The RCVS Trust will take part in National Pet Month (3 April - 3 May) and is asking veterinary practices to put on 'Alice in Wonderland' themed fundraising events.
Cherry Bushell, RCVS Trust Director said: "The Trust aims to improve the health and well-being of dogs, cats, and other popular household pets and over the past five years has put nearly £900,000 into this cause. As a small charity we do rely on our supporters - and National Pet Month is a good opportunity to raise money and have fun."
Why Alice in Wonderland as a theme? Cherry said: "The Trust supports curiosity and a sense of wonder, so we came up with the Alice in Wonderland idea - which is topical and also has lots of scope for fundraising and publicity."
If you'd enjoy hosting a Mad Hatter's tea party - or raffling off the Queen of Heart's tarts - you can register with National Pet Month and take part. Further information and a free events pack can be obtained from http://www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk/.
National Pet Month runs from 3 April - 3 May. It aims to promote responsible pet ownership, make people aware of the mutual benefits of living with pets, increase public awareness of the role of pet care specialists and raise awareness of the value of working and assistance companion animals.
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
Following last weekend's Mail on Sunday revelation that a number of well-known organisations have been routinely serving meat from animals which have not been humanely slaughtered, the BVA has written to the companies involved, both to express concerns about animal welfare and to renew calls for clearer labelling.
The Mail on Sunday found that meat slaughtered under certain religious rules without pre-stunning (including kosher and some halal meat), is entering the mainstream food chain without being labelled as such. The investigation found that the meat is being used in schools, hospitals, pub chains and sporting venues.
The investigation follows news reports that GateGourmet, one of the largest airline caterers, is considering making the majority of its meals halal.
The BVA is concerned that consumers are confused by existing food labels and supports moves by the European Parliament to introduce mandatory labelling of meat from non-stunned animals, including use of the meat in other products. The BVA also supports the concept of one clear EU-wide label that would indicate higher welfare throughout the food chain.
Professor Bill Reilly, President of the British Veterinary Association, said: "Whilst we understand the need to respect religious freedoms the BVA believes that all animals should be stunned before slaughter to ensure the highest possible welfare for the animals.
"The exemption for religious slaughter should therefore be kept to a minimum. Meat from animals slaughtered according to these religious rules should not used in the mainstream market, particularly if it is not labelled as such.
"Earlier this year the European Parliament voted in favour of the compulsory labelling of meat from non-stunned animals and the British Veterinary Association strongly welcomed this move.
"We believe that consumers do want to make choices based on higher animal welfare and not cause unnecessary suffering. They should have the right information to make those pro-welfare choices."
The company now expects the vaccine will not be available until June 2025.
The company apologised for the disruption and inconvenience and says it will provide more information as soon as it becomes available.
For further information contact your Zoetis Account Manager or call Head Office on 0345 300 8034.
Bayer Animal Health has doubled the number of pipettes in its Advocate all-in-one flea, worm and mite spot-on to provide an additional range of six-month treatment packs for cats and dogs.
Bayer says the doubling of the number of pipettes in a pack is aimed at providing vets with greater prescribing flexibility and to help improve compliance for owners over a six-month period. Bi-annual vet visits will now give a full year’s parasite cover with Advocate.
Advocate is now available in three- and six-pipette packs for small and large cats and for medium, large and extra large dogs, and three-pipette packs for small dogs. The product remains the only combined flea, worm and mite spot-on that is licensed for the treatment of A. vasorum in dogs.
Rabbit Awareness Week (26th April - 2nd May 2010) is reportedly going to be bigger than ever this year with over 1000 vets within the industry expected to be involved.
In partnership with Burgess Pet Care, Petplan Insurance, Company of Animals, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, Genitrix, PDSA, Wood Green Animal Shelters and RWAF, Rabbit Awareness Week's mission is to educate current and potential rabbit owners across the UK about the importance of rabbit welfare.
The focus of the week will be rabbit obesity. At the same time, organisers hope the week will raise the profile of rabbits as pets and encourage owners to seek the right veterinary advice about rabbit nutrition and health.
The week has been deliberately timed to happen soon after Easter, to make use of a time of year when rabbits are at the forefront of people's minds. Organisers hope to reach rabbit owners who may have bought new pet rabbits but who may not have the right information about how to keep them happy and healthy.
Throughout the week some of the UK's largest retailers, suppliers of rabbit food and welfare charities will be providing valuable feeding knowledge and information, along with a range of deals and offers to vets and pet owners.
Organisers are asking veterinary practices to get involved by offering Free Health Checks for pet rabbits, and by providing free advice about vaccinations, husbandry and diet. To help, there is a range of display and training materials to help you run your Free Health Checks together with promotional materials such as newsletter templates and press releases. You can also register your event for free on the Online Event Locator.
The display kit includes shelf wobblers, barkers, posters, appointment flyers, Health Check Certificates and an A3 size Free Health Check window sticker. You'll also receive additional items to give away to rabbit owners, including Excel samples, RAW care guides, car stickers and branded bags.
For more information and to find out what special trade offers are available to vets during the week register at http://www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk/.
VetSurgeon.org today launched a new initiative to increase membership of the online community, as part of which 5 vets could win cash prizes worth a total of £2000.
A new 'Invited by' box has been added to the registration form which new members have to complete when they join VetSurgeon. New members are now asked to complete this box with the e-mail address of the vet that invited them to join the community.
In six weeks time, £1000 will be given to the vet who invited the largest number of colleages over the period. Prizes of £400, £300, £200 and £100 will be given to four runners up respectively.
There is one caveat. For the prize fund to be released, membership of VetSurgeon.org must have reached a grand total of 5000 by the closing date.
I really hope that EVERYONE will chip in and invite a fellow vet, because even if you don't think you know enough vets to win the main prize, inviting just one will help make sure that a vet somewhere is going to be given £1000!
There are other reasons for supporting this initiative.
Most importantly, the more members in the community, the more vibrant, interesting, and valuable it becomes for you, its members. On top of that, once we have 5000 members, we'll be able to start investing in further development of the site to make it an increasingly invaluable tool.
Great Workplaces by BVA is an accreditation scheme designed to recognise and reward positive workplace culture in both clinical and non-clinical veterinary workplaces.
The first webinar: 'How to have more good days at work' will be hosted by BVA Junior Vice President, Rob Williams (pictured), and VDS Training’s Carolyne Crowe.
The speakers will discuss strategies to support physical and psychological wellbeing at work and explore how to create a safe and inclusive team environment that supports everyone's needs.
Rob said: “This webinar series is designed to help your team identify practical steps to improve your veterinary workplace and create a working environment that allows the whole team to thrive.
"We’ll be diving into the first session with lots of practical tips and strategies and I hope to see many of you there.”
https://www.bva.co.uk/great-workplaces
https://mybva.bva.co.uk/ems-event-calendar/building-great-workplaces-how-to-have-more-good-days-at-work.html
Woodley Equipment has announced that it has become the exclusive authorised distributor of Crony IR202 series and Saturno analysers, parts and consumables in the UK and Ireland.
Under the partnership agreement with Crony Instruments, Woodley will also provide service, support and maintenance for the analysers from this Italian manufacturer.
The arrangement covers the new Crony Saturno 100 Vet wet chemistry analyser, which is currently undergoing evaluation on site and will be available from Woodley Equipment in January 2010.
For more information, contact Woodley Equipment on 01798 813659 or email sales@quantumvetdiagnostics.com. Alternatively, visit: www.woodleyequipment.com/quantumvet
A project which aims to standardise the assessment of veterinary nurse practical training across Europe will have life beyond its pilot phase, thanks to European VN training network, Vetnnet.
The announcement was made in September at an Oslo-based conference to mark the conclusion of the pilot phase of the Pan-European Practical Assessment System project (PEPAS).
During its two-year pilot, the Leonardo da Vinci-funded project developed 111 new stations for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), including mark-sheets and examiner notes, and trained over 50 veterinary nursing examiners from eight countries across Europe. The new OSCE stations have been trialled across 250 students by seven European veterinary nurse schools.
Vetnnet has now committed to continuing the project, enabling its members to access the OSCEs and associated training.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons was a main project partner in the pilot, with specific responsibility for training and quality assurance of the system. Victoria Hedges, RCVS VN Examination and Higher Education Quality Manager said: "It's great that the hard work put into the project by so many countries will continue to bear fruit.
"Feedback in Oslo was excellent and it was heartening to see that when examiners' marks were compared across countries, standardisation was very good. The feedback also helped us to see where students were not achieving the desire results, indicating where more training is needed."
See www.vetnnet.com for more information.
The Kennel Club has released a film, narrated by Clare Balding, which looks at the issues affecting dog health and wellbeing in this country and what is being done in 2012 to help ensure that dog welfare stays at the top of the agenda.
The film, 'Dogs - A Healthy Future', focuses on the main issues that affect dog health and welfare, including hereditary diseases, issues created by breeding dogs for the way that they look and the problem of cruel puppy farms that breed dogs for profit without regard for their health and welfare.
The film explores the steps that have already been taken to address these issues and the need for united action in order to ensure that the progress continues in 2012.
(The full 1/2 hour video is available here).
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: "The New Year is a good time for reflection, looking back at what has been done and what more can still be done to safeguard the health of dogs.
"Huge strides have been made to improve dog health, particularly with the knowledge that has been gained in recent years thanks to the advancement of genetic science, but there is still more to do. We particularly need to address the issue of people breeding dogs for money at the expense of health and for looks, whether these be pedigree or crossbreeds.
"The Kennel Club would like to see tighter regulations governing the way people breed their dogs in order to help clamp down on cruel puppy farms, and we ask people to sign our petition asking the government to act.
"As we look towards Crufts 2012 we look forward to introducing even tighter measures to ensure that dog shows play their part in driving change by rewarding, and so encouraging, the breeding of healthy dogs."
Sheila Crispin, Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding, said: "We are supposedly a nation of dog lovers and the issue of what we can do to improve dog health is close to the hearts of those that really do care. This film looks at the progress that has been made by the Kennel Club as well as other organisations and committed individuals to help address the complicated issues surrounding dog health and welfare, in addition to looking at what more needs to be done, through collaboration and united effort, to create an even better future for dogs."
The guides have been developed for vet teams to share with their clients and work through together, so that both sides are on the same page about owner values, pet welfare and behaviour, and diagnosis and treatment options.
A member of the veterinary team and the client can then work together to make decisions and provide quality care.
One of the pet owners who helped develop the guides said: “I always get so worked up with vet consultations that I forget half of what they say, or feel like I didn’t tell them enough about my pet’s history.
"If the vet used these guides at my next consult, they would make me feel very at ease indeed!”
Pam Mosedale, Clinical Lead at RCVS Knowledge, said: “These guides offer a simple, actionable way to help deliver contextualised care in practice.
"To get started, run through the questions in the guide with a client, and see how this can help you devise a treatment plan with the information you’ve discovered.
"This helps you gain a fuller understanding of your patient’s care and wellbeing needs and your client’s circumstances and expectations.
"Ultimately, this will assist you in delivering quality care that aligns with the needs and expectations of your clients.”
There are three contextualised care discussion guides:
RCVS Knowledge is encouraging veterinary teams to adapt the guides to meet their individual needs.
https://rcvsknowledge.org/contextualisedcare
COMMENT
Anything which helps clear communication between the owner and vet is surely to be applauded, and if owners are prepared to spend the time completing the pre-consultation guide, it would surely leave less room for error.
However, arguably the greatest cause of friction between owners and vets is cost, and that is something only mentioned fleetingly, in the context of: 'Are there any other factors that may impact on the care of your pet? e.g planned holidays or financial concerns'.
Isn't it time to stop beating around the bush?
Isn't there an opportunity here for greater clarity over the level of spending a client is happy with?
Is there an acceptable form of words here to ascertain whether - regardless of whether they have financial concerns or not - the client is one of those who wants the cheapest solution to the problem, one for whom money is no object, or someone who sits somewhere in the middle?
Wouldn't that be more instructive than almost anything else?
DISCUSS HERE
Genitrix is offering practices a specially designed dosing wheel to ensure the accurate administration of Libromide (potassium bromide), the company's treatment for refractory canine epilepsy.
The wheel indicates the dosage required according to the bodyweight of the dog and also provides further information regarding managing epilepsy and bromide serum testing.
Rob Watkins, Marketing Director at Genitrix, said: "We've consulted canine neurology experts in the design of our dosing wheel and hope it will give practices reassurance and clarity on how to initiate, maintain and review the control of canine epilepsy with Libromide. Following the launch of Libromide and the discounted blood test service, the dosing wheel is an additional initiative to help improve treatment approaches for canine epilepsy."
To receive a free dosing wheel or for more information on Libromide and the discounted blood test service, practices are asked to call Genitrix' head office on 01403 786345 or contact their account manager.
Vetcel, the veterinary buying group, has announced a partnership with Training Progress, through which it will deliver its health and safety training information to member practices.
Training Progress is a training management system designed primarily so that veterinary managers can track their staff training. The company says the system empowers staff to drive their own training, and devolves training responsibility (where appropriate) away from senior team members.
The tie-up with Vetcel means member practices will be able to access Vetcel's health and safety training in their own own mini Training-Progress site, where they will be able to track their teams' progress and compliance.
Chris Bainton said: "The Vetcel group are delighted to be working with Training-Progress to provide a further benefit to our membership. We recognise that Training-Progress will help our members ensure that their team’s staff development and training is promoted and, specifically, that both the staff and the practices themselves are protected and enabled by monitoring and recording the health and safety training of the team.”
Training Progress will be at stand O54 at the London Vet Show.
Pet Protect has launched a new website which includes a tool to compare the benefits of its pet insurance policies with others in the market.
The comparison deliberately excludes the cost of the policies. Pet Protect says that the aim is to "overcome the current preoccupation with price as principal means by which competitive products are evaluated".
It would be interesting to know what your experience is, talking to clients about insurance. Do you think that clients are receptive to buying insurance for the benefits, or do you think that price will always be their main concern?
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies has become the first place in the UK to offer reptile training recognised by the European College of Zoological Medicine.
Kevin Eatwell, who is part of the School's Exotic Animal and Wildlife Service, has been awarded diplomat status by the European College of Zoological Medicine (ECZM).
This will enable him to offer training to residents at the School wishing to gain European accreditation in the area of herpetology, which covers reptiles.
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, which is part of the University of Edinburgh, also gained the endorsement of the ECZM to train residents to treat reptiles following a visit by its president.
The diplomat status recognises Mr Eatwell as a specialist in Europe. In addition, he is also one of only two RCVS diploma holders in reptile medicine in the UK.
To qualify as an ECZM diplomat a vet needs to meet stringent criteria. This includes the time spent specialising in a particular field as well as three first author and a minimum of three second co-author publications relevant to the specialty.
Many of Mr Eatwell's scientific papers followed on from a dissertation, which was funded through an educational grant through the RCVS Trust.
As a diplomat for the European College of Zoological Medicine, Mr Eatwell will input into the ECZM training criteria for vets specialising in the care and treatment of reptiles.
Mr Eatwell said: "I am delighted to have achieved such status by the European College of Zoological Medicine. It is very exciting to be involved in the education of specialist veterinary surgeons throughout Europe. This will also open the door for residents at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies to obtain European qualifications relating to the specialist treatment of reptiles."
Mr Eatwell is one of only a handful of ECZM diplomats in the UK and the first in herpetology. Other ECZM diplomats cover disciplines including avian, small mammals and wildlife and conservation.
Cherry Bushell, Director of the RCVS Trust, said: "It's always wonderful to hear that the grants awarded by RCVS Trust do help make a difference to young vets and to the development of animal care in the UK and overseas. We congratulate Kevin on his achievement and wish him every success in the future."
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies also has the UK's first European resident in Small Mammal Medicine, Elisabetta Mancinelli, who is being supervised by Anna Meredith, head of the Exotic Animal and Wildlife Service.
The RCVS and VN Councils Elections are now open for nominations from candidates who wish to stand in 2011.
RCVS Registrar Jane Hern said: "We are always pleased when veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses are prepared to contribute personally to the activities of the College and the governance of their own professions.
"Serving as a Council Member requires a fair amount of an individual's time and effort however, so we are announcing the nomination period in good time to allow people the chance to consider their options and make plans accordingly."
Six seats on RCVS Council and two on VN Council are due to be filled in the 2011 elections. Those elected will take their seats on RCVS Day next July, to serve four-year terms, and will be expected to spend at least six to eight days a year attending Council meetings, working parties and subcommittees (a loss-of-earnings allowance is available).
All prospective candidates need to provide the signatures and registered/listed addresses of two proposers, and should also submit a short biography, manifesto and photograph for inclusion in the RCVS News Extra election specials. Nobody can nominate more than one candidate, and no current member of the RCVS Council or VN Council may make nominations.
Nominations must be made in writing on the prescribed form and received by the Registrar on or before the closing date of 31 January 2011. Full details and guidance notes for both elections are available on the RCVS Council Election page and VN Council Election page.
Nomination forms and candidate information forms for RCVS Council may be requested from Mrs Gabi Braun (020 7222 0761 or executiveoffice@rcvs.org.uk) and those for VN Council from Mrs Annette Amato (020 7202 0713 or a.amato@rcvs.org.uk).
The 2012 edition of the NOAH Compendium of Data Sheets for Animal Medicines has been published and a free copy sent to each veterinary practice in the UK.
This edition has a redesigned cover, developed for NOAH's 25th anniversary which took place this year. It contains data sheets from 32 companies which can be accessed through colour-coded indexes. The book also includes the up-to-date edition of NOAH's Code of Practice for the Promotion of Animal Medicines.
NOAH chief executive Phil Sketchley said: "This book - along with the online version - is a major part of NOAH's efforts to help provide prescribers and users of animal medicines with information to assist the appropriate and responsible use of all animal medicines."
He urged prescribers not to forget the back-up that company advisors can give to assist a prescribing decision: "The compendium also includes another vital resource - the contact details for each company. Company veterinary and technical advisors have detailed knowledge about their company's medicines at their fingertips. They are ready to talk to prescribers about the use of a medicine in a particular animal or in a particular situation, as well as to explain any queries about the data sheet," he said.
If your practice has not received its copy, contact Ruth Herbert at NOAH (r.herbert@noah.co.uk).
Extra copies are also available to order now, for £42. There are special prices for bulk orders.
Ceva Animal Health, manufacturer of Feliway and Adaptil, is making a last call for nominations for its awards for animal welfare, which must be received by 27th January 2012.
The inaugural awards, which take place during WSAVA/BSAVA/FECAVA Congress in Birmingham in April, formally recognise veterinary professionals and individuals who have gone the extra mile to improve animal welfare both in practice and beyond. The awards feature three categories:
Prizes include a trip to New Zealand WSAVA in 2013 for the winner of the Chris Laurence Vet of the Year Award, a trip to a European Animal Welfare Congress for the winner of the Welfare Nurse of the Year Award and £1,000 worth of travel vouchers for the winner of the Pet Lover's Welfare Award.
Nomination forms can be downloaded from www.ceva.co.uk. Nominations should consist of full details about why the nominee deserves to win. Judging will be based on support materials such as case studies, examples and pictures, demonstrating the nominee's commitment to animal welfare. Anyone, whether a veterinary professional, pet owner or animal lover can nominate. All those who have nominated someone for an award will be entered into a prize draw to win £250 of high street vouchers.
For further information, telephone Ceva Animal Health on 01494 781510, email welfare.awards@ceva.com or contact your local Ceva territory manager.
The Veterinary Benevolent Fund (VBF) has launched a new support website, vetlife.org.uk. Designed to help veterinarians access emotional and professional support, the website is part of a series of initiatives aimed at improving the mental wellbeing of the veterinary profession.
Vetlife.org is designed to make it easy for veterinary surgeons, nurses and students to find information about the different types of professional and emotional support available. This includes support provided by established veterinary care organisations such as Vet Helpline and the Veterinary Surgeons’ Health Support Programme and trusted sources outside the profession such as Mind, the leading mental health charity, and the Samaritans.
The website was conceived after the Veterinary Benevolent Fund (VBF) asked Dr Wendy Harrison to chair a Veterinary Support working party, formed from representatives of all the main veterinary organisations and the Samaritans, to look at what could be done to improve support to the profession. The impetus for the formation of the working party was the publication, in The Veterinary Record in October 2005 of research by Richard Mellanby that indicated that the suicide rate for the veterinary profession was four times higher than that of the general population and twice that of doctors and dentists.