HRH The Princess Royal has opened the Animal Health Trust's new cancer treatment and research facility in Suffolk.
The facility has been purpose-built to treat horses, dogs and cats with cancer. It will also assist in furthering understanding of the disease in animals.
Peter Webbon, Chief Executive of the AHT, said: "2012 marks 70 years of the AHT fighting disease and injury in animals, and the addition of the Cancer Centre is a landmark achievement in our history. We believe this is the first facility of its kind in Europe, purpose-built to treat horses, dogs and cats with cancer. We now have a short commissioning process to undertake but anticipate welcoming the first patients through the doors in early 2013."
The Kennel Club Cancer Centre at the AHT houses a linear accelerator (pictured right) and brachytherapy machine used in radiotherapy treatment, along with a 16-slice CT scanner to aid radiotherapy planning.
The new facility complements the AHT's existing cancer treatment options of surgery and chemotherapy meaning the Suffolk-based charity will be able to offer each and every patient the very best options for their specific case, whatever the diagnosis. With one in four dogs and one in six cats developing cancer at some time in their life the new centre will help many more animals fight cancer.
Peter Webbon, added: "It was thanks to a generous donation from the late Tom Scott, a long-term supporter of the AHT, that we were able to start this development. His donation, along with that from many other AHT supporters, and an interest-free loan of £1.5 million from the Kennel Club has meant this ambitious project has come to fruition so quickly."
It has taken just over a year to build the Cancer Centre which contains more than 2,600 tonnes of concrete and has eight-feet wide solid concrete walls.
On opening the facility, HRH The Princess Royal, President of the AHT, said: "This Cancer Centre is an exciting development at the AHT and will make a real difference for animals with cancer, here and now. It will improve the chances, for many animals, of beating this pernicious disease.
"Countless other horses, dogs and cats across the world with cancer, who will never be seen by an AHT clinician, will also benefit from knowledge gained from research in The Kennel Club Cancer Centre at the AHT."
The AHT has a strong history in cancer research and the Kennel Club Cancer Centre will enhance the charity's well established cancer research programme. Knowledge gained through the treatment of animals in the facility will contribute to the study of cancers, their causes, early diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately hopefully the prevention of some forms of the disease.
Steve Dean, Kennel Club Chairman, said: "I am very proud to be here today to celebrate the opening of the Kennel Club Cancer Centre. Thanks to the expertise available here at the Animal Health Trust, the Cancer Centre will provide advanced techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, to the benefit of many animals. It is exciting to consider how synergy between the Kennel Club Cancer Centre and the Kennel Club Genetics Centre can help to further the understanding of the inheritance factors that influence the development of cancer."
BCF, the veterinary imaging company, has launched a competition in which you can test your knowledge on a series of x-ray and ultrasound images for the chance to win a Sony Cyber Shot digital camera.
Visit the BCF website to enter - www.bcftechnology.com/
Entries to be in by 31st May 2011 and the winner will be drawn at random on the 6th of June 2011.
The RCVS Charitable Trust Library is marking National Libraries Day (4 February) with an open day and prize draws for library users.
The Library is inviting all vets and veterinary nurses - and librarians, staff and students from veterinary schools, other Royal Colleges and university medical schools - to an open day on Friday, 3 February. Free workshops on how to use and search the bibliographic databases will be run by Trust librarians, and those visiting can sign up for a free three-day trial membership. Refreshments will also be provided.
On National Libraries Day, every member of the RCVS Charitable Trust Library will be entered automatically into a draw to win a free 12-month extension to their library membership. Anyone who uses the Trust's Library services between 30 January and 10 February will also be entered into a separate draw for a chance to win a £50 voucher for Trust Library services.
Trust Librarian, Clare Boulton said: "We have an extensive collection of books and online resources useful to vets and VNs, and income from Library members and users helps us to ensure its continuing stewardship. So we're inviting all our users to an open day and holding two prize draws as a way of saying 'thank you'."
The open day will run from 10.30-4pm on Friday, 3 February. Literature search workshops can be booked by contacting Clare Boulton (c.boulton@rcvstrust.org.uk or 020 7202 0752).
The RCVS has announced that voting is now open for the 2016 Council elections.
Ballot papers with candidate details, biographies and manifestos have been posted to all veterinary surgeons this week.
Eight candidates are standing in the RCVS Council election this year, with the six who receive the most votes joining Council at RCVS Day on Friday 15 July 2016 for a four-year term. The candidates are:
Each candidate in both elections has produced a short video in which they answer two questions which they have selected from those submitted to the RCVS in advance by members of the professions. The videos can be viewed at: www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote16 along with their biographies, manifesto statements and contact details.
Bradley Viner, RCVS President, said: "Last year the candidate videos had over 3,500 views and we hope to increase that this year as it is a very direct and democratic way of finding out more about each candidate and their views. I would urge each member of the profession, whether vets or veterinary nurses, to make a vote for their preferred candidates as they really can make a difference when it comes to the future direction of the College."
All votes must be cast, either online or by post, by 5pm on Friday 29 April 2016. Online votes for RCVS Council candidates can be made at www.ersvotes.com/vetvote16.
Any veterinary surgeon who has not received a ballot paper should contact Ian Holloway, RCVS Communications Manager, on 020 7202 0727 or i.holloway@rcvs.org.uk.
Speakers at the free event will include feline expert Dr Andy Sparkes, BVetMed, PhD, DipECVIM, MANZCVS, MRCVS and the immunologist who led the Purina research behind Liveclear, Dr Ebenezer Satyaraj, PhD.
Andy will address the consequences of feline allergy. He says that in majority of cases, cat-allergic owners will choose to tolerate ongoing symptoms of allergy, rather than relinquish their cats, even when they have severe symptoms.
Ebenezer will talk about the research behind Pro Plan Liveclear and how it will allow veterinary surgeons and nurses to help support these clients.
Libby Sheridan, MVB MRCVS, Purina Veterinary Technical Affairs Manager, UK & Ireland said: "This innovation is safe for cats who continue to produce the major cat allergen, Fel d 1, which is found mainly in the cat's saliva and sebaceous glands.
"Our researchers found that the Fel d 1 protein could be neutralised through feeding a nutritious cat food coated with an innovative egg product ingredient containing anti-Fel d 1 antibodies1 which helps reduce the active allergen transferred to hair and dander during grooming, and ultimately helps reduce active Fel d 1 in the environment.2
"Now the science has resulted in a commercially available product that could have a big impact on the quality of life of the cat and their owner. We'll be sharing the research behind this at the symposium so that clinicians can evaluate the potential benefits."
Any member of the practice team can register for the event at www.veterinarywebinars.com/purina, and will be entered into a prize draw to win an iPad. There will also be a number of goody bags available as additional prizes.
More information about the science is available at www.purinainstitute.com.
References
In the last four years, there has been an increase in the number of identified B. canis cases in the UK, which had previously been sporadic and isolated.
Data released by the Government shows that cases have risen from three reported before 2020 to 240 in the last three years.
Most dogs were either imported, had returned from holiday overseas, or been bred with an imported dog.
In 2022, the first UK case of dog-to-human transmission was reported, highlighting the risks to those handling and treating infected dogs and raising levels of concern within veterinary teams, although the BVA says the risk is relatively low.
The BVA, SPVS and BVNA joint policy calls on the Government to :
British Veterinary Association President Anna Judson said: “Vets are seriously concerned about the lack of adequate checks for potentially zoonotic diseases entering the country via imported dogs.
"Brucella canis is not currently considered to be widespread in the UK, so a proactive approach with an emphasis on reducing the risk of this and other worrying exotic diseases being brought into the UK is crucial.
“This is important both for the health of the UK’s dogs and the humans who care for them."
https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/our-policies/brucella-canis
Petplan has expanded its partnership business and is now offering 6 weeks free insurance vouchers to pet owners who have their animals microchipped with Bayer's Tracer.
Simon Wheeler, Head of Marketing at Petplan said: "We are delighted to be working with Tracer. Through this partnership, we hope that more pet owners will realise the importance of taking out insurance and microchipping their pets. Vets could also benefit from this partnership, as owners who insure their pets are far more willing to consult their vets and do so more frequently, meaning a more regular income stream from insured clients."
The insurance voucher will insure dogs, cats and rabbits for vet fees covering illness or injury (up to £2000), advertising and reward (up to £250) and boarding fees (up to £250) in the event of the owner being hospitalised.
Donna Cable, Assistant Product Manager at Bayer HealthCare said: "This is an exciting new development which allows us to highlight the importance of pet insurance in conjunction with microchipping for all pets. Our relationship with Petplan is an example of how two market leaders in the veterinary industry are working together to promote responsible pet ownership."
The new agreement will give pet owners piece of mind. In the unfortunate event of their pet going missing, Tracer could locate their pet and Petplan would pay to advertise the missing animal and offer a reward.
For more information about Petplan, please visit www.petplan.co.uk or call Petplan Vetline on 0800 316 8800 to become a registered Petplan practice.
BCF Technology has launched the portable 9020HF Orange x-ray generator from Eco Ray.
BCF says the 9020HF is ideal for equine and large animal applications because it is is just marginally heavier than the 8016HF generator, but more powerful, allowing it to achieve excellent images of regions such as the stifle and spine.
The new BCF Clinical Development Manager and in-house vet Kimberly Palgrave said: "This new generator really fills the gap in the range and is an ideal balance between weight and power. It is also bright orange so impossible to miss when tidying the kit away in the yard."
BCF is also the sole official distributor in the UK and Ireland for Eco Ray generators.
To see the full range of X-ray generators and other X-ray and ultrasound equipment available from BCF visit http://www.bcftechnology.com/ or call +44 (0)1506 460023.
A new animal welfare report by the PDSA has revealed that millions of pets are more aggressive, overweight and misunderstood than ever due to fundamental gaps in pet owners' animal welfare knowledge.
The PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) report, which captures the views of pet owners, the veterinary profession and children, reveals that 1.3 million dogs across the UK are displaying problem behaviour. It also highlights the consequences of an obesity epidemic affecting 18.5 million dogs, cats and rabbits, and draws attention to the 11.2 million pets not registered with a vet and therefore at risk of disease due to not being vaccinated or neutered.
The BVA is urging veterinary surgeons and nurses to read the report which identifies where owners are misinformed or unaware and highlights areas that everyone can work on with their clients to help achieve better wellbeing for pets.
Peter Jones, President of the BVA, said: "This is another excellent report from the PDSA offering real insight into clients' motivations. Understanding what drives owners' attitudes, as well as helping them to understand key health and welfare issues, should help us to clarify misconceptions in the consulting room and hopefully change behaviour at home.
"On the positive side, with pet obesity ever rising it is good to see that there is a slight increase in the proportion of owners starting to recognise obesity in their pets. This is, no doubt, in part due to the tireless work of charities like the PDSA and the veterinary profession as a whole.
"Sadly, despite most owners' awareness of the ill effect that bad nutrition has on their pet this has not led to them cutting out pet treats. The fact that few can identify a healthy body shape shows that much remains to be done.
"The section on preventive healthcare remains worrying with many owners seemingly not believing in the concepts of microchipping, neutering and vaccination. Vets have a real responsibility to help communicate these issues to the pet owning public for the benefit of both clients and their animals.
"The report very clearly identifies where owners are misinformed or unaware and highlights areas that vets in practice can work on with their clients to help achieve better wellbeing for pets.
"The report is very clearly laid out and well worth a read. We would encourage all vets to take a look and identify any new educational resources to promote in the practice, in newsletters and on websites in addition to the ones they already make available to clients. The AWF leaflets, the PDSA's own website, and the Education Alliance are all good starting points."
Click here for the report.
Webinar Vet Anthony Chadwick MRCVS (pictured right) has launched the UK's first virtual CPD congress for veterinary surgeons.
The event will 18 hours of CPD lectures via two live streams and one recorded stream. Anthony said: "Covering topics such as endocrinology with Prof Ian Ramsey, diagnostic imaging with Prof Mike Herrtage, and feline internal medicine with Dr Jane Armstrong, delegates will be able to jump-start their 2013 CPD in the most effective and efficient way!"
All three streams will also be available after the congress. Anthony said: "We have put a great programme together with top speakers from the UK, Australia and the USA. All of the sessions are being recorded and you will have access to all of the webinar after the event. This means delegates can watch one stream on the day and then the other lectures at their leisure."
The Webinar Vet International Virtual Congress is being held on Saturday 12th January 2013, between 9:30 - 4:30 pm GMT. It is open to non-members as well as members, at £97+VAT and £37+VAT respectively. For more details on the 18 lectures and to buy a ticket, visit http://www.theinternationalwebinarvet.com
MSD Animal Health has reintroduced Zanil, the flukicide drench for cattle and sheep.
Based on the active ingredient oxyclozanide, MSD says Zanil is highly effective against the adult fluke responsible for chronic disease and - significantly for dairy farmers - is licensed for use in young, pregnant and lactating animals, with a 72-hour milk withhold period where milk is produced for human consumption.
MSD Animal Health veterinary advisor Matt Haslam said: "The latest independent data1 confirms that fluke is on the increase in UK cattle and sheep. The fluke problem is longstanding, but is being exacerbated by recent wet summer and autumn periods that have created ideal conditions for this parasite to proliferate and infect grazing livestock.
"Chronic liver fluke causes serious economic losses for livestock farmers. In dairy herds, for example, there will be a negative impact on fertility and milk production where cows are affected.
"It is important that farmers have access to the best treatment options given the size of the threat and the scale of potential losses. Zanil is used widely and effectively in Ireland in the control of fluke problems, and there is no known resistance to the active ingredient oxyclozanide. With its re-introduction into the country, we believe Zanil is unique as a flukicide-only treatment that is licensed for use in lactation and in the dry period for the treatment of adult fluke in dairy cows."
Zanil is an oral drench with POM-VPS authorisation, available from both animal health suppliers and veterinary practices. Dosage rate is 3ml per 10kg bodyweight in cattle, up to a maximum of 105ml, and 4.5ml per 10kg bodyweight in sheep, up to a maximum of 20ml.
Reference
See DEFRA emerging threats reports in sheep and cattle, Q1 2013: www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/files/pub-survrep-sr0113.pdf
Four separate studies are included in the collection, reporting novel risk factors for the disease, identifying key differences between EGS and botulism (questioning the hypothesis that EGS is caused by neurotoxins from Clostridium botulinum), reporting a novel diagnostic technique and showing the value of monitoring weight loss to help predict whether individual horses with chronic EGS are likely to survive.
The publishers say that despite more than 100 years of research, supported predominantly by the The Moredun Foundation Equine Grass Sickness Fund (www.grasssickness.org.uk), the cause of EGS remains unknown. Since it almost exclusively affects grazing horses, a pasture derived neurotoxin is implicated. EGS causes gut paralysis as a result of damage to parts of the nervous system that control involuntary functions. Acute and sub-acute EGS is invariably fatal while around 55% of chronic cases can survive and return to a useful working life. The UK has the highest incidence of EGS in the world; indeed it is estimated that the disease kills between 1 and 2% of horses in the United Kingdom annually. Cases are more common in spring.
In terms of risk factors, the study ‘Equine grass sickness in Scotland: A case-control study of environmental geochemical risk factors’ suggests that the high incidence of the disease in Eastern Scotland may be partly associated with the particular composition of macro and trace elements in the soil in the fields on which horses graze. Further work is required to determine whether interventions to alter concentrations of particular elements in soil could potentially reduce the risk of EGS.1
A second study identified key differences between EGS and botulism, which questions the currently favoured hypothesis that EGS is caused by neurotoxins from Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which commonly inhabits soil. The study ‘Equine grass sickness, but not botulism, causes autonomic and enteric neurodegeneration and increases soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment receptor protein expression within neuronal perikarya’ suggests that EGS is unlikely to be caused by neurotoxins from this bacterium and concludes that further investigation of an alternative cause for EGS is needed.2
While the majority of horses with EGS can be readily diagnosed by experienced veterinary surgeons, some cases present a diagnostic challenge. Indeed the only way to definitively diagnose the disease in a live horse is to demonstrate the characteristic degeneration of nerves within biopsies of the intestine. Unfortunately these biopsies can only be collected by performing abdominal surgery under general anaesthesia. In the study ‘Neuronal chromatolysis in the subgemmal plexus of gustatory papillae in horses with grass sickness’ characteristic degeneration of nerves was identified in small biopsies collected from tongues of EGS horses during post mortem examination. Examination of these biopsies accurately differentiated control horses from EGS cases. While further validation of this technique is required, it could potentially provide a relatively non-invasive method of confirming the diagnosis in a live horse.3
While around 55% of horses with chronic EGS survive, objective criteria for predicting survival of these cases are currently lacking. The study ‘Bodyweight change aids prediction of survival in chronic equine grass sickness’ reported that non-survivors had greater rate and magnitude of bodyweight loss than survivors. Survival prediction curves were published to allow veterinary surgeons and horse owners to use body weight data to help determine whether an individual horse with chronic EGS was likely to survive or die.4
Professor Bruce McGorum, Head of the Equine Section at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies & Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, has been leading much of the research. He said: "Given that our recent research suggests that EGS is unlikely to be caused by neurotoxins from Clostridium botulinum we are now moving on to determine whether EGS is caused by ingestion of mycotoxins produced by pasture fungi. We are very pleased that The Horse Trust (www.horsetrust.org.uk) has provided funding for this three-year investigation."
Professor Celia Marr, Editor of the Equine Veterinary Journal said: “While the cause of equine grass sickness continues to evade us, these papers present an optimistic step in the right direction for the eventual prevention of this dreadful disease. It is only with the support of the Moredun Foundation Equine Grass Sickness Fund and more recently that of The Horse Trust that our world-leading veterinary researchers are able to continue to unravel the mystery.”
The EVJ equine grass sickness collection can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/2dC7Drr
MI:RNA says that current testing practices for Johne’s disease mean that identification of the disease is difficult, with current sensitivities of around 10-40% and little to no ability to diagnose early stages of infection.
The loss of productivity due to Johne’s to the UK agricultural economy is estimated to be in excess of £10 million annually.
MI:RNA says it is the first diagnostic testing company to use microRNA assay technology.
MicroRNAs are newly discovered biomarkers that manage the immune system and immune responses and act as regulators for disease progression or resolution.
This, says the company, makes them excellent biomarkers of disease, and when combined AI, can significantly improve identification of Johne’s and other complex conditions, and predict disease outcomes.
MI:RNA says this development will allow veterinary surgeons, farmers and pet owners to test for a variety of conditions, not just Johne’s.
Target areas include heart and kidney disease, osteoarthritis and bovine tuberculosis, along with effective general wellness and preoperative screening.
Eve Hanks, founder and CEO of MI:RNA, said: “Increasing market and global pressures on bovine protein production means that animal health has never been more important.
"This is a key area of research and development for MI:RNA and biomarker science combined with our unique AI-powered modelling, means that we can significantly improve animal health and reduce greenhouse gas output.
“The breakthrough that we’ve already achieved in Johne’s testing is unparalleled, and has provided an opportunity for MI:RNA to pitch our business concept in the USA to the The Kansas City Animal Health Summit.
"Following our presentation, we have now progressed through to the final selection stage for European Innovation Council funding for our work on Johne’s disease.
“In terms of future applications, microRNAs can assist with vital drug discovery, progressing future diagnostic testing and understanding disease pathways more effectively.
"We’ve already made remarkable progress and we know that with the continued backing of our tech, AI and health experts and with the correct funding, that we can do so much more.”
Dorwest Herbs has launched its annual 'Dorwest Say Relax' fireworks phobia campaign, which includes free promotional packs for practices.
The promotional packs, which contain a poster, leaflets, flashing badges and a 'Dorwest Say Relax' t-shirt, being given free to the first 100 practices that request a product box (containing licensed Scullcap & Valerian Tablets and Organic Valerian Compound at a discounted price) from the company.
In addition, Dorwest is running a seemingly popular consumer facebook competition to find the most relaxed dog in the nation, the winner of which will be sent on a pet-friendly luxury weekend break.
Finally, the company is writing a blog written from the perspective of Merlin, the dog used in its logo - http://merlintakescontrol.wordpress.com - though quite who is going to read it, or why, is slightly beyond me.
The veterinary buying groups VetShare and London Vet Forum (LVF) have announced that they have merged to become the VetShare Buying Group.
VetShare Buying Group says that merger will ensure it has the resources and capabilities to compete in an industry that is increasingly made up of larger merged animal health suppliers.
The venture was prompted by a decision by London Vet Forum to offer itself up for a merger or sale with the aim of attracting better discounts for its members. It then interviewed a shortlist of candidates and says VetShare come out on top principally for its clarity and competitive discounts negotiated with the manufacturers.
In addition, VetShare and LVF shared some ways of working - members handle their own wholesaler invoice with the wholesaler-practice relationship remaining intact, allowing discounts to be rebated as a separate transaction. This means that members can continue to do business as before, while also benefiting from being part of the new, larger buying group.
Vet Ruth Gray, VetShare Director, said: "We are very pleased to have been chosen by the LVF directors to take their members into the future. We are the only major buying group without reps on the road and yet are now perhaps the largest buying group in the UK. We started VetShare initially to help our own practice achieve better discounts with the assumption that if we set up the perfect model for us then it would probably also be perfect for others. In hindsight, I think our assumption was right and this merger will mean even better discounts with new and exciting opportunities for existing members of both groups".
For more information on membership and the merged group, visit www.vetshare.co.uk or call Ruth on 0800 7566636.
MSD Animal Health's equine division has launched a new series of materials to support its Keeping Britain's Horses Healthy Campaign.
For veterinary practices, there's a Vet Reception Pack designed to help receptionists educate owners why they should vaccinate and the benefits of preventive healthcare.
For yards, there are posters giving guidance and advice on prevention of Infectious Respiratory Disease and the steps which should be taken to control a potential outbreak. They can be tailor made for an individual yard.
Peter Young, MSD Animal Health Equine Business Manager said: "Our first wave of support materials focused very much on equine vets and owners - helping raise awareness of the importance of preventive healthcare and driving owners towards vets for advice. This phase of materials helps support yard owners and receptionists, aiming to fill some of those communications gaps where advice and guidelines on individual horse's vaccination requirements and yard protocols can play a vital role in preventing the spread of disease and controlling outbreaks."
Keeping Britain's Horses Healthy is a national campaign to educate horse owners on endemic infectious disease, vaccination, herd immunity and the importance of preventative healthcare. It includes a range of educational materials for veterinary surgeries and direct to owners. The campaign is supported by a national PR, advertising and social media programme, together with a dedicated website www.healthyhorses.co.uk. The website, aimed at driving owners back to their veterinary practices, includes a vet finder, exclusively for equine practices, and healthcare information.
For full details of the launch programme, talk to your account manager, call 01908 685685 or visit www.healthyhorses.co.uk.
Defra / APHA will provide an update on the current situation, followed by a presentation about BTV by Peter Mertens, Professor of Virology, University of Nottingham, and Christopher Sanders, Research Fellow in Veterinary Entomology from the Pirbright Institute.
If can't attend, you can register to be sent a recording afterwards.
This is the first of a series of bluetooth update webinars which will be held fortnightly on Wednesdays at 6pm.
https://ahdb.org.uk/events/bluetongue-virus-technical-webinar
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.
Orthomed has announced the launch of a series of four webinars covering a range of orthopaedic subjects.
The webinars are being presented by global diplomates and hosted by The Webinar Vet. They are:
Orthomed says the presentations are suitable for orthopaedic surgeons of all levels and interests, as well as those looking to get more involved in orthopaedic surgery.
The webinars are being held monthly, starting at the end of March.
The webinar series costs £97, which includes a £150 voucher to redeem against an Orthomed workshop.
In addition, the Webinar Vet has made 15 tickets available free of charge. To see if you can claim one, email Orthomed at info@orthomed.co.uk with the subject title Orthopaedic Webinar.
For more information, visit: https://www.thewebinarvet.com/orthopaedicexpertise
Matt, who contracted Lyme disease early last year, has been out giving interviews about how he was bitten by a tick, his experience with Lyme disease and why he is supporting the Big Tick Project. He said: "It was a really scary time for me and my family, and I was shocked to find out that a tick bite in Chiswick – such a tiny creature – caused me to end up needing heart surgery. Even though I am free from Lyme disease now it really has impacted me. I still have to take daily medication and I now adjust my lifestyle in a number of ways."
Amanda Melvin, Marketing Manager at MSD Animal Health said: "This recent campaign is part of a series of high profile media campaigns that we’ve organised to help pet owners understand the risks posed by ticks and the importance of seeking advice from vets. Vet are central to this campagn.
"During our attendance this summer at DogFest and Countryfile Live we asked pet owners about their awareness of the risks. While this was very rough data the message that came back consistently was that many pet owners didn’t realise that not all flea treatments could also provide protection against ticks.
"We are therefore urging them to talk to their vet and vet nurses to better understand the treatments they are paying for. The conversation is important as the risks can be high."
For further information, visit: www.bigtickproject.co.uk
Dan (MRCVS) & Kirsty (RVN) Forster, the husband and wife team behind Isle of Wight-based The Mobile Vet are celebrating a Queen's Award for Enterprise.
The Mobile Vet offers a mobile service in custom-designed vehicles and also has a fully-equipped surgery based in Newport where further consultations, operations and diagnostics can be performed, giving clients the option to choose between a home visit or a more traditional form of veterinary care for their pets.
News of the award landed on their doormat recently, in a letter saying: "I am delighted to inform you that Her Majesty The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the Prime Minister's recommendation that your organisation should receive a Queen's Award for Enterprise in Innovation this year."
The Queen announced the winners of the awards as part of her 90th birthday celebrations yesterday, and Kirsty & Dan have been invited to Buckingham Palace to meet her at an official reception in July.
Dan said: "We have been fortunate enough to receive excellent feedback from our clients since starting our business & enjoy an immense amount of job satisfaction with the way we work. A nod from Her Majesty is truly the crowning glory for our business. It just goes to show what can be achieved with exceptional hard work and effort, the love & support of family/friends & a formidable staff. This award is for all these people that help to make our business great!
"We are very much looking forward to meeting the Queen and can't quite get our heads round it. Kirsty has spent hours looking for a dress and I am brushing up on my royal etiquette!"
The Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) has launched a new Profitability Survey to measure profitability levels across the nation’s veterinary practices and provide a benchmark for practices to assess their performance against.
Launched this month, the SPVS Profitability Survey is available to all practices, both members and non-members. It can be completed online using figures from the practice’s most recent set of accounts and the practice management system. All the data is kept completely confidential for practices to securely access their results online.
Once they have completed the survey, participating practices will be given an overall practice profitability score from excellent, good, average, below average and poor. Practices will also be able to benchmark against Key Performance Indicators such as: the cost of drugs and supplies; the cost of personnel; and cost of overheads.
Peter Brown, SPVS Treasurer and author of the survey said: "We’re particularly pleased to be launching this Profitability Survey. As the saying goes, turnover is vanity and profit is sanity. Profitability is key to any business yet we’re often told that veterinary practices fare badly when it comes to this fundamental point. Knowing how your business is performing and how it compares to others should be a priority for all practice principals and one that our new Profitability Survey will be able to answer.
"We are delighted to be working with John Sheridan on this subject. John has long been a passionate advocate of the need for practices to understand their profitability and he has helped SPVS to develop this simple survey to provide practices with the key statistics they need. Furthermore, the pooled, anonymised data will be used by SPVS to help us tailor CPD and expert advice for members on this critical aspect of their business. The more data we have the more accurate analysis we will be able to provide so we would urge all veterinary practices to complete the survey."
SPVS’ existing Fee and Salaries Surveys have also been enhanced with improvements to the way data is entered and results presented through a dedicated website developed with Veterinary Insights. Published earlier this year, the Salaries Survey revealed that there is a widening pay gap between newly qualified vets whose median salary actually fell by 3.7% and more experienced vets who attained increases of between 2.6% and 10.8%. However, while newly qualified vets compared favourably with their equivalents in the medical and dental profession, those more experienced lag some way behind.
To take part in the new SPVS Profitability Survey visit www.spvs.org.uk
The investment is being made to increase the speed at which concerns are either closed or referred, ensure that the process meets its service standards and reduce stress for the public and profession.
The decision to increase investment in the process was made by the College’s Operational Board in response to a steady increase in the number of concerns being investigated. The College forecasts that it will receive in excess of 1,000 concerns raised about the professional conduct of veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses this year.
The RCVS developed a simplified, three-stage concerns process in 2014 which included the introduction of targets for cases to be either closed or referred at each stage. In order to ensure that these targets can be met, the College will now be hiring five paralegals to assist the existing five case managers.
Eleanor Ferguson, Acting Registrar, said: "Currently we are only closing or referring just over half of concerns we receive at stage 1 (case examiner stage) within our four month target. In order for the system to run more smoothly we will be investing in extra staff to help clear the backlog and ensure that these targets are met going forward.
"Similarly, in order to deal with the increase in the number of cases being referred to Preliminary Investigation Committee (stage 2), we will be increasing the frequency of these committee meetings from one to two per month.
"It is important to add that this investment is not just about dealing with concerns more quickly but is also about quality of service and having more staff on hand will ensure that this quality is maintained in terms of how we communicate with complainants and members of the profession. Speeding up the process will reduce the stress and anxiety felt by all involved."
More details about the College’s concerns investigation process and its different stages can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns