Vista IQ is designed for non-invasive screening of dermal and subcutaneous masses commonly seen in veterinary practice.
Building on the original HT Vista, Vista iQ retains the same Heat Diffusion Imaging (HDI) technology.
The new device features faster calibration, improved imaging resolution and Wi-Fi connectivity to tablets and smartphones.
HT Vet says Vista iQ has been designed with clinical workflow in mind, with an ergonomic design, full portability and multi-user functionality intended to support use during routine consultations.
Updates include a redesigned user interface for faster navigation, improved light and vibration indicators for real-time feedback, and built-in precision tools including a laser grid and accelerometer for accurate measurements.
Alongside the device, the Vista iQ application includes enhanced case documentation features, allowing clinicians to record mass characteristics, case histories, diagnostics and treatment plans within a single system.
HT Vet has confirmed that the original HT Vista device will be discontinued, with future development focused on Vista iQ.
Practices currently using the original device will continue to receive full technical support.
https://ht-vet.com
The study assessed contamination across 13 small animal practices using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) testing before and after delivery of a staff training session and standardised cleaning protocols.
Eleven practices were re-tested 70 days later and five practices were re-tested an average of 128 days later.
Samples were taken from reception areas, consulting rooms, preparation and diagnostic areas, wards, theatres, kitchens, laboratories, and staff areas, using Hygiena EnSURE Touch & UltraSnap Surface ATP Swabs.
The cleaning protocol involved the removal of biofilms using a degreasing agent, followed by routine cleaning with a standard veterinary disinfectant cleaner and fogging application of a certified veterinary disinfectant.
Before the intervention, average contamination levels in practices were 14.7 times higher than recommended thresholds.
Following the 45-minute staff training session and implementation of the standardised cleaning protocol, contamination levels reduced by 61% within 70 days and by 71% within 128 days.
Fomite surfaces — including door handles, kettles, and keyboards — showed the greatest improvement, with contamination levels reduced by 80%. General surfaces recorded a 56% reduction.
These findings indicate that a combination of staff training, refined cleaning protocols, and scheduled hygiene testing can significantly reduce contamination levels in practices and improve practice-level infection control.
Dr Neil Forbes, author of the study, said: “Once identified, most hygiene issues are readily addressed.
"Reservoirs of contamination, or indications of poor working practices, once detected, can be resolved.
"Longitudinal studies in human hospitals demonstrate that ATP reduction correlates with decreased nosocomial infection rates, ranging from 45–75% over 18 months to 5 years.”
The study recommends that practices appoint an Infection Control Champion, implement routine - ideally monthly - ATP testing, raise awareness with the whole team about infection sources, transmission routes, and risk management, and use two-step sanitation comprising cleaning followed by disinfection.
Reference
DuOtic contains terbinafine, an antifungal, and betamethasone acetate, a corticosteroid.
One tube is administered per affected ear, with a second dose given after seven days.
The maximum clinical response may be seen up to 21 days after the second dose
The product was unveiled earlier this year at an event attended by around 80 vets and nurses, where speakers discussed the importance of a holistic approach to otitis externa and the need for judicious antibiotic use.
Speaking at the event, Tim Nuttall said that antibiotic use “has consequences in terms of antimicrobial resistance and should only be used when justified”.
Speakers highlighted that effective management of otitis externa depends on identifying and addressing primary, predisposing, secondary and perpetuating factors, and on implementing a targeted two-phase treatment approach, comprising induction followed by long-term maintenance.
Routine dermatological assessment, including whole-skin examination, otoscopy and cytology, was emphasised as essential to identifying underlying causes and guiding treatment selection.
The role of the wider veterinary team, including trained veterinary nurses, and clear communication with dog owners were also recognised as key to improving outcomes in yeast-only otitis externa.
https://www.dechra.co.uk/products/dog/prescription/duotic
Defra’s consultation proposes introducing a licensing and regulatory framework for veterinary practices, including corporate-owned groups that largely fall outside current statutory oversight. Defra says around 60% of UK practices are now owned by non-vets.
Alongside practice regulation, the proposals include mandatory price transparency for common treatments and disclosure of practice ownership.
The government says these measures are intended to improve consumer confidence and competition, following findings by the Competition and Markets Authority that problems in the veterinary market could be costing households up to £1bn over five years, with vet fees rising at nearly twice the rate of inflation.
However, there are significant risks attached both to price transparency and to increased regulation.
Publishing prices may help owners compare routine services such as consultations or parasite treatments, where variability is limited, but applying the same approach to diagnostics and surgery is more problematic.
The degree and cost of veterinary care in these areas can vary widely depending on the patient, underlying disease, intra-operative findings and aftercare needs.
Fixed or headline prices risk encouraging “menu medicine”, defensive pricing, or the underpricing of routine treatments to attract custom, with higher costs then falling on more complex or non-routine cases.
There are also potential consequences arising from the proposed regulation and licensing of veterinary practices themselves.
While ministers argue this will improve accountability — particularly for corporate-owned groups — additional compliance requirements, inspections and enforcement mechanisms are likely to increase operating costs for practices.
Alongside business regulation, the consultation proposes reforms to complaints handling and disciplinary processes, including a wider range of sanctions and a more proportionate regulatory approach applying to both businesses and individual professionals.
Further measures include legal protection of the “veterinary nurse” title, statutory regulation of allied professionals, modernised registration and fitness-to-practise processes, and potential reform of the governance arrangements of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
The RCVS, the British Veterinary Association and the British Veterinary Nursing Association are encouraging vets, nurses and animal owners to respond.
Each has said it will submit a formal response on behalf of members, while also urging individual engagement.
The consultation platform indicates that completing the full questionnaire could take up to four hours, although respondents are told they may skip sections that are not relevant to them.
The consultation closes on 25th March 2026.
https://consult.defra.gov.uk/reform-of-the-veterinary-surgeons-act/consultation
Discuss on VetSurgeon.org here: vsa-reform-it-s-time-for-change
Although feeding tubes are widely used in practice, there has previously been no agreed radiographic criteria to confirm correct positioning, creating uncertainty and increasing the risk of serious complications such as aspiration pneumonia and pneumothorax.
The new guidelines address this gap by providing an evidence-based framework for interpreting lateral neck and thoracic radiographs.
Led by Andrea Vila Cabaleiro, Small Animal Diagnostic Imaging Resident at the RVC, the research team collected 256 lateral neck and chest radiographs of dogs and cats with nasoesophageal or nasogastric feeding tubes in place.
The images were sourced from ten private and academic institutions, including the RVC’s Queen Mother Hospital for Animals.
Expert veterinary radiologists then verified whether the tubes were correctly placed in the oesophagus or incorrectly in the trachea.
From this dataset, the researchers developed a three-point radiographic checklist to confirm correct tube placement:
To assess the clinical value of the guidelines, six veterinarians with varying levels of experience reviewed the same radiographs on two occasions, first using their usual judgement and then, after a minimum seven-day interval, using the new guidelines.
Diagnostic accuracy improved from 82% to 96%, while uncertainty fell from 14% to 2%.
Agreement between clinicians also improved from moderate to almost perfect.
The guidelines performed consistently across dogs and cats, a wide range of patient sizes and multiple clinical settings.
The authors concluded that this structured, evidence-based approach improves both accuracy and confidence without requiring additional equipment, making it suitable for use in general practice, referral hospitals and emergency and critical care environments.
An accompanying step-by-step infographic has been produced to support uptake of the guidelines in day-to-day clinical practice: https://www.rvc.ac.uk/Media/Default/VetCompass/260105%20RVC%20Infographic%20-%20Radiographic%20guidelines%20on%20feeding%20tube%20placment.pdf
The app and desktop-based service connects practices directly with locum vets and nurses, allowing shifts to be posted instantly and applications handled without agency involvement.
The company says uptake reflects increasing pressure on practice teams, alongside rising costs and frustration with traditional recruitment models.
Ronda Vet includes a mutual review system designed to help both practices and locums make more informed decisions, and operates on a 24/7 basis to support last-minute cover.
Early adopter practices report faster turnaround when filling urgent shifts, including weekends and out-of-hours periods.
Founded by veterinary surgeon Ibra Hernando and Dimitra Sepou, the platform was developed in response to what the founders describe as inefficiencies and lack of transparency on both sides of the locum market.
The company says its focus for 2026 will be further growth and the introduction of additional features aimed at supporting workforce wellbeing and operational efficiency.
https://www.ronda.vet
The mixed-methods survey of 525 veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses found that while some employers offered thoughtful and effective support, more than one in five respondents had left — or wanted to leave — their role as a direct result of how their situation was managed.
Participants described experiences including being expected to continue clinical duties while actively miscarrying, limited or no time off for fertility treatment or bereavement, breaches of medical confidentiality, and dismissive comments from colleagues.
Concerns were also raised about exposure to anaesthetic gases, heavy lifting and workplace stress, particularly when trying to conceive or during pregnancy following a previous loss.
Some male veterinary professionals reported being unable to take time off to support hospitalised partners or to grieve.
Crucially, respondents who recalled receiving any form of workplace support were five times less likely to subsequently want to leave their job than those who reported no support at all.
Positive experiences were often linked to relatively small actions, such as kind words or a card, or workload adjustments and time away from work.
Study participants recommended improved education, clearer workplace policies, and increased paid leave for bereavement and fertility treatment.
The study was led by four vets under the umbrella of the VetMINDS Research Team and funded for open access by the British Veterinary Association.
Lead author Jenny Stavisky MRCVS said the findings highlighted how deeply the issue resonated with veterinary professionals, and expressed hope that more open discussion would help avoid compounding the pain experienced by those affected.
The study authors also note that whilst many veterinary employers offer discretionary accommodations, there is no current legislative requirement.
However, under proposed changes to the law there will be a statutory entitlement to bereavement leave following miscarriage, something which is subject to a Government consultation which can be accessed here: Make Work Pay: leave for bereavement including pregnancy loss - GOV.UK
The change marks an expansion of practice standards beyond physical workplace safety into psychological and suicide-risk governance.
The new requirement will oblige practices to assess suicide risk within their workplace and introduce measures to mitigate identified risks.
The requirement recognises that different practices will need different approaches, depending on factors such as access to lethal medicines, access to firearms, and the likelihood of lone working.
The move forms part of the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative’s preventative strategy and follows the College’s response to two coroner-issued Prevention of Future Death reports involving the use of veterinary medicines.
The requirement will apply to all accredited practice types and, through the Code of Professional Conduct, to practices outside the Practice Standards Scheme, which must maintain standards equivalent to the Core Standards.
The College points to three resources to help practices meet the new requirements: the RCVS Academy’s Suicide Awareness Fundamentals course, workplace suicide prevention guidance from the British Standards Institution, and safety planning resources from Samaritans.
Zara Kennedy MRCVS, chair of the RCVS Mind Matters mental health initiative, said: “Many veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and other colleagues in the veterinary team have been deeply affected by the suicide of their friends, colleagues and peers in the professions.
“While it may not be possible to prevent every death by suicide, we hope that by taking proactive measures such as the requirement for practices to have suicide prevention plans, we can prevent some.
"In doing so we can help those people who may be thinking about taking their own lives to get the treatment and help they need.”
https://academy.rcvs.org.uk
https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/insights-and-media/insights/brochures/bs-30480-suicide-and-the-workplace
https://www.samaritans.org
The scheme gives practices access to a dedicated website hosting short training films showing what to cover in a ten-minute consult for a range of common behaviour problems, alongside owner-facing leaflets and posters.
There's also a handy staff room poster with QR codes linking to the training films so team members can watch them on a coffee break, if they feel so inclined.
Behavet says that limited consultation time, patient insecurity, uncertainty over what advice to offer, and concerns about whether guidance is up to date or worthwhile all influence the level of behaviour support delivered in first-opinion practice.
The company argues this can create a vicious circle in which owners disengage, problems escalate, and specialist help is only sought once issues have become entrenched.
Behavet Impact aims to break that cycle by supporting earlier, more effective intervention.
To date, materials have already been delivered to more than 400 UK veterinary practices within the project’s first three months.
To join the initiative, contact Behavet: https://www.beha.vet