Mr Georgescu faced three sets of charges:
The first was that in April 2024 at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to driving a car when the proportion of the controlled substance Benzoylecgonine (the main metabolite of cocaine) exceeded the specified limit contrary to the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Road Traffic Offenders Act.
He was disqualified from driving for 20 months, fined £634, ordered to pay £254 victim surcharge and £150 costs.
The second and third charges were that he was misleading and/or dishonest with the RCVS when he was asked to provide information about the circumstances leading to his conviction.
In correspondence with the College, he claimed that the incident happened on his day off, when he was in fact due to work that day.
He also submitted – or allowed to be submitted – a false staff rota for the day of his arrest.
The Disciplinary Committee found the charges against Mr Georgescu proven on the basis of the certificate of conviction and his admission, prior to the hearing, that he had given false information.
The Committee then considered whether the three charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.
The Committee considered the fact that Mr Georgescu was driving, and intending to work, while he was seven times over the prescribed proportion of Benzoylecgonine allowed to be in in his bloodstream.
Paul Morris, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “With regard to the impact this conduct would have on right thinking members of the public, Dr Georgescu himself said, when cross examined, that were he standing in the shoes of an owner of an animal he was going to treat that day with the knowledge that he had in his blood more than 7 times the prescribed limit of a prohibited drug he “would not be comfortable for sure” and would cause such persons to “lose trust”.
“Having regard to the above facts and matters the Committee has no hesitation in concluding that the facts relevant to his commission of the offence in Charge 1 were so serious and presented such prospective risks to other road users that it renders the respondent unfit to practise as a veterinary surgeon.”
Charges 2 and 3 were considered together, with the Committee again finding serious professional misconduct on the basis that Mr Georgescu had set out to lie to the RCVS and had continued and repeated the lie for a period of six months.
The Committee identified a number of aggravating features in his conduct including the fact it was premeditated, entailed sustained and repeated dishonesty, involved wilful disregard for the role of the RCVS as the veterinary regulator and that admissions were only made when he realised he couldn’t sustain his falsehoods any longer.
Finally, having found that all charges were proven and amounted to serious professional misconduct, the Committee decided that suspending Mr Georgescu from the Register of Veterinary Surgeons would be adequate to protect the welfare of animals, maintain public confidence in the profession, and declare and uphold proper standards of conduct.
Paul Morris added: “The misconduct of the respondent is serious but his misconduct falls short of being fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the Register.
"He does have insight into the seriousness of his misconduct and there is, in the judgement of the Committee, no significant risk of repeat misleading behaviour.
"The Committee also considers that the respondent will be fit to return to practice after the period of suspension in question.
“The Committee did consider striking the respondent from the Register but determined that this sanction would be unduly punitive and deprive the public and the profession of an otherwise competent veterinary surgeon.
“The Committee has reflected carefully on the question of how long the period of suspension should be and has determined that it should be a period which is not so long that it will result in the loss of the respondent to the profession which he professes to love and in which his referees assert he is a capable and caring veterinary surgeon.”
www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
Speaking at a press briefing at BSAVA Congress 2017, Dr Cathryn Mellersh, Head of Canine Genetics at the Animal Health Trust and a member of the WSAVA Hereditary Disease Committee, also urged vets not to shy away from telling owners if they have made a bad choice to try to deter them from making the same mistake again.
During her briefing Dr Mellersh explained that concern about hereditary disease, particularly in dogs, had grown significantly in recent years, thanks to an increased awareness of the risks it poses to animals.
Dr Mellersh also explained that this heightened awareness had coincided with a period of rapid progress in the development of tools and resources to tackle hereditary disease, including the online DNA database, created by the WSAVA’s Hereditary Disease Committee and supported by Mars Veterinary, which is accessible, free of charge to veterinary surgeons around the world.
She said: "We ask vets to advise breeders to use DNA test results to avoid breeding clinically affected dogs and to reduce the frequency of mutation within a breed, over time, without damaging genetic diversity. When selecting a test, it is important that they ensure that the test they are using is based on sound science and on the right mutation for the breed being tested."
Dr Mellersh also warned veterinary surgeons not to advise against breeding with carriers and said that dogs should not be excluded from breeding on the basis of a single mutation that they could test for. She said: "The disease mutation that the DNA test is for is not the only mutation that a carrier has. Most dogs carry at least 50 recessive mutations so, if carriers are not bred from and only clear dogs used then there is a risk that other mutations carried by these clear dogs will increase in frequency within the breed and new inherited diseases could emerge."
"The ranges of resources available to help vets in this area is growing all the time and includes the WSAVA database hosted by PennGen and a Kennel Club database which lists the DNA tests recommended or required by Assured Breeders.
"For those looking to increase their knowledge in this area, hereditary disease is one of the key issues to be discussed during this year’s WSAVA World Congress in Copenhagen from 25-28 September. Many of the world’s experts will be there and a full lecture stream is planned."
"I ask vets to work with us and to contribute to the very real progress that is being made to tackle hereditary disease, particularly in dogs. Advances in technology are driving this progress and it is also being supported by many breeders and by the Kennel Club.
"The greatest challenge we face is that of educating the general public that they should be mindful of hereditary disease when choosing a puppy and should seek out those whose breeders have had the appropriate DNA tests and clinical screens.
"It is, of course, not always possible to reach owners before they buy a puppy but should their dog later go on to develop a condition that is well-known in the breed, then I ask them to explain this to owners so that, should they buy another dog, they do not make the same mistake. As a vet, you will also often be the first port of call for advice by first time breeders and this gives you a golden opportunity to advise them as to the tests they should undertake and, depending on the results, whether they should go ahead with breeding or not.
"Working together as a profession, being willing to discuss difficult issues with owners and breeders and utilising the resources and tools created by organisations such as the WSAVA, are all required to ensure that we increase the momentum we are already achieving in tackling canine hereditary disease in the UK and around the world."
Duoflect contains a new formulation of fipronil and (s)-methoprene which, according to the company, offers a 100% longer duration of action against fleas in cats (eight weeks), and a 13% longer duration in dogs (nine weeks) than the market-leading fipronil combination.
Ceva says the Duoflect's duration of action against ticks is 150% longer in cats (5 weeks) and 50% longer it cats (six weeks) than the market-leading competitor.
Duoflect acts against both adult fleas on the animal and immature flea stages in the environment and it can also be used as part of a treatment strategy for the control of flea allergy dermatitis (FAD).
Duoflect is available in free-standing pipettes for easier administration and handling of the pet. The pipettes are packed in child-resistant aluminium blisters to reduce the risk of accidents at home.
Nicki Glen, marketing project manager for Duoflect at Ceva Animal Health said: "Recent research1 has revealed that two main factors in prescribing parasitic control products are the length of action and the increased efficacy against fleas.
"Duoflect's new strength formulation provides a longer duration of action than the market-leading fipronil combination, while its efficacy is proven through 13 recent laboratory and field trials1."
Duoflect is competitively priced and is available in boxes of three or six pipettes and in five presentations: small cats (1-5kg), large cats (>5kg) and small dogs (2-10kg) and medium dogs (10-20kg), large dogs (20-40kg) and extra large dogs (40-60kg). It is suitable for cats and dogs from eight weeks of age.
Ceva Animal Health has produced a range of supporting marketing materials including client leaflets.
For more information, contact your local Ceva Animal Health territory manager or call Ceva’s head office on 01494 781510.
Reference
'Hany’s Heartbreak' was a gorily realistic representation of a dog’s heart infected with Dirofilaria Immitis, baked by vet students Anna Burrows, Caitlin Glover, Chloe Tredinnick and Liberty Daly.
It pulled in votes from all over the world including Australia and the US, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy and the Caribbean.
The winning bakers said: "We chose to bake this cake as we wanted to make something that we could make look as realistic as possible and as gruesome.
"Our parasitology lecturer, Hany, inspired us to use the D. Immitis parasite as our theme to promote the message of how detrimental and possibly fatal some animal parasites can be! We had a great time baking it and enjoyed the looks of disgust that people who saw it gave. We promise it tastes better than it looks! Our key message to everyone is to PLEASE WORM YOUR PETS!"
The categories for baking inspiration this year were Transport to Campus, Scrumptious Science, Blue Planet and a Showstopper section. Sir David Attenborough and Pixar characters Nemo and Dory were among the other stars of the show, with colourful cakes on an environmental theme also winning prizes.
One of this year’s judges was Dr Wendela Wapenaar, Associate Professor at the Nottingham Vet School. Wendela said: “It’s been another great year for the Sutton Bonington Bakeoff. It was impressive to see how some bakers took on the challenging topics for this year; winning cakes were covering topics such as global warming, environmental pollution in addition to the more gory aspects of veterinary medicine."
The company says that of the 249 responses to its Puppy Tooth Census received so far (of which 40% were from vets, 21% vet nurses, 2% other veterinary professionals and 37% puppy owners), 25% were poodle crosses.
This, says the company, is in line with anecdotal reports that vets are seeing more dental conditions in poodle cross puppies.
VisioCare is now calling for more vets to take part in the survey at https://bit.ly/Visiocare_PuppyToothCensus.
With very few studies that address dental disease in puppies and a lack of current data, it is hoped that the survey will advance understanding and improve oral health and welfare.
Every veterinary respondent will be given access to a pack of educational materials to use in the consulting room, including digital animations and dental images that can be used to enhance client communication around the topic, together with explainer videos and puppy owner fact sheets and leaflets.
In addition, each month for the next three months, all responses will be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a £50 John Lewis gift voucher.
VisioCare is also offering a free webinar: "Challenges in Puppy Dentistry and Malocclusion" presented by Ingrid Tundo, Head of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Department at the Royal (Dick) Vet School, viewable at: https://veterinarywebinars.com/register/puppy-dentistry-malocclusion.
Finally, Nicky Diver-Clarke, Marketing Manager at VisioCare Services is also offering a free marketing CPD session for practices that want to find the best way to amplify awareness of the Puppy Tooth Census within their practice.
Anyone interested in accessing the free support can contact her at nicky@visiocareservices.co.uk.
Supplies of the vaccine, which is indicated for the active immunisation for horses against equine arteritis, ran low at the end of last year when Zoetis' existing stock was due to expire without any new stock in place.
For further information, contact your Zoetis Account Manager or the Zoetis Technical Team on customersupportUK@zoetis.com or 0845 300 9084 choosing option 1.
The first two episodes, which discuss feline cardiomyopathy, are available now at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2189360 and all the leading podcast platforms (including Apple, Spotify, Amazon and Google).
Future topics will include pre-clinical feline cardiomyopathy and a practical approach to puppy murmurs.
There'll also be a number of special guests, including Prof Virginia Luis Fuentes from the Royal Veterinary College, who will discuss the treatment of feline heart disease beyond standard therapy, and Dr Brian Scansen from Colorado State University, who will talk you through the diagnosis and management of pulmonic stenosis.
To keep up with the latest from Kieran and Jose, you can follow them on Twitter or Instagram @heartbeat_pod.
They'd also love you to post to questions for their guests, or any comments you have about the podcasts, on their social media channels.
Evidence given to the Women and Equalities parliamentary committee by BUPA last year suggested that 900,000 women may have left the UK workforce in recent years as a result of menopausal symptoms.
With the veterinary profession increasingly female in composition it is hoped that the hub will support more women to stay in the profession and therefore retain their vital skills in the workforce.
Statistics from the Voice of the Veterinary Profession Spring 2023 survey showed that only 14% of vets are aware of a menopause policy at their workplace, while 46% say there is no policy and 39% are unsure.
The survey also revealed that only 59% of vets would feel confident supporting a colleague experiencing menopause.
The new menopause hub provides veterinary specific menopause content to support everyone working in practice including colleagues, managers and partners of people experiencing menopause.
BVA recently signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge – committing to take positive action to make sure everyone experiencing menopause is supported - and is now urging other veterinary employers to do the same.
British Veterinary Association Junior Vice President Anna Judson, said: “We know that menopause is of growing importance to our profession, with female vets now making up more than half the workforce, and we know that issues with managing menopause symptoms prompt a significant number of women to move away from clinical work.
“As part of our Good Veterinary Workplaces campaign we’re committed to supporting all veterinary staff affected by menopause, allowing them to remain in post, and to providing relevant resources to improve employer engagement in this area.
"We urge all veterinary workplaces to sign the pledge and consider what more they could be doing to support their staff in managing menopause symptoms in the workplace.”
BVA members experiencing menopause are also eligible for 3 months free access to the Stella app, which includes a personalised plan to manage your specific symptoms, real-life coach support, menopause resources, progress tracking, and a supportive community.
Content on the Stella app is created in collaboration with a range of clinicians and healthcare professionals and goes through a rigorous fact-checking and review process.
https://www.bva.co.uk/menopause-hub
Pedigree has announced that it has raised over £160,000 to help the thousands of dogs abandoned every year in the UK, through its charitable initiative, The Pedigree Adoption Drive 2011.
Pedigree says its fundraising comes at a crucial time, as rescue centres' facilities across the country are severely suffering under the strain of the highest level of dog abandonment in over a decade.
The Pedigree Adoption Drive, which launched in mid-October, aims to raise awareness of the ever-increasing issues of dog abandonment and funds for the hundreds of rescue centres across the country that work tirelessly to find these dogs new loving homes.
Now in its fourth year, the campaign called upon dog lovers everywhere to show their support, by taking part in the world's first virtual dog walk around the web. In addition, consumers got involved in a host of other activities - donating via text message and online, to help the Drive reach this year's grant total.
The funds raised this year will be distributed through grants to 90 rescue homes across the country - including three special grants of £15,000 given to Bath Cats and Dogs Home, £20,000 given to North Clwyd Animal Rescue and £25,000 given Birmingham Dogs Home. Every grant will be put towards projects aimed at making tomorrow better than today for dogs - including the refurbishment of dilapidated kennel blocks, desperately needed veterinary facilities and the supply of essential surgical equipment.
TV presenter and vet Steve Leonard, who is the ambassador of this year's campaign, said: "The money raised from this year's Pedigree Adoption Drive is a great example of how we can achieve so much together to help take steps towards tackling the issue of dog abandonment. The grants awarded to rescue centres this year will make a big difference in helping to find many rescue dogs, the loving homes they deserve."
Katie Wragg, Pedigree Adoption Drive Brand Manager said: "In the last four year's we've raised over £1million for rescue centres supporting the country's abandoned dogs and despite the tough economic climate, the amazing public reaction has enabled us to really make a difference to the lives of abandoned dogs across the UK and help give them a bright future."
For more information on the campaign log on to: http://www.pedigreeadoptiondrive.com/
The group, which was founded over 70 years ago, now employs over 300 people, more than 85% of whom are female. Many occupy senior and leadership positions: 6 out of 13 of the partners are female.
Wendy Furness, a Partner at Scarsdale Vets said: "Scarsdale Vets represents a microcosm of how women’s roles could be in a world of gender equality in business.
"Here we have people in every role that you can imagine, from client-facing roles such as client care advisors, vets and nurses, to people that make the business function happen, such as marketing and finance managers.
"We want women to be inspired to be who they want to be. There are many roles that some people still first think of as male dominated, such as surgeons and farm or equine vets.
"However, we at Scarsdale Vets are challenging assumptions like these and looking for opportunities to make all roles visible to women.”
Wendy added: "Having women in leadership and senior roles is essential if women at the start of their careers are to succeed. We can be there to inspire the next generation to strive for these positions, if that is what they want, and see that it is made possible. We can also stand up and be counted if and when bias based on gender is observed."
To mark International Women’s Day, Scarsdale Vets is filling its social media channels with positive images of women, working in the diverse roles within the practice, challenging stereotypes about the veterinary roles available to women, influencing others positively, and celebrating the successes of the women in their team.
https://www.facebook.com/ScarsdaleVets/posts/2097073290308906
Photo: Rose Jackson MRCVS, a farm animal vet at Scarsdale Markeaton. Courtesy Scarsdale Vets.
Hill's Pet Nutrition has enhanced its portfolio of prescription diets for the management of FLUTD with the launch of Feline c/d Multicare Reduced Calorie and a 'taste upgrade' for Feline c/d Multicare.
Prescription Diet Feline c/d Multicare Reduced Calorie is a new dry product designed to manage the higher incidence of FLUTD in overweight cats (FLUTD is 49% more prevalent in overweight and obese cats2). According to Hill's, the controlled fat and calorie levels in c/d Multicare Reduced Calorie and clinically proven levels of L-carnitine help to reduce fat build up and maintain lean muscles mass. Like c/d Multicare, its formula also dissolves sterile struvite uroliths in 14 days1.
Hill's says Prescription Diet c/d Multicare Reduced Calorie is formulated with omega-3 fatty acids to reduce the distress and discomfort associated with conditions such as FIC (Feline Idiopathic Cystitis); in addition obesity has been associated with systemic inflammation3 for which omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial4,5.
Prescription Diet Feline c/d Multicare Chicken dry kibble has had its taste improved; Hill's says studies show it is now preferred over the leading competitor's brand by a wide margin6. Apparently, the improvement in flavour is partly down to the new shape of the kibble.
Lastly, Hill's is highlighting a prospective study by MacLeay et al, the preliminary results of which were reported at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum in May 2010. In the study, cats with uroliths suspected to be struvite (based on radiographic appearance) were fed Prescription Diet Feline c/d Multicare and rapid dissolution of the stones occurred in as little as two weeks.
References
The company behind the research shall remain nameless because whilst it has a great PR agency which produces some interesting press releases, the tight so-and-sos have never spent so much as a single bean supporting the VetSurgeon.org community with any advertising. And whilst we always publish stories that are of genuine importance and even the odd piece of PR propaganda-puff, we have to draw the line somewhere.
Where was I? Oh yes. 57 of the 100 veterinary surgeons (64 practice owners, 7 senior partners and 29 employed vets) surveyed by the unnamed company said they think their practice could do more to prevent the spread of infection.
79 said they are concerned that they are not consistently following correct hygiene protocols.
54 said they need more staff training and 53 said they want to be able to give staff more time between appointments to allow longer for more thorough disinfection of equipment and surfaces.
The company says its research suggests vets may need to do more to educate pet owners on the threats of poor hygiene and the spread of infection. Only 14 of the 100 veterinary surgeons surveyed believe that pet owners know enough about this, and pets not being vaccinated against disease was the second most common frustration vets felt about owners’ standards of pet care.
An unnamed spokesperson from the unnamed company said: "A busy vets practice is naturally focused on the care and health of its animal patients, however, hygiene standards are a vital aspect of this. With a full schedule of appointments, it can be difficult to effectively ensure all infection control procedures are covered. As a result, it’s easy for vets to overlook the important role laundry has to play as part of this process."
Incidentally, if you'd like to buy laundry equipment from a company that does support VetSurgeon.org, we recommend Eickemeyer.
Stelfonta is licensed for the treatment of non-resectable, non-metastatic (WHO staging1) subcutaneous mast cell tumours (MCTs) located at or distal to the elbow or the hock, and non-resectable, non-metastatic cutaneous MCTs in dogs. Tumours must be less than or equal to 8cm3 in volume and must be accessible to intratumoural injection.
The company says that a single intratumoural treatment has been seen to destroy the tumour completely in 75% of observed cases.
The active ingredient in Stelfonta is tigilanol tiglate, a compound extracted from Fontainea picrosperma, a shrub found in the Australian rain forest. According to the company, it works largely through specific protein kinase c (PKC) activation, in which it locally stimulates the immune system, resulting in destruction of the tumour and the tumour’s blood supply, followed by rapid healing of the site with minimal scarring.
Virbac says that generally, dogs do not require sedation or local or general anaesthesia during treatment.
Dr Neil Mottram MRCVS, Technical Product Manager at Virbac said: "Stelfonta is an innovative yet simple treatment which provides a high tumour elimination rate, rapid healing and a speedy return to a good quality of life for the pet. In the cases studied, the tumour was destroyed in seven days and full wound healing observed in 96.5% of cases, with no significant adverse effects on the dog.
“The effects of Stelfonta really do need to be seen to be believed."
The company says that as soon as it discovered the unauthorised external access to its systems, it took them offline and started working to contain the threat.
Specialist third party consultants have been engaged to investigate the nature and extent of the incident and CVS has also informed the relevant authorities, including the Information Commissioner’s Office, because of the risk of malicious access to personal information.
The company says the majority of IT services for its practices and business functions have now been restored, but due to the increased levels of security and monitoring, some systems are not working as efficiently as before.
CVS also says that as a result of the incident, it is bringing forward plans to migrate its practice management system and related IT infrastructure to the cloud.
Analysis of the incident is ongoing and CVS says it will provide a further update in due course.
Two analyses of the pet insurance market have been published this week, which together suggest that veterinary practices may be starting to price themselves out of the market.
Both reports are titled Pet Insurance 2014. In the first, published by Key Note Ltd, authors highlight a 35.4% increase in gross claims incurred on cat and dog insurance policies between 2009 and 2013, which is more than 5 times the increase in the volume of claims over the same period. It is the degree to which the value of claims has outstripped the volume which the report describes as 'undeniably the greatest factor affecting the UK market for pet insurance.
At the same time, there has been a relatively modest growth in the percentage of adults that own a cat or dog (around 1.5 percentage points). Consequently, premiums increased by 38.9% between 2009 and 2013 as insurers responded to the growing cost of claims.
Meanwhile, the other Pet Insurance 2014 report, this time from YouGov, has shown that the main factors limiting the uptake of pet insurance are poor value for money and the high cost of premiums. In 2012, 31% of owners without insurance said it was not good value for money, and that was the main reason for not taking out cover. By 2014, that figure had risen to 39% of the uninsured and 26% said they just cannot afford premiums.
According to the YouGov report, the words that uninsured pet owners most associate with pet insurance are 'expensive' (68%) and 'waste of money' (30%). Even 57% of those with insurance deem it expensive.
YouGov also highlighted that the number of uninsured pet owners who say they can afford to pay for veterinary treatment out of their own pockets (without setting money aside each month) has increased 4 percentage points from 15% in 2012 to 19% in 2014. YouGov hypothesises that this may be down to the improving economic situation in the UK, but it could equally be explained as just the way hard-pushed people self-justify their decision to discontinue insurance.
James McCoy, Research Director, YouGov Reports said: "Although social grade is important to being able to afford to take out pet insurance, our research suggests that those at different ends of the financial spectrum share the opinion that cover is not necessarily always a sound financial option.
"More affluent pet owners find insurance poor value because they can afford to pay for treatment up front; for less affluent pet owners, while pet insurance is perceived as offering good value for money, the cost of premiums is prohibitive, leading some to save money instead."
The RCVS statement, which can be read in full here, highlighted the fact that there is no body of evidence that homeopathy is effective and nor is it based on sound scientific principles. It should therefore be considered as complementary rather than alternative to treatments which are based on sound scientific principles, or for which there is a recognised evidence base.
In fact, the RCVS statement said nothing new. The principle that veterinary surgeons must first prescribe licensed medicines tested for safety and efficacy is enshrined in the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, which say that if there is no veterinary medicine authorised in the United Kingdom for a condition in a particular species the veterinary surgeon responsible for the animal may treat with a veterinary medicine authorised for use in another animal species or for another condition in the same species, or, failing that, either a medicine authorised in the UK for human use, or a veterinary medicine authorised in another member state for use with any animal species in accordance with the Special Import Scheme, or a specially prepared (extemporaneous preparation or special) medicine, or exceptionally a medicine imported from outside the EU.
There are no homeopathic treatments listed by the VMD as 'authorised', just a handful of homeopathic preparations listed as 'registered', something which, as the BAHVS itself points out, means they have not been subjected to the same evaluation as authorised medicines or tested for efficacy.
The BAHVS is fond of using anecdote as evidence of efficacy (see the endorsements at the foot of this page: http://www.bahvs.com/), so one veterinary surgeon has been inviting colleagues to share their experiences of homeopathy causing harm on social media, in order to produce an infographic (pictured above right, click to enlarge) highlighting the very real harm caused when, for example, owners 'vaccinate' against parvo with homeopathic nosodes, only to have a dead litter on their hands.
The draft infographic can be found here.
Do you have a story to add to it? Share it here.
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.
The award recognises an exceptional farm vet who has been working in the dairy industry for three to five years and contributed significantly to the health and wellbeing of the herds under their care.
Rob joined LLM Vets after graduating from Cambridge University Vet School in 2017. He has particular interests in lameness, calf rearing and housing design. He said: “Since joining LLM, I have thrown myself into all aspects of the practice – from the Agricultural Show season to driving LLM’s BVD eradication efforts and revamping our herd health planning scheme. My role in practice management is also growing. I currently oversee work for the Johnes CHeCS programme and help to guide our industry-leading team of VetTechs."
He added: “I find the interaction between dairy cattle and their environment fascinating and, following some specialist training I undertook with the Dairyland Initiative in Wisconsin, I’ve been helping our farmers to make major changes to their cow and calf housing, particularly by improving ventilation.”
CREAM judge Rob Drysdale said: “Rob Hall really stood out because of the additional services he’s trying to offer, for instance, getting involved in the Stamping Out BVD campaign and utilising his specialist skills in calf housing ventilation to increase welfare standards. Rob would be a real asset to any farm or vet business.”
Charlotte Read, Key Account Manager – Farm, at Krka, added: “Newly qualified vets represent the future of this exciting and rapidly-evolving profession so we are particularly delighted to have the opportunity to highlight their achievements. Krka is proud to support the UK’s dairy sector and we congratulate both Rob and Rupert on the huge contribution they are making to their clients and their practices.”
The company provides official veterinarians, meat hygiene inspectors and other technical staff to the regulatory compliance sector, and its other clients include Defra, APHA, the Food Standards Agency, DAERA, AHDB, and several private organisations across the UK.
Hallmark says discussions have been ongoing with FSS since mid-2018, since when the company has faced increasing challenges in recruiting and retaining veterinary staff, as a result of eroding salary values and the weakening pound post-Brexit.
David Peace, Chairman of HallMark Meat Hygiene said: "The position we presented to FSS set out HallMark’s case for a substantial increase in funding to apply entirely to frontline veterinary salaries.
"Starting salaries for veterinary staff working with HallMark in this sector had altered very little during the past twenty years. As a responsible employer and trading partner, and with inflation and a weaker pound severely testing real pay levels, HallMark felt it necessary to address those issues robustly and directly to ensure staff are properly compensated and, as a result, that services are stabilised for the benefit of the Scottish meat industry."
"We’re naturally disappointed to part company with a valued customer such as FSS. By mutual agreement last year, we submitted a business case setting out what we believe is necessary to stabilise and maintain service delivery into the future. Ultimately, FSS decided not to accept that business case, and we consequently requested to be released from our contract with them.”
HallMark says it will continue to provide veterinary and technical services to government departments across the UK. Indeed, only last year HallMark’s parent company acquired MLCLS (Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Limited), the leading independent carcase classification business, originally owned by AHDB. HallMark is also an equal partner in its joint venture company, Probita Solutions Limited, which recruits and deploys vets in support of veterinary practices involved in TB testing activities.
The company also says it will continue to bid for major meat sector tenders in the future.
Mr Peace added: "This news should absolutely not be interpreted as a HallMark withdrawal from meat industry official controls. We will continue to offer the same diligence and dedication to welfare and hygiene standards, wherever opportunities arise, and it will be our mission to offer to government the most efficient and professional compliance services possible, optimising the cost of compliance delivery."
Worth two hours of free CPD, the course has eight bitesize modules of between five and 15 minutes.
Each session is designed to improve confidence in cytology, in particular knowing when it is needed and how to take and interpret skin and ear cytology samples.
The course also includes advice on the use of dermatopicals and how to choose between Douxo S3 Pyo and Douxo S3 Calm.
The modules are presented by Natalie Barnard BVetMed, a European Veterinary Specialist in Dermatology, Amy Elvidge, an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology, and Daniel White, a Dermatology Veterinary Nurse.
Emelie Fogelberg BSc DVM MRCVS, veterinary advisor at Ceva Animal Health said: “Skin problems can be challenging, and recurrent skin irritations are particularly frustrating.
"Cytology is essential in the work up of these cases but is often overlooked.
“Our new skin and ear cytology online course will help both vets and nurses become more confident in sample taking and interpretation to support a diagnosis and management plan from the first consultation.”
To register, visit https://veterinarywebinars.com/community/ceva/.
www.douxo.com
The report also revealed the devastating impact on overworked veterinary staff, with some left in tears by abusive owners venting their frustration at being unable to find care for their animal.
Anecdotally, the problems highlighted by ITV News are being seen elsewhere in the country, with more and more vets now starting to question whether or not the current requirement to provide out of hours care is sustainable in a world where there are more clients who increasingly expect flea treatment advice and other non emergency situations to be dealt with at 3:00am in the morning.
Various solutions have been proposed in a forum discussion on VetSurgeon.org, including the removal of the requirement to provide an OOH service, for the RCVS to give vets the confidence to say no to non emergencies, a change to the CoPC to require vets to provide emergency care within 24 hours, not 24 hours a day, a requirement for new grads to undertake OOH as part of their PDP, and/or a requirement for OOH centres to have 3 vets on duty at any one time (which could improve working conditions).
As the ITV report pointed out, the fundamental issue is one of a shortage of supply over demand, for which there is no overnight fix. However, many feel that reducing the demands of providing OOH could ease the situation considerably.
Batches 060K80412C1A-UK1-2 and 060K80412A1C-UK1-2 (expiry 12/06/2019) have been recalled due to incorrect storage requirements during shipment.
For further information, contact Jerome Martineau at: jerome.martineau@filavie.com, or telephone: +33 2 41 754616
The journal publishes original peer-reviewed papers of international or global significance that improve the veterinary care and welfare of domestic cats.
Until this year, access to JFMS for most veterinary practitioners was dependent on membership to the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) or the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), or a separate paid subscription.
Now that the journal is open access, there are no restrictions on who can access the journal and all articles past and present are free to view.
The journal's editors say that making it open access greatly improves their ability to improve the health and welfare of cats by providing high-quality peer-reviewed information.
The AAFP and ISFM say they have already seen the positive impact this has had, with low- and middle-income countries now accounting for a quarter of the 20 most common geographic locations for visitors to the JFMS website.
Head of ISFM Nathalie Dowgray said: "Transitioning JFMS to an open access journal helps ISFM fulfil our parent charity’s (International Cat Care) mission of creating a cat friendly world through ensuring the latest knowledge in feline medicine and welfare is available to the global veterinary community."
For those interested in submitting to JFMS, authors can get a 50% discount on the article processing charge until 4 July 2023; after this date, a 22% discount will be in place for authors who are a member of ISFM or the AAFP.
Click here for more information about submitting an article to JFMS: https://journals.sagepub.com/author-instructions/JFM
https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jfm
Following the news on Friday that a Bulldog and Pekingese had failed their vet checks at Crufts, a further four animals have failed: Chervood Snowsun, a Clumber Spaniel; Secret Charm Avec Dibest, a Mastiff; Ithani, a Neapolitan Mastiff and Ch Buzz Lightyear At Dereheath, a Basset Hound. All were disqualified from winning Best of Breed, or representing their breed for the remainder of the competition.
The veterinary checks have been introduced by the Kennel Club to ensure that Best of Breed awards are not given to any dogs that show visible signs of problems due to conditions that affect their health or welfare.
Dog World magazine appears to have got hold of a copy of the Clumber Spaniel's Veterinary Health Check Record, and interviewed the owner:
The vet checks have, predictably, polarised opinion. The owners of the Bulldog Mellowmood One In A Million have already setup a facebook page: 'A group dedicated to honoring the win of Ch Mellowmoods One in a Million AKA Jenny who was wrongfully stripped of her Best of Breed win at Crufts based on a political move by the Kennel Club.'
Elsewhere, there has been a considerable amount of support for the vet checks:
The Good Veterinary Workplaces Voluntary Code sets out various criteria for what makes a good workplace, based on a new evidence-based BVA policy position.
The code is accompanied by a workbook which veterinary teams can work through together and consider how they might meet a range of criteria. They can also download, sign and display a Voluntary Code poster signalling their commitment to working towards being a good veterinary workplace.
Teams will be asked to assess what they already do well in areas including health and wellbeing, diversity and equality, workload and flexibility, and providing opportunities for personal and career development, as well as identifying areas for improvement and any HR and management processes that need to be put in place to achieve a positive workplace culture.
At the same time, the BVA has also launched its Good Veterinary Workplaces policy position, a paper which offers 64 recommendations for employers and staff on how to offer a fair and rewarding work environment where everyone feels valued.
The BVA says it decided to develop the Good Veterinary Workplaces policy off the back of an extensive body of work looking at workforce issues in the profession, including recruitment and retention challenges, a lack of diversity across the workforce, and general high levels of stress and burn-out in veterinary teams.
The joint BVA/RCVS-led Vet Futures project identified the need to explore the work-related challenges facing vets and take action to create a sustainable and thriving workforce that can maximise its potential.
Gudrun Ravetz, Chair of the Good Workplace Working Group, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to see the launch of our valuable and comprehensive policy, which sets out a vision of the good veterinary workplaces that we should all be striving to create across the profession. This vision has been shaped by valuable contributions from across the veterinary community, and it’s also been really useful to draw on good practice in the wider world of work.
“Each and every one of us deserves to work in a setting where we feel valued, supported and fairly rewarded for the contribution we make, but sadly this isn’t the reality for all veterinary professionals. By setting out the steps that all veterinary workplaces can take to offer a more welcoming and inclusive environment, with measures in place to help them address issues and continue to improve, we hope to see more workplaces where staff can thrive and enjoy a fulfilling career.”
Daniella Dos Santos, BVA Senior Vice President, said: “It’s time for us all to take action to create a culture shift in veterinary workplaces. That means taking positive steps so that diversity and inclusion is championed at all levels, all team members have access to personal and professional development opportunities, and there is recognition that prioritising staff wellbeing is good for businesses.
“In creating the Voluntary Code and workbook, we’ve purposefully made this something that isn’t driven from the top down but is instead something that everyone in the team can feel empowered to feed into and sign up to. This is a golden opportunity for our profession to take ownership of our workplaces, improve conditions, and make sure that we have positive working environments in which we can all take pride.”