Willows Veterinary Centre & Referral Service has opened a specialist internal medicine clinic for felines. 

Headed by Stephanie Lalor, a European Specialist in Internal Medicine, the clinic provides initial assessment and treatment - from blood work and blood pressure - to ongoing care. 

Suitable for cats with a wide range of medical conditions, including respiratory tract disease, gastrointestinal conditions and endocrinopathies, the clinic is housed in Willows iCatCare certified ‘cat-friendly’ facility, which has its own cat ward and waiting area. 

Stephanie, who completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Edinburgh University (funded by International Cat Care) in 2014, and then completed the Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine last year, said: "Here at Willows we do all we can to minimise the difficulties that cats and their owners might encounter when they come to see us.

"Our staff are trained to be aware of their needs and we have put in place not only the necessary facilities but also specific working practices in order to make any visit as stress-free as possible.

"These cat-specific clinics will be yet another string to our bow and we will work closely with referring vets to ensure that we meet each patient’s unique needs – providing a detailed written report following each visit."

For more information about the cat-specific internal medicine clinics taking place at Willows, or to make a referral, call 0121 712 7070.

For more information, visit www.willows.uk.net.

The RCVS has completed the sale of its Westminster offices to a private investor for £14m. 

The deal includes an option for the College to lease the building for up to two years to give it time to consider its options for the future, and how they may have changed as a result of the pandemic.

The decision to sell the property was made back in November 2018, when Council decided that the building was rapidly becoming unfit for purpose and the College needed more up-to-date and modern facilities with more room for a growing workforce. The College’s Estates Strategy Project Board was tasked with managing the process, chaired by former RCVS President Barry Johnson.

RCVS Treasurer Susan Dawson said: “Council recognised that this deal realised maximum value for the building, especially considering the impact the pandemic has had on property prices in Central London.

“It also provides a very valuable opportunity to reflect on the changing needs of the organisation and the professions and public it serves, and to consider the requirements and different working patterns of the College staff going forwards.

“It is likely that many staff members will wish to continue to work at home more than they did pre-Covid, so the need for pure desk-space may not be as great as we had planned for the 10-15 years ahead. However, the importance of in-person meetings for collaboration, creativity and the maintenance of good corporate culture is not to be underestimated, so our new requirements are likely to be different to that anticipated back in 2018.”

The College says it expects to welcome limited numbers of staff back to the office in June, to work in a socially distanced way, including virtual or partly-virtual meetings. 

Changes to working patterns over the coming months will also help inform decisions around future remote working policies and the type and size of building that will best suit the future needs of the College and its workforce.

VetCT has launched a survey to explore opinions on artificial intelligence (AI) in veterinary medicine.

The 10 minute survey seeks to capture the current level of understanding and feelings around the deployment of AI tools across the veterinary industry.

VetCT says the purpose of the survey is to start some discussion and identify areas where training and support could help veterinary practitioners.

Julien Labruyère, Chief Innovation Officer at VetCT (pictured), said: “AI is here to stay and will increasingly become part of all aspects of veterinary medicine.

"Indeed, it’s vital to help us solve some of the workforce pressures the profession is facing globally.

"We will increasingly be using the outputs of AI tools to inform our clinical decisions, and yet the mechanisms and algorithms can be something of a black box of mystery.

“We want to understand the needs of clinicians in understanding how to apply AI safely, effectively and with confidence to support good clinical practice and ultimately, improve animal welfare.

"The results will be published and freely accessible.

"Our hope is to encourage a collaborative effort to support veterinary teams with embracing the full potential of AI, yet also providing the safeguards and education to the clinicians applying this technology to their patients.”

The survey is here: https://bit.ly/VetCT_AI_Survey.

Vygon Vet has launched two new 'procedure packs' containing disposable essentials for unblocking a tomcat or performing a spay or minor surgery.

The KatKath Urinary Catheter Insertion Pack contains a catheter, a drape towel, polypropylene suture, lubricating gel, a Luer-slip syringe and a clear tray. The complete set costs £10.99.

Vygon Vet General Manager Chris Kenyon, said: "Not only does our KatKath pack ensure everything that's needed is in one place and sterile, it can also save vets up to 50% compared with prices if they buy similar products separately. It's a win-win situation."

The Spay Tray and Minor Operations Set (pictured right) includes a selection of forceps, a Mayo Hagar needle holder, a scalpel, a pair of dissecting scissors, a hand towel, drapes, a tray and five radiopaque swabs.

Chris said: "Our Spay Tray and Minor Ops Sets are produced to the highest standards using top quality materials. Having the required items in one pack eradicates the need to go through the expensive process of washing, re-packing and re-sterilisation, and from an admin point of view invoicing is easy with one single code covering all the different pack parts."

The Spay Tray and Minor Ops Sets are available for an introductory price of £12.50 for a limited period.

In the blurb, Vygon Vet says the benefits of its procedure packs include:

• Help organise your theatre and storage space
• Save time preparing for a procedure
• Standardise practice
• Reduce inventory
• Simplify invoicing
• Save money

The company is also offering a retrieval service through which the instruments from up to ten packs can be disposed for £14.50.

For more information, visit www.vygonvet.co.uk, telephone: 01793 748900 or visit Vygon Vet at the forthcoming BSAVA Scottish Congress (29-31st August at the Edinburgh Conference Centre).

A new study published in Equine Veterinary Journal's (EVJ) in partnership with the American Association of Equine Practitioners, has shown that a wireless, inertial sensor-based system can effectively measure a horse's response to a flexion test.

The authors say that opinions on the value of flexion tests in assessing equine lameness have been divided for many years, but their research should turn what has always been regarded as a subjective process into a wholly objective one.

Flexion tests are used routinely in horses with subtle or imperceptible lameness, to exacerbate the problem and make it apparent to the observer. The test involves applying a short period of pressure to the joints of the limb before re-examination, and evaluating any change in gait. However, flexion tests rely on the ability of the observer to identify and interpret changes in the horse's gait and in that respect these tests are subjective and not necessarily consistent between observers.

The research study was conducted by orthopaedic surgeons based at the University of Glasgow's School of Veterinary Medicine¹. A total of 17 healthy adult horses, all in work, were fitted with sensors before being trotted in a straight line. The sensors measured vertical pelvic movement asymmetry for both right and left hind limb strides and the average difference in maximum and minimum pelvic height between right and left hind limb strides. A hind limb was randomly selected for 60 seconds of proximal flexion, after which the horse was trotted for a minimum of 10 strides. Response to the flexion was blindly assessed as negative or positive by an experienced observer.

John Marshall, lecturer in equine surgery at the University of Glasgow, who led the study, said: "A positive response to flexion resulted in significant changes to objective measurements of pelvic symmetry, supporting the use of inertial sensor systems to objectively assess response to flexion tests."

Professor Jim Moore, North American Editor of the EVJ, said: "The introduction of an objective approach to documenting lameness examination will not only help vets and trainers to investigate equine lameness more accurately. It will also serve as an unbiased method of communicating lameness examination findings among vets, trainers, farriers and other professionals."

The next phase of research will be to establish cut-off values for objective assessment of other equine lameness diagnostic procedures, such as nerve blocks.

Reference

1. Use of a wireless, inertial sensor-based system to objectively evaluate flexion tests in the horse, JF Marshall, DG Lund and LC Voute, EVJ ISSN 0425-1644 DOI:10.1111/j.2042-3306.2012.00611.x

VetCT is hosting “In the world of foot MRI, has CT got a place?”, a webinar for first opinion and advanced equine clinicians presented by Dr. Jonathon Dixon on 18th April at 7:00pm.

Jonathon is an RCVS & EBVS European Specialist in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, with a particular interest in MRI of the distal limb and has published scientific work on this subject, among others.

With the increase in availability and accessibility to CT for horses, VetCT says this hot topic will be well received by equine vets at all levels of experience.

VetCT’s Equine Teleradiology Manager, Charlotte Graham, said: “We can guarantee a highly engaging talk with plenty of useful tips on case selection for each modality as well as some interesting discussions in the Q&A session.”

To register for the webinar on 18th April and receive links to recordings of this and previous webinars in the 2023 series, sign up here: https://vetct.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zkctYZYWRUmRVIFTxrvvsA 

www.vet-ct.com

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has granted MSD Animal Health a provisional UK marketing authorisation for Bovilis SBV, the first vaccine specifically targeting the Schmallenberg virus (SBV) in cattle and sheep. 

SBV, which emerged in late 2011, is transmitted via insect vectors, mainly midges and causes transient clinical symptoms in adult cattle and sheep, such as fever, diarrhoea and reduced milk yield, as well as congenital malformation in newborn calves and lambs. As of March 31st 2013, 1753 cases of SBV had been confirmed throughout the UK. SBV has now been detected in every county in England and Wales.

Andras Bolcskei, Country Manager, MSD Animal Health UK said: "On behalf of Merck MSD, we would like to thank the VMD for its partnership and support to fast track the availability of Bovilis SBV to the market. There was a tremendous urgency for a SBV vaccine in the UK especially given the marked increase in confirmed cases over the past year and the increasing importance to help control this devastating disease."  

MSD says that studies it conducted in support of the provisional marketing authorisation showed that all animals responded with formation of virus neutralizing antibodies. During the studies, reduced viraemia against SBV was observed in sheep vaccinated once and prevention of viraemia was observed in cattle vaccinated twice, whereas all animals in the control groups developed infection and became viraemic. In studies to date, Bovilis SBV has been shown to be efficacious in cattle and sheep.

The vaccine is based on wild-type SBV that has been inactivated and contains an adjuvant that stimulates the immune response.

The vaccine will be available in 20ml and 100ml vials. Bovilis SBV is indicated for the active immunisation of cattle to prevent viraemia against SBV and for the active immunisation of sheep to reduce viraemia against SBV.

MSD says it is working diligently to expedite stocks to the UK, and expects Bovilis SBV to arrive in the UK in the coming weeks.

The RCVS has launched ViVet, a new programme designed to ensure veterinary professionals are at the forefront of technological innovation in the animal health sector.

ViVet (derived from the Latin word ‘vivet’ meaning ‘it will thrive’) will, says the College, provide a variety of resources and support to help the professions keep pace with change and remain at the forefront of animal healthcare provision.

Chris Tufnell, RCVS Senior Vice-President, helped develop the scope of the ViVet programme during his presidential year. He said: "This is an ambitious project for the College to embark upon but also very important for the future relevance and survival of the professions. Technology in the animal health sector is developing rapidly, such as the growth of telemedicine, wearable and implantable devices to gather health-related data from our animals, and low-cost genomic sequencing.

"These technologies could have a disruptive effect on the veterinary sector, so it’s important to encourage and support veterinary input at an early stage to enable the professions to shape their development and ensure that animal health and welfare is a foremost consideration.

"ViVet will help veterinary professionals to engage proactively with innovation in animal health, so that they can embrace and drive change and are not side-lined by it."

The Vivet website (www.vivet.org.uk), which was launched simultaneously at the College's inaugural Innovation Symposium in London today, contains a number of resources to showcase new technologies and innovative business models.

Anthony Roberts, Director of Leadership and Innovation at the College, said: "The aim of these resources is to help veterinary professionals harness the immense opportunities that innovation can bring to animal health and welfare by providing practical advice on areas such as launching new products and services and, in turn, encourage innovators to think about how the expertise and knowledge of the veterinary professions could input into new technologies.

"Furthermore, the programme will also help the College gain insights into the animal health market and how it is evolving. This will allow us to develop a regulatory framework that is relevant and adaptable to 21^st century technology, while continuing to foster and support responsible innovation."

ViVet will also continue to organise events like today’s live-streamed symposium, which brought together thought-leaders from across the animal health, technology and business sectors, and provided a forum to discuss the opportunities and threats presented by innovation in the veterinary sphere, the impact it may have on the professions and how they are regulated.

Further details about the RCVS Innovation Symposium, including the full programme and speaker profiles, are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/innovation. Videos of speakers and a written report of the proceedings will be available from www.vivet.org.uk in due course.

Janssen Animal Health has made what I am told is a 'very large' donation of Ripercol, a pour-on 20% levamisole w/v broad spectrum anthelminitic for cattle, effective against gastro intestinal nematodes and lungworm, to the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) – a UK registered charity (No.1100485) committed to improving the treatment and welfare of all animal species throughout the world.

Nigel Underwood, Livestock Marketing Manager at Janssen said: 'We are very pleased to be able to help improve the health of animals in the developing countries and in turn to help those people who need it most. I’d encourage other pharmaceutical companies and practices to support WVS whenever they can, as they do a fantastic job.'

Annie Cook, WVS Director of Veterinary Operations said: 'So far this year we have been able to help over 64 associated charities with nearly £73,000 worth of donated items. This incredibly generous donation of Ripercol from Janssen Animal Health will allow us to provide production animal welfare charities in India, East Africa and South America with a much needed resource'.

WVS is currently arranging a Disaster Emergency Response team of veterinary professionals to visit the Internally Displaced People Camps in Kenya created following the election violence. Luke Gamble, WVS Chief Executive Officer, who will be coordinating the team said: 'The high concentration of animals in these camps combined with poor sanitation will promote the spread of disease between animals and is also a public health concern. Simply deworming these animals will improve their productivity and survival, which is vitally important as they are an essential resource to the people in the camps.'

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has agreed to accept undertakings from a Dorset veterinary surgeon, Philippa Ann Rodale MBE, in which she requests that her name is removed from the RCVS Register of Veterinary Surgeons with effect from 31 July 2015, and undertakes never to apply to be restored to it.

The Committee met on Monday 17 August, resuming a hearing which had been adjourned on 20 July. The adjournment had been made to allow Ms Rodale time to submit formal responses to the charges against her and indicate whether she agreed with them. In the event, as outlined by a letter from her solicitors received by the College on 14 August, Ms Rodale declined to comment on the charges and did not admit to any of them.

Ms Rodale did not attend the hearing on 17 August, however, the Committee decided to continue in her absence, on the understanding that, as evidenced by her solicitors’ letter, she was fully aware of the hearing and had voluntarily waived her right to be presented and represented.

The original charges related to Ms Rodale’s standards of practice (in relation to issues such as biosecurity, hygiene, in-patient facilities, drug storage and the disposal of hazardous waste, among other things) and also to a test for Intradermal Comparative Tuberculin. The charges relating to her standards of practice did not have complainants, as the College raised the matters itself; with respect to the Tuberculin test charge, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, as the relevant body, raised no objection to the proposed course of accepting undertakings.

In accepting the undertakings, the Committee felt that a contested hearing that could take up to seven days and involve up to eight witnesses for the College and up to three for the Respondent would not be in the public interest. Furthermore, since the 20 July hearing, Ms Rodale had retired and closed her practice. The Committee also noted that there had been no previous disciplinary findings against her, in what was otherwise a long and unblemished career.

Ian Green, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee is satisfied that the undertakings offered by the Respondent protect the welfare of animals since the Respondent has now retired and is no longer in practice. It is also satisfied that the reputation of the profession is upheld since the undertakings offered go beyond any sanction which the Committee could impose at the conclusion of a contested hearing, were any of the Heads of Charge to be found proved. It considers that it would not be proportionate or in the public interest for there to be a lengthy contested hearing.”

Elanco Animal Health - maker of Clik and Clikzin - is urging veterinary surgeons to highlight the risk of blowfly strike to farmers, as two new cases have been reported in West Sussex

According to the company, 88% of farmers say blowfly is the most widespread ectoparasite affecting sheep in the UK¹ and 94% of sheep farmers have been caught out by the parasite in the past².

The Met Office believes this winter may have been the warmest ever recorded, prompting fears that these favourable conditions will result in a more abundant blowfly population this year.

Fiona Anderson, Technical Consultant Manager at Elanco Animal Health, said: "It’s crucial we do not get complacent when it comes to blowfly – the costs of inaction can be devastating. It’s an extremely distressing disease to see in sheep, and obviously for the sheep themselves, so there’s no sense in taking the risk. Farmers should take control of the situation, before blowfly strikes their flock, by using preventative products with full fleece protection. Another benefit of using a preventative product early in the season is that killing flies from the first wave of the insects reduces the total number of flies for the rest of the season.

"Waiting for clear signs of the blowfly season before acting is a gamble. Farmers are extremely busy and blowfly strike can establish very quickly, so it would be very easy to miss an affected sheep."

Fiona added: "IGRs, such as CLiK and CLiKZiN, stop blowfly larvae developing into the harmful second and third stages that cause flystrike and stock damage. Using an IGR directly off shears saves time by avoiding the need to re-gather sheep and offering a longer period of protection." 

For more information on blowfly strike and prevention with IGRs, visit www.farmanimalhealth.co.uk

References

1. Survey of 53 sheep producers in UK, April 2013.
2. Survey of 130 sheep farmers, April 2016.

Virbac has announced that Bovigen Scour, its vaccine for the immunisation of pregnant cows and heifers to raise antibodies against E.coli F5 (K99), rotavirus and coronavirus, has had the shelf life on its SPC increased from 10 hours to 10 days. 

The broached bottle must be kept refrigerated between 20C and 80C until the next use.

Virbac says that whilst this may not seem a huge change, it significantly increases the cost-effectiveness and convenience to farmers.

The SPC changes mean that 

• cows do not have to be handled all at the same time or treated on the same day.
• farmers can use larger vials and the vial does not have to be thrown away after the first broach so there is less wastage.
• there is more opportunity for farmers to vaccinate more of their dams, reducing the effects of neonatal calf diarrhoea.

Bovigen Scour is available in 5 and 30 dose bottles.

The RCVS has appointed Clare Paget as its new Registrar and Director of Legal Services.

Clare (pictured) who is currently the General Dental Council’s Interim Executive Director for Legal and Governance, will be joining the RCVS as its most senior legal officer at the end of March 2025.

A qualified solicitor, Clare started her practice as a Solicitor Advocate in criminal law, before undertaking roles in regulatory bodies in the healthcare and financial sector.

She joined the General Dental Council in March 2023 and has been in her current role there since March last year.

When she joins the College, Clare will have a dual role.

As Registrar she will be responsible for keeping, maintaining and publishing Registers of veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses, including oversight of the various mechanisms via which veterinary professionals can join the Register, what they need to do to stay on the Registers, how they may leave or be removed and registration appeals.

As Director of Legal Services, she'll provide leadership and guidance on legal matters within the organisation, including guiding RCVS Council through the development of oral and written legal advice, as well as sitting on committees and working groups in order to ensure the College’s activity is within its legal remit and represents best practice.  

RCVS Chief Executive Officer Lizzie Lockett said: “I am sure the RCVS, the professions and the public will benefit from her very relevant experience from senior roles within the General Dental Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, and Financial Conduct Authority, as well as her private sector legal experience.

“She joins the College at a time of change, with our continued push for new veterinary legislation, the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority investigation of the sector, and a new strategic plan for the College due to be approved this spring.

“The Registrar is the senior legal figure within the organisation, and I am looking forward to Clare contributing her legal expertise on these significant areas of work.

"She joins our very capable legal team, who I am sure will benefit from her leadership, as she will benefit from their sector expertise.”

Clare said: “I am delighted to join the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to contribute to the valuable work of safeguarding the interests of the public and animals by supporting veterinary professionals to provide the highest standards of care.”

VetSurgeon.org extends a warm welcome to Clare and wishes her all the very best in her new position.

One small but nevertheless important point is that perhaps a better aim would be to support veterinary professionals in providing just a 'high' standard of care, rather than the 'highest' standards.

It's this constant striving for the 'highest' standards from both a regulatory and clinical perspective that is driving up the cost of veterinary care and making it unaffordable.