Royal Canin is launching a new packaging format for its range of feline wet diets.

The company says the launch comes in response to research showing that more than three-quarters of pet owners (76%¹) feed their cats wet food and almost half of wet cat products sold are in a canned format (48%²).

The current alutray packaging will be replaced by 195g cans, which Royal Canin says are easier to use and store, and which clients believe to be better value for money than other packaging formats.

The new cans will contain the same recipes as before, with the same balance of nutrients in each wet diet. They will consist of a loaf or mousse, providing a complementary texture to the chunks in gravy found in the equivalent pouched diets.

Royal Canin is also highlighting the benefits for veterinary practices: The cans are designed to provide greater clarity of display and on-shelf presence. They are also easier to stack for storage, and they meet an established demand.

Ian Williams, one of Royal Canin's small animal vets, said: "We believe the new packaging is an improvement on our established and popular range of wet Veterinary Diets for cats. The range is extensive which allows owners to follow a vet's nutritional recommendations without changing their pets' feeding habits, an excellent way to increase compliance."

The new canned format will be phased in as stocks are replenished, with the following cans being added to the Royal Canin range of wet feline foods: a new Renal and Urinary S/O can, joining the existing Recovery can within the range of Veterinary Diets; and a new Paediatric Weaning can within the Veterinary Care Nutrition range.

For more information about Royal Canin and the diets, visit www.royalcanin.co.uk.

References

1. Feeding diaries study - MARS PETCARE 2010
2. Study report about therapeutic wet food - BIO'SAT 2012

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has suspended a Co. Tyrone veterinary surgeon from the Register for ten months, having found him guilty of serious professional misconduct relating to three convictions for contravening animal export regulations.

Whilst working as an Authorised Veterinary Inspector in Castlederg for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), William Manson had falsely certified that he had inspected three consignments of sheep presented for assembly at Plumbridge Export Assembly Centre on 16 and 23 August 2009. At this week's two-day hearing, Mr Manson admitted that the convictions he had received at the Strabane Magistrates Court on 26 November 2010 made him unfit to practise veterinary surgery, but said in mitigation that he had examined the sheep nearby at Landahussy, a site he considered more suitable for a large number of animals.

The Committee was satisfied that Mr Manson believed the Landahussy site to be more suitable for large deliveries; the Committee also was satisfied that he did carry out a visual inspection of the sheep at the Landahussy site on 16 and 23 August 2009. However, the information Mr Manson provided on the three certificates was false and misleading. Mr Manson had also been reminded of the importance of complying with government regulations in a disciplinary case in 2004, following convictions for failing to notify DARD about changes in the number of sheep for which he was claiming a premium. The then Committee dismissed the case, deeming the convictions a result of his "genuine but regrettable oversight".

Speaking on behalf of the Committee, Chairman, Prof Peter Lees said: "Mr Manson's actions in certifying that he had examined the sheep at an approved assembly centre when he had not done so amounted to a serious departure from professional standards. If there had been a disease outbreak on either the Plumbridge or Landahussy site, such actions would have rendered contact tracings unreliable and inaccurate."

In mitigation, the Committee accepted medical evidence and Mr Manson's testimony that he was at that time under exceptional stress. He was working long hours in difficult circumstances without an assistant, and was under considerable personal pressure as a result of his wife's serious illness. It also took into account his age (66), exceptional testimonials produced on his behalf, and the impact on the community he served.

Prof Lees said: "The Committee has concluded that the removal of Mr Manson's name from the Register is neither proportionate nor necessary in the public interest nor to protect the welfare of animals. A proportionate sanction in this case is to suspend Mr Manson's name from the Register for a period of ten months."

The RCVS has announced a total of £1 million funding to address mental health and wellbeing within the veterinary profession over the next five years.

The RCVS Operational Board has agreed £100K of funding for the first year of the Mind Matters initiative, with a view to a similar amount per year for the subsequent four years.

Additionally, the College says it intends to contribute approximately £500K over the next five years to the Veterinary Surgeons' Health Support Programme (VSHSP). This is a continuation of previous funding, effectively doubling the College's contribution. The VSHSP, independently run by the Veterinary Benevolent Fund, offers a confidential service that aims to combat problems with alcohol, drugs, eating disorders and other addictive and mental health issues.
 
Neil Smith, Mind Matters' Chair said: "I am delighted that we have £500K of new funding over the next five years to dedicate to improving the mental health and wellbeing of the veterinary team, together with the increase to our support for the VSHSP. It shows the College's commitment in this vital area, and is a substantial amount that will really help change lives."

The funding will be reviewed annually as part of the RCVS budgeting process.

Mind Matters activities will fall into five streams:

• Learning and understanding best practice - research within the veterinary profession, for example, into occupational stress factors; and among other related professions and private and public sector organisations that have successfully tackled similar issues.
• Changing the culture - a programme of communications activities to help generate a positive environment for discussion, reduce stigma, increase awareness and the ability to identify risks, and encourage help-seeking behaviour.
• Intervention: personal level - financial and other support for existing services, such as Vet Helpline and Veterinary Surgeons Health Support Programme, together with an investigation into what more may be required to support those in need.
• Intervention: supporting the supporters - training and guidance for those who may be working or living with someone who needs assistance, in order to help supporters spot and understand signs of stress and mental illness, and help the person seek expert help.
• Making changes - working closely with the joint RCVS/British Veterinary Association Vet Futures project (www.vetfutures.org.uk) to help identify aspects of how the profession is structured and run (from student to retirement) that exacerbate stress and mental health problems - and consider how they may be addressed.

Mind Matters is supported by a taskforce comprising the Veterinary Benevolent Fund, the British Veterinary Association, the British Veterinary Nursing Association, the Veterinary Practice Management Association, the Veterinary Schools Council, the Veterinary Defence Society, the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons and the Association of Veterinary Students.

The RCVS and the Veterinary Schools Council (VSC) have published recommendations on how support for Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) veterinary students can be improved.

The report is the culmination of the work of a joint RCVS and VSC BAME Student Support Working Group, set up to explore key issues in supporting BAME veterinary students during their studies.

The Working Group made a total of 14 recommendations, which included:

• developing formal support and guidance documents for students going on placement and developing formal discrimination reporting mechanisms for students
• ensuring all staff and students are aware of the new RCVS Accreditation Standards in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in teaching and placement settings;
• providing guidance and training to university staff on handling discrimination complaints;
• providing EDI training to university staff, students and placement providers to improve awareness of equality legislation – including rights and responsibilities – as well as other key concepts in EDI, such as micro-aggressions;
• resource, support and collaborate with BAME student groups and societies to better understand experiences;
• improve the visibility of BAME role models to create a more inclusive and positive educational experience for BAME students;
• provide access to support and advice for BAME students through internal and external mentoring initiatives;
• review and adapt the guidance on religious clothing and belief for use within local settings.

Stephanie-Rae Flicker is a recent Royal Veterinary College (RVC) graduate who co-chaired the Working Group alongside Professor Rob Pettitt from the University of Liverpool. 

She said: “I hope this encourages and supports our veterinary institutions to actively implement change regarding discrimination faced during studies and placements, nurturing role models and helping affected students develop sense of belonging and community during their studies and beyond.

"Many thanks to all that have contributed to the completion of this Report – we hope the recommendations have a lasting impact, and benefit those both already present and yet to enter our profession."

RCVS/VSC BAME Student Support Working Group Report.

Petplan has announced the winners of its annual Veterinary Awards. 

The awards recognise and celebrate staff and practices throughout the country that have delivered an exceptional level of care to the nation's pets and their owners.   

Isabella von Mesterhazy, Petplan's Head of Marketing, said: "As the leader in the pet insurance market for over 35 years, we have a rich history of working with veterinary practices across the UK. The Veterinary Awards is a great way to celebrate the fantastic work that goes on helping keep pets healthy and their owners happy."

She added: "This year saw over 11,000 nominations which goes to show the appetite from both staff and clients for celebrating exceptional work. We had an outstanding selection of finalists and I'd like to congratulate all the winners who thoroughly deserve their awards."

The winners for each category are:

VET OF THE YEAR - Laura Pugh, Ashfield House Veterinary Hospital - Long Eaton, Nottingham
What really stood out was Laura's willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty. As well as Laura's stressful day job she is very involved with the local community. Laura writes an animal column in her local neighbourhood magazine, runs evening talks on a variety of subjects and visits local schools.

VET NURSE OF THE YEAR - Catherine Raw, Broadleys Veterinary Hospital - Stirling, Scotland
Catherine's passion for her role within the practice and her dedication to providing the best service for her clients put her above the other finalists.  Catherine is not only committed to her professional role of delivering the highest standard of clinical care for her patients and the best service for her clients, but she also devotes a lot of her own time to animal welfare. Catherine is a fantastic role model for her nurses.

VET SUPPORT STAFF OF THE YEAR - Vivienne Jeffs, Arvonia Animal Hospital - Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Vivienne's reliability, empathy and selflessness really stood out for the judges. Whether it is knowing the name of a pet owner during telephone conversations, or entertaining toddlers in the waiting area, Vivienne is the type of receptionist vet surgeries dream of. The practice would not be the same without her according to those that nominated her.

VET PRACTICE OF THE YEAR - Bridge Veterinary Surgery - Highbridge, Somerset
The practice's hard work and dedication to their clients really impressed the judges. The practice is open 24 hours a day and the dedication the veterinary, with a small practice of only four staff members, it is a particularly well deserved award.

VET PRACTICE MANAGER OF THE YEAR - Cery Lawson-Tankred, Golden Valley Veterinary Hospital - Nailsea, Somerset
Cery has worked at Golden Valley for over five years, during which time the practice has seen a large degree of upgrade and reinvigoration. Investments made in new equipment and facilities have meant improved care for an expanding array of animals that come through the surgery doors. It was clear to the judges that Cery is the glue that holds the Golden Valley Veterinary Hospital together.

WellVet has announced the launch of a new series of talks focussing on post-pandemic issues affecting veterinary professionals.

The talks will be free to join live on Zoom, while being simultaneously streamed into the Vet Mums Facebook group.

Following the live stream those on Zoom will be invited to join in a private, unrecorded QnA session.

Liz Barton, co-founder of WellVet and Vet Mums said: “We have spent the last year creating a fab new website for people to access some of the great content WellVet has created over the last few years.

"However, we also noticed a few challenges mentioned with increasing frequency and severity by Vet Mums members.

"It’s fantastic to bring together such great speakers to directly address these issues and provide advice and support to anyone affected.”

• July 22nd 12-1pm, Recognising and dealing with overwhelm – Charlotte Lawson
• July 25th 8-9pm, Loneliness, especially for leaders - Clive Elwood
• August 1st 8-9pm Fitting practical self-care into busy lives – Dr Claire Gillvray
• August 4th 12-1pm Helping flexible workers feel integrated into practice life – Silvia Janska
• August 12th 12-1pm The Impossijuggle of parenting and career - Amanda Boag, Cat Henstridge, Lucy Grieve and Victoria Johnson

For more information, visit www.wellvet.co.uk.

Animalcare has launched a new broad spectrum fluoroquinolone antimicrobial (Enrofloxacin) which the company says is highly effective in the treatment of a wide range of conditions and easy to inject, with excellent tissue penetration.

Enrocare solution for injection is presented in three strengths: A 25mg/ml (2.5%) injection for dogs, cats and exotic animals including reptiles, small mammals and avian species. The 50mg/ml (5%) injection is licensed for use in cattle, pigs, dogs and cats, whilst the 100mg/ml (10%) injection is licensed for cattle and pigs. In the case of dogs and cats a single daily dose is needed.

Animalcare says it has priced Enrocare competitively. In addition, the range has been launched with three offers: "Buy one get one free on the 50 and 100mg/ml" and "Buy two get one free offer" on the 25mg/ml pack size. These offers will last for four months until the end of September.

In cattle, Enrocare  50mg/ml,  given by the subcutaneous route, is licensed for respiratory disease of bacterial or mycoplasmal origin and the 100mg/ml strength is licenced for both respiratory disease and E.coli mastitis (the latter given by slow intravenous injection). According to Animalcare, its low dose volume makes it particularly suitable for the treatment of respiratory disease in calves. In pigs >25kg Enrocare is licensed for the treatment of the respiratory and alimentary tract diseases of bacterial or mycoplasmal origin and multi-factorial diseases such as atrophic rhinitis and enzootic pneumonia.

Tony Liepman, Animalcare Market Manager said: "The recent successful launch of Cephacare flavour raised Animalcare's profile as a supplier of more up-to-date antibiotics and this is our latest addition which offers excellent efficacy at an attractive price."

Elanco Companion Animal Health, maker of Comfortis and Trifexis, has launched Common parasites of dogs, a new publication designed to help veterinary professionals advising clients about the benefits of regular parasite control.

Focusing on endoparasites, the booklet includes information about roundworm (Toxocara canis and Toxascaris leonine), hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum), whipworm (Trichuris vulpis), heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis), lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum), tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum) and fleas (Ctenocephalides spp.).  It includes details on the lifecycle of the parasites, how they develop, symptoms and sources of infection, whether the parasites are a risk to pets and humans and illustrations to explain their lifecycle and show what each of the parasites looks like.

Common parasites of dogs is available in two formats: a 'tablet friendly' electronic version and a booklet consisting of individual cards on a metal snap ring.

Matthew Rowe, senior brand manager at Elanco Companion Animal Health, said: "Pet owners often get confused by the different parasites that can be picked up by their dogs. The new common parasites of dogs education tool will help veterinary professionals advise their clients about parasites and the benefits of routine worming and flea treatments."

For a copy of Common parasites of dogs electronically or as a booklet, contact your Elanco Companion Animal Health key account manager or email elancoCAH.uk@elanco.com.

Edinburgh-based Braid Vets has signed up its 1000th client to the practice's VIP (Very Important Pet) Pet Health Plan.  

To mark the event, staff at the practice and Kenneth Agnew from Practice Plan For Vets Ltd, presented 1000th member Douglas Roberts and his dog Rudy with a bottle of champagne and a Kong toy.

In common with other schemes, the Braid Vets Pet Health Plan spreads the costs of vaccinations and flea control over the year with a fixed monthly direct debit. In addition, Braid Vets gives its Health Plan members further discounts on selected services provided by the practice, including food purchases.  

Mike Hall MRCVS of Braid Vets, said: "We think the Health Plan has been one of the things that has helped us withstand the worst effects of the recession.  In our experience, Health Plan clients attend the clinic more regularly for health checks, vaccinations and treatments throughout the year."

He added: "We're delighted to have reached our 1000th member of the scheme, but we're not going to stop there. We think there's considerable scope for further growth. The reason is that it's such a no-brainer. Under our plan, vets have complete clinical freedom and always recommend the products best suited to the individual pet. So the pet wins, the client wins and the practice wins."

Anita Bates from Practice Plan for Vets, which manages this scheme and many others on behalf of veterinary practices in the UK, said: "Our health plans focus on preventative services and products. They provide the practice with a regular monthly income and bonded clients as well as improving owner compliance, frequency of visits to the practice and average transactions values for wellness and illness."

For more information about Practice Plan For Vets, visit: www.practiceplanforvets.co.uk

Researchers at the RVC are calling on veterinary organisations which fund or co-fund research to take part in a study which seeks to inform future funding strategies.

The first phase of research is being conducted this January and February 2023 and will analyse the amount and distribution of UK canine health research funding over the past decade.

Veterinary associations, societies and charities which support canine health research tend to identify funding priorities aligned with their own strategy and scope, taking account of independent peer review from experts in the field of research.

However, the RVC says that as there are many research funders working independently, some important research topics may be overlooked and separately funded projects can inadvertently overlap in their work.  

This study endeavours to investigate these issues and consider how resources are prioritised across different areas of canine research.

Participating stakeholders will be asked their opinions on future research funding and this information will contribute to developing a long-term strategy for not-for-profit UK canine health research.

Thereafter, the aim is to create a pilot consultation process for developing a central prioritisation platform for future collaborative canine research.

The RVC’s says it has already got data and support from several major funders but is keen to maximise the scope of this research, so it is now looking for participation from specialist veterinary societies that fund research, and non-university organisations, such as charities, corporates or independent referral practices which conduct their own in-house canine research. 

Dr Alison Skipper, Postdoctoral Researcher into Canine Research Funding within VetCompass at the RVC said: “We are really keen to hear from as many non-profit organisations involved with canine health research funding as possible. The breadth and depth of this data is vital to ensure that our findings accurately reflect this sector."

For more information about how to get involved, please visit https://rvc.uk.com/canine-research-funding-analysis.

The National Office of Animal Health Code of Practice Committee has found MSD Animal Health in breach of the NOAH Code on promotion for its advertisment for Equilis Prequenza.

The advert appeared in three separate issues of Veterinary Times (15, 22 and 29 September 2014), on the rear back cover of the 2014 BEVA Congress proceedings, and on the inside back cover of the 2014 Congress Planner.  It contained the phrase “Neuraminidase antibodies provided a degree of protection in the case of HA strain/vaccine mismatch”, when viewed against the context of the advertisement headed ‘Why have part when you can have it all?”.

The Committee’s view was that the item in the context of the advertisement was intended to mean, and did convey, the meaning that the inclusion of NA antigens in an equine vaccine gave that vaccine a clinical advantage over vaccines which did not. This claim was not substantiated. Accordingly, the Committee found the phrase in breach of Code of Practice Clauses 4.1(iii) misleading, 4.1(vi) contained an exaggerated claim, 4.1(vii) implied it had a special merit which was not substantiated, 4.2(i) was not accurate and 4.2(ii) was not based upon an up-to-date evaluation of all the evidence.

Full details of the Committee’s rulings can be found on the NOAH website at www.noah.co.uk/code. The full report of this particular case will be available shortly.

Pit Bull Terriers, Rottweilers and Bulldogs are the breeds most feared by postmen, according to a survey just announced by esure home insurance.  More surprisingly, Jack Russells and Yorkshire Terriers also appeared in the top ten list of breeds likely to prevent the mail getting through.

According to the survey, three quarters (74%) of postmen have admitted to finding some dogs on their post round intimidating. In fact over half (54%) of those polled have considered asking for a change to their round due to intimidating dogs and more than a third (37%) have even thought about leaving their jobs completely.

Nearly half (47%) of all postman questioned are frequently growled at, 39% have been the subject of teeth baring and 54% regularly have to endure aggressive barking. Shockingly, a quarter (26%) of postmen have been bitten by a dog on their post round, whilst 23% of those polled have had their clothes damaged when trying to get away from a dog.

In a bid to try and calm down man's best friend and ensure their safety, more than a third (36%) of postmen have offered a dog bones, biscuits and chews.  But just under half (44%) admit bribes often don't work as they've had to run away from a dog on their patch.

POSTMAN'S MOST FEARED DOGS: (per cent of postmen)

1. Pit Bull Terrier (12%)
2. Rottweiler (11%)
3. Bulldog (7%)
4. Jack Russell (7%)
5. Boxer (6%)
6. Staffordshire Bull Terrier (5%)
7. Border Collie (5%)
8. Border Terrier (4%)
9. Doberman Pinscher (4%)
10. Yorkshire Terrier (4%)