RCVS Junior Vice-President (JVP) Professor David Argyle has resigned from RCVS Council and his position as its Junior Vice-President, after the Preliminary Investigation Committee (PIC) closed a case against him and decided to take no further action. 

The PIC decision marked the conclusion of its investigation into a concern that was raised formally last November involving allegations of bullying at Professor Argyle’s workplace, the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Argyle, who had previously decided to step aside from his JVP and Council duties until the concern was investigated and concluded, said: “Despite this outcome from the PIC discussions, I have now made the challenging decision to stand down from my position at the RCVS. This is to ensure there is no further distraction to the College’s important work and activities and that whoever becomes the next JVP has the full support of Council and RCVS members.

"It is also to reduce the toll this situation has taken on my family, colleagues and students, and on me personally. I am proud and privileged to have served on RCVS Council for nearly ten years and wish it well as it navigates the next chapter in its history."

RCVS President Mandisa Greene said: “I appreciate that this has been an exceptionally difficult situation and very upsetting for all involved.

"I understand why David has taken the difficult decision to stand down from RCVS Council and would like to thank him for his many years of service to the RCVS since joining Council in 2012.

"I would also like to reassure colleagues once again that, throughout, the College has remained firmly committed to following due, proper and fair process in all its regulatory activities."

Following Professor Argyle’s decision to step down, the process for electing a new JVP for the current presidential year will commence.

As Professor Argyle was a Veterinary Schools Council appointee on RCVS Council, it will be for that body to elect a replacement Council member.

Further details will be announced in due course.

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.

The RCVS is encouraging more vets to come to a series of events designed to help them make better use of veterinary nurses, after a poor turnout at the first two.

The College wants more vets to come and share their ideas and insights into how the role of the veterinary nurse can be strengthened within the team, particularly in the light of data gathered from the RCVS’s 2024 VN Vision workshops which showed that many nurses believe their skills and capabilities, and the scope of tasks that can be performed within the current legal framework, are not fully used.

The first two events, in South Wales and Belfast, were well-attended by veterinary nurses, but only about 10% of attendees were vets who arguably have the most to gain by sharing ways of enabling nurses to perform a more central role and relieve some of their workload.

There are four more events coming up:

• Scotland (SRUC Oatridge Campus, West Lothian) – Tuesday 26 August, 6.15pm to 9.30pm
• Dorset (Lynwood School of Veterinary Nursing, Dorchester) – Wednesday 24 September, 6.15pm to 9.30pm
• London – morning session (Hardwick Street) - Wednesday 10 September, 9.30am to 1.45pm
• London – afternoon session (Hardwick Street) - Wednesday 10 September, 12.30pm to 4.30pm 

RCVS Director of Veterinary Nursing, Julie Dugmore, said: “Last year’s VN Vision events focused specifically on veterinary nurses and resulted in some truly inspiring insights. Now, in this new series of events, we’re taking the next step, and need to get the wider practice team involved in order to understand how strengthening the VN role will feed into team dynamics and the professions as a whole.

“Our latest VN Vision events will play a key role in helping us to define long term goals, identify the practical steps needed to achieve them, and determine how success will be measured and shared with the wider public. To make it happen, we need voices from vets, practice managers, support staff, and VNs alike.”

The VN Vision workshops are free to attend, informal, informative and made up of small groups.

Supper will also be provided for the evening sessions, and lunch for the London day workshops.

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/vet-nursing-vision-events-3253639 

Ceva Animal Health, maker of Amodip, has launched a free online feline ophthalmology course called ‘Looking hypertension in the eye’.

Ceva says the aim of the course is to enable vets to get the most out of their ocular exams and gain confidence in identifying ocular lesions associated with feline hypertension.

The course is presented by Dr Ben Blacklock BVSc (Hons), Dipl. ECVO, MRCVS, senior lecturer in veterinary ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh. 

It comprises of 10 short videos grouped into four sessions, along with a self-assessment quiz to consolidate learning for each module.

The course counts for a total of two hours’ CPD.

Course content includes: the patient/equipment set up and getting the most from an ophthalmoscope; determining what is normal and what is abnormal during ocular examinations; an overview of ocular pathologies associated with hypertension; avoiding common pitfalls and mistakes; and hints and tips on how to take photographs of the fundus on a mobile phone.

To register, visit www.veterinarywebinars.com/community/ceva.

The Equine Veterinary Journal has published a free online collection of equine dentistry research articles.

Co-edited by Paddy Dixon and Vicki Nicholls, the collection comprises ten studies on physiology, disease, diagnosis and treatment techniques in equine dentistry. The editors say it gives veterinary surgeons free access to some of the most important current research in the UK.

The studies include:

• A comparative analyses of tooth wear in free-ranging and captive wild equids which indicates that captive animals experience less abrasion-dominated tooth wear and suggests that factors leading to focal overgrowth (‘hook’) formation, in particular feeding height, should receive special attention.
• A long-term study of equine paranasal sinus disease, which concludes that ancillary diagnostic techniques, such as nasal endoscopy, sinoscopy and skull radiography, enables identification of the specific sinus compartments that are most commonly affected.
• A study which suggests that the thermal effects on teeth of three different motorised dental instruments mean that they have the potential to seriously damage equine pulp if used inappropriately. Higher speed motorised dental instruments should be used for less time and teeth should be water-cooled during or immediately after instrument use to reduce the risk.
• Local anaesthesia is often needed for invasive procedures while the equine dental patient is under standing sedation. A study suggests that an intra-oral approach can be used effectively to desensitise the inferior alveolar nerve with minimal complications.
• Two studies which explore the relevance of Computed Tomography (CT) for accurate diagnosis of apical (tooth root) infection in maxillary and mandibular cheek teeth. They conclude that CT is useful for identifying deposition and defects of mineralised material but of less use for identifying inflammation and tissue destruction, but overall is helpful in diagnosing apical infections.
• A study which advocates that the functional orthodontic correction of overjet or overbite in foals is effective. It was noted that often more than one implant is required and that the treatment should be started as early as possible.
• A long-term study on the clinical effects of the mechanical widening of cheek teeth diastemata for the treatment of periodontitis concludes that it is an effective treatment for severely affected horses but it is potentially invasive and may require repeated treatments.
• A study which explains why a recently described disease of the nasal conchal bullae could be a cause of chronic unilateral nasal discharge. Clearance of empyema within these bullae is unlikely to occur through lavage of the paranasal sinuses alone. Where necessary, fenestration of the bulla allows physical removal of infected material. This study also clarifies the commonly used term ‘ventral conchal bullae’ which is anatomically incorrect - the correct name is the maxillary septal bulla (MSB).
• Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis is an infrequent and under-diagnosed form of severe dental disease of older equids. A study suggests that all teeth, particularly the incisors, should be examined for signs of gingivitis and hypercementosis. Subsequently they should be radiographed for early diagnosis and management.

Professor Celia Marr, Editor of the Equine Veterinary Journal said: "Care of the horse’s teeth is fundamental to good health. To this end a strong working knowledge of equine dentistry should be seen as an essential cornerstone for every equine practitioner.  This diverse collection has the convenience of being easily accessible, online and in one place to help keep vets fully abreast of the excellent research currently being conducted in the UK."

Vicki Nicholls, incoming president of BEVA, continued: "Advances in equine dentistry continue to gather pace and it has been a pleasure and privilege to work with Paddy Dixon collating the most current dental research that will be relevant to all equine practitioners with any level of expertise."

The equine dentistry collection is available free online at: http://bit.ly/2bBDuMW.

Cheam-based Maven Veterinary Care is celebrating becoming one of only 12 practices in the country to be rated as 'outstanding' in four categories by the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme.

The first opinion Linnaeus Group practice, which also holds RCVS hospital status, is run by a team of nine vets, 14 nurses, nine receptionists and four animal care assistants.

It was given an outstanding rating for client service, inpatient service, patient consultation service and team and professional responsibility.

Maureen Geraghty Sathi, Practice Manager at Maven said: "We’re always asking ourselves how could we do this better? Everyone has to be on board or it would not work."

The practice had a focus team look at awards and the improvements it would need to make to achieve the required standards. Amongst the various things that were highlighted as exceptional were:

• A genuinely separate cat waiting area and cat consult room.

• An extensive pain monitoring system with pain scoring for all patients in hospital and an outpatient system which enables clients to monitor and chart their pets pain levels at home and review them with their vet.

• Daily clinical rounds which involve the entire clinical team as well as management and a member of the customer care team. Aside from discussing clinical cases for the day this platform also enables daily review of any significant events or morbidity and mortality cases to be highlighted and time allocated for review.

• A system whereby vets at the practice email clients in advance of any surgical procedure with information on the procedure itself as well as any potential risks associated with the procedure allowing time for further discussion with the client as needed

• Consistent use of surgical and GA checklists to maximise patient safety.

In the final report, the RCVS practice standards assessor wrote: "The structures and management in place were of the very highest order. I was really impressed by the commitment of this practice to provide the very highest standards of clinical care to its clients."

Maureen said: "I am massively proud of the team, to see the pride in how they work. It is lovely to be told that you are working to an extremely high level and genuinely reflects the standards of the team day by day."

Darvall Vet is to unveil its new Darvall Express anaesthetic monitor at the London Vet Show (Stand D05 at the ExCel Centre, November 17th-18th)

At the heart of the new system is a transportable monitor (pictured right) which starts automatically after you connect two sensors and press the power button. 

The system uses the handheld Darvall H100N Pulse Oximeter, which uses Nellcor OxiMax pulse oximetry technology.

It also comes with veterinary blood pressure NIBP small animal cuffs which are designed for accurate pressure detection in exotic animals, cats, and all sizes of dog.

Completing the Darvall Express system is the Darvall Capnograph which continuously measures the EtCO2 and respiratory rate, and features EtCO2 waveform Cardiac Oscillation artifact detection, for correct respiratory rate determination.

There's a default system set-up for cats and small dogs, a colour-coded display and a ten-hour battery life.

Darvall says the monitor has been thoroughly tested at veterinary practices in Australia, where it displayed outstanding performance in small dogs and cats, which are notoriously difficult to get reliable readings.

Darvall founder, Dr Colin Dunlop said: “Anaesthetic monitoring plays a vital role in keeping patients safe, giving peace of mind to the hospital veterinary team, and boosting pet owner confidence in the care their pet is receiving. 

"This is vitally important when you remember mortality in veterinary patients is many times higher than in human hospital practice”.

http://www.aasmedical.co.uk

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.

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) has announced plans to create Scotland's first new vet school in 150 years, in Aberdeen.  

SRUC, which is the biggest provider of veterinary nursing, livestock husbandry and animal care training in Scotland, says it will offer a core veterinary programme to address existing shortages in veterinary provision, in areas such as rural veterinary practice, food production, food safety and animal and public health.

The College is first establishing a working group to progress the plans for the school. The group will be chaired by Professor Sir Pete Downes, former Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee.

Sir Pete will be joined by Sheila Voas, Chief Veterinary Officer for Scotland, former NFUS President Nigel Miller, SRUC Board member Jane Craigie, and Dr Kate Richards, who is a non-executive director on the SAC Commercial Board and currently the junior vice president of the RCVS, in line to become President in July.

Professor Caroline Argo, currently Dean of SRUC’s North Faculty, will lead the project for SRUC. 

A report from BiGGAR Economics has found that the vet school could add £26 million GVA and 242 jobs to Scotland by 2030. 

Professor Wayne Powell, Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, said: “We are an ambitious institution with a bold vision for the future. This is a ground-breaking model to expand access to educational opportunities and broaden the range of potential students who would not ordinarily be able to attend a vet school. It will also help solve existing skills shortages across Scotland.

“We see a key role of the new vet school in sustaining primary agriculture and hence food and drink productivity, with the welfare of both livestock and companion animals at its heart. The school will produce champions for best-in-class animal welfare in support of these industries, which will help improve productivity, effectiveness, and sustainability.” 

“Building on the excellent new facilities we have already announced for Aberdeen and Inverness, there is a lot of work still to be done, but we are ready to seize the opportunity.”

Following the launch of two oral hypoglycaemic agents (SGLT2-inhibitors) for feline diabetes, Bexacat (bexagliflozin, Elanco) in the US and Senvelgo (Velagliflozin, Boehringer) in the UK and US, BSAVA Congress will be hosting a talk to explore how they might transform the management of diabetes, why they work well in feline but not canine diabetes, and why the FDA was moved to write to US vets about safety issues associated with the use of these drugs. 

The ‘Advances in Diabetes’ module, taking place at BSAVA Congress 2024 in Manchester Central, will offer delegates the chance to hear first-hand from the clinical researchers and specialists who have used these drugs, such as Dr Ellen Behrend, Prof Ian Ramsey, Prof Stijn Niessen, and Dr Anna Lena Kramer.

Stijn said: “Although not suited as a sole therapeutic for dogs, the current data suggests that a majority of diabetic cats could be treated with once daily oral formulations of these drugs.

“Some of the past barriers to successful long term diabetic treatment included the owner having to inject insulin twice daily and having to watch for hypoglycaemia.

"These lifelong impacts on the owner’s lifestyle are now being taken away.”

Delegates will also be able to learn about advances in the monitoring of canine diabetes, such as the use of Freestyle Libre monitors and haemoglobin A1c, as well as a review of recent developments and management practices for ‘complicated’ cases.

Stijn added: “Gone are the days that we saw diabetes mellitus as a disease; instead, it is the consequence of one or many diseases.

“As such we now ought to approach diabetic cases with a much more open mind and being willing to try and determine the exact aetiology of the diabetes mellitus, doing so can pay off and prevent a diabetic case from becoming a complicated case.”

Ellen added: “Although diabetic ketoacidosis is no more common with the use of SGLT2-inhibitors, it is more likely to be euglycemic with a blood glucose <13.9 mmol/L.

"The recognition of euglycemic ketoacidosis and the correct approach of treatment is crucial.”

Stjn concluded: “Each patient is an individual and therefore diagnosis, treatment and monitoring practices should be adapted to the individual pet-owner combination.

Vets must adjust their approaches significantly when using these drugs, the ‘Advances in Diabetes’ module will provide an in-depth look at these adjustments.”

Delegates will also be able to get their hands on the brand new fifth edition of the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Endocrinology, which includes a chapter on feline diabetes mellitus that discusses various treatments including the use of SGLT2-inhibitors.

Jacquie Rand, author of the chapter said: “SGLT2-Inhibitors will be a game-changer for diabetic cats and their owners. However, it is important that cats are diagnosed earlier in the disease process while some insulin secretory capacity is present, for these to be used as the sole drug therapy.”

The BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Endocrinology will be available to purchase on the BSAVA Publications Stand in the Exhibition Hall. ‘Advances in Diabetes’ will take place on Thursday 21^st March in the Exchange Hall.

Registration for BSAVA members starts at £115 +VAT for a one-day event pass.

https://www.bsavacongress.com.

Illustration: What a presentation about SGLT2-Inhibitors might look like (this has been photoshopped)

CVS has launched an ‘Equipment Optimisation’ project to maximise the use of the diagnostic equipment it has invested in since the start of 2023.

The company says that over that time, it has invested £122 million in sites, equipment and technology, but for some vets and nurses, a lack of training and confidence and a perceived lack of time has been a barrier to getting the most out of it.

The new CVS ‘Equipment Optimisation’ project will focus on CT, X-ray, dental X-ray, microscopy, endoscopy and laparoscopy, aiming to maximise its value and longevity.

The project plans to do this by helping to increase colleague confidence in the equipment’s ability, and to improve its maintenance - thereby reducing down time. 

Each CVS practice will select one piece of equipment as a focus area for the next 12 months.

Each practice will create a plan, set project goals and then evaluate and share what works.

To support practices in their work, CVS has created a new clinical projects hub offering information and guidance on equipment set up, use, clinical interpretation, maintenance and troubleshooting.

The company is also offering additional training in the form of in-practice mentoring, radiation protection supervisor training, and a variety of online courses. 

Lizzie McLennan Green, CVS Companion Animal UK Veterinary Director, said: “We’ve invested significantly in clinical equipment to improve patient diagnoses.

"And this project will help teams to feel confident in using and maintaining it.

"It offers a huge opportunity to continuously improve; offering better treatment and improved services to our clients and their animals.

“Each practice is being given the chance to select a piece of equipment that best fits their client base, their team and the way they work.

"We’re getting everyone involved from the start to tailor their own project – to make the process more targeted and meaningful.

“And to help colleagues, our clinical projects hub will be the go-to space containing all of the information, tools and support they need to get involved.

"It’ll also allow colleagues to connect with others, share ideas and build confidence as a wider team.”

Simplyhealth Professionals, a provider of preventive health plans for cats, dogs, rabbits and horses, is launching two new online resources for veterinary practices.

The first is Design Hub, a self-service marketing portal which allows practices to choose from a variety of designs for posters, social media posts and other collateral and brand them with the practice logo. The portal includes a planner which details noteworthy dates, veterinary campaigns and events that practices might want to include in their marketing plans.

Member practices using the new portal during February also have the chance to enter a competition to win £500 Love2shop vouchers.

The second resource is a pets portal which the company says will make it easier to access live information about pets enrolled on its health plans, make administrative changes, process refunds or cancellations and soon, add new pets. 

From July the pets portal will compatible with tablets and other mobile devices, so practice staff can move out from behind the desk and have conversations with pet owners in the waiting or consulting rooms. 

Paul Bates, Practice Development Specialist, said: "We had already identified that practices wanted to be able to register plans and change details online. It was important for us to also ensure that the tool we developed had the desired functionality and was robust enough to handle large volumes of data being entered simultaneously across the country.

"We also wanted it to be fit for purpose so that if we want to develop more advanced features going forwards, we don’t have to recreate the wheel and can build on what we have already. The portal will be really useful in its own right and gives us a great launching pad for future development."

To access the new portals, email: pethealthplanscomms@denplan.co.uk, or contact your Simplyhealth Professionals Practice Support Advisor or Business Development Consultant.

For more information about Simplyhealth Professionals visit http://www.pethealthplans.co.uk/vets.

Merck and sanofi-aventis, owners of Merial and Intervet Schering-Plough respectively, have announced that they will not be combining the two animal health businesses as had been planned since March 2010.

In a joint announcement today, the companies said they are discontinuing their agreement primarily because of the increasing complexity of implementing the proposed transaction, both in terms of the nature and extent of the anticipated divestitures and the length of time necessary for the worldwide regulatory review process. The companies agreed that ending their plan is in the best interests of both companies and their respective shareholders, as well as the employees of Merial and Intervet/Schering Plough.

Sanofi-aventis says it remains strongly committed to its animal health activities, which it will continue to develop under the Merial brand as a growth platform of its diversified health business. Merial is one of the world's leading innovation-driven animal healthcare companies dedicated to research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of veterinary pharmaceuticals and vaccines, that generated annual sales of US $ 2.6 billion in 2010.

Merck has also stated its commitment to animal health and Intervet/Schering-Plough, a global leader in the research, development, manufacturing and sale of veterinary medicines which generated sales of US $ 2.9 billion in 2010

As a result of termination, both Merial and Intervet/Schering-Plough will continue to operate independently.