Bayer Animal Health has announced that its parasiticide -  Advocate Spot-On Solution - is now licensed to be used weekly, and for a prolonged period of time, in severe cases of demodicosis in dogs.

According to the company, recent work carried out to obtain the new weekly indication shows a number of benefits of this increased application frequency for severely affected animals. Dogs treated on a weekly basis showed a greater reduction in mite numbers, fewer clinical signs, and improved hair regrowth and weight gain over the trial period, when compared to dogs treated monthly.

Advocate remains licensed for monthly use on mild to moderate presentations.

A spokesperson for the company said: "The new claim for the weekly use of Advocate should give veterinary surgeons a more effective route to go down when dealing with more severe cases, compared to monthly use. However, demodicosis is a complex condition which presents the practitioner with many challenges. So, from past experience with this condition, we would urge vets to be patient and also recognise the importance of treating any underlying disease process likely to exacerbate the situation."

Advocate Spot-on Solution has also been recently licensed for the prevention of Angiostrongylus vasorum, and the treatment of Crenosoma vulpis.

For further information, please contact your Bayer representative or the Bayer technical advice line on 0845 1305995.

From 1st March vets can sign up to be alerted to all recorded equine influenza cases in the UK, thanks to a new service from the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and Merial Animal Health.

Tell Tail is the UK's first equine influenza (EI) text alert service exclusively for equine vets, set up to provide practices and their clients with what could be invaluable information in the face of a potential outbreak. 

Dr Emma Batson from Merial said: "Vets will be notified of an EI outbreak within 48 hours of confirmed diagnosis. Not only will this allow them to alert their clients, but we believe that it will also help to encourage horse owners to become more compliant with vaccination schedules.

"Currently it is estimated that only a third of the UK horse population is vaccinated for EI. This situation is not only a potential welfare issue, but it also provides practices with a significant opportunity to increase the number of horses protected against EI, resulting in a win-win situation for all."

Dr Richard Newton, Head of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance at the AHT, believes the text alert service will also help improve awareness and knowledge of EI, and he hopes all equine vets will sign up for the scheme. He said: "We believe that the launch of the alert service for vets marks an important step in the quest to help minimise the risk of an EI outbreak in the UK.

"EI doesn't have a carrier state, which means that it never goes away and re-emerges, instead it circulates continuously. So without continued surveillance we could easily lose track of it.

"We hope that as well as allowing practices to track and respond to outbreaks in their area, the alerts will also encourage vets to send in samples from animals with cold and flu-like symptoms. This is a free service which in turn provides us with more information to circulate within the industry, allowing everyone to be more effective at managing the disease.

"Vaccination is our best defence against EI, but to remain effective the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Expert Surveillance Panel, needs to make any update recommendations based on the latest position in the field. And this information can only be gathered via effective surveillance."

Dr Batson agrees and hopes that the combination of the Tell Tail text alert service and surveillance scheme will help to reduce the risk of an outbreak occurring in the UK. She said: "In the UK we continue to see regular confirmed outbreaks of EI, so we can never afford to become complacent about the risks.

"You only have to look at the relatively recent major outbreaks in Australia, South Africa, India and China, to see the devastating effects which can ripple throughout equine industries, both in financial as well as welfare terms."

Tell Tail is a free service. To register your interest, text your name, practice and postcode to 07797 801863. Alternatively, visit http://www.merial.com/ and click on the Tell Tail link, or speak to your Merial territory manager.

The RCVS has released the results of a survey which has found that increasing numbers of graduates over the last five years have had little impact on veterinary job prospects.

The survey was carried out for the RCVS by the Institute for Employment Studies, which asked the last five years' UK graduates who have registered with the College how long it took them to find work, how long they stayed in their first jobs, and why they moved on.

The online survey, which achieved a 43% response rate (1,354 responders), found that an average of 94% of graduates seeking a role in clinical practice obtained work within six months of starting to look. 

The actual figure ranged from a high of 96% in 2008 to a low of 92% in 2010, and did not change significantly over the five years under consideration, despite UK graduate numbers increasing by around a quarter during the same period (from 650 in 2007, to 819 in 2012). Meanwhile, the College has registered an average of 618 overseas graduates annually during this time. 

The survey did show that it was taking graduates slightly longer to secure their posts, with a shift from 85% securing work under three months in 2008, to 71% in 2012. 

The results seem to suggest some small differences in the time taken for men and women to find their first jobs, with men finding jobs slightly quicker, although the vast majority of both genders found veterinary work. 

Jacqui Molyneux, RCVS President said: "After the announcement from the University of Surrey that it will be opening a new vet school in the near future, there was a great deal of discussion amongst the profession about how easily new graduates could find employment. I undertook to get some real facts and am pleased to find that the picture is not as gloomy as predicted.

However, Jacqui said she was concerned that there has been a slight increase in the proportion of respondents who left their first position after a relatively short period of time. Amongst 2012 graduates, over 40% of those who had left their first position did so within three months of starting work. However it must be stressed that only 18% of those answering the survey who graduated in 2012 had already left their first position. Jacqui said: "Although the turn-over in first jobs seems to be, in part, due to an increase in temporary posts, I am saddened to see that the most commonly-cited reason for graduates leaving their first job was lack of support from their employers or professional colleagues.

"This is an area that we, as a profession, must address. As I have told all the students I have admitted to the College, their first jobs will influence their whole careers, and getting adequate support is probably the single most important factor. Meanwhile, it is heartening to see that nearly all of those moving on have obtained further employment."

Although the survey was sent to all those UK graduates who had registered with the RCVS within the last five years, the contact details for those who had subsequently de-registered may not have been up to date, which may mean that those who had de-registered because they could not find work were not well represented. However, the College says it thinks it is more likely that these individuals would have switched to the 'non-practising' category. 

A summary of the headline survey results will be available at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications. The full findings, which also looked at the time taken to complete the Professional Development Phase and the type and location of work sought, will be available in due course.

Kit Sturgess, RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Medicine, will present a webinar for vets: “Diagnosis of inflammatory disease in cats and dogs – Getting the most from your practice laboratory?”, on Thursday 2nd March, 7:30 - 9:00pm

In the Horiba-sponsored webinar, Kit will draw on personal experience and case study examples to illustrate how the innovative use of adjunctive tests can support rapid clinical decision-making when triaging patients.

For example, Kit will consider whether inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A can be used to assess if current signs are likely associated with inflammatory diseases, such as pancreatitis, or whether further investigation is required to determine cause of illness.

Kit will also consider the case of Ollie a 10-year-old German shorthaired pointer presenting as vaguely unwell with reduced appetite.

Is this just a flare-up of his chronic osteoarthritis and likely to respond to pain relief and anti-inflammatory treatment, or something else?

Attendees will be able to questions in a live Q&A session at the end of the webinar.

Horiba's team will also be on hand to answer questions on in-house diagnostics.

For free registration, visit: https://bit.ly/3wGADcm 

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has restored Ian Beveridge, a Wirral-based veterinary surgeon to the Register.

Mr Beveridge had been removed from the Register following a disciplinary hearing in May 2013 in which he was found guilty of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect with the Committee finding that he had treated clients badly, kept inadequate clinical records, was dishonest in his dealings with the College and that animals in his care were placed at risk. He subsequently appealed to the Privy Council but this was later withdrawn, resulting in him being formally removed from the Register in March 2014.

He first applied to be restored to the Register in 2015 but his application was refused by the Disciplinary Committee at a hearing in November 2015. At the time the Committee found him unfit for restoration to the Register because, following his removal, his veterinary medicines account had been used on an unauthorised basis to order prescription-only veterinary medicines, which reflected a "cavalier attitude to practice". Furthermore, the Committee found that he had not fully accepted the Committee’s original findings, had made inadequate effort in regards to engaging in continuing professional development (CPD) and also considered the seriousness of the original findings.

At the opening of his second hearing Mr Beveridge, who represented himself, sought to address the concerns that the Disciplinary Committee had outlined upon refusing his first application for restoration. Regarding his acceptance of the original findings, the Committee heard that he now apologised "unreservedly for his failings that led to erasure of his name from the Register" and the Committee considered that he had demonstrated a significant change in attitude from the previous restoration hearing where he had not fully accepted the reasons for being removed.

In considering issues of public protection the Committee also accepted that Mr Beveridge, until his original Disciplinary Committee hearing, had an unblemished professional record and had run a successful small animal practice for over 30 years. It considered numerous client testimonials as well as a petition signed by 600 clients from 2013.

The Committee also considered that there was no risk to the future welfare of animals in the event of Mr Beveridge being restored to the Register, noting the testimonials and references to satisfactory care and treatment given by Mr Beveridge to his patients.

Regarding CPD, Mr Beveridge produced evidence before the Committee that he had attended courses run by the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA). The Committee accepted that he had made "considerable progress" in terms of CPD.

In concluding the hearing Judith Way, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "It is the judgement of the Committee that the conduct which resulted in the applicant’s name being removed from the Register is unlikely to be repeated. The applicant has satisfied the Committee that he is fit to be restored to the Register."

Following the Prime Minister’s decision to reintroduce national restrictions across England from 5 November until 2 December 2020, the RCVS has updated its guidance which explains the type of work that can be carried out by veterinary practices under varying government restrictions around the UK during the pandemic.

Generally, veterinary practices may remain open, but there are national variations in what services should be offered and how, including the conditions under which remote prescribing can be used to help support a case.

Wales currently has the tightest ‘firebreak’ restrictions, meaning practices can only provide essential and urgent work until midnight on 8 November 2020, thereafter, returning to usual operations in line with Wales’ standard measures around workplace safety.

England and Northern Ireland are under national restrictions (4 Nov – 2 Dec, and 16 Oct – 12 Nov, respectively), meaning practices can provide treatment essential for maintaining animal health and welfare, along with non-urgent work providing that social distancing measures and safe working can be maintained.

Veterinary surgeons practising in these three countries may also choose to support a case remotely at an earlier stage, for example, through the remote prescribing of POM-Vs without first having conducted a physical examination.

Scotland remains the only country under regional tiered restrictions, meaning practices can continue to provide treatment whilst maintaining social distancing; however, before remote prescribing is offered, veterinary surgeons should first consider whether the animal can be brought under their care.

The full guidance and corresponding flowcharts should be consulted together and are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/covidfaq2and www.rcvs.org.uk/covidfaq4.

CEVA Animal Health is giving away a digital thermometer with every purchase of three bottles of Rehydion gel Formula Plus

According to CEVA, dehydration can be a big problem for farmers, causing weakness, scouring and weight loss but Rehydion gel Formula Plus has transformed the management of this common condition. Historically treatments could not be added to milk as the bicarbonate, citrate and the high levels of glucose in the solutions inhibited milk clotting.  Rehydion gel Formula Plus, however, helps to maintain a low abomasal pH and guarantees milk clotting.

The company says calves with dehydration and diarrhoea still tend to crave milk, which not only provides vital fluid but is also the best possible source of energy for weight gain. Milk also has many other advantages such as helping with gut healing and providing natural antimicrobial actions. Rehydion gel Formula Plus's high palatability and efficient dilution in milk allows weight gain to continue, even in cases of severe scour.

CEVA also has a leaflet to help farmers minimise the problem of dehydration and diarrhoea in beef and dairy cattle. To order copies and for further information contact your CEVA representative or CEVA Animal Health Ltd, 90 The Broadway, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 1EG, telephone 01494 781510 or visit the website at http://www.ceva.uk.com/

Mrs Muriel Taylor, who worked as a receptionist at Pennard Vets in Kent for a staggering 70 years, has been presented with the British Veterinary Receptionist Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award at a celebration with more than 100 staff at the practice.

Muriel joined Pennard Vets as an office junior on 7th January 1950, when she was 15 years old

She earned a weekly wage of £1 10 shillings, equivalent to £1.50 in today’s money.

Andy Green, a Director at Pennard Vets, said: “Few people in this country have achieved what Muriel has.

"Pennard Vets has been around for over 125 years and Muriel’s journey with us has encompassed a staggering 70 years of that, making her one of only a handful of people in the UK who have completed 70 years with a single employer.

“Muriel is ever-present, reliable, caring, dependable and she makes the best biscuits around.

"She started work at our Sevenoaks practice as a 16-year-old in 1950, when it was just as likely a client would be bringing in a sheep, goat or horse as a dog or cat, and we used loose boxes outside for examinations, treatments isolation and even post-mortems.

“During the subsequent 70 years she was part of the growth in the practice from a single site to multiple sites.

"She was also fantastic at embracing the latest technology as the practice went from handwritten ledgers, double entry bookkeeping and dealing with the terribly difficult to decipher handwritten notes of the vets, to digitalisation, computers, online systems, email, mobile phones and a host of other technological advances.

“Throughout the years her role changed dramatically, and she learned new skills, adapted, and moved with the times, demonstrating our core values of continuous improvement, client focus, compassion and clarity every step of the way.

“When Muriel retired in 2020, sadly lockdown rules denied us the chance for a proper celebration, so we are very pleased to have been able to celebrate together with such a fabulous party.”

Muriel said: “When I started at Pennard Vets, the practice cared for large animals including horses, sheep and cattle on the local farms, but we also had some more unusual clients.

"A special highlight was fielding telephone calls from former Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, who lived at Chartwell country house, near Westerham, in Kent and employed the practice to look after the health of the black swans living on the estate’s lake.

“Two of the biggest changes I saw during my seven decades at the practice were the business giving up farm work to focus on small animal work as dogs and cats became a bigger part of our families, and the transition from my handwritten notes in ledgers to modern computer systems, but I have always embraced change and enjoyed learning new skills.

"I miss everyone at Pennard Vets but will keep in touch and keep baking for them!”

The RSPCA has thanked the veterinary profession for its support as the charity endeavours to maintain an emergency-only service to animals through the coronavirus crisis.

RSPCA Chief Veterinary Officer, Caroline Allen, today praised the vets and nurses who are providing essential care to animals through the crisis.

She said: “This is an incredibly challenging time for the RSPCA, trying to advise the public and keeping emergency services going with fewer staff, strained resources and in line with Government advice.

"I know this is equally stressful and challenging for vet staff too and I wanted to say a huge thank you from everyone at the RSPCA for your hard work, dedication and support you are giving the RSPCA.

"Our call centre team and officer are working hard to maintain a frontline animal welfare service, but we know there may be occasions where we are unable to attend and this may impact demand on the local vet practice." 

Current guidance from the BVA defines emergency and urgent treatment as:

• Emergency: Immediate threat to life; significant impact on health/welfare and likely to deteriorate if left unmanaged. Previously these cases that would have been seen out of hours, or fitted in on the same day.
• Urgent: Significant impact on health/welfare but currently stable, or moderate impact but significant risk of deterioration.

Caroline continued: "There are some circumstances particular to the RSPCA, such as animals that have been subject to abuse or severe neglect, or injured/unwell unowned animals, that may not initially appear to be such an “emergency” in the traditional sense, but our officers will only be collecting them if there is considered to be ‘significant impact on health/welfare and likely to deteriorate if left unmanaged’ as covered by the BVA emergency criteria. We would greatly appreciate your support in ensuring we can protect the welfare of these animals.

"Our National Control Centre will also be following the guidance from the BVA and will be limiting, wherever possible, sending members of the public to vets. However, on occasions where there is a welfare need that would justify an essential journey, we will always ask members of the public to call practices first and follow their social distancing protocols.

"For vets who provide care for our shelters and private boarders we understand the support available will be limited, we will be producing further advice for our teams around options, including remote support. 

"We do understand and appreciate the current restrictions being put in place by the BVA and we do understand the very serious strain on practices and teams at this time and we hope that we can continue to work together during this unprecedented time."

A Belfast veterinary practice has transferred into an Employee Ownership Trust after reading about Kent-based Pennard Vets doing the same in 2021.

Cornerstone Veterinary Clinic, which was founded by Peter Herold in 2011, currently employs a 15-strong team, who are all now practice owners and shareholders in the business.

Peter got the inspiration from reading about how Pennard Vets had become the world’s largest employee-owned practice in order to protect both its independence and core values.

He then contacted the directors at Pennard Vets, who helped guide him through the process.

Peter said: “After starting Cornerstone 11 years ago, we have developed a longstanding, loyal and dedicated team who are all very popular with our established client base across Belfast and beyond.

"I genuinely love Cornerstone, and so do our team and clients, and although I’m not ready to retire yet, the end of my professional life will come in the next decade, so I wanted to start planning for it.

“The obvious option would be to sell the practice to a corporate chain, but I knew that would change how we worked.

"There would be much more emphasis on profit levels, and we’d be forced to make decisions that we were uncomfortable with.

"We have an amazing team who are full of ideas about how to make Cornerstone even better and to guarantee a successful future, the practice needs to continue growing in a way that works for its people, our clients and their pets.

“When I read about Pennard Vets becoming an EOT, it immediately resonated with me, and I hoped it could be an option for Cornerstone.

"I then attended a webinar with speakers from Pennard Vets, and I kept in touch with them afterwards.

"They explained the set-up and how it benefits their team, as well as putting us in touch with specialists in EOTs.

"Ultimately it was Pennard Vets’ knowledge and enthusiasm that convinced me it was the right route for us.”

Peter added: “Our senior team at Cornerstone are all very skilled and share common values in relation to customer service, veterinary care and client charges, and it’s this ethos that makes us popular with clients.

“Making the business an EOT will ensure this continues by safeguarding the future of the business, whilst giving each member of the team the benefit of being a business owner without them having to buy in.

"It also means I can continue to work as a vet, but share the management side of the practice with the entire team who can help to make the important decisions, which is an exciting prospect for everyone involved.”

Matthew Flann from Pennard Vets said: “We became an EOT to maintain our independence and give everyone in our team both autonomy and a voice, as well as preserving our core values around compassion, client focus and continually improving everything we do.

"This came at a time when it’s increasingly difficult for vets to buy into practices and the traditional partner progression model no longer works, which makes EOTs even more appealing and a positive step for the profession as a whole.

“It’s been genuinely transformational for Pennard Vets, and we now regularly hear from practice owners who are exploring becoming an EOT.

"There are now several other successful businesses currently on the journey and when Peter contacted us, we were happy to offer our help and guidance.

"Cornerstone is a successful practice, with a highly skilled and dedicated team, so its independence is worth protecting, and becoming an EOT will give it a bright future.”

The RCVS Charitable Trust has released the results of a survey that suggests a lack of available, high-quality research could be hampering the implementation of evidence-based medicine (EVM) in veterinary practice.

Of the 70 survey respondents, although 70% said they were familiar with the concepts of EVM, only 36% said that they always used EVM principles or that EVM principles were deeply embedded within their practices. When asked about the barriers to implementing EVM, many vets commented that there was a lack of high-quality research available to them.

Trust director, Cherry Bushell said: "This survey was relatively small as our intention is for it to help spark discussion at our forthcoming symposium 'The Sceptical Vet: Eminence or Evidence? Finding the best way forward for the veterinary profession'. We want to consider the possibility of developing a range of evidence-based resources for the veterinary profession, so it's interesting to hear vets commenting about the lack of an available, high-quality evidence base."

All those completing the Trust's survey were entered into a prize draw for a chance to have their travel expenses to the event reimbursed. Veterinary surgeon Ariel Brunn (top right) from Vets Now, Maidenhead, was the winner. She said: "I'm really looking forward to this Symposium and the discussion that will come with it - along with clinical governance, evidence-based practice provides a means to offer the best care for our veterinary patients. Having been a practising vet for less than 5 years, I'm excited to learn more about how EVM can be incorporated into veterinary practice and I'm certainly pleased to have won the prize draw to support my travel to this event."

This symposium will take place on Tuesday 30 October 2012, at Church House Conference Centre, London. A limited number of places are still available for practising veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses only via the Trust (a.doorly@rcvstrust.org.uk or 0207 202 0741). For more information visit http://trust.rcvs.org.uk/grants-and-collaborations/the-sceptical-vet-eminence-or-evidence.

XLVets, the cooperative of independent practices, is looking for female vets to share their thoughts on practice ownership and the wider aspects of leadership in a series of focus groups and interviews conducted using video conferencing.

The research is being carried out by XLChief Operating Officer Kerrie Hedley, building on work she carried out last year which she talks about in a podcast currently hosted on the Veterinary Women website.

Female vets who would like to take part in the research, whether or not they are business owners, are invited to email Kerrie at kerrie.hedley@xlvets.co.uk.

Kerrie says she wants to ensure she hears a wide variety of viewpoints: “If women are averse to leadership or doubtful about the benefits of leadership, they should be heard too. There’s a great deal of support and momentum behind this project within the XLVets community and it’s something we all think is hugely important for the future of the profession. We had a tremendous response to our last call for participants and I’m looking forward to gaining more insight into this important topic and helping to develop innovative solutions.”

The Kennel Club has announced that it now recognises the Portuguese Pointer, bringing the total number of recognised pedigree breeds in the UK to 212.

The Portuguese Pointer is only the second new breed to be recognised by the Kennel Club in the last five years.

However, as exotic dog breeds have risen in popularity, the Kennel Club reports that many native breeds have fallen out of favour and have been put on its list of 'vulnerable native breeds'; those with less than 300 annual puppy registrations which could disappear from our streets and parks if their numbers continue to decline.

New statistics released by the Kennel Club have shown that whilst vulnerable native breeds have increased in number this year, certain breeds such as the Sealyham Terrier and Otterhound continue to decline. Recent years have seen the Old English Sheepdog and English Setter enter the 'at watch' list. Furthermore, with just 239 Pembroke Corgi registrations so far this year, it is feared the Queen's favourite breed could also become vulnerable for the first time.

By contrast, exotic breeds such as the French Bulldog and Smooth Coated Chihuahua (originally from Mexico) are increasing in popularity with 4,843 and 2,931 registrations respectively so far this year. Between 2003 and 2012 the breeds have increased by 1,232% and 700% respectively.

When the first ever Kennel Club stud book was produced in 1874, just 43 breeds were listed, including many native breeds that are now considered to be vulnerable, such as the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Clumber Spaniel, Otterhound and Skye Terrier.

Some native breeds continue to thrive, including the English Springer Spaniel, the Cocker Spaniel, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the Bulldog, the Golden Retriever, and the Border Terrier, all top ten breeds. But others in the top ten are from abroad.

Visitors to Discover Dogs, which is taking place at Earls Court on November 9^th and 10^th will be able to meet more than 200 breeds of dog under one roof, including the vulnerable breeds and the latest pedigree dog breeds in the UK.

The newly added Turkish Kangal Dog will also be coming to the event. This breed was added earlier this year and was the first new breed to join the Kennel Club register in almost five years. The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, officially recognised from 1 October 2008, was the last dog recognised by the Kennel Club prior to the two new additions for this year.          

Organiser of the Kennel Club's Discover Dogs event, Vanessa McAlpine, said: "The UK is lucky to have so many wonderful dog breeds, and at our Discover Dogs event people have a unique opportunity to meet more than 200 of them, including those that might never cross your path in day to day life because they are so rare, those that are new to our shores and those that have been working with people in Britain for hundreds of years."

To find out more about Discover Dogs, visit www.discoverdogs.org.uk/.