The programme is the first in a new series of ‘Accelerated’ courses from the company, designed to support those starting out on their postgraduate learning journey or experienced vets who want to refresh their knowledge in a specific subject.
The Accelerated Emergency and Critical Care programme comprises 15 modules covering pathophysiology, diagnosis, management and current treatments.
The modules are delivered on a weekly basis and delegates can study at their own pace. Delegates can also access all the modules for a 12-month period so they can revisit the contents as necessary.
In addition to the modules, delegates have access to a discussion forum and four live sessions with Specialists for clinical case discussions.
At the end of the course, delegates can take a Foundation Certificate from the International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ISVPS).
The programme was developed by Specialist veterinarians, both Fellows and Members of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Emergency and Critical Care, from Improve International’s Australian Partner, the Animal Emergency Service.
David Babington MRCVS, Business Development Director at Improve International, said: “The growing interest we are seeing from veterinarians around the world in updating their knowledge as we prepare to emerge into the post-COVID world, was the catalyst for the creation of our new Accelerated online course range.
"The Accelerated Emergency and Critical Care Programme is ideal for veterinarians at all stages of their career. It is an example of the ways we are delivering on our strategy of significantly expanding our e-learning portfolio and harnessing technologies, including video teaching and virtual/augmented reality, to offer a more engaging, affordable, accessible and rich learning experience to veterinary professionals around the world."
The company says it has renamed the product to better reflect its main use, which is for maintaining skin and coat health in cats and dogs.
Chris Jones, Managing Director at Nutravet said: “We’re continually looking at ways to improve our product offering, which includes ensuring our product range can be discussed with ease between veterinary professionals and pet owners.
"Nutracoat has been used in international markets since launch, and we now feel that the natural progression is to mirror transition the use of Nutramega to Nutracoat in the UK."
www.nutravet.com
The RSPCA has made a formal complaint against the Daily Telegraph to the Press Complaints Commission after the newspaper failed to print an apology or offer a right to reply after printing a series of articles which the charity considers potentially defamatory.
The RSPCA claims the stories are factually incorrect and 'reflect biased and unbalanced reporting style'.
The charity has taken particular issue with stories which, they say, claim it broke charity rules over the successful prosecution of a hunt and saying that the RSPCA was warned on hunt prosecutions by the Charity Commission. According to the RSPCA, the Charity Commission has been clear that no rules have been broken and no warning has been issued.
RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant said: "These stories are a sustained attack on the RSPCA. The facts are that we have always and will continue to only act in the interests of the animals. We simply want the truth to be heard. The Daily Telegraph is entitled to its editorial position in support of blood sports despite the overwhelming public rejection of that view.
"They are not entitled to produce factually inaccurate articles that smear the good name of the RSPCA"
BEVA has announced that tickets are now on sale for BEVA Congress and members who register before 4th August 2016 can benefit from big discounts.
This year, BEVA Congress is being held at the ICC in central Birmingham.
In addition to the clinical programme, tactics to achieve the elusive work life balance and the applicability of evidence based medicine are recurring themes over the three days of the event.
Five separate programmes will run concurrently in five adjacent halls, deploying a mix of traditional lectures, panel discussions and interactive forums to suit equine vets and mixed practitioners at any stage in their career. Vet nurses, farriers, equine physiotherapists and equine dental technicians can also attend specific sessions focused on their areas of expertise.
There will be daily practical sessions in the exhibition hall: Jonathan Anderson, Will Barker, Tim Barnett, Ollie Crowe, Richard Reardon, Neil Townsend and Thomas Witte will be demonstrating sinoscopy and gastroscopy techniques and delegates will have the chance to roll up their sleeves and get hands on with dead heads and digital models.
Programme highlights include a day of advanced orthopaedics in combination with the European Society of Veterinary Orthopaedics and Traumatology (ESVOT). The sessions will draw on canine and human experience, with speakers including Ian Wright from the Newmarket Equine Hospital, Peter Clegg from the University of Liverpool, Wayne McIlwraith from Colorado State University and Martin Waselau from Equine Hospital Aschheim, Germany.
There will also be career and practice development sessions exploring what you can do with your veterinary degree, how to look after your staff and how to take advantage of smartphone technology in practice. Evidence in surgery and critical appraisal tools will be explored in a series of presentations on two separate days across a wide range of conditions. Speakers will include Will Barker, Bruce McGorum, and Etienne O'Brien.
Kathy Clarke, Professor of Veterinary Anaesthesia at the Royal Veterinary College, will be giving the plenary lecture on from the difficult horse to the demanding surgeon; how effective sedation has revolutionised what is achievable in equine clinical practice. There will be a debate on the Friday with Victoria Harris chairing the promisingly divisive This house believes that lab tests are overused and abused.
There will also be comprehensive sessions on parasitology, laminitis, skin disease, anaesthesia and analgesia, colic, respiratory disease, sports injuries, standing surgery, ophthalmology, diagnostics, wounds, neurology and differentiating lameness from neurological disease, mare and foal, reproduction, dentistry, gastro intestinal disease and nutrition, cardiology and medicine.
Saturday’s vet nurse sessions will cover surgical management, emergency patients, the use of antimicrobials and adjunctive therapies. In addition, daily clinical research presentations will provide exclusive opportunities to hear about novel and exciting research projects.
There's a free BEVA Congress App with the full scientific programme and to help you manage your day. And if you are struggling for time or torn between several lectures you can use the BEVA Congress Encore Room which gives you the chance to play back missed lectures at your convenience.
For more information, visit www.beva.org.uk.
The extension, which is due for completion before the end of the year, will allow the centre to offer a range of new services, including a new radioactive iodine unit for treatment of hyperthyroidism in cats, a larger echocardiography suite for cardiac patients, an endoscopy suite, an ophthalmology procedure room, a dedicated operating theatre for minimally invasive procedures and 41 new kennels.
Toby Gemmill, clinical director at Willows, said: "The expansion represents a really exciting time for Willows and has been carefully planned to maximise the space we have available to us.
"We are already extremely well placed to offer a wide variety of specialist treatments and this extension will provide us with the space to build on our gold level cat-friendly clinic status with a radioactive iodine unit for treatment of hyperthyroidism in cats, along with dozens of new kennels and range of specialist treatment rooms."
The extension is part of a major investment drive by the Linnaeus Group, of which Willows is a part, which will see it plough around £9 million into its sites across the UK.
Lynne Hill, chief executive of the Linnaeus Group, said: "We are extremely proud of the practices within the group and are fully prepared to support them financially, and in any other way, to ensure they continue to offer the very best facilities and treatment for our clients and patients."
Expanding on the training available in autumn 2022, which was launched based on the results of an extensive training pilot, MMI is offering a total of 14 sessions taking place both online and in person over the next few months. Sessions will be running from January to April 2023. The courses will cover areas that have been identified as priority topics from previous MMI surveys, feedback from the professions, and evaluation of the training pilots.
Mind Matters Initiative Manager, Lisa Quigley, said: “Mental health and wellbeing are impacted by a whole host of structural and societal factors and maintaining a healthy workforce goes far beyond supporting people on an individual level.
"Whilst it is undoubtedly important to provide people with the skills they need to look after themselves, we are aiming to expand on this by providing individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to recognise and address wider collective issues. For example, the importance of creating and maintaining a positive workplace culture.
Session dates and specific topics are as follows:
Mental Health First Aid (£30 in-person)
9am – 5pm
Psychological Safety and Civility (£20 in-person, £15 online)
In-person – 9am – 4pm
Online – 9am – 1pm
Sustaining Your Emotional Health (£15 in-person)
2pm – 5pm
For more information on the training courses, visit: https://vetmindmatters.org/training/
The puppy journal, which was written with behaviourist and author, Gwen Bailey, contains information on puppy ownership including: a checklist of things to buy, top tips for bringing a puppy home, training and socialisation, toilet training, dental advice, skincare advice and behavioural advice.
The kitten journal has information about settling a kitten into a new home, hints and tips on toilet training, going outside for the first time and what behaviour to expect as kittens and cats get older.
Both journals include vaccination records, a place to keep favourite memories and important puppy and kitten dates.
They also have a voucher for a two-for-one offer on an Adaptil Junior collar or a Feliway Optimum refill.
Gwen Bailey said: "The first few weeks of a puppy and kitten’s life is undoubtedly the most important as they are learning a new way of life with their new family.
"The new puppy and kitten journals will provide new owners with helpful hints and tips to help them settle their new pet as quickly and smoothly as possible into their new home and enable owners to understand the principles of raising their puppy and kitten so they will enjoy their company for many years to come.”
To order copies of the puppy or kitten journals, contact your local Ceva Animal Health territory manager or email cevauk@ceva.com.
The researchers’ objective was to determine whether dogs with intracranial space occupying lesions (iSOLs) on MRI, or MRI-determined indicators of intracranial hypertension (ICH) had higher sedation scores with a more rapid onset of recumbency after the administration of IV butorphanol than dogs without intracranial disease.
They hypothesised that 0.2 mg kg-1 of butorphanol administered intravenously would result in statistically significantly higher sedation scores and quicker onset of recumbency in dogs with MRI-iSOL and MRI-ICH.
For the observational study: 'The sedative effect of intravenous butorphanol in dogs with intracranial space occupying lesions or indicators of intracranial hypertension', 53 dogs presented for a brain MRI.
Each dog was sedated with 0.2 mg kg-1butorphanol IV, and the quality of sedation and the onset of recumbency were scored before drug administration and every 5 minutes after administration for 15 minutes using a modified sedation scale.
The maximum sedation score was 18, and onset of recumbency was recorded when a dog lay down without the ability to stand.
Dogs with MRI-iSOL had significantly higher median sedation scores than dogs without MRI-iSOL (12 versus 5 respectively) 15 minutes after butorphanol administration (T15, p < 0.01).
A greater number of dogs with MRI-ICH achieved recumbency (n = 9/10; 90%) than those without MRI-ICH (n = 20/43; 46.5%; p = 0.01).
Emma Sansby, Resident in Anaesthesia and Analgesia at Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists, who led the research, said: “When intracranial disease is suspected, the administration of butorphanol as a premedicant for anaesthesia could be used to predict the presence of MRI-iSOL and MRI-ICH.
"If a dog becomes recumbent or has a sedation score of more than 10 within 15 minutes of butorphanol administration, the animal should be treated with an anaesthesia protocol adapted to the presence of ICH – so as not to increase intracranial pressure.
“These adaptations include but are not limited to; adequate preoxygenation - to prevent hypoxaemia and elevation of the head to no more than 30 degrees; preventing increases in central venous pressure - by avoiding jugular compression and avoiding excessive intraabdominal and intrathoracic pressure; and a smooth anaesthetic induction - ensuring an adequate depth of anaesthesia prior to tracheal intubation to prevent the cough reflex and judicious mechanical ventilation to enable a low-normal end-tidal carbon dioxide.”
Reference
Photo: www.depositphotos.com
Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Food, Farming and Animal Health has announced seven new members to the Veterinary Residues Committee (VRC).
The VRC’s role is to advise the Chief Executives of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on the formulation of the residues surveillance programmes and on the significance of the results in terms of consumer safety.
The seven new members who have been appointed to serve on the VRC from January 2009 until December 2012 are:
The appointments were undertaken in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Defra has been roundly criticised in the media today for reportedly spending £181,000 on redesigning its website.
Here's the old website. Apparently deemed 'too agricultural' for its use of brown.
And here's the new one:
A vast improvement, and depending on what the £181,000 bill included, it may not have been as overpriced as it sounds.
Either way, it prompted a great quip from Tory environment spokesman Nick Herbert: 'At least it's now clear that, like the rest of the country, Defra has gone off Brown.'
Davies Veterinary Specialists (DVS), the multi-specialist small animal referral centre based on the Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire border, has announced a restructuring of the ownership and management of the practice.
Following 12 years of successful operation, DVS welcomes new shareholders from the Directorial team, in order to secure the future success of the practice.
Clive Elwood succeeds Jerry Davies as Managing Director; as a consequence Clive will have a reduced clinical commitment. Richard Whitelock takes on the new role of Deputy Managing Director while remaining full time in the clinic; Mike Thomas continues as Financial Director and Jerry becomes Chairman of the Board, with some clinical and representative duties. Drs David Gould and Nat Whitley have joined Clive, Richard, Mike and Jerry as shareholders, while the Board of Directors remains unchanged.
Clive said: "This exciting development represents the next phase in the evolution of the practice and will allow a progression of management and ownership without disruption to staff or clients so that we continue to deliver leading multi-specialist care."
Jerry Davies said: "I am proud of what the practice has achieved. I am confident that the new management structure will maintain the practice ethos and bring fresh ideas that will ensure we stay at the forefront of veterinary specialist practice. As Chairman, I will continue to enjoy contributing to the growth and success of the practice that bears my name."
For further details on DVS visit the website at http://www.vetspecialists.co.uk/
Ceva Animal Health has announced its biggest ever TV advertising campaign, designed to highlight the benefits of using Adaptil and Feliway, will begin on Christmas Day.
The TV advertisement for Adaptil focuses on Meg and her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Dude, who is anxious when Meg is away from home. With the strapline ‘Best behaviour starts here’ the advertisement will help educate pet owners on the action they should take to keep their dogs happy when they are left at home alone and Dude’s experience taking Adaptil.
Feliway’s TV advertisement features the strapline ‘Experience the difference in your home’ and focuses on the real life story of Clare and her rescue cat, Mewsli, who was often scared and anxious, so much so that she would hide under the bed and scratch the side of the chair.
The TV advertising campaign, which is aimed at ABC1 women, runs from Christmas Day until 10 January 2016 and the advertisements will air throughout the family films over the festive period with Adaptil featured during ad breaks for Paul O’Grady’s For the Love of Dogs Christmas Special on Boxing Day.
The Veterinary Wound Management Conference will be taking place at the Derby County Football Club, where there'll be workshops, demonstrations and discussions on a range of topics, from burns to post-operative care, covering dressing selection and suture techniques, complications and innovations.
There will be practical sessions on bandaging and casting and delegates will be able to choose from up to seven workshops/demonstrations at a time, on subjects ranging from eye care to maggot therapy and laser treatment.
There will also be an exhibition by companies and organisations specialising in this field.
Organisers say the venue, Pride Park Stadium, is easily accessible by road (there’s masses of free parking) and rail (it’s little more than a 10-minute well-signposted walk from the station); and there’s plenty of accommodation very close by in a Travelodge, Premier Inn, Holiday Inn Express or Penta Hotel.
For veterinary surgeons, tickets cost £165 (plus VAT) for the two days or £90 (plus VAT) for one day; for veterinary nurses or other practice staff it’s £125 (plus VAT) for the whole event, £70 (plus VAT) for one day.
The price includes a hot buffet lunch each day, morning and afternoon tea, delegate handbook and wi-fi.
Each day will provide seven hours of CPD.
To register, go to www.theveterinaryedge.com/wmc.
Fitzpatrick Referrals has unveiled details of its new joint replacement program, which includes solutions for replacing badly injured and arthritic knees, shoulders, and hocks in addition to the more commonly replaced hip and elbow joints.
According to the practice, this is a dramatic breakthrough which brings new hope to veterinary surgeons and pet owners in otherwise hopeless cases.
Fitpatrick Referrals says the procedures have been developed as a solution for joints with traumatic global joint disruptions involving significant soft tissue damage and for joints with painful end-stage arthritis, with the objective of providing functional, pain free quality of life.
Noel Fitzpatrick said: "As we understand and try to deal with the problem of painful osteoarthritis in our pet animals it seems likely that there will be a larger role for joint replacement. Already hip replacement is used to great benefit in the majority of patients that receive it. Other damaged joints could be treated in the same way - but until now the technology to replace knee, hock, shoulder and elbow joints with custom designed prostheses to exactly fit each and every patient did not exist. At Fitzpatrick Referrals this is now a reality for both cats and dogs."
He added: "Joint replacement is particularly useful when a multi-modal approach is used to try and manage osteoarthritis through-out the life of the animal, an area where The Fitzpatrick Group has an increased interest and a variety of publications in peer-reviewed journals. It also offers a realistic alternative to either fusion or amputation in traumatically injured joints."
The charity highlights that loneliness affects the mental wellbeing of many in the profession, from locums being away from friends and family, students away from loved ones, those who feel isolated at their practice, and vets worried about the lonely farmers they are supporting.
Vetlife Helpline Manager Rosie Allister said: “Every call to Vetlife Helpline is completely confidential and we would never speak or write about them, even anonymised, but we do hear themes around loneliness in our calls.
"It takes courage to acknowledge feeling lonely. There’s a stigma to it, and it’s often trivialised. Saying you’re lonely can feel like disclosing a vulnerability. People feel they need to hide it, to put on a façade.”
The new leaflet encourages those who are experiencing loneliness to open up if they are struggling and gives advice on how it can be combatted.
It can be downloaded here: https://www.vetlife.org.uk/mental-health/loneliness-isolation/
Apparently, anal gland impaction is the fifth most common reason for owners to take their dog to the vets1, and of course manual expression of impacted anal glands is unpleasant for everyone.
It also doesn’t address the underlying causes, such as poor stool consistency.
ProGlan contains pumpkin seeds and apple pectin, both sources of fibre to bulk out stools and increase faecal mass.
The product also contains Bacillus velezensisi (DSM 15544), a probiotic registered for use in dogs.
Animalcare points to research which demonstrates that lactobacilli help support a desirable gastrointestinal microbiome, aiding digestion and improving stool consistency2.
Lastly, the product contains a combination of Echinacea, vitamin C and vitamin E, which Animalcare says support a healthy immune and inflammatory response.
ProGlan is available in packs of 30 chews.
For further information or for orders, contact your local Animalcare territory manager or email info@animalcare.co.uk.
References
The grants, which are for up to £3,500 per annum, are for students embarking on a gateway or main veterinary degree course, possibly as a second degree.
Amber Cordice was an early recipient of a Quadstar Foundation grant which she has had for the last four years.
She'd always wanted to be a vet, but didn't quite get the A level grades, so she took an undergraduate Zoology degree and got a first.
She was then awarded a place at Harper and Keele Veterinary School, but just didn't have the money because there is no finance for second degrees.
So the enterprising student set up a 'Go Fund Me Page' which got reported by VetSurgeon.org News, which is how Nick found out about her challenges and the rest is history.
Except not quite, because then Alicia Guarnieri (pictured) found herself in a similar position.
She'd completed a degree in Bioveterinary Science before starting a vet degree at the University of Bristol.
She said: “I’d managed to save up prior to being offered my place but when Covid hit, most of it went on rent.
"Like Amber, I decided to defer my place. I looked everywhere for grants, spending hours sifting through guides and asking all the vets I knew, but it all came to a dead end."
But then she came across Amber's story on VetSurgeon.org and, through her, found out about the Quadstar Foundation which awarded her with a grant which covers over a third of her tuition costs.
Alicia added: “Finances are a huge barrier to students taking a second degree, particularly after tuition fees increased.
"There are many of us in the same boat, and sadly many who turn down their place solely due to cost.
"Nick and the Quadstar Foundation are truly changing people’s lives by offering this support.
"Having thought I would never get to this point, I can’t wait to qualify next year and finally become a vet, and I am forever grateful for the help The Quadstar Foundation has provided me.”
Quadstar's latest grantee is Raluca Magadan, a veterinary nurse from Ireland, who is now on the accelerated graduate course at Bristol University.
She said: “Doing a second degree was never going to be easy.
"However, through help from family and locum vet nurse work, I managed to afford my first three years of vet school and made it into final year.
"This is where the difficulty came, as I had to more than forty hours per week of unpaid rotations work, plus clinical EMS during the holiday breaks, which made it very hard for me to earn the money I needed to afford my final year.
"At times it meant I had under £100 to survive an entire month on, which became a big physical and mental challenge.
“That’s when the Quadstar Foundation stepped in and took a weight off my shoulders by helping to pay off my outstanding university fees and providing some financial security in my final months.
"This has been a huge relief and allowed me to finally enjoy my last year at Bristol.
"I can’t thank everyone at the charity enough.”
In addition to funding and mentoring, The Quadstar Foundation helps its grantees with everything from job applications to revision techniques, as well as any mental health crises and helping them to find a place to live.
Nick, who also runs a property and acquisitions company and Animus Surgical, a pet and vet supplies company, said: “Having worked as a vet for many years before setting up my businesses, I have great industry connections and knowledge.
"So, I’m in the privileged position of being able to help committed students to seize the career opportunities they deserve.”
“My main commercial motivation now is to be able to maintain the funding streams required for these grants.
"It’s surprisingly hard to fundraise for individuals.
"That’s why Animus Surgical has just committed to donating 15% of its profits to the Quadstar Foundation.”
He added: “It’s an enormous privilege to support these inspiring young vets who have had such a hard slog to get past the ever-increasing barriers they face. Barriers that back in our day didn’t exist.”
What a lovely story. VetSurgeon.org is proud to have played a tiny little part in it and wishes Amber, Alicia and Raluca every success in their future careers. And hats off to Nick.
www.quadstar.org
BPEX is looking for a few more veterinary surgeons to test its Real Welfare smartphone app, which is used to collect data regarding welfare outcomes in pigs.
BPEX says it will pay vets for their time carrying out the testing but it needs regular submissions of data to give both Android and iOS a good workout.
Project Manager Katja Stoddart said: "It has been a long and sometimes difficult journey but the app is now performing well on both platforms and we are receiving positive feedback from those using it.
"That does not mean there are no problems but those that do crop up are now minor and can easily be dealt with.
"We still need a handful more vets willing to do the testing but we must stress we need regular data submission to make it worthwhile."
Ultimately the app will replace the bureau service which has only been extended until the end of this year so vets will need to change over before the bureau closes.
Katja said the portal will continue so vets can do the assessments in paper form then transfer via a computer but it will be much quicker and easier in the long run to input in real time using the app.
She added: "This will also mean the data is available immediately for the vet to discuss with the producer."
Homeopathy is widely used in livestock, especially to replace or reduce the use of antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases, although its use is often seen as controversial. For organic agriculture, homeopathy is even promoted.
In the review, Dr Caroline Doehring and Professor Albert Sundrum from the University of Kassel, Germany, assessed peer-reviewed studies on the efficacy of homeopathy in cattle, pigs and poultry published between 1981 and 2014.
They analysed a total of 52 clinical trials, 34 with cattle, 12 with pigs and six with poultry. They were published in 48 publications.
Of these, 28 concluded that the homeopathic remedy administered was effective, 22 showed no efficacy and 2 were inconclusive.
Only 10 trials provided information on cure rates for the treatments. These varied to a high degree, while the remedy used did not seem to make a big difference.
Trials on pigs were frequently efficacious, while studies with cattle or poultry had a similar distribution of efficacious and non-efficacious treatment.
Double-blind randomised controlled trials reported efficacy of the homeopathic treatment almost as often as they reported lack of it.
Meanwhile, single-blind and non-blind randomised controlled trials, and observational trials were more likely to present evidence of efficacy, suggesting that positive outcomes may be due to bias.
Other study limitations, such as potential conflict of interests, low sample size, risk for selective reporting and bias, were found in the majority of trials.
While some clinical trials showed effectiveness, the authors of the review question the reliability of the evidence, because all studies had a range of limitations. For example, all clinical trials were conducted under very specific conditions and none were repeated under comparable conditions.
Therefore, the authors say the findings cannot be be used to recommend homeopathy: "The current evidence of studies providing evidence in favour of homeopathy lacks reproducibility and therefore cannot claim to have sufficient prognostic validity."
"Due to a lack of prognostic validity, replacing or reducing antibiotics with homeopathy currently cannot be recommended unless evidence of efficacy is reproduced by RCTs and proven in various farm practice conditions."
IIC is an independent customer experience agency which conducts assessments, develops insights and awards annual accreditations to businesses.
For its accreditations, IIC uses feedback from customers, employees and the management team to assess the customer experience delivered by an organisation.
Customer services manager at Pennard Vets, Collette Rednall, who is also an IIC Ambassador, said: “We are the first in our industry to go through the rigorous process and we are thrilled to achieve a gold award.
“There are just 36 businesses in the UK that have achieved gold status – so this a fabulous achievement for every single one of our 100-strong team.”
In 2021 Pennard Vets became the largest veterinary practice in the world to become employee owned, through an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), meaning its entire team are now practice owners and shareholders in the business.
The poster was put together by a team of 55 specialists and general practitioners led by Fergus Allerton.
It includes an outline of the new European Medicines Agency advice on categorising antibiotics, a new section on wounds and surgical site infections, updated advice on life-threatening infections and identifying/treating sepsis, and more advice for owners.
Fergus said: “The latest iteration of the PROTECT ME poster incorporates updated information and offers recommendations to support vets to optimise their antibiotic use.
"I hope this will be a valuable resource for vets in practice.”
The new posters will be distributed with Companion in December.
Free printable posters are available from: www.bsavalibrary.com/protectme
Printed copies can be purchased from the BSAVA store: www.bsava.com/store.
BSAVA members are also able to request free printed copies.
Vets Now, the Out Of Hours emergency vets has announced the launch of Winchester's first dedicated 24/7 pet ambulance service.
Specifically designed for the comfortable and secure transport of all small animals, the new state-of-the-art ambulance is fully kitted out with the latest in emergency equipment.
After completing a course of rigorous training, the fully trained ‘Petamedics' (the animal equivalent of Paramedics), took to the streets of Winchester earlier in the month.
Gareth Roscoe, Vets Now Ambulance Service Team Leader said: "This service will make a real difference to animals in a distressed or critical situation. We've responded to a variety of cases over the past few weeks; one of the most recent ones being a nine week old puppy who was receiving emergency treatment at the Vets Now clinic in Winchester after his owner accidentally fell on him. Charlie was brought to the clinic collapsed and unresponsive with signs of head trauma. The vets set up an intensive treatment plan for him and by the morning, he was almost back to normal and we took him back to his daytime vet.
"The ambulance service provides owners in the Winchester area with the safest and fastest method of transporting their pets to get medical treatment twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. What's more, the service is also available to owners who have routine transportation problems; so whether owners and their pets are visiting their clinic for a veterinary appointment, attending a referral centre or even going to the groomers, the Vets Now Ambulance offers them a reliable solution to all their pet transportation needs."
The ambulance is a significant new addition to the already established Vets Now Emergency Clinic which is based at the Mildmay Veterinary Centre, Easton Lane in Winchester. Caroline Hirst, Senior Veterinary Surgeon at the emergency clinic commented; "The dedicated 24 hour ambulance has already been called out to help several of our clients ahead of its official media launch on 25 September. As an emergency clinic, we often admit patients overnight, and a real plus of having the ambulance is that we can ensure that pets can be returned to their regular vet or back to their owner in the morning safely and with the minimum of fuss. From experience, Vets Now knows that there are regular occasions when owners are afraid to move their pet if it is unwell or has been involved in an accident. We hope that being able to offer the ambulance service will be of great benefit not only to pets but also to owners, giving them peace of mind that their pet is being cared for and transported in a safe environment until it receives the necessary veterinary treatment at the clinic."
Fitzpatrick Referrals has announced the launch of a new outpatients diagnostic imaging service, available to all primary care veterinary surgeons.
According to the practice, its Siemens CT and closed field MRI scanners are among the most advanced in small animal practice in the world, and enable more accurate and timely diagnosis of both routine and potentially life-threatening conditions, including tumours. The practice is now making these scanners available to outpatients from primary care practices.
The service will be available 7 days a week, from 09:00hrs to 21:00hrs. Primary care vets can access the service directly and schedule an appointment at a time convenient to them and their patient, without the need of referral. The qualified team of radiographers at Fitzpatrick will operate the scanners and all scans will be complemented by detailed imaging reports created and sent electronically by Vet CT Specialists, a teleradiology company headed by radiology specialist Victoria Johnson BVSc DVR DipECVDI MRCVS.
Fitzpatrick Referrals says it acknowledges that many primary care veterinary surgeons do not have the resources to provide advanced diagnostic imaging on site, so it is very pleased to be able to offer its CT and MRI suite to help expedite diagnosis, whilst the patient remains under direct supervision by the referring practice and the patient is immediately returned to their care thereafter. This can be an extension of the service offered by the primary care clinician to the client, hopefully resulting in rapid and appropriate treatment for the patient and expanding the range of services offered by practices to their clients.
Dr Noel Fitzpatrick, Director said: "It's as if the MRI and CT were actually in your own practice, because our facility is just an extension of your care package and you can advertise it as such. This improves the profile of your practice and enhances the bond of the client with the referring practice whilst facilitating appropriate intervention in a timely fashion. All types of scanning, soft tissue, orthopaedic and neurologic, can be catered for and all patients will be cared for and monitored by qualified veterinary nurses at a time to suit the owner. I see this as a win-win situation. If the primary care clinician needs any further help with the case, they can just ask on the day. Seven-day week advanced diagnostic imaging is now within the grasp of each and every practice, marking a new era of an integrated team approach to efficient cost-effective diagnosis and treatment."
To book an appointment, call Fitzpatrick Referrals on 01483 423761 and in due course there will be an online booking facility. For more information on the Outpatients Diagnostic Imaging Service, call Simon Hester on 07802 584133 or visit www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk.
The International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) has launched a new guide on feline stress and health to help veterinary professionals better understand, prevent and manage stress and distress in cats.
Feline Stress and Health: Managing Negative Emotions to Improve Feline Health and Wellbeing is the result of a collaboration between a number of leading authors in feline behaviour, veterinary medicine and welfare, and has been supported by Ceva.
Aimed at veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and veterinary students, the purpose of the guide is to help understand why cats can become stressed and distressed in the many environments where veterinary care is provided, including the veterinary surgery and the welfare environment.
The 160-page guide has been broken down into twelve chapters, covering what stress and distress are, why cats become stressed and/or distressed and how stress impacts on the behaviour and health of the cat.
The guide looks at the causes of stress and distress in different environments, including the veterinary clinic, homing centres, at home and in multi-cat households, and how it can be prevented and managed. The guide also offers some basic ideas, principles and tips which can be implemented by all veterinary professionals, which the ISFM says will make a huge difference to the cats in their care.
Sarah Ellis, co-editor of the guide and Feline Behaviour Specialist at International Cat Care said: "Most of us are well aware that cats can be negatively affected by the veterinary clinic and other confined environments. But how can we really tell what a cat is experiencing and what can we do to improve the situation? This guide offers a great deal of insight into negative emotions underlying the causes of stress and distress in cats and offers practical solutions on how to prevent and manage them."
The guide is available from International Cat Care’s shop (http://icatcare.org/shop), priced at £20.00.
Ceva Animal Health has launched Libeo, a new four-way break, palatable furosemide for the management of heart failure in dogs.
According to the company, furosemide - a diuretic - is the most frequently used treatment for the management of heart failure because it helps reduce pulmonary oedema and its quick onset of action is associated with a noticeable reduction in clinical signs.
However, Ceva highlights the fact that long-term under or over-dosing can have profound health implications for the patient, and says that current recommendations are to reduce the dose to the minimum effective dose as soon as the animal is stable and only increase it if required due to deterioration in heart function.
Ceva says that unlike other furosemides, Libeo has been designed solely for the veterinary market - specifically to facilitate easy and accurate dosing.
The four-way break tablet is available in a traditional 40mg tablet size as well as a unique 10mg size for small patients. The clover-shaped tablet is chicken-flavoured, designed to make it easier for owners to dose their pets and help improve long-term owner compliance. Each box of Libeo contains 120 blister-packed tablets, removing the need for someone to have to count out tablets.
Rob McLintock MRCVS, Companion Animal Business Unit Manager at Ceva Animal Health said: “87% of vets in the UK believe that the dose of furosemide given to pets by their owners is adversely affected by how difficult it is to split the tablets1. This is especially likely to affect pets whose owners are less dextrous or have difficulties using their hands. Libeo is both easy to administer and effective, thereby improving owner compliance and the long term health and welfare of their pets.”