The Kennel Club is calling on the profession to support Get Fit With Fido, its new campaign to help tackle the growing dog obesity crisis by educating owners about the range of different ways to get fit with their dogs..

In addition to the education campaign, Get Fit With Fido also includes a challenge that rewards the dog and dog owner who jointly lose the most weight, and the dog owner and dog who individually lose the most weight, as a result of exercising together. Prizes include a one night stay at the dog friendly, 4* boutique townhouse hotel Flemings Mayfair; a luxury dog bed from Charley Chau and Champagne Afternoon Tea for Two at the Milestone Hotel.

All dog owners who enter Get Fit With Fido, will receive a 20% discount on Crufts and Discover Dogs tickets; as well as advice, tips and tools for owners.

Veterinary practices are being asked to support the campaign by requesting free flyers and posters from the Kennel Club and then displaying them at reception, or in the waiting room.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: "Reports indicate that between 30 and 60% of all dogs are overweight so it is more important than ever we keep our dogs happy and healthy. One of the most serious findings in obesity studies that have proven to be related to being overweight in both humans and dogs is a reduced lifespan. An overweight dog is more likely to die younger than a dog of normal weight. 

"The findings are shocking and we are trying to educate as many dog owners as possible and call on vets to spread the message of keeping your dog fit and healthy."

To get involved in Get Fit With Fido and receive free flyers and posters, contact the Kennel Club press office at gfwf@thekennelclub.org.uk

For more information, visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk/getfitwithfido

MSD Animal Health has been granted the marketing authorisation in the UK for Bravecto Triuno, a new formulation of Bravecto (fluralaner) for dogs that targets both external and internal parasites.

Bravecto Triuno is approved for the treatment of tick and flea infestations in dogs (Ctenocephalides felis, C. canis, Dermacentor reticulatus, Ixodes hexagonus, Ixodes ricinus, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus).

It is also approved for the treatment of infections with roundworms (adult stages of Toxocara canis and Toxascaris leonina) and hookworms (L4, immature adult (L5), and adult stages of Ancylostoma caninum and Uncinaria stenocephala), for the prevention of heartworm disease (caused by Dirofilaria immitis), and for the prevention of angiostrongylosis (by reduction of the level of infection with immature adult (L5) and adult stages of Angiostrongylus vasorum).

Victoria Miles, UK Companion Animal Director, MSD Animal Health, said: “With this latest formulation of Bravecto, MSD Animal Health is giving veterinarians and dog owners a greater range of convenient options for protecting their dog year-round from parasites, and all from the same trusted Bravecto portfolio.”

She added: “We see Bravecto Triuno as a great option for puppies that require a monthly wormer on top of protection against fleas and ticks.

"This also gives flexibility later on for the dog to remain with the Bravecto brand but be swapped onto a longer-duration flea and tick product with a wormer administered according to a veterinarian’s risk-based assessment.” 

Bravecto Triuno is available as a flavoured chewable tablet indicated for dogs and puppies from 8 weeks of age and at least 1.27 Kg body weight and can be administered monthly to dogs at risk of infestation by multiple types of internal and external parasites.

It contains three anti-parasitic ingredients including fluralaner, which provides activity against ticks and fleas, moxidectin, which provides systemic activity against non-intestinal worms, and pyrantel, which provides activity against intestinal worms.

https://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-488423 

Petplan has launched a new look policy range to give pet owners more comprehensive cover and make it easier for them to understand the types of cover available.

Simon Masding, Petplan's Head of Sales and Partnerships said the refreshed policies will not only benefit the pet and their owner but the changes will also allow veterinary staff to explain the policies with a lot more clarity: "Since Petplan started 35 years ago the pet insurance market and vet industry has changed significantly, especially in the last few years. There are now over 250 policies in the market with varying benefits and levels of cover, which often confuses customers to a point where they think they're getting lifetime cover but they're instead trapped with a restrictive policy.

"The veterinary industry is also continually changing with advances in new technology and better diagnostics allowing the industry to save and treat more pets, which means our policies need to evolve with them."

To better understand these changing market dynamics, Petplan held focus groups with veterinary staff from across the UK and undertook extensive research with charities, breeders, customers and non-customers.

Apparently, the feedback showed that Petplan needed to communicate its range of policies more clearly, to shift away from the confusion created by other brands and meet the changing demands of the vet industry and pet owners better.

For this reason, Petplan says it has simplified its policy range, adding and increasing each policy's benefits, making a 12 month policy available for practices to offer, and developing easy-to-understand policy names.

Petplan's new look policies for both cats and dogs are: 

• Petplan Ultimate - Petplan's most comprehensive Covered for Life plan with exclusive additional benefits and up to £12,000 vet fee cover for complete peace of mind. Maximum protection for maximum reassurance.
• Petplan Classic - Petplan's most popular plan providing comprehensive Covered for Life pet insurance for accidents and chronic illnesses. The original Covered for Life policy.
• Petplan Essential - providing high quality 12-month cover for accidents and illness. Petplan quality at an affordable price.

Petplan says its Covered for Life policies, Petplan Ultimate and Petplan Classic, will continue to provide pet owners with the best cover in the market. However, the company recognises that these policies are not always suitable for people with older pets or a limited budget.

Simon said: "Petplan Essential, our 12 month policy, will also now be available for veterinary staff to offer to their customers. While our Covered for Life Ultimate and Classic will continue to be our leading policies and at the heart of what we do, it's better that a pet owner has some type of cover rather than nothing at all and Essential is a market leading 12 month policy."

Zeta Frasca, practice owner and vet at Kitten to Cat in Richmond London said: "These changes will not only make it clearer for the pet owner but it will also make it a lot easier for us as an industry to explain pet insurance to our clients, which is really important."

For more information about Petplan's new look policies visit www.petplan.co.uk, call their dedicated Vetline on 0800 3168 8900 or talk to your Petplan Business Developer.

The following table outlines each policy and its benefits:

The Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has updated the Vaccination Guidelines it offers to veterinary surgeons.

The association says its Canine and Feline Vaccination Guidelines aim to provide globally applicable recommendations to help veterinary surgeons vaccinate in a standard and scientifically justified fashion.

The VGG has also updated the vaccination guidelines it offers to pet owners and breeders, as well as the series of fact sheets it has created on key global vaccine-preventable diseases of dogs and cats.

The original guidelines were published in 2007 as the WSAVA's initial response to the need for globally applicable recommendations on vaccination best practice. They were updated in 2010 and, since then, the VGG, which is supported exclusively by MSD Animal Health, has been focusing on issues relating to small companion animal infectious disease and veterinary education in Asia.

The 2015 release of the Canine and Feline Vaccination Guidelines is based on a new evidence-based classification system for vaccinology. It also includes a number of additional FAQs (110 in total). The guidelines for both vets and owners/breeders are available for free download at http://www.wsava.org/educational/vaccination-guidelines-group. Currently available in English, they are being translated into a number of languages.

Professor Michael Day, Chair of the VGG (pictured right), said: "The vaccination guidelines are one of the most frequently downloaded resources on the WSAVA's website and are gradually driving a change in vaccination practice throughout the world - a change which is set to have a major impact on day-to-day small animal practice.

"We are delighted to launch these updated versions both for veterinarians and for pet owners and breeders. We hope they will prove even more helpful and ensure that more small animals are vaccinated in a more scientifically-based, robust and safer fashion.

"We would like to thank MSD Animal Health which has been the sole sponsor of the VGG since its inception. Its support enables us to undertake our valuable work."

The RCVS has published two reports on the impact of the pandemic on the personal and professional lives of veterinary surgeons and nurses since March 2020.

The reports summarise the results of two surveys that were conducted between July and August last year.

Of the 28,718 veterinary surgeons who were sent the survey, 22% fully completed and submitted the questionnaire.

Some of the main findings included: 

• 67% of veterinary nurses experienced a change in shift patterns at some point in the pandemic, compared with 57% of veterinary surgeons;
• 49% of veterinary nurses worked additional hours due to others being furloughed, compared to 40% of veterinary surgeons;
• 37% of veterinary nurses were furloughed, compared with 23% of veterinary surgeons;
• Many veterinary nurses reported taking on extra responsibilities such as: general domestic cleaning (70%), clinical cleaning (65%) and reception work (63%);
• 53% of veterinary surgeons who worked extra hours did so completely unpaid or mostly unpaid, compared to 21% of veterinary nurses;
• 38% of veterinary surgeons and 40% of veterinary nurses had to self-isolate at some point during the pandemic;
• 38% of veterinary surgeons said they worked remotely at some point during the pandemic – with the peaks being in the earliest phase of the pandemic in March to May 2020. In comparison, 23.5% of veterinary nurses worked remotely during the pandemic;
• 7% of veterinary surgeons and 8% of veterinary nurses had to shield at some point during the pandemic due to being clinically vulnerable;

Around 40% of veterinary surgeons and over 40% of veterinary nurses said they had experienced concerns for their personal safety aside from catching Covid.

These safety concerns mostly related to client interactions at the practice either during the day or out-of-hours.

Many respondents experienced conflict between their personal wellbeing and professional role, and found it difficult to juggle their work and caring responsibilities.

Many respondents also said their mental health was adversely affected by the experience of working during the pandemic.

A large majority of respondents said they had personally seen an increase in caseload due to new animal ownership.

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “While many of the results of the survey may not be especially surprising and confirm what we have already been told anecdotally, it is very important that we have this hard data to hand on the overall impact of the pandemic on individual members of the professions.

“These two reports complement the six surveys that we have conducted with veterinary practices on the economic impact of the pandemic to give us as clear and holistic a picture as possible about the challenges that the professions and the veterinary sector as a whole have faced since March 2020.

"This not only provides a useful historical snapshot, but builds an evidence base to inform future temporary changes should the pandemic continue into more waves, or should future such crises arise.

“The results of the two individual surveys make it clear it has been a tough time for the professions.

"A good proportion of respondents also acknowledged that positive developments have come from the past two years, including the way the profession has demonstrated remarkable resilience, flexibility and adaptability, as well as forging a stronger team spirit under such difficult circumstances.

“However, a large number of both vets and vet nurses who responded said that the experiences since March 2020 have left them feeling more pessimistic about veterinary work and their place within it.

"I would like to reassure members of the veterinary team that the RCVS is aware and understands.

"We tried throughout the pandemic to support the professions with relevant temporary guidance changes, and we are now working with a range of stakeholders on critical issues such as the workforce crisis, which has been in part caused by Covid.

"We are also developing tools, training and resources to support the professions, via our programmes such as RCVS Leadership and Mind Matters.”

The full coronavirus impact survey reports can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications. 

A consortium of seven academics has been awarded a £1.75 million grant to understand how better diagnostics can encourage responsible antibiotic use in animals.

The award, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) working in partnership with the Department of Health and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), is part of the cross-council 'Tackling antimicrobial resistance: behaviour within and beyond the healthcare setting’ call, part of the antimicrobial resistance cross-council initiative supported by the seven research councils in partnership with other UK funders including the Medical Research Council (MRC). 

The research team will be led by social scientists at the University of Exeter and includes two veterinary surgeons from the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences, together with colleagues at the Innogen Institute of the University of Edinburgh, the British Veterinary Association and leading farm animal veterinary surgeons across the UK. 

The researchers say that better, smarter, more rapid and more accessible diagnoses - driving shifts in behaviour associated with diagnostic decision making - represent a critical step to delivering more effective uses of antibiotics in animal health. But improvements in diagnostic development and their relationship to prescription and treatment requires social, governance and technical innovations.

Professor Henry Buller, project lead from the University of Exeter’s School of Geography, said: "This is an exciting opportunity to provide a current assessment of diagnostic and treatment decision practices in the livestock sectors of the UK. Novel and innovative diagnostic tools are currently in development, and our research will generate better understanding of their development as well as the marketing and regulation of these new technologies."

Dr Kristen Reyher, Senior Lecturer in Farm Animal Science, who is the lead on the project at the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences, added: "Our research team – the AMR Force – has a track record of working closely with farmers, veterinarians, retailers and government bodies to encourage responsible use of antibiotics. We are excited to have this amazing opportunity to collaboratively generate, evaluate and analyse behaviours and strategies around animal disease diagnosis and to show how innovation in the development of diagnostic tools along with diagnostic regulation and governance can lead to more sensible use of antibiotics across farming systems. 

"Working with our partners, we will identify pathways and possibilities for improved diagnostic practice and will trial new diagnostic tools on a series of farms. We are very excited to take our ideas beyond the UK as well, and will conduct pilot and capacity-building research in Tanzania and also partner with a project working in Bangladesh that is co-funded by ESRC and the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science."

Professor Buller added: "Employment of new diagnostics doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Our team will evaluate the implications these innovations will have for the organisation, cost-effectiveness and efficiency of veterinary practice, as well as for veterinary training. We will identify the changes in behaviour, practice and knowledge necessary to accompany the more widespread adoption of practices that are deemed effective and will assess the regulatory and governance support necessary to encourage use of beneficial practices."

The interdisciplinary team will work alongside diagnostic tool developers and regulators, veterinary practices and professional bodies, farmers and treatment decision makers, veterinary laboratories, the food industry and government regulatory authorities to develop durable and innovative strategies for facilitating and advancing smarter approaches to the use of antibiotics in agriculture.

The work will cover the major livestock species, and will involve seeking opinions from veterinary surgeons across the country, through collaboration with the BVA. 

David Barrett, Professor of Bovine Medicine, Production and Reproduction at the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to assess the adaptability and responsiveness of the different animal production sectors - poultry, pigs and cattle - along with a variety of veterinary structures to the trialled innovations in diagnosis and diagnostics, and will determine the likely benefits of these innovations for prescription practice, for animal health and for sustainable livestock production."

Photo: University of Bristol

A new study¹ published in Scientific Research has concluded that Vetoquinol's Phovia fluorescent light energy (FLE) therapy system can improve the quality of life for dogs with skin conditions, and their owners.

Phovia, which was launched in the UK last year, is a two-part FLE system consisting of a chromophore gel that is applied to the affected skin and a blue light LED lamp.

Vetoquinol says that when used together they produce light of varying wavelengths that penetrates the skin to different depths, helping to control bacteria and reduce inflammation on the surface of the skin and stimulating regeneration in the epidermal and dermal layers.

The unit is portable, and applications take four minutes once a week.

The authors of the Vetoquinol-funded study say that FLE has already been shown to support and accelerate natural skin healing, but this latest research shows that the benefits go beyond improvement in clinical signs.

The study looked at 35 dogs with a diverse range of skin conditions: 13 had interdigital furunculosis, 10 had deep pyoderma, 6 had wounds, 4 had pyotraumatic dermatitis, and 2 had perianal fistula on presentation.

Eight of 35 dogs were new cases, whereas the remaining 27 were undergoing recrudescence of a prior episode, including pyotraumatic dermatitis, wounds, deep pyoderma, interdigital furunculosis and perianal fistulae.

Thirty dogs (86%) achieved a clinical resolution: 18 with the Fluorescent Light Energy alone and 12 with the concomitant use of FLE and topical antiseptic shampoo.

Five dogs (14%) had a partial response and needed other therapies.

92% percent of owners attested to their pet’s enhanced quality of life, with 74% of dogs displaying at least a 50% improvement in owner-reported behaviour, mood, sleep and playing activities. 

The study also reported a 46% reduction in caregiver burden.

Felicity Caddick, Technical Services Manager at Vetoquinol said: “Managing skin conditions often requires the long-term use of shampoos or topical therapies.

"Many owners find this aspect of pet ownership challenging, especially with larger dogs, or less cooperative animals.

"FLE can reduce or in some cases eliminate the need for topical therapies at home, not only simplifying the treatment process but also enhancing convenience and compliance.

"Sharing responsibility for administering ongoing treatment with their vet practice also removes some of the worry associated with their pet’s health.”

Vetoquinol also highlights that Phovia can offer vets a drug-free management option for skin disorders that aligns with the principles of antibiotic stewardship. 

Reference

1. Mosca, M. , Briand, A. , Carrasco, I. , Luciani, L. and Fantini, O. (2023) Impact of Fluorescent Light Energy on the Quality of Life of Dogs with Dermatologic Disease and Their Owners. Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 13, 122-135. doi: 10.4236/ojvm.2023.137011.

The Farriers Registration Council (FRC), the National Regulator and National Competent Authority for farriery in Great Britain, is looking for veterinary surgeons to join its Investigating and Disciplinary Committees.

The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has directed that the name of a veterinary surgeon who had been practising in Essex be removed from the RCVS Register, having found him guilty of attempting to obtain medicines dishonestly.

James Alexander Lockyear, a graduate from Pretoria University in South Africa, was charged with two offences. The case was heard in his absence, although the Committee did not draw any adverse inference from this. One charge concerned his attempted purchase of steroids from a pharmacy in Colchester by dishonestly representing that the medicine was for legitimate veterinary use. The second charge related to several instances of what the Committee referred to as "inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour", including showing an offensive image to another staff member on a mobile phone, placing the testicle of a castrated dog in his mouth and the misuse of an endotracheal tube.

All of the incidents had taken place between April 2008 and September 2009, while Mr Lockyear was practising as a locum veterinary surgeon at St Runwald's Veterinary Surgery, Colchester, Essex.

The Disciplinary Committee heard evidence from a pharmacist, Mr Noble, to whom Mr Lockyear had presented an incomplete veterinary prescription for 12 ampoules of Sustanon, a prescription-only anabolic steroid for humans, and a further pharmacist, Mr Foskett MRPharmS, who outlined his suspicions that the steroids were in fact for Mr Lockyear's personal use (Sustanon is a substance which can potentially be misused in relation to body-building). Mr Lockyear had originally claimed the drugs were for general stock at the practice; he later returned with a second prescription, for double the amount of Sustanon, claiming it was for his own dog; later again, he said the prescription was for a friend's dog.

The Committee also heard evidence from the veterinary owner of the practice, a veterinary nurse and a student veterinary nurse working in the practice team, and from Dr Maddison MRCVS, an expert on small animal clinical pharmacology. Dr Maddison informed the Committee that there was a veterinary alternative to Sustanon, so it was not necessary for that drug to have been sought by Mr Lockyear. She was also of the view that Sustanon would not have been suitable to treat the ailments for which Mr Lockyear claimed it was to be used.

The Committee found Mr Lockyear guilty of the first charge - that is attempting to obtain medicines dishonestly. Chairing the Disciplinary Committee, Mrs Alison Bruce, said: "Whilst it was a one-off incident, it is conduct which falls far short of that which is expected of a member of the profession. It involves serious dishonesty; it represents an abuse of a veterinary surgeon's authority to prescribe drugs; it is conduct which tends to undermine public trust in the profession, and the honesty of its members; it is conduct which compromised other professionals, the pharmacists involved, and undermined the trust which ought to exist between pharmacists and veterinary surgeons generally, in the important area of drug prescription." The Committee therefore directed that Mr Lockyear's name be removed from the Register.

Regarding the second charge, the Committee was most concerned about the incident relating to the dog's testicles, which it felt offended against Mr Lockyear's duty to treat with respect all animals which were his patients. Taking the three incidents as a whole, the Committee felt that Mr Lockyear should be seriously criticised for behaviour that was "unprofessional... juvenile, inappropriate, disgusting and offensive". However, they felt that the conduct was not malicious, and did not occur in the presence of a member of the public, so concluded that this did not amount to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

The RCVS has published the results of a survey of UK practices to gauge the impact of the coronavirus and the associated government restrictions on veterinary businesses.

532 veterinary practices responded to the survey, which was sent to 3,096 veterinary practices for which the RCVS had a unique email address, on 3rd April.

The survey found that: 

• The majority (71%) of premises remained open but 5% of respondents had closed their main premises and 24% had closed branch premises
• 66% of practices reported their weekly turnover being reduced by more than half
• Around 30% of practices reported being impacted by veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses self-isolating/or with Covid-19, whilst almost 35% have ‘other support staff’ self-isolating
• 97% of practices reported limiting the service they provide to emergencies or emergencies and urgent cases (in accordance with RCVS guidance at the time)
• 62% of respondents had furloughed or intended to furlough veterinary surgeons, compared to 64% for veterinary nurses and 78% for other support staff
• Only 6% of respondents had made, or had immediate plans to make staff redundant
• All respondents answering the relevant question (n=451) reported that their practice was using remote consulting for existing clients/animals, whilst 45% were using it for new clients/animals
• 14% of respondents said they had donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the National Health Service for use by those tackling the pandemic on the frontline

Three-quarters of those who responded to the survey answered a question on how the RCVS could better support veterinary practices through the crisis. The most frequent response (27%) was that the RCVS needed to provide clearer guidance, in particular as to what services it was permissible for veterinary practices to provide [the College published its updated guidance and flowchart on 9 April].

Of those who responded to the question, 15% felt that the RCVS was doing a good job or that there was nothing more it should do, while just 2% of responses expressed negative sentiment towards the RCVS.

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS Chief Executive, said: “I would like to thank all those practices who took the time in what is already a very fraught situation to respond to our survey and provide the evidence we need to gain a holistic picture of coronavirus’ impact on the business and economics of veterinary practices. We plan to continue running these surveys on a regular basis in order to gauge impact over time and the findings will feed into our policy and decision-making.

"This ongoing research will also be a vital tool when we are talking to Government and other bodies about the impact of policy on the veterinary sector. On this note, we are aware of the challenges of a minimum furlough period of three weeks given the need for practices to take steps to offer 24/7 emergency and critical care, and have written to government on this with some case studies around the impact this is having.

"To those on the ground it won’t come as too much of a surprise that the impact of the coronavirus has been profound in areas such as practice turnover and staffing, with many vets, veterinary nurses and other support staff being furloughed with the aim of signing them up to the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

"There are some bright spots in the data we’ve gathered – very few practices reported that they had made or were planning to make staff redundant, and many practices reported mitigating the challenge of social distancing by carrying out consultations with new and existing clients remotely.

"Since the survey took place we have also taken steps to meet some of the requests for greater clarity and guidance from the RCVS with the publication of our flowchart helping practices to decide what treatments it is appropriate to carry out safely amidst the COVID-19 pandemic."

The survey results can be read in full at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications.

The next practice impact survey is planned for early May.

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has restored Joseph Lennox Holmes to the Register of Veterinary Surgeons, two years after he was originally struck off.

Mr Holmes was removed from the Register in February 2012 after the Disciplinary Committee found him guilty of multiple charges of serious professional conduct. Mr Holmes lodged an appeal against the decision, which was heard and dismissed by the Privy Council.

The original charges related to two separate complaints; the first involved numerous charges in respect of Mr Holmes' treatment of a King Charles Spaniel between October 2007 and March 2008; the second, several charges in relation to his treatment of three cats in 2008.

The Committee found that the majority of the charges amounted to serious professional misconduct. In removing Mr Holmes from the Register, the Committee found that "aggravating factors in both... cases included actual injuries to the animals... and a serious breach of the trust which Mr Holmes' clients had placed in him to make the welfare of the animals his primary consideration according to the standards to be expected of the profession". In addition, the Committee cited 10 further aggravating factors including lack of reference to continuing professional development (CPD) in clinical policies and practices; lack of reference to accepted practice; lack of appreciation of the importance of adequate pain relief when performing painful surgical procedures; reluctance to consider referral as an option; and lack of understanding about what information is required by a client to enable fully informed consent to be given.

Following the dismissal of Mr Holmes' appeal by the Privy Council, his first application for restoration was heard by the Disciplinary Committee in February 2013. The Committee was not satisfied that he was fit to be restored to the Register, citing the fact that his application was "premature" and that he had failed to truly appreciate the seriousness of the findings against him. The Committee was also unimpressed with the efforts he had made to keep up-to-date with skills and developments in practice and with his CPD, noting in particular that he had made very limited attempts to observe the function and experience the culture of a modern first opinion practice.

However, in this week's two-day hearing, the Committee was satisfied that Mr Holmes was now fit to be restored to the Register. It heard that Mr Holmes had made a concerted effort to engage in CPD and bring his skills and knowledge up-to-date. During a period of observation at a veterinary practice, he had gained insight into modern practice and the need for veterinary general practitioners to be aware of the advantages in referring patients to specialists.

Professor Noreen Burrows, who chaired and spoke on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, said: "The Committee has concluded that, in the course of genuine efforts to do what was necessary to address the deficiencies identified during the original Inquiry and at the last restoration hearing, the Applicant has at last understood the seriousness of his previous misconduct and has learned new skills and, most importantly, to recognise his limitations from the extensive course of study, reflection, and other training that he has undertaken."

Furthermore, the Committee was satisfied that Mr Holmes had gained a proper understanding of the importance of securing the informed consent of his clients and building a relationship of trust with them and, in addition, recognising the importance of maintaining close relations with fellow professionals and engaging with CPD opportunities.

Additional factors considered when making the decision included: that he had been off the Register for two years; that, through self-improvement, he had equipped himself to treat animals appropriately; the impact that being removed from the Register had in both personal and financial terms; his conduct since being removed from the Register; and, a number of positive testimonials from previous clients and professional colleagues.

The Committee's full findings and decision are available on the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary).

npower has released the results of a survey of 2000 pet owners which revealed that 33% say their pet has alerted them to danger.

Given the improbability of anyone being alerted by a goldfish: "blub-blub-behind-blub-you-blub-blub-the-blub-frying-blub-blub-pan-is-blub-on-fire-blub", one has to presume the respondents were talking about dogs.

But no, according to npower, 10% of the participants in its survey reported that their cat or dog had directly saved their life, or the life of someone they know. 

Really? Saved by a cat? I should have thought a cat would be more likely to turn on it's heels and strut out of the room nonchalantly. 

Still, the point of the npower's research was to highlight the dangers of carbon monoxide. In its press release, the company pointed out that pets can suffer CO poisoning symptoms of vomiting, tiredness and erratic behaviour before people. 

So perhaps that's what the cat owners meant when they'd been saved by the cat: like a miner would say they were saved by a canary. 

The RCVS has published its Strategic Plan for 2017 to 2019, a major component of which is to identify the extent to which a 'blame' culture exists in the veterinary profession, the role that the College may play in it, the impact that that it may have on the welfare of veterinary surgeons, nurses, owners and their animals, and how the profession can move towards a culture that has a greater focus on learning and personal development.

The Strategic Plan was developed throughout the course of 2016 with input from a number of stakeholders including RCVS Council and Veterinary Nurses Council, key committees and College staff. Most importantly, the evidence for change came from the wide and deep consultations that took place within Vet Futures, the joint RCVS and British Veterinary Association project that aims to help the veterinary profession prepare for and shape its future.

The other four ambitions described in the plan are:

• Leadership and innovation: to become a Royal College with leadership and innovation at its heart, and support this creatively and with determination.
• Continuing to be a First-rate Regulator: continuing to build on the foundations that have already been laid, we will work to ensure that the legislation and regulations that support us are not only fit for purpose today, but enable us to make the UK veterinary professions, and those allied professionals who work alongside them, the best that they can be into the future
• Global reach: in part a response to Brexit and the need to be more externally-facing but with an emphasis to improve animal health and welfare on an international basis by raising veterinary standards overseas, contributing to the One Health agenda and ensuring that our regulation keeps pace in a global market.
• Our service agenda: to continue to build on our service agenda to ensure that people not only find interactions with us to be efficient and fair, but seek out and take up opportunities to engage further.

Nick Stace, RCVS CEO, said: "The hallmark of our 2014 to 2016 Strategic Plan was getting the basics right by clarifying our identity, improving our core functions, setting out our service agenda and strengthening our foundations. The plan gave us a firm foundation to build upon and improved levels of confidence in the College from stakeholders which has allowed us to be more ambitious and outward-looking with this new plan.

"Within the new plan there are challenging ambitions and stretching objectives that address some of the big issues affecting the veterinary team, whether that’s playing a more global role post-Brexit, the importance of embracing new technology, or the pressing need to consider culture change within the profession to ensure it continues to grow and learn.

"I would ask each member of the profession to take a look at the Strategic Plan and I am very happy to receive comments and feedback on the plan by email at nick@rcvs.org.uk."

To download the Strategic Plan, visit www.rcvs.org.uk/publications