The British Veterinary Association has launched a new Continuous Professional Development library for its members.

The library currently has 28 on-demand recordings, covering a range of sessions on three main themes: people, planet and animals.

They include: ‘Managing emotions in stressful situation’ and ‘Shaping practice culture as a team’, and BVA Congress recordings, such as "Is neutering dogs doing more harm than good?".

BVA President Elizabeth Mullineaux said: “All veterinary professionals will understand the crucial role that CPD plays in maintaining and enhancing our knowledge and skills.

"Whether you're catching up on missed sessions or looking to revisit key topics, the new BVA CPD library can help members stay up to date throughout your career.”

https://mybva.bva.co.uk/cpd-library.html

The 2026 RCVS Knowledge Awards, which recognise teams who are using Quality Improvement (QI) methods to advance the quality of care are now open for applications.

The Awards are open to all organisations and practice teams across the UK who are using recognised QI techniques to improve outcomes. 

The Award categories are as follows:

• The Antimicrobial Stewardship Award showcases practical examples where veterinary teams have used QI methods to improve responsible use of antibiotics.
• The Quality Improvement to Lead Organisational Change Award is open to organisations that make positive organisation-wide change using recognised QI methods.
• The Quality Improvement in Practice Award celebrates veterinary teams that have used recognised QI techniques to drive improvement in care.

Ashley Doorly, Head of Quality Improvement at RCVS Knowledge, said: “Now in its seventh year, the RCVS Knowledge Awards continue to highlight the incredible work being done across the veterinary professions to improve patient safety and outcomes, boost team morale, embed evidence-based veterinary medicine, and support more fulfilling careers.

"Over the years, we’ve seen how strong team culture lays the foundation for successful Quality Improvement projects.

“This year, we’re especially excited to receive applications that explore emerging priorities such as sustainability, One Health, and contextualised care.”

https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/awards/rcvs-knowledge-awards 

MSD is hosting a free one-hour webinar which will explore the clinical and practical challenges vets face when recommending vaccination as part of a wider scour control programme, at 4pm on Wednesday 3rd September 2025

The webinar, which is exclusively for veterinary professionals, will include a Q&A session addressing common concerns around vaccination timing, use in Johne’s-positive herds, the role of extended colostrum feeding, and the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance.

Speakers for the event are:

• Dr Kat Baxter-Smith, Veterinary Advisor, MSD – The real cost of cryptosporidiosis
• Professor Dirk Werling, Royal Veterinary College – Antimicrobial resistance in calf health
• Dr Katie Denholm, University of Glasgow – Calf immunity and extended colostrum feeding strategies
• Peter Orpin, Chair, Technical Group, Action Group Johne’s – Navigating Johne’s and vaccination

Kat Baxter-Smith, Veterinary Advisor at MSD Animal Health (pictured), said: “Vaccination has an important role to play in cryptosporidiosis control, but we know that for some practices, concerns remain — particularly around colostrum management and use in herds with Johne’s.

“This session is about opening up those discussions, sharing the latest research, and addressing the barriers that may be holding back wider adoption.

"Our aim is to support vets in moving scour management from reaction to prevention.”

https://view6.workcast.net/register?cpak=7702733614498733 

CVS has launched ‘Further surgical skills for the General Practitioner’ a course designed to help new graduate vets develop their confidence and competence performing commonplace surgical procedures.

The one-day course covers a variety of procedures, from forelimb, hindlimb and tail amputations, to enucleations and simple eyelid mass removals.

Graduates will also begin learning about the use of basic skin flaps to close larger wounds.

They will also be taught how to recognise a patient requiring urgent or emergency care and initiate evaluation and management. 

Sarah Rutherford, Head of Clinical Education at CVS, said: “When we spoke to our graduates, they told us that they were keen for us to run this course, so that they could build experience and confidence in these common procedures, post their university and extra mural training.

“These are GP procedures. So, thinking about contextualised care, we felt it was important for all of our companion animal veterinary General Practitioners to offer these treatment options - no matter how many years they’d been practicing.

"It’s great to empower our new graduates to conduct these salvage-type procedures - rather than book them in with experienced, certified and advanced vets, or even a referrals specialist.

“It was also important for us to have GP vets Frances and Andy teaching our new surgical GP course, as they appreciate the challenges and practicalities of first opinion practice (FOP).

"It hopefully shows the opportunities that are available in teaching within CVS for all of our general practitioners.”

Hannah Spooner BVSc MRCVS, New Graduate Programme Lead said: "I recently took at poll at the Cambridge AVS congress this spring and this course came out on top - as the course students would ‘most be looking forward to’ if they were to join the CVS New graduate programme in the future. So that’s very encouraging to know!”

www.careerswithcvs.co.uk

A new article published in Veterinary Evidence looks at the progression of evidence based veterinary medicine (EBVM) and suggests how it may be improved in the future.

'Evidence-based veterinary medicine at 20 – a commentary on historical, philosophical, practical, and ethical aspects' by David Mills MRCVS, Michael J. Reiss and Madeleine Campbell FRCVS, looks at the history of both evidence-based medicine and EBVM, the moral and ethical arguments for EBVM and the practical barriers.

It concludes that EBVM would be improved by:

• making research more applicable to first opinion patients
• making the process of clinical decision making more of a research focus
• investigating how evidence and owner and patient circumstances can be integrated into a clinical decision
• investigating how sufficient weight can be attached to evidence and stakeholders in clinical decision making
• better individualisation of veterinary care
• moving from evidence-based to evidence-informed
• re-appraising the epistemiological value of professional experience

Author David Mills MRCVS said: “EBVM has extensively infiltrated the veterinary discourse in the last 20 years and whilst it seems a sensible way of doing medicine, this doesn't always translate into practical improvements.

"Of course we need to base decisions on evidence, and the more reliable that evidence the better the decisions are likely to be.

"But is EBVM the best way?

"Does it serve the individual when the evidence doesn't relate to them or the specifics of their disease?

"Does EBVM help or hinder us in realising welfare improvements for the individual animal?

"In this review of the EBVM movement we examine aspects of the methodology and its practical application and in several areas find it wanting.

"Some of these are practical issues - for example underpowered studies, poor evidence - whilst others are fundamental to the philosophy and practice of EBVM itself such as what is evidence, how it translates to individuals and how we cannot predict the future.

"Evidence-based medicine was forged in the fires of not just accepting eminent pronouncements - in this paper we apply this principle to EBVM itself."

https://veterinaryevidence.org/index.php/ve/article/view/710 

Reference

1. Mills, D., Reiss, M., & Campbell, M. (2025). Evidence-based veterinary medicine at 20 – a commentary on historical, philosophical, practical and ethical aspects. Veterinary Evidence, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.18849/ve.v10i3.710 

VetPartners has invested in four new immunoassay analysers at its equine hospitals: Liphook in Hampshire, Rainbow in North Yorkshire and Rossdales in Suffolk, to offer more accurate blood tests for Cushing's.

The new Tosoh AIA 900 analysers have been trialled for the last 18 months at Liphook Equine Hospital, which was the first practice to introduce ACTH testing for horses 25 years ago and gets hundreds of blood samples every week from veterinary practices all over the UK and Europe.

Professor Andy Durham, who heads up the laboratory at Liphook, said the test period has shown that the new machine produces more accurate results primarily because it’s less sensitive to ACTH degrading in blood samples between collection and receipt by the laboratory.

Andy said: “There are several analytic methods available for use in horses, and we wanted to see if this alternative machine had diagnostic benefits over the ones we’d used previously.

"The ACTH molecule we test for immediately begins to break down after a blood sample is taken, even if you handle it carefully and place it in chilled packaging, but this new analyser is able to detect much more of the degraded ACTH molecule, and therefore it gives a more accurate result.

“As a comparison, ACTH values measured using the previous method suffered about three to four times more degradation over 24 hours.

"What this means for horse owners is that it will reduce the risk of false negative results in ACTH tests, so more horses suffering from Cushing’s disease will receive the treatment they need.”

In testing, the new analysers also demonstrated greater accuracy when measuring insulin levels in blood samples.

https://liphookequinehospital.co.uk
https://www.rainbowequinehospital.co.uk 
https://www.rossdales.com 

A study from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has found there’s no substantial link between popular conformation in rabbits, including floppy ears or flat faces, and an increased risk of dental problems¹.

According to the RVC, recent studies estimate dental disease affects up to 18% of the UK's rabbits and breeds with lop ears and short skulls (brachycephaly) have long been suspected of being more at risk.

To investigate whether there is any truth to that suspicion, a team of RVC researchers led by Maria Jackson RVN, Research Assistant in Rabbit Health and Welfare, and Dr Charlotte Burn, Associate Professor in Animal Welfare and Behaviour Science, set out to explore whether these physical features are linked to dental problems.

The study involved visual dental checks of 435 volunteered pedigree rabbits from 49 breeds at British Rabbit Council shows and breeders’ studs across the UK.

The researchers assessed tooth and mouth health using an otoscope, while also recording ear type, head shape (on a purpose-made visual scale), body size, age and sex.

The findings revealed that:

• Many rabbits had no obvious dental issues with 68.28% of rabbits having no incisor abnormalities and 55.40% having no issues with their cheek teeth.
• Lop-eared rabbits were not more likely to have dental problems but were 4.03 times more likely to have watery eyes – a symptom that could be linked to other health issues.
• Flat-faced (brachycephalic) rabbits did not show more dental abnormalities than those with longer faces.
• Longer-faced rabbits (dolichocephalic) were slightly more likely (1.39 times) to have a specific dental issue known as “step or wave mouth”, where the premolars and molars have a step-like pattern and don’t align normally.
• Older age and sex were more consistently linked to dental abnormalities. Male rabbits were 2.06 times more likely to have an incisor abnormality and 2.23 times more likely to have slanted or curved incisor occlusal surfaces. While females were 2.18 times more likely to have long first cheek teeth, although the clinical significance of some of these findings isn’t clear.

In conclusion, the study concluded that diet, environment and regular dental checks might be more important in the development of dental disease.

The researchers also concluded that any breeding decisions should be based on veterinary assessment of dental health, including otoscope or radiography examinations rather than relying solely on visual inspection of the teeth or a rabbit’s conformation.

Maria said: “Our findings add to the evidence that suggests lop ears and a brachycephalic head shape are less important in the development of dental issues in rabbits than was once thought.

"It’s clear that all rabbits, not just those with a non-wild conformation, can be affected by dental problems.

“The importance of feeding good-quality hay or grass and supplementing the diet with extruded pellets, not muesli, cannot be overstated, as diet may well be more important than conformation in the development of dental disease.

"Likewise, providing regular veterinary dental check-ups to rabbits is crucial to facilitate early dental disease detection and give case-specific dietary and treatment recommendations to slow disease progression and support the welfare of rabbits.” 

Reference

1. Jackson, M. A., Betts, M., Hedley, J., & Burn, C. C. (2025). Rabbit Dental Abnormalities: Investigation of Conformational Risk Factors in a Pedigree Rabbit Population. Animals, 15(7), 980. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15070980. 

Photo: depositphotos.com

Manchester-based Anca Bucur MRCVS has been suspended from the Register of Veterinary Surgeons for two months after she was found to have issued a veterinary prescription for tramadol intended for use by her father.

Ms Bucur MRCVS faced three charges against her.

The first charge was that in April 2024, she wrote a prescription for 60 tablets of tramadol 50mg, indicating that it was for the treatment of an animal, when it was intended for the treatment of a human.

The second charge was that she allowed the prescription to be presented at a pharmacy and/or failed to stop that.

The third charge was that her conduct, in relation to the first two charges was dishonest, and misleading, and took place in circumstances where she was not professionally qualified to write a prescription for human use.

At the outset of the hearing, Ms Bucur admitted all the charges and the Committee accepted her admissions.

In relation to charge three, the Committee found that Ms Bucur had been aware that she should not have written the prescription, that she should not have indicated that it was for an animal, that she should not have deleted the prescription for the clinical record on the practice management system, and she should not have allowed or failed to prevent the prescription from being presented for dispensing.

The Committee therefore found all charges proved.

In terms of aggravating factors, the Committee considered that Ms Bucur’s conduct had given rise to a risk of injury because she was not professionally qualified or sufficiently informed to issue a prescription for tramadol, that she had acted recklessly with regard to the potential effects of a controlled, potentially addictive drug and that her conduct had been premeditated.

It also accepted the submission that there was an abuse of Ms Bucur’s professional position as a registered veterinary surgeon, because this had allowed her to issue a prescription.

The Committee also found that Ms Bucur’s conduct was aggravated by her having involved other persons in her misconduct, namely her partner, in an attempt to have the prescription dispensed.

The Committee noted that the charges involved findings of dishonesty, which is regarded at the higher end in terms of the spectrum of gravity of misconduct.

In mitigation, the Committee took into account that the facts proved related to a single incident of the issuing and attempted use of a prescription.

The Committee was of the view that the Ms Bucur’s conduct had failed to promote protection of public health and had breached the legislation around access to controlled drugs.

Even though this was a single incident, the Committee considered that members of the public, if aware of the facts, would be alarmed and concerned at Ms Bucur’s actions.

As a result, the profession could be brought into disrepute and public confidence in the profession undermined.

The Committee therefore found that Ms Bucur’s conduct amounted to serious professional misconduct in a professional respect.

The Committee then considered whether there were any relevant additional personal aggravating or mitigating factors.

The Committee did not find any further aggravating factors; in mitigation it noted that Ms Bucur had no previous complaints of adverse matters in her career.

The Committee accepted that Ms Bucur had made early, open and frank admissions to her conduct.

She had also offered a fulsome and genuine apology and remorse in her witness statement and in the hearing.

The Committee also accepted that she had since worked without further incident and concluded from her witness statement and evidence that she had developed full insight into her misconduct.

She was able to provide a notable number of references and testimonials which were uniform in speaking to her positive qualities as a veterinary surgeon.

The Committee was able to conclude that this has been a very serious but single lapse of judgement, and that there was a relevant context in that Ms Bucur had clearly acted out of concerns to help her father, however misguided.

There were no suggestions of harm, or risk of harm, to animals.

However, the Committee could not ignore that Ms Bucur’s misconduct had occurred in relation to a controlled drug and had contravened important protections designed to protect the public.

Neil Slater, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee balanced the effect that a suspension would have on Dr Bucur, by depriving her of the ability to practise for a period, with the public interest.

"However, it decided that, in the circumstances, the interests of protecting the public, including the wider public interest, outweighed Dr Bucur’s interests.

“The Committee decided that, in all the circumstances, a suspension was the appropriate and proportionate sanction.

“The Committee considered for how long the suspension should be imposed.

"It considered that the suspension was not required to allow for Dr Bucur to gain any further insight.

"It would purely be required to mark the Committee’s disapproval of Dr Bucur’s misconduct, as a signal to the public and to the profession.

"The Committee concluded that the least period required in all the circumstances is two months.

“The Committee therefore directed to the Registrar that Dr Bucur’s registration be suspended for a period of two months.”

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

The Quadstar Foundation, a charity set up by former vet Nick Butcher, has awarded life-changing grants to two vet students, one of whom found out about the grant through VetSurgeon News.

The grants, which are for up to £3,500 per annum, are for students embarking on a gateway or main veterinary degree course, possibly as a second degree.

Amber Cordice was an early recipient of a Quadstar Foundation grant which she has had for the last four years. 

She'd always wanted to be a vet, but didn't quite get the A level grades, so she took an undergraduate Zoology degree and got a first.

She was then awarded a place at Harper and Keele Veterinary School, but just didn't have the money because there is no finance for second degrees. 

So the enterprising student set up a 'Go Fund Me Page' which got reported by VetSurgeon.org News, which is how Nick found out about her challenges and the rest is history.

Except not quite, because then Alicia Guarnieri (pictured) found herself in a similar position.

She'd completed a degree in Bioveterinary Science before starting a vet degree at the University of Bristol.

She said: “I’d managed to save up prior to being offered my place but when Covid hit, most of it went on rent.

"Like Amber, I decided to defer my place. I looked everywhere for grants, spending hours sifting through guides and asking all the vets I knew, but it all came to a dead end."

But then she came across Amber's story on VetSurgeon.org and, through her, found out about the Quadstar Foundation which awarded her with a grant which covers over a third of her tuition costs.

Alicia added: “Finances are a huge barrier to students taking a second degree, particularly after tuition fees increased.

"There are many of us in the same boat, and sadly many who turn down their place solely due to cost.

"Nick and the Quadstar Foundation are truly changing people’s lives by offering this support. 

"Having thought I would never get to this point, I can’t wait to qualify next year and finally become a vet, and I am forever grateful for the help The Quadstar Foundation has provided me.”

Quadstar's latest grantee is Raluca Magadan, a veterinary nurse from Ireland, who is now on the accelerated graduate course at Bristol University.

She said: “Doing a second degree was never going to be easy.

"However, through help from family and locum vet nurse work, I managed to afford my first three years of vet school and made it into final year.

"This is where the difficulty came, as I had to more than forty hours per week of unpaid rotations work, plus clinical EMS during the holiday breaks, which made it very hard for me to earn the money I needed to afford my final year.

"At times it meant I had under £100 to survive an entire month on, which became a big physical and mental challenge.

“That’s when the Quadstar Foundation stepped in and took a weight off my shoulders by helping to pay off my outstanding university fees and providing some financial security in my final months.

"This has been a huge relief and allowed me to finally enjoy my last year at Bristol.

"I can’t thank everyone at the charity enough.”

In addition to funding and mentoring, The Quadstar Foundation helps its grantees with everything from job applications to revision techniques, as well as any mental health crises and helping them to find a place to live.

Nick, who also runs a property and acquisitions company and Animus Surgical, a pet and vet supplies company, said: “Having worked as a vet for many years before setting up my businesses, I have great industry connections and knowledge.

"So, I’m in the privileged position of being able to help committed students to seize the career opportunities they deserve.”

“My main commercial motivation now is to be able to maintain the funding streams required for these grants.

"It’s surprisingly hard to fundraise for individuals.

"That’s why Animus Surgical has just committed to donating 15% of its profits to the Quadstar Foundation.”

He added: “It’s an enormous privilege to support these inspiring young vets who have had such a hard slog to get past the ever-increasing barriers they face. Barriers that back in our day didn’t exist.” 

What a lovely story. VetSurgeon.org is proud to have played a tiny little part in it and wishes Amber, Alicia and Raluca every success in their future careers. And hats off to Nick.

www.quadstar.org 

Vetlife is calling on all members of the veterinary community to lace up their boots and join the Northumberland Vetlife Day Hike on the 9th and 10th of May.

The two-day event, being held in collaboration with the Veterinary Voices Hiking Group, offers a great opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors, get together, and raise vital funds for this crucial charity.

The event is being led by passionate hiking enthusiasts and Vetlife trustees Robyn Lowe and Paul Horwood.

Each day's route will cover 12-19 miles of stunning Northumberland coastline, but participants can opt for shorter distances.

Robyn said: "The Northumberland hike is more than just a walk – it's about coming together as a community, supporting one another, and embracing the mental health benefits of being in nature.

"We hope to see as many people as possible join us, not only to enjoy the experience but to help us continue Vetlife's essential work."

While fundraising is not compulsory, participants are encouraged to try and raise £365 for the charity, symbolising the number of days Vetlife provides support for the community each year.

To register your interest, email fundraising@vetlife.org.uk.

Photo: www.depositphotos.com

The RCVS has launched a new section of its website designed to give pet owners a better understanding of how veterinary practices work and is urging vets to share it with clients. 

The advice in the new help section has been designed to highlight the shared responsibilities of animal owners and their vet teams, and to support practices by giving this advice for pet owners in a clear and easy-to-read way.

It explains what pet owners can expect from their vet team - and what is expected of them - throughout the different stages of pet ownership.

The information is split into ten sections:

• Shared responsibilities
• Choosing a veterinary practice
• I’ve found a practice I like – what next?
• Who’s who in your veterinary practice
• Treatment and care
• Prescription medication
• Fees and pricing
• Emergency and out-of-hours care
• When things go right
• If things go wrong

The content in the new resource was informed by the views of the RCVS’s Public Advisory Group (PAG), whose members comprise owners/keepers of companion animals, equine and production animals, as well as other users of veterinary services.

Veterinary surgeon and Chair of the RCVS PAG, Louise Allum MRCVS (pictured), said: "The PAG has performed an essential role in helping to inform the content creation for our animal owner help and advice resource, highlighting the need for greater transparency and support, particularly around veterinary fees, treatment options, and what to expect from vet practices.

"Veterinary professionals work tirelessly to provide the most appropriate care for their patients, and we want to support this by ensuring pet owners have access to clear, accessible information about their rights, responsibilities, and the role of veterinary teams to ensure that expectations are managed.

“We are calling upon veterinary professionals to share this resource with clients far and wide, to help owners understand more about veterinary practice and how they can build a successful partnership with their vet team, ultimately leading to better outcomes for pets, their owners and veterinary professionals alike."

The RCVS will be expanding its help and advice section to include further information for equine and livestock owners in due course.

www.rcvs.org.uk/owner-advice.

Dechra is conducting a survey of vets about otitis externa in dogs, and there's a Fortnum's hamper up for grabs.

The five-minute survey includes questions on the number of otitis externa cases seen in practice, consultation times, common compliance issues, cytology uptake and client behaviour change frameworks.

Completed entries will be entered into a draw for a Fortnum & Mason hamper worth £100.

Charlotte Hill, brand manager at Dechra said: “The otitis externa in dogs survey will provide us with valuable insight into vets’ experiences of the condition.

"It will also allow us to identify any trends that may exist to help us improve how we as a profession approach otitis externa, while supporting owners when treating the condition which can be frustrating to manage.

https://forms.office.com/e/J7frrbL56A