Locum vets Cristiana and Marco Tudini have had the holiday of a lifetime after winning a competition run by the recruitment consultants, Recruit4vets.
The couple, who came to the UK in 2006, were amongst 1000 people who entered the draw last year, when Cristiana was working for Companion Care in Folkestone.
Kelly Worrall from Recruit4vets said: "Our team called Cristiana on a typical day in the practice to deliver the news. She was obviously thrilled to get the call. Not only did we help find Cristiana her dream job, we sent her on a dream holiday too!"
Cristiana said: "My husband and I went to New York at the beginning of December. New York was full of festivities and was magical to go around Christmas time, we even visited Rockefeller Centre and watched the lights and singers. My husband and I are vegan, so we were delighted to find NYC filled with vegan restaurants and fast food outlets, we didn’t stop eating the whole trip!
"New York City was absolutely amazing, this really was a dream come true!"
Located in Wolverhampton, the new practice uses different lighting in different parts of the building: 'cool' for public areas such as the waiting room, 'comfortable warm' for the dog, cat and exotic wards and daylight for clinical areas. The LED system uses 60% less energy than conventional lighting and requires half the number of fittings. In addition, following research in the USA at Banfield, consulting rooms are fitted with dimmable lights to ease stress for patients and clients during euthanasia.
Other highlights include a specialist cat ward that White Cross says exceeds the iCatCare Cat Friendly Clinic requirements. The ward includes raised cat kennels that are carefully positioned so that cats can’t see each other, to further minimise stress-levels. There are also separate, sound-proofed wards for dogs and exotic pets.
To reduce anxiety in dogs and cats pre- and post-surgery, the practice uses pheromone diffusers and specially composed music played in the wards.
Managing Director, Tim Harrison said: "We’re delighted to launch our latest practice in Wolverhampton, which is our most environmentally-friendly yet. We’ve incorporated the most successful attributes from all of our 15 other UK practices into its design, and it’s immediately proving popular with clients and most importantly their pets."
Clinic Director James Millington says: "The facilities and attention to detail in this practice are the best I’ve ever seen. There’s no doubt this will translate into the quality of care that our clients receive and their pets deserve."
The kit contains a guide to effective ear cleaning, an illustrated step-by-step instruction guide on how to administer the Canaural, and a diary and consultation pack so owners can engage with the diagnosis and treatment of their pet’s ear infection.
The Healthy Ears Combi Kit comes in a resealable wipe-clean bag and is available free of charge from veterinary wholesalers.
Dechra Brand Manager Claire Morgan said: "The new kit will give owners more confidence in the important role that they play in their pet’s ear health and encourage them to engage in the treatment plan, thereby supporting veterinary professionals in the cycle of care.
"As well as serving as practical storage for the products, it acts as a reminder to dispense CleanAural as well as Canaural, as the self-cleaning mechanism of the animal’s ears is often compromised by infection.
She added: "CleanAural does not compromise the antimicrobial activity of Canaural1 so they are perfect partners for maintaining healthy ears."
Free Healthy Ears Combi Kit can be ordered via your veterinary wholesaler.
Reference
The company has introduced a new online range of pack inserts for several of its key products including Vetoryl, Felimazole, Metrobactin and Thyforon so veterinary practices can download and print the latest pack inserts for the treatments.
The move will ensure that practices always have access to the most up-to-date information about the prescribed medication. Dechra says it will also save time as staff will not have to copy original documents from the pack.
The pack inserts will be available via www.dechra.co.uk and www.dechra.ie. In addition, Dechra has developed dispensing envelopes which are available at no charge from wholesalers in packs of 25.
Larry King, Marketing Manager, said: "Veterinary practices often dispense pharmaceuticals from bulk which involves having to copy original pack inserts for owners.
"By printing the online pack inserts, practices will no longer have piles of inserts to store and will be safe in the knowledge they are supplying the most up to date pack insert to their clients.
"When used together, the pack inserts and dispensing envelopes provide practices with an effective solution when dispensing from bulk."
The two sets of guidance cover:
RCVS President Dr Mandisa Green said: “I would like to reassure my colleagues once again that we understand the extreme challenges and difficult decisions they are facing.
"The College has no interest in taking anyone to task for considered professional judgement, providing they act reasonably in the circumstances, can justify their actions and take reasonable notes.
"Sadly, we’re seeing the pandemic situation deteriorating again in the UK, but to varying degrees across the country. This presents a significant challenge in ensuring our guidance is clear and straightforward, while remaining relevant to as many people as possible.
"We sincerely hope this new guidance achieves that aim and supports veterinary professionals working to uphold animal health and welfare, while maintaining the safety of their teams and clients."
For more information, visit: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/coronavirus-covid-19/
MI:RNA says that current testing practices for Johne’s disease mean that identification of the disease is difficult, with current sensitivities of around 10-40% and little to no ability to diagnose early stages of infection.
The loss of productivity due to Johne’s to the UK agricultural economy is estimated to be in excess of £10 million annually.
MI:RNA says it is the first diagnostic testing company to use microRNA assay technology.
MicroRNAs are newly discovered biomarkers that manage the immune system and immune responses and act as regulators for disease progression or resolution.
This, says the company, makes them excellent biomarkers of disease, and when combined AI, can significantly improve identification of Johne’s and other complex conditions, and predict disease outcomes.
MI:RNA says this development will allow veterinary surgeons, farmers and pet owners to test for a variety of conditions, not just Johne’s.
Target areas include heart and kidney disease, osteoarthritis and bovine tuberculosis, along with effective general wellness and preoperative screening.
Eve Hanks, founder and CEO of MI:RNA, said: “Increasing market and global pressures on bovine protein production means that animal health has never been more important.
"This is a key area of research and development for MI:RNA and biomarker science combined with our unique AI-powered modelling, means that we can significantly improve animal health and reduce greenhouse gas output.
“The breakthrough that we’ve already achieved in Johne’s testing is unparalleled, and has provided an opportunity for MI:RNA to pitch our business concept in the USA to the The Kansas City Animal Health Summit.
"Following our presentation, we have now progressed through to the final selection stage for European Innovation Council funding for our work on Johne’s disease.
“In terms of future applications, microRNAs can assist with vital drug discovery, progressing future diagnostic testing and understanding disease pathways more effectively.
"We’ve already made remarkable progress and we know that with the continued backing of our tech, AI and health experts and with the correct funding, that we can do so much more.”
Open to everyone in the profession, Congress '24 will include over 130 hours of CPD across 32 different modules covering topics such as advanced diabetes, dermatology, nursing clinics, EDI and more.
The programme format caters to a variety of learning styles, from lectures and panel discussions to interactive sessions and free CPD workshops.
There'll be over 120 exhibitors in three commercial exhibition, offering insights into some of the latest industry innovations, from pharmaceuticals to cutting-edge equipment.
Andy Green, Chair of the Congress Committee said: "We know it's a significant commitment for individuals to give up one to three days, plus travel time, to join us, and we don't just aim to educate; we want our attendees to enjoy the experience.
"Our aspiration is not just to meet their expectations but to exceed them.
"The veterinary profession faces challenges, but we have so much to celebrate, and what better place to come together with many like-minded individuals to remind yourself why you wanted to be in this profession in the first place."
Early bird registration is open until 31st January, and prices start at £93 +VAT for BSAVA members for a one-day pass.
www.bsavacongress.com
The webinar will consider questions such as how practices can maintain turnover whilst sticking to the government and regulator guidelines, and how this can be done without compromising the customer experience.
Hosted by Past President of the British Veterinary Association Gudrun Ravetz, three additional veterinary business experts - Brian Faulkner, Alison Lambert and Alan Robinson - will come together to share their advice on how to minimise the impact that coronavirus has on the practice, the team and a practice’s clients.
Veterinary professionals can submit questions directly to the panel who will answer them during the live event.
To register for the webinar, visit the Boehringer www.boehringer-academy.co.uk.
Zoetis Business Consulting has announced the launch of Profitsolver, a software tool designed to boost practice profits.
The software has already been rolled out in the US, where Zoetis says that it has delivered an average of £103,000 extra profit to veterinary practices within a year.
Profitsolver uses the practice's actual data - not benchmarks or accepted norms - to enable the practice to manage costs, set prices and gain return on investments. By using an activity-based costing model and using a variety of data such as practice costs, which staff perform which part of the procedure, how long the procedure takes and what equipment and materials are used, Profitsolver calculates the correct pricing to both cover costs and deliver a predetermined profit margin.
Zoetis says that Profitsolver helps practices to understand how the overall practice profit is being generated. For instance, for price sensitive procedures such as vaccination, the practice can match their prices with the competition, but maintain their profit margin by increasing the price for other clinical services.
Nick Steele, national consulting manager at Zoetis said: "Veterinary practices have no standard method for pricing their services and they are often unable to determine which services make money and which don't. This hampers the practice's ability to accurately value the business and, as a result, profit levels tend to be low for many practices. Profitsolver can turn this situation around and already has a very successful track record in the US."
Zoetis piloted the UK version of Profitsolver with John Goulding at St Georges Veterinary Group. He said: "By and large the veterinary profession still relies on the mark-up of medicines where profits are concerned. Even practices that have made a concerted effort to move away from this type of pricing structure are still making their money from the sale of medicines rather than from vets' fees. For years I have wanted to know exactly how to price our services and this new Profitsolver software does just that.
"Most costs have an element of staff time, an element of fixed assets or equipment and an element of disposable items. Profitsolver takes all of these into account, adds the predetermined profit margin and produces an accurate pricing structure for each procedure undertaken within the practice.
"It's important to take the time at the start to put accurate data in from the practice's latest set of accounts and the Zoetis business consultant will guide practices through this to make the initial set up as easy as possible. For instance, for major pieces of equipment such as X-ray machines, you have to work out how many times a year you are likely to use them.
"By using Profitsolver, we worked out that if we do exactly the same amount of work as last year we can increase our bottom line by at least £200,000 for our 18 vet practice. Since last November, when we installed Profitsolver, we have completely changed our pricing structure moving away from focusing on medicines and the size of the animal to rethink how we charge our clinical care.
"An unexpected benefit is that Profitsolver has made me much more confident about the prices we charge to clients as it is all broken down, so we can see exactly how the invoice is made up. I would be at a loss without it now."
For more information about Profitsolver, contact your Zoetis account manager.
John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, oficially opened the award-winning £10.5 million Small Animal Hospital for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow today.
Designed by Archial Architects, the Small Animal Hospital provides state of the art services for animal owners and referring practitioners throughout Scotland and Northern England, including advanced diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical techniques.
Archial's design for the Small Animal Hospital has already won a string of awards, including the prestigious RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award, a RIBA Regional Award and the Supreme Award from the Glasgow Institute of Architects.
Archial Architects has confirmed that it is to donate £2,500 from the Andrew Doolan Prize fund to the Small Animal Hospital.
CEVA Animal Health has extended its behavioural range of products with the launch of Senilife®, a nutritional supplement which is specifically formulated to help manage signs of brain ageing in dogs and cats.
Senilife® contains a combination of three essential brain nutrients - phosphatidylserine, vitamin B6 and vitamin E - which the company says help maintain membrane fluidity and normalise neurotransmission. In addition, two natural but potent anti-oxidants - gingko biloba and resveratrol - support brain metabolism and help to neutralise free radicals and reduce amyloid deposits.
According to CEVA, common signs of brain ageing in dogs and cats include playing or interacting less, barking or howling at night, loss of house-training/litter box training, apathy or increased tiredness and disorientation. A study has shown that up to 75% of dogs over seven years of age and 35% of cats 11 years and over suffer from at least one geriatric behavioural problem1.
In a recent clinical study, 86% of owners were satisfied with the results achieved after one month of using Senilife®, with 73% of dog owners and 67% of cat owners noticing fewer signs of brain ageing within the first seven days2.
Juliet Penaliggon, small animal marketing manager at CEVA Animal Health, says: "Many typical signs of brain ageing in dogs can be controlled by nutritional management. Senilife® is a fast-acting, nutritional supplement that contains proven nutrients and neuroprotectives to help manage these signs."Senilife® capsules are easy to administer either directly into the mouth of the pet or emptied onto the pet's food."
For further information, please contact your CEVA Animal Health representative or call 01494 781510.
References1 Behaviour problems in geriatric pets. Lansberg G and Araujo J. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 35 (2005) 675-698.2 Isaka N, Baysse B, Lopez A, Ovaert P and Penaliggon J. CABSTG Spring Meeting April (2009).
Her Royal Highness Princess Anne has opened the Royal Veterinary College's new Teaching and Research Centre.
The Centre - at the college's Hawkshead Campus in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire - will provide a home for the RVC's lifestyle research, which includes conditions such as obesity/diabetes, chronic kidney disease and arthritis as well as those with genetic roots.
RVC Principal Professor Stuart Reid said: "The RVC is extremely proud to have welcomed Her Royal Highness to open the new Teaching and Research Centre - a facility where our students are taught within an environment that is all about advanced scientific discovery and first class research. The building houses the engine of academic enquiry and is a wonderful space where our academic community generates new insights into diseases that affect humans and animals.
"The Centre allows us to tie together the various threads we have around the study of illnesses that result from lifestyle in humans and animals, such as those associated with age or genetic disorders. Our College collaborates with the research hub that is the London scientific research community. We are extremely well placed to carry out the work in conjunction with human medical research groups and bring the veterinary perspective to the understanding of disease. The building offers new opportunities, both nationally and internationally".
Funding for the building of the new centre was provided by HEFCE and The Wolfson Foundation.
Photo: Paul West
A new veterinary charity is offering veterinary surgeons, nurses and others in the profession the chance to get fit and raise money for Hounds for Heroes, SPANA and the Pet Blood Bank later this year.
The Vet Charity Challenge (VCC) is looking for teams to take part in a one-day event, involving a series of physical tasks and puzzle-solving challenges along the way, so it requires a bit of brain as well as brawn. The course will feature walking / running, cycling and kayaking and anyone can take part at whatever fitness level.
As well as raising money for the charities, organisers say it will be a fun way to build up camaraderie among your colleagues outside of the work environment and also a local PR opportunity for your practice or business to enhance your community profile.
The event is expecting to raise in excess of £30,000 for charity, but organisers stress that it will need the support of and participation by the veterinary profession to ensure it is a success.
The challenge will take place on Saturday 15th September 2012 at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester and all details may be found on http://www.vetcharitychallenge.co.uk/. Alternatively, ring 01727 859259 for further information. The VCC says an early commitment to take part is essential and the fine detail of training can be worked out later. The VCC will provide training guidelines and help you and your team prepare itself.
The Vet Charity Challenge is sponsored by BCF Technology, Kruuse UK Ltd and Vets 2 and is supported by the VPMA, Mojo Consultancy and JCA Media Group.
Vétoquinol - maker of Epiphen, the anti-epileptic phenobarbital for the control of epilepsy in dogs - has added a new client brochure and a fridge magnet to its Epiphen support packs, designed to help owners understand the condition and make it easier for them to comply with daily dosage requirements.
The new brochure is called What I need to know and is written for clients that have been prescribed Epiphen for their pet for the first time.
Abbie King, Product Manager for Epiphen, said: ''The inspiration for the new brochure came after spending time at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket and realising how much information an owner needs to take in when their dog is diagnosed with epilepsy."
The new brochure covers the important information owners need to help them understand and manage their dog's epilepsy, including how Epiphen works, what they can do to help their dog, how to monitor seizures, where to find further information and frequently asked questions.
The Epiphen Treatment fridge magnet is designed as a quick reference guide to prescribing information that is needed every day when living with a dog with epilepsy. The magnet leaves space for the owner to write in their dog's name, dosage details and timings and their vet's phone number. Vétoquinol says it is especially helpful as a reference if more than one person is caring for the dog.
The new items enhance the existing Epiphen support pack, which comprises an owner manual, medication record and seizure diary, dog tags, seizure report pads, free serum level monitoring vouchers and a free, online resource at www.epiphenonline.co.uk
Vétoquinol also invites practitioners who are dealing with challenging cases to take advantage of its free Ask the expert scheme on 0800 169 8197 or email a case history to epiphen@vetoquinol.co.uk.
To order the new Epiphen support materials, ring 0800 1698197. Alternatively, visit: www.vetoquinol.co.uk to find out more.
BCF Technology has launched the portable 9020HF Orange x-ray generator from Eco Ray.
BCF says the 9020HF is ideal for equine and large animal applications because it is is just marginally heavier than the 8016HF generator, but more powerful, allowing it to achieve excellent images of regions such as the stifle and spine.
The new BCF Clinical Development Manager and in-house vet Kimberly Palgrave said: "This new generator really fills the gap in the range and is an ideal balance between weight and power. It is also bright orange so impossible to miss when tidying the kit away in the yard."
BCF is also the sole official distributor in the UK and Ireland for Eco Ray generators.
To see the full range of X-ray generators and other X-ray and ultrasound equipment available from BCF visit http://www.bcftechnology.com/ or call +44 (0)1506 460023.
Four separate studies are included in the collection, reporting novel risk factors for the disease, identifying key differences between EGS and botulism (questioning the hypothesis that EGS is caused by neurotoxins from Clostridium botulinum), reporting a novel diagnostic technique and showing the value of monitoring weight loss to help predict whether individual horses with chronic EGS are likely to survive.
The publishers say that despite more than 100 years of research, supported predominantly by the The Moredun Foundation Equine Grass Sickness Fund (www.grasssickness.org.uk), the cause of EGS remains unknown. Since it almost exclusively affects grazing horses, a pasture derived neurotoxin is implicated. EGS causes gut paralysis as a result of damage to parts of the nervous system that control involuntary functions. Acute and sub-acute EGS is invariably fatal while around 55% of chronic cases can survive and return to a useful working life. The UK has the highest incidence of EGS in the world; indeed it is estimated that the disease kills between 1 and 2% of horses in the United Kingdom annually. Cases are more common in spring.
In terms of risk factors, the study ‘Equine grass sickness in Scotland: A case-control study of environmental geochemical risk factors’ suggests that the high incidence of the disease in Eastern Scotland may be partly associated with the particular composition of macro and trace elements in the soil in the fields on which horses graze. Further work is required to determine whether interventions to alter concentrations of particular elements in soil could potentially reduce the risk of EGS.1
A second study identified key differences between EGS and botulism, which questions the currently favoured hypothesis that EGS is caused by neurotoxins from Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which commonly inhabits soil. The study ‘Equine grass sickness, but not botulism, causes autonomic and enteric neurodegeneration and increases soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment receptor protein expression within neuronal perikarya’ suggests that EGS is unlikely to be caused by neurotoxins from this bacterium and concludes that further investigation of an alternative cause for EGS is needed.2
While the majority of horses with EGS can be readily diagnosed by experienced veterinary surgeons, some cases present a diagnostic challenge. Indeed the only way to definitively diagnose the disease in a live horse is to demonstrate the characteristic degeneration of nerves within biopsies of the intestine. Unfortunately these biopsies can only be collected by performing abdominal surgery under general anaesthesia. In the study ‘Neuronal chromatolysis in the subgemmal plexus of gustatory papillae in horses with grass sickness’ characteristic degeneration of nerves was identified in small biopsies collected from tongues of EGS horses during post mortem examination. Examination of these biopsies accurately differentiated control horses from EGS cases. While further validation of this technique is required, it could potentially provide a relatively non-invasive method of confirming the diagnosis in a live horse.3
While around 55% of horses with chronic EGS survive, objective criteria for predicting survival of these cases are currently lacking. The study ‘Bodyweight change aids prediction of survival in chronic equine grass sickness’ reported that non-survivors had greater rate and magnitude of bodyweight loss than survivors. Survival prediction curves were published to allow veterinary surgeons and horse owners to use body weight data to help determine whether an individual horse with chronic EGS was likely to survive or die.4
Professor Bruce McGorum, Head of the Equine Section at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies & Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, has been leading much of the research. He said: "Given that our recent research suggests that EGS is unlikely to be caused by neurotoxins from Clostridium botulinum we are now moving on to determine whether EGS is caused by ingestion of mycotoxins produced by pasture fungi. We are very pleased that The Horse Trust (www.horsetrust.org.uk) has provided funding for this three-year investigation."
Professor Celia Marr, Editor of the Equine Veterinary Journal said: “While the cause of equine grass sickness continues to evade us, these papers present an optimistic step in the right direction for the eventual prevention of this dreadful disease. It is only with the support of the Moredun Foundation Equine Grass Sickness Fund and more recently that of The Horse Trust that our world-leading veterinary researchers are able to continue to unravel the mystery.”
The EVJ equine grass sickness collection can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/2dC7Drr
References
The RCVS has announced that voting is now open for the 2016 Council elections.
Ballot papers with candidate details, biographies and manifestos have been posted to all veterinary surgeons this week.
Eight candidates are standing in the RCVS Council election this year, with the six who receive the most votes joining Council at RCVS Day on Friday 15 July 2016 for a four-year term. The candidates are:
Each candidate in both elections has produced a short video in which they answer two questions which they have selected from those submitted to the RCVS in advance by members of the professions. The videos can be viewed at: www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote16 along with their biographies, manifesto statements and contact details.
Bradley Viner, RCVS President, said: "Last year the candidate videos had over 3,500 views and we hope to increase that this year as it is a very direct and democratic way of finding out more about each candidate and their views. I would urge each member of the profession, whether vets or veterinary nurses, to make a vote for their preferred candidates as they really can make a difference when it comes to the future direction of the College."
All votes must be cast, either online or by post, by 5pm on Friday 29 April 2016. Online votes for RCVS Council candidates can be made at www.ersvotes.com/vetvote16.
Any veterinary surgeon who has not received a ballot paper should contact Ian Holloway, RCVS Communications Manager, on 020 7202 0727 or i.holloway@rcvs.org.uk.
It was the only organisation from the veterinary profession to be shortlisted.
The Antibiotic Guardian Awards were introduced this year by Public Health England (PHE) and aim to champion UK organisations and individuals who have demonstrated achievement in tackling antimicrobial resistance at a local, regional or national level.
BEVA first launched its Protect ME antimicrobial campaign in 2012 to coincide with European Antimicrobial Awareness day. The Association has launched additional resources each year to facilitate compliance and educate the public about the importance of antimicrobial awareness.
Mark Bowen, President of BEVA and co-author of the Protect ME toolkit, said: "It is a great achievement for a veterinary organisation to be recognised alongside the human health sector which invariably has significantly more resources to support antimicrobial stewardship. Protect ME has had a fantastic uptake from the equine profession and are proud of the impact that it is having. BEVA is grateful to all who have contributed to its success, especially Wendy Furness and Jacky Paton of the Scarsdale veterinary group, Derby who trialled it prior to launch and adopted it fully within the practice."
The BEVA Protect ME toolkit is free to BEVA members and can be downloaded at www.beva.org.uk.
MSD Animal Health's equine division has launched a new series of materials to support its Keeping Britain's Horses Healthy Campaign.
For veterinary practices, there's a Vet Reception Pack designed to help receptionists educate owners why they should vaccinate and the benefits of preventive healthcare.
For yards, there are posters giving guidance and advice on prevention of Infectious Respiratory Disease and the steps which should be taken to control a potential outbreak. They can be tailor made for an individual yard.
Peter Young, MSD Animal Health Equine Business Manager said: "Our first wave of support materials focused very much on equine vets and owners - helping raise awareness of the importance of preventive healthcare and driving owners towards vets for advice. This phase of materials helps support yard owners and receptionists, aiming to fill some of those communications gaps where advice and guidelines on individual horse's vaccination requirements and yard protocols can play a vital role in preventing the spread of disease and controlling outbreaks."
Keeping Britain's Horses Healthy is a national campaign to educate horse owners on endemic infectious disease, vaccination, herd immunity and the importance of preventative healthcare. It includes a range of educational materials for veterinary surgeries and direct to owners. The campaign is supported by a national PR, advertising and social media programme, together with a dedicated website www.healthyhorses.co.uk. The website, aimed at driving owners back to their veterinary practices, includes a vet finder, exclusively for equine practices, and healthcare information.
For full details of the launch programme, talk to your account manager, call 01908 685685 or visit www.healthyhorses.co.uk.
The programme starts at 9:00am on the 1st April with a keynote address by Professor Iain Chapple, Head of the Birmingham Dental School, and then spits into two streams, one for beginners, the other for advanced practitioners.
The beginners stream includes: 'Clinical examination and charting - a logical approach' and 'Malocclusions and Surgical extraction technique and complications', whilst the advanced stream includes: 'Canine Chronic Ulcerative Stomatitis', 'What are the Hidden Dangers in your Dental Unit?' and 'Case based Periodontal/ Gingival Histopathology'.
The BVDA Scientific Programme costs £140, and you can register here: https://www.bvda.co.uk/bvda/registersm
However, as BVDA President Paul Cooper MRCVS (pictured right) was keen to point out: "It does work out cheaper to join the BVDA and then get the member discount for the Scientific Programme!"
On the 2nd April, the association will also be running two drylab practical sessions (using models, not cadavers).
The first, with Tom Williams BVSc MANZCVS (Small Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery) MRCVS and Megan Clark BDS (Hons) Bsc (Hons) AKC offers a practical overview of root canal treatment.
The second, with Alix Freeman BVSc MRCVS and Andrew Perry BVSc DipEVDC MRCVS offers an introduction to composites and non-invasive jaw fracture repair.
Each drylab costs £100, and registration is via the BSAVA Congress registration page: www.bsavaevents.com.
Sanofi-aventis and Merck & Co., Inc. announced today that Sanofi-aventis has exercised its option to combine Merial with Intervet/Schering-Plough, Merck's Animal Health business.
The new joint venture will be equally-owned by Merck and Sanofi-aventis. The formation of this new joint venture is subject to execution of final agreements, antitrust review in the United States, Europe and other countries, and other customary closing conditions. The completion of the transaction is expected to occur in approximately the next 12 months.
Richard T. Clark, Merck Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer said: "Merck has been in the animal health business for well over six decades and through this new joint venture, we will bolster our diverse portfolio and create a new global competitor poised for growth.
"This new joint venture delivers on Merck's commitment to customer focus by creating one of the broadest portfolios of animal health products and services in pharmaceuticals and biologics for millions of customers who include farmers, veterinarians and pet owners. The planned joint venture will have an attractive geographical network of global technology and expertise to provide health solutions based on customers' needs, which often vary regionally."
The worldwide animal health market reached $19 billion in 2008. Products for companion animals accounted for 40 percent of total sales while products for production animals accounted for the remaining 60 percent of total sales. This market is expected to grow at around 5 percent per year over the next 5 years, driven by a growing demand for animal proteins, as well as a strong consumer needs for companion animal health care.
The companies said that both Merial and Intervet/Schering-Plough will continue to operate independently until the closing of the transaction.
The Company of Animals, makers of behaviour and training products, has announced the launch of a new Product and Training DVD, designed to be screened in practice waiting rooms. The DVD features the entire range of products from Company of Animals, including its multi-award-winning dog training devices, being demonstrated by pet dogs and their owners. It is presented by Animal Psychologist and founder of The Company of Animals, Dr. Roger Mugford. The Company of Animals says that playing the DVD during opening hours will grab the attention of your customers, raise their awareness of already popular products, and educate them about new ones. This DVD is free and available to all veterinary retailers. To order the DVD or for more information see: http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/
The RCVS has announced that the nomination period for the 2015 RCVS and VN Council elections has opened until 5:00pm on Saturday 31 January 2015.
Each year six RCVS Council seats are contested while two seats are available for VN Council. Successful candidates serve four-year terms.
Existing RCVS Council members Niall Connell, Professor Sheila Crispin, Mark Elliott, Lynne Hill, Dr Bob Moore and Professor the Lord Trees of the Ross are due to retire from Council next year but are all eligible for re-election. Elizabeth Branscombe and Elizabeth Cox are due to retire from VN Council but will also be eligible to stand again in 2015.
In order to stand, candidates for either RCVS or VN Council will need to complete a nomination form, submit a short biography, write a short personal statement and supply a high resolution digital photo.
Each candidate will also need to provide two nominations - for RCVS Council candidates this should be two veterinary surgeons on the RCVS Register who are not current RCVS Council members; for VN Council candidates nominators must be registered or listed VNs who are not current VN Council members.
The election period commences in early March 2015 and runs until Friday 24 April. Successful candidates for either Council will take up their seats at RCVS Day - the College's Annual General Meeting and Awards Day - on Friday 10 July 2015.
Gordon Hockey, RCVS Registrar, said: "After a record 19 candidates - of which over half were women - for last year's RCVS Council elections, and a good showing for VN Council as well, we hope to build on that momentum this year by attracting candidates of all ages and backgrounds.
"Through their participation in the Councils and their committees members can have a big impact on the future of their respective professions by developing policy and making decisions in areas of key importance such as education and professional standards."
Nomination forms, guidance notes and frequently asked questions for RCVS Council candidates can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/rcvscouncil15. The equivalent documents for VN Council candidates can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/vncouncil15.
Last year the RCVS produced two short videos outlining what is involved in being a Council member, the benefits it can bring and the amount of time it requires. These can be found at www.youtube.com/rcvsvideos
Prospective candidates are also invited to attend a 'Meet the RCVS Day' at Belgravia House on Tuesday 25 November where they will have the opportunity to find out more about the role of the College and RCVS and VN Council members as well as having a tour of the building and the opportunity to talk to staff.
Those who are interested in attending should contact Fiona Harcourt, Events Officer, on f.harcourt@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0773.
To claim the free product, visit www.daxocox.co.uk/trial and use the stock selector to pick the dose sizes to suit the patients you think Daxocox could help.
Animalcare Marketing Manager James Beaumont explained: “When you consider that recent data shows that up to 20% of dogs over one year of age could have some form of OA1, the scale of problem becomes clear – as does the threat to the welfare of our canine companions from OA pain.
“Owners already giving Daxocox to their OA-affected pets, have seen first-hand how it can significantly improve their quality of life.
"90% said that their dog’s osteoarthritis improved, with 84% reporting that their dog’s quality of life improved from “poor or fair” to “good, very good or excellent.”2
James added: “In a study carried out by Animalare, 88% of owners said that weekly NSAID dosing would be easier to remember, or mean they were less likely to miss a dose or that it would control their dog’s pain more effectively.3
“Used as a first line treatment for OA, Daxocox can provide a solid foundation to long-term pain management that suits vets, dogs and their owners.
"As such, we’re confident that once practices have tried it, it will become their canine OA NSAID of choice.”
For more information, visit www.daxocox.co.uk