Elanco is hosting another online CPD quiz night for vets, this time on the subject of fleas, at 7pm next Thursday (27th August).

The event is being hosted by Luke Gamble as part of the company's ‘Advocates of Knowledge’ series, and there are £400 worth of prizes to be won:

• 1st - £250 Amazon voucher
• 2nd - £100 Amazon voucher
• 3rd - £50 Amazon voucher

Advocate Senior Brand Manager Vicky McAlister said: “We want to ensure that we’re delivering CPD in an engaging way, so that vets are still able to upskill in these areas, whilst also being able to engage with other vets in the industry, which is especially important given current times.

"Following the success of the first event, we’re pleased to be back again to host another and are committed to continuing to support CPD progression.”

To register for the event, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/113870170746

The Royal Veterinary College has launched a national online survey to understand the pre-purchase motivations and behaviours of owners of puppies purchased during 2021.

Data from the survey will be used as a comparison to previous years (2019 and 2020), to determine whether the changes in puppy buying in the UK seen during the COVID-19 pandemic have returned to their pre-pandemic baseline or persisted into 2021. 

Dr Rowena Packer, Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science at the RVC said: “The COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in the way many of us bought our household goods, with online ordering and delivery a common feature of lockdown life.

"The pandemic also led to changes in the way the UK bought puppies during 2020, due to the many restrictions to travel and social contact during this period.

"Many of these so-called ‘Pandemic Puppies’ became much-cherished companions, helping households cope with lockdown life; however, there are concerns that some owners were duped into buying from unscrupulous breeders.

"We are interested in whether pandemic-related changes in puppy buying persisted into 2021, so we can best support owners of puppies bought during this period going forward."

For more information, visit: www.rvc.uk.com/Pandemic-Puppies-of-2021-research

The survey is at: www.rvc.uk.com/Puppy2021-survey

Ceva Animal Health has added a new session to its Cardio Academy CPD website entitled 'Thoracic X-rays: Normal Features'.

In this 30 minute multimedia presentation, the cardiology specialist Nicole Van Israël discusses how the normal thoracic radiograph should appear, as well as the differences observed between breeds.  Participants can then receive a CPD certificate by completing the quiz for this session. The Cardio Academy CPD website is free of charge and can be accessed by visiting http://www.cardioacademy.cevalearn.com/.

The first three sessions in the series can still be viewed on the website. They cover the 'Pathophysiology of Mitral Valve Disease, by Adrian Boswood, 'Clinical Examination of the Cardiac Dog', by Gérard Le Bobinnec and 'Thoracic X-rays: How to Proceed' by Nicole Van Israël.

A new pet health advice line, similar in principle to the now-defunct NHS Direct service, has been launched for pet owners.

pet-gp.co.uk offers a 12 month subscription for £4.50 per month, or owners can seek one-off advice from its team of veterinary nurses (not veterinary surgeons as the name implies) for £12.50.

The company implies says on its website that the average vet bill is £300, and that 2 out of 3 visits are unnecessary anyway, so a quick call to them first could represent a considerable saving.

However, VetSurgeon.org sees a number of flaws in this logic:

• Even if the figure quoted for the average vet bill is correct (something disputed by the BVA), it doesn't cost £300 to consult a general practitioner veterinary surgeon; if an owner walks out of a practice with a £300 bill, clearly there was something wrong with the animal, and the trip was necessary.
• Therefore, the potential saving to the owner by avoiding an unnecessary consultation is nothing like £300. 
• Even veterinary surgeons are not able to diagnose illness properly without seeing an animal. Veterinary nurses are not allowed to diagnose at all. So the advice that can be given must necessarily be very limited. £12.50 perhaps sounds like value for money for veterinary advice, until you discover that the advice is 'go and see your veterinary surgeon'.
• Many - perhaps most - veterinary practices offer clients basic advice free of charge over the telephone anyway. 

BVA President Gudrun Ravetz said: "Although triage phone lines have been used in the NHS for several years, for pets these can be more problematic as animals are unable to speak themselves, and many symptoms may be subtle signs that will only be picked up in an examination by a vet."

Peter Harlech Jones has been elected President of the British Veterinary Association for 2012/2013. The ceremony took place during the Annual General Meeting of the BVA at the close of its Annual Congress, held in the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool.

Mr Jones, an international consultant on veterinary medicines, was born and raised in North Wales where he attended the Sir Huw Owen School in Caernarfon. He qualified from the University of Liverpool Veterinary School in 1971. After several years in practice in Wales and London - plus a spell in Ontario, Canada - Peter joined the pharmaceutical industry and spent 20 years in the animal health business both in the UK and overseas working in the fields of research and development and also regulatory affairs.

In 1995 he was appointed the first head of the Veterinary Division at the newly created European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) in London, playing a leading role in the creation of the new European regulatory system and working at the centre of European institutions. His last post before semi-retirement in 2008 was as head of the global animal health industry association, the International Federation of Animal Health (IFAH).

Within the BVA Peter has served on the Veterinary Policy Group and as chair of the Medicines Group and is a former secretary and chairman of the Association of Veterinarians in Industry (AVI). He participates in the work of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) and acts as a consultant to GALVmed whose aim is to make livestock vaccines, diagnostics and medicines accessible to those in developing countries for whom livestock is a lifeline.

Mr Jones said: "My background is in pharma research and international regulatory affairs and I am confident that my experience will be useful as we anticipate the new EU Animal Health Law and medicines legislation. But I am driven to do much more for the veterinary profession than just in those fields.

"The word 'value' really began to resonate for me when I started thinking of my theme for the year ahead as President of BVA.

"In whatever role we play vets are adding value in so many areas of our professional lives to society at large in a huge and significant contribution to the public good. I firmly believe that we, as an association and as a profession, must use every opportunity to reinforce the message about the value we give in all aspects of our work, and to believe in ourselves.

"I want to see a greater appreciation for what we do and what we contribute, and BVA will lead from the front.

"Looking ahead it will be a busy year for all of us. But I am confident that we have the teams in place - through our committees and council, our regional representatives, our divisions and beyond - to do our wonderful profession proud.

"I am certainly very proud to be standing here today and I am committed to working hard for all our members as their President."

The BVA Officer Team for 2012/13 is Peter Harlech Jones (President), Carl Padgett (Past President), and Robin Hargreaves (President Elect)

Animal Friends Insurance (AFI), a not-for-profit pet insurance business, has a High Court injunction which paves the way for its customers to make a smooth transition from the company's previous underwriters, Equine and Livestock Insurance Company (E&L), to Red Sands Insurance Company (Europe) Limited.

Equine and Livestock terminated their underwriting agreement with AFI in February 2008, citing unprofitablility of the book for them as the reason.

Negotiations over the transfer of the book to Red Sands Insurance Company (Europe) Limited foundered when E&L demanded £750,000 from AFI for the transfer and for their agreement not to solicit AFI customers.

Following legal advice AFI wrote to its customers offering to renew policies with Red Sands. This spawned letters to AFI customers from E&L which caused great confusion amongst customers as to what was happening with their insurance. The letters also offered first a 10% then a 20% discount to tempt AFI customers to renew with E&L and not to stay with AFI.

AFI therefore applied for an emergency injunction to prevent E&L making further contact with AFI customers (except in agreed situations, notably claims), to stop the escalating confusion and also to require them to acknowledge renewals advised to them by AFI into Red Sands and not to take further payments on those insurances. The application was successful.

Elaine Fairfax, Managing Director and Founder of AFI said: "I am delighted at the Court ruling. It has resolved the terrible confusion that followed E&L's letters to our customers. Unfortunately we know that some customers said they would renew with E&L thinking they were staying with us! Now we can simply renew our customers' policies with our new underwriters as we had originally intended to do at no inconvenience to them as they need do nothing if they want to stay with Animal Friends. They will enjoy exactly the same policy terms and premiums as before and our underwriters will even take on existing ongoing conditions where a policyholder has lifetime cover."

She added: "Although this has been a horrible experience we are delighted to have new underwriters as they have given us authority to handle everything in-house. For vets this means that Animal Friends will now be handling claims at our Wiltshire H.Q. We have a bespoke pet claims software systems and veterinary nurse staff to give the best possible service. We have the facility to pay claims swiftly direct into a customer's bank account or direct to a vet. It is also exciting that we shall be able to draw on Hollard's* international pet insurance experience to introduce some unique new products and ideas into the UK pet insurance market in the near future."

North Yorkshire-based Amelia Briggs MRCVS has been reprimanded and warned by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee after she was found to have been dishonest in documentation relating to her official avian influenza surveillance visits. 

Dr Briggs faced four charges and admitted to her conduct in the first three at the outset. 

They related to three official Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) clinical investigation report forms she submitted following three official avian flu surveillance visits she'd undertaken as an Official Veterinarian (OV).

The three surveillance visits all took place during an outbreak of avian influenza in North Yorkshire and were on behalf of the APHA.

Dr Briggs admitted that she'd certified on each of the three forms that she had inspected specific poultry, that she had seen no clinical signs of avian influenza in the poultry and that in her opinion avian influenza did not exist and had not existed in the previous 56 days.

Dr Briggs also admitted that that she had subsequently submitted the three forms to the APHA.

The fourth charge alleged Dr Briggs conduct in certifying the three forms had been dishonest and that her actions risked undermining procedures, regulations and rules designed to protect animal welfare and public health.

Dr Briggs denied that she had been dishonest in any of her actions but admitted that her conduct had risked undermining procedures designed to protect animal welfare and public health.

Dr Briggs explained that in two cases she had relied on information given to her by the keepers of the poultry and in the remaining case it was possible that she had not visited the correct location of the poultry, had posted a letter through the wrong door and had then accidentally submitted a pre-populated inspection form to APHA.

Having heard evidence from the relevant poultry keepers, fellow Official Veterinarians, officials from the APHA and Dr Briggs herself, the Committee gave its determinations on dishonesty.

In relation to the first two charges, which concerned the visits that did take place, the Committee found Dr Briggs had been dishonest both in submitting the inspection forms to the APHA and also in certifying that she had seen no clinical signs or history of avian influenza in both cases.

The Committee concluded that an ordinary decent person would regard the submission of a signed form which contained false information as dishonest.

It also concluded that Dr Briggs had deliberately signed an official form which contained information which she knew to be untrue.

However, the Committee found that Dr Briggs was not dishonest in asserting on these forms that she was of the opinion that disease did not exist based upon the information provided to her by the poultry keepers.

In relation to the third charge, where Dr Briggs did not visit the property concerned, the Committee did not find it proven that she had been dishonest, having heard her evidence that, in this case, she had accidentally submitted a pre-populated inspection form.

The Committee next considered whether the admitted and proven charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.

Paul Morris, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf said: “In considering the seriousness of the misconduct, the Committee took into account the fact that the misconduct had involved dishonesty, that there had been a risk of injury to animals and humans (though this risk had not materialised), and that the misconduct had occurred when the respondent, as an Official Veterinarian, occupied a position of increased trust and responsibility.”

He added: “The Committee considered that honest, accurate and careful veterinary certification was a fundamental component of the responsibilities of a veterinary surgeon.

"The matters which the Committee had found to be proved fell far short of the standards expected of a registered veterinary surgeon and amounted, in the Committee’s judgment, to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.”

In considering the sanction for Dr Briggs the Committee heard positive character testimonials from former employers and clients, as well as a representative from the APHA who said that Dr Briggs had shown contrition for the breaches while recognising that there was unlikely to be a repetition of the conduct and that Dr Briggs was a relatively new and inexperienced vet at the time of her actions.

Mr Morris said: “In the Committee’s judgement the circumstances of the incident were a mitigating factor in the sense that the respondent was working in a pressurised environment, and in a field of practice which was unfamiliar to her.

"The Committee had heard a considerable amount of evidence from various witnesses that the surveillance system created, to monitor the prevalence of avian influenza was one which placed considerable pressure on OVs and, perhaps inevitably, had some shortcomings.

"The respondent had not worked with poultry before so her inexperience in this area fed into this situation.

“The Committee took into account the fact that no actual harm had occurred and there was no financial gain to the respondent.

"The matters with which the Committee was concerned formed a highly unusual, and short-lived, episode in the respondent’s career.”

The Committee also considered that Dr Briggs had made open and frank admissions regarding most of the charges against her and had also shown genuine contrition over her failings.

In light of this, the Committee considered that a reprimand and warning as to future conduct was the most appropriate sanction.

Mr Morris added: “False certification can never be acceptable.

"Veterinary surgeons should never certify any matter which they know, or ought to know, not to be true.

"However, the Committee considered that this case was at the lower end of the spectrum of gravity of false certification cases, that there is no future risk to animals and that the respondent has demonstrated insight.

"In relation to the public interest, the Committee considered that a reasonable and fully informed member of the public would recognise that, in all the circumstances of this particular case, a reprimand and warning as to future conduct would be sufficient to satisfy the public interest.”

www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

The Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans, has officially opened the new Wales Veterinary Science Centre.

The centre, which is located on the site of the former Animal and Plant Health Agency's (APHA) Veterinary Investigation Centre, has been established by Iechyd Da, a consortium of independent veterinary practices based in Wales together with Welsh Lamb and Beef Producers Ltd, and Aberystwyth University.

Iechyd Da was recently appointed by APHA as a third party provider to deliver expert post-mortem examinations of new and re-emerging diseases of farm animals. The service has been operational since April 2015.

Deputy Minister Rebecca Evans AM said: "I am pleased to officially open the Wales Veterinary Science Centre, which will significantly strengthen and enhance the important contribution the veterinary profession makes to rural life in Wales and raises standards of animal health and welfare. It will also bolster the rural economy by securing technical jobs for the area, benefit the wider economy by supporting our farming communities, and be an asset to the UK by contributing valuable data to the surveillance network."

Professor Christianne Glossop, Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales said: "The Centre will have a significant role in the protection of animals in Wales and will provide an important contribution to a successful and resilient farming industry, reflecting the essential role of the veterinary profession in Wales."

Phil Thomas, Director of Iechyd Da said: "Iechyd Da now looks forward to building on the post-mortem provision already available so that we can provide a range of services, from running training courses for animal keepers to dissection classes for students, continuous professional development for practicing vets, and supporting disease eradication schemes. The vision is of a One Health institute that recognises the interlocking, overlapping relationships between people, livestock, the wildlife and the environment around us." 

Richard Irvine, Head of Scanning Surveillance and the Surveillance Intelligence Unit at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) said: "I look forward to APHA working in close partnership with the Wales Veterinary Science Centre to provide expert diagnostic support and surveillance intelligence for veterinary practices and farmers in Wales. Only by working together can we create an effective disease surveillance network, and I urge farmers and vets in Wales to make use of the considerable expertise that exists within the Wales Veterinary Science Centre and APHA."

The Veterinary Products Committee, which advises Defra on veterinary medicinal products and animal feed additives, is seeking applicants for ten vacancies, including one veterinary surgeon.

The committee meets three times a year, typically in February, May and September, to consider issues relating to the marketing authorisations for veterinary medicines and animal test certificates, and reports of suspected adverse events relating to veterinary medicines. 

Meetings are held at offices of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate in Surrey. On occasion the committee holds additional ad-hoc meetings. 

Members of the committee are paid £148 for each meeting, plus £76 for preparation time. 

Further information about the Veterinary Products Committee can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterinary-products-committee, or from the secretary, Sandra Russell s.russell@vmd.defra.gsi.gov.uk. 

To apply, contact Chris Abbott: c.abbott@vmd.defra.gsi.gov.uk

The closing date for applications is Friday 27th October 2017.

The RCVS will be holding a summit meeting this autumn to examine the issues surrounding veterinary workforce shortages and develop solutions.

The meeting follows growing concerns expressed both within the profession and in the national media about the shortage of veterinary surgeons in the UK. 

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO (pictured right), said: “Workforce shortages within the veterinary sector has been a concern for some time, however, in the past few months there has been a ‘perfect storm’ of circumstances, which have come together to exacerbate the problem. The issues include the ongoing impact of the pandemic, burnout and fatigue within the profession; the UK’s exit from the European Union, which has seen a significant reduction in the number of EU vets joining the Register as well as an associated increase in the need for veterinary certification; and an increase in pet ownership, and therefore demand for veterinary services, over the course of the pandemic."

In advance of the meeting, which is due to be help in November, the College will be conducting research to better gauge the extent of the problem both nationally and regionally.

The meeting will then consider how recruitment, retention and return to work might address the problem.

Lizzie added: “While there has already been a lot of focus and discussions around recruitment and retention, something less spoken about is return, and the summit will consider the reasons why members of the profession may move away from clinical practice, and if there’s more scope for different ways of working that could bring people back into clinical practice.

“Ahead of the summit we will be reviewing all the latest data that we and other organisations have shared to better understand the gap between capacity and demand, the push and pull factors on decisions to either join or leave clinical practice and build a more evidence-based picture of veterinary workforce trends.”

The summit itself, the date of which is yet to be confirmed, will involve key veterinary stakeholders including the veterinary schools, veterinary employers and representative bodies, coming together to ensure that there will be a joined-up approach in finding solutions to the issues confronting the profession.

Lizzie said: “It may not necessarily be easy to identify all the solutions in one day, and they won’t all come from the RCVS, but opening up the conversation and getting the professions focused on taking appropriate action is an important first step.”

Meanwhile, RCVS President Kate Richards this week wrote to all vets and nurses to reassure them them that the RCVS was aware of the problem and the additional pressures they are under as a result.

In the letter she wrote: “In the face of current shortages, I would like to stress that we support practice teams in prioritising cases strictly according to the health and welfare needs of their patients, and in informing their clients of the need to do so.

“We would also urge veterinary surgeons to share their caseload as much as possible, delegating permitted procedures to their veterinary nurse colleagues wherever appropriate to do so.

"And, we would like to remind veterinary surgeons that their current 24/7 emergency cover obligations, as set out in the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct, are limited only to taking steps to provide 24-hour emergency first-aid and pain relief to animals according to their skills and the specific situation."

She also added that, while members of the profession may be anxious about a potential increase in the number of concerns being raised by clients because they are not able to offer the level of service they would ideally like to, the RCVS would always take into account the entire circumstances surrounding a complaint as part of its investigation process.

She also said that the College would also continue to raise awareness amongst animal owners of the acute challenges currently facing veterinary teams around the country, and to request their ongoing patience and understanding.

To assist the profession, a series of FAQs have been produced to help with different situations that vets may encounter at the moment, particularly around the provision of 24/7 emergency cover, and to provide further guidance on delegating procedures to veterinary nurses. These can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/news/

The Blue Cross is to be the first animal charity to star in a BBC Lifeline appeal to help raise funds for animals in need. 

Presented by actress Felicity Kendal and her cocker spaniel George, the short film shows the work of the charity which helps thousands of sick and homeless animals every year.

Felicity Kendal said: "I'm delighted to be able to help publicise the work of this wonderful charity.  The Blue Cross does so much to help animals in need and they rely almost entirely on public donations. I hope lots of people watch the BBC appeal to see just where the money goes and why this is a charity worthy of their support."

The BBC Lifeline appeal featuring The Blue Cross will be broadcast on BBC2 on Wednesday 28^th October at 2pm.

The film will also be available to view on the BBC website until the end of November at www.bbc.co.uk/lifeline. Thereafter it can be viewed on The Blue Cross website at http://www.bluecross.org.uk/.

RCVS Council member Professor the Lord Trees has today submitted a Private Members’ Bill to the ballot of the House of Lords which would legally protect the title ‘Veterinary Nurse’.

If the Bill is drawn sufficiently highly in the ballot, it will be debated in the Lords and the Commons. If approved by both Houses, it'll become law.

As it is drawn up, the Bill would prohibit use of the title ‘Veterinary Nurse’ for any person whose name is not on the RCVS Register of Veterinary Nurses. Any non-registered person who used the title Veterinary Nurse or a name, title or description that implied they were on the Register would be guilty of an offence and may be fined or convicted under the Veterinary Surgeons Act.

Lord Trees said: “It is very exciting, and a privilege, to be entering a Private Members’ Bill to protect the title veterinary nurse into the ballot for Private Members’ Bills in Parliament. If we are drawn high enough in the ballot and if we can get Parliamentary time – two important ‘ifs’ – I am confident that the Bill will receive total cross-party support.

“It would mark the final brick in the wall of creating a fully-fledged, recognised and protected veterinary nursing profession. This is what the veterinary nursing profession merits and the public deserve.”

The House of Lords ballot will be drawn before the summer recess. In the meantime, the RCVS is encouraging registered veterinary nurses to back its campaign to protect the title and raise awareness of the issue with their clients.

Further details about the campaign, including a short animated film, can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/vntitle

VETcpd is holding its annual CPD Congress, the largest of very few CPD events held in the south-west, on 25th and 26th September at Sandy Park Conference Centre, Exeter.

There are two main streams – veterinary and nursing – alongside which there will be a number of workshops on dentistry, ophthalmology, electrosurgery and wound management

Speakers will include: Alasdair Hotston Moore, Matthew Oxford, David Williams, Sarah Heath and Molly Varga.

New for this year, there will be a separate two-day SPVS Leadership & Management programme (at extra charge) and interactive mental health sessions run by Vets in Mind.

There will also be sessions run by SCAS/Our Special Friends on 'the bond-centred practice'.

There's a commercial exhibition, a happy hour on day one, a hot buffet lunch, and tea, coffee and biscuits throughout both days.

For overnight accommodation, the organisers have secured a preferential rate (£125) at the on-site hotel – the Courtyard by Marriott – that includes breakfast and parking.

To book, use this link: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1709042444468&key=GRP&app=resvlink. There are lots of other options nearby.

Book directly at https://form.jotform.com/240863511432349.

To be invoiced rather than pay now, apply INVOICEME at checkout. 

www.vetcpdcongress.co.uk.