Ceva Animal Health has added a new CPD module to its Cardio Academy website which focuses on common heart diseases in cats.
The 20 minute online seminar is hosted by Virginia Luis-Fuentes, Professor of Veterinary Cardiology at the Royal Veterinary College. After viewing the module, you can claim a CPD certificate by answering questions relating to the session.
Fraser Broadfoot MRCVS, product manager at Ceva, said: "Cardio Academy is going from strength to strength with over 1500 UK vets registered to the site which now includes 15 hours of free on-demand cardiology CPD with leading specialists."
For more information, visit: www.cardioacademy.cevalearn.com.
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 17th 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."
Delegates came from 31 different countries - as far afield as Brazil, South Korea and Singapore - and attended over 28 hours of CPD which included a pre-Congress day, dentistry wetlabs, five sponsor-led symposia, two masterclasses and a main congress stream covering feline endocrinology and feline cardiology.
There were 18 speakers and feline experts, including Dr Mark Peterson and Prof Claudia Reusch leading on endocrinology, and Kieran Borgeat and Prof Virginia Luis Fuentes presenting the latest findings in cardiology.
ISFM says the initial feedback from delegates was extremely complimentary, comments including: "inspiring speakers that made it so enjoyable as well as informative", "the speakers did very high value lectures and the feline spirit was really present" and "excellent conference – lectures were informative but still practical and useful, and there was a lot of love for cats".
Running alongside the scientific programme was a busy commercial exhibition and a poster room showcasing original research, case series and case reports from 17 individuals who all received a 50% discount on the cost of their congress registration.
On the social side, there was a welcome reception sponsored by Hill's which included a ride on the world’s first vertical cable car. Boehringer Ingelheim stumped up for cocktails and canapes on the first evening, and fish and chips with live music on Brighton Pier on the Friday, and Idexx threw in prosecco and cupcakes after lectures on Saturday afternoon.
This year, ISFM ran a nursing programme which was so popular, it required a change of venue. Sam Taylor, Director of ISFM’s nursing distance education courses who chaired much of the meeting said: "It has been a real pleasure to welcome so many nurses to our Congress. We have been overwhelmed by the response and although we will not always be able to have a nursing stream at congress we will certainly ensure that we run ISFM events for nurses in 2018, so watch this space!"
Next year’s ISFM Congress is being held in the city of Sorrento on the Amalfi coast in Italy. Taking place from 28th June to 1st July, the congress will cover feline urology and feline oncology. Full details of the congress are yet to be published but over 250 delegates in Brighton have already registered their interest.
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.
Forte highlights that Utertab's intrauterine administration allows it to act directly in the target tissue. It is presented in a perforated blister pack for better sealing.
Dr John Henderson, Large Animal Product Manager at Forte Healthcare Ltd said: "Given the need to use appropriate first-line antibacterial drugs where possible we are delighted to bring vets a new Tetracycline pessary, ‘Utertab’, for the treatment of metritis and retained foetal membranes.
"In-situ therapy for these conditions has more recently been neglected in favour of injectables but still has much to recommend it. We look forward to highlighting these benefits over the next few months."
For further information on Utertab 2000mg, contact your local Forte Territory Manager or enquiries@fortehealthcare.com.
Companion Care is launching a new division to develop a network of joint venture surgeries on high streets around the UK.
Thus far, 62 out of the company's 66 surgeries have been located inside Pets at Home stores. The company says it plans to more than double the number of surgeries over the next 5 years, both within Pets at Home stores and on the high street.
The new surgeries will be branded Companion Care Vets. According to the company, they'll be full service practices featuring the latest equipment, situated in locations which offer clients easy access. Managing director, Jane Balmain, said: "The in-store model we operate has been very successful and offers a unique business proposition based around the customer footfall in Pets at Home stores. We will continue to accelerate the growth in numbers of in-store surgeries as the Pets at Home store footprint expands. "While in-store has been hugely successful and the driver in our growth, we know that there are many vets and veterinary nurses who are interested in a joint venture partnership but whose preference is to have a more traditional looking standalone surgery. To enable us to launch partnerships with these professionals we are developing a standalone surgery network plan. We already have 4 very successful standalone surgeries and we feel now is the right time to develop the stand alone concept as a mainstream business proposition." While the new surgeries will be standalone, Companion Care says they will be affiliated with local local Pets at Home stores to drive client registration and business development.
Jane added: "These stand alone surgeries will offer a unique business proposition due to our Pets at Home relationship. We believe that with this new venture we can offer any potential partner the best of both worlds: a superb in-store surgery with footfall of thousands of customers a month, or a standalone new surgery linked to local store(s) to develop the business. I don't believe any other company can offer this unique proposition."
Is this the warm up for the mother of all high street battles between Companion Care and Vets4Pets?
"We are urgently looking at what these new national lockdowns will mean for veterinary professionals and services, and we are liaising with the Chief Veterinary Officers.
"We aim to issue updated guidance in the coming days but can confirm that we will not be reverting to emergency-only work, as we saw at the start of the first UK-wide lockdown last March.
"Instead, we are developing guidance to support veterinary professionals to carry out work that is essential for public health and animal health and welfare, in the context of the very strong ‘stay at home’ messages from both governments.
"We recognise that this continues to be a very challenging and difficult time for our colleagues, and we want to thank veterinary teams across the UK for continuing to work safely so that we can all play our part in stopping the spread of Covid.
"Once again we thank animal owners for their understanding and ask them to continue to respect their vets’ decisions at this time. The range of services available will vary between practices so that vets can work in Covid-safe ways to keep their colleagues and clients safe."
The upgraded site uses 'machine learning', a type of artificial intelligence based on pattern recognition, to offer personalised content. The technology is now commonly used in consumer sites, such as Netflix and Amazon, but until now has not been used in the veterinary world. Content is further personalised for those vets and nurses that complete their profile on the site.
The upgrade was commissioned after Boehringer carried out a user experience survey of its old website, which revealed that whilst vets appreciated the CPD and educational materials, many were trawling through content that was not of interest to them or struggling to find what they wanted.
Jemima Mead, brand manager at Boehringer, said: "We aimed to create an engaging portal – a one-stop shop for vets who want to access high quality CPD and/or relevant information about any of our products. Vets are busy people so need to find relevant information quickly – giving them more time to focus on their clinical responsibilities. Our new slick site, tailored to their individual professional preferences, provides a valuable service that simply has not existed before."
The campaign came after the company surveyed livestock farmers in January, February and March this year, and found that cattle producers are struggling to implement changes.
The survey, which received 190 responses, investigated the extent to which beef and dairy producers are aware of methods to sustainably control parasites, how many are following best practice techniques, and what advice and support they need to make a change.
Sioned Timothy, Ruminant Technical Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health said: “Reassuringly, 70% of respondents who are the main decision maker indicated that they were either very concerned or a little concerned about wormer resistance on farm. This level of awareness is positive since wormer resistance is on the rise, and the livestock industry must make changes to parasite control if we are to safeguard the effectiveness of wormers."
However, the survey indicated that farmers are not asking professionals such as their vet or SQP for advice on parasite control as much as they could. Only 55% of main decision maker respondents asked their vet for advice on parasite control planning as part of overall herd health planning, and that dropped to 21% for specific parasite control advice.
In addition, only 65% of main decision makers sought advice from an SQP when purchasing worming or fluke products, despite SQPs being qualified to provide parasite control advice at the point of prescription and supply.
Positively, over 60% of main decision maker respondents had already implemented some methods of sustainable parasite control, including quarantining and treating bought-in animals, managing pasture use, and calibrating and testing dosing guns.
However, more than half of the same respondents were aware of but had not implemented several other methods, including weighing or tracking growth rates of youngstock, testing individuals or groups of animals for parasites, and using preventative methods such as vaccinating for lungworm.
Sioned pointed out that nearly 25% of main decision makers had not implemented the calibration or testing of their wormer dosing guns, and a further 12% were not even aware of the practice. She said: “These producers are missing a simple opportunity to ensure that their cattle are dosed correctly. Under-dosing is one of the factors that drives resistance to anthelmintics on farm, and over-dosing increases costs unnecessarily.”
When respondents were asked why they haven’t implemented changes to their parasite control methods, 22% said they did not believe they needed to make changes, 20% don't have the necessary equipment or buildings, 37% said the cost of installing new/better equipment was a barrier, and 32% cited the cost of additional diagnostic tests or treatments.
The survey did highlight some positives. Victoria Hudson, Senior Brand Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, said: “Respondents indicated a good appetite for change provided they could access the appropriate advice and support, including implementing weighing and tracking growth rates of youngstock (53%), testing for parasite burdens in individual animals (52%) and testing for parasite burdens in groups of animals (43%).
“Just over a third of respondents felt they might be able to quarantine and treat bought-in cattle, manage pasture, and use vaccination or other preventative measures. However, only 31% of main decision maker respondents felt they could make the easiest and simplest change: calibrating and testing dosing guns before use.”
One method of sustainable parasite control, targeted selective treatment, where the best performing animals in a group are left untreated, was not well understood or implemented by respondents (30% had implemented, 36% were aware of it but had not implemented, and 33% were not aware of it), and just under 35% felt that even with advice and support they would not be able to implement this method within the next three years.
Victoria said: “Unsurprisingly, over half of main decision maker respondents cited they needed funding to support new equipment/infrastructure to help them make changes to their parasite control practices, but there is a desire for more advice and support.
“Nearly 49% want help in understanding the parasite challenges on their farm, 54% want advice on which changes will most benefit their cattle, and just over 33% want more information on the different types of wormer products.
“However, survey results were conflicting on how farmers would get this advice and support since only 13% wanted more visits from their vet, and 11% from their SQP, despite these professionals being best placed to provide advice at an individual farm level.
“It shows that there is more work to do to help beef and dairy producers make the most effective and sustainable changes to parasite control. This is why we have launched Change One Thing, a campaign to support farmers in understanding and implementing the options available to improve the sustainable control of parasites.”
The campaign is also calling on farm vets to Change One Thing, relating to the information, support and advice that they give livestock farmers.
Victoria said: “It can be difficult for vets to have conversations with farmers about making changes to their parasite control practices, so we urge them to think about changing their approach to discussing the topic, especially if their client/customer has so far resisted making any changes.
“Being inquisitive, and asking questions, can be more effective than ‘telling’, and it’s important that farmers believe in the need to make the change, and that they can practically do it. Even small changes can make a big difference, and testing and trailing strategies tailored to an individual farm will help the farmer to see the benefits for themselves.”
Boehringer says that changes that farmers could make to improve their parasite control in a sustainable way, include:
Resources for farmers, vets and SQPs to Change One Thing are available on the Beat the Parasites website: www.beattheparasites.com/change-one-thing.
Animalcare Ltd has launched Marbocare (marbofloxacin) 100mg/ml solution for injection, a third-generation fluoroquinolone for the treatment of E.coli mastitis and bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in cattle, and Metritis Mastitis Agalactia in pigs.
The company highlights the product's unique flexible dosage regimen of once daily injections for 3 days against E.coli mastitis and BRD, plus a single intramuscular (IM) high dose (8mg/100kg) for BRD.
Animalcare says this regimen, coupled with the flexibility of administration afforded by all three injection routes (intravenous IV, subcutaneous SC and IM), a low volume dose and good syringeability, all combine to offer ease of use; resulting in a reduction in handling and less stress for the cattle.
Developed for veterinary use only, Marbocare has broad spectrum activity against Gram+ve and Gram-ve pathogens. Animalcare says the product is especially effective against E.coli mastitis and the key bacterial pathogens associated with BRD, as well as M.bovis.
Marbocare has milk withdrawal times of 36 hours after the last treatment following the 3 day course and 72 hours after a single shot for BRD. Meat withdrawal is 6 days after multiple injections and 3 days after the single shot.
Marbofloxacin has proven efficacy in a comparative international, multi-centre, controlled, randomised field trial1 in 62 dairy cows with E.coli mastitis. Marbofloxacin cure rates were significantly higher than the control product. In respiratory disease it showed a more rapid clinical response in comparison to tilmicosin2, ceftiofur3 and oxytetracycline4. Marbofloxacin was shown to be well tolerated, leading to a fast return to appetite, liveweight gain and associated welfare benefits.
Marbocare is also licensed in the treatment of Metritis Mastitis Agalactia syndrome in pigs, given by IM injection, with a 4 day meat withdrawal.
Tony Liepman, Product Manager from Animalcare said: "Marbocare is competitively priced whether used on its own or alongside a single-dose anti-inflammatory such as Emdocam (meloxicam)."
Marbocare is a POM-V licensed product presented in 50 and 100ml multi-dose vials.
References
Production company Keo Films is on the hunt for a veterinary surgeon that wants to take a year out and help set up a new community in a remote part of the British Isles for a high profile TV documentary series.
The documentary is essentially a social experiment to see whether it is possible to begin again, away from the conveniences and technology of the modern world.
Keo Films, which was behind such programmes as River Cottage and Welcome to Rio, tells VetSurgeon.org that they've already had applications from people working in a variety of fields, including doctors, builders and engineers. For obvious reasons, they are very keen to recruit a veterinary surgeon.
There is no payment for appearing in the documentary. Still, it might be just the thing for someone who needs a break from it all. And who knows, it might lead to a second career opening supermarkets at the weekend!
If you're interested, or know someone else who might be, contact eden@keofilms.com or call 020 7490 3580
The charity says it estimates there has been a ten-fold increase in fertility clinics in the past two years, and it is now aware of at least 339 dog fertility businesses across the UK.
Such clinics, which typically offer artificial insemination, progesterone testing, cytology and ultrasound scanning, are often operated by lay people, rather than veterinary professionals.
There have been concerns about the seeming indiscriminate use of breeding procedures by some fertility clinics, and about links to low welfare breeding operations.
Naturewatch says some fertility clinics have been found selling and administering prescription medicines and offering to perform operations.
The charity now wants to understand what veterinary professionals think about this new industry, and is running a short survey until 21st August 2022.
In particular, Naturewatch wants to know who you think should be permitted to perform commonly offered breeding procedures.
It also wants to hear your thoughts about possible solutions.
Are canine fertility clinics inherently problematic?
Or could canine fertility clinics - if operated ethically and regulated properly - bridge the gap between breeders and the veterinary profession?
Complete the survey here: https://action.naturewatch.org/canine-fertility-clinic-survey-for-veterinary-professionals
Krka’s Farm Key Account Manager Charlotte Read said: “BRD remains a priority issue on farm and advising farmers on the management of BRD risks, and treatment options when needed, is a key task for farm vets.
"Flovuxin’s combined formulation is a high efficacy BRD treatment acting within six hours1, to improve treatment outcomes.”
Reference
Available in packs of 56 (4 x 14 tablet blister packs), Lodisure tablets are divisible for accurate dosing.
The recommended starting dose is 0.125-0.25 mg amlodipine per kg bodyweight per day, which equates to half a tablet for cats weighing less than 4kg (and more than 2kg) and one tablet per day for cats weighing between 4kg and 8kg.
It can be administered directly to the cat or given with a small quantity of food.
Dechra companion animal brand manager, Sarah Musgrave, said: “Feline hypertension is very often part of a more complex diagnosis, therefore it is important that antihypertensive therapies are easy to dose and administer.
"Lodisure is a new, first-line, easy to dose and administer treatment to control systolic blood pressure in cats while the underlying primary cause is diagnosed and treated, which vets can rely on in their day-to-day practice.”
https://www.dechra.co.uk/products/cat/prescription/lodisure.
DG Sanco, the EU Directorate General for Health and Consumers, has launched a worldwide photo competition to mark World Vet Year: 'Vets in your daily life'
Entries need to be photos of a vet (or vets) at work or in any situation which shows the diverse nature of the job. Five winners will win 1000 Euros worth of photographic equipment. The overall winner will win an additional 2000 Euros worth of photographic equipment. All winners will also be given travel and accommodation for the awards ceremonies in Paris and Brussels.
Anyone (except for employees of the European Institutions, and their families) can enter the competition, which closes on 31st March 2011. More details can be found at: www.vetsinyourdailylife.org.
Here's the promotional video for the competition:
The BVA and RCVS have announced the formation of the Vet Futures Action Group to take forward the ambitions and recommendations in the Vet Futures report ‘Taking charge of our future: A vision for the veterinary profession for 2030’ launched in November 2015.
The call for applications attracted more than 80 candidates with many more expressing an interest in helping to take the project forward.
The Action Group will be tasked with working collectively to turn the report’s 34 recommendations into clear actions with buy-in from across the veterinary profession and a timetable for activity.
The Action Group is made up of the BVA and RCVS Presidents and Junior Vice-Presidents, seven veterinary surgeons, a veterinary nurse, and a co-opted veterinary student:
The members of the Group joining the BVA and RCVS officers were selected by the Vet Futures Project Board for their mix of experience and expertise across the Vet Futures ambitions and themes (Animal health and welfare; Veterinary professionals’ wider roles in society; The health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals; Diverse and rewarding veterinary careers; Sustainable businesses and user-focused services; and Leadership), as well as in veterinary education, veterinary regulation, and veterinary nursing.
BVA President Sean Wensley said: "The Group has a very important task ahead and we are confident that we have an excellent group of people with the right balance of skills, experience and expertise to take forward the Vet Futures recommendations and turn them into concrete actions.
"We have had an incredibly positive response from the profession to the launch of the report and we hope organisations and individuals will now step up to work with the Action Group and take ownership of the activity for the good of the whole profession."
RCVS President Bradley Viner said: "We were overwhelmed by the response from the professions with ten applications for every place, and many more offers of support. The Project Board was particularly impressed by the high quality of the applications and the breadth of experience demonstrated by the candidates from all parts of the profession.
"It was incredibly difficult to select the members of the Group from such a strong field but we are pleased that we have captured the variety within the profession as well as the enthusiasm to drive the project forward. We sincerely hope everyone who expressed an interest will remain engaged with the project as it progresses this year."
New subject areas include emergency planning, traffic accidents, excessive bleeding, seizures, poisonings, choking and breathing problems, caesareans, GDV and abdominal emergencies, and pain assessment and management.
ECC is the first element of the new Practical and Clinical Skills section of the BSAVA’s online Professional Development Phase (PDP) Resource Bank, and takes the total to more than 100 hours of free online CPD support matched directly to the RCVS PDP competences.
The BSAVA PDP resource bank is designed to help veterinary surgeons to enhance practice expertise, develop their practices’ professional and business skills, and advance an ethos of reflective learning and continuous professional development (CPD) alongside veterinary expertise.
Members can pick and choose the most appropriate content for their professional development from more than 250 resources in multiple formats to suit a range of learning preferences, including short ‘how to’ videos, webinars written by and featuring veterinary specialists, podcasts, documents and interactive PDFs and web links.
BSAVA President John Chitty said: "BSAVA continues to lead the way in CPD learning resources and this easily accessible and flexible PDP Resource Bank has proven very popular in helping members to meet the challenges of delivering 21st century veterinary medicine."
The BSAVA PDP Resource Bank content is reviewed by committee and there will be ongoing development of new resources – including employer specific resources for practices supporting new graduates.
For more information visit www.bsava.com/pdp
An environmental photojournalist, Mr Gekoski has won various well-known wildlife photography awards and is regularly featured in the press, most recently for his book Animosity: Human - Animal Conflict in the 21st Century.
Aaron will join BVA President James Russell, Association of Veterinary Students (AVS) Senior Vice President Izzie Arthur and two other judges nominated by the competition sponsor iM3 Veterinary Dentistry. The BVA photography competition has already had over 200 entries for this year's award since it launched in January. Split into three categories, entrants are asked to focus on images that capture the human-animal bond in day-to-day veterinary work, as well as photos of pets or wildlife taken outside of the working environment.
Submissions for each category can be taken on a phone or a high-spec camera, and should take into account responsible animal interaction and positive animal health and welfare.
The three categories are:
Aaron said: “It's a huge honour to be a judge for the BVA Veterinary Photographer of the Year Award, the most prestigious photographic competition for the veterinary profession. The competition helps shine a light on the invaluable and relentless work carried out by vets around the world; work that may otherwise go unnoticed. I look forward to bringing my experience as an environmental photojournalist to the judging process."
The BVA Veterinary Photographer of the Year Award 2021 closes at 11.59 GMT on 8th March 2021. Winners will be announced in April. They will receive a £250 John Lewis voucher and their pictures exhibited by BVA.
Find out more and submit your entries at www.bva.co.uk/photo-comp
Pet insurer esure has released the results of a survey of vets bills, carried out amongst 3000 pet owners.
Whilst the intent behind surveys like these may be laudable (i.e. to encourage more pet owners to insure their pets), they do the profession no favours, emphasising the high perceived costs of veterinary care rather than the good value that it generally represents.
This survey highlighted that:
esure's research showed that English Setters are the mostly costly breed of dog, forcing their owners to shell out £6,955 on vet bills, including injections, surgery and emergency treatments, in a lifetime.
Despite the potential for big bills, just a third (31 per cent) of pet owners have pet insurance and almost a quarter of those with cover admitted they were considering cancelling it to save money during the current credit crunch.
According to esure, many dog owners may be choosing to cancel or not even buy pet insurance because they are significantly underestimating the cost of treating common ailments and injuries. 29 per cent of pet owners surveyed think that the average vet bill for a dog with diabetes would be under £200, when it is actually £1146 including ongoing treatment*. To repair a dog's broken leg, 11 per cent of pet owners think that the average vet bill would be less than £100. It is actually more than five times that amount at £560*.
Mike Pickard, Head of esure pet insurance said: "Sickness, injury and long-term illness can affect any breed of dog, at any time, which is why it's crucial for pet owners to have insurance or ample savings to cover an unexpected vet bill of any size. With many pet owners underestimating the cost of treatment for common ailments, a hefty vet bill may stretch household finances to the limit - especially in the current credit crunch. Pet owners should plan ahead for all eventualities when it comes to their dog's health."
VET BILLS FOR THE TOP 10 MOST POORLY DOG BREEDS:
* Based on all claims received by pet insurance specialist, Thornside in 2008. http://www.bdml.co.uk/about-thornside.html
This adds to the company's existing lab network, which also includes Southfields Veterinary Specialists Diagnostic Laboratory and the Dick White Referrals Diagnostic Laboratory.
In addition to its lab services, the company also offers in-house diagnostics, imaging and technology solutions, telemedicine services and rapid diagnostics.
In the UK, the company will offer KeyScreen, a DNA-based GI parasite screening solution, AIS RapidRead, an imaging technology that enables diagnosis in under ten minutes, and coming soon, Nu.Q, a system that measures nucleosomes to screen and monitor for canine cancer.
Antech will be at the London Vet Show this year, where veterinary teams will have the chance to hear from the company's head of clinical pathology, Dr Butty Villiers and head of anatomic pathology, Dr Rachel Pittaway, about the latest innovations and diagnostics developments.
antechdiagnostics.com
Loseley, the ice-cream maker, has announced that it has developed a new way of making flavoured ice-cream by adapting the diet fed to its cows.
The first variety to be made using the new technique is 'Eton Mess', for which the company's herd is being fed a diet of strawberries and meringues.
Loseley says its cattle - which are housed at the Beechdean Dairies farm in Buckinghamshire - have already been feeding on the ingredients found in the much loved pudding for over a year, to ensure their milk supply is infused with the strawberry and meringue flavours. Apparently, huge amounts of strawberries are having to be air-freighted into the UK in order to ensure an uninterrupted supply through the seasons.Andrew Howard Managing Director of Beechdean Dairies said: "We have been perfecting the quantities in the cattle feed for over 18 months to perfect the Eton Mess flavour. The cows need to be fed just the right quantities of meringues, strawberries, fat and hay to make the perfect Eton Mess ice cream. We believe ice cream should be great quality, tasty and interesting. Our products will always deliver against these criteria."Vince Bamford, Fast Moving Consumer Goods Editor at The Grocer, the UK's leading grocery trade magazine said: "Loseley's flavour development process is cutting edge - I have tasted the product and it is delicious. It is an exciting innovation for the ice cream category."
The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) has released the results of a survey carried out earlier this year which has found that there may be up to 5 times as many veterinary graduates wanting to work in equine practice as there are jobs available.
The survey was carried out amongst the 2,500 vets and vet students who are members of BEVA to help ascertain manpower requirements of equine practices in the UK.
Of the 819 new veterinary graduates in the UK in 2012, BEVA says it estimates conservatively that between 10-15% intend to work in equine practice. Meanwhile, the extrapolated results of the survey suggest that in 2012 there was less than 1% growth in full time equine vet positions and as few as 24 new permanent jobs available in the UK.
BEVA says that in line with the survey's suggestion of restricted opportunities, some of its members are also finding that internships, commonly the domain of new graduates to gain paid, supervised experience in practice, are now often taken by vets with some post-graduate experience. Furthermore, unpaid externships, which traditionally gave vet students valuable work experience, appear to be being filled by unemployed veterinary graduates wanting to gain experience in order to improve their chances of securing a job in equine practice.
Tim Mair, a partner at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic in Kent said: "Earlier this year we had more than 80 applications for just one internship. Several years ago we would expect 50 or so applications for an advertised intern post but now, without advertising at all, we are constantly receiving applications, not just from new graduates but also from those who have been qualified for a year or more."
Charlie Schreiber, a partner at Donnington Grove Veterinary Surgery in Berkshire, said: "We take on an average of two externs a month and over the past four years have had more than 350 applicants but their calibre is noticeably changing. We used to hear primarily from students but now it tends to be recent graduates or those who have already done a job in mixed practice and are keen to move into equine but can't find an internship."
Andrew Harrison, a partner at Three Counties Equine Hospital in Gloucestershire, said: "In addition to the numerous applications we received for our recently advertised internship position, we are inundated with unsolicited enquiries about job opportunities from recent veterinary graduates from across the globe. Our most recent advertisement for an equine veterinary nurse has attracted interest from a handful of recently qualified vets desperate to find work. This employment problem is not confined to internships; some of our recent interns have found it very difficult, if not impossible to find a job in horse practice, once they've completed their internship."
Amanda Piggot, a recent graduate, has first hand experience of the challenge of finding a suitable placement. She said: "I have always wanted to work in equine practice and my approach has been very strategic. It took me five months to find my current position at Kessock Equine Vets in Inverness, which necessitated moving 500 miles further north than I ideally wanted. For my next position I applied to Liphook twice and had no luck but I have now been accepted by Rossdales for a two year internship."
According to the British Veterinary Association (BVA) the problem isn't confined to equine practice. The Association's President Peter Jones said: "The findings of the BEVA survey make sober reading and reflect the growing concerns in the wider veterinary profession about opportunities for new graduates in all types of veterinary practice.
"The issue has recently been brought into sharp focus by the announcement of a new veterinary school opening at the University of Surrey in 2014, with many BVA and BEVA members worried about an oversupply of veterinary graduates into an already competitive market. We are expecting the results of the RCVS survey of recent graduates shortly and, alongside the findings of the BEVA survey, they will provide an evidence-base to build on as we continue to assess the UK veterinary manpower implications of potential new veterinary schools in the future."
BEVA is keen to help both potential employees and employers tackle the situation as constructively as possible. BEVA President Keith Chandler said: "BEVA is proud that equine practice is attractive to so many younger members of the profession and it can provide a rewarding and fulfilling career. However we urge all stakeholders to ensure that current and prospective veterinary students are fully aware of the very limited opportunities in equine practice. Most of all we urge the students themselves to consider carefully their career path and prospects before making their final decisions."
Next month the RCVS will be releasing details of a survey of vets who have graduated within the past five years and how easy they have found it to find a job that meets their needs.
The videos, by BCF in-house vet Ben Sullivan BVSc MRCVS (pictured right), give a step-by-step guide for each of the measurements covered (LA:Ao ratio, EPSS and EF), to enable viewers to get more from their ultrasound equipment.
Ben said: "At BCF we’re always striving to produce educational resources to help our customers make the most of their imaging equipment, and welcome suggestions from all quarters. In recent months we’ve received a large number of requests for help performing basic 2D echocardiographic measurements. In response to those requests we produced this short video series providing a 'how-to' guide for three of the most common measurements encountered in practice."
The videos were filmed using a Vivid iq, the latest cardiac ultrasound scanner from GE.
Ben added: "We hope you find them useful, and welcome suggestions for other topics you’d like to see covered. Please don’t hesitate to visit our website – www.bcftechnology.co.uk – to access the cardiac measurement videos along with a wide range of other learning materials. We have also recently introduced free monthly webinars. The recorded webinars are also available to view at www.bcftechnology.co.uk."
To watch the cardiac measurement videos, visit: http://bit.ly/2rW1BxM
Dr Crespo appeared in front of the Disciplinary Committee earlier this week with two charges against her. The first was that, in November 2015, she dishonestly and falsely made an online representation to the College that she had no criminal convictions, cautions or adverse findings despite having been convicted, in January 2015, of failing to provide a specimen of breath. The second charge against her was that, in March 2016, she once again dishonestly and falsely failed to declare her conviction when renewing her registration.
During the hearing the Committee had two main considerations in respect of both charges – as to whether Dr Marin Crespo had been dishonest in failing to declare the conviction and as to whether the respondent ought to have known that her representations were false. Regarding the dishonesty element, the Committee found the College had not sufficiently proven this, as it accepted Dr Marin Crespo’s evidence that she did not believe she needed to declare a motoring-related offence as it was not relevant to her professional practice.
However, the Committee found it proven that the respondent ought to have known that the representations were false, taking into account that Dr Marin Crespo made admissions that she ought to have checked the guidance on declaring convictions, cautions and/or adverse findings and ought to have been aware that making such declarations is a requirement of the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct.
Having found the parts of the two charges relating to false representation proven, the Committee then considered whether this constituted serious professional misconduct.
Judith Webb, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said:"The Committee considers that the false declarations made by the respondent were born of a careless disregard for the disclosure process. The Committee notes that the respondent could easily have checked online, and/or by telephone, as to what she was obliged to do when making the relevant declarations. She failed to do that.
"In these circumstances, the Committee considers that the respondent’s conduct fell far short of that which is to be expected of the veterinary profession. Therefore, in the judgement of the Committee, on the facts found proved, the respondent is guilty of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect."
In considering Dr Marin Crespo’s sanction the Committee took into account a number of mitigating factors including her full cooperation with the College’s investigation, her hitherto unblemished career, her testimonial evidence which it felt demonstrated her dedication and professionalism, and the fact that she has displayed remorse and insight into her conduct.
Judith Webb concluded: "The Committee notes that the respondent’s conduct caused no harm, or risk of harm, to animals or humans. The Committee also notes that there is no charge arising out of the criminal conviction itself. The Committee considers that, if the respondent had answered the online questions correctly, it is unlikely that the respondent would have appeared before the Committee.
"Every veterinary surgeon must ensure that they adopt a careful and accurate approach to the self-certification exercise, which is crucial if the public and the College are to have trust in that process. In these circumstances, the Committee considered that the proportionate sanction in this case is that the respondent be… reprimanded for her conduct."
2000 veterinary surgeons and nurses/technicians took part in the study, of which 545 completed all questions.
The biggest equipment barriers to BP measurement were 'cuff frustration' (cuffs pinging off) and difficulties hearing the pulse, which were experienced at least sometimes by 72.2% and 71.6% of participants respectively when using Doppler machines.
When asked about barriers relating to the procedure itself, the most significant issues were a lack of time, not having a colleague available to restrain the cat, and simply forgetting to include BP in the assessment.
Owner-related barriers included difficulties persuading clients to book a separate BP appointment, difficulties persuading clients to bring cats in for a BP check at all, and reticence over the cost.
Sarah Caney, RCVS recognised Specialist in Feline Medicine who lead the study, said: “Feline hypertension is an extremely common condition which affects approximately one in five cats nine years or over4, however there are several challenges that we need to address to enhance the long-term health and welfare of the nation’s cats.
"The good news is that some of the barriers identified in the study can be overcome by taking a ‘practice makes perfect’ attitude towards taking blood pressure, in that the more experience vet professionals have, the easier the procedure will become.
"The study showed many VNs are confident and enthusiastic about blood pressure assessment in cats; this should be encouraged and expanded upon to ensure that as many older cats and those with conditions increasing their risk of hypertension, receive the BP monitoring they deserve.
Eye examinations are helpful in confirming a diagnosis of systemic hypertension, however the study revealed that while 96.5% of respondents had access to a direct ophthalmoscope, 73.1% reported that they felt under-confident in performing and interpreting ocular examinations when identifying hypertensive lesions in cats.
Ceva Animal Health, which funded the study, says that because between 50 and 100% of hypertensive cats have ocular lesions2,3, it is vital that clinicians feel able to identify ocular pathologies associated with high blood pressure.
Sarah added: "VNs and vets should be encouraged to ‘upskill’ their eye examination skills, as this can be extremely helpful in identifying cats with hypertension."
To that end, Ceva has published an online feline ophthalmology course ‘Looking hypertension in the eye’: www.veterinarywebinars.com/community/ceva
The course, which is presented by Dr Ben Blacklock BVSc (Hons), Dipl. ECVO, MRCVS, senior lecturer in veterinary ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh, is designed to help vets and vet nurses to get the most out of their ocular exams and gain confidence in identifying ocular lesions associated with feline hypertension.
https://easethepressure.co.uk.