Veterinary Specialists Scotland, a new small animal referral centre, has officially opened its doors in Livingston. Scotland.

Part of the Pets at Home Vet Group, the new centre was originally set for a Spring/Summer 2020 opening, but the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown set launch plans back to later in the year.

The 24/7 referral centre, which is led by Dr Sam Woods and Professor Dick White as co-Clinical Directors, takes referrals in orthopaedics, internal medicine, neurology, soft tissue surgery, diagnostic imaging and anaesthesia.

Sam said: "We are thrilled to finally be able to officially open our centre this week and to start welcoming patients from the surrounding area and throughout Scotland.

"This has been a strange and difficult year for us all, and as a profession we have faced some hard months. We hope our new referral hospital will be a great asset to the local first opinion professionals, as an extra support with any specialist referral cases, and we are really looking forward to building relationships with them. 

"We are lucky to have a great team of veterinary Specialists, nurses and support colleagues at VSS, who are all dedicated to offering the best service and care possible. We are all excited to see what the next few months will bring. 

The centre, based at Deer Park in Livingston, will also provide a CPD programme and internship and residency opportunities to those in the profession. 

Professor Dick White said: “Since its original inception, our vision for VSS has always been to create a world-class facility, with state-of-the-art technology and outstanding levels of care, and it feels great that we have finally been able to open the doors, welcome patients in and start on our journey. 

"We hope the referral centre not only supports local vets and pets, but also fosters new talent and helps develop the next generation of veterinary professionals through our CPD and Internship offering. We are looking forward to what the future will hold." 

Davies Veterinary Specialists (DVS), the Hertfordshire-based private small animal referral practice, has launched a pro bono scheme to help deliver the practice's multi-specialist care to deserving patients and clients.

All first opinion practices are eligible to apply for the scheme, which will allow an average of one patient per month to receive free treatment.

Clive Elwood, managing director of DVS said: "The DVS board was unanimous in its desire to introduce a pro bono scheme to help the needy, specifically those patients that are likely to achieve a full recovery following specialist care, but are otherwise precluded from referral because of their owners' particular circumstances."

Pro bono requests are open to all practices. They will be based on advocacy from the clinical head of the referring practice and on genuine need.

To find out more visit http://www.vetspecialists.co.uk/ or call Dr Clive Elwood on 01582 883950.

The six winners of this year's MSD veterinary student bursaries have visited the company's headquarters to present the conclusions of their research projects and collect their awards.

The two best research projects were selected on the awards day with Sara Hillyer from the University of Bristol School of Veterinary Sciences winning the £1,000 top prize for her project on vascular endothelial glycocalyx shedding in clinical disease in cats and dogs.

Nicola Mawson from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies won the £500 runner-up prize for her project on feline tooth resorptive lesions. 

The other four successful candidates were Emily Clark from the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine & Science, Luca Fortuna from the Royal Veterinary College London, Jessica Lam from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, and Xaquin Castro Dopico from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. Each were awarded £1000 towards their research.

Michelle Townley, Veterinary Advisor and Bursary Co-ordinator at MSD Animal Health said: "We were delighted that we had so many applications this year and again the standard of research and presentation was extremely high. The winning students presented on a very wide range of research areas and selecting just two winners proved extremely hard.  It is very encouraging to see such enthusiasm for research in the vets of the future."

Applicants were judged on the quality and clarity of their research project, and their ability to clearly communicate their conclusions. 

Applications for the MSD Animal Health Veterinary Student Research Bursary 2018 will be opened early next year. For further information, visit: www.msd-animal-health.co.uk/company-overview/student-research-bursary.aspx 

Janssen Animal Health has introduced a management tool for UK pig producers which it says stimulates oestrus in gilts and sows, shortens weaning to oestrus interval and can improve reproductive performance throughout the breeding herd.

Maprelin, which contains a new active molecule, Peforelin, is a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH).  A single, low volume injection of the ready-to-use solution induces oestrus in sows after weaning, and in sexually mature gilts where oestrus has been synchronised with Regumate Porcine. 

According to the company, it works by selectively inducing the release of the animal's own follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), leading to follicle growth - critical to successful reproduction - and the stimulation of oestrus.  Conventional GnRHs, because of their mode of action, are used mainly to induce ovulation.

Janssen says Maprelin is the next step in its pig reproduction programme, named Syncoris. Cornerstone of this programme is Regumate for gilt synchronisation.

Trials have shown that with the use of Maprelin (compared with control groups of breeding animals) the number of gilts and sows showing oestrus within six days of treatment increased by about 15 percentage points (Table 1).  For first-litter sows the figure was more than 8 percentage points. The duration of oestrus was not affected.

Gilts came on heat two days faster than with Regumate alone, and the weaning to oestrus interval with sows achieved similar statistically significant reductions.

Farrowing rate increased by over 5 per cent for sows, by 6 per cent for first-litter sows and just on 8 per cent for gilts.

Added to those benefits, for each 100 inseminations sows produced an extra 104 piglets, first-litter sows 105 and gilts an even more impressive 158.  All gilt groups in the trials, including the control groups, were synchronised with Regumate. With unsynchronised gilts it is not possible to predict the correct time to inject Maprelin.

Phil Macdonald, the company's UK pig and poultry business manager, says the objective of every producer is profitable pigmeat production.  "In the UK and other EU states the costs of feed, housing and labour are considerably higher than in other major pig-producing sectors of the world. 

"This makes it important for UK producers to optimise management of the reproductive process. Maprelin is a valuable tool that can help with this objective."

The precision injection gun with Maprelin enables accurate delivery of the small amounts required. Gilts require a 2.0 ml dose 48 hours after their last Regumate treatment, first-litter sows a 0.5 ml dose 24 hours after weaning and multi-litter sows 2.0 ml 24 hours after weaning. Injections are intramuscular.

The solution requires no mixing, reducing the possibility for errors.  Opened vials have a shelf life of 28 days and unopened vials a shelf life of two years.  Sows and gilts need only one injection per parity, and the withdrawal period for meat and offal is zero days.

Pets At Home Vet Group and Dick White Referrals have announced a strategic partnership in order to develop Pets at Home's strategy for providing specialist care.

Pets at Home says it is creating a new divisional structure comprised of the existing First Opinion Division (Vets4Pets and Companion Care joint venture practices) and the new Specialist Division, which comprises Dick White Referrals, Northwest Surgeons, Anderson Moores, and Eye Vet Referrals.

Dick White has been appointed Clinical Director of the new Specialist Division. 

Dick will remain as a shareholder in Dick White Referrals. He and three of the Specialist clinicians - Giunio Bruto Cherubini, Federico Corletto and Rob Foale - will retain 24% of the practice. 

Sally Hopson, CEO of Pets at Home Vet Group said: "We are delighted to have attracted a colleague of Dick White’s pedigree to join us, not only to help drive the future growth of Dick White Referrals, but also to play a key role in developing our Specialist Division. Professor White is a key figure in the development of the Specialist Veterinary segment; he has trained many of the leading Specialist veterinary practitioners. This is a tremendous step forward for the Vet Group. I’m also very pleased that Professor White and his colleagues have chosen to remain as equity partners in Dick White Referrals."

Dick said: "Forming this strategic partnership provides great opportunities for us to continue to develop Dick White Referrals as a world class referrals centre with a team of leading Veterinary Specialists. I am delighted to be working with a partner that shares our vision for Dick White Referrals and is committed to supporting its future development. Joining the Board of the Specialist Division will allow me to provide clinical leadership and governance across the division, input into the formulation of strategy and support M&A activity and veterinary recruitment."

Dr Gerard McLauchlan has joined Fitzpatrick Referrals to launch a dedicated interventional radiology service based at the Oncology and Soft Tissue Hospital in Guildford, Surrey. 

Prior to joining Fitzpatrick Referrals, Gerard was a Senior Lecturer in Internal Medicine at the University of Glasgow as well as Head of the Emergency Service and Director of both the Internship and ECVIM Residency Programmes. He is also a European and Royal College Recognised Specialist in Internal Medicine, and recently became one of few specialists in the world to have completed a 12 month Fellowship in Interventional Radiology at the Animal Medical Center in New York. 

Gerard said: "When I returned to the UK, it was a natural fit for me to join Fitzpatrick Referrals. The team all share the same ethos and together I know we will be able to offer a truly world-class service to our patients and their family. I genuinely believe we will be able to change what is accepted as the gold standard of care for animals in the UK."

Fitzpatrick Referrals says its interventional radiology service performs minimally invasive procedures that are often considered the standard of care in human medicine, providing options for veterinary patients where conventional therapies are not associated with the best outcome. 

Clinical Director of Oncology and Soft Tissue, Professor Nick Bacon said: "Gerard joining the team in Guildford opens new doors for our patients but more importantly we hope the disciplines of veterinary oncology and soft tissue surgery as a whole. He brings huge experience in interventional radiology solutions for portosystemic shunts, tracheal collapse and urinary calculi obstruction. Gerard is also key to developing our cancer care. Progress is not about ever bigger treatments chasing a cure; it can just as easily mean delivering palliative or curative-intent treatments in smarter ways, with less side-effects and lower morbidity. I am looking forward to watching our treatments evolve for a variety of tumours including urinary, liver, lung and head and neck. No cancer treatment is perfect, but we are striving for the best we can for the patient in front of us."

Noel Fitzpatrick said: "It remains my objective to build the greatest team of super-specialists on planet earth where we can offer all of the options to all of the animals and the families that love them all of the time. Gerard has a unique skill set that will not only complement our growing team, but will enhance the spectrum of treatments we can offer and which the families of animals throughout the UK and beyond really want. Increasingly people want the same level of care for their dogs and cats as we have for ourselves and our goal is to deliver exactly that with the very best team and facilities in the world today."

Fitzpatrick Referrals will be holding a Partners in Care CPD session on 25^th May inviting vets to meet Dr Gerard McLauchlan and discover more about the interventional radiology service. To register your interest, contact Sarah on SarahC@fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk.  

Swadlincote Veterinary Centre in Derbyshire has become the first veterinary workplace to be awarded Gold accreditation through the Great Workplaces by BVA scheme.

The Swadlincote and Melbourne-based IVC practice worked with a Great Workplaces by BVA accreditor during the pilot of the new scheme, to demonstrate its strengths against an accreditation framework covering four key themes: health and wellbeing, leadership and management, culture and learning and development. 

In the report, the accreditor was particularly impressed by the practice’s strong leadership and management; its emphasis on accommodating flexibility for team members in various forms; a robust teamworking ethos; and a focus on continuous improvement.

British Veterinary Association President Elizabeth Mullineaux said: “We’re delighted to see Swadlincote Veterinary Centre become the first veterinary workplace to achieve Gold accreditation through Great Workplaces by BVA scheme.

"Congratulations to the whole practice team for this incredible recognition.

“Creating positive working environments and targeting areas for improvement are the key to tackling ongoing workforce challenges around recruitment and retention.

"We hope this first Gold accreditation inspires others to strive towards gaining recognition as workplaces where vet teams thrive.”

Ingrid Stevenson, Clinical Director at Swadlincote Veterinary Centre, said: “While we knew the practice was doing well, we didn’t go into this process expecting Gold at all.

"My practice manager and I were just both really keen to get some feedback and to find out what more we could do to help the team.

“We have several clinical accreditations in the practice, but it is the team that are responsible for achieving these and maintaining the high standards.

"I believe the team should be looked after, recognised and rewarded for their hard work and going above and beyond when necessary. 

"The team were really pleased when I shared the news.

"It has certainly been good for team morale and a positive outcome to share with potential new recruits. '

“The accreditation process was a thorough assessment of the practice and our accreditor made us feel all at ease during the interviews. 

"While we achieved Gold, which was unexpected, we have also learnt of areas to develop further over the coming months.

"Overall, it was a positive experience for our practice.”

www.bva.co.uk/take-action/good-veterinary-workplaces/

MSD Animal Health has launched Fridge Check, a new campaign urging farmers to check their farm fridge temperature and consult their veterinary surgeon about vaccine storage, after conducting research¹ in which not one of 17 farm fridges observed storing vaccines between January and August 2014 were able to maintain the correct internal temperature of between 2⁰C and 8⁰C.

In addition, less than half of those surveyed knew the correct temperature for vaccine storage, showing there is a lack of knowledge surrounding standard procedures.

Paul Williams, MSD Animal Health UK technical manager for ruminants said: "Failing to maintain the correct fridge storage temperature compromises vaccine effectiveness and consequently animal health.

"In a significant number of farm fridges monitored, the temperature was elevated to 8⁰C for long periods of time, with the maximum fridge temperature recorded being 24⁰C.

"In the worst cases, over 60% of fridges had been at 0 ⁰C or below 0 ⁰C long enough for vital contents to freeze. When the temperature is too high, vaccines become ineffective. If frozen, the vaccine is destroyed.

"This research shows we have work to do in educating customers about how to store vaccines and I encourage all farmers to check their farm fridge temperatures.

"To promote better practice, we’ve launched an awareness campaign called Fridge Check to educate farmers on the importance of storing vaccines correctly.

"The campaign is being promoted by Disease? Not On My Farm!, an initiative helping farmers take a more proactive approach to preventing disease on farm."

To find out more, visit the Disease? Not On My Farm! Facebook and Twitter pages or follow the hashtag #FridgeCheck for more information about how to store vaccines correctly.

Reference

1. There is a need to raise farmers’ awareness of correct vaccine storage temperatures. Williams P. (MSD Animal Health), Paixao G. (University of Bristol).

Ceva Animal Health has renamed Tildren, its tiludronate-based bisphosphonate infusion for the treatment of bone spavin in horses, as Equidronate.

Tiludronate has been used to treat bone spavin and navicular disease in Europe for many years and was licensed for bone spavin in the UK in 2008. Ceva says trials published last year show that horses suffering lameness caused by bone spavin can show marked improvement following treatment with an Equidronate infusion, in combination with controlled exercise.

Bone spavin is a chronic aseptic osteoarthritis of the distal tarsal joints and is considered to be one of the most common forms of hindlimb lameness in the horse. Horses with bone spavin experience abnormal bone remodeling changes. According to the company, Equidronate helps to modulate the osteoclasts to help prevent excessive bone removal and give the osteoblasts a chance to catch up. This in combination with adjusting levels of exercise helps to harmonise the bone adaptation needed for the horse to perform its athletic duties.

In the trials one in four horses showed marked improvement; two in four showed improvement, which, when combined with other treatment, enabled the horse to resume former levels of activity and one in four horses showed no response.

Ceva Animal Health has produced a range of explanatory leaflets for horse owners on bone spavin, navicular disease and sacroiliac disease, as well as a helpful booklet detailing the discharge procedures for horses that have been treated with Equidronate.

For free copies and for further product information contact your Ceva sales representative, ring Ceva on 01494 781510 or visit the website at http://www.ceva.uk.com/

The RCVS is now inviting veterinary surgeons to stand as candidates for Council in its 2020 elections.

In next year's election, there are three places on Council for elected veterinary surgeons, with successful candidates serving four-year terms.

The nomination period runs until 5pm on Friday 31 January 2020. In order to stand, candidates need to complete a nomination form, submit a short biography and personal statement and supply a high resolution digital photo. 

Each candidate also needs to have two nominators who need to be veterinary surgeons who are on the RCVS Register but are not current RCVS Council members.

Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar and Returning Officer said: "As always, we would encourage those who are interested in having their say in some of the key debates in the regulatory sphere, such as our under care review, our policies around the impact of Brexit and our vision for new veterinary legislation, to become a candidate.

"RCVS Council is at its best when it encompasses a broad range of perspectives, experiences and knowledge, and so we encourage people from all areas of veterinary life and all levels of experience to put themselves forward and share their expertise and insight." 

Nomination forms, guidance notes and frequently asked questions for prospective RCVS Council candidates can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/rcvscouncil20. 

Prospective candidates for RCVS Council are welcome to contact the Registrar, Eleanor Ferguson (e.ferguson@rcvs.org.uk) and the RCVS CEO, Lizzie Lockett (l.lockett@rcvs.org.uk) for more information about the role of the College and/or RCVS Council.

RCVS Council will also be holding its next public meeting on Thursday 23 January 2020, prior to the closure date for Council candidate nominations. Prospective candidates are welcome to attend the Council meeting as an observer. Contact Dawn Wiggins, RCVS Council Secretary, on d.wiggins@rcvs.org.uk if you wish to attend.

Following the campaigning work of the broadcaster Mariella Frostrup, journalist Alice Smellie and others to raise awareness of the menopause, Vets Now has launched Peppy, a new app to support those of its staff who are going through it.

Alice and Mariella, who co-authored the book Cracking the Menopause, met with MPs earlier this month to present the goals of their campaign: education for all on the menopause, an end to scaremongering, prescribing women with the correct medication and making HRT affordable and accessible to all.

Vets Now says 88% of its 1800 employees are women, 28% of whom are aged over 40, when they could be perimenopausal, menopausal or postmenopausal.

The company's new app offers its employees video consultations with health experts, health and fitness programmes, and support with mental health and nutrition. 

Vet's Now says it's the starting point for a wider menopause support plan being launched later in the year which will include steps to help manage mental wellbeing at work, menopause support hubs and encouraging a culture which talks honestly about menopause.

Laura Black, Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing, said: “Women over 50 are the fastest growing demographic in the workplace and sadly it’s estimated that almost 900,000 women in the UK have quit their jobs due to the menopause.

“We are committed to creating an understanding workplace for employees going through the perimenopause and menopause and want to make sure they feel supported by us at all times.

“We've launched Peppy to help our colleagues take control of their health and get the answers they need from experts, anytime, anywhere.

"The app is free to access for all employees and their partners.

“We’ve been working hard on formulating a menopause support package for staff over the past couple of years and we’re really proud that we’re one of the first major veterinary businesses to make this step change.

"We’d encourage other businesses in the sector to look at similar plans for their colleagues.”

While the drive to launch Peppy was initially to support the Vets Now Menopause policy, it also provides support for fertility, pregnancy, early parenthood and men’s health.

For more information on Peppy visit www.peppy.health.

VetCPD has announced the launch of a new CPD Congress being held in the beautiful World Heritage city of Bath, famed for its Roman Baths and stunning Georgian architecture, and just up the road from VetSurgeon.org Towers.

The event is being held in the Bath Assembly Rooms, right in the heart of the city, on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd September 2017.

Organiser Simon Guiton MRCVS said: "The programme is based on current hot topics for veterinary surgeons and nurses. We've got a great line up of speakers, not to mention everything else that Bath has to offer by way of culture, restaurants and shopping. It sure beats Milton Keynes on a wet Friday afternoon!"

The programme for veterinary surgeons is as follows:

Day One

• Treating heart disease in the 21^st Century
• Canine allergic dermatitis: Advances in diagnostics and treatment
• How to recognise pain and provide effective analgesia
• Mastering canine mast cell tumours - what you need to know!
• Feline ureteral obstruction: Are SUBs the answer?
• Hyperthyroidism: what’s changed?
• Diagnosing FIP in the age of molecular diagnostics

Day Two

• How to interpret emergency thoracic imaging
• How to interpret emergency abdominal imaging
• How to get the most from a blood smear
• How to get answers from effusion samples
• Approach to ophthalmological emergencies
• Interactive ophthalmology cases
• Take a deep breath: A practical approach to respiratory distress

Speakers include Emi Barker, Esther Barrett, Kieran Borgeat, Gwen Covey-Crump, Angie Hibbert, Nicola Kulendra, Shasta Lynch, Natasha Mitchell, Kostas Papasouliotis, Anita Patel, Louise O’Dwyer, Denise Prisk, Suzanne Rudd, Claire Woolford and Holly Witchell.

For more information, visit: http://vetcpdcongress.co.uk