Portsmouth-based Simon Wood has been struck off by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee after being convicted of possessing indecent images of children.

Mr Wood was convicted of three offences which involved the download of 38 videos and 13 indecent images of children, at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court in December 2017.

In January 2018, he was sentenced to a three-year Community Sentence for each offence, to run concurrently, and was made subject to a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He was also fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £340 and a victim surcharge of £85.

Mr Wood was also placed on the barring list by the Disclosure and Barring Service and required to register with the police pursuant to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for a period of five years.

Mr Wood appeared before the Disciplinary Committee, admitted his conviction and accepted that it rendered him unfit to practise veterinary surgery.

In determining the sanction, the Committee says it took into account a number of mitigating factors: his conviction involved no actual harm or risk of harm to an animal; there was no financial gain; he had engaged in open and frank admissions at an early stage; he was experiencing mental ill-health at the time of the offence; he had taken subsequent steps to avoid a repetition of such behaviour; there had been a significant lapse of time since the incident; and he showed insight into the harm caused by his offence. 

The Committee also considered that the purpose of a sanction is not to punish, but to protect the welfare of animals, as well as maintain public confidence in the profession and declare and uphold proper standards of conduct. On consideration of the appropriate sanction, the Committee decided that postponement of judgement was not appropriate, and that taking no action was not an option. 

The Committee then considered whether a reprimand or warning was appropriate, but they considered that would not match the gravity of the offence – a period of suspension would also mean Mr Wood would automatically return to the Register after the period of time without the College being able to review his fitness to practise, rendering it an inappropriate sanction. The Committee therefore determined that the removal of Mr Wood from the RCVS Register was the only way to protect the wider public interest and maintain confidence in the profession.

Ian Green, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee has not taken this decision lightly, and, lest it be misinterpreted, it has not taken it in order to satisfy any notional public demand for blame and punishment.

"It has taken the decision because in its perception, the reputation of the profession had to be at the forefront of its thinking and ultimately it was more important than the interests of the Respondent.

"The decision is not simply based on the fact that these offences were of a sexual nature but because they were repeated frequently over a significant period of time, and at the time, the Respondent knew on his own admission that what he was doing was wrong.

"Accordingly, the Committee had decided that removal from the Register is appropriate and proportionate in this case. The Committee will direct the Registrar to remove the Respondent’s name from the Register forthwith."

Mr Wood has 28 days to appeal the Committee’s decision after which, if no appeal is received, the Committee’s judgment takes effect.

The Animal Health Trust and the Kennel Club have announced that a new, non-invasive DNA test for the genetic mutation causing macular corneal dystrophy (MCD) in Labradors will be available from the Animal Health Trust DNA Testing Service from Monday 26 January 2015.

Macular corneal dystrophy (MCD) is a hereditary eye disease which, although painless, causes severe visual impairment in affected dogs. 

The mutation for MCD is recessive; meaning only dogs that inherit two copies of the mutation will be affected. Dogs identified by the test as Clear have no copies of the mutation whereas Carriers have one copy of the mutation. Clears and Carriers cannot develop MCD, although Carriers will pass the mutation on to about half of their puppies if they reproduce. Dogs identified as Genetically Affected have two copies of the mutation and will develop MCD around middle-age. The DNA test can be used to screen dogs at any age and provides a means of eliminating the causal mutation from the Labrador Retriever gene pool.

Dogs affected with MCD will develop cloudy eyes, due to an abnormal accumulation of carbohydrates (known as glycosaminoglycans) in their corneas. The only treatment for the disease in people is to surgically perform a corneal transplant; however this has not yet been performed successfully in the dog for the treatment of MCD.

Dr Cathryn Mellersh, Head of Canine Genetics at the Animal Health Trust, said: "We're really pleased to be able to provide this new test in 2015. Screening Labradors for the mutation responsible for this condition will help to identify those dogs at risk of developing MCD, and/or passing it on to their puppies. Dogs don't typically develop MCD until middle age - so without a DNA test there is a chance that affected dogs are unknowingly bred from. Now, affected and carriers dogs can easily be identified through one simple test giving breeders peace of mind.

"By developing this test and encouraging screening within the Labrador population we hope that this horrible disease can now be eliminated from the breed. This is the aim behind all of our work in canine genetics and we're thrilled to have been able to make such good progress in developing this test after MCD was first reported in Labradors by one of own veterinary ophthalmologists in 2013. Since then we've worked closely with the ophthalmology team here at the Animal Health Trust and Labrador owners and breeders from various European countries and have managed to identify the mutation and launch this test within two years, which is great news for Labrador owners."

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: "The Labrador is the most popular breed in the UK, so there is certainly a high demand for puppies, and it is crucial that those being bred are as healthy as possible.

"This test will further assist breeders of Labradors in breeding healthy, happy examples of the breed and we are delighted to be able to offer another tool to improve and maintain the breed's health.

"The work carried out at the Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the Animal Health Trust really does make a massive difference to the lives of dogs and we are thrilled that Labrador breeders will now be able to make use of another health test to protect the health of the breed they love."

For more information, visit www.ahtdnatesting.co.uk. The test costs £48 inc VAT, with a 10% discount when at least 20 samples are submitted within a month. Interested parties should contact dnatesting@aht.org.uk with a start date to request a discount code.

White Cross Vets, the family-run group with practices across the Midlands and the North of England, has named Emily Moss MRCVS and Katherine Claxton MRCVS as it's Vets of the Year at the company's annual congress.

The congress, which is now in its 6th year, also saw Millie Barnsley from Dudley scoop Nurse of the Year and Cassandra Pearson from Walsall win Client Care Co-ordinator of the Year.

Four more team members were also were singled out for their achievements, including Senior Vet Dr Laura Pugh, from Derby, who won the Quality Award, Veterinary Nurse Ann-Marie Mayren, who was presented with the Directors Choice Award, Dr Tom Cammack MRCVS, who was named Best New Team Member and Ed Newbold, who won the Leadership Award.

White Cross Vets' Managing Director Tim Harrison said: "It’s been a very special congress this year, as we are also celebrating 80 years since White Cross Vets was founded. It was really hard choosing the award winners, as there have been some fantastic examples of people going above and beyond, but Emily, Katherine, Millie, Cassandra, Laura, Ann-Marie, Tom and Ed were all very deserving winners, who are incredibly passionate about what they do.

Tim added: "In addition to recognising our award winners, we saw the culmination of our 80 prizes in 80 days competition on the final night of our congress, with veterinary nurse Amy Hood from Middlesbrough winning the star prize of an all-expenses paid trip to New York.

"As is now tradition at congress, we also randomly selected a Client Care Co-ordinator, vet nurse and vet to go to the Veterinary Meeting & Expo (formerly known as NAVC) in Orlando, Florida. Katrina Robinson, Isobel Hobbins and Dr Alex Beech will be heading to America for some sunshine and CPD in February next year."

"2017 has been a very successful year, we have opened two new practices, won several awards and were listed in The Sunday Times Top 100 companies to work for league table for the fifth year running. We also welcomed our 200^th team member into the practice. The congress gave our whole family the chance to come together and celebrate all of our achievements and it was a huge success.

"The ethos of the White Cross Vets congress is to learn, make friends, have fun and reward success – and we certainly did that."

Gerard McLauchlan MRCVS, an RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine at Fitzpatrick Referrals Oncology & Soft Tissue, has successfully corrected a double intra-hepatic shunt in an 18-month-old Jack Russell Terrier that had been deemed 'untreatable'.

Teddy had initially been examined at another specialist centre where life-long medical management was recommended due to the complexity of his vascular abnormality.

His primary care veterinary surgeon, Dr Rachel Lang, then referred the case to Gerard.

The first step was a contrast CT scan of Teddy's liver to highlight the vascular abnormalities and take accurate measurements.

Teddy then underwent a transjugular coil embolisation of his shunts using fluoroscopic guidance.

This involved placing a stent in his caudal vena cava that spanned both abnormal communications, and then deploying multiple platinum coils into the shunts to occlude the vascular flow while ensuring portal hypertension did not develop. The entire procedure was completed in less than 60 minutes and was performed via a 2cm skin incision over his jugular vein.

Teddy made an excellent recovery from the procedure and is currently free of clinical signs and receiving no medication at home.

Rachel said: "I was really struggling to find a referral centre willing to take on Teddy's case as it was so unusual and had spent weeks contacting every local referral centre I had referred to in the past. I contacted Fitzpatrick's about his case and within an hour Gerard McLauchlan had rung back and actually sounded keen to see Teddy which was a delight after weeks of frustration. The referral process was very easy from my side and I've been kept well informed throughout. I wouldn't hesitate to refer a case again and only wish we were closer!”

Gerard said: “Teddy is a wonderful patient with an amazing family. We were delighted to be able to offer a solution to his problem that had been previously thought not possible. Teddy should now be able to enjoy an excellent quality of life without the need for long term medications or diet. Interventional Radiology provided new and minimally invasive options for many conditions including vascular abnormalities, urinary tract problems and various cancers.”

You can view the CTs in the VetSurgeon Clinical Reference Library here.

Ceva Animal Health, manufacturer of Adaptil and Feliway, has launched its annual fireworks waiting room display competition.

The aim of the competition is to highlight top tips for pet owners and the benefits of building a den to help calm and reassure dogs during the fireworks festivities.

Practices that want to take part in the in the competition need to post pictures of their dens and waiting rooms on the Ceva Animal Health Facebook page in October. The winning practice will receive a £200 voucher and there are 10 runner up prizes of luxury chocolate hampers.

Abigail King, behaviour product manager at Ceva Animal Health, said: "Our hugely popular fireworks display competition encourages veterinary practices to create eye-catching and imaginative displays that help educate pet owners on what can be done at home to help calm and reassure pets with firework fears."

Ceva has a range of marketing materials for veterinary practices to use in the competition, including waiting room materials. 

For further information, contact your Ceva territory manager.

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health is to launch CICADA-Live, the second phase of its national initiative to monitor the awareness and regional prevalence of important diseases in cats, dogs and rabbits. 

First launched in 2007 as a quarterly survey, the ground-breaking CICADA-Live project has now been developed to offer up-to-the minute data on infectious companion animal disease reports that can be updated and accessed by vet practices around the clock. The new scheme is now able to provide a real-time overview of companion animal infectious diseases being diagnosed in UK veterinary practices.

CICADA-Live is focusing on more than a dozen key infectious diseases of dogs, cats and rabbits. They include canine parvovirus, infectious canine hepatitis, canine distemper, leptospirosis, kennel cough, angiostrongylosis. For cats, CICADA-Live will monitor feline panleucopaenia, cat flu, feline leukaemia virus infections. For rabbits the focus will be on myxomatosis, rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease, E.cuniculi, and fly strike.

The service is officially launched on 1st June to coincide with Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health's National Vaccination Month 2009, and is open to all first-opinion UK companion animal veterinary practices.

The system's developer, John Helps, Veterinary Manager at Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health said: "Whereas our first edition of CICADA was useful in providing benchmarks so that seasonal and long term trends could be identified and communicated to both vets and pet owners, the further potential of a live on-line database is enormous in raising awareness of current pet disease risks to the public."

According to the company, there has been a lack of knowledge regarding the local and national incidence of small animal infectious diseases in the UK, and those sporadic reports that do occur are typically anecdotal and can prove hard to substantiate.  It is feared that the lack of co-ordinated good quality information has potentially lead to pet owners being lulled into a false sense of security by a low awareness of disease risks.

John added: "Lack of data on the incidence and prevalence of even the most common infectious diseases has been an important issue faced by small animal practices reducing their ability to highlight these risks. A staggering lack of owner awareness to infectious disease threats in turn contributes to complacency among pet owners.

"Evidence suggests that some infectious diseases, such as parvovirus, may be on the increase in some areas and there continues to be a concern regarding the number of animals that remain unvaccinated.

 "Not only will Cicada-Live provide the means for improving a gap in our collective knowledge but it will also prove invaluable in the promotion of good preventative healthcare.

"We have long believed that better epidemiological surveillance would an important tool in understanding trends in small animal infectious disease and with CICADA-Live, for the first time we have a tool to give us a better appreciation of what first opinion practices are currently seeing."

The CICADA-Live website, http://www.cicadasurvey.co.uk/, is simple to access and update. Registrations are limited to one per practice branch.  A straightforward one-page survey format minimises the time investment, with no strict requirement to review written case records. 

Once signed in, participating practices will be asked to complete the survey once every 6 months in order to grant continued access to maps and tables showing recent reports. In addition practices can set up e-mail alerts to give notification should disease reports be received in their area.

For further information about CICADA-Live from Intervet please contact Intervet /Schering-Plough Animal Health's Veterinary Support Group on 01908 685685. Or contact John.

Vet Futures, the joint initiative by the RCVS and BVA to stimulate debate about the future of the profession, has opened a new discussion about whether VAT on vet fees for pets should be dropped.

The discussion has been opened by this month's Vet Futures guest blogger, Stuart Winter, the Sunday Express small animal columnist and a campaigner to end VAT on pet fees.

Stuart argues that owning a pet is not a luxury to be taxed when they need medical intervention, because owning a companion improves the health and wellbeing of its owner.

He writes that removing VAT on veterinary fees for domestic animals, or at least reducing it to five pence in the pound, would improve the nation's animal welfare. It would allow low-income families to seek medical attention earlier, he argues, while allowing more owners to afford and take out pet insurance.

He says that shifting Government thinking on the subject might be a Herculean task, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't campaign for its removal. "No Chancellor delights in losing revenue. Treating, curing and caring for sick and injured animals is nothing more than a service and services are ripe to be harvested.

"It is time for a counter argument. Pet ownership is not a luxury. It is more than a privilege. Is it not a human right? Welcoming animals into our lives makes our lives more fulfilled and more civilised."

To tie in with the discussion, Vet Futures is inviting vets to take part in a poll which asks: "Would you agree that VAT should no longer be levelled on vet fees?"

The College is encouraging members of the veterinary team and the public to take part in the poll so that it can generate debate on the issue of VAT and better understand the full consequences if it was removed.

January's poll asked members of the profession if they could recognise the signs of mental ill-health in a colleague. Reassuringly, just over half (58%) of the 65 respondents said they would be able to recognise the signs, although that leaves 40% who would not feel comfortable in their ability to do so.

To read Stuart Winter's blog, contribute to the discussion and vote in the poll, visit www.vetfutures.org.uk

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health has launched Ubropen (benzylpenicillin procaine monohydrate), an intramammary suspension containing 600mg of Procaine penicillin.

The company says that the composition and dosage of the new product has been optimised for maximum efficacy ^{1, 2}. It offers three-five days on-label treatment options and does not need to be stored in a fridge.

According to Boehringer, the 600mg dose results in a concentration well above MICs for Strep. uberis and Staph. aureus for 24 hours, even after milking, which means it needs to be administered once a day¹. In addition, its formulation enables optimum distribution of penicillin throughout the udder². 

Kath Aplin veterinary adviser at Boehringer Ingelheim said: "Traditionally, in the UK, we have favoured broad spectrum mastitis therapy as our first line approach, however in many other European countries, including The Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark, penicillin is the treatment of choice.

"For farms with a mixed or unknown mastitis pattern, the traditional broad spectrum approach to mastitis therapy makes sense. However, many vets now have a good knowledge of common mastitis pathogens on clients’ farms and, for those where gram +ve pathogens predominate, penicillin as a first line treatment is well worth considering."

In a field trial assessing the prevalence of mastitis-causing pathogens and clinical cure rates after treatment with Ubropen³, mild and moderate cases of mastitis were treated for three to five days, with the causal pathogen being unknown at the time of treatment.

Kath said: “In 80% of cases of grade one or two clinical mastitis, the causative pathogen was found to be gram +ve and, following treatment with Ubropen, the overall clinical cure rate was 81%".

Ubropen is now available from the usual veterinary wholesalers in boxes of 20 tubes.

References:

1. Abbeloos E, Pyörälä S, et al (2018). Determination of the intramammary dose of benzylpenicillin required to maintain an adequate concentration in the milk to inhibit gram positive bacteria in the clinically normal udder for 24 hr. J Vet Pharmacol Therap. 41;691–698.
2. Ehinger AM, Kietzmann M (2000). Tissue distribution of benzylpenicillin after intramammary administration in the isolated perfused bovine udder. J Vet Pharmacol Therap. 23;303–310.
3. Driess M, van Werven T (2019). Field trial to motivate and support Dutch farmers to treat grade 1 and 2 mastitis more prudent. Proceedings of the IDF Mastitis Conference. Poster

The BVA is inviting vets to come to a BVA Congress panel discussion at the London Vet Show about the risks and benefits of neutering dogs, as new evidence suggests the answer might not be as clear cut as previously thought. 

‘Is neutering dogs doing more harm than good?’ (BVA Congress Theatre, Thursday 16th November 2023 at 10.30am), will explore the latest research into the science of neutering and its impact on dog health and welfare, particularly on behaviour, and will also consider the role of non-surgical alternatives.

The session will be chaired by BVA President Dr Anna Judson, joined by:

• Dr Sarah Heath, Veterinary Specialist in Behavioural Medicine, Behavioural Referrals Veterinary Practice
• Dr Neil Mottram BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS, Technical Manager, Virbac
• Nicola Lakeman, Nutrition Manager, IVC Evidensia
• Dr Michelle Kutzler, Full Professor, Oregon State University

The BVA says statistics from its Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey show that among clients who chose to neuter their dogs last year, only 6% picked non-surgical options.

Awareness of these options is low, with vets reporting that 9% of their clients had requested information about non-surgical options when considering neutering, such as sustained-release implants to suppress testosterone production in male dogs.

Among those who considered non-surgical options, clients cited the cost and need for repeat treatments as their main concerns (mentioned by 67% and 58% of vets, respectively), followed by individual variation in the effect and duration of non-surgical alternatives (22% of vets).

Anna said: “Canine neutering is a firmly established part of preventive pet healthcare in the UK, but it is also very much a live discussion within the veterinary profession, with a healthy ongoing debate around its merits and risks, based on evolving evidence.

"BVA’s survey shows low awareness among clients about all available neutering options for their pets, with only a tiny percentage choosing to go down the non-surgical route.

“Our BVA Congress discussion will offer vet professionals in small animal practice insight into the latest research on neutering, including potential longer-term impacts on a dog’s health and behaviour, and views on what that might mean for how vets discuss neutering options with clients.

"The panellists will also share useful tips on how to deal with clients’ questions about surgical and non-surgical options for their pets.”

https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/20427670/2023/193/S1

A study conducted by Melanie Dobromylskyj, a histopathologist at CVS-owned Finn Pathologists and RVC student, Rebecca Hederer has identified the most common histopathological diagnoses out of over 600 biopsy samples from guinea pig lumps. 

Skin diseases and palpable masses are a common presentation in guinea pigs brought for veterinary care².

However, few studies have thus far looked at the prevalence of spontaneously arising diseases in pet guinea pigs.

"Lumpy bumpy guinea pigs: a retrospective study of 619 biopsy samples of externally palpable masses submitted from pet guinea pigs for histopathology" retrospectively analysed 619 biopsy samples submitted for histopathology from pet guinea pigs that had presented with externally palpable masses.

The purpose was to determine the most common tissue origins of these masses and the most frequent pathological diagnoses, together with signalment data for the most commonly diagnosed lesions.

Of the 619 samples submitted from 493 animals, 54 (8.7%) had arisen from the mammary glands³ and 15 (2.4%) from the thyroid glands, with the remaining 550 (88.9%) involving the skin and subcutis, muscle (n = 1), salivary glands (n = 4), lips (n = 2), ears (n = 4) and peripheral lymph nodes (n = 23).

Forty-seven (7.6%) of the masses were diagnosed as inflammatory in nature, including dermatitis, panniculitis, lymphadenitis, cheilitis, myositis, sialoadenitis, abscess and chronic inflammation with osseous metaplasia.

Non-neoplastic, non-inflammatory lesions accounted for a further 31 (5.0%), namely cysts, hamartomas, hyperplastic lesions, polyps, ectopic bone formation and salivary gland steatosis.

The remainder of the samples were neoplastic in nature (541; 87.4%), with 99 masses classified as epithelial in origin, 347 as mesenchymal, 23 as round cell, five as melanocytic and eight as unclassified malignant neoplasms.

Of these, mesenchymal neoplasms were further subdivided into benign (288) and malignant (59).

Lipomas were the most common neoplasm diagnosed, accounting for 286 of all samples submitted.

Of all 619 samples included in the study, the eight most commonly diagnosed lesions were lipoma (46.2%), trichofolliculoma (12.3%), sarcoma (of various subtypes: 9.5%), inflammation (all sites 7.6%), lymphoma / leukaemia (3.4%), mammary carcinoma (4%), mammary adenoma (3.2%) and thyroid carcinoma (1.5%).

Overall these eight diagnoses accounted for 87.7% of all submissions from the externally palpable masses from the pet guinea pigs submitted for histopathology.

Melanie said: “Guinea pigs are an increasingly popular household pet.

"Skin diseases, including palpable masses, are a common reason for veterinary presentation. But few studies have been published to date that provide information for clinicians about these conditions.

“This study illustrates the importance of neoplasms of the skin and subcutis in pet guinea pigs, with over 87% of the cases analysed having one of eight diagnoses.

"While most of these neoplasms are benign, a substantial minority are malignant and identifying those lesions is especially important in treatment planning.

"Clinicians dealing with pet guinea pigs should also be aware that some externally palpable masses may arise from the thyroid or mammary glands rather than the skin or subcutis, and that male guinea pigs may also develop mammary lesions.” 

The paper has been selected as ‘Editor’s Choice’ by the Journal of Comparative Pathology and will be free to access until September on Lumpy, bumpy guinea pigs: a retrospective study of 619 biopsy samples of externally palpable masses submitted from pet guinea pigs for histopathology - ScienceDirect.

References

1. Melanie J. Dobromylskyj, Rebecca Hederer, Ken C. Smith, Lumpy, bumpy guinea pigs: a retrospective study of 619 biopsy samples of externally palpable masses submitted from pet guinea pigs for histopathology,
   Journal of Comparative Pathology, Volume 203, 2023, Pages 13-18 ISSN 0021-9975, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcpa.2023.04.001. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002199752300213X)
2. A. Minarikova, K. Hauptman, E. Jeklova, Z. Knotek, V. Jekl. Diseases in pet Guinea pigs: a retrospective study in 1000 animal. Vet Rec, 177 (2015), p. 200.
3. Masses arising from mammary glands accounted for 54 lesions in the study, with some guinea pigs having more than one mammary lesion biopsied. Of those 54 masses, 28 came from females (5 neutered), 23 from males (1 neutered) and three were from cases for which the sex had not been specified. 

Protexin Veterinary has launched Poop Points, a free practice poster designed to educate owners about digestive health in cats and dogs, and encourage them to monitor their pet's faeces.

The poster grades faeces from one (kickable) to six (most certainly not kickable). 

James Kyffin, Veterinary Director at Protexin Veterinary said: "We believe that Poop Points offers pet owners a fun and engaging way to monitor their pet’s faeces."

That, surely, must win James the "Oxymoronic Veterinary Quote of the Year Award 2019".

More seriously, he went on to say: "It is important to raise awareness of alterations in animal’s faecal scores and ensure that this is communicated to their veterinary surgeon in an effective way."

Practices in the UK and Ireland can order their free poster on Protexin's website: https://www.protexinvet.com/pooppoints, or by emailing info@protexin.com.

Protexin will also be promoting digestive health advice on its website and social channels (@Protexin Veterinary on Facebook and Instagram), which practices can share and use.

Paragon Veterinary Referrals in Wakefield has been joined by Dr Rodney Ayl, a double-board certified specialist in medical and radiation oncology.

Rodney (pictured right) has spent the last 26 years practising in the USA, latterly at the California-based Advanced Veterinary Specialists & Animal Specialty Group.

After growing up in Zimbabwe and graduating from the University of Pretoria in South Africa in 1985, he moved to London, where he became an MRCVS, and thence to the USA.

He undertook a small animal internship at the Animal Medical Centre in Manhattan, before moving to the Ohio State University for his residency in medical oncology in 1989. He achieved Board Certification in medical oncology in 1994 and in radiation oncology in 2000.

Rodney specialises in the application of multi-modality therapy protocols for the treatment of cancer in animals, and has conducted research on the phenomenon of multi-drug resistance, mast cell tumour and oral melanoma.

He said: "Thirty-something years on, I have come back to the UK as a specialist, where I started as a GP. Living in the UK also brings me much closer to my family, which is very important to me.

"Over the years, veterinary practice in the USA has changed significantly, where it has become more corporate and less personal. I enjoy being part of a new group where typically it is much closer, friendlier and more like a family."

Rodney now plans to oversee the development of a comprehensive oncology department to include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, immune-therapy and molecular targeted therapy.

He said his work at Paragon will focus on educating referring vets and clients about what is possible in the oncology field.

He said: "My job will be about increasing the level of knowledge, both of owners and general practitioners, of how we treat cancer in animals.

"It can be a scary disease and the first door an owner needs to step through, is understanding that treating a pet is very different to treating a human.

"The intention in humans is usually to cure but with pets, it is more about providing a good quality of life for as long as possible.

"There can be a fear of cancer therapy but if you stick to the protocols, it is no different to treating any other chronic incurable diseases. We use the safest methods with an abundance of caution and try to make sure that the treatment is not worse than the disease.

"It’s about internal training too, from reception right up to nurses and interns, looking at what we do and how we do it, to optimize the quality of life of the pet and their owners.

"I would like to see an oncology department that considers the emotional, financial, time and patient concerns of the owners, so they feel their commitment to cancer treatment for their pet is not a commitment to putting their pet or themselves through a difficult time."

Novartis Animal Health has issued the following statement concerning the supply of acepromazine (ACP) injectable in the UK:

"Recent upgrades to Novartis Animal Health’s manufacturing plant in the UK have resulted in the site becoming a worldwide centre of excellence for the production of bulk liquids. This upgrade has had an impact on the manufacture of ACP 2mg/ml and 10mg/ml injectable products, which will no longer be produced in the UK.

From January 2011, Novartis Animal Health will no longer be able to supply ACP Injection 2mg/ml or ACP Injection 10mg/ml to wholesalers. However, it is not Novartis’ intention to discontinue the supply of acepromazine injectable; in order to ensure consistency of supply to the UK market the company will be importing the Vetoquinol French product Calmivet.

Calmivet is a monovalent acepromazine injection licensed for use in dogs, cats and horses, available as a 5mg/ml injection, 50ml vial.

In order to obtain Calmivet from wholesalers, veterinarians will need to apply for a free of charge Special Import Certificate from the VMD. This can be completed on line at www.vmd.gov.uk.

It is anticipated that this situation will continue for at least the first 6 months of 2011, until an alternative manufacturing site is established. As soon as we have more information on the timelines this will be communicated.

A full communication including a prep room reminder poster and Calmivet product leaflet has been mailed to all UK practices.

Vetoquinol UK are not responsible for the distribution or technical support of this product, so any queries should be directed to Novartis Animal Health UK on 01276 694402.

The production and supply of ACP Tablets 10mg remains unaffected."