View all veterinary jobs
VetSurgeon.org publishes a curated feed of veterinary news for practising veterinary surgeons, with a primary focus on the UK profession.
We select stories based on their practical relevance, clinical interest, or professional significance — filtering out noise so busy vets can stay informed quickly.
Our coverage includes:
We report across all areas of practice, including companion animal, farm, equine and exotic species.
Our editorial approach is deliberately selective and concise. We prioritise clarity and relevance over volume, aiming to make each story worth your time.
You can follow VetSurgeon News by subscribing to the daily, weekly or monthly email digest, or via our channels on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Dechra Veterinary Products, maker of the feline hyperthyroidism treatment Felimazole®, has launched a range of waiting room materials for practices to raise awareness with owners about the disease.
Using Dechra's cartoon cat, which already features in their client booklets on feline hyperthyroidism, the materials are intended to create a focal point in the waiting room, with factual posters detailing what feline hyperthyroidism is and the symptoms to look out for. Also included is a selection of display enhancers.
The new waiting room display has been designed to complement Dechra's existing materials: client booklets, the website www.hyperthyroidcat.co.uk, website posters and hand-out cards.
Matthew Olsen, product manager at Dechra Veterinary Products said: "Our complete range of materials makes it easier for practices to communicate with owners on the subject and will help owners better understand and manage hyperthyroidism in their cats".
Practices can order their pack of waiting room materials by contacting Dechra on 01743 441632 or email marketing@dechra.com.
RSPCA Chief Veterinary Officer, Caroline Allen, today praised the vets and nurses who are providing essential care to animals through the crisis.
She said: “This is an incredibly challenging time for the RSPCA, trying to advise the public and keeping emergency services going with fewer staff, strained resources and in line with Government advice.
"I know this is equally stressful and challenging for vet staff too and I wanted to say a huge thank you from everyone at the RSPCA for your hard work, dedication and support you are giving the RSPCA.
"Our call centre team and officer are working hard to maintain a frontline animal welfare service, but we know there may be occasions where we are unable to attend and this may impact demand on the local vet practice."
Current guidance from the BVA defines emergency and urgent treatment as:
Caroline continued: "There are some circumstances particular to the RSPCA, such as animals that have been subject to abuse or severe neglect, or injured/unwell unowned animals, that may not initially appear to be such an “emergency” in the traditional sense, but our officers will only be collecting them if there is considered to be ‘significant impact on health/welfare and likely to deteriorate if left unmanaged’ as covered by the BVA emergency criteria. We would greatly appreciate your support in ensuring we can protect the welfare of these animals.
"Our National Control Centre will also be following the guidance from the BVA and will be limiting, wherever possible, sending members of the public to vets. However, on occasions where there is a welfare need that would justify an essential journey, we will always ask members of the public to call practices first and follow their social distancing protocols.
"For vets who provide care for our shelters and private boarders we understand the support available will be limited, we will be producing further advice for our teams around options, including remote support.
"We do understand and appreciate the current restrictions being put in place by the BVA and we do understand the very serious strain on practices and teams at this time and we hope that we can continue to work together during this unprecedented time."
The new service is being headed by Dr Katia Marioni-Henry.
Katia graduated from the University of Parma in 1995 and went on to do a PhD in Clinical Electrodiagnostic at the University of Turin and Scott-Ritchey Research Center in Auburn, Alabama.
Her early career was spent at various American universities, where she became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, with a subspecialty in Neurology and finally an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee.
Katia came to the UK to work as a consultant in neurology and neurosurgery for a number of large referral practices, before moving to the University of Edinburgh in 2013, where she started the neurology/neurosurgery service, building it from scratch to a nine-strong team.
Katia said: “This is absolutely the best place to be brought in an emergency, but previously we’d have to refer some cases elsewhere for conditions affecting the brain, peripheral nerves or the spine.
“Now some of these debilitating neurological conditions can be diagnosed and treated rapidly here without having to transport the animal.”
“With our CT scanner, for example, we can diagnose slipped discs quickly, especially in small breeds, and treat them surgically.
“And we can use it for brain scans if there is trauma or if we suspect a tumour or severe inflammation in the brain.
“We can do a lumbar tap to rule out inflammation of the central nervous system either on infectious or immune-mediated basis.”
Cornerstone Veterinary Clinic, which was founded by Peter Herold in 2011, currently employs a 15-strong team, who are all now practice owners and shareholders in the business.
Peter got the inspiration from reading about how Pennard Vets had become the world’s largest employee-owned practice in order to protect both its independence and core values.
He then contacted the directors at Pennard Vets, who helped guide him through the process.
Peter said: “After starting Cornerstone 11 years ago, we have developed a longstanding, loyal and dedicated team who are all very popular with our established client base across Belfast and beyond.
"I genuinely love Cornerstone, and so do our team and clients, and although I’m not ready to retire yet, the end of my professional life will come in the next decade, so I wanted to start planning for it.
“The obvious option would be to sell the practice to a corporate chain, but I knew that would change how we worked.
"There would be much more emphasis on profit levels, and we’d be forced to make decisions that we were uncomfortable with.
"We have an amazing team who are full of ideas about how to make Cornerstone even better and to guarantee a successful future, the practice needs to continue growing in a way that works for its people, our clients and their pets.
“When I read about Pennard Vets becoming an EOT, it immediately resonated with me, and I hoped it could be an option for Cornerstone.
"I then attended a webinar with speakers from Pennard Vets, and I kept in touch with them afterwards.
"They explained the set-up and how it benefits their team, as well as putting us in touch with specialists in EOTs.
"Ultimately it was Pennard Vets’ knowledge and enthusiasm that convinced me it was the right route for us.”
Peter added: “Our senior team at Cornerstone are all very skilled and share common values in relation to customer service, veterinary care and client charges, and it’s this ethos that makes us popular with clients.
“Making the business an EOT will ensure this continues by safeguarding the future of the business, whilst giving each member of the team the benefit of being a business owner without them having to buy in.
"It also means I can continue to work as a vet, but share the management side of the practice with the entire team who can help to make the important decisions, which is an exciting prospect for everyone involved.”
Matthew Flann from Pennard Vets said: “We became an EOT to maintain our independence and give everyone in our team both autonomy and a voice, as well as preserving our core values around compassion, client focus and continually improving everything we do.
"This came at a time when it’s increasingly difficult for vets to buy into practices and the traditional partner progression model no longer works, which makes EOTs even more appealing and a positive step for the profession as a whole.
“It’s been genuinely transformational for Pennard Vets, and we now regularly hear from practice owners who are exploring becoming an EOT.
"There are now several other successful businesses currently on the journey and when Peter contacted us, we were happy to offer our help and guidance.
"Cornerstone is a successful practice, with a highly skilled and dedicated team, so its independence is worth protecting, and becoming an EOT will give it a bright future.”
Intervet /Schering-Plough Animal Health has announced plans for a third National Vaccination Month Campaign to take place in May.
The campaign, which is aimed at owners of unvaccinated animals, is being fronted by TV presenter and wildlife expert Chris Packham. Intervet / Schering-Plough says it hopes the initiative will counter falling rates of pet vaccination that have been seen since the credit crunch.
In the lead up to National Vaccination Month, the company will be running a pet health awareness national and regional PR campaign backed up by print and TV advertising.
Pet owners will be able to download a voucher for a discounted vaccination in May from http://www.nvmonline.co.uk/. As well as dogs, cats and rabbits, horses will be included in the scheme for the second time.
During the last National Vaccination Month in June 2009, 1022 surgeries participated nationwide and an additional 40,000 animals were vaccinated as a result - 8,000 up on the first campaign run in 2008. According to Intervet / Schering-Plough, many practices saw more than 100 vouchers being redeemed.
The 2009 campaign came after more than a quarter of vets surveyed by Intervet reported concerns about falling levels of vaccination because of the credit crunch. Following the recession and public fears over the deficit, there are concerns that pet owners will cut back even further.
Angus Robinson from Intervet / Schering-Plough Animal Health said: "Research shows that the main reason why people don't vaccinate their pets is a lack of awareness of disease risk. We are also concerned that given the current pressures on household budgets, more people are deciding to cut back on vaccinating their animals with the real risk that this may have a potential effect on levels of herd immunity in the longer term."
He added: "We listened to practices which took part in NVM 2009 and have invested in improving the website to offer a simpler system for surgeries to download and log vouchers for their clients. The site will also drive pet owners to participating vets more quickly. Social media has taken off in a big way since our first campaign in 2008 and we will also be using Facebook and Twitter this time to reflect that. We are hoping that this will reach younger pet owners as data from our last campaign showed that pet owners in their 20s and early 30s were the age group least likely to vaccinate their animals."
Jane Carter of the Drove Veterinary Hospital in Swindon said: "National Vaccination Month is a golden opportunity to communicate the key preventative healthcare messages to new and existing clients. There was a significant outbreak of parvovirus in our area last summer which got a lot of publicity so we are expecting people will really catch onto the campaign this time."
Intervet / Schering-Plough Animal Health veterinary customers planning to take part in National Vaccination Month 2011 can log onto www.nvmonline.co.uk to complete the registration process.
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."
A new study, led by academics at the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences and published online in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, has investigated the occurrence of dog aggression towards people with a survey of UK dog owners.
Nearly 15,000 questionnaires were distributed to dog owners of which 4,000 were returned and used in the analysis.
The researchers found that:
The study highlighted that the majority of dogs showing aggression do so in just one of these situations. Researchers say this indicates that the common tendency to categorise dogs as either generally 'safe' or 'vicious' is a misconception, and that most dogs show aggression as a learnt response to particular situations.
Dr Rachel Casey, Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare, said: "Dog owners and members of the public need to be aware that any dog could potentially show aggression if it is anxious or feels threatened, even when it has never done so before.
"On the other hand, dogs which have shown aggressive signs in one situation are not necessarily 'dangerous' when in other contexts - an important consideration in the assessment of animals, such as in rehoming centres."
The study also compared the characteristics of those dogs reported to show aggression with those which had never done so. It was revealed that factors such as training classes attended, type of training method used, the sex and neuter status of dogs, the age category of owners, and the breed of dogs were all associated with the occurrence of aggression.
Different risk factors were found to be significant in statistical models examining aggression to family members and unfamiliar people. This suggests that different factors are important in the development of aggressive signs depending on the situation.
The research also highlighted that although general characteristics, such as breed type, are significant risk factors across large populations they explain only a small amount of the overall difference between aggressive and non-aggressive dogs. This suggests that it is not appropriate to evaluate the risk of aggressive behaviour in an individual dog using characteristics such as breed type.
Reference
Human directed aggression in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris): occurrence in different contexts and risk factors, Rachel A. Casey, Bethany Loftus, Christine Bolster, Gemma J. Richards, Emily J. Blackwell, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, published online 11 December 2013.
The RCVS has published new guidance for veterinary surgeons on 24-hour emergency first aid and pain relief, providing greater definition of the professional and legal responsibilities of veterinary surgeons in the provision of emergency care, as well as owners' responsibilities for their animals.
Two sections of the supporting guidance to the Code of Professional Conduct have been updated - Chapter 2 'Veterinary care' and Chapter 3 '24-hour emergency first aid and pain relief' - placing a greater emphasis on owners' legal responsibilities for their animals while obligating veterinary surgeons to provide full details of their 24-hour emergency cover provision to clients.
Although veterinary surgeons are professionally obliged to take steps to provide 24-hour emergency first aid and pain relief, the new supporting guidance clarifies situations where delaying or declining attendance to an animal may be appropriate. It is hoped this will assist and empower vets to decline to attend an animal away from practice where they feel it is unnecessary or unsafe.
The changes are the culmination of an evidence-gathering process with both members of the profession and animal owners about each group's expectations around the provision of 24-hour emergency care.
This process began with a call for evidence at the end of 2013, which garnered some 656 pages of written evidence, as well as a petition on home visits with over 2,800 signatures. Following this, in March 2014 there was a three-day hearing in which 15 organisations and 10 individuals were invited to attend to give evidence to the RCVS Standards Committee. Also taken into account were more than 1,000 responses from veterinary surgeons taking part in the Survey of the Professions and an online survey with 1,250 animal owners.
After a thorough review of the evidence the Standards Committee developed the new supporting guidance, which was agreed in principle by RCVS Council in its June meeting.
Gordon Hockey, RCVS Registrar, said: "Following the considerable disquiet within the profession following the Disciplinary Committee's decision on the Chikosi hearing in June 2013, we decided that only a thorough evidence-gathering process with all parties could resolve the apparent gap between the expectation of the public regarding 24-hour emergency care and the profession's ability to meet this.
"We are very happy with the way that this process was carried out and would like to thank the many individual veterinary surgeons and animal owners, as well as representative organisations, who have contributed to this outcome.
"By making the legal and professional obligations of veterinary surgeons and the welfare obligations of animal owners clearer we hope that this new guidance should allay some of the frustrations and concerns of the profession."
The new supporting guidance for Chapter 3 '24-hour emergency first aid and pain relief' can be viewed at www.rcvs.org.uk/247care, while the additional guidance for Chapter 2 'Veterinary care' can be viewed at www.rcvs.org.uk/vetcare
A webinar in which Gordon Hockey and Clare Tapsfield-Wright, former Chairman of Standards Committee, explain the guidance in greater detail takes place at 8.30pm tonight.
Visit www.thewebinarvet.com/rcvs to register.
There are 10 candidates standing in this year’s elections, including four existing Council members eligible for re-election and six candidates not currently on Council. They are:
Mr David Catlow MRCVS
Mr John C Davies MRCVS
Dr Mandisa Greene MRCVS
Miss Karlien Heyrman MRCVS
Professor John Innes FRCVS
Dr Thomas Lonsdale MRCVS
Dr Susan Paterson FRCVS
Mr Matthew Plumtree MRCVS
Mr Iain Richards MRCVS
Colonel Neil Smith FRCVS
Ballot papers and candidates' details have been posted to all veterinary surgeons eligible to vote and an email containing a link to a secure voting site unique to each member of the electorate has also been sent by Electoral Reform Services which runs the election on behalf of the College.
All votes must be cast, either online or by post, by 5pm on Friday 27 April 2018.
This year the College invited all election candidates to produce a video in which they answered up to two questions submitted directly to the RCVS from members of the electorate. All videos have been published on the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote18) and YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/rcvsvideos).
Key question themes this year included recruitment and retention, the College’s concerns investigation process and veterinary education. The list of accepted questions has also been published on the RCVS website.
The biographies and statements for each candidate in the RCVS Council election can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote18.
Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar and Returning Officer for the election, said: "Last year we had a record number and proportion of the electorate vote in an RCVS Council election and we would once again stress the importance of voting to ensure that you have a say in the future direction of travel for the College and its policies."
Those who are eligible to vote but have not received either an email or ballot paper should contact Luke Bishop, RCVS Senior Communications Officer, on l.bishop@rcvs.org.uk.
The Vet Wellbeing Awards, which are now in their fourth year, are designed to highlight positivity within the profession by sharing stories and initiatives from veterinary workplaces that demonstrate commitment to improving staff wellbeing.
The Awards also aim to support all practices to take a structured approach towards evaluating their own wellbeing support systems.
This year, for the first time, feedback will be given to practices that enter about the areas where they are doing well and those where they can improve. The organisers hope that this change to the Awards process will encourage practices to think of wellbeing support as an area of continuous development.
However, they also hope that practices will use the entry process as an opportunity to audit wellbeing even if they don't plan to enter.
Liz Barton, SPVS Board Member, said: "Going through the entry form and evaluation process is valuable for every vet practice, even if they don’t feel they’re ready to enter the Awards just yet. Sitting down as a practice team for a few hours and working through the questionnaire is a highly useful exercise for facilitating celebrating areas where your practice is doing well for wellbeing, and also highlighting some areas for improvement for years to come."
"We recommend all practices get into the habit of going through the process annually and choosing areas to focus and improve on, to build towards better wellbeing across all areas for all staff."
There are three award categories that practices can enter depending on the number of employees: small practice (15 or fewer full time equivalent team members (FTE)), medium practice (16 to 50 FTEs) or large practice (51 or FTEs).
The Award application form covers six aspects of work that, if well-managed, can promote wellbeing and reduce the risk of work-related stress, and the Award judges will be looking for evidence of commitment to enhancing wellbeing for each of these.
They are:
Promoting physical and psychological health at work
Relationships at work
Communication at work
Career development
Workload and work scheduling
Work demands
More examples of the type of evidence and initiatives that the Awards are looking for, together with the entry form, are available on the Vet Wellbeing Awards website: https://vetwellbeingawards.org.uk.
Winning and Highly Commended practices will receive a dedicated logo and certificate for display. The winners in each category will also receive two registrations and banquet tickets for SPVS/VMG Congress 2020.
In addition to the Wellbeing Awards, the RCVS and SPVS are also running the Practice Star nominations, which are open to all veterinary practices.
These nominations aim to support practices to thank someone in their team who has gone the extra mile to make the practice a happy place to work, whether this be through introducing an initiative that makes everyone’s work life better, going out of their way to support a colleague going through a tough time, or just making everyone smile.
To enter, practices need to send in their nominee’s name, job title and contact details, and a short paragraph explaining why they have been chosen. They will then receive a certificate congratulating them for being nominated as the practice’s very own ‘Practice Wellbeing Star’.
The closing date for both the Wellbeing Award entries and Practice Star nominations is Friday 22 November 2019.
Michale Garvey (pictured) has the official title of National Property Coordinator and he will work with local surveyors to ensure that landlords have realistic expectations supported by evidence at rent reviews and lease renewals.
VLA Treasurer Nicky Paull said: "This should help speed up what are sometimes protracted and expensive negotiations to the mutual benefit of corporate tenant and landlord alike.”
Michael is a Chartered Surveyor who has worked in the commercial property sector for 35 years.
He is the Managing Director of Chandler Garvey, a Fellow of both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, as well as being an RICS Registered Valuer.
He has specialised in rent reviews and lease renewals all of his career and has been a member of the RICS Arbitrators Panel for more than 10 years.
Michael also has extensive experience of the veterinary sector, having represented owners relating to disputed rent reviews, as well as acquisitions and lettings on different types of premises.
He said: “I am delighted to have been appointed by the VLA as the National Property Coordinator, with the intention of allowing the owners of veterinary premises, to have a better understanding of the rent review and lease renewal processes and in doing so even the playing field so that better outcomes are achieved.
Richard Hillman one of the VLA’s founders said: “Negotiating with large corporate groups can sometimes feel like trying to run through treacle for small landlords.
"Having an acknowledged expert on our team should help the VLA to give much needed support to our members.”
Further information about the VLA can be obtained from Richard Stephenson vicechair@vla.org.uk
https://vla.org.uk
The first is Design Hub, a self-service marketing portal which allows practices to choose from a variety of designs for posters, social media posts and other collateral and brand them with the practice logo. The portal includes a planner which details noteworthy dates, veterinary campaigns and events that practices might want to include in their marketing plans.
Member practices using the new portal during February also have the chance to enter a competition to win £500 Love2shop vouchers.
The second resource is a pets portal which the company says will make it easier to access live information about pets enrolled on its health plans, make administrative changes, process refunds or cancellations and soon, add new pets.
From July the pets portal will compatible with tablets and other mobile devices, so practice staff can move out from behind the desk and have conversations with pet owners in the waiting or consulting rooms.
Paul Bates, Practice Development Specialist, said: "We had already identified that practices wanted to be able to register plans and change details online. It was important for us to also ensure that the tool we developed had the desired functionality and was robust enough to handle large volumes of data being entered simultaneously across the country.
"We also wanted it to be fit for purpose so that if we want to develop more advanced features going forwards, we don’t have to recreate the wheel and can build on what we have already. The portal will be really useful in its own right and gives us a great launching pad for future development."
To access the new portals, email: pethealthplanscomms@denplan.co.uk, or contact your Simplyhealth Professionals Practice Support Advisor or Business Development Consultant.
For more information about Simplyhealth Professionals visit http://www.pethealthplans.co.uk/vets.
Pooch & Mutt has 20x 40-day trials of its new joint & bone supplement, Mobile Bones Concentrate, to give away to veterinary professionals.
Guy Blaskey from Pooch & Mutt said: "At The London Vet Show vets and vet nurses told us that they loved the new Mobile Bones Concentrate because at just £9.99 per month it costs less than other joint supplements (whilst having the same high quality ingredients), it takes up a very small amount of shelf space and it doesn't involve the client having to either change their dog's food or stuff pills down their dog's throat."
In response to requests from vets and vet nurses to try the new joint supplement, Pooch & Mutt have set up a dedicated website at www.jointsupplementfordogs.com where you can apply from one of twenty 40 day trials.
Guy continued, "We did not want to simply send samples out to everyone. By setting up the site we can choose a variety of dogs from different breed and with different conditions to send a full 40-day trial to. We hope to get regular feedback from the vets, vet nurses and dog owners involved in the trial and publish it on http://www.jointsupplementfordogs.com/ for everyone else to see."
The trials are available to all veterinary professionals and can be for their own dogs, or dogs belonging to their clients.
Dechra Veterinary Products has launched Buprenodale, an opioid analgesic for cats, dogs and horses presented in a 10ml multi-dose vial.
Carol Morgan, Brand Manager said: "Following on from the introduction of Comfortan and Anesketin, our Buprenodale Multidose, 0.3 mg/ml solution for injection for dogs, cats and horses, is the latest addition to the portfolio.
"The active substance in Buprenodale is buprenorphine, the most commonly used opioid analgesic in small animal practice in the UK.
"Buprenodale Multidose joins a portfolio of Dechra products covering a wide range of species, different levels of analgesic efficacy and duration of action.
"The product is now available in a 10 ml multidose vial. It is suitable for post-operative analgesia in dogs and cats; post operative analgesia, in combination with sedation, in horses and potentiation of the sedative effects of centrally acting agents in the dog and horse."
For more information www.dechra.co.uk .
The Boehringer Academy (www.boehringer-academy.co.uk) contains hundreds of hours of CPD material on equine, companion and production animals. It comprises a mixture of webinars, podcasts, short videos and downloadable documents, which can be viewed at any time. The site keeps a CPD log for each user and provides downloadable certificates.
Boehringer’s Small Animal Marketing Team Leader, Jemima Mead said: "We already have just over 15,000 vets and nurses in the UK and Ireland currently registered with the Academy.
"New and existing members are eligible to receive the Boehringer Academy colouring book. They simply have to visit www.boehringer-academy.co.uk and complete their profile. In addition, everyone completing their profile will be entered into a draw to win an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil."
The two companies have agreed to jointly discover and develop species-specific therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for companion animals, a class of drug which they say is neglected in veterinary medicine but offers a variety of future therapeutic options for diseases that cannot be adequately treated today.
adivo will select species-specific antibodies using its proprietary fully canine phage display library. Bayer Animal Health will provide targets involved in severe animal diseases.
Dr. Douglas Hutchens, Bayer Animal Health’s Head of Drug Discovery, External Innovation & Chief Veterinary Officer, said: "Today’s agreement is another example of how we realize our innovation strategy
"By combining the know-how from creative start-up companies like adivo with opportunities derived from Bayer’s research, we broaden our space of therapeutic medicine options and complement our portfolio.
"We are constantly looking for innovative technologies that enable us to generate novel treatment options for the companion animal sector. Now, we will focus on evolving the options presented by adivo from research and development to market maturity."
Dr. Kathrin Ladetzki-Baehs, Managing Director of adivo said: "At adivo, we truly believe that pets have a positive impact on our society. By developing novel medicines for companion animals, we want to make a difference for veterinarians and pet-parents. Today, we are more than pleased and excited to have gained such a committed and experienced collaboration partner, to jointly develop new treatment options."
The aim of the week is to help pet owners identify common symptoms of eye disease and to seek prompt veterinary attention where appropriate.
To support the initiative, TVM UK is supplying veterinary practices with a kit to create their own waiting room display to inform owners about the common symptoms of eye disease. Pet owners can obtain further, more in-depth information by scanning a QR code on their smartphone camera which takes them directly to the webpage www.tvm-uk.com/eyehealth.
There is also a ‘Who’s Got Their Eye on You’ mini quiz to help engage clients to see if they can spot one of their pets in the animal line up.
Will Peel, Product Manager at TVM UK said: "Eye problems in pets can sometimes be hard for pet owners to pick up so we have launched Pet Eye Health Awareness Week to raise awareness of common symptoms of poor eye heath so problems can be identified early and pet owners can seek veterinary advice quickly."
For more information, contact your local territory manager, email help@tvm-uk.com or call 0800 0385868. You can find additional eye-health related social media content at: www.tvm-uk.com.
Petplan has announced the finalists for the 2011 Petplan Veterinary Awards.
Now in its 12th year, the Petplan Veterinary Awards received its biggest response yet with over 2,800 nominations submitted for exceptional veterinary staff all over the UK.
The finalists for each of the categories are as follows:
Vet of the YearCharles Bagnal, Orwell Veterinary Group - Ipswich Alison Laurie, Crown Vets - Highlands Daniel Parry, Village Vet Garden Suburb - London
Vet Nurse of the YearEmma Clare, Copthorne Veterinary Clinic - Shropshire Maria Corcoran, Orwell Veterinary Group - Ipswich Ingrid Hunt, Cranbrook Veterinary Centre - Devon
Support Staff of the YearBev Millward, Milton Keynes Veterinary Group - Milton KeynesLauren Hunter, The Ferns Veterinary Practice - Dunkeld Patty Fraser, Loch Leven Equine Practice - Kinross
Vet Practice of the YearAshfield House Veterinary Hospital Ltd - Nottinghamshire Emersons Green Veterinary Surgery Ltd - Avon Leonard Brothers Veterinary Centre Ltd - Shropshire
Alison Andrew, Petplan's Marketing Manager, said: "The nominations get bigger and better every year and we're absolutely delighted to announce the finalists for 2011. With 70% of veterinary practices within 3 miles of their patients, veterinary staff are an important part of the community and that's why we feel it important that they have a chance to receive the recognition they deserve. We're looking forward to revealing the winners on 31st of March."
All finalists will be invited to an elegant awards ceremony that will take place on 31st March at the Birmingham Town Hall, where the winners will be announced.
For further information, visit http://www.petplanvet.co.uk/
The RSPCA has published the results of a survey which found that teachers in the UK are strongly in support of teaching animal welfare in the classroom, with 93% of respondents stating they would teach animal welfare in the classroom if they had the time.
95% also said that they believe that teaching children about animal welfare would help make them more compassionate and socially aware.
According to the survey of almost 800 teachers across England and Wales, 83% felt animal welfare should be part of the national curriculum. However, some had concerns about how it would be integrated into existing frameworks, and whether it would mean more demands on already overworked teachers.
RSPCA formal education manager Claire Morris said: "We felt it is easy to sit on the sidelines and state that animal welfare should be part of the curriculum, but it is far more practical and helpful to show that it can be done."
To address these concerns, the RSPCA says it created over 90 free lesson plans for teachers, which are linked to the English and Welsh Curricula. Many of the RSPCA's lesson plans overlap in subject areas including Science, Citizenship, Literacy and Numeracy, as well as provide springboards for assemblies and student councils.
Claire added: "We urge the government to consider integrating animal welfare into our children's education as a matter of urgency - as skills such as empathy, compassion and social consciousness have value as a child goes through the education system as well as when they enter adulthood and the world of work."
The RSPCA says this is particularly important because only 70% of respondents knew what the five animal welfare needs - which are central to the Animal Welfare Act - are.
As well as looking at the ethical side of animal welfare, 92% of teachers also expressed a strong preference for lessons specifically on animals' role in food and clothing production. It was felt that with young people better connected than ever before, they have an increasing awareness of social issues and expect higher ethical standards from companies.
The theme for this year's event, which takes place on 7th November, is the cornea. Lectures will include 'Medical Cornea', 'Cross Linking' and 'Surgical Cornea'. There will be Q&A sessions after each one.
Amongst the speakers are Chris Dixon, CertOphthal MRCVS MRCVS from Veterinary Vision Ophthalmic referrals, Christine Heinrich, RCVS & European Specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology from the Eye Clinic and Sara Thomasy, Professor of Comparative Ophthalmology at the University of California from UC Davis University.
As is customary, abstracts will be presented throughout the day.
Tickets are £100 +VAT, or £60+Vat for students, interns and veterinary nurses: https://www.thewebinarvet.com/pages/bravo-virtual-winter-conference-2020-tickets/
VetSurgeon.org has launched a new collaborative publishing section of the website (called a wiki) in which any member of the site may publish case studies and reports, abstracts, short communications, research papers and the results of clinical audit for open discussion and review by all.
The state-of-the-art systems in use on VetSurgeon then allow all members to comment on the work submitted. Initially, it's hoped that this will stimulate valuable further debate, discussion and critical review of papers that have already been published elsewhere. However, another benefit of this system is that it enables anyone in the profession to publish their research to the veterinary community immediately, without being at the mercy of such things as the availability of space in a traditional print journal, so original work is warmly welcomed.
Arlo Guthrie, editor of VetSurgeon said: "Of course I recognise that authors still want the kudos of publication in a traditional peer reviewed journal. However, in addition to offering immediate publication, this system also opens the review process up so that everyone in the profession can participate in a completely open way. If it works, it may even come to be thought of as a more stringent and robust method of review than the traditional method. Or perhaps more likely, peer review could become a two stage process in which work is assessed by a panel of experts and then by the sort of 'open review' offered by VetSurgeon.org."
Doubtless there will be concerns about the validity of information published in this new section of VetSurgeon, primarily because it may NOT have been subject to peer review at the time of publication. Arlo said: "I don't think this is an issue. VetSurgeon members should just have a different starting point. When you read content in, say Vet Record, you can presume it's been scrutinised and read it in that context. On VetSurgeon, you should assume the opposite, and then use the tools offered by the site to judge the value of the work yourself."
Ways of assessing work published on VetSurgeon.org include:
In phase one of this project, taking place over the coming few days, all abstracts published in Veterinary Practice magazine are being uploaded to the new wiki.
Click here to visit the new VetSurgeon Wiki
Petplan is calling for nominations for this year's 'Petplan Veterinary Awards 2011'.
The awards, which are now into their 12th year, are an opportunity for colleagues and pet owners to thank their local veterinary stars who go above and beyond the call of duty.
Alison Andrew, Petplan's Marketing Manager, said: "At Petplan, we work closely with vets and hear first hand about the incredible work that is carried out by the profession, so we believe that their invaluable care and support deserves special recognition. Nominating a colleague for an award is a fantastic way of expressing your appreciation for their hard work."
Alison added: "Last year, Petplan was inundated with over 1,800 nominations from across the UK, highlighting that more pet owners understand the great work vets do to help animals and their owners, and with 40% of pet-owners in the UK, stating that they trusted their vet more than their GP, it is not hard to see why the awards are so highly commended."
Closing date for entries is 4th February 2011. All finalists will be invited to a glittering awards ceremony in Birmingham on 31st March 2011, where the winners will be announced.
Winners will be selected based on the evidence given on the nomination forms by veterinary association presidents, so make sure you provide as much information as possible. To nominate today visit www.petplan.co.uk/vetawards
Companion Care Vets has opened its first new standalone joint venture surgery in Ayr, Scotland.
At 3,071 sq ft the £300,000 surgery is the largest of the groups' 86 strong network and is the first standalone surgery to be opened under the joint venture partnership model that has been in place since 2001.
The surgery is located in a retail park environment, to give easy access for clients and their pets. It is a full service practice, which Companion Care says is fitted with all the latest equipment, including digital x-ray machines and a full operating suite.
Managing Director, Jane Balmain, said: "The opening of our first new standalone surgery in Ayr is a real milestone for us as a business because it opens up our offering to the vets and veterinary nurses who are interested in a joint venture partnership, but whose preference is to have a more traditional looking standalone surgery."
Whilst the Ayr surgery is standalone in its own right, due to the unique relationship Companion Care Vets has with Pets at Home, the surgery works in close partnership with the local Pets at Home store. This will help to drive client registrations and business development and further enable Pets at Home to develop the full pet care experience for its customers.
Jane added: "We believe that this new venture offers any potential partner the best of both worlds: a superb in-store surgery with footfall of thousands of customers a month, or a standalone new surgery linked to local store network to develop the business. I don't believe any other company can offer this unique proposition."
Veterinary surgeon, and joint venture partner of the Ayr surgery, Kirstin Fyfe says, "I am extremely proud to be opening the first standalone surgery alongside the Companion Care team and the facilities available to my team and I and local pet owners are fantastic. The latest equipment, coupled with a spacious and modern waiting area and the convenience of our location is what makes this a winning formula."
The Royal Veterinary College has carried out the first ever open-heart surgery to treat a stenotic tricuspid valve in a dog.
The three-year-old Labrador, Mabel, suffered from congenital tricuspid dysplasia. She was referred to cardiology specialists at RVC Small Animal Referrals where her tricuspid valve was found to be completely fused in the middle, with just two very small openings for her blood to flow through.
In a procedure that took a little over an hour, the RVC team examined and worked on the valve. The College reports that Mabel’s surgery was a success and her stenosis was relieved.
Mabel was subsequently found to have a moderate amount of regurgitation into the right atrial chamber, but after a few more days of additional monitoring at the RVC she was able to return home.
The surgery was carried out by Professor of Small Animal Surgery Dan Brockman at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals. He was assisted by a team of RVC specialists to provide pre and post-operative care, including a perfusionist, a team of three anaesthetists, two surgery nurses, three surgeons and a cardiology veterinary specialist-in-training. In addition, Professor of Veterinary Cardiology Virginia Luis Fuentes and veterinary specialist-in-training Dr Rosie Payne were members of the Cardiology Service’s investigation into Mabel’s condition.
RVC students were also involved in the Mabel’s initial examinations at the hospital, providing them with an insight into the procedure. The examinations included cardiac ultrasound using the newest generation of cardiac ultrasound equipment, which is able to capture 3D and 4D images. The new ultrasound scanner was funded in part by the RVC’s charity, the Animal Care Trust.
After the surgery, the emergency and critical care (ECC) team and the Cardiology Service took over Mabel’s care, with Professor Brockman remaining involved. This saw up to four senior ECC clinicians, a number of veterinary specialists-in-training and half a dozen highly trained ECC technicians working in shifts around the clock to care for Mabel and ensure a good recovery.
According to the RVC, there have been previous attempts by veterinary surgeons to open stenotic valves with balloon valvuloplasty. However, because it is very difficult to tear the stenotic valve, this approach has not proved very successful. There is also a high risk when putting canines onto bypass. Canines have fragile blood vessels, and cannulae need to be inserted into several of these vessels, creating a danger that a major vessel tears.
Commenting on why the RVC team decided to perform this procedure at this point, and on Mabel, Dan said: "Lots of things fed into this decision. First and foremost, we had a patient whose pathology made surgery the best solution. I explained to the owner and was very honest that this procedure would be really breaking new ground. Based on what the human paediatric cardiac surgeons will do, and our limited experience of balloon-valvuloplasty suggests this is the best approach for these dogs
"The operation itself is risky, much worse than most other operations. In our hands, for this type of disease, we have about an 80% chance of getting them through the procedure. The owner has to gamble what life the dog has left against the promise of a more normal quality of life and life-span following the operation."
In relation to Mabel’s prognosis if the surgery had not been undertaken, Professor Luis Fuentes said: "It is likely that the signs of right-sided heart failure would have been more difficult to control. Her ability to exercise would have become less and less, and she would have also been at risk of having abnormal heart rhythms associated with the enlargement of the right atrium. Generally we expect them to develop more and more signs as the disease progresses. These are difficult cases to manage on a long-term basis with drugs. Her life expectancy would have been substantially reduced.
"I thought Mabel was almost a perfect candidate to have the procedure here as Dan has a lot of experience replacing tricuspid valves in dogs with tricuspid dysplasia. In those cases there is usually leaking, but Mabel’s case was unusual in that she has minimal leaking and she was most affected by the stenosis. That means you may not have to implant any additional valve structure."
Speaking two weeks after the operation, owner Annabelle Meek, from Melton Mowbray, said: "Mabel has just come back in from wandering around the perimeter of my garden for the first time since before the operation. It’s more than half an acre and she has been ambling around happily following a scent.
"I would like to thank absolutely everybody. It’s been an enormous team effort on all sides. Every single person I met at the RVC, from the man on the gate to all the hospital staff, was so friendly. After she came home Dan Brockman phoned me every day to see how she was doing. The RVC should be very proud of what they have done for Mabel."
The dog presented to the Neurology and Neurosurgery Service at Pride after the dog's GP vet had diagnosed a tumour.
The neurological examination was consistent with a thoracolumbar lesion and the X-rays showed a radiopaque mass with bony lysis on the third lumbar vertebral body.
Annette Wessmann, an EBVS European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology at Pride said: “We chose to do a CT scan based on examination and the X-rays.
“It confirmed the suspicion of a neoplastic lesion and ruled out other tumoral focus along the rest of the spine and other organs."
A customised titanium implant was designed for the dog's spine in collaboration with BETA Implants.
Rosario Vallefuoco, an RCVS and EBVS Small Animal Surgery Specialist and Head of Small Animal Surgery at Pride said: “It was a case of combining our experience with that of the engineers.
“The original implants had been designed for humans, and we had to imagine what would be required for a dog and work out at every step what changes we would have to make.”
The surgery took place in three different stages, the first being L3 vertebra skeletonization and dorsal lamina removal.
The second step was vertebral body removal.
Finally, the third step was vertebral reconstruction using the designed implants.
The whole procedure took six hours, and the dog was up and walking again within 12 hours.
Subsequent histopathology assessment of the mass confirmed osteosarcoma, so the surgery is being followed up with chemotherapy.
Following the success of the surgery, Pride Veterinary Referrals says it now hopes to help other dogs with similar conditions.
www.prideveterinaryreferrals.com