Vetoquinol has released the second set of results from a survey of over 1000 dog owners which the company says has revealed some surprising findings on owner attitudes to pain and pain relieving medications.¹

In particular, Vetoquinol says it thinks veterinary surgeons will be surprised by the depth of feeling expressed by pet owners about the issue, and that there are areas where there is potential for the profession to relate to the concerns of clients and adapt communication accordingly.

The key findings highlight that dog owners are likely to be shocked by a diagnosis of long term painful illness in their pet and are very likely to search for further information on the Internet about the pet's condition. Most dog owners think that NSAIDs are likely to cause side effects, with the perceived risk being much greater than the actual level of risk. The results also indicate that even low levels of risk of side effects may be unacceptable to dog owners.

• In common with many other surveys, most dog owners (68%) felt their dog was a member of the family and another 22% said their dog was their best friend.
• 73% of people selected the word 'devastated' to most accurately describe their feelings if their dog was diagnosed with a potentially painful long-term illness.

Mark Leddy, Marketing Manager at Vétoquinol said that the strength of the bond between pet and owner should always be front of mind: "A diagnosis of osteoarthritis, for instance, is such a common one, often being made several times a day, so it is easy to become matter of fact about it; yet for the client that news may actually be quite traumatic and the impact hugely underestimated."

• Asked to rate pain, dog owners perceived the most painful condition to be a broken leg.
• On a 0 to 10 scale, with 10 being most painful, 57% rated pain due to chronic arthritis in old age as 8 or above and 36% rated post-neutering pain as an 8 or above.
• Fewer people rated pain due to arthritis in a young dog as 8 or above (51%). Vetoquinol says this suggests that owners might not be good at identifying pain levels in individual animals.

Where clients get their information from is important:

• 98% said they would use the Internet to get information about their dogs' illnesses and medication, whilst 67% said they would do this every time they had a concern. Vetoquinol notes that this means there is greater scope for misinformation.

The majority of respondents (95%) felt that treatment of osteoarthritis should be started as soon as signs appear and then long term, either consistently or as needed. However, despite recognising the need for treatment, many expressed concerns about side effects when giving their dog long-term medication, with 77% considering it important or very important to choose a medication with a limited range of side effects. 

• 48% of those polled felt that NSAIDs were good treatments with a risk of side effects
• 15% rated them more positively as good, effective treatments
• 2% claimed they would object to or resist their vet's recommendation to treat with NSAIDs.
• Only 1% felt that pain controlling medications would never cause side effects, with most respondents claiming side effects were most likely to be seen sometimes (67%) or often (19%).

Vetoquinol says the reality is that one in a thousand pets given an NSAID is likely to experience side effects, which vets may feel is not something owners should worry about unduly. The reality for pet owners is that they perceive the risk to be much greater and if informed of the actual level of risk may still experience a significant level of fear that their pet, with whom they have a special relationship, could be that one in a thousand.

Mark Leddy says that, based on these results, there is great scope for the veterinary team to discuss the level and type of risk entailed in administering medication: "Such an approach will help pet owners make more informed decisions about treatment, allay their concerns and provide them with the support they need at what is probably a very difficult time for them."

^1. A survey of 1048 dog owners, carried out by petbuzz, on behalf of Vétoquinol, March 2011

Zoetis has launched a new training programme for veterinary practices which explores every aspect of the 'client journey' - from 'pre-owner' to 'Lost' - and explains how to deliver an outstanding client experience.

The Client Experience Development Programme is divided into nine training modules which vary in length from one to five and a half hours. The whole programme can be completed in two days under the guidance of a Zoetis business consultant.

The programme breaks down each element of the client journey, from attracting new pet owners into the practice and making the right impact on new customers, to keeping long-term customers loyal.

Nick Steele, national consulting manager at Zoetis, said: "We believe that calling a practice's pet owners clients or customers is a misnomer. They are consumers because they not only purchase a practice's products and services but they also experience them and the consumer's interpretation of their experience can really affect the brand. What's more, the reality of today's information-rich environment is that consumers can experience a practice without the practice even knowing about it.

"Google have coined the term 'Zero moment of truth', which alludes to all the different points of contact a consumer can have with a product or service before physically experiencing it. The average shopper uses 10.7 different sources of information before making a decision on what product or service to use.¹ This means they may have disregarded a practice before the practice knew the consumer even existed."

The concept of the client experience is introduced with some interesting statistics which emphasise its importance. For instance, a typical business hears from only 4% of its dissatisfied customers, 96% just go away and 91% will never come back². What's more, a dissatisfied customer will tell 9-15 people about it and approximately 13% will tell more than 20 people about their problem.³

Drawing on concepts like 'The Fred Factor', which focuses on four key principles of customer care, the training programme explains how every employee can make the difference from the moment clients arrive.

Nick added: "Consumers are all powerful to veterinary practices so it is essential that the client experience is an exceptional one. Our business consultants have been trained to deliver the Client Development Programme to all types of veterinary practice to ensure that they attract as many clients to the practice as possible and keep those clients happy once they are there."

For more information about Business Consulting from Zoetis telephone 0845 519 4977 or contact your account manager.

References

1. Google zero moment of truth research 2011
2. 'Understanding Customers' by Ruby Newell-Legner
3. The White House Office of Consumer Affairs, Washington DC

Hertfordshire-based Davies Veterinary Specialists has expanded its oncology service with the appointment of American Specialist in Veterinary Oncology, Sarah Benjamin.

This brings the total number of oncology specialists to four, within a service comprising 12 oncology professionals.

After getting her bachelor’s degree in biology from Duke University, Sarah (pictured right) enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, from which she graduated summa cum laude (with highest honours) in 2017.

Sarah stayed on at Penn to complete an internship in small animal medicine and surgery followed by a residency in medical oncology.

She became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2021 and joined the team at Davies in October 2021.

Sarah said: “I joined Davies for the opportunity to collaborate with specialists spanning all aspects of veterinary medicine.

“This allows me to provide the best care for my patients and contribute to the future of veterinary medicine.

"It is a privilege to work with so many kind, motivated and intelligent individuals that share these same goals.”

From 2 April - 2 May, National Pet Month will be encouraging people to get happy and healthy spending time with their pets, with its theme of 'Happiness is... time with your pet'.

Organisers say that during the month, thousands of people will be celebrating happy times with their pets at hundreds of events up and down the country. While many of these events will raise funds for local animal charities, National Pet Month is not just about fund raising. It is also all about raising awareness of how pets make people's lives happier and healthier, and how they can repay the pets they love by looking after them responsibly.

Veterinary practices can get involved in National Pet Month, and show what they have to offer clients and potential clients. Details of how to join in and become a supporter are on the website http://www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk/.

Last year's National Pet Month was apparently the most successful to date, with a record number of 1200 events and nearly £80,000 raised for at least 30 animal charities. 

The 2010 overall best National Pet Month event was held by St Boniface Vets in Crediton, Devon. They participated by visiting local nursery and primary schools teaching children about pet health, and specifically raising awareness of exotic animals as pets. Phil Sketchley, Chairman of NPM said: "The 14 excellent educational visits that St Boniface made to local schools and nurseries were inspirational. They were a fantastic example of the partnerships that can be forged between practices and the community during National Pet Month."

He added: "School visits are one great way for practices to get involved - but there are many more. Our top veterinary practice 2010 event, for example, was held by Mill House Vets in Kings Lynn, and which focussed on educating owners on caring for older pets. National Pet Month is an opportunity to help your clients learn more about responsible pet care so they can enjoy their pets for many years to come."

Ceva Animal Health has donated £3,000 to the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies (Edinburgh University) to help fund a student-led project on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Allison Henry, product manager at Ceva Animal Health, said: "We have a very good relationship with the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies and it was an easy decision for us to support its students with this donation. Antimicrobial resistance is a very hot topic for human and animal health and as a manufacturer we have a duty to contribute as much as we can. Students are the next generation of veterinary surgeons and if we can educate them about antimicrobial resistance early on it will have a long term positive effect ensuring these products are used as rationally as possible and only when necessary."

Dr Tim Nuttall, head of dermatology at the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, added: "We are very grateful to Ceva Animal Health for its generous support of our student research projects into antimicrobial resistance. These give our veterinary students an immensely valuable insight into the problems of antimicrobial resistance and helps them find novel approaches to counter this threat. This will not only benefit their careers but will also be of great value to vets, animals and owners throughout the world."

Ceva's efforts to support practices in their efforts to use antibiotics responsibly have continued in 2017 with the launch of GRAM (Guidance for the Rational use of AntiMicrobials), a guide on the rational use of antimicrobials in dogs and cats.

For more information on GRAM and sustainable antibiotic use, contact your local Ceva Animal Health territory manager.

Animal Health has today launched a free news alert service to help people keep in touch with the latest developments on notifiable animal disease.

The service is targeted mainly at the farming community, although it is available to everyone. By registering, subscribers will receive alerts on up to five notifiable animal diseases – foot and mouth disease, bluetongue, avian influenza, Newcastle disease and classical swine fever. Subscribers can choose to receive alerts via a voicemail on a landline telephone or mobile telephone, via text, fax or email.

To sign up online to the Animal Health Subscription Service visit the Animal Health website at www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth.

To sign up by telephone dial 0844 884 9888 and follow the press button instructions.

The Badger Trust's legal challenge to Defra's plans for targeted badger cull pilots has failed in the High Court on all three grounds.

Whilst the RSPCA has expressed its disappointment, the British Veterinary Association and British Cattle Veterinary Association have welcomed the judgement.

BVA President Carl Padgett said: "We are pleased that the High Court has ruled Defra's policy lawful and that the pilot badger culls can now go ahead.

"The BVA and BCVA believe that the government's approach has been robust and justifiable as it is based on our current scientific knowledge.

"Bovine TB is a devastating disease and we must tackle the disease in wildlife alongside cattle controls if we are to get on top of it."

David Bowles, the RSPCA's Director of Communications, said: "We are bitterly disappointed that the UK Government in England is ploughing on with plans to kill badgers but the fight is not over yet.

"We believe culling is not a long-term, sustainable solution and will be of little help in reducing the disease - perhaps even making things worse in some areas. It will wipe out huge numbers of this much-loved species, virtually eliminating badgers from these areas, including many animals which are healthy.

"It is not as if there aren't alternatives to a cull. Vaccination could be a more effective and sustainable way of dealing with the disease, and one which does not involve killing most of the badger population in very large areas of the countryside."

The RCVS is seeking nominations for its 2014 Honours and Awards Round, and wants to hear about any individuals, of whatever age or experience, who have made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

The annual Honours scheme comprises two distinct and prestigious types of award: Honorary Fellowships for RCVS-registered veterinary surgeons and Honorary Associateships for non-veterinary surgeons. Both sets of awards are presented each year at RCVS Day - the College's AGM and award ceremony in London.

The College says it is keen for the Fellowship nominations net to be cast as widely as possible in order to offer recognition of veterinary achievements not only in more traditional fields like academia and clinical practice, but also in science, education, industry and politics.

In addition, Honorary Fellowship nominees no longer need to have been an RCVS member for 30 years, meaning that younger veterinary surgeons who have gone significantly above and beyond the call of duty will also be eligible for consideration.

Honorary Associateships are intended to celebrate the achievements of those who have contributed to the health and welfare of animals by working in fields related to the veterinary profession, and could be from a similarly wide range of backgrounds, for example, veterinary nurses, scientists, lecturers, farriers, charity workers, farmers, conservationists or those in industry and commerce.

Nick Stace, RCVS Chief Executive, said: "At my first RCVS Day this summer, I was hugely impressed with the calibre of candidates who received our awards, and delighted we were able to formally mark their achievements. The veterinary profession has a lot of talented people who deserve to be recognised for the contribution they have made, whether in science and academia, or in politics and clinical practice. Everyone knows someone who is worthy of this kind of recognition and I urge you to take the next step and nominate them for an award."

There are no restrictions on who can make a nomination, although the closing deadline is 13 September 2013. Full details on how to make a nomination are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/honours.

MSD Animal Health has launched Porcilis Lawsonia, the first intramuscular pig vaccine to control Lawsonia intracellularis, the bacteria which causes Ileitis.

MSD says Lawsonia intracellularis is found on many finishing farms throughout the UK, and can affect weight gains, feed conversion ratios (FCR) and lead to increased mortality. 

The new vaccine means that if piglets are vaccinated at three weeks, they will be protected against the bacteria from seven weeks. 

Rubén Del Pozo Sacristán, technical manager for pigs at MSD Animal Health, said "Lawsonia intracellularis is present on most UK farms and can hamper a farm’s true potential as it spreads rapidly in faeces and on people or rodents, but symptoms can be hard to identify, as they’re often similar to many other diseases.

"Acute forms are often noticeable with symptoms such as diarrhoea or an increase in mortality, but the subclinical form, which is most common, can be hard to identify. Diarrhoea is not always present and often indicators are an increase in FCR and a reduction in weight gain leading to variation in pig performance, but this is similar to many other health issues.

"Administering an intramuscular vaccination will ensure every animal receives the correct dose, compared to other administrative routes. Porcilis Lawsonia can help reduce the clinical signs, production losses and mortality caused by Ileitis."

For more information on Porcilis Lawsonia, refer to the SPC sheet.

The Blue Cross and National Veterinary Services (NVS) are celebrating the success of a new initiative to generate additional saleable items for the charity, with the help of vet practices across the UK.  

Earlier this year, The Blue Cross teamed up with NVS to launch a campaign to sign up vet practices who use NVS services to encourage their staff and clients to donate bags of unwanted clothes and bric-a-brac for the charity to sell and raise funds. This week saw the arrival of the 5,000^th bag of donated items arrive at The Blue Cross warehouse

Jonathan Chambers Blue Cross spokesperson said: "We are extremely grateful to NVS, the vet practices taking part in the scheme and their clients. We are overwhelmed at the response so far and looking forward to receiving many more bags of goods in the future. 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 amazing £100,000 worth of income towards helping sick and homeless animals in the care of The Blue Cross."

Caitrina Harrison, Sales & Marketing Director for NVS said: "We are delighted to be supporting The Blue Cross with this worthwhile initiative. We have an experienced and flexible logistics team, who have been able to help with the delivery and collection of the clothing bags throughout the UK.  We have had excellent feedback from many veterinary practices who have got involved and the requests for clothing bags keep coming in."

Veterinary practices who receive their stock and drugs from NVS that are not yet part of The Blue Cross donation scheme can sign up now by contacting julie.godwin@nvs-ltd.co.uk or Jonathan Chambers at The Blue Cross: trading@bluecross.org.uk.

The Dogs Trust has officially launched the Free Microchipping Through Vets Campaign through which all owners can get their dog microchipped free of charge through participating veterinary practices.

Microchipping becomes compulsory for all dogs in England in April 2016 and Wales in March 2015, and with 20% of dogs in the UK still unchipped, the charity says it thinks demand for the procedure is likely to be significant over the coming year.

1500 practices have already joined the year-long campaign, as part of which they will be given free microchips in exchange for implanting them at no cost to the owner. The charity says it hopes that up to 75% of the UK's 3075 practices will have joined the campaign within the next few weeks.

Clarissa Baldwin, Chief Executive of Dogs Trust, said: "We are delighted about the proposed new legislation and see it as the start of a very positive movement. From April 2016 in England and March 2015 in Wales it will be compulsory for each and every dog to be microchipped on first change of hands which represents a significant step forward for dog welfare and responsible dog ownership. To show its support for the implementation of this legislation, Dogs Trust is teaming up with vets to make sure that all dog owners can have the procedure done for free. We'd like to say a huge thank you to the vet practices already supporting the campaign and urge others to come on board. An essential element to the success of microchipping is for dog owners to take responsibility for updating their details with the database should their circumstances change.

"Last year 111,986 stray and abandoned dogs were picked up by Local Authorities across the UK, with only 40% reunited with their owners. This initiative will help to reduce that number dramatically."

To join the campaign vet practices should contact Dogs Trust at campaigns@dogstrust.org.uk

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Trust's Adopt-A-Book campaign has raised almost £17k in sponsorship to pay for the restoration of books in the historical collection.  

The latest book to be restored under the scheme is a nineteenth century edition of Every man his own farrier, by F. Clater, which has been restored thanks to veterinary surgeon Fiona Dalzell.

Fiona said: "I have always loved books, and especially old books, but I got inspired by the Adopt-a-Book scheme when I came to the RCVS for a meeting of the Veterinary History  Society".

These editions, she says, are "works of art in their own right," and it has given her a "huge amount of pleasure to know that you can do so much just from a small donation." 

RCVS Trust Director Cherry Bushell explained the idea behind a campaign: "When you think of 'adoption', you may more readily recall the rescue animals treated in veterinary practices than old books. However, these old books also need your help - and are an important part of the veterinary heritage that the Trust seeks to preserve."

Restoring a book can cost between £25 and £250, and adopted books carry a book-plate naming their benefactor. They can also be dedicated 'in memoriam'.

Since its inception six years ago, the Adopt-a-Book campaign has raised £16, 851, and funded the restoration of 139 volumes:

Those interested in supporting this work by adopting a book can view available titles at www.rcvs.org.uk/adoptabook or contact Clare Boulton, RCVS Trust Librarian (c.boulton@rcvstrust.org.uk or 020 7202 0752).