The British Small Animal Veterinary Association has announced the appointment of Dr Frances Barr as Academic Director, tasked with developing the new BSAVA postgraduate qualification in association with the Open University, ready for launch in 2012.

Frances is a European Specialist in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, and a double diplomat of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging. She has worked both in practice and as an academic, with 26 years working in Higher Education, and has a long history of working as a BSAVA volunteer, eventually taking on the presidential mantle in 2007.

BSAVA says it aims to provide the best possible educational offering to the profession, particularly to those in practice. Grant Petrie, BSAVA President, said: "Producing a postgraduate qualification is a natural progression to BSAVA's current CPD offering - there is clearly a need for it and we have a strong legacy as a provider of quality CPD. We want to make sure that the profession is served well - with a programme designed by vets for vets. As a charity with education at the core of our remit, BSAVA is best positioned to create something that will keep investing in the knowledge and talent of the profession. However, we always knew that we would need an exceptional individual to oversee the programme, and, in Frances Barr, we know we have that person."

Frances said: "This will fill a really important need. Many practitioners have a real appetite for learning more about their particular area of interest. Of course, they can currently do this with general CPD courses, but this new qualification will provide a structured and focussed learning programme which is flexible enough to fit around the busiest lifestyle, yet challenging enough to make the qualification a personal achievement, one that will be well respected by the whole profession."

She added: "The proposed new certificates in small animal medicine and surgery will comprise a combination of traditional taught courses, a wide-range of web-based material that will include interactive sessions, and workplace-based projects. This is the way forward for practitioners and will lead the profession into a more secure future."

The qualifications will be aimed primarily at the general practitioner, so they are not designed to replace the European Diploma system or aspiring to provide specialised knowledge. Instead they will be created very much for the interested, busy practitioner for whom an accredited residency programme is not an option. Grant Petrie said: "Encouraging small animal practitioners to embark on a clinically useful, challenging yet achievable, highly regarded postgraduate qualification sits very well with the BSAVA's remit to promote excellence in small animal practice through education and science."

The BSAVA postgraduate programme will launch in 2012, with more information about registration available at Congress 2011 and online from April next year. Frances Barr will begin working with the Open University and the BSAVA team in November.

The RCVS has adjusted the requirements for practices for its new Veterinary Graduate Development Programme (VetGDP) and will be holding interactive workshops to explain the programme and the changes.

The VetGDP, which replaced the Professional Development Phase (PDP), provides a period of structured support to aid the transition of newly-registered veterinary surgeons from veterinary studies to life in the workplace.

VetGDP is being rolled out during 2021 and this year’s veterinary graduates will need to enrol on it.

One of the main features of VetGDP is the requirement for a trained VetGDP Adviser to be available in the practice to provide their new graduate with one-to-one, meaningful support and guidance, to help develop their confidence and capabilities.

In order for veterinary surgeons to become VetGDP Advisers they must complete an online training package being developed by the RCVS and formally commit to supporting new graduates.

Practices that have trained VetGDP Advisers and make this commitment will receive the status of an RCVS-Approved Graduate Development Practice.

The original plan was that practices who wish to employ this year’s cohort of graduates should have obtained RCVS-Approved Graduate Development Practice status by June 2021.

This has now been amended in recognition of the additional pressures that veterinary practice teams are under as a result of the pandemic.

Practices who employ graduates this year will now have until December 2021 to achieve this status, provided they have started to work towards RCVS-Approved Graduate Development Practice status and commit to supporting their new graduate while they do so.

Dr Linda Prescott-Clements, RCVS Director of Education, said: “The ongoing pandemic restrictions, specifically changes made by the government to veterinary professionals’ key worker status on 13 January, means that there are now significant additional pressures on practice teams, particularly in terms of staffing, as many members of the profession will be balancing their work with caring responsibilities. We recognise this and, as such, we have updated the timeframe for the completion of our training for VetGDP Advisers.

“I would also like to personally thank the 850 vets who have already registered their interest in becoming VetGDP Advisers. It is very reassuring to see so many members of the profession committed to supporting new members of the profession, and wanting to engage with the training and with VetGDP to help nurture and develop our future vets through their first few years in practice.”

The College will be holding three VetGDP workshops in February. Each workshop will feature the same content, so there’s no need to attend more than one.

They take place on:

• Wednesday 3 February, 12:00 - 1:30pm
• Thursday 11 February, 12:00 - 1:30pm
• Monday 15 February, 7:00 - 8:30pm

The workshops are open to anyone in the veterinary team including veterinary surgeons who may be considering becoming a VetGDP Adviser, practice managers and others involved in graduate recruitment and anyone else who would like to find out more about VetGDP.

The sessions will be interactive and there will be a significant portion of time given over to Q&As. The RCVS Chair of Education Committee, Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS, and Dr Linda Prescott-Clements, will be available to answer any questions which can be submitted live during the event. You can also submit questions as you register for the workshop at: www.rcvs.org.uk/vetgdpworkshops.

For more information, visit: www.rcvs.org.uk/vetgdp  

Nurtured Pets has launched the Anti-Lick Strip Prevent^TM, Pro^TM and Pro C^TM, billed as an alternative to the clumsy and uncomfortable e-collar.

The Anti-Lick Strips deter animals from licking, biting or chewing of hot spots, granulomas and surgical sites. According to the company, they are also an effective deterrent to prevent such behaviours brought on by anxiety, boredom or even insect bites. 

Hayley Booth, product manager at Nutured Pets said: "The UK pet market has been crying out for products like these for years. The unique bandages have medical grade adhesive on one side and all-natural active ingredients on the other. The combination of cayenne pepper, lemon powder, clove oil and oregano delivers a natural deterrent to the animal's nose and tongue to prevent it from interfering with the affected area.

"The Pro and Pro C are made exclusively for vets; the Pro can be used for direct application onto the pet's fur, ideal for securing IVs or catheters, the Pro C has a stronger adhesive and is ideal for over-wrapping gauze and cast materials. 

"The Prevent then provides a profitable over the counter version for take home use. The preventative nature of these pet plasters may help promote healing and lessons the chance of infection, inflammation or re-opened wounds. In clinical trials, pets avoided the Anti-Lick Strip over 90% of the time proving these unique bandage strips really do work.

"The innovative features and benefits of the products themselves combined with extensive retail marketing support and highly visible point of sale display materials mean they're a must have for every vet practice."

For more information or a product sample, visit www.nurturedpets.co.uk or call 02476 302 222.

A study being conducted by the University of Liverpool and CVS has concluded that vets have wide-ranging perceptions of what constitutes a workplace injury, with some harms being seen as just ‘everyday norms’. 

Starting in 2022 ‘The context, consequence and prevention of veterinary workplace injuries: a qualitative and quantitative study in the UK’ study aims to explore the context, consequences and behaviours surrounding veterinary workplace injuries - to improve the safety of the profession.

The first phase of the research was a cross-sectional survey of 740 broadly representative veterinary professionals.

Initial analysis, published in Occupational Medicine¹, explored how injuries and their context are perceived by veterinary profession. 

Themes identified during this phase of analysis were:

• Injuries have become normalised, accepted and seen as everyday norms in veterinary practice - resulting in many not being reported;
• Differences in how injuries were defined, with small animal vets expecting injuries to involve blood, and equine/farm vets expecting them to reduce their ability to work or require the need for medical treatment;
• Equine and farm animal vets having a high threshold before acknowledging that an incident is a work-related injury. As such dangerous events, such as kicks, are seen as ‘everyday’ events and are not deemed an injury, and so will not be reported.
• Many suggest all injuries should be reported, however minor injuries were often overlooked, for example needlestick injuries;
• A large proportion of colleagues (especially vets) see reporting injuries as too onerous;
• Injuries caused by staff themselves (e.g. trips) were less likely to be reported than injuries that could be blamed on an external factor (e.g. dog bite). 

CVS says the veterinary industry should take note of the discrepancy of perception of what constitutes work-related injury in its practices and reporting protocols.

Practices may need an individualised approach to minimise their workplace injuries: some may need to work on revisiting their ideas around acceptable risk, whilst others may be good at minimising work-related harm, but have a complex or blame-associated reporting system which needs to be simplified.

Dr. John Tulloch, Lecturer and European Specialist in Veterinary Public Health, at the University of Liverpool who is leading the research, said: “Injuries that occur within veterinary practice can tragically at times be life-changing and are often avoidable.

"The objectives of this study are to understand how veterinary professionals define injuries and to understand what injuries they do or do not deem reportable.

"The results of this stage of the research have been both startling and complex.

"They highlight a profession in drastic need of cultural change and personal attitudes, with respect to injury prevention and mitigation.”

Dr. Imogen Schofield, Director of Clinical Research at CVS, said: “Using these findings, we will be able to develop and strengthen injury prevention measures through safety policy, education, and training.

"We anticipate that this project will result in safer workplaces within the wider veterinary community and, indirectly, in improved animal treatment through a fitter, healthier and safer profession.”

CVS says the research will lead to the development of open access educational tools aimed at promoting injury awareness and prevention.

The tools will focus on understanding why reporting injuries is important, how to develop a culture of accountability without blame, and when to seek medical attention and take time off work.

They will also investigate how to encourage clients to be safety ambassadors, and how to empower colleagues in challenging situations regarding restraint, aggressive patients and equine safety.

In addition, they will look at improving cat handling via International Society of Feline Medicine training and Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation, facilitating a rise in usage of hard hats in equine, and raising awareness of the risks associated with sharps plus sharp bin provision.

Reference:

1. T Furtado, M Whiting, I Schofield, R Jackson, J S P Tulloch, Pain, inconvenience and blame: defining work-related injuries in the veterinary workplace, Occupational Medicine, Volume 74, Issue 7, October 2024, Pages 501–507, https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqae068

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have, for the first time, revealed that digital dermatitis (DD) has been present on hoof knifes used on cattle and sheep following research¹ jointly funded by DairyCo and EBLEX.

The research conducted at the University investigated if DD Treponeme can be present on equipment used to trim cattle and sheep hooves. The research team, led by Dr Nicholas Evans and Professor Stuart Carter of the University of Liverpool and in collaboration with Roger Blowey MRCVS, tested trimming equipment used on cattle and sheep with digital dermatitis and after it was disinfected.

After trimming, DD was present on 97% of cattle blades and 100% of sheep blades. This was reduced to 29% and 46% respectively after disinfection.

Dr Evans said: "It has long been considered that digital dermatitis was spread in slurry which we have some evidence for and are continuing to investigate but now, for the first time, we have discovered the digital dermatitis bugs in the farm environment.

"However, the high detection rate of digital dermatitis bacteria on trimming blades soon after trimming cattle and sheep hooves from digital dermatitis cases suggests this may be a significant and worrying route for the transmission of this infectious condition."

Leigh Sullivan, who conducted the field work as part of her study, said: "Interestingly, in the world of human dentistry, a completely different species of the bacteria is found to cause gum disease. Furthermore, studies have shown it will adhere to metal on orthodontic braces which is consistent with our detection of the digital dermatitis Treponeme on metallic trimming knives."

Dr Jenny Gibbons, DairyCo research & development manager, added: "This DairyCo and EBLEX-funded study could help farmers, vets and hoof trimmers to understand more about the transmission of digital dermatitis between cows and farms. A logical precaution to limit the spread is to disinfect hoof trimming equipment between animals and between farms."

To find out more about this and other R&D projects, DairyCo is hosting a research day on 17 July at Trenault Farm, Launceston, Cornwall.

To book a place, visit: dairyco.org.uk/researchday2014

Reference

1. Sullivan et al., 2014. Presence of digital dermatitis Treponemes on cattle and sheep hoof trimming equipment. Veterinary Record doi: 10.1136/vr.102269 http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/early/2014/05/12/vr.102269.long

The RCVS second Mind Matters Initiative Research Symposium, 'Understanding and supporting veterinary mental health', is now open for applications for presentations on veterinary mental health and wellbeing research.

The symposium, which will be held on Tuesday 24 September 2019, at Church House in London, will bring together researchers interested in all aspects of veterinary professionals’ wellbeing and mental health. It will feature plenary speakers from mental health research, including:

• Professor Neil Greenberg: Sustaining resilience at work – what does the evidence tell us works?, Professor of Defence Mental Health, Consultant Academic Psychiatrist at King’s College London, Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ (RCP) Special Interest Group in Occupational Psychiatry.

• Professor Alexandra Pitman: The impact of veterinarian suicide on colleagues, Associate Professor in Psychiatry in the UCL Division of Psychiatry and an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. 

• Professor Stuart Reid: The Mind Matters Initiative – what we’ve achieved so far, Principal, Royal Veterinary College, Chair of the Mind Matters Initiative.

Presentations should be in the format of a 15-minute oral presentation or an A1 poster.

Those wishing to apply should submit an abstract clearly marked ‘poster’ or ‘oral presentation’. The title should be 15 words or fewer. The abstract should include author(s) first name(s), followed by surname(s), institution of affiliation and country. The body of the text should be no longer than 250 words and include: background; clear and explicit aims and objectives, hypotheses or research questions; methods; results; discussion; and conclusion.

All abstracts should be submitted as Word documents to Rosie Allister on rosie.allister@gmail.com no later than 23:59 (GMT) on Friday 19 April 2019.

Applicants will be notified if they have been successful within 14 days of this date. Speakers whose applications are successful will receive complimentary registration for the symposium, not including travel and accommodations costs. 

A small number of travel bursaries are available for students, people with lived experience of mental health problems, and people who are unwaged, who would not otherwise be able to attend. For further details, please contact Lisa Quigley, Mind Matters Initiative Manager, on l.quigley@rcvs.org.uk.

Purina has launched the very snappily named Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NF Renal Function Early Care and Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NF Renal Function Advanced Care, designed to meet the nutritional needs of cats in International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) stage one and two (early phase) and IRIS stage three and four (late phase) respectively.

Purina says the foods contain adjusted and graded levels of protein and phosphorus to address the delicate balance of providing needed protein in older cats against uraemic toxin production in late phase renal decline.

The current advice is that phosphate should be restricted when the renal patient has confirmed CKD, and IRIS provides therapeutic serum phosphate targets for each stage.

Dr Ellie Groves BA(Hons) VetMB MRCVS, Purina Technical Manager for the UK and Ireland, said: “As obligate carnivores, cats have a high requirement for protein, however, around 20% of senior cats have decreased ability to digest protein, and so are absorbing less protein.

"An inadequate intake of protein leads to loss of lean body mass as muscle is catabolised to meet this need.

"We know that this loss of lean body mass is significantly correlated with an increased risk of mortality.

"But we need to be careful – in renal disease, there is the potential for protein breakdown products to increase in the circulation, acting as toxins.

"So, we need to fine-tune the amount of protein, depending on the stage of chronic renal insufficiency (CRI).

"A dual approach, with Early and Advanced products, allows tailoring of protein levels.” 

“Alongside protein, phosphorus content is also tailored to the stage of kidney decline.

"Restricting phosphorus can slow the progression of chronic kidney disease by reducing morphological damage to the kidneys and is thought to be the most important influencer of survival in cats with CKD.

"The levels of phosphorus in the products, are tailored, alongside the protein, to reflect the needs of the cat, with increased restriction when cats are in advanced decline and the kidneys are struggling most.”

NF Renal Function Early Care is available in a dry format (1.5kg) and a pouch (tender pieces with chicken 85g).

NF Renal Function Advanced Care is available in 1.5kg and 5kg packs of dry food, and ‘wet’ options of tender pieces with chicken/ salmon (85g pouches) and a mousse (195g can).

Both diets are now available in veterinary wholesalers. 

The government has launched a public consultation on proposals to ban keeping primates as pets in England, which veterinary surgeons are invited to take part in before it closes on the 6th February 2021.

The government estimates that up to 5,000 primates are currently kept outside of licensed zoos in the UK. Marmosets are by far the most commonly held primates in the UK, with capuchins, squirrel monkeys, lemurs and tamarins also among the most common species.

The new proposals will mean that specialist primate keepers who do not hold a zoo licence will need to obtain a new specialist private primate keeper licence to ensure they are meeting the required high welfare standards. These plans will also place welfare restrictions on the breeding and transferring of primates.

The BVA has welcomed the consultation. BVA Senior Vice President, Daniella Dos Santos said: “For a long time, we have called for a ban on private individuals keeping primates as pets. As​ ​vets,​ ​we​ ​have​ ​significant​ ​concerns​ ​as​ ​to whether​ ​the health and​ ​welfare​ ​needs​ ​of​ ​primates​ ​can​ ​ever​ ​be​ ​met​ ​under these circumstances.​

“​Primates​ ​are​ ​long-lived, intelligent​ ​and​ ​socially​ ​complex​ ​animals​ ​whose​ ​needs​ ​are​ ​extraordinarily​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​meet​ ​in​ ​captivity and we can think of no circumstances where a primate would benefit from being kept in this way.​ ​

“We welcome the Government’s move to open a public consultation on this and hope that it does indeed result in a ban. If​ ​the​ ​UK wants​ ​to​ ​maintain​ ​its​ ​reputation​ ​for​ ​some​ ​of​ ​the​ ​highest​ ​standards​ ​of​ ​animal​ ​welfare in the world​ and if the government wants to fulfil its promises of enhancing the welfare of animals as we leave Europe then we​ ​must​ ​put an end to ​the​ ​keeping​ ​and trade of​ ​primates​ ​as​ ​pets.”

To take part in the consultation, visit: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/animal-health-and-welfare/primates-as-pets-in-england/consultation/intro/ 

Vetoquinol has made changes to Zentonil®, its liver support range for dogs and cats.

New Zentonil® is the UK's FIRST palatable and divisible tablet range of S-adenosyl-methionine (SAMe) supplementation and now comes with the added benefit of choice: Zentonil® Advanced which contains pure SAMe plus silybin and Zentonil® Plus which contains pure SAMe only.

A patent pending microencapsulation technique protects the SAMe from the harmful effects of stomach acid, even when the tablet is split or chewed.

The ability to split the tablets makes administration more accurate and also makes the product more cost-effective for clients.

Vetoquinol's new Zentonil® formulations have proven SAMe bioavailability curves in a market where this particular type of data is often lacking

Simon Boulton, product manager said: "Our customers told us that they had difficulties associated with SAMe supplementation.  We have listened to their comments and provided the solutions."

The new formulations will become available as wholesalers' Zentonil® stocks are depleted.  If you wish to try new Zentonil® now, you can place an order for Zentonil® Advanced or Zentonil® Plus with your wholesaler.

For more information, please contact your local Vetoquinol sales representative or telephone the free practice support number - 0800 1698197.

Petplan has announced the finalists for the 2012 Petplan Veterinary Awards. 

According to the company, the awards have been more popular than ever, with over 3,000 nominations submitted for exceptional veterinary staff across the UK.                                                                        

The finalists for each of the categories are:

Vet of the Year
Zaila Dunbar, Queens Park Veterinary Practice - London
Tony Barnes, Manor Veterinary Clinic - Folkestone
Mark Taylor, Feldon Veterinary Centre - Bedworth 

Vet Nurse of the Year
Lucy Kells, The Wildlife Aid Foundation - Leatherhead
Rachael Harris, Elms Veterinary Surgery - Monmouth
Sarah Algar, Brentknoll Veterinary Centre Ltd - Worcester

Support Staff of the Year
Sarah Bowler, Holly House Veterinary Surgery - Knutsford
Jane Wyatt, George Hunt and Son - Poynton
Cathy Campbell, Haygate Veterinary Centre - Telford

Vet Practice of the Year
Eastcott Veterinary Clinic and Hospital - Swindon
Prince Bishop Veterinary Hospital - County Durham
Broadleys Veterinary Hospital - Stirling

Simon Masding, Petplan's Head of Sales and Partnerships, said: "The Vet of the Year Awards are the highlight of our Petplan calendar because they recognise the dedication that the veterinary industry puts into providing the nation's pets with the best possible treatment. Each year the nominations reach an even higher standard and we're delighted with this year's finalists. At Petplan we work with more veterinary professionals than any other insurance provider and it is through these awards that we thank the profession on behalf of UK pet owners."

Petplan has also announced that comedian Seann Walsh, known for his appearances on shows like Mock the Week and Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, will be this year's compère for the Vet of the Year Awards. Following in the footsteps of previous compères Michael McIntyre, Alistair McGowan, Frankie Boyle and Jason Manford; he will be entertaining this year's guests on the 12^th April at Birmingham Town Hall.

For further information visit www.petplan.co.uk/vetawards/

Vetoquinol UK has launched Dolpac®, its new wormer for dogs.

Dolpac® is a broad spectrum anthelmintic for dogs containing pyrantel, oxantel and praziquantel. Individually these ingredients are effective against individual worm species and the combination of all three provides specific activities against the most common roundworm and tapeworm species.

According to the company, clinical studies carried out in accordance with internationally recognised guidelines have shown that Dolpac® provides an excellent ability to reduce parasitic infection.

“Dolpac® offers vets and their clients an easy to use worming alternative at an affordable price,” explains Mark Leddy, Vetoquinol’s Marketing Department Manager. “Our aim is to help to increase the number of dog owners worming their pets at the correct frequency, which will not only protect their dogs, but their children as well. We have introduced a number of features to help achieve this objective, there are three tablet sizes to cover all weight ranges and the tablets are flavoured and easy to give, and there are dispensing envelopes in every pack. We also provide a dosing wall chart and a client worming guide.”

For more information, contact your Vetoquinol representative or visit the Dolpac website, http://www.dolpac.co.uk/, which offers information for both vets and clients.

Hipra has announced that Eravac, its monovalent vaccine for the prevention of rabbit haemorrhagic disease type 2 (RHD-2) in pet rabbits, is now indicated to provide 12 months' duration of immunity.

This, says the company, will make vaccination easier for vets and clients.

Eravac is an injectable emulsion ready for administration without the need for reconstitution beforehand.

Each box contains 10 individual doses which can be given to pet rabbits from 30 days of age.