The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has postponed judgment on sanction for 12 months in the case of a Hampshire veterinary surgeon found guilty of serious professional misconduct for cumulative failures to provide adequate professional care, and insufficient regard for animal welfare whilst treating a dog.

At a hearing which concluded last Thursday, Peter Ardle MacMahon MRCVS faced a six-part charge after working as a locum for Vets Now at North End in Portsmouth where, on the night of 14/15 July 2009, he treated Wilfred, a Cocker Spaniel who had ingested broken glass along with raw mince. 

The Committee found that, having decided that surgery was an appropriate treatment, Mr MacMahon had not removed the glass identified on a radiograph. Nor had he even superficially searched the stomach contents he had evacuated to check that a large piece of glass he had previously identified on the radiograph had been removed. He had also not taken adequate steps to prevent contamination of Wilfred's abdominal cavity prior to the incision to the stomach.

Mr MacMahon admitted he knew there had been considerable spillage of stomach contents into Wilfred's abdomen. The Committee found that, with this knowledge, for Mr MacMahon to use only 250ml of fluid to lavage the abdomen was inadequate. This contributed to the Spaniel developing chemical peritonitis which might have developed into septic peritonitis but for a second operation the next morning, after the dog had been returned to the care of his usual veterinary practice. The Committee also expressed concern that Mr MacMahon had failed to effectively communicate the abdominal contamination to Wilfred's usual vets when he was handed back into their care. 

Taken as individual allegations, these would not, in the opinion of the Committee, constitute serious professional misconduct. However, the Committee was of the view that, taken cumulatively, the charges were proved, and therefore the treatment given to Wilfred, fell far short of the standard to be expected in the profession.

When considering mitigating and aggravating factors, the Committee accepted that Mr MacMahon and the veterinary nurse assisting him were unfamiliar with the premises in which they were working, resulting in a difficulty in locating important equipment, and there were also multiple urgent cases during the evening the operation took place. The Committee also noted that 17 months had passed since the operation, and no further complaints against Mr MacMahon had been received by the RCVS.

The Committee further took into account that Mr MacMahon had little recent experience, having returned to practising veterinary medicine in January 2009, following almost ten years spent outside the veterinary profession. During this hiatus he undertook no continuing professional development (CPD), and completed only a five-week period of supervised practice prior to re-entering the profession. 

Mrs Caroline Freedman, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee said: "The Respondent placed himself in this situation: he knew that he had been out of practice for ten years, had not done any formal CPD during that time and chose to accept an appointment to work as a locum in a sole-charge out-of-hours emergency clinic. A foremost aggravating factor is that animal welfare was adversely affected. A non-critical patient was placed at risk by the Respondent's failures."

The Committee reiterated that the purpose of sanctions was not to be punitive, but to protect animal welfare, to maintain public confidence in the profession and to maintain professional standards.  "A postponement of judgment, with suitable undertakings from the Respondent, is the correct course of action," said Mrs Freedman. Mr MacMahon has subsequently signed undertakings relating to CPD in both surgical and medical disciplines, and the Committee has postponed for 12 months its judgment as to any further sanction.

Captains Nicola Housby-Skeggs and Claire Budge, the first two members of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC) to achieve the RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (CertAVP), have been presented with their certificates at Belgravia House.

The two Captains were visiting the RCVS as part of a 'Meet the RCVS Day' organised for a group of Officers from the RAVC. The Captains were presented with their Certificates by Vice-President Peter Jinman.

Capt Nicola Housby-Skeggs had completed a mixture of small animal and equine modules in order to achieve her Certificate, and was positive about the modular approach. She said: "It's reassuring to know you can have a break if you need to. The compulsory module on professional key skills was also more useful than I had anticipated, as it focused on aspects that you don't really have time for at vet school, such as management, and health and safety."

Meanwhile, Captain Claire Budge appreciated the fact that many of her modules could be completed via distance learning. She said: "It was great that I could continue with my studies even when serving in Afghanistan. My only regret is that when I started the Certificate back in 2008, there wasn't the range of modules available that there is now. For example, I would like to have done one of the new Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law modules. However, there is no reason why I can't just take this as continuing professional development - that's the benefit of the modular approach."

More information about the CertAVP can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/modcerts.

'Meet the RCVS Days' give members of the veterinary team the opportunity to visit the College and find out what goes on behind the scenes. If you would like to join a future event, please let Fiona Harcourt know, on f.harcourt@rcvs.org.uk. Reasonable travel expenses are paid.

Cystease^® S, CEVA Animal Health's urinary tract support product for cats, is now available in a new 100 tablet pack size for greater convenience to the practice.

CEVA`s small animal veterinary advisor Fraser Broadfoot said: "Previously Cystease^® S was only available in 300 tablet packs. The new 100 tablet pack size makes the product easier to store in the practice and easier to dispense to clients."

To help vets gain easy access to information on Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD), CEVA Animal Health have also produced a highly informative technical review on the subject. Produced in conjunction with Professor Danielle Gunn-Moore, head of the feline clinic at the University of Edinburgh, the eight-page, colour brochure contains practical information on the clinical signs, diagnosis and treatment of FLUTD and also includes behavioural advice on reducing stress in cats, which can be a major cause of FLUTD.

To receive a free copy of CEVA's FLUTD technical review and for further information on Cystease^® S, please contact Fraser Broadfoot MRCVS on 01494 781510, CEVA Animal Health Ltd, 90 The Broadway, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 1EG.

Seven graduands from The University of Nottingham's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science have become the first from the new school to become members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Nottingham is the first new veterinary school in the UK for over 50 years, and the process to recognise its degree for the purposes of RCVS membership is currently in its final stages. Following a visitation and audit process, RCVS Council unanimously recommended the degree's approval to the Privy Council, where the final decision lies.

Generally, veterinary graduates become RCVS members - which they need to be in order to practise in the UK - at a ceremony on the day of their graduation. However, sometimes they wish to start work before graduation and can therefore apply to register as graduands, as in this case.

Although formal Privy Council approval of the Nottingham degree is still awaited, RCVS external examiners have overseen the School's final exams during the last year of the course to ensure that they meet the required standards.  

The Nottingham graduation ceremony will take place on 22 July, when a further 77 students will graduate, and those wishing to practise in the UK will become members of the College.

The RCVS 2010 Survey of the Veterinary and Veterinary Nursing Professions indicated that, on average, new graduates took one month to find work on graduating, with 63% going straight into clinical practice.

The RCVS has announced plans to move out of its Westminster offices by 31st March 2022. 

The College sold the premises in March this year, with an option to lease it back for up to two years, giving time for Council to consider the future building requirements of the organisation and how they might have changed following the coronavirus pandemic.

Following easing of government restrictions this summer, the RCVS says that Council members and staff have started using the building for some meetings and day-to-day working, but occupancy has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.

RCVS Council therefore agreed at its meeting earlier this month that there is now a clear financial benefit to moving out at the first opportunity under the existing terms of lease.

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS Chief Executive, said: “As we all gradually emerge from the restrictions of the past 18 months, one of the things we, as an organisation, have learned from the pandemic is that we can cope well with remote and hybrid working, whilst continuing to provide a high level of service to the professions and the animal-owning public.

“Retaining the use of our current offices over the last few months has certainly helped us to do this, but our Estates Strategy Group recommended to Council that there was now little to be gained and much to lose financially if we continued to lease Belgravia House for another year.”

“In the coming weeks, we will be drawing up detailed plans for the safe removal and storage of our effects, including the library, historical collection and archives, which are maintained by RCVS Knowledge.

"To support the team until we can move into a permanent building, we will hire serviced office space and meeting rooms around London and elsewhere in the UK as and when we need them.

“We also plan to take Council meetings ‘on the road’ over the next 12 months to enable Council members to engage with more veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses around the country.

“Meanwhile, we remain fully committed to the purchase of a new permanent London home for the RCVS and are seeking a building that not only meets the needs of the professions both now and well into the future, but also aims to be a sound financial investment for the College in the years ahead.”

Sarah Taylor and Zoe Daley, the veterinary nurses behind vnpetproducts.co.uk, have launched a new initiative which they hope will offer veterinary surgeons and other nurses a welcome, calming distraction from the stresses of practice life, and raise money for Vetlife in the process.

The Crafty Vet Project aims to ignite your interest in one of a range of creative hobbies, which include cheese, beer, candle, soap and teddy-bear making, with kits available for sale from the new 'Craft Corner' section of their website. £3 from the sale of each kit will go to Vetlife.

Sarah said: "We wanted other veterinary professionals to experience the same pleasure that we get from creative hobbies. It is a chance for people no matter what day you have had to switch off, follow a pattern or instructions and come out with something at the end that you can be truly proud of."

Your new hobby might even turn into a nice sideline business. Sarah said: "One evening over a catch-up Zoe and I were discussing items that we wished we had in practice to make our lives as nurses easier.

"Despite having drunk 2 bottles of wine together we felt that there and then was the best time to start our new business. Two hours later having chopped up an old pair of curtains, accidently sewn my jumper sleeve into the material and woken my husband up at 3am to our cackles, we had the first prototype of our Slumberpet Recovery Coat.

"Our business has grown nicely since then and we are still coming up with more ideas, albeit in a slightly more sober, professional manner."

To select and order your hobby kit, visit: https://www.vnpetproducts.co.uk/craft-corner

BCF has launched a new gallery of ultrasound 'how to' videos, with an accompanying CPD-qualifying questionnaire, on VetSurgeon.org

In the series of 9 short videos, BCF's in-house vet, Kimberly Palgrave, demonstrates how to perform a basic abdominal ultrasound examination in small animal patients.

The videos, which were produced in collaboration with The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, also cover how to alter the controls on your ultrasound machine to get the most of your equipment.

Kimberly said: "I am really passionate about encouraging as many vets using ultrasound in their daily routine as a diagnostic tool. My aim for these videos is to give vets in practice a resource to develop their ultrasound skills. We hope you enjoy the videos and we are already busy developing further videos."

To see the videos visit the ultrasound gallery. 

www.bcftechnology.com / www.facebook.com/bcftechnology.

The RCVS has announced that this year, for the first time, it will accept debit card payments from veterinary surgeons who are renewing their registration.

The annual renewal fee should be paid by 31 March. Those who have not paid by 30 April will be charged an extra £35 to renew their registration while those who have not paid by 31 May will be removed from the Register.

Corrie McCann, RCVS Director of Operations, said: "Following feedback from the profession, this year, thanks to a change in our registration regulations, we are able to accept debit card payments which we hope will make the renewal process much easier and more convenient for our members. Furthermore, members will also no longer be charged if they choose to pay their fee by credit card."

Veterinary surgeons will also need to confirm their registration details (including their correspondence and registration addresses), confirm that they have met the RCVS requirement for continuing professional development of 105 hours over a three-year period and disclose any new or previously undisclosed convictions, cautions or adverse findings.

Another change is that vets will now have the choice of either home or work as their registered address (in the past, only work addresses were allowed).

The annual renewal can be completed by returning the form that has been sent by post or by logging into the 'My Account' area of the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/login) using the security details that have been sent to all MsRCVS.

Any members who have not received their annual renewal form or security details for the 'My Account' area should contact the RCVS Registration Department on 020 7202 0707 or registration@rcvs.org.uk as soon as possible.

Those with queries about paying the annual renewal fee should contact the RCVS Finance Team on 020 7202 0733 or finance@rcvs.org.uk

Virbac, manufacturer of Stelfonta, has announced that it will host a series of free webinars on the diagnosis of canine mast cell tumours, in collaboration with BattLab/Laboklin.

The webinars will be presented by specialists in their respective fields; small animal oncologist Sara Verganti and clinical pathologists Francesco Cian and Roberta Rasotto. 

Each 30-minute session will focus on a specific aspect of MCT diagnostics followed by a multidisciplinary Q&A. The sessions, which all start at 7:30pm, are:

• Thursday 7^th October: A GP approach to work up canine mast cell tumours with Sara Verganti, register here: https://bit.ly/SaraMCT
• Thursday 14^th October: What cytology can tell you with Francesco Cian, register here: https://bit.ly/FrancescoMCT
• Thursday 21^st October: The histopathology report and proliferative markers: what they mean for your patients with Roberta Rasotto, register here: https://bit.ly/RobertaMCT

Dr Neil Mottram MRCVS, Technical Product Manager at Virbac said: "Mast cell tumours are the most common form of canine cutaneous neoplasia, although relatively simple to identify, knowing what diagnostic steps to take can be challenging. We believe this truly comprehensive bite size mini-series will provide vets with the confidence to navigate the diagnostic approach for their next MCTs."

For more information, contact your Virbac Territory Manager.

A new survey by Petplan has given an insight into how veterinary nurses regard their job.

The survey, conducted at BVNA Congress, found that 73% of nurses feel that clients do not have a sufficient understanding of their role in practice. 

Louisa Baker, the 2008 Petplan Vet Nurse of the Year, said: "Clients are often not aware of the skills required to be a vet nurse. Most clients believe we just handle the animals whereas we are often involved with surgical activities such as stitching and preparing drips."

Arguably, if pet owners under-appreciate the role of the nurse in practice, then they might also be expected to place a lower financial value on the care they provide. If that is the case, then it makes a lot of sense for vets and practice owners to find novel ways of communicating the breadth of work that nurses do, and its importance, to clients. 

Other findings included 40% of nurses agreeing that direct contact with animals, such as caring for them through recovery, is the best part of the job. 54% told Petplan that they find the job extremely rewarding. 

Nearly all nurses (99%) said that they value training and CPD to further their careers.

To support this desire to learn, Petplan has launched its Petplan Insurance Advisor training scheme. Already, over 500 nurses have completed one of the scheme's CPD qualifying modules.

The scheme enables the development of individual skills such as the ability to sell products and gain confidence with clients. Available online, vet nurses can participate in the scheme at work or at home. Visit http://www.petplanpia.co.uk/ for more information. 

BEVA has revamped its BEVApod podcast channel to include real-life features and clinical catch-up content as well as the latest news, views and opinions.

The Association says following the launch two years ago BEVApod has become such a popular information and learning resource that members have been asking for more content. 

The new BEVApod will include regular features from equine vet Brad Hill, clinical Assistant Professor in Equine Practice at the University of Nottingham (pictured right), who will be exploring the many aspects of life in equine practice. He will be sharing real life stories to help promote a sense of togetherness and support mental health and wellbeing.

Brad said: “Although based at Nottingham, I am passionate about maintaining links to all areas of the equine profession. This podcast will provide a platform to bring the experiences of others directly to the listener wherever they are.”

Brad will be releasing a new episode every other week and has already lined up some participants, including Maddy Campbell, Ellen Singer, Graham Duncanson, Jack Wallace and Gemma Kirk.

BEVApod will also host clinical episodes on a monthly basis, taken from the BEVA Clinical Catch-Up recordings.

BEVA President Lucy Grieve said: “These are live webinars where we invite a practitioner to present on a clinical topic and then open it up for an informal discussion. We have turned the recordings of these into podcasts so that our members can listen to the recordings whilst travelling between clients. It makes great use of travel time and fills the void we all sometimes feel when we are alone with just our thoughts in the car.”  

Current clinical catch-ups available on BEVApod include a panel discussion with experts on PPE, a discussion on equine obesity with Lucy Grieve and Cathy McGowan and treating and managing liver disease with Sarah Smith.

You can listen to the BEVApod here https://beva.podbean.com

Vet Empowered and Covetrus are running a free two-part webinar series on how veterinary workplaces can better support people affected by hormonal changes.

The two 90-minute sessions, led by clinical psychologist Dr Helena Tucker, will cover how menstrual hormones affect stress, performance and emotional regulation, what realistic workplace adjustments can look like, how to advocate for yourself and others and how to engage colleagues and leadership in creating sustainable, stigma-free change.

They will also look at the workplace impact of PMS, PMDD, perimenopause, menopause, fertility challenges, pregnancy loss, hormonal treatment and other “significant hormonal transitions”.

The organisers said the content is designed to be “realistic about the demands of veterinary environments” and aimed at individuals and leaders having meaningful conversations about support and adjustments.

Katie Ford, co-founder of Vet Empowered, said: “You may never personally experience menstrual hormones, but you almost certainly live with someone who does, or have someone in your team who does.

"Understanding our biology as human beings, and how we can thoughtfully adapt our workplaces to honour that, benefits everyone.

"This is not about resilience or weakness.

"It is about biology, and what we can do with that knowledge.”

Session 1, Creating a Hormone-Friendly Veterinary Workplace, runs on Sunday 29 March 2026 at 10:00am BST for 90 minutes.

Session 2, From Awareness to Action - Advocacy and Sustainable Support in Veterinary Teams, runs on Saturday 11 April 2026 at 10:00am BST for 90 minutes.

The organisers said both sessions will be recorded and are open to vets, nurses, practice managers, leaders, and anyone who wants to better support colleagues and teams.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/1gjSl4osQkKnihbgUVRpQQ#/registration 

Pet insurer esure has released the results of a survey of vets bills, carried out amongst 3000 pet owners.

Whilst the intent behind surveys like these may be laudable (i.e. to encourage more pet owners to insure their pets), they do the profession no favours, emphasising the high perceived costs of veterinary care rather than the good value that it generally represents. 

This survey highlighted that: 

• One in 14 pet owners have paid a vet bill of over £1000. When asked what the highest bill was for a particular illness or injury, the average response was £406.
• 26% of pet owners polled struggled to find the money to pay unexpected vet bills.
• Almost a fifth of dog owners have had to use their credit card to pay for veterinary treatment and another 14 per cent have been forced to dip into their savings.
• Alarmingly, four per cent have even missed payments on their mortgage or utility bills because they had to unexpectedly dig into their wallets to pay for their pet instead.

esure's research showed that English Setters are the mostly costly breed of dog, forcing their owners to shell out £6,955 on vet bills, including injections, surgery and emergency treatments, in a lifetime.

Despite the potential for big bills, just a third (31 per cent) of pet owners have pet insurance and almost a quarter of those with cover admitted they were considering cancelling it to save money during the current credit crunch.

According to esure, many dog owners may be choosing to cancel or not even buy pet insurance because they are significantly underestimating the cost of treating common ailments and injuries. 29 per cent of pet owners surveyed think that the average vet bill for a dog with diabetes would be under £200, when it is actually £1146 including ongoing treatment*. To repair a dog's broken leg, 11 per cent of pet owners think that the average vet bill would be less than £100. It is actually more than five times that amount at £560*.

Mike Pickard, Head of esure pet insurance said: "Sickness, injury and long-term illness can affect any breed of dog, at any time, which is why it's crucial for pet owners to have insurance or ample savings to cover an unexpected vet bill of any size.  With many pet owners underestimating the cost of treatment for common ailments, a hefty vet bill may stretch household finances to the limit - especially in the current credit crunch. Pet owners should plan ahead for all eventualities when it comes to their dog's health."

VET BILLS FOR THE TOP 10 MOST POORLY DOG BREEDS:

* Based on all claims received by pet insurance specialist, Thornside in 2008. http://www.bdml.co.uk/about-thornside.html