The Equine Veterinary Journal has published a free online collection of equine dentistry research articles.

Co-edited by Paddy Dixon and Vicki Nicholls, the collection comprises ten studies on physiology, disease, diagnosis and treatment techniques in equine dentistry. The editors say it gives veterinary surgeons free access to some of the most important current research in the UK.

The studies include:

• A comparative analyses of tooth wear in free-ranging and captive wild equids which indicates that captive animals experience less abrasion-dominated tooth wear and suggests that factors leading to focal overgrowth (‘hook’) formation, in particular feeding height, should receive special attention.
• A long-term study of equine paranasal sinus disease, which concludes that ancillary diagnostic techniques, such as nasal endoscopy, sinoscopy and skull radiography, enables identification of the specific sinus compartments that are most commonly affected.
• A study which suggests that the thermal effects on teeth of three different motorised dental instruments mean that they have the potential to seriously damage equine pulp if used inappropriately. Higher speed motorised dental instruments should be used for less time and teeth should be water-cooled during or immediately after instrument use to reduce the risk.
• Local anaesthesia is often needed for invasive procedures while the equine dental patient is under standing sedation. A study suggests that an intra-oral approach can be used effectively to desensitise the inferior alveolar nerve with minimal complications.
• Two studies which explore the relevance of Computed Tomography (CT) for accurate diagnosis of apical (tooth root) infection in maxillary and mandibular cheek teeth. They conclude that CT is useful for identifying deposition and defects of mineralised material but of less use for identifying inflammation and tissue destruction, but overall is helpful in diagnosing apical infections.
• A study which advocates that the functional orthodontic correction of overjet or overbite in foals is effective. It was noted that often more than one implant is required and that the treatment should be started as early as possible.
• A long-term study on the clinical effects of the mechanical widening of cheek teeth diastemata for the treatment of periodontitis concludes that it is an effective treatment for severely affected horses but it is potentially invasive and may require repeated treatments.
• A study which explains why a recently described disease of the nasal conchal bullae could be a cause of chronic unilateral nasal discharge. Clearance of empyema within these bullae is unlikely to occur through lavage of the paranasal sinuses alone. Where necessary, fenestration of the bulla allows physical removal of infected material. This study also clarifies the commonly used term ‘ventral conchal bullae’ which is anatomically incorrect - the correct name is the maxillary septal bulla (MSB).
• Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis is an infrequent and under-diagnosed form of severe dental disease of older equids. A study suggests that all teeth, particularly the incisors, should be examined for signs of gingivitis and hypercementosis. Subsequently they should be radiographed for early diagnosis and management.

Professor Celia Marr, Editor of the Equine Veterinary Journal said: "Care of the horse’s teeth is fundamental to good health. To this end a strong working knowledge of equine dentistry should be seen as an essential cornerstone for every equine practitioner.  This diverse collection has the convenience of being easily accessible, online and in one place to help keep vets fully abreast of the excellent research currently being conducted in the UK."

Vicki Nicholls, incoming president of BEVA, continued: "Advances in equine dentistry continue to gather pace and it has been a pleasure and privilege to work with Paddy Dixon collating the most current dental research that will be relevant to all equine practitioners with any level of expertise."

The equine dentistry collection is available free online at: http://bit.ly/2bBDuMW.

Following the launch of two oral hypoglycaemic agents (SGLT2-inhibitors) for feline diabetes, Bexacat (bexagliflozin, Elanco) in the US and Senvelgo (Velagliflozin, Boehringer) in the UK and US, BSAVA Congress will be hosting a talk to explore how they might transform the management of diabetes, why they work well in feline but not canine diabetes, and why the FDA was moved to write to US vets about safety issues associated with the use of these drugs. 

The ‘Advances in Diabetes’ module, taking place at BSAVA Congress 2024 in Manchester Central, will offer delegates the chance to hear first-hand from the clinical researchers and specialists who have used these drugs, such as Dr Ellen Behrend, Prof Ian Ramsey, Prof Stijn Niessen, and Dr Anna Lena Kramer.

Stijn said: “Although not suited as a sole therapeutic for dogs, the current data suggests that a majority of diabetic cats could be treated with once daily oral formulations of these drugs.

“Some of the past barriers to successful long term diabetic treatment included the owner having to inject insulin twice daily and having to watch for hypoglycaemia.

"These lifelong impacts on the owner’s lifestyle are now being taken away.”

Delegates will also be able to learn about advances in the monitoring of canine diabetes, such as the use of Freestyle Libre monitors and haemoglobin A1c, as well as a review of recent developments and management practices for ‘complicated’ cases.

Stijn added: “Gone are the days that we saw diabetes mellitus as a disease; instead, it is the consequence of one or many diseases.

“As such we now ought to approach diabetic cases with a much more open mind and being willing to try and determine the exact aetiology of the diabetes mellitus, doing so can pay off and prevent a diabetic case from becoming a complicated case.”

Ellen added: “Although diabetic ketoacidosis is no more common with the use of SGLT2-inhibitors, it is more likely to be euglycemic with a blood glucose <13.9 mmol/L.

"The recognition of euglycemic ketoacidosis and the correct approach of treatment is crucial.”

Stjn concluded: “Each patient is an individual and therefore diagnosis, treatment and monitoring practices should be adapted to the individual pet-owner combination.

Vets must adjust their approaches significantly when using these drugs, the ‘Advances in Diabetes’ module will provide an in-depth look at these adjustments.”

Delegates will also be able to get their hands on the brand new fifth edition of the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Endocrinology, which includes a chapter on feline diabetes mellitus that discusses various treatments including the use of SGLT2-inhibitors.

Jacquie Rand, author of the chapter said: “SGLT2-Inhibitors will be a game-changer for diabetic cats and their owners. However, it is important that cats are diagnosed earlier in the disease process while some insulin secretory capacity is present, for these to be used as the sole drug therapy.”

The BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Endocrinology will be available to purchase on the BSAVA Publications Stand in the Exhibition Hall. ‘Advances in Diabetes’ will take place on Thursday 21^st March in the Exchange Hall.

Registration for BSAVA members starts at £115 +VAT for a one-day event pass.

https://www.bsavacongress.com.

Illustration: What a presentation about SGLT2-Inhibitors might look like (this has been photoshopped)

Darvall Vet is to unveil its new Darvall Express anaesthetic monitor at the London Vet Show (Stand D05 at the ExCel Centre, November 17th-18th)

At the heart of the new system is a transportable monitor (pictured right) which starts automatically after you connect two sensors and press the power button. 

The system uses the handheld Darvall H100N Pulse Oximeter, which uses Nellcor OxiMax pulse oximetry technology.

It also comes with veterinary blood pressure NIBP small animal cuffs which are designed for accurate pressure detection in exotic animals, cats, and all sizes of dog.

Completing the Darvall Express system is the Darvall Capnograph which continuously measures the EtCO2 and respiratory rate, and features EtCO2 waveform Cardiac Oscillation artifact detection, for correct respiratory rate determination.

There's a default system set-up for cats and small dogs, a colour-coded display and a ten-hour battery life.

Darvall says the monitor has been thoroughly tested at veterinary practices in Australia, where it displayed outstanding performance in small dogs and cats, which are notoriously difficult to get reliable readings.

Darvall founder, Dr Colin Dunlop said: “Anaesthetic monitoring plays a vital role in keeping patients safe, giving peace of mind to the hospital veterinary team, and boosting pet owner confidence in the care their pet is receiving. 

"This is vitally important when you remember mortality in veterinary patients is many times higher than in human hospital practice”.

http://www.aasmedical.co.uk

Voting has now opened in the 2018 RCVS Council election and eligible voters can now do so online or by paper ballot.

There are 10 candidates standing in this year’s elections, including four existing Council members eligible for re-election and six candidates not currently on Council. They are: 

• Mr David Catlow MRCVS

• Mr John C Davies MRCVS

• Dr Mandisa Greene MRCVS

• Miss Karlien Heyrman MRCVS

• Professor John Innes FRCVS

• Dr Thomas Lonsdale MRCVS

• Dr Susan Paterson FRCVS

• Mr Matthew Plumtree MRCVS

• Mr Iain Richards MRCVS

• Colonel Neil Smith FRCVS

Ballot papers and candidates' details have been posted to all veterinary surgeons eligible to vote and an email containing a link to a secure voting site unique to each member of the electorate has also been sent by Electoral Reform Services which runs the election on behalf of the College.

All votes must be cast, either online or by post, by 5pm on Friday 27 April 2018. 

This year the College invited all election candidates to produce a video in which they answered up to two questions submitted directly to the RCVS from members of the electorate. All videos have been published on the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote18) and YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/rcvsvideos).

Key question themes this year included recruitment and retention, the College’s concerns investigation process and veterinary education. The list of accepted questions has also been published on the RCVS website.

The biographies and statements for each candidate in the RCVS Council election can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote18.

Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar and Returning Officer for the election, said: "Last year we had a record number and proportion of the electorate vote in an RCVS Council election and we would once again stress the importance of voting to ensure that you have a say in the future direction of travel for the College and its policies."

Those who are eligible to vote but have not received either an email or ballot paper should contact Luke Bishop, RCVS Senior Communications Officer, on l.bishop@rcvs.org.uk.

Eastcott Referrals, in Swindon, has launched a £500,000 Emergency and Critical Care (ECC) unit being led by David Mackenzie, an advanced practitioner in ECC and RVN Harriet Deering, the clinical lead.

Eastcott says all staff working in the ECC unit have received specific intensive care training and will be supported by discipline-specific specialists at all times.

The service will be run by three ECC/medicine vets during the day and three ECC vets at night, supported by four day nurses and two night nurses.

David said: “We’ve created a purpose-built intensive care unit with all the latest ICU equipment, including our own laboratory; critical care cribs; temperature, humidity and oxygen-controlled intensive care kennels and an ICU ventilator.

“This means we have the facilities to care for the most severely injured and critical cases.

“We also have a high-quality team of enthusiastic, dedicated ECC vets and nurses to lead the service. Everyone has a background of ECC work and a true passion for it.”

Harriet said: “By having all the specialist disciplines available at the practice, we can offer a more holistic service to emergency patients. For example, if a dog is involved in a road traffic accident, the ICU can stabilise it and give emergency care and pain relief. 

“Dentistry can then repair jaw and mouth injuries; orthopaedics can repair any other broken bones and soft tissue can assess and repair any damaged organs.  This is all supported by our dedicated anaesthesia service and advanced imaging capabilities.

“The ICU also provides a calm environment for critically ill and injured patients to recover following surgery or other planned treatments from other disciplines.”

For more information, visit www.eastcottreferrals.co.uk. 

The BVA has forecast that new post-Brexit trade agreements for meat and agricultural products like milk, gelatine and hay could trigger a 325% increase in the number of veterinary certifications needed, requiring many more veterinary surgeons to perform the role.

The forecast formed part of the Association's response to the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EfraCom) inquiry into the impact on the UK’s trade in food after Brexit.

The BVA says that if the UK is treated as a 'third country' post Brexit, exports and imports of animals and animal products to and from the EU will need new veterinary certifications.

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer, Nigel Gibbens, says the volume of products requiring veterinary certifications could increase by as much as 325% as a result.

There are currently 1,063 Official Veterinarians authorised by the Government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to certify food products for export to third countries from Great Britain, a number which the BVA says would have to be significantly increased.

The BVA is urging the Government to undertake a major review of third country certification to ensure we have the capacity to fulfil new trade agreements. To combat the potential shortage in veterinary capacity, BVA is also calling on the Government to guarantee working rights for non-British EU vets and veterinary nurses currently working and studying in the UK. 

British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President, Gudrun Ravetz said: "Vets are absolutely vital to facilitating UK trade by ensuring standards so that consumers at home and abroad have confidence in the food safety and welfare of the products they choose to buy. Veterinary certification is required not only for meat, but a whole range of products such as gelatine in sweets.

"Ironically, it is non-British EU vets who make up around 50% of our new workforce each year. However, since the EU referendum, we are facing serious problems in recruiting and retaining EU vets, which makes the need for more vets to perform this crucial trade-task an even more pressing concern. Vets’ role in the future of UK trade must be recognised and planned for, as an integral part of forthcoming trade negotiations."

The BVA trade submission also outlines that access to veterinary medicines could potentially be restricted post-Brexit. In order to protect animal and public health, BVA is calling for any new trade deal with the EU to maintain the link with EU veterinary medicine approval systems.

The UK currently has high standards of animal health, animal welfare and public health, including food safety, in its food production. These standards help prevent the spread of pathogens and diseases in animal products, ensure farm animals have a humane death, protect food safety and safeguard responsible antimicrobial use. BVA’s submission to the EfraCom trade inquiry emphasises that, as public goods, the UK must prioritise the maintenance of these standards in all trade negotiations moving forwards.

BVA’s full response to the EfraCom inquiry into the impact on the UK’s trade in food after Brexit is available on the BVA website at www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/consultations/consultation-responses/

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has reprimanded Gloucestershire veterinary surgeon Adele Lewis for failing to pass on information about a horse’s clinical history to a potential buyer during a pre-purchase examination.

Ms Lewis, the sole principal of the Cotswold Equine Clinic in Lechlade, Gloucestershire, carried out the examination of a pony called Luke on 13 February 2014. Luke was owned by Mrs Booth who was a long-established client of Ms Lewis, both at her previous practice, Bourton Vale, and at her current practice. The examination was carried out on behalf of the prospective purchaser, Mrs Grieve.

Upon examination Ms Lewis certified that, in her opinion, Luke’s veterinary history did not increase the risk of purchase.

Following the purchase of Luke, Mrs Grieve attempted to obtain insurance for Luke and found out from a pet insurance company that a claim had been made by Mrs Booth in September 2013. She subsequently found out that, following concerns expressed by Mrs Booth and her trainer about Luke’s movement and their wanting an expert opinion, Ms Lewis had referred him to Dr Kold, a Specialist in Equine Orthopaedics, in September 2013. Dr Kold had diagnosed Luke with lameness and had given him intra-articular medication. Luke had also had a follow-up appointment with Dr Kold about four weeks later in October 2013.  

The Disciplinary Committee hearing commenced on Tuesday 13 October 2015. At the outset, Ms Lewis admitted several parts of the charges (charge A and charge B) against her. In regards to charge A, she admitted that she had failed to inform Mrs Grieve that, when she examined Luke on 24 September 2013, his then owner Mrs Booth had complained firstly that Luke was “not tracking up and going forward” and, secondly, that he had improved significantly when put on a Phenylbutazone trial. She also admitted that she had referred him to Dr Kold for a poor performance investigation and that she ought to have informed Mrs Grieve of these matters.

In regards to charge B, she admitted that she completed a Certificate of Veterinary Examination in which she had declared that Luke’s veterinary history did not increase the risk of purchase and allowed the vendor’s declaration to include assertions that there had been no previous lameness and no intra-articular medication given in the last 12 months. Ms Lewis admitted that she ought to have known that her declaration that Luke’s veterinary history did not increase the risk of purchase was incorrect.

However, Ms Lewis denied being aware that Dr Kold had diagnosed lameness, administered an intra-articular corticosteroid to Luke and examined and noted a problem with his breathing, including upper airway disease and possible lower airway disease. Furthermore, she denied dishonesty in regards to both the charges against her and in relation to vendor declarations made on the Certificate of Veterinary Examination regarding previous lameness and intra-articular medication.

During the course of the hearing, Ms Lewis told the Committee that she had not received the reports about the two consultations by Dr Kold (despite their having been sent to her by letter and, with respect to the second report, also by email) and that she was therefore unaware of his findings when she carried out the pre-purchase examination. She also stated that she had not been informed of these by Mrs Booth. During her evidence, Ms Lewis also admitted having entered inaccurate information on a veterinary report to assist with an insurance claim.

The Committee did not find Ms Lewis to be an impressive witness citing the fact that her “explanations as to her practice showed a worrying absence of probity in the completion of veterinary reports for the purposes of insurance claims, and an absence of any effective practice management, consistent with acceptable practice.”

However, the Committee felt it did not have the evidence to conclude that Ms Lewis had acted dishonestly during the pre-purchase examination. It cited the fact that her actions, when informed by the purchaser Mrs Grieve of Dr Kold’s examination, did not appear to be those of someone trying to cover their tracks.

In regards to charge A, the Committee also found that the “apparently chaotic manner in which Ms Lewis ran her practice, and her own opinion that the pony was sound, would appear to have led her to wrongly disregard these matters from disclosure.”

In making its decision on her conduct and sanction, the Committee said that Ms Lewis’ failure to fully communicate to Mrs Grieve all the relevant information about Luke’s veterinary history fell far short of the conduct expected from a veterinary surgeon. It also cited the utmost importance of a complete and accurate certification process, as made clear in the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct and the Twelve Principles of Certification.  

Chitra Karve, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said:  “The Committee continues to emphasise the importance of maintaining the integrity of veterinary certification in any aspect of practice. Mrs Grieve told this Committee that if she had been fully informed about Luke’s veterinary history she would not have purchased the pony. It is clear from the evidence that it affected Mrs Grieve’s ability to insure the pony. Ms Lewis has accepted that the information about Luke’s veterinary history, not having been disclosed, was capable of affecting the risk of purchase. The public are entitled to rely upon veterinary surgeons providing complete and accurate information, when certificates and reports are prepared.”

In mitigation, the Committee paid regard to Ms Lewis’ inexperience at running her own practice and found no issue with her competence or clinical ability as a veterinary surgeon. It concluded that she had acted out of character and that there was no financial motivation for her actions. It also found it “highly relevant that the facts admitted and found proved related to a single pre-purchase examination.”

It also noted that Ms Lewis has now put in place a practice management system and has shown insight into her actions, by taking active steps to better comply with her obligations under the Code of Professional Conduct. She had also made early admissions of guilt and made a full apology to both Mrs Grieve and the RCVS both at the outset of the hearing, and in her evidence.

Chitra Karve added: “Having had the opportunity of observing her demeanour at this hearing, the Committee believes that it is unlikely that she will repeat her conduct.... The Committee has concluded that an appropriate and proportionate response in this case is to reprimand Ms Lewis.”

VetSurgeon.org has today officially launched the new Small Animal Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery Group, where all veterinary dentistry news, discussions, clinical reference photographs and CPD will now be found under one roof.

The dentistry group is one of a number of special interest groups being launched on VetSurgeon.org in the coming months which ALL members are invited to come and join.

The new groups make it much easier to find and follow content that interests you. More than that, they bring together members with a shared interest in the subject, thereby facilitating the sharing of information, experience and knowledge. To that end, expert contributors to the new dentistry group include: Pete Southerden, Norman Johnston, Bob Partridge and Evelyn Barbour-Hill. 

As elsewhere on VetSurgeon.org, reading content in the new groups or participating in discussions can count towards a VetSurgeon.org CPD certificate. Just press 'Claim CPD' at the top of the page, then collect the record and certificate from your profile.

As elsewhere on VetSurgeon.org, there's also the opportunity for you to express your appreciation of shared information you've found helpful, by pressing the 'Thank you' button above content. We'll be rewarding those members who are most thanked by members of the site for their help.

The new groups have been set up partly in response to the growth in Facebook groups for vets and the need for VetSurgeon.org to offer added value over Facebook if it is to compete for your attention.

By virtue of the number of its numbers, Facebook probably can't be beaten for general 'chit chat'. But for clinical discussions, it has some serious flaws.

Firstly, there's minimal curation of content and it's more or less impossible to filter irrelevant stuff. Because of that, and because Facebook displays post excepts, rather than headlines, you can end up having to scroll as far as Australia to find stuff relating to your area of interest.

By contrast, the listings of latest content by title on VetSurgeon makes it much easier to scan the content and find the stuff that interests you, particularly now content is grouped by clinical discipline. 

Perhaps even more importantly, it's impossible to see the professional qualifications of the person who replied to you on Facebook, so you don't necessarily know if they have the faintest idea what they are talking about. VetSurgeon profiles are visible to all, and allow members to display their postgrad veterinary qualifications, amongst other things. 

Lastly, the way discussions on Facebook are 'threaded' makes it very, very difficult to refer back and find who said something useful (you remember someone said something, but then, on a busy thread, you may have to expand 20 or 20 threads to find the thing you were after). That's not just a pain in the derrière, it means that any valuable information shared by specialists and experts is too easily lost. 

The bottom line is that if you're looking for general chat, Fleecebook may be your best bet. But if you have questions about specific clinical disciplines, VetSurgeon.org is where you'll find better answers, quicker.

Referral Centre VRCC reports that its first Small Animal Veterinary Education Conference Weekend in Kenya, held in November and supported by Merial, has been a great success. Over 30 East African vets from all over Kenya gathered at the elegant Leopard Beach Hotel, just south of Mombasa, to learn from some of the leading specialists in the UK.

The Kenyans, all with an interest in small animals, were a real cross section of the African profession. They ranged from prosperous vets with large practices in Nairobi to a young vet who'd undertaken a gruelling 7 hour bus ride accompanied by armed guards from his clinic on Lamu, near the Somali border.

A challenging 2 day programme had been devised by VRCC specialists including Dr Susan North, one of the most experienced and highly qualified veterinary oncologists in Europe and also a European Specialist in Internal Medicine. Also lecturing were VRCC's Head of Surgery, Henry L'Eplattenier and Merial's Dr Hein Hesse, an expert in pain management and parasite control. The weekend finished with a prolonged question and answer session with the enthusiastic delegates hungry to gain as much knowledge as possible from the visiting specialists before their long journey home.

Malcolm Holland at VRCC was delighted with the first time turn-out at the conference. He said: "The Conference Weekend was successful on so many fronts. The delegates had access to first-hand information not readily available to them - the last lecturing team visited over 20 years ago! They were able to interact with each other, form networks, and renew friendships.

"VRCC was not seeking any material gain, just fulfilling a desire to pass on some of our experience for the improved welfare of small animals in East Africa."

VRCC expects attendance to more than double now Kenyan vets know that commitments will be fulfilled. Specialists keen to participate in future events or companies with interests or ambitions in Kenya should contact Malcolm Holland at VRCC.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued new guidelines concerning the use of medically-important antimicrobials in food-producing animals, which have been welcomed by the British Veterinary Association.

The new guidelines strongly recommend an overall reduction in the use of all classes of medically important antibiotics in food-producing animals, including complete restriction of these antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention without diagnosis. Healthy animals should only receive antibiotics to prevent disease if it has been diagnosed in other animals in the same flock, herd, or fish population.

WHO says that where possible, sick animals should be tested to determine the most effective and prudent antibiotic to treat their specific infection. Antibiotics used in animals should be selected from those WHO has listed as being "least important" to human health, and not from those classified as "highest priority critically important", as they are often the last line, or one of a limited number of treatments available to treat serious bacterial infections in humans.

The new guidelines were informed by a systematic review published in The Lancet Planetary Health which found that interventions that restrict antibiotic use in food-producing animals reduced antibiotic-resistant bacteria in these animals by up to 39%¹.

Dr Kazuaki Miyagishima, Director of the Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses at WHO said: "Scientific evidence demonstrates that overuse of antibiotics in animals can contribute to the emergence of antibiotic resistance. The volume of antibiotics used in animals is continuing to increase worldwide, driven by a growing demand for foods of animal origin, often produced through intensive animal husbandry."

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO said: "A lack of effective antibiotics is as serious a security threat as a sudden and deadly disease outbreak. Strong, sustained action across all sectors is vital if we are to turn back the tide of antimicrobial resistance and keep the world safe."

Responding to the announcement, BVA Senior Vice President Gudrun Ravetz said: "We welcome the WHO continuing to tackle this serious global health issue. Their guidelines echo the guidance BVA has long been issuing on the responsible use of antimicrobials. 

"We agree that the prophylactic use of antimicrobials in healthy animals to prevent disease is never a substitute for good animal husbandry and management.

"Through cross-sector working, the UK is leading the way in significantly reducing antimicrobial usage, having already achieved the UK Government usage targets set for 2020. 

"Critically Important Antimicrobials use is at a very low level in the UK, and, as recent Government data shows, is continuing to decrease. It is encouraging that WHO recognises that these vital medicines are sometimes needed, under veterinary judgment and prescription, as a last resort, to prevent the further spread of disease and to protect animal and human health."

The new guidelines can be downloaded here: http://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/antimicrobial-resistance/cia_guidelines/en/ 

Reference

1. Restricting the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals and its associations with antibiotic resistance in food-producing animals and human beings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Tang, Karen L et al. The Lancet Planetary Health. Accessed 06 November 2017.

The RCVS is to hold three webinars looking at maximising the potential of veterinary nurses and recognising the value of their work.

Part of the VN Futures project, the lunchtime webinars will be delivered between February and June 2020 via the Webinar Vet, and the College is encouraging all veterinary surgeons, nurses, practice managers and owners to attend, as it says the webinars will benefit the whole practice team.

All three webinars take place at 12.30pm and last one hour. They are as follows: 

• Tuesday 4 February 2020 – ‘Maximising the potential of the veterinary nurse’ presented by Louise Northway RVN, BVNA Council member and recipient of the RCVS Inspiration Award. The webinar will give an overview of the role of veterinary nurses under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act, how VNs can develop their role in practice and take on extra responsibilities and how VNs can approach these conversations in practice through the creation of learning and development plans. This webinar will illustrate how fully utilising the nursing team not only hugely boosts the morale of the work force, but also enhances patient care and increases the efficiency of the business. 

• Tuesday 10 March 2020 – ‘Veterinary nurses’ time is valuable: How and why to charge for it’ presented by Stephanie Writer-Davies MRCVS, Career Progression Working Group member, and Jane Davidson RVN, VN Council member and regular blogger on veterinary nursing issues. This webinar will provide examples and case studies of how veterinary nurses contribute to practice finances, how practice pricing structures can be developed so that the financial value of veterinary nurses’ time and effort can be better highlighted, and how veterinary nurses can demonstrate their value to clients.

• Tuesday 23 June 2020 – ‘Lead or Head RVN: What’s in a name?’ presented by Gillian Page RVN, President of the Veterinary Management Group. This webinar will look at the role of the traditional Head RVN and how development of ‘Lead RVNs’ in different areas of practice can help to allow for growth of other talented team members and provide increased and shared responsibility and progression. This webinar will explore how this enhances practice efficiency alongside development of team members, thus increasing job satisfaction and, ultimately, retention.

Racheal Marshall, Chair of RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council and the VN Futures Board, said: "We hope that veterinary nurses will engage with these webinars in order to gain some inspiration about how they can truly show their value to their team, their clients and the wider public.

"The VN Futures research clearly demonstrated that there was a desire from the veterinary nursing profession to find ways in which VNs could gain greater recognition for the work they do and progress in their careers. These webinars, and our talented presenters, will provide many practical examples and case studies on how this can be done, help build confidence and highlight opportunities for further learning and development."

To sign up to the free webinars, visit: https://www.thewebinarvet.com/sponsors/VN%20Futures.  

Bayer Animal Health - maker of Tracer Advance Slim - is limbering up for National Microchip Month in June with a call to the profession to recommend that cats are microchipped. 

It's just over a year since microchipping became compulsory for dogs and according to Defra, 95% of dogs are now chipped.

However, the PDSA PAW Report 2016 showed that only 20% of Britain's 11m cats live an indoor-only life, meaning that there are 9 million 'free-range' cats at risk of getting lost if they stray too far from home.

The PDSA report also found 91% of veterinary professionals in the UK believe microchipping should be compulsory for cats.

Bayer says that advice to dog owners this year should focus on the importance of keeping their chip registration details up to date, after a BVA survey found 44% of veterinary surgeons still cannot reunite missing or stray dogs with their owners due to incorrect chip information being stored on the databases.¹

Hannah Watts, Product Manager at Bayer said: "Until microchipping becomes compulsory in cats, vets will need to play a crucial role in helping increase the number of UK cats that are microchipped. National Microchipping month provides a great opportunity for vets to raise the subject with owners and to take advantage of the increased awareness and interest in the subject throughout June. With so many dogs now microchipped, ensuring owners are aware of the need to update their details on the microchipping database is an equally important educational message for vets to convey."

Bayer says that during National Microchipping Month, it will be actively driving pet owners into veterinary practices across the country to discuss the benefits of microchipping with their veterinary surgeon.  It will also be trying to ensure pet owners understand the importance of keeping the details stored on their pet’s microchip database up to date.

To help drive home the message, Bayer has also developed a range of new marketing and support materials for practices to display throughout June. 

To order National Microchipping Month support materials, visit www.vetcentre.bayer.co.uk or speak to your Bayer Territory Manager.