As part of its Black History Month activities, the RCVS has put together a series of video interviews with black and mixed heritage newly-qualified and student vets and nurses, talking about what inspired them to join the veterinary profession and how they got to where they are today.

The interviews give an insight into the career advice the interviewees got from their school, what steps they took to secure their place to study for their qualification, what hurdles they had to overcome and what can be done to address issues around the under-representation of some groups within the profession.

The College says the aim is to help inspire school age children to consider a veterinary career through frank conversations with role models who have chosen a vet or vet nursing career.

The first film is an interview with Rheanna Ellis, a 2021 Nottingham Vet School graduate who is now working as a veterinary surgeon at a West Midlands practice. In her interview she talks about her passion to become a vet from a young age, how she went about researching and preparing for her job, and the importance of perseverance.

To help promote the videos and the College’s ongoing work on diversity and inclusion, the RCVS has partnered with the official Black History Month campaign and website which will also be hosting the videos. 

Many of the interviews have been carried out by Mandisa Greene, RCVS Senior Vice-President, who helped lead the RCVS Black History Month activities last year as the College’s first ever black President.

Mandisa said: “It’s important that we demonstrate commitment to diversity and inclusion and have a role in acknowledging and accentuating diverse voices within the professions. Throughout these video interviews I’ve had the opportunity to speak to some inspiring newly qualified and student veterinary professionals who are all clearly very passionate about supporting animal health and welfare.

“I hope that school children from all backgrounds who watch these videos will get the chance to see how rewarding and enjoyable a veterinary career can be and that they’ll be inspired to consider becoming a vet or vet nurse in the future.”

The RCVS will be publishing more video interviews on its YouTube channel through October and beyond.

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has published the first standardised research-based radiographic guidelines to support the accurate checking of feeding tube placement in dogs and cats.

Although feeding tubes are widely used in practice, there has previously been no agreed radiographic criteria to confirm correct positioning, creating uncertainty and increasing the risk of serious complications such as aspiration pneumonia and pneumothorax.

The new guidelines address this gap by providing an evidence-based framework for interpreting lateral neck and thoracic radiographs.

Led by Andrea Vila Cabaleiro, Small Animal Diagnostic Imaging Resident at the RVC, the research team collected 256 lateral neck and chest radiographs of dogs and cats with nasoesophageal or nasogastric feeding tubes in place.

The images were sourced from ten private and academic institutions, including the RVC’s Queen Mother Hospital for Animals.

Expert veterinary radiologists then verified whether the tubes were correctly placed in the oesophagus or incorrectly in the trachea.

From this dataset, the researchers developed a three-point radiographic checklist to confirm correct tube placement:

1. whether the tube passes dorsal to the cricoid cartilage lamina
2. whether any part of the tube course is visible outside the trachea (i.e. not completely superimposed)
3. whether the tube passes dorsal to the dorsal wall of the carina

To assess the clinical value of the guidelines, six veterinarians with varying levels of experience reviewed the same radiographs on two occasions, first using their usual judgement and then, after a minimum seven-day interval, using the new guidelines.

Diagnostic accuracy improved from 82% to 96%, while uncertainty fell from 14% to 2%.

Agreement between clinicians also improved from moderate to almost perfect.

The guidelines performed consistently across dogs and cats, a wide range of patient sizes and multiple clinical settings.

The authors concluded that this structured, evidence-based approach improves both accuracy and confidence without requiring additional equipment, making it suitable for use in general practice, referral hospitals and emergency and critical care environments.

An accompanying step-by-step infographic has been produced to support uptake of the guidelines in day-to-day clinical practice: https://www.rvc.ac.uk/Media/Default/VetCompass/260105%20RVC%20Infographic%20-%20Radiographic%20guidelines%20on%20feeding%20tube%20placment.pdf 

Reference

1. Vila Cabaleiro, A., O'Neill, D.G., Cordella, A., Vilaplana Grosso, F.R., Gioele Rizzo, S., Matson, H.L., Porcarelli, F., Bosher, J.C., Matkar, V.S., Duggan, R.G., Diana, A., Stock, E., Pearce, H. and Fitzgerald, E. (2026) 'Introduction and Validation of Radiographic Guidelines for Identification of Nasoesophageal and Nasogastric Tube Position in Dogs and Cats', Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, 67(1), e70138, available: http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/vru.70138 

Boehringer Ingelheim has announced the winners of its 16th annual awards for students who have shown the best aptitude for cardiology, orthopaedics and anesthesia over the course of the entire final year.

Bethan MacKenzie, Jennifer Scully, Emma Foster (pictured right with Tim Bentall from Boehringer) and Chris Middleton from The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh picked up the awards after being nominated by the respective heads of departments at the college.

The prizes are awarded after discussion amongst all the staff involved with the rotation, specialist surgeons, residents receiving advanced training and the nursing staff.  Each winner was awarded a book on veterinary medicine.

The Animal Health Trust has presented the results of a study which has identified a significant link between hind limb lameness and saddle slip, showing consistent saddle slip in some horses with hind limb lameness, even when the lameness is fairly subtle and difficult to detect.

According to the AHT, saddle slip in sports horses is a well-recognised problem that can occur for a variety of reasons, including asymmetry in the shape of the horse's back, riders sitting crookedly and ill-fitting saddles. Sue Dyson, Head of Clinical Orthopaedics at the Centre for Equine Studies at the Animal Health Trust, had also observed that saddle slip may occur because of hind limb lameness. The intention of the study, therefore, was to find out more about the interrelationships between the horse, saddle and rider and to document the frequency of occurrence of saddle slip in horses with hind limb lameness compared with other horses.

The research was undertaken by Sue Dyson and Intern Line Greve and was presented at the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress last month. It is thought to be the first study of its kind, and was supported by the Saddle Research Trust (SRT). The SRT is a charitable organisation, aiming to facilitate research and provide support as well as advice on the influence of the saddle on the welfare and performance of horses and riders.  

The study assessed 128 horses of varying size, age and type. The degree of lameness of each horse was graded; back shape and symmetry were measured and saddles assessed for symmetry and fit.  Each horse was ridden by at least two riders and rider straightness plus weight were recorded. The grade of saddle slip, whether it occurred with more than one rider, and whether saddle slip was influenced by the direction of movement or the diagonal on which the rider was sitting were also noted.

The saddle consistently slipped to one side in 54% of horses with hind limb lameness, compared with 4% of horses with fore limb lameness, 0% with back pain and/or sacroiliac joint region pain and 0% of non-lame horses. Diagnostic analgesia was subsequently used to abolish the hind limb lameness and this eliminated the saddle slip in 97% of cases.

Sue said: "Our findings emphasise the need to educate owners, veterinarians, physiotherapists, trainers, riders and saddle fitters that saddle slip is frequently an indicator of lameness, not necessarily a manifestation of an ill-fitting saddle or asymmetric shape of the horse's back. Detection of saddle slip provides an opportunity for the owner, riders and trainers to detect low-grade and subclinical lameness, with important welfare consequences."

Further scientific studies are planned, with the support of the Saddle Research Trust, in order to build on these findings. To this end the SRT is currently seeking an honorary fundraiser to help secure ongoing financial support. For further information contact Anne Bondi on 07775 912202 or email annebondi@me.com.

¹An investigation of the relationship between hindlimb lameness and saddle slip, L. Greve and S.J. Dyson, Centre for Equine Studies, Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7UU, UK.

Mike Martin, an RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology, has launched a new reference library of cardiology echo scans on VetSurgeon.org.

The movies show cardiac scans performed on normal dogs, and on cats and dogs with a variety of different conditions, both acquired and congenital.

Mike said: "I hope these movies will be a really helpful reference for colleagues who have an interest in cardiology. They provide so much more information than can be gleaned from a still image in a textbook, now that online video quality has improved so much."

Mike's gallery is an excellent example of the way in which a social networking website like VetSurgeon allows its members to share information and collaborate. Other referral practitioners interested in having their own gallery in which to share videos or images with colleagues in the profession should contact the site editor, Arlo Guthrie for further details.

Click here to visit Mike Martin's Cardiology Gallery

Researchers from the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol have had a study into domestic dogs' fear responses to noise published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

According to the University, the study provides an important insight into dogs' fear of noises, and could improve our understanding of behavioural signs of fear or anxiety.

In the study two approaches were taken to investigate the occurrence of, and risk factors for, behaviours caused by a fear of noise: a postal survey of dog owners to investigate general demographic factors and a structured interview of a sub-set of owners to gather more detailed information.

• Nearly 50% of owners reported that their dog showed at least one behavioural sign typical of fear when exposed to noises such as fireworks, thunder and gunshots
• Only 25% of the above reported their dog as 'fearful' of noises

It seems that while owners are often aware of their pet's behavioural response when exposed to a loud noise, they do not necessarily recognise it as being indicative of fear or anxiety. This has relevance both for awareness of compromised welfare, and the methodology for surveying such behaviour.

• The most commonly reported behavioural signs were vocalising, trembling/shaking, hiding, vocalising and seeking people, but researchers think trembling and shaking are more often reported than other behaviours because they are similar to fearful behaviours in humans

According to the researchers, other behavioural signs, such as decreased activity or salivation, may not be as easily recognised by owners as signs of fear, and may be under-reported. Also, signs of urination, salivation and destruction may make owners disappointed or angry, and this may influence their interpretation that such behaviours are associated with fearfulness.

• Responses to fireworks were the most common, but fear responses to loud noises such as fireworks, gunshots and thunder appear to commonly co-occur, suggesting generalisation between salient stimuli

The risk factors for owner-reported fear of noises included:

• Breed, although 12 breeds or breed types were less likely to show fear responses to noises than cross-breeds, including popular gundog breeds such as the Labrador, Cocker Spaniel and Springer Spaniel
• Age, where risk increased with age
• Origin, where dogs living with the owner who bred them had a reduced risk compared to dogs purchased from the breeder by a second owner, supporting the view that an early environment that is very similar to the environment experienced in adulthood  is advantageous

The researchers suggest a dog's early life experience is an important factor in the development of fear responses to specific loud noises.

Dr Rachel Casey, European Specialist in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine and Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Bristol University, said: "Our results suggest that the characteristics of dogs, their early environment, and exposure to specific loud noises are involved in the development of fear responses to noises. Interestingly, less than a third of owners sought professional advice about treatment for their pet's response to noises."

Disappointingly, less than a third of owners currently seek professional advice about treatment for their pet's fear. The researchers recommend there is a need for veterinary surgeons to increase awareness among the general dog owning public that treatment is both available and effective in dealing with fears of loud noises, and to direct them towards appropriate sources of help.

Information for vets and dog owners on finding an expert to help treat behaviour problems including fear of noises can be found at www.rspca.org.uk/findabehaviourist

Paper: Fear responses to noises in domestic dogs: Prevalence, risk factors and co-occurrence with other fear related behaviour, Emily J. Blackwell, John W.S. Bradshaw, Rachel A. Casey, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, published online 22 January 2013.

The RCVS has removed 339 veterinary surgeons from the Register for non-payment of their annual renewal fee.

The final deadline for paying the fee was 31 May 2017, with the 339 who did not pay being removed on 1 June 2017, compared to 296 last year.

A list of those who have not paid their fee has been published on the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/registration/about-the-rcvs-register/) and the College is encouraging practices to check the list to be sure that no employees are named. Those who have been removed from the Register but have subsequently paid to be restored are not named on the list.

Anyone removed from the Register can no longer call themselves a veterinary surgeon, use the postnominals MRCVS or carry out acts of veterinary surgery – to do so would be in breach of the Veterinary Surgeons Act.

The College is also reminding veterinary surgeons that to complete their registration in full they need to confirm they are compliant with the continuing professional development (CPD) requirement and complete the criminal disclosures form. Both of these are required by the Code of Professional Conduct and can be completed on the ‘My Account’ area www.rcvs.org.uk/login.

Anyone with queries about completing the registration process should contact the RCVS Registration Department on 020 7202 0707 or registration@rcvs.org.uk.

New research conducted by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and published in the Equine Veterinary Journal has revealed that Thoroughbred foals that are given extensive turnout in larger pastures during their first six months of life, and those weaned later, are more likely to go on to race, compete more often, and earn more prize money¹.

This, say the researchers, is the first time in a UK field setting that the effect of early-life exposures, in particular exercise and turn out, on later-life milestones and race performance in Thoroughbreds has been comprehensively evaluated.

The findings can be applied at stud farms to help retain Thoroughbreds within the industry and achieve their athletic potential - outcomes that align with priorities of the Horse Welfare Board’s strategy to support the welfare of horses bred for racing.

The research team, led by Rebecca Mouncey MRCVS, a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the RVC, followed 129 flat race bred Thoroughbred foals, born in 2019 and 2020 on six stud farms across the UK, from birth into training for racing.

Each dam’s reproductive history, and details of her health and management during pregnancy were collected, as were daily records of the foal’s health and management from birth until they left the stud farm.

Race performance records up to the end of their fourth year of life were collated from racing industry databases.

The team then used statistical modelling to evaluate relationships between gestational exposures and early-life experiences and whether or not horses entered training and their subsequent race performance.

Findings suggested that the use of more extensive turnout practices during the first six months of life and later weaning benefited the attainment of career milestones, productivity (the number of races) and financial returns (total prizemoney won).

The main findings were:

• Foals that spent more time turned out at pasture in the first six months of life, and foals that were weaned at an older age, were more likely to race at least once by the end of their fourth year of life.
• The older the foals were at weaning, the greater number of race stats they made.
• Foals that were turned out in larger paddocks during the first six months of life earned more prizemoney.

The findings demonstrate that the first six months of life is a critical period of development in Thoroughbreds, during which it is essential that turnout and weaning practices provide sufficient opportunity for positive tissue adaptation and optimal development.

Breeders are therefore encouraged to maximise turnout whenever possible, and to consider weaning after this critical period.

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/research/projects/veeph/early-life-determinants-of-performance-and-the-economics-of-thoroughbred-breeding 

Reference

1. Mouncey R, de Mestre AM, Arango-Sabogal JC, Verheyen KL. Born to run? Associations between gestational and early-life exposures and later-life performance outcomes in Thoroughbreds. Equine Vet J. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.70084

Scandinavian Micro Biodevices (SMB) has launched its new diagnostic device: QuickVet Analyzer. The device brings novel ‘point of care’ testing to the clinic.

The QuickVet Analyzer and QuickVet COAG test cartridge provide analytical results in pets’ blood samples to help diagnose a range of conditions such as:

• excessive bleeding
• hereditary bleeding disorders
• rodenticide and other toxins
• systemic diseases
• pre-surgical workup for at-risk animals
• disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC)

Investigating potential coagulation problems is an important pre-operative procedure.

SMB Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ole Kring, said: “The QuickVet Analyzer is simple to use, requires no routine maintenance and delivers results of high precision.”

The SMB device brings state of the art, ‘lab-on-a-chip’ concept from human diagnostics to the veterinary clinic, giving vets diagnostic test results in approximately ten minutes. Instead of waiting until the next day for the result, vets can offer pet owners an instant diagnosis.

The Quickvet Analyzer uses individual test cartridges based on microfluidic technology. The first test cartridge to be launched - the QuickVet COAG test - will analyse the intrinsic activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and extrinsic partial thromboplastin time (PT) coagulation cascade from citrated whole blood in just minutes at an unmatched precision level of 7% CV in the relevant diagnostic range.

With touch screen operation, the instrument requires minimal training and is very user-friendly – the vet just adds a blood sample on the disposable cartridge and reads the result on the 7” colour screen.

The Quickvet COAG test is the first of several test cartridges being rolled out by SMB, which will be used in conjunction with the QuickVet Analyzer. They will all use whole blood samples and provide novel in-clinic diagnostic capabilities within the areas of infectious diseases, parasites and parasite transmitted diseases, toxicology, hormones, oncology and cardiology.

For further information on the QuickVet Analyser and QuickVet COAG test cartridges please contact:

Mr Ole Kring CEO
Scandinavian Micro Biodevices ApS
Gammelgaardsvej 87C
DK-3520 Farum
Denmark
http://www.quickvet.net/
Telephone: +45 203 378 58

The latest solution to the perennial problem of cat mess has arrived in the UK; CatGenie is the world's first self-flushing, self-washing cat loo.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here it is...

According to CatGenie UK, the loo eliminates the need for pet owners to touch, smell or change dirty cat litter again, or carry heavy bags of cat litter home from the supermarket.

Once hooked up to a water connection and plugged into an electrical socket, CatGenie is ready to use.  Instead of litter, it uses washable granules that look and feel like litter. Liquid waste drains and solids get scooped. All get liquefied for disposal down the drain, out of the home. The washable granules and cat box interior are then washed with water and SaniSolution. A built in dryer blows hot air through the granules to dry them completely for the cat's comfort. Sensors monitor when a cat visits the box and the CatGenie can be set to clean automatically at intervals throughout the day, or manually whenever required. 

CatGenie costs £289.99 including VAT and shipping. The company says that annual running costs are lower than traditional cat litter methods which cost approximately £155/year, with more than 30 hours a year spent on buying and carrying litter, changing and disposing of dirty litter. CatGenie's on-going costs are less than £100.

CatGenie is offering vets the opportunity to take advantage of this product launch in the UK.  By displaying CatGenie leaflets in your practice, you can earn £10 for every unit sold.  There's no financial outlay and no need to store bulky items.  Your leaflets will include a promotional code, unique to your practice.  If one of your clients buys a CatGenie online and types in the code from one of your leaflets, you automatically receive £10 and they receive a £10 discount off the purchase price. 

For further information on how to sign up to the promotional offer and for leaflets to display in your practice, please email courtney.morgan@catgenie.co.uk

The Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB) has changed its name to International Cat Care in order to better reflect the work the charity does to help improve the lives of cats both in the UK and internationally.

Along with the name change, the charity has developed a completely new visual identity, which has been applied to its new website (www.icatcare.org).

Claire Bessant, CEO of International Cat Care, said: "We continue to evolve as a charity and we are increasingly working internationally to help vets and local communities provide better care for cats. While our mission and core values will remain the same, we needed a strong brand identity to better reflect this work and to help us engage more directly with consumers and vets."

Underneath the International Cat Care umbrella, there are three core areas which are designed to help streamline the charity's work and make it easy for vets, professionals and consumers to engage in the right way. The three areas are:

• Cat care ADVICE
  Essential guidance for owners and cat carers on how to keep cats happy, healthy and safe.

• Cat care IN ACTION
  Practical solutions for improving the welfare of abandoned, neglected, stray and unowned cats.

• Cat care FOR VETS
  Trusted worldwide resource on feline healthcare, provided through our veterinary division the International Society of Feline Medicine.

The charity's new website will continue to host information and advice on virtually every aspect of cat care, but also showcases the charity's work internationally. Most recently, the team has been in Sudan teaching vets about the safe handling and neutering of cats, with a special emphasis on street cats.

Claire Bessant continued: "We really wanted to achieve a clear and succinct explanation of who we are and what we do, and we think the new name and visual identity perfectly sums this up.  It's been such a rewarding process because the rebrand has been so positively received by our dedicated staff, members and supporters."

International Cat Care will be officially unveiled on the first day of this year's BSAVA Congress, where vets and the media will be invited to the stand to see the new identity for the first time, and for a glass of celebratory champagne.

To meet the team and find out more about the rebrand, visit stand 704 at the BSAVA Congress.

A new company called ReCoVa-19 has launched a coronavirus testing and wellness programme designed to help veterinary professionals back into the workplace.

The programme offers employers a variety of options, including antigen and antibody testing, environmental testing, a daily wellness symptom checker app and ongoing site monitoring to identify asymptomatic spreaders and pre-symptomatic spreaders, neither of which are identified by the current routine government testing programmes.

Dr Tony Cooke, lead scientist and director at ReCoVa-19 (pictured right) said: "Businesses, such as veterinary practices are struggling to serve the needs of their clients while also protecting their employees in their role as essential workers. Vets also recognise the value of reliable testing at a sustainable cost and the best practice approach. Concerns over obligations with regard to the health and safety of employees and uncertainty, are significant barriers to normal working practices but with the level of testing and support we can provide that’s no longer necessary.”

The company says the new programme is highly accurate and affordable, and can be tailored for businesses of all sizes.

For more information, visit: www.recova-19.com.