Organisers are calling for entrants for this year's Vet Charity Challenge, an outdoor sporting fundraiser which also serves as a team building event for practices.

Competitors take part in walking, running, cycling and kayaking challenges, along with some orienteering and mental and physical tasks, in teams of four.

The event will take place on Saturday 28^th September at Pershore College, Worcestershire. 

Organisers say the Vet Charity Challenge has been designed for every level of fitness and success on the day depends very much on how well each team member works together, rather than physical fitness.

Jason Rogers, one of the VCC organisers said: "Teams are registering every day and we are delighted with the response. But there are a few team spaces left, so I urge practices to register a team of four online now at: www.vetcharitychallenge.co.uk."

The Vet Charity Challenge 2012 raised a total of £21,000, which was shared between three animal charities. The event in 2013 will raise funds for Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, SPANA and Animals Asia.

The RCVS has launched an online petition calling on Parliament to protect the title ‘veterinary nurse’ in law.

The petition follows on from the work done by the College earlier in the year, drawing up the ‘Veterinary Nurse (Protection of Title) Bill’ which was submitted to a ballot of the House of Lords in May by former RCVS President and Council member Professor the Lord Trees and received its first reading on 10 June.

Unfortunately, Lord Trees' Bill was drawn low in the ballot, so it is now thought unlikely - though not impossible - that it will be given time for a second reading in this parliament.

Nevertheless, the College is continuing to try and raise awareness of the issue, both amongst the public and parliamentarians. If the petition gains enough signatures, it should maximise the chances of the Bill being given a proper airing in parliament, this year or in the future.

Liz Cox, the Chair of VN Council, said: “We believe that the fact that anybody can call themselves a veterinary nurse is unacceptable. It means that there is potential for the public to be misled and for animal health and welfare to be compromised. Therefore we would urge veterinary nurses, veterinary surgeons and animal owners to sign this petition. With 10,000 signatures the Government is obliged to respond formally and take a stance on the issue; with 100,000 signatures the issue would be considered for a formal parliamentary debate.

“If we are successful with this campaign, the public will be assured that they are receiving the highest standard of nursing care for their animals from a genuine professional and by protecting the title we can remove any doubt about who is a veterinary nurse.”

In conjunction with the petition, the RCVS has also produced a template letter which the profession and public can use to write to their local Member of Parliament asking them to support the campaign. For example, the letter asks the MP to adopt the Veterinary Nurse (Protection of Title) Bill and enter it into a Private Members’ Bill ballot or introduce it as a 10-Minute Rule Bill. 

The petition, and the campaign in general, has received support from the BVNA and the British Veterinary Association BVA.

Fiona Andrew, President of the BVNA, said: “BVNA has campaigned for the protection of the title of 'Veterinary Nurse' for many years. We are delighted that the RCVS is continuing the campaign with the addition of the online petition and letter template. 

“We would ask all out members to sign the petition and write to their MP. We believe that this is an important step towards giving clarity and reassurance to the public, strengthening the profession and raising awareness of what veterinary nurses can do and enhancing animal welfare.”

John Blackwell, President of the BVA, added: “BVA is delighted to support the campaign to protect the title, as veterinary nurses are an essential part of the veterinary team and deserve full recognition for their roles. By protecting the title it not only recognises the skills of qualified veterinary nurses, but also gives clients confidence that their animals are receiving the highest standard of care possible.”
 
Those who wish to sign the petition can do so on the UK Government and Parliament petition website https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/106153  
 
To find out more about the campaign, download a template letter to an MP and view the College's animated video about protecting the title, visit www.rcvs.org.uk/vntitle

The Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons has opened its 2021 Salary Survey and is inviting everyone in the profession, in clinical or non-clinical roles, from vets and nurses to support staff and those in industry, to take part.

The SPVS Salary Survey provides a benchmark of remuneration levels in the profession, including basic earnings, bonuses, dividends, overtime, accommodation, car allowances and pensions.

The main survey findings will be published in a report which will be shared with anyone who takes part and gives their email address at the end of the survey.

SPVS members will be given the full results with additional commentary and analysis. 

The Association says all responses are treated as strictly anonymous and totally confidential, and thanks everyone in advance who decides to take part.

To take part, visit: https://spvs.org.uk/salary-survey-2021. 

If you have any questions about the survey, email office@spvs.org.uk.

To meet market demands and ensure that their customers comply with regulatory requirements, British manufacturer Labcold has released the first models in a new range of vaccine and pharmaceutical refrigerators designed specifically for this use from the ground-up. The company says more models will be added to the range over the next 12 months. 

When storing temperature-sensitive vaccines and pharmaceuticals, Veterinary Practices need to ensure compliance with an ever-increasing burden of legislation, regulations and guidelines,  such as the latest VMD Code of Practice, (Oct 2007).  The BVA Good Practice Guide - Standard Operating Procedure 04 on the storage of medicinal products in permanent premises says as follows:

Refrigerated storage must:

• Be available for the storage of biologicals (i.e. vaccines) requiring a storage temperature between +2OC and +8OC
• Have temperatures monitored and capable of being recorded daily and the records retained for subsequent inspection
• Not be used for food or drink for human consumption

Although this guidance stops short of specifically excluding the use of domestic refrigerators, Labcold says professional products are more appropriate since they are built specifically for vaccine and pharmaceutical storage. Labcold refrigerators all fully compliant and have locking doors plus a host of handy options including capacity, glass doors and a new divided-drawer system.  

Robin Gregson, Sales & Marketing Director at Labcold said, "Our whole product range is constantly being updated to ensure that we provide our customers with market-leading solutions.  Many previous pharmacy refrigerators have simply been modified designs of domestic fridges, whilst our new range, the result of three years work, is one of the few on the market to be designed specifically for pharmacy use from the ground up."

For full information on all Labcold products, including portable refrigerators suitable for farm vets please visit http://www.labcold.com/ or contact sales@labcold.com / Telephone 0870 3001001 for a free copy of the latest Product Guide.

VetSalus has launched a sustainability course for farm vets.

“Livestock and Climate Change - A Veterinary Perspective” is an online learning course designed to give vets the confidence to make changes in their own work and the tools to support farming clients in meeting their goals.

It includes modules such as ‘Introduction to Sustainability for Veterinary Professionals’, ‘Emissions from Livestock Production’, ‘Housed Livestock Systems - Welfare, Nutrition and Emissions’, ‘Impact of Disease State on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Livestock’ and ‘Advantages and Trade-offs of Grazing Systems in Mitigating Climate Change’.

The 6-module course is expected to take up to 3 months to complete (equivalent to 15 hours of CPD) by remote learning, and participants will get a LANTRA-accredited certificate on completion. 

Lewis Griffiths, Chair of VetSalus, said “The veterinary profession has always had a critical role to play in technology transfer and the development of new farming systems.

"This course will equip vets to assist their farm clients in the incredibly important work of adapting to more sustainable production.

"I believe this is one of the most important courses to be developed for farm based veterinarians in recent years.”

Rune Friis Kristensen, Managing Director of Dyrlæger & Ko, Executive Officer at VetSalus and module champion said of the course “Livestock vets play an important role in the discussion around/about sustainability.

"Whether it is discussion with farmers, colleagues, academia or future vets it is pivotal that livestock vets know what they talk about when addressing emission issues.

"We know from surveys that the key decision maker when it comes to animal health and robustness is the vet, and more robust animals are always more sustainable.

"This course will provide learners with the knowledge that without a doubt is expected of vets in 2024.”

The course is aimed at veterinary professionals and those working in vet-led businesses, and whilst there are no specific entry requirements, all students are expected to have undertaken an undergraduate degree, technical qualification as a paraprofessional, or a relevant diploma.

The course costs £495 +VAT per student (registered overseas businesses may be eligible for a VAT exclusive price).

https://learn.vetsalus.com

A new company offering general practitioners online consultations with veterinary specialists launched in the UK last month. Televetdx (www.televetdx.com) has grouped over 40 veterinary specialists to offer their services to GPs in the UK and Europe.

Company director and veterinary pathologist Dr Anne Pietersma said: "Most pet owners want to provide their pets with the best possible care and this means access to the best possible advice from a specialist. Televetdx brings together specialists from referral practices and academia for radiology, cardiology and internal medicine that veterinarians can use as part of their practice to help with accurate diagnosis and treatment decision-making."

According to the company, the Televetdx service offers a convenient alternative to immediate referral and can save owners time and money despite the telemedicine fee. When pet owners, advised by their veterinary surgeon, agree to a telemedicine consultation, they are electing for the comfort of care and follow-up at their local clinic. This saves owners time but also minimises stress to the pet and costs due to travel or referral fees. The specialist or veterinary surgeon will be able to judge when a case needs referring to a centre, for example if the clinic is not equipped for the specialised medical care required.

Dr Pietersma said: "A referral is often not accessible to the pet owner for a variety of reasons. On the other hand, a veterinary surgeon might feel comfortable handling a more complex case but lack some of the needed expertise. Consulting and working closely with specialists allows veterinarians to quickly obtain tailored advice on a case and work more efficiently while providing a high quality service to pet owners. She added: "We include full follow-up as part our standard charge with no additional costs for resubmitting the same case with extra information, for example, additional test results or images".

Televetdx works through a secure on-line interface that vets use to upload scans or images and other test data. These are then passed to the most appropriate expert in the Televetdx consulting team who can assess the data and offer expert opinion and data interpretation. The specialist that first attends a telemedicine case is usually the closest to the requesting veterinary surgeon since a thorough understanding of disease and therapy takes into account variations that may occur due to differences in geography or pet-keeping culture and also the medications and formulations that are available nationally. 

Dr Pietersma said: "Being part of a team has tangible benefits to vets and pet owners - we can refer cases to other colleagues if appropriate to provide the veterinary surgeon with the most accurate information we can for their diagnosis. When pet owners witness their vet working closely with specialists they are given the assurance that their pet is receiving the best possible care". 

The Competition and Markets Authority has confirmed that it will now launch a full market investigation into the veterinary sector, following its initial review in September 2023.

The CMA says its main concerns remain the same as it outlined in March, namely whether consumers are getting enough information to make informed decisions, whether corporatisation is stifling competition in certain areas, whether corporate groups have incentives to act in ways that reduce choice, whether pet owners might be overpaying for medicines and whether the regulatory framework is outdated 

Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said: "The message from our vets work so far has been loud and clear – many pet owners and professionals have concerns that need further investigation.

"We’ve heard from people who are struggling to pay vet bills, potentially overpaying for medicines and don’t always know the best treatment options available to them.

"We also remain concerned about the potential impact of sector consolidation and the incentives for large, integrated vet groups to act in ways which reduce consumer choice.

"In March we proposed that a formal market investigation was the best route to fully explore these concerns and, if appropriate, take direct action to address them.

"That proposal has been overwhelmingly endorsed through our consultation.

"While we’re aware of acute staff shortages and difficult working conditions for vets, we consider a formal market investigation is essential to ensure good outcomes for the millions of pet owners in the UK as well as professionals working in the sector.

"The independent inquiry group will now take this investigation forward and, in the meantime, we’re publishing some tips to help pet owners better navigate vet services."

Meantime, the CMA has published 3 tips for pet owners, which are to look further than their nearest vet, to question treatment options and to consider buying medication elsewhere.

For veterinary surgeons and VNs who missed out on the BVDA 'Improving Periodontal Health' lecture tour last year, a further six have been organised for this autumn.

Speakers include Norman Johnston BVM&S, MRCVS, Ex President of the European Veterinary Dental College, John Robinson BDS (Lond) Dentist to the Veterinary Profession and Lisa Milella BVSc, MRCVS President of the British Veterinary Dental Association (BVDA).  This year's events see the content extended to include resorptive lesions, fractured teeth and dental radiography with greater emphasis on feline oral care.

According to Lisa, the 2010 lecture series helped alert vets and VNs to the importance of oral health, benefitting both pet and practice. "It takes five years at vet school to qualify yet only three or four days are devoted to dentistry, so it's no surprise that many vets and VNs enter the profession with only a basic understanding of oral health.

"We know that four out of five dogs over the age of three show signs of periodontal disease but unfortunately many go untreated. This is mainly because the problems that this can lead to are not fully understood."

She added: "These seminars will not only help delegates to recognise early signs of oral disease but also offer practical guidance on how practices can educate pet owners in the importance of oral care."

Lisa believes that both practices and owners benefit from good oral hygiene programmes. "As a profession we need to do more to help educate pet owners in the value of good oral care. Practices should be talking to their clients from day one about preventative programmes, rather than wait until the damage is done."

The six UK events are:

• Cardiff Sept 14th, Glasgow, Sept 16th
• Sevenoaks Sept 28th
• Manchester Oct 19th
• Darlington Oct 26th
• Birmingham Oct 28th.

The evening seminars, which are open to both vets and nurses, contribute two hours CPD and cost £35 per person and £25 for each subsequent delegate. A special group rate of £100.00 is available for any practice that wishes to send a group of four. For anyone wanting to reserve a place, please call the BVDA lecture tour reservation line centre on 01664 415 503.

Diagnostic imaging company BCF Technology is inviting veterinary surgeons to apply for a job as Clinical Manager by submitting a 2 minute video outlining why they would like to work for the company.

BCF Managing Director Gavin Mitchell said: "We are looking for somone with a real passion for imaging and desire to help improve the quality of veterinary imaging. Part of the role will involve presenting clinical learning videos, so we thought it would be a fun way to approach the recruitment process with candidates sending in their own home-made videos. So get creative and you could come and work with us and help vets learn more about 256 shades of grey."

BCF in-house vet Kimberly Palgrave said: "This role is a great opportunity for a vet wanting to help others to improve their confidence and skills in using ultrasound and X-ray, it is a hugely rewarding role. It is also a very diverse role as BCF is a worldwide company. BCF approaches everything in a fun, innovative way, including the recruitment process."

BCF Human Resources Manager, Kim McLean, said: "As we are offering a job role that is quite unique, we thought we would approach advertising the job in a bit of a non-conventional way as well. We hope that candidates will take on the challenge and that we will receive some interesting video applications for the role.

To help potential vets learn more about the role and what it is like to work for the company, BCF has created a video which gives an overview of the business, has some comments from its staff and even has a rap about the company at the end performed by Tom from the Purchasing Department.

For more information about the job, visit www.bcftechnology.com/about-us/bcf-careers

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has produced a new medicine record book to help producers effectively document animal health product usage, to coincide with the cattle pneumonia season.

The Resflor-sponsored booklet incorporates space to record all the necessary information to comply with legislative requirements.

Intervet/Schering-Plough livestock veterinary adviser Paul Williams MRCVS said: "If you are in the business of rearing, producing or treating farm animals that will end up as food for human consumption, you must keep a record of any veterinary medicinal product you give or treat them with.

"You must also keep proof of purchase of all veterinary medicinal products and keep all your records for a period of five years. A format for keeping all these records is set out in this book."

To order Resflor medicine record books to give your clients, ring: 01694 731777

Mars Veterinary Health has partnered with SageTech Veterinary to pilot an anaesthetic gas capture solution designed to help stop greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.

Mars says that during a typical anaesthetic procedure, less than five percent of the volatile anaesthetic agent delivered to a patient is absorbed and metabolised and about 95% is exhaled.

SageTech’s gas-capture technology – which is currently used in human healthcare – works by capturing the waste anaesthetic agent exhaled during an operation by adsorbing it into a reusable capture canister.

These waste anaesthetic agents can then be extracted from the filter, without incinerating or release them into the atmosphere.

Ellie West, RCVS and EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, and Linnaeus Environmental Sustainability Lead, said: “As a leading provider of veterinary care, we have a responsibility to take climate action at scale and lead the way toward more sustainable practices.

“Our innovative collaboration should help us take a significant step forward in our sustainability journey, aimed at contributing to a better future for the planet – and the people and pets who depend on it.”

The one-year pilot will start with 10 Linnaeus primary care and referral veterinary practices in the UK, after which Mars says it plans to explore the potential application of this technology across other parts of its business. 

https://www.sagetechveterinary.com 

Ian Wright MRCVS, Chair of the European Scientific Counsel of Companion Animal Parasites, will be presenting a free webinar about new exotic parasites on 17th July 2025, 7.30pm - 9.00pm. 

In the webinar, which is sponsored by Horiba, Ian will present an update on new exotic parasite infections and distribution across the UK and Europe, and what this means for pets, livestock and the people that care for them.

“New Exotic Parasites – Worming Their Way In?” is suitable for vets, nurses, students and veterinary care assistants.

https://horiba.link/4h2.

MSD Animal Health's equine division has launched a new series of materials to support its Keeping Britain's Horses Healthy Campaign.

For veterinary practices, there's a Vet Reception Pack designed to help receptionists educate owners why they should vaccinate and the benefits of preventive healthcare.

For yards, there are posters giving guidance and advice on prevention of Infectious Respiratory Disease and the steps which should be taken to control a potential outbreak. They can be tailor made for an individual yard.  

Peter Young, MSD Animal Health Equine Business Manager said: "Our first wave of support materials focused very much on equine vets and owners - helping raise awareness of the importance of preventive healthcare and driving owners towards vets for advice. This phase of materials helps support yard owners and receptionists, aiming to fill some of those communications gaps where advice and guidelines on individual horse's vaccination requirements and yard protocols can play a vital role in preventing the spread of disease and controlling outbreaks."  

Keeping Britain's Horses Healthy is a national campaign to educate horse owners on endemic infectious disease, vaccination, herd immunity and the importance of preventative healthcare. It includes a range of educational materials for veterinary surgeries and direct to owners. The campaign is supported by a national PR, advertising and social media programme, together with a dedicated website www.healthyhorses.co.uk.  The website, aimed at driving owners back to their veterinary practices, includes a vet finder, exclusively for equine practices, and healthcare information.  

For full details of the launch programme, talk to your account manager, call 01908 685685 or visit www.healthyhorses.co.uk.