Virbac has announced that it will repeat its EasOtic promotion through which practitioners that make multiple purchases of the award-winning otitis treatment can claim an ear model and specialist ear instrument kit.
The models, which show the anatomy of a healthy canal on one side and the changes associated with chronic damage on the other, are approximately 15cm high and can be used as a visual aid to show clients the consequences of untreated chronic ear disease.
The specialist ear instrument kits, worth £100, have been designed in consultation with veterinary dermatologists. They consist of a haemostat, ear forceps, three various cerumen scoops and a Spreulls ear-flushing needle.
Product Manager Chris Geddes MRCVS said: "Basically it's the best ear equipment for daily use by practitioners. Last year we were overwhelmed by the demand of both promotions, so we've decided to repeat the offer again this year."
The models and kits are available with multiple purchases of EasOtic and the neutral pH glycotechnology ear cleaner Epi-Otic.
For details of how you can obtain a model and/or kit for your practice contact your local Virbac territory manager or call Virbac on 01359 243243.
Mars Veterinary is launching the Wisdom Panel Insights mixed breed dog DNA test at the Kennel Club's Discover Dogs event this weekend.
According to the company, more than 2 million dogs in the UK are mixed breed, and it is likely that many owners are unsure of their pet's parentage.
Now, with the swipe of a cheek swab, Wisdom Panel Insights can determine the ancestry of a mixed breed dog by testing for more than 185 breeds, which Mars Veterinary says is the largest database of any canine DNA test on the market. Within three weeks, dog owners are emailed an official Ancestry Report that reveals the dog's genetic background. This, it is claimed, will help owners provide better training, nutrition and exercise for their pet, and will also alert them to any disease predisposition their dog may have.
The test will be on sale for the first time at Discover Dogs at Earl's Court, and from the website: www.wisdompanel.co.uk. It costs £59.99 inc. vat, discounted for Kennel Club registered dogs.
Caroline Kisko, Secretary of the Kennel Club, said: "A dog's ancestry can influence him in surprising ways. Obvious and not-so-obvious physical traits plus behaviours like digging, herding and barking all come from the various breeds in a dog's family tree. Once an owner understands a dog's natural tendencies, it makes it possible to create a tailored training, exercise and nutrition program to fit his one-of-a-kind needs. This is one of many innovative products that dog owners and lovers will find at Discover Dogs this weekend."
VetSurgeon.org member Aubrey Kumm MRCVS, a Joint Partner at Companion Care in Harlow, has become one of the first vets based in the UK to gain the GPCert(Endo) from the ESVPS. He joins a group of just 11 vets who currently hold this certificate in Europe.
Aubrey said: "Although there are over 50 veterinary surgeries offering specialist endoscopic surgery in the UK I wanted to ensure I was as well versed as possible in the latest developments of this method of surgery and the ESVPS certificate offered a comprehensive course, the benefits of which I am now able to pass on to clients."
Aubrey's qualification involved a year of study and several examinable components including case studies and a written exam.
The practice has invested around £60,000 in a Force Triad and two laprascopic cameras, along with various operating scopes, a broncoscope,and other associated equipment.
Aubrey added: "As a practice we are now able to offer less invasive surgery to our clients and their pets and we no longer have to ask clients to travel to distant referral centres."
BCF Technology has launched a competition to win a top of the range digital radiography system from its Cuattro range for 6 months.
To enter the competition, you need to record a short video (up to 2 minutes) explaining how the DR system would transform your imaging function. BCF is asking entrants to be as creative as possible as the voting will be open to the public. The company will pick a shortlist of finalists and then invite the public to vote for a winner on its Facebook page and website.
The competition is open to both small animal and equine vets, for the following systems:
Sarah O'Grady from BCF said: "Having a Cuattro DR system could make a huge difference to either a small animal or an equine practice. For a small animal vet practice that doesn't currently have a DR system, they will love the difference it makes to X-ray studies. Diagnostic images are produced in seconds and re-takes are almost non-existent. A Wireless Slate 3+ can greatly improve the ease of in-stable operations and procedures. With the removal of wires, these procedures run much smoother. You will also be surprised by the improvement in image quality."
The closing date for the competition is 30th November 2013.
To enter your video:
The winner will be required to arrange insurance for the system during the time they have the system. Full terms and conditions can be found on the BCF website.
To find out more visit the BCF website or Facebook page or call +44 (0)1506 460 023.
Organisations including British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) also responded to the consultation on behalf of members.
The College’s Education Department is now in the process of analysing the consultation responses.
Christine Warman, Head of Education at the RCVS, said: "We are very pleased with the number of responses we have received to this consultation which demonstrates what an important issue CPD, and our approach to it going forward, is for the profession. I am also glad that there was a good split of responses between veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses as it is important we get as wide a range of views as possible from a wide range of individuals. I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to give us their views.
"Over the coming weeks we will be going through each response with a view to preparing proposals on the next steps for our CPD Working Party’s September meeting."
Proposals are expected to go to the Education Committee and to VN Council in October and then to the November meeting of RCVS Council.
The pack contains species-specific microchipping law guides, a practice registration guide, a cat chipping cheat sheet, flyers about registration and flyers about Identi’s silent microchipping scanner.
The company has also produced three short videos with more information for vet professionals about Identi, what it does, registering microchips and compulsory cat microchipping.
Tammie O’Leary, commercial lead at Identi, said: “From June 10th, it will be compulsory that owned cats in England are microchipped and registered in the same way.
"With these changes imminent, it is important that staff are up to date with the relevant legislation and the potential consequences of pet keepers not adhering to the law.
"identi’s new Practice Pet Protection Pack will provide busy vet professionals with comprehensive information answering a wide range of microchipping questions in a quick and simple format.”
For a copy of the Practice Pet Protection Pack, email: contact@identichip.co.uk
Ceva Animal Health has added a new module to its Cardio Academy website which will provide practical advice on the management of dilated cardiomyopathy in practice.
The module contains an interactive seminar hosted by leading cardiologist and professor of medicine and cardiology at North Carolina State University, Clarke Atkins. The seminar lasts around 30 minutes, after which you're are invited to answer quiz questions relating to the presentation in return for a CPD certificate.
Small animal product manager, Fraser Broadfoot, said: "Our online Cardio Academy is an extremely popular CPD resource that can be accessed at any time, day or night! By using leading specialists, the interactive seminars provide cutting edge and practical advice on a variety of cardiology subjects. We add a new module every month, so check the website regularly."
To access the Cardio Academy please visit www.cardioacademy.cevalearn.com.
National Veterinary Services has announced that from 14th January, veterinary practices will be able to place their daily orders up to 8pm, 7 days a week.
The veterinary wholesaler will also be providing a telephone ordering service on Saturday mornings from 9am until 12pm.
Martin Riley, NVS Managing Director said: "We are always keen to understand practice needs and to deliver on their requests. This is a significant change for the industry and with the introduction of more new tools and services later in the year we believe NVS will make a great difference to our customers."
For further information please contact 01782 770319.
Last year BEVA received a national Antibiotic Guardian award from Public Health England in recognition of its work to promote responsible use of antibiotics. It was the only organisation from the veterinary profession to be shortlisted. BEVA launched its Protect ME antimicrobial campaign in 2012 to coincide with European Antimicrobial Awareness day. The Association has launched additional resources each year to facilitate compliance and educate the public about the importance of antimicrobial awareness.
This year, to recognise World Antibiotic Awareness Week (16th to 22nd November, 2016) and European Antibiotic Awareness Day (18th November), BEVA is encouraging members to document their efforts to reduce the use of critically important antibiotics.
To enter for the award, veterinary surgeons need to share practice sales data (in mls) of chosen antibiotics. Practices that document a reduction in antibiotic sales of these drugs will be presented with a BEVA Antibiotic Champion Award to endorse their commitment to responsible use of antibiotics and to help promote public awareness of the campaign. Members are also encouraged to sign up to be antibiotic guardians at www.antibioticguardian.com
Gayle Hallowell, Co-Chair of the BEVA Health and Medicines Committee said: "We are extremely proud of the equine veterinary profession’s commitment to the responsible use of antibiotics. We hope the introduction of our Champion Award will inject new vigour into efforts to continue to reduce the use of our precariously limited antibiotic resources."
To apply for BEVA Antibiotic Champion Award status visit http://www.beva.org.uk/Antibiotic-Champion-Award The BEVA Protect ME toolkit is free to BEVA members and can be downloaded at www.beva.org.uk.
Specifically, remote assessments will make sure that practices are continuing to meet Veterinary Medicines Regulations, the Core Standards of the PSS and other key standards relating to the practice's accreditation type and level.
Mandisa Greene, RCVS President and Chair of the Practice Standards Group, said: “We have introduced these remote assessments as a means of being able to quality assure veterinary practices that are either in the Scheme or who wish to join it, while still making sure that public health is safeguarded and that the burden our face-to-face assessments may place on practices is reduced.
"All our Practice Standards Scheme Assessors will be trained in carrying out remote assessments, and practices that are due an assessment will be given the full details of how it will work in advance, just like if a physical assessment of the premises were taking place.
"In the immediate-term we will be prioritising those practices that were due assessment visits in March, April and May this year which were cancelled due to the nationwide lockdown and they are currently being contacted to make arrangements. We will then start a rolling programme of visits for the other delayed assessments over the next few months. We will aim to give all practices at least one month’s notice before a visit takes place."
In order to help veterinary teams at RCVS-accredited practices understand the changes and its implications, the RCVS has produced a list of anticipated FAQs containing the details of how remote assessments will work. These can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/practice-standards-scheme/remote-assessments.
Those with any additional enquiries should contact the RCVS Practice Standards Team on: pss@rcvs.org.uk.
Burgess Excel has announced the launch of a new app for Android and Apple devices called The Fibrevore Handbook.
The free app, which is available from Apple here, and from Google for Android here, contains a guide to the veterinary care of rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas:
In addition the Fibrevore Handbook contains links to a range of Academic Articles, CPD courses and information on Burgess Excel and its products.
Burgess says the app will be updated on an on-going basis with further research findings, articles, images and general information
The Webinar Vet has released the results of a survey which shows that its members are far exceeding their 35 hour CPD target.
Launched just over two years ago, The Webinar Vet was the first company in the UK to specialise in web-based CPD for vets and now has nearly 1000 members from around the globe.
The Webinar Vet founder Anthony Chadwick MRCVS said: "Our members average over 60 hours of online CPD per year. Indeed several members are exceeding 100 hours a year including workshops, and some have even recorded over 200 hours of total CPD!
"There will always be a need for workshop CPD, but most vets and VNs can get the majority of the updates and information they need online. However we believe that in many cases it's not a simple swap - the convenience of online CPD means that many vets and VNs are earning more total hours, which can only be a good thing for the profession.
"Many vets and VNs are juggling busy family lives with work in practice, and the convenience of viewing and participating in webinars from your own home or in a practice lunch break is both cost and time saving, not to mention the reduction in carbon footprint."
Invicta Animal Health has announced that that EquiChek test kits are now validated for use with synovial fluid, having originally been validated for whole blood only.
EquiChek is an animal-side test to assess the level of Serum Amyloid A (SAA) which is a major acute phase protein of inflammation in horses.
Invicta says that it has been shown that SAA levels in synovial fluid are not influenced by arthrocentesis*, which makes SAA an ideal biomarker to measure whilst monitoring or assessing joint function.
The company says this is the first test which is able to provide a visual semi-quantitative result within 15 minutes. The test will display 4 lines for a normal level of SAA and sequentially fewer lines depending on the severity of the inflammation.
Rob Watkins, Managing Director of Invicta, said: "EquiChek has proved to be a useful tool in the ambulatory toolkit. The validation of synovial fluid extends the use by allowing real-time monitoring of lameness and intra-articular therapies. Normally whilst medicating joints, excess synovial fluid is discarded. Now this can be utilised to assist diagnosis or to assess the response to medication."
Invicta will be at Stand A16 BEVA Congress 2013.
For further information see www.invictavet.com/ or ring 01403 791313
Grahame Gardner has launched 'Smitten', a new range of scrubwear for women with a 20% introductory discount.
The company says the new range incorporates the influence of streetwear, resulting in a relaxed scrubwear collection which young and style conscious staff will love.
The fabrics used in the new range have been designed for the working environment. The first fabric to be launched to the UK market is 'Miracle' a stretchable and comfortable fabric which Grahame Gardner says feels great to the touch, but wears well and complements the fashionable garment styles.
James Greenlees, Managing Director at Grahame Gardner said: "There is no question that Scrubwear has come a long way over the past decade and at Grahame Gardner we have played a major part in this evolution, firstly with the hugely popular Urbane Scrubs and now Smitten. Smitten represents the next incarnation of scrubwear, and allows more individuality than ever before within healthcare uniforms. We cannot wait to get this out into the workplace as we know it will certainly make a real impact with our customers."
More information can be found at www.grahamegardner.co.uk, under scrubs and patientwear within the GG Collection.
A 2022 study1 conducted to understand owner perspectives, found that pet owners with epileptic dogs often felt overwhelmed with the diagnosis and the information discussed at the initial consultation.
The new website is therefore designed to complement the advice and treatment offered by veterinary practices.
It offers information about travelling with an epileptic pet, feeding information, a downloadable epilepsy diary and answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Vicky McAlister, Marketing Manager at TVM, said: "The website is intended as an additional resource to support vets in the care they already provide their patients, as we know that owners can often feel overwhelmed, and the study concluded that greater availability of reputable resources would help to improve their satisfaction1".
Reference
Emily Holbrook MRCVS, Garth Tozer MRCVS, Dr Richard Dixon and Ken Davison MRCVS have all won a Best Practice Employer Award from Novartis Animal Health after glowing nominations from the staff at their practices.
In addition, Katherine Corbett VN from Nine Lives Veterinary Centre won a special new award, worth £500, for the veterinary nurse that in the judges' opinion had best used the opportunities given to her by her boss, Emily Holbrook.
Katherine's first question when told of her win really demonstrates the commitment that veterinary nurses will give a good boss: "Can I spend it on buying one of Kruuse's Buster ICU cages for the practice? Emily has given me so much; I'd love to give something back."
Rachel Smithson, Marketing Manager at Novartis said: "All of our winners were asked what steps they take to ensure a happy team. Their answers were almost unanimous. Empower your staff. Give them responsibility, and if that means accepting the occasional mistake, then do so. Praise them for a job well done. Thank them regularly. Not only will it make your practice a better working environment, but as Katherine demonstrates, your staff will probably go to extraordinary lengths to support you. That translates into a more profitable practice, and higher standards of veterinary care."
The story is covered in full in the August and September editions of Veterinary Practice magazine, downloadable from www.vetsurgeon.org
Sarah Palmer (left) of Novartis Animal Health makes the presentation to head nurse Katherine Corbett and veterinary surgeon Emily Holbrook of Nine Lives Veterinary Practice; behind them are Anne Corbett (receptionist), Lindsay Harrison (nursing assistant), and Laura Steele (veterinary surgeon).
Kenneth Agnew from Novartis Animal Health prepares to present Kenneth Davison with his Best Practice Employer Award, whilst the team toast their boss.
Veterinary Nursing Assistant Abby Brown (left) and Abby Roberts from Novartis Animal Health toast Garth Tozer, Novartis Best Practice Employer Award winner.
Donna Lewis (BVNA), and Novartis Animal Health CEO George Gunn present Dr Richard Dixon with his award.
The sessions, which are delivered by the company's territory managers and cover things like toxicology, ophthalmology and the management of epilepsy, will now be streamed live to computers, tablets or smart phones.
Product Manager Will Peel (pictured right) said: "We know that concerns over coronavirus are affecting our customers so we want to make it as easy as possible for them to benefit from the information imparted in our Lunch and Learn sessions while normal service is disrupted.
‘We hope that these measures will also help us offer more virtual workshops in the future to make our sessions more accessible for busy veterinary staff and we are looking at the possibility of organising virtual drop ins from our sales team in the future.’
For more information visit: https://www.tvm-uk.com. To rearrange a previously booked session contact your local territory manager or email help@tvm-uk.com.
The first webinar Does Ease of Use Have to Come at the Expense of Efficacy? is presented by Claire Harrison BSc (Hons) RVN VTS (Dentistry) AFHEA, Dentistry Nurse at the Hospital for Small Animals at the Royal ‘Dick’ School of Veterinary Studies.
Claire will consider the best practice of daily toothbrushing for oral homecare and explore what practices can do to contextualise care for the many owners who struggle to achieve this goal.
Animalcare highlights research which shows that the number of pet owners who brush their pet’s teeth daily is very small: one study in Sweden suggested that only 8% of dog owners and 4% of cat owners met this target¹.
Senior Brand Manager Eleanor Workman Wright said: “With periodontal disease so common in dogs and cats, supporting owners to maintain an oral health regime for their pet is essential.
"Daily toothbrushing remains best practice but many owners are just not able to do this, so it is important to suggest effective alternatives in order to protect their pet’s oral health.
“During this webinar series dental experts will explore a range of approaches which can be used with owners & pets throughout the different stages of their pets’ lives, either as an alternative to toothbrushing, or as part of a programme to build up to toothbrushing.”
To register, visit: www.animalcare.co.uk/dentalwebinars
Further webinars in the oral homecare series will be delivered in January 2023.
The Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) is putting out a last call to take part in the SPVS Salaries Survey 2015, open to everybody working in the veterinary profession.
The long-standing survey provides a benchmark for veterinary surgeons, nurses and support staff to see trends in pay and conditions. Designed to provide a complete picture of remuneration levels, the survey covers basic earnings, bonuses, dividends, overtime and benefits such as accommodation, car allowances, private medical insurance and pensions. It also includes questions on employment contracts, hours worked, out of hours and weekend working.
Peter Brown, SPVS Treasurer and author of the Salaries Survey said: “I have been compiling the survey results for a number of years but it never fails to enlighten me as to what is happening in the profession. I know it is also the go to reference guide when practices are recruiting to help ensure they are offering competitive salary packages.
“Participation in the survey is open to all and the more practices that take part, the more accurate and useful the information will be so we would urge everyone working in the veterinary profession to take a few minutes to complete the survey. It can be done online and the information is completely anonymous.”
To complete the survey online, visit www.spvs.org.uk or, for a printed version, telephone 01926 410545. The survey is open until 30 November 2015.
This brings the total number of oncology specialists to four, within a service comprising 12 oncology professionals.
After getting her bachelor’s degree in biology from Duke University, Sarah (pictured right) enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, from which she graduated summa cum laude (with highest honours) in 2017.
Sarah stayed on at Penn to complete an internship in small animal medicine and surgery followed by a residency in medical oncology.
She became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2021 and joined the team at Davies in October 2021.
Sarah said: “I joined Davies for the opportunity to collaborate with specialists spanning all aspects of veterinary medicine.
“This allows me to provide the best care for my patients and contribute to the future of veterinary medicine.
"It is a privilege to work with so many kind, motivated and intelligent individuals that share these same goals.”
Dechra Veterinary Products is encouraging veterinary practitioners to find the cat that has been treated with Felimazole® for the longest period of time, for the chance to win a luxury chocolate hamper.
The company wants to gather profiles of hyperthyroid cats undergoing treatment, including their age and length of treatment, so that it can further inform the veterinary profession about feline hyperthyroidism, the most at-risk cats and how to successfully treat the condition with the leading product Felimazole.
Practitioners simply need to provide details of their patient's age, when the cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and how long it has been treated with Felimazole. Submissions will be entered into a prize draw with the first placed practice and cat's owner each winning a luxury chocolate hamper, while second and third places will receive luxury chocolate boxes.
Carol Morgan, Felimazole product manager at Dechra Veterinary Products says: "The majority of cats suffering with hyperthyroidism are over seven years of age, so we are interested in finding the longest-treated and the current ages of cats on Felimazole. The information we receive from practitioners is invaluable, so we will collate and report our findings to the veterinary profession to ensure it has the most up-to-date information about the disease."
For details of how to enter the competition, contact your local Dechra territory manager, call Dechra on 01743 441632 or email marketing@dechra.com.
Nestlé Purina is launching a new diet this month which, according to the company, helps delay the canine brain ageing process.
The diet, Pro Plan Senior 7+ Original, is enriched with medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Research carried out by Nestlé Purina and published online in the British Journal of Nutrition (here's the abstract), apparently demonstrates improvements in senior dogs' memory, learning capacity and ability to adapt to novel situations when fed on this MCT-enriched formula.1 According to the company, the MCTs provide neurons with a readily accessible source of energy to counteract the decline in glucose metabolism that occurs naturally in ageing dogs, thus maximising brain function with demonstrable improvements in cognitive function.
Veterinary surgeon, Barton Stephen, BVM&S MRCVS, veterinary columnist for The People said: "When treating brain ageing or CCD in senior dogs I believe we vets need to adopt a more holistic approach. We can treat diseases like heart failure and kidney disease and offer advice on exercise, joint care and weight control. All of these can improve quality of life and encourage a pain free existence, but until now we have had nothing proven to help dogs stay younger for longer. This innovative new dog food has the added advantage of staving off cognitive decline which owners find very distressing."
For more information on Pro Plan Senior 7+ Original and the Pro Plan, diet range, please contact your Veterinary Business Development Manager or contact Nestlé Purina PetCare, telephone: 0800 212 161 (Freephone)
Reference:¹ Dietary supplementation with medium-chain TAG has long-lasting cognition-enhancing effects in aged dogs. British Journal of Nutrition (Pan et al 2010)
Ceva Animal Health, maker of the veterinary behaviour products DAP and Feliway, is once again sponsoring the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors' series of one day behaviour seminars to keep veterinary professionals up-to-date with companion animal behavioural issues.
Featuring presentations by top pet behaviourists, the seminars will cover a range of topics based on questions that pet owners frequently ask veterinary professionals in practice.
Contributing to six hours CPD per event, the topics covered in the seminars are:
Places on the seminars cost from £70. For further information, please contact the APBC on 01386 751151 or visit http://www.apbc.org.uk/
Over 100 students from Nottingham Vet Society will attempt the 3 Peaks Challenge by climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in under 24 hours on 10 March.
The funds raised will be split between VBF, the charity that supports veterinary professionals, and Medical Detection Dogs.
Online donations can be made at http://goo.gl/IkodW.
Lydia Brown, VBF President, said: "We are so grateful to the students involved who organized this off their own backs even though they don't have much free time. It augurs well for the future of the profession that they want to support their colleagues. I do hope they all make it back to Nottingham safely and I look forward to seeing the pictures on facebook.com/VetlifeVBF! "
Tom McKay, one of the students who organized the challenge, said: "We have really enjoyed the training and are reasonably optimistic we will make it back for our Easter placements!"