Protek Biochem Ltd., a company set up by champion horse-rider Debbie Topping, has won the rights to sell Envirocair Veterinary, a new range of disinfectants and sanitisers targeted at dogs, cats and other domestic pets, as well as horses and farm animals.

The product is claimed to kill 99.99% of all viral, bacterial and fungal infections, and lasts for 14 days.

Debbie said: "I did not consider myself a businesswoman, just a normal horse-rider and animal lover. However, I was so impressed when I tried Envirocair Veterinary that, when I was offered the opportunity to become the main UK distributor, I jumped at the chance."

According to the company, the product is being used by a number of the horses and trainers heading to the London Olympics in 2012. It is now being rolled out across the rest of the UK's animal care sector.

Debbie says that veterinary surgeons, farmers, dog kennels, animal rescue centres, breeders and others will all be able to benefit from the new product: "Envirocair Veterinary doesn't harm skin or irritate the respiratory tract, so you don't need to get dressed up in special clothing every time you use it. 

"Used properly, it quite literally kills the threat of major animal diseases such as parvovirus in dogs, which can otherwise be fatal in less than 72 hours.

"It's not an exaggeration to say that Envirocair will protect the health and even save the lives of countless numbers of animals across the UK."

Debbie signed the distribution agreement with the manufacturer Biotech International Ltd last month, before officially launching Envirocair Veterinary this week.

For more information on Protek Biochem Ltd or Envirocair Veterinary, visit http://www.protekbiochem.com/.

Ceva Animal Health has launched Cystease Advanced, a new urinary tract support supplement for cats.

The new product, which contains N-acetyl glucosamine, L-tryptophan and Hyaluronic Acid, is described as an elaboration on the original product, Cystease S. 

Ceva says Cystease Advanced has been designed to help support the bladder lining while also reducing stress-related behaviour in cats.  

Fraser Broadfoot, small animal product manager at Ceva Animal Health, said: "It is well documented that stress can adversely affect the integrity of the bladder lining.  There are many factors that cause stress in cats, for example inter-cat conflict, moving house, new arrivals to the home environment and car travel, to name just a few.

"Our new product has been developed to address both conditions; it contains N-acetyl glucosamine and Hyaluronic Acid which are key components of the GAG lining, whereas L-tryptophan has been proven to reduce stress-related behaviour in cats."

Cystease Advanced is taken orally and is available in pots of 30 and 300 tablets.

Ceva recommends that Cystease Advanced is used with Feliway, the company's appeasing pheromone for cats.

For further details please contact the customer support team on 01494 781510.

Dogs Trust, the UK's largest dog welfare charity, has teamed up with leading cardiac rehabilitation experts at Harefield Hospital to help patients in their final phase of coronary recovery.

The recovery programme, Hounds Help Hearts, is, according to the charity, a UK first and encourages post coronary patients to walk dogs as part of their recovery.

The Cardiac Rehabilitation team at Harefield Hospital aims to improve the physical, social and psychological well being of people after a heart attack or similar cardiac event. Among the recommendations for an ongoing healthy lifestyle, patients are being introduced to Dogs Trust Harefield where they can help staff, canine residents and themselves by walking some of the 150 dogs in their care. The charity hopes that heart hospitals UK wide will follow suit.

Hounds Help Hearts is part of a wider initiative to promote The Dog Prescription - a research document that highlights the ways dogs can improve human health. Dogs Trust is urging GPs all over the UK to prescribe a daily dose of dog with The Dog Prescription after research highlights the health benefits of dog ownership for both children and adults.

Lynda Evans, senior nurse /modern matron at Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Walking is one of the best forms of exercise for patients recovering from a cardiac event and what better way to do it than alongside a grateful canine companion. We have been running the 'Care For Your Heart' Rehabilitation Programme for more than 20 years and as a leading specialist heart and lung hospital we are always looking for new ways to help patients to enjoy the best possible quality of life when they return home. We are delighted to be working with Dogs Trust on this initiative and partnering patients with dogs to help them reach their full potential through interaction and physical exercise."

The Dog Prescription highlights the mental and physical benefits of dog ownership and interaction and names dog ownership as an aid to the recovery of post coronary patients

Clarissa Baldwin, Dogs Trust CEO said: "We undertook this research as we were aware of the health benefits of dog ownership but wanted to fully evaluate its potential. Amongst its ten points (which are not exhaustive), the prescription details health benefits including the fact that dogs can aid the recovery of post coronary patients. We want to spread the word about the health benefits of dogs and we hope that GPs and hospitals will start to encourage patients to engage with dogs for a healthier and happier lifestyle"

You can read the full research here.

White Cross Vets, a family run group, has been named by The Sunday Times as one of the best places to work in the UK, for the fifth year on the trot.

The company, which operates 16 practices, achieved the highest placing of any veterinary business, reaching 38 in The Sunday Times 'Best 100 Best Small Companies To Work For' league table. It is the first animal health / veterinary business to rank in the prestigious list 5 years running, and it remains the only veterinary practice ever to achieve a three star 'extraordinary' rating in the list’s history.

The Best Companies to Work For survey is now in its 17^th year and is designed to rank the cream of Britain’s motivated workforces. It is widely recognised as the most searching and extensive research into employee engagement carried out in the UK.

To achieve the listing in the Best Companies table, all of the White Cross team anonymously answered a series of in-depth questions about everything from personal development opportunities, to workplace wellbeing, contributions in the local community and overall opinions about the business. 

Tim Harrison, Managing Director of White Cross Vets, said: "It really has been a case of high fives all round since we found out about this year’s placing, which puts us in this prestigious league table for the fifth consecutive year. We are a family run business that places a huge amount of importance on the wellbeing and happiness of our people and to be recognised for that is incredibly rewarding."

White Cross Vets was also recently awarded with an industry award in recognition of the initiatives it has introduced to ensure its team remain happy, healthy and fulfilled in their work. The company scooped the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons’ inaugural Wellbeing Award after the judges scored entrants on everything from development opportunities through to stress reduction initiatives and how they promote wellbeing. 

Tim added: "Our employment initiatives include everything from giving everybody a day off and cake for their birthday, right through to providing four donation days a year where people can volunteer with a charity of their choice. We also provide a health care scheme and recently started offering subsidised Fitbits and gym membership as well as running a cycle to work scheme. 

"One of our big priorities also involves supporting mental health, and we provide training on this, alongside a 24 hour helpline for emotional and wellbeing support.

"In addition to all of this, each year we run an annual congress packed with Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities and thought-leadership talks on the latest topics affecting our industry. It’s at this event that we also hold an awards ceremony for our 170 strong team, where vets, nurses and client care co-ordinators are singled out for their superb achievements."

Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists (SCVS) in Ringwood, Hampshire, has completed the latest phase of its £10m redevelopment and launched a new ophthalmology service.

The ophthalmology service, which offers cataract surgery, corrective eyelid surgery and corneal disease management amongst other things, is headed by RCVS and US Ophthalmology Specialist, James Histed (pictured right)

The hospital, which has doubled in size to 30,000ft², now has a purpose-built theatre complex, a new reception and waiting area, 12 additional consulting rooms and a new rehabilitation centre equipped with a water treadmill and a large arena for treatment and gait analysis.

It also has a new lecture theatre where SCVS can deliver its CPD programme and parent company IVC can deliver its intern and residency programme.

The company says that its redevelopment has focused on employee wellbeing, to which end there is a new staff area for the 200-strong team a place to gather, dine and relax.

Kennel space for staff dogs has also been increased to support SCVS’s ‘bring your dog to work’ policy.

The new hospital facility is fully operational and open 24/7 for referrals, supporting colleagues from surrounding vet practices.

www.scvetspecialists.co.uk

Fabtek Solutions has announced the launch of Meditek, an activated carbon wound dressing which has been impregnated with silver to enhance its antibacterial qualities. 

Joy Coutts from Fabtek Solutions said: "Meditek uses Zorflex which is a 100% pure activated carbon fibre. It has a huge surface area due to its microporous structure, and a permanent electrostatic charge that attracts bacteria towards it, where they are immobilised and retained. When removed from the substrate, the bacteria die, but the microscopic particulates of metallic silver accelerate the bacteria kill.

"Better still, Meditek carries no risk phases as it's non toxic and non invasive."

Joy added: "We are commercial members of the Vet Wound Library, an initiative designed to help promote modern wound care to veterinary professionals, it also means members can try our dressings for free."

According to Fabtek, Meditek has been tried and tested by vets and produced excellent results. The company's website also features some case studies which show the wound before and after the use of Meditek. 

Dressings are available in 10cm x 10cm, and 15cm x 25cm sizes, which can be cut to fit. Prices start from £35 for a box of five.

For more information, see http://www.fabteksolutions.com/, email admin@fabteksolutions.com or call 07794094011.

Feline charity International Cat Care (iCatCare)'s annual cat photography competition is now open for entries.

This year, in collaboration with Your Cat, the charity is looking for entries which showcase the cat-human bond with a brand new theme of ‘Cat-Human Relationships’.

The judges want to see a range of relationships in a variety of situations, locations and ages. For instance, entries can include but are not limited to: pet cats with their owners in the home, street cats with the public and cats with those who work with them eg, veterinary professionals with their patients and homing centre workers with the cats in their care.

Since its launch in 2013, the competition has collectively attracted over 15,000 entries from all over the world.

Eve Davies, who runs the competition, said: "Whilst we tend to think of our relationship with cats as that of pet and owner, cats and humans can have a huge variety of unique connections with each other and we would love to see this reflected in the entries.

"This year’s theme is quite different to previous topics – for example kittens or sleeping cats – but it has the potential to be much more rewarding. As well as receiving exceptional photos over the years, we have been sent some incredibly moving stories to accompany them and we are hoping that this year will be even better still."

Twelve winning images will be selected by the iCatCare and Your Cat Magazine judges to feature in the charity’s 2020 calendar (and other materials) which will be sold to raise funds for the charity’s work, with one crowned the overall winner and gracing the front cover.

All twelve winners will each receive a certificate, copies of the calendar and a selection of iCatCare merchandise. The overall winner will also receive £500 in prize money.

To find out more and to enter, visit: www.icatcare.org/photography-competition. The competition closes at 10 am (BST) on 1 July 2019. 

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has accepted an application for restoration to the RCVS Register by Gordon Lonsdale, who had been struck off in March 2004 for illegally delegating acts of veterinary surgery to insufficiently qualified members of his practice staff.

At the initial Inquiry, Mr Lonsdale, who formerly worked as a sole practitioner in Shropshire, had admitted three separate charges of serious professional misconduct. These included allegations that he had instructed nurses and support staff to undertake dental extractions, dog and cat castrations, the removal of tumours or masses, the induction and maintenance of anaesthesia, lancing abscesses and suturing wounds.

At yesterday's hearing, the onus was on Mr Lonsdale to satisfy the Committee that he was fit to be restored to the Register, not least in view of his former health problems and the eight-year period for which he had been off the Register.

He provided the Committee with evidence of undertaking continuing professional development, including 130 hours of online courses and seven weeks of seeing practice, letters of endorsement from former clients and testimonials from friends and former colleagues.

The Committee accepted Mr Lonsdale's evidence that he had successfully addressed his alcoholism, which it recognised as being a contributory factor to his poor decision making in an isolated working environment. He assured the Committee of his intention that, should his application be successful, he intended to work only in a multi-handed, rather than single-handed, practice in future.

The Committee found him to be an honest and frank witness who had made a credible attempt to refresh his small animal practice knowledge; it was satisfied that he accepted the findings of the original hearing and that he had put the welfare of animals at risk, and it noted his expression of remorse.

In considering Mr Lonsdale's application, the Committee made a number of recommendations, including that he should register for the RCVS Professional Development Phase, undertake certain parts of the RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice, restrict himself to his recognised areas of competence, investigate communication courses run by the Veterinary Defence Society and continue with the mentoring programme provided by the Veterinary Surgeons Health Support Programme. Mr Lonsdale stated that he was willing to follow all of these recommendations.

Professor Peter Lees, who chaired and spoke on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, concluded: "In these circumstances, we do not consider that any further period of erasure would be of benefit either to the public or the veterinary profession. Therefore, we direct the Registrar to restore Mr Lonsdale's name to the Register."

The RCVS has published a series of case studies designed to help veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses in gaining properly informed consent from clients for procedures and treatments.

The case studies were developed by the RCVS Standards Committee and use a variety of examples of where miscommunication between a client and the veterinary practice can lead to an inadequate level of consent being gained for procedures and treatment, including euthanasia.

Examples include damaged teeth being removed during a clean and polish dental procedure without the owner’s express permission and not giving the full range of options available in the case of a dog with an osteosarcoma.

The case studies follow the Standards Committee approving changes to chapter 11 (‘Communication and consent’) of the supporting guidance to the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct in January 2018 to give further advice on how to discuss informed consent with clients, who can be responsible for gaining consent for a procedure and additional guidance on consent forms.

Dr Kate Richards MRCVS, Chair of the RCVS Standards Committee, said: "We hope these case studies will prove useful to practitioners who are having to deal with the complexities around making sure that procedures are fully explained to ensure informed consent is gained.

"We understand the difficulties that are encountered and so these case studies, based on real-life scenarios, highlight where things may go wrong and how these incidents can be avoided by being thorough and ensuring that good communication is at the heart of all we do."

To view the case studies, visit www.rcvs.org.uk/informed-consent.

Chapter 11 of the RCVS supporting guidance on communication and consent is available to view at www.rcvs.org.uk/consent

The Veterinary Benevolent Fund (VBF) has announced the retirement of its President Dr. Lydia Brown, who had served the maximum of nine years as a trustee and member of the VBF Board.

Lydia became a director of the VBF following the merger of the Fund with the Vet Helpline (VHL) and the Veterinary Surgeons' Health Support Programme (VSHSP) in January 2005.

A past-president of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and former chairman of the RCVS Trust, Lydia was a driving force behind the establishment of the VSHSP in 1999. This support programme was developed in response to the genuine need for a confidential service to treat veterinary surgeons with a wide variety of addictive conditions. Since then she has been involved in the expansion of the Helpline service from a telephone service to an increasingly-widely used email service.

The charity says that it is as a result of Lydia's thoroughness, sympathy and understanding, that very many veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses have been helped to recover from many forms of addictive conditions and health problems. 

A new study has found that 89% of farm fridges may not maintain temperatures within the 2–8°C range recommended for the storage of most vaccines.

In the study, which was supported by MSD and led by Rosie Lyle of Bishopton Veterinary Group, 18 farmers placed temperature loggers in the fridge where they normally store vaccines. Temperatures were then monitored between February and April. Throughout this period, 89% of loggers recorded a temperature outside the 2–8°C range at least once, and 43% recorded temperatures outside this range more than 50% of the time.

The authors say that these findings raise potential concerns about vaccine efficacy.

Rosie found that 55% of the loggers recorded a temperature over 8°C, and 39% recorded a temperature below 2°C.

Across all the fridges monitored, the maximum temperature recorded was 12°C and the minimum was -11.5°C.

Rosie said: "This is a surprisingly wide range. Obviously, these findings are concerning for farmers as we know that both too high and too low temperatures can impair vaccine efficacy.

"Live vaccines tend to be particularly sensitive to elevated temperatures, whereas inactivated vaccines are more affected by freezing, especially when the adjuvant contains aluminium salts".

"It’s important for both farmers and vets to be aware of potential concerns about vaccine efficacy, given the possible impact on herd health and the potential for vaccine failure to reduce trust in vaccines and herd health recommendations".

In light of Rosie’s findings, other XLVets practices are now encouraging farmers to take action to improve medicine storage, including using max/min thermometers or temperature loggers to track fridge temperature, as well as taking steps to maximise the efficiency of each fridge.

Susan Goodfellow, Marketing Manager at XLVets, said: "We wouldn’t have known that this is an important issue to highlight to farmers without collecting the information, so Rosie’s study was very valuable.

"In the XLVets community, we support clinical leadership with these kind of projects – we actively collect data and make sure that farmers can benefit from the latest findings. As a group of independent practices working together, we can achieve much more than we could in isolation."

Virbac Animal Health has launched Speed Leish K, a diagnostic test for canine leishmaniosis.

Speed Leish K detects antibodies directed against the kinesins of leishmania using a Kinesin Capture Complex (KCC), a complex of recombinant proteins with strong immunogenic power at all stages of infection. Virbac says that in trials the test has demonstrated 98.5% overall accuracy.*

Virbac Product Manager Simon Boulton MRCVS said: "Leishmaniosis presents a growing threat to UK dogs, particularly those which travel with their owners on holiday to regions where the disease is endemic.

"Speed Leish K should be used as part of the primary CaniLeish vaccination protocol in animals previously at risk of exposure to ensure only health animals are vaccinated. The test can also be used to screen for the disease in animals suspected to be infected."

Speed Leish K is presented in kits of two or six tests and can be stored for 24 months at room temperature.