To create a price list, you need to create an account at Pricebook.vet, then choose a template and add your prices.
You can then publish the pricelist on your website, and Pricebook will even format it to your design so the price list is aligned with your practice branding.
Emily said: All of the templates are in line with what the CMA want you to display and it's easy to do.
"The idea behind this is to get you CMA compliant, quickly and easily.
"We did it for our practice and want to help you do the same.
"It's easy, quick and free, and my way of saying thanks.
"Thank you for being part of this amazingly supportive community.
"I hope you love this tool we've created and you can save yourself loads of time, and have something really swish to add to your practice website.
Visit https://nightingalevets.co.uk/pricing for an example of a price list created with Pricebook.
www.pricebook.vet
Rhonda Hopkins, who has 28 years experience in high-acuity healthcare, including 10 years in Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS), will be helping clients navigate difficult decisions and end of life care and supporting clinical teams in managing the emotion aspect of delivering clinical care.
Rhonda said: "Veterinary care doesn't just involve clinical decisions - it involves people navigating some of the most difficult moments with the animals they love.
"This role brings dedicated emotional and psychological support into practice, helping both clients and teams manage those challenges.
"By supporting our people, we strengthen the care we provide to every patient."
https://www.langfordvets.co.uk
The survey of 2,000 UK consumers, which was carried out by OnePoll in March 2026, found that 40% of pet owners were very concerned about the rising cost of veterinary treatment and 42% were fairly concerned.
It also found that 43% of pet owners currently do not have pet insurance, a figure which is broadly consistent with findings from a recent peer-reviewed study published in the Veterinary Record, which found that 48.5% of UK pet owners surveyed did not have insurance and that affordability was a major factor affecting uptake.
The research also found that 23% of pet owners have cancelled a pet insurance policy within the last two years.
Among those, 11% said premiums had become too expensive and 7% said the policy no longer offered good value.
Insurance status differed by species, with 33% of dog owners uninsured compared with 44% of cat owners.
The findings also showed that 62% of policyholders said they had never made a claim, while 36% had claimed on their policy, including 22% who had made one claim and 13% who had made multiple claims.
The earlier study in the Veterinary Record also identified a strong link between household income and insurance uptake in the UK, with owners in lower-income households significantly less likely to insure their pets.
https://www.bestinsurance.co.uk
In particular, the event will highlight how the veterinary profession can shift from a model focused on reactive treatment to one centred on proactive, preventive care, strengthening the human–animal bond, improving vet–client partnerships, and supporting longer, healthier lives for pets.
Speakers at the summit include:
Daniel Rodes, Innovation and Renovation Lead at Purina Europe, said: "Pet owners increasingly expect personalised, preventive care shaped around the human-animal bond.
"The Purina Institute Global Summit will equip veterinary teams with practical communication strategies and emerging tools to improve client adherence and ultimately deliver better long-term patient outcomes."
All presentations will be available free for veterinary professionals to view later on demand, and provide up to 8.5 hours of CPD.
Live translations will also be available.
https://globalsummit2026.purinainstitute.com
Bluetongue Serotype 8 was detected in the SouthWest of England towards the end of last year's vector season and has since been confirmed in the SouthEast, including East Sussex.
The vaccine can be used during pregnancy and lactation and carries a zero-day withdrawal period.
Sarah Kearney, Product Manager at Virbac, said: "We understand the pressure livestock farmers are under regarding the threat of Bluetongue."
"By making Syvazul BTV 8 vaccine available now, we are enabling vets and farmers to implement vaccination protocols early, so providing the best possible defence for their animals."
The series, titled "Under pressure: management of feline hypertension and concurrent disease", is available on the Ceva Academy website and consists of eight short videos offering 1.5 hours CPD.
It's presented by Rosanne Jepson BVSc MVetMed PhD DipACVIM DipECVIM PGCertVetEd FHEA MRCVS, professor of small animal internal medicine and nephrology at the Royal Veterinary College (pictured).
The series is designed to help delegates recognise feline hypertension, understand its relationship with conditions including chronic kidney disease and hyperthyroidism, and apply practical, evidence-led management strategies.
It also offers practical guidance on complex case management and an overview of diagnosis and treatment pathways for CKD and hyperthyroidism.
https://ceva.vbms-training.co.uk
Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, the model is a "hybrid causal Bayesian network" designed to enhance existing tools by analysing complex relationships between risk factors1.
It combines data from electronic health records, owner questionnaires, previous studies and veterinarian expertise.
Waltham says the model confirms the importance of risk factors including breed and size, age, head shape and quality of home dental care, and quantifies the probability of a dog having periodontal disease based on the presence of these factors.
Dr Stephen Makin, Vice President Waltham Petcare Science Institute, said: "This breakthrough is more than just a scientific achievement; it's a potential game-changer for canine oral health.
"Supported by AI, we are moving from detection to prediction, empowering veterinarians and owners with the ability to provide proactive and personalised oral care.
"This could fundamentally change the health and wellbeing of our canine companions."
The new model is now being used within the Linnaeus group to flag risk for newly-registered clients.
It has also been deployed on a risk checker at: https://www.uk.pedigree.com/gum-disease-risk-checker.
In both cases, Linnaeus says the objective is to get information to pet owners earlier, particularly for breeds where risk is substantially higher, to help drive early preventive care.
However, the company says this is only a fraction of what this kind of foundational model can do, and that it is exploring a range of further applications — including how it might work in combination with other clinical tools and diagnostics to support decision-making more directly at the point of care.
Reference
The guidance reflects the latest Home Office rules on the Skilled Worker Visa pathway and sets out the visa process and sponsorship requirements for veterinary businesses looking to sponsor a vet from overseas and for qualified vets looking to move to the UK.
The FAQs cover salary thresholds, visa costs, timelines and the application process.
They also address questions including how to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship, who qualifies for a salary threshold discount, and what happens if you lose or change jobs.
BVA Senior Vice President Dr. Elizabeth Mullineaux said: "The veterinary profession in the UK heavily relies on overseas vets, who play a crucial role in our workforce.
"However, we've been contacted by many members with questions and concerns around navigating the recent changes to the skilled worker visa rules.
"In response, with this resource we're bringing clarity, by answering the most pressing questions and simply outlining the visa process as well as sponsorship requirements."
https://mybva.bva.co.uk/skilled-worker-visa-guidance-for-vets.html
The study, published in Veterinary Record, compared observations made during unloading with those carried out later in lairage holding pens1.
Over the course of the study, thousands of animals, including cattle, sheep and pigs, were observed at a UK abattoir.
The research was led by the RVC team including final-year veterinary student Sayaka Mochizuki and Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Public Health Kurt Arden, with assistance from Declan Arden from the University of Plymouth.
They found that observing animals during unloading significantly increased the detection of welfare issues such as lameness, slipping and falling.
Across all species, welfare problems were far more likely to be identified at this stage, with detection rates increasing more than tenfold in some cases.
This, say the researchers, is largely because issues become much easier to spot while the animals are in motion, rather than while they are stationary.
As a result, the research team propose a new, practical inspection approach called Animal-Based Measurement (ABMs), which implements simple visual checks during unloading to identify potential health issues.
Incorporating this strategy could enable vets to identify problems earlier, provide more effective feedback to farmers and transporters and take action to reduce suffering.
It also offers a straightforward, evidence-based way to improve food safety standards.
Importantly, this method can be implemented in real-world settings without disrupting abattoir operations.
Sayaka Mochizuki said: "Animal transport ultimately serves the human economic and commodity interests.
"While the experience is relatively brief, it defines the final moments of the lives of production animals and the nature of their death.
"We have a moral obligation to undertake this process as ethically as possible, and our proposal provides a simple but effective way toward a more improved norm."
Kurt Arden said: "Improving animal welfare does not always require complex solutions, sometimes all it requires is a new perspective.
"This study demonstrates how simple, practical changes can reduce suffering, and underscores the important role veterinary students play in producing research that delivers real-world impact."
Fifteen candidates stood in the 2026 election and 6,289 veterinary surgeons (15.8% of those eligible) cast a vote.
Voter turnout compares with 19% in 2025, 19.7% in 2024, 16.7% in 2023 and 18.6% in 2022.
The winning candidates were: Ian Battersby FRCVS with 2,205 votes, Neil Smith FRCVS with 1,620 votes and Lara Wilson MRCVS with 1,598 votes.
Their four-year terms will start at the RCVS Annual General Meeting on Friday, 3 July.
Clare Paget, RCVS Registrar and Returning Officer for the election, said: "Thank you to all of this year's candidates for taking the time and effort to put themselves forward for the election, and to all those who voted as well."
"We look forward to welcoming our three new Council members later this year."
www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote26
Cellular haemoglobin concentration mean gives clinicians a direct measurement of the average haemoglobin concentration within individually analysed red blood cells.
Unlike mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, which is a calculated value, cellular haemoglobin concentration mean is measured optically, which Zoetis says provides a more reliable indicator needed when a patient is anaemic and when endogenous interferents, such as haemolysis, are present.
The expansion also includes plateletcrit (PCT) measurement.
Plateletcrit provides the volume percentage of blood occupied by platelets – functionally similar to how haematocrit (HCT) reflects the red blood cell fraction.
Zoetis says PCT helps clinicians better assess platelet production, consumption, and evidence of destruction.
Both new parameters are expected to be available to Vetscan OptiCell users in 2026.
https://www.zoetisdiagnostics.com/uk
The six-month group coaching scheme is for experienced equine vets and vet nurses and is delivered through monthly online group coaching sessions.
Applications for the 2026 cohort are open until Wednesday 27 May 2026, and 25 places are available.
The coaching team includes Lucy Grieve, Claire Goodban, Kate Blakeman and Gemma Dransfield—all veterinary professionals with coaching training—now joined by vet nurse Rosina Lillywhite to give dedicated support for veterinary nurses.
Kate Blakeman, BEVA vice president, programme founder and a Back in the Saddle coach, said: "Coaching is becoming increasingly recognised as a key factor in building professional resilience, restoring confidence and supporting career transitions."
Rosina Lillywhite said: "Back in the Saddle is about creating the time and space for both vets and veterinary nurses to step back, reflect and move forward with renewed confidence."
"Whether someone is navigating a period of change or simply reassessing their direction, the programme offers structured support, practical strategies and the reassurance that they're not alone in the challenges they're facing. It's a really valuable opportunity to reconnect with your career and regain a sense of purpose within the profession."
https://www.beva.org.uk/Career-support/Vets/Back-in-the-Saddle
The software is designed to help practice managers plan rotas across roles including vets, nurses, receptionists and support staff.
Agilio says that iTeam Rota can help practices spot staffing gaps earlier, manage leave, sickness and CPD on a single screen, and give team members access to an up-to-date rota from any device.
The company also says the system can support repeatable shift patterns and multi-site rota management.
Emma Barnes, Managing Director of Emerging Markets at Agilio (pictured), said: "Anyone who's ever wrestled a rota in a spreadsheet knows that sinking feeling when you've just got it straight, and then someone changes their hours or calls in sick and you're back to square one.
"It's a constant firefight, and never a finished job."
"We've built iTeam Rota specifically for veterinary practices because their staffing challenges are unlike other sectors, and generic tools simply don't cope with that.
"Practices are dealing with more part-time roles, flexible working patterns and multi-site teams, and need a rota system that mirrors how their people actually work, and not the other way round."
agiliosoftware.com/veterinary/iteam-rota
The clinical team at the RVC analysed anonymised clinical data from dogs from the UK, Europe and the USA undergoing mitral valve repair at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals at the RVC.
One study evaluated the anaesthetic management and outcomes of 176 dogs undergoing surgery, focusing on complications during and around the time of anaesthesia1.
The second study assessed 66 dogs to identify features on heart scans that could help predict whether the heart would remain enlarged after surgery2.
The findings showed that mitral valve repair is associated with significant intraoperative and postoperative risks.
Longer cardiopulmonary bypass duration was associated with increased risk.
Dogs with greater pre-surgical heart enlargement and higher body weight were more likely to have persistent left heart enlargement after surgery.
Close perioperative monitoring and rapid-response protocols were found to be essential in managing anticipated complications.
The study also found that recovery outcomes vary, meaning individual patient factors must be considered when advising owners.
Finally, the research demonstrated that most beneficial changes in heart size, known as reverse remodelling, occurred within the first three months after surgery.
Professor Dan Brockman, Professor in Small Animal Surgery and Director of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Service at the RVC, said: "Establishing and maintaining open heart surgical capability at the RVC has been both the most challenging and the most rewarding activity of my 36 years as a specialist small animal surgeon.
"Our team are rightly proud of what we have achieved, but we all know that the route to even greater consistency of results lies in the constant process of reflection, refinement and improvement in every aspect of what we do."
The RVC is currently the only centre in the UK offering this specialist surgical procedure.
https://www.rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-vet/specialist-referrals/advanced-techniques/cardiothoracic-surgery/mitral-valve-disease
References
The initiative is aimed at increasing screening throughout the year and helping identify cats living with untreated hypertension.
Challenge 20 encourages vet professionals to screen and record over 20 new feline blood pressure measurements per practice in cats at increased risk, including those with concurrent diseases such as chronic kidney disease and hyperthyroidism, those with signs of target organ damage and all cats over seven years of age.
After the feedback session, the Ceva vet will work with the practice to identify any training requirements and create a tailored plan, before repeating the challenge to track progress and fine-tune the approach.
Ceva is also providing marketing materials focusing on hidden hypertension and concurrent disease, including a cat owner poster, leaflet, owner email content and a social media toolkit.
The company is also offering dedicated time and guidance from its territory managers to help implement better screening protocols.
A feline hypertension bitesize video CPD series is also available at the Ceva Academy: https://ceva.vbms-training.co.uk
Andrew Fullerton, senior product manager at Ceva, said: "Over 1,200 cats were screened during Ceva's 2025 feline hypertension campaign and a third of them were identified as hypertensive1."
He added: "We continue to encourage vet professionals to test for feline hypertension in all cats over seven years of age, with a particular focus on those more susceptible to high blood pressure, such as those with concurrent diseases and those with signs of target organ damage through our Challenge 20 initiative."
https://easethepressure.co.uk
In the first report1, which concerned an outbreak on a busy competition yard after the introduction of a new horse without an isolation period or pre-movement blood ELISA screening for recent S. equi exposure, no horses developed signs of strangles after the second vaccination with Strangvac was administered.
In the second report2 strangles was confirmed in three unvaccinated and unwell horses and 17 healthy horses on the same yard were subsequently vaccinated with Strangvac.
Blood samples in this group of vaccinated horses demonstrated that over half had recent exposure to S. equi, despite which, none of them developed strangles.
Bex Glasgow, veterinary surgeon and equine veterinary advisor at Dechra said: “Strangles vaccination, alongside good biosecurity measures, are essential tools in disease prevention and recent studies have also demonstrated its protective effect during outbreak situations.”
Strangles Awareness Week, which is supported by Dechra, takes place from 4 to 10 May 2026.
The study, led by Svenja Springer from the Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, used an online questionnaire in March 2022 to investigate dog and cat owners in Austria, Denmark and the UK, with a final sample of 2,117 owners.
The survey found that differences in insurance uptake across income groups were seen only in the UK, where 65.6% of owners in the high-income group (more than £44,800 a year) had insurance compared with only 35.1% in the low-income group (less than £22,400 a year).
Overall, 51.5% of UK households in the sample had insurance and 48.5% did not.
Among owners without insurance, UK respondents were much more likely to say policies were too expensive (48.9%) compared with 28.1% in Denmark and 29.9% in Austria.
However, when it comes to how much owners are prepared to spend on veterinary treatment, the paper concludes that emotional attachment to a pet was the most important factor, over and above income or insurance status.
Nevertheless, only around 20% of UK dog owners said they would spend over £3000 of their own money — that is, over and above any insured sum — on treatment.
Some 24.8% of the owners of uninsured dogs and 34.7% of the owners of insured dogs said they would spend £101 to £1000 of their own money.
Around 11% said they would spend £1001 - £3000 and 19.8% of insured vs 27.1% of uninsured said they didn't know.
For the research, published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, the team studied osteoarthritic tissues from dogs with osteoarthritis treated with total hip replacement surgery at the RVC's Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, using ultra-high-resolution micro-computed tomography to map the entire femoral head in three dimensions.
Using this technique, as opposed to more localised analysis previously conducted on human samples, researchers identified that different areas of the femoral head simultaneously responded differently.
In particular, the findings revealed that in the earliest stages of osteoarthritis, the inner regions predictably change their bone structure pattern, allowing early identification of osteoarthritis.
As the disease progresses, the dense layer of bone immediately below the joint surface becomes more porous in proportion to the increasing severity of osteoarthritis, distinguishing mild from severe changes.
The researchers say that the next step is to match these changes with clinical scans to develop improved non-invasive approaches to assessing joint health at much earlier stages of disease.
Professor Richard Meeson, Professor of Orthopaedics at the RVC, and senior author of the paper, said: "Osteoarthritis is a devastating disease affecting both people and our pets.
"Every day in our orthopaedic referral clinic, I see dogs suffering from its severe effects.
"What is truly exciting is that through our clinical work, we can transform the lives of dogs through hip replacement surgery, and we have also been able to drive forward pioneering research at the RVC.
"This research has provided new insights into the disease and, crucially, brings us closer to diagnosing osteoarthritis at a much earlier stage."
The webinar will focus on how vaccination programmes can be successfully integrated into dairy herds.
The session will explore how the five-point cryptosporidiosis control plan can guide client discussions, how extended colostrum feeding can be implemented on-farm, and practical strategies covering hygiene, transition milk, and wider scour control.
Alex Cooper MRCVS from Fenton Vets (pictured) and his client, dairy farmer Lottie Wilson from Mountain Park Farm, Pembrokeshire, will talk about the challenges they faced with cryptosporidiosis and how they implemented management changes to overcome these issues, resulting in a herd now largely free from scour.
MSD Veterinary Adviser, Kat Baxter-Smith MRCVS, said: “Vaccination plays a crucial role in controlling cryptosporidiosis, and strong vaccine sales reflect the clear demand for effective on-farm solutions.
"This webinar will explore those challenges, share the latest research and provide first-hand farm experience to help vets move scour management from reactive treatment to proactive prevention.”
https://thewebinarvet.com/webinars/making-cryptosporidiosis-vaccination-work-on-farm-practical-insights-for-vets
Krka says Robexera injectable acts within an hour, has a 24-hour duration and that its high COX-2 selectivity reduces wider systemic impact.1
The company says that in cats, the perioperative case is particularly strong, pointing to research which it says showed robenacoxib to have the best proven safety profile in cats of all NSAIDs.1
Krka adds that it is also highly effective in reducing post-operative pain, with evidence of superior efficacy to meloxicam,2 and a proven anaesthetic-sparing effect during feline surgery.3
Will Ridgway, Head of Animal Health at Krka UK, said: “Practices want product assurance and commercial value. As a bioequivalent to the originator product,4 Robexera injectable delivers both."
https://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/productinformationdatabase/files/SPC_Documents/SPC_3090863.PDF
Serotonin has been implicated in several canine diseases, including myxomatous mitral valve disease, pulmonary hypertension and dilated cardiomyopathy, but direct measurement in blood is challenging because of its short half-life in serum.
In humans, urinary 5‑HIAA is considered a more accurate marker of serum serotonin concentration.
However, whilst urine 5-HIAA has previously been measured in dogs using gas chromatography mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection, these techniques are expensive and not widely available.
For the study, which was funded by BSAVA PetSavers and published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice, researchers collected urine samples from 26 dogs undergoing routine diagnostic evaluation at a referral hospital.
Each sample was analysed using both a commercially available ELISA testing kit, BA-E-1900 from Immusmol, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, the current gold standard method.
The ELISA was found to be reliable with acceptable precision and repeatability, particularly at low concentrations, although it had a slightly higher observed error at higher concentrations.
The researchers recommended further validation work to improve understanding of the various preanalytical factors that may influence measurement of 5-HIAA concentrations.
They also said further work should investigate whether measuring urinary 5-HIAA will be a good surrogate marker for physiologically active circulating serotonin in dogs, and whether it will be useful in studying disease pathogenesis.
Dr Penny Watson, senior author of the study, said: "I am very hopeful that, after further validation, this ELISA will prove to be a reliable, simple and cheap test for 5-HIAA in the urine, facilitating further research into the role of serotonin in the pathogenesis of canine diseases.
"We have long suspected that some individual dogs and breeds may have higher circulating serotonin than others and that this might predispose them not only to heart disease but also some common diseases such as chronic pancreatitis and kidney disease.
"They would also be more susceptible to serotinergic syndrome when medicated with drugs such as tramadol or trazadone.
"Further research in this area would thus be directly relevant to small animal practitioners."
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.70123
The charge was that between June and October 2022, the vet imported or arranged for the importation of approximately 1950 to 2010 tablets of a medicine which purported to be norethisterone when there had been no Special Importation Certificate (SIC) issued by the VMD.
The vet was also charged with supplying or arranging the supply of the medicine to a number of greyhound trainers, with a view to the medicine being administered to greyhounds.
Finally, the vet was also charged that he knew there was no SIC, that the medicine contained substances other than norethisterone, that he had made no assessment of whether any or all of the other substances were appropriate for administration to the greyhounds, and that the Greyhound Board of Great Britain did not permit greyhounds to race with the other substances found in the medicine in their system.
The vet admitted all the charges against him at the start of the hearing.
The Committee said aggravating factors included risk of injury to an animal or human, recklessness, and break of client trust.
It also noted that despite his practice being rated 4 out of 5 in a 2025 Veterinary Practice Premises Inspection Report in relation to the VMD’s most recent inspection of his practice, the report raised four matters relating to the issuing and labelling of medication.
In mitigation, the Committee accepted that the vet had imported the norethisterone from India with good intentions, in that he believed he was assisting the greyhounds to keep them racing.
It also noted that while this was not an isolated incident, he only ordered the norethisterone twice and supplied it over a five-month period in 2022.
He had also practised without incident since importing and supplying the norethisterone.
The Committee decided that the conduct amounted to serious professional misconduct, and that he had breached sections 1.5, 6.4 and 6.5 of the Code of Practice for Veterinary Surgeons in 2022.
Deciding the sanction, the Committee also noted that the vet had a previous disciplinary finding against him relating to findings of dishonesty regarding his communications with the Animal and Plant Health Agency in the taking of blood samples for horses due to be exported to Serbia, which resulted in a six-month suspension from the Register.
Neil Slater, chairing the committee, said a six-month suspension would allow the vet time to “develop insight and understanding of the importance of regulatory compliance” and reflect on his practice, while also signalling to the profession and the public that such compliance is essential.
He said the committee had considered whether removal from the register was warranted, particularly given a previous similar disciplinary finding, but concluded that this could be “career ending”. A longer suspension was also ruled out on the same basis.
However, the committee expressed significant concern that the case, alongside the earlier finding, demonstrated a “persistent disregard for regulatory legislation”. It said the sanction imposed was necessary to protect animal welfare and maintain confidence in the profession.
The vet will be suspended for six months following the expiry of the appeal period.
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/veterinary-professionals/conduct-and-guidance/concerns-for-veterinary-professionals/disciplinary-committee-hearings
Julia Albright, MA, DVM, DACVB, and Martha G. Cline, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition) will share the latest insights on how nutrition influences behaviour, cognition, and learning in dogs and cats.
https://events.purinainstitute.com/login/purinainstitute/CollaborativeCare-2026
The new system allows members to subscribe to a daily, weekly or monthly email digest summarising recent discussion topics raised by colleagues, replies to ongoing conversations and the latest veterinary news published on the site.
Crucially, the subscription settings for the digest have been placed prominently in the title bar across most pages of VetSurgeon, making it very easy for members to change their preferences at any time.
For example, you might choose to receive daily updates while following an interesting discussion, before switching back to a weekly or monthly digest once the conversation has run its course — or switch it off entirely when you’re on holiday.
The change is intended to make it easier for veterinary surgeons to engage in professional discussion outside the algorithm-driven environment of social media platforms.
While social media groups have become a common venue for professional conversation, they also have structural limitations.
Posts and replies are filtered by algorithms, discussions very quickly disappear into fast-moving feeds and useful exchanges of professional information can be difficult to find later.
They can also encourage echo chambers, with users primarily exposed to views similar to their own, while the format of short comments and rapid replies can make it difficult to express complex reasoning or nuanced clinical judgement.
Another limitation is provenance.
In many social media discussions it is not always clear who contributors are, what experience they bring to a topic, or the context in which advice is being offered.
Veterinary medicine is, fundamentally, a scientific profession.
Progress depends on the exchange of experience, the testing of ideas and the careful discussion of evidence.
Platforms that favour speed, brevity and engagement metrics are not always well suited to that kind of conversation.
Forums such as VetSurgeon allow discussions to develop in a more structured way.
Threads remain searchable and can be referred back to months or years later, replies appear in sequence rather than being prioritised by engagement metrics, and contributors post under identifiable profiles that provide context for their views and experience.
For veterinary surgeons, time spent reading and reflecting on professional discussions also contribute towards continuing professional development (CPD) requirements, using the built-in feature to record time spent on a discussion.
Until now, however, one drawback of forum discussions has been the volume of email notifications generated when users subscribe to individual threads.
The new digest system is designed to solve that problem by allowing members to stay informed about discussions without receiving a constant stream of individual alerts.
Just one digest — daily, weekly or monthly.
Several new discussion threads have already appeared on the forum as members start using the new system, covering things like anti-parasitic prescribing, the oddest things you've taken out of a dog's gut, choline deficiency, and the people who have made the biggest mark on your career.
Come and join us! Join an existing discussion or post a question.
And whilst you’re there, choose a daily, weekly or monthly digest to follow along.
Caroline uses the five domains framework — nutrition, physical environment, health, behavioural interactions and mental state — to provide welfare assessments to help owners navigate some of the increasingly difficult choices that modern veterinary medicine now offers.
In particular, Pet Lighthouse aims to bridge the gap between Dr. Google and clinical reality, to support informed decision-making, and to give clients the long consultations that they may need to process difficult news, which may be difficult to provide in general practice.
Caroline, who has over 15 years experience in first-opinion work and eight years as the RSPCA's Chief Vet, does not prescribe or treat, and clients are directed back to their local practice for clinical care.
She said: "I am here to ensure that when a family returns to your consulting room, they are informed, calm, and focused."
"My goal is to support the profession by providing the intensive advocacy and client support that a standard consultation window simply cannot accommodate."
Caroline is inviting practices to signpost clients directly to the Pet Lighthouse website or reach out for an initial discussion.
www.petlighthouse.co.uk