Elisa Best, a referral practitioner at Rowe Veterinary Referrals in Bristol, has received a 'Vet of the Year' award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) at the House of Lords, for her work getting members of the public to support centres rescuing rhinos and other threatened African wildlife.

Elisa, pictured right next to Bill Oddie, is the founding member of a craft conservation charity called Blankets for Baby Rhinos. In less than three years the group has amassed a Facebook community of around 3,500 members, primarily knitters, crocheters and crafters, to make blankets and other items to supply to wildlife centres taking in orphaned and sick rhinos in Africa, as well as other wildlife threatened by poaching.

Originally from South Africa, Johannesburg-born Elisa had planned to work as a vet treating wildlife but found herself working in small animal practice in Cape Town before moving to the UK.

Still, colleagues and friends often told her of the injuries they saw inflicted on rhinos targeted for the illegal trade in their horns, so she and a friend decided to help. 

After building a following and supplying thousands of blankets for a growing number of wildlife orphanages in Africa, she wanted to harness the enthusiasm of members to help meet the other practical needs of the centres, as well as helping rangers and dogs working in anti-poaching units.

Now a registered charity, members supply all kinds of equipment including animal feed, medicine and veterinary supplies to a wide list of centres, as well as food for anti-poaching dogs while continuing to run appeals which crafters can assist with. Currently they are asking knitters to knit hats, scarves and blankets in black or dark colours for rangers, so they can keep warm at night without being spotted by poachers.

James Sawyer, UK Director of IFAW, said: "Elisa’s pioneering approach to harnessing practical public support to help rhinos and other rescued African wildlife is really impressive and she is a great example of animal welfare in action. We hope her efforts will inspire the next generation of animal welfare and conservation campaigners. She is a very deserving winner of IFAW’s Vet of the Year Award."

Ceva Animal Health, maker of Amodip, has launched a free online feline ophthalmology course called ‘Looking hypertension in the eye’.

Ceva says the aim of the course is to enable vets to get the most out of their ocular exams and gain confidence in identifying ocular lesions associated with feline hypertension.

The course is presented by Dr Ben Blacklock BVSc (Hons), Dipl. ECVO, MRCVS, senior lecturer in veterinary ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh. 

It comprises of 10 short videos grouped into four sessions, along with a self-assessment quiz to consolidate learning for each module.

The course counts for a total of two hours’ CPD.

Course content includes: the patient/equipment set up and getting the most from an ophthalmoscope; determining what is normal and what is abnormal during ocular examinations; an overview of ocular pathologies associated with hypertension; avoiding common pitfalls and mistakes; and hints and tips on how to take photographs of the fundus on a mobile phone.

To register, visit www.veterinarywebinars.com/community/ceva.

Veterinary group CVS has published a trading update for the year 2023 in which it reports organic revenue growth of 7.3% and its entry into the Australian marketplace.

The company says the like-for-like sales increase was at the upper end of its target of between 4% and 8%, and that it continues to see resilience in the veterinary sector, with membership of its Healthy Pet Club preventative healthcare scheme increasing in the year by 19,000 members (an increase of 4.0%) to 489,000.

CVS says its Board decided to enter the Australian marketplace because of its low levels of corporate consolidation, favourable market dynamics and strong similarities with the UK, including highly trained veterinary surgeons, shared language and culture, and the group's experience with UK vets working between Australia and the UK.

Earlier this month, the group signed agreements for the conditional acquisitions of four independent small animal first opinion veterinary practices in Australia: two in Brisbane, one in Queensland and one in Sydney, for an initial consideration of £16.8M. 

Two of the acquisitions have now been completed, and the other two are expected to be completed shortly. 

The company says it now plans to acquire more Australian practices in major urban conurbations, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Newcastle and Adelaide.

Ben Jacklin, Deputy CEO said: "Having worked as a vet in Australia earlier in my career, I know well their high standards of clinical care, and the dedication of highly talented veterinary professionals that work there.  

"As a company dedicated to giving the best possible care to animals, I see a fantastic opportunity for us to enter this growing market, with low levels of corporate consolidation, and execute our vision of being the veterinary company people most want to work for.

"I have spent time in Australia over the last 12 months, including meeting some fantastic veterinary practices, and it is clear we have a significant opportunity.  

"With the four outstanding practices that are joining us, and a strong pipeline of further acquisition opportunities, I am excited to build a significant CVS business in Australia with the same culture and values that have brought us success in the UK."

VisioCare has announced it will launch Linkyvet, a new telemedicine app, in the UK on 6th April.

In common with the various other telemedicine platforms which have come to market in recent months, the app will allow veterinary professionals to give help and advice to clients and maintain a revenue stream whilst maintaining social distancing.

VisioCare is highlighting a number of features over and above standard video conferencing, including the ability for the clinician to take photos, video and produce a case file that can be added to the clinical record. The system also allows vets to access the client's smartphone and zoom into areas that need to be examined or turn on a flashlight to improve visibility.

Visiocare says it has also been able to address limitations in clarity due to poor smartphone reception.

Linkyvet includes a payment module - which will be integrated free of charge for orders taken during April - so practices can charge for services provided remotely. 

Alexander Arpino, Managing Director of Veterinary Insights, said: "During the current COVID-19 situation, Linkyvet has real potential for triage, as well as enabling routine consultations, without putting anyone at risk. It's good news for patient care, staff wellbeing and also ensuring that the practice remains a viable business that's still there for everyone to return to when life returns to normality.

"Outside crisis times, the tool has ongoing value, providing a great way to generate revenue from services such as advisory consultations and follow ups provided remotely and giving clients a convenient alternative to visiting the practice."

VisioCare Linkyvet is available as a standalone tool or can be included in a bundle with other VisioCare products such as VisioCare Consult, which provides explanatory animations and videos that support clinician recommendations and the myBuddy app, which provides a secure and personalised communication channel between clinic and pet owner.

For more information, visit www.visiocareservices.com or contact your VisioCare Business Development Manager: telephone 01403 800135 or email enquiries@visiocareservices.com.

MSD Animal Health (Merck in the US and Canada), has launched Finadyne (flunixin), the NSAID for cattle, as a pour on.

According to the company, Finadyne Transdermal is the world's first non-parasiticide cattle product to be made available as a pour-on.

Dr. Martin Behr, technical manager at MSD Animal Health said: “Finadyne Transdermal is uniquely designed for rapid absorption into the bloodstream and its antipyretic effect has been demonstrated as early as two hours after treatment. This is because innovative penetration enhancers are included in the formulation to improve the absorption of the active ingredient flunixin through the skin.”

The new product comes in pre-calibrated packaging and uses a bottle designed for easy application along an animal’s back.

Dr. Behr added: “It’s much simpler for farmers to treat cattle in this way – as opposed to administering an injection, which can also mean needle-site lesions that can reduce the value of a carcass or compromise hide quality.

“The time taken to handle and treat animals will be much reduced with a transdermal NSAID. There will also be a saving on syringes and needles.”

Finadyne Transdermal (POM-V) is available now from veterinary wholesalers. Further information is available from the MSD Animal Health veterinary support group on 01908 685685.

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has postponed judgement on Hertfordshire-based veterinary surgeon Amir Kashiv, who was charged with the inadequate care of a dog, for a period of two years.

At the outset of the hearing, Mr Kashiv, from Vets & Pets, Broxbourne, denied all aspects of the charges against him. During the course of the inquiry, some heads of charge were not pursued and some he admitted, leaving the remaining heads of charge to be determined. 

The charges concerned the treatment of a Scottish Terrier, called Tanzy, whose owner, Mrs Greenhill, brought her in to see Mr Kashiv on 5 March 2015. Mrs Greenhill was concerned about blood in Tanzy’s urine and swellings in her mammary glands. After carrying out a cytopathology test, Mr Kashiv advised Mrs Greenhill that Tanzy would require surgery to remove the mammary glands. There were no further tests conducted, and no alternatives to surgery suggested.

On 13 March another veterinary surgeon at Vets & Pets therefore undertook a right-side mammary strip on Tanzy, discharging her the following day. On 17 March Mrs Greenhill brought Tanzy back in for a post-operative check and was seen by a locum veterinary surgeon, who found her to be in good condition.

On 20 March Mrs Greenhill then became concerned about Tanzy’s deteriorating condition and returned her to see Mr Kashiv. He admitted Tanzy for observation over the weekend but did not conduct any further tests at that stage, apart from radiography on 22 March. The hospitalisation records were of poor quality and substantially incomplete.

On 23 March Mr Kashiv then informed Mrs Greenhill that Tanzy could be discharged, although he recommended an MRI scan to assist in the diagnosis; this was declined on cost grounds. He did not however explain clearly to Mrs Greenhill that Tanzy’s prognosis was bleak, and did not give adequate home care instructions.

Tanzy continued to deteriorate, and on 24 March Mrs Greenhill took Tanzy to the RSPCA Harmsworth Hospital where a veterinary surgeon conducted tests which showed that Tanzy was in renal failure. The veterinary surgeon then called Mrs Greenhill and recommended that Tanzy was put to sleep, which was then performed in Mrs Greenhill’s presence.

The Committee found that Mr Kashiv had failed to conduct the necessary investigations when Tanzy was admitted from 20 to 23 March 2015, being satisfied that, by the time Tanzy had been hospitalised for a period of three days, it was mandatory for a blood test to have been performed, given her marked deterioration.

The Committee also found while Mr Kashiv did express his opinion that Tanzy’s prognosis was poor, he did not give the full explanation required in the circumstances of this case to enable Mrs Greenhill to understand fully the prognosis. The Committee also considered that Tanzy was not in a fit state to be discharged on 23 March 2015, and that he had failed to keep sufficiently clear and/or detailed and/or accurate records.

After full consideration, the Committee found that Mr Kashiv’s actions amounted to serious professional misconduct, and was satisfied that his actions fell far short of the conduct to be expected of a reasonably competent veterinary surgeon in respect of heads of charge 1, 2 and 3 but not 4.

Although it was concerned "about the culture of care in the practice, in particular not having in place proper protocols and procedures and without necessary support from properly trained staff", in deciding on appropriate sanction, the Committee was satisfied that there were "a number of serious misjudgements by Mr Kashiv in this case".

The Committee decided to postpone judgement for a period of two years, whilst recommending that Mr Kashiv agree to undertake a structured programme to benefit his clinical practice including a Personal Development Plan, mentoring, practice visits, additional CPD and regular reports to the Disciplinary Committee.

Non-compliance with these undertakings may result in the hearing being resumed at a date earlier than the two-year period.

Stuart Drummond, Chairing the Disciplinary Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee considers that Mr Kashiv is a dedicated veterinary surgeon, as evidenced by the large number of testimonials, and that he provides a valuable service to the community, particularly with rescue animals.

"Nevertheless, the Committee considers that there were a number of fundamental failings in Mr Kashiv’s clinical competence which are required to be addressed during the period of postponement. For the reasons set out above the Committee considers that Mr Kashiv’s clinical practice will benefit from a structured programme over the period of postponement, whilst protecting the welfare of animals, maintaining public confidence in the profession and declaring and upholding proper standards of conduct."

For the full charges, findings and decisions, see: http://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/disciplinary-hearings/ 

The RCVS has released the results of a survey which has found that increasing numbers of graduates over the last five years have had little impact on veterinary job prospects.

The survey was carried out for the RCVS by the Institute for Employment Studies, which asked the last five years' UK graduates who have registered with the College how long it took them to find work, how long they stayed in their first jobs, and why they moved on.

The online survey, which achieved a 43% response rate (1,354 responders), found that an average of 94% of graduates seeking a role in clinical practice obtained work within six months of starting to look. 

The actual figure ranged from a high of 96% in 2008 to a low of 92% in 2010, and did not change significantly over the five years under consideration, despite UK graduate numbers increasing by around a quarter during the same period (from 650 in 2007, to 819 in 2012). Meanwhile, the College has registered an average of 618 overseas graduates annually during this time. 

The survey did show that it was taking graduates slightly longer to secure their posts, with a shift from 85% securing work under three months in 2008, to 71% in 2012. 

The results seem to suggest some small differences in the time taken for men and women to find their first jobs, with men finding jobs slightly quicker, although the vast majority of both genders found veterinary work. 

Jacqui Molyneux, RCVS President said: "After the announcement from the University of Surrey that it will be opening a new vet school in the near future, there was a great deal of discussion amongst the profession about how easily new graduates could find employment. I undertook to get some real facts and am pleased to find that the picture is not as gloomy as predicted.

However, Jacqui said she was concerned that there has been a slight increase in the proportion of respondents who left their first position after a relatively short period of time. Amongst 2012 graduates, over 40% of those who had left their first position did so within three months of starting work. However it must be stressed that only 18% of those answering the survey who graduated in 2012 had already left their first position. Jacqui said: "Although the turn-over in first jobs seems to be, in part, due to an increase in temporary posts, I am saddened to see that the most commonly-cited reason for graduates leaving their first job was lack of support from their employers or professional colleagues.

"This is an area that we, as a profession, must address. As I have told all the students I have admitted to the College, their first jobs will influence their whole careers, and getting adequate support is probably the single most important factor. Meanwhile, it is heartening to see that nearly all of those moving on have obtained further employment."

Although the survey was sent to all those UK graduates who had registered with the RCVS within the last five years, the contact details for those who had subsequently de-registered may not have been up to date, which may mean that those who had de-registered because they could not find work were not well represented. However, the College says it thinks it is more likely that these individuals would have switched to the 'non-practising' category. 

A summary of the headline survey results will be available at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications. The full findings, which also looked at the time taken to complete the Professional Development Phase and the type and location of work sought, will be available in due course.

Royal Canin has released the results of an online survey which found that 43% of all cats in the UK and Ireland have not seen a veterinary surgeon within the last year and 11% have never been to the vet.

The company surveyed 1979 pet owners last December and found the main reason they didn’t take their cat to the vet more often was because the animal appeared to be healthy and therefore didn’t need medical attention.  

The second biggest barrier to more regular vet visits was cost. Although almost half of the cat owners surveyed had pet insurance, almost a quarter said cost prevented them from taking their cat to the vet more often.

Despite there being 760 cat-friendly clinics across the UK and Ireland, 13% percent of owners said the stress put them off making more frequent trips to the vet.

If they were unable to take their cat to the vet, 40% said they would arrange for a vet home visit, 29% said they would search for information online and 26% would turn to friends and family for advice.

The survey also found that 11% of owners believed that their cat was overweight. However, according to a 2018 study, 39% of cats are overweight in the UK, which would suggest that over a quarter of cat owners surveyed were unaware that their cat was above a healthy weight.

References

1. German, A.J., et al. (2018) Dangerous trends in pet obesity. Veterinary record. Vol182 Issue 1

Dr. Lauren Finka, a researcher at the University of Lincoln, has developed L-CAT, a new tool for assessing behaviour in cats at rehoming centres and help match them to the ideal new home.

During the course of her PhD studies, which were part funded by COAPE (Centre of Applied Pet Ethology), Lauren discovered inconsistencies in the current models and perceptions of behaviour traits used in re-homing cats.

For example, one of the most common behaviours associated with affection towards humans is the activity of rubbing. Initial results suggested that this is often very inconsistent, as are several other behaviours that were previously thought to to be important in assessing a cat's underlying temperament. Dr Finka’s studies showed that it all depends much more on the specifics of the physical and social context of interactions and that these may change on a daily basis. It was found that on one day a cat might rub against a person ten times, but the next day rub against the same person only once.

The Lincoln Cat Assessment Tool (L-CAT) was developed during this research. COAPE says it is the first of its kind to offer a suitably robust, reliable and easy-to-use way of assessing behaviour in cats at re-homing centres, as well in predicting new owner satisfaction based on those assessments.

The organisation goes on to say that the potential welfare implications of this research are substantial, enabling cats to be properly but rapidly assessed, optimally managed, and suitably matched with would-be owners and thus shortening the length of time cats might spend in the re-homing centre.

L-CAT was tested to establish the possibility of predicting the future behaviour of cats after they had been adopted, as well as gauging how satisfied owners were likely to be with their cats. COAPE says the results generally confirmed that these outcomes were indeed possible, meaning re-homing staff could also use L-CAT to help manage the expectations of owners and potentially improve their satisfaction.

For more information, visit: www.coape.org

Companion Care Vets has opened its first new standalone joint venture surgery in Ayr, Scotland. 

At 3,071 sq ft the £300,000 surgery is the largest of the groups' 86 strong network and is the first standalone surgery to be opened under the joint venture partnership model that has been in place since 2001.

The surgery is located in a retail park environment, to give easy access for clients and their pets. It is a full service practice, which Companion Care says is fitted with all the latest equipment, including digital x-ray machines and a full operating suite.

Managing Director, Jane Balmain, said: "The opening of our first new standalone surgery in Ayr is a real milestone for us as a business because it opens up our offering to the vets and veterinary nurses who are interested in a joint venture partnership, but whose preference is to have a more traditional looking standalone surgery."

Whilst the Ayr surgery is standalone in its own right, due to the unique relationship Companion Care Vets has with Pets at Home, the surgery works in close partnership with the local Pets at Home store. This will help to drive client registrations and business development and further enable Pets at Home to develop the full pet care experience for its customers.

Jane added: "We believe that this new venture offers any potential partner the best of both worlds: a superb in-store surgery with footfall of thousands of customers a month, or a standalone new surgery linked to local store network to develop the business. I don't believe any other company can offer this unique proposition."

Veterinary surgeon, and joint venture partner of the Ayr surgery, Kirstin Fyfe says, "I am extremely proud to be opening the first standalone surgery alongside the Companion Care team and the facilities available to my team and I and local pet owners are fantastic. The latest equipment, coupled with a spacious and modern waiting area and the convenience of our location is what makes this a winning formula."

MSD Animal Health has expanded on the benefits of its move to deal direct with veterinary practices in the UK.

The company announced last month that from 1st January next year, practices will have to order companion animal and ruminant products via either MWI or NVS (who will also fulfil the order), but will be invoiced direct by MSD. 

Pig products will join aquaculture and poultry products to be supplied directly to customers by MSD Animal Health.

In its announcement, the company said that the new structure would allow the company to enhance the customer experience and more quickly adapt to changes in the market to better serve its customers.

VetSurgeon.org contacted the company for further clarification about how the customer experience would be improved. 

The company explained that the two main benefits of the new structure concern price visibility and stock control.

A spokesperson for the company said: "Currently, customers may get a discount from us and separately a discount from wholesaler. With our new distribution model we will invoice monthly and all discounts will be on one invoice, so it will be easier to determine the actual price paid."

The spokesperson explained that with the old model, once stock was sold to wholesalers it would be allocated to customers, so there would be some held by MSD, some allocated and some in distribution: "The benefit of the new model is we will have full oversight of stock as it will be in our own warehouses or with distribution partners. If there are disruptions in the market, we will have better awareness of in market demand and we can allocate stock appropriately".

The RVC has published - open access - the results of a study investigating the effects of the pandemic on puppies bought in 2020. 

The study¹ took the form of an online survey of over 5,500 owners, which exploring the the early socialisation, health and behaviour of ‘pandemic puppies’ purchased in 2020 compared to 2019 puppies.

The study found that puppies bought during the pandemic in 2020, in comparison to pre-pandemic in 2019, were more likely to have been ‘designer crossbreeds’, for example a Cockapoo or Cavapoo, instead of Kennel Club registered purebred dogs.

The 2020 cohort of pandemic puppies were also more likely to already hold a pet passport at purchase, indicating they may have been imported from Europe – perhaps illegally – to meet the greatly increased demand and prices for puppies.

Amongst the positive findings was the fact that many of the health and socialisation experiences examined didn’t vary significantly between puppies purchased in 2019 and 2020.

However, researchers say there was still a concern that 2020 ‘pandemic puppies’ were less likely than 2019 puppies to attend puppy training classes or to have experienced visitors to their homes (under the age of 16 weeks in both circumstances).

This, they say, means pandemic puppies may be more likely to experience stranger-related fear and anxiety and other behavioural problems related to insufficient socialisation, from being unable to attend puppy classes under 16 weeks of age; a critical period for the development of puppies.

In addition, those puppies sourced from Europe may have been transported over long distances without their mother, a stressful experience which the researchers say could cause problem behaviours in the future. 

Pandemic puppies may therefore need extra support from the veterinary profession, particularly those specialising in animal behaviour.

Dr Claire Brand, Researcher in Canine Welfare at the RVC said: “Despite many owners’ concerted efforts to raise their puppies as well as possible, some puppies missed out on key experiences of puppyhood, such as going to puppy classes, or experiencing visitors in their homes.

"This has potential consequences for the future behaviour of ‘pandemic puppies’ and so we are encouraging owners to seek out training and behaviour advice from accredited professionals so that these now adult dogs can learn to live happily in our post-lockdown world.”

Reference

1. Brand, C.L.; O’Neill, D.G.; Belshaw, Z.; Pegram, C.L.; Stevens, K.B.; Packer, R.M.A. Pandemic Puppies: Demographic Characteristics, Health and Early Life Experiences of Puppies Acquired during the 2020 Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK. Animals 2022, 12, 629. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/5/629