The BSAVA has announced a partnership with the University of Liverpool to develop a national UK disease surveillance network for companion animals.
Originally established in 2008, the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network, SAVSNET, aimed to monitor the disease status of the UK small animal population (mainly dog, cat and rabbit). However, funding for the project came to an end in August 2011. At this point, BSAVA stepped in with support, as it believed that not only would the profession benefit from this source of information, but that it is in fact vital for the successful management of disease in small animals.
BSAVA President Andrew Ash said: "SAVSNET ticks all the boxes for BSAVA. High quality large scale epidemiological research helps us fulfil our obligations as a charity to public good, the information on disease surveillance gives us the information to treat animals better, and the research papers help us inform veterinary policy and education. This is an important scheme for both animal and human health."
Participation by diagnostic labs and practices is voluntary, and all data gained will be made anonymous before being reported. For more information, email savsnet@liverpool.ac.uk.
Aimed at all members of the veterinary team across Europe, the webinar is moderated by veterinary nutrition expert Dottie Laflamme.
The webinar, which will also be available on demand after the event, follows others in the series that allow conversations about nutrition to be integrated into everyday consultations.
Speakers Shoshanah Verton Shaw, RVT, VTS (nutrition), and Marge Chandler (a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Nutrition) will be sharing their tips for handling nutrition discussions in a non-confrontational way that preserves the client bond with the vet and the practice.
Registration for this and another three free webinars is available at https://bit.ly/purinawebinars2022.
Ki-67 is a proliferation marker used for assessing tumour aggressiveness, however the traditional method of assessing Ki-67 scores involves manually counting the proliferating cells, which is subjective, time-consuming and prone to variability.
Finn says its new AI-assisted Ki-67 scoring test represents a significant advancement in veterinary diagnostic oncopathology.
The AI algorithm analyses Ki-67 labelling across the entire section of tumour.
Positively labelled cells are highlighted, scores are calculated, and the results are validated by a pathologist before reporting.
This more automated analysis enables the evaluation of large volumes of histological data, ensuring consistent and reliable prognostic assessments.
Finn says it also removes the subjectivity and variability associated with identifying areas of highest cell proliferation, which is a crucial aspect of tumour scoring.
https://www.finnpathologists.com
To mark its 20th anniversary, Woodley Equipment Company is holding a prize draw to win one of three bottles of Chateau Pitray 1989 Bordeaux red wine.
Woodley Equipment Company Ltd was established in 1989 by Mike Wickham, a biomedical scientist who specialises in haematology and blood transfusion.
Visit www.woodley20years.com to enter the draw. The winner will be drawn on Friday 30th October 2009.
The Dogs Trust has responded to the RSPCA's proposal to re-introduce the dog licence
Clarissa Baldwin, Chief Executive of Dogs Trust said: "Dogs Trust is adamant that a return to the dog licence would provide no welfare benefit to dogs. Dog licensing is little more than a punitive tax on responsible dog owners who already contribute estimated £451 million to the public purse through dog related tax resources.*
"The dog licence is still a requirement in Northern Ireland yet only an estimated one-third of all dog owners currently have their dogs licensed. Despite this Northern Ireland still has the highest number of stray dogs per head of population of any part of the UK. The number of dogs put to sleep in the region represents a staggering 34% of the total UK figure.
"Dogs Trust recommends that a system of compulsory microchipping, linking dog to owner is effective in returning stray and stolen dogs to their owners and which would improve the traceability of battery farmed dogs."
Dogs Trust is the UK's largest dog welfare charity and cares for over 16,000 stray and abandoned dogs each year through its network of 17 Rehoming Centres nationwide.
*Mintel research 2010
Virbac has announced that it is hosting another day of CPD and surfing on Friday 26th April.
During the morning's session, Senior Field Veterinary Advisor Alex Allen BVM&S MRCVS will discuss 'Current thinking on companion animal vaccines', including CaniLeish, Virbac's vaccine for Leishmaniosis. Dermatologist Peri Lau-Gillard DrMedVet CertVD DipECVD MRCVS will then talk on 'Awful Atopics.'
The venue is the Atlantic Hotel, Newquay (close to Fistral Beach), with delegates transported to the nearby Surf School after lunch for their surfing lesson. A buffet lunch and post-surfing drinks will be provided by Virbac.
Territory manager and organiser Della Tomlinson said: "After last year's event we have had requests to repeat it from as far afield as London and Edinburgh, and we think that £30 for 3 hours of quality CPD is great value. As well as the obvious fun element of the surfing, we're deliberately holding the event on a Friday so vets can take advantage and enjoy a well-earned weekend away at a great location. Sadly this will have to be at your own expense!"
For more information or to book a place please contact Claire Lewis on 01359 243228 or claire.lewis@virbac.co.uk.
Environmental household flea spray, Acclaim®, is now licensed to kill house dust mites. A common cause of allergies, house dust mites are present all year around, aggravating conditions such as atopic dermatitis.
Containing S-methoprene and permethrin, Acclaim is a fast-acting, odourless household spray which kills fleas and flea larvae and has 12 months' activity against flea egg development. It also kills ants, cockroaches, ticks and spiders and does not break down in sunlight in the home.
For information on CEVA Animal Health's complete range of household flea treatments, which includes the traditional pesticide sprays Acclaim® and Staykil® and the innovative non-pesticide product Skoosh®, please contact your local CEVA account manager.
Elanco Companion Animal Health has announced that Comfortis (spinosad) flavoured chewable flea control tablets have been licensed for cats.
In addition, the company has extended its range with the addition of two new sizes for toy dogs and smaller cats.
Comfortis chewable tablets for dogs and cats are fast-acting, monthly oral adulticides that start to kill fleas in cats and dogs in 30 minutes and, according to Elanco, rapidly achieve 100% efficacy.
Comfortis chewable tablets for dogs and cats kill adult fleas for a month and Elanco says the fast speed of kill means that adult fleas are killed before they can lay eggs, making Comfortis effective in preventing new infestations.
Patrick Bourdeau, Dip ECVD-Dip EVPC, of the Veterinary School of Nantes (Oniris), France said: "Comfortis offers a highly effective format to those owners who have not had relief with other forms of flea control. The tablet offers a high level of convenience to owners to ensure both cats and dogs receive immediate relief from flea infestation.
"This is especially pertinent to the nearly 30% of cat owners who have reported problems with administering other forms of flea treatment, including spot-ons, which can have an effect on efficacy1. This includes the animal escaping when they sense a topical treatment is about to be administered or during actual administration3".
He added: "Comfortis is a highly effective treatment for flea control for cats and dogs, and one that will aid with compliance because it is easier to administer correctly."
Charlotte Mayne MRCVS, principal and veterinary surgeon at The Mayne Veterinary Clinic in Colchester, Essex, said: "We have used Comfortis chewable tablets for cats in practice, with 94% of clients who were prescribed the product for their pet being able to administer Comfortis and 80% of owners able to give the treatment so easily that they did not need to pill it2. Indeed, all the clients who were able to administer the treatment said they would use it again with comments such as 'it's brilliant - the best product ever' to 'my cat ate it like sweets' and we had 'lots of dead fleas'."
Comfortis chewable tablets for dogs and cats are available in 90mg, 140mg, 270mg and 425mg packs of six. Comfortis chewable tablets for dogs is also available in 665mg, 1040mg and 1620mg packs of six.
For further information on Comfortis, please contact your Elanco Companion Animal Health key account manager or phone 01256 353131.
References
The award is to recognise the dedication of the country’s veterinary nurses and the support they give to their veterinary teams, the nation’s pets and pet owners. It is given to a vet nurse who not only cares for sick and injured pets but also encourages responsible pet ownership and improves pet welfare in their community.
The award will be presented at the BVNA Congress on Saturday 2nd October 2021, which will this year be a hybrid event with live speakers at the event in Telford and remote delegates.
David Catlow, Blue Cross Director of Veterinary Clinical Services said: “The veterinary profession faced difficult times for much of the past couple of years but vet nurses strove on to provide their usual professionalism, compassion and special care for pets and their owners.
"Now, more than ever, we need to recognise their invaluable work and the incredible reassurances and support they offer pet owners and how they are dedicated to helping the welfare of the nation’s pets in their communities.”
Last year, the award went to Chloe Mackintosh (pictured right), a veterinary nurse at RSPCA in Harmsworth, North London, who was nominated for her passion and commitment to animal welfare.
If you know a vet nurse who you believe has gone the extra mile for your pet or you believe they have made a significant contribution to animal welfare, complete the nomination form on the Blue Cross website at www.bluecross.org.uk/bvna.
The training sessions are taking place both online and in person and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Upcoming training dates are as follows:
https://www.vetmindmatters.org/training/
Janssen Animal Health has released the results of a survey which suggests incorrect worming strategies on many pig units in the UK are costing the industry dearly.
Most state they do not worm weaners, growers or finishing pigs at all and, while most sows are wormed, only a third treat newly-arrived gilts and boars in quarantine.
Phil Macdonald, UK and Ireland pig business manager at Janssen said: "Worm infestations can harm growth rate and feed efficiency, they can reduce abattoir returns and increase the cost of medication".
According to the company, the survey responses point to confusion among some producers on what constitutes a strategic worming programme. Most, 68 per cent, state they have implemented strategic programmes, but fewer than two-thirds of these cover all pigs on a unit and even fewer correctly base their programmes on the pre-patent period of worms.
Phil said: "It's important that all pigs on a unit are covered by the programme, otherwise there is a higher potential for reinfection. To be effective, the anthelmintic treatment periods need to be based on the pre-patent period of worms, so that treatment interrupts their life cycle.
"It requires a strategic worming programme with a broad spectrum anthelmintic such as Flubenol and Solubenol 100mg/g, which is the first and only water-soluble benzimidazole in the market. These are effective against larvae and worm eggs of a number of worm species as well as the large roundworm, Ascaris suum. Migrating larvae of the large roundworm cause Milk Spot lesions in pig livers, which are damaging to animal welfare and unit economics."
The make-up of UK units in the survey was 58 per cent breeder/finisher, 39 per cent finisher, 3 per cent weaner/finisher. Most, 68 per cent, use dry pelleted feed, 16 per cent wet feed and 16 per cent have both feed systems.
There is wide variation in worming programmes among producers. Most breeders worm their sows - 17 per cent once a year, 56 per cent twice and 11 per cent three times. With boars, 28 per cent worm them once a year, 44 per cent twice and 11 per cent three times. But only one-third (34 per cent) of breeders worm newly-arrived gilts and boars in quarantine.
72 per cent of producers with breeding sows who responded do not worm weaners and 80 per cent do not worm growers. Of the total responses, including specialist finishers, 68 per cent do not worm finishing pigs.
Most producers, 81 per cent, stated that they are aware that livers with Milk Spot lesions have to be trimmed or totally condemned, adding significant annual costs for disposal.
68 per cent admit to Milk Spot lesion levels of 25 per cent in consignments of pigs. Another 10 per cent experience up to 75 per cent livers with Milk Spot damage, and 3 per cent have had every pig liver in a consignment trimmed or condemned because of lesions. The feedback to producers comes from the BPEX Pig Health Scheme, of which 88 per cent of producers are members.
Only 58 per cent of producers are aware that more traditional worming methods allow pigs continuously to reinfect each other and their environment. Traditional programmes do not take the worm's life cycle into account.
The detrimental effect of worm damage that causes most concern to producers is lost growth/poorer feed conversion (29 per cent). Others considered the most important to be:
Phil says research shows that losses in daily liveweight gain alone add up to £2.31 per slaughter pig where liver condemnations are 30 per cent. "The frightening fact is that the loss is for every slaughter pig, not just those with Milk Spot lesions.
"In a 300-sow herd producing 23 pigs per sow per year that's a loss of £15,939 a year. On a 1,000-sow unit that exceeds a horrendous £53,000 annually, and these figures take no account of other areas of loss mentioned."
An adult female worm can shed hundreds of thousands of eggs each day, which pigs pass out in their dung. Worm eggs can remain infective for up to 10 years. Other pigs ingest them and the reinfection process begins.
Phil said: "A strategic worming programme that treats all pigs on a unit simultaneously is the only effective way to almost completely eliminate the problem. The survey has shown there is considerable potential for a large proportion of producers to improve productivity and cut costs by focusing on this critical area of management."
The Bella Moss Foundation (BMF) is to launch the Human to Animal MRSA Advice Service at the offices of the British Veterinary Association on Friday 22nd October.
The charity says this new online service has been created to provide information and advice on resistant bacteria and their effects on animal health to veterinary professionals, pet owners and carers.
BMF clinical advisor David Lloyd, professor of veterinary dermatology at the Royal Veterinary College, said: "There has been a worrying increase in the numbers of pets reported with MRSA Infections. The causes for this seem to be complex, and research to understand this emerging infection in animals and people is continuing. The Bella Moss Foundation has been very helpful explaining to pet owners the complexity of these issues, and the new Animal MRSA Advice Service will be an educational tool for lay people and veterinarians to learn more about resistant bacterial infections in animals."
For pet owners and carers the Animal MRSA Advice Service will provide education on bacteria, the risk factors for transmission between humans and animals, keeping pets healthy, finding a vet, and the importance of hand hygiene in protecting pets and people from unwanted infection.
For veterinary professionals and practice staff the service will also provide academic reports and international research, as well as information on CPD seminars.
If you would like to attend the launch of this new service, please contact info@thebellamossfoundation.com, or call Jill Moss on 07581 736774.
Improve International has announced the launch of a new master's degree designed to enable veterinary surgeons in general practice to achieve a higher qualification without taking excessive time out of their practice.
The Master's Degree in Advanced Veterinary Practice Sciences is the result of a collaboration between Improve International, which delivers the taught clinical modules, the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ESVPS), which acts as the assessment partner and Harper Adams University, which offers guidance on the research-based modules and provides validation and academic regulation under the QAA Framework.
Candidates for the new qualification can select modules from a wide range of species and discipline subjects based around their areas of special interest. They must complete at least two clinical programmes from a range of ten subjects and undertake a research module based on their clinical work.
David Babington, MRCVS and Managing Director of Improve International, said: "The launch of this new Masters is a big step forward for the concept of lifelong learning in our profession. Candidates can spend five or even ten years working towards this higher qualification with achievable 'stepping stones' along the way.
"Their studies will equip them with new skills, give them the latest veterinary knowledge and help enhance their ability to provide a superb clinical service to their clients. During the journey they have the opportunity to achieve a respected, valuable and recognised PgC (60 academic credits); a PgD (120 academic credits) and, finally, a full Masters Degree (180 academic credits)."
Dr Erica Martin, Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Nursing at Harper Adams, said: "We are delighted to be collaborating with Improve International and ESVPS on this innovative new qualification. We welcome the opportunity to help the profession increase 'evidence-based' veterinary practice through clinical development and the advancement of research skills in a way that is both accessible to vets in practice and that leads to a qualification that recognises the commitment and work involved. These postgraduate qualifications join the MSc in Veterinary Physiotherapy, the MSc in Veterinary Pharmacy and the MSc in Veterinary Nursing which are delivered by Harper Adams University."
David added: "Candidates can spread the cost of the Masters across the training period and recoup the investment easily by implementing new services they learn within the practice. The initial response to this unique qualification has been very positive with our first candidates embarking on their studies during November 2013."
For further information or to register, email enquiries@improve-international.com; visit www.improvecpd.com or call 01793 759159.
The guide is aimed at established practices, new start-ups and those who may be thinking about setting up a practice.
It includes practical information, videos and first hand advice from independent practice leaders who are members of Vetsure and who've successfully navigated the challenges of practice ownership and management.
In the book, Diane Storer of Cockburn Vets offers tips for recruiting and building a collaborative team, whilst Julie Hutton of Hilltop Vets shares her thoughts on leadership and addressing practice challenges.
Other contributors to the guide include Vicki Farbon of Scott Veterinary Clinic, Kate Hornby of Wild Side Vets, Emily Nightingale of Nightingale Vets and Simon Hayes of Creature Comforts, who draw from their diverse experiences of founding and operating independent practices.
Ashley Gray, Managing Director of Vetsure said: “The insights from successful independent practice owners and Vetsure network members included in the guide offer lessons from real experiences beyond generic business courses."
He added: “The Vetsure network aims to support and champion independent veterinary practices by sharing knowledge and expertise, facilitating learning from fresh perspectives and ideas, and fostering genuine collaboration,”
https://www.vetsurevet.com/guide-to-success
25% of owners said they have seen their dog running away on hearing the word 'vet' and 30% have actively avoided a visit to the vet because of the animal's stress.
To try and get round the problem, 30% of owners use language to avoid alerting their animal: either spelling out the word 'V-E-T', or using a different word, like the 'dogtor'.
47% of owners disguise the trip and take their dog for a walk first, whilst 46% give their dog extra treats that day.
Petplan has launched PetPeople, billed as the largest circulation pet focussed customer magazine.
Vetoquinol has announced the winners of the 2008 Marbocyl Achievement Awards. Six veterinary schools took part in the award scheme, which enabled them to recognise the achievements of either staff or students, with a prize fund of £2000 for each university.
Five of the vet schools have announced their 2008 winners, the University of Liverpool will announce its winners in January 2009. Those who have already received their awards this year are:
University of Bristol Dr Catherine Fuller, MRCVSMs Kathryn Murphy, MRCVSMichael Steele, MRCVSChristopher Hudson, MRCVSSamantha Taylor, MRCVS
All of the winners are members of staff nominated by their students for excellence in teaching.
University College DublinDr Carmel Mooney, MVB MPhil PhD DECVIM-CA MRCVS, for an outstanding performance as Clinical Director of the Veterinary Hospital at UCD.
University of CambridgeAdrian Wallace, BVSc (Hons), MACVSc (SAS), MRCVS for his clinical research paper , ‘A biomechanical comparison of six double-loop configurations for use in the lateral fabella suture technique for the cranial cruciate ligament deficient canine stifle', Journal of Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 2008. Catherine Stalin, MA, VetMB, MRCVS for her paper ‘Radiographic morphology of the cranial portion of the cervical vertebral column in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and its relationship to syringomyelia', American Journal of Veterinary Research, 2008 Penny Watson, MA, VetMB, CertVR, DSAM, Dip ECVIM, MRCVS, European Specialist in Small Animal Medicine for her clinical research paper ‘Prevalence and breed distribution of chronic pancreatitis at post-mortem examination in first opinion dogs' Journal of Small Animal Practice, 2007.
University of GlasgowMark Lowrie, MA VetMB MRCVS, for his Clinical Research Abstract - "Acute phase proteins and immunoglobulin A in steroid responsive meningitis-arteritis"
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies EdinburghLesa Longley, MA BVM&S Cert ZooMed MRCVS for an exceptionally high level of achievement during her residency programme.
Mark Leddy, Vetoquinol's Marketing Department Manager said: "We are delighted to have been able to help these universities recognise and reward the achievements of staff and students over the past three years."
Zoetis Business Consulting has announced the launch of a new website to showcase the services it provides for veterinary practices to help them grow their businesses.
Centering on three main areas of a practice's business - clinical experience, business performance and marketing - the website explains how the business consulting team uses quantitative and qualitative evidence to understand a practice's challenges in order to design and deliver bespoke solutions.
Nick Steele, national consulting manager said: "Zoetis Business Consulting has really taken off as more and more veterinary practices realise the benefits of working in partnership with our consultants. Since we are also launching new services, such as Profit Solver to the mix, the time was right to launch a new website showcasing how we work with practices."
For more information visit http://www.zoetis.co.uk/businessconsulting.
The RCVS has brought out a new publication to help members of the veterinary and veterinary nursing professions understand their legal and professional obligations regarding controlled drugs.
Controlled Drugs Guidance is a consolidation of existing advice and guidance on controlled drugs from a number of organisations including the RCVS itself, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) and the Home Office. The guide also gives details of the existing legislation concerning controlled drugs, namely the Misuse of Drugs Act and associated regulations.
The guidance provides advice on a variety of topics to reflect the common queries the RCVS Advice Team receives, such as storage, destruction and disposal; keys and keyholders for controlled drugs cabinets; controlled drugs in vehicles; and veterinary nurses administering controlled drugs.
The publication also deals with specific controlled drugs such as ketamine which, on 30 November 2015, was rescheduled to a Schedule 2 controlled drug, meaning that it is now subject to the same strict storage, prescription, dispending, destruction and record-keeping requirements as other medicines in this Schedule.
Laura McClintock, Standards and Advisory Manager at the RCVS, said: “We hope that this publication will help members of the profession navigate the often complex legislative and professional requirements regarding controlled drugs, as well as imparting best practice advice on how they should be stored and disposed and so on.
"This publication has also been endorsed by our colleagues in the Home Office, VMD and BSAVA and, because this is an area that is subject to regular change, we will make sure to keep it up-to-date as and when the regulations change."
The publication is available to download from the RCVS website at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications
The NASAN is an audit for practices to share their data anonymously, to establish UK benchmarks in post-operative complications rates for small animal neutering.
Each year, RCVS Knowledge releases the national routine neutering benchmark to enable veterinary teams to compare their figures against the national average and use this data as part of a benchmarking exercise towards continuous improvements for neutering outcomes.
In 2020, 72% of neuters were complication-free, 13% lost to follow, and 15% of animals suffered an abnormality related to the operation, mostly requiring medical treatment.
Chris Gush, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge, said, “Data submitted to the NASAN last year, and so far this year, has been lower than expected – likely due to the strain put on the professions by the pandemic.
"We believe many practices have neutering data that they have not been able to submit yet. We would be grateful for any unsubmitted neutering data for 2020 and 2021 to be sent to the NASAN, when practices are able, so that it can contribute to the national picture and allow us to gain the most accurate representation of the benchmarks for neutering in the UK.”
RCVS Knowledge is asking that practices submit their data for 2020 and 2021 by the 15th of October.
Anonymised data may already be available via the practice’s PMS and can be added to RCVS Knowledge’s spreadsheet. Practices can use the results to carry out their own audits and produce internal benchmarks, guidelines and checklists to help monitor their progress and help reduce complication rates by using RCVS Knowledge’s free Quality Improvement resources. The yearly benchmarks are reported in November each year.
You can submit your data from 2020 and 2021 on the vetAUDIT website: https://vetaudit.rcvsk.org/nasan
RCVS Knowledge has created a ‘How to guide’ for using the NASAN, which can be watched on YouTube: https://youtu.be/otoyYK3heCQ
Sally Linghorn, Senior RVN at CVS and one of the team behind the initiative, said: “As far as we know, no other veterinary company has policy, support and specific training and guidance on this topic, in our female-biased profession.”
“We recognise how devastating pregnancy loss can be.
"Last year we launched a policy to provide special paid leave for pregnancy loss.
"But since implementing this we have noticed a gap.
"We felt our managers needed guidance and support on how to provide the more practical and emotional support on a day-to-day basis, if someone in their team experienced a loss."
The new guidance contains advice on how to understand each individual’s experiences and needs, help in the immediate situation of pregnancy loss at work, treat and record any time off directly related to a loss, understand how pregnancy loss can affect mental health, talk about pregnancy loss, facilitate a return to work and the importance of regular follow-ups and check-ins.
Ms Gurrin faced two charges, the first being that she had issued prescriptions for Roaccutane tables, indicating they were for the treatment of an animal when they were in fact for a human.
The second charge was that Dr Gurrin’s conduct in relation to the first charge was dishonest and/or misleading, and took place in circumstances where Dr Gurrin was not professionally qualified to write a prescription for a human.
Ms Gurrin admitted the allegation in its entirety and the Committee therefore found it proved.
The College submitted that Dr Gurrin breached fundamental tenets of the Code of Professional Conduct and acted dishonestly and, as such, that the admitted facts amounted to disgraceful conduct.
The Committee accepted that Dr Gurrin’s conduct involved dishonesty, but took into account the context: that Dr Gurrin was seeking to help in continuing a course of medication that she understood to have been properly prescribed by a specialist physician.
Mitigating factors included the lack of artifice or sophistication in the drawing of the prescription and its presentation to the pharmacist, in that Ms Gurrin didn't invent an animal name or species, or any kind of elaboration or backstory when challenged by the pharmacist on the prescription.
In addition, there was no financial or other personal gain, it was a single isolated incident, it was a spur of the moment decision without reflection, no harm was caused or risked to any animal, Ms Gurrin had a long and previously unblemished career and lastly she showed insight into the offence.
The committee also took into account the character testimonials which showed Ms Gurrin not only to be an exceptional vet, but a dedicated professional who had nurtured a very strong team, and someone who is held in extraordinarily high regard by both her clients and colleagues.
There were no aggravating factors.
The Committee considered that the case was too serious to take no further action, but that there was no ongoing danger to the public or risk to animal health.
Kathryn Peaty, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee has reached the conclusion that it is appropriate to impose a reprimand and a warning in this case.
"It would serve no purpose to impose a more severe sanction of a suspension and deprive Dr Gurrin’s clients of her valuable service and to deprive Dr Gurrin of the opportunity to practise for however short a time.
"The Committee considered that it is right to recognise that this misconduct was an aberration in a fine career, which is not characteristic of this veterinary surgeon and which happened when she was off her guard and in circumstances when she was mistakenly trying to help another in what she thought was a safe way.
“The Committee therefore decided, in the particular circumstance of this case, to impose a reprimand and warning on the basis that it would be proportionate in order to maintain public confidence in the profession and declare and uphold proper standards of conduct and behaviour.”