As part of its recent policy statement in which the BVA outlined its vision for veterinary surgeons to lead the care provided by a variety of allied professionals, the association has made a series of recommendations for expanding the role of Registered Veterinary Nurses.

Firstly, the BVA recommends that more work needs to be done in order to clarify and communicate the duties that can already be delegated to Registered Veterinary Nurses under Schedule 3.

In addition, the Association says that:

• there should be an expanded role for RVNs in general anaesthesia, where the veterinary surgeon maintains overall responsibility

• consideration should be given to granting RVNs expanded rights to dispense POM-V flea and worming treatments

• consideration should be given to expanding the role of RVNs in the management of chronic cases, including repeat dispensing

• consideration should be given to the potential role for RVNs in dispensing contraceptives, anthelmintics and vaccines in a zoo setting

• it would be beneficial to incorporate the Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) role within RVN training

The BVA also recommends that there should be accessible, flexible and professionally recordable post-registration awards for RVNs from all academic backgrounds, and has reiterated its call for the protection of the title of 'Veterinary Nurse.'

BVNA Junior Vice President Jo Hinde RVN (pictured right) said: "BVNA strongly supports the vet-led approach as we believe working together as a team is the best way to improve both patient and staff welfare. We are delighted to be working on this project with BVA and are using our best efforts to continue to strive to strengthen the role of the RVN.

"We have always believed the VN title needs to be protected and this is increasingly important as the veterinary profession adapts to new challenges. It is vital that owners can be confident that their pet is being looked after by well-trained and RCVS-registered staff, as well as there being more clarity surrounding Schedule 3 procedures.

"The support for the advancement of the nursing role through post-registration qualifications is a welcome development and we believe this will help enable RVNs to follow their passion for a particular subject and allow them to significantly increase their knowledge in specific areas of interest. When following the vet-led model, this would result in a strong team of individuals with in-depth knowledge that can enhance their patients’ care."

The University of Lincoln and Ceva Animal Health are asking vets to help recruit puppies and their owners for a study into puppy behaviour and the effect of a pheromone collar on puppy development.

The double-blind placebo-controlled study will examine whether the pheromone collar can help reduce the severity or development of certain potentially problematic behaviours in puppies and it is open to puppies less than 12 weeks of age.

Puppies will have to wear a collar until they are six months of age and their owners will be asked to complete a check sheet relating to their puppy’s behaviour every month. Each month a new collar will be sent direct to their home.

To encourage enrolment, the University of Lincoln is offering veterinary professionals a £10 voucher for every successful sign up to the trial.

Owners who complete all questionnaires will receive a pack of canine health and welfare goodies from Ceva Animal Health. The pack will include Adaptil Junior, Adaptil Transport and Logic Oral Hygiene Gel.

Owners will also be entered into a draw to win an iPad.

A marketing pack is available to raise awareness of the study and includes a waiting room poster, owner leaflets and a social media post for Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

For further information, email the University of Lincoln at puppydevelopment@lincoln.ac.uk.

Vetswest, the veterinary support services company, has been acquired by MWI Veterinary Supply, a subsidiary of the US multinational, AmerisourceBergen.

MWI already owns Centaur and VetSpace, and the agreement will allow it to further expand the range of services it offers the animal health profession in the UK. 

Jim Cleary, Executive Vice President of AmerisourceBergen and President of MWI Veterinary Supply said: “This partnership reflects our commitment to the success of veterinary practices across the globe. We’re proud to welcome Vetswest to the MWI family as we continue to expand our services in our mission to be the best resource to the animal health profession.”

Vetswest offers group business support services for its 235 member veterinary practices including negotiating manufacturer terms and a proprietary IT system that supports pricing intelligence, inventory information and reporting on purchasing activity. The company also provides access to ancillary services for veterinary surgeons to help manage human resources, continuing professional development, insurance offerings, pension services and other areas which support the growth of member practices. 

Vetswest's retiring managing director David Buckley said: “The resources of MWI and AmerisourceBergen will allow us to bring new innovation to the market and additional benefits to Vetswest members. I’m excited about Vetswest’s future under the leadership of Chris Sobey and as part of the MWI and AmerisourceBergen family.” 

Chris Sobey, who will become the new managing director of Vetswest following his tenure as Vetswest’s business development director said: “Our goal has always been to improve efficiencies and services for our members through scale and with our new relationship with MWI and AmerisourceBergen, we will be well positioned to further this core mission of our organisation.’’ 

A study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology has concluded that children get more satisfaction from their relationship with their pets than with their brothers or sisters.

This study was conducted in collaboration with the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition as part of a larger study, led by Prof Claire Hughes at the University of Cambridge Centre for Family Research.

Researchers surveyed 12-year-old children from 77 families with one or more pets of any type and more than one child at home. Children reported strong relationships with their pets relative to their siblings, with lower levels of conflict and greater satisfaction in owners of dogs than other kinds of pets.

The authors say this research adds to increasing evidence that household pets may have a major influence on child development, and could have a positive impact on children’s social skills and emotional well-being.       

Pets are almost as common as siblings in western households, although there are relatively few studies on the importance of child-pet relationships.  

Matt Cassells, lead researcher, said: "Anyone who has loved a childhood pet knows that we turn to them for companionship and disclosure, just like relationships between people. We wanted to know how strong these relationships are with pets relative to other close family ties. Ultimately this may enable us to understand how animals contribute to healthy child development."

He added: "Even though pets may not fully understand or respond verbally, the level of disclosure to pets was no less than to siblings.

"The fact that pets cannot understand or talk back may even be a benefit as it means they are completely non-judgmental. While previous research has often found that boys report stronger relationships with their pets than girls do, we actually found the opposite. While boys and girls were equally satisfied with their pets, girls reported more disclosure, companionship, and conflict with their pet than did boys, perhaps indicating that girls may interact with their pets in more nuanced ways."

Waltham researcher Nancy Gee, a co-author of the study, said: "Evidence continues to grow showing that pets have positive benefits on human health and community cohesion. The social support that adolescents receive from pets may well support psychological well-being later in life but there is still more to learn about the long term impact of pets on children’s development."

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health has launched a series of new guides and videos to help practices engage with clients on social media.

The company says the series will help practices set-up, post content and measure the effectiveness of their social media channels.

There are three introductory videos titled: ‘What are the benefits and why is social media key to my practice?’, ‘Measurement, maintenance and management’ and ‘Planning’.

The first video covers a back-to-basics introduction to social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram. The second video explains how to measure the success of social channels and how to manage posts and content. The final video covers the importance of planning and the use of content calendars to highlight events and awareness days, as well as helpful tools and features such as Facebook Live.

The four how-to guides explain:

• ‘I currently have no social media presence.  How do I get started?’’ 
• ‘How to successfully maintain and measure your social media accounts’
• ‘Why is community management important?’
• ‘How-to – Facebook Live and Instagram Lives’

The social media videos and how-to guides are part of PetNatter, Boehringer Ingelheim’s free veterinary resource, designed to help veterinary practices stay in touch with owners and help them care for their pets. Originally launched in mid-July, PetNatter provides veterinary practices with professionally crafted social media, newsletter and website content. 

Grace Tonner, territory manager at Boehringer Ingelheim said: “Social media plays a big part in our social lives and it is an increasingly important channel in business communities too, which has the potential to help practices maintain and develop vital relationships with pet owners. 

"While most vet practices recognise that social media should play an important role in starting and maintaining communications with clients and potential clients, particularly during challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, finding the time, resource and skills to be effective with social media can be challenging.

"Our brilliant series of short, easy-to-understand social media videos and how-to guides provides veterinary professionals with the essential knowledge, tools and confidence to make vet practice social media a hit.  Using the videos and guides will enable vet practices to get their social media up and running in just 15 minutes.”

For further information on the social media videos and how-to guides contact your local Boehringer Ingelheim territory manager or visit petnatter.co.uk/how-to.

Cats Protection is calling for an urgent shift in pet owners' thinking in order to control the UK's cat population, after being inundated with thousands of unwanted kittens again this summer.

The charity is urging owners to neuter their cats at four months of age - two months earlier than the traditional six months - because this is when cats reach sexual maturity.

The call follows a recent survey carried out by the charity which found that just 4% of people neutered their cat at or before the recommended four months.

Each year, Cats Protection takes in thousands of unwanted or abandoned kittens which are the result of unplanned breeding so the charity is keen to make cat owners aware of the need to neuter.

 Jane Clements, Cats Protection's Neutering Manager said: "Getting the neutering message across is proving to be a very tough hurdle for cat welfare because our research shows the vast majority of people are still not neutering their cats early enough to avoid unwanted litters of kittens.

"Without neutering, the UK's cat population quickly gets out of control and each summer we are overwhelmed with kittens in need of homes so it is vital people ensure their cats are neutered at the correct age to prevent unwanted litters."

While the lack of early neutering was a problem across Britain, the survey found the ITV Yorkshire and ITV Central areas are the least likely to neuter at the recommended age, both with just 1% of cats neutered at or before four months. 

Cats Protection is planning to open a new homing centre later this year in Gildersome, Leeds, Yorkshire, and it is hoped its presence there will raise awareness of the need for better cat welfare and early neutering. The centre will find homes for around 500 cats each year, increasing the charity's work in the region by up to 68 per cent. Information about the new centre can be found by visiting www.cats.org.uk/support-us/future-for-cats/gildersome-homing-centre.

The charity is also embarking on a large scale neutering campaign in North Birmingham, which it hopes will help to raise awareness of the issues in the area.

Cats Protection runs a national register of veterinary practices that carry out neutering at four months of age. To register your practice, please visit the website at www.cats.org.uk/early-neutering

MSD Animal Health has launched a dairy calf heath checklist app, designed to help the veterinary professionals and farmers draw up action plans to improve calf health together.

The app, which works on tablets and smartphones, allows vets to e-mail audit results directly to clients following an interactive calf health assessment at the farm.

MSD Animal Health’s youngstock marketing manager Robert Simpson said: “Our new app allows both parties to explore, record and score calf health performance across five core areas to identify the strengths and weaknesses of any rearing unit’s environment and processes. 

“Working through a series of 10 questions within each core area – designed to tease out where a rearing unit is in terms of accepted best management practice – allows vet and farmer to quickly pinpoint any areas needing attention.

"What’s more, repeating the checklist every six or 12 months is a great way to keep things on track, allowing both parties to monitor progress against agreed targets”.

For more information about the app, contact your MSD account manager.

The Competition and Markets Authority has completed its review of the veterinary sector, concluding that there are five main areas of concern and proposing a formal Market Investigation, subject to a 4 week consultation. 

The CMA review generated 11,000 responses from people working in the veterinary industry, including 1/5th of the country's vets and nurses. There were a further 45,000 responses from the general public. 

Issues identified by the review were that:

• Consumers are not being given enough information choose the best practice or the right treatments. The CMA highlighted that 80% of practices don't display any pricing information on their website, that consumers are often not informed about the cost of diagnosis or treatment before agreeing to it, and the lack of transparency over the ownership of corporate practices.
• In some areas of the country, corporatisation may be killing off competition. 
• Large groups which have invested in expensive, advanced equipment may be incentivised to offer more sophisticated, higher cost treatments, making consumers less able to access simpler lower cost treatments. They have also bought related businesses, such as referral centres, diagnostic labs, crematoria and out of hours care, providing an incentive to provide these services in-house to the detriment of choice and competition. 
• Pet owners may be paying too much for medicines: around 25% of pet owners are unaware they can have prescriptions fulfilled elsewhere, and there is little incentive for practices to advise owners that they have a choice. Furthermore, under the current regulatory framework, practices are often unable to source medicines at prices that can compete in the marketplace.
• Under the current framework, the RCVS regulates at practitioner level, meaning it has limited leverage over the commercial and consumer-facing aspects of veterinary business, such as how prices are communicated or whether there is transparency over practice ownership.

So far, the RCVS, the BVNA and IVC have all responded to the announcement, the RCVS welcoming the call for modernising the regulatory framework and the BVNA likewise (taking the opportunity to remind everyone that this would also be the moment to protect the 'veterinary nurse' title).

Meanwhile, IVC said that for its part, it has always tried to ensure its prices are competitive and that customers are informed of costs before treatment, adding that it believes price increases in the sector have been driven predominantly by the shortage of vets, necessary improvements to pay and conditions for veterinary professionals and inflation.  

The CMA has now launched a 4-week consultation to seek views from the sector on the proposal to launch a market investigation.

The consultation closes on 11 April 2023 at which point it will consider the responses received and a decision will be made on how to proceed.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-proposal-to-make-a-market-investigation-reference-into-veterinary-services-for-household-pets-in-the-uk

AMufacture has launched The Ear Protector, designed to make face masks more comfortable for people working in public-facing businesses. 

The Ear Protector sits on the back of the head and hooks onto face mask strings, pulling them backwards and away from the ears, thereby relieving pressure and stopping chafing. 

The product was designed by AMufacture's Chief Operating Officer, William Howden, a former Olympic sailor who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He said: "Early in the pandemic, it became apparent to us that there was a serious need to address an unresolved problem with face masks – people were really beginning to suffer and were getting distracted from their work."

The Ear Protector is sterilisable in a dishwasher. It is also recyclable when it reaches the end of its life.

The Ear Protectors cost fifty pence each, for orders of two hundred. Contact the company direct for lower volume pricing.

For more information, visit: http://www.theearprotector.com 

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has published new research in Preventative Veterinary Medicine which concluded that surgical management of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) ruptures in dogs causes better outcomes for reducing lameness compared to non-surgical management¹.

The study was based on VetCompass anonymised clinical records from more than two million dogs under first opinion veterinary care in the UK in 2019.

The study applied causal inference methods to the analysis of random samples of 815 dogs with CCL rupture aged between 1.5- and 12-years-old to replicate a randomised clinical trial and explore the impact of the different treatment methods.

Balancing the arms of the study for variables including age, breed and bodyweight, the researchers compared the outcomes for the dogs who received surgical management for CCL ruptures to those that were managed non-surgically.

The results showed that dogs managed surgically were 25.7% less likely to show short-term lameness at 3 months post-diagnosis and 31.7% less likely to show long-term lameness at 12 months post-diagnosis than dogs managed non-surgically.

Surgically managed dogs were 38.9% less likely to have a pain relief prescription at 3 months post-diagnosis, 34.1% less likely at 6 months and 32.7% less likely at 12 months than dogs managed non-surgically.

The RVC says these findings also similarly demonstrate lower longer term pain in surgically managed dogs.

Camilla Pegram, VetCompass PhD student at the RVC and lead author of the paper, said: “This study used an exciting new approach that allowed us to determine ‘cause’ rather than being limited to ‘association’.

"Surgical management for CCL rupture is often considered as providing better outcomes than non-surgical management, but this study now provides an evidence base to support this.

"Whilst surgical management might not always be feasible for some dogs, the findings allow vets to quantify the benefit in their discussions with owners.”

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106165 

Reference

1. PEGRAM, C., DIAZ-ORDAZ, K., BRODBELT, D. C., CHANG, Y., FRYKFORS VON HEKKEL, A., WU, C., CHURCH, D. B. & O’NEILL D.G. 2024. Target Trial Emulation: Does surgical versus non-surgical management of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in dogs cause different outcomes? Preventive Veterinary Medicine https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106165 

Vetoquinol has announced the launch of its new support package to help vets and owners manage canine epilepsy with Epiphen, the company's phenobarbital medication.

Each Epiphen support package contains: 

• Owner Record Manuals which contain epilepsy information and recording charts to monitor seizures
• Vouchers for free personalised vet-alert style dog tags
• Detailed Seizure Reports for vets
• Information on Vetoquinol's serum phenobarbital monitoring scheme
• Contact details for an "ask the expert" scheme, through which vets can ask advice on epilepsy cases from an expert
• Details of the entire Epiphen® range

Accurate information is vital to help control epilepsy patients and the Owner Record Manual will enable owners to keep on top of this information.  It contains charts to monitor seizure frequency and patterns, medication changes, blood test results and seizure characteristics.

The new "ask the expert" scheme offers vets the opportunity to ask for advice on epilepsy cases.  Email epiphen@vetoquinol.co.uk with the query (and your contact details) and you will be put in touch with a neurology expert at a leading referral centre. Vets can also contact the Technical Helpline on 0800 1698197.

The Seizure Reports for vets provide a much more detailed tool for use at initial presentation or for owners to fill in when seizures differ in character. There is a pad of 30 tear-off sheets in each Epiphen support package.

Simon Boulton, Epiphen product manager said: "We understand that epilepsy is an emotional condition and wanted to provide vets and owners with more than just a tablet. I am convinced that with the Epiphen  Support Package we are providing them with the tools they need to make the most of epilepsy management."

Epiphen also offers a free phenobarbital monitoring service. There is a voucher in each 30mg pack and 2 in each 60mg pack. 

For more details on the Epiphen Support Package, to obtain a free practice starter pack or get extra copies of materials, please contact Vetoquinol on 0800 1608197 or contact your Vetoquinol representative. 

Paragon Veterinary Referrals in Wakefield has become the first practice in Yorkshire and one of only a few in the UK to install a Zeiss OPMI CS NC-2 neurosurgical microscope.

Paragon’s head of neurology, Massimo Mariscoli, says it will deliver better results for pets, improve the health and well-being of the surgeons using it, and improve the hospital’s ability to deal with complex spinal and brain surgeries.

Massimo, an EBVS and RCVS specialist in veterinary neurology said: “The operative microscope is an essential piece of equipment in the modern neurosurgical theatre.

“It delivers good magnification, good illumination without significant aberration or production of excessive heat and has a great internal stability which allows operational flexibility.

“There is also direct visual control of the instrumentation with the possibility to have magnifications up to 10 times with a good depth of field allowing a more natural three-dimensional vision.

“In addition, surgical microscopes allow multiple different magnifications while maintaining constant working distances which leads to excellent flexibility and versatility during surgical procedures.

“For example, low magnification is used during the drilling of the vertebral laminar or the skull and to ensure that the whole surgical field is clean before suturing the muscle layers.

“Higher magnification is used while dealing with delicate structures such as the spinal cord or brain.

“The higher magnification coupled with a good depth of view and stable three-dimensional vision also increases the security and safety when manipulating micro-surgical instruments near the nervous tissue.”

Massimo says that while the microscopes are not common in veterinary practices, he strongly believes they are an essential piece of equipment when dissecting close to the brain or spinal cord in small animals.

He also says that veterinary surgeons benefit from the technology: "The operative neurosurgical microscope is fixed to a self-levelling tripod, allowing multiple spatial configuration to ensure a perfect vision of the surgical field.

“This has a positive outcome on the health and well-being of the surgeons, with a 2013 study showing that, for nearly 85% of the time spent operating, surgeons have symmetrical, non-neutral, head-neck posture.”

For more information, visit www.paragonreferrals.co.uk.

A survey commissioned by the RCVS has found that a significant number of pet owners think veterinary surgeons offer poor or very poor value for money, suggesting more work needs to be done to communicate the value of veterinary services.

The survey was conducted by Mo Gannon & Associates, which asked 2,000 UK adults about their satisfaction with the service they and their animals received from veterinary surgeons, levels of trust in the profession, and whether the service provided by vets represents value for money.

32% of the respondents felt that veterinary surgeons represented excellent (8%) or good (24%) value for money. 38% thought that veterinary fees are fair. However, 29% thought that veterinary surgeons and their services provided poor (21%) or very poor (8%) value for money. The results were very similar to the last time the survey was conducted, in 2015.

Nevertheless, veterinary surgeons continue to enjoy very high levels of trust amongst the public. 94% said they either completely trust (34%) or generally trust (60%) vets. This put veterinary surgeons in third place amongst the most trusted professions, below opticians and pharmacists but above GPs and and dentists. 

Satisfaction with the profession was also high. 80% said they were either very satisfied (39%) or satisfied (41%), putting vets in fourth place below opticians, pharmacists and dentists, but above general practitioners and accountants.

RCVS President Dr Niall Connell, pictured right (would you trust this man?) said: "These results clearly demonstrate that there is a great deal of good will towards the veterinary profession and the work they do in treating the nation’s animals and serving their communities. The basis of all good relationships is trust, and it is fantastic to see that our clients continue overwhelmingly to trust our knowledge and expertise and remain very happy with the service we provide them.

"The picture on value for money is clearly a bit more mixed, although clearly 70% of the respondents recognise that we at least charge fair fees in terms of our time and expertise. There is, of course, always more work that we can do in order to help the public understand veterinary costs and fees and promote the value of veterinary care, as demonstrated by last year’s joint Pets Need Vets social media campaign with BVA, in which we highlighted the benefits to pet owners of being registered with a vet."