The study1 took the form of an online survey of over 5,500 owners, which exploring the the early socialisation, health and behaviour of ‘pandemic puppies’ purchased in 2020 compared to 2019 puppies.
The study found that puppies bought during the pandemic in 2020, in comparison to pre-pandemic in 2019, were more likely to have been ‘designer crossbreeds’, for example a Cockapoo or Cavapoo, instead of Kennel Club registered purebred dogs.
The 2020 cohort of pandemic puppies were also more likely to already hold a pet passport at purchase, indicating they may have been imported from Europe – perhaps illegally – to meet the greatly increased demand and prices for puppies.
Amongst the positive findings was the fact that many of the health and socialisation experiences examined didn’t vary significantly between puppies purchased in 2019 and 2020.
However, researchers say there was still a concern that 2020 ‘pandemic puppies’ were less likely than 2019 puppies to attend puppy training classes or to have experienced visitors to their homes (under the age of 16 weeks in both circumstances).
This, they say, means pandemic puppies may be more likely to experience stranger-related fear and anxiety and other behavioural problems related to insufficient socialisation, from being unable to attend puppy classes under 16 weeks of age; a critical period for the development of puppies.
In addition, those puppies sourced from Europe may have been transported over long distances without their mother, a stressful experience which the researchers say could cause problem behaviours in the future.
Pandemic puppies may therefore need extra support from the veterinary profession, particularly those specialising in animal behaviour.
Dr Claire Brand, Researcher in Canine Welfare at the RVC said: “Despite many owners’ concerted efforts to raise their puppies as well as possible, some puppies missed out on key experiences of puppyhood, such as going to puppy classes, or experiencing visitors in their homes.
"This has potential consequences for the future behaviour of ‘pandemic puppies’ and so we are encouraging owners to seek out training and behaviour advice from accredited professionals so that these now adult dogs can learn to live happily in our post-lockdown world.”
Reference
The money, which was raised from the annual raffle and auction was nearly 50% more than last year's total, which was an already impressive £27,800.
When the total was announced, former Vetlife President and auctioneer for the evening, Graham Dick was visibly moved and rendered temporarily speechless.
Once he's had a chance to recompose himself, he said “Your continued selection of Vetlife as the nominated charity for your now legendary fundraising at your annual conference not only raises much needed funds to enable it to continue to fulfil its mission, but also provides an excellent opportunity to re-enforce its contribution to the wellbeing of so many fellow veterinary professionals.” \
“This amazing sum raised could not have been possible without the provision by so many of such a wide range of raffle prizes and high value lots for auction and the generosity of those who bid unstintingly for them.
"On behalf of those in our veterinary community for whom such generosity may have made a substantial difference Vetlife is extremely grateful.”
Vet Dynamics Director Vicky Robinson said: “Both Graham and I were virtually speechless to see the amazing generosity from our delegates and exhibitors and, of course, the kindness of the donors.
"It's such a pleasure to be able to contribute to a charity who work tirelessly to help our wonderful profession.”
Photo: Vicky Robinson and Graham Dick
Nick Stace, CEO of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), has issued a swift and robust response to the call by Unite for a shake up for the profession's regulatory system.
"Unite's suggestion that veterinary regulation should be under the scrutiny of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) is misguided, because the PSA is there to oversee regulation in the human healthcare sector and the RCVS already has Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Privy Council oversight.
"Its further thoughts around the RCVS disciplinary process are out of date and missing the point. We would be very happy to help put them right and to hear any legitimate concerns they may have.
"Unite is calling for the College to no longer 'set the rules and hand down judgments', when in fact last year we successfully achieved a Legislative Reform Order, backed by the profession, to ensure that our Disciplinary and Preliminary Investigation Committees will become independent from Council.
"Unite also talks about the profession's disquiet about last year's Disciplinary Hearing into Mr Chikosi, something we are well aware of and are currently responding to by looking at the biggest area of concern, the provision of 24/7 emergency cover. Our fact-finding mission is seeking views from the profession and the public.
"More broadly, though, feedback from our First Rate Regulator initiative has shown that the profession does have confidence in our disciplinary procedures and that they are certainly not subject to 'long-standing discontent'.
"The First Rate Regulator initiative is also leading to significant improvements in the way that complaints are handled, including speed to resolution.
"Unite is seeking to recruit members of the veterinary team as members of its union and it may be more successful in that pursuit if it was to start to understand the profession better, perhaps beginning with getting its facts right.
"We would be delighted to meet with Unite to put them right where they are factually wrong, and hear what they have to say."
The Vet Wellbeing Awards, which are now in their fourth year, are designed to highlight positivity within the profession by sharing stories and initiatives from veterinary workplaces that demonstrate commitment to improving staff wellbeing.
The Awards also aim to support all practices to take a structured approach towards evaluating their own wellbeing support systems.
This year, for the first time, feedback will be given to practices that enter about the areas where they are doing well and those where they can improve. The organisers hope that this change to the Awards process will encourage practices to think of wellbeing support as an area of continuous development.
However, they also hope that practices will use the entry process as an opportunity to audit wellbeing even if they don't plan to enter.
Liz Barton, SPVS Board Member, said: "Going through the entry form and evaluation process is valuable for every vet practice, even if they don’t feel they’re ready to enter the Awards just yet. Sitting down as a practice team for a few hours and working through the questionnaire is a highly useful exercise for facilitating celebrating areas where your practice is doing well for wellbeing, and also highlighting some areas for improvement for years to come."
"We recommend all practices get into the habit of going through the process annually and choosing areas to focus and improve on, to build towards better wellbeing across all areas for all staff."
There are three award categories that practices can enter depending on the number of employees: small practice (15 or fewer full time equivalent team members (FTE)), medium practice (16 to 50 FTEs) or large practice (51 or FTEs).
The Award application form covers six aspects of work that, if well-managed, can promote wellbeing and reduce the risk of work-related stress, and the Award judges will be looking for evidence of commitment to enhancing wellbeing for each of these.
They are:
Promoting physical and psychological health at work
Relationships at work
Communication at work
Career development
Workload and work scheduling
Work demands
More examples of the type of evidence and initiatives that the Awards are looking for, together with the entry form, are available on the Vet Wellbeing Awards website: https://vetwellbeingawards.org.uk.
Winning and Highly Commended practices will receive a dedicated logo and certificate for display. The winners in each category will also receive two registrations and banquet tickets for SPVS/VMG Congress 2020.
In addition to the Wellbeing Awards, the RCVS and SPVS are also running the Practice Star nominations, which are open to all veterinary practices.
These nominations aim to support practices to thank someone in their team who has gone the extra mile to make the practice a happy place to work, whether this be through introducing an initiative that makes everyone’s work life better, going out of their way to support a colleague going through a tough time, or just making everyone smile.
To enter, practices need to send in their nominee’s name, job title and contact details, and a short paragraph explaining why they have been chosen. They will then receive a certificate congratulating them for being nominated as the practice’s very own ‘Practice Wellbeing Star’.
The closing date for both the Wellbeing Award entries and Practice Star nominations is Friday 22 November 2019.
Part of the VN Futures project, the lunchtime webinars will be delivered between February and June 2020 via the Webinar Vet, and the College is encouraging all veterinary surgeons, nurses, practice managers and owners to attend, as it says the webinars will benefit the whole practice team.
All three webinars take place at 12.30pm and last one hour. They are as follows:
Tuesday 4 February 2020 – ‘Maximising the potential of the veterinary nurse’ presented by Louise Northway RVN, BVNA Council member and recipient of the RCVS Inspiration Award. The webinar will give an overview of the role of veterinary nurses under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act, how VNs can develop their role in practice and take on extra responsibilities and how VNs can approach these conversations in practice through the creation of learning and development plans. This webinar will illustrate how fully utilising the nursing team not only hugely boosts the morale of the work force, but also enhances patient care and increases the efficiency of the business.
Tuesday 10 March 2020 – ‘Veterinary nurses’ time is valuable: How and why to charge for it’ presented by Stephanie Writer-Davies MRCVS, Career Progression Working Group member, and Jane Davidson RVN, VN Council member and regular blogger on veterinary nursing issues. This webinar will provide examples and case studies of how veterinary nurses contribute to practice finances, how practice pricing structures can be developed so that the financial value of veterinary nurses’ time and effort can be better highlighted, and how veterinary nurses can demonstrate their value to clients.
Tuesday 23 June 2020 – ‘Lead or Head RVN: What’s in a name?’ presented by Gillian Page RVN, President of the Veterinary Management Group. This webinar will look at the role of the traditional Head RVN and how development of ‘Lead RVNs’ in different areas of practice can help to allow for growth of other talented team members and provide increased and shared responsibility and progression. This webinar will explore how this enhances practice efficiency alongside development of team members, thus increasing job satisfaction and, ultimately, retention.
Racheal Marshall, Chair of RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council and the VN Futures Board, said: "We hope that veterinary nurses will engage with these webinars in order to gain some inspiration about how they can truly show their value to their team, their clients and the wider public.
"The VN Futures research clearly demonstrated that there was a desire from the veterinary nursing profession to find ways in which VNs could gain greater recognition for the work they do and progress in their careers. These webinars, and our talented presenters, will provide many practical examples and case studies on how this can be done, help build confidence and highlight opportunities for further learning and development."
To sign up to the free webinars, visit: https://www.thewebinarvet.com/sponsors/VN%20Futures.
The web based app, which has been launched in association with the BSAVA, provides a library of medical summaries drawn from global guidelines and peer-reviewed journals.
Vet2Vet co-founder Dr Zoe Coker said “There is rarely time during the working day to read all the necessary journals, articles and up-to-date texts. VETbytes collates all the evidence on a specific medical condition and consolidates it into a short synopsis called a Keep it Simple Summary (KISS)."
BSAVA President Professor Ian Ramsey said: “BSAVA is excited and proud to be involved in the VETbytes project, which should provide significant benefits and support for our members. Every busy small animal clinician should try out VETbytes as it is a real paradigm shift in mobile resources for vets.”
The VETbytes app currently covers more than 100 topics developed in consultation with more than 25 veterinary experts. Further benefits include drug (and CRI) calculators, a quick reference section and links to hundreds of source abstracts. The content encourages reflective learning and can be used towards CPD hours.
VETBytes is available on subscription with reduced rates for BSAVA members and free access for veterinary students.
To start a free trial or subscribe to the VETbytes app, visit www.vetbytes.co.uk.
The new 'SMART goals tool' is an addition to the charity's Farm Vet Champions programme, which supports veterinary teams with knowledge and resources to ensure antimicrobials are used responsibly.
To support the take-up of the new SMART goals tool, RCVS Knowledge will be running a free webinar on Zoom at 12:30pm on Tuesday 17th May (register here).
Fiona Lovatt, Farm Vet Champions Clinical Lead, said: “It is such a critical time to ensure we are using antimicrobials responsibly so that they will work when patients really need them.
"We all have a responsibility to fight antimicrobial resistance. The good news is there is a lot we can do – one of those things is getting involved with Farm Vet Champions, enhancing our skills and adapting our practice.
“I am so excited to see the launch of our SMART goal tool. It is both engaging and simple to use, and I expect it will encourage practice teams to motivate each other to track their progress in their stewardship activities.
Fraser Broadfoot, Head of Antibiotic Use and Stewardship Team at Veterinary Medicines Directorate, said: “We are really supportive of this important initiative.
"In the UK we have seen a 52% reduction in antibiotic use for food producing animals since 2014, and this has been driven by vets and farmers working together to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics and with a strong focus on disease prevention.
"However, as highlighted in the RUMA sector targets, there are still areas where improvements can be made and where antibiotic use data is lacking.
"This SMART goals tool therefore provides an easy-to-use and practical resource that is designed to help and motivate vets and practice teams to set, monitor and accomplish goals and build on the tremendous progress that they have already achieved.
"This will not only help the livestock sectors to achieve their targets, but will result in improvements in animal health and, by reducing the burden of resistant bacteria, have public health benefits too.”
Dechra Veterinary Products has launched Buprenodale, an opioid analgesic for cats, dogs and horses presented in a 10ml multi-dose vial.
Carol Morgan, Brand Manager said: "Following on from the introduction of Comfortan and Anesketin, our Buprenodale Multidose, 0.3 mg/ml solution for injection for dogs, cats and horses, is the latest addition to the portfolio.
"The active substance in Buprenodale is buprenorphine, the most commonly used opioid analgesic in small animal practice in the UK.
"Buprenodale Multidose joins a portfolio of Dechra products covering a wide range of species, different levels of analgesic efficacy and duration of action.
"The product is now available in a 10 ml multidose vial. It is suitable for post-operative analgesia in dogs and cats; post operative analgesia, in combination with sedation, in horses and potentiation of the sedative effects of centrally acting agents in the dog and horse."
For more information www.dechra.co.uk .
Dechra Veterinary Products, maker of the feline hyperthyroidism treatment Felimazole®, has launched a range of waiting room materials for practices to raise awareness with owners about the disease.
Using Dechra's cartoon cat, which already features in their client booklets on feline hyperthyroidism, the materials are intended to create a focal point in the waiting room, with factual posters detailing what feline hyperthyroidism is and the symptoms to look out for. Also included is a selection of display enhancers.
The new waiting room display has been designed to complement Dechra's existing materials: client booklets, the website www.hyperthyroidcat.co.uk, website posters and hand-out cards.
Matthew Olsen, product manager at Dechra Veterinary Products said: "Our complete range of materials makes it easier for practices to communicate with owners on the subject and will help owners better understand and manage hyperthyroidism in their cats".
Practices can order their pack of waiting room materials by contacting Dechra on 01743 441632 or email marketing@dechra.com.
The group is hoping to raise more than £5,000 for the hospital by donating £1 for every pet vaccinated at its West Derby, Gateacre, St Helens and Widnes practices over the next four months.
Sarah Kirkman MRCVS, from White Cross Vets in Gateacre, said: "It’s our job to care for pets, but we also really care about the communities in which we operate, and we have a real affinity with the hospital. This partnership means we’re protecting pets, by vaccinating them against a wide range of nasty diseases, as well as raising money to support the invaluable work that the hospital does."
Allan Eves from Alder Hey Children’s Charity said: "We care for over 275,000 children, young people and their families treating everything from common illnesses to highly complex and specialist conditions. We also lead research into children’s medicines, infection, inflammation and oncology and our charity has raised over £22m to support Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, funding life-saving medical equipment, research and vital facilities. We are so pleased to be working with White Cross Vets on this superb fund-raising initiative and can’t wait to meet the vets and nurses who are helping us."
Sarah added: "We are aiming to raise £5,000, but it could be more. We also want to support the hospital’s therapy dog by providing them with our Complete Wellness Plan for free. The plan provides free health-checks, veterinary care and preventative treatment on an ongoing basis. We already give free membership to several Fire Service Search Dog Teams, as we feel it’s really important to look after these amazing dogs which dedicate their lives to help people."
The charitable campaign is running from the 4th September until the 31st December and plans are also in place for the veterinary surgeons and nurses from White Cross Vets to visit the hospital regularly to talk to the children about pets.
Sarah said: "We give every one of our team four paid donation days a year, so that they can volunteer with a charity of their choice, and we are keen to further our partnership with the hospital by visiting regularly. We already do this in numerous schools across the region and know just how much children love to find out about our day to day roles, and they always have plenty of interesting questions for our nurses and vets to answer."
Burgess reminds everyone that RVHD2 is a highly infectious strain of RVHD with few or no visible symptoms. It is fatal and can kill within hours. RVHD2 poses a significant threat to Britain’s rabbit population and outbreaks have been reported all over the UK and Ireland meaning no area is safe.
According to the company, the most recent sales figures show that only 137,405 RVHD2 vaccinations have been distributed in the last year1. This, says the company, shows a concerning number of practices are still not stocking the necessary vaccines to protect rabbits against RVHD2 and other fatal diseases.
Rabbits who have received the combined vaccination for RVHD and myxomatosis need a separate vaccination for RVHD2.
BSAVA President Sue Paterson said: "The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) supports the Rabbit Awareness Week 'Protect and Prevent' approach to saving the lives of rabbits in the UK. The BSAVA urges all rabbit owners to get their rabbits vaccinated against this disease and encourages all practices to remind their clients of the importance of doing this."
Richard Saunders BVSc DZooMed MRCVS said: "It's important for vets to be aware of the importance of vaccinating rabbits against all 3 viral diseases: Myxomatosis, RVHD1 and RVHD2.
"We certainly don't want rabbits to go without their annual myxomatosis vaccine: this horrible disease is very much still around. RVHD1 appears to have been overtaken by the new variant, RVHD2, but should still be vaccinated against.
"RVHD2 is a recent strain of the RVHD virus, which the Nobivac Myxo-RHD vaccine does not cover, and it is, quite literally, everywhere. Transported by inanimate objects as well as animals, it can affect both indoor and outdoor rabbits anywhere in the UK.
"If you wait until you see the first case in your area before recommending vaccination, rabbits will die, when this could be avoided.
"Remember that rabbit owners are much more likely to bury their dead pets at home than cat and especially dog owners, who generally bring their pets to a vet for cremation, and so we, as a profession, are under-aware of the incidence of the disease out there.
"RVHD2 is a core vaccination requirement, being endemic in the UK. Additionally, it’s not just a fatal disease, it’s a fatal disease with a reservoir in the wild. We strongly recommend vaccination of rabbits with either Filavac or Eravac in addition to Nobivac Myxo-RHD."
For more information on this year’s campaign and to request your RAW veterinary pack with marketing materials and free samples, visit www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk
The company surveyed 1979 pet owners last December and found the main reason they didn’t take their cat to the vet more often was because the animal appeared to be healthy and therefore didn’t need medical attention.
The second biggest barrier to more regular vet visits was cost. Although almost half of the cat owners surveyed had pet insurance, almost a quarter said cost prevented them from taking their cat to the vet more often.
Despite there being 760 cat-friendly clinics across the UK and Ireland, 13% percent of owners said the stress put them off making more frequent trips to the vet.
If they were unable to take their cat to the vet, 40% said they would arrange for a vet home visit, 29% said they would search for information online and 26% would turn to friends and family for advice.
The survey also found that 11% of owners believed that their cat was overweight. However, according to a 2018 study, 39% of cats are overweight in the UK, which would suggest that over a quarter of cat owners surveyed were unaware that their cat was above a healthy weight.
References
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 company announced last month that from 1st January next year, practices will have to order companion animal and ruminant products via either MWI or NVS (who will also fulfil the order), but will be invoiced direct by MSD.
Pig products will join aquaculture and poultry products to be supplied directly to customers by MSD Animal Health.
In its announcement, the company said that the new structure would allow the company to enhance the customer experience and more quickly adapt to changes in the market to better serve its customers.
VetSurgeon.org contacted the company for further clarification about how the customer experience would be improved.
The company explained that the two main benefits of the new structure concern price visibility and stock control.
A spokesperson for the company said: "Currently, customers may get a discount from us and separately a discount from wholesaler. With our new distribution model we will invoice monthly and all discounts will be on one invoice, so it will be easier to determine the actual price paid."
The spokesperson explained that with the old model, once stock was sold to wholesalers it would be allocated to customers, so there would be some held by MSD, some allocated and some in distribution: "The benefit of the new model is we will have full oversight of stock as it will be in our own warehouses or with distribution partners. If there are disruptions in the market, we will have better awareness of in market demand and we can allocate stock appropriately".
The PIC decision marked the conclusion of its investigation into a concern that was raised formally last November involving allegations of bullying at Professor Argyle’s workplace, the University of Edinburgh.
Professor Argyle, who had previously decided to step aside from his JVP and Council duties until the concern was investigated and concluded, said: “Despite this outcome from the PIC discussions, I have now made the challenging decision to stand down from my position at the RCVS. This is to ensure there is no further distraction to the College’s important work and activities and that whoever becomes the next JVP has the full support of Council and RCVS members.
"It is also to reduce the toll this situation has taken on my family, colleagues and students, and on me personally. I am proud and privileged to have served on RCVS Council for nearly ten years and wish it well as it navigates the next chapter in its history."
RCVS President Mandisa Greene said: “I appreciate that this has been an exceptionally difficult situation and very upsetting for all involved.
"I understand why David has taken the difficult decision to stand down from RCVS Council and would like to thank him for his many years of service to the RCVS since joining Council in 2012.
"I would also like to reassure colleagues once again that, throughout, the College has remained firmly committed to following due, proper and fair process in all its regulatory activities."
Following Professor Argyle’s decision to step down, the process for electing a new JVP for the current presidential year will commence.
As Professor Argyle was a Veterinary Schools Council appointee on RCVS Council, it will be for that body to elect a replacement Council member.
Further details will be announced in due course.
The plenary speaker was Professor Rory O’Connor, Chair of Health Psychology at the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Health & Wellbeing whose talk: "When it is darkest: understanding suicide risk" opened the day with an outline of his 25 years of work looking into suicide prevention.
Rory discussed his recent investigation into the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on people’s mental health and wellbeing, and how to reduce the risk of suicidal ideation turning into suicidal action.
He said: “In the last 10 to 15 years there has been an increased focus in particular on psychological and psycho-social interventions for helping people who are suicidal.
"Although suicide is complex, interventions, even brief interventions, can be effective.”
Rory was followed by presentations from a number of teams, including those who'd been awarded the MMI’s Sarah Brown Mental Health Research Grant in 2019 and 2020:
The full report of the day’s talks can be found here https://www.vetmindmatters.org/resources/report-mind-matters-initiative-research-symposium-2021
Dave Dickson MRCVS (pictured right) said: "The ECG series is full of case examples and practical advice, delivered by the friendly cardiologists at HeartVets.
"The course should give you confidence to record and interpret ECGs in practice, knowing how to put the ECG information into context with each case and improving how you manage cardiac cases in practice."
ECGs for Vets and Nurses, an online course offering an introduction to ECGs.
The course, which costs £95 for three month's access, has over seven-and-a-half hours of content, divided up into 20-45 minute webinars, so you can watch at your own pace.
For more information, visit: https://heartvets.co.uk/learning-zone/
Dr Guillaume Leblond, an American specialist in veterinary neurology at NDSR said: “Traditionally, bone cement has been used to provide support and stabilisation when treating veterinary spinal instability cases.
“Polyaxial pedicle screws have proven a very reliable and efficient way of treating such spinal problems in human medicine.
“These special screws can be inserted in the vertebrae and connected to strong metal rods instead of bone cement and we’re now very excited to be offering this new service to our patients.
“The main advantage to this cutting-edge procedure is its flexibility.
"Once cement is set in place it is obviously very hard to move, manipulate or remove should you need to adjust or correct.
“With the metal rod and screw system, it is more adaptable and you can adjust it far more easily and quickly.
“It may also be less prone to infection compared to cement, which has been known to harbour bacteria sometimes causing infections several years after the surgery.
"Another hope we have for this system is that it will be less prone to failure compared to cement, especially on extended stabilisation constructs.
Guillaume added: “The neurology team at NDSR has been training in applying this new system as soon as it became available and we have already used it to treat two dogs, both of them having surgery on the same day.
“One was a golden retriever treated by my colleagues Rodolfo Cappello (head of neurology) and Natalie West (neurology resident), and the other was a whippet under my care.
"They were two very different sizes of dog but both operations went well.
“We are grateful to OrthomedTM, the company manufacturing the stabilization system, provided all necessary details to plan the surgeries as precisely as possible.
“We also collaborated with Vet3DTM to create patient specific 3D printed guides to ensure the precise placement of screws and it proved a great solution in both cases.”
“Admittedly, it is still early days for the introduction of this new spinal stabilisation system but we are optimistic it will prove a significant advancement in treating many spinal problems.”
www.ndsr.co.uk
The £11m project, which is backed by Mars Petcare, will include a cutting-edge imaging suite, state-of-the-art treatment facilities and a new linear accelerator.
Plans also include separate cat and dog waiting areas and client walking and comfort areas, seven operating theatres, 15 consultation rooms, recovery suites, lecture halls, a dedicated ICU department and plans for a future hydrotherapy suite.
Daniel Hogan, operations manager at Southfields (pictured right), said: "This is a really exciting time for Southfields and our relocation will provide the region with one of the largest and best-equipped veterinary centres in the UK.
"The team and expertise have grown significantly in the past 18 months. We are very excited to continue to expand the unique and innovative offerings in patient care at our centre.
"Increasing in size will also enable us to provide a dedicated staff wellbeing area and an education centre and lecture hall, which will offer some very exciting qualifications and courses for the wider profession.
"Since our rebranding in 2017, we pride ourselves on leading the industry as a truly multidisciplinary centre with specialists from across the globe, including one of the most illustrious oncology teams in the country. Once this new site is launched, we will be able to offer an even more comprehensive service to our clients and patients."
For more information about Southfields, visit www.southfields.co.uk.
DuoTox is the first product to combine activated charcoal and diosmectite, providing a wider spectrum of absorbency against various toxic substances.
Accidental poisoning poses a significant threat to pets, with vets in the UK reporting over 30001 cases a week and making an average 60 calls a day to the VPIS for assistance2
In 2020, 7.1 million pets fell ill after eating something poisonous1 and the VPIS reported a 40% increase in poisoning enquiries in 20212.
The most commonly used product for accidental ingestion is activated charcoal, but it only has affinity for certain substances.
Diosmectite also only binds to select substances, but is not as widely used.
Up until now, the two have not been used together in one product, leaving situations where the chosen binder has no effect.
NVS says that in cases of potential ingestion, identifying the exact substance consumed, and relying on vets to know which binder to use for each substance, is a barrier to successful toxin binding.
Malcolm Dickinson, Category Manager for Select from NVS, said: “Activated charcoal has affinity for substances that are, for example acidic, non-ionised or poorly water soluble, leaving a gap for substances that are alkaline, cationic, hydrophilic etc.
"This is where the absorbency profile of diosmectite comes in to create one product with a much wider spectrum of adsorbency.”
“This will be hugely beneficial to vets in practice: vets can reach for one product, knowing it will be effective.”
DuoTox is available in both paste and liquid forms, designed with palatability in mind.
https://www.nvsweb.co.uk/product-brand/select-healthcare/
References:
Elisa, pictured right next to Bill Oddie, is the founding member of a craft conservation charity called Blankets for Baby Rhinos. In less than three years the group has amassed a Facebook community of around 3,500 members, primarily knitters, crocheters and crafters, to make blankets and other items to supply to wildlife centres taking in orphaned and sick rhinos in Africa, as well as other wildlife threatened by poaching.
Originally from South Africa, Johannesburg-born Elisa had planned to work as a vet treating wildlife but found herself working in small animal practice in Cape Town before moving to the UK.
Still, colleagues and friends often told her of the injuries they saw inflicted on rhinos targeted for the illegal trade in their horns, so she and a friend decided to help.
After building a following and supplying thousands of blankets for a growing number of wildlife orphanages in Africa, she wanted to harness the enthusiasm of members to help meet the other practical needs of the centres, as well as helping rangers and dogs working in anti-poaching units.
Now a registered charity, members supply all kinds of equipment including animal feed, medicine and veterinary supplies to a wide list of centres, as well as food for anti-poaching dogs while continuing to run appeals which crafters can assist with. Currently they are asking knitters to knit hats, scarves and blankets in black or dark colours for rangers, so they can keep warm at night without being spotted by poachers.
James Sawyer, UK Director of IFAW, said: "Elisa’s pioneering approach to harnessing practical public support to help rhinos and other rescued African wildlife is really impressive and she is a great example of animal welfare in action. We hope her efforts will inspire the next generation of animal welfare and conservation campaigners. She is a very deserving winner of IFAW’s Vet of the Year Award."
The company has also carried out research amongst 60 practices which found that despite the fact that over 80% of dogs over the age of three reportedly suffer from dental disease1, only 48% opened discussions about dental care at the earliest opportunity: vaccination time. 16% only discussed dental care if the dog developed a dental problem and 52% also admitted that they did not follow up discussions on dental compliance.²
Eleanor Workman Wright, Product Manager at Animalcare, said: "The key to successful dental care is to start early, both in educating owners and getting puppies and kittens used to brushing or other forms of dental care. If discussions are delayed until the animal is a year old, it is possible that some disease may already be present while the animal may be less receptive to brushing or other efforts to care for their teeth.
"We see the dental sector as important and one that is likely to grow, particularly in the light of the pandemic-induced increase in the number of dogs and cats. We hope that our new Owner Guide will support veterinary teams in initiating early discussions with owners about the importance of dental care, while the addition of an affordable and effective oral gel in Orozyme, to our range will give them a key tool to offer to owners to use as part of their homecare routine."
For more information, contact your Animalcare Territory Manager or visit: www.animalcare.co.uk .
Undertaken in practice, industry and academia, submissions are open each year offering the chance to present a Clinical Abstract, presented as a poster or an oral presentation.
Christine Pye won the Medicine Award for her longitudinal study of age, sex and health-related changes in physical biomarkers in pet cats
Alberto Sesana won the Surgery Award for his abstract: "Outcome of lip-to-lid subdermal plexus flaps to reconstruct defects of the lower eyelid in dogs and cats: 46 cases (2005-2022)."
Deborah Komianos won the Practitioner Award for "Reducing use of critically important antibiotics: A clinician-led improvement project across 21 UK small animal veterinary practices."
Rosemary Perkins won the Poster Award for: "Swimming emissions from dogs treated with spot-on fipronil and imidacloprid: assessing the environmental risk."
Lastly but not leastly, Claudia Franzini won the Student Award for: "Does the surgical method for management of Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture in dogs affect clinical outcome?"
Submissions for the 2026 Clinical Abstracts will open on 8th September 2025.
https://www.bsavacongress.com
Photo: L-R, Alberto Sesana, Deborah Komianos, Christine Pye, Rosemary Perkins, Claudia Franzini
Pooch & Mutt has 20x 40-day trials of its new joint & bone supplement, Mobile Bones Concentrate, to give away to veterinary professionals.
Guy Blaskey from Pooch & Mutt said: "At The London Vet Show vets and vet nurses told us that they loved the new Mobile Bones Concentrate because at just £9.99 per month it costs less than other joint supplements (whilst having the same high quality ingredients), it takes up a very small amount of shelf space and it doesn't involve the client having to either change their dog's food or stuff pills down their dog's throat."
In response to requests from vets and vet nurses to try the new joint supplement, Pooch & Mutt have set up a dedicated website at www.jointsupplementfordogs.com where you can apply from one of twenty 40 day trials.
Guy continued, "We did not want to simply send samples out to everyone. By setting up the site we can choose a variety of dogs from different breed and with different conditions to send a full 40-day trial to. We hope to get regular feedback from the vets, vet nurses and dog owners involved in the trial and publish it on http://www.jointsupplementfordogs.com/ for everyone else to see."
The trials are available to all veterinary professionals and can be for their own dogs, or dogs belonging to their clients.
The Animal Health Trust has begun a pilot study to investigate a possible link between seasonal canine illness (SCI) and harvest mites, continuing an initial study on the possible cause of SCI funded by the Kennel Club.
SCI is a mystery illness which in recent years has made a number of dogs walked in woodlands suddenly become ill.
Cases of SCI are usually seen from August to November, with dogs showing clinical signs of vomiting, diarrhoea and/or lethargy within 24 to 72 hours of walking in woodland. Dog owners are advised to seek immediate veterinary advice should they see these signs in their dog following a woodland walk.
So far this year, there have been 49 cases in total reported to the AHT, from across all of its current investigation sites. A number of cases reported to the charity have shown evidence of harvest mite infestation.
Charlotte Robin, SCI Research Co-ordinator at the AHT, said: "To enable us to eliminate harvest mites as a potential cause of SCI, we are advising dog owners to treat their dogs with a fipronil spray directly before walking in woodlands."
There are currently no licenced products that will specifically prevent against harvest mites, however fipronil spray is believed to be effective in preventing other mites. The researchers believe that it is important that dog owners use the spray and not the spot-on treatment, which may not provide the same level of localised protection on vulnerable areas.
Charlotte added: "Dog owners need to be aware that using fipronil spray may not protect their dog from SCI, but it could protect them from harvest mites and other external parasites. What we are trying to do with this study is eliminate the harvest mite and other external parasites from our enquiries.
In addition to advising all dog owners walking their dogs in woodlands during autumn to use fipronil spray as an external parasite treatment, the AHT is working with the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk to offer to offer dog owners who wish to participate in the study access to the spray free of charge, if deemed appropriate by their veterinary surgeon.
As this is a prescription only medicine, the charity is issuing vouchers to dog owners which they can redeem for fipronil spray through their local vet practice, on the proviso their dog is deemed a suitable candidate by their vet.
Dog owners who meet the criteria and wish to participate in the study will be required to complete a SCI online questionnaire following their visit to the Estate, and an additional follow-up questionnaire regarding the pilot study, regardless of whether their dog was taken ill or not.
You can register to take part in the pilot study at www.aht.org.uk/scipilotstudy
Image courtesy: Luc Viatour / www.Lucnix.be