At the heart of the new system is a transportable monitor (pictured right) which starts automatically after you connect two sensors and press the power button.
The system uses the handheld Darvall H100N Pulse Oximeter, which uses Nellcor OxiMax pulse oximetry technology.
It also comes with veterinary blood pressure NIBP small animal cuffs which are designed for accurate pressure detection in exotic animals, cats, and all sizes of dog.
Completing the Darvall Express system is the Darvall Capnograph which continuously measures the EtCO2 and respiratory rate, and features EtCO2 waveform Cardiac Oscillation artifact detection, for correct respiratory rate determination.
There's a default system set-up for cats and small dogs, a colour-coded display and a ten-hour battery life.
Darvall says the monitor has been thoroughly tested at veterinary practices in Australia, where it displayed outstanding performance in small dogs and cats, which are notoriously difficult to get reliable readings.
Darvall founder, Dr Colin Dunlop said: “Anaesthetic monitoring plays a vital role in keeping patients safe, giving peace of mind to the hospital veterinary team, and boosting pet owner confidence in the care their pet is receiving.
"This is vitally important when you remember mortality in veterinary patients is many times higher than in human hospital practice”.
http://www.aasmedical.co.uk
The 1CPD homepage now displays two progress bars: one to track the number of CPD hours currently achieved and recorded, and another to show how many hours have been reflected on.
Once the number of required CPD hours has been recorded and reflected on, a message appears to tell the user that they're CPD compliant.
This change will not affect existing CPD records, and all previously inputted activities and reflections will remain in the system.
Jenny Soreskog-Turp, RCVS Lead for Postgraduate Education, said: “We hope that the changes to the 1CPD platform will allow people to track their CPD more easily.
"A key element in outcomes-focused CPD includes reflecting on what you have learned as this is known to have a positive impact on both personal professionalism and patient-health outcomes.
“It should be noted that any CPD you have already undertaken for this year but have not yet reflected on will still remain in the system.
"However, in order to be compliant for 2023, you must reflect on every CPD activity completed.
"If you have completed your hours but have not reflected, this will show as non-compliant.
"In order to make those hours count, you simply need to go back and add your reflections.
"This doesn’t have to be a long and onerous task – uploading audio notes, adding an attachment, or writing a few notes stating what you learnt and how you will use this newly acquired knowledge moving forward will all suffice.”
www.rcvs.org.uk/cpd
The programme is comprised of one "Coffee with our Clinicians" session and two "Clinical Club evenings", both delivered using Microsoft Teams.
Paragon’s clinical director, Sophie Adamantos, said: "Coffee with our Clinicians is an opportunity to listen to two or more specialists discussing, and taking questions, on clinical cases and conundrums.
“Clinical Club will feature longer, more in-depth presentations by our clinicians from different disciplines discussing specific themes, treatments and developments."
The events are as follows:
To sign up for any of the CPD sessions, visit www.paragonreferrals.co.uk/veterinary-professionals/cpd
Backed by RJD Partners, the directors bought the company back from Benchmark Plc for a reported £12.75M after it decided to divest itself of all non-aquaculture-related assets.
Improve says that under its new leadership, it plans to expand its e-learning portfolio significantly, harnessing technologies like video teaching and virtual/augmented reality to offer a richer learning experience.
The company will continue to offer attended modular training options as well as small group practical teaching sessions at its wet labs in Swindon and Sheffield. It says these events will complement its online programmes and will provide stand-alone training for vets wishing to learn new surgical and diagnostic skills.
In collaboration with its assessment partner, the International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ISVPS), Improve will be developing new distance-learning programmes, together with exams that can be taken remotely.
Improve also plans further geographical expansion, including running programmes in languages including French, Spanish, German and Chinese.
Dr Heber Alves (pictured right) is Improve’s new CEO. He is supported by a management team that includes Improve founder Dr David Babington, Business Development Director and Mr John Douglass, UK Managing Director.
Heber said: “Improve is fully owned by a team of experienced veterinary and business professionals with a unique understanding of the profession’s training needs at a global level. Even better, we are backed by a private equity partner with a strong track record in professional education and a commitment to supporting our growth, both organically and through acquisition.
“We start this new chapter in a world changed irrevocably by COVID-19. It is a world in which veterinary professionals are demanding more flexible ways of learning and showing a hunger to achieve additional qualifications. With this in mind, we will be working to offer a combination of high quality practical, remote and blended learning that will make the achievement of a postgraduate qualification a realistic ambition for every vet."
The company says the Elekta Infinity linear accelerator is the only one of its kind for pets in England.
It features a multi-leaf collimator for very accurate shaping of the radiation beam and a six-degrees-of-freedom couch top designed so the patient can be positioned to reduce or eliminate radiation doses to critical organs.
CVS says the new machine will allow the centre to offer cutting edge treatments such as stereotactic radiation therapy, where high dose rates of focused beams are delivered with high precision over a shortened treatment course.
This, the company claims, will mean fewer, shorter sessions, fewer side effects and the best possible chance of improved outcomes for the animal.
Delphine Holopherne-Doran, Clinical Director at Bristol Vet Specialists, said: “Our new hospital will be at the forefront of cancer care in animals.
“The linear accelerator is state of the art, and allows us to offer advanced, image-guided radiation treatments - for example intensity-modulated or stereotactic radiation therapy.
"The advantage to these treatments is that they will allow a more “hard-hitting” treatment of the tumour, with greater safety for the patient’s healthy tissue.
"It will draw many tumours into the realm of treatability.”
Based at Central Park, Avonmouth, Bristol Vet Specialists referral hospital is due for completion this Autumn.
Nurtured Pets has launched the Anti-Lick Strip PreventTM, ProTM and Pro CTM, billed as an alternative to the clumsy and uncomfortable e-collar.
The Anti-Lick Strips deter animals from licking, biting or chewing of hot spots, granulomas and surgical sites. According to the company, they are also an effective deterrent to prevent such behaviours brought on by anxiety, boredom or even insect bites.
Hayley Booth, product manager at Nutured Pets said: "The UK pet market has been crying out for products like these for years. The unique bandages have medical grade adhesive on one side and all-natural active ingredients on the other. The combination of cayenne pepper, lemon powder, clove oil and oregano delivers a natural deterrent to the animal's nose and tongue to prevent it from interfering with the affected area.
"The Pro and Pro C are made exclusively for vets; the Pro can be used for direct application onto the pet's fur, ideal for securing IVs or catheters, the Pro C has a stronger adhesive and is ideal for over-wrapping gauze and cast materials.
"The Prevent then provides a profitable over the counter version for take home use. The preventative nature of these pet plasters may help promote healing and lessons the chance of infection, inflammation or re-opened wounds. In clinical trials, pets avoided the Anti-Lick Strip over 90% of the time proving these unique bandage strips really do work.
"The innovative features and benefits of the products themselves combined with extensive retail marketing support and highly visible point of sale display materials mean they're a must have for every vet practice."
For more information or a product sample, visit www.nurturedpets.co.uk or call 02476 302 222.
The RSPCA has reported a dramatic increase in the number of cats being abandoned.
The number of abandonments reported to the RSPCA was 10,610 in 2010, a 28% increase on the number reported in 2009 (8,310), and a 40% increase on the number in 2008 (7,609).
The charity received 205 reports of cats being shot in 2010, more or less the same as the year before. However, the charity says anecdotal reports suggest the number of cats being attacked (including being set upon by dogs or thrown from buildings) is increasing.
RSPCA chief veterinary officer, Alastair Macmillan, said: "The news of massive rises in abandonments and other attacks is alarming and shows a frightening trend in cat abuse and neglect. We don't know why we are seeing such increases and hope that people are not starting to see cats as worthless things which can be targeted with weapons or just dumped when people don't want to care for them anymore".
The RCVS has introduced a new online recording system for graduates starting their Professional Development Phase (PDP).
The new PDP database sits as a module within the Professional Development Record (PDR), launched by the RCVS in April to help veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses plan, evaluate and record their CPD.
Freda Andrews, RCVS Head of Education said: "Bringing the PDP into the new Professional Development Record shows clearly how this stage of a vet's development is part of the continuum of professional development that starts at university and continues for as long as they practise. We are also developing a system for students to record their practical and clinical experience whilst at university and, once this is complete next year, the PDR will become a complete record of professional lifelong learning."
Like the rest of the PDR, the new PDP module offers extra space for notes, and allows documents such as case reports and presentations to be uploaded and stored. Responding to feedback from users of the old PDP system, the new interface is designed to be more user friendly than the previous PDP database, and contains interactive help, guidance on PDP and an easier means of recording case numbers against the clinical skills lists. All new graduates from 2012 are able to sign up to use the new PDP site and, once their account is activated, they will also be able to use the CPD area to record any additional CPD they might undertake.
Graduates from previous years who are still undertaking their PDP using the old database may continue on the old system for the time being, although at some stage within the next year or so, the old site will need to be archived. Anyone who would prefer to use the new system instead should contact the PDP administrator at the RCVS to discussed transferring (pdp@rcvs.org.uk 020 7202 0736). As the skills lists have changed slightly, however, an automatic transfer of data from the old to the new isn't possible.
The PDP links the 'Day One' competences that veterinary surgeons have achieved when they graduate to the 'Year One' competences which they are expected to have achieved after about a year in practice. Each vet's progress through the PDP is supervised by a Postgraduate Dean, and its completion also requires sign-off from the veterinary surgeon's employer or mentor.
For more information, or to sign up to the PDP, visit www.rcvs.org.uk/pdp.
Dr. Lauren Finka, a researcher at the University of Lincoln, has developed L-CAT, a new tool for assessing behaviour in cats at rehoming centres and help match them to the ideal new home.
During the course of her PhD studies, which were part funded by COAPE (Centre of Applied Pet Ethology), Lauren discovered inconsistencies in the current models and perceptions of behaviour traits used in re-homing cats.
For example, one of the most common behaviours associated with affection towards humans is the activity of rubbing. Initial results suggested that this is often very inconsistent, as are several other behaviours that were previously thought to to be important in assessing a cat's underlying temperament. Dr Finka’s studies showed that it all depends much more on the specifics of the physical and social context of interactions and that these may change on a daily basis. It was found that on one day a cat might rub against a person ten times, but the next day rub against the same person only once.
The Lincoln Cat Assessment Tool (L-CAT) was developed during this research. COAPE says it is the first of its kind to offer a suitably robust, reliable and easy-to-use way of assessing behaviour in cats at re-homing centres, as well in predicting new owner satisfaction based on those assessments.
The organisation goes on to say that the potential welfare implications of this research are substantial, enabling cats to be properly but rapidly assessed, optimally managed, and suitably matched with would-be owners and thus shortening the length of time cats might spend in the re-homing centre.
L-CAT was tested to establish the possibility of predicting the future behaviour of cats after they had been adopted, as well as gauging how satisfied owners were likely to be with their cats. COAPE says the results generally confirmed that these outcomes were indeed possible, meaning re-homing staff could also use L-CAT to help manage the expectations of owners and potentially improve their satisfaction.
For more information, visit: www.coape.org
It's just over a year since microchipping became compulsory for dogs and according to Defra, 95% of dogs are now chipped.
However, the PDSA PAW Report 2016 showed that only 20% of Britain's 11m cats live an indoor-only life, meaning that there are 9 million 'free-range' cats at risk of getting lost if they stray too far from home.
The PDSA report also found 91% of veterinary professionals in the UK believe microchipping should be compulsory for cats.
Bayer says that advice to dog owners this year should focus on the importance of keeping their chip registration details up to date, after a BVA survey found 44% of veterinary surgeons still cannot reunite missing or stray dogs with their owners due to incorrect chip information being stored on the databases.1
Hannah Watts, Product Manager at Bayer said: "Until microchipping becomes compulsory in cats, vets will need to play a crucial role in helping increase the number of UK cats that are microchipped. National Microchipping month provides a great opportunity for vets to raise the subject with owners and to take advantage of the increased awareness and interest in the subject throughout June. With so many dogs now microchipped, ensuring owners are aware of the need to update their details on the microchipping database is an equally important educational message for vets to convey."
Bayer says that during National Microchipping Month, it will be actively driving pet owners into veterinary practices across the country to discuss the benefits of microchipping with their veterinary surgeon. It will also be trying to ensure pet owners understand the importance of keeping the details stored on their pet’s microchip database up to date.
To help drive home the message, Bayer has also developed a range of new marketing and support materials for practices to display throughout June.
To order National Microchipping Month support materials, visit www.vetcentre.bayer.co.uk or speak to your Bayer Territory Manager.
Reference
Phovia is a two-part FLE system consisting of a chromophore gel that is applied to the affected skin and a blue light LED lamp.
When used together they produce light of varying wavelengths that penetrates the skin to different depths, which Vetoquinol says helps to control bacteria and reduce inflammation on the surface of the skin and stimulates regeneration in the epidermal and dermal layers.
The unit is portable, and applications take four minutes once a week.
After diagnosis and subsequent recommendation by a veterinary surgeon, any trained member of the clinical team can use Phovia.
For the study, which was led by Dr. Andrea Marchegiani, nine female dogs that had undergone unilateral or bilateral mastectomy for mammary neoplasia had half their wounds treated with FLE, whilst the other half served as the control and received no FLE.
To assess the potential benefits of FLE in reducing infection risk, swabs were taken for culture and sensitivity three, five and seven days after surgery.
The swabs from all FLE-managed wound portions showed no bacterial growth, in contrast to the control wounds, in which three dogs had positive culture results.
Andrea said: “For many reasons healing of surgical wounds can become challenging, especially after removal of mammary gland lumps.
"Veterinary clinicians have to face the three-fold challenge of meeting owner expectations of prompt and trouble-free wound healing, recognising those wounds in which healing may be prolonged or impaired and also following the principles of antibiotic stewardship.”
The study concluded that the research underscores the value of Phovia as a significant adjunct to conventional postoperative care in veterinary medicine, offering the dual benefits of reducing potential infection risks and lessening the home care burden for pet owners.
FLE’s application could potentially replace certain topical treatments and improve overall compliance by simplifying the administration of home therapies, thereby relieving pet owners of some responsibilities associated with postoperative care.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/8/1250
MSD says that no other UK-licensed BRD vaccine can be administered earlier in life and that the onset of immunity for BRSV is 6 days (for calves vaccinated from the day of birth onwards) and 5 days (for calves vaccinated from the age of one week onwards).
Onset of immunity for Pi3V is one week after vaccination. The duration of immunity is 12 weeks for both viruses.
From a practical standpoint, the new license means Bovilis Intranasal RSP Live can now be used on farm at the same time as other early life interventions associated with newborn calves – for example, colostrum/first milk feeding, navel management, tagging, jacketing and necessary pen movements.
Additionally, Bovilis Intranasal RSP Live can be used up to six hours after mixing with the solvent, which MSD says is the longest of all the available intranasal vaccines for these pathogens.
The vaccine is supplied as a nasal suspension product that doesn’t need a specific applicator – although for maximum flexibility an easy-clean injector and nozzle kit is available for vaccinating multiple animals.
The vaccine is available in 5x1 dose, 5 dose and 5x5 dose packs.
They say that dogs which lose sensation following damage to the spinal cord from a slipped disc have a prognosis for recovery of about 50%.
However, there is no reliable way of determining which dog will recover and failing that, owners must wait weeks to months to see if there are any signs of recovery, during which time dogs may need anaesthesia, surgery, and intensive nursing care.
The researchers say that the stiffness of an organ can be a marker of how damaged it is.
So, for the research, a new ultrasound machine equipped with an advanced piece of software (known as ‘shear wave elastography’) – will be used to measure the stiffness of a dog’s spinal cord during surgery.
The dog’s recovery to walking after surgery will then be monitored routinely.
The results will allow researchers to see if a relationship between spinal cord stiffness at time of surgery and recovery exists.
If successful, this would help them provide a more accurate prognosis for dogs with spinal cord injury in the future.
If you have a case suitable for this study, CVS says they will receive a gold standard treatment for spinal cord injury, which will include spinal surgery.
They will also have an ultrasound of the spinal cord performed during surgery, a procedure taking approximately 15 minutes.
Contact referrals@highcroftvet.co.uk or nicolas.granger@bristolvetspecialists.co.uk.
BVS Neurology study from CVS (UK) Ltd on Vimeo.
The new formula also contains crataegus, L-carnitine and magnesium taurate, and is designed to be used alongside all heart medications.
Alongside the launch of the new product, Vita has also created an infographic highlighting the common signs of heart disease in dogs.
https://vitaanimalhealth.com/common-signs-of-heart-disease
https://vitaanimalhealth.com/product/omnicardio-plus
The two companies have agreed to jointly discover and develop species-specific therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for companion animals, a class of drug which they say is neglected in veterinary medicine but offers a variety of future therapeutic options for diseases that cannot be adequately treated today.
adivo will select species-specific antibodies using its proprietary fully canine phage display library. Bayer Animal Health will provide targets involved in severe animal diseases.
Dr. Douglas Hutchens, Bayer Animal Health’s Head of Drug Discovery, External Innovation & Chief Veterinary Officer, said: "Today’s agreement is another example of how we realize our innovation strategy
"By combining the know-how from creative start-up companies like adivo with opportunities derived from Bayer’s research, we broaden our space of therapeutic medicine options and complement our portfolio.
"We are constantly looking for innovative technologies that enable us to generate novel treatment options for the companion animal sector. Now, we will focus on evolving the options presented by adivo from research and development to market maturity."
Dr. Kathrin Ladetzki-Baehs, Managing Director of adivo said: "At adivo, we truly believe that pets have a positive impact on our society. By developing novel medicines for companion animals, we want to make a difference for veterinarians and pet-parents. Today, we are more than pleased and excited to have gained such a committed and experienced collaboration partner, to jointly develop new treatment options."
The new facilities include an emergency and critical care unit, a dental suite, seven operating theatres, a medicine investigation room, new fluoroscopy equipment and a 1.5T high-field MRI scanner.
Eastcott's clinical director Duncan Barnes said: “Our amazing team of clinicians, nurses, physiotherapists and administrative staff have worked hard to maintain an excellent standard of service throughout this period of development.
"We have also been fortunate to recruit wonderful new team members to be able to provide a comprehensive service with real strength in depth."
Managing director Peter Southerden added: “We have invested a lot of time, money and energy into ensuring we can deliver the highest quality of care to our patients and we’re very proud of the results.
"It’s no exaggeration to say our wide range of medical facilities can now be regarded as human-standard - that’s how determined we are to provide the best treatment by utilising the latest technology and equipment.
"We have a purpose-built ECC unit with all the latest intensive care equipment, including its own laboratory, critical care cribs, temperature, intensive care kennels, ventilator and defibrillator.
"We have also created what we believe is one of the best dentistry suites in the world, befitting our world-class dental specialists.
"There are seven operating theatres, which include a dedicated ophthalmology and interventional radiography theatres.
"We also provide a comprehensive and coordinated approach to cancer care, with a dedicated chemotherapy room where our specialist-led, internal medicine team is able to appropriately select and administer the full range of treatments.
"We have 10 consultation rooms and have doubled the number of kennels to almost 100 so we have upgraded, extended and expanded on virtually every front."
To view an interactive map of the new facilities at Eastcott Veterinary Referrals, visit: www.eastcottreferrals.co.uk/new.
The company has won the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) 'Best Graduate Onboarding and Induction Activities Programme.' (Dear god. Not to take anything away from Vets4Pets' considerable achievement, but is it just me that finds it like fingernails on a blackboard when people take a perfectly serviceable preposition like 'on board' and turn it into a verb?).
Gordon Dunn, People Director at Vets4Pets, said: “As a leading UK veterinary employer, we view it as our personal responsibility to fully prepare graduates at the beginning of their career. This includes, but isn’t limited to, ensuring they are equipped with the right skills and behaviours to forge their own individual career pathway, and increase the chances of them remaining in the profession.
"The induction and onboarding of our graduates forms the lynchpin of our programme, and clearly sets out what is to come. Being recognised for the work we’re doing to develop the next generation of veterinary talent is a huge celebration for us and is a testimony to the investment made and hard work over the last few years to develop and evolve a world-class development programme. We’re extremely proud to be recognised for this achievement.”
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) are carrying out a survey of equine practitioners to discover, amongst other things, just how common Cushing's disease is internationally.
The 16-question survey was launched this month and will be available for a further six months at www.wcvm.com/veterinarians/cushings_survey.php
Dr. James Carmalt, an equine surgeon and associate professor in the WCVM's Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences said: "Our objective is to determine the true prevalence of Cushing's disease worldwide, because until now, previous surveys were only based in the U.S."
Dr. Carmalt is also a PhD student in equine neurophysiology through the western Canadian veterinary college's Department of Veterinary Pathology. He and his graduate supervisor, veterinary pathologist Dr. Andrew Allen, are beginning to explore a new treatment methodology for equine Cushing's disease.
Researchers will use practitioners' responses to the brief survey to determine the incidence of the disease and the most common treatment protocols being used by practitioners in countries around the world. They also want to evaluate the need for developing new treatment methodologies. Dr Carmalt said: "Right now, the only available treatment for Cushing's disease requires daily dosing of medications for the rest of the horse's life. It's onerous, time consuming and a huge management challenge.
"If the responses from this survey reflect our impression that practitioners need a new option to offer their clients, our ultimate goal is to develop a one-time treatment for the disease so daily medications for Cushing's disease become unnecessary."
For more information about the Cushing's disease survey for equine practitioners, please contact Dr. James Carmalt (james.carmalt@usask.ca). As part of the survey, practitioners can also provide their email addresses if they wish to receive a copy of the survey results.
The ‘Advances in Diabetes’ module, taking place at BSAVA Congress 2024 in Manchester Central, will offer delegates the chance to hear first-hand from the clinical researchers and specialists who have used these drugs, such as Dr Ellen Behrend, Prof Ian Ramsey, Prof Stijn Niessen, and Dr Anna Lena Kramer.
Stijn said: “Although not suited as a sole therapeutic for dogs, the current data suggests that a majority of diabetic cats could be treated with once daily oral formulations of these drugs.
“Some of the past barriers to successful long term diabetic treatment included the owner having to inject insulin twice daily and having to watch for hypoglycaemia.
"These lifelong impacts on the owner’s lifestyle are now being taken away.”
Delegates will also be able to learn about advances in the monitoring of canine diabetes, such as the use of Freestyle Libre monitors and haemoglobin A1c, as well as a review of recent developments and management practices for ‘complicated’ cases.
Stijn added: “Gone are the days that we saw diabetes mellitus as a disease; instead, it is the consequence of one or many diseases.
“As such we now ought to approach diabetic cases with a much more open mind and being willing to try and determine the exact aetiology of the diabetes mellitus, doing so can pay off and prevent a diabetic case from becoming a complicated case.”
Ellen added: “Although diabetic ketoacidosis is no more common with the use of SGLT2-inhibitors, it is more likely to be euglycemic with a blood glucose <13.9 mmol/L.
"The recognition of euglycemic ketoacidosis and the correct approach of treatment is crucial.”
Stjn concluded: “Each patient is an individual and therefore diagnosis, treatment and monitoring practices should be adapted to the individual pet-owner combination.
Vets must adjust their approaches significantly when using these drugs, the ‘Advances in Diabetes’ module will provide an in-depth look at these adjustments.”
Delegates will also be able to get their hands on the brand new fifth edition of the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Endocrinology, which includes a chapter on feline diabetes mellitus that discusses various treatments including the use of SGLT2-inhibitors.
Jacquie Rand, author of the chapter said: “SGLT2-Inhibitors will be a game-changer for diabetic cats and their owners. However, it is important that cats are diagnosed earlier in the disease process while some insulin secretory capacity is present, for these to be used as the sole drug therapy.”
The BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Endocrinology will be available to purchase on the BSAVA Publications Stand in the Exhibition Hall. ‘Advances in Diabetes’ will take place on Thursday 21st March in the Exchange Hall.
Registration for BSAVA members starts at £115 +VAT for a one-day event pass.
https://www.bsavacongress.com.
Illustration: What a presentation about SGLT2-Inhibitors might look like (this has been photoshopped)
Dechra Veterinary Products has launched Ketodale, an anti-inflammatory injection for cattle, horses and swine.
Ketodale contains the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ketoprofen 100mg/ml. It is indicated for use in cattle and swine for diseases associated with inflammation, pain or fever. In cattle these include respiratory diseases, mastitis, osteoarticular and muscular-skeletal disorders, such as lameness and arthritis, and to ease pain post parturition. Ketodale can be used to treat swine suffering from Mastitis Metritis Agalactia (MMA) Syndrome and respiratory tract infections.
In horses, Ketodale is indicated for diseases affecting the osteoarticular and muscular-skeletal system associated with pain and inflammation. These include naviculitis, arthritis and laminitis. It can also be used for post-surgical inflammation and symptomatic therapy of colic and fever.
Ketodale is available in 50ml and 100ml vials.
To coincide with the product's launch, Dechra is carrying out a direct marketing campaign. Practices can take advantage of a special launch offer where they can purchase four vials and get a fifth free. The offer is available for a limited period only.
To find out more about Ketodale, call Dechra on 01743 441 632 or visiting www.dechra.com
The PIC decision marked the conclusion of its investigation into a concern that was raised formally last November involving allegations of bullying at Professor Argyle’s workplace, the University of Edinburgh.
Professor Argyle, who had previously decided to step aside from his JVP and Council duties until the concern was investigated and concluded, said: “Despite this outcome from the PIC discussions, I have now made the challenging decision to stand down from my position at the RCVS. This is to ensure there is no further distraction to the College’s important work and activities and that whoever becomes the next JVP has the full support of Council and RCVS members.
"It is also to reduce the toll this situation has taken on my family, colleagues and students, and on me personally. I am proud and privileged to have served on RCVS Council for nearly ten years and wish it well as it navigates the next chapter in its history."
RCVS President Mandisa Greene said: “I appreciate that this has been an exceptionally difficult situation and very upsetting for all involved.
"I understand why David has taken the difficult decision to stand down from RCVS Council and would like to thank him for his many years of service to the RCVS since joining Council in 2012.
"I would also like to reassure colleagues once again that, throughout, the College has remained firmly committed to following due, proper and fair process in all its regulatory activities."
Following Professor Argyle’s decision to step down, the process for electing a new JVP for the current presidential year will commence.
As Professor Argyle was a Veterinary Schools Council appointee on RCVS Council, it will be for that body to elect a replacement Council member.
Further details will be announced in due course.
Referral Centre VRCC reports that its first Small Animal Veterinary Education Conference Weekend in Kenya, held in November and supported by Merial, has been a great success. Over 30 East African vets from all over Kenya gathered at the elegant Leopard Beach Hotel, just south of Mombasa, to learn from some of the leading specialists in the UK.
The Kenyans, all with an interest in small animals, were a real cross section of the African profession. They ranged from prosperous vets with large practices in Nairobi to a young vet who'd undertaken a gruelling 7 hour bus ride accompanied by armed guards from his clinic on Lamu, near the Somali border.
A challenging 2 day programme had been devised by VRCC specialists including Dr Susan North, one of the most experienced and highly qualified veterinary oncologists in Europe and also a European Specialist in Internal Medicine. Also lecturing were VRCC's Head of Surgery, Henry L'Eplattenier and Merial's Dr Hein Hesse, an expert in pain management and parasite control. The weekend finished with a prolonged question and answer session with the enthusiastic delegates hungry to gain as much knowledge as possible from the visiting specialists before their long journey home.
Malcolm Holland at VRCC was delighted with the first time turn-out at the conference. He said: "The Conference Weekend was successful on so many fronts. The delegates had access to first-hand information not readily available to them - the last lecturing team visited over 20 years ago! They were able to interact with each other, form networks, and renew friendships.
"VRCC was not seeking any material gain, just fulfilling a desire to pass on some of our experience for the improved welfare of small animals in East Africa."
VRCC expects attendance to more than double now Kenyan vets know that commitments will be fulfilled. Specialists keen to participate in future events or companies with interests or ambitions in Kenya should contact Malcolm Holland at VRCC.
Six mixed-practice veterinary surgeons with over 200 combined years of experience have published a book of veterinary tips which they have collected from practising vets all over the UK in order to raise funds for VBF - the charity that supports veterinary professionals.
Alan Jeans, one of the authors, said: "The tips are ideas and techniques that we all use every day in practice but are the kind of thing that you only learn on the job. A range of vets from recent graduates through to veterinary teaching staff have checked the tips for suitability and, although many of the tips are aimed at new or recent graduates, vets of all ages and levels of experience will find plenty of very useful advice.
"The collection started as a 10-tip presentation on an annual CPD sailing trip in Turkey (pictured right) and grew from there. Throughout our careers we have all been impressed by the way that VBF has stepped in to help some of our colleagues in the profession through personal difficulties so we are delighted that we have found a way to fundraise for them."
Nick Short, VBF Director, said: "We are so grateful to all the authors listed in the book for their efforts on VBF's behalf. The tips can either be purchased as a complete collection in paperback by sending a suggested donation of £10 to VBF, 7 Mansfield Street, London W1G 9NQ or you can subscribe to receive regular e-tips on the Vetlife website at www.vetlife.org.uk.
We will also be taking pre-orders at BCVA Congress where VBF is going to be on the BCVA stand this year together with some of the veterinary surgeons who collected the tips.
Bradley Viner reviewed the book. He said: "I defy anyone, however long qualified, to honestly say that they did not learn something worthwhile from this little treasure of a book. And the cartoons are a great giggle as well!"
The book also received good reviews from two BVA Past Presidents. Peter Jinman said: "This little gem of a book is a distillate of the 'art' of veterinary medicine written by those who daily use the science for the benefit of animals under their care." Carl Padgett said: "A great little book. Easy to read and full of those tips that rarely make the covers of academic texts. Tricks old and new that help get the job done written by those that are doing the job."
Hill's Pet Nutrition is offering a series of free webinars about feline medicine, delivered by some of the best-known experts in the field.
The first presentation on feline liver disease will be delivered by Danièlle Gunn-Moore BVM&S BSc PhD MACVSc MRCVS, on the 26th January 2011. Martha Cannon BA VetMB DSAM(fel) MRCVS (pictured right) will present the next two webinars on Renal disease on 2nd March and Chronic Diarrhoea on 4th May. Both speakers are RCVS Specialists in feline medicine. Norman Johnston BVM&S, Dipl. AVDC, Dipl. EVDC, MRCVS, will be discussing stomatitis in the cat - a particularly problematic disease - on the 18th May. Norman is an RCVS, American and European Specialist in Veterinary Dentistry. The series will end on 8th June with Duncan Lascelles BSc, BVSc, PhD, CertVA, DSAS (ST), DECVS, DACVS, Associate Professor in Small Animal Surgery at North Carolina State, talking about osteoarthritis in the cat.
The events kick off at 8.30 pm and are hosted by the Webinar Vet (www.thewebinarvet.com). One initial registration provides access to the complete series, with scheduled e-mail reminders sent out prior to the latest webinar. To register, go to www.thewebinarvet.com/hills and enter your details as well as the code hillsnl.
Webinars are ideal for time pressed individuals who may not always be able to travel to a distant venue, yet still offer a 'real- time' and interactive experience. No special equipment is required, other than a reasonable standard PC or MAC and a broadband connection. The events are open to both vets and nurses but early registration is advisable to take full advantage of the whole Hill's Feline webinar series.
The course starts in October 2019 and lasts 12 months.
The programme is based around nine days of expert-led small group hands-on practical sessions at CPD Solutions' Training Centre near Birmingham, where participants will develop their existing dentistry skills and learn new techniques.
The company says decision-making is a key focus, as is reflective application of new skills in practice.
CPD Solutions says its PgCerts have unique benefits and differences from other options available, specifically that:
its courses have a stronger emphasis on practical training with all attendance sessions of a practical nature, and no lecture days.
its attendance days are grouped into three sessions rather than the more common monthly attendance.
its programme runs for 12 months, as opposed to many of the alternatives which run for 2-5 years.
Susie Coughlan, Managing Director at CPD Solutions, said: "Our experience is that vets get the most out of hands-on practical training in a structured and supportive environment, combined with reflective application of their new skills in practice.
"We set out to replicate this with the new PgCert in Small Animal Dentistry – all attendance sessions are practical, and the course provides support for developing reflective work-based learning that vets can then use throughout their careers. The format is in keeping with the RCVS CPD focus on outcomes based learning and critical reflective practice."
For more information, ring 0151 328 0444 or visit www.pgcertdent.com