Fitzpatrick Referrals has announced the launch of a new outpatients diagnostic imaging service, available to all primary care veterinary surgeons. 

According to the practice, its Siemens CT and closed field MRI scanners are among the most advanced in small animal practice in the world, and enable more accurate and timely diagnosis of both routine and potentially life-threatening conditions, including tumours. The practice is now making these scanners available to outpatients from primary care practices.

The service will be available 7 days a week, from 09:00hrs to 21:00hrs. Primary care vets can access the service directly and schedule an appointment at a time convenient to them and their patient, without the need of referral. The qualified team of radiographers at Fitzpatrick will operate the scanners and all scans will be complemented by detailed imaging reports created and sent electronically by Vet CT Specialists, a teleradiology company headed by radiology specialist Victoria Johnson BVSc DVR DipECVDI MRCVS.

Fitzpatrick Referrals says it acknowledges that many primary care veterinary surgeons do not have the resources to provide advanced diagnostic imaging on site, so it is very pleased to be able to offer its CT and MRI suite to help expedite diagnosis, whilst the patient remains under direct supervision by the referring practice and the patient is immediately returned to their care thereafter.  This can be an extension of the service offered by the primary care clinician to the client, hopefully resulting in rapid and appropriate treatment for the patient and expanding the range of services offered by practices to their clients.

Dr Noel Fitzpatrick, Director said: "It's as if the MRI and CT were actually in your own practice, because our facility is just an extension of your care package and you can advertise it as such. This improves the profile of your practice and enhances the bond of the client with the referring practice whilst facilitating appropriate intervention in a timely fashion. All types of scanning, soft tissue, orthopaedic and neurologic, can be catered for and all patients will be cared for and monitored by qualified veterinary nurses at a time to suit the owner. I see this as a win-win situation. If the primary care clinician needs any further help with the case, they can just ask on the day.  Seven-day week advanced diagnostic imaging is now within the grasp of each and every practice, marking a new era of an integrated team approach to efficient cost-effective diagnosis and treatment."

To book an appointment, call Fitzpatrick Referrals on 01483 423761 and in due course there will be an online booking facility.  For more information on the Outpatients Diagnostic Imaging Service, call Simon Hester on 07802 584133 or visit www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk.

BEVA has announced that the theme for this years Congress, which runs from 11th-14th September 2024 at the ACC in Liverpool, will be 'One Medicine'.

The full BEVA Congress programme is now live and super early bird tickets are available from 4th March, saving member delegates up to £200.

The one medicine thread will run through the medicine and orthopaedics and sports medicine streams as well as feature in the Peter Rossdale Plenary Lecture.

BEVA President Roger Smith said “There is much to learn from the human side as well as from what we do as vets.

"We have invited five human medical experts to make some comparative links with human medicine in their presentations.

"Bringing a different angle in this way will help predict what the future holds and advance what we do in the equine veterinary sphere.”

The full programme includes more than 90 hours of live and on-demand CPD covering almost every aspect of equine medicine, surgery and practice. 

The first day will commence with an opening address from Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell during which she will share her thoughts on maximising performance. 

Other highlights include:

• John Hickman Memorial Lecture Dean Richardson, Professor of Equine Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and Chief, Large Animal Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, will be flying in from the US to share his considerable knowledge of equine fracture management. 
• Peter Rossdale Memorial Lecture will see Professor Andy Carr, a research-active orthopaedic surgeon in human medicine at Oxford University, discussing the evidence-base for the treatment of tendinopathy.
• An expanded stream for veterinary nurses will include a critical care workshop, practicals on bandaging, casting and suturing and a session on neurodiversity in practice. 

Individual super early bird BEVA members prices are £524 for vets and £144 for vet nurses for all three days (with concessionary available for those in their first three years of graduation or earning less than £25,000).

Day tickets and practice passes are also available.

Super early bird ends on Wednesday 29 May 2024. 

www.bevacongress.org 

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has published its Pharmacovigilance Annual Review 2015, which reviews 5674 reports of adverse events in animals, humans and the environment following the use of veterinary medicines over the course of the year.

5638 events were reported spontaneously, mainly by the marketing authorisation holder (61%), with the remainder largely reported by veterinary surgeons. 

Of these, 5512 were reports of adverse reactions in animals: 829 concerning suspected lack of efficacy, 4638 concerning safety. The majority of reports concerned dogs (2927), cats (1426) and cattle (386).

In dogs, medicines for the control of epilepsy were most often suspected of not having performed as expected (80 reports) whilst vaccines were most commonly reported as having failed to work (71).  However, the VMD points out that in many cases, vaccination failure was attributable to other causes (such as incomplete vaccination schedule).

In cats, flea spot-on products were most likely to be reported as not having worked (21). However, there are many reasons why owners may continue to see live fleas on their animal which are unrelated to product efficacy (such as reinfestation from the environment). 

Notably, the majority of efficacy reports in horses (12/19) related to euthanasia products, which the report says should serve as a reminder that alternative means of euthanasia should always be available in case the chosen method does not proceed as planned.

Of the safety reports, 59.6% involved dogs, 31% cats, 4.9% horses and 3.9% rabbits. The majority concerned vaccines (1360 reports, most commonly general signs or symptoms, such as lethargy or pyrexia), parasiticides (472 reports, most commonly lethargy, emesis, inflammation/pruritus, depending on method of administration) and inflammation control (412 cases, most commonly emesis, renal insufficiency and diarrhoea, depending on the drug type).

There were 124 reports of adverse events in humans. Of those involving veterinary professionals (about a quarter):

• There were two cases where owners were injured by a vet with a needle. In one case, despite the owner washing and disinfecting their hands immediately, the hand became too swollen to move and required anti-histamines and anti-inflammatories.
• A veterinary nurse developed a sore eye when vaccine was squirted into it as the needle came off the syringe. The symptoms resolved the following day.
• A veterinary surgeon reported brief periods of numbness around an injury sustained from a needle used for a rabies vaccination.
• A veterinary surgeon reported injection site pain after inadvertently injecting a small volume of a macrolide antimicrobial into his thumb. 
• A veterinary surgeon scratched his finger with a needle he had used to administer tilmicosin, and he thought a drop may have entered the wound. Nevertheless he did not seek medical attention until more than 3 hours later. Fortunately no treatment was required. 
• A veterinary surgeon pricked her finger with a needle on a syringe full of alfaxalone. No product was injected and she experienced no other symptoms than bleeding and pain from the puncture wound. 
• A veterinary surgeon was administering pentobarbital to a cat when the needle came off the syringe and between 1 and 20 ml of product squirted back into her eyes and mouth. She rinsed her eyes and mouth, drank some water and ate a banana. 45 minutes later she felt tired and ‘fuzzy’. She spoke to her GP by phone, but did not attend the surgery or receive treatment. She recovered within 3 hours. 
• A locum veterinary nurse developed swelling around an injury on her hand from a needle on a syringe of medetomidine. She had punctured a blood vessel, but thought only a small amount of product was injected. She felt light-headed and was monitored in hospital for a couple of hours, after which she returned to work with no lasting effects. 
• Two veterinary surgeons and a pet owner suffered needle stick injuries whilst an anti-emetic was administered to an animal that was being restrained by the owner. 

The VMD says that reports of needle stick injuries involving vaccines with a mineral oil adjuvant are of particular concern, because they often fail to show that the injured party has received prompt and correct treatment, either because they are themselves unaware of the necessity for swift intervention, or because they do not take the product package information leaflet with them when seeking medical treatment. 

Similarly, the VMD says that incidents involving injectable tilmicosin seem to be often dismissed as just a scratch, and that if you use these products, you should make sure you are fully aware of the warnings contained in the product leaflets.

To read the full report, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/608968/PhV_Annual_Review_2015_v7.pdf 

Davies Veterinary Specialists has launched an initiative to encourage its staff to walk more to enhance their mental wellbeing.

For the 10,000 steps challenge, the practice has split into teams of eight which will compete against each other for a weekly prize for the team that collectively walks the furthest. 

The practice is also encouraging colleagues to participate in daily wellbeing sessions, including interval training and a mindfulness programme, in conjunction with healthcare partner Vitality.

Mark Goodfellow, Head of Oncology at Davies and Mental Health First Aider said: “Commitment to high standards and dedication to patient care can lead to long working hours.

"Couple this with sick patients, distressed clients and end of life decision-making and the outcome can be feelings of failure, hopelessness and compassion fatigue.

"Simply taking time to walk and share experiences with a colleague can be an unburdening in itself. A problem shared with the right person is a problem halved.”

The organisers of VET Festival 2019 have announced that the 2019 VETFest Conversation will take place with broadcaster and author Fearne Cotton.

Fearne, who has been presenting live TV since she was 15 years old, has published eight books including the top 10 bestseller 'Happy', in which she talks about her own experiences of happiness and advocates raising awareness around the many ways people can build their own resilience and maintain good mental wellbeing.  

Fearne has recently been appointed as a Princes Trust Goodwill Ambassador where she will be focussing on young peoples’ wellbeing and mental health. 

She is also an ambassador for the charity Mind and has spoken about her wish to help stop the subject of depression being such a taboo.  

Noel Fitzpatrick said: "We are absolutely thrilled that Fearne is joining us for the VETFest Conversation this year, continuing on what has become an integral and enlightening fulcrum of the wellness program of our event schedule.

"It means a great deal to myself and the organisers that all delegates who attend VET Festival have a very special and personally enriching experience - but they also feel part of a wider community of compassion too - within the industry among their peers but in a broader societal sense as well.

"With Fearne, we will explore many themes about health and well-being relevant to all of us. We hope to make you think, laugh and have a great time, and impart some wellness to take home into day to day life as well."

The VETFest Conversation is open to all delegates at VET Festival and takes place after the clinical programme on Friday 8th June at 6.00pm – 6.45pm. 

You can book tickets for the event here: https://www.vetfestival.co.uk/delegate-info/ticket-information

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has dismissed a case against an Essex-based veterinary surgeon, having found him not guilty of charges relating to the measurement of horses and ponies.

At the ten-day hearing, Marc Auerbach of Oak Equine Veterinary Surgery, Ongar, answered charges relating to measuring the height of 29 horses/ponies presented for measurement by two agents in early 2009. Dr Auerbach had undertaken these measurements as an Official Measurer (OM) for the Joint Measuring Board (JMB), which provides a system for independently measuring and certifying the size of competition horses/ponies. An animal's financial value relates to its size, with larger animals being more likely to win in their competitive class.

The case centred on the expected accuracy of such measurements, whether Dr Auerbach was dishonest in colluding with the agents, or whether there had been signs of malpractice which a reasonably competent vet acting as an OM ought to detect.

From evidence submitted, the Committee determined a margin for measurement accuracy, and consequently dismissed from its consideration ten animals where the difference between the initial measurement and the re-measurement was 3 cm or less. However, the College submitted that the average difference was so great that, either, Dr Auerbach had failed to take sufficient steps to ensure that the correct measurements were recorded, or else he had been dishonest. Dr Auerbach's Counsel accepted the inference that presenting agents were dishonest, but denied that Dr Auerbach was dishonest or had failed to pick up signs of malpractice on the part of the agents.

The Committee was of the view that there may be unscrupulous presenters capable of materially interfering with the height of horses. While it was unable to determine with certainty the extent to which it could be done, the Committee formed the view that unscrupulous interference (together with intrinsic variables) could have caused the differences between measurement and re-measurement in the 19 horses.

The Committee noted there was no evidence of improper payments being received by anyone. It also accepted evidence that Dr Auerbach was not a dishonest man, taking into account his record of 23 years of honesty and excellence in the profession, unchallenged character references and the lack of any credible motive for him to act dishonestly.

Next, the Committee considered whether there had been signs of preparation malpractice which ought to have been picked up by any reasonably competent veterinary surgeon acting as an OM. The College submitted that Dr Auerbach had failed to take several steps including the amount of time and attention given to the animals he measured, and whether they might be drugged or sedated.

The Committee concluded from the evidence, including scientific papers, that mildly sedated animals may not be distinguishable from properly prepared animals; well-behaved horses were not an indication that something was amiss. The Committee accepted that Dr Auerbach took around 15-20 minutes to measure each of the horses presented on 9 January; and, in the absence of guidance from the JMB, it could not conclude this was rushed or unreasonable. Consequently, the Committee was unable to be satisfied, so that it was sure, that the allegation of failure to take sufficient steps to ensure the recording of correct measurements was proved.

"Accordingly, the decision of the Committee is that the facts set out in the Charge in relation to all the horses and ponies listed have not been proved to the necessary standard of proof," said Prof Peter Lees, speaking on behalf of the Committee as he directed the charges be dismissed.

Registration is now open for the ISFM 2021 World Feline Congress, taking place online from 25th to the 27th June.

The theme this year is 'The ever-complex cat: a multidisciplinary approach to feline medicine', around which there will be a full programme of talks and lectures, including more than 30 hours of CPD.

The main strands for each day are:

• The pancreas: endocrine/exocrine and the impact of obesity
• Gastrointestinal disease, therapeutics and clinical problem solving
• Liver disease, future horizons of gastrointestinal research and renal disease

Keynote speaker Professor Kenneth Simpson, BVM&S, PhD, Chief of the Section of Small Animal Internal Medicine at Cornell University will deliver a series of talks on his specialisms, including gastrointestinal (GI) disease, pancreatitis and liver enzyme interpretation.

Joining him are more than twenty international feline experts who will be considering the cat from all angles, from imaging and clinical pathology to histology.

Nathalie Dowgray, Head of ISFM, said: "We are very excited about the line-up of speakers for this year’s congress, it is a fantastic opportunity for vets to understand the complexity of feline medicine and come away better able to manage difficult cases."

New for this year are live panel sessions in which delegates will be able to join the speakers in expert discussion on key feline topics, as well as opportunities to network and chat directly with leading names in the veterinary industry.

Delegates will also have access to all of the content for six months of on-demand learning after congress ends.

Registration is open now and available at a special early bird rate until March 31st. This year there are bursary places available for veterinary surgeons and students from low-income countries. More information about eligibility and how to apply can be found on the website.

To register, visit: https://icatcare.org/events/isfm-world-feline-congress/ 

The BSAVA has teamed up with the Links Group to provide veterinary surgeons with free CPD sessions on how to deal with suspected cases of non-accidental injury to small animals.

Members of the profession are of course more likely than most to receive information about violent incidents that constitute abuse against an animal, and research has shown that such cases are often the index case that trigger investigation into violent households.

Jennie Bartholomew, education coordinator at the BSAVA said: "Suspecting animal abuse can be an alarming and sensitive issue to confront but our training courses should give veterinary teams the skills and support they need to help deal with such cases."

The sessions will provide guidance on setting up a practice protocol and identifying a Safeguarding Liaison Officer (SLO) who will aid practice staff in suspected cases of abuse. Through the SLO, relationships with RSPCA officers, police domestic abuse officers and aid agencies can be set up to give staff expert support to call upon if they suspect animal or human abuse.

Freda Scott-Park is a BSAVA Past President and is one of the lecturers on the Links Veterinary Training Initiative courses. She said: "There are few veterinary practices that do not encounter animal abuse, not daily, but the incidence is increasing.

"Cases can be quite complicated to diagnose but often vets find they develop a sixth sense that something isn’t right. By defining the complexities and difficulties in diagnosis, the course aids vets, veterinary nurses and receptionists to understand how to proceed – to ask the right questions and how to seek help from the correct people.

"Information from the veterinary practices may allow human healthcare professionals to investigate troubled households, offering support to the family and potentially improving or saving a human victim’s life."

Three sessions have been organised around the country during 2019. They are free for BSAVA members, with a non-member price of £40.00.

• Sunday 23 June: Wetherby Racecourse, Yorkshire

• Monday 16 September: Woodrow House, Gloucester

• Sunday 27 October: Jesus College, Cambridge

Jacqui Molyneux, SPVS President Elect, has announced details of the work she has been involved in to radically restructure and improve the training of veterinary nurses in the UK.

For the last 10 years the VN qualification has involved candidates sitting for an NVQ in veterinary nursing. This NVQ is however being phased out by the Government, whatever party that may be, from next September. The RCVS is therefore taking this opportunity to put in place a viable alternative qualification to improve and build upon the current structure.

Jacqui said: "We are coming from the standpoint that, worryingly, there is a dire shortage of RVNs available for practices to employ. If we do not take this opportunity to do something now, the situation will in all likelihood deteriorate even further.

"I chair a working party convened in May which has been looking at current VN training and how to improve it. There was an initial written period of information gathering followed by three full days of face-to-face consultation meetings with invited  interested parties in July and September. This period of consultation has resulted in a proposal being put forward.

She added: "The proposals are radical and in some ways controversial but have been put together in response to the feedback we have received so far. I must, however, reiterate that it is, at this stage, a proposal and we are still in a consultation period.

"At the end of the period we will have another working party meeting and reassess the proposal. This will then go to the Awarding Body Board and on to both VN council and RCVS council for full approval. I hope we will end up with a scheme that reflects the vital role nurses play in a modern veterinary practice."

The consultation document can be found here.

Merseyside police are urging members of the public and veterinary practices to exercise caution following the theft of some prescription veterinary medicines from a commercial vehicle in Prescot.

The missing medication is around ten 100ml bottles of Micotil, a prescription-only veterinary medicine used to treat respiratory problems in cattle and sheep, but which could prove fatal if taken by humans.

The drug, which was packaged in cardboard with Spanish labelling, was stolen from a lorry that had parked last Thursday night on an industrial park at Caddick Road, Prescot, prior to making a delivery to a company in Speke.

PC Dufton-Kelly of Huyton Police Station's Crime Management Unit said: "We believe this was simply an opportunist theft, which has left the offenders with a rather unusual product on their hands, with little or no opportunity for gain.

"We would like to alert the veterinary industry, particularly in the Merseyside area, in case the goods are handed in or offered for sale. The drugs could present a danger to the public if they fall into the wrong hands."

Anyone who finds the drugs is asked to contact their nearest police station via 0151 709 6010. Anyone with information about the theft can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. All information provided will be treated in strict confidence.

Research by the Kennel Club to promote Discover Dogs (Earl's Court, 14th & 15th November) has found dogs help one in twenty people find love, and one in three to make new friends.

More than four in five said the mere presence of a wagging tail has provided them with the courage or excuse to talk to a stranger - possibly because two-thirds agree that people with dogs seem more friendly and approachable.

The research was carried out in October amongst a representative sample of 530 dog owners. It found that nationally,:

• 33% have made a new friend when walking their dog

• 4% have met a partner when walking their dog

• 64% of dog owners feel people with dogs seem more friendly and approachable

• 16% say that their dog is the only one that they can trust

• 40% say that their dog is their best friend

• 19% spend more time on social networking sites than they do outside socialising

• 46% rarely meet people outside of their existing social group

Caroline Kisko, Secretary of the Kennel Club, said: "This research confirms that dogs enrich our lives in so many ways and, as well as helping us to make new relationships, they still retain the title of man's best friend. At Discover Dogs we can help people to find the right dog for them and to learn how to give them the best possible life, so that we can return the favour."

VetCT is launching a new app through which veterinary general practitioners can consult Specialists for £80+VAT for a 15-20 minute consultation, £120 for an extended 30 minute consultation or £195 for a 1 hour consultation, all of which also qualify as CPD.  

VetCT says the app, which offers round the clock, rapid access to specialist support, aims to bridge the existing gap for those clinical cases where specialist input is desired, but for which full referral may not be ideal or possible.

It is also hoped that the new service will reduce the amount of time that GPs currently have to spend seeking further clinical advice, currently estimated at 10 hours per week, and reduce the amount of advice that Specialists currently give for free, estimated at 5 hours per week. 

Using the app, GPs can send all the relevant information for the consultation, including the history, test results, videos and photos to Diploma-holding specialists across the entire range of specialties, direct from their mobile phone.

They can then choose whether to get an immediate call-back or text chat, a written report or a virtual appointment.

Victoria Johnson, co-Director, said: “Our mission is to help every vet be the best and feel their best every day. Behind the app we have a committed team of over 50 employed specialists, plus 100 radiologists and a full customer support team ready to respond to enquiries.

"All our specialists also work in clinical roles and previously have worked in first opinion practice, and we have so much respect for the challenges our general practitioner colleagues face.

"We want to make their lives that little bit easier, supporting them – with empathy – in giving the best care to complex cases where referral may not be an option.

"We also want to provide pet owners with access to specialist care for their pets, where cost or travel may preclude them from seeing a specialist at a referral centre.”

In addition to the consultation fee, there's an annual practice membership fee of £200 which is reduced for locum vets. VetCT says practices may choose to charge fees on to clients, or some practices may decide to absorb the costs for the support value it offers their clinicians. 

VetCT says it will also gifting additional credits to help support vets who may benefit from a helping hand, such as those returning from extended leave, moving to different species areas, or new graduates.

The service is designed to complement existing specialist services. Victoria added: “We recognise the vital importance of physical referrals, and this service in no way replaces that. Indeed, we have started to see evidence that using the app will lead to more patients getting physically referred for the right reasons, at the right time, with the right information. 

"However, we also know that many vets and specialists are under huge time pressure. Many specialists felt they were unable to do a good job of dealing with advice queries alongside their busy day job – much as they wanted to help. We hope this app relieves the pressure for both parties, provides fast, exceptional and supportive specialist advice, and increases the number of pets and owners who can benefit from specialist input."

The new app, which will be available for both IOS and Android, will launch at BSAVA Congress 2021, with pre-registration available prior to the launch on 25th March.

To discuss rates and credit options, email: info@vet-com.com.

StreetVet has launched a 'pet friendly' accreditation scheme to offer certified accommodation for pet owners experiencing homelessness.

According to the charity, one in ten homeless people have a pet, which is around 32,000 people in the UK. However, the majority of hostels do not accept animals, so they are unable to access accommodation.

The new StreetVet Accredited Hostel Scheme will make sure that hostels are well-equipped to support pet-owning residents. This includes having a variety of pet-friendly health, hygiene and safety policies; access to vet care including telemedicine, free provision of pet essentials, transport to vet practices when needed, emergency kennelling should the pet owner be taken ill and trained hostel team members able to offer support.

The scheme - which will roll out nationwide – has launched today with its first accredited site, The Elms in Hemel Hempstead.  

The charity was able to launch the programme after winning £41,000 in funding from Purina’s BetterwithPets Prize which rewards social entrepreneurs and innovators seeking to harness the pet-human bond to tackle societal issues.

StreetVet co-founder Jade Statt MRCVS said: “Under current regulations, if people turn down housing due to 'no pets' clauses, they are told they are making themselves 'intentionally homeless' and are refused further housing assistance. Any pet lover will understand that choosing between a roof over your head and the company of your beloved pet is no choice at all. 

"Our hope is that in setting up the StreetVet Accredited Hostel Scheme, fewer people will have to make this impossible choice. Access to pet-friendly hostels is their first step towards independent housing. With homelessness on the rise due to the economic impact of COVID-19, it was important to us to launch this scheme before Christmas, as winter sets in."

Bernard Meunier, Purina EMENA chief executive said: “This great achievement demonstrates how a programme built on deep love for pets and their owners, and belief in the power of the pet-human bond, can deliver positive change for both individuals and communities. And this is what we want to achieve with ourBetterwithPets Prize.”

For more information, visit https://www.streetvet.org.uk