Vet practices across the UK are being urged to get involved with Pet Smile Month to increase practice footfall and attract new clients in the tough economic climate. 

Pet Smile Month, which runs during September 2009, is the world's largest veterinary-led pet health campaign and requires practices to offer a free dental check to pets by appointment during the month. The initiative aims to improve understanding of the importance of dental disease in dogs, cats and other pets and to encourage better dental care.

Over 1,500 UK practices have supported the campaign in recent years and some have reported increases of up to 10% in dental treatments in the months following the campaign. High profile sponsors; Pedigree, Whiskas, Petosan, Genitrix and Logic are supporting this year's Pet Smile Month. 

There is no cost for participating and those practices which do will receive supplies of goody bags containing samples of Pedigree® DentaStix^TM or Whiskas® DentaBits^TM, together with information leaflets, competitions and other special offers, to give to clients with their free dental health check.

Bob Partridge, the organiser of Pet Smile Month, is working with the sponsors on a major local radio publicity campaign at the end of August to raise awareness of Pet Smile Month and encourage pet owners to contact their local participating practice. The deadline to sign up is Monday 17 August 2009. Full details of how to get involved are available at www.petsmile.org or by calling 08714 24 25 26.

VetSurgeon.org member, Martin Atkinson MRCVS has had his first book, A Test of Patients, published on Amazon Kindle (£6.59).

Described as the experiences and musings of a veterinary surgeon, the book is a collection of anecdotes collected over the period since Martin qualified from Liverpool in 1975 up until his more recent self-appointed sainthood (or not, as the case may be), as the owner of St Martin's Veterinary Clinic.

Martin said: "This book is a collection of short stories recording some of the more entertaining aspects of my veterinary career plus one or two fantasies and musings. It is meant to be amusing but also carries some serious messages. It is illustrated in a suitable quirky way by my daughter Alice.

"This book has been a labour of love rather than a commercial enterprise and has not been professionally proof read or edited so there are one or two typos and formatting bloomers including one in the very first sentence! I hope this dos not detract from the reader's enjoyment".

Limited signed copies of the book are also available direct from the author (£8.99 inc p&p) by emailing your details to: martin@gconnect.com.

Martin is donating earnings from the book to animal charities, including Cats Protection, BSAVA Petsavers, The Dogs Trust and the PDSA.

Ceva Animal Health, maker of Milbactor, Vectra 3D and Vectra Felis, has launched a new booklet for practices to give clients: Protecting your Pet from Parasites.

The booklet offers an overview of the common ecto and endoparasites that can affect dogs and cats in the UK, including fleas, ticks, roundworm, tapeworm and lungworm. It explains how pets can become infested, how to tell if a pet is infected and the potential health problems that may result from an infestation. It also highlights the importance of routine treatment to help prevent infestation and transmission of diseases.

At the end of the booklet there is a check list designed to help pet owners and their vets determine the parasites that pose the greatest threat to their pet, taking into account factors such as whether there is more than one pet in the household, whether the pet scavenges or hunts wildlife or whether there are children in the household.

Rob McLintock MRCVS, companion animal business unit manager at Ceva Animal Health said: "Recent research¹ carried out by Ceva demonstrated that pet owners are increasingly confused by what parasites are being treated by their current anti-parasitic regime. The new booklet will provide owners with a comprehensive overview of both ectoparasites and endoparasites and facilitate discussion between clients and their vets to assess the best treatments on a case by case basis."

Ceva has recently launched the Ceva Protection System for dogs, a simple two-step solution featuring Milbactor and Vectra 3D to provide comprehensive ectoparasite and endoparasite protection with one monthly topical treatment and one flavoured tablet.  The Ceva Protection System also features Vectra Felis, offering fast-acting flea protection for cats, and Acclaim® for sustained treatment of the pet's home environment.

To request copies of the booklet, call Ceva Animal Health on 01494 781510 or contact your local Ceva Animal Health territory manager.

Reference

1. 536 cat and dog owners, February 2015

The BVA has welcomed reports that the Government will consult on a cull of badgers in areas worst affected by bovine tuberculosis

Professor Bill Reilly, President of the British Veterinary Association, said: "Reports that the Government wishes to move forward with a badger cull to tackle the spread of bovine TB in England are very welcome. The BVA has been championing the need to tackle the spread of the disease in wildlife for some time and we are delighted that the Government has listened to these calls.

"Bovine TB is a devastating disease in many parts of the UK and action must be taken to halt the spread.

"The BVA will consider the proposals in the consultation carefully, including any detailed information on how a cull will be managed. It absolutely must be humane, targeted in the right places and well managed.

"Whatever the Government proposes must be part of a package of measures to control the disease including controls in both cattle and wildlife."

The RCVS is to implement major reforms of the disciplinary process after Council gave the go ahead yesterday. 

The College says the reforms will make for a clearer and more streamlined process, and offer an alternative, more compassionate way of resolving cases that might otherwise go to a full Disciplinary Committee hearing.

The College will now establish ‘Stage 1 Preliminary Investigation Committees (PICs)’ to replace the current Case Examiner Group stage of the concerns investigation process.

Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar, said: “Setting up Stage 1 PICs will streamline and clarify the early stages of the concerns investigation process and could also potentially, once sufficiently bedded in, reduce the amount of time taken for a number of cases.

“Currently, Stage 1 of a concerns investigation is carried out by a Case Examiner Group who determine if there is an ‘arguable case’ for serious professional misconduct before referring it on to the Preliminary Investigation Committee.

"However, under these reforms, the Stage 1 PICs will close cases where there is no realistic prospect of finding a case of serious professional misconduct.

"Where cases require formal statements and/or expert opinion they will be referred on to Stage 2 PIC to determine if, based on the additional evidence gathered, a case is serious enough to warrant referral to either the Charter Case Committee [see below], or a full, public Disciplinary Committee hearing.

“In essence this change means that there will be one consistent threshold of seriousness in all our investigations, meaning it is likely that fewer cases will be unnecessarily referred to Stage 2 of the process.”

The second reform involves the implementation of the new ‘Charter Case Protocol’ to provide an alternative way to resolve suitable cases meeting certain criteria which, though they meet the threshold to go to the Disciplinary Committee, it is considered that the public interest can still be served without a full hearing.

The ‘Charter Case Committee’ to which these cases will be referred will be able to issue written warning notices.

Eleanor added: “The establishment of the Charter Case Protocol and Committee is important for the RCVS in being able to get the balance right between upholding professional conduct standards and protecting animal health and welfare and public confidence in the professions, while also being a compassionate regulator.

“The type of cases we envisage being dealt with by the Committee are those where the conduct of the veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse has fallen far short of what is expected of them under the Code, but where there is no ongoing risk to animal welfare or public confidence, and where the level of insight and contrition about their conduct is such that it can be resolved without the need for an onerous, stressful and expensive Disciplinary Committee hearing.

"We estimate that the Charter Case Committee will deal with around 20 such cases per year.

“Of course, the most serious cases of professional misconduct, for example around dishonesty and criminality, will continue to be referred to Disciplinary Committee hearings.

“It is worth noting that Charter Case Protocol and Committee are working titles, describing the fact that we are implementing this process under the remit of our Royal Charter.

"RCVS Council has agreed that the name should be changed in due course to something that better reflects its function and remit."

Unlike the Disciplinary Committee, the Charter Case Committee will not issue to the press the full details of cases as a news article.

Instead, it will publish a warning notice on the RCVS website summarising the area of concern, the relevant sections of the Code that were breached and supporting guidance it referred to, and the reasons for issuing the warning.

These warning notices will remain on the RCVS website for a maximum of two years and will not change the registration status of the individual.

The College says that the reforms are likely to take some months to implement and it will be looking to recruit additional Preliminary Investigation Committee members in due course.

The British Veterinary Association has launched 'Great Workplaces', a workplace accreditation scheme designed to help address some of the  recruitment and retention issues in the veterinary profession.

The BVA says that securing 'Great Workplaces' will be a collaborative assessment process.

Each workplace will have a dedicated, experienced accreditor from a veterinary background, who will work with leadership teams and employees to gather a full picture of their workplace. 

Workplaces will be assessed in four main areas: health and wellbeing, leadership and management, culture, and learning and development. 

Successful workplaces will achieve either gold or silver accreditation.

Those that don’t meet the criteria yet will be recognised as ‘working towards’ accreditation and will be supported to make the changes needed to achieve success next time around.

Successful workplaces will hold their accreditation for three years and at the end of that period they will be required to undergo reassessment to retain their accredited status. 

BVA President Anna Judson said: “As well as attracting more people to join our veterinary profession, ensuring we retain the incredible talent we already have is critical to building a resilient and sustainable veterinary workforce.

"Positive workplace culture is central to achieving this and Great Workplaces by BVA is an innovative new approach that puts the well-being of vet teams front and centre.

"The knock-on impact will be good for vets and vet practices, good for clients and ultimately, good for animal welfare.

Photo: BVA

“Workplaces accredited under this new scheme, will be seen as employers of choice, attracting top talent who seek fulfilling careers and a healthy work-life balance.

"For existing team members, working in a recognised Great Workplace could enhance job satisfaction.”

A number of workplaces have already undertaken Great Workplaces accreditation during a series of pilots in 2023.

Two, Westport Veterinary Clinic in Linlithgow and South Moors in Devon, have become the first veterinary workplaces to receive a silver accreditation.

Fiona Leathers at Westport Veterinary Clinic, said:  "At Westport Veterinary Clinic, our collaboration with the British Veterinary Association and its Great Workplaces accreditation scheme has been transformative.

"It has given us invaluable insights into how this initiative positively impacts workplace culture and employee well-being.

“The simplicity of the accreditation process and the approachable nature of BVA’s accreditors facilitated seamless integration of the scheme’s principles into our daily routines.

"The tangible impact of the Great Workplaces accreditation has been profound.

"It's fostered a more inclusive, supportive, and cohesive environment, elevating employee satisfaction and bolstering team morale significantly.

"This experience extends beyond personal growth; it solidifies our belief in cultivating healthy work cultures.”

www.bva.co.uk/great-workplaces  

Photo: BVA

VetCT will be hosting its annual series of free winter webinars focused on equine radiology and its clinical applications, starting on 11th December, 6:30-7:30pm.

The webinars will be delivered by board-certified equine diagnostic imaging specialists.

The first will cover equine cervical spinal radiographic interpretation presented by Erin Porter, DVM, DACVR, DACVR-EDI. Learning objectives include:

The second webinar will be on 7th February 2024, 1:00-2:00pm, when Marianna Biggi, DVM, PhD, FHEA, DipECVDI, MRCVS, will review a systemic approach to interpreting foot radiographs and the clinical significance of radiographic diagnoses.

In the final webinar on February 26th at 1:00pm, Lucy Meehan-Howard, BVSc, MSc, CertAVP(VDI), DipECVDI, MRCVS, will cover typical injuries to the fetlock in different kinds of horses and the optimal imaging strategy for each type of injury. 

Information about all webinars is available here: welcome.vet-ct.com/equine-webinar-series. To learn more about VetCT, plus additional educational content and teleradiology services, visit  https://uk.vet-ct.com/.

welcome.vet-ct.com/equine-webinar-series

Virbac has announced that it will repeat its EasOtic promotion through which practitioners that make multiple purchases of the award-winning otitis treatment can claim an ear model and specialist ear instrument kit.

The models, which show the anatomy of a healthy canal on one side and the changes associated with chronic damage on the other, are approximately 15cm high and can be used as a visual aid to show clients the consequences of untreated chronic ear disease. 

The specialist ear instrument kits, worth £100, have been designed in consultation with veterinary dermatologists. They consist of a haemostat, ear forceps, three various cerumen scoops and a Spreulls ear-flushing needle.

Product Manager Chris Geddes MRCVS said: "Basically it's the best ear equipment for daily use by practitioners. Last year we were overwhelmed by the demand of both promotions, so we've decided to repeat the offer again this year."

The models and kits are available with multiple purchases of EasOtic and the neutral pH glycotechnology ear cleaner Epi-Otic.

For details of how you can obtain a model and/or kit for your practice contact your local Virbac territory manager or call Virbac on 01359 243243.

The British Veterinary Association and the Association of Student Vets are asking veterinary practices not to exploit recruitment fears caused by the coronavirus pandemic by offering unpaid or voluntary work to final year students and new graduates. 

According to the Associations, a number of practices have been offering unpaid work, and whilst these offers may seem attractive to newly qualified vets who want to gain access to veterinary workplaces, they devalue the individuals and the veterinary profession.

Offering unpaid roles also exacerbates the problems surrounding lack of access to the profession for those who can’t afford to work for free and contradicts efforts to widen participation in the veterinary sector.

In addition, there are governance issues associated with individuals undertaking veterinary roles before they are registered with the RCVS and there are concerns around individuals undertaking voluntary roles without indemnity insurance.

The Veterinary Defence Society has advised that the Veterinary Surgeons (Practice by Students) (Amendment) Regulations 1993 allow veterinary students to carry out acts of veterinary surgery under the direction and supervision of a veterinary surgeon. After graduating as a vet, individuals are no longer classified as “veterinary students” and must either revert to only doing work which would be delegated to a lay member of staff or register with the RCVS.

Once registered with the RCVS, graduates must abide by the Code of Conduct whether they are volunteering or paid. One such requirement is that veterinary surgeons must have professional indemnity insurance. Veterinary graduates cannot register as a veterinary nurse and if they are not registered as a veterinary surgeon, they must not undertake those acts of veterinary surgery that can lawfully be delegated to RVNs.  

BVA President Daniella Dos Santos said: “The Covid-19 crisis has thrown up many challenges for veterinary practices, but we make a plea to the profession not to exploit final year students and new graduates at this difficult time. These individuals are professionals and they deserve to be paid professional new graduate salaries, as we all were. There is a problem to be solved with regard to safe working, particularly in large animal and equine practice, but underpaying and undervaluing people is not the solution.

“BVA has been working with Vet Schools Council and others to champion diversity in our vet schools and the wider profession. If we only provide opportunities for those who can afford to work for free, we will be taking an enormous step backwards.”

Izzie Arthur, AVS President (pictured right), added: “We know that final year students are worried about job prospects and that these offers will be attractive, but we are deeply concerned that it devalues the skills and knowledge that have been built up throughout the degree.

"We’re asking vet practices to champion the next generation by providing paid opportunities for newly qualified (registered) vets and the support needed to get through the professional development phase so that they can become valued members of the team."

The RCVS has accredited four more universities to assess modules for its Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (CertAVP). This means that there are now 78 modules for candidates to choose from, with many modules available through more than one university, giving veterinary surgeons a real choice as to how they work towards postgraduate qualifications.

The RCVS CertAVP Subcommittee has approved applications from the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and the West of England (in partnership with Hartpury College). 

A very broad range of modules is now available, covering most species and many disciplines. They include some firsts for the CertAVP - equine modules will be available through both Edinburgh and Liverpool universities, and Edinburgh will also be assessing modules in equine dentistry, laboratory animal science and cattle and sheep medicine, amongst others.  Glasgow's range includes modules in veterinary public health, as well as emergency critical care, while the University of the West of England's offering includes the key skills modules, and ‘B' modules in small animal, equine and production animal practice.

These universities now join the Royal Veterinary College and the Universities of Cambridge and Middlesex in being accredited to assess modules. While all of the accredited universities provide courses to support candidates working towards modules, including distance-learning options and online support, they must also offer an assessment-only route for those who prefer self-study, or who want to attend courses elsewhere. 

The modular CertAVP was launched during 2007 and gives candidates the benefit of a mix and match style of learning. This aims to meet the needs of those who are committed to planned continuing professional development (CPD) but who need to balance this with busy practice life.

The new Certificate also better meets the needs of those whose practice interests change over the enrolment period, or who want to combine study across different species and disciplines to suit their practice caseload.  Previously there was little flexibility built into the examination system.

"We are delighted that the list of modules available has nearly tripled this month," says Freda Andrews, RCVS Head of Education. "Interest in the new certificate is growing, and there are already around 200 people enrolled with RCVS for various modules.  So it's great news that these universities are now backing the Certificate and enabling much greater choice for veterinary surgeons studying for the qualification."

Full details of the new modules are available on RCVSonline at www.rcvs.org.uk/modcerts

Millpledge has launched Promodulate Probiotic Powder, which, according to the company, combines beneficial bacteria with a pre-biotic, vitamins and electrolytes to rebalance gut flora, fluid and electrolyte balance in cats and dogs. 

The powder is presented in a 5 day course of sachets for ease of dispensing, or in a 50g tub for longer term use.

Millpledge says micro-encapsulated Entrococcus Faecium SF68 NCIMB 10415 - 667 x 106  CFU/g helps to recolonise the gut and maintain competitive exclusion of harmful bacteria whilst the preferred prebiotic Fructooligosaccharide (FOS) provides a targeted source of sugars to fuel the Entrococcus Faecium. Electrolytes are included to help maintain the isotonic fluid balance in the patient, and vitamins to maintain the normal feed conversion ability of the gut to absorb and bind nutrients present in the diet.

Millpledge suggests that Promodulate is beneficial alongside antibiotic therapy and can be used as an aid to maintaining the immune response in newborns as well as animals in the later stages of life. Promodulate is also recommended as an aid to restoring normal digestive function and to help maintain normal cholesterol levels and electrolyte and fluid balance.

For more information, please click here.

The Born Free Foundation, British Veterinary Association, Captive Animals' Protection Society and the RSPCA have welcomed the Government's draft legislation to ban the use of wild animals in circuses in England, to be implemented in 2015.

The groups, which have worked closely together for a number of years on the campaign to seek an end to the use of wild animals in big tops in the UK said that they were "delighted" to see the ban brought forward in concrete terms.

A spokesperson, talking on behalf of all four leading organisations said: "We are pleased to see that the Government appear to have come good on their promise to ban the outdated practice of using wild animals in circuses.

"We have long argued that the complex needs of wild animals cannot be met in a travelling circus environment and were disappointed when the Government introduced a licensing regime earlier this year which appeared to legitimise a practice which we, and our hundreds of thousands of supporters, want to see abolished altogether.

"We are looking forward to seeing the ban fully implemented at the earliest opportunity".

BVA President Peter Jones said: "Whilst there are only 20 wild animals kept by two licensed circuses in the UK, their welfare is emblematic of the way we treat all animals."

The groups said that they would work to support Government in the formal enactment of the Bill and the Born Free Foundation and the RSPCA reiterated their pledge to offer to find safe homes for life for all wild animals currently being used in English circuses.