Norbrook has launched palatable pork liver flavoured Carprieve tablets to help make dosing dogs a stress-free experience for dog and owner.

Offering Cox-2 preferential pain release, Carprieve Flavoured Tablets are indicated for chronic inflammation, such as degenerative joint disease in dogs, as well as post-operative pain management. According to Norbrook, tests have shown 75 per cent of dogs will take them voluntarily.

Sascha van Helvoort MRCVS, international veterinary adviser for Norbrook Laboratories, said: "Palatability is an important consideration for owners, especially for dogs with chronic inflammation, who often need regular tablets.

"Success is often hit-and-miss, with dogs leaving tablets given in food or spitting them out. This led to us testing pork liver tasting carprofen tablets on dogs who needed treatment, and the vast majority ate them from a bowl. This means vets can prescribe them with all confidence that the dogs will get their medicine.

Sascha added: "Studies undertaken by Norbrook covered a wide range of breeds, and included dogs from one year old to 14. In addition, the majority preferred the Pork liver flavour to top brand 'palatable' tablets.

"Getting the dosage right is also easy. That's why we decided to introduce our Carprieve Flavoured Tablets in blister packs rather than in tubs to aid dosage administration."

For more information, visit: http://www.norbrook.co.uk

The BSAVA has launched a new app to give members easy access to the information they need for daily practice.

The new app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play, gives access to the BSAVA small animal formulary, BSAVA Guide to Procedures in Small Animal Practice, the BSAVA Medicines Guide, the BSAVA Library and the Poisons Database. It also allows the user to view BSAVA CPD, podcasts and upcoming courses.

Larsson Kabukoba, BSAVA’s App Developer said: "The app content has been devised by vets, for vets and we have already received some enthusiastic feedback about how useful it is. We will continue to develop and expand the app in response to feedback from our members to make sure it changes and evolves with the times and becomes an indispensable tool for every member’s pocket."

All veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and VN students are to be invited to take part in an RCVS survey of their profession and, for the first time, these surveys will measure mental wellbeing at a population level.

RCVS Registrar, Jane Hern said: "Both surveys are being undertaken on our behalf by the Institute of Employment Studies - an independent research organisation. As in previous surveys, all the data will be anonymised by the IES before being shared with us. This will ensure individuals cannot be identified."

The information will provide a snapshot of the veterinary profession and help the RCVS to understand and analyse changing trends. Some of the anonymised data will also be shared with researchers at Defra and at the School of Medicine, University of Southampton, who will analyse selected topics in more depth.

Jane added: "These surveys produce very useful information about the veterinary and veterinary nursing profession, not least because they usually get a good response rate.

"We will use the information, for example, in our discussions about new veterinary legislation, 24/7 and the Professional Development Phase for newly-qualified vets. So please make sure that you send the form to the IES - or fill it in online - before 8 February."

The RCVS normally surveys veterinary surgeons every four years, and last surveyed veterinary nurses in 2008.  To obtain concurrent data regarding vets and VNs, both these surveys are taking place at the same time. 

Forms can by sent back in the freepost envelope provided, or completed online at www.employmentresearch.co.uk/vs2010.htm (vets) and www.employmentresearch.co.uk/vn2010.htm (VNs). The findings of previous studies can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/surveys.

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has accepted an application for restoration to the RCVS Register by James Main, who was struck off in 2011, following his administration of a prohibited substance to a racehorse and his subsequent attempts to conceal his actions.

At a Disciplinary Committee hearing held on 22 February 2011, Mr Main, a partner in the O'Gorman, Slater, Main & Partners veterinary practice in Newbury was found guilty of serious professional misconduct and his name was removed from the Register. The then-Committee established that, contrary to the British Horseracing Authority's (BHA) rules of racing, Mr Main had injected tranexamic acid into the racehorse 'Moonlit Path' on 19 February 2009, knowing that the horse was to race later that day. He was also found guilty of dishonestly concealing this injection in his practice records as a "pre-race check".

At yesterday's hearing, the Committee noted that the decision to remove Mr Main from the Register had sent a clear message to the profession of the importance of strict compliance with the BHA's Rules of Racing; it was the inevitable consequence of his breaches of those rules and his dishonesty in concealing the administration of the injection. In oral evidence, Mr Main said he accepted the findings and decision of the previous Committee, and he apologised.

The Committee also noted a number of changes since implemented at Mr Main's practice, including a pharmacy review to improve traceability of drugs; withdrawal of the use of tranexamic acid in the management of Exercise Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage; and a cautious approach to drug withdrawal times. Mr Main's practice had also reviewed its processes to ensure its veterinary surgeons complied with all relevant rules, regulations and guidance, and that any requests by clients to breach these rules would be refused.

The Committee accepted evidence that Mr Main had worked in a management capacity in his practice since 26 March 2011, performing no clinical role, and had undertaken appropriate continuing professional development since being removed from the Register. It also noted the large volume of testimonials and public support presented at the hearing from both veterinary surgeons and clients in the horse world.

Furthermore, it noted that removal had been financially and emotionally detrimental to Mr Main, his family and practice and, if his name were not restored to the Register, there would be a continuing detrimental effect on his family finances and the practice.

Committee Chairman Professor Peter Lees said: "The Committee accepts that Mr Main has found the removal of his name from the Register a humbling and salutary experience and accepts his apologies. It is satisfied that he is very unlikely to breach the rules of racing in the future and does not consider that there is a risk to the future welfare of animals by restoring his name to the Register.

"The Committee does not consider that any further period of erasure would be of benefit either to the public or the veterinary profession."

The Committee directed that Mr Main's name be restored to the Register.

Agria Pet Insurance has launched ‘The Pet Profession Podcast', which aims to help veterinary surgeons navigate some of the challenges they face in their career.

Hosted by industry veteran, Anthony Chadwick MRCVS, there will be five episodes, covering pet life expectancy, sustainability in the vet industry, recruitment, and euthanasia.

The first episode of The Pet Profession Podcast is available now with guest Dan O’Neill, Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Epidemiology and co-lead of the VetCompass Research Programme at the RVC, discussing pet life expectancy.

The Pet Profession Podcast is available from Spotify, Acast, Apple Podcasts and all main podcast directories.

agriapet.co.uk/vets

The British Veterinary Association has announced that it has almost halved the cost of attending its annual Congress this September.

According to the BVA, the decision was made to demonstrate its commitment to providing high-quality, affordable CPD.

The two-day event will now cost £150 +VAT for members and £300 +VAT for non-members for up to 11 hours of small animal CPD provided by the University of Liverpool.

The choice of topics includes:

• recent advances in the management of elbow dysplasia and cruciate rupture
• responsible use of medicines
• how to get the best out of your Ultrasound machine for suspected cardiac disease
• recent advances in the management of common tumours
• management of the collapsing patient
• management of acute gastroenteritis

The BVA says all the lectures will be delivered by leading experts in their field.

Alongside the clinical CPD programme BVA will run its contentious issues stream with discussions around the impact of women on the profession, horses for sport and the use of antimicrobials.

BVA Past President and small animal vet Harvey Locke worked with the University of Liverpool to create the clinical CPD programme. He said: "With a small animal clinical programme provided by the University of Liverpool, the BVA this year not only provides world-class CPD at Congress but it also comes at a fantastic price.  

"BVA is committed to providing high-quality CPD to our members at affordable rates. We look forward to welcoming vets to Liverpool in September for our great value CPD programme."

BVA Congress takes place in Liverpool on 27-29 September at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

The full programme and further information is available at www.bva.co.uk/congress.

VetSurgeon.org has started a series of discussions about major changes to the profession proposed by the Legislative Working Party in order to help you form your opinion and give feedback to the RCVS.  

If they become law, the changes proposed by the working party will have a profound effect on all practising veterinary surgeons and nurses, so it could not be more important that you express your opinion, whether that is in support of the changes or against them.

The proposals fall under five main headings below, each of which is linked to a discussion thread on the subject. Of particular note is the 'fitness to practise' section which includes proposals for radical changes to the disciplinary process:

• Embracing the vet-led team
  Giving the College powers to regulate all paraprofessionals. Allowing vets to delegate more to paraprofessionals (and giving the College greater power to define what can be delegated). Protecting the title 'Veterinary Nurse'.
• Enhancing the VN role
  Extending the VN role in anaesthesia and allowing VNs to perform cat castrations. In the future, looking at nurses becoming 'VN Prescribers' and performing other tasks.
• Assuring practice regulation
  Making the PSS regulatory and giving the College the power to come and bash the door down (so to speak) if you won't let them in to investigate a failure to maintain practice standards. Giving the College the power to issue improvement notices. 
• Introduce a modern 'Fitness to practise' regime
  To change the disciplinary process to be forward-looking, considering fitness to practise, as opposed to backward-looking, punishing past misdeeds. Widening the grounds for investigation beyond serious professional misconduct. Introducing new powers so the College can suspend a vet pending a final decision by the Disciplinary Committee. Introducing reviews of suspension orders so that reinstatement is no longer automatic. Introduce a wider range of sanctions. To reduce the standard of proof required by the Disciplinary Committee. To use a Case Examiner model for early stage investigations, as opposed to the Preliminary Investigation Committee (PIC). 
• Modernising Registration
  To allow limited licensure allowing - for example people with disabilities to practise. To introduce a requirement for vets and nurses to revalidate. To allow the College to refuse re-registration for veterinary professionals who do not undertake the required amount of CPD. 

Do come and join in the discussions. Which of these things do you think will improve the veterinary care of animals? Could any of them have consequences that haven't been thought of? Do you think some of them show the College overreaching itself? Or do they not go far enough?  

Come and tell us what you think. Hopefully the discussions will help you form your response to the RCVS survey. 

The RCVS survey closes at 5pm on 23rd April 2021.

The WellVet Weekend of inspirational speakers, sporting events, wellbeing workshops and social activities for vets, vet nurses and anyone working in the profession, is set to return to Girton College, Cambridge on the 6^th-8^th September 2019.

The organisers say that the vision for the WellVet Weekend is to offer a range of sport and wellbeing events which give the opportunity to recharge, refresh and re-energise.

This year, the weekend includes the Tour de Cambridge cycle ride, the WellVet sports day, HiiT (high-intensity interval training) sessions as well as some thought-provoking workshops delivered in collaboration with Vets: Stay, Go, Diversify (www.vsgd.co).

The WellVet Mindful stream aims to bring a mellow approach to the weekend with yoga and meditation alongside some reflective workshop-based sessions.

This year also sees the addition of the WellVet Family stream, which will focus on supporting new parents returning to practice, and building mind and body confidence after welcoming a new addition to the family.

The weekend will include plenty of social time, with a gala dinner on Saturday night where the headline speaker is none other than the ultrarunning veterinary surgeon, Jasmin Paris. She'll be giving a speech called 'The Mountains are calling, and so is the baby!' in which she'll talk about her achievement in being the first woman (let alone vet) to win the Montane Spine Race, widely regarded as one of the world’s toughest endurance races. Not only that, but she smashed the overall course record by over 12 hours.

WellVet Co-Founder, Liz Barton, said: "We volunteer a great deal of time and energy to run these not-for-profit events, because of the positive impact it offers individuals. It makes it all worthwhile when we see life-changing experiences from the weekend carried forwards to improve the everyday lives of colleagues within the profession. It’s our way of giving something back. Tickets are subsidised thanks to our generous supporters, making them very affordable and meaning that delegates get a lot of content for their money."

Tickets are now available. For more information and to book your place at WellVet Weekend 2019, please visit www.wellvet.co.uk

Animalcare has published new feline hyperthyroidism educational materials for veterinary surgeons developed in partnership with RCVS Feline Specialist, Sarah Caney.

The materials include a 15-minute video in which Sarah (pictured right) gives her advice on the medical management of hyperthyroid cases. She also introduces Thiamacare, Animalcare's high strength (10mg/ml) thiamazole oral solution, launched by the company last year.

Sarah has also helped to produce an in-clinic infographic which offers practical tips on handling hyperthyroid cats in order to minimise stress, as low-stress handling is known to help benefit treatment outcomes. The infographic also contains tips for owners on transporting cats, gives advice to practices on how to make waiting rooms and consult rooms cat-friendly and suggests considerations for blood-sampling and therapeutic assistance.

The materials are all available free of charge from www.the-pac.co.uk

James Beaumont, Brand Manager, said: ‘’Hyperthyroid cats can be challenging to treat and to handle. We hope the educational resources we have developed with Dr Caney will support practice teams in strengthening the management of these cases, ensuring higher welfare for affected cats and supporting the human-companion animal bond.”

For more information, email: animalcare@animalcare.co.uk or telephone 01904 487687.

Norbrook Laboratories has launched Cefimam DC intramammary ointment, a new dry cow preparation containing the 4th generation cephalosporin, cefquinome.

The company has also released a Polish language version of its Best Practice Guide for On-Farm Mastitis Control, in response to demand from producers with non-English speaking farm-hands.

Norbrook vet Chris Geddes said: "I believe this is the first time that such a guide has been produced to cater for farm-hands of a different nationality working within the UK. Good mastitis management starts with good education; giving everyone on the farm the same opportunity for learning the best techniques for prevention means that we help minimise incidences of mastitis, which costs the dairy industry millions of pounds in lost revenue every year.

"This prevention includes a thorough and consistent approach to dry cow management. The early drying off period is often a risky time, when pre-existing subclinical infections can bed-in. The cow is also at increased risk of gaining new infections due to lack of udder hygiene procedures that would normally occur at milking, and weakened immunity as she approaches calving. Our new cefquinome preparation is a valuable addition to have in the treatment armoury for dry cow management. It has broad-spectrum activity and high cellular penetration to help tackle hard-to-manage cases with the aim of returning to maximum productivity by the start of the milking season."

Cefimam DC will be available at all veterinary wholesalers in packs of 24x and 120x 8g intramammary tubes. Vets can obtain both English and Polish versions of the Best Practice Guide for On-Farm Mastitis Control from Territory Managers.

For further information or copies of the Best Practice Guide for On-Farm Mastitis Control in English or Polish, contact your Territory Manager or call Norbrook GB head office on 01536 741 147.

The Disciplinary Committee of the RCVS has approved an application for restoration to the Register from an Oxfordshire veterinary surgeon who had been struck off for false certification.

In November 2007, the Committee decided that Mr John Williams, of the Avonvale Veterinary Practice in Ratley, near Banbury, should have his name removed from the RCVS Register, having found him guilty of disgraceful professional conduct. Mr Williams had admitted signing export health certificates for three horses in October 2006 to state that they had received negative test results for the contagious equine metritis organism, before these results were actually available.

At the time, Mr Williams was working in his capacity as an Official Veterinarian (OV) for DEFRA and he had previously been suspended from his official duties on three separate occasions, on the basis of export certification irregularities. It was accepted that Mr Williams had not been dishonest, but his approach to certification was described by the Disciplinary Committee as "either irresponsible or cavalier or both".

In December 2007, Mr Williams appealed against this decision to the Privy Council but this was dismissed at a Hearing the following June. He was then removed from the Register in July 2008.

When the Committee met on Monday to consider Mr Williams' application, they heard oral and written supporting evidence from veterinary surgeons and equine clients, and oral evidence from Mr Williams himself. The Committee was satisfied that Mr Williams accepted its previous findings and fully understood their seriousness. He described his removal from the Register as a "salutary experience" which had been highly significant for him and his family, both financially and emotionally.

The Committee stated: "Although the decision of the Committee to remove [Mr Williams] from the Register sent a clear message to the profession of the importance of certification, it should be emphasised that his removal was the consequence of his actions in signing certificates which he could not verify. This followed three previous occasions on which he had similarly signed certificates when he should not have done so."

However, the Committee was satisfied that Mr Williams would not in future sign certificates when he should not do so, even under severe client pressure. It was impressed with the continuing professional development he had undertaken whilst off the Register and noted that no questions had been raised over his conduct during this time.

It concluded that Mr Williams fully understood the importance of accurate certification and that restoring his name to the Register therefore posed no risk to animal welfare. Neither the public nor the profession would benefit from Mr Williams staying off the Register for a further period.

Alison Bruce, Disciplinary Committee Chairman, said: "We would like to make it clear that we always find it distressing to remove clinically competent veterinary surgeons from the Register because of an irresponsible and cavalier attitude towards certification. This would not be necessary if veterinary surgeons were to follow the Twelve Principles of Certification annexed to the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct."

The Committee then approved Mr Williams' application and directed that his name should be restored to the Register.

Elanco, the maker of Advocate, has published a set of free online CPD modules to help veterinary surgeons communicate important information (including treatment and prevention strategies) about lungworm.

The aim of the ‘Advocates of Knowledge’ CPD lungworm modules is to help vets assess the lungworm risk in their area, recommend prevention and treatment regimes and also to communicate effectively with clients as the UK emerges from lockdown.

In the first module, Dr Jenny Helm, European Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine and Senior Veterinary Clinician at the University of Glasgow, tackles questions about lungworm post lockdown, including whether or not pets are at greater risk as a result of changes in their owners' behaviour caused by the pandemic.

The second module, from Dr Simon Tappin, European and RCVS Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine, and Head of Medicine at Dick White Referrals (pictured right), will take the form of an interactive case-based discussion on lungworm. He will use clinical cases to talk through presenting signs, and how to approach investigation of these cases, as well as looking at treatment and prevention strategies.

Vicky McAlister, Senior Brand Manager for Advocate, said: “During lockdown, dog owners have modified their behaviour (including spending more time outdoors with their dogs), and this may have affected the risk of dogs becoming infected with lungworm. So we’re very pleased that, together with our experts, we’re launching informative, engaging and relevant CPD lungworm modules for vets, to help provide them with the information needed, and importantly to encourage communication with dog owners regarding this important subject matter”.

You can sign up for the CPD modules here - https://advocatesofknowledge.vettimes.co.uk.