Companion Care Vets has announced it will work in partnership with VetAbroad, an e-learning company that has been established to help vets who qualified outside the UK to develop a successful career within it.

Companion Care is the first veterinary group in the UK to enter into partnership with VetAbroad, with the aim that all new non-UK employees will complete the course.

According to the company, almost 30% of vets registered in the UK are from overseas and statistics show that one in three will leave the register in less than 24 months and 20% in less than 12 months. Statistics also highlight the likelihood of a non-UK vet to be struck off or suspended is six times higher than for a UK vet.

Jane Balmain, Managing Director of Companion Care Vets said: "Whilst we as a company offer as much support as possible to our team members from overseas and support their continued learning , we are delighted to be working in partnership with VetAbroad to utilise their training solutions and further enhance what we offer to team members who come from overseas. All new employees will be required to take the course and we will also be encouraging our current overseas vets to complete it."

The e-course covers social and professional adaptation, compliance with current legislation, teamwork, productivity, client care and communication skills and VetAbroad states that those taking the course will substantially increase their chances of retaining and obtaining a job in the UK.

Vet and founder of VetAbroad Luis Sainz-Pardos said: "The primary aim of our course is to help vets who have qualified overseas to swiftly integrate into the UK system. Vets who have taken the course will be aware of UK legislation and should be able to interact with colleagues, clients and patients to a UK standard. As a result, the problems often associated with employing non-UK vets to work in UK practices are greatly reduced. I am thrilled to be working in partnership with Companion Care Vets, a company that I believe is thriving due to its investment in its most important asset - people."

For further information about VetAbroad please visit www.vetabroad.com

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) has received a highly commended award at the Antibiotic Guardian Awards for their contribution to antibiotic stewardship.

It was the only organisation from the veterinary profession to be shortlisted.

The Antibiotic Guardian Awards were introduced this year by Public Health England (PHE) and aim to champion UK organisations and individuals who have demonstrated achievement in tackling antimicrobial resistance at a local, regional or national level.

BEVA first launched its Protect ME antimicrobial campaign in 2012 to coincide with European Antimicrobial Awareness day. The Association has launched additional resources each year to facilitate compliance and educate the public about the importance of antimicrobial awareness.  

Mark Bowen, President of BEVA and co-author of the Protect ME toolkit, said: "It is a great achievement for a veterinary organisation to be recognised alongside the human health sector which invariably has significantly more resources to support antimicrobial stewardship. Protect ME has had a fantastic uptake from the equine profession and are proud of the impact that it is having. BEVA is grateful to all who have contributed to its success, especially Wendy Furness and Jacky Paton of the Scarsdale veterinary group, Derby who trialled it prior to launch and adopted it fully within the practice."

The BEVA Protect ME toolkit is free to BEVA members and can be downloaded at www.beva.org.uk.

The RCVS Officers will be heading to Somerset, home ground of President Bob Moore, on Thursday 22 May for RCVS Question Time.

The Shrubbery Hotel in Ilminster is the venue for the final Regional Question Time of Bob Moore’s Presidential year, where he looks forward to seeing lots of familiar faces for a lively debate.

Veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and others involved in the profession are all welcome to attend the meeting, which kicks off at 6:30pm with a relaxing drink, a bite to eat and a chance to catch up with colleagues, followed by Question Time at 7:15pm. The meeting will finish at approximately 10:00pm.

Bob Moore will be chairing the meeting and the panel will be made up of the Officer team and Veterinary Nurses Council Chairman Andrea Jeffery, who will be answering your questions and concerns regarding the veterinary profession.

Hot topics expected to be raised on the night include the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme, a new Veterinary Surgeons Act, RCVS modular certificate, 24-hour cover, the Professional Development Phase and the non-statutory Register for veterinary nurses.

To book your place contact Fiona Clark at the RCVS on 020 7202 0773 or f.clark@rcvs.org.uk before 9 May 2008, or download an invitation at http://www.rcvs.org.uk/ and post it to the address supplied. All veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses living within reasonable travelling distance of the meeting venue will be sent a personal invitation.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, but have a question you would like to raise, please do write in.

In light of the currently worsening situation across the UK, the Welsh Government’s decision to impose a further lockdown, and the potential for tighter lockdown restrictions elsewhere in the country, the RCVS has produced two flow charts and two sets of temporary guidance on remote prescribing, to reflect the main two types of government restrictions a practice may be working under.

The two sets of guidance cover:

1. Circuit-break’ or ‘Fire-break’ lockdown conditions: FAQ2a and FAQ4a
   A ‘new’ flowchart which broadly represents a return to the College’s original guidance in April to undertake essential and emergency work only and with a temporary option to remote prescribe POM-Vs at an earlier stage, subject to certain conditions.
2. Tier 1, 2, or 3 restrictions: FAQ2b and FAQ4b
   The current flowchart which incorporates all of Council’s recent changes, including an expectation that a veterinary surgeon should first endeavour to bring an animal under their care before considering prescribing POM-Vs remotely, subject to certain conditions.

RCVS President Dr Mandisa Green said: “I would like to reassure my colleagues once again that we understand the extreme challenges and difficult decisions they are facing.

"The College has no interest in taking anyone to task for considered professional judgement, providing they act reasonably in the circumstances, can justify their actions and take reasonable notes.

"Sadly, we’re seeing the pandemic situation deteriorating again in the UK, but to varying degrees across the country. This presents a significant challenge in ensuring our guidance is clear and straightforward, while remaining relevant to as many people as possible.

"We sincerely hope this new guidance achieves that aim and supports veterinary professionals working to uphold animal health and welfare, while maintaining the safety of their teams and clients."

For more information, visit: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/coronavirus-covid-19/ 

Her Royal Highness Princess Anne has opened the Royal Veterinary College's new Teaching and Research Centre.

The Centre - at the college's Hawkshead Campus in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire - will provide a home for the RVC's lifestyle research, which includes conditions such as obesity/diabetes, chronic kidney disease and arthritis as well as those with genetic roots.

RVC Principal Professor Stuart Reid said: "The RVC is extremely proud to have welcomed Her Royal Highness to open the new Teaching and Research Centre - a facility where our students are taught within an environment that is all about advanced scientific discovery and first class research. The building houses the engine of academic enquiry and is a wonderful space where our academic community generates new insights into diseases that affect humans and animals.

"The Centre allows us to tie together the various threads we have around the study of illnesses that result from lifestyle in humans and animals, such as those associated with age or genetic disorders. Our College  collaborates with  the research hub that is the London scientific research community. We are extremely well placed to carry out the work in conjunction with human medical research groups and bring the veterinary perspective to the understanding of disease. The building offers new opportunities, both nationally and internationally".

Funding for the building of the new centre was provided by HEFCE and The Wolfson Foundation.

Photo: Paul West

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is marking Volunteers' Week, the annual celebration of the contribution volunteers make across the UK, by issuing a 'heartfelt' thanks to the veterinary nurses who have volunteered their time and expertise over the past 12 months, in support of the BEVA Trust.

The BEVA Trust is the Association’s philanthropic arm and in 2015 members decided that it should provide support for voluntary projects to help improve knowledge and welfare.

Since then volunteers have been rolling up their sleeves to help out with castration and welfare clinics in the UK and veterinary training schemes around the world.

Over the past 12 months a total of 42 vets and vet nurses have volunteered their time at seven BHS Education and Welfare Clinics throughout the UK.

They have helped microchip, passport, vaccinate and castrate horses recognised by Welfare Officers as needing help.

So far 598 horses and ponies have received passports and 302 been castrated.

The Trust has seen a further ten volunteers travel across the globe, working on projects in Cambodia, the Gambia, Honduras, Kiev, Nicaragua and the Ukraine.

BEVA President Vicki Nicholls said: "We thank all of the volunteers that make our Trust such a success, with special mention to Luke Edwards from the University of Liverpool and Alice Horne from Ddole Road Veterinary Clinic who have both volunteered at four clinics. We must also remember the good work of our industrious BEVA Council members and our excellent speakers at Congress this September, who are all volunteers."

For further information on BEVA Trust volunteer projects email lara@beva.org.uk to be added to the BEVA Trust mailing list. 

The BVA, SPVS and BVNA are calling on the Government to restrict the movement of dogs from countries with high levels of diseases like Brucella canis, which are currently not widely present in the UK, and introduce mandatory pre-import testing.

In the last four years, there has been an increase in the number of identified B. canis cases in the UK, which had previously been sporadic and isolated.

Data released by the Government shows that cases have risen from three reported before 2020 to 240 in the last three years.

Most dogs were either imported, had returned from holiday overseas, or been bred with an imported dog.

In 2022, the first UK case of dog-to-human transmission was reported, highlighting the risks to those handling and treating infected dogs and raising levels of concern within veterinary teams, although the BVA says the risk is relatively low.

The BVA, SPVS and BVNA joint policy calls on the Government to :

• Restrict the movement of dogs from countries that are endemic for diseases not currently considered endemic in the UK, after carrying out a risk assessment to determine for which countries and diseases testing should be implemented.
• Introduce testing for any relevant diseases as a mandatory requirement for dogs before travel to the UK.
• Improve border controls and increase enforcement to prevent the importation of puppies and pregnant bitches.

British Veterinary Association President Anna Judson said: “Vets are seriously concerned about the lack of adequate checks for potentially zoonotic diseases entering the country via imported dogs.

"Brucella canis is not currently considered to be widespread in the UK, so a proactive approach with an emphasis on reducing the risk of this and other worrying exotic diseases being brought into the UK is crucial.

“This is important both for the health of the UK’s dogs and the humans who care for them."

https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/our-policies/brucella-canis 

Zoetis Business Consulting has announced the launch of Profitsolver, a software tool designed to boost practice profits.

The software has already been rolled out in the US, where Zoetis says that it has delivered an average of £103,000 extra profit to veterinary practices within a year.

Profitsolver uses the practice's actual data - not benchmarks or accepted norms - to enable the practice to manage costs, set prices and gain return on investments. By using an activity-based costing model and using a variety of data such as practice costs, which staff perform which part of the procedure, how long the procedure takes and what equipment and materials are used, Profitsolver calculates the correct pricing to both cover costs and deliver a predetermined profit margin.

Zoetis says that Profitsolver helps practices to understand how the overall practice profit is being generated. For instance, for price sensitive procedures such as vaccination, the practice can match their prices with the competition, but maintain their profit margin by increasing the price for other clinical services.

Nick Steele, national consulting manager at Zoetis said: "Veterinary practices have no standard method for pricing their services and they are often unable to determine which services make money and which don't. This hampers the practice's ability to accurately value the business and, as a result, profit levels tend to be low for many practices. Profitsolver can turn this situation around and already has a very successful track record in the US."

Zoetis piloted the UK version of Profitsolver with John Goulding at St Georges Veterinary Group. He said: "By and large the veterinary profession still relies on the mark-up of medicines where profits are concerned. Even practices that have made a concerted effort to move away from this type of pricing structure are still making their money from the sale of medicines rather than from vets' fees. For years I have wanted to know exactly how to price our services and this new Profitsolver software does just that.

"Most costs have an element of staff time, an element of fixed assets or equipment and an element of disposable items. Profitsolver takes all of these into account, adds the predetermined profit margin and produces an accurate pricing structure for each procedure undertaken within the practice.

"It's important to take the time at the start to put accurate data in from the practice's latest set of accounts and the Zoetis business consultant will guide practices through this to make the initial set up as easy as possible. For instance, for major pieces of equipment such as X-ray machines, you have to work out how many times a year you are likely to use them.

"By using Profitsolver, we worked out that if we do exactly the same amount of work as last year we can increase our bottom line by at least £200,000 for our 18 vet practice. Since last November, when we installed Profitsolver, we have completely changed our pricing structure moving away from focusing on medicines and the size of the animal to rethink how we charge our clinical care.

"An unexpected benefit is that Profitsolver has made me much more confident about the prices we charge to clients as it is all broken down, so we can see exactly how the invoice is made up. I would be at a loss without it now."

For more information about Profitsolver, contact your Zoetis account manager.

This week, the RCVS will be sending every veterinary surgeon its Survey of the Profession, designed amongst other things to help the College and other organisations prioritise the issues they tackle and the support they offer.

The survey is conducted every four to five years and asks vets to answer questions about a variety of subjects including demographic data (for example, socio-economic background, educational attainment, race/ethnicity, disability), work-related data (for example, employment status, location of workplace, type of workplace, hours of work, position in practice) and information about professional achievement (for example, hours of continuing professional development (CPD) undertaken and extra qualifications earned).

The survey, which is conducted on the College’s behalf by the Institute for Employment Studies, also ask respondents about their views on different aspects of their profession, including career plans, challenges facing the profession, and wellbeing. 

This year, the survey also asks for your view of the RCVS, including its values, how it should communicate, and what it should prioritise in future years.

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO (pictured right), said: "The results of the Surveys form a very important ‘snapshot’ of the profession at a given point in time, but they also prove useful for years to come in terms of how the College develops its regulatory and educational policy, the areas it chooses to focus on and the issues it chooses to tackle. 

"The ensuing reports are also used by a myriad of other individuals, such as those in academia, government and representative bodies, as well as journalists. It’s therefore really important that we have as accurate a picture as possible. So although completing the Surveys is entirely voluntary, we strongly encourage members of the professions to take the time to complete them. It will, ultimately, help the development of appropriate and supportive policies for your profession."

In addition to the main survey, there will be an additional survey for MsRCVS who practise overseas. This survey aims to better understand why they continue to retain their MRCVS status, what this status means in the countries in which they work, global attitudes towards the RCVS and how the College could improve its communication with them.

David Rendle, president elect of the British Equine Veterinary Association, is highlighting the plight of Ukrainian horses after returning from a trip to the Ukraine-Poland border to deliver veterinary supplies earlier this week.

David says that whilst he was out there, he was told about attacks by Russian forces on stables in Bucha, Irpin and other equestrian premises north of Kyiv.

Ukraine vet Anatoly Levitsky who is working in Kyiv, said: “Not very big horse club was not far from Borodianka and owners were using their horses for hippotherapy of children with different pathologies.

"When war started, the lady who owned the stable and her child emigrated to Poland and her husband was conscripted into Ukrainian army.

"When Russian bandits in army uniform came to the village, they set fire to the stable and started shooting the horses that tried to escape.” 

“Some horses ran away, others were wounded, and some were burned down.

"After the building was burned, Russian soldiers went away and horses that escaped were wandering around the village and trying to find the feed.

"Step by step, people living in the village collected the horses and keep one or two horses in their yards.”

David said: “It is hard to understand what could motivate anyone to perform these deliberate acts of cruelty. 

"Random shootings, stabbings and burnings are widely reported and pictured on social media, we have no idea how many horses are dead and how many injured, but it has to be a significant number.

“Some of the lorry drivers I have met coming out have been shot at, shelled and beaten up, evacuating surviving horses.

"They are taking risks that we would consider totally unacceptable to move animals out and supplies in.

"I have nothing but admiration for the bravery of the Ukrainian people.”

“Ever conscious that there is an equal humanitarian need you feel very small and rather cowardly that you aren’t permitted to go into Ukraine to help the people and animals that require treatment.”

The British Equine Veterinary Association and American Association of Equine Practitioners are working together to support vets in Ukraine.

They say that they are not allowed to provide direct practical help, but they are doing what they can to get veterinary and humanitarian supplies to the vets they are in contact with.

They are also working to establish safe stables in the West of Ukraine to get horses and their owners away from likely areas of combat in the East.

Previously people have had no option but to turn horses into the woods prior to fleeing or they have stayed to look after their animals despite the risks to themselves.

BEVA, in association with the British Equestrians for Ukraine Fund, is calling for urgent support to help fund veterinary treatment, supplies and the safe relocation of Ukraine’s endangered horses.

To do this they need your urgent support. To make a donation visit https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/support-us/appeals/british-equestrians-for-ukraine-fund. 

To find out more you can listen to a podcast from David Rendle here https://beva.podbean.com/e/bevapod-episode-13/ 

Photo: Stabling reportedly burned down by Russian soldiers

Novartis Animal Health has announced that Crovect 1.25% Pour-On solution for sheep, a broad spectrum ectoparasiticide, is now licenced for the treatment of ticks, with a persistent efficacy of ten weeks and the majority killed within three hours.

Crovect also works in the treatment and control of headflies, the treatment of biting lice, and the prevention and treatment of blowfly strike in sheep.

Crovect has a meat withhold period of eight days. Novartis says this makes Crovect the long-lasting tick treatment with the shortest meat withhold period available, which is of use to farmers taking lambs to market at this time of year.

Helen Langham, Brand Manager at Novartis Animal Health said: "Farmers now have another option available for effective and long lasting tick treatment for their flocks, and one that can be flexibly used in lambs to be marketed. This should greatly reduce the worry of tick infestation along with the associated welfare and economic problems, and we are pleased to bring this solution to the market".

Ceva Animal Health has highlighted a new study which revealed that the use of the opioid buprenorphine, the active ingredient in Vetergesic, before equine elective general anaesthesia and surgery resulted in better post-operative analgesia than butorphanol, without causing further physiological disruption than is normally expected of general anaesthesia in horses.

The prospective, randomised and blinded multicentre study, conducted by Dr Polly Taylor VetMB MA PhD DVA DipECVAA MRCA MRCVS, an RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia, compared the degree of post-operative pain and physiological variables in horses following premedication with either buprenorphine or butorphanol in a general clinical setting. The study included 89 healthy adult horses from six UK equine veterinary clinics admitted for routine elective surgical procedures.

Ceva says that butorphanol is often used in equine procedures due to familiarity and its value for enhancing alpha2-induced sedation, but that it is probably the least effective opioid as an analgesic. There is also a common perception that butorphanol has less impact on locomotor stimulation and depression of intestinal motility than other opioids. This is likely to have contributed to the almost exclusive use of NSAIDs to manage pain in the post-operative period.

To view the full study, visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.12442/abstract. For details on Ceva's analgesic product range, email analgesics-group@ceva.com or call 01494 781510.