Tickets for BSAVA Congress, taking place at Manchester Central from 24th–26th March, have gone on sale, with early bird discounts for those who register before 17th February 2022.

There have been major changes to the format for Congress this year.

Sarah Fitzpatrick, BSAVA Head of Partnerships and Events, said: “Last year’s online event proved this can all be delivered in a much more interactive and engaging way.

"Returning to a face-to-face format enables us to take that even further and provide delegates with a truly immersive experience."

Many of the sessions at this year’s event will have two speakers delivering different perspectives on a topic, followed by a Q&A.

With 15-20 minutes to get into the detail, lectures will get straight to the point, be fast-paced and rich in content.

Programme committee lead, Paul Higgs (pictured right) said: “Each subject will be delivered in a mix of formats, lectures, debates and interactive sessions, for example.

"It means delegates won’t find themselves sat for hours passively listening, instead they’ve the opportunity to actively engage with the topics, which will promote deeper learning.

“Where topics overlap subject areas, module delegates will come together to explore diagnostics, treatments and ethics.”

For the first time, delegates will also be able to get hands-on in practical sessions at no further cost. 

BSAVA’s President, Sheldon Middleton, said: “I can’t wait to get to BSAVA Congress in 2022. 

"The new venue, new format and new exhibition layout will enhance everything that BSAVA Congress is known for.  

"Now we’ve got a hybrid format, the on-demand feature means that for the first time I can catch up with friends and not miss the CPD!”

Delegates can also attend online, through an interactive virtual platform, which will run alongside the live event.

To buy your tickets before the touts get hold of them visit: https://www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2022/en/page/home.

Seven veterinary surgeons who took their final assessments at the University of Liverpool on 6 September have become the first to receive the postgraduate RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice with equine designations.

Dr Mark Holmes, a member of the RCVS sub-committee for the CertAVP who observed the assessments at Liverpool said: "I was very impressed by the quality of all the candidates and the diligence of the examination process.

"It is clear that candidates putting themselves forward for 'named' certificates have demonstrated particular interest in their chosen fields and place considerable value on passing their synoptic examination."

The modular certificates were introduced in 2007 to be a more flexible replacement for the old-style postgraduate certificates. Vets can now choose from 79 subject modules, with RCVS-accredited assessments offered by a range of universities. These institutions may also offer associated courses which vets can take to support their studies, although candidates are free to choose where and how they wish to study.

To build their credits into the full CertAVP qualification candidates must first enrol with the RCVS, which keeps a record of modules achieved.  Candidates need to take two compulsory modules, and several of a range of optional modules, within ten years in order to receive the award. Candidates aiming for a designated award must choose specific modules from amongst the options, and additionally pass an overarching 'synoptic' assessment.

For more information about the individual modules and the qualification as a whole, prospective candidates can visit www.rcvs.org.uk/modcerts.

The RCVS has launched its new Fellowship scheme and is now accepting applications from veterinary surgeons who have made a meritorious contribution to their particular field.

The new Fellowship scheme was launched with three routes to membership: meritorious contributions to knowledge; meritorious contributions to clinical practice; and meritorious contributions to the profession.

The changes were approved by RCVS Council at its June 2015 meeting, following a public consultation on how the Fellowship could be developed to move it away from being an examination-based award, to becoming a learned society.

Dr Bradley Viner, President of the RCVS, said: "I am very proud to announce the launch of the new Fellowship scheme and I hope that, as a learned body, the Fellowship will help advance and develop clinical and professional standards by sharing their knowledge and expertise with the profession.

"The move from being an examinations-based award to the three new paths to entry is a significant development as it will widen the reach of the Fellowship, particularly to those who are working in clinical practice.

"I would strongly encourage all those who feel they have made a meritorious contribution to any of these three areas to apply as I am very hopeful we will be able to award our first group of new Fellowships at RCVS Day on Friday 15 July."

The criteria for achieving Fellowship includes sustained contribution to scholarship; producing a body of creative work that has been disseminated to others; indisputable advancement of their subject; providing leadership to the profession; and, advancement of the public understanding of the profession.

Each application will be assessed by a Credentials Panel to see if it meets the proposed criteria. Applications approved by the Panel will then be put to the Fellowship Board, which will meet once a year to consider the overall list of proposed applications. 

The closing date for initial applications is Wednesday 11 May. Application forms for the three different routes to Fellowship, as well as further details about criteria and a list of relevant doctorate programmes, can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/fellowship

All current Fellows, including Honorary Fellows, will retain their FRCVS/HonFRCVS status.

CVS has launched a new Pregnancy Loss webinar and guidance to help its managers support staff who lose a baby, whether because of a miscarriage, still birth or terminating for medical reasons.

Sally Linghorn, Senior RVN at CVS and one of the team behind the initiative, said: “As far as we know, no other veterinary company has policy, support and specific training and guidance on this topic, in our female-biased profession.” 

“We recognise how devastating pregnancy loss can be.

"Last year we launched a policy to provide special paid leave for pregnancy loss.

"But since implementing this we have noticed a gap.

"We felt our managers needed guidance and support on how to provide the more practical and emotional support on a day-to-day basis, if someone in their team experienced a loss."

The new guidance contains advice on how to understand each individual’s experiences and needs, help in the immediate situation of pregnancy loss at work, treat and record any time off directly related to a loss, understand how pregnancy loss can affect mental health, talk about pregnancy loss, facilitate a return to work and the importance of regular follow-ups and check-ins. 

The BVA Animal Welfare Foundation has announced the availability of an updated version of its A3 poultry poster designed to assist veterinary surgeons identify diseases in free-range birds.

Based on information compiled by Victoria Roberts, Honorary Veterinary Surgeon to The Poultry Club, the BVA says the poster provides an invaluable source of information on diseases affecting exhibition chickens, hens, ducks, geese, turkeys, ornamental waterfowl, quail, ornamental pheasants, guinea fowl and peacocks.

The poster details the symptoms of different diseases, the cause, treatment and species affected as well as sections covering common problems and some causes, common diseases by age and life expectancy for the various bird species. A separate highlighted box contains useful tips for veterinary surgeons to pass on to their clients.

Copies of the poster have been circulated to BVA members as an insert in this week’s Veterinary Record. For further copies (free of charge) please ring 020 7636 6541 and ask for the BVA AWF or email bva-awf@bva.co.uk stating your name and postal address, and quoting AWF Poultry Poster.

Denise Coston of Castle Veterinary Surgeons in Durham has won The Veterinary Business Journal Practice Manager of the Year 2011, and praised the award for promoting her role.

Denise, who was a manager at Lloyds TSB's lending centre and previously ran her own business, before joining Castle Vets three years ago, said: "I did not find out that I had been nominated until three weeks before the ceremony - it was totally out of the blue. To make it to the final three was brilliant, but to win was just incredible.

Denise also said the Practice Manager of the Year Award plays a vital part in promoting the role of practice managers to the wider industry: "It is so important in recognising and championing the efforts of practice managers. I'm sure there will be many people out there who still don't know what we do or how we could benefit their business and this award highlights our achievements.

"This is an evolving role and it is often a case of matching what each practice needs, but I think the fact that there is an award highlights the point that there is true value in having a practice manager."

Editor of The Veterinary Business Journal Robin Fearon said: "Denise is a deserving winner of the title Practice Manager of the Year because she understands the importance of helping to define business strategy for the practice, and I wish her every success in future."

As yet another Chancellor of the Exchequer bites the dust and the economic turmoil highlights the gulf between rich and poor, VetSurgeon.org is offering vets a chance to find out about the causes of inequality in special forum discussion with Sebastian Chambers, author of 'The A-Z of Inequality - How Governments help the rich and how to reverse it'.

Providing a service for everyone from the richest to the poorest, veterinary surgeons probably have a better insight than most to the effects of inequality in society.

Whilst most people can probably think of one or two government policies which contribute to inequality, Sebastian's fully-referenced book is perhaps the first to identify the entire alphabet's worth, and collate them in an easily digestible format (it's only a 45 minute read).

The book is available in hardback on Amazon for £10, or as an e-book for £5.99

Sebastian is on VetSurgeon.org to answer your questions about and discuss how government policies create inequality in society, here: https://www.vetsurgeon.org/001/nonclinical/f/off-duty-discussions/30455/the-a-z-of-inequality 

Although you certainly don't have to have bought or read his book to take part in the discussion, you should find it £5.99 well spent.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Z-Inequality-Sebastian-Chambers-ebook/dp/B09ZVN1HDW 

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica has launched a new Canikur Pro website - www.canikurpro.co.uk - to provide pet owners with advice on digestive upset and offer a quick reference guide to using Canikur Pro.

The site offers information about the common causes of digestive upset, including dietary indiscretions, stress due to a change in circumstances and underlying gut problems.

The site also contains information about how Canikur Pro works, how to give the product and where to buy it, plus tips for supporting the recovery of a dog's gut health such as providing a constant supply of fresh water, offering a bland diet and providing access to outside areas to reduce accidents.

In addition, the site contains a 'veterinary only' area where veterinary professionals can download client materials.

Ceva Animal Health has donated £3,000 to the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies (Edinburgh University) to help fund a student-led project on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Allison Henry, product manager at Ceva Animal Health, said: "We have a very good relationship with the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies and it was an easy decision for us to support its students with this donation. Antimicrobial resistance is a very hot topic for human and animal health and as a manufacturer we have a duty to contribute as much as we can. Students are the next generation of veterinary surgeons and if we can educate them about antimicrobial resistance early on it will have a long term positive effect ensuring these products are used as rationally as possible and only when necessary."

Dr Tim Nuttall, head of dermatology at the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, added: "We are very grateful to Ceva Animal Health for its generous support of our student research projects into antimicrobial resistance. These give our veterinary students an immensely valuable insight into the problems of antimicrobial resistance and helps them find novel approaches to counter this threat. This will not only benefit their careers but will also be of great value to vets, animals and owners throughout the world."

Ceva's efforts to support practices in their efforts to use antibiotics responsibly have continued in 2017 with the launch of GRAM (Guidance for the Rational use of AntiMicrobials), a guide on the rational use of antimicrobials in dogs and cats.

For more information on GRAM and sustainable antibiotic use, contact your local Ceva Animal Health territory manager.

Vetoquinol has announced that Epiphen® Solution, the phenobarbital anti-epileptic treatment for dogs, is now back in stock following a manufacturing issue that has been successfully resolved.

The company says the solution now completes the Epiphen® range to offer convenient dosing for all weights of animal as part of its overall epilepsy management package. 

To order, please contact your wholesaler or Vetoquinol Territory Manager.

MSD Animal Health has launched Expertis Udder Health, a farm management tool for veterinary surgeons to better enable them to monitor and improve udder health in dairy cattle.

Expertis was presented to vets at the International Conference on Udder Health and Communication which took place in Utrecht this week.

Expertis Udder Health consists of a software programme together with educational and communication tools to help veterinary surgeons and farmers find the causes of mastitis more easily.

The Expertis Udder Health program consists of four steps: 1. A farm intake questionnaire about setting goals puts the farmer in a central position, and allows for careful listening in order to align with his/her objectives. 2. The data is analyzed, leading to the identification of the right focus points that are needed to identify areas for improvement. 3. These focus points are presented as fact sheets, i.e. a check list of risk factors for mastitis within the focus point. 4. The information is synthesized into an automatic summary of the actual situation, the udder health objectives and an open space to fill in the tailor-made advice to the farmer for improvement of the udder health status on his farm.

Jantijn Swinkels, DVM, Global Technical Director Pharmaceuticals within the Ruminants Business Unit at Merck Animal Health said: "The structured approach offered by Expertis Udder Health takes into account that mastitis is a multifactorial disease and covers all aspects that influence udder health. To save time, the analysis ensures that the focus is on the most important issues, which can differ greatly from farm to farm. The existing services provided within this tool can be used to optimize udder health on the farm".

Rinse Jan Boersma, MSc, Global Director Dairy Cattle at Merck Animal Health added: "We have developed Expertis to support veterinarians and farmers by improving our service level as well as to contribute to good veterinary practices by implementing preventive measures and prudent use of antibiotics."

MSD says that as a consequence of the reduced milk production, discarded milk, veterinary and treatment costs and extra labor costs, mastitis is considered the most important cause of economic loss for dairy operations. Recent data from Sweden indicates an average economic loss of €278 per case of clinical mastitis and of €60 per case of sub-clinical mastitis.*

The Expertis Udder Health program is being rolled out country to country, and will be distributed to veterinary surgeons via local MSD Animal Health representatives.

Reference

* Nielsen C, Østergaard S, Emanuelson U, Andersson H, Berglund B, Strandberg. Economic consequences of mastitis and withdrawal of milk with high somatic cell count in Swedish dairy herds. Animal 2010;4:1758-70

A new study from the University of Surrey, published today in the journal PLOS One, has identified the specific effects of a malformation which affects affects toy breeds.

According to researchers, Chiari malformation has become prevalent as a result of selective breeding and affects many toy dog breeds which have been bred to look more doll-like, including Griffon Bruxellois, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Chihuahuas and their crosses. 

Researchers took brain, skull and vertebrae measurements of 155 Griffon Bruxellois and compared dogs affected by the condition with normal Griffons. They discovered that Griffons with the disease had taller foreheads and that it had also caused the shape of the brain to change, with severely affected animals having their cerebellum pushed underneath the main part of the brain. 

The researchers say that although it can be asymptomatic, in many dogs Chiari malformation can cause headaches, problems with walking or even paralysis.

The condition can also affect humans and the University is working with human geneticists at the University of Montreal, in the hope that better understanding of the condition will lead to improved treatment for both dogs and humans. 

Lead author, Dr Clare Rusbridge from the new School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey, said: "Chiari malformation can be described as trying to fit a big foot into a small shoe. It can be very painful, causing headaches and pressure on the brain and can result in fluid filled cavities in the spinal cord. Our latest discoveries will be significant in driving this research forward and hopefully allow us to identify which genes may be associated with the condition.

"Our next steps will be to apply our technique to other breeds with Chiari malformation and investigate more sophisticated ways of screening, so that risk of disease can be detected more easily, at an earlier age and with a single MRI scan. 

"We want to engage breeders and give them practical advice about the condition, but it is also important that the public recognises that breeding dogs in a certain way to influence how they look might not be in the animal's best interest. There are responsible breeders out there, who have invested in screening and who are breeding for health as well as producing attractive puppies, and it is vital that people only look to buy from them." 

Dr Kate Richards, the new President of the RCVS, has declared her intention to use her term in office to build connections between the RCVS and the veterinary professions, within the veterinary professions, and between the veterinary professions and other healthcare professions, as well as wider society.

Kate (pictured right) was confirmed as the 150th RCVS President at the College’s 2021 Annual General Meeting, which took place last Friday. Kate’s investiture makes her the 10th female President of the RCVS and the first to lead an all-female presidential team with Senior Vice-President Mandisa Greene and Junior Vice-President Melissa Donald.

Kate has been an elected member of RCVS Council from 2015 to 2019 and then from 2020 onwards, and brings with her a bank of professional experience having worked in clinical farm practice, in the pharmaceutical industry and as a senior civil servant in non-veterinary roles, including as Principal Private Secretary to three Secretaries of State for Scotland.

She’s a graduate from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh and during her time on RCVS Council has chaired the Standards Committee and been a member of the Legislation Working Party. She currently chairs the Preliminary Investigation Committee /Disciplinary Committee Liaison Committee and sits on the Education Committee, Registration Committee, VN Council, Primary Qualifications Subcommittee and the Environmental & Sustainability Working Party.

During her first speech as RCVS President, Kate spoke about how experiences of loneliness early in her veterinary career, when she was working in rural farm vet practice, has led her to have a deep understanding of the importance of connection, something which has been reinforced by the coronavirus pandemic.

She said: “The Covid pandemic has demonstrated the value of connections for our mental health and wellbeing. Social distancing has spotlighted in fluorescent pinks, blues and greens the need for social connections. When hungry we eat, thirsty we drink, when we feel lonely we need to connect.

“And that starts with connecting with ourselves, nurturing our minds and bodies, building our sense of self and resilience. I am passionate about initiatives including the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative and Vetlife that support our professions.

“Connections within the professions have been fundamental to my career, providing opportunities to collaborate, extend my knowledge and forge support networks. I look forward to building stronger connections with vets in the UK and abroad, including the Federation of Veterinarians in Europe. I’m so excited about the energy, new connections and networks springing up in the profession. 

“I’ve worked in non-veterinary roles where I’ve had the opportunity to make new connections and share knowledge across professional disciplines.

“Pre-pandemic I attended a seminar on domestic violence. Speakers from social services said how hard it was to identify victims of domestic violence who were too scared to report. I informed the room about the Links Group, which works hard to raise awareness of the connection between the abuse of animals and people. Sadly, there are still silos, disconnections between well-meaning professionals. That proves to me the critical role of vets in human health and welfare by reporting animals they suspect of non-accidental injury.”

She concluded her speech (which is available to read in full at www.rcvs.org.uk/features) by saying: “I am excited about my presidential year, thankful for my connections, my iceberg of support. I’m thankful for the wise counsel of past Presidents especially Mandisa Greene and Niall Connell. My priority is to encourage Connections that Count, making sure we look after ourselves so that we can build vibrant purposeful and powerful connections across ours and allied professions for the good of animal and human health and welfare, for our communities, society and the environment.

“My aim this year? To amplify and extend the reach of the veterinary voice.”