Linnaeus reports that despite a record level of interest in its two-year Graduate Development Programme (GDP), it still has vacancies to fill in Birmingham, Leicestershire, Staffordshire, Northamptonshire, as well as Sheffield and South Yorkshire.

The GDP offers one-to-one mentoring, alongside professional and clinical skills development in primary care practices across the UK. 

Chloe Roberts, clinical and educational development manager at Linnaeus, said: “This fourth cohort of graduates is looking likely to be the biggest yet, which is testament to how successful the programme has become over recent years.

“We’ve received so many high-quality applications and look forward to welcoming many of them into our practices.

“There’s still time left for people to apply via our online portal, so we’d love to hear from any prospective candidates interested in roles in the Midlands and Yorkshire.”

Linnaeus delivers all clinical training in-house through its extensive network of specialists, referral clinicians, certificate holders and experienced primary care clinicians.

Graduates take part in 20 core educational days as part of their clinical and professional skills training, with access to an additional 10 CPD days to undertake training of their own choice over the course of the programme. 

For more information about the Graduate Development Programme, visit https://graduates.linnaeusgroup.co.uk. 

Photo: Bristol University graduate Abigail McCarthy, a vet at Blacks Vets in Dudley

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has launched its complimentary blood testing service that allows practitioners to investigate one of the main infectious causes of early embryo loss in sheep flocks.

The annual subsidised Barren EweCheck diagnostic scheme is available from 1^st December 2010 until 31^st March 2011 for breeding ewe flocks. The service establishes whether Toxoplasma gondii is potentially implicated in any empty or aborting ewes.

According to the company, data from the Barren EweCheck and FlockCheck 2010 schemes showed that 86% of flocks had been exposed to the toxoplasma parasite at some point before blood sampling. As a result, practitioners were able to give clients receiving a positive diagnosis timely advice on disease control and the benefits of a Toxovax vaccination regime.

The company anticipates full availability of Toxovax in 2011 and says its Barren EweCheck blood sample submission pads are available directly from the company's Veterinary Support Group by calling 01908 685685.

Vygon Vet has launched two new 'procedure packs' containing disposable essentials for unblocking a tomcat or performing a spay or minor surgery.

The KatKath Urinary Catheter Insertion Pack contains a catheter, a drape towel, polypropylene suture, lubricating gel, a Luer-slip syringe and a clear tray. The complete set costs £10.99.

Vygon Vet General Manager Chris Kenyon, said: "Not only does our KatKath pack ensure everything that's needed is in one place and sterile, it can also save vets up to 50% compared with prices if they buy similar products separately. It's a win-win situation."

The Spay Tray and Minor Operations Set (pictured right) includes a selection of forceps, a Mayo Hagar needle holder, a scalpel, a pair of dissecting scissors, a hand towel, drapes, a tray and five radiopaque swabs.

Chris said: "Our Spay Tray and Minor Ops Sets are produced to the highest standards using top quality materials. Having the required items in one pack eradicates the need to go through the expensive process of washing, re-packing and re-sterilisation, and from an admin point of view invoicing is easy with one single code covering all the different pack parts."

The Spay Tray and Minor Ops Sets are available for an introductory price of £12.50 for a limited period.

In the blurb, Vygon Vet says the benefits of its procedure packs include:

• Help organise your theatre and storage space
• Save time preparing for a procedure
• Standardise practice
• Reduce inventory
• Simplify invoicing
• Save money

The company is also offering a retrieval service through which the instruments from up to ten packs can be disposed for £14.50.

For more information, visit www.vygonvet.co.uk, telephone: 01793 748900 or visit Vygon Vet at the forthcoming BSAVA Scottish Congress (29-31st August at the Edinburgh Conference Centre).

Streetvet, the non-profit outreach practice delivering veterinary care for homeless people in London, Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham, Cambridge, Plymouth, Southampton, Cornwall and Cheltenham, is looking for practices prepared to partner with the charity with to expand the service outside these areas.

Founder Jade Statt said: "As StreetVet grows, we are being contacted to help clients outwith our current active StreetVet locations, of which there are now 13. For this reason and to help us continue to expand, we would like to put out a call to the profession to ask any practices that are happy to work with us to get in touch and help us set up a StreetVet Directory of Supporting Practices."

If you'd like to know more about partnering with StreetVet, email: StreetVet.practices@gmail.com

You'll be sent detailed information about the options for working with StreetVet and offered a fundraising pack. If you go ahead, you'll also have your practice logo added to a directory on the StreetVet website.

The British Veterinary Orthopaedic Association is hosting a basic level, small group, practical orthopaedic course at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in London on Wednesday the 11th October 2023.

Presented by Andy Moores and Alex Belch, 'Plates and Screws - An Introduction' is aimed at surgeons with no prior experience of applying plates and screws, and offers seven hours of CPD.

Andy said: "If you've ever wondered if orthopaedics is for you, or you just need an introductory course to get you started, this could be the perfect opportunity. 

"The course should be particularly useful for junior colleagues: the tutors are very friendly and it's great value thanks to sponsorship from Veterinary Instrumentation and the BVOA.  

Tickets cost £200 (plus £40 for non-members): https://bvoa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Plating-registration-form.pdf 

The BVOA 60th Anniversary Conference follows from 12th-14th October at the same venue. 

Titled "Back to the Future, the conference features talks by Mike Farrell, Antonio Pozzi, Stuart Carmichael and others, covering subjects such as fracture repair, joint pathology, imaging techniques and osteoarthritis.

There'll also be a chance to look round HMS Belfast, and a gala black tie dinner. 

Tickets start at £250 for a single day, up to £795 for the full conference package. 

Petsavers, the charitable division of the BSAVA, is calling for entries to its 2012 digital photography competition, this year themed 'Best Buddies'.

The competition is open to entries from pet owners and veterinary professionals alike. The judges will be looking for qualities like humour and character in the photos, as well as photographic skill.

If you need a little inspiration, you can see the winning images from previous years on the BSAVA website.

The competition has two categories: Adult (16 and over) and Junior (under 16). First prize in each category is £200 in photography vouchers, second prize is £100 in photography vouchers and third prize is £50 in photography vouchers. The closing date is Thursday 26 January 2012. To enter the competition, email your photographs to info@petsavers.org.uk. An application form must also be submitted; this can be emailed with your photograph or alternatively you can print and fax the form to BSAVA at 01452 726701.

Petsavers is also encouraging practices to help promote the competition by displaying leaflets in practice, and telling clients about it.

More information is available by emailing: info@petsavers.org.uk or visiting www.petsavers.org.uk/.

Nominations are now being invited for this year's RCVS Council elections. 

The elections will again be held completely online this year. 

Veterinary surgeons have until 5pm on Monday 31st January 2022 to put themselves forward as candidates for the elections which will take place in March and April 2022.

The full eligibility criteria can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/rcvscouncil22, where prospective candidates will also find further information about the role of the RCVS, RCVS Council and RCVS Council members, guidance notes, and frequently asked questions about standing as a candidate.

Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar and Returning Officer for the elections, said: “We look forward to hearing from prospective candidates and are happy to give further information about what being an RCVS Council member means and what the role entails to those who may be considering standing for office.”

Prospective candidates for RCVS Council can also contact RCVS President Dr Kate Richards for an informal conversation on what it means to be an RCVS Council member on president@rcvs.org.uk

Kate said: “I’m on Council for my second term and can reassure any prospective candidates that it is a wonderful experience, both personally and professionally.

"You will learn new things not only about the College, but also the professions, policy and government; you will have fascinating discussions and debates with colleagues on issues of great importance and consequence; and you will make those important professional 'connections that count' with colleagues across the veterinary world and beyond. It is a career highlight.”

Prospective candidates for RCVS Council are welcome to attend the next Council meeting online, on Thursday 20th January 2022.

Contact Dawn Wiggins, RCVS Council Secretary, if you would like to attend: d.wiggins@rcvs.org.uk.

The RCVS has announced that it has joined forces with the Doctors’ Support Network (DSN) to launch the ‘&me’ campaign which aims to tackle mental health stigma in the health professions by encouraging prominent members to speak out about their own experiences.

The campaign was officially launched at an event at the Palace of Westminster sponsored by Kevan Jones MP (Labour, North Durham) who has spoken about his own experiences with depression, and featured first-hand testimonials from senior veterinary surgeons and doctors who have experienced mental ill-health.

‘&me’ is a collaboration between the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative, which seeks to address mental health and wellbeing issues within the veterinary profession, and the Doctors’ Support Network, which provides peer support for doctors and medical students with mental health concerns.

Introducing the campaign, Mr Jones said: "The key message I have today in regards to mental health is talking about it and trying to get it out of the dark corners rather than it being something you are ashamed to talk about. That is how we get people to help themselves with their own condition and to seek help. The other key thing is not to write people off if they have a mental illness."

The floor was then opened to personal stories from those who have lived experience of mental ill-health. Dr Louise Freeman is Vice-Chair of the Doctors’ Support Network and was diagnosed with depression in 2009 as a result of the way in which her return to work was handled after having time off work as an emergency medicine consultant following a bereavement.

She said: "This experience made me think that doctors with mental health problems were in a small minority and that it was probably our own fault anyway. Both impressions are completely wrong. The incidence of mental health problems is one in four people in any one year and is actually higher for doctors, who are often slower to seek help than non-medics. The good news is that well supported doctors have excellent treatment outcomes.

"During my own return to work, I was told by my clinical lead that they had 'always thought that I was a mental health problem waiting to happen.' I think this says more about them than it did about me! On reflection, yes that was true, but only inasmuch as this applies to all of us during our lives.

"I hope that the ‘&me’ campaign can start to address this by encouraging senior healthcare professionals, who are currently well, but have experienced mental health problems, to disclose that they have 'been there themselves'. I think that this will help to normalise mental ill health for healthcare professionals and therefore remove some of the barriers to unwell professionals seeking help at an earlier stage. Overall this would be better for healthcare professionals, their colleagues and their patients."

David Bartram, Director of Outcomes Research for the international operations of the largest global animal health company and a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' governing Council, spoke next. He gave his perspective on coming to terms with a mental health condition in a profession that has some stigma attached to it.

A number of years ago David attempted suicide following the breakup of his marriage and explains what happened from there: "I just thought I was stressed – after all, who wouldn’t be in those circumstances? But in fact I was becoming progressively more unwell. What started as worry, early waking and palpitations – which I recognised – led to patterns of thinking which I did not recognise as being disordered. I felt trapped and worthless – suicide was the only escape. From a medical perspective, my biological, social and psychological risk factors had converged and tipped me into major depression.

"That was the first of multiple suicide attempts and several prolonged stays in hospital. Over a three-year period I spent 12 months as a psychiatric inpatient. I was treated with antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilisers, talking therapies and electroconvulsive therapy.

"But now thankfully I am well – and I have been for 14 years…. To what do I attribute my recovery? A mixture of medical treatment, psychological therapies, supportive friends and family, rest and time – they all contributed, probably in similar measure." 

He added that while his episode of mental ill-health does not define him it has changed him in a positive way and that no one is immune from it.

Dr Jonathan Richardson is Group Medical Director for Community Services at the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust who had a mental health condition when he was a medical student and spoke about how it is possible to flourish in your career with a mental health diagnosis.

"I was unwell as a teenager with a physical illness and later as a medical student with a mental illness… these two experiences crystallised my drive to become a doctor and my own approach to healthcare. I wanted to be able to deliver the care that I was fortunate to receive. I wanted to be as patient-centred and compassionate with the patients I would serve, in the same way as the teams who delivered my care. I was lucky to have support when I was unwell from very good friends, some from school and some from university; and a very close family. I have been able to recover.

"It is 24 years since my mental illness. I now work in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest mental and learning disability health trusts in England – and one of only two to be rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission…. I do not feel that my illnesses have stopped me."

Dr Angelika Luehrs is the chair of the Doctors’ Support Network and a consultant psychiatrist who was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder while she was a trainee psychiatrist. She said: “When I asked for advice about how to access help one of the answer I got was one of ‘whatever you do, make sure that you don't have any mental illness in your medical records otherwise you will never go anywhere in your medical career. However, getting the diagnosis and help from a Consultant Psychiatrist was the best thing that ever happened.”

She added: "The reality is that my diagnosis has not stopped me – I have been a consultant psychiatrist since 2010 with the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, last year I was appointed as medical lead for West Wiltshire including early intervention, intensive services and primary care liaison services.  I have a special interest in supporting doctors with mental illness and I am delighted to be appointed by the newly launched GP Health Service as a special advisor for complex mental health cases."

The last speaker was veterinary surgeon Neil Smith who chairs the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative and outlined how to participate in the campaign. He said: "This event is just the start… the real challenge is to start to get this message out to the wider professions. Stigma is a difficult thing to tackle, but the good news is that changing our minds is within the power of every individual to do." 

Following the launch the ‘&me’ campaign is now encouraging other senior health professionals to step forward and talk about their own experiences with mental ill-health, especially as both medical doctors and veterinary surgeons have higher suicide rates than the general population but often have more reluctance to seek help because of the impact it may have on their career.

The campaign is interested in hearing from not only doctors and veterinary surgeons but also nurses, veterinary nurses, dentists, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals who want to open up about their experiences of mental ill-health. To participate in the campaign email Dr Louise Freeman on vicechair@dsn.org.uk.

Further information about the ‘&me’ campaign can be found at www.vetmindmatters.org/&me

Dechra Veterinary Products has launched Vitamin K1 tablets for dogs, which help reverse the effects of exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides.

The launch of the NFA-VPS licensed 50mg tablets means that veterinary professionals can have a ready supply of Vitamin K when treating animals which have been exposed or may have been exposed to serious poisoning. Previously, the tablets where only available as a special import certificate product following Dechra's acquisition of Eurovet.

Dechra Veterinary Products Brand Manager, Carol Morgan, said: "Vitamin K1 is an absolutely key therapy in the treatment of potential and accidental exposures to anticoagulant poisoning in animals, mainly in pet dogs. It helps to assist with blood clotting, and the treatment protocol advises continued oral therapy following an initial injectable preparation of Vitamin K.

"The Veterinary Poisons Information Service has received more than 6,000 calls so far this year to its helpline regarding suspected or confirmed poisoning of all types of animals, whether accidental or deliberate exposure.

"We had been able to offer the Vitamin K1 injection and tablets via a SIC, when previously sometimes only preparations for human use were available. Therefore, we are delighted to now launch a licensed tablet which will ensure a ready supply and speed of therapy for animals affected by anticoagulant rodenticides."

Carol added: "Anticoagulant poisoning queries are already the second most common type received by the Veterinary Poisons Information Service, and with the launch of these tablets, veterinary professions will be able to have a ready supply of vitamin K to hand. We would recommend that all practices consider stocking this product."

Vitamin K1 50mg tablets, for the treatment of anticoagulant poisoning following parenteral treatment, are available in boxes of 14 tablets, in blister packs of seven tablets.

For more information, please visit www.dechra.co.uk

Bayer Animal Health has launched Back to Basics, a new guide to antibiotic use which focuses on the concerns raised by vets and vet students about antibiotics in a survey carried out by the company.

465 vets and 40 students took part in the survey in March 2014. Of these:

• 61% of vets said that they prescribe an antibiotic product every day that they have patient contact.
• 52% of vets and 64% of vet students were unable to name, unprompted, even one specific drug licensed for use in cats and dogs from each of the major classes of antibiotics.
• 63% of vets said that they would like to better understand how antibiotics work and when to prescribe them. 
• 50% admitted they would like to feel more confident in using a wider range of antibiotics appropriately in their patients.
• 81% of vets confirmed that the topic of antibiotic resistance is something that concerns them for the future.
• 87% said that they felt a responsibility to do what they can to help reduce it. 
• Only 42% of vets said the topic of antibiotic resistance is something that frequently factors into their clinical decisions.
• Only 14% said they would feel confident discussing with a peer how likely it is that a specific antibiotic will contribute to resistance.

27% of vets admitted that they struggle to know which antibiotic is the most appropriate for a specific condition. This uncertainty was particularly the case if the patient is un-responsive to the vet's first choice antibiotic, or the condition develops to require a new or additional antibiotic choice. Bayer says it is also clear that many vets may not be aware that pradofloxacin is the least likely of the veterinary fluoroquinolones to select for antibiotic resistance,² as 23% of vet students and 9% of vets said they believe that all antibiotics carry the same risk of selecting for resistance.

The company says Back to Basics is designed to fill the gaps in knowledge identified by the survey. It presents each of the major classes of veterinary antibiotic and details how they work. It also includes an antibiotics 'jargon buster' to help vets and vet students better understand the commonly used measures of antibiotic activity and make more informed decisions about the use of antibiotics in practice.

Bayer has also developed an online self-assessment quiz that allows vets and students to check their knowledge. The quiz and the guide are both available at www.veraflox.co.uk

References

• Bayer Animal Health survey of 465 practising UK vets and 40 students in clinical years. March 2014.
• Wetzstein, HG. Comparative mutant prevention concentrations of pradofloxacin and other veterinary fluoroquinolones indicate differing potentials in preventing selection of resistance. Antimicrob Agents Chemother.2005;49(10):4166-4173 .

According to a survey of 2,000 dog owners by Burgess Supadog Sensitive, 18% of women say they speak to their dog more than their partner or husband.

Not only that, but it seems the older you are, the more likely you are to strike up a conversation with the dog: 21 per cent of respondents aged 45-54 said they talked to their dog more than their partner as opposed to 10 per cent of 18-24 year olds.

Other findings from the survey included:

• 62% of dog owners admitted to buying presents for their pet
• 42% take time off work to be with their dog when it is ill
• 36% let the dog sleep on the bed
• 34% leave the television or radio on for the dog in their absence
• 2/3rds of owners claimed to be aware of their pet's emotional state, and able to identify whether they were happy or sad, hungry or tired.
• 23% of owners said their pet preferred action programmes on TV, as opposed to 8% that said they preferred horror and only 3% that preferred sci-fi (this is getting silly).

Following last week's news from Defra that sales of antibiotics for food-producing animals in the UK have dropped by 27%, comfortably beating the government target of 50mg/kg which was set following the 2016 O’Neill Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, targets for further reducing antibiotic use across the key livestock sectors have been announced by Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance 'Targets Task Force'.

The Targets Task Force comprises a leading veterinary surgeon and farmer from each of the beef, dairy, egg, fish, gamebird, pig, poultry meat and sheep sectors, who have been consulting with key organisations in their respective industries. The group also includes observers from regulators Food Standards Agency and Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).

While the targets each sector has set vary according to the availability of data and scope in their sector, the targets as a whole have been described as 'positive and proactive' by the VMD. 

The headline targets for the eight sectors include a reduction in use of antibiotics in pigs by over 60% between 2015 and 2020, with minimal use of highest priority Critically Important Antibiotics (CIAs). RUMA reports that good progress has already been made in this sector, with usage falling by around 35% between 2015 and 2016.

Targets Task Force member and president of the Pig Veterinary Society Mark White said: "It's encouraging to see the response in the sector to the challenge laid down, which bodes well for achieving our ambitious 2020 goal. It is evident that the sector – steered mainly by the members of the Pig Veterinary Society, AHDB Pork and the National Pig Association – has the will and the capability to fully engage with the issue."

Next steps, he said, were to focus on eliminating routine preventative treatment where it is still happening, mainly due to lack of resource or expertise. "We can also work to improve water delivery systems so that more targeted treatment in the water can be used instead of in-feed medication."

The dairy cattle sector has committed to a 20% reduction by 2020, with a particular focus on halving use of the highest priority CIAs. The work to achieve this will be led by a newly-created Dairy Antimicrobial Stewardship Group (DASG) which includes all key organisations in the sector.

Some of the strategies to achieve these goals in dairy farming include reducing the use of antibiotic dry cow therapy and injectable products, and cutting back on group treatments such as antibiotic footbaths for lameness which remain largely unproven, instead using topical and targeted treatments.

Di Wastenage, dairy farmer from Devon, Task Force member and chair of the DASG, said the sector needed to be ambitious about what it could achieve. “While use is lower than in some sectors, there are clear areas to tackle where use can be habitual, or common disease problems go unchallenged.

"For example, eliminating BVD and Persistently Infected animals from the herd is one of the obvious places to start, as well as talking to your vet to calculate the usage levels you have at the moment. Calf rearing can produce a 'hot spot' of treatment, as can digital dermatitis. Everyone has the potential to use antibiotics more responsibly somewhere."

The gamebird sector, having undergone a comprehensive awareness-raising initiative among game rearers in 2017 to cut back on reducing the need for medicines, aims to reduce use by a quarter this year, with a further 25% reduction between 2018 and 2020. 

Three sectors – poultry meat, laying hen and fish – are either already low users of medicines or have made significant reductions over the past five years. These sectors will be focusing on maintaining use at the minimal level needed to ensure good health and welfare among their livestock, while tackling emerging challenges should they arise.

The poultry meat sector, previously described as a 'pathfinder' for the rest of the farming industry, has already reduced use by 71% between 2012, when its stewardship scheme was introduced, and 2016. 

In doing this, the poultry meat sector has also ceased all preventative treatment and use of the highest priority CIAs. It will now maintain current levels in chickens and look for further reductions in turkeys. This sector will use clinical governance to ensure CIA antibiotics are only prescribed when absolutely needed and with sign off from veterinary specialists and management.

The laying hen and fish sectors have similarly committed to continuing low use, with the laying hen sector eliminating all use of highest priority CIAs in the past two years. The development of a vaccine in the salmon sector several years ago successfully controlled one of its most challenging bacterial diseases, so the focus has turned to the health of the ‘cleaner fish’ used to provide natural control of sea lice.

The trout farming sector, with its greater number of small producers, is concentrating on reducing the need for antibiotics and improving data capture.

The beef and sheep sectors are already low users of antibiotics, but have acknowledged they each need better data, and will also commit to addressing 'hotspots' of use. Both have committed to a 10% reduction in antibiotic use by 2020, subject to securing better data.

For the beef sector, reduction in use centres around calves and youngstock, particularly in the areas of respiratory disease. There is also an emphasis on calves from dairy herds, where mixing animals from different sources can create a peak in disease pressure similar to children going to school for the first time.

In sheep, the focus areas are to reduce routine preventative antibiotic usage against abortion (miscarriage), lameness and neonatal lamb diseases such as watery mouth and joint ill. 

With initiatives proving that routine preventative use is largely avoidable through a combination of vaccination, good hygiene, quality nutrition and careful shepherding, Dr Fiona Lovatt of the Targets Task Force is optimistic about the opportunities to reduce overall use.

"In the sheep sector, we’re not high users of antibiotics. But we want to ensure that any use is totally targeted so we are challenging all inappropriate or routine preventative use.  

"Convincing farmers to change practices is tricky, and none of us want to see an increase in levels of disease, but those who have had the courage to work with their vets to change what they do are now seeing what is possible. The answer is to take a holistic approach and work closely with a keen sheep vet."

Gwyn Jones, chair of both RUMA and the Targets Task Force, said he has been overwhelmed by the positivity of the group and its willingness to be ambitious. "The members have worked very hard and have shown incredible leadership and persistence. They have also provided unprecedented support and inspiration to each other.

"I am delighted they have agreed that the group should continue to meet twice-yearly to review progress and discuss issues."

The full report with all targets for each sector can be downloaded from the RUMA website www.ruma.org.uk.