The Fear Free movement was founded in 2016 by US veterinary surgeon Dr Marty Becker.
Marty said: “Just like with humans, a pet can’t be optimally healthy unless they’re also happy.
"Fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) raise the levels of hormones that are destructive to both the body and mind.
"Fear Free uses clinically proven protocols to remove or reduce FAS triggers, it takes steps to mitigate FAS so that the pet feels safe and calm during a veterinary visit.”
Since launch, over 320,000 veterinary professionals, pet professionals, animal welfare communities, and pet owners have registered for Fear Free’s programmes and courses, and Fear Free says it has become the accepted gold standard within North American veterinary practices.
Yvette Rowntree, Clinic Director at Harrison Family Vets in Reading, said: “This accreditation process has taken everything we do to the next level.
"With open and honest team conversations, development of realistic protocols and a subtle change in behaviours to ensure we always put the pet first within a supportive work environment, our entire team has worked hard to achieve this certification.”
Operations Director, Kristie Faulkner, from Harrison Family Vets, said: “Although it was possible for individuals to be Fear Free certified, this is the first time an entire practice has become certified.
"We have worked very closely with the Fear Free team during the past several months to enable detailed inspection and certification to take place, and we now intend for our other practices, in Dudley, Didsbury, Stockton, and Doncaster, to each reach this standard and become officially certified in the immediate future.”
Fear Free’s CEO, Randy Valpy, said: “Harrison Family Vets’ certification is part of the Fear Free expansion into the UK, New Zealand and Australia and we are absolutely thrilled to have the Reading practice as our first UK Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice.
"We now plan to certify further practices in the UK and support veterinary professionals who have the relevant knowledge and techniques to practise quality medicine, as well as understanding how to develop the utmost consideration for patient’s emotional health as well.”
https://fearfreepets.com
The EAEVE (European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education) has granted full accreditation to the Royal Veterinary College.
The RVC is the only one in the world to have achieved full accreditation by EAEVE and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and full recognition by the UK's Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Accreditation by EAEVE provides Europe-wide assurance of academic standards. Three other European veterinary schools have achieved accredited status: Copenhagen, Helsinki and Zurich/Bern.
The Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) is putting out a last call to take part in the SPVS Salaries Survey 2015, open to everybody working in the veterinary profession.
The long-standing survey provides a benchmark for veterinary surgeons, nurses and support staff to see trends in pay and conditions. Designed to provide a complete picture of remuneration levels, the survey covers basic earnings, bonuses, dividends, overtime and benefits such as accommodation, car allowances, private medical insurance and pensions. It also includes questions on employment contracts, hours worked, out of hours and weekend working.
Peter Brown, SPVS Treasurer and author of the Salaries Survey said: “I have been compiling the survey results for a number of years but it never fails to enlighten me as to what is happening in the profession. I know it is also the go to reference guide when practices are recruiting to help ensure they are offering competitive salary packages.
“Participation in the survey is open to all and the more practices that take part, the more accurate and useful the information will be so we would urge everyone working in the veterinary profession to take a few minutes to complete the survey. It can be done online and the information is completely anonymous.”
To complete the survey online, visit www.spvs.org.uk or, for a printed version, telephone 01926 410545. The survey is open until 30 November 2015.
Now, when you advertise a job on VetSurgeon.org, the system can send a message to all your employees (and any contacts in the profession) asking them to pass it on if they know anyone suitable, and to share the advertisement on their other social networks, such as Facebook.
As a further option, practices can also now offer a cash reward for a successful introduction leading to the post being filled. In that case, the message sent to employees and contacts lets them know that there’s a reward for their help.
VetSurgeon.org Editor Arlo Guthrie said: "Since we relaunched VetSurgeon Jobs, I’ve noticed a correlation between the number of times that job advertisements are shared by email or on Facebook, and the success that practices have in filling the vacancy.
"Of course, there is nothing to stop you emailing staff and contacts yourself, or offering a reward. But I suspect many don’t, and my hope is that this new feature will really help focus the mind, streamline the process and ultimately help you find the person who'll fit in with your team."
"Share & Reward is another feature exclusively available on VetSurgeon Jobs, alongside the VetSurgeon Locums Map and Find Our Jobs on VetSurgeon (a badge for your website that links to just your jobs).
"There's more on the way!"
The survey asks EU nationals about their experience of practising in the UK since the referendum and will seek to find out what their career expectations and aspirations are now.
The survey will also ask how they feel that the RCVS has supported EU vets to practise in the UK since the transition period ended on 31 December 2020.
The survey is being conducted by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), an independent, not-for-profit research institute.
Respondents are encouraged to be as open as possible, as individual responses will not be seen by the RCVS and all survey data will be analysed independently by IES.
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO said: “We are hearing anecdotal feedback from EU veterinary professionals about the impact of the EU Exit on their working lives, but it is important for us to have direct feedback as evidence for our recommendations.
"I would encourage everyone who receives the survey to share their thoughts with us, as the feedback we receive from this and the previous surveys, will help us to plan what training, resources and support the professions need from us post-EU Exit."
Everyone eligible to take part in the survey is being sent an email today from Dilys Robinson at the IES, with a link to the survey.
You have until Tuesday 16th November 2021 to complete it.
If you have any questions, contact Sara.Butcher@employment-studies.co.uk.
The book covers things like the functions of various nutrients, nutrition for different life stages, proactive nutrition strategies and effective communication techniques for discussing nutrition with pet owners.
Natalia Wagemans, the global head of the Purina Institute, said: “Nutritional science has evolved significantly, and there are many facets to consider in a well-pet diet, not just from the pet’s perspective, such as life stage, activity level and body condition, but also the owner’s perspective – their lifestyle, budget and preferences.
“This resource simplifies the process of making informed recommendations and can be a vital tool for veterinary professionals to both facilitate nutrition conversations with their clients and provide informed responses to questions.”
https://www.purinainstitute.com
Royal Canin is running summer marketing campaign focusing on felines, to help small animal practices further develop their relationships with cat-owning customers.
The 'Summer of the Cat' campaign runs till the end of August and aims to help practices boost sales with an offer of £10.99 on 1.5kg bags from the VCN Neutered range, as well as money off next purchases if bought at the same practice, to encourage return custom. The campaign is being supported with a free display package (consisting of products, posters, a temporary cardboard stand and other point of sale items) to provide maximum impact in the waiting room.
In addition, Royal Canin is rewarding clients already using its diets. The first 100 pet owners at every practice that buy any bag of Royal Canin cat food during July and August will be able to feed a homeless cat in a rescue centre on Royal Canin food for a day, and to vote for their 'rescue cat of the year' (the rescue centre of the winning cat will get food to feed up to 50 cats for a month).
Veterinary Marketing Manager, Marianne Lomberg, said: "The RSPCA has reported an 8% increase in cats entering their rescue centres from 2010 to 2012 and the trend continues. We want to help by supporting local rescue centres across the UK and Ireland. With every purchase of Royal Canin cat food during our Summer of the Cat campaign, practice customers can donate a day's worth of Royal Canin cat food to a local rescue centre."
Another part of the campaign this year is promoting responsible and respectful cat ownership. Royal Canin is doing this by giving participating practices 20 flyers for their clients to use to register at www.catwyse.co.uk - a new online cat owner education programme covering topics such as choosing a cat, grooming and managing your cat's weight.
Finally, Royal Canin is rewarding practices for the best Summer of the Cat display. Send your Veterinary Business Manager a photo of your waiting room display and you'll get a £10 high street voucher and be entered into the best display competition to win an additional £100 in high street vouchers.
Marianne added: "We know that the best way to get cats and their owners to love our diets is to try them, because their quality, benefits for the cat's health and great taste speak for themselves. Therefore, this year's campaign aims to encourage cat owners to trial our products whilst also rewarding the loyalty of our existing customers and their practices by supporting rescue centres local to them."
For more information, contact your Veterinary Business Manager.
Chris will also be donating any money he raises throughout the course of his Presidency to those same charities.
His chosen charities are: Vetlife, Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), Hearing Dogs, and The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust (GHDT).
Chris said: "I chose the charities because I'm dedicated to charities that have a wide effect. The GHDT and the PDSA, by improving the health and welfare of animals, directly benefit the health and wellbeing of the communities in which they work. The GHDT dramatically improves peoples’ lives economically by increasing the working lives of their animals, almost all of which are transport animals, while the PDSA enhances the lives of the less well off by allowing them to keep animals and afford their veterinary care.
"Riding for the Disabled Association and Hearing Dogs for the Deaf then both use animals to help people, strengthening this vital human animal bond that runs through all of these charities. You have to witness the interaction between deaf or disabled people with the dogs and ponies respectively to fully appreciate how much this means to them. Unlike single interventions, these charities provide assistance that keeps on giving.
"Finally, none of this is possible without a healthy veterinary community and Vetlife plays a significant part in ensuring this. Good mental health and wellbeing is essential to the delivery of a good service, and it's important that we do everything we can to ensure that any veterinary professionals that suffer get the assistance they need.”
The charities have already been in touch to thank Chris and the College, and to detail how it will help their activities.
Graham Dick, Vetlife’s Honorary Treasurer, said: “Vetlife is currently expanding its vital support services to meet the changing needs of the veterinary community so we are sincerely grateful that Chris Tufnell has chosen our charity to benefit from his fundraising activities during his year as President. It is heartening that all the major veterinary organisations are so supportive of Vetlife and eager to work together to address the issues that many people in the veterinary community are struggling with."
Heather Armstrong, the Director of the GHDT, said: "We would like to give our very sincere thanks to Chris Tufnell, President of the RCVS for choosing us as one of his charities. Over the years we have relied on volunteer vets from UK to provide training to our staff and to Gambian livestock workers. This is helping to increase Gambian veterinary capacity and we hope is also giving British vets a small insight into global veterinary problems. The British veterinary profession should be very proud, it has enabled us to achieve so much in the last 14 years and we are immensely grateful to each and every vet who has been out to help including Chris, who has kindly helped us in the past with training."
Rosie Gibbons, Challenge & Community Events Fundraiser UK at the PDSA, said: "The donations received through the RCVS’ President’s Fund to PDSA will ensure that someone’s much loved pet will receive the treatment and healthy life they deserve. It will also ensure that our veterinary teams can continue to educate people about responsible pet ownership and issue preventative treatments, making the lives of so many animals much more bearable in the future."
Sal Atkinson, Fundraising Manager for the RDA, said: "We are thrilled that Chris has chosen RDA as one of this year’s RCVS President’s Fund charities. RDA relies on voluntary donations such as this to enable us to provide life changing therapy through horses to disabled adults and children in the UK. We currently have over 3,000 horses and ponies who work with our riders, carriage drivers, volunteers and equine advisors and this support will really help us to offer more opportunities to disabled people in the community."
The President’s Christmas Box donation is made every year in lieu of sending out RCVS Christmas cards. Previous recipients have included Worldwide Veterinary Service, Mind, Canine Partners, Hounds for Heroes, and the Veterinary Benevolent Fund.
In the first episode of the series, BCVSp Trustee James Swann speaks to Dr Rosanne Jepson about dialysis in dogs and cats. A specialist in internal medicine in dogs and cats, Dr Jepson explains why dialysis might be needed in pets for treatment of kidney disease and whether it's ethical to do this treatment in animals.
In episode two BCVSp trustee Celia Marr speaks to James Wood, Professor of Equine and Farm Animal Science at the University of Cambridge about zoonotic diseases and their importance for animal and human health in Africa.
BCVSp trustee Myra Forster-van Hijfte, who is responsible for Your Vet Specialist’s public outreach programme, said: "Podcasts are a great addition to our website, giving animal owners a convenient and highly engaging way to learn more about the Veterinary Specialist’s role. The advantage of audible platforms is that they enable content to be accessed more or less wherever you are or what you are doing. We hope our listeners will enjoy our first series as much as the team did making them."
The BCVSp says the podcasts are also designed to be a useful resource for primary practitioners to direct their clients to for more information on specific topics.
The association began to produce client information leaflets in 2011, to help its members provide information to clients about the safe use of the drugs that they prescribe and dispense for the patients under their care. Over the years the range of leaflet groups has expanded to include canine and feline behaviour and exotic pets, as well as medicines.
Designed to be printed easily in practice, all the leaflets have the option to add practice details if required. The new additions for June are Antihistamines, Ferrous sulphate, Fluconazole, Hydrochlorothiazide, Imipramine, Leflunomide, Travoprost and Trimethoprim/Sulphonamide, with authors including Polly Frowde, Hannah Hodgkiss-Geere, and Fergus Allerton.
Julian Hoad, Chair of the Publications Committee said: “We are proud to have hit this impressive milestone; we know that our client information leaflets are of great use to our members to help them keep their clients informed and we aim to add to this number every year.”
The client information leaflets are provided to BSAVA members as part of their member benefits and are also available for non-members to buy as part of the ‘Formulary Plus’ online subscription. You can find them in the BSAVA Library here.
The webinars will be delivered by board-certified equine diagnostic imaging specialists.
The first will cover equine cervical spinal radiographic interpretation presented by Erin Porter, DVM, DACVR, DACVR-EDI. Learning objectives include:
The second webinar will be on 7th February 2024, 1:00-2:00pm, when Marianna Biggi, DVM, PhD, FHEA, DipECVDI, MRCVS, will review a systemic approach to interpreting foot radiographs and the clinical significance of radiographic diagnoses.
In the final webinar on February 26th at 1:00pm, Lucy Meehan-Howard, BVSc, MSc, CertAVP(VDI), DipECVDI, MRCVS, will cover typical injuries to the fetlock in different kinds of horses and the optimal imaging strategy for each type of injury.
Information about all webinars is available here: welcome.vet-ct.com/equine-webinar-series. To learn more about VetCT, plus additional educational content and teleradiology services, visit https://uk.vet-ct.com/.
welcome.vet-ct.com/equine-webinar-series
Nutramega contains omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA, which the company says are critical for the overall health of animals, with many health benefits, including joints & mobility, skin & coat, heart health, the kidneys and brain health.
Nutramega comes in two sizes, 100ml and 200ml, with prices starting from £20.00.
Pet Ready LifeStages are health chews designed to provide daily support for puppies, adult dogs and senior dogs.
Each LifeStage product comes in 30 and 90 chew packets and prices range from £19.99 to £34.99.
www.nutravet.co.uk
CPC, the pet crematorium has opened a new facility for bereaved owners who wish to make their final farewell to a much loved pet in person. The farewell suite forms part of CPC's extended premises on the A505 just south of Cambridge at Thriplow Heath.
"Being pet owners ourselves as well as professionals, we appreciate how comforting it can be to say goodbye in a way that best reflects the close relationship between pet and owner," said CPC director Duncan Francis.
"Often this is expressed through an individual cremation. This gives the owner a final opportunity to say farewell and helps them to achieve closure. At the same time it provides them with their pet's ashes to retain or scatter as they wish."
CPC's new suite comprises a reception area, two private rooms, and a viewing room. It has a separate entrance from the offices, so that people who are attending an individual cremation have maximum privacy. "The enlarged facility also means that they can take their time to compose themselves afterwards and leave when they feel ready," Duncan added.
The Heydon and Heathfield suites are furnished in calming shades of green, blue and grey with soft cream walls and light ash woodwork. The reception area includes a plasma screen showing tranquil pictures of the garden of remembrance to welcome visitors, while 'alphamusic', which is carefully composed to calm and relax people, plays in the background. The private rooms have a range of comfortable seating and are decorated with subtle floral arrangements and soft pictures.
The viewing room contains a purpose-built catafalque (or raised bier) made from Corian. This material consists of a blend of natural minerals, marble and acrylics to provide a peaceful place for the pet's body to rest upon while owners say their goodbyes.
The farewell suite is part of a major extension to CPC's main facility. Formally opened in May 2008, this comprises new office accommodation and production capacity for its veterinary waste services. The company moved to the site in the early 1980s. It is licensed for four cremators together with low emissions rotoclaves for the sterilisation of a range of veterinary and clinical wastes and employs approximately 80 people.
Mars Veterinary is launching the Wisdom Panel Insights mixed breed dog DNA test at the Kennel Club's Discover Dogs event this weekend.
According to the company, more than 2 million dogs in the UK are mixed breed, and it is likely that many owners are unsure of their pet's parentage.
Now, with the swipe of a cheek swab, Wisdom Panel Insights can determine the ancestry of a mixed breed dog by testing for more than 185 breeds, which Mars Veterinary says is the largest database of any canine DNA test on the market. Within three weeks, dog owners are emailed an official Ancestry Report that reveals the dog's genetic background. This, it is claimed, will help owners provide better training, nutrition and exercise for their pet, and will also alert them to any disease predisposition their dog may have.
The test will be on sale for the first time at Discover Dogs at Earl's Court, and from the website: www.wisdompanel.co.uk. It costs £59.99 inc. vat, discounted for Kennel Club registered dogs.
Caroline Kisko, Secretary of the Kennel Club, said: "A dog's ancestry can influence him in surprising ways. Obvious and not-so-obvious physical traits plus behaviours like digging, herding and barking all come from the various breeds in a dog's family tree. Once an owner understands a dog's natural tendencies, it makes it possible to create a tailored training, exercise and nutrition program to fit his one-of-a-kind needs. This is one of many innovative products that dog owners and lovers will find at Discover Dogs this weekend."
VetSurgeon.org member Aubrey Kumm MRCVS, a Joint Partner at Companion Care in Harlow, has become one of the first vets based in the UK to gain the GPCert(Endo) from the ESVPS. He joins a group of just 11 vets who currently hold this certificate in Europe.
Aubrey said: "Although there are over 50 veterinary surgeries offering specialist endoscopic surgery in the UK I wanted to ensure I was as well versed as possible in the latest developments of this method of surgery and the ESVPS certificate offered a comprehensive course, the benefits of which I am now able to pass on to clients."
Aubrey's qualification involved a year of study and several examinable components including case studies and a written exam.
The practice has invested around £60,000 in a Force Triad and two laprascopic cameras, along with various operating scopes, a broncoscope,and other associated equipment.
Aubrey added: "As a practice we are now able to offer less invasive surgery to our clients and their pets and we no longer have to ask clients to travel to distant referral centres."
Merial has announced the UK launch of updated ProteqFlu, the first and only EI vaccine in Europe to contain a clade 2 strain.
The company says the new vaccine is also the only one that is fully compliant with the latest 2014 OIE recommended EIV strains.
Louise Radford MRCVS from Merial said: "The launch marks the UK's first and only fully updated equine flu vaccine that contains both a Clade 1 and Clade 2 antigen which includes protection against the latest Florida Clade 2 strain, Richmond 07. This is a significant step for horse health, and the equine industry as a whole."
Hervé Poulet, Merial's head of BioDevelopment and BioResearch said: "Merial has developed strong and unique expertise in the development of non-replicative recombinant canarypox virus-vectored vaccines for various species and diseases.
"For the development of ProteqFlu, our non-replicative recombinant canarypox vector expressing the EI virus haemagglutinin (HA) is used because of its ability to induce a strong cellular immunity which is an essential component in protecting against this highly contagious disease."
Louise added: "ProteqFlu has also demonstrated its success and efficacy in real outbreaks, particularly during the last major outbreak, in Australia in 2007. ProteqFlu was the only vaccine chosen for the eradication programme."
The RCVS has launched the new Practice Standards Scheme (PSS), which is now open for applications for both practice accreditations and the new system of PSS awards.
Speaking after today’s launch at the London Vet Show, which over 200 veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and practice managers attended, Practice Standards Group chair Jacqui Molyneux, said: "The new Scheme is all about offering a pathway to improvement for practices of all shapes and sizes that want to aspire to excellence, and then highlighting these achievements to the animal-owning public in a way that is clear and easy to understand.
"Over half of all veterinary practice premises in the UK are already RCVS-accredited, which is fantastic for a voluntary scheme, but we’d really like to help more practices to get on board. I hope that the improvements and exciting new benefits that we’ve developed will make the Scheme even more rewarding for existing members, and encourage more people to join."
The College says that the main changes to the scheme have been based on feedback from the profession and input from the Practice Standards Group (PSG), with the dual aims of making it more accessible for those practices which aren’t yet PSS members, and even more rewarding for those who are already accredited.
Whilst retaining the existing accreditation levels across small animal, equine and farm animal practices (current RCVS-accredited practices will be automatically transferred to the new Scheme), a new modular structure helps to make the Scheme more flexible and ensure all types of veterinary practice – from ambulatory services to veterinary hospitals – can join. This structure also recognises the contributions of the whole practice team, helping to raise standards across the board.
Once accredited, practices can now apply for a range of optional awards that focus on outcomes and behaviours in specific areas, such as ‘In-patient Service’, ‘Team and Professional Responsibility’ and ‘Client Service’. Designated at either ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’, these awards should help clients understand where a practice excels, and what skills and services are on offer, enabling them to make choices based on their needs and preferences.
The RCVS has also recruited and trained a new team of assessors, who will take more of an interest in listening to practice staff rather than just checking paperwork and equipment. It has also developed an online administration and support tool – nicknamed Stanley – to provide document storage, a calendar and a self-assessment function, to make the accreditation and awards application processes quicker and easier to manage.
As an introductory offer, the RCVS is now inviting applications from practices that would be willing to help with a final round of testing of the new Scheme, to be in with a chance to win one of 20 free assessment days, worth £350. The offer is open until Friday 4 December, and the first 20 practices drawn at random on 7 December will be allocated the free assessments.
Full details about the draw, the new Scheme and how to apply for accreditation and/or awards are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/newpss. The new promotional video shown above can also be viewed here.
The company says there will be experts on hand to answer 'highly anticipated' questions about the new something.
In addition, Royal Canin Weight Management Specialists will be on the stand to help veterinary professionals tackle the number of overweight and obese cats and dogs in the UK.
The company says it'll be providing guidance and training opportunities for veterinary surgeons and vet nurses seeking support on obese and overweight pets, helping them to carry out thorough assessments and implement tailor-made treatment programmes.
As part of its continued support of the Guide Dogs charity, visitors to the stand will also be able to have a go at reading special kibble braille signs and get tips on making veterinary services more accessible.
The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) was introduced by the Government to build evidence about the performance of the UK’s higher education sector, with an analysis of teaching and learning outcomes.
Universities, colleges and alternative providers of higher education voluntarily took part in the TEF, and each provider was rated Gold, Silver or Bronze, or received a Provisional award where there was not enough data for a full assessment.
The TEF awards were decided by an independent panel of experts who measured excellence in three areas: teaching quality, the learning environment and the educational and professional outcomes achieved by students.
Professor Stuart Reid, Principal of the RVC, said: "I am delighted that the award of TEF Gold endorses and builds upon the RVC’s recognition as a global leader in veterinary education. As the only independent, internationally accredited school that offers education for the whole veterinary team, a commitment to delivering quality teaching is at the core of our business. The TEF Gold award is peer recognition that we meet the highest of standards, an achievement of which we can be justifiably proud."
BVA’s advice comes as the four nations of the UK launch contact tracing programmes to move from blanket lockdown restrictions to a more targeted approach, in line with strategies to ease lockdown restrictions.
Although slightly different across the UK, each programme will ask those who test positive for coronavirus to identify people they have been in recent contact with and those people will be contacted and asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
Relevant contact appears to be spending more than 15 minutes within two metres of another person or being in direct face-to-face contact (less than one metre) with them. At present, the schemes are voluntary, but may become mandatory at a later stage.
Northern Ireland: Test, trace, isolate, supportEngland: NHS Test and TraceScotland: Test and ProtectWales: Test Trace Protect
Employees in self-isolation are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay for every day they are in isolation, as long as they meet the eligibility conditions. Further roll out of testing may enable people to return to work sooner that 14 days if they receive a negative test.
BVA President Daniella Dos Santos said: "The next step in the Covid-19 response is shifting to a more targeted approach, but it’s clear that this could have a very significant impact on individual veterinary practices if a member of the team tests positive. The nature of veterinary work means we are in close contact with our colleagues in order to work safely with animals.
“Many veterinary teams will be understandably anxious about the impact on their ability to staff a full rota to maintain 24/7 care. And there are significant concerns about the impact on animal health and welfare if practices are unable to provide veterinary services.
"Our advice is to continue working in fixed pairs or small teams as much as possible to reduce your contact with different individuals and continue to practise good hygiene and biosecurity.
"We continue to ask neighbouring practices to work together to support those impacted by self-isolation and ensure full geographical cover for veterinary services.
"We recognise some veterinary professionals will be worried, but we urge everyone to comply with the contact tracing programmes."
Ms Gurrin faced two charges, the first being that she had issued prescriptions for Roaccutane tables, indicating they were for the treatment of an animal when they were in fact for a human.
The second charge was that Dr Gurrin’s conduct in relation to the first charge was dishonest and/or misleading, and took place in circumstances where Dr Gurrin was not professionally qualified to write a prescription for a human.
Ms Gurrin admitted the allegation in its entirety and the Committee therefore found it proved.
The College submitted that Dr Gurrin breached fundamental tenets of the Code of Professional Conduct and acted dishonestly and, as such, that the admitted facts amounted to disgraceful conduct.
The Committee accepted that Dr Gurrin’s conduct involved dishonesty, but took into account the context: that Dr Gurrin was seeking to help in continuing a course of medication that she understood to have been properly prescribed by a specialist physician.
Mitigating factors included the lack of artifice or sophistication in the drawing of the prescription and its presentation to the pharmacist, in that Ms Gurrin didn't invent an animal name or species, or any kind of elaboration or backstory when challenged by the pharmacist on the prescription.
In addition, there was no financial or other personal gain, it was a single isolated incident, it was a spur of the moment decision without reflection, no harm was caused or risked to any animal, Ms Gurrin had a long and previously unblemished career and lastly she showed insight into the offence.
The committee also took into account the character testimonials which showed Ms Gurrin not only to be an exceptional vet, but a dedicated professional who had nurtured a very strong team, and someone who is held in extraordinarily high regard by both her clients and colleagues.
There were no aggravating factors.
The Committee considered that the case was too serious to take no further action, but that there was no ongoing danger to the public or risk to animal health.
Kathryn Peaty, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee has reached the conclusion that it is appropriate to impose a reprimand and a warning in this case.
"It would serve no purpose to impose a more severe sanction of a suspension and deprive Dr Gurrin’s clients of her valuable service and to deprive Dr Gurrin of the opportunity to practise for however short a time.
"The Committee considered that it is right to recognise that this misconduct was an aberration in a fine career, which is not characteristic of this veterinary surgeon and which happened when she was off her guard and in circumstances when she was mistakenly trying to help another in what she thought was a safe way.
“The Committee therefore decided, in the particular circumstance of this case, to impose a reprimand and warning on the basis that it would be proportionate in order to maintain public confidence in the profession and declare and uphold proper standards of conduct and behaviour.”
The webinars will be presented by Professor Ian Ramsey, Ellen Behrend, Joezy Griffin, Professor Jill Maddison and Imogen Schofield.
They'll focus on the diagnosis, management and treatment of dogs with Cushing’s and will include information about Dechra’s predictor tool to help vets identify and progress suspected Cushingoid cases to a definitive diagnosis.
The webinars will also cover the importance of ongoing monitoring to optimise control of the syndrome and practical tips and tricks to help owners maximise compliance and optimise the quality of life of patients.
The full webinar schedule is as follows:
The example above right demonstrates a badge linking to jobs advertised by the out-of-hours emergency care provider, Vets Now.
VetSurgeon.org Editor Arlo Guthrie said: "When you've got a vacancy available, you need to get the word out as far and wide as possible, which means you really should post details on your own practice website. Of course, your website is mainly for pet owners, but you never know, a veterinary surgeon or nurse looking for a job may stumble upon it. They need to know straight away that you're hiring."
VetSurgeon.org reviewed 20 of the lastest advertisements posted on VetSurgeon by independent practices and found that 80% had not posted any indication that they have a job available on their own website. Two even had a jobs page, but hadn't updated it.
Arlo said: "Updating your website when there's a job available can be a hassle. And when you've gone to the trouble to create a professional-looking advertisement on VetSurgeon or VetNurse, it's a duplication of effort to do it all over again on your own website."
So, as an alternative, practices can now create a unique VetSurgeon Jobs badge which, when added to their website, links to a display of just the jobs they have advertised on VetSurgeon. If there are no current vacancies advertised, there's a message to that effect.
To add the badge, login to VetSurgeon using the account used to advertise vacancies. Then visit https://www.vetsurgeon.org/p/find-our-veterinary-surgeon-jobs.aspx, grab the code snippet and add it to your website (or email it to your IT guy). If your site is one of the majority that doesn't have a jobs page, VetSurgeon.org recommends you add the badge either to your home page or the 'Contact Us' page.
If the badge doesn't fit well on your website (either the colour clashes, or it's the wrong size), you can add a text link, rather than a badge. There are instructions about how to do this.
For veterinary nursing vacancies advertised on VetNurse.co.uk, you'll need to head over to VetNurse, login and grab your code here: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/p/find-our-veterinary-nurse-jobs.aspx.
Arlo added: "Aside from the convenience of having your jobs linked to from your own website, it'll also give your adverts a little boost, visitor traffic-wise.
"Finally, it's a good way to help spread the word about the low-cost recruitment advertising service on VetSurgeon and VetNurse."
RCVS Knowledge says it first identified the need for an open access and easily accessible means of distributing veterinary evidence in early 2014. The concept for a new digital journal was announced at the 2014 EBVM Network Conference, and began with the mission statement of improving front-line clinical standards, funded initially by a donation from the RCVS.
In its first year Veterinary Evidence has published 58 papers which have been downloaded over 34,000 times by an international audience spanning 20 countries. It has also streamlined its submission process and added a range of new tools and resources. The tools include a downloadable submission template and a range of checklists and guidelines to help the practitioner conduct evidence-based medicine.
Looking to the future, the charity says that its website platform will be overhauled later in 2017, so practitioners can find articles quickly and implement their findings in practice.
RCVS Knowledge is now running a survey to find out what topics you'd like to see covered by Veterinary Evidence. All participants will entered into a draw for a new iPad.
Veterinary Evidence is also on the hunt for a new Editor-in-Chief, to move the journal into its next chapter. The Editor-in-Chief will have a passion for EBVM and engaging with the veterinary community and will help provide readers with the content they need. If you’re interested in applying for this role you can view the full job description here.