Prac-tic® – the spot-on flea and tick treatment from Novartis Animal Health has added a new claim to its licence.

It now states that adult fleas are killed before they lay eggs for a minimum of four weeks after treatment and, as the product completely eliminates egg production, it also breaks the flea life cycle.

New and recent graduates and recently qualified vets have the opportunity to attend a CPD graduate symposium specifically designed to provide practical surgical and management advice and solutions for those embarking on their professional careers.

ProStart course director Colin Whiting BVSc CertSAS MRCVS explained: "We're aiming to fast-track new graduates by sharing experience and helping them through that tricky first year in practice. However, whilst the course has a total of 11 hours CPD, it also has a packed fun and social element including zip wire and surf lessons."

Sponsored by Merial Animal Health, the inaugural ProStart CPD graduate symposium is to be held at Lusty Glaze beach adventure and lecture centre, Newquay, Cornwall, Friday 10th to Sunday 12th October 2008. 

Mr Whiting said: "The event includes a full-on itinerary of lectures and workshops covering aspects of small animal practice including, practice economics, consultation skills, surgical guides for neutering, maximising therapeutic opportunities, and client and staff interactions - with tips from a head nurse. It's also a great opportunity to network with other new graduates.

"The workshops are run by vets experienced in mentoring new graduates in practice, plus full board & lodging and a vibrant social programme including adventure Zip wire, Surf lesson, and entertainment." 

For Merial's Mark Riggs the symposium will help graduates understand the realities of practice environment more quickly. He said: "This course is a neat combination of practical and business skills. Not only will graduates have the chance to sharpen their neutering techniques but advice will be on hand relating to practice finances, client handling and staff management. Delegates will be encouraged to contribute within workshops tackling thorny issues from general practice, before it's wetsuits on and a surf lesson."

Mr Whiting, a referral surgeon and clinical director based at Penmellyn Vet Group in Cornwall has publications and CPD presentations which focus on surgical and practice management topics, and include Surgical Mentoring of Junior Colleagues for In Practice.

"We have a very experienced lecture team, members of which have worked extensively supporting graduates and junior colleagues. Bearing in mind that CPD has to be affordable for practice owners, thanks to our sponsors, Merial, we're able to provide an entire weekend course, including accommodation, for £240+VAT. The venue's proximity to Newquay airport provides easy accessibility for delegates nation-wide and is a fantastic venue for adventure challenges, surfing and various beach activities."

Other members of the ProStart team include Ian Stroud BVSc MRCVS a Medivet partner and new graduate supervisor, and Gareth Cross BVSc, MRCVS who recently lectured to BSAVA congress. Their focus will be promoting safe clinical excellence; illustrating the finances behind a small animal practice; and how graduates can add to a practice in these areas.

If you would like more information on the course or would like to book a place please contact Beverley Archer; beverly.archer@merial.com, or contact your local Merial Territory Manager.

The BVA has published Net Zero, a report into the role of veterinary practices in tackling climate change.

The report comes on the back of a survey by the association which found that 93% of vets say sustainability is important to them.

The BVA says the report aims to break down the challenge that both teams and individuals face in working towards net zero emissions.

It explains the impact of climate change, what the veterinary profession’s role is in tackling it and why the BVA thinks it is so important that the profession plays its part.  

The report also includes resources and showcases the ways real veterinary workplaces are taking action to reduce their impact on the environment.

British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President Anna Judson said: “Many veterinary professionals have long been concerned about the impact the sector is having on the environment, and many are already taking action to mitigate this.

"However, there is still more work to do.

"Our vision is that by 2050 the profession will have adapted to support the UK’s net zero targets; is trusted on mitigating its own carbon footprint; and is a leading advocate for environmental sustainability.

"This new report is providing vet teams with the tools and the inspiration to do their bit, because small changes add-up to make a big difference.”

There'll be a session on the subject at the London Vet Show this year, chaired by Anna Judson, with panelists Ed Bailey, Clinical Director and Sustainability Lead at George Farm Vets, Laura Binnie, Sustainability Lead at Paragon Veterinary Group and James Bevan, Planetary Health Senior Teaching Fellow Public Health Registrar, University of Southampton.

"Practice what you preach: Reaching net zero is a team effort" will be held at 10.45am - 11.45am on 14 November in the BVA Congress Theatre.

www.bva.co.uk/net-zero-report

CPD Solutions have announced 3 new dentistry and oral surgery course dates, with expert tutor Alex Smithson of the Dental, Oral and Maxillofacial Referrals in Lancashire.

All courses will include extensive wet lab sessions, which will cover conditions commonly seen in practice and answer all those questions you always wanted to ask but never had the time to look up!

For details visit http://www.cpd-solutions.com/ or call 0151 328 0444 and ask for Holly.

A cat which was lost eight years ago has been reunited with his owner thanks to the RSPCA, and the fact that the animal had been chipped.

'Bigga' went missing at the end of 2002 from his home in High Wycombe. His owner Lorna Fothergill launched a desperate search to find him. She offered a reward, knocked on doors and put up of posters in the hope that someone would recognise him and bring him home. But after weeks of looking she thought all was lost, and gave up the search. She eventually moved away from the area.

Last month however, Bigga was picked up by RSPCA animal welfare officer Julie Britnell. It is believed he had been living feral for some while. His coat was extremely matted, and he looked as though he had been in a few scrapes along the way, but he was well-fed and in good spirits. Thanks to the fact Mrs Fothergill had him microchipped all those years ago, and some dedicated detective work by the RSPCA, Bigga has now been reunited with his long lost family.

Mrs Fothergill, 40, who is a new business director and singer in the band Northsyde, said: "We just couldn't believe it when we got the call from the RSPCA to say they had found our cat. It's unbelievable and I was just astonished and so relieved that I had him micro--chipped all those years ago. We just can't thank the RSPCA enough for how they have managed to reunite us with Bigga, it's so wonderful."

Is this a record? Do you know of any pets that have been lost for longer, and reunited thanks to a microchip? Comment below.

Last year saw the highest ever increase in the number of people enrolling as veterinary nursing (VN) students on vocational courses, according to figures released by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. 

In 2011, some 1,041 students registered with the RCVS to pursue vocational VN qualifications, compared with 809 in 2010 - a 29% increase.

The total number of people enrolling as student veterinary nurses on either vocational or degree courses in 2011 was 1,439, compared with 1,083 the preceding year - an overall increase of a third.

Libby Earle, head of the RCVS VN Department said: "The overall increase could partially be explained by degree students seeking to avoid increased university tuition fees. However, although there is a noticeable increase in enrolments linked to higher educational courses, this does not explain the increase in further education students.

"A more significant factor is likely to be the inception of the Level 3 Diploma, as this can be undertaken as a full-time programme," Libby continued. "As Colleges running such programmes arrange the practical training placements for their students, this opens up opportunities for the considerable number of people who want to become VNs but who are not employed by a training practice. When we introduced the qualification in 2010 we hoped that this would help to increase the number of VN students - so it's great to see this is happening already and with such a marked increase."

Student VN enrolment figures for 2010 and 2011: 

 Defra has published an epidemiology report into the Avian Influenza outbreak confirmed in Oxfordshire on 4 June.
 
The report concludes that, at as of 11th June, the outbreak was confined to a single premises, and there is no evidence of infection in the Protection Zone or of spread to any other premises. However, investigations continue.
 
The report suggests that it is possible that the Highly Pathogenic H7N7 Avian influenza derived from a Low Pathogenic strain already present on the farm. Analysis and investigations are ongoing, and a number of source hypotheses are being considered.
 
Chief Veterinary Officer, Nigel Gibbens, said: "The UK is at a constant but low level of risk of the introduction of Avian Influenza, and the report highlights the need for flock owners and poultry vets to remain vigilant for signs of disease, including the possibility of low pathogenic Avian Influenza. I would encourage all keepers to maintain good quality records and practise high standards of biosecurity."
 
The Protection and Surveillance Zones remain in place. Further surveillance, testing and epidemiological work on this outbreak are ongoing.

The report can be viewed here:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/latest-situation/index.htm

CEVA Animal Health has updated its practice support materials to include an all-encompassing D.A.P. client leaflet, a website and a new vet detailer.

The new materials, which also include a D.A.P. and Feliway reference guide containing details of 31 published trials into the practical applications of pheromones, focus on using D.A.P. to prevent stress at key stages of a dog's life. Particular attention is paid to the benefits of fitting a D.A.P. Collar during early puppy consults in order to help prepare dogs for the modern world and helping to prevent anxiety-related problems such as separation anxiety and noise phobia, developing in later life. In addition, the vet brochure will draw practitioners' attention to the times in a dog's life when owners are particularly concerned about their dog becoming stressed including events like trips to boarding kennels.

Lucy Brett, product manager at CEVA Animal Health, said: "Over the last three years eight different trials have been published looking at the use of pheromones to reduce canine stress. The latest data backs up what we have believed for some time - that the management of stress during socialisation is vital if dogs are to grow into emotionally balanced and confident adult dogs.  We now have a much better idea of the impact of allowing puppies to get stressed or overwhelmed during socialisation and the difference providing pheromone support in the form of a D.A.P. Collar can make."

For further details, or for information on CEVA's range of educational resources for veterinary professionals interested in feline and canine behaviour, please contact your CEVA Animal Health representative or call 01494 781510.

Boehringer Ingelheim has launched Care and Connect a free online PPID aftercare service for horse owners, designed to help veterinary practices monitor their PPID case load and streamline the case management process.

The new service is part of Boehringer's 'Talk About Laminitis (TAL)' Awareness campaign.

The company says that PPID is the sixth most frequently encountered disease syndrome affecting equids in the UK¹, and the new service should help engage owners and vets post diagnosis, thereby maximising treatment success.

Liz Barrett, equine business manager at Boehringer, said: “PPID is a progressive disease, so it is vital that veterinary surgeons remain at the centre of care, and that horses are monitored carefully following their initial diagnosis. However we recognise the high administrative demand associated with this, and TAL Care and Connect has been designed to reduce this as much as possible.” 

TAL Care and Connect will be offered automatically to horse owners who take advantage of this year’s free* ACTH testing scheme, which will be available from July to November. Equine practices can also offer this aftercare service to all owners of previously diagnosed PPID cases.  

Owners who join TAL Care and Connect will be able to set up a profile for their horse which allows all their ACTH results to be stored in one place. They will then receive the relevant reminders for follow-up ACTH testing which will make it easier for vets to monitor their patient’s progress over time.

In addition, owners can download an independently-written PPID information pack. Edited by Prof. Catherine McGowan with contributions from Dr Jo Ireland, Prof. Andy Durham, David Rendle and Dr Teresa Hollands, the pack includes advice on monitoring and follow-up ACTH tests, feeding, general care of the PPID patient and the link between laminitis and PPID. 

Talk About Laminitis is supported by Redwings, The British Horse Society and World Horse Welfare, and will run from July until the end of October 2015. Horse owners can find out more and obtain their free ACTH voucher code at www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk.

For further information contact your local Boehringer territory manager or visit www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk. 

*Cost of laboratory test

References

1. National Equine Health Survey 2014

Less than a quarter of veterinary students starting their degrees in 2009 were male (24%), according to figures released today in RCVS Facts.

This is up slightly from 23% last year, but down from just over 30% in 1999: ten years before that, the gender balance of new students was approximately 50:50. Meanwhile, 53% of UK-practising veterinary surgeons are female.

RCVS Facts is part two of the RCVS Annual Report, and presents a statistical picture of the veterinary and veterinary nursing professions. Other headline facts include a 21% increase in the number of practice premises registered with the College since 1 April 2009, bringing the total on the Register of Veterinary Practice Premises to 4,821; some 766 veterinary nurse students completing their training and becoming eligible to register (an increase of 28% compared with those eligible to register during the previous two-year period) and an increase of nearly 10% in the number of complaints received about veterinary surgeons, to 739.

Figures are also available for:

• New membership admissions and veterinary nurse registrations
• A break-down of the veterinary profession: gender, age, geographic distribution, type of work
• Type of complaints received and the time taken to act upon them
• Disciplinary cases
• Postgraduate qualifications awarded this year
• Financial accounts

The reporting year is 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010, and part one of the RCVS Annual Report, RCVS Review, takes a more personal look at the activities of the College during the period, through the eyes of some of those involved. Topics include reviews of Extra-Mural Studies and the Practice Standards Scheme, the modular Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing producing the first diplomates, a focus on mental health and wellbeing, fund-raising for the RCVS Trust and the College's joint work with other authorities to bring justice in cases of fraudulent 'veterinary surgeons'.

Both publications are available online at: www.rcvs.org.uk/review and www.rcvs.org.uk/facts.

Christopher Butterworth MRCVS and Melissa Bexon MRCVS have been reprimanded by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee for dishonestly signing reports relating to non-existent tuberculosis advisory service (TBAS) visits to a farm.

Dr Butterworth’s practice was a member of TBAS, a Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs-funded (Defra) project administered by Farmcare Solutions Ltd which provides advice to eligible farmers via its veterinary partners. 

The farm to which the charges relate to was owned by Dr Bexon’s partner. It had no cattle on-site (though was still eligible for the TBAS).

Dr Butterworth was charged with signing a TBAS visit report, in which he was named as the TBAS advisor, relating to a visit to the farm in February 2023 which had, in fact, not taken place and then subsequently signed a report about a follow-up visit in July 2023 which also hadn’t taken place.

Dr Bexon was charged with signing the same two false reports as a representative of the farm in question.

Both faced a secondary charge that their actions were dishonest, misleading and risked undermining procedures relating to public health and animal welfare.

Dr Butterworth and Dr Bexon admitted all the charges against them and that these charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.

The Committee also found that their actions amounted to serious professional misconduct in that they had breached three of the five key principles in the Code of Professional Conduct relating to: honesty and integrity; client confidentiality and trust; and professional accountability.

The Committee also found that the actions of both veterinary surgeons had breached the ’10 principles of certification’ outlined in the supporting guidance to the Code.

Considering Mr Butterworth’s conduct, the Committee found that there were a number of aggravating factors including: the premeditated nature of the conduct as he was the driving force behind the deceit, the fact there was financial gain as his practice would have been paid for the non-existent visits, breach of confidentiality for the farmer, breach of client trust for Farmcare Solutions Ltd, and abuse of professional position as a TBAS advisor.

For Dr Bexon the aggravating factors were breach of confidentiality for the farmer, breach of client trust for Farmcare Solutions Ltd, and the fact that, as a TBAS advisor, she should have known that physical visits to farms within the scheme were mandatory.

Paul Morris, chairing the Disciplinary Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee considered both respondents’ conduct was liable to have a seriously detrimental effect on the reputation of the profession and undermined public confidence in the profession and the TBAS process.

"The Committee considered that members of the public would be deeply troubled that registered veterinary surgeons had behaved in this way.”

At the hearing the Committee received a large number of positive testimonials for Dr Butterworth, including three given directly to the Committee – one from a veterinary surgeon colleague and two from farmer clients.

The Committee also considered his lack of previous disciplinary history and otherwise unblemished career, open and frank admissions at an early stage, insight into his misconduct, genuine remorse and positive reflection, efforts to avoid a repetition of behaviours and evidence of a more mature approach to management, lapse of time since the incident.

Taking everything into account the Committee decided reprimanding Dr Butterworth and warning him with regard to future conduct was the most appropriate and proportionate response.

Paul added: “The Committee did give serious consideration to suspending Dr Butterworth’s registration with the College.

"Such a sanction would have sent out a clear message that this sort of behaviour is absolutely not to be tolerated.

"However, in light of the extensive mitigation, his honesty and significant insight throughout these proceedings and the unlikeliness of behaviour of this type ever being repeated, the Committee considered the public would not be best served by suspending an otherwise exemplary veterinary surgeon and that such a sanction would be disproportionate and punitive.”

"In such circumstances, the Committee was satisfied that a reprimand and warning not to behave in this way again, would provide adequate protection to animals and would satisfy the public interest.

"The Committee was persuaded that Dr Butterworth would be most unlikely to make such a flawed set of decisions again.

"Notwithstanding the serious nature of Dr Butterworth’s conduct, the Committee was satisfied that a fully informed member of the public would not be shocked if he were allowed to continue to practise.”

The Committee also received a significant number of positive testimonials for Dr Bexon, with three veterinary surgeon colleagues giving oral evidence to the Committee.

The Committee also considered her lack of disciplinary history and hitherto unblemished career, her open and frank admissions, her insight, remorse and positive reflections, her efforts to avoid repetition of the behaviours and the lapse of time since the event.

Taking everything into account, the Committee decided to reprimand Dr Bexon.

Paul said: “This was not a case where she had been motivated by any financial gain.

"Indeed, everything the Committee had read and heard about her indicated the opposite and furthermore, it was apparent that she had nothing to gain by her actions beyond satisfying Dr Butterworth.

"As already stated, the Committee acknowledged that the role played by Dr Bexon was less than that played by Dr Butterworth.

"Moreover, there was a power imbalance at play and Dr Butterworth was able to take advantage of, albeit unknowingly, Dr Bexon’s lack of self-confidence.”

"The Committee has already indicated that it believed the likelihood of her repeating such behaviour to be non-existent.

"Her significant insight, together with the reflection and remedial work she has undertaken are as much as any person could do.

"She had truly learnt her lesson in the harshest of ways.

"In the Committee’s view she did not represent any risk to animals or the public, indeed quite the contrary as she is a very able vet, in high demand by her clients.”

www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary