The College has confirmed that it has now received an official complaint about the matter and it is now investigating under its normal 'concerns' investigation process.
Professor Argyle made a private statement about the allegations to RCVS Council at its meeting today, having already answered written questions from a number of Council members in the preceding days.
The Council did not ask Professor Argyle to step aside, but acknowledged that this was his choice, made for personal reasons.
The College said that in line with its normal protocols, and to ensure fairness for all parties, it will not make any further public comment about the investigation for the time being. However, it wanted to stress that it remains firmly committed to following due and proper process in all its regulatory activities.
The company, which now has over 20,000 monthly subscribers in the UK, saw a massive growth during the pandemic, with a reported 1000% increase in monthly recurring revenue over the past two years.
Since March 2020, VetBox has shipped over quarter-of-a-million boxes.
Bought by Many says the acquisition is a major part of its expansion beyond insurance and into preventative wellness.
Will said: "I founded VetBox after seeing that far too many UK pets were missing out on essential parasite protection.
"I'm really proud of the progress that VetBox has made in solving this issue in just five years and can't wait to see what we can achieve as part of the Bought By Many family.
"As a vet I've seen first-hand the fantastic service Bought By Many offer pet owners, so it's been a pleasure seeing this partnership grow over the past few years."
Ceva says the aim of the course is to enable vets to get the most out of their ocular exams and gain confidence in identifying ocular lesions associated with feline hypertension.
The course is presented by Dr Ben Blacklock BVSc (Hons), Dipl. ECVO, MRCVS, senior lecturer in veterinary ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh.
It comprises of 10 short videos grouped into four sessions, along with a self-assessment quiz to consolidate learning for each module.
The course counts for a total of two hours’ CPD.
Course content includes: the patient/equipment set up and getting the most from an ophthalmoscope; determining what is normal and what is abnormal during ocular examinations; an overview of ocular pathologies associated with hypertension; avoiding common pitfalls and mistakes; and hints and tips on how to take photographs of the fundus on a mobile phone.
To register, visit www.veterinarywebinars.com/community/ceva.
The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has postponed judgment on sanction for 12 months in the case of a Hampshire veterinary surgeon found guilty of serious professional misconduct for cumulative failures to provide adequate professional care, and insufficient regard for animal welfare whilst treating a dog.
At a hearing which concluded last Thursday, Peter Ardle MacMahon MRCVS faced a six-part charge after working as a locum for Vets Now at North End in Portsmouth where, on the night of 14/15 July 2009, he treated Wilfred, a Cocker Spaniel who had ingested broken glass along with raw mince.
The Committee found that, having decided that surgery was an appropriate treatment, Mr MacMahon had not removed the glass identified on a radiograph. Nor had he even superficially searched the stomach contents he had evacuated to check that a large piece of glass he had previously identified on the radiograph had been removed. He had also not taken adequate steps to prevent contamination of Wilfred's abdominal cavity prior to the incision to the stomach.
Mr MacMahon admitted he knew there had been considerable spillage of stomach contents into Wilfred's abdomen. The Committee found that, with this knowledge, for Mr MacMahon to use only 250ml of fluid to lavage the abdomen was inadequate. This contributed to the Spaniel developing chemical peritonitis which might have developed into septic peritonitis but for a second operation the next morning, after the dog had been returned to the care of his usual veterinary practice. The Committee also expressed concern that Mr MacMahon had failed to effectively communicate the abdominal contamination to Wilfred's usual vets when he was handed back into their care.
Taken as individual allegations, these would not, in the opinion of the Committee, constitute serious professional misconduct. However, the Committee was of the view that, taken cumulatively, the charges were proved, and therefore the treatment given to Wilfred, fell far short of the standard to be expected in the profession.
When considering mitigating and aggravating factors, the Committee accepted that Mr MacMahon and the veterinary nurse assisting him were unfamiliar with the premises in which they were working, resulting in a difficulty in locating important equipment, and there were also multiple urgent cases during the evening the operation took place. The Committee also noted that 17 months had passed since the operation, and no further complaints against Mr MacMahon had been received by the RCVS.
The Committee further took into account that Mr MacMahon had little recent experience, having returned to practising veterinary medicine in January 2009, following almost ten years spent outside the veterinary profession. During this hiatus he undertook no continuing professional development (CPD), and completed only a five-week period of supervised practice prior to re-entering the profession.
Mrs Caroline Freedman, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee said: "The Respondent placed himself in this situation: he knew that he had been out of practice for ten years, had not done any formal CPD during that time and chose to accept an appointment to work as a locum in a sole-charge out-of-hours emergency clinic. A foremost aggravating factor is that animal welfare was adversely affected. A non-critical patient was placed at risk by the Respondent's failures."
The Committee reiterated that the purpose of sanctions was not to be punitive, but to protect animal welfare, to maintain public confidence in the profession and to maintain professional standards. "A postponement of judgment, with suitable undertakings from the Respondent, is the correct course of action," said Mrs Freedman. Mr MacMahon has subsequently signed undertakings relating to CPD in both surgical and medical disciplines, and the Committee has postponed for 12 months its judgment as to any further sanction.
The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has reprimanded Gloucestershire veterinary surgeon Adele Lewis for failing to pass on information about a horse’s clinical history to a potential buyer during a pre-purchase examination.
Ms Lewis, the sole principal of the Cotswold Equine Clinic in Lechlade, Gloucestershire, carried out the examination of a pony called Luke on 13 February 2014. Luke was owned by Mrs Booth who was a long-established client of Ms Lewis, both at her previous practice, Bourton Vale, and at her current practice. The examination was carried out on behalf of the prospective purchaser, Mrs Grieve.
Upon examination Ms Lewis certified that, in her opinion, Luke’s veterinary history did not increase the risk of purchase.
Following the purchase of Luke, Mrs Grieve attempted to obtain insurance for Luke and found out from a pet insurance company that a claim had been made by Mrs Booth in September 2013. She subsequently found out that, following concerns expressed by Mrs Booth and her trainer about Luke’s movement and their wanting an expert opinion, Ms Lewis had referred him to Dr Kold, a Specialist in Equine Orthopaedics, in September 2013. Dr Kold had diagnosed Luke with lameness and had given him intra-articular medication. Luke had also had a follow-up appointment with Dr Kold about four weeks later in October 2013.
The Disciplinary Committee hearing commenced on Tuesday 13 October 2015. At the outset, Ms Lewis admitted several parts of the charges (charge A and charge B) against her. In regards to charge A, she admitted that she had failed to inform Mrs Grieve that, when she examined Luke on 24 September 2013, his then owner Mrs Booth had complained firstly that Luke was “not tracking up and going forward” and, secondly, that he had improved significantly when put on a Phenylbutazone trial. She also admitted that she had referred him to Dr Kold for a poor performance investigation and that she ought to have informed Mrs Grieve of these matters.
In regards to charge B, she admitted that she completed a Certificate of Veterinary Examination in which she had declared that Luke’s veterinary history did not increase the risk of purchase and allowed the vendor’s declaration to include assertions that there had been no previous lameness and no intra-articular medication given in the last 12 months. Ms Lewis admitted that she ought to have known that her declaration that Luke’s veterinary history did not increase the risk of purchase was incorrect.
However, Ms Lewis denied being aware that Dr Kold had diagnosed lameness, administered an intra-articular corticosteroid to Luke and examined and noted a problem with his breathing, including upper airway disease and possible lower airway disease. Furthermore, she denied dishonesty in regards to both the charges against her and in relation to vendor declarations made on the Certificate of Veterinary Examination regarding previous lameness and intra-articular medication.
During the course of the hearing, Ms Lewis told the Committee that she had not received the reports about the two consultations by Dr Kold (despite their having been sent to her by letter and, with respect to the second report, also by email) and that she was therefore unaware of his findings when she carried out the pre-purchase examination. She also stated that she had not been informed of these by Mrs Booth. During her evidence, Ms Lewis also admitted having entered inaccurate information on a veterinary report to assist with an insurance claim.
The Committee did not find Ms Lewis to be an impressive witness citing the fact that her “explanations as to her practice showed a worrying absence of probity in the completion of veterinary reports for the purposes of insurance claims, and an absence of any effective practice management, consistent with acceptable practice.”
However, the Committee felt it did not have the evidence to conclude that Ms Lewis had acted dishonestly during the pre-purchase examination. It cited the fact that her actions, when informed by the purchaser Mrs Grieve of Dr Kold’s examination, did not appear to be those of someone trying to cover their tracks.
In regards to charge A, the Committee also found that the “apparently chaotic manner in which Ms Lewis ran her practice, and her own opinion that the pony was sound, would appear to have led her to wrongly disregard these matters from disclosure.”
In making its decision on her conduct and sanction, the Committee said that Ms Lewis’ failure to fully communicate to Mrs Grieve all the relevant information about Luke’s veterinary history fell far short of the conduct expected from a veterinary surgeon. It also cited the utmost importance of a complete and accurate certification process, as made clear in the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct and the Twelve Principles of Certification.
Chitra Karve, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee continues to emphasise the importance of maintaining the integrity of veterinary certification in any aspect of practice. Mrs Grieve told this Committee that if she had been fully informed about Luke’s veterinary history she would not have purchased the pony. It is clear from the evidence that it affected Mrs Grieve’s ability to insure the pony. Ms Lewis has accepted that the information about Luke’s veterinary history, not having been disclosed, was capable of affecting the risk of purchase. The public are entitled to rely upon veterinary surgeons providing complete and accurate information, when certificates and reports are prepared.”
In mitigation, the Committee paid regard to Ms Lewis’ inexperience at running her own practice and found no issue with her competence or clinical ability as a veterinary surgeon. It concluded that she had acted out of character and that there was no financial motivation for her actions. It also found it “highly relevant that the facts admitted and found proved related to a single pre-purchase examination.”
It also noted that Ms Lewis has now put in place a practice management system and has shown insight into her actions, by taking active steps to better comply with her obligations under the Code of Professional Conduct. She had also made early admissions of guilt and made a full apology to both Mrs Grieve and the RCVS both at the outset of the hearing, and in her evidence.
Chitra Karve added: “Having had the opportunity of observing her demeanour at this hearing, the Committee believes that it is unlikely that she will repeat her conduct.... The Committee has concluded that an appropriate and proportionate response in this case is to reprimand Ms Lewis.”
The booklet contains practical advice on handling rabbits, anaesthetic drugs, procedures and what to look out for from the moment the rabbit arrives into the practice up to recovery and homecare. Special attention is given to reducing anxiety in rabbit patients as much as possible at every stage.
Topics covered in the booklet include: medications in rabbits generally used according to the UK prescribing cascade, preparing for rabbit anaesthesia in clinic, staff training, an overview of anaesthetic drugs, the induction process and important points of difference, monitoring and recovery and adjunctive treatments.
Richard Beckwith, country manager of Jurox said: "Rabbits are prey species and often become stressed in the veterinary practice environment which can have a negative impact during anaesthesia and post-anaesthesia. Our new Considerations for Anaesthetising Rabbits expert panel guidelines booklet will help address this and raise anaesthesia and analgesia standards in veterinary practices."
For more information, visit www.alfaxan.co.uk, contact Jurox customer services on info@jurox.co.uk or telephone 0800 500 3871.
The study, which was led by Robert Hyde MRCVS from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University of Nottingham, aims to create an automated diagnostic support tool for the diagnosis of herd level mastitis origin, an essential first step of the AHDB mastitis control plan.
Mastitis data from 1,000 herds’ was inputted for several three-month periods. Machine learning algorithms were used to classify herd mastitis origin and compared with expert diagnosis by a specialist vet.
The machine learning algorithms were able to achieve a classification accuracy of 98% for environmental vs contagious mastitis, and 78% accuracy was achieved for the classification of lactation vs dry period environmental mastitis when compared with expert veterinary diagnosis.
Robert said: “Mastitis is a huge problem for dairy farmers, both economically and in welfare terms. In our study we have shown that machine learning algorithms can accurately diagnose the origin of this condition on dairy farms. A diagnostic tool of this kind has great potential in the industry to tackle this condition and to assist veterinary clinicians in making a rapid diagnosis of mastitis origin at herd level in order to promptly implement control measures for an extremely damaging disease in terms of animal health, productivity, welfare and antimicrobial use."
Reference
To help practices make the most of the week, TVM is providing waiting room displays, client leaflets, social media packs and online information to help educate pet owners on the symptoms of poor eye health.
The company will also be holding an webinar for vets and nurses which will be published during the week.
Will Peel, Product Manager at TVM said: "Eye problems in pets are common and brachycephalic breeds are particularly prone to them due to a number of compounding factors.
"They commonly suffer from corneal ulcers and are nearly four times more likely to develop dry eye than other breeds, so Pet Eye Health Awareness Week is focused on helping pet owners understand the issues, identify eye problems early and seek veterinary advice quickly".
www.tvm-uk.com/eyehealth
Vetoquinol has just launched its Marbocyl 10% online case study competition in which veterinary surgeons are being invited to provide information about how they treat E.coli mastitis. Two winners (one in the UK and one in Ireland) will win a BCF EASI-SCAN cattle ultrasound scanner with goggles worth over £6000.
Vetoquinol's large animal product manager, Susan Mitchell said: "We hope that this case study competition will help us gather further information on how E.coli mastitis is treated by veterinary surgeons in the UK and Ireland. I would encourage large animal veterinary surgeons to be part of this UK and Irish survey to highlight the severity of the disease and share their success stories."
The competition will run until the end of October 2011.
For your chance to win a BCF EASI-SCAN and goggles visit http://www.vetoquinol.co.uk/.
The company says its Skinsights Learning Academies help support individuals and practices improve the healthcare outcomes for the 25% of dogs medicalised by skin problems in the UK.
A number of recognised industry professionals will be giving interactive, bite-sized talks at the events, including: Filippo De Bellis, Ian Wright, Jill Maddison, Sarah Warren, Rob Pope, Evelyn Maniski and Emily Robson as well as Zoetis veterinary and business consultants.
Zoetis says all the presentations will be highly practical, presented through case reviews, research, workshops and discussions. They will offer the latest information on game-changing therapeutics, best practice work-ups, effective protocols and insightful case-studies.
The sessions are limited to groups of 30 and Zoetis says places are expected to fill quickly.
To reserve your free place, visit: http://www.zoetis.co.uk/LVS2018
If you are unable to secure a seat in the theatre, headsets will be available on the day so you can listen to the lectures whilst on the stand.
The Livestock Adviser of the Year Award recognises those who have made a real difference to the operations of livestock farmers.
Julian focuses on dairy cow health and his particular interests include nutrition and benchmarking herd performance. Amongst other things, he has helped one large Dorset dairy farm reduce its antibiotic usage by two thirds over an eight year period.
Julian said: "I was honoured to be named Livestock Adviser of the Year. This work is my passion – I love working together with farmers, getting involved in all aspects of herd management and thinking through different options to improve herd health and productivity."
Runners up for the award were Phil Baynes, Managing Director of Baynes Nutrition, and Ed Hill, veterinary surgeon at Thrums Veterinary Group.
Friars Moor, Baynes Nutrition and Thrums Veterinary Group are all members of the XLVets community of independent veterinary practices.
Alice Renner, Farm Marketing Executive of XLVets, said: "We were so pleased to hear of these awards going to such hard-working and deserving people. And it’s a great accolade for our members – reflecting how XLVets practices strive for clinical excellence and really get invested in the success of their clients."
Bayer Animal Health has announced that its parasiticide - Advocate Spot-On Solution - is now licensed to be used weekly, and for a prolonged period of time, in severe cases of demodicosis in dogs.
According to the company, recent work carried out to obtain the new weekly indication shows a number of benefits of this increased application frequency for severely affected animals. Dogs treated on a weekly basis showed a greater reduction in mite numbers, fewer clinical signs, and improved hair regrowth and weight gain over the trial period, when compared to dogs treated monthly.
Advocate remains licensed for monthly use on mild to moderate presentations.
A spokesperson for the company said: "The new claim for the weekly use of Advocate should give veterinary surgeons a more effective route to go down when dealing with more severe cases, compared to monthly use. However, demodicosis is a complex condition which presents the practitioner with many challenges. So, from past experience with this condition, we would urge vets to be patient and also recognise the importance of treating any underlying disease process likely to exacerbate the situation."
Advocate Spot-on Solution has also been recently licensed for the prevention of Angiostrongylus vasorum, and the treatment of Crenosoma vulpis.
For further information, please contact your Bayer representative or the Bayer technical advice line on 0845 1305995.
Vethelpdirect.com, the website founded by VetSurgeon.org member, Susie Samuel MRCVS, has launched a new system called VetReviews which allows your clients publish a review of your service directly from your own website.
To use the system, you (or perhaps more likely your website person) embed a small form on your website, called a widget, as shown on this example: www.baytreevets.co.uk (bottom right hand side).
Clients then click the link in the widget to submit a review of your practice, or to read existing reviews.
To ensure fair play, each review is checked by a person who removes any spammy or malicious reviews, and looks for any signs of fraudulent multiple reviews being submitted by one person.
In the event of a negative review, the practice is given 5 days to respond before the review is published, which means the review isn't displayed without the practice's side of the story.
However, as Susie points out, a single negative review is not necessarily a bad thing; most people are able to put one bad review into context. Indeed, a small number of negative, or less positive reviews tends to make the glowing ones seem more credible.
VetReviews are optimised for inclusion in Google search results, which should also help your search engine visibility.
For more information about VetReviews (which is a free upgrade for existing customers), email: vets@vethelpdirect.com, or telephone 0845 4961 204.
The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has dismissed a case against a Kent veterinary surgeon convicted of tail-docking and also charged with misleadingly altering an owner's record relating to tail dockings.
At the outset of the four-day hearing, David Smith, of Lakeview Veterinary Centre, Deal, admitted he had been convicted of an offence of tail docking on 14 December 2010 at the Channel Magistrates Court.
He said that, in 2008, he had misinterpreted the legislation about tail docking and as a result had removed the tails of a litter of 13 Rottweiler puppies. He was subsequently convicted of illegal docking.
Mr Smith also accepted he had altered the owner's record, at the owner's request, when the RSPCA was investigating the circumstances of the docking by adding the words "for law enforcement", but maintained this alteration was to clarify the record to which he had initially added the words "for security selection"; he denied any attempt to mislead, or that he ought to have known it may mislead.
The Committee accepted that Mr Smith misinterpreted the legislation and had taken some steps to satisfy himself that the tail docking was legal, namely: he had asked an employee colleague to make enquires of the College and, as advised, he had downloaded a copy of the AWA 2006 to read and to make his own decision with regard to legality; some enquiry had been made by the practice of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) at Reigate; and, Mr Smith had himself researched dog breeds on the Kennel Club website.
The Committee also accepted that he had asked and been told that the client had previously supplied dogs to the police.
However, the Committee found that these steps were inadequate; in particular, he should have contacted the College and Defra himself and not delegated this to administrative staff. Furthermore, that he should have obtained confirmation of the advice given in writing.
Regarding the alteration of the owner's record, the Committee was satisfied that this annotation was added for clarification. The Committee was not satisfied that the addition 'for law enforcement' altered the meaning of what was already stated on this form, and found the wording confirmed Mr Smith's misapprehension at the time of the legality of the tail docking.
This charge, which alleged that the alteration had been carried out misleadingly, was dismissed.
The Committee also said that Mr Smith's reluctance to engage with the police and the RSPCA during their later investigation had been regrettable: as a professional he had had a duty to co-operate fully. However, it concluded that this had been "of little probative significance".
The Committee would like to make it clear that it is the responsibility of every practising veterinary surgeon to ensure that tail docking is legal in each and every instance before carrying out the procedure. If there is any doubt, then tail docking should not take place.
In deciding whether Mr Smith was fit to practise, the Committee took into account two previous RCVS Disciplinary Committee findings involving tail-docking.
It concluded these were significantly different. In the first case, the respondent knew that the tail docking he had carried out was illegal. On the contrary Mr Smith had misguidedly believed the docking he carried out was permitted.
In the second case there had been several charges, in addition to the charge of tail docking. In this case no charges other than those related to tail docking had been alleged against Mr Smith.
It further noted that no issues of clinical competence were raised, and that the dockings were undertaken less than 12 months after the new legislation came into force.
Speaking on behalf of the Committee, Vice-Chairman Beverley Cottrell, who chaired the hearing, said: "The Committee has expressed its disapproval about Mr Smith's failure to make adequate investigations of the College and of Defra, and his erroneous interpretation of the Act.
"In reaching its decision, the Committee has paid particular attention to issues of animal welfare, maintaining public confidence in the profession and the upholding of proper standards of conduct.
It has concluded that Mr Smith's conduct fell short of that to be expected of a veterinary surgeon but does not consider that it fell far short."
After directing that the case should be dismissed, Mrs Cottrell added: "The Committee would like to make it clear that it is the responsibility of every practising veterinary surgeon to ensure that tail docking is legal in each and every instance before carrying out the procedure. If there is any doubt, then tail docking should not take place."
Barrettine Environmental Health has launched MiteMax, a new treatment for poultry red mite (PRM) with a physical mode of action.
Charles Phillips from Barratine said: "PRM poses a significant threat to laying hens particularly, with infestation costing the UK egg industry in excess of an estimated €3 million per annum through PRM control and lost production. In the UK, PRM is prevalent in varying percentages according to the rearing system used. Caged birds are estimated to have a variable 7.5 to 87.5 % prevalence. Free range systems are estimated to have 60 % prevalence of PRM, with organic systems higher at 78 %. Less intensive systems have a greater prevalence of PRM due to the higher number of cracks and crevices associated with a more enriched environment1."
MiteMax is applied directly to a shed’s inner surfaces via knapsack sprayer, rendering the surfaces sticky and permanently immobilising red mites that come into contact with them.
According to the company, the new product - which is designed to fit into and encourage integrated pest management practices - provides rapid knock-down of poultry red mite.
Charles added: "The physical mode of action of MiteMax makes it effective against pesticide-resistant mites. MiteMax is specifically formulated to penetrate surface dust making it highly effective at reaching mites harbouring deep in crevices."
In conjunction with robust cleansing practices, Ian Whelan an expert in physical insect control techniques says MiteMax fits neatly into an integrated pest management style of husbandry: "Using treatments with different modes of action together as part of a flock health plan ensures each one fulfils its potential."
MiteMax is available nationwide from Barrettine Environmental Health's appointed distributors.
Generally, veterinary practices may remain open, but there are national variations in what services should be offered and how, including the conditions under which remote prescribing can be used to help support a case.
Wales currently has the tightest ‘firebreak’ restrictions, meaning practices can only provide essential and urgent work until midnight on 8 November 2020, thereafter, returning to usual operations in line with Wales’ standard measures around workplace safety.
England and Northern Ireland are under national restrictions (4 Nov – 2 Dec, and 16 Oct – 12 Nov, respectively), meaning practices can provide treatment essential for maintaining animal health and welfare, along with non-urgent work providing that social distancing measures and safe working can be maintained.
Veterinary surgeons practising in these three countries may also choose to support a case remotely at an earlier stage, for example, through the remote prescribing of POM-Vs without first having conducted a physical examination.
Scotland remains the only country under regional tiered restrictions, meaning practices can continue to provide treatment whilst maintaining social distancing; however, before remote prescribing is offered, veterinary surgeons should first consider whether the animal can be brought under their care.
The full guidance and corresponding flowcharts should be consulted together and are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/covidfaq2and www.rcvs.org.uk/covidfaq4.
The guide explains:
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/features/standards-and-advice-update-advice-published-on-amended
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/veterinary-medicines-guidance-notes-vmgns
The RSPCA reports that it has saved nearly 400 animals from flooding, including 40 fish, in the last 3 days alone.
The koi carp were rescued from a pond in Wraysbury, Berkshire, which was being overcome by rising floodwater.
Other rescues have included:
The charity says its flood rescue team has helped 586 animals affected by floods since Jan, with 386 of those in the last three days alone. Their efforts were praised by Labour leader Ed Milliband yesterday, who was at the scene with an RSPCA water rescue team in Wraysbury.
RSPCA flood rescue co-ordinator Jason Finch said: "The water rescue teams on the ground are doing an amazing job with limited resources. We will continue to do everything we can to help animals, and humans, during this difficult time and are so grateful for all the support our workers have received from the public."
Photograph courtesy RSPCA
The course is aimed at veterinary professionals across Europe who want to advance their knowledge and diagnostic skills, progress their academic qualifications and gain recognition in their field.
The GPAdvCert in Small Animal Medicine is for veterinary surgeons who have already completed a General Practitioner Certificate in Small Animal Medicine (GPCertSAM) or a Postgraduate Certificate (PgC) in Small Animal Medicine.
Accredited by the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ESVPS) and validated by Harper Adams University, the programme will be delivered in three, five-day blocks of training by globally recognised experts in three European training centres - Sheffield, UK; Porto, Portugal and Berlin, Germany. The programme includes a practical session in which delegates will perform an upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy under the guidance of their tutor.
David Babington MRCVS, Business Development Director of Improve International (pictured right), said: "Delegates attending our first GPAdvCert in Small Animal Medicine will enhance their skills and confidence in dealing with complex animal medicine cases. Each module will take their knowledge beyond Postgraduate Certificate level with more in-depth and advanced content covering topics as diverse as mycobacterial and ureteric disease. They will also learn how to design a detailed diagnostic plan and build an understanding of nuances in interpreting laboratory findings to enable them to manage cases requiring complex therapeutic management with confidence."
He added: "The qualification is a natural ‘next-step’ for veterinary surgeons wanting to further progress their knowledge of small animal internal medicine. It will help them to reduce the number of patients which are referred, retaining a higher level of income for their practice and will also provide them with skills which they can pass onto their team."
Improve says the successful achievement of the GPAdvCert will enable delegates to progress from a Postgraduate Certificate in Small Animal Medicine (or equivalent) to the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Practice Sciences in the UK, which is awarded by Harper Adams University. This can, in turn, be used towards the award of a Masters Degree (MSc) in Advanced Veterinary Practice Sciences.
RSPCA Chief Veterinary Officer, Caroline Allen, today praised the vets and nurses who are providing essential care to animals through the crisis.
She said: “This is an incredibly challenging time for the RSPCA, trying to advise the public and keeping emergency services going with fewer staff, strained resources and in line with Government advice.
"I know this is equally stressful and challenging for vet staff too and I wanted to say a huge thank you from everyone at the RSPCA for your hard work, dedication and support you are giving the RSPCA.
"Our call centre team and officer are working hard to maintain a frontline animal welfare service, but we know there may be occasions where we are unable to attend and this may impact demand on the local vet practice."
Current guidance from the BVA defines emergency and urgent treatment as:
Caroline continued: "There are some circumstances particular to the RSPCA, such as animals that have been subject to abuse or severe neglect, or injured/unwell unowned animals, that may not initially appear to be such an “emergency” in the traditional sense, but our officers will only be collecting them if there is considered to be ‘significant impact on health/welfare and likely to deteriorate if left unmanaged’ as covered by the BVA emergency criteria. We would greatly appreciate your support in ensuring we can protect the welfare of these animals.
"Our National Control Centre will also be following the guidance from the BVA and will be limiting, wherever possible, sending members of the public to vets. However, on occasions where there is a welfare need that would justify an essential journey, we will always ask members of the public to call practices first and follow their social distancing protocols.
"For vets who provide care for our shelters and private boarders we understand the support available will be limited, we will be producing further advice for our teams around options, including remote support.
"We do understand and appreciate the current restrictions being put in place by the BVA and we do understand the very serious strain on practices and teams at this time and we hope that we can continue to work together during this unprecedented time."
Certified B Corps are companies that meet exceptionally high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
The process examines a company’s full range of processes, from supply chain to charitable giving and employee benefits.
Other well-known names that have achieved B Corp status include Patagonia, The Body Shop, BrewDog, TOMS, Ben and Jerry’s and Innocent Drinks.
Dr Caroline Collins, from Pennard Vets, said: “We’re extremely proud to achieve B Corp status and there’s no doubt that it will be transformational for the business, in the same way that becoming an employment ownership trust has been.
"Being employee owned and socially minded is a huge draw for vets and nurses seeking a change in their career, who want to be part of an organisation where they can have a real say in the running of the practice and make a tangible difference to the environment.
“It also means that we can now make very long-term decisions, that could even take several decades to pay off, which would be very difficult to do in a traditional shareholder business, and that gives our team the authority to always do the right thing.”
Muriel joined Pennard Vets as an office junior on 7th January 1950, when she was 15 years old
She earned a weekly wage of £1 10 shillings, equivalent to £1.50 in today’s money.
Andy Green, a Director at Pennard Vets, said: “Few people in this country have achieved what Muriel has.
"Pennard Vets has been around for over 125 years and Muriel’s journey with us has encompassed a staggering 70 years of that, making her one of only a handful of people in the UK who have completed 70 years with a single employer.
“Muriel is ever-present, reliable, caring, dependable and she makes the best biscuits around.
"She started work at our Sevenoaks practice as a 16-year-old in 1950, when it was just as likely a client would be bringing in a sheep, goat or horse as a dog or cat, and we used loose boxes outside for examinations, treatments isolation and even post-mortems.
“During the subsequent 70 years she was part of the growth in the practice from a single site to multiple sites.
"She was also fantastic at embracing the latest technology as the practice went from handwritten ledgers, double entry bookkeeping and dealing with the terribly difficult to decipher handwritten notes of the vets, to digitalisation, computers, online systems, email, mobile phones and a host of other technological advances.
“Throughout the years her role changed dramatically, and she learned new skills, adapted, and moved with the times, demonstrating our core values of continuous improvement, client focus, compassion and clarity every step of the way.
“When Muriel retired in 2020, sadly lockdown rules denied us the chance for a proper celebration, so we are very pleased to have been able to celebrate together with such a fabulous party.”
Muriel said: “When I started at Pennard Vets, the practice cared for large animals including horses, sheep and cattle on the local farms, but we also had some more unusual clients.
"A special highlight was fielding telephone calls from former Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, who lived at Chartwell country house, near Westerham, in Kent and employed the practice to look after the health of the black swans living on the estate’s lake.
“Two of the biggest changes I saw during my seven decades at the practice were the business giving up farm work to focus on small animal work as dogs and cats became a bigger part of our families, and the transition from my handwritten notes in ledgers to modern computer systems, but I have always embraced change and enjoyed learning new skills.
"I miss everyone at Pennard Vets but will keep in touch and keep baking for them!”
In the Horiba-sponsored webinar, Kit will draw on personal experience and case study examples to illustrate how the innovative use of adjunctive tests can support rapid clinical decision-making when triaging patients.
For example, Kit will consider whether inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A can be used to assess if current signs are likely associated with inflammatory diseases, such as pancreatitis, or whether further investigation is required to determine cause of illness.
Kit will also consider the case of Ollie a 10-year-old German shorthaired pointer presenting as vaguely unwell with reduced appetite.
Is this just a flare-up of his chronic osteoarthritis and likely to respond to pain relief and anti-inflammatory treatment, or something else?
Attendees will be able to questions in a live Q&A session at the end of the webinar.
Horiba's team will also be on hand to answer questions on in-house diagnostics.
For free registration, visit: https://bit.ly/3wGADcm
From 1st March vets can sign up to be alerted to all recorded equine influenza cases in the UK, thanks to a new service from the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and Merial Animal Health.
Tell Tail is the UK's first equine influenza (EI) text alert service exclusively for equine vets, set up to provide practices and their clients with what could be invaluable information in the face of a potential outbreak.
Dr Emma Batson from Merial said: "Vets will be notified of an EI outbreak within 48 hours of confirmed diagnosis. Not only will this allow them to alert their clients, but we believe that it will also help to encourage horse owners to become more compliant with vaccination schedules.
"Currently it is estimated that only a third of the UK horse population is vaccinated for EI. This situation is not only a potential welfare issue, but it also provides practices with a significant opportunity to increase the number of horses protected against EI, resulting in a win-win situation for all."
Dr Richard Newton, Head of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance at the AHT, believes the text alert service will also help improve awareness and knowledge of EI, and he hopes all equine vets will sign up for the scheme. He said: "We believe that the launch of the alert service for vets marks an important step in the quest to help minimise the risk of an EI outbreak in the UK.
"EI doesn't have a carrier state, which means that it never goes away and re-emerges, instead it circulates continuously. So without continued surveillance we could easily lose track of it.
"We hope that as well as allowing practices to track and respond to outbreaks in their area, the alerts will also encourage vets to send in samples from animals with cold and flu-like symptoms. This is a free service which in turn provides us with more information to circulate within the industry, allowing everyone to be more effective at managing the disease.
"Vaccination is our best defence against EI, but to remain effective the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Expert Surveillance Panel, needs to make any update recommendations based on the latest position in the field. And this information can only be gathered via effective surveillance."
Dr Batson agrees and hopes that the combination of the Tell Tail text alert service and surveillance scheme will help to reduce the risk of an outbreak occurring in the UK. She said: "In the UK we continue to see regular confirmed outbreaks of EI, so we can never afford to become complacent about the risks.
"You only have to look at the relatively recent major outbreaks in Australia, South Africa, India and China, to see the devastating effects which can ripple throughout equine industries, both in financial as well as welfare terms."
Tell Tail is a free service. To register your interest, text your name, practice and postcode to 07797 801863. Alternatively, visit http://www.merial.com/ and click on the Tell Tail link, or speak to your Merial territory manager.
The RCVS has released the results of a survey which has found that increasing numbers of graduates over the last five years have had little impact on veterinary job prospects.
The survey was carried out for the RCVS by the Institute for Employment Studies, which asked the last five years' UK graduates who have registered with the College how long it took them to find work, how long they stayed in their first jobs, and why they moved on.
The online survey, which achieved a 43% response rate (1,354 responders), found that an average of 94% of graduates seeking a role in clinical practice obtained work within six months of starting to look.
The actual figure ranged from a high of 96% in 2008 to a low of 92% in 2010, and did not change significantly over the five years under consideration, despite UK graduate numbers increasing by around a quarter during the same period (from 650 in 2007, to 819 in 2012). Meanwhile, the College has registered an average of 618 overseas graduates annually during this time.
The survey did show that it was taking graduates slightly longer to secure their posts, with a shift from 85% securing work under three months in 2008, to 71% in 2012.
The results seem to suggest some small differences in the time taken for men and women to find their first jobs, with men finding jobs slightly quicker, although the vast majority of both genders found veterinary work.
Jacqui Molyneux, RCVS President said: "After the announcement from the University of Surrey that it will be opening a new vet school in the near future, there was a great deal of discussion amongst the profession about how easily new graduates could find employment. I undertook to get some real facts and am pleased to find that the picture is not as gloomy as predicted.
However, Jacqui said she was concerned that there has been a slight increase in the proportion of respondents who left their first position after a relatively short period of time. Amongst 2012 graduates, over 40% of those who had left their first position did so within three months of starting work. However it must be stressed that only 18% of those answering the survey who graduated in 2012 had already left their first position. Jacqui said: "Although the turn-over in first jobs seems to be, in part, due to an increase in temporary posts, I am saddened to see that the most commonly-cited reason for graduates leaving their first job was lack of support from their employers or professional colleagues.
"This is an area that we, as a profession, must address. As I have told all the students I have admitted to the College, their first jobs will influence their whole careers, and getting adequate support is probably the single most important factor. Meanwhile, it is heartening to see that nearly all of those moving on have obtained further employment."
Although the survey was sent to all those UK graduates who had registered with the RCVS within the last five years, the contact details for those who had subsequently de-registered may not have been up to date, which may mean that those who had de-registered because they could not find work were not well represented. However, the College says it thinks it is more likely that these individuals would have switched to the 'non-practising' category.
A summary of the headline survey results will be available at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications. The full findings, which also looked at the time taken to complete the Professional Development Phase and the type and location of work sought, will be available in due course.