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VetSurgeon.org publishes a curated feed of veterinary news for practising veterinary surgeons, with a primary focus on the UK profession.
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Turning Over a New Leaf – How to Make Sustainable Change in the Veterinary Profession includes contributions from a range of organisations including the RCVS, Mars Veterinary Health and Investors in the Environment (iiE).
The report covers upcoming changes to the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme, the value of external accreditation to support sustainability, and how to approach behaviour change within your team.
Two further articles highlight how changes in clinical practice can combat antimicrobial resistance and reduce levels of surgical waste.
The report also features the personal experiences of practice sustainability leads, who discuss how they have worked with others to improve their sites.
Ellie West, Environmental Sustainability Lead at Linnaeus said: “Changing how we work day-to-day, when we are all so busy as a profession, can be a lot to juggle but sustainability brings a huge range of benefits.
"As well as helping the environment, it can promote the wellbeing of our patients and colleagues while also improving our performance as a business.
“It is important, however, to avoid dictating what sustainable change should be made because it will vary greatly between different teams and locations.
"This report shares ideas from contributors with a variety of roles and responsibilities, who have taken different approaches to supporting the environment but are all united in their commitment to delivering excellent clinical care.”
Sue Paterson, RCVS Junior Vice-President and RCVS Council lead for Environment & Sustainability, said: “Contributing to this report highlights the importance of working together as a profession to understand the environmental challenges we face and adopt solutions that will benefit our planet and the animals we care for.
"Upcoming changes to the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme will cover sustainability across a range of areas and we are committed to ensuring the veterinary profession can fully realise the benefits of this new guidance.”
April Sotomayor, Principal Consultant at iiE, added: “This report offers a range of perspectives that highlight how the veterinary profession can become a leader in sustainability and a shining example to other sectors.”
Download Turning Over a New Leaf – How to Make Sustainable Change in the Veterinary Profession here.
RCVS President, Dr Jerry Davies, has committed to prioritise the establishment of a new Audit and Risk Committee, following publication of the recommendations of a report into two overspends at the College.
Earlier this year, outgoing President Peter Jinman had announced that a review would be carried out into the circumstances that led to higher-than-expected expenditure on the College's new database and building development works in the Lower Ground Floor at Belgravia House.
The RCVS Officer team asked Professor Bill McKelvey - a member of the College's Governance Review Group - and two of the College's Privy Council-appointed Council members to look at all aspects that related to its budgeting and expenditure process of those projects, and propose lessons that should be learned.
Dr Davies said: "That such a review was required is regretted, but I would like to thank Professor McKelvey, Richard Davis and Judith Webb for their diligence in this work. Their recommendations will be a very helpful addition to the work that is currently underway to ensure corporate governance is fit for purpose and, in particular, that the management of capital projects within the College is optimised."
The full Overspend Report (one sentence was redacted on legal advice) was considered by Council at its meeting on 3 November. Council agreed that the recommendations should be made public. The College is currently seeking further legal advice on whether it is proper for the report to be made available under the Freedom of Information Act.
Dr Davies added: "The recommendations of the report are under consideration by a group of five past Presidents, together with Richard Davis and Judith Webb as lay members of Council, under the Chairmanship of Peter Jinman, and their proposals will be considered by Council in due course.
"The recommendation that an Audit and Risk Committee be set up will be prioritised, as this was highlighted as an imperative. Other related activities, such as the development of a protocol for the management of major projects, had already been put in place by Officers prior to the overspend review."
Regarding the two projects at the heart of the report, the College says building work in the Lower Ground Floor at Belgravia House has been complete for some time and the new rooms and their facilities are being used, particularly when Disciplinary Committee hearings render much of the rest of the building out of bounds. The new data management system is also in use and an external consultant is currently looking at the work that has been carried out so far, and will make recommendations for the future.
"Meanwhile, although there are many lessons to be learned from the report, it's business as usual in terms of bringing to a conclusion many of our important ongoing initiatives, such as the introduction of the new Code of Professional Conduct, the consultations on the recommendations of the Specialisation Working Party and a draft Performance Protocol, and, of course, the ongoing work of the Disciplinary and Preliminary Investigation Committees," said Dr Davies.
The recommendations of the report, which were adopted by Council, can be downloaded from www.rcvs.org.uk/McKelvey.
The awards, which which celebrate initiatives that advance the quality of veterinary care and demonstrate a commitment to using an evidence-based approach, will be open for applications until 13th January 2023.
The two new award categories are Antimicrobial Stewardship and Canine Cruciate Outcomes.
The Canine Cruciate Outcome Awards are to recognise and celebrate individuals and teams who are using Quality Improvement initiatives alongside RCVS Knowledge’s Canine Cruciate Registry (CCR) to monitor and improve their canine cruciate surgery outcomes.
Applications are invited by surgeons and teams who are using the CCR.
The Antimicrobial Stewardship Awards, which are divided into farm animal, equine, and companion animal categories, aim to showcase practical examples where individuals and teams are improving responsible antimicrobial prescribing.
In addition, the charity is looking for entries for its existing awards for students and those who have implemented Quality Improvement (QI) techniques.
The Veterinary Evidence Student Awards enables students from around the world to enhance their academic and research skills by writing a Knowledge Summary and submitting it for publication to Veterinary Evidence, RCVS Knowledge's open access, peer-reviewed journal.
The Quality Improvement Awards showcase the implementation of Quality Improvement techniques which drive improvement within the professions.
www.rcvsknowledge.org/awards
Three members (one vet, one new grad and one nurse) are being sought to join a new engagement group tasked with raising awareness of the importance of CPD for veterinary surgeons and nurses, supporting members in how to reflect on their CPD as a way of consolidating learning, and considering plans for how the benefits of CPD and the VetGDP can be communicated to the professions.
The group will also oversee and update CPD and VetGDP guidance documents, as well as overseeing updates to the VetGDP Adviser and VetGDP Peer Reviewer training and guidance.
RCVS Council member Dr Olivia Cook MRCVS will be chairing the group.
She said: “The Engagement Group has been set up in recognition that, although the majority of the professions are engaged with meeting their CPD requirements and completing the VetGDP, there are still those who feel confused about the requirements or remain uncompliant for other reasons, and we would like very much to help them.
“Therefore, this is an exciting opportunity for anyone who wants to play an active part in advancing veterinary standards by ensuring that as many members of the professions as possible have the benefits of lifelong learning in their own practice and their ongoing work for animal health and welfare. In doing so they will help grow public confidence in the professions.
“From the VetGDP perspective, we’re particularly keen that there’s a strong peer-to-peer element, so that those who are doing the VetGDP, or have just recently completed it, are using their recent experience and understanding to evolve the policy and drive engagement.”
Applicants who are interested will have until Friday 30 August to apply to become members of the CPD and VetGDP Engagement Group and are invited to send a concise email to CPD@rcvs.org.uk explaining their experience and how they feel that can contribute to work of the committee.
The RCVS is looking for two Advanced Practitioners working in practice who have completed a designated CertAVP qualification to join the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (CertAVP) Subcommittee to help actively advance the standards and policies of the RCVS CertAVP.
Applicants who are interested also have until Friday 30 August to apply to become members.
Applicants are invited to send an email to certavp@rcvs.org.uk with a summary of their experience and what skills and knowledge you feel that you can bring to this committee.
Finally, the College is also looking to recruit examiners for the Statutory Membership Examination, from 2025 onwards.
Examiners need to have been Members of the RCVS for a minimum of three years and be familiar with the day one competences for new registrants and the standards expected of final year students and new graduates. Experience as an assessor or examiner is preferred, although not essential as training will be provided. The College is looking for examiners with knowledge across a range of species domains including equine, veterinary public health, farm and small animal.
Contact Jenny Soreskog-Turp, RCVS Postgraduate Lead, on j.soreskog-turp@rcvs.org.uk
Jacqui Molyneux, SPVS President Elect, has announced details of the work she has been involved in to radically restructure and improve the training of veterinary nurses in the UK.
For the last 10 years the VN qualification has involved candidates sitting for an NVQ in veterinary nursing. This NVQ is however being phased out by the Government, whatever party that may be, from next September. The RCVS is therefore taking this opportunity to put in place a viable alternative qualification to improve and build upon the current structure.
Jacqui said: "We are coming from the standpoint that, worryingly, there is a dire shortage of RVNs available for practices to employ. If we do not take this opportunity to do something now, the situation will in all likelihood deteriorate even further.
"I chair a working party convened in May which has been looking at current VN training and how to improve it. There was an initial written period of information gathering followed by three full days of face-to-face consultation meetings with invited interested parties in July and September. This period of consultation has resulted in a proposal being put forward.
She added: "The proposals are radical and in some ways controversial but have been put together in response to the feedback we have received so far. I must, however, reiterate that it is, at this stage, a proposal and we are still in a consultation period.
"At the end of the period we will have another working party meeting and reassess the proposal. This will then go to the Awarding Body Board and on to both VN council and RCVS council for full approval. I hope we will end up with a scheme that reflects the vital role nurses play in a modern veterinary practice."
The consultation document can be found here.
Xavier (pictured right), who graduated from Cardenal-Herrera University in Valencia, Spain, in January 2006, has joined Southfields from the Royal Veterinary College, where he was working on the high profile Mitral Valve Repair Programme.
Xavier moved to the UK in 2009 to specialise in cardiology, first spending two years in Scotland where he completed a general and a cardiology internship at the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, before beginning a cardiology residency at the University of Liverpool which he completed in March 2016.
He then continued at the University of Liverpool as a lecturer in cardiology for 16 months, before becoming a cardiology clinician at the Royal Veterinary College.
Henry L'Eplattenier, clinical director at Southfields, said: “We’re extremely pleased to welcome Xavier to Southfields and look forward to him progressing his career with us.
“He’s a very talented cardiologist who brings with him a wealth of expertise and experience which makes him a very valuable addition to our world-class team.”
Xavier said: “The move to Southfields is a wonderful opportunity for me and I’m really energised and motivated for the challenge ahead.
“This is one of the leading veterinary referral centres in the UK and it is set to become even better when we move into a new, purpose-built building boasting the finest facilities and most up-to-date equipment.
For more information, visit www.southfields.co.uk.
Omics refers to a field of biological sciences including genomics (studying DNA), transcriptomics (RNA), proteomics (proteins) and metabolomics (metabolites).
Guest Editor Carrie Finno has contributed an editorial in support of the nine EVJ articles demonstrating how genomic and transcriptomic approaches have been used to investigate equine diseases.
She said: “While equine genomics and transcriptomics continue to evolve, improvements in the annotation of the equine genome will undoubtedly accelerate the rate of discovery.
"With the need for large sample sizes of well-phenotyped horses to study the most complex diseases, equine genomics and transcriptomics research will likely become increasingly collaborative, similar to the current status of human genomics initiatives.
"Aligned with this collaborative effort is the strong need for publicly available genomic and transcriptomic data that are accessible to all researchers.”
Guest Editor James Anderson prefaces five papers on advances made in equine medicine within the disciplines of proteomics, metabolomics and lipidomics (a subset of metabolomics).
He said: “Omics technologies have enhanced our knowledge of the molecular world and provided fascinating insight into the composition and functions of these components across a range of different animal species.
"Particularly for equine science and medicine they have increased our understanding of molecular changes in disease and informed the development of diagnostic tests.
"Although still in its infancy within equine veterinary science, this field looks likely to have a significant impact in the coming years.”
The virtual Issue is available to all at https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1001/(ISSN)2042-3306.OmicsEVJ
Thought to be the first agreement of its kind between a buying group and a veterinary practice, Norfolk Farm Vets and agricultural purchasing group Anglia Farmers Limited have come together to offer mutual members and clients a beneficial discount on their monthly vet account when invoiced through Anglia Farmers. Anglia Farmers livestock manager Simon Leach said: "With more than 650 livestock members, Anglia Farmers is keen to give a financial edge wherever possible. Veterinary costs are as much a part of the overall costs we already help with such as feed, equipment and fencing. In terms of dairy, they account for around 0.8p a litre of milk, accumulating to an average of around £1,200 a month for a typical East Anglian dairy of 150 head. Our discount agreement with Norfolk Farm Vets is a very positive step in aiding our members to save even more money through Anglia Farmers."Both parties agree that the time and administration cost saving benefit is equally important.Molly McKay of Norfolk Farm Vets, which has clients throughout the Eastern Counties as well as Lincolnshire, said: "Anyone involved with livestock knows how time-consuming all the paperwork can be. Each month Anglia Farmers collates all the supplier invoices, sends them on to members as part of their monthly statement with a single covering invoice which is so much easier than receiving them piecemeal. And it streamlines administration and cashflow for us as well."
The programme offers a route to achieve a General Practitioner Certificate (GPCert).
In 14 modules (six online and eight face-to-face) delivered over 11 months, the programme covers the fundamental principles of the different imaging modalities, giving an overview of their application and benefits.
Each online module consists of four sessions spread over one month, with video lessons and case-based studies for learners to work through at their own pace.
There'll also be a monthly live webinar for case discussion and film reading sessions with the specialist tutor.
The face-to-face sessions are conducted over two consecutive days and are designed to support learners in consolidating their knowledge and developing skills in ultrasound.
As well as the GPCert, the course also offers a route to a Postgraduate Certificate (PgC) through the company’s partnership with Harper Adams University.
Programme registration includes a subscription to the RCVS Knowledge Library, which includes access to many electronic resources, including the latest journals and clinical research.
Head of Business Development for Improve International in the UK, Dr Charlotte French (pictured right), said: “The successful completion of this programme will increase learners’ skills, knowledge and confidence in dealing with more imaging cases, which will, in turn, enable them to grow their small animal caseload and revenue stream.
"With imaging so often a key element of a successful diagnosis, we are seeing increased interest from veterinary surgeons in upskilling in this fast-moving area and are delighted to offer them the opportunity to do this with our new programme.”
Endell Veterinary Group Equine Hospital in Wiltshire has stationed an equine veterinary surgeon on the Isle of Wight permanently to ensure that the island's numerous horses can receive rapid treatment when they need it.
Florus Oskam MRCVS is providing a routine and emergency mobile ambulatory service around the island 24 hours a day. Florus also has the back up of mainland ambulatory vets who also spend time on the Island. Appointments with specific vets to visit the island can also be arranged.
Florus said: "We have been providing a veterinary service on the Isle of Wight for the past 30 years and have a very loyal client base. For years they have been asking us for a permanent service on the island and we are delighted to be able to provide it at last."
Anita Niccolls, dressage rider and trainer on the Isle of Wight, added: "It's very reassuring to know that a vet of Florus's calibre is now resident on the Island and that we are able to have continuity of vet care should a horse need further treatment at the practice's equine hospital in Salisbury."
All existing bookings for the event, which takes place at the ICC Wales in Newport, have been transferred to the new dates.
Registration is still open for new bookings at www.spvs-vmg-events.co.uk.
Otherwise, everything else remains unchanged: same speakers, same commercial exhibition, same pre-Congress party.
No need to bring a bottle: organisers say they'll be working with ICC Wales to put necessary Covid safety protocols in place so all attendees can relax and make the most out of their Congress experience.
The 12-strong crew, aged between 18 and 60, left Marina San Miguel, Tenerife on 22nd March and rowed 2,875 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua 42 days, 2 hours and 30 minutes later.
Each of the crew of the 12-metre boat, Roxy, rowed more than 1.5million strokes and burned over 5000 calories a day.
During the journey, the team had to battle with ocean storms and seasickness, not to mention extreme blisters and callouses. Simon lost almost 10kg.
Simon, who was a rowing novice before this, raised almost £15,000 for MacMillan Cancer Support. He said: "It’s without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I can’t put into words how I’m feeling right now. The sense of achievement is a little overwhelming.
"The journey was everything I wanted it to be - tough both physically and mentally but hugely rewarding and one thing is for sure, I wouldn’t be standing here at the finish line if it hadn’t been for each and every one of the incredible crew. What a gorgeous group of people who will remain lifelong friends. After catching up with my family, the thing I was most looking forward to was a good meal!”.
The crew were welcomed to Antigua by a flotilla of smaller boats with many of the crew’s families onboard, before a reception at the Antigua Yacht Club.
It's the final call for comments on the draft new RCVS Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons, as the consultation closes on Friday, 24 June 2011.
The new draft Code, which is intended to replace the existing RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons, was produced by a Working Party set up by the RCVS Advisory Committee.
The new Code is a short, principles-based document using the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe's Code of Conduct as the starting point. It will be supported by additional advice on specific areas of veterinary practice or issues, for example, clinical governance.
New requirements in the Code include compulsory continuing professional development, the RCVS Health Protocol and more on clinical competence. It also contains an updated declaration to be made by veterinary surgeons, which gives increased emphasis to animal welfare.
The new Code, together with the consultation paper, can be downloaded at www.rcvs.org.uk/codeconsultation.
Comments, which are welcomed from the profession and the public, should be sent by email to Christopher Murdoch, Secretary to the Guides Review Working Party, at c.murdoch@rcvs.org.uk by Friday, 24 June 2011.
A separate consultation will open shortly on a draft RCVS Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses.
The company says that while attendance CPD events are permitted under UK coronavirus guidelines, it has found that many lecturers and delegates are unwilling or unable to participate in them for the time being.
The main distinction between Zoom and traditional webinars is the ability for members of the audience to see each other and the presenter, which helps engender a sense of community and of a live event. Central CPD says it gives all the feel and interactivity of attending a CPD course in person.
Central CPD is now delivering day-long events split into four sessions, which gives delegates the choice of joining for a whole day or just selected sessions.
The Zoom presentations are recorded in high definition, with the audience removed, so delegates can catch up on anything they missed later via Central CPD On-Demand.
Two days of CPD have so far been delivered via the new livestream service. Lecturer Mike Rhodes BVM&S CertVOphthal DipECVO MRCVS said: "This was my first time giving a livestream CPD day and compared to my previous experience of prerecorded lectures I found the interaction with the delegates very good fun - this could definitely be the new future with regards to veterinary CPD: COVID or no COVID!"
Livestream courses are free for subscribers or £45 + VAT per event, including unlimited access to the recorded footage afterwards.
Upcoming events for December are:
Details and booking information can be found at https://www.centralcpd.com/categories/30
To create a price list, you need to create an account at Pricebook.vet, then choose a template and add your prices.
You can then publish the pricelist on your website, and Pricebook will even format it to your design so the price list is aligned with your practice branding.
Emily said: All of the templates are in line with what the CMA want you to display and it's easy to do.
"The idea behind this is to get you CMA compliant, quickly and easily.
"We did it for our practice and want to help you do the same.
"It's easy, quick and free, and my way of saying thanks.
"Thank you for being part of this amazingly supportive community.
"I hope you love this tool we've created and you can save yourself loads of time, and have something really swish to add to your practice website.
Visit https://nightingalevets.co.uk/pricing for an example of a price list created with Pricebook.
www.pricebook.vet
International Cat Care (formerly the Feline Advisory Bureau) is once again raising the issue of cats accidentally poisoned by dog flea products containing permethrin.
The charity is undertaking a campaign to warn owners of the dangers of using dog flea products on their cats because cats are still dying unnecessarily. While the incidents outlined here occurred in the UK, previous reports have shown that this is the most common cause of poisoning of cats in many countries because products are widely and easily available.
Gary Rutland RVN DipAVN(Surgical), Head Nurse and Cat Advocate at the Cat Friendly Millennium Veterinary Practice in Essex was moved to get in contact with International Cat Care after the death of a nine-week-old kitten treated with a permethrin-containing dog spot-on bought at a local pet store. Understandably, both the owners and the practice staff were greatly distressed. The owner used it on her dog and, because it was cheap, assumed it would 'not be strong' and would be fine to use on the kitten. A video of the kitten on the ICC website (www.icatcare.org/permethrin/cat-deaths) shows the resulting seizures.
The second incident concerned two 7-year-old cats treated accidentally after Donna, their owner, bought a dog spot-on containing permethrin from a local shop without wearing her glasses. Someone had placed a dog treatment among the cat treatments and she picked it up. No advice was given to Donna in the shop. She said that the flea treatments were on the shelves, 'just like selling smarties in a children's candy store'.
Although both products had a warning on the packaging, this was either not seen or not taken seriously enough because such products are so freely available and nobody thinks that a drop of a dog product could kill their cat.
International Cat Care is demanding that dog spot-on flea products containing permethrin should not be available without verbal advice at the point of sale. Currently these products are categorised by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) in the UK as AVM-GSL, which means that they can be bought directly off the shop shelf without the need for advice. The charity says they should be recategorised as NFA-VPS so that they can only be purchased if there is someone in the shop who is suitably qualified to speak to and advise the buyer. The shop should advise that they are only for use on dogs, and ask if there are any cats in the home which could come into contact with a recently-treated dog. The owners can then be warned to keep the dog and cat apart, or advised to use a different product. Advice must be given with some other current non-permethrin containing spot-on products sold through pet shops under the NFA-VPS authorisation and many of these products have a much safer profile if used accidentally on cats, than those containing permethrin.
Dr Andy Sparkes, Veterinary Director for International Cat Care, said: 'Many practices see permethrin poisoning in cats several times a year but do not contact the VMD because the product is not a POM or they feel that the Directorate already knows about the problem. We feel strongly that the problem is greatly under-reported. Nothing will be done unless the full extent of the problem is realised by the VMD, so please report each one by going on the website at https://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/adversereactionreporting/. These cat deaths are totally preventable - you can sign our petition at www.icatcare.org/permethrin/petition to change the categorisation.'
The charity is also asking the pet trade to voluntarily class these dog spot-on products containing permethrin as NFA-VPS and to provide advice to their customers accordingly. Pets at Home is working with International Cat Care and the company will be adding a till prompt so that the product cannot be sold without customers being asked whether they have a cat and given appropriate advice.
Maeve Moorcroft, Head of Pets at Pets at Home which earlier this year launched its Flea Fight Force said: 'We take the risk of permethrin poisoning in cats very seriously. We are introducing prompts at our tills so that customers are asked during the checkout process if they are aware of the risk to cats in the home when purchasing a permethrin based spot-on dog flea treatment, and also advised to wait at least 72 hours after treating the dog before the dog and cat can come into close contact.'
International Cat Care is urging veterinary practices to ensure that if concentrated permethrin-containing spot-on products are prescribed and dispensed for use on dogs, adequate warnings are given, including when owners come in for repeat prescriptions. Asking if there is a cat in the house each time a product is dispensed is critical in case a cat has recently been added to the home.
Information on the veterinary treatment of permethrin poisoning cases can be found on the ICC website at www.icatcare.org/permethrin/vet-info
Designed to help veterinary practices save clients' time and improve compliance, VetsDeliver supplies Bravecto - the company's 12 week flea and tick treatment - with the wormer of the vet's choice, by post.
Before the pandemic, practices registered clients for the service online or during an appointment and clients would have to collect the first treatments from the practice.
In response to the pandemic, however, MSD has made now it possible for clients to register from home and get their first treatments sent by post.
Amanda Melvin, Marketing Manager for Companion Animals at MSD Animal Health said: "We are all in unchartered territory and we appreciate the pressure veterinary teams are under to continue to care for their clients and local pet community.
"Many businesses are having to add new services to support online facilities and home delivery, and for vets there is also now a need to reduce footfall into practice while still generating income. Making sure effective parasite control is available will help improve compliance as temperatures rise and the risks to the health of our pets increase. It's one less thing for you and your clients to worry about."
For further information, contact your MSD Animal Health account manager or go to www.msd-animal-health-hub.co.uk/vetsdeliver.
Open to all veterinary professionals looking to enhance their knowledge and skills in emergency and critical care, this year's Congress has a lineup of over 30 internationally-renowned speakers and leading clinicians and offers up to 70 hours of CPD.
This year’s keynote speaker is specialist transplant nurse and chair of the UK One Health Coordination Group, Helen Ballantyne, and organisers will also be welcoming veterinary nurse Ken Yagi, formerly program director of the CPR simulation lab at Cornell University, who’ll deliver an update on the new RECOVER (CPR) guidelines being released this year.
Simon Hagley, ECC Specialist and Clinical Director at Vets Now hospital in Manchester said: “We are confident our 2024 programme offers something for everyone, no matter what stage of your ECC career you are at, from students through to specialists and everything in between.
"We listened to delegate feedback from last year’s event, and we have brought back some firm favourites including our ’Controversies’ and ‘Joined Up Thinking sessions’, but we have introduced exciting new streams including 'Catastrophic case conversations'.
“We’ve also we’ve extended the popular nursing streams from last year to span two entire days and lunchtime case presentations from interns across the country are also on the programme.”
https://www.vets-now.com/congress
Sean Wensley, President of the British Veterinary Association, said: "The research released today reflects the seriousness of the health problems associated with English bulldogs that our members are seeing in practice. Revision of breed standards, to include evidence-based limits on physical features such as muzzle shortness, and full consideration of other approaches such as outcrossing, are now needed to ensure high risk breeds, such as the English bulldog, do not continue to suffer unnecessarily.
"Vets are reporting concerning trends in dog health and welfare linked to the rise in ownership of brachycephalic breeds, such as bulldogs, and we are unequivocal in the need for all those with roles to play – including vets, breeders, breed societies, the pet-buying public as well as others – to take action to combat the health problems that brachycephalic breeds experience due to extreme conformation. These issues include severe lifelong breathing difficulties, corneal ulcers, skin disease, a screw-shaped tail which is linked to painful spine abnormalities, and the inability to give birth naturally.
"As part of their pre-purchase research, prospective dog owners should consider the health harms perpetuated in dogs by purchasing brachycephalic breeds and choose a healthier alternative breed, or crossbreed, instead, and local veterinary practices are ideally placed to give this advice. Brachycephalic dogs should not be seen as cute or desirable, rather as dogs predisposed to a lifetime of poor health, and English bulldogs should not be hailed as a national symbol for the UK where animal welfare is strongly valued.
"Vets have a duty to always prioritise the best interests of their pet patients, which, for affected animals, can involve performing surgical procedures to correct conformational disorders. They have a concurrent duty to be part of initiatives that aim to address the health and welfare of a breed beyond the individual affected animal.
"This is why BVA promotes the importance of vets submitting data on caesarean sections and conformation-altering surgery to the Kennel Club, to improve the future of dog health and welfare."
The first part of the charge was that, between 3 November 2014 and 10 December 2016 he did not provide CPD records to the RCVS requested in four separate letters dated November 2014, September 2015, November 2015 and November 2016. The second part of the charge was that, between 11 December 2016 and 26 July 2017, he did not provide the RCVS with his CPD records despite requests.
Dr Zukauskas admitted to the charge against him at the outset of the hearing.
The Committee considered whether Mr Zukauskas’ failure to respond to requests for his CPD records constituted serious professional misconduct.
The Committee found that he had breached the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons by not responding to the repeated requests for information from the College, although the Committee noted that there had not been total silence. Mr Zukauskas had made email contact on at least two occasions in response to RCVS letters and gave evidence that he had attempted to phone the authors of the letters. The Committee also noted that in early February 2017 Mr Zukauskas had made repeated attempts to give the RCVS access to his online CPD account, which he had been updating to reflect CPD work that he had undertaken.
Mr Zukauskas’ explanation for his failure was that he had not fully appreciated the importance of the letters, that his English was poor, and that he failed to obtain appropriate advice about the content of the letters until recently. It was only in a witness statement dated 27 July 2017 that he finally disclosed his full CPD records.
The Committee noted Mr Zukauskas' admission in his evidence that his English was not good, particularly in light of the obligation, brought into the Code in February 2016, for veterinary surgeons to be able to communicate effectively in written and spoken English.
Chitra Karve, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "From that date, if not earlier, the respondent should have been concerned to understand English sufficiently well to address the correspondence from the College. Whilst the Committee did not consider that his conduct in this respect amounted to disrespect, it did consider that he had shown a disregard of his obligations.
"At all times he could and should have made appropriate efforts to respond to the correspondence from the College and obtain appropriate advice. In effect he put off dealing with these matters and put his head in the sand."
Regarding his failure to respond to requests between December 2016 and July 2017, Ms Karve added: "This caused the College a considerable amount of concern and extra work. Had he done so much earlier, much of this matter would have been avoided. The respondent was once again in breach of his obligations."
Having found Mr Zukauskas guilty of serious professional misconduct in relation to both parts of the charge the Committee then considered its sanction against Mr Zukauskas, taking into account the fact that the Veterinary Nurse Disciplinary Committee had recently suspended a veterinary nurse from the Register for a period of two months having found her guilty of similar charges.
In mitigation the Committee considered a number of testimonials from colleagues and clients, his hitherto long and unblemished career in the United Kingdom, and his open and frank admissions and subsequent efforts to avoid repetition of his behaviour. Language problems were also considered as an explanation for why the situation had occurred. However, it also considered the aggravating factor that the misconduct was sustained over a period of time and that there was unacceptable disregard for the obligations he had to the College as a veterinary surgeon.
In summing up Ms Karve said: "The Committee has determined to impose a reprimand. In doing so it acknowledged that the respondent has shown considerable insight into his behaviour. He had acknowledged that he has needed help in communicating with the College. It noted that he is a good and proficient veterinary surgeon in the work which he undertakes. He expressed remorse for his behaviour. He has carried out sufficient CPD and since December 2016 has been communicating with the College. The Committee considers it unlikely that he will transgress again.
"The Committee has decided that it is appropriate in this case to add a warning to the decision to impose a reprimand. It is mindful of the fact that other veterinary surgeons registered with the College have a duty to discharge their CPD obligations and they honour those obligations. Moreover, the conduct of the respondent has involved a considerable amount of work and expense for the College."
The warning was that in future Mr Zukauskas must respond in a timely and appropriate manner to any communications from the RCVS.
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has reported that since launch, its diagnostic service RespCheck has identified infectious diseases in 15 per cent of all animals checked under the scheme.
Offered to qualifying practices for no charge and implemented by the Animal Health Trust (AHT), Intervet/Schering Plough set up RespCheck to help identify the cause of infectious respiratory problems in horses.
The RespCheck kit, which has been used to swab more than 700 horses since launch, consists of naso pharyngeal swabs, enabling two horses per yard or outbreak to be swabbed for a variety of diseases. These include equine influenza, equine herpesvirus, Streptococcus equi (strangles), pasteurella, rhinovirus and Streptococcus zooepidemicus. The swabs are sent to the AHT for analysis and the results returned direct to the vet.
John Dickerson from Chine House Equine Hospital in Leicestershire said: "The service is fantastic, made all the better by being completely free of charge! The benefits are two-fold. From the clinical perspective it means we can discount or treat potential infections in a more timely fashion; for instance, we use RespCheck to screen for any suspected infectious respiratory disease cases which enables us to deal with the problem, through quarantine and strict hygiene measures, helping to prevent the spread of the disease.
The other benefit is to our practice reputation and the standard of service we can offer. It's great to be able to provide owners with peace of mind without it costing more than our call out fee. By the time an owner calls the vet they are usually stressed and worried about their horses symptoms and need some reassurance, which is exactly what RespCheck gives them. We are confident that providing a diagnostic service that is completely free and that puts an owners mind at rest regarding the risk of an infection can only be a good thing for our practice reputation and customer care.
Last year, the service proved its worth when the screening of a recently imported horse showed the animal had equine influenza. I believe that had RespCheck not been employed, we would have had an outbreak in that particular yard."
Practices interested in knowing more about RespCheck should contact their local Intervet/Schering-Plough Veterinary Business Manager or phone the company's Veterinary Support Group on 01908 685685.
Woodley Equipment Company has become the exclusive Europe-wide distributor for the new Epoc Hand Held Clinical Care Analyser from Epocal Inc
Woodley says the Epoc, developed by the founder of the i-STAT analyser, is the first wireless point of care testing solution to use smart card technology. The Epoc provides immediate blood gas, electrolyte and critical care biochemistry results directly to a hand held PDA (included) and wirelessly interfaces with your in-practice computer. It is a completely affordable analyser that is easy to use and requires no refrigeration of consumables.
Key Features:
For a more information about the Epoc Blood Gas Analyser please email sales@woodleyequipment.com, visit woodleyequipment.com, or call Woodley's customer service team on +44 (0)1204 669033 ~ Option 1
Merial - maker of the canine NSAID Previcox - has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the prevalence of canine osteoarthritis amongst dog owners in the UK.
Previcox Product Manager Claire Edmunds said: "We know that approximately 20% of adult dogs suffer from OA, but less than 25% of these dogs are treated with NSAIDs in the UK. That's one in five dogs that may be enduring the pain and discomfort of a condition that can be improved. Most owners will put their dog's loss of mobility down to old age, however, our aim with this campaign is to raise awareness of this condition with pet owners to encourage them to seek help from their vet for their pets, and assist vets in promoting treatments for this condition."
Merial says veterinary surgeries can take part in the campaign in five easy steps:
The following campaign materials are available:
For more information about the Missing Dog Campaign, please contact your Merial Territory Manager on 0870 6000 123.
Henry Schein Inc., parent company of Henry Schein Animal Health has been named as one of Ethisphere's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies.
The Ethisphere Institute is an international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. This is the sixth year that Ethisphere Institute has published the World's Most Ethical Companies list.
Out of more than 5,000 nominations for the World's Most Ethical Companies award this year, Henry Schein was named to the list of 145 companies for raising the bar for ethical standards within the health care industry through exemplary ethical leadership, worldwide business standards and commitment to corporate social responsibility.
Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein, Inc. said: A deep commitment to the highest ethical standards and business practices has been a hallmark of Henry Schein since our founding in 1932, and continues to be at the very core of our business model as we have grown to become a Fortune 500 company with operations around the globe and nearly 15,000 Team Schein Members."