The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Charitable Trust is offering a bursary for one delegate to attend the Veterinary Biomedical and Pharma Sciences (VBMPS) Congress on 15 and 16 October 2012 at the ICC in Birmingham.

Members of the RCVS with an interest in 'one health' are eligible to apply. Entrants are asked to explain, in no more than 400 words, their interest in the concept of one health and why they should be granted a bursary.

Entrants should also demonstrate how they would disseminate their learning from the event to the wider veterinary community.

Entries should be sent to grants@rcvstrust.org.uk by Monday 3 September 2012, and the winner will be notified within two weeks.

The bursary winner will be given a delegate pass worth £175 for entry to the conference and admission to all scientific sessions. Reasonable transport costs and accommodation will be reimbursed.

Further details are available at http://trust.rcvs.org.uk/grants-and-collaborations

The RCVS is re-running its Workforce Ambitions Revisited webinar series, which is designed to stimulate useful discussions about veterinary workforce challenges and how culture change, career development and leadership can improve retention, attract new talent, and support returners to the profession.

With four sessions having taken place throughout May and June this year, the autumn sessions will focus on:

• Welcoming a modern way of working - Wednesday 10 September, 11:45 - 13:00
• Greater responsibility for veterinary nurses - Monday 15 September, 13:00 - 14:15
• Confidence, culture and recognition - Friday 17 October, 11:45 - 13:00
• Shape leaders at all levels - Friday 7 November, 11:45 - 13:00

RCVS Director for the Advancement of the Professions, Angharad Belcher (pictured), said: “We recognise that change cannot happen without collaboration – no one organisation can solve as complicated and multi-factorial an issue as the workforce challenge on their own.

"We hope to welcome you to these sessions to share your insights and contribute to the ongoing conversation around this important topic."

The webinars are free, last an hour and 15 minutes and count as CPD.

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/events/workforce-ambitions-sessions/ 

Horiba is hosting "Biosecurity for Equine Teams", a free webinar for vets on Thursday 3rd April at 7:30pm.

The webinar is being presented by Cassie Woods (RVN Cons) CertNCS, Equine Nurse and Partner at Lower House Equine Clinic in Shropshire.

Cassie has a degree in bio-veterinary science and many years experience working in equine and small animal practice.

She regularly lectures for BVNA and BEVA. She is a member of the BEVA equine nurse committee and works closely with the BEVA Trust.

Cassie will share insights and practical strategies to strengthen biosecurity for both clinic and ambulatory teams, and will offer advice and guidance for helping clients to improve their own biosecurity measures.

Horiba's Veterinary specialists will also be available to answer veterinary diagnostics-related questions and share information about the range of pathogen tests the company offers.

https://horiba.link/register-143bbc 

Photo: www.depositphotos.com

Vetlife has won The Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO) Campaign of the Year Award 2024 for its work raising awareness about neurodiversity within the veterinary profession.

Vetlife's campaign included talks at various veterinary events, an awareness video, a series of lived experience blogs, and a downloadable resource for individuals and workplaces, all made possible by grant funding from the Zoetis Foundation.

Kirstie Pickles, Vetlife Trustee and project lead for the neurodiversity campaign said: “To be shortlisted was an honour, but to win this award is just incredible and is a testament to the dedication and passion that the team put into the campaign.

"It has been a pleasure and a privilege to lead this project and share this much needed information with the veterinary community.

"It is our hope that this campaign and its resources will enable and initiate discussions within teams to ensure that all within our wonderful veterinary professions can thrive."

https://www.vetlife.org.uk 

A former veterinary officer of the British Horseracing Authority, Miss Bethan Cook, has been struck off by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee after she forged communication from her GP as part of an internal BHA disciplinary process.

Miss Cook was charged that, while in practice at the BHA:

1. She created a report purporting to be from her GP and submitted it to the BHA as part of an internal disciplinary process relating to her conduct.
2. During a telephone call with the Head of Human Resources at the BHA, stated that her GP had provided the report to her when they hadn’t.
3. She created another document purporting to be a letter from her GP and sent it to her head of HR in an email purporting to be from her GP.
4. Her conduct was misleading and/or dishonest.

From the outset of the hearing Miss Cook admitted all parts of charges 1, 2 and 3, and that her conduct had been misleading. 

Having heard Miss Cook’s position, the Committee noted the allegation of dishonesty as being denied and proceeded with the hearing on that basis.

The Committee decided it was sure that Miss Cook had created both documents in the knowledge that they represented themselves as having been prepared by her GP, when she knew that was not the case.

The Committee was satisfied that this conduct would be regarded as dishonest and therefore found charge the charge of dishonesty proved.

On deciding whether Miss Cook’s conduct amounted to serious professional misconduct, the Committee found that her conduct fell far below the standards expected of a veterinary surgeon and breached the fundamental principles of honesty, integrity and professional accountability.

It therefore found the proved charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.

Aggravating factors included:

• Miss Cook had been reckless towards the potential impact on a fellow professional (her GP).
• Her conduct has been premeditated in relation to her actions in charges 2 and 3.
• Her actions had breached the trust of the BHA as part of the employment contract.
• Her misconduct had been sustained in that she had created and forwarded the forged doctor’s report and had continued her dishonest conduct over the phone by creating and sending a further letter and covering email.

In mitigation, the Committee considered:

• Miss Cook had no previous disciplinary findings against her in her long career history.
• She had apologised for her conduct to the Committee and had admitted the factual allegations, bar dishonesty.
• Her conduct had not been for direct financial gain: however, her purpose had been to return to practice, either by avoiding an internal disciplinary process, or minimising its outcome.

Paul Morris, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “Miss Cook had placed her own interests, in seeking to avoid or influence the employment disciplinary process, above the principles of honesty, integrity and professional accountability.

"The Committee concluded that, in all the circumstances, her misconduct in a professional respect was so serious that it was fundamentally incompatible with continued registration.

“The Committee decided that no lesser sanction than removal was sufficient to maintain public confidence in the profession as a whole, or to uphold proper professional standards, and therefore directed that Miss Cook’s name be removed from the Register.”

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/veterinary-professionals/conduct-and-guidance/concerns-for-veterinary-professionals/disciplinary-committee-hearings

The British Pig Executive (BPEX) is urging veterinary surgeons to promote a 'top five' of farm services which will be available to pig farmers that sign up to BPEX's new national pig health scheme.

The Pig Health Improvement Project (PHIP) became a national scheme in July following regional projects in Yorkshire, Humberside, East Anglia and the East Midlands. BPEX says it is now stepping up a gear as much of the infrastructure has been put in place and clear membership benefits are available.

BPEX's Vet Project Manager Helen Clarke said: "The PHIP takes a collaborative, action-orientated approach to reducing the incidence of disease in pig herds to ensure the long-term sustainability of pig farming. The role of vets in delivering the scheme is key.

"We need to achieve a high level of uptake - and are looking to achieve sign-up from farms that together represent at least 90% of sows nationally. And that's why we are keen for farmers to take advantage of these five services that deliver benefits at farm level."

The services consist of:

• Free BPHS abattoir reports, which BPEX says are an invaluable tool for vets and pig producers in identifying sub-clinical disease which is not always easy to spot on the farm.
• Access to local health mapping, which raises awareness about any pig health related concerns in a farm's locality.
• A bespoke biosecurity action plan which vets will develop with farmers, using a unique questionnaire to assess biosecurity on their units.
• Disease testing which farmers can access with the help of their vet.
• BPEX regional support offered by dedicated regional staff who offer guidance to help every unit and group of producers to get the most out of PHIP.

Sign-up is free for producers. To find out how vets can support the scheme, visit http://www.pighealth.org.uk/ and contact BPEX on 02476 478877.

A new company supplying pet chews to the veterinary profession has launched this month.

The Soft Chew Company has been set up by Kevin Ingram, owner of the veterinary supplier J.A.K Marketing and Niall McFerran, who has in the past worked for a number of veterinary healthcare companies including Animalcare, Ceva and Alstoe.

Kevin said: "The healthcare supplement market in the UK is worth over £20 million and rising but most customers are asked to use products which were designed for use on humans. The aim of The Soft Chew Company is to provide those health benefits in the form of treats that the dogs and cats will readily accept."

The new company's product range will be branded: "Chewz" and marketed as palatable healthcare supplements in order that they will not be confused with pharmaceutical products. 

The range will initially consist of:

• Dog joint support chews, (available in tubs of 120 and 60 chews)
• Cat joint support chews (in tubs of 60 chews)
• Dog multi-vitamin heart shaped chews (in tubs of 60 chews) 
• Cat bladder support chews (in tubs of 60 chews) 
• Cat hairball relief chews (in tubs of 60 chews). 

The Chewz range can be obtained from all wholesalers or directly from J.A.K Marketing.

For further information contact; info@thesoftchewcompany.co.uk or 01347 293150

Hill's Prescription Diet j/d has been voted the Best Speciality Dog Product by readers of Your Dog at the magazine's recent annual Product Awards.

Robert Gundry, Consumer Marketing Manager at Hill's, said: "This is a great achievement for Hill's Pet Nutrition as it is clear recognition by consumers that j/d really does make a difference to the quality of life for dogs with mobility issues. It is also great news that dog owners are realising that mobility problems can be addressed with professional help from their vet and with appropriate nutrition."

According to Hill's, Prescription Diet Canine j/d has been clinically proven to help dogs with mobility problems. The company says its unique formula contains omega-3 fatty acids which soothe tissue around the joints and reduce inflammation to relieve pain. EPA, a specific omega-3 fatty acid found in sea fish oil preserves healthy joint cartilage.

Ceva Animal Health has announced two additional dates and locations for its ‘Building Success Around the Fertility Routine Visit’ CPD days for young vets.

Part of Ceva’s reprodAction programme, the courses are intended for recent graduates, or those new to dairy practice.

The two upcoming meetings, listed on VetSurgeon.org's new RSVP-enabled CPD & Events Diary, are to be held at The Best Western Dryfesdale Hotel in Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway on 22nd September and the West Lancashire Investment Centre in Skelmersdale, Lancashire on 23rd September.

The company says that the courses adopt a novel ‘physiology first’, practical approach to managing cattle reproduction, and have been set up to support vets in performing routine fertility visits. They cover various topics including: identifying clients’ goals, setting herd targets and increasing pregnancy rates.

Katherine Timms, Veterinary Advisor at Ceva, said: “We have had such positive feedback from the previous events, it has encouraged us to organise more, giving vets from other areas in the UK an opportunity to attend”.

“Routine fertility visits often intimidate recent graduates, as they are normally performed solo, with little or no support. This can make it hard for vets to build confidence, which this course addresses by not only providing knowledge but also by vets who are at the same stage in their careers to interact and share experiences.”

An attendee of the course held in April, Amy Cox from Nantwich Farm Vets, spoke about her highlights of the event, saying: “It really gave me the confidence in my own knowledge of cow reproduction and helped me build on what I’d already got.

“The lecturers were really engaging and the content was highly interactive which I feel helps you learn more. This is the second reprodAction CPD course that I’ve been on so I would recommend them”.

Paddy Gordon, Director of Shepton Veterinary Group, is one of the leaders of the event. He said: “Cattle reproduction CPD can be complex and is usually theory based; these events aim to cover the basics and most importantly, how to implement it all practically. This includes how to communicate concepts to farmers, through group discussion and role play and how to implement treatment protocols practically.”

Vets who are interested in attending either of the upcoming reprodAction Young Vet Initiative CPD courses can apply via Ceva Territory Managers, Bryan Hamilton on 07753 447226 or bryan.hamilton@ceva.com for the Lockerbie meeting and Kimberly Campbell  on  07831 359128  or kimberly.campbell@ceva.com for the Skelmersdale meeting.

And if you're going, don't forget to use the RSVP facility on VetSurgeon.org to let other members know you'll be there.

The Royal Veterinary College has identified a number of ways that canine health and welfare research in the UK could be improved, by making grant applications more efficient, fostering stronger collaboration between funders and research institutions and by prioritising research that has direct welfare benefits for dogs.

The RVC’s UK Canine Research Funding Analysis Project was structured in three phases to assess the state of canine health and welfare research funding in the UK.

Phase one identified that animal-directed funders provided nearly 90% of all canine-specific research funding, with wide-scope funders contributing larger grants but primarily focused on One Health research.

Phase two then revealed research gaps, such as the underfunding of studies on responsible breeding, canine behavioural issues and the impact of human lifestyle on canine welfare.

The third and final phase explored the challenges in research design, processes and sector infrastructure.

The third phase was led by the RVC’s Dr Alison Skipper, Postdoctoral Researcher into Canine Research Funding; Dr Rowena Packer, Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science; and Dr Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor of Companion Animal Epidemiology.

The findings revealed a number of common challenges researchers face in securing funding and delivering effective research.

The research team then provided a set of recommendations to help improve canine research in the UK.

These challenges and proposed solutions include:

1. Grant applications for canine health and welfare research are often burdensome and inconsistent, requiring researchers to rewrite and reformat proposals for different funders. The report recommends introducing a standardised, two-stage application process to reduce administrative barriers.
2. Lack of feedback on rejected grant applications prevents researchers from improving proposals, limiting their chances of securing future funding. The report suggests offering brief, structured feedback to unsuccessful applicants to enhance transparency and proposal quality.
3. Greater collaboration between funders and research institutions is needed to support large-scale, high-impact projects, particularly for complex canine health issues such as obesity, arthritis and breed-related diseases.
4. Early career researchers said they struggle to secure funding, as few grants provide postdoctoral salaries or structured career development opportunities. The report calls for dedicated funding and mentorship initiatives to support new researchers in the sector.
5. There is no centralised database tracking past canine health research funding, making it difficult for researchers and funders to identify gaps and opportunities. The report highlights the need for a publicly accessible platform to improve visibility and coordination across funders.
6. Stakeholders, including funders, researchers and practitioners, need a structured way to set research priorities to ensure funding addresses the most urgent canine welfare concerns. The report suggests adopting a model similar to the James Lind Alliance, which successfully prioritises human medical research.
7. Future research should prioritise projects that directly benefit canine welfare, with funders assessing proposals based on clear impact metrics such as ‘Benefit for the Dog’ and ‘Pathway to Impact’.

Dr Alison Skipper, Researcher in Canine Health Research at the RVC and lead author of the paper, said: “This extensive project highlights the need for significant improvements in how we fund and conduct research on canine health and welfare.

"While UK funders have made valuable contributions, our findings show that inefficiencies in funding processes, a lack of collaboration and limited support for early-career researchers are preventing research from having its full impact.

"By streamlining applications, increasing transparency and fostering strategic partnerships, we can ensure that future research is both effective and directly beneficial to dogs.”

The RSPCA has released the latest figures showing the extent of cruelty to animals in the UK.  

In 2007, they show a:

• 34% increase in convictions for cruelty to dogs (1,197 in 2007)
• 15% increase in convictions for cruelty to cats (277 in 2007)
• 12% increase in RSPCA cruelty investigations (137,245 in 2007) and a
• 26% increase in banning orders1 issued by the courts (861 in 2007).

"These animals are the helpless victims of our affluent, throwaway society," says Tim Wass, Chief Officer of the RSPCA Inspectorate.  "They're bought on a whim and discarded when the novelty wears off.  Today's must-have item quickly turns into tomorrow's cast-off.

"Worse still," added Tim, "some animals are violently abused because they don't meet their owners' unrealistic expectations: like the cat kicked to death for having muddy paws or the dog strangled with its lead for misbehaving."

But the year RSPCA reports that there has been good news too, with the success of the new Animal Welfare Act already starting to take effect.  The new Act - which came into force during 2007 - has made it possible to take action sooner than ever before in situations where there are animal welfare concerns.

The Act is already producing powerful results in its first twelve months.  Where animal welfare concerns have prompted the RSPCA to give advice to an animal owner, that advice was followed and the problems resolved 92% of the time, meaning that no further action was necessary.   Tim said: "Even in these early days, the benefits of the new law are clear. Without the new Act, this year's cruelty figures could have been even more horrific."

He added: "Dogs have always borne the brunt of cruelty - from violent outbursts to extreme neglect.  But that's what makes this year's horrendous 34% increase even more shocking: it's a massive increase on an already high figure."

It was hoped that last year's leap in convictions for cruelty to horses was an anomaly.  But this year's figures show that the higher numbers have been maintained - they increased by 33% between 2005 and 2006 - and then increased by a further 13% to 119 in 2007.

The rise in banning orders is a big improvement on the previous year, which had actually recorded a fall.  The new Animal Welfare Act obliges courts to explain their reasons if they don't impose a ban and this may have contributed to the increase.  The new requirement seems to have focussed attention on preventative action which can prevent suffering and save lives.

Tim said: "The main reason we take people to court is to prevent cruelty being repeated. It's very reassuring to see the courts taking this seriously by issuing more and more banning orders, which prevent those convicted of cruelty from keeping animals in future."

RCVS Knowledge has published "Introduction to Human Factors and Systems Thinking" a free online course to help vets improve quality, patient safety, and team wellbeing.

The Human Factors aspect of the course considers how interactions between people and their environment can affect patient care and outcomes.  

Systems Thinking looks at how well-designed systems in practice can help achieve better results. 

Pam Mosedale, Quality Improvement Clinical Lead at RCVS Knowledge said: “When’s the last time you thought about the impact human interactions between your team are having on your patients?

"What about the processes you use to deliver care?

“Every veterinary professional wants to achieve good outcomes, but the role that Human Factors and systems can play is sometimes overlooked.

"Making sure that your processes are well-designed, and understanding how the people in your team interact with them can optimise the quality of care you provide, while improving team wellbeing."

“That is why we’re delighted to announce the launch of free, practical support on Human Factors and Systems Thinking for all veterinary teams.”

learn.rcvsknowledge.org