The RCVS is reminding veterinary surgeons to complete their registration process by confirming they have met the requirement for continuing professional development (CPD) and declared any outstanding convictions.

The College says that although the deadline for completing the annual renewal was April 2014, there are still some vets who, despite having paid on time, have not yet fully completed the registration process. This includes declaring that they have met the minimum requirement of 105 hours of CPD over a three-year period.

Failing to confirm that the CPD requirement has been met means that the College may request the individual's records as part of its annual monitoring of CPD compliance.

As of this year, veterinary surgeons must also declare any convictions, cautions and adverse findings since 1 January 2006 - or lack thereof - to complete the registration process.

Convictions disclosure forms and a document explaining the new protocol are available to download. The College also has a convictions helpline on 07818 113 056 which is open Monday to Friday, 11am to 4pm.

Those veterinary surgeons who have yet to complete their registration should contact the Registration Department as soon as possible on 020 7202 0707 or registration@rcvs.org.uk for assistance from a member of the team.

Vets, consultants and other advisors should encourage dairy farmers to make use of available information to help improve their herd's performance and profitability through breeding.  This is the message from DairyCo breeding+ director, Marco Winters, who says farmers should use genetics to improve not only milk production, but also health, welfare, management and type traits.

Breeding briefs, a new booklet from DairyCo, identifies some genetic improvement tools that allow farmers to make better breeding decisions and concentrates on how to use them in practice.  And for those who feel confronted by an overload of information, the booklet helps identify the figures to seek out and prioritise.

Breeding decisions are cumulative: their effects build up over the generations so a problem can be introduced or cured over just a few years.  A series of poor breeding decisions can mean the difference between profit and loss; even between a business's survival and failure.  Yet the time, cost and effort needed for a good breeding decision to be made is much the same as those needed for a bad one.

Mr Winters says: "High quality cattle are at the heart of profitable dairy farming and this requires good quality genetics.  Without these, however good farmers' management, there is a ceiling to their herd's performance and profitability.  Vets, consultants and other dairy advisers have an important role to play in helping farmers access the information they need to make informed decisions."

DairyCo Breeding briefs is available to download from http://www.dairyco.org.uk/.  To request a pdf version by email call 01285 646510 or email: publications@dairyco.org.uk.

The RCVS Veterinary Nurse Disciplinary Committee has ruled that Somerset-based William Kane is fit to practice after he was convicted of three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Mr Kane was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months in September 2024.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years until he had passed an extended driving test, and was ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work within 12 months, and to pay a victim surcharge of £187.

It was alleged that the conviction rendered Mr Kane unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse.

From the outset, Mr Kane admitted the facts contained in the charge, but did not accept that this rendered him unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse.

After the criminal proceedings, Mr Kane wrote to express his deepest regret for his actions and the pain and guilt they had caused, stating that there was not a single day that had passed that he had not thought about the family that was affected by his actions, and the lifelong consequences that they now face.

He went on to express that he understood that as a member of a trusted profession, his conduct must reflect not only his clinical competence, but also his integrity and accountability.

He also noted that he had sought to recognise and address the consequences of his actions and that he is determined to make a positive contribution to society and to the profession.

The Committee found the charge proved on the basis of Mr Kane’s admission and the Certificate of Conviction.

The Committee found a number of factors relevant to the case:

• there was no explanation for the accident
• Mr Kane was not intoxicated, nor was he distracted by using his mobile phone
• he was not carrying out any type of manoeuvre, for example overtaking where he shouldn’t
• his car was not in a dangerous condition
• no concerns had been raised about the manner of his driving, other than the moment immediately before the collision
• the judge repeatedly described the accident as a ‘momentary lapse of attention’, whereby Mr Kane’s car drifted into the opposing lane of traffic for a couple of seconds and there was then a catastrophic collision
• whilst the consequences were severe, the culpability, said the judge, was low and just crossed the threshold between careless and dangerous driving;
• the judge found there to be no aggravating features
• the judge, who had the benefit of watching dash-cam footage from another car that captured the collision, described it as a ‘mistake’.

The question for the Committee was whether Mr Kane’s conviction of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, when put into proper context, rendered him unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse.

This was not a conviction in any way linked to his practise and there was no suggestion that he represented any sort of a risk to animals in his care.

The Committee was not, therefore, concerned with any issues arising out of the need to protect animals, but rather with whether a finding of unfitness to practise was needed to uphold standards of conduct and behaviour in order to maintain public confidence in the profession.

Kathryn Peaty, Chair of the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee took into account the public interest which includes maintaining public confidence in the profession and the regulator and upholding proper standards in the profession.

"The public interest also includes allowing an otherwise competent veterinary nurse to continue in practice, where appropriate.

“Agreeing with the judge that this was indeed an exceptional case, the Committee did not consider that Mr Kane’s conduct was liable to have a seriously detrimental effect on the reputation of the profession and concluded that the public, in full knowledge of the circumstances of this particular case, would not expect a finding that the conviction renders him unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse.

"Rather, the public would recognise that whilst the consequences were appalling and tragic for the family involved, in terms of Mr Kane’s culpability this was a momentary piece of dangerous driving, categorised by the judge as a ‘mistake’ rather than anything more blameworthy.

“The Committee therefore concluded that Mr Kane’s conviction does not render him unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse.

"This is not to in any way detract from the catastrophic consequences for the family, but rather is to reflect the context, exceptional circumstances and level of culpability in this case.”

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/disciplinary-hearings/ 

Cat Professional is carrying out a survey to assess the use of Zylkène in cats with idiopathic cystitis (FIC), and is looking for owners whose cats are using the treatment to complete an online survey.

Zylkène is a nutritional supplement which has been reported to have positive effects in managing stress in cats and dogs. Zylkène is commonly used for reduction of stress in cats with FIC.

Veterinary practices that agree to help Cat Professional recruit clients whose FIC cats are receiving Zylkène will receive:

• A print copy of our book 'Caring for a cat with lower urinary tract disease' by Dr Sarah Caney and Professor Danièlle Gunn-Moore  
• A supply of flyers to hand out to owners eligible to participate in the survey. The flyer will explain the purpose of the survey and how owners can access it. In return for completing the survey, owners will receive a complimentary electronic copy of our book on FLUTD.

On completion of the survey, participants will receive a free electronic copy of the book 'Caring for a cat with lower urinary tract disease'.

For more information on the study, please visit our website: http://www.catprofessional.com.

The survey is accessible from the home page or directly at http://www.catprofessional.com/urinary-survey.html

Veterinary surgeons who conduct consultations on senior dog preventative healthcare treatment are being asked to take part in a BSAVA PetSavers Old Age Pets survey to shape the development of a guidance tool to support the care of senior dogs.

BSAVA PetSavers is funding a research project at the University of Liverpool designed to help vets and owners provide the best care for senior and geriatric dogs.

In the first part of the study, veterinary professionals were interviewed about the services currently provided to senior dogs and their owners regarding preventative healthcare, treatment, and advice.

Owners were interviewed about their experiences of living with and accessing veterinary care for senior dogs.

The results of these interviews were then used to develop the online survey which researchers now need vets to take part in, to validate the interview findings in a quantitative way.

Dr Carri Westgarth said: “The veterinary survey focuses on the perceived barriers to care for senior dogs, end-of-life care including quality-of-life, and the potential design of the BSAVA PetSavers guidance tool.

"We would be grateful if any veterinary professional could take a few minutes from their day to help us with this project.” 

The survey should take around 20–25 minutes to complete. 

Survey participants will also have the opportunity to win an Amazon voucher. 

The survey can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/PetsaversOAPVetSurvey.

Research carried out by the Kennel Club to coincide with the start of Open for Dogs Week has found that 40% of British people think dogs are a happy alternative to having children.

One reason for this is perhaps because 25% of respondents said that a dog would fit more easily with their lifestyle than a child. Or maybe it's partly because 25% said that whilst their children always come first, they prefer to do things with their dog.

In addition, 80% said their dog is attentive and loving when out and about, compared to only 50% who said the same is true of their other half.

However, despite the central place that dogs hold in their owners' hearts, the Kennel Club says many people experience difficulty taking their dogs out and about, particularly to restaurants. In the survey, 40% said that they have problems finding a place where their dog is welcome while they eat, and almost 50% said that they'd like to see a wider variety of restaurants open their doors to dogs.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: "This research proves what a well loved member of the family a dog is. Given how much we love spending time with our dogs, it is surprising that there are still so many businesses that refuse to allow dogs in their premises, but there is a real appetite for this to change.

"The Kennel Club's Open for Dogs website lists more than 26,000 places throughout the UK and Europe that allow dogs inside, which makes it easier for dog owners to plan days out and holidays without having to leave their dogs behind.

"During Open for Dogs Week we are asking businesses, whether it is a restaurant, hotel, pub, shop or office, to trial a dog friendly policy. There are more than eight million dogs in the UK, so those that get involved will be appealing to a massive customer base, which can only be a good thing in tough economic times."

The Kennel Club's Open for Dogs Week runs from 20-26 August 2012 and businesses and public places are encouraged to adopt a dog friendly policy for well behaved dogs.

To nominate your favourite dog friendly venue or town for the Kennel Club's Open for Dogs Awards, visit www.openfordogs.org.uk. The deadline for nominations is 31^st August.

The BSAVA is warning the profession to steer wide of a website which purports to offer hotel bookings for this year's Congress, but which is in no way affiliated to BSAVA or Congress.

The website - www.bsava2016.org - does have a distinctly fishy smell to it. Aside from the fact that it describes Birmingham as "one of the most beautiful places in the United Kingdom", noted for its "awe-inspiring architecture" and "many food joints", there are other clues that this website may not belong to someone familiar with the location or the event, such as the description of BSAVA being "founded to create an excellent forum that promotes research in Animal Veterinary".

Notably, the site also offers no offline contact details.

The association says it is seeking legal advice, but in the meantime, the Birmingham Convention Bureau is the official BSAVA Congress partner for accommodation and the team has a range of accommodation for all budgets. Their online reservation service has now closed so if you want to make a new reservation or amend an existing reservation, contact the Birmingham Convention Bureau by email at bcb.accommodation@marketingbirmingham.com or telephone on 0844 888 3052.

Pfizer Animal Health has launched a new range of diabetes support materials, including a DVD, post-prescription leaflet and home recording chart for owners of diabetic cats and dogs; a vet detailer, poster and blood glucose monitoring chart for the practice.

The company says that diabetes is on the increase in pets, as the level of obesity in cats and dogs escalates. Current estimates put the disease prevalence at 0.32% in the dog population¹ with similar levels suggested for cats with some being as high as 1 in 100². With increasing economic pressures and busy lifestyles, many owners are reluctant to take on the challenge of a diabetic pet, yet most pets respond extremely well to treatment.

Susan Mitchell, Insuvet® Product Manager at Pfizer Animal Health, believes that communication is key: "Helping owners to understand that treatment need not be difficult and that routines can be flexible enough to fit in with their lifestyles is critical. Time and time again it has been shown that cost is not always the primary consideration when it comes to treating the pet that is viewed as a much loved member of the family.

"Ensuring that owners understand exactly what will be expected of them is likely to be pivotal to the success of diabetes management than might first be assumed. Our new range of support material focuses on that need and takes the owner right the way through the process, from that initial diagnosis when decisions hang in the balance, to improving compliance by providing all the tools necessary for effective day to day management of the disease."

The new support materials include a DVD that explains all that clients need to know about the condition. This, says Pfizer, is the ideal choice after initial diagnosis, to reinforce and support the dialogue that takes place in the clinic environment. Shock, fear and confusion may mean that many owners will simply fail to take in all that their vet has to tell them after the initial diagnosis. This, in turn may prevent the owner from making an objective decision about their pet's future. 

Once emotions have settled the client can watch the DVD in their own home, start to approach the future more rationally and decide what adaptations may have to be made. A post prescription leaflet is available to provide reassurance about the daily routine of monitoring a diabetic pet and a home recording chart to aid long-term compliance.

Of course, diabetic patients can be just as challenging in the practice environment so a comprehensive vet detailer is available along with blood glucose monitoring charts, a poster detailing what to do in a keto-acidotic emergency, a veterinary nurse discharging list and a clinic letter.

For further information on the Insuvet® range or to request support materials for diabetic clinics or individual patients, vets and nurses should contact their Pfizer Business Account Manager. For any technical questions about the Insuvet range call the Pfizer Animal Health Technical Support Line on 0845 3008034.

Virbac has launched a reformulated dental chew for dogs.

The company says the new VeggieDent chew is thicker in order to prolong the chewing time, but retain its palatability and characteristic Z shape, designed to facilitate prehension and enhance the mechanical cleaning action.

Product manager Chris Geddes MRCVS says the longer chewing time means increased contact between teeth and chew: "Optimum plaque removal is achieved by physical abrasion of the tooth surface during chewing. What is important is both the nature and the duration of contact between tooth and chew. These chews have been reformulated to optimise both of these factors.

"Whilst regular tooth brushing is always the gold standard, the chews provide enhanced plaque removal above brushing alone, and are particularly suited for those difficult cases where brushing is not possible".

"Many dogs are offered treats or chews during the day with limited nutritional or health benefits. VeggieDent chews are highly palatable, natural, and meat-free. They help to sustain tooth and gum health and are a great way to encourage the provision of treats that have a health benefit".

The chews are available in packs of 15 in sizes suitable for small, medium and large dogs and can be obtained from your veterinary wholesaler. Look out for a relaunch promotion coming soon. For further information please speak to your Virbac Territory Manager, phone Virbac on 01359 243243, or email enquiries@virbac.co.uk.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Charitable Trust is offering a bursary for one delegate to attend the Veterinary Biomedical and Pharma Sciences (VBMPS) Congress on 15 and 16 October 2012 at the ICC in Birmingham.

Members of the RCVS with an interest in 'one health' are eligible to apply. Entrants are asked to explain, in no more than 400 words, their interest in the concept of one health and why they should be granted a bursary.

Entrants should also demonstrate how they would disseminate their learning from the event to the wider veterinary community.

Entries should be sent to grants@rcvstrust.org.uk by Monday 3 September 2012, and the winner will be notified within two weeks.

The bursary winner will be given a delegate pass worth £175 for entry to the conference and admission to all scientific sessions. Reasonable transport costs and accommodation will be reimbursed.

Further details are available at http://trust.rcvs.org.uk/grants-and-collaborations

The Kennel Club has broadly welcomed Professor Sir Patrick Bateson's 'Independent Inquiry into Dog Breeding', which has recommended that steps be taken to tackle irresponsible breeders and to change the way the public think about buying dogs. 

The Kennel Club, which commissioned and funded the report in conjunction with Dogs Trust, welcomes the report's focus on irresponsible breeders who farm puppies with little concern for their welfare and those who sell poorly socialised puppies on to owners to use as 'status dogs' or as fighting weapons.

The Kennel Club agrees that additional training and support needs to be given to local authorities, which are responsible for issuing breeding licences to those people who breed five or more litters of puppies in a single year, as the current provisions are deemed to be ineffective. It agrees that compulsory microchipping of dogs and increased public education to stop people falling prey to puppy farmers and to help them find responsible breeders are necessary.

It is also glad that the report recognises the need for a 'robustly policed and well respected quality assurance scheme', consisting of breeders that buyers can trust to look after their puppies' health and welfare, and that it suggests that the Kennel Club's Accredited Breeder Scheme, with some modification could be used. 

However, the Kennel Club is concerned that the report could have gone further and that its recommendations do not appear directly to cover those breeders who breed less than five litters per year and who are not part of the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme. The Kennel Club would have liked to have seen a recommendation for regulation to ensure that these breeders follow higher standards, such as compulsory health testing. 

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club spokesperson, said: "Whilst the report recognises that the majority of breeders are responsible, there are those whose actions are bringing the rest of the dog breeding community into disrepute and this needs to be stopped.

"We are glad that the report recognises that the Kennel Club has made a good start in its efforts to unite responsible breeders within its Accredited Breeder Scheme, for the benefit of puppies and puppy buyers, and we believe that this should be the basis for moving forward. We are currently working towards UKAS accreditation of the scheme as suggested by Professor Bateson.

"We agree that responsible breeders should be rewarded and believe that the show ring is the best forum for this. The report recognises that 'dog showing and judging are a powerful lever for change' and the Kennel Club is dedicated to ensuring that only the healthiest dogs are rewarded at shows.

"Public education is vital and all dog welfare organisations must continue to work together to ensure that people know what to look for when buying a dog."

The report looks at genetic diversity in breeds and recognises that the Kennel Club has banned close matings. It advises that future decisions about matings that could affect genetic diversity should be 'breed specific' and made upon evidence based scientific information and advice. To this end it is recommended that the veterinary profession should gather data to show the prevalence of certain diseases and that an advisory council should develop evidence based breeding strategies.

Mrs Kisko continued: "The Kennel Club has long recognised that genetic diversity plays a crucial role in safeguarding the health of dogs and the report is absolutely right to suggest that there are no further blanket rules in place but that decisions are based upon scientific knowledge and are made on a breed by breed basis. This is why we are well on the way to creating a new database which will revolutionise the way that we record dog health data. The data will enable us to bring out our Mate Select programme, which will help breeders to find suitable mating pairs which are most likely to produce healthy offspring. The database will go further than the report's recommendation, as the data will be attributable to specific dogs, rather than being anonymous, and will give us a better picture of the health of pedigrees and crossbreeds. Such knowledge is critical and will enable us to provide information to breeders, vets, geneticists and ultimately the puppy buyer. 

"We are keen to harness as much knowledge as possible for the benefit of dogs so we welcome the principle of an advisory council whose members will work with the Kennel Club to advise on decisions about breeding and health. A structure already exists in the form of the Kennel Club's Dog Health Group with its recently extended remit. Additional independent experts include canine and human geneticists, veterinary surgeons and an epidemiologist. Using this framework for establishing the advisory council under an independent chairman would save significant sums of money, which can instead be devoted entirely to the dog health research that the report identified as being in 'urgent' need of more funding."

The Kennel Club and Dogs Trust will now arrange a meeting between all relevant parties in order to move forward with the recommendations from all three reports.

The full report may be downloaded at www.dogbreedinginquiry.com

New research published in Epidemiology and Infection (Cambridge University Press) reveals that direct contact between badgers and cattle is rare, suggesting that it may be rare for bovine tuberculosis (TB) to be passed on through the two species meeting each other on pasture.

For the research, which was conducted by the Royal Veterinary College and the Food and Environment Research Agency, researchers investigated direct and indirect interactions between badgers and cattle by fitting automated high-tech proximity loggers to animals and placing base stations at badger latrines located on pasture, in an area of south-west England with a high-density badger population, over a period of 12-months.

Direct interactions (within 1.4 metres) between badgers and cows at pasture were very rare, with only four out of over 500,000 animal-to-animal contacts recorded between the two species.

Indirect interactions (visits to badger latrines) were far more frequent than direct contacts, with 400 visits by badgers and 1700 visits by cattle recorded. This suggests that indirect contacts might be more important than direct in terms of disease transmission at pasture.

During the study half of the badgers tested positive for TB, however the infection status of individual badgers did not affect the frequency or duration of their visits to latrines located on pasture grazed by cattle.

Bovine tuberculosis  caused by infection with Mycobacterium bovis is endemic in cattle in parts of England and Wales and its control is hindered by the presence of infection in the European badger. While M. bovis is clearly transmitted between cattle and badgers, it is has not previously been known where, when or how often transmission occurs.

Dr Julian Drewe from the Royal Veterinary College who led the study, said: "Our findings reveal that direct contacts between badgers and cattle at pasture are surprisingly rare, despite ample opportunity for interactions to occur, suggesting that the two species may be ignoring or even actively avoiding one another. The study was conducted in an area with a high badger population, so it is likely that such direct contact will be even less frequent in areas of the country where there are fewer badgers.

"Indirect visits by both species to badger latrines were significantly more common than direct contacts between badgers and cattle, which suggests that these represent the more typical nature of interspecies contact. Future research aiming to quantify TB risk to cattle from badgers might be best to focus on indirect contacts occurring at latrines and on contacts occurring away from pasture, for example in farm buildings.

"This clearly has disease management implications, and more work is now needed in this area to look at how such contact can be limited, to reduce the number of cases of bovine TB in the future."

The Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine at The University of Nottingham is calling for veterinary surgeons to take part in a survey about booster vaccination consultations in cats and dogs.

The survey is part of a research project (funded by MSD Animal Health), which aims to optimise preventative healthcare consultations (defined as any consultation in which a healthy pet is likely to receive a full clinical examination) for animal health and welfare by providing an evidence-based approach. 

In particular, researchers are looking for information on what veterinary surgeons actually do in booster vaccination consults, which tools are the most useful, and also what pet owners expect.

This survey should take 15 minutes to complete, and researchers say the results will be used to develop tools which can help you make the most of preventative healthcare consultations. 

To take part in the survey visit: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/boostervaccinations by 28th February 2017.