Vet-AI has announced the results of its latest testing which, according to the company, shows its new automated triage tool outperforms Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT in both clinical accuracy and triage effectiveness.

Vet-AI's automated triage app offers instant advice to pet owners 24/7, early detection of health issues and advice as to whether they need to speak to a vet.

For the blinded test, which was conducted in April 2025, three UK veterinary surgeons reviewed the responses from Vet-AI, Gemini 2.0 and ChatGPT 4.0 to 48 simulated enquiries from owners. 

The vets evaluated each on clinical accuracy, triage effectiveness and the subjective criteria of factuality, integrity, safety, empathy and readability.

Vet-AI’s Large Language Model (LLM) achieved an accuracy score of 81%, surpassing Gemini (69%) and ChatGPT (50%).

Vet-AI’s model also stopped triage at the correct point in 81% of cases according to the vets, compared with Gemini’s 75% and ChatGPT’s 56%.

Vet-AI’s tool also outperformed the leading LLMs on subjective measures, delivering more empathetic, thorough and factual responses to pet owners.

Samantha Webster, Chief Veterinary Officer at Vet-AI said: “These latest results are a significant milestone in the development of automated triage.

"We’re proving we can provide trustworthy online pet care by combining clinical and technical expertise.

"This tool can support the wider industry too, engaging more pet owners in the first step of vet care, ensuring their pets get the care they need - whether in practice or remotely.

"We know that an increasing percentage of the UK pet population is struggling to access veterinary care.

"Whilst AI will never replace a vet, the use of innovative technology can break down the barrier to access, leading to more pets getting the care they need, when they need it."

“With this level of clinical accuracy and technical innovation, we're helping to bring great pet care to more people. As well as helping to create more demand for vet services by making the triage of pets as accurate as possible,” said Paul Hallett, Vet-AI founder and exec chair.

https://www.vet-ai.com/automated-triage 

Cats Protection is calling for an urgent shift in pet owners' thinking in order to control the UK's cat population, after being inundated with thousands of unwanted kittens again this summer.

The charity is urging owners to neuter their cats at four months of age - two months earlier than the traditional six months - because this is when cats reach sexual maturity.

The call follows a recent survey carried out by the charity which found that just 4% of people neutered their cat at or before the recommended four months.

Each year, Cats Protection takes in thousands of unwanted or abandoned kittens which are the result of unplanned breeding so the charity is keen to make cat owners aware of the need to neuter.

 Jane Clements, Cats Protection's Neutering Manager said: "Getting the neutering message across is proving to be a very tough hurdle for cat welfare because our research shows the vast majority of people are still not neutering their cats early enough to avoid unwanted litters of kittens.

"Without neutering, the UK's cat population quickly gets out of control and each summer we are overwhelmed with kittens in need of homes so it is vital people ensure their cats are neutered at the correct age to prevent unwanted litters."

While the lack of early neutering was a problem across Britain, the survey found the ITV Yorkshire and ITV Central areas are the least likely to neuter at the recommended age, both with just 1% of cats neutered at or before four months. 

Cats Protection is planning to open a new homing centre later this year in Gildersome, Leeds, Yorkshire, and it is hoped its presence there will raise awareness of the need for better cat welfare and early neutering. The centre will find homes for around 500 cats each year, increasing the charity's work in the region by up to 68 per cent. Information about the new centre can be found by visiting www.cats.org.uk/support-us/future-for-cats/gildersome-homing-centre.

The charity is also embarking on a large scale neutering campaign in North Birmingham, which it hopes will help to raise awareness of the issues in the area.

Cats Protection runs a national register of veterinary practices that carry out neutering at four months of age. To register your practice, please visit the website at www.cats.org.uk/early-neutering

White Cross, the Yorkshire-based, family-run, 18-practice group has been named amongst the Sunday Times 'Best 100 Best Small Companies To Work For' for the sixth year running.

The group attributes part of its success to the various initiatives it runs for employees, including a scheme through which every member of its 220-strong team is allowed five fully paid donation days each year so they can volunteer to support meaningful local causes.

Employees also receive a £500 cash gift when they become new parents or adopt a child and can take 'peternity leave', which offers anyone with a new pet two fully paid days off work to help the animal settle into their new home.

Team members also get birthdays off (with cakes), a health care scheme, subsidised Fitbits and gym memberships. 

Tim Harrison, managing director at White Cross Vets, said: "Making White Cross Vets a great place to work is vitally important to us, especially because our people are such a fundamental part of our success. Plus we’ve just launched the second of five new practices that will open during a 12-month period, so we’re continually expanding and recruiting.

"Being at the forefront of the veterinary industry with a wide range of innovative and high-quality employment initiatives, many of which are ideas from individual team members, helps us to attract and retain the best people. This enables us to grow quickly whilst fostering a close-knit and highly motivated team. This ethos also translates into the level of care and standard of service that our clients receive, which is something we’re very proud of."

Aimie Wilson MRCVS from Ashbrook Equine Hospital in Cheshire has won MSD's 2018 Companion Animal Veterinary Surgeon Research Bursary for her proposal to research current equine vaccination practices and protocols used by vets in the UK.

The MSD Animal Health Vet Surgeon Research Bursary offers awards of up to £4,000 each. Each project has to be completed within one to two years and the veterinary surgeon  proposals are judged by university academics to ensure independent assessment.

Michelle Townley, veterinary advisor at MSD Animal Health said: "We’re delighted to be awarding Amie this bursary as we consider deepening the understanding of equine vaccination practices and protocols to be important new knowledge for the companion animal sector, especially in the light of the recent  equine flu outbreak.

"We will be inviting applications for the 2019 vet surgeon bursaries from August this year so would encourage any vet keen to develop their research skills to keep an eye on our website for further information.  We would like to encourage as many vets as possible to apply as part of our commitment to advancing  research within the veterinary industry."

2018 is the second year MSD Animal Health has extended its Veterinary Surgeon Research Bursary to include companion animals. The 2017 award went to Dr Sarah Caddy for her research into cat bite abscesses.

Veterinary surgeon research bursary applications will open again in August. 

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

CPD Solutions has launched a PgCert in Small Animal Diagnostic Imaging, which takes 12 months starting in March 2020. 

The new programme includes ten days of practical imaging sessions based at CPD Solutions' training centre in Studley near Birmingham, where participants will develop their existing imaging skills and learn additional techniques that they can use directly in small animal practice.

CPD Solutions says its PgCerts have unique benefits and key differences from other PgCert options available to vets, namely a strong emphasis on practical training (all attendance days are practical, with no lecture days), the way the attendance days are grouped into three sessions for convenience, and the 12 month duration of the programme.

Susie Coughlan, veterinary surgeon and MD at CPD Solutions has 21 years’ experience in providing practical training for vets. ‘Our experience is that vets get the most out of hands-on practical training in a structured and supportive environment, combined with reflective application of their new skills in practice. The new PgCert in Small Animal Diagnostic Imaging follows the same format – all attendance sessions are practical, and the course provides support for developing reflective work based learning that vets can use with all of their patients.’

For more information, contact CPD Solutions on 0151 328 0444 or visit www.pgcert.com 

Ceva has launched Gabbrovet Multi (paramomycin) to treat scour in calves caused by cryptosporidiosis and E.coli

Gabbrovet Multi is the first and only ready-to-use solution licensed to treat both cryptosporidium and E.coli diarrhoea in calves.

The company highlights a study of 334 calves with severe diarrhoea, where those receiving Gabbrovet Multi showed a faster and more effective response than those given halofuginone¹.

Harry Walby, ruminant veterinary advisor at Ceva Animal Health, said: “Gabbrovet Multi is the first and only ready-to-use solution for the convenient treatment of both cryptosporidium and E.coli, two of the most common causes of neonatal scour in calves."

Gabbrovet Multi can be administered in milk or water.

It is available with a dosing cap and comes in 250ml, 500ml or 1l presentations.

Gabbrovet Multi also treats gastro-intestinal infections caused by E.coli in pigs.

For further information, contact your local Ceva Animal Health territory manager or email cevauk@ceva.com.

References

1. Damien Achard, Béatrice Besche-Barbazanges , Gaëlle Pagny, Jean-François Collin, Dejan Cvejić. Efficacy of an oral solution of paromomycin for the treatment of newborn dairy calves with cryptosporidiosis - Results from a comparative European multicentric field study, Presented at the 31st World Buiatrics Congress 2022

Zoetis has launched Stronghold Plus (selamectin/sarolaner), a topical combination of parasiticides that treats ticks, fleas, ear mites, lice and GI nematodes and prevents heartworm disease in cats.

Stronghold Plus contains the same selamectin found in common-or-garden Stronghold, licensed for the treatment of fleas, flea allergic dermatitis, ear mites (Otodectes cynotis), roundworm (Toxocara cati), intestinal hookworms (Ancylostoma tubaeforme), biting lice (Felicola subrostratus), and for the treatment of heartworm disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis. 

To that has been added sarolaner, a new acaricide and insecticide which is also effective for five weeks against Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes hexagonus, and for four weeks against Dermacentor reticulatus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus.

Clint Lewis, Executive Vice President and President International Operations, said: "The launch of  Stronghold Plus enables Zoetis to offer veterinarians in the European Union a new topical choice that treats the parasites commonly presenting a threat to cats with one convenient monthly dose.

For the first time, we have combined our new, versatile parasiticide sarolaner with the active ingredient in Stronghold, selamectin, resulting in the first approval of sarolaner for use in cats. We see sarolaner as a promising platform for future product lines and lifecycle innovations and are pleased with the positive data that sarolaner and its combination continue to generate in studies.”

Domenico Otranto, Professor of Parasitology at Bari University in Italy, who has reviewed the product data of Stronghold Plus, said: "A number of laboratory and field studies show the efficacy of the single spot-on application of Stronghold Plus for at least one month. Veterinarians in Europe now have a very effective option for the treatment and control of four prominent species of ticks commonly found on cats while maintaining proven efficacy against fleas, GI worms, heartworms, ear mites and lice. Ultimately, pet owners and practitioners have a new tool for improving health and welfare of cats."

The Disciplinary Committee (DC) of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has suspended a veterinary surgeon for a period of six months for issuing two false horse passports, having found him to have been “consciously dishonest”.

At a hearing which concluded on 15 July, Andrew Dominic Illing, Director of the Chapelfield Veterinary Partnership, Norwich, admitted charges of backdating the passports of two different horses on 1 May 2008, to indicate that they had been vaccinated on 24 April 2008 against equine influenza and equine influenza and tetanus, when he knew that the vaccinations had not been carried out on that date.

The Committee heard that, whilst on a routine visit to a local livery yard on 30 April 2008, a junior veterinary surgeon at the practice, Ms Charlotte Alice Mayers, had been pressured to backdate the equine passports of two horses, owned by Mrs Scriven and Mrs Kippen respectively, because their booster vaccinations had been carried out beyond the 12-month window prescribed by the Horse Racing Authority. Ms Mayers had declined to do so and had brought the passports back to the practice to seek the advice of its Director, Mr Illing.

Ms Mayers explained to Mr Illing, both in a note and in discussion with him, that the boosters had been administered outwith the prescribed period and that she had told the owners that she was not willing to backdate the passports, one of which she had already signed. The DC heard that Mr Illing had told Ms Mayers “not to worry about it” and that he would deal with the situation. It did not surface until the livery yard manager later made a complaint, that Mr Illing had in fact signed the second passport and backdated both to 24 April.

In mitigation, Mr Illing said that he had been under considerable stress at the time, as he had been dealing with a protracted and difficult disciplinary meeting concerning a senior veterinary colleague. As a consequence of this, the Committee heard from Mr Illing’s practice partner that Mr Illing was required to take on more work than he was already performing, which was already 10-15% more than the other three vets in the practice. In addition, Mr Illing had been in a degree of pain at the time, following a knee injury. The Committee also heard evidence from a veterinary surgeon who testified to Mr Illing’s good character; and received many written testimonials.

In reaching its decision, the Committee held the view that: “the public must be able to trust certificates which are signed by members of this profession. If the public cannot trust the authenticity of such certificates, the Committee considers that public confidence in the profession would be undermined, and undermined in a very significant way.” It also cited the obligations of the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct in terms of the integrity of veterinary certification, and the ‘12 Principles of Certification’, as agreed by the RCVS, the British Veterinary Association and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The Committee considered many factors when making its final decision. It did not accept that stress overbore Mr Illing’s normal way of dealing with certification, particularly where he had had a period of overnight reflection before taking the action that he did. However, it felt that the most troubling feature in his decision to backdate the certificates was that, in advising Ms Mayers on a difficult ethical issue, Mr Illing had “set a disgraceful example and wholly failed to provide her with the support to which she was entitled”. Furthermore, in backdating a certificate that Ms Mayers had already signed, he was putting her integrity at risk.

Alison Bruce, chairing the Committee, commented: “It is only by upholding the importance of each and every certificate issued by a member of the veterinary profession that public confidence in such certificates can be maintained.” She went on to say: “Without significant mitigating circumstances, false certification will result in removal from the Register. In Mr Illing’s case, having regard to all the evidence, both the oral and written testimonials, and taking into account all the aggravating and mitigating circumstances detailed above, the Committee has decided to suspend Mr Illing’s name from the Register for a period of six months.”

MSD Animal Health, in collaboration with the University of Bristol, has launched the Big Tick Project (BTP) for cats, a campaign designed to raise awareness and improve education on the growing risk of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Britain amongst cat owners.

Last year, over 1,400 veterinary practices collected more than 6,000 ticks from dogs for the Big Tick Project, contributing to the largest-ever study of tick-borne illnesses in dogs in Britain, if not worldwide. 

Now MSD is calling on practices to do the same for cats. The company says that data collected from the contributions will be used in a scientific paper which will help vets make more specific recommendations to cat owners, and help keep their pets safe.

Amanda Melvin, Senior Product Manager for Bravecto said: "We were delighted and rather overwhelmed by the response, support and level of interest in the BTP for dogs from the veterinary profession.  We were expecting 100s of ticks to be submitted but they arrived in their 1000s! 

"It made us realise that, with the low levels of awareness of the risks of tick-borne disease to both people and animals, there was an even wider issue to be addressed. The risks to cats could not be ignored.

"We have therefore created the BTP for cats and are asking the vets, once again, to show their support by collecting and sending in ticks from their practices. The more samples we receive the better. This way we can help the profession better understand the risks associated with ticks and how best to help cat owners treat their pets." 

Those practices that participated in the BTP last year will automatically be registered and will be sent an email with details of this phase of the project. Any practices that did not participate last year and would like to should send their details to vet-support.uk@merck.com.

To support vets in promoting the BTP for cats to their clients MSD Animal Health has designed a range of materials for display in practice and as takeaways for clients. They include a practice waiting room poster and a cat certificate. 

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has refused an application by Warwick Seymour-Hamilton to be restored to the Register of Veterinary Surgeons.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton was originally removed from the Register in June 1994 for failing to maintain his practice’s equipment and facilities in working order and for a total disregard of basic hygiene and care for animals, thereby bringing the profession into disrepute.

The restoration hearing on 20th May was Mr Seymour-Hamilton’s seventh application for restoration. Previous applications had been heard but refused in July 1995, June 2010, February 2015, March 2016, May 2017 and April 2018. However, as the Committee makes its decision on the merits of the case before it, those previous applications were not considered as relevant to its current decision.

The Committee heard oral evidence from Mr Seymour-Hamilton and were shown clear bottles with liquid, a container with tablets and petri dishes with grown cultures as detailed documentary evidence. In respect of any concerns regarding keeping his veterinary practice up-to-date, Mr Seymour-Hamilton said that “you never lose that skill” and explained that he kept up-to-date through extensive reading and conversations with veterinary surgeons in Europe. 

However, the Committee had significant concerns as to his fitness to practise safely as a veterinary surgeon for a number of reasons, including that nearly 25 years had passed since he was last in practice and that there was little, if any, evidence of him keeping up-to-date with the knowledge and skills required to practise as a veterinary surgeon.

Ian Green, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The applicant worryingly did not accept that he was in any way deskilled by the passage of time. The evidence that the applicant has provided showed limited interaction with other veterinary surgeons and there is no documented evidence of the discussions or structure of the meetings he had with veterinary surgeons in Europe.

"There is no evidence of a prolonged and intense period of re-training by way of relevant study to demonstrate that a sufficient level of competence to return to practise has been achieved. In the absence of such evidence the Committee was of the view that there would be a serious risk to the welfare of animals if the applicant was restored to the Register.

"Further, it was a grave concern to this Committee that the applicant demonstrated worrying attitudinal issues towards individuals of a different religion and his attitude to employing a minor when he knew it to be against the law. Such attitudes are incompatible with professional standards the public would expect of a veterinary surgeon."

Finally, with no evidence of public support for the applicant, the Committee concluded that the application for restoration should be refused.

Dechra Veterinary Products has launched a two-tube pack of Osurnia, its gel treatment for otitis externa.

Until now, the treatment has only been available in 20 and 40 pack sizes. The new two-tube pack option offers clients a pre-packaged treatment course for one ear.

Dechra Brand Manager Carol Morgan said: “The introduction of a pre-packaged Osurnia treatment course provides a convenient solution to veterinarians treating otitis. Osurnia comes in pre-measured, single-dose tubes of the gel with a soft flexible applicator tip that ensures the dog receives the right dose, every time, all while minimising discomfort for the patient.

"The patented gel formulation provides reassurance that the solution is less likely to be dislodged from the patient’s ear, prolonging the contact of the active medicines directly at the infection site1.

"A treatment plan using Osurnia means that vets can help ensure compliance of treatment. The application of the second dose provides an additional opportunity to assess the patient to ensure it is responding as planned."

Osurnia two-tube packs are available from wholesalers. For more information, visit: www.dechra.com.

The RCVS Veterinary Nurse Disciplinary Committee has directed the Registrar to suspend Surrey-based Lois Hodgkinson RVN for ten months, for ordering prescription drugs for her own use through the practice's veterinary wholesaler ordering system.

Specifically, Ms Hodgkinson was alleged to have placed five orders between 1 September 2013 and 1 April 2015:

• 28 x 30mg Codeine Phosphate tablets, ordered on or about 9 September 2013;
• 56 x 250mg Naproxen (Naprosyn) tablets, ordered on or about 24 February 2014;
• 28 x 50mg Amitriptyline tablets, ordered on or about 7 August 2014;
• 28 x 25mg Amitriptyline tablets, ordered on or about 10 November 2014;
• 28 x 60mg Codeine Phosphate tablets, ordered on or about 31 March 2015.

The medications for charges (i) to (iii) above, were intended for her own personal use, as she had previously at various times been prescribed Codeine, Naproxen and Amitriptyline after being involved in a serious car accident in November 2012, as a result of which she suffered from chronic back pain and other problems.

Charges (iv) and (v) above, were intended for her dog, ‘Minnie’, but the dosages ordered were incorrect. The medications were never removed from the practice or given to Minnie, but were instead returned to the wholesaler.

From the outset Ms Hodgkinson admitted the charges against her, although she believed that other staff at the practice had placed similar personal orders and that she had been given permission to do so as well. Ms Hodgkinson also accepted that the facts amounted to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

The Committee accepted Ms Hodgkinson’s admission of the charges and, accordingly, found the charges proved. The question of whether the facts amounted to serious professional misconduct was, however, a matter for the Committee’s judgement, notwithstanding Ms Hodgkinson’s admission.

In reaching its decision, the Committee took into account Ms Hodgkinson’s assertion that she believed she had been given permission to order medication through the practice. She did admit however that she must have been mistaken in that belief. The Committee also took note of the College’s submission that a number of aggravating features were present which amounted to serious professional misconduct, namely: the potential risk posed to animal welfare; Ms Hodgkinson’s ignorance of fundamental legislative provisions; a breach of trust placed in her by virtue of her RVN status; the fact that the misconduct was repeated over a period of time; and a lack of awareness of professional responsibilities at the time of the conduct. The Committee therefore had no hesitation that the conduct did amount to serious professional misconduct.

The Committee then turned to the question of sanction. A number of mitigating factors were put forward in Ms Hodgkinson’s defence including the fact that a period of lengthy suspension or removal from the register would result in her losing an offer of employment, the fact that up to the relevant conduct she had had an unblemished career and the fact that she had made early admissions of guilt and shown insight into her misconduct.

The Committee decided that a period of 10 months’ suspension would be appropriate and proportionate in this case.

Chitra Karve, who chaired the Committee and spoke on its behalf, said: "The length of the period of suspension…is intended to reflect this Committee’s view, assisted as it has been by the experience and knowledge of a practising RVN and a veterinary surgeon, of the seriousness of the respondent’s conduct in its totality and of the need for the message to go out to all veterinary professionals that the ordering of POMs without the authority of a valid prescription is a most serious instance of misconduct. In such circumstances the personal mitigations that a practitioner might place before a Disciplinary Committee, whilst not immaterial, is inevitably of limited persuasion. And that is what this Committee has concluded in this particular case, having reflected carefully on the mitigation factors placed before it.

"Having weighed the matters of personal mitigation against the fact that a rudimentary knowledge of the governing legislation was effectively all that was required of the Respondent to ensure that the misconduct complained of did not occur, it is the clear view of the Committee that it would be failing in its public duty were it to do anything less than to impose a period of suspension from practice and the least period of suspension that is appropriate in this case is one of ten months. The Committee therefore instructs the Registrar to act accordingly."

VetHelpDirect.com, a website which helps pet owners decide how urgently their pet needs veterinary attention, has been relaunched with new content for donkey, reptile and bird owners.

Founded by VetSurgeon member Susie Samuel MRCVS in 2006, the site allows pet owners to look up the symptoms their animal is displaying. When the owner answers a series of simple, step-by-step questions, the site then generates a priority rating from "Self care - treatment at home" to "Urgent - you need to contact your vet immediately", coupled with specific first aid advice. It's a sort of home triage system.

VetHelpDirect was designed by vets and all of the content is by vets. The site covers dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and now donkeys, reptiles and birds. I see that the world-renowned avian vet (and all-round good bloke) Neil Forbes FRCVS and his team at Great Western Referrals, together with Dr Karen Rickards, head vet at the Donkey Sanctuary have helped create the new areas of the website, so the information it contains will certainly be of the highest standard.

In fact, the whole site is impressively well-designed and simple to use, an opinion obviously echoed by the readers of WebUser magazine, who gave it 5/5 stars last May, beating Jamie Oliver's website.

Cleverly, the triage system on VetHelpDirect ties in with a directory of veterinary practices, so if immediate care is the answer and the owner doesn't have a vet already, help is at hand. Veterinary practices can pay to have an enhanced listing in the directory.

For a fee, VetHelpDirect can also embed the triage system into your own practice website. That seems like a good way of adding additonal, interesting and interactive content to a website. The interesting question is how much money it will save the practice by eliminating unecessary calls from pet owners who don't really need to talk to a vet. 

Equally, though, the site may have an important role to play in telling owners when they SHOULD get to the vet quickly. A recent success story was that of 'Bucket', a 5 year old cat from Nottingham. Bucket was fortunate to live after his owner Sarah Rennoldson logged on to Vet Help Direct.com after he displayed odd behaviour.  Acting on the advice displayed on the site her owner immediately contacted her local vet Jaqui Gilmour MRCVS at Bill Bowlers Vets. Bucket was diagnosed with a blocked bladder, which was quickly operated on. Jaqui said: ' If Sarah hadn't brought Bucket in so quickly, he could have gone into renal failure and could have developed metabolic disturbances. He would have been really, really sore, and left untreated a blocked bladder can cause death.'

For more information, 'Start a Conversation' with Susie Samuel MRCVS