Companion Care Vets has opened its first new standalone joint venture surgery in Ayr, Scotland. 

At 3,071 sq ft the £300,000 surgery is the largest of the groups' 86 strong network and is the first standalone surgery to be opened under the joint venture partnership model that has been in place since 2001.

The surgery is located in a retail park environment, to give easy access for clients and their pets. It is a full service practice, which Companion Care says is fitted with all the latest equipment, including digital x-ray machines and a full operating suite.

Managing Director, Jane Balmain, said: "The opening of our first new standalone surgery in Ayr is a real milestone for us as a business because it opens up our offering to the vets and veterinary nurses who are interested in a joint venture partnership, but whose preference is to have a more traditional looking standalone surgery."

Whilst the Ayr surgery is standalone in its own right, due to the unique relationship Companion Care Vets has with Pets at Home, the surgery works in close partnership with the local Pets at Home store. This will help to drive client registrations and business development and further enable Pets at Home to develop the full pet care experience for its customers.

Jane added: "We believe that this new venture offers any potential partner the best of both worlds: a superb in-store surgery with footfall of thousands of customers a month, or a standalone new surgery linked to local store network to develop the business. I don't believe any other company can offer this unique proposition."

Veterinary surgeon, and joint venture partner of the Ayr surgery, Kirstin Fyfe says, "I am extremely proud to be opening the first standalone surgery alongside the Companion Care team and the facilities available to my team and I and local pet owners are fantastic. The latest equipment, coupled with a spacious and modern waiting area and the convenience of our location is what makes this a winning formula."

The Royal Veterinary College has carried out the first ever open-heart surgery to treat a stenotic tricuspid valve in a dog.

The three-year-old Labrador, Mabel, suffered from congenital tricuspid dysplasia. She was referred to cardiology specialists at RVC Small Animal Referrals where her tricuspid valve was found to be completely fused in the middle, with just two very small openings for her blood to flow through. 

In a procedure that took a little over an hour, the RVC team examined and worked on the valve. The College reports that Mabel’s surgery was a success and her stenosis was relieved.

Mabel was subsequently found to have a moderate amount of regurgitation into the right atrial chamber, but after a few more days of additional monitoring at the RVC she was able to return home. 

The surgery was carried out by Professor of Small Animal Surgery Dan Brockman at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals. He was assisted by a team of RVC specialists to provide pre and post-operative care, including a perfusionist, a team of three anaesthetists, two surgery nurses, three surgeons and a cardiology veterinary specialist-in-training. In addition, Professor of Veterinary Cardiology Virginia Luis Fuentes and veterinary specialist-in-training Dr Rosie Payne were members of the Cardiology Service’s investigation into Mabel’s condition.

RVC students were also involved in the Mabel’s initial examinations at the hospital, providing them with an insight into the procedure. The examinations included cardiac ultrasound using the newest generation of cardiac ultrasound equipment, which is able to capture 3D and 4D images. The new ultrasound scanner was funded in part by the RVC’s charity, the Animal Care Trust. 

After the surgery, the emergency and critical care (ECC) team and the Cardiology Service took over Mabel’s care, with Professor Brockman remaining involved. This saw up to four senior ECC clinicians, a number of veterinary specialists-in-training and half a dozen highly trained ECC technicians working in shifts around the clock to care for Mabel and ensure a good recovery.  

According to the RVC, there have been previous attempts by veterinary surgeons to open stenotic valves with balloon valvuloplasty. However, because it is very difficult to tear the stenotic valve, this approach has not proved very successful. There is also a high risk when putting canines onto bypass. Canines have fragile blood vessels, and cannulae need to be inserted into several of these vessels, creating a danger that a major vessel tears. 

Commenting on why the RVC team decided to perform this procedure at this point, and on Mabel, Dan said: "Lots of things fed into this decision. First and foremost, we had a patient whose pathology made surgery the best solution. I explained to the owner and was very honest that this procedure would be really breaking new ground. Based on what the human paediatric cardiac surgeons will do, and our limited experience of balloon-valvuloplasty suggests this is the best approach for these dogs

"The operation itself is risky, much worse than most other operations. In our hands, for this type of disease, we have about an 80% chance of getting them through the procedure. The owner has to gamble what life the dog has left against the promise of a more normal quality of life and life-span following the operation."

In relation to Mabel’s prognosis if the surgery had not been undertaken, Professor Luis Fuentes said: "It is likely that the signs of right-sided heart failure would have been more difficult to control. Her ability to exercise would have become less and less, and she would have also been at risk of having abnormal heart rhythms associated with the enlargement of the right atrium. Generally we expect them to develop more and more signs as the disease progresses. These are difficult cases to manage on a long-term basis with drugs. Her life expectancy would have been substantially reduced.

"I thought Mabel was almost a perfect candidate to have the procedure here as Dan has a lot of experience replacing tricuspid valves in dogs with tricuspid dysplasia. In those cases there is usually leaking, but Mabel’s case was unusual in that she has minimal leaking and she was most affected by the stenosis. That means you may not have to implant any additional valve structure."

Speaking two weeks after the operation, owner Annabelle Meek, from Melton Mowbray, said: "Mabel has just come back in from wandering around the perimeter of my garden for the first time since before the operation. It’s more than half an acre and she has been ambling around happily following a scent.

"I would like to thank absolutely everybody. It’s been an enormous team effort on all sides. Every single person I met at the RVC, from the man on the gate to all the hospital staff, was so friendly. After she came home Dan Brockman phoned me every day to see how she was doing. The RVC should be very proud of what they have done for Mabel."

Feline charity International Cat Care (iCatCare)'s annual cat photography competition is now open for entries.

This year, in collaboration with Your Cat, the charity is looking for entries which showcase the cat-human bond with a brand new theme of ‘Cat-Human Relationships’.

The judges want to see a range of relationships in a variety of situations, locations and ages. For instance, entries can include but are not limited to: pet cats with their owners in the home, street cats with the public and cats with those who work with them eg, veterinary professionals with their patients and homing centre workers with the cats in their care.

Since its launch in 2013, the competition has collectively attracted over 15,000 entries from all over the world.

Eve Davies, who runs the competition, said: "Whilst we tend to think of our relationship with cats as that of pet and owner, cats and humans can have a huge variety of unique connections with each other and we would love to see this reflected in the entries.

"This year’s theme is quite different to previous topics – for example kittens or sleeping cats – but it has the potential to be much more rewarding. As well as receiving exceptional photos over the years, we have been sent some incredibly moving stories to accompany them and we are hoping that this year will be even better still."

Twelve winning images will be selected by the iCatCare and Your Cat Magazine judges to feature in the charity’s 2020 calendar (and other materials) which will be sold to raise funds for the charity’s work, with one crowned the overall winner and gracing the front cover.

All twelve winners will each receive a certificate, copies of the calendar and a selection of iCatCare merchandise. The overall winner will also receive £500 in prize money.

To find out more and to enter, visit: www.icatcare.org/photography-competition. The competition closes at 10 am (BST) on 1 July 2019. 

Defra has announced plans to form a new Animal Health and Welfare Board for England which will bring experts including farmers, veterinary surgeons, welfare experts and others from outside Government together with the Chief Veterinary Officer and civil servants to make direct policy recommendations on policy affecting the health and welfare of all kept animals such as farm animals, horses and pets.

According to Agriculture Minister Jim Paice, it is the first time that people affected by Government policy on animal health and welfare will make recommendations on those policies directly to Ministers.

Mr Paice said: "This is a completely new way of working.  It replaces the old ways, where the people most affected by decisions were kept at arm's length from policy making on those subjects.

"This is about the Big Society not just existing in our communities, but in the heart of Government - helping to put the decisions in the hands of those who are doing the work on the ground.

"We've already seen the success of a partnership between farmers and the Government with the work that's been done on bluetongue - which has seen the disease virtually eradicated in this country."

Final decisions on animal health and welfare policy will remain in the hands of Government Ministers. 

The Board will be made up of around 12 members, 5 senior Defra officials including the Chief Veterinary Officer, and 7-8 external members including the chair. The external members will have experience and knowledge of kept and farmed animals, animal and veterinary science, and animal welfare, and could be farmers, veterinarians, animal welfare experts. 

The Board and its members will have to represent the views of all stakeholders so will be expected to communicate with them regularly.

The Board's responsibilities will include:

• setting the strategic policy priorities;
• development of key policies and how they should be funded;
• assessing the risk of threats from animal disease and how to manage them;
• determining the surveillance and research priorities;
• reviewing and developing contingency plans for dealing with new disease outbreaks; and
• considering, what if any, charging mechanisms should be introduced.

The Board will not be set up as a non departmental public body or arms length body.  It will form part of the internal structure of Defra.

Commenting on the announcement, Harvey Locke, President of the British Veterinary Association, said: "The BVA is delighted that both the Advisory Group and Ministers have taken note of the veterinary profession's views in drawing up these plans.

"We said from the outset that genuine responsibility sharing has to be achieved before cost sharing can be discussed and we warned against earlier plans to separate animal health policy from animal welfare policy, as the two are intrinsically linked.

"Animal health and welfare policy issues require expert, scientific input and it will be essential that the new Board includes veterinary representation. We believe that the Board will provide the right mechanism for ensuring decisions are based on sound science.

"The new Board will also have to work closely with the three devolved administrations to ensure that animal health and welfare policies across the UK are joined up and complementary."

Purina has published ‘New Perspectives on Pet Obesity, Moving to a Behavioural Science Model’, an e-book that explores new ways of tackling weight management with clients.

The book includes interviews with researchers and thought leaders, including Professor Jeff French, Hugues Ruault du Plessis and Professor Thomas Webb.

There's a chapter on ways to influence owner behaviour, an explanation of the ways in which we make decisions and a description of the COM-B model (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation – Behaviour), which Professor Webb argues can be applied to help manage pet obesity, the advantage being that it: “….recognises the importance of motivation, but suggests that people also need to be and feel capable of taking action and have the opportunity to do so.”

Also included are clinical research summaries and practical tips to help communication around these issues in practice.

Purina’s Scientific Affairs Manager for the UK and Ireland, Libby Sheridan, said: “Pet obesity is a challenge that veterinary teams face every day, with six in ten dogs and cats overweight or obese, making obesity one of the most common medical conditions in pets worldwide.1,2

"This e-book delivers a thought-provoking new take on pet obesity which I hope will inspire teams in veterinary practices to adopt innovative approaches to support their clients and achieve positive outcomes for their patients.”

The e-book is suitable for all members of the veterinary team who are involved in weight management clinics or have an interest in developing new strategies to better communicate with and support pet owners. 

Download book here.

References

1. Bomberg E, Birch L, Endenburg N, German AJ, Neilson J, Seligman H, Takashima G, Day MJ. The Financial Costs, Behaviour and Psychology of Obesity: A One Health Analysis. J Comp Pathol. 2017;156(4):310-325. doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2017.03.007.
2. German AJ. Weight management in obese pets: the tailoring concept and how it can improve results. Acta Vet Scand. 2016;58(Suppl 1):57. doi:10.1186/s13028-016-0238-z

A research project funded by The Horse Trust has discovered that a racehorse's performance does not markedly change after it has recovered from a tendon injury.

The research was led by Bryan O'Meara, who is in the final year of a three year clinical training scholarship funded by The Horse Trust.

Mr. O'Meara carried out the research at Donnington Grove Veterinary Surgery in Newbury, under the supervision of epidemiologist Dr Tim Parkin from University of Glasgow.

Tendonitis is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries in racehorses, with a prevalence of 11-30%, according to earlier research.

Mr. O'Meara examined the clinical records and racing histories of 400 racehorses who had been treated for superficial digital flexor (SDF) tendonitis injuries over a five year period (2003-2008).

The race records of horses affected by tendon injury were compared with 400 matched control horses that had never suffered SDF tendon injuries.

The controls were horses training in the same establishment at the time of injury and of the same age and sex as the case horse.

The research looked at the performance of the racehorses in races before and after treatment for the injury, and at the performance of the control horses before and after the treatment date. The Racing Post Rating (RPR), which is published by the Racing Post after every race, was used as a measure of performance.

Mr. O'Meara found that there was no significant difference in RPR before and after the treatment date in case and control horses.

According to The Horse Trust, this result is unexpected as in vitro studies have found that healed tendon tissue has reduced elasticity due to the presence of scar tissue. This suggests that a horse with a healed SDF tendon would need to work its muscles harder to compensate and would therefore be expected to have lower performance.

Mr. O'Meara said more research is needed to back-up his finding that performance isn't significantly affected by tendon injury: "It could be that using Racing Post Rating to measure performance isn't sensitive enough to pick up a change in the horse's performance. However, it's encouraging that there's no marked change in performance after a horse has recovered from a tendon injury. These findings show that there's no need to give up on a horse that has a tendon injury - they can still come back and perform well, or can be used for other, less demanding riding activities."

The research also found that there was no significant difference between case and control horses when returning to racing and completing three races. Only after completing five races, or three years post treatment, was a significant difference found between case and control horses. This finding is a step towards developing a more accurate assessment of tendon treatment. Outcome after five races or three years post treatment is a better indicator of the outcome of treatment.

Mr. O'Meara said: "At the moment, some tendon treatments state their success as the percentage of horses that return to racing after treatment. However, we've shown that there's no significant difference between case and control horses at this time. At the moment, there are a myriad of treatments available to treat tendonitis. Hopefully this finding will be used in further research to learn which treatments are most effective."

Mr O'Meara's research also found a link between SDF tendon injury and the racehorse competing at its maximum performance level: the case horses were significantly nearer to their pre-injury maximum performance level in the race immediately before injury (compared to matched controls), suggesting that they were competing nearer their individual maximum performance level when the SDF tendon injury occured.

The BVA and RCVS have announced the formation of the Vet Futures Action Group to take forward the ambitions and recommendations in the Vet Futures report ‘Taking charge of our future: A vision for the veterinary profession for 2030’ launched in November 2015.

The call for applications attracted more than 80 candidates with many more expressing an interest in helping to take the project forward. 

The Action Group will be tasked with working collectively to turn the report’s 34 recommendations into clear actions with buy-in from across the veterinary profession and a timetable for activity. 

The Action Group is made up of the BVA and RCVS Presidents and Junior Vice-Presidents, seven veterinary surgeons, a veterinary nurse, and a co-opted veterinary student: 

• Dr Clare Allen MA VetMB PhD MRCVS – Senior Teaching Assistant for curriculum and innovation in the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge.
• Simon Doherty BVMS MRCVS CBiol FRSB – Owner and Director of Blackwater Consultancy and animal science expert for the Agri-Tech Organisation of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).
• Daniel Hogan RVN – Operations Manager at Dick White Referrals.
• Dr Liz Mossop BVM&S PhD MRCVS – Assistant Professor of Veterinary Education and Sub-Dean for Teaching, Learning and Assessment at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham.
• Gudrun Ravetz BVSc MRCVS  - BVA Junior Vice-President and Veterinary Consultant to Pet Health Plans from Denplan.
• Dr Kimberley Schiller BVetMed MRCVS – Manager in Healthcare Practice at Accenture, the global consultancy. 
• Dr Huw Stacey BVetMed DipAS(CABC) MRCVS – Director of Clinical Services at the Pets at Home Vet Group (PAHVG).
• Dr Mary Thomson BVMS MRCVS – small animal veterinary surgeon at New Street Vets in Devon, Vetlife Board member and RCVS Postgraduate Dean.
• Dr Chris Tufnell BSc (Hons) BVMS MRCVS  - RCVS Vice-President and Director of Coach House Vets, a small animal and equine practice in Berkshire.
• Dr Bradley Viner BVetMed MSc(VetGP) DProf MRCVS – RCVS President and Principal of Blythwood Vets, a group of small animal practices in North West London.
• Sean Wensley BVSc MSc Grad DMS MRCVS – BVA President and Senior Veterinary Surgeon for Communication and Education at the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA).
• Dr James Yeates BVSc BSc DWEL DipECVS(AWBM) PhD MRCVS – RSPCA Chief Veterinary Officer and honorary lecturer at the University of Bristol and University of Surrey.

The members of the Group joining the BVA and RCVS officers were selected by the Vet Futures Project Board for their mix of experience and expertise across the Vet Futures ambitions and themes (Animal health and welfare; Veterinary professionals’ wider roles in society; The health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals; Diverse and rewarding veterinary careers; Sustainable businesses and user-focused services; and Leadership), as well as in veterinary education, veterinary regulation, and veterinary nursing.

BVA President Sean Wensley said: "The Group has a very important task ahead and we are confident that we have an excellent group of people with the right balance of skills, experience and expertise to take forward the Vet Futures recommendations and turn them into concrete actions. 

"We have had an incredibly positive response from the profession to the launch of the report and we hope organisations and individuals will now step up to work with the Action Group and take ownership of the activity for the good of the whole profession."

RCVS President Bradley Viner said: "We were overwhelmed by the response from the professions with ten applications for every place, and many more offers of support. The Project Board was particularly impressed by the high quality of the applications and the breadth of experience demonstrated by the candidates from all parts of the profession. 

"It was incredibly difficult to select the members of the Group from such a strong field but we are pleased that we have captured the variety within the profession as well as the enthusiasm to drive the project forward. We sincerely hope everyone who expressed an interest will remain engaged with the project as it progresses this year."

Orthopaedic Specialist surgeon, Andy Moores, has been appointed the new Chairman of the British Veterinary Orthopaedic Association (BVOA).

Andy, who was previously the Junior Vice Chair of the association, has been a member of BVOA for over 25 years, during which time he's been instrumental in organising scientific meetings and starting the popular BVOA discussion forum. 

He is an RCVS and ECVS Specialist and in 2017 was made a Fellow of the RCVS for meritorious contributions to clinical practice.

He has taught numerous surgical residents and is widely published in many areas of orthopaedic surgery.

In 2023 he opened the Moores Orthopaedic Clinic, a dedicated orthopaedic-only referral clinic near Basingstoke in Hampshire.

Andy said: “It’s a great honour to take on the role of chairman for an organisation that I am so fond of.

“I am passionate about education and have taught, lectured and published widely.

"In my role at the Moores Orthopaedic Clinic I am always happy to discuss cases and assist colleagues as much as possible.

"I truly believe sharing knowledge is essential to successful patient outcomes, and BVOA allows this in numerous ways.

"My thanks go out to the rest of the BVOA committee for continuing to ensure we have a strong and vibrant Association, especially to Mark Bush my predecessor and to Sarah Girling who has left the committee this year after serving as Senior Vice Chair.” 

All veterinary professionals with an interest in orthopaedics are welcomed and encouraged to join BVOA.

https://bvoa.co.uk/ 

BEVA President, Madeleine Campbell will be announcing plans for a veterinary-led European Transport Forum at BEVA Congress this year (8-11 September 2010), to discuss how the welfare of horses during transport can be improved through the better enforcement of legislation.

Dr Campbell is also the British Veterinary Association representative on the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) working party for transport. The Forum, which will be held in Brussels on 29 November 2010, has been jointly organised by the FVE and BEVA and is sponsored by World Horse Welfare (WHW). It is hoped that it will be attended by over 150 participants, including representatives of EU Member States, CVOs, Members of the European Commission and European Parliament, scientific experts, national veterinary organisations, animal transport associations and animal welfare associations.

The Forum will review the enforcement of the existing European regulations that currently govern the transport of horses for slaughter and for other purposes. Areas for practical improvement will be identified with the key focus on the enforcement of current legislation and the role of vets in ensuring that the welfare of horses in transit is protected. The conference will endeavour to define the critical control points, effective control systems and good practices. It will also look into trade flows, animal health risks, horse identification and the effects of closing horse slaughterhouses.

Dr Campbell said: "It is all very well to campaign for new regulations but at present even the existing regulations are not being enforced adequately. The crux of the matter is enforcement and there are none better placed to help with this than vets. If we can all work collectively we should have the strength to make a real impact. This is what the Forum is about."

Dr Campbell will be speaking about the European Transport Forum at the Congress press conference on 10 September between 9am and 10am.

BEVA Congress runs from 8-11 September 2010 at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham. For further information and to register visit http://www.beva.org.uk/

The BVA has called on the RCVS to end temporary guidance that allows veterinary surgeons to prescribe POM-V products remotely without first having physically examined the animal.

In mid-September, the Association wrote to the RCVS expressing concern about the August extension to the temporary guidance.

In the latest update from the RCVS, the temporary measure has now been extended to 31 October but the flowchart and guidance have been updated to add some additional steps before a POM-V product can be prescribed remotely.

The BVA says that while it supported the original decision in March as a pragmatic solution and direct response to government restrictions surrounding Covid-19, it is now questioning the ongoing need for such a relaxation in the rules.

In the letter to the RCVS, the BVA also asked for a timeframe for the publication of the results of the RCVS survey of practices’ experiences of remote consulting and prescribing. The Association's own under care working group, chaired by Nigel Gibbens, has been developing a position to respond to the RCVS review. 

BVA President James Russell (pictured right) said: "We understand that allowing remote prescription of POM-Vs was a necessary measure at the height of the lockdown, as practices struggled to assess patients in person.

"However, the veterinary professions have done a fantastic job in adapting to the restrictions and are now able to work safely and see patients.

"Whilst we recognise the RCVS has provided additional guidance for the remote prescribing of POM-V, we cannot currently see any reason why a new client would be unable to access in-person veterinary care in the first instance and we are asking RCVS Council to reconsider this measure when it meets in Oct.

"It makes sense to continue allowing vets to remotely prescribe for existing patients, for example if an owner is shielding, but we feel it is no longer appropriate to be remotely prescribing to animals that have never been physically examined by the vet.

“The question of whether we should be able to remotely prescribe POM-V products without first seeing an animal is an important and live debate, and we welcome the resumption of the College’s review. But the longer that temporary measures are in place, the greater the expectation from animal owners that they will always be in place, and the harder it will be to have the discussion about the best way forward.

“As a profession, we are rightly concerned about antimicrobial resistance and we pride ourselves on the responsible use of medicines. Continually extending the temporary measures without a full analysis would risk undermining our position.”

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association has announced the appointment of Dr Frances Barr as Academic Director, tasked with developing the new BSAVA postgraduate qualification in association with the Open University, ready for launch in 2012.

Frances is a European Specialist in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, and a double diplomat of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging. She has worked both in practice and as an academic, with 26 years working in Higher Education, and has a long history of working as a BSAVA volunteer, eventually taking on the presidential mantle in 2007.

BSAVA says it aims to provide the best possible educational offering to the profession, particularly to those in practice. Grant Petrie, BSAVA President, said: "Producing a postgraduate qualification is a natural progression to BSAVA's current CPD offering - there is clearly a need for it and we have a strong legacy as a provider of quality CPD. We want to make sure that the profession is served well - with a programme designed by vets for vets. As a charity with education at the core of our remit, BSAVA is best positioned to create something that will keep investing in the knowledge and talent of the profession. However, we always knew that we would need an exceptional individual to oversee the programme, and, in Frances Barr, we know we have that person."

Frances said: "This will fill a really important need. Many practitioners have a real appetite for learning more about their particular area of interest. Of course, they can currently do this with general CPD courses, but this new qualification will provide a structured and focussed learning programme which is flexible enough to fit around the busiest lifestyle, yet challenging enough to make the qualification a personal achievement, one that will be well respected by the whole profession."

She added: "The proposed new certificates in small animal medicine and surgery will comprise a combination of traditional taught courses, a wide-range of web-based material that will include interactive sessions, and workplace-based projects. This is the way forward for practitioners and will lead the profession into a more secure future."

The qualifications will be aimed primarily at the general practitioner, so they are not designed to replace the European Diploma system or aspiring to provide specialised knowledge. Instead they will be created very much for the interested, busy practitioner for whom an accredited residency programme is not an option. Grant Petrie said: "Encouraging small animal practitioners to embark on a clinically useful, challenging yet achievable, highly regarded postgraduate qualification sits very well with the BSAVA's remit to promote excellence in small animal practice through education and science."

The BSAVA postgraduate programme will launch in 2012, with more information about registration available at Congress 2011 and online from April next year. Frances Barr will begin working with the Open University and the BSAVA team in November.

Five graduates from St George's University School of Veterinary Medicine (SGUSVM), in the Caribbean island of Grenada, have passed the Statutory Membership Examination of the UK's Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. 

According to the University, SGUSVM graduates have traditionally demonstrated impressive pass rates on this rigorous exam, but this year's 100% pass rate by SGU students - compared with an overall 44% pass rate for candidates overall - is an exceptional result for SGU students, and only the second time it has been achieved in the school's history.

In order to practice veterinary surgery in the UK, all graduates with foreign or Commonwealth qualifications must pass the RCVS examination. The exam consists of two days of written papers, followed by clinical, oral and practical exams at a UK veterinary medical school. Thirty-five St George's graduates have passed into the RCVS since the School's inception in 1999.

The RCVS sets no quota for this Statutory Membership Examination, meaning those who meet the standards will pass, regardless of the number of candidates sitting the exam.  

Austin Kirwan, St George's Associate Dean of UK and Ireland Clinical Affairs stated: "St George's School of Veterinary Medicine once again produces an excellent set of results with a 100 percent pass rate for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Statutory Membership Examination for those SGU students who sat the examination.  This is a credit to the school in the quality of education it provides, but also an indication of the calibre of person SGU attracts in its student cohort - outstanding success abounds by thinking beyond."

Presenting the graduates with a membership certificate at the Ceremony of Admissions at Belgravia House in London, RCVS President Dr Jerry Davies said: "I was delighted to welcome so many of this year's successful candidates to the College. Whether newly graduated or long qualified elsewhere, all of those registering today have succeeded in meeting the educational and professional requirements that enable them to call themselves veterinary surgeons and to practise in the UK."