Novartis Animal Health has announced that it will no longer be manufacturing and supplying the enzootic abortion vaccine, Mydiavac.
The company reassures its customers that current stocks will continue to be distributed as smoothly as possible.
Virbac has launched Marfloquin, a marbofloxacin-based antibiotic indicated for the treatment of multiple infectious diseases in cats and dogs.
Marfloquin is presented as a palatable, divisible tablet for once daily administration and is available in three tablet strengths:
Virbac Companion Animal Marketing Manager Simon Boulton MRCVS said: "Marbofloxacin is valued by practices for its efficacy in treating a wide range of skin, soft tissue, urinary tract and respiratory tract infections. The launch of Marfloquin gives them a cost-effective alternative and strengthens our existing antibiotic range, which includes Rilexine (cefalexin) and Enrox (enrofloxacin)."
For more information, contact your territory manager or call Virbac on 01359 243243
YORKTEST Veterinary Services has announced a change of name to Avacta Animal Health Ltd., following its acquisition by Avacta Group Plc.
The allergy testing and customer support that is synonymous with YORKTEST Veterinary Services will now appear under the brand name of SENSITEST® - the complete allergy service.
Janice Hogg, MD Avacta Animal Health said: "It is an exciting time for us at present and the change of name to Avacta Animal Health signifies this forward progression. Our extensive and high quality allergy portfolio is now branded "SENSITEST®. Previously this was only used in Europe but it will now be our global branding for the complete allergy service offered by Avacta Animal Health. "
For more information on Avacta Animal Health and SENSITEST® telephone 0800 8494 550 or visit website at http://www.animal-allergy.co.uk/.
Virbac has announced the launch of Carprox Vet, a carprofen-based NSAID indicated for the alleviation of post-operative pain and inflammation following orthopaedic and soft tissue surgery in dogs and cats and for the treatment of chronic pain and inflammation in dogs.
Carprox is presented as a palatable tablet for dogs in three sizes - 20 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg. An injectable 50 mg/ml solution for dogs and cats has also been launched (in bottles of 20ml).
Virbac Marketing Manager for Companion Animals Simon Boulton MRCVS said: "We launched our meloxicam-based solution for acute and chronic pain, Inflacam, in 2013. With the arrival of Carprox Vet, we are now able to offer vets a carprofen-based alternative for added flexibility and choice. We are delighted to add it to our product range and are proud to say that Virbac now offers one of the widest ranges of products for the treatment of small animals in the UK."
The guidelines are designed to support veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and wildlife rehabilitators, in order to promote and achieve the best possible care and welfare for indigenous British wild animals in accordance with UK law.
The Society says that guidelines are needed because:
Mark Stidworthy, BVZS President (pictured above right), said: "The rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife by veterinary surgeons and wildlife professionals is highly valued by the British public, making a positive contribution to local communities, the health and welfare of individual animals and to conservation. We hope these guidelines will inform best practice in this area and ensure its continued success."
Theresa Amory, Chair of the British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (BWRC) said: "BWRC aims to support and promote the professional integrity of wildlife rehabilitators. While we recognise that meeting all of these guidelines may be difficult (particularly for smaller scale rehabilitators) we hope that they will enable rehabilitators to work alongside veterinary partners with increased awareness and confidence in their own working policies and procedures."
Michael Stanford, BVZS Senior Vice President, Veterinary Defence Society Claims Consultant said: "The BVZS Wildlife Guidelines should ensure all stakeholders involved with wildlife rehabilitation are acting in the best interests of animal welfare, with the added reassurance that they are acting in accordance with UK law."
Liz Mullineaux, veterinary surgeon and one of the authors of the guidelines said: "Working with British wildlife has always been challenging, for both vets and rehabilitators, in terms of what is ethical, legal and of an adequate clinical standard. These guidelines clarify many of those things, describing best practice and achievable standards for this area of work."
The guidelines can be downloaded from: http://www.bvzs.org/images/uploads/BVZS_Good_Practice_Guidelines_for_Wildlife_Centres_011016_.pdf
The University of Liverpool has developed a new diagnostic tool to help practitioners with their treatment programmes for osteoarthritis in dogs.
VetSurgeon.org member Dr Ben Walton, from the University's School of Veterinary Science, said: "In first opinion and referral practices canine mobility is assessed in a subjective fashion, either by a vet or owner. Assessment can differ between vets, and if more than one limb is affected it becomes even more difficult.
"Pain and mobility associated with this condition depends on recent activity levels, medication and even weather conditions, which mean that a dog can have good and bad periods and any physical assessment will only provide a snapshot of the disease.
"The most reliable data on this disease is often gathered from informally asking owners for their observations of their pet's behaviour. The difficulty until now has been knowing how to reliably record this valuable information so that it can recalled the next time the patient visits."
The new tool, which takes the form of a questionnaire, attaches score rates to quantify the level of disease against key questions addressed to the dog's owner. Owners are asked to grade their dog's activity and exercise levels, stiffness and lameness, and any changes that occur in different weather conditions. The information is recorded digitally so that it can be referred to throughout a patient's treatment programme.
Ben said: "This record of behaviour history, together with clinical assessment, could provide a more detailed understanding of how the disease is progressing, and importantly how healthy and comfortable the dog is."
Research which validates the new tool has been published on PLOS ONE here.
Petplan Equine, the equine insurance provider, has announced the three finalists for the inaugural Petplan Equine Vet of the Year Award.
They are:
The winner of this new people's award will be announced at the glittering 20th annual Animal Health Trust (AHT) Equestrian Awards ceremony to be held at London's Royal Lancaster Hotel on the evening of Thursday 6th November 2008.
Owners and riders were asked nominate their local equine vet for the award if they felt that they were deserving of the recognition that this accolade would bring. A short list was drawn up from the nominations received and an independent panel has selected the finalists from whom the winner will be announced and receive his or her award at the AHT Equestrian Awards.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Animal Health Trust Equestrian Awards, which recognise the outstanding achievements made by horses, riders, owners and trainers throughout the equestrian world. This milestone coincides with Petplan Equine's 20th anniversary and, since 1994 when the Petplan Equine Charitable Trust was founded, it has raised over £5 million, almost £500,000 of which has been donated to the AHT to fund research and development.
Jo Whittaker of Petplan Equine said: "It has been a privilege to be involved with the AHT Awards over the years. We are particularly excited to be able to recognise the amazing hard work and commitment of people within the equine veterinary profession and those who provide outstanding service to horse owners. We received some very strong nominations and selecting just three was not easy although, in the case of the finalists it was clear that each consistently went beyond the call of duty."
She added: "Horse welfare is paramount at Petplan Equine and the company is committed to promoting responsible horse ownership, through its charitable contributions, wide range of policies and publications such as the Horse Handbook. This award has been created to give the equine community the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the vet who has made the most outstanding contribution to the care of horses."
The winner will be posted on www.petplanequine.co.uk on Friday 7th November
Eurovet Animal Health has launched a new product, Bovocycline 2000 mg pessary for cattle.
Bovocycline 2000 is the only veterinary licenced antibiotic pessary for the treatment of retained foetal membranes in cattle. It is licenced for the treatment of post parturient disorders in cattle, for administration after dystocia, retained foetal membranes (RFMs) and endometritis.
According to Eurovet, the incidence of retained foetal membranes in cows varies from zero to 25 per cent, but the average is around 4 per cent in most herds. RFMs result in reduced cow fertility and a higher risk of culling due to poor fertility. Pessaries are still considered the preferred treatment for vulval discharges in cattle by farmers.
Ruth Vernon, Technical Services Manager for Eurovet said: "The control of post partum problems in cattle is rarely straight forward, but it is great to have a veterinary licensed treatment designed specifically for this purpose, in one pessary that contains 2000mgs tetracycline".
For more information please contact Eurovet Animal Health. Tel: 01223 257933. E-mail: office@eurovet-ah.co.uk www.eurovet-ah.co.uk
In current regional anaesthesia procedures two operators are often needed, with an assistant using 'feel' to inject the anaesthetic solution at the required pressure. This, says the company, means anaesthetic solutions can be injected at unsafe pressures. The new device incorporates a safety system that limits injection pressure, to reduce the risk of nerve injury.
Dr. Federico Corletto, Consultant Anaesthetist from Dick White Referrals said: “By turning regional anaesthesia into a one-person procedure, the technology also removes the challenges of communicating with an assistant regarding subjective injective pressure feel, thus removing the unpredictability of an untrained hand.”
Medovate says the use of ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia is becoming more common practice today, with the technique – which can help provide a higher level of visualisation for the practitioner – increasingly seen as a ‘gold standard’.
However, there are limitations and challenges that are not always present in the practice of adult human medicine. Nerve parathesia, for instance, is harder to ascertain in animals. Small animals such as cats also have increased sensitivity to local anaesthetics when compared with other species, necessitating much lower maximum doses be used.1
Brett Hughes, Homecare & Veterinary Business Manager at Vygon UK, said: "The device infuses at 0.5ml/second, and to vets the technology offers a valuable tool that can control injection small intervals at a time. This allows the veterinary practitioner to titrate appropriately to see the anaesthesia spread around a nerve bundle.
"There are a significant number of regional anaesthesia blocks completed in veterinary practice per annum globally, so potentially this NHS developed device could play a major role in the future of veterinary practice."
For more information, visit: https://www.medovate.co.uk/veterinary/safira-for-veterinary-applications and https://www.vygonvet.co.uk/
Reference
Whilst the decision has been welcomed by the BVA and leading animal charities, it has not been entirely free of controversy. According to various reports, the Press Association has seen a letter from Defra to the Royal Veterinary College in February this year, which said the scientific studies it had commissioned were 'not strong enough to support a ban'.
Talking to the BBC, Ian Gregory, a lobbyist for pet collar manufacturers said that charities had also exaggerated the shock delivered by the collars, which at typically one millijoule is 1000 times less than cattle fencing. He argued that: "The anecdotal problems reported with pet collars can be resolved by product standards rather than by banning a proven technology".
The government has stopped short of banning invisible fencing systems which can keep pets away from roads, saying that the devices are particularly useful for cat owners and animals often respond well to invisible fencing and quickly learn to stay within a boundary without receiving a static pulse.
BVA President John Fishwick said: "As we review the latest evidence on the welfare impact of pulse pet containment fences, we would like to see them covered by a code of practice, as well as the regulation of the sale of these devices and manufacturer’s instructions, to ensure that the potential adverse effects of use are highlighted to animal owners and consumers."
Photo: Shutterstock
The programme also introduces an extended nursing stream, focused on surgery and emergency and critical care nursing. In total, the conferences offer more than 27 hours of CPD each through the two veterinary streams, together with the two-day nursing stream.
VetsSouth takes place on 6-7 March, at Sandy Park in Exeter. VetsNorth takes place on 12-13 June at the AJ Bell Stadium in Manchester. Early-bird rates are now available for both events.
Speakers for 2019 include Ed Hall, Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Bristol, who will discuss pancreatitis in the dog; Dr Georgie Hollis, founder of Intelligent Wound Care, a company which aims to bring the best of modern wound care to veterinary practice and veterinary welfare campaigner and vet Emma Milne who will discuss welfare issues relating to brachycephalic animals.
An exhibition showcasing the latest veterinary products and services and featuring demonstrations and workshops from exhibitors will run alongside the conferences.
Matt Colvan, Event Director, said: "VetsSouth and VetsNorth have established themselves as friendly, relaxed conferences, offering high quality CPD for vets and vet nurses who may not be able to get easily to the larger veterinary events. We urge delegates to take advantage of our time-limited Early-bird offers and register without delay."
Virbac has launched a new 12 month version of Suprelorin, the reversible medical castration implant for dogs, widening the options for clients seeking an alternative to surgical castration.
Product manager Chris Geddes MRCVS said: "The launch of Suprelorin 12 gives practices the chance to offer dog owners a more convenient castration option. The implant renewal can now be included with their dog's annual boosters or health check.
"The slow-release implant is inserted at the back of the neck in the same manner as a microchip. There is no anaesthetic, no surgery and no scarring. The current implant, which contains 4.7mg active and lasts for around 6 months after insertion, will continue to be available for those wanting a more brief solution or as a trial.
"Deslorelin is a GnRH superagonist which causes suppression of LH/FSH, and therefore testosterone production, leading to temporary infertility."
For further information on Suprelorin/12, please call and ask to speak to one of our veterinary advisors on 01359 243243, or contact your local Virbac territory manager.
This study was conducted in collaboration with the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition as part of a larger study, led by Prof Claire Hughes at the University of Cambridge Centre for Family Research.
Researchers surveyed 12-year-old children from 77 families with one or more pets of any type and more than one child at home. Children reported strong relationships with their pets relative to their siblings, with lower levels of conflict and greater satisfaction in owners of dogs than other kinds of pets.
The authors say this research adds to increasing evidence that household pets may have a major influence on child development, and could have a positive impact on children’s social skills and emotional well-being.
Pets are almost as common as siblings in western households, although there are relatively few studies on the importance of child-pet relationships.
Matt Cassells, lead researcher, said: "Anyone who has loved a childhood pet knows that we turn to them for companionship and disclosure, just like relationships between people. We wanted to know how strong these relationships are with pets relative to other close family ties. Ultimately this may enable us to understand how animals contribute to healthy child development."
He added: "Even though pets may not fully understand or respond verbally, the level of disclosure to pets was no less than to siblings.
"The fact that pets cannot understand or talk back may even be a benefit as it means they are completely non-judgmental. While previous research has often found that boys report stronger relationships with their pets than girls do, we actually found the opposite. While boys and girls were equally satisfied with their pets, girls reported more disclosure, companionship, and conflict with their pet than did boys, perhaps indicating that girls may interact with their pets in more nuanced ways."
Waltham researcher Nancy Gee, a co-author of the study, said: "Evidence continues to grow showing that pets have positive benefits on human health and community cohesion. The social support that adolescents receive from pets may well support psychological well-being later in life but there is still more to learn about the long term impact of pets on children’s development."
The survey polled 671 veterinary surgeons in May and June 2017.
92% of those who are now in non-clinical roles had worked in clinical practice in the past. 73% had previously worked in mixed practice, 49% in companion animal practice, 33% in production animal practice and 8% in equine practice.
32% are now in academia, whilst 21% have moved to work in commerce and industry.
Mostly, veterinary surgeons gave positive reasons for moving to non-clinical work: 43% said they were looking for a new challenge and 33% said they were looking for a different type of work.
Others were looking to improve their work-life balance: 24% said they wanted a role with no out-of-hours work, 14% said they wanted more flexible working hours and 10% said clinical work was incompatible with family or outside commitments.
21% cited difficulty in progressing with their clinical career as a reason for moving whilst 19% said they were looking for less stress at work.
There were some differences between men and women in the timing of their career change and the reasons behind it. Women tended to leave clinical practice earlier in their career; an average of 6.5 years after they qualified compared to 8 years for men.
Reasons related to working hours and flexibility were more prominent motivations for women to move from clinical practice (54% of female vets compared to 31% of male vets). On the other hand, male vets were more likely than female vets to cite reasons related to a desire to do a different type of work (44% of male vets compared to 24% of female vets).
BVA Senior Vice President, Gudrun Ravetz said: "These figures show that there is a sizeable percentage of practising vets who are making the move into non-clinical roles and that there are a variety of reasons behind their decision. There is a huge diversity of career paths open to vets and it’s important both for those who are already in practice and for those considering a veterinary career to be aware of all the options available.
"I have had a portfolio career myself that involved clinical practice in all different business models including charity practice and industry and I know that the most important thing is for vets to feel fulfilled in their chosen roles and understand that there is a wide range of opportunity available to them.
"However, we also know that practices are seriously worried about being able to recruit and retain staff. Looking at the reasons for leaving – including a desire for more flexibility, a better work/life balance, and concerns about stress – this has to be a wake-up call to all employers to think about whether we can do things differently to support our colleagues.
"BVA has a role to play too and many of the Vet Futures actions are designed to address these issues, including the workforce study commissioned by BVA, the development of a careers hub, and our support for the Mind Matters Initiative led by RCVS, amongst others. These are issues that the profession must tackle together."
Elanco Companion Animal Health has launched a novel prescription flea treatment for dogs which, according to the company, combines a rapid kill rate with convenient monthly oral administration.
Elanco says Comfortis Chewable Tablets for Dogs start to kill fleas within 30 minutes, providing 100 per cent control in four hours, the fastest specific claim of any approved flea preventive.
The product is based on a unique active ingredient, Spinosad, a naturally occurring fermentation product of soil bacteria with a unique insecticidal effect. Since its launch in the United States in 2007, Comfortis has established itself as the number one recommended prescription flea medication in that country and has now received European authorisation.
Elanco says the combination of its rapid action and oral method of administration is expected to prove particularly helpful in cases including:
Jannes Nijland, marketing and innovation director for Elanco Companion Animal Health in Western Europe, said: "The veterinary profession has indicated a strong desire for a prescription only flea treatment. While vets remain the 'first port of call' for advice on flea medication, our research shows that only 42 per cent of dog owners still buy their treatments from practices. We believe that the launch of an alternative approach to flea control available from practices could help vets strengthen their client relationships."
He added: "Comfortis is the first product developed and launched by Elanco Companion Animal Health in Western Europe. It is a perfect demonstration of how we intend to deliver on our mission to help veterinarians help pets live longer, healthier and higher quality lives."
For further information about Comfortis, veterinary practices should contact their Elanco key account manager, or to contact the company directly on 01256 779881
Additional information about Elanco is available at www.elanco.com and the company can be contacted via email at elancoCAH.uk@lilly.com
Bayer Animal Health has launched Remend Wound Spray Gel for cats, dogs and horses.
The new gel contains Remend's structurally modified hyaluronic acid (HA). Bayer says it provides a matrix for cellular events that occur during the proliferative phase of the healing process, which has been shown to enhance healing1, and can promote rapid wound closure
Georgie Hollis BSc from www.vetwoundlibrary.com said: "Managing wounds can be challenging in veterinary practice; the progression of wound healing can be influenced by many factors, and selecting an appropriate product to apply should be based on the needs of the individual wound. A product that provides a moist healing environment and support of the proliferative phase ensures that cellular activity is optimised, helping to improve healing times and minimise scar tissue."
Bayer says Remend Wound Spray Gel is designed for use as part of the overall management of wounds; additional measures such as lavage, debridement and control of infection are equally important, as is giving consideration to any secondary factors that may delay healing if not addressed. The product aims to achieve greater compliance amongst owners by providing an effective management option that is easy to apply. A single application may be sufficient to enhance wound closure in fresh uncomplicated wounds; however more complex wounds may require multiple applications in order to accelerate closure.
For more information, visit: www.vetcentre.bayer.co.uk
References
At his first Disciplinary Committee hearing in January 2018, the Committee directed that Dr Gerhard Schulze Allen’s name be removed from the Register after finding him guilty of serious professional misconduct in respect of four charges against him. These related to an incident of petty theft in California in the United States, and his subsequent dishonesty in not disclosing this to the College.
Following the Disciplinary Committee hearing, Dr Schulze Allen submitted an appeal to the Privy Council. In July 2019, the Privy Council partially upheld his appeal, determining that the RCVS had not proven beyond all reasonable doubt that Dr Schulze Allen’s infraction for petty theft was a conviction under Californian law and therefore Dr Schulze Allen had not made false representations to the College when he said he did not have any criminal convictions or a criminal record.
However, the Privy Council partially upheld the College’s charge that Dr Schulze Allen was dishonest and made false representations when he had, in a written application for restoration to the Register, represented that he did not have any adverse findings and that he should have declared his infraction for petty theft. The Privy Council also set aside the Disciplinary Committee’s original sanction and remitted the task of sanction back to the Disciplinary Committee.
As a result of the Privy Council’s decision, the Disciplinary Committee held a further hearing in relation to Dr Schulze Allen to decide the sanction in relation to the upheld charge against him.
The Committee noted that the aggravating factors were the fact that Dr Schulze Allen was dishonest to his regulator and in making a false declaration, demonstrated a wilful disregard for the regulatory role of the RCVS. In mitigation the Committee considered that there was no harm to animals, that it was a single and isolated incident in an otherwise unblemished career, and that he had accepted his wrongdoing, albeit at a late stage, and was developing some insight.
The Committee considered whether a reprimand or warning would be the most appropriate sanction but determined that this would not reflect the seriousness of the dishonesty in this case, nor maintain public confidence in the profession or uphold proper professional standards of conduct and behaviour.
Ian Green, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee concluded that the appropriate and proportionate sanction is suspension from the Register for a period of three months. A period of three months reflects the seriousness of the charge. Such a sanction sends a clear message to Dr Schulze Allen, the profession and the public that behaving dishonestly towards the regulator is a serious matter. The Committee considered that removal from the Register would be disproportionate given that this is a single incident and Dr Schulze Allen now accepts his wrongdoing."
The Stablelab hand-held reader detects and quantifies the biomarker Serum Amyloid A (SAA), an acute phase protein produced by the liver that increases rapidly and dramatically in response to inflammation.
Zoetis says that by measuring SAA, vets can assess the severity of an infection more quickly, often before clinical symptoms start, and are able to monitor the horse’s response over the course of treatment.1
Zoetis vet Wendy Talbot said: “Zoetis is committed to providing vets and horse owners with the most effective health products to better predict, prevent, detect and treat equine disease.
“The Stablelab test kit enables convenient, off-site testing for quick and accurate detection of a reliable indicator of infection in horses.
“Point-of-care testing is one of the fastest-growing areas of diagnostics and this test is rapidly becoming a standard of care in equine practice. SAA testing will help vets to quickly determine an appropriate course of intervention, positively impacting case outcomes.”
For more information, visit: www.stablelab.com. To place an order, contact your Zoetis Account Manager or the Zoetis Technical Team on customersupportUK@zoetis.com or 0845 300 9084 (option 3).
The Ruminant Wellbeing Achievement Award will be offered to a practising veterinary surgeon or a researcher in veterinary science, animal science or related disciplines to recognise his/her achievements in advancing the well-being of ruminants.
The Ruminant Wellbeing Research Award will be offered to a recent PhD graduate in veterinary science, animal science or related disciplines that made an exceptional contribution to the scientific knowledge on ruminant well-being.
The winners will be awarded with a €10,000 cash prize. Travel expenses to attend the meeting and awards ceremony (which coincides with the World Buiatrics meeting) will also be covered.
Scott Deakin, Metacam brand manager at Boehringer said: "Farm animal wellbeing is at the heart of efficient and effective production and Boehringer is delighted to have led the way in raising the importance of this over the last 10 years and is committed to doing so for the next 10 years and beyond.
"By linking with the World Buiatrics Association for the first time and offering two awards at the Wellbeing Forum, we believe the company is offering an exciting and valuable opportunity for vets and we look forward to receiving a large number of interesting applications."
Veterinary surgeons can apply directly or nominate a colleague at: www.farmanimalwellbeing.com.
An independent jury will decide on the winner.
The deadline for applications is 28th February 2018.
Ian graduated from the University of Liverpool and gained his PhD from the University of Glasgow. He gained both the UK and European Diplomas in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Cambridge and is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and European Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Medicine. He returned to Glasgow University in 1998 and has been the Professor of Small Animal Medicine since 2009.
Ian has published in the fields of infectious diseases, endocrinology and neurology but is interested in all aspects of small animal medicine. In 2015 he was awarded the BSAVA Woodrow Award for his contribution to small animal medicine. In 2016 he became of Fellow of the RCVS, thereby becoming a jolly good fellow Fellow of the RCVS, or JGFFRCVS for short.
Professor Ramsey has served BSAVA as a regional secretary, member of several committees and chair of Petsavers and Scientific. He is probably best known as the editor of four editions of the BSAVA Small Animal Formulary.
The Presidential handover usually takes place at BSAVA Congress but was delayed this year given the cancellation of the April event due to coronavirus.
Ian says that during his Presidency, he intends to promote and enhance the digital offering of the Association to BSAVA members coping with the pandemic. He will also oversee changes to BSAVA congress with a more interactive approach to training; shortened, more focussed lectures and greater integration between the exhibition, the scientific content, and the social events.
Ian said: “At this time of great uncertainty in the profession, my focus will be on providing BSAVA members with the scientific information and clinical training that they need, in a suitable form. Clinical skills and science lie at the heart of being a good vet and BSAVA members get access to a huge range of cheap or free resources in these areas to help them in their careers. Congress 2021 will be evolving as a vital part of this effort and I am looking forward to welcoming everyone to Manchester during the last week of March 2021."
Sarah Gasper, BEVA’S Learning Manager said: "Many of us on the BEVA education team understand exactly what it’s like to return to practice whether after a career break, paternity/maternity or sickness leave. We also understand the specific challenges of moving from mixed into equine practice.
"We have created these courses to help make the transition back to work as smooth as possible. We’ve tried to incorporate everything we wish we had had access to when we returned to practice!"
Reinvigorate your approach to equine practice will be held on 12th March 2019 at Lythe Hill Hotel, Haslemere. The lecture and forum based course will explore the latest advances in internal medicine, orthopaedics, and sports medicine, and how to apply them to develop evidence-based clinical approaches to common and emergency scenarios in practice.
Getting (back) into equine practice will be held on 13th March 2019 at Liphook Equine Hospital, Hampshire. This entirely practical day of CPD will all be about improving the confidence of established equine vets and for vets returning to work following a career break. The course will focus on the practical procedures that an established equine ambulatory vet might be expected to perform on a regular basis. In a new approach to CPD we are trialling a system where delegates can shape part of this unique CPD day for themselves, with an online poll pre-course to select from a choice of practicals.
Both courses will have childcare facilities to help support parents wishing to attend CPD.
BEVA will also be running a course on the fundamentals of sedation, field anaesthesia and castration on 27th and 28th March 2019 at World Horse Welfare, Snetterton, Norfolk. This 'hands-on' course is designed for new or recent graduates or those in mixed practice with varied levels of equine work. It comprises evening lectures on the first day to free up more time for hands-on training on day two. It will cover sedation and field anaesthesia required for common field surgery such as castration, both in theory and in a practical session, with the equine welfare charity venue able to provide a high number of colts for castration work. Nerve blocks and regional anaesthesia for other common procedures will also be covered on cadavers.
For further information on BEVA’s new CPD courses visit www.beva.org.uk/cpd
The survey is very quick: sub two minutes. It asks simply whether you agree or not, and what you think are the benefits and drawbacks of remote consulting without otherwise knowing or seeing the animal.
All individual replies are strictly confidential and will not be shared with anyone. Your name is only asked for validation purposes.
To take part: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7235757/Remote-Consultation-Survey
The results will be published within a week.
Instead of conducting major open surgery, Chris Shales, an RCVS and European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery, Andrew Kent, a European Specialist in Internal Medicine, and the cardiology team at Willows are using coil embolization, a minimally invasive technique which they say is far safer and less likely to lead to post-operative complications.
The procedure involves threading tiny coils, via the jugular vein, through the venous system and positioning them in the blood vessel that needs to be closed. The coils encourage the blood to form a clot and so, over time, seal the vein.
Chris said: "This procedure of treating intrahepatic portosystemic shunts is associated with a lower risk of mortality and a lower surgical morbidity rate when comparted to open surgery. The overall outcome of the two approaches is similar in terms of reduction of flow through the shunt vessel.
"Access is gained via a small incision in the neck to allow the team to operate on the liver via the jugular vein using fluoroscopy to visualise the placement of a stent within the vena cava and embolization coils within the abnormal vessel.
"Intrahepatic shunts can be extremely challenging for the surgical team to access with the result that standard, open surgical treatment of these abnormal vessels can risk life-threatening complications and animals can require a significant time to recover."
For more information about shunt surgery at Willows, contact Chris Shales or Small Animal Internal Medicine Specialist Andrew Kent on 0121 712 7070 or email enquiries@willows.uk.net.
Photo: Chris Shales, left, with Andrew Kent, centre, and cardiologist Mike Martin ('pass me a gin and tonic, would you').
Miss Johnson was convicted at North Somerset Magistrates’ Court following a guilty plea of the offence of theft by employee in December 2023, after she stole buprenorphine belonging to Yatton Vets earlier that year.
She was sentenced to a fine of £120, a surcharge of £48, and costs of £85.
There were four further charges against Miss Johnson.
Charge one related to Miss Johnson stealing 5ml of methadone in December 2022 from her employer, Vets4Pets in Bristol, and injecting herself with the methadone.
The police investigated the incident and Miss Johnson accepted a conditional caution for the theft, the condition being she should attend a drug awareness course.
Charge two related to Miss Johnson dishonestly taking a syringe of methadone in August 2023 from her employer, the Langford Small Animal Hospital, and injecting herself with it.
Charge three related to two dates in September 2023 when she dishonestly took methadone, gabapentin and buprenorphine from Yatton Vets, her then employer, injecting herself with the buprenorphine and then working when unfit to do so.
Miss Johnson was later convicted of theft in relation to the buprenorphine (charge five).
Charge four related to an incident in November 2023, when Miss Johnson dishonestly took a syringe of buprenorphine from Bristol PDSA, for the purposes of self-administration, and was dishonest both to other members of staff and in the clinical records about the circumstances of taking the buprenorphine.
Charge five was in relation to Miss Johnson’s criminal conviction.
At the outset of the hearing, Miss Johnson admitted all charges in their entirety.
Having reviewed all the evidence and taken Miss Johnson’s admissions into account, the Committee found each of the charges proved.
After the criminal proceedings had finished and had been reported to the College, Miss Johnson wrote a letter expressing her deepest apologies to both the RCVS and the profession.
Within this she also made it clear that she took full responsibility for her actions.
In a later statement, she added that she had tried to use the experience to learn and improve in every aspect of her career and life and did not want to defend her behaviour.
Within this statement she also retracted a previous request to resign from the register, stating that she would accept any outcome to the investigation.
In deciding whether the proved charges amounted to serious professional misconduct, the Committee took the following aggravating factors into account:
The Committee identified no mitigating factors and concluded that for each of the individual charges Miss Johnson’s conduct fell far short of the conduct expected of a member of the profession and that each of the charges one to four amounted to serious professional misconduct.
In relation to charge five, the criminal conviction, the Committee noted that the nature and the circumstances of the offence involved dishonesty, abuse of her professional position regarding access to controlled drugs, breach of her employer’s trust, and that the misconduct took place notwithstanding an investigation by the police for similar conduct in December 2022.
The Committee therefore concluded that charge five rendered Miss Johnson unfit to practise.
When deciding on a sanction, the Committee took into account mitigating factors, which included:
The Committee found no further aggravating factors at this stage.
Kathryn Peaty, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf said: “The Committee considered that the overall misconduct proved so serious and was incompatible with remaining on the register.”
She added: “The Committee accepted that Miss Johnson was currently likely to be drug-free on the basis of her evidence and that of her referee, but it noted that independent testing proving she had been drug free for any period of time was not available to it.
"Furthermore, Miss Johnson had been unable to demonstrate that she had worked without any incident recently as she had accepted she had been dismissed from her recent job.
“Having taken into account all of the aggravating and mitigating factors, and balancing the public interest and the need to uphold and maintain standards within the profession, and having decided that Miss Johnson’s insight was limited, the Committee concluded that the sanction of ‘removal’ was the only proportionate sanction it could impose in this case.
"It also decided that such a sanction maintained public confidence in the veterinary profession, safeguarded animal welfare and protected the public from any future risk of repetition of similar behaviour.
“The Committee therefore directed that the Registrar remove Miss Johnson’s name from the register of veterinary nurses forthwith.”
In 2009, Chiara (pictured right) was the first to be awarded by examination the title of European Veterinary Specialist in Oncology after completing a one-year small animal internship at the University of Glasgow and a three-year residency in internal medicine and oncology at the University of Edinburgh.
Alongside her clinical work, Chiara is an honorary lecturer at the University of Liverpool and a multi-lingual specialist consultant, writer and lecturer at events in the UK and Europe. Her focus is on postgraduate training in small animal oncology and internal medicine and online education of pet owners and animal carers. Chiara is a member of the general and oncology examination committees of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ECVIM).
She said: "My aim is to provide veterinarians and owners on a daily basis with the most up-to-date information on cancer diagnosis and treatment options so pets can spend more time with their families whilst protecting their quality of life and preventing suffering."
Samuela is a European Specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology with a special interest in ocular pathology as well as corneal disease and surgery.
She said: "Working at Willows allows me to be part of a talented and passionate team, and a chance to become the best ophthalmologist I can. Willows offers a very high level of patient care, and working here gives me the opportunity for constant scientific and clinical development."