The Blue Cross is asking veterinary surgeons to donate any unwanted, saleable items to help the charity raise funds to care for homeless, abandoned, sick and injured pets.

All donations of unwanted clothes, books or bric-a-brac are sent for sale in one of the charity's 55 charity shops around the UK.

Working in partnership with National Veterinary Services (NVS), empty donation bags are given to veterinary practices to fill with goods for NVS to collect and deliver to the charity. The partnership with NVS began in 2011 and so far over 60,000 bags have been collected, with an estimated value of over £1m.

Mark Corbett, Head of Retail at Blue Cross said: "We are extremely grateful to NVS, the vet practices taking part in the scheme and their clients. Although the donated items may be unwanted possessions to some, each bag generates about £20 of income for us. This means the scheme has so far provided an incredible amount of income towards helping the pets in our care.

Blue Cross receives no government funding, so relies on public donations to continue its vital work. 

Veterinary practices that receive their stock and drugs from NVS but are not yet part of The Blue Cross donation scheme can sign up now by contacting their NVS representative or email trading@bluecross.org.uk.

Medivet Veterinary Partnership has announced the acquisition of a two-branch practice in Bedfordshire, Ridgeway Veterinary Centre, Flitwick, and Kempston Veterinary Clinic, Bedford, belonging to John Wakely, BVetMed MRCVS.

Current practice vets, John Wakely and Leo Weindrich, as well as all the nursing and reception staff, will remain at the practices. John said: "We are very pleased to be joining the Medivet Group. We will be able to offer our clients a wider range of services and expertise, as well as pass on price reductions for some services, which being part of a larger group enables us to do."

"On a practical level, our clients won't notice much difference. Our staff will remain the same and I will still be their main vet. On a professional level, because the day-to-day administration will be handled by the Medivet head office, I am looking forward to spending more time being a vet. It will give me the time to acquire more expertise in the areas I have always been interested in."

Medivet partner John Smithers said: "John Wakely's practices enjoy an excellent reputation. They will remain local veterinary practices, based, as they always have been, on the high standards of care and strong relationships the staff have developed with their patients and clients over many years. Becoming part of a group will give the practices access to additional skills, facilities and support of staff at other local branches."

This acquisition brings the total number of practices Medivet owns in Bedfordshire to four, the others situated in Biggleswade and Sandy, and brings the total number of practices in the Medivet group to 80.

The University of Bristol's Langford Veterinary Services (LVS) has announced the completion of its new clinical facilities.

The first phase of the £13 million development includes a new small animal surgery building, comprising five theatres, an ICU, a dedicated anaesthesia induction and recovery and an imaging suite.

The imaging suite comprises a 16-slice CT scanner, for small animals and horses, conventional digital radiography with a DR system, a high-resolution fluoroscopy, diagnostic ultrasound, echocardiography, scintigraphy and a high resolution 1.5 tesla MRI scanner available seven days a week.

Lynne Hill, Chief Executive of LVS, said: "The new facility provides state-of-the art diagnostic imaging facilities at all times, to help the animals under our care."

LVS highlights the case of Gainsborough, an eight-year-old Irish draught gelding, to illustrate the benefits of its new facilities. The horse, used for jumping and endurance, was initially presented to the Equine Hospital in October 2010, with clinical signs including nasal airflow obstruction and discharge, which was limiting his athletic capabilities.

Using videoendoscopy and radiography, a space-occupying mass was diagnosed in the paranasal sinuses impinging into the nasal cavity. With the horse conscious, but sedated, using regional local anaesthetic nerve blocks, the bulk of the mass was removed and he returned to work. However, the owner reported a recurrence of the clinical signs and he was returned to the clinic for reassessment.

The new imaging suite, only one of a few such units in the UK, has been adapted to enable the imaging of a horse's head while conscious using a frictionless air plinth. The adaptation allows detailed imaging of both bone and soft tissue structures within a horse's head, without requiring a general anaesthetic.

Using the new imaging suite, Gainsborough's CT examination revealed a portion of the mass, which had been inaccessible to the previous keyhole surgery, had expanded into the nasal cavity. The detail of the images enabled careful planning of a second operation that facilitated removal of the large remnant of the mass, which appeared to be benign, with minimal collateral trauma.

In addition to imaging the heads of conscious horses, dogs and cats are able to undergo complete body scans using the same unit while anaesthetised. As well as enabling detection and diagnosis of lesions without invasive or painful tests at an earlier stage, the unit will facilitate operative planning and add to the body of knowledge of disease pathogenesis.

For more information about LVS, visit: http://www.langfordvets.co.uk/

Researchers in the US have shown it is possible to detect skin conditions in dogs using canine activity trackers. 

The research was carried out by the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology, Holland Management Services, Zoetis and the Pet Insight Project team at Kinship (part of Mars Petcare).

For the study, researchers recorded pet scratching activity use Whistle canine activity trackers. They then compared that information with the visual observations of 358 pet owners who graded the severity of their pet’s scratching activity on a scale from 0, which represents a normal dog (“itching is not a problem for my dog”) to 100, corresponding to extreme itching (“itching disrupts my dog’s sleep, eating, play and exercise”). 

The researchers found that measurements of scratching severity determined by the Whistle activity tracker corresponded to the owner’s overall impression of the pet’s pruritus, or itch, level. As scratching severity increased, as measured by the Whistle device, owner’s assessment scores significantly increased as well (P < 0.01).

Aletha Carson DVM, Data and Clinical Studies Senior Manager for Kinship said: “Pet owners can overlook the subtle changes in behaviour that may be a warning sign for an underlying issue and are often too late to recognise their beloved companion is suffering.

“This new method of analysing pet behaviours provides pet owners with an ‘always-on’ monitor that may be helpful in keeping their dogs healthy and happy.

“It may also prove to be quite useful for veterinarians who need an objective way to gauge a pet’s response to prescribed therapies used to reduce inflammation and scratching without requiring time-intensive monitoring from the owner.” 

Details of the research were shared at the European Veterinary Dermatology Congress on September 17, 2021.

Andy Trevan, a veterinary surgeon at the Gayton Veterinary Group in Redhill, has won the VetSurgeon.org prize draw to win an Apple iPad.

The draw was held to raise awareness in the profession of the growing community on VetSurgeon.org, and all UK-based veterinary surgeons that joined the site before 1st November 2010 were entered.

VetSurgeon.org welcomed nearly 600 new members to the site whilst the draw was open, bringing the site to just shy of 6000 members.

Congratulations to Andy - the shiny new toy will be winging its way over in the next few days.

Hill's is holding the Top Dog Challenge: a race to see which vet school can mobilise the largest number of students to support the school's nomination as 'Top Dog' before May, for a prize of €10,000 to support student activities.

Voting is already open at www.hillstopdog.com. Once the preliminary round votes are counted the top five colleges will be selected to go through to the next round for final judging at the Southern European Veterinary Conference (SEVC) 2011 in Barcelona at the end of September. One nominated student from each of the participating vet schools will get the chance to enjoy an expenses paid trip to SEVC to act as a student ambassador and one lucky winner will collect the prize on behalf of their school.

Every vote makes a difference and students who want to remind their colleagues to vote can send them a SMS text message direct from the site. A really determined, committed and well organised student body can make all the difference and ensure their college has a place on the winner's podium.

Last year's winner the Hebrew University of Jerusalem won with in excess of 95 per cent of their students voting, so winning presents quite a challenge. But this is the first time UK vet schools have taken part and they could upset the apple cart.

Adrian Pratt, Veterinary Affairs Manager is looking forwards to seeing how students at UK vet schools rise to the challenge. He said: "We really have excellent vet schools in this country and it would be great to see the students demonstrating how UK students can perform on the European stage and the passion and loyalty they have for their own school!"

The RCVS has announced that it has joined forces with the Doctors’ Support Network (DSN) to launch the ‘&me’ campaign which aims to tackle mental health stigma in the health professions by encouraging prominent members to speak out about their own experiences.

The campaign was officially launched at an event at the Palace of Westminster sponsored by Kevan Jones MP (Labour, North Durham) who has spoken about his own experiences with depression, and featured first-hand testimonials from senior veterinary surgeons and doctors who have experienced mental ill-health.

‘&me’ is a collaboration between the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative, which seeks to address mental health and wellbeing issues within the veterinary profession, and the Doctors’ Support Network, which provides peer support for doctors and medical students with mental health concerns.

Introducing the campaign, Mr Jones said: "The key message I have today in regards to mental health is talking about it and trying to get it out of the dark corners rather than it being something you are ashamed to talk about. That is how we get people to help themselves with their own condition and to seek help. The other key thing is not to write people off if they have a mental illness."

The floor was then opened to personal stories from those who have lived experience of mental ill-health. Dr Louise Freeman is Vice-Chair of the Doctors’ Support Network and was diagnosed with depression in 2009 as a result of the way in which her return to work was handled after having time off work as an emergency medicine consultant following a bereavement.

She said: "This experience made me think that doctors with mental health problems were in a small minority and that it was probably our own fault anyway. Both impressions are completely wrong. The incidence of mental health problems is one in four people in any one year and is actually higher for doctors, who are often slower to seek help than non-medics. The good news is that well supported doctors have excellent treatment outcomes.

"During my own return to work, I was told by my clinical lead that they had 'always thought that I was a mental health problem waiting to happen.' I think this says more about them than it did about me! On reflection, yes that was true, but only inasmuch as this applies to all of us during our lives.

"I hope that the ‘&me’ campaign can start to address this by encouraging senior healthcare professionals, who are currently well, but have experienced mental health problems, to disclose that they have 'been there themselves'. I think that this will help to normalise mental ill health for healthcare professionals and therefore remove some of the barriers to unwell professionals seeking help at an earlier stage. Overall this would be better for healthcare professionals, their colleagues and their patients."

David Bartram, Director of Outcomes Research for the international operations of the largest global animal health company and a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' governing Council, spoke next. He gave his perspective on coming to terms with a mental health condition in a profession that has some stigma attached to it.

A number of years ago David attempted suicide following the breakup of his marriage and explains what happened from there: "I just thought I was stressed – after all, who wouldn’t be in those circumstances? But in fact I was becoming progressively more unwell. What started as worry, early waking and palpitations – which I recognised – led to patterns of thinking which I did not recognise as being disordered. I felt trapped and worthless – suicide was the only escape. From a medical perspective, my biological, social and psychological risk factors had converged and tipped me into major depression.

"That was the first of multiple suicide attempts and several prolonged stays in hospital. Over a three-year period I spent 12 months as a psychiatric inpatient. I was treated with antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilisers, talking therapies and electroconvulsive therapy.

"But now thankfully I am well – and I have been for 14 years…. To what do I attribute my recovery? A mixture of medical treatment, psychological therapies, supportive friends and family, rest and time – they all contributed, probably in similar measure." 

He added that while his episode of mental ill-health does not define him it has changed him in a positive way and that no one is immune from it.

Dr Jonathan Richardson is Group Medical Director for Community Services at the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust who had a mental health condition when he was a medical student and spoke about how it is possible to flourish in your career with a mental health diagnosis.

"I was unwell as a teenager with a physical illness and later as a medical student with a mental illness… these two experiences crystallised my drive to become a doctor and my own approach to healthcare. I wanted to be able to deliver the care that I was fortunate to receive. I wanted to be as patient-centred and compassionate with the patients I would serve, in the same way as the teams who delivered my care. I was lucky to have support when I was unwell from very good friends, some from school and some from university; and a very close family. I have been able to recover.

"It is 24 years since my mental illness. I now work in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest mental and learning disability health trusts in England – and one of only two to be rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission…. I do not feel that my illnesses have stopped me."

Dr Angelika Luehrs is the chair of the Doctors’ Support Network and a consultant psychiatrist who was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder while she was a trainee psychiatrist. She said: “When I asked for advice about how to access help one of the answer I got was one of ‘whatever you do, make sure that you don't have any mental illness in your medical records otherwise you will never go anywhere in your medical career. However, getting the diagnosis and help from a Consultant Psychiatrist was the best thing that ever happened.”

She added: "The reality is that my diagnosis has not stopped me – I have been a consultant psychiatrist since 2010 with the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, last year I was appointed as medical lead for West Wiltshire including early intervention, intensive services and primary care liaison services.  I have a special interest in supporting doctors with mental illness and I am delighted to be appointed by the newly launched GP Health Service as a special advisor for complex mental health cases."

The last speaker was veterinary surgeon Neil Smith who chairs the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative and outlined how to participate in the campaign. He said: "This event is just the start… the real challenge is to start to get this message out to the wider professions. Stigma is a difficult thing to tackle, but the good news is that changing our minds is within the power of every individual to do." 

Following the launch the ‘&me’ campaign is now encouraging other senior health professionals to step forward and talk about their own experiences with mental ill-health, especially as both medical doctors and veterinary surgeons have higher suicide rates than the general population but often have more reluctance to seek help because of the impact it may have on their career.

The campaign is interested in hearing from not only doctors and veterinary surgeons but also nurses, veterinary nurses, dentists, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals who want to open up about their experiences of mental ill-health. To participate in the campaign email Dr Louise Freeman on vicechair@dsn.org.uk.

Further information about the ‘&me’ campaign can be found at www.vetmindmatters.org/&me

Dragon's Den star Jenny Campbell has been confirmed as the first of the keynote speakers for BSAVA Virtual Congress taking place from the 25th-27th March 2021.

Before becoming a dragon, Jenny worked in banking for 30 years and will be sharing her experiences as an entrepreneur and business leader. She became CEO of cash machine company Hanco, bought out the business, turned it around and sold it for £50 million.

Jenny is supportive of the move to host BSAVA Congress online. She said: “Veterinary communities, like other professions, have seen the value that online technologies can offer, both for networking and socials, as well as essential CPD. We should all embrace these changes and look at the value that they can bring.”

The Congress programme is currently being finalised and the organisers say the emphasis is on ensuring the experience is an interactive as possible for each delegate. It will deliver more than 100 hours of CPD, delivered by globally recognised speakers. 

BSAVA Congress 2021 Programme Committee Chair Andy Green said: ‘Whether a virtual or a live event our entire programme is proudly created by the profession, for the profession and we are committed to providing unrivalled education, with topical, clinically relevant and evidence-based content.”

There'll be a virtual commercial exhibition, where delegates will be able to chat with exhibitors from the comfort of their home or consult room. There will also be the ability to network with others in the profession, in face-to-face chat rooms.
 
Professor Ian Ramsey, President of the BSAVA said: “BSAVA Congress 2021 is going to be one of the most innovative in the history of our events.

"While the pandemic circumstances we continue to find ourselves in are far from ideal, we must continue to evolve and progress as a profession. BSAVA Congress is a unique highlight in our calendar for next year and it is shaping up to be a truly memorable event."

For further information and to register your interest click here: https://www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2021/en/page/home

Horiba Medical - UK has launched MLT-Diode Laser Systems, specifically designed for veterinary use, as part of its portfolio of animal healthcare products.

According to the company, the MLT-Diode Lasers are highly versatile and can be used in a variety of veterinary applications including surgery, endoscopy, dentistry and irradiation.

The two models, the MLT-Diode Laser Classic and Premium, both feature touch screen controls and are adaptable to each users individual preferences. Designed with small animal practices in mind, the Classic has a performance out-put of 8 watts whilst the more powerful Premium model is for equine medicine with an output of 15 watts. The system is mounted on a mobile cart with a protection case, allowing the whole system to be moved between treatment rooms and enabling near patient application.

Horiba Medical will be exhibiting the MLT-Diode Laser Systems at the London Vet Show at Olympia, 22^nd to 23^rd October 2010, on Stand M4.

Bayer Animal Health has launched Back to Basics, a new guide to antibiotic use which focuses on the concerns raised by vets and vet students about antibiotics in a survey carried out by the company.

465 vets and 40 students took part in the survey in March 2014. Of these:

• 61% of vets said that they prescribe an antibiotic product every day that they have patient contact.
• 52% of vets and 64% of vet students were unable to name, unprompted, even one specific drug licensed for use in cats and dogs from each of the major classes of antibiotics.
• 63% of vets said that they would like to better understand how antibiotics work and when to prescribe them. 
• 50% admitted they would like to feel more confident in using a wider range of antibiotics appropriately in their patients.
• 81% of vets confirmed that the topic of antibiotic resistance is something that concerns them for the future.
• 87% said that they felt a responsibility to do what they can to help reduce it. 
• Only 42% of vets said the topic of antibiotic resistance is something that frequently factors into their clinical decisions.
• Only 14% said they would feel confident discussing with a peer how likely it is that a specific antibiotic will contribute to resistance.

27% of vets admitted that they struggle to know which antibiotic is the most appropriate for a specific condition. This uncertainty was particularly the case if the patient is un-responsive to the vet's first choice antibiotic, or the condition develops to require a new or additional antibiotic choice. Bayer says it is also clear that many vets may not be aware that pradofloxacin is the least likely of the veterinary fluoroquinolones to select for antibiotic resistance,² as 23% of vet students and 9% of vets said they believe that all antibiotics carry the same risk of selecting for resistance.

The company says Back to Basics is designed to fill the gaps in knowledge identified by the survey. It presents each of the major classes of veterinary antibiotic and details how they work. It also includes an antibiotics 'jargon buster' to help vets and vet students better understand the commonly used measures of antibiotic activity and make more informed decisions about the use of antibiotics in practice.

Bayer has also developed an online self-assessment quiz that allows vets and students to check their knowledge. The quiz and the guide are both available at www.veraflox.co.uk

References

• Bayer Animal Health survey of 465 practising UK vets and 40 students in clinical years. March 2014.
• Wetzstein, HG. Comparative mutant prevention concentrations of pradofloxacin and other veterinary fluoroquinolones indicate differing potentials in preventing selection of resistance. Antimicrob Agents Chemother.2005;49(10):4166-4173 .

A study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP), has found the AccuTell Portable Blood Glucose Monitor (PBGM) to be more accurate and useful in a clinical setting than the AlphaTrak2.

For the study “Comparative accuracy of two veterinary-calibrated point-of-care glucometres for measurement of blood glucose concentration in dogs” blood was sampled from client and staff-owned dogs above 6 months of age, of various breeds and health status.

The samples were then used to compare the accuracy of both PGBMs against a reference method - the hexokinase reaction method.

The authors say this was the first study to investigate AccuTell and the first published evidence comparing AlphaTrak2 with a reference method.

The study also sought to determine how useful the monitors are in clinical decision making and to assess the effect that packed cell volume (PCV) (known to affect the reliability of blood glucose concentration measurement in dogs) has on blood glucose concentration using the two PBGMs.

AccuTell was found to be more accurate and useful in a clinical setting than AlphaTrak2.

Both PBGMs were inaccurate in comparison with the hexokinase reaction method, and although they have potential for standard clinical use, unexpected blood glucose concentrations need to be checked by the hexokinase reaction method.

In addition, measurement of blood glucose concentration by the AlphaTrak2 was affected by PCV whereas measurement by the AccuTell was not.

Nicola Di Girolamo, Editor of JSAP said: “We oftentimes think that an instrument that is developed specifically for our patients will provide satisfactorily results on most occasions.

"Instead, studies such as the one presented here, are critical to understand whether the ‘numbers’ provided by an instrument are reliable for clinical use.

"The authors provided 95% limits of agreements to their results.

"This value is of great help for clinicians, since it shows the difference expected between the instrument and the reference standard in the majority of occasions.” 

The study can be read online here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jsap.13491 

Reference

1. Wolfenden, G, James, FE, Hung, LHT, Bruce, M, and Thompson, M (2022) Comparative accuracy of two veterinary-calibrated point-of-care glucometres for measurement of blood glucose concentration in dogs Journal of Small Animal Practice, Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jsap.13491

The RCVS has launched a new digital learning platform, with free-to-access interactive CPD-qualifying courses for veterinary professionals.

Called the RCVS Academy, the new platform offers training in the following areas:

• Leadership and coaching
• Working in the UK
• Ownership and consent
• Resolving complaints
• CPD recording and reflecting

The College says the content has been developed in partnership with members of the profession to make sure it meets the needs of the veterinary team, including new graduates and registrants, and those who have been in the profession for many years.

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS Chief Executive, said: “As part of our ambition to be a compassionate regulator, we would like to ensure that all veterinary professionals have access to learning resources that will help them meet the standards set by their peers on RCVS Council.

"We’re aware of the pressures that veterinary professions are facing and the Academy has been built to respond to changing learning needs.

“The learning resources available on the platform have been designed to help vet teams develop their understanding of the RCVS professional guidelines and also how they can apply them in their everyday role. "

https://academy.rcvs.org.uk/

BEVA has launched Back in the Saddle, a six-month coaching programme to support vets who are either returning to work or who want to change tack in some way.

The programme is for vets who are more than five years qualified, and thus not eligible for BEVA’s Leg Up coaching. 

It has been developed in response to numerous BEVA members reporting periods of feeling lost or adrift in their career as life progresses after graduation, particularly following a career break. 

The programme is led by a team of individuals who have experienced the challenges of working in equine practice and have all undergone extensive coaching training.

It takes the form of group sessions where participants can discuss, learn and share knowledge in a workshop style environment.

Lucy Grieve, Veterinary Projects Officer at BEVA said: “Back in the Saddle provides a safe, supportive and encouraging environment to help individuals understand what it is they want from their career, following a break, for example for parental leave or injury.

"By reflecting on their career achievements, learnt skills and professional needs, in the context of their life as it is now, it enables them to prioritise appropriately, create achievable goals, and find their place in the profession again.

“Our coaches are professionally trained, friendly and empathetic, and the nature of group coaching means peer support opens up to all involved.

"This helps counter feelings of isolation and self-doubt and enables a sense of purpose and confidence to return and develop further.” 

The first Back in the Saddle programme starts on 11 June 2024 – applications are now open and will close on 17 May 2024.

https://form.asana.com/?k=5BoRR89NDXQ_CAsWZ-g-HQ&d=11947487954206