Eurovet Animal Health has launched a new product, Bovocycline 2000 mg pessary for cattle.

Bovocycline 2000 is the only veterinary licenced antibiotic pessary for the treatment of retained foetal membranes in cattle. It is licenced for the treatment of post parturient disorders in cattle, for administration after dystocia, retained foetal membranes (RFMs) and endometritis.

According to Eurovet, the incidence of retained foetal membranes in cows varies from zero to 25 per cent, but the average is around 4 per cent in most herds. RFMs result in reduced cow fertility and a higher risk of culling due to poor fertility. Pessaries are still considered the preferred treatment for vulval discharges in cattle by farmers.

Ruth Vernon, Technical Services Manager for Eurovet said: "The control of post partum problems in cattle is rarely straight forward, but it is great to have a veterinary licensed treatment designed specifically for this purpose, in one pessary that contains 2000mgs tetracycline".

For more information please contact Eurovet Animal Health. Tel: 01223 257933. E-mail: office@eurovet-ah.co.uk www.eurovet-ah.co.uk

Medovate, a company which develops medical technologies, has partnered with Vygon Vet to launch Safira, an anaesthetic device which makes regional anaesthesia a one-person procedure. 

In current regional anaesthesia procedures two operators are often needed, with an assistant using 'feel' to inject the anaesthetic solution at the required pressure. This, says the company, means anaesthetic solutions can be injected at unsafe pressures. The new device incorporates a safety system that limits injection pressure, to reduce the risk of nerve injury. 

Dr. Federico Corletto, Consultant Anaesthetist from Dick White Referrals said: “By turning regional anaesthesia into a one-person procedure, the technology also removes the challenges of communicating with an assistant regarding subjective injective pressure feel, thus removing the unpredictability of an untrained hand.” 

Medovate says the use of ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia is becoming more common practice today, with the technique – which can help provide a higher level of visualisation for the practitioner – increasingly seen as a ‘gold standard’.  

However, there are limitations and challenges that are not always present in the practice of adult human medicine. Nerve parathesia, for instance, is harder to ascertain in animals. Small animals such as cats also have increased sensitivity to local anaesthetics when compared with other species, necessitating much lower maximum doses be used.¹

Brett Hughes, Homecare & Veterinary Business Manager at Vygon UK, said: "The device infuses at 0.5ml/second, and to vets the technology offers a valuable tool that can control injection small intervals at a time. This allows the veterinary practitioner to titrate appropriately to see the anaesthesia spread around a nerve bundle.  

"There are a significant number of regional anaesthesia blocks completed in veterinary practice per annum globally, so potentially this NHS developed device could play a major role in the future of veterinary practice."

For more information, visit: https://www.medovate.co.uk/veterinary/safira-for-veterinary-applications and https://www.vygonvet.co.uk/ 

Reference

1. https://www.asra.com/asra-news/article/124/regional-anesthesia-and-pain-management 

Lots of April Fool's Day gags involving animals this year...

watch?v=1kC0OI9MYZc

The Sun reported that Sir Richard Branson's health club chain, Virgin Active, is launching a new gym for dogs only, to combat the pet obesity epidemic. Alton Towers supposedly launched a new rollercoaster ride for dogs only. Meanwhile, Pasante, a condom manufacturer, launched the 'condog', though this seems to be a variation on an idea that has been around for a while now.

My favourites, though, were two April fools unrelated to animals. The first was from Cadbury's, made more believable by the fact that it was planted in the Southampton Echo. The second was the announcement by BMW that Dr. Noit All, the company's Head of Innovation, had developed a fuel-saving system called Magnetic Tow Technology (MTT). Readers were invited to keep abreast with future developments from BMW by emailing Dr. Noit All's colleague at uve.vollenvorit@bmw.co.uk.

Zoetis reports that its stock of Equip Artervac, its Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) vaccine, is due to expire on 13th December, and new stocks are not expected before February 2019.

Equip Artervac is indicated for the active immunisation for horses against equine arteritis virus to reduce the clinical signs and shedding of virus in nasal secretions following infection.

Zoetis says it is working hard to resolve the situation and apologises for any convenience caused.

For more information, contact your Zoetis Account Manager or the Zoetis Technical Team on customersupportUK@zoetis.com or 0845 300 9084 choosing option 1. 

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has dismissed a case against Duncan Davidson MRCVS, a South London veterinary surgeon accused of clinical failings in relation to his treatment of a cat and of keeping poor and misleading clinical records.

The Committee heard the case against Dr Davidson, who was the sole practitioner and owner of Mitcham Veterinary Clinic until his retirement from clinical practice in November 2014, at a hearing which concluded on 22nd January.

The first charge against Dr Davidson alleged that, between 7 November 2013 and 13 December 2013, he had failed to provide adequate care to Ameira, an Egyptian Mau cat. The charge was in four parts: that he had inappropriately administered corticosteroids; had failed to administer adequate fluid therapy; discharged the cat to its owner suggesting a referral when he should have suggested or arranged a same-day referral; and that he failed to communicate the urgency of referral/ further investigation of the cat’s condition to her owner.

The second charge was that, between 7 November 2013 and 17 January 2014, he dishonestly made retrospective alterations to Ameira’s clinical records and failed to keep clear, accurate and detailed clinical records.

From the outset Dr Davidson, who attended the hearing, did not admit the charges against him and denied that his conduct, if found proven, constituted serious professional misconduct.

A summary of the circumstances of the case were that the cat had been admitted to Dr Davidson’s practice on 8 November 2013 with poor appetite and a piece of thread in its mouth. The cat was later admitted, on 21 November, with dehydration and was diagnosed with a linear foreign body (ie the thread) on 25 November 2013. Dr Davidson continued to treat Ameira with corticosteroids and rehydration fluids at the practice but a second opinion was sought by Ameira’s owner from a nearby veterinary practice. This practice referred the cat to the Royal Veterinary College for treatment. Surgery to remove the linear foreign body was undertaken on 13 December 2013, albeit with a poor prognosis, and Ameira subsequently suffered two cardiac arrests and died on 14 December 2013.

In terms of its findings on the first charge, the Committee heard from an expert witness, Mr Hurst, regarding the use of the corticosteroids which were administered to the cat by Dr Davidson on 22, 27 and 30 November 2013 and 5 and 12 December 2013. Although Mr Hurst said that a minority of veterinary surgeons may have provided corticosteroids when the cat was first presented to Dr Davidson on 8 November; when it was determined by Dr Davidson’s colleague Mr Holden that the cat’s condition was due to it having ingested thread, the use of corticosteroids was inappropriate from then on and would be considered contra-indicated. The Committee found this charge proven.

The Committee did not find the charge against Dr Davidson that he failed to provide adequate fluid therapy proven. When the cat was presented to the practice on 21 November 2013 suffering from dehydration, fluid rehydration was given but not administered intravenously. The Committee concluded that intravenous hydration was not necessary because the clinical records from both Dr Davidson and the Royal Veterinary College indicated that Ameira was only moderately dehydrated.

Regarding the referral of Ameira, the Committee could not be sure that the cat was sufficiently unwell on 23 November that it required immediate referral. Dr Davidson had sent Ameira home with her owner on that date on the basis that she was stable and that he would arrange a referral for her on 25 November. There was conflicting evidence from Dr Davidson and Ameira’s owner on the matter of whether, on 23 November, Ameira’s owner was advised that the cat’s condition was critical or that a referral was urgently required. Dr Davidson accepted that he did not seek to make an urgent referral. The charge was not proven.

Regarding the communication of the urgency for further investigation of Ameira’s condition, the Committee found that there was insufficient evidence to suggest that Dr Davidson did not adequately communicate with Ameira’s owner after the diagnosis of a linear foreign body was made on 25 November. According to Dr Davidson, he explained the risk of further damage to the oesophageal and gastrointestinal tract and offered further radiography. This was strongly contested by Ameira’s owner. However, ultimately the Committee were unable to be satisfied as to which version was correct to the necessary standard of proof required.

Regarding the retrospective amendment of clinical records, the Committee found that although there were some “troubling aspects” about the case, particularly evidence of a telephone call with the RCVS Professional Conduct Department in which Dr Davidson said that no retrospective alterations had been made, it was unable to be satisfied so as to be sure of his motivation for changing the records. His contention was that changes had been made as he was concerned he would be subject to civil litigation by Ameira’s owner. However, the Committee found the charge not proven, also taking into account Dr Davidson’s good character and unblemished professional record over 40 years.

However, the Committee did find that Dr Davidson’s clinical records were illegible. Dr Davidson recognised the poor quality of his handwriting, which the veterinary surgeons to whom Ameira was referred were unable to understand. The Committee found this charge proven.

Taking into account the charges it found proven, the Committee then considered whether they constituted serious professional conduct either individually or cumulatively. Judith Webb, who chaired the Committee and spoke on its behalf, said: "It does not consider that on the facts of this case the administration of corticosteroids amounted to disgraceful misconduct."

She added: "The Committee has already emphasised the importance of making legible handwritten records but it does not consider that the failure to do so in this case amounts to disgraceful misconduct.... The Committee has found that Dr Davidson was wrong to make retrospective entries in this case without making it clear when such alterations were made. The Committee does not consider that in this case the making of those alterations was capable of being disgraceful misconduct. The case is dismissed."

Pfizer has divested itself of its animal health business unit, which has become a stand-alone company called Zoetis. The new company unveiled its vision for Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EuAfME) region at a press conference in Paris last week.

The company says it aims to have its products, services and people as the most valued by animal health customers around the region, and the world.

Alejandro Bernal, Zoetis Executive Vice President and Area President for the EuAfME region said: "We are united around this shared vision, and we strive every day to help customers meet their real-world challenges through quality medicines and vaccines, complemented by diagnostic products, genetic tests and a range of services," said  "As the largest standalone company in the industry, we are dedicated solely to animal health and focusing on our core business so our customers can grow theirs."

In addition to working closely with customers, Zoetis said it strives to collaborate with universities and other research organisations, to help advance the animal health sector and those who raise and care for animals. One example of this is the partnership with the University of Stirling, one of the leading research organisations, based in Scotland.

Professor Randolph Richards, from Stirling said: "Academia is increasingly realising the benefits of working with industry on research projects, and is concentrating on those with more direct impact rather than on pure research. In our own case, Zoetis has been able to provide resources which were otherwise unavailable to us, with funding opportunity being provided through the UK Technology Strategy Board."

The BSAVA has shared 18 ways veterinary surgeons can manage time more effectively.

The tips, put together by Tessa Plagis (communication advisor at St. Anna Advies), Alan Robinson (director of VetDynamics) and Rebecca Robinson (coach at VetDynamics and senior clinician in veterinary anaesthesia at the AHT), are being shared to set the scene for Congress 2023, where international experts will be exploring how time management at organisational, systems, teams and an individual levels can lead to drastic improvements in performance, job satisfaction and wellbeing.

The Association points to the demands on the profession caused by the fact that veterinary professionals have been saying 'yes' to everything for years: yes to more clients, more patients and more overtime.

This, says BSAVA, is taking its toll: experienced practitioners and recent graduates are leaving the profession, and many more are suffering mental and physical health issues associated with sustained high stress.

Tessa Plagis, communication advisor at St. Anna Advies, said: “We are at a tipping point and can’t keep doing what we’ve always done. If we want sustainable veterinary businesses going forward we need to change the structure of how we work.”

Tessa says the issues are both organisational and individual: “Many veterinary professionals struggle to give boundaries.

"We are people pleasers and tend to say ‘yes’, even if that means compromising other important aspects of lives, such as family.

"This set against a background of too few vets, which means that there’s nobody to help us out when there’s too much to-do.”

To find out more about time management, book your ticket for BSAVA Congress at: https://www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2023/en/page/home, and in the meantime, here are Tessa, Alan and Rebecca's time management tips. 

Tessa's tips

• Measure what’s happening now. Double appointments, vets running over, late closing time; pinpoint the problem and get insight into its scale by analysing the current situation.
• Measure how long it takes to do routine procedures from start to finish. Is everyone sticking to their roles and fulling utilising their expertise?
• Keep to time in consults by prioritising and not always doing those extras. When a client comes in for a vaccine but also wants you clip claws, empty anal glands and look at a lump, assess which is urgent and what needs to be dealt with in a second appointment. This does need to be a team-wide approach, otherwise you tend to hear ‘but the other vet will do it.’
• Cluster appointments.  For example, have a morning of cat spays rather than bouncing from a dental to a castration to a spay.  It’s more efficient and has the advantage of giving you, and the nursing team, comparable outcomes to monitor, making anomalies easier to spot.
• Learn to say ‘no’. Focus on what is possible, rather than what’s not.  Instead of ‘we’re fully booked today, the next appointment is tomorrow,’ try ‘the next available appointment is tomorrow.’ Don’t rearrange your schedule to fit theirs.  It’s doesn’t work in the long term.
• Introduce firebreaks. A good technique that stems from human medicine accounts for emergencies. Another tip, which requires a team-wide approach.
• Make clients aware of the length of appointments. ‘We’ve booked you in for a 15min appointment at 4pm on Thursday,’ for example.  It sets expectations at the start.

Alan's tips

• Simplify the jobs and their outcomes. In consults, outsource non-clinical elements, to other internal teams. Vets are compassionate and will take on the responsibility for the management of emotions when they don’t have too and without due regard for their own needs.  Compliance is another area which doesn’t necessarily need to fall to the vet.  Multi-functional teams can support and assist, offering an ‘ecosystem of care’.  The financial side of consults can be moved outside of the clinical sphere through pet clubs, insurance and full subscription models.
• Develop efficient systems. Draw from other businesses, lean, six sigma and business design reengineering processes are efficient and proven.  Do things you have to do well, delegate, outsource or automate other elements. Simply stop doing those things you don’t need to do.
• Consider reducing the number of active clients per vet.  We’ve found the optimum is between 500-700.  It means more time with fewer people. While it is hard to say no to the ever-increasing demand, there are ways to develop a strong client base. Healthy pet clubs ensures you’ve clients who are engaged in preventative care and are committed to the well-being of their animals, for example.
  “There’s a lot of work happening in the realm of mental health at the moment,” notes Alan. “But we’re treating stress as an individual problem not an organisational or system one.”

Rebecca's tips

• Set long-term goals for you and your business. One important aspect of effective time management is knowing that you’re achieving the right things.
• Invest in your team. By building a team and using it in a constructive way, I’ve found it’s helped my own time management.  I’ve gone from trying to organise me and my time to realising that by helping others, I can improve my own work life.
• Prioritise your own tasks. By prioritising what I need to do, I can help my team feel more valued and motivated to prioritise what they need to do.  It means we end up with a more productive team.
• Try not to get embroiled into the other’s to-dos. While they might be both important and urgent, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to action them. Helping them to do it themselves has made a massive difference to them and me.
• Set SMART goals and boundaries for achieving them. Make sure everybody knows the outcome that you are working towards.  It prevents people from going off in a completely different direction to the one you’re expecting.
• Don’t rely on your head to remember everything. It’s too busy, so write it down. Likewise, draft your case notes at the time of the consultation.
• If it takes less than 2 minutes, just do it. Don’t try and remember the to-do all day, it requires a lot of energy and means you’ll be actioning it when you’re already feeling exhausted.  
• Take time for a little self-care. Rather than trying to keep going until you grind to a halt, make a little time for yourself.  You’ll be more productive overall.

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has adjourned a hearing for a Gloucestershire-based veterinary surgeon after it refused his application to undertake to remove himself from the Register and to never apply to be restored.

David Chalkley MRCVS faces four alleged charges:

• That between 2011 and 2018 he was dishonest, misleading and had risked undermining government animal testing procedures by claiming to have subjected up to 16 animals to an ICT tuberculosis (TB) test when in fact some of these animals had died prior to the date he was supposed to have conducted the tests and that, furthermore, he had fabricated skin measurements for animals which had died before the date of the supposed test;
• In respect of TB tests conducted at a farm on 5 March 2018 and 23 March 2018, he failed to identify some or all of the animals tested;
• That on or around 23 March 2018 he was dishonest, misleading and had risked undermining testing procedures when he certified he had tested 280 animals to a TB test when he had not subjected them all to the test and that, in fact, between 16 and 127 of the animals had died before 5 March 2018, and that he had also fabricated the recorded measurements for some of those 280 animals;
• That between 2011 and 2018, he received payment of approximately £20,000 for TB tests when, as a result of the conduct set out above, he was not entitled to such payment.

At the start of the hearing Mr Chalkley made no admissions as to the charges but he had made an application for an adjournment based on undertakings to remove himself from the Register and never to apply to be restored to the Register.

In addressing the Committee on behalf of Mr Chalkley, his counsel said that Mr Chalkley denied all charges of dishonesty, that there was no evidence of harm to animals as a result of the alleged conduct, that there had been no complaint from the client and that he had repaid all the sums he had received for tuberculin testing on the farm in question.

His counsel also submitted that a full hearing would be expensive and time-consuming, and that it would serve no useful purpose as animal welfare and the protection of the public would be served by Mr Chalkley’s proposed undertakings.

Counsel on behalf of the RCVS confirmed that the College did not oppose the application and confirmed that the Animal Plant and Health Agency did not object. 

However, the Disciplinary Committee concluded that because the case concerned issues of alleged dishonesty in veterinary certification over a prolonged period of time and the importance of public trust in the accuracy and reliability of that process, there was a need to hold a full, public hearing into Mr Chalkley’s alleged conduct.

Ian Arundale, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee expressed no view as to whether the allegations could be substantiated or not and it recognised that the process of determining the allegations would be burdensome for many, particularly the respondent.

"It was satisfied, however, that a reasonable and fully informed member of the public would be disturbed to learn that allegations of this kind had not been the subject of a formal determination by the Disciplinary Committee. The respondent’s own interests had to take second place to this important public interest.

“The Committee therefore declined to accept the application to adjourn this inquiry [until an unspecified date] and directed that arrangements should now be considered for the listing of a hearing in this case.” 

It is expected that the full hearing will take place in spring 2021.

There has been a notable change to the RCVS council elections this year: candidates are now required to answer a number of insightful questions so that voters can better understand what they would bring to the party if elected. 

In previous years, candidates were only asked to provide manifestos, which often contained information that wasn't especially relevant to whether or not they should be elected to Council. 

Now, they are asked to share their reasons for wanting to be elected, what they can bring to Council and what experience they have. 

That should make it much easier for voters to pick the right candidates, which is no bad thing because there are 20 vets standing this year, a record since electronic records began in 1997 and 1 more than the previous best in 2014.

This year’s candidates are:

Louise Allum MRCVS
Sam Bescoby MRCVS
Andrew Clemence MRCVS
Tshidi Gardiner MRCVS
Reginald Godwin MRCVS
Paddy Gordon MRCVS
Danielle Greenberg MRCVS
Gerard Henry MRCVS
Richard Hillman MRCVS
Benjamin Kennedy MRCVS
Darren Partridge MRCVS
Martin Peaty MRCVS
Alison Price MRCVS
Peter Robinson MRCVS
Jennifer Simmons MRCVS
Sadie Spencer MRCVS
Mary Thomas MRCVS
William Wilkinson MRCVS
Lara Wilson MRCVS

and the inevitable Tom Lonsdale MRCVS.

The full biographies and election statements for each candidate are available to read at www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote25.

The four candidates who get the most votes will take up their four-year terms on RCVS Council at the College’s Annual General Meeting on Friday 4 July 2025.

Simon Wiklund, Assistant Registrar and Returning Officer for both elections, said: “We are glad to see such a large number of veterinary professionals putting themselves forward as candidates for this year’s elections.

"It is worth noting that any future governance changes, including RCVS and VN Councils becoming all-appointed bodies, are contingent on new legislation and, until that happens, we will continue to hold our annual elections.

“You may have also noticed some differences with this year’s elections, particularly in terms of the candidate statements.

"This is thanks to a change to our election scheme, which provides greater flexibility about how we run our elections, and the information that we can ask the candidates to submit.

“This means that, rather than asking candidates for a broad manifesto statement, we’ve asked them to answer key questions that are relevant to the role of a Council member, including what skills and experiences they can bring to the table.”

Ahead of the elections, RCVS will be running its ‘Quiz the candidates’ initiative in which veterinary surgeons can submit questions to the candidates standing in their respective elections, in order to better understand them and their views.

However, due to the additional information now included in each of their statements, this year candidates will only answer one question of their choice each.

Before submitting questions to the candidates, please note the RCVS will only accept one question per person. Offensive, defamatory and inaccurate questions will be rejected by the Returning Officer and not be passed on to candidates.

Veterinary surgeons can submit a question to the RCVS Council candidates by emailing vetvote25@rcvs.org.uk.  

Ceva Animal Health has added to its joint care range with the launch of Meloxidyl Oral Suspension for Cats, licensed for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and alleviation of post-operative pain.

Meloxidyl Oral Suspension for Cats is available in 15ml bottles containing 0.5mg/ml meloxicam. Each pack contains a tailored maintenance dosing syringe with a 'kg scale' for all sizes of cat. In addition, Meloxidyl's sweet tasting formulation helps to maximise ease of administration.

Meloxidyl Injection complements Ceva Animal Health's joint care range, which also includes Meloxidyl Injection for dogs and cats and Meloxidyl Oral Suspension for dogs.

For further information, please contact your Ceva Animal Health representative or call 01494 781510.

The BSAVA has published Cognitive Aids for Anaesthesia in Small Animal Practice, a new guide that should help any veterinary surgical team to reduce the incidence of anaesthetic complications.

Cognitive aids are visual prompts that aim to reduce human error in critical processes by providing a supportive framework that ensures tasks are performed and communicated appropriately. They are designed for use whilst a task is being undertaken and enable individuals to concentrate on problem-solving and decision-making.

The BSAVA Cognitive Aids for Anaesthesia in Small Animal Practice, written by veterinary anaesthesia specialist Matt McMillan, includes both routine checklists, such as pre-anaesthetic assessment, equipment checks and postoperative handover, and crisis checklists for potential complications that may be encountered during surgery, such as hypotension, bradycardia and haemorrhage.

The guide also includes downloadable forms, which can be used in practice to ensure safety checks are completed and help improve clinical outcomes (available from www.bsavalibrary.com).

Ian Self, Principal Clinical Anaesthetist at the University of Cambridge Department for Veterinary Medicine said: "This handbook should be viewed as a ‘second pair of eyes’ throughout a procedure, especially if an anaesthetised patient deteriorates; consider it as having an experienced anaesthetist looking over your shoulder offering words of advice… I am very happy to endorse this exciting new BSAVA resource."

The BSAVA Cognitive Aids for Anaesthesia in Small Animal Practice is now available from the BSAVA website (www.bsava.com/shop) or by phone on 01452 726700 (£25; BSAVA members: £15).

Elanco Companion Animal Health has launched a new ordering process for Recuvyra, its transdermal fentanyl solution for the control of postoperative pain relief in dogs.

The new process will enable veterinary practices to purchase Recuvyra, which is a Schedule Two Controlled Drug, without having to complete the online training programme which was has been mandatory since the launch of the product in April 2013. 

The company says that training is still highly recommended for every veterinary professional that handles Recuvyra due to its new delivery system. This can be via the short online training course available at www.recuvyratraining.eu or by reading the training leaflet provided with every vial of Recuvyra. The training leaflet includes information on instructions for use, correct administration of the product and special precautions. In addition, client leaflets and other support materials will continue to be available to vets via the website.

Alice Laurens, Recuvyra product manager at Elanco Companion Animal Health, said: "Veterinary practices will still need to follow their wholesalers' procedures for ordering Schedule Two Controlled Drugs when purchasing Recuvyra, however any vet from the practice can now order and sign for delivery of the product making it easier to purchase."

For further information about Recuvyra or Elanco's surgery and pain management range, contact your Elanco Companion Animal Health key account manager or email elancocah.uk@elanco.com.

Dechra Veterinary Products has announced that Intubeaze Oromucosal Spray is now back in stock.

Intubeaze is used for local anaesthesia of the laryngeal mucosa of cats to facilitate endotracheal intubation by preventing the stimulation of the laryngeal reflex. 

The product had gone out of stock due to a temporary manufacturing problem which has now been fixed.

Intubeaze is a clear solution containing 2% w/v lidocaine hydrochloride, with 0.1% w/v chlorocresol as an antimicrobial preservative.  Intubeaze is now available through all wholesalers.

For further information on Intubeaze please contact Dechra on 01743 441 632 or visit www.dechra.co.uk.