Zoetis, formerly Pfizer Animal Health, has launched Flexi4, a nutritional supplement for horses containing a patented combination of natural plant extracts designed to help maintain joint flexibility and the management of joint pain.

Flexi4 contains a blend of four plant extracts, Curcumin, Yucca schidigera, Salix alba and Boswellia serrata, which the company says have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic and analgesic properties as follows:

• Curcumin, an extract from the roots of the herb Curcuma longa, has been shown to down-regulate inflammatory pathways and inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines.¹ It has also been shown to reduce the release of GAGs from the cartilage matrix.²
• Yucca schidigera is a botanical extract containing saponins that suppress the intestinal protozoa, which are thought to have a role in joint inflammation in some circumstances.³ The extract also contains antioxidant polyphenols, which inhibit the enzymes of the arachidonic acid cascade, thereby reducing the production of inflammatory mediators.⁴
• Salix alba is an extract of white willow bark containing salicin, polyphenols and flavonoids. These are reported to have a positive effect on chrondrocyte viability, differentiation and function⁵ as well as anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic and analgesic properties.⁶
• Boswellia serrata is the botanical extract of gum resin. Its role is to inhibit the pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators which initiate the inflammatory process⁷ and produce anti-inflammatory activity at sites of chronic inflammation.⁸

Mary King, Olympic three day eventing team silver medallist, said: "When performing at the highest level it's important that my horses' joints remain flexible and free of pain. Using Flexi4 has made them more resilient to aches and pains during intense training and I am confident when competing that my horses are feeling the benefit of this natural product, helping them to perform at their very best."

Flexi4 is an apple-flavoured gel that is fed as a once daily supplement. It doesn't contain any substances listed as prohibited by the FEI.* For more information, contact your Zoetis Account Manager, call 0845 300 8034 or email customersupportuk@zoetis.com.

References

1. Jurenka JS, AlternMed Rev. 2009 Jun.
2. Clutterbuck 2009.
   
3. Cheeke et al. Journal of Inflammation 2006.
   
4. Wenzig et al. Agric Food Chem. 2008.
   
5. Shakibaei 2012 Evidence-based Complementary and alternative Medicine volume 2012, article ID 509383.
6. Nahrstedt et al. Wien Med Wochenschr. 2007.
   
7. Gayathri et al. Int Immunopharmacol. 2007 Apr.
8. Siddiqui, Indian J Pharm Sci. 2011 May-Jun.

*FEI prohibited substance list, 2013

A recent survey of nurses attending Hill's nurse roadshows has identified that just over 20 per cent of nurses pay for their own CPD. Although no claims have been made regarding how representative the sample is of the general nursing population, the survey by Hill's Pet Nutrition mirrors the results of a recent RVCS survey.

Adrian Pratt, Veterinary Affairs Manager at Hill's said: "It comes as no great surprise to find that nurses are so dedicated to doing a good job that they will even fund their learning themselves and it's great that round 80 per cent are having their CPD paid for. It is a little depressing to find that some of the practices they work in are unable to support nurses in their efforts, perhaps because of the economic situation. We launched our Veterinary Nutrition Academy with the aim of offering easy to access CPD, free or at very low cost. Practice members can register free and I'd really encourage practice principals and practice managers to take a look at www.myhillspet.com/vna to see how much is available for negligible or very little expenditure. The credit crunch is affecting lots of people and practices but if we can use any down time available to improve skills and knowledge, that has got to be a healthy response."

Bonny Millar, President of the BVNA said: "Some employers may still be unaware that CPD is now compulsory for the RVN but a recent RCVS ‘Survey of the Veterinary Nursing Profession 2008', found that qualified VNs were not finding it difficult to meet the required 45 hours of CPD over 3 years. Those who took part in the survey said that they averaged just over 3 days in the last 12 months, with 84% of those surveyed saying all or most was paid for by the employer. As there is no obligation for the employer to pay for CPD, it is good to know that so many are doing so but it is also important that nurses can demonstrate that any newly gained knowledge will be used to provide a better service to their patients and practice."

This was a view echoed by Sarah Hibbert, President of VPMA: "It would seem logical that relevant CPD which has a benefit to both the practice and individual should be considered in a structured fashion and in light of these findings it would be appropriate for practices revisit their CPD policies to ensure they are fair and reasonable to all parties concerned."

The Hill's survey also showed that just under 30 per cent of nurses have their own CPD allowance provided by the practice. This suggests that about half of the nurses in the UK are to a large extent basing their CPD on self-directed learning. One of the champions of self-directed learning, Malcolm Knowles, defines it as a process ‘... in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes.'

According to Adrian this could signal a positive step forwards, "On one hand self directed learners have been shown to be more proactive about learning, more motivated and more likely to retain and use what they do learn. However, there is a danger that a practice could be left with gaps in knowledge or skills unless there is some active intervention in the form of a review or guidance regarding the individual's particular training needs, those of the practice team as a whole and the appropriateness of individual courses. Those practices that allocate training allowances are to be congratulated on being forward thinking but it is worth remembering that conferring a training allowance does not involve abrogating responsibility for providing support, guidance and encouragement. We have taken care to introduce incentives for completion of Hill's VNA courses, not because we think that nurses need to be motivated by extrinsic rewards but because we should celebrate those who work hard to become better nurses."

New research from the USA, published in the Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ), has shown that a toxin from the box elder tree is the likely cause of Seasonal Pasture Myopathy (SPM), the US equivalent of the European disease known as Atypical Myopathy (AM).

According to the British Equine Veterinary Association, preliminary comparisons of these results with cases of AM in Europe suggest that the European condition may be linked to similar trees which could have an important bearing on the future prevention of the disease in Europe.

Seasonal Pasture Myopathy is a highly fatal muscle disease in Midwestern USA and Eastern Canada. A similar disorder called Atypical Myopathy is becoming increasingly frequent in the UK and Northern Europe. Outbreaks of both diseases tend to be seasonal, with most cases occurring in the autumn. Horses that develop SPM and AM are usually kept in sparse pastures with an accumulation of dead leaves dead wood and trees in or around the pasture and are often not fed any supplementary hay or feed.

The research¹ identified that seeds from box elder trees were consistently present in the autumn pastures of all 12 horses enrolled in the study. These horses were from 11 different farms and had all presented with the clinical signs of SPM, which include muscular weakness and stiffness, dark urine, periods of recumbency, colic-like signs and muscle trembling. The toxic amino acid hypoglycin A, which is known to cause acquired multiple acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD) was shown to be present in the box elder seeds and hypoglycin metabolites were identified in the serum or urine of all the horses. All but one of the cases proved fatal.

Professor Valberg DVM PhD of the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, who instigated the study, said: "The fact that another acquired form of MADD in rats and humans is caused by hypoglycin A ingestion strengthens our conclusion that hypoglycin A is the likely toxic cause of SPM in horses. We are intending to conduct further studies to determine the factors that affect the highly variable hypoglycin A concentrations in box elder seeds."

Professor Valberg has established collaborative links with groups in Europe in order to investigate if a similar toxin is involved in European Atypical Myopathy. Working with Professor Vince Gerber and Dr Lucia Unger at the University of Bern, Professor Valberg has obtained seeds from a tree related to the Box Elder found on many pastures where Atypical Myopathy has occurred.

Professor Celia Marr, Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal said: "This is a really important step forwards. We don't yet know for sure that the cause of European disease, Atypical Myopathy, is the same as Seasonal Pasture Myopathy in the US. But the clinical signs and MADD aberrations are identical and both conditions have a high fatality rate. It remains to be seen whether this research will help European horses, but there is no doubt that it will allow American horse owners to prevent this devastating condition affecting their horses with immediate effect."

¹ Seasonal Pasture Myopathy/Atypical Myopathy in North America associated with Ingestion of Hypoglycin A within Seeds of the Box Elder Tree Stephanie J Valberg DVM PhD¹, Beatrice T Sponseller Dr. med. vet², Adrian D Hegeman PhD³, Jennifer Earing PhD, Jeffery B. Bender DVM MS¹, Krishona L Martinson PhD⁴, Steven E Patterson PhD⁵, Lawrence Sweetman PhD¹

The ‘Midgeater' device introduced by Calor in 2003 to combat biting midges causing irritation to humans, has now been successfully tested by leading scientists as a monitoring device in the fight against bluetongue.

Leading midge scientist Dr Alison Blackwell, who is the Managing Director of University of Edinburgh based Advanced Pest Solutions, presented her company's findings in her keynote speech to the Royal Entomological Society in Belfast on November 19th.

The current method of trapping midges when monitoring the deadly bluetongue virus is a light trap, but Alison and her team have established that a modified Midgeater can be more effective in catching the main midge species that carry the virus.

Alison said: "During trials this year, we found that Calor fuelled Midgeater traps modified with a simple ‘black' light source and fitted with an octenol / ammonia bait, proved to be far more effective at catching the main species of midge known to carry the bluetongue virus than the light traps which are currently used to monitor midge populations in relation to the disease".

Farmers throughout the UK recently commenced a vaccination programme to protect their animals from the only strain of the bluetongue virus that has so far been encountered in the UK, serotype 8, but there is still a real need to carefully monitor biting midge populations, as other strains of the virus are approaching our shores.

Alison added: "In the last few weeks serotype 1 and serotype 6 have been found in Northern Europe and there are currently no vaccines available in the UK for these types of the bluetongue virus, so it is important that we remain vigilant and monitor midges throughout the UK".  

Advanced Pest Solutions have tested their modified Midgeater traps in England and Wales. The English, project which was carried out at a specialist bull breeding facility, also included the use of the Barrfly air curtain, from fellow Scottish business Innovent.

Alison explained: "Innovent's air curtain is designed to prevent midges passing through it into sensitive areas. The insects simply aren't strong enough to fly through the air currents it produces.

"The air curtain, combined with the Calor supplied traps and APS's consultancy and analysis creates a comprehensive ‘assess, protect and stop', midge management system that businesses can use to reduce the exposure to the risks of midge borne diseases."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The BSAVA has opened registration for its 2021 Congress, which is to be held online next year, from 25th –27th March.

The event will deliver more than 130 hours of CPD, including a programme of five simultaneous live streams each day. Delegates will also have opportunities to network and socialise - with peers, colleagues and experts in chat rooms and breakout sessions, and with industry partners - such as event sponsor Hill’s Pet Nutrition - in the online exhibition hall.

Live content will be delivered via 24 content modules and a library of 100 on-demand webinars will support the 80 hours of live programming. Scientific content will be available on the platform for 30 days and then available to attendees via the BSAVA library.

For the first time nursing, clinical and business topics will be blended into modules from which delegates can select the content they need.

Professor Ian Ramsey, President of the BSAVA, said: "On the clinical side, we’re covering everything from chronic pain and neurology to cardiology and orthopaedics – whatever your interests, there will be something for you."

“Most sessions in the live programme will feature two speakers, each delivering short presentations followed by a live, audience-led conversation. This new approach means delegates can explore the multi-faceted disciplines of the small animal veterinary world and see the clinical challenges from different points of view and, most importantly, join in.

“Pre-recorded webinars support the live programme, enabling delegates to dip in at their leisure. We’ve also swapped traditional lengthy notes or MCQs, with practical resources such as client handouts or flowcharts for delegates to take back to their clinics”.

Congress will also be covering an update on sustainability issues through the module titled, ‘can the profession go green?’ On the practical business front, recruitment and retention will be discussed and keynote speaker Jenny Campbell, a former Dragon on BBC’s Dragon’s Den, will be sharing her experiences as an entrepreneur and business leader.

BSAVA Congress prices start at £99 +VAT. To register, visit www.bsavaevents.com

The Disciplinary Committee (DC) of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons last week issued a reprimand to a veterinary surgeon for reckless certification of an equine passport, having found her to have been "wholly indifferent" as to whether the horse had been vaccinated properly against equine influenza.

Eleri Wyn Jones graduated from the University of Liverpool and qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 2006, before joining The Veterinary Practice on Bala Road in Dolgellau, Gwynedd, where she was also an authorised Local Veterinary Inspector (LVI). The principal of that practice is Iwan Parry, who himself was the subject of a DC hearing involving false certification earlier this year, for which he received a one-month suspension from the Register.

The Committee heard how, in late 2007, as Ms Jones was leaving the practice to begin her rounds, she was asked by a non-veterinary colleague to certify in a horse passport that two vaccinations for equine influenza had been administered. The horse in question was being liveried by a regular client of the practice, to whom the practice regularly dispensed veterinary vaccines (although Ms Jones was unaware of this), but had been recently purchased by someone who was not a registered client.

In evidence, Ms Jones admitted the certification process took her only 30 seconds and that she did not obtain any further information about the certification, either from clinical or non-clinical colleagues; nor did she check any other documentation before signing the passport, but assumed the vaccinations had been administered by a veterinary colleague. The Committee had to decide whether Ms Jones had acted recklessly, and to do so, Ms Jones' Counsel suggested the Committee would need to be satisfied that she "did not care less" whether or not the vaccinations had been given by a veterinary surgeon before signing the passport.

In reaching its decision, the Committee took into account the fact Ms Jones, on her own evidence, was generally familiar with RCVS guidance on certification and, as an authorised Local Veterinary Inspector, had certification training. It stated: "Whilst we recognise that Ms Jones received little or no mentoring from Mr Parry, we are satisfied that she would have been aware of the importance of veterinary certification. She was also aware that Mr Parry had been suspended as an LVI, due to certification issues, which had affected her own authorisation."

In view of these facts, and that Ms Jones made no attempt to obtain verification from any other source despite knowing she had not performed the vaccinations herself, the Committee decided that Ms Jones had been "wholly indifferent" to proper vaccination procedures and was therefore guilty of disgraceful professional conduct for reckless certification.

In reaching its decision on sanction, the Committee wished to remind members that cases involving improper certification would ordinarily result in suspension or removal from the Register. "We strongly disapprove of the circumstances in which Ms Jones certified this horse.

Clients, and external bodies, are entitled to rely upon the integrity of the veterinary surgeon in not certifying that horses have been vaccinated unless they have carried out the vaccinations themselves or have obtained full and proper evidence that vaccination has been carried out by another veterinary surgeon," it said.

In mitigation, however, the Committee took into account Ms Jones' age and inexperience, her previously good record, her good character and the significant number of supporting references from colleagues and clients alike. It was also mindful that any sanction's main purpose was to protect animal welfare and maintain public confidence in the profession, rather than to punish.

Nigel Swayne, chairing the Committee, concluded: "This is not a case where undertakings for training or monitoring are required. This isolated incident was a fateful misjudgement on a single occasion. We consider that the sanction most proportionate to the nature and extent of the charge, the public interest and the interests of Ms Jones is a reprimand."

BCF Technology will be offering a new imaging service at this year's BSAVA Congress.

The company is inviting delegates to have a comical caricature drawn on the first floor concourse area of the BSAVA exhibition hall, and then visit the BCF stands - 514 & 516 to collect a frame and hang it in your practice when you get back.

Kimberly Palgrave, BCF's new in-house vet (pictured right) said: "We wanted to do something new and innovative to support BSAVA this year, we are a veterinary imaging company and the caricatures at BSAVA are an innovative form of imaging. Come and talk to us about learning more about ultrasound and X-ray and see some of our new equipment such as the very affordable Vita CR X-ray system."

For more information about BCF at BSAVA visit http://www.bcftechnology.com/ or follow BCF at www.facebook.com/bcftechnology

Officers and senior staff of the leading veterinary and nursing bodies have published an open letter to colleagues decrying the use of "derogatory and offensive language" directed against them in online social media and forums.

The letter, which was coordinated by BVA President Daniella Dos Santos, reads as follows:

"We are a mixture of volunteers and paid professionals, who give our time to lead and support the veterinary professions, and we are extremely honoured to be able to do so.

But we are increasingly concerned about the tone of some of the debates that are taking place in the veterinary world, particularly by the disparaging and demeaning language used against us or our colleagues.

As leaders in the professions, representing various different organisations, we absolutely expect to receive criticism and challenge of the work we do. But the right to criticise and challenge does not extend to the right to personally attack us as individuals.

Some of the most useful and informative discussions we have are those where our views and actions are questioned with dignity and respect. But the use of derogatory and offensive language to describe or refer to us as individuals is simply not acceptable.

Personal attacks and vilification could also make tomorrow’s leaders think twice before putting their name forward for such roles and subjecting themselves to such treatment by their peers. We might never know what a loss this could be for the future direction and advancement of our professions.

This behaviour is particularly prevalent in online forums, where closed groups and computer screens seem to embolden members of our professions to use language that is wholly inappropriate and which falls far short of the expectations of professionals. As we have seen in the national political arena, we also note with concern that it is often our female colleagues, and those from minorities, who face the worst of it.

We welcome challenge and debate. But please remember that it is possible to disagree with a person or organisation without resorting to personal attacks. Before posting online, please consider how this may be interpreted by the recipient.

Our professions are rightly focused on mental health and wellbeing, and the work of the Mind Matters Initiative and Vetlife are excellent examples of what is being done in this area.

#BeKind extends to those in leadership positions too."

List of signatories by organisation: Katie Roberts: AVS President, David Charles: AVS Senior Vice President, Izzie Arthur: AVS Junior Vice President, Susan Paterson: BSAVA President, Phil Lhermette: BSAVA Senior Vice President, Ian Ramsey: BSAVA Vice President, Sheldon Middleton: BSAVA Junior Vice President, David Godfrey: BSAVA Hon Treasurer, Carl Gorman: BSAVA Hon Secretary, Amanda Stranack: BSAVA CEO, Daniella Dos Santos: BVA President, Simon Doherty: BVA Senior Vice President, James Russell: BVA Junior Vice President, Kathleen Robertson: BVA Scottish Branch President, Ifan Lloyd: BVA Welsh Branch President, Susan Cunningham: BVA Northern Ireland Branch President, David Calpin: BVA CEO, Jo Hinde: BVNA President, Wendy Nevis: BVNA Senior Vice President, Jo Oakden: BVNA Junior Vice President, Peter Kettlewell: BVZS President, Liz Mullineaux: BVZS Junior Vice President, Niall Connell: RCVS President, Amanda Boag: RCVS Senior Vice President, Mandisa Greene: RCVS Junior Vice President, Kit Sturgess: RCVS Treasurer, Lizzie Lockett: RCVS CEO, Anna Judson: SPVS President, Cat Curtis: SPVS Senior Vice President, Nick Lloyd: SPVS Junior Vice President, Nichola Watson: SPVS CEO, Richard Casey: VMG President, Gillian A Page: VMG Senior Vice President, Georgina Hills: VMG Junior Vice President, Miles Russell: VMG Finance Director

The BVA was not prepared to name and shame specific instances of derogatory language being used, or the specific social media websites that are implicated. However, Daniella said: "Online veterinary forums can be a fantastic place for us to share ideas or concerns and support one another but they can also have a darker side. I’ve become increasingly aware of people using forums and other social media to attack and criticise individuals who I know are working hard for our profession.

"I’ve personally been on the receiving end of it, being described as foul, lacking in integrity, incompetent, unsuitable to lead, rotten, idiot, shameful, corrupt or a token. But I know colleagues who have faced far worse and enough is enough.

"It’s high time we collectively speak up and I’m incredibly grateful to those who have co-signed this open letter to our colleagues. Every single vet or vet nurse who volunteers or works as an officer or committee member within the veterinary sphere and all of our lay colleagues work hard on behalf of our professions.

"Our key message is that the mantra to #BeKind, that is so prevalent in our veterinary community, extends to those in leadership positions too.”

COMMENT
What a can of worms. VetSurgeon.org and VetNurse.co.uk have certainly had their fair share of robust discussions over the years, but I don't believe Daniella has ever been on the receiving end, or that women or minorities have ever been discriminated against, or that the language used has stooped as low or personal as 'foul'.

Indeed, I have always encouraged members to treat each other with respect and to be mindful of the fact that the written word, devoid of the nuances of facial expression, can appear far starker than intended.

However, as a moderator, I can tell you it is very, very hard to draw the line between something that is personal and something which is fair criticism but which will be taken personally.

Therein lies the problem, because almost any criticism written online is likely to be taken personally. If you write that I am doing my job poorly, or making bad decisions, believe me, I will take it very personally. 

But is it not entirely right and proper that those in who sit in positions of authority, making decisions which affect the lives or wallets of those who elect them, should expect criticism?

In fact, is there not something a bit worrying about Daniella saying she is aware of people using social media to criticise individuals? Is she arguing that social media should NOT be used to criticise those in authority?

To my mind, there's also something slightly pleading about those in authority asking everyone to "be kind". Why on earth should people be kind when they disagree, sometimes profoundly, with decisions that affect their lives? Wouldn't it be better to entreat everyone to #bepolite?

Either way, it is hard not to feel enormous sympathy for those who enter into public life these days, subject as they are to some pretty vile stuff online.

I think Sir Tim Berners-Lee hit the nail on the head in the Dimbleby lecture last year when he said that greater accountability is needed online. VetSurgeon.org has already started moving in that direction in order to improve the provenance of clinical information and opinions shared online, requiring now that experts share full details of their experience and qualifications alongside their posts. 

Maybe the time has come to demand the same standards of accountability when it comes to criticising those in positions of authority. In other words, if you're going to do it, you must show your real name and display a photograph of yourself alongside your post.

What do you think? Have your say here: https://www.vetsurgeon.org/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/28912/be-kind-to-veterinary-leaders

Dr Ranjit 'Ranj' Singh has been confirmed as a keynote speaker for BSAVA Virtual Congress, 25-27 March 2021.  

The NHS doctor, television presenter, author and columnist will be sharing his insights on the mental health challenges of working within a caring profession under the constraints of the pandemic.

Dr Ranj is the second keynote speaker to be confirmed, the first being Jenny Campbell and the third to be revealed next month. They will be joining a line-up of more than 100 UK and International contributors during the three days of the event.

Dr Ranj is familiar with the intense pressure that many veterinary professionals are facing when juggling working in a sometimes emotionally stressful environment with that of home life. When the pandemic started Dr Ranj took a step back from media work to focus on supporting the NHS in his role as a paediatric emergency medicine specialist. He said: "Maintaining wellbeing is all about doing the basics right.

“We are in a pandemic and people are under intense pressure - from work, from home life, from a health perspective and so much more. So, despite everything going on around you, make sure you have a routine every day.

"Get out and about safely.  Build some physical activity into your schedule. Nourish your body with everything it needs, and make sure you allow yourself some treats too! Take a moment for yourself every day to do something that makes you feel good.

"Take time to connect with others safely and check in on the vulnerable too. Celebrate the little victories and achievements that you have. And at the end of the day, make sure you look after your sleep because that's when your brain and body recover from the stresses of everyday. Everything else we do is a bonus on top of those basics. And if you are struggling, make sure you reach out for help and speak to someone."

BSAVA President Ian Ramsey said: "We are delighted to welcome Dr Ranj as one of our three keynote speakers this year. One of the many advantages of Congress evolving into a virtual event for 2021 is that we can be more flexible and creative with our sessions and how we fulfil the needs and expectations of every member of the practice, from clinical, interactive, wellbeing and social perspectives. Our three keynote presentations are eagerly anticipated.”

Prices for BSAVA Virtual Congress start at £99 +VAT for members. To register visit https://www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2021/en/page/home

Veterinary marketing and public relations agency, Companion Consultancy has launched Companion Design Studio to provide veterinary businesses with all forms of graphic, video and digital design, including magazines, logos, leaflets, posters, websites, emailers, photography, filming, podcasts, and animations.

Companion Consultancy Director Susan Mackay, herself a veterinary surgeon, started Companion Consultancy in 2002.

She said: “We added a design team to the agency two years ago and it’s been fantastic to have this resource available in-house.

"In the digital space people increasingly consume their content as images and sound as much as the written word and it has become key to delivering communication projects that really work.”

VetSurgeon.org editor Arlo Guthrie said: "I couldn't agree with Susan more.

"As a news editor, I get a barrage of press releases every day.

"Those with powerful photos or video that will stand out on all the different social media platforms get prioritised.

"Those that have poor images, or none at all tend to get ignored." 

Susan added: “For complex projects we can have one or more of our vets working alongside the designer to get all the technical nuances exactly right.

"Infographics for instance are a great way to overcome language barriers but explaining the complexities of how vaccines work in pictures needs veterinary input and our designers then come up with visual ways to represent those concepts so we can work through those together.

"On simpler projects, clients don’t have to waste time explaining why they don’t want to show a dog wearing a choke chain or carrying a stick, because our designers already bring an additional level of understanding to their work.

"We want to make it clear that you don’t have to be a Companion Consultancy client to benefit from this great resource.”

Companion Design Studio is offering a free, no obligation 30 minute design consultation to the first 10 applicants from the veterinary community who want expert input on their existing branding and how it has been applied, or to gather ideas for new design projects.

www.companiondesignstudio.co.uk or call Tom on 07925 133302.

Virbac is running a special promotion through which UK-based practitioners who order from the company's reproductive product range can claim a free copy of the evidence-based book Clinical Canine and Feline Reproduction by Margaret V. Root Kustritz.

The book covers 100 separate questions across a range of reproductive issues, and currently retails for £47.99.

Virbac product manager Chris Geddes MRCVS said: "We offered this book as part of a promotion in 2010 and it proved extremely popular. As a result we thought we would give vets another chance to get a free copy." 

As the Assistant Dean at the Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, Margaret V. Root Kustritz is a leading figure in feline and canine reproduction and one of the world's most renowned experts in reproduction. Mr Geddes said: "The book is based on the questions veterinary surgeons have asked her over the years, and so is a valuable reference tool for any vet."

Numbers are limited, and the book is available on on a 'first come first served' basis. Anyone interested should either contact their territory manager or call Virbac on 01359 243243.