The BSAVA has published a new factsheet about laparoscopic spaying for pet owners.

BSAVA’s client information leaflets are designed to be used as part of the veterinary consultation and provide information to help owners understand what is involved in a procedure or examination, including the reasons for it, the preparation required, any associated risks and what happens during and after the procedure.

They are available in a PDF format which can be printed and stamped with the veterinary practice details or emailed to clients.

Elise Robertson, ABVS American Board-Certified Diplomate Feline Practice and author of the endoscopic Client Information Leaflets, said: ‘The client information leaflets were created due to the need for accurate and reliable information from reputable sources." 

BSAVA’s Head of Publishing, Ian Mellor, said: "This new factsheet brings our total number of client leaflets to 178. Our client leaflets have been downloaded more than 10,000 times in the past year and are an important part of our drive to improve the health and welfare of small animals by providing practical resources to the veterinary profession.’

The new leaflet is available via the BSAVA Library (https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/cilgroupprocedures).

Access to the entire range of client information leaflets (including canine and feline behaviour, exotic pets and medicines) is available for an annual subscription of £40; BSAVA members have access to these leaflets as one of their membership benefits. 

BSAVA welcomes suggestions for new topics to cover in its client information leaflets. 

Send your ideas to publications@bsava.com.

Ceva Animal Health has launched the ASAP Salmonella differentiation test to provide assurance on how well birds have been vaccinated and as part of a standard laboratory method to differentiate its Cevac Salmovac vaccine strain from field strains of Salmonella Enteritidis.

All laying flocks that adhere to the British Lion Code of Practice must be vaccinated against Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium during the rearing period. 

Environmental sampling is carried out to monitor the flocks for Salmonella infection from 22-26 weeks of age and continuing every 15 weeks throughout the laying period. 

Version 8 of the British Lion Code of Practice states that approved Salmonella testing laboratories must undertake testing to differentiate between field and vaccine strains of Salmonella.

The Cevac Salmovac vaccine strain can occasionally be detected during routine sampling. 

When this happens, the accredited laboratory can carry out the differentiation testing whilst also sending the samples to the official confirmatory laboratory for final identification.

Ceva says ASAP significantly improves and speeds up the differentiation between vaccine and field strains, providing early reassurance to the producer that the official confirmation will identify the vaccine strain.

The ASAP Salmonella differentiation test has 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity for differentiating the Cevac Salmovac vaccine strain from any Salmonella field strain.

Pippa Abbey, poultry national veterinary services manager at Ceva Animal Health said: “Several tests are available to differentiate Cevac Salmovac from Salmonella field strains, however using ASAP as a second medium significantly improves and speeds up the differentiation process, ensuring that laboratories can quickly and efficiently detect the presence of the Cevac Salmovac strain.

“The ASAP media is also a useful tool for monitoring Cevac Salmovac drinking water vaccination and helps with vaccination auditing.”

Ceva also says that using ASAP media as a tool for monitoring the application of its vaccine can provide reassurance that it has been given successfully. 

On the day of vaccination, following priming of the drinker lines, a water sample can be taken from the end of the line and sent to the laboratory for testing. 

Cevac Salmovac will grow in dark blue/purple colonies indicating vaccine availability throughout the poultry house and a good vaccination process.

Royal Canin is offering three free places on 'Video-making for social media', a CPD training course organised by the VPMA and SPVS.

Advances in mobile phone technology, combined with the simplification of video-editing software and the adoption of video in social media, have led to an explosion in the use of the medium over the past 12 years. YouTube, which had its first video posted in April 2005, now counts over a billion users.

To help veterinary professionals gain the skills needed to make the most of this increasingly important medium, 'Video-making for social media' will teach you how to use your mobile phone to create engaging video, in particular looking at script-writing, voice-overs, editing and mixing soundtracks.  

The course takes place in Preston, Lancashire on 17th May. 

To be in with a chance of receiving one of three free places on the course, send an email with 'Video-making for social media' in the subject line, followed by your details and why you would like to attend to: royalcaninvet.gbr@royalcanin.com. Entries will close 10 working days before the event.

Alternatively, places on the courses can be booked by calling 01453 872731 or by visiting www.spvs-vpma-events.co.uk. Workshops cost £275 plus VAT for non-members and £195 plus VAT for VPMA and SPVS members (discounts offered on group/ bulk bookings). Cost includes CPD certificates, lunch and refreshments.

Folkestone-based Vlad Butnaru haș been struck off by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee after it found that he'd dishonestly signed a declaration on a horse passport application.

Dr Vlad Butnaru faced two charges, the first of which was that in May 2021, he had signed a passport and/or passport application for a horse and electronically signed a declaration stating that he “had read the above microchip, which had previously been implanted for the animal” when, in fact, the microchip had not been inserted into any horse and he had not read it.

The second charge was that, in relation to the matters set out in the first charge, Dr Butnaru’s signed declaration was false, and that he had acted dishonestly and misleadingly, he risked undermining procedures designed to promote animal welfare, and failed to take sufficient steps to ensure that the microchip number recorded for the horse was accurate.

Dr Butnaru admitted the first charge on all counts, and that the declaration he had signed was false.

He also admitted that his conduct was misleading and that he had failed to take sufficient steps to ensure that the microchip number recorded for the horse was accurate.

However, he denied that his conduct had been dishonest and that he had risked undermining a procedure designed to promote animal welfare.

In its decision, the committee noted that Dr Butnaru kept introducing new versions of what happened for the first time at the hearing and changed his account as he went along, as well as being evasive when answering questions.

The Committee therefore felt that Dr Butnaru could not be considered to be a reliable witness, and whilst it did not know the true reason why he was prepared to sign a false declaration on a passport application, it was satisfied that he'd made a false declaration dishonestly.

The Committee also found that Dr Butnaru had failed to take sufficient steps to ensure that the microchip number recorded for the horse was accurate as, if the passport had been issued on a false premise because of misleading information provided by Dr Butnaru, then it could not function as it was meant to which, in the Committee’s view, clearly risked undermining procedures designed to protect animal welfare.

The Committee found that Dr Butnaru had breached the parts 6.2 and 6.5 of the Code of Professional Conduct, as well as Principle 1 of the 10 Principles of Certification, namely that ‘a veterinarian should certify only those matters which: a) are within his or her own knowledge; b) can be ascertained by him or her personally; c) are the subject of supporting evidence from an authorised veterinarian who has personal knowledge of the matters in question; or d) are the subject of checks carried out by an Officially Authorised Person (OAP).’

The Committee found there were no mitigating factors.

Aggravating factors, on the other hand, were that Dr Butnaru had participated in premeditated misconduct, made financial gain from his actions as he was paid to make the false declaration, abused his professional position, and showed blatant or wilful disregard of the Horse Passport System and of the role of the RCVS and the systems that regulate the veterinary profession.

The Committee found that all proven charges amounted to Disgraceful Conduct in a Professional Respect.

On considering the sanction, the Committee once again considered the aggravating factors, as well as additional mitigating factors in that Dr Butnaru had no previous disciplinary history, showed limited insight by admitting to some of the charges, showed expressions of remorse, and was provided with a positive testimonial.

Paul Morris, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee was cognisant of the importance of a veterinary surgeon’s signature on any document.

"This should have been obvious to any veterinary surgeon, but particularly someone of Dr Butnaru’s 11 years’ experience (at the time of signing).

"The Committee was well aware of the impact and ramifications for Dr Butnaru of any decision to remove him from the Register, but had to weigh his interests with those of the public.

“In doing so it took account of the context and circumstances of the case, all matters of personal mitigation, Dr Butnaru’s previous unblemished record and the need to act proportionately.

"However, the Committee was of the view that the need to uphold proper standards of conduct within the veterinary profession, together with the public interest in maintaining confidence in the profession of veterinary surgeons and protecting the welfare of animals, meant that a period of suspension would not be sufficient.

"His actions were fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the Register and thus the only appropriate and proportionate sanction in all the circumstances of this case was that of removal from the Register.”

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/disciplinary-hearings 

Defra has been roundly criticised in the media today for reportedly spending £181,000 on redesigning its website.

Here's the old website. Apparently deemed 'too agricultural' for its use of brown.

And here's the new one:

A vast improvement, and depending on what the £181,000 bill included, it may not have been as overpriced as it sounds.

Either way, it prompted a great quip from Tory environment spokesman Nick Herbert: 'At least it's now clear that, like the rest of the country, Defra has gone off Brown.'

RCVS Knowledge has announced the launch of Vet History, a new way to access its archive of historical veterinary manuscripts, correspondence, clinical case notes and photographs illustrating the history of the British veterinary profession from 1800 to the present day.

Vet History is part of a five year project to improve access to and awareness of the wealth of material held by the College, which began with the appointment of a qualified archivist in October 2015 and the creation of the online database which includes descriptions of material catalogued to international archive standards. The catalogue will be fully searchable with biographical profiles for major persons featured in the collections.

The papers of the prolific veterinary author and army veterinarian Major General Sir Frederick Smith (1857-1929) are amongst the first collections to be fully catalogued and described online. The material covers the length of Smith’s career from case notes recording treatment of army horses in India in the 1880s to correspondence from the last 20 years of his life, in which he wrote a four volume history of veterinary literature. Smith was involved in the Army Veterinary Service during the Second Anglo-Boer War and the First World War, and his honest and candid accounts of the loss of horses by the Army illustrate fascinating aspects of veterinary, social and military history.

Chris Gush, Executive Director, RCVS Knowledge said: "The launch of the Archives catalogue covers a critical and fascinating time in the nation’s history, both for the advances in veterinary science and its role in marinating a functioning British military presence in the 19^th century. Through this unparalleled collection, RCVS Knowledge can be an invaluable source of information for academic research and the general public." 

The RCVS Vet History project is ongoing, and further collections will be catalogued periodically over the next four years. Visitors are encouraged to check the catalogue regularly, and follow RCVS Knowledge’s Twitter feed for news and updates.

To see behind the scenes of the Project, and find out more about highlighted items, follow the Historical Collections blog here.

The RCVS Vet History Project is supported by The ALBORADA Trust.

CVS is launching an app which will allow veterinary locums to see available shifts at its practices, negotiate rates, book shifts, message practices and submit invoices for payment.

The new app has been specifically developed for CVS, is unique to the group, and is owned by the company.

It is powered by LocumBell technology.

When registering on the app, locums can input their work preferences - including their skills, desired travel radius and preferred shift times - so that they are only served up shift advertisements relevant to them.

Users can also set up notifications for upcoming jobs.

The app then allows locums to set minimum shift rates, submit the rate they would like to receive for a shift and negotiate their fees directly with a practice.

Shifts can be then be booked or cancelled on the app at the touch of a button.

All upcoming booked shifts appear on the users’ calendar.

Once a shift has been completed, locums can submit the invoice for their work using the app.

The app allows locums to see every CVS practice invoice and its status, which CVS says will allow queries to be resolved quicker and payments issued faster.

The app is being rolled out to all of CVS's practices from this August.

Amy Hughes, Head of Recruitment at CVS, said: “Locum administration can be time-consuming – as locums first have to identify work, liaise with a practice and our central support team, to negotiate and book a shift, then complete all invoice paperwork.

"We wanted to remove that pain and make it easier for locums to work with us. 

The app is available for Apple devices on the App Store and for Android devices on the Play Store.

For any technical difficulties or assistance, contact: support@locumbell.com or call 0161 556 7685.

In case you've missed the start of the national celebrations, it's Feline Hypertension Awareness Month (FHAM), which offers an opener for dialogue with pet owners about the impact of hypertension on their cats.

The campaign is being fronted this year by a number of social media influencers, appropriately including Cat the Vet, aka Cat Henstridge (pictured right), Louisa The Vet and Alex And Bump.

Ceva has produced a number of materials to help practices get involved, including social media posts and templates which are now available from Ceva Territory Managers, or from the veterinary social media platform, Vet Social.

The company will also be launching an educational video that helps people recognise that older cats, and those with concurrent diseases, may have high blood pressure but show little in the way of recognisable signs. 

Suzanne Page, Veterinary Surgeon and Amodip Product Manager at Ceva, said: “This year, in recognition of how busy practices are, we wanted to give veterinary teams resources that provide a straightforward and simple way to raise feline hypertension awareness.

"Hypertension is so difficult for owners to notice, so we are working hard with influencers to spread the word.

"There will also be leaflets to share and a new website for cat owners at www.catbloodpressure.com.”

For those wanting to brush up on hypertension, there's Ceva's free CPD course, led by Dr Sarah Caney, Feline Medicine Specialist and CEO of Vet Professionals, available here.

Marc Abraham MRCVS, the Paul O’Grady Show’s resident vet is setting up a new website for pet owners www.thepet.net, described as being the first to use the power of social networks (think Facebook), to bring pet owners together to share and rate pet experiences, and help each other find the best their pet can get.

I think it'll fly, and if it does, it will be one for many in the profession to keep a close eye on. Reputations can (and have) be made or lost on these kinds of websites.

What's more, previous community sites for pet owners based on the more simple forum model have shown the danger of attracting, well, the nutters. I've seen at least two populated almost entirely by raw meaty bones evangelists firing false (or at least unproven) accusations at everyone from pet food manufacturers to individual vets. Worse than that, the same people seem to advocate alternative therapy for just about every medical condition under the sun. 'Heart failure you say? Wave some of these crystals over its tail'.

I can see pet owners flocking to this kind of site in their hordes. But for it to have any kind of credibility within the profession, I fear Mr Abraham will have to be absolutely ruthless in weeding out those who will inevitably try to use the site as a soapbox for extremist viewpoints. That'll be a challenge. I have first hand experience of just how tenacious some of these people are!

Novartis Animal Health has announced that it has assumed marketing responsibilities for the joint health supplement Cosequin in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Cosequin, which contains glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, is available in a range of presentations for dogs, cats, and horses.

The product, which was previously marketed by MSD, is the leading joint health supplement among veterinary surgeons in the US and Europe.

Novartis says Cosequin is an important addition to its Orthopaedic Health Category, which in 2009 introduced Onsior (robenacoxib), the first tissue-selective pain relief for cats and dogs.

Gaynor Hillier, General Manager UK & Ireland Novartis Animal Health said: "Our strategic intent is to expand our presence in orthopaedic health to address prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in a more comprehensive manner. Cosequin represents an important step toward achieving this objective".

Cosequin is available from Novartis Animal Health in the United Kingdom and Ireland, from licensed veterinary wholesalers. For more information on Cosequin, contact your Novartis Animal Health Territory Manager.

The BVA and RCVS have announced the formation of the Vet Futures Action Group to take forward the ambitions and recommendations in the Vet Futures report ‘Taking charge of our future: A vision for the veterinary profession for 2030’ launched in November 2015.

The call for applications attracted more than 80 candidates with many more expressing an interest in helping to take the project forward. 

The Action Group will be tasked with working collectively to turn the report’s 34 recommendations into clear actions with buy-in from across the veterinary profession and a timetable for activity. 

The Action Group is made up of the BVA and RCVS Presidents and Junior Vice-Presidents, seven veterinary surgeons, a veterinary nurse, and a co-opted veterinary student: 

• Dr Clare Allen MA VetMB PhD MRCVS – Senior Teaching Assistant for curriculum and innovation in the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge.
• Simon Doherty BVMS MRCVS CBiol FRSB – Owner and Director of Blackwater Consultancy and animal science expert for the Agri-Tech Organisation of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).
• Daniel Hogan RVN – Operations Manager at Dick White Referrals.
• Dr Liz Mossop BVM&S PhD MRCVS – Assistant Professor of Veterinary Education and Sub-Dean for Teaching, Learning and Assessment at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham.
• Gudrun Ravetz BVSc MRCVS  - BVA Junior Vice-President and Veterinary Consultant to Pet Health Plans from Denplan.
• Dr Kimberley Schiller BVetMed MRCVS – Manager in Healthcare Practice at Accenture, the global consultancy. 
• Dr Huw Stacey BVetMed DipAS(CABC) MRCVS – Director of Clinical Services at the Pets at Home Vet Group (PAHVG).
• Dr Mary Thomson BVMS MRCVS – small animal veterinary surgeon at New Street Vets in Devon, Vetlife Board member and RCVS Postgraduate Dean.
• Dr Chris Tufnell BSc (Hons) BVMS MRCVS  - RCVS Vice-President and Director of Coach House Vets, a small animal and equine practice in Berkshire.
• Dr Bradley Viner BVetMed MSc(VetGP) DProf MRCVS – RCVS President and Principal of Blythwood Vets, a group of small animal practices in North West London.
• Sean Wensley BVSc MSc Grad DMS MRCVS – BVA President and Senior Veterinary Surgeon for Communication and Education at the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA).
• Dr James Yeates BVSc BSc DWEL DipECVS(AWBM) PhD MRCVS – RSPCA Chief Veterinary Officer and honorary lecturer at the University of Bristol and University of Surrey.

The members of the Group joining the BVA and RCVS officers were selected by the Vet Futures Project Board for their mix of experience and expertise across the Vet Futures ambitions and themes (Animal health and welfare; Veterinary professionals’ wider roles in society; The health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals; Diverse and rewarding veterinary careers; Sustainable businesses and user-focused services; and Leadership), as well as in veterinary education, veterinary regulation, and veterinary nursing.

BVA President Sean Wensley said: "The Group has a very important task ahead and we are confident that we have an excellent group of people with the right balance of skills, experience and expertise to take forward the Vet Futures recommendations and turn them into concrete actions. 

"We have had an incredibly positive response from the profession to the launch of the report and we hope organisations and individuals will now step up to work with the Action Group and take ownership of the activity for the good of the whole profession."

RCVS President Bradley Viner said: "We were overwhelmed by the response from the professions with ten applications for every place, and many more offers of support. The Project Board was particularly impressed by the high quality of the applications and the breadth of experience demonstrated by the candidates from all parts of the profession. 

"It was incredibly difficult to select the members of the Group from such a strong field but we are pleased that we have captured the variety within the profession as well as the enthusiasm to drive the project forward. We sincerely hope everyone who expressed an interest will remain engaged with the project as it progresses this year."