Results for the 2010 RCVS Council elections have been released today and, following a slight increase in turnout for the second year running, four existing Council Members and one former Member have been returned for another four years. However, new to Council this year and securing the most votes was Preston-based veterinary practitioner David Catlow.

4,232 veterinary surgeons out of a possible 22,541 cast their votes this year, an increase of 0.6% from 18.2% in 2009. The results of the voting are as follows:

CATLOW, David Frederick. 2,383. Elected.
TAPSFIELD-WRIGHT. Clare Joan. 2,352. Elected.
SHIELD, Christine Fiona. 2,133. Elected.
MOLYNEUX, Jacqueline Rosina. 2,111. Elected.
SMITH, Neil Christopher. 2,089. Elected.
PARTRIDGE, Robert Duncan. 1,971. Elected.
NELL, Adi. 1,781.            
ANDERSON, Roy Paxton. 1,455.           
GODDARD, Philip Campbell. 1,385.            
LONSDALE, Thomas, 380. 

Terms of office for the six successful candidates will (re)commence at RCVS Day on 2 July 2010.

Following a successful partnership last year, the RCVS again teamed up with this website to allow voters more opportunity to quiz the candidates directly and find out more about their views.

Once again, this seemed to prove popular with the electorate although it presented candidates with a large increase in their workload during the voting period. Page views in the election section rose 23% to 28,347 this year; 48 discussion threads were started (slightly down from 53) and total responses rose dramatically by 47% to 988.

A new incentive for members to vote this year was a pledge to donate 20p per voter to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal. A donation of just over £845 will therefore be made shortly.

RCVS Registrar Jane Hern said: "An increase in turnout, if only a small one, is to be welcomed and I hope we can continue to increase members' interest in the composition and activities of RCVS Council. I'd like to thank all ten candidates who stood for election this year; my congratulations to those elected and my commiserations to those who weren't successful this time."

Note: there was no VN Council election this year as only two nominations were received for the two available places. These will be filled by Suzanne May RVN and Hilary Orpet RVN.

Willows, the Solihull-based multidisciplinary referral centre, has announced that it has acquired The Veterinary Cardiorespiratory Centre, the renowned referral service run by Mike Martin MRCVS, RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology (pictured right).

Mike, together with Chris Linney and their team will shortly be moving half-an-hour up the road to join the team at Willows. 

The company says that the move will offer a number of benefits to referring practitioners. Chief amongst these is the speed with which an accurate diagnosis can be made and treatment given, both as a result of having RCVS Specialists in neurology, imaging, medicine, soft tissue surgery (and now cardiology) under one roof and because of the state-of-the-art equipment at their disposal, including CT, MRI and digital fluoroscopy.

Lynne Hill, CEO, Willows Group said: ”I’m thrilled that Mike, Chris and their team are joining us at Willows. I have always held Mike in the highest regard and this is a tremendous opportunity for the practice to provide a truly collaborative ‘one-stop-shop’ for both clients and referring veterinary practices”.

Mike said: “I’m really looking forward to working at Willows Referral Service and being part of a multidisciplinary team. It's a logical move to provide Willows with the missing discipline of cardiology and I'm delighted Lynne Hill has allowed us to fulfil that role. There has been an increasing number of referrals between the two centres due to the complexity of cases - now that will be all under one roof and we can manage these much more effectively and offer the best service to our clients and their patients.” 

For more information, visit www.willows.uk.net 

Boehringer Ingelheim has launched Aservo EquiHaler (ciclesonide inhalation solution), the first inhaled treatment for equine asthma.

The company says the new product has been 10 years in development and uses 'Soft Mist' technology - developed originally for human use by its pharma business - to deliver medication deep into the horse's lungs.

The active ingredient in the Aservo EquiHaler is ciclesonide, a corticosteroid that is activated directly in the lung, reducing the lower airway inflammation associated with severe equine asthma and reducing the risks commonly associated with systemic corticosteroids.

The Aservo EquiHaler does not use a propellant, so it does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Boehringer also highlights that it is made from up to 50% recycled materials. In April, the product was awarded a Red Dot Design Award.

Dr Marc Laemmer, Head of Equine in UK & Ireland said: "It's another industry first and is a strong indicator of the commitment that Boehringer Ingelheim has to the health and welfare of horses, and to the investment that we make into continuing to advance therapies through collaboration and innovation.

"We understand that a product launch in this challenging time for the veterinary profession may seem surprising, but we have had such strong demand from equine vets for the product that we have committed to making Aservo EquiHaler available. Out team of territory managers and vet advisers will conduct remote meetings with customers to make sure that they have the information and support they require."

Portsmouth-based Simon Wood has been struck off by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee after being convicted of possessing indecent images of children.

Mr Wood was convicted of three offences which involved the download of 38 videos and 13 indecent images of children, at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court in December 2017.

In January 2018, he was sentenced to a three-year Community Sentence for each offence, to run concurrently, and was made subject to a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He was also fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £340 and a victim surcharge of £85.

Mr Wood was also placed on the barring list by the Disclosure and Barring Service and required to register with the police pursuant to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for a period of five years.

Mr Wood appeared before the Disciplinary Committee, admitted his conviction and accepted that it rendered him unfit to practise veterinary surgery.

In determining the sanction, the Committee says it took into account a number of mitigating factors: his conviction involved no actual harm or risk of harm to an animal; there was no financial gain; he had engaged in open and frank admissions at an early stage; he was experiencing mental ill-health at the time of the offence; he had taken subsequent steps to avoid a repetition of such behaviour; there had been a significant lapse of time since the incident; and he showed insight into the harm caused by his offence. 

The Committee also considered that the purpose of a sanction is not to punish, but to protect the welfare of animals, as well as maintain public confidence in the profession and declare and uphold proper standards of conduct. On consideration of the appropriate sanction, the Committee decided that postponement of judgement was not appropriate, and that taking no action was not an option. 

The Committee then considered whether a reprimand or warning was appropriate, but they considered that would not match the gravity of the offence – a period of suspension would also mean Mr Wood would automatically return to the Register after the period of time without the College being able to review his fitness to practise, rendering it an inappropriate sanction. The Committee therefore determined that the removal of Mr Wood from the RCVS Register was the only way to protect the wider public interest and maintain confidence in the profession.

Ian Green, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee has not taken this decision lightly, and, lest it be misinterpreted, it has not taken it in order to satisfy any notional public demand for blame and punishment.

"It has taken the decision because in its perception, the reputation of the profession had to be at the forefront of its thinking and ultimately it was more important than the interests of the Respondent.

"The decision is not simply based on the fact that these offences were of a sexual nature but because they were repeated frequently over a significant period of time, and at the time, the Respondent knew on his own admission that what he was doing was wrong.

"Accordingly, the Committee had decided that removal from the Register is appropriate and proportionate in this case. The Committee will direct the Registrar to remove the Respondent’s name from the Register forthwith."

Mr Wood has 28 days to appeal the Committee’s decision after which, if no appeal is received, the Committee’s judgment takes effect.

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has ended an enquiry against a Cambridgeshire-based veterinary surgeon who had repeatedly breached court orders relating to the control of dogs, after finding that it did not render him unfit to practise.

Amir Kashiv faced a charge of being unfit to practise veterinary surgery after twice being found guilty of letting dogs roam freely on public highways or land not owned or controlled by him in Peterborough Magistrates’ Court, once on 20 April 2016 and once on 16 November 2016, and by having repeatedly breached court orders in relation to the same.

Dr Kashiv admitted the convictions, but denied that individually or in any combination they rendered him unit to practise veterinary surgery. This was therefore left to the judgement of the Committee.

In considering whether the convictions rendered Dr Kashiv unfit for practice, the Committee first considered the facts of the convictions.

Dr Kashiv had long taken in house dogs with physical and behavioural problems, at some stages having as many as 30 on his property. In 2014 neighbours became concerned by dogs escaping and noise nuisances, and on 14 November 2014 Dr Kashiv was served by the Police with a Warning Notice, requiring him to install adequate fencing within 28 days.

Four days later he was then served with an Abatement Notice for a Noise Nuisance about the dogs, and on 10 January 2015 he was then served with a Community Protection Notice requiring him to stop his dogs roaming and ensure adequate fencing.

After multiple subsequent escapes Dr Kashiv pleaded guilty of being in breach of the Community Protection Order at the Magistrates’ Court on 20 April 2016, receiving penalties amounting to £5,000 and costs of £6,000, as well as a two year Criminal Behaviour Order requiring him to reduce the number of dogs to no more than five with 28 days, and requiring his dogs to be supervised at all times while they were outside the house. 

Two months later one of the dogs was seen outside the property, resulting in another conviction for breach of the Criminal Behaviour Order on 16 November 2016, and Dr Kashiv was fined £250 as well as £250 in costs.

The Committee then considered whether this resulted in Dr Kashiv being unfit to practise veterinary surgery. It considered it a serious matter that a veterinary surgeon should allow himself to be made subject to a Warning Notice, and that, being subject to such a Notice, he should then be found in repeated breach of the Notice and invite prosecution. While the Committee accepts that it is difficult to fence his entire grounds, ten acres in total, the Committee took it as a mark against Dr Kashiv that he failed to address the concerns of the authorities by reducing the number of dogs he housed until he was compelled to do so.

Jane Downes, who was chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee regards this as a case close to borderline. These offences, involving the mismanagement by a veterinary surgeon of his animals and repeated offences demonstrate that Dr Kashiv had a less than adequate insight in 2014 and 2015 into the seriousness of the situation or into the understandable concerns of his neighbours and of the authorities. They are capable of bringing the profession into disrepute so as to undermine public confidence in it.

"But, in the end, The Committee has concluded that Dr Kashiv is not unfit by reason of these convictions to practise as a veterinary surgeon. 

"It is apparent from the material before the Committee that Dr Kashiv is a dedicated veterinary surgeon whose life’s work has been devoted to the welfare of small animals and who has gone to extraordinary lengths, at his own expense, to do all that he possibly could to alleviate the suffering of, and rehabilitate, unloved and abandoned and unwell dogs.

"In all the circumstances and in the light of all the evidence the Committee finds that the convictions, whether taken individually or in any combination, do not render Dr Kashiv unfit to practice veterinary surgery."

Virbac is hosting a free CPD webinar on the role of trace minerals in cattle health and performance.

The webinar, which will be streamed live at 8pm on Wednesday 20^th November and will be available to watch for six months thereafter, is being presented by James Husband, an RCVS Specialist in cattle health & production.

Topics will include oxidative stress, its impact on cattle performance and the role of trace minerals in immunity and cattle health. The webinar will also cover the current complexities of oral supplementation including absorption and mineral antagonism, along with offering information about the latest innovation to boost trace mineral availability during high demand periods in the production and breeding life cycle.

To register for the webinar, visit: https://www.thewebinarvet.com/pages/register-free-role-trace-minerals-cattle-health-performance-new-veterinary-approach-boost-trace-mineral-availability/

All vets who view the webinar, either live or as a recording on the website, will be able to download a CPD certificate.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee of the House of Commons has called for an end to veterinary self-regulation and, as part of reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act, for a new independent regulator to be created.

If adopted, the move would end the RCVS's 182-year role as regulator of the veterinary profession.

In its report, "A sustainable veterinary workforce", the committee said the Government should separate the RCVS's professional leadership role from any regulatory functions within the veterinary profession, creating a new independent body that can oversee the expanded role of a reformed Act. 

The report argued that the current system of self-regulation makes the veterinary sector an outlier, pointing towards professions such as medicine and law where regulatory functions have been separated from professional bodies.

It added that self-regulation is increasingly unsuitable for a profession where vet practices and services are coming under the ownership of corporate entities and the management of non-vets.

The recommendation sits within a wider package on veterinary workforce pressures, veterinary education, Competition and Markets Authority remedies and reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act.

On workforce, the report said pressures in the profession are no longer driven primarily by an overall shortage of qualified individuals, but by challenges in retention, distribution and alignment with specific roles.

It recommended that Defra should, within six months, commission a sector-wide review of retention challenges across the profession.

The report also said the Home Office, in collaboration with Defra, should review the Skilled Worker Visa salary thresholds for veterinary roles by early 2027.

On veterinary education, the committee said the current funding model is not sustainable and recommended a full review of funding within the next Spending Review.

It also said the Government should ensure the CMA's remedies are fully rural proofed, and that the CMA, in partnership with the RCVS, should establish a monitoring framework by September 2027.

The RCVS welcomed the majority of the recommendations but said the idea of establishing a new veterinary regulator "seems to be based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the current role and functions of the College."

In a statement, the College added: “The report appears to assert that this reform is necessary because the functions of the RCVS are in conflict with one another, or that it is otherwise undesirable for these functions to be carried out by one organisation.

"Comparison with the legal sector – in which the regulatory and representative functions of professional bodies were separated by statute in 2007 – strongly implies that the committee considers the same reform necessary in the veterinary sector because the RCVS has similarly conflicting functions, which it does not, and suggests a conflation between professional leadership and representation.

“Furthermore, the report fundamentally misunderstands the concepts of self-regulation and regulatory independence.

"In the context of modern regulatory regimes, 'self-regulation' refers to the independence of a regulator from government, not whether a profession makes rules for itself. In this sense most professional regulators, including the General Medical Council, are both self-regulating and independent.

“The press release accompanying the report is more explicit on these points, arguing that the establishment of a new regulator would allow the RCVS to “specialise in continuing to represent the profession’s interests.”

"To be clear, the RCVS does not represent the interests of the veterinary profession as a whole, nor those of the individual veterinary professionals we regulate.

“While it is true that the RCVS is currently both a statutory regulator and a professional leadership body, we carry out our statutory regulatory function in the public interest under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, and we carry out our professional leadership function in the public interest in line with the objectives in our Royal Charter.

"There is therefore no conflict between the two functions; indeed, they are complementary, allowing us to take a holistic approach to setting, maintaining and advancing veterinary standards.

“Furthermore, our Royal Charter has enabled us to innovate and plug gaps in our aging legislative framework, for example through regulating veterinary nurses and providing quality assurance of veterinary care through our Practice Standards Scheme.

"Far from detracting from or conflicting with our regulatory function, our professional leadership function, underpinned by the Charter, has reinforced our ability to take action in the public interest where we may not have statutory powers to do so.

“In relation to any suggestion that the RCVS should no longer be the veterinary regulator because it is unduly influenced by the profession through its governance arrangements, we would emphasise that the College has for some time been advocating for legislative reform that would replace its governing Council with a fully appointed board with lay parity, which would remove any risk, real or perceived, of the profession setting and marking its own homework.

"We are pleased that Defra has adopted this recommendation in full as part of its proposed reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.”

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5902/cmselect/cmenvfru/270/report.html

Analysis

The recommendation to create a new veterinary regulator is arguably the most significant proposal in the report, yet the committee’s case for such a fundamental change appears relatively thin.

The report argues that regulation should be separated from professional leadership, bringing the veterinary profession into line with sectors such as medicine and law. It also points to increasing corporate ownership of veterinary practices and the need to maintain public confidence.

However, the report does not provide evidence that the current regulatory model is failing, nor does it explain why reform of the RCVS itself would not achieve the same objective.

The result is that the recommendation appears to rest more on an ideological preference for separating professional leadership from regulation than on evidence that the existing model is producing poor outcomes.

Photo: EFRA committee chair Alistair Carmichael, whose committee has called for an end to veterinary self-regulation.

Davies Veterinary Specialists, which in 2018 became the first veterinary practice to get Investors in the Environment (iiE) accreditation, is now working with a leading clinical waste management company to reduce sharps injuries and waste, and share what they learn with the rest of the profession.

According to Davies, Sharpsmart is the world’s safest and most environmentally responsible sharps and clinical waste management system, proven to:

• Protect staff and patients by reducing sharps injuries by a minimum of 25% in year 1
• Reduce associated CO2 emissions by as much as 95%
• Dramatically reduce the use of single use plastics
• Remove clinical waste from the patient environment
• Reduce sharps disposal costs by an average of 30%
• Reduce total sharps management costs by up to 15%

Ellie West, anaesthetist at Davies and Green Group leader said: "We are really excited to have the opportunity to be the first veterinary centre to be working with Sharpsmart and are already seeing great results in carbon reduction and we look forward to sharing our results later in 2019."

Adrian Giles, Total Waste Program Manager for Sharpsmart added: "Working with Davies has enabled us to showcase our safety engineered sharps system in a new and exciting arena where sharps safety and sustainability are a priority.

"The transition to Sharpsmart was seamless and was completed across the centre in a day without any challenges. Face-to-face training was provided to staff along with touch point education material. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Davies over the coming months and years."

As part of its green drive, Davies will be hosting 'Sustainability CPD' for referring vets on May 2^nd 2019 at its HQ in Higham Gobion, Hertforshire.

Ellie West said: "Run by the Sustainability Leads at DVS, this evening aims to increase your carbon literacy, explore the challenges and barriers to improving sustainability in your daily practice and find some positive solutions to implement sustainability. The challenges which we have faced at DVS will be explored, along with the co-benefits of sustainability to our business, and useful resources to help your practice to be more environmentally friendly and resilient will be highlighted."

You can book your place here https://vetspecialists.co.uk/events/davies-first-sustainability-cpd-for-referring-vets/ or contact Ellie.West@vetspecialists.co.uk if you are interested in attending or would like more information.

Davies has also produced a suite of Waste Segregation Posters which are proving popular with their referring practices. You can find out more and view the posters here https://vetspecialists.co.uk/sustainability/sustainability-initiatives-at-davies-your-questions-answered/.

For more information or to receive print ready PDFs, contact marketing@vetspecialists.co.uk

Zoetis has announced the launch of Vetscan Imagyst, a new in-clinic diagnostic tool initially for testing cats' and dogs' faecal samples for parasites but which has broader applications in the future. 

The company says the system uses a combination of image recognition technology, algorithms and cloud-based artificial intelligence to deliver accurate testing results at the time of visit, within 9 minutes in fact, giving veterinary surgeons the ability to diagnose and treat patients quickly, without the need for a second appointment.

Vetscan Imagyst will detect the eggs, cysts, and oocysts of whipworm, hookworm, roundworm, Giardia, and coccidia

Richard Goldstein, DVM, DACVIM, DECVIM-CA, VP Global Diagnostics Medical Affairs at Zoetis, said: "Parasites are a threat throughout the year, making routine monitoring critical to pet health.

“With Vetscan Imagyst, the ability to have accurate, fast results at the point-of-care empowers veterinarians to diagnose and treat in the same visit, increasing compliance and eliminating follow-up appointments and call backs, thus enhancing the overall pet owner experience.” 

Vetscan Imagyst will launch in the UK next week. For more information, contact your Zoetis representative or visit at www.vetscanimagyst.com.

Davies Veterinary Specialists reports that it has performed its first corneal xenograft on a Chihuahua with a melting corneal ulcer. 

The dog, called Pepe, needed urgent treatment to repair the cornea before it ruptured, so the team at Davies decided to use a new xenograft derived from a pig cornea, rather than waiting to see if an allograft became available.

The xenograft, which was developed in China, is aseptically prepared, sterilised and freeze-dried so it can be stored for months or years if necessary before use.

According to Davies, the graft had been used in China and the USA, where the early results had been promising. Now, following Pepe's successful treatment, Davies is now using the procedure in more cases over here in the UK. 

The full case study, with photos, is here: https://www.vetsurgeon.org/veterinary-clinical/small-animal/sa-ophthalmology/m/photo-video-media/138076.aspx

For more information, visit: https://vetspecialists.co.uk/services/ophthalmology/ 

Boehringer Ingelheim has launched Vetmedin (pimobendan) 1.5 mg/ml oral solution for dogs in Great Britain, offering a new treatment option for smaller cardiac patients and ones that don't take tablets easily.

The company says the two main benefits of the liquid formulation are precise dosing and ease of administration. 

Vetmedin oral solution comes with a kg-bodyweight calibrated syringe to make it easy to give the preferred dose of 0.25 mg/kg twice daily to the nearest 0.5 kg bodyweight.

The maximum syringe volume is for a 12 kg dog.

The solution has a sweet taste to make it palatable and Boehringer says it is also ideal for dogs that need dental work but require treatment for their heart disease before general anaesthesia.

These dogs might struggle to eat chewable tablets due to oral discomfort, so a liquid treatment might be a better option.

The company highlights the EPIC¹ and PROTECT² studies which showed that Vetmedin delays the onset of CHF for dogs in the asymptomatic stage of heart disease and improves both the quality and length of life for dogs with MVD and DCM.

Vetmedin oral solution comes as a 50 ml bottle (each bottle lasts a 5 kg dog approximately 30 days), doesn't need to be refrigerated, has an 8-week shelf life once opened, and a 2-year shelf life as packaged.

VetMedin oral solution is now available to order from wholesalers.

References

1. Boswood A, Häggström J, Gordon SG, et al. Effect of Pimobendan in Dogs with Preclinical Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease and Cardiomegaly: The EPIC Study-A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Vet Intern Med. 2016 Nov;30(6):1765-1779. doi: 10.1111/jvim.14586. Epub 2016 Sep 28. 
2. Summerfield et al. Efficacy of Pimobendan in the Prevention of Congestive Heart Failure or Sudden Death in Doberman Pinschers with Preclinical Dilated Cardiomyopathy (The PROTECT Study). J Vet Intern Med 2012;26:1337-1349.

Elanco has issued a recall of Tylan 200mg/ml Solution for Injection (Vm 00006/4098), its antibiotic for cattle and pigs, due to a failed periodic revalidation that may affect the level of sterility assurance.

This only affects batch number C967336A, expires before 07/2020. Any other batches of Tylan 200 Injection are not affected and may continue to be distributed.

Elanco is contacting wholesale dealers and veterinary surgeons to examine inventory immediately and quarantine products subject to this recall.

For further information regarding the recall, please contact Ms Victoria Haslingden 01256 779519 or email elanco_orders@lilly.com