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VetSurgeon.org publishes a curated feed of veterinary news for practising veterinary surgeons, with a primary focus on the UK profession.
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Mars says that during a typical anaesthetic procedure, less than five percent of the volatile anaesthetic agent delivered to a patient is absorbed and metabolised and about 95% is exhaled.
SageTech’s gas-capture technology – which is currently used in human healthcare – works by capturing the waste anaesthetic agent exhaled during an operation by adsorbing it into a reusable capture canister.
These waste anaesthetic agents can then be extracted from the filter, without incinerating or release them into the atmosphere.
Ellie West, RCVS and EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, and Linnaeus Environmental Sustainability Lead, said: “As a leading provider of veterinary care, we have a responsibility to take climate action at scale and lead the way toward more sustainable practices.
“Our innovative collaboration should help us take a significant step forward in our sustainability journey, aimed at contributing to a better future for the planet – and the people and pets who depend on it.”
The one-year pilot will start with 10 Linnaeus primary care and referral veterinary practices in the UK, after which Mars says it plans to explore the potential application of this technology across other parts of its business.
https://www.sagetechveterinary.com
In the webinar, which is sponsored by Horiba, Ian will present an update on new exotic parasite infections and distribution across the UK and Europe, and what this means for pets, livestock and the people that care for them.
“New Exotic Parasites – Worming Their Way In?” is suitable for vets, nurses, students and veterinary care assistants.
https://horiba.link/4h2.
According to Intervet, a study undertaken in Germany last summer has proven the efficacy of Butox SWISH at killing the midges responsible for carrying the bluetongue virus, when applied monthly to cattle. The study showed that even brief contact between a midge and hair from a treated animal killed midges rapidly for up to four weeks post-treatment.
The standard dose, applied in the usual way (on the neck and topline of the animal) delivers full-body coverage of Butox SWISH’s deltamethrin, helped partly by its unique micronised formulation. The product is also highly lipophilic which means it binds onto the natural oil secretions of the coat helping to improve coverage.
The trial used six heifers (each weighing around 400kg) treated with 30ml Butox SWISH (the standard fly dose and method of application). Two un-treated heifers were also studied for comparison.
During the five week period, contact between midges and treated hair caused immediate paralysis, and the midges then died at varying intervals depending on contact time and the number of days post-treatment with Butox SWISH. The trial verified the application of Butox SWISH monthly at the standard dose for cattle.
Trial director, Professor Mehlhorn suggested that producers should be prepared to reduce vector contact by removing their breeding habitats and combining this with the use of a knock-down treatment like Butox SWISH, which is the only product of its type which has proven efficacy against midges. Used in conjunction with vaccination, these measures may not stop the disease entering the herd, but will help reduce the spread of disease.
The British Veterinary Association has welcomed the British Veterinary Nursing Association and the Veterinary Practice Management Association as Affiliate members.
Affiliate and Associate are newly activated BVA membership categories, and the election of BVNA and the VPMA as Affiliates also encourages any of their suitably qualified members to apply for Associate membership of the BVA.
According to the BVA, Affiliate status in no way affects an organisation's own remit and responsibilities towards its members. What it does mean is that Affiliates can benefit from the BVA's knowledge and expertise in such areas as lobbying and marketing.
In welcoming BVNA and VPMA newly elected BVA President Nicky Paull said: "I am delighted that my Presidential year coincides with the BVA family embracing both veterinary nurses and veterinary practice managers. Both are integral members of the veterinary team and we believe that our new relationship will bring lasting benefits to all parties. BVA looks forward to supporting our new Affiliates in promoting the professionalism of both veterinary nursing and veterinary practice management not only within the profession but to the wider community.
These are exciting, if challenging times, for the veterinary community world-wide and I have no doubt that our new relationship will strengthen not only our individual associations but the profession as a whole."
Some say he pees Propofol, and that he once proposed to a Black Welsh Mountain Sheep called Blodwen. All we know is he's called The Stinge, and that he's challenged veterinary surgeons and nurses to beat his lap time in an electronic 'reasonably priced car' at the Alstoe Animal Health stand (G40) at the London Vet Show.
Alstoe says that for legal reasons (and because it doesn't have the money), The Stinge's better known cousin from BBC's Top Gear will not be making an appearance.
However the company is able to run to a bottle of champagne for the vet or nurse that sets the best lap time each day of the show.
Niall McFerran from Alstoe said: "Believe me, the Stinge is not a fast driver, so I think it will be very easy for the first contestant to beat him/her! The real question will be who is actually fastest each day. We are looking forward to having some fun".
Agria Pet Insurance has launched a competition in which the practice that creates the most informative and effective pet insurance display using the company's new display kit will win £500 cash.
Agria says its new display kit is designed primarily to help clients understand how pet insurance works, but also allows a practice to include their own patients' case studies and testimonials too.
To order your free display kit, either complete the online order form at www.agriavetcare.co.uk/competition.aspx or call Agria's Veterinary Helpline on 0800 369 90 98
To enter the competition, send a digital photograph of your finished display to vetphotos@agriapet.co.uk together with your practice name and address.
Veterinary surgeons and practice managers will be invited to judge the entries and vote for the winning display at the Veterinary Business & Management Congress in January 2013.
The overall winner will be announced at the BSAVA Congress.
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.
As part of the University of Bristol, Langford is the only referral hospital in the South West which has an educational facility.
The new academy will also offer access to its Recent Graduate Scheme for vets that have been qualified for less than five years, advanced CPD delivered by specialists, the chance to be involved in research collaborations with Bristol Vet School, and rotating internships and residencies.
Chloe Higgins MRCVS, who is on the Recent Graduate Scheme, said: "I recently did my first splenectomy and having done the abdominal emergencies session last month, it made both the surgery and all the discussion points with the owner a lot easier and less stressful!”
For more information, email: brm@langfordvets.co.uk
The VetCompass database now holds millions of anonymised veterinary clinical records collected from primary practices and referral centres across the UK.
The records allow researchers to investigate a range and frequency of companion animal health problems and identify important risk factors for the most common disorders.
This research can then be used by veterinary professionals in clinical practice to help improve education and outcomes related to animal welfare.
Dan’s nomination included recognition for VetCompass operating under non-profit and open-access principles and embedding mandatory welfare pathways into all studies.
VetCompass was also recognised for having supported more than 140 research papers supporting broad welfare initiatives spanning breed-related health, extreme conformations, welfare scoring, specific disorders, oncology, disease surveillance, prescribing practices, and more.
Dan said: “I am truly humbled to receive this recognition from the RCVS.
"When I moved from clinical practice to the RVC 15 years ago to develop VetCompass as my PhD project, I could only dream of the untapped potential for practising veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to contribute to cutting edge science and welfare.
"And now the amazing VetCompass team at the RVC have made that aspiration to redefine the clinical evidence base on companion animal welfare a reality.
"I now need to reset even higher animal welfare dreams for the next 15 years.”
https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/about/overview
Hill’s Prescription Diet Canine r/d has been reformulated following new findings regarding the role of protein in weight loss and the development of new fibre technology.
According to Hill's, trials of the new formulation resulted in some impressive results, with individual overweight animals losing at least 22% of their body fat in 8 weeks while still maintaining muscle mass.
In addition, the company has developed a range of support measures to help raise awareness about obesity and encourage pet owners to come forward. There's a new website: http://www.%20hillsweightloss.co.uk/ containing tips on weight loss and e-mailed reminders about returning to the surgery for weight checks; a pet passport containing information on helping the pet live a longer and healthier life, an anatomy poster that describes the dangers of excess weight gain and a practice display materials kit. Libby Sheridan, Veterinary Affairs Manager at Hill’s, “It can be time consuming to put together a really good wall or table display. This kit offers the opportunity for use in its entirety, while also giving scope to add individual elements for those who want to customize the display further.”
Hill’s Prescription Diet Canine r/d will be available in 1.5Kg, 4Kg and 12Kg bags. The recipe of the current 350g can remains unchanged.
For more information call Hill’s Customer Service on 0800 282 438 or (ROI) 1-800 626002.
New research, conducted by the WALTHAM-initiated Laminitis Consortium, has raised questions over the assumption that soaking hay will make it safe to feed to laminitis-prone horses and ponies1.
The Laminitis Consortium comprises world-leading equine veterinary, nutrition and research experts interested in collaborating on the important topic of laminitis. It includes the authors of this work: Dr Pat Harris of the WALTHAM® Equine Studies Group, Clare Barfoot of Mars Horsecare UK Ltd and Dr Annette Longland of Equine Livestock and Nutrition Services (ELNS).
Over-consumption of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) has been associated with the onset of laminitis. It has been recommended that hay with a non-structural carbohydrate (WSC and starch) content of less than 10% should be fed to obese animals as well as those at risk of laminitis2 and that hay should be soaked in water before being fed in order to reduce the WSC3,4,5. The study, which was completed earlier this year, examined the loss of water-soluble carbohydrates from nine different hays submerged in water for up to 16 hours. It was presented to the biannual Equine Science Symposium in America in May 2009.
Previous studies have shown that the prolonged soaking of chopped hay in large volumes of water can result in the leaching of nutrients, including soluble carbohydrates. However, because common practice in the UK tends to involve long-stemmed hay, soaked in relatively small volumes of water over varying timescales, the Laminitis Consortium's study aimed to replicate such a practice6.
The nine different hay samples were analysed for WSC and then soaked in cold water. The soaked samples were subsequently analysed at four intervals of 20 minutes, 40 minutes, three hours and 16 hours.
Clare Barfoot said: "The results showed a highly variable leaching of WSC and substantially less leaching than reported previously for chopped hay soaked for 30 minutes.3
"Very few samples reached below 10% WSC, despite prolonged soaking. The concern is that this strongly suggests that soaking may not be sufficient to render some hays safe to feed to horses and ponies prone to laminitis.
"Our current advice is that ideally you should analyse your hay before feeding it to an animal at high risk of laminitis and choose hay with the lowest WSC content you can find. Soaking hay provides an additional safeguard but should not be relied upon."
The study also highlights that if hay is soaked for extended periods, it may not meet the nutritional requirements of the animal because substantial amounts of other nutrients, protein, vitamins and minerals will also be lost 5. In such cases it is even more important that the horse or pony should receive a balanced supplementary feed.
The Laminitis Consortium is continuing its work in this area and hopes to be able to identify practices that will be of greater benefit to the horse owner faced with hay of unknown WSC content.
1Longland AC Barfoot C & Harris PA (2009) The loss of water- soluble carbohydrate and soluble protein from nine different hays soaked in water for up to 16 hours. J. Equine Vet Science 29 (5 ) p 383 - 384, 2 Frank N Equine Metabolic Syndrome J Equine Vet Sci 29 (5) p 259 - 267, 3Cottrell, E., Watts, K., Duarte, S. and Ralston, S. (2005). Equine Science Symposium, 2005, 4Kenny, D. (2007). Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science. 5Warr EM, Petch JL. Equine Vet Educ 1993;5:169-171, 6Longland, A.C. (2009) In preparation.
Elanco (maker of Comfortis) has released the results of a survey of 1006 dog owners which showed that nearly half are not aware that turning on their central heating can cause pupal fleas to hatch and go in search of a host to feed on.
50% of those questioned said their dog has had fleas at some point. Of those, 79% said their dog gets infested at least once a year. 20% said they did not believe fleas would be found in the carpet, dog bedding and soft furnishings, and over a third didn't treat their carpets or soft furnishings when their home became infested.
Elanco says it has extended its range of practice support materials available to help educate dog owners about flea infestation and the benefits of veterinary prescribed flea treatments. They include client leaflets, waiting room posters and assistance with bespoke direct mail client communications.
For further information, contact your local Elanco Animal Health key account manager.
Petlog has kicked off its annual National Microchipping Month by joining forces with Hampden Veterinary Hospital in Aylesbury.
Petlog holds National Microchipping Month throughout June each year to promote the benefits of microchipping and the importance of keeping contact details up to date.
This year, Hampden Veterinary Hospital has been encouraging pet owners to make sure their pets are microchipped by offering half price microchipping at a 'responsible pet ownership' event hosted at the hospital.
Celia Walsom, Petlog Executive said: "National Microchipping Month is a fantastic chance to promote the benefits of microchipping, and we are thrilled that Hampden Veterinary Hospital took such a proactive role in encouraging responsible dog ownership through this event. Microchipping is a great way to permanently identify your pet, and ensure that if he or she goes missing that you are reunited as quickly as possible."
Petlog says that last year, it received almost 120,000 lost and found calls in total from around the UK.
This June, Petlog customers can upgrade to the Petlog Premium lifetime service online for £7.50, allowing them to update their contact information as often as needed with no extra costs.
For more information on National Microchipping Month or Petlog visit www.petlog.org.uk or www.thekennelclub.org.uk.
A survey conducted earlier this year by Novartis Animal Health1 has shown that owners of dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis want to learn more about the condition after their veterinary consultation.
When asked about what would help them understand and cope with their dog receiving a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis, 42% of dog owners said that they want reliable information about the condition on the Internet that they can read at their own pace. 27% said that hearing or reading about case studies of dogs that were diagnosed with atopic dermatitis would be a source of help and reassurance.
That isn't to take anything away from the importance of the relationship between owner and vet: 49% of respondents said that having enough time to discuss everything with their vet is the most important thing following a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis.
However, the reality of busy small animal practice means that some vets are apparently finding themselves short of time, with 62% saying that they would like to have more time in consultations to explain the diagnosis fully.
To support both vets and owners, Novartis has produced a range of education materials available at www.itchfreepet.co.uk. They include information about a variety of skin conditions in dogs and cats, including causes, clinical signs, diagnostics and treatment options, which can all be used to support recommendations made during consultations.
Novartis says it is also continuing to support vets with the 'Comfort Club' scheme, through which owners get the 2nd, 6th and 12th month of Atopica treatment free of charge. The club also allows clients to try other dermatology products that might help their pet's condition free of charge, including shampoo, EFA's and specialist diets.
Ricardo Garvao, category manager at Novartis said: "By providing reliable information and tools to help re-iterate and expand on the information given to owners by their vets, we hope to help both parties make the most of the face to face time that they have with each other. Ultimately this will strengthen the vet-client relationship, which can only improve long-term clinical outcomes.
"Good client education is vital, demonstrated by the fact that nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of pet owners that admit to giving up on their vet's advice claim that this is because they haven't understood it. A large part of the trust building process is being able to recommend a management strategy with proven efficacy and safety data for long-term use, such as Atopica. Atopica has been keeping dogs with atopic dermatitis comfortable for a decade due to its proven ability to safely provide long-term reduction of pruritus and skin lesions associated with the disease, as demonstrated by the recently published independent paper 'The use of ciclosporin: a decade of experience in veterinary dermatology."
Reference
The event will again be held at Loseley Park in Surrey, on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th June 2017.
New for 2017, VET Festival will be introducing an Internal Medicine stream which will cover the themes of Emergency & Critical Care, Endocrinology, Cardiology, Reproduction, Respiratory and Small Furries.
There will also be a new stream dedicated to Rehabilitation, which will join Orthopaedics, Neurology, Oncology and Soft Tissue, Nursing and Management and Motivation. Delegates are free to join any lecture at any stream and attendance to VET Festival will contribute towards their CPD.
Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, who conceived VET Festival, said "The aim of the VET Festival is very simple – to provide the best veterinary education in the world so as to ensure the best standard of care for our animal friends, delivered in the most exciting environment on Planet Earth where all of the finances return to helping the animals.
"I believe that people who love companion animals will be aware of our need to receive the very highest level CPD and that both delegates and exhibitors deserve real value for money. I’m determined that the festival is firmly focussed on the greater good of the welfare of animals entrusted to our care – and on maintaining the fire in our bellies that we first had when we signed up for this vocation.
"My dream is to create a Glastonbury for Veterinary Medicine in my lifetime and that VET Festival will be the most interesting, innovative, exciting, dynamic, informative, career-enhancing and personally fulfilling veterinary CPD in the world.
"I have absolutely zero doubt that within five years VET Festival will be a key event in the veterinary education calendar for one simple reason, and that is we reinject the happiness into the reason why we started this journey in the first place. We want delegates to feel love for their profession and respect for everything that they do.
"Most importantly I want people to feel fulfilled because every single day that they go to work as a veterinary professional, they don’t really do it just for monetary gain. They do it because they want to make a difference. When the delegates leave VET Festival, I want them to know that they have made that difference."
Brian Topper, Managing Director of Centaur Services, one of the official partners of VET Festival 2016, said: "I think VET Festival is awesome. It’s different than anything we have done in the UK and US veterinary industry. It’s very timely as people are getting tired of the traditional route to education. This is a great opportunity and we are very happy to participate. I have been in the industry for 20 years and I have seen nothing like VET Festival. Wherever VET Festival goes, we will be here!"
Using 14 years’ of race day veterinary reports, the study found that soft tissue injuries, respiratory conditions and gait abnormalities were the most commonly reported issues. Soft tissue injuries include wounds and lacerations. Those classified as 'gait observations' primarily relate to horses reported as lame, moving poorly or being stiff, but without a specific cause being identified. The majority of horses with respiratory conditions had epistaxis.
Researchers say the findings will help prioritize efforts and direct research to identify risk factors for the most common and/or severe conditions, with the aim of developing strategies to further reduce injuries and fatalities in British flat racing, building on its already strong record on equine welfare.
Sarah Rosanowski, PhD PGDipVCS BSc, at the Royal Veterinary College said: "It was not surprising to find that most veterinary incidents reported on race-day are relatively minor and not career-ending. This is of course a good thing.
"Although the good news is that the majority of injuries are not life-threatening, the fatality rates in British flat racing have remained relatively stable rather than declining over the past decade.
"The ongoing surveillance by the British Horseracing Authority is important as it provides a way to track the occurrence of veterinary events over time. Now that we have a baseline against which to monitor the effects of future interventions, there will be opportunities to further improve horse welfare and racing safety."
The ideas is to help ease new grads' transition into practice by giving them access to Specialist input for the management of their clinical cases.
The app provides a way for them to send case information (history, results, videos, photos) to a global team of Diploma-holding specialists across the entire range of specialties, from their mobile phone. They can then choose whether they want an instant call-back, a text chat, a written report or a virtual appointment.
To sign up for the free support, new graduates need to enter the code GRADUATE21 when they register on the app.
All new registrants will also be entered into a prize draw to win one of 50 ‘my first day’ survival kits – containing kit and goodies for their first day in practice.
Victoria Johnson, co-Director, said: “We know first-hand the pressures of starting your first vet job. We want to give all new graduates the reassurance that they always have instant access to specialist support, to help them grow and thrive in practice.
"Many practices have excellent in-house mentoring and clinical support, but there are times when it can be difficult to get hold of people when it’s busy. In addition, for challenging cases where referral may not be an option, the app enables vets to have specialist input and oversight within practice. Our mission is to help every vet be the best and feel their best every day, which is so important at the start of their career journey.”
Time on the app is automatically logged as CPD with quarterly certificates being generated for users. Additional services include the ability to book bespoke CPD, significant event reviews and live training sessions e.g. for procedures such as bone-marrow biopsy.
The app is downloadable for both iOS and Android systems.
For more information: https://www.vet-ct.com/gb/news/2021/jun/9/calling-all-new-vet-graduates
Animal health specialist Fort Dodge Animal Health has announced the appointment of David Bartram BVetMed MRCVS DipM MCIM CDipAF as Technical Services Manager for Large Animals. David rejoins Fort Dodge after eight years, having previously been a Business Unit Manager for its Cydectin business. David Bartram graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in London in 1988 and, after three years in large animal practice, moved into the pharmaceutical industry where he has worked for the last 16 years. His most recent role was at Lilly, where he worked in Finance in the human sector of its pharmaceutical business. David has post graduate qualifications in marketing and finance. He replaces Susan Corning who has moved to a new role with Fort Dodge in Italy.
Petplan has expanded its partnership business and is now offering 6 weeks free insurance vouchers to pet owners who have their animals microchipped with Bayer's Tracer.
Simon Wheeler, Head of Marketing at Petplan said: "We are delighted to be working with Tracer. Through this partnership, we hope that more pet owners will realise the importance of taking out insurance and microchipping their pets. Vets could also benefit from this partnership, as owners who insure their pets are far more willing to consult their vets and do so more frequently, meaning a more regular income stream from insured clients."
The insurance voucher will insure dogs, cats and rabbits for vet fees covering illness or injury (up to £2000), advertising and reward (up to £250) and boarding fees (up to £250) in the event of the owner being hospitalised.
Donna Cable, Assistant Product Manager at Bayer HealthCare said: "This is an exciting new development which allows us to highlight the importance of pet insurance in conjunction with microchipping for all pets. Our relationship with Petplan is an example of how two market leaders in the veterinary industry are working together to promote responsible pet ownership."
The new agreement will give pet owners piece of mind. In the unfortunate event of their pet going missing, Tracer could locate their pet and Petplan would pay to advertise the missing animal and offer a reward.
For more information about Petplan, please visit www.petplan.co.uk or call Petplan Vetline on 0800 316 8800 to become a registered Petplan practice.
Police have advised veterinary practices to be on their guard following a spate of break-ins in the South East, linked to the theft of controlled drugs.
PC Steve Doswell, Controlled Drugs Liaison Officer in the East Sussex police area said: "Criminal elements in the South East are targeting practices in Surrey, Hampshire and East Sussex. They may well have targeted, or will target, other practices in all of the neighbouring counties".
"Methadone, Ketamine, Alprazolam and Diazepam are all commonly-abused by drug users, and nationally there have been a lot of problems with users buying street heroin that has been cut with Alprazolam," he added.
PC Doswell offered the following advice to practices:
More detailed information about the correct storage of controlled drugs can be found in the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme Manual: www.rcvs.org.uk/practicestandards
The Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) has launched a new Profitability Survey to measure profitability levels across the nation’s veterinary practices and provide a benchmark for practices to assess their performance against.
Launched this month, the SPVS Profitability Survey is available to all practices, both members and non-members. It can be completed online using figures from the practice’s most recent set of accounts and the practice management system. All the data is kept completely confidential for practices to securely access their results online.
Once they have completed the survey, participating practices will be given an overall practice profitability score from excellent, good, average, below average and poor. Practices will also be able to benchmark against Key Performance Indicators such as: the cost of drugs and supplies; the cost of personnel; and cost of overheads.
Peter Brown, SPVS Treasurer and author of the survey said: "We’re particularly pleased to be launching this Profitability Survey. As the saying goes, turnover is vanity and profit is sanity. Profitability is key to any business yet we’re often told that veterinary practices fare badly when it comes to this fundamental point. Knowing how your business is performing and how it compares to others should be a priority for all practice principals and one that our new Profitability Survey will be able to answer.
"We are delighted to be working with John Sheridan on this subject. John has long been a passionate advocate of the need for practices to understand their profitability and he has helped SPVS to develop this simple survey to provide practices with the key statistics they need. Furthermore, the pooled, anonymised data will be used by SPVS to help us tailor CPD and expert advice for members on this critical aspect of their business. The more data we have the more accurate analysis we will be able to provide so we would urge all veterinary practices to complete the survey."
SPVS’ existing Fee and Salaries Surveys have also been enhanced with improvements to the way data is entered and results presented through a dedicated website developed with Veterinary Insights. Published earlier this year, the Salaries Survey revealed that there is a widening pay gap between newly qualified vets whose median salary actually fell by 3.7% and more experienced vets who attained increases of between 2.6% and 10.8%. However, while newly qualified vets compared favourably with their equivalents in the medical and dental profession, those more experienced lag some way behind.
To take part in the new SPVS Profitability Survey visit www.spvs.org.uk
The NOAH Compendium is also available online at www.noahcompendium.co.uk, and via a smartphone app which was launched in November 2016.
A special edition of the book for SQPs, commissioned by AMTRA, will be also available shortly.
NOAH chief executive Dawn Howard said: "The NOAH Compendium in all its formats is a major part of NOAH’s efforts to assist the appropriate and responsible use of all animal medicines.
"Every NOAH member, as well as the non-member participants in the NOAH Compendium, is a signatory to the NOAH Code of Practice on Promotion, which demonstrates their commitment to operate above and beyond any regulatory requirements.
"As well as product datasheets, the Compendium includes another vital resource – the contact details for each participating company. Company veterinary and technical advisors have detailed knowledge about their company’s medicines. They are ready to talk to prescribers about the use of a medicine in a particular animal or in a particular situation, as well as to explain any queries about the data sheet."
If your practice has not yet received its copy, perhaps because you are a new practice, or have changed address in the past year, contact Amy Davis at NOAH (a.davis@noah.co.uk).
Extra copies are also available to order now, for £45. NOAH says many veterinary surgeons choose to buy extras for each consulting room and special prices are available for bulk orders.
The event will explore how referral and second-opinion care fit within the contextualised care model and how the profession can strengthen delivery of compassionate and sustainable specialist care.
The meeting is aimed at veterinary specialists, general practitioners, veterinary nurses, practice managers and others interested in referral practice, ethics, patient welfare and professional wellbeing.
Sessions include a presentation by Dr Rachel Dean FRCVS of VetPartners examining whether the concept of a veterinary “gold standard” can act as a barrier to contextualised care.
Other talks will explore how market structures influence veterinary care, the impact of changing ownership models on client relationships, and ethical dilemmas in practice.
Additional sessions will cover story-based approaches to contextualised care, collaborative contextualised care, clinical communication tools, and whether contextualised care differs within corporate practice settings.
The programme will also include discussion of RCVS Knowledge research alongside workshops and networking opportunities.
https://www.vsavet.org/events/contextualised-care-in-a-changing-veterinary-landscape
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.