 2019.  PhD thesis in French.  Translated summary from Ceva internal technical book P:47-49.
8. Bordes et al., 2020. Lack of efficacy of eprinomectin in dairy sheep and goats: resistance or poor exposition of worms to the drug? Poster presented at Congres National des GTV, Poitiers, 2020.
9. Comparison of syringeability of 3 different endectocides (eprinomectin 20mg/ml, doramectin 10mg/ml, ivermectin 10mg/ml).  Poster P04-004-079.  Presented at 29th WBC; Dublin, Ireland 2016.

RCVS Council has approved a trial protocol which will allow the College to launch private prosecutions against unqualified individuals breaching the Veterinary Surgeons Act from April 2023.

Under the protocol trial, the RCVS can launch private prosecutions against unqualified people practising veterinary surgery or using the title 'veterinary surgeon'.

The College says that where breaches of the Veterinary Surgeons Act cross over to other criminal offences, for example, fraud by false representation, they will be more properly dealt with by the relevant police force.

Local authority trading standards agencies will also deal with issues around, for example, misleading courses that purport to lead to registration with the RCVS but do not; concerns about dog grooming businesses and concerns about dog breeding establishments (other than where there is illegal practice of veterinary surgery by unqualified persons).

Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar and Director of Legal Services, said: “This protocol recognises that there are constraints on the time, resourcing, and budgets of both the police and public prosecutors which means that the pursuit of these breaches of the Veterinary Surgeons Act, both of which carry minor criminal penalties, is not necessarily a priority.

“While we are always willing to work with the police and other agencies to pursue such breaches, the protocol details how we can act independently where appropriate and ensure we are fulfilling our stated ambition to safeguard the interests of the public and animals, as well as the reputation of the professions, by ensuring that only those registered with us can carry out acts of veterinary surgery.

“We would like to manage expectations around this trial period as we will only be launching private prosecutions where they meet the criminal evidential standards of ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ and it is judged to be in the public interest to do so.

"We will also be relying on members of the professions and the public to report breaches and provide sufficient evidence to us, as we have no statutory investigatory powers.”

The trial period will last for one year and the College has set aside £50,000 to pursue private prosecutions.

The trial will be overseen by the Disciplinary Committee/ Preliminary Investigation Committee Liaison Committee while decisions on whether to pursue private prosecutions will lie with the Registrar/ Director of Legal Services.

Suspected breaches of the Veterinary Surgeons Act can be reported to the RCVS Professional Conduct Department on breachvsa@rcvs.org.uk.

CVS has announced that from the start of March, it will provide free tampons and towels for all staff whilst at work. 

The company says it estimates that 75% of its staff have periods and many will find themselves caught short without a pad or tampon when they have an earlier or heavier period than expected.

This can be very embarrassing and stressful, so tampon/towel dispensing machines are being installed in the loos at every CVS veterinary practice and site in the UK.

Helen Finney, Group HR Director at CVS, said: “We want to provide dignity and peace of mind for all of the colleagues who work at CVS.

"We wouldn't expect colleagues to have to bring their own toilet paper to work.

"So those who experience periods shouldn't fear being caught short either.

"In a busy practice it can be difficult to ask a colleague if they have a tampon or towel, or to find time to go out to buy supplies.

“By providing free period products to colleagues while at work, we are seeking to help in one small but meaningful way.”

When one stops to think about this (albeit as the male editor of a veterinary website), it is something of a wonder that it has taken this long. Helen's quote about loo paper hits the nail on the head. Why do all work loos not have period products by default?

Cardiff-based Nicola Jade Burrows MRCVS has been restored to the Register by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee, following her removal in May 2021 for dishonesty over insurance claims.

At the hearing, the Disciplinary Committee considered whether she had accepted the findings of the Committee at the original inquiry hearing, the seriousness of those findings, whether she had demonstrated insight into her past conduct, and the protection of the public and the public interest.

In her restoration application, Dr Burrows included continuing professional development (CPD) certificates for the courses she had completed since her removal from the Register, letters/informal witness statements from the veterinary surgeons and nurses she had worked who had expressed a willingness to employ her again, together with character references and reflection statements.

She also made a detailed opening statement in support of her application, in which she said that the period since her name was removed from the Register was extremely difficult and also that she now unconditionally accepted all the Committee’s original findings in May 2021, some of which she had previously denied and had failed to acknowledge.

Dr Burrows went on to state that she only had herself to blame for her actions and that she now understood and accepted that the original sanction of removal from the register had needed to be severe given the serious breach of trust to the public, to the veterinary profession and the insurance industry that was a direct consequence of her dishonest actions.

Since removal from the Register, Dr Burrows had taken on the role of receptionist in a Vets4Pets practice in Cardiff, which required her to deal directly with the public and their insurance requests and entitlements.

She stated that as a result of her involvement over the past 18 months in processing insurance claims, she acknowledges the “delicate” relationship between veterinary surgeons, clients and insurers.

Additionally, working as a receptionist, had allowed her to recognise the need for contemporaneous and clear clinical notes.

She also highlighted her CPD, which was relevant to insurance, as well as the fact she’d undertaken a professional ethics course to assist her rehabilitation, reflection, and insight.

In support of Dr Burrows’ restoration to the Register, the Committee took into account three witness accounts from people who work at the Vets4Pets branch where Dr Burrows works as a receptionist.

All witnesses gave positive reflections on Dr Burrows’ character and assured the Committee that they would provide the correct level of support to allow her to return to work safely and that they would have all the necessary safeguarding measures in place to ensure that the public’s and the profession’s interest is always at the forefront.

Judith Way, chairing the Disciplinary Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee was impressed by the fact that busy professionals chose to give up their time to provide witness statements and give evidence in support of Dr Burrows’ application.

"All witnesses were clearly supportive of Dr Burrows’ request for restoration to the Register.

“The Committee found Dr Burrows to show remorse and she does now accept the findings of dishonesty that were made against her in the original enquiry hearing and stated that her conduct was dishonest.

"In the Committee’s view, the evidence given by Dr Burrows on affirmation was very believable and she now accepts her dishonesty together with the gravity of her dishonesty.

“The Committee also formed the view that the steps she has taken to address her dishonesty serve to confirm that she is passionate about the prospect that she be allowed to return to practise.

"The Committee was impressed by Dr Burrows and the evidence given and is now satisfied that she will ensure the highest standards of probity and honesty in the future.

“Having taken all evidence into account, the Committee is satisfied that the future welfare of animals under Dr Burrows’ responsibility will be properly protected, and that her future dealings with insurers will be honest in all respects and that the interests of the public will be met.”

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/disciplinary-hearings

Video Vets Now, the telemedicine arm of Vets Now, has reported a 54% year on year growth in the use of its service in 2022, and says the redefinition of 'under care' will pave the way for further opportunities.

Vets Now launched the service at the start of the pandemic to provide remote veterinary advice, and it has now expanded from eight to nearly 30 emergency vets. 

In 2022, Video Vets Now had over 13,000 consultations, with 80% of these occurring out-of-hours. Sundays are the busiest day, with almost a third of all consultations taking place.

Of these total consultations, 17% of pets were discharged normally, 7% were immediately referred in-clinic, and 48% were discharged as non-emergency cases, but with a recommendation to get a daytime vet appointment within 48 hours.

Dave Leicester, Vets Now’s head of telehealth says the fact that so few of Video Vets Now calls are referred on to a face-to-face consultation is a real benefit for pet owners and the veterinary profession: “Over two thirds of cases don’t need to be seen urgently by a vet.

"A lot of the cases are pet owners needing some clinical reassurance.

"As cases are triaged remotely, the service therefore frees up clinical staff for genuine emergencies. 

“Additionally, without the service, many clients would have no other option than to attend for a full consultation at an out-of-hours clinic; so, clients save money too, allowing them to save their budget to spend at their daytime practices.

“Following the triage consultation, if the pet does need a non-urgent face-to-face consultation, we always direct clients to their registered vet. The £24 Video Vets Now consultation fee is then refunded.

"We call this our ‘Never Pay Twice’ promise, and it applies regardless of where that follow on consultation takes place.

"We see this as a win-win situation for clients and practices.” 

Dave continued: “Over the past three years, Video Vets Now has seen unparalleled growth, providing essential care and reassurance for pet owners during a time of many challenges to traditional veterinary practice.

“As the pandemic has drawn to a close, we have consolidated our position as one of the UK's foremost providers of teletriage.

"Looking to the future, the changes in veterinary regulation will allow us to grow further and expand the range of services we can provide, bringing telehealth to an even greater number of pet owners.”

Darvall has launched the Stinger Ultra veterinary anaesthesia machine, designed to modernise veterinary anaesthesia techniques.

The new machine is a modular system using low-flow anaesthesia for animals from 2-80kg. 

The company says that compared to anaesthetic techniques which use high fresh gas flow rates, it functions without posing a risk to team members from the huge amounts of oxygen and inhalational anaesthetic agents that would otherwise be released.

In turn, this results in cost savings from unwasted agents, and a typical 5 to 10 times reduction in environmental damage.

Darvall founder, Dr Colin Dunlop, said: “For optimal outcome from anaesthesia, veterinary anaesthesiologists and veterinarians routinely make decisions about the physiological well-being of the patient, the environmental impact of their actions, the operational efficiency of their practice and cost-effectiveness.

"Having suitable equipment that uses low-flow anaesthesia will reduce the risk of hypothermia, improve team safety, reduce environmental emissions and reduce costs.”

“Low-flow anaesthesia not only reduces oxygen flows and inhalant agent consumption to less than 10% of high-flow, non-rebreathing systems, it can help reduce anaesthetic hypothermia because it uses warm gas when using the Darvall heated breathing circuits.

"Using our specifically designed modern system for veterinary patients addresses the traditional challenges associated with low-flow anaesthesia and hypothermia.

Darvall says the use of just one system will also simplify staff training and ensure familiarity. 

https://darvallvet.com 

Katharine Power MRCVS has been cleared of serious professional misconduct by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee.

Dr Power faced a number of charges relating to alleged clinical and communications failings surrounding surgery carried out on two separate dogs on two separate occasions.

The first concerned laryngeal tieback surgery carried out on Harvey, a Tibetan Terrier in March 2018, and the second concerned oesophageal surgery carried out on a boxer dog, Boss, in October 2018.

The College withdrew a number of the charges at the start of the hearing, and more later after hearing from witnesses. 

Of the remainder, Dr Power admitted that she had not undertaken pre-operative radiographs before proceeding with the laryngeal surgery, had failed to perform the surgery appropriately (she dissected excessive tissue and had inappropriately placed sutures), and had undertaken the surgery when it was outside her area of competence.

In relation to the oesophageal surgery, Dr Power admitted failing to provide a referral report and/or clinical records to the veterinary practice he was referred from, despite requests from the practice.

The Committee found that the majority of the charges which had not been withdrawn or admitted by Dr Power, not proven.

However, the Committee found that in addition to the admitted charges, Dr Power had subjected the dog undergoing oesophageal surgery to an excessive 9.5 hours of anaesthesia.

The Committee then went on to consider whether the proven charges amounted to serious professional conduct.

Counsel for the College submitted that Dr Power’s conduct breached the part of the Code of Professional Conduct relating to veterinary surgeons keeping within their area of competence and referring responsibly; and providing veterinary care that is appropriate and adequate.

In terms of aggravating factors, the College submitted that there was both actual injury to the animal, as well as actions that posed a risk of injury, that Dr Power financially benefitted from the alleged misconduct as she was paid to perform a procedure outside her competence, and that she occupied a position of increased trust and responsibility as she advertised herself as a practitioner who accepted referrals and was competent to perform soft tissue surgery.

Dr Power’s counsel submitted that the charges that had been found proven amounted to clinical and administrative failings and that this was not a case of a veterinary surgeon deliberately or recklessly acting outside of their capabilities, but rather a case where a diligent and responsible veterinary surgeon had fallen short in discrete areas of her clinical practice and had reasonably believed at the time that she was competent to perform the surgery.

The Committee found that although the conduct within the proven charges fell short of what would be reasonably expected of a veterinary surgeon, it did not fall so far short that her conduct constituted serious professional misconduct.

Paul Morris, chairing the Disciplinary Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee understood that it had a responsibility to consider the wider public interest, taking into account the view of a reasonable member of the public in possession of all the relevant facts and information.

“The Committee considered that such a member of the public would understand that veterinary surgery is a challenging profession. It was of the view that such a member of the public would not expect perfection, but understand that any professional practitioner may make mistakes in the course of their practice.

“It is the judgement of this Committee that the respondent’s conduct does not constitute disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.”

The full findings of the Disciplinary Committee can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

Zoetis has presented the results of two studies looking at the impact of Librela (bedinvetmab) and Solensia (frunevetmab) on the quality of life (QoL) of dogs and cats with osteoarthritis (OA).

For the studies, the owners of 68 dogs treated with Librela and 44 cats treated with Solensia answered 22 questions in the case of dogs and 20 questions in the case of cats on VetMetrica, a digital HRQL instrument.

With a scale of 0-6, cats were rated on vitality, comfort and emotional wellbeing, and dogs on energetic/enthusiastic, happy/content, active/comfortable and calm/relaxed, over a period of 70 days.

The studies concluded that both Librela and Solensia produced a significant improvement in HRQL within 14 days of initial treatment, which was the first time the QOL impact was measured.

The improvement was maintained for the duration of the study.

Jacky Reid, BVMS PhD DVA, CEO of NewMetrica, now part of Zoetis, said: “Assessing and understanding how OA-related pain impacts emotional and physical well-being in particular circumstances, broadens the perspective in relation to pain management.

“HRQL measurements are not generally implemented in veterinary science at this time, so it’s exciting to see how it’s proving effective at adding value to existing functional measures.

"Particularly, helping us understand how pain management impacts the physical and emotional wellbeing of animals and will ultimately boost pet owner confidence.”

Oya Canbas, Zoetis UK General Manager, explained: “With an ever-growing bond between humans and animals, and pets leading longer lives, pet owners are more motivated than ever to support their pet’s wellbeing.

"However, not all are aware of the negative impacts of chronic disease, with signs of OA pain often mistaken as ‘normal’ signs of aging.

"This is why we need to increase awareness, to tackle under-diagnosis of OA pain.

"Common medications used to treat cases of OA pain that are diagnosed are often Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs).

"While effective, these can have limitations, such as for middle aged to senior pets which have other diseases, requiring multiple medications.

"Some will not tolerate NSAIDs, and not all pets respond to NSAID therapy.

"So, expanding prescription choices is a privilege.”

References

1. Reid J, Bartram D, Thompson J, Scales-Theobald E, Gildea E. Measuring improvement in quality of life of dogs with osteoarthritis (OA) treated with bedinvetmab(Librela®, Zoetis, Inc., Parsippany, NJ) using an app-based, validated, owner-reported, health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcome measure (VetMetrica). BSAVA Congress 2023.
2. Reid J, Bartram D, Thompson J, Scales-Theobald E, Gildea E. Measuring improvement in quality of life of cats with osteoarthritis (OA) treated with frunevetmab(Solensia, Zoetis, Inc., Parsippany, NJ) using an app-based, validated, owner-reported, health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcome measure (VetMetrica).) using an app-based, validated, owner-reported, health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcome measure (VetMetrica). BSAVA Congress 2023.