Pooch & Mutt has 20x 40-day trials of its new joint & bone supplement, Mobile Bones Concentrate, to give away to veterinary professionals.

Guy Blaskey from Pooch & Mutt said: "At The London Vet Show vets and vet nurses told us that they loved the new Mobile Bones Concentrate because at just £9.99 per month it costs less than other joint supplements (whilst having the same high quality ingredients), it takes up a very small amount of shelf space and it doesn't involve the client having to either change their dog's food or stuff pills down their dog's throat."

In response to requests from vets and vet nurses to try the new joint supplement, Pooch & Mutt have set up a dedicated website at www.jointsupplementfordogs.com where you can apply from one of twenty 40 day trials.

Guy continued, "We did not want to simply send samples out to everyone. By setting up the site we can choose a variety of dogs from different breed and with different conditions to send a full 40-day trial to. We hope to get regular feedback from the vets, vet nurses and dog owners involved in the trial and publish it on http://www.jointsupplementfordogs.com/ for everyone else to see."

The trials are available to all veterinary professionals and can be for their own dogs, or dogs belonging to their clients.

White Cross Vets has joined forces with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in order to raise as much money as possible to fund pet-focused play materials.

The group is hoping to raise more than £5,000 for the hospital by donating £1 for every pet vaccinated at its West Derby, Gateacre, St Helens and Widnes practices over the next four months. 

Sarah Kirkman MRCVS, from White Cross Vets in Gateacre, said: "It’s our job to care for pets, but we also really care about the communities in which we operate, and we have a real affinity with the hospital. This partnership means we’re protecting pets, by vaccinating them against a wide range of nasty diseases, as well as raising money to support the invaluable work that the hospital does."

Allan Eves from Alder Hey Children’s Charity said: "We care for over 275,000 children, young people and their families treating everything from common illnesses to highly complex and specialist conditions. We also lead research into children’s medicines, infection, inflammation and oncology and our charity has raised over £22m to support Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, funding life-saving medical equipment, research and vital facilities. We are so pleased to be working with White Cross Vets on this superb fund-raising initiative and can’t wait to meet the vets and nurses who are helping us."

Sarah added: "We are aiming to raise £5,000, but it could be more. We also want to support the hospital’s therapy dog by providing them with our Complete Wellness Plan for free. The plan provides free health-checks, veterinary care and preventative treatment on an ongoing basis. We already give free membership to several Fire Service Search Dog Teams, as we feel it’s really important to look after these amazing dogs which dedicate their lives to help people."

The charitable campaign is running from the 4^th September until the 31^st December and plans are also in place for the veterinary surgeons and nurses from White Cross Vets to visit the hospital regularly to talk to the children about pets. 

Sarah said: "We give every one of our team four paid donation days a year, so that they can volunteer with a charity of their choice, and we are keen to further our partnership with the hospital by visiting regularly. We already do this in numerous schools across the region and know just how much children love to find out about our day to day roles, and they always have plenty of interesting questions for our nurses and vets to answer."

VetSurgeon.org has launched a new collaborative publishing section of the website (called a wiki) in which any member of the site may publish case studies and reports, abstracts, short communications, research papers and the results of clinical audit for open discussion and review by all.

The state-of-the-art systems in use on VetSurgeon then allow all members to comment on the work submitted. Initially, it's hoped that this will stimulate valuable further debate, discussion and critical review of papers that have already been published elsewhere. However, another benefit of this system is that it enables anyone in the profession to publish their research to the veterinary community immediately,  without being at the mercy of such things as the availability of space in a traditional print journal, so original work is warmly welcomed.

Arlo Guthrie, editor of VetSurgeon said: "Of course I recognise that authors still want the kudos of publication in a traditional peer reviewed journal. However, in addition to offering immediate publication, this system also opens the review process up so that everyone in the profession can participate in a completely open way. If it works, it may even come to be thought of as a more stringent and robust method of review than the traditional method. Or perhaps more likely, peer review could become a two stage process in which work is assessed by a panel of experts and then by the sort of 'open review' offered by VetSurgeon.org."

Doubtless there will be concerns about the validity of information published in this new section of VetSurgeon, primarily because it may NOT have been subject to peer review at the time of publication. Arlo said: "I don't think this is an issue. VetSurgeon members should just have a different starting point. When you read content in, say Vet Record, you can presume it's been scrutinised and read it in that context. On VetSurgeon, you should assume the opposite, and then use the tools offered by the site to judge the value of the work yourself."

Ways of assessing work published on VetSurgeon.org include:

• Where articles are published by the author, a link to their profile will appear in the bottom right margin. Reading their biography may help you judge the likely quality or value of their work. You may also contact them directly through the site, to ask them more.
• Where articles have been published in a traditional journal, the abstract will contain details, and a link at the foot of the article.
• Challenge what you read! All members may comment under each article. Reading points raised by other members, and how the author responds, will again help you assess the value of the article.

In phase one of this project, taking place over the coming few days, all abstracts published in Veterinary Practice magazine are being uploaded to the new wiki.

Click here to visit the new VetSurgeon Wiki

Boehringer Ingelheim is offering free creative colouring books and the chance to win an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to veterinary surgeons and nurses who sign up at The Boehringer Academy, the company’s free online CPD resource.

The Boehringer Academy (www.boehringer-academy.co.uk) contains hundreds of hours of CPD material on equine, companion and production animals. It comprises a mixture of webinars, podcasts, short videos and downloadable documents, which can be viewed at any time. The site keeps a CPD log for each user and provides downloadable certificates.

Boehringer’s Small Animal Marketing Team Leader, Jemima Mead said: "We already have just over 15,000 vets and nurses in the UK and Ireland currently registered with the Academy.

"New and existing members are eligible to receive the Boehringer Academy colouring book. They simply have to visit www.boehringer-academy.co.uk and complete their profile. In addition, everyone completing their profile will be entered into a draw to win an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil."

TVM UK has announced it is to hold Pet Eye Health Awareness Week starting on 21st September 2020. 

The aim of the week is to help pet owners identify common symptoms of eye disease and to seek prompt veterinary attention where appropriate.

To support the initiative, TVM UK is supplying veterinary practices with a kit to create their own waiting room display to inform owners about the common symptoms of eye disease. Pet owners can obtain further, more in-depth information by scanning a QR code on their smartphone camera which takes them directly to the webpage www.tvm-uk.com/eyehealth.

There is also a ‘Who’s Got Their Eye on You’ mini quiz to help engage clients to see if they can spot one of their pets in the animal line up.

Will Peel, Product Manager at TVM UK said: "Eye problems in pets can sometimes be hard for pet owners to pick up so we have launched Pet Eye Health Awareness Week to raise awareness of common symptoms of poor eye heath so problems can be identified early and pet owners can seek veterinary advice quickly."

For more information, contact your local territory manager, email help@tvm-uk.com or call 0800 0385868. You can find additional eye-health related social media content at: www.tvm-uk.com.

Petplan is calling for nominations for this year's 'Petplan Veterinary Awards 2011'.

The awards, which are now into their 12^th year, are an opportunity for colleagues and pet owners to thank their local veterinary stars who go above and beyond the call of duty.

Alison Andrew, Petplan's Marketing Manager, said: "At Petplan, we work closely with vets and hear first hand about the incredible work that is carried out by the profession, so we believe that their invaluable care and support deserves special recognition. Nominating a colleague for an award is a fantastic way of expressing your appreciation for their hard work."

Alison added: "Last year, Petplan was inundated with over 1,800 nominations from across the UK, highlighting that more pet owners understand the great work vets do to help animals and their owners, and with 40% of pet-owners in the UK, stating that they trusted their vet more than their GP, it is not hard to see why the awards are so highly commended."

Closing date for entries is 4^th February 2011. All finalists will be invited to a glittering awards ceremony in Birmingham on 31^st March 2011, where the winners will be announced.

Winners will be selected based on the evidence given on the nomination forms by veterinary association presidents, so make sure you provide as much information as possible. To nominate today visit www.petplan.co.uk/vetawards

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) and the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians (BAEDT) have joined forces to set recognised standards for equine dental treatment.

The two organisations are working in association with the RCVS, BVA, BVDA, WWAED and LANTRA to develop National Occupational Standards that will pave the way to allowing equine dental technicians the freedom to work within the Law under an Exemption Order. This should make it safer and easier for owners to source the most suitable dental treatment for their horses.

Currently all equine dental care falls within the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA) and should only be carried out by veterinary surgeons. Equine vets from BEVA and equine dental technicians from the BAEDT have been trying to address this anomaly with government for many years. In 2004 the organisations drew up a list (revised in 2009) of procedures that could be safely carried out by suitably qualified equine dental technicians and a list of those which should only be carried out by qualified veterinary surgeons because they involve sensitive tissues.

The envisaged Exemption Order will also provide better protection for horses and their owners by reinforcing the fact that only suitably qualified individuals are allowed to carry out equine dental care and treatments. While unqualified individuals should become easier to identify under the proposed new scheme, those qualified will also be held to account if their performance is not up to scratch.

The first step towards the Exemption Order is the drawing up of National Occupational Standards for Equine Dental Technicians. It is hoped that these will be formalised by LANTRA in early 2013.

Keith Chandler, BEVA President said: "After many years of working closely with the BAEDT on the continuing education and qualification of its members, we are thrilled that progress is finally being made towards an Exemption Order."

BAEDT Chair, Gemma Lilly, said: "BAEDT and its membership is very happy to be a key part of the team that hopes to put the Exemption Order in place - it will be good news for equine dental technicians, horse owners, and their animals."

Equine Dental Technician and member of the Worldwide Association of Equine Dentists, Martin Brookes, also supports the initiative. He said: "This will be a really important step forward for responsible Equine Dental Technicians. It will further improve the working relationships between EDTs and vets and help to protect the welfare of the horse."

Ceva Animal Health has introduced Cevazuril, a toltrazuril-based oral solution for the control of diarrhoea in sucking pigs. Cevazuril is a one-dose treatment that comes in two pack sizes, both with dosing pumps, for convenient administration to large or small herds.

Ceva says newborn sucking piglets are especially sensitive to coccidiosis and infection may result in lost daily gain of almost 2kg in the first 28 days, due to diarrhoea. The control of coccidiosis using toltrazuril prevents damage to the intestinal mucosa caused by the developmental stages of Isospora suis, helping to preserve digestive function and maintain optimal growth rate.

Toltrazuril is absorbed very slowly in the intestine for longer-lasting action. It works on all intracellular developmental stages of coccidia and reduces oocyst production, even if administered after the appearance of the first oocysts in the faeces of the host.

According to the company, extensive trials showed that three day old piglets treated with toltazuril at 20mg/kg gained 801 grams at weaning and 1601 grams by the end of the post-weaning period compared to control pigs.

Cevazuril is available in a 250ml pack with a pump or a one litre pack with a multi-dose injector. It complements Ceva's swine portfolio which includes the antimicrobials Cevaxel, Coliscour, Florkem, Marbox, Spectam Scourhalt and Tiamvet.

For further product information contact Ceva Animal Health Ltd, 90 The Broadway, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 1EG, telephone 01494 781510 or visit the website at www.ceva.uk.com

The BVA and RCVS have announced the formation of the Vet Futures Action Group to take forward the ambitions and recommendations in the Vet Futures report ‘Taking charge of our future: A vision for the veterinary profession for 2030’ launched in November 2015.

The call for applications attracted more than 80 candidates with many more expressing an interest in helping to take the project forward. 

The Action Group will be tasked with working collectively to turn the report’s 34 recommendations into clear actions with buy-in from across the veterinary profession and a timetable for activity. 

The Action Group is made up of the BVA and RCVS Presidents and Junior Vice-Presidents, seven veterinary surgeons, a veterinary nurse, and a co-opted veterinary student: 

• Dr Clare Allen MA VetMB PhD MRCVS – Senior Teaching Assistant for curriculum and innovation in the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge.
• Simon Doherty BVMS MRCVS CBiol FRSB – Owner and Director of Blackwater Consultancy and animal science expert for the Agri-Tech Organisation of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).
• Daniel Hogan RVN – Operations Manager at Dick White Referrals.
• Dr Liz Mossop BVM&S PhD MRCVS – Assistant Professor of Veterinary Education and Sub-Dean for Teaching, Learning and Assessment at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham.
• Gudrun Ravetz BVSc MRCVS  - BVA Junior Vice-President and Veterinary Consultant to Pet Health Plans from Denplan.
• Dr Kimberley Schiller BVetMed MRCVS – Manager in Healthcare Practice at Accenture, the global consultancy. 
• Dr Huw Stacey BVetMed DipAS(CABC) MRCVS – Director of Clinical Services at the Pets at Home Vet Group (PAHVG).
• Dr Mary Thomson BVMS MRCVS – small animal veterinary surgeon at New Street Vets in Devon, Vetlife Board member and RCVS Postgraduate Dean.
• Dr Chris Tufnell BSc (Hons) BVMS MRCVS  - RCVS Vice-President and Director of Coach House Vets, a small animal and equine practice in Berkshire.
• Dr Bradley Viner BVetMed MSc(VetGP) DProf MRCVS – RCVS President and Principal of Blythwood Vets, a group of small animal practices in North West London.
• Sean Wensley BVSc MSc Grad DMS MRCVS – BVA President and Senior Veterinary Surgeon for Communication and Education at the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA).
• Dr James Yeates BVSc BSc DWEL DipECVS(AWBM) PhD MRCVS – RSPCA Chief Veterinary Officer and honorary lecturer at the University of Bristol and University of Surrey.

The members of the Group joining the BVA and RCVS officers were selected by the Vet Futures Project Board for their mix of experience and expertise across the Vet Futures ambitions and themes (Animal health and welfare; Veterinary professionals’ wider roles in society; The health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals; Diverse and rewarding veterinary careers; Sustainable businesses and user-focused services; and Leadership), as well as in veterinary education, veterinary regulation, and veterinary nursing.

BVA President Sean Wensley said: "The Group has a very important task ahead and we are confident that we have an excellent group of people with the right balance of skills, experience and expertise to take forward the Vet Futures recommendations and turn them into concrete actions. 

"We have had an incredibly positive response from the profession to the launch of the report and we hope organisations and individuals will now step up to work with the Action Group and take ownership of the activity for the good of the whole profession."

RCVS President Bradley Viner said: "We were overwhelmed by the response from the professions with ten applications for every place, and many more offers of support. The Project Board was particularly impressed by the high quality of the applications and the breadth of experience demonstrated by the candidates from all parts of the profession. 

"It was incredibly difficult to select the members of the Group from such a strong field but we are pleased that we have captured the variety within the profession as well as the enthusiasm to drive the project forward. We sincerely hope everyone who expressed an interest will remain engaged with the project as it progresses this year."

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has launched a revamped, online-only course aimed at veterinary surgeons and nurses who have qualified outside of the UK and recently started practising, or intend to practise, in the UK.

The ‘Introduction to the UK veterinary professions’ is a two-part online course run in partnership with VDS Training, designed to equip vets and nurses with the insight needed to work in the UK veterinary profession.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the course has been moved online. It includes a series of free online pre-recorded talks from representatives at a number of different veterinary organisations, including the RCVS, VDS Training, the British Veterinary Association, Vetlife, and VetAbroad.

The talks cover a variety of topics such as the Code of Professional Conduct, how to find the right job for you, how to look after mental health and wellbeing, and recognising and understanding cultural differences.

There will then be a number of live Question and Answer sessions across different dates over the coming months [see below], which are also free to attend, so those who have watched the videos can ask further questions from some of the speakers themselves.

Part 2 of the course is an optional practical and participatory paid-for online live communications skills training session run by VDS Training, looking at how to navigate some of the most common pitfalls encountered during client consultations, helping to equip you with the skills and confidence to communicate effectively in practice.  

Ian Holloway, RCVS Director of Communications, said: “While we enjoyed running this course in person and meeting veterinary professionals from all over the world, the coronavirus pandemic has also given us the opportunity to look at how we can make this course even more accessible for a greater number of people.

“While there is still a significant live element, albeit online for the time being, the pre-recorded talks enable those veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to do much of the learning in their own time, without having to take time off work or travel to London for the day, meaning that more people can engage with this crucial information on working in the UK.”

Elly Russell MRCVS, a consultant at VDS Training, added: “Communicating with clients can be one of the most rewarding, but also challenging parts of our jobs as veterinary professionals. Communication problems lead to complaints, increase your stress at work and can impact the care our patients receive. Join VDS training for a highly interactive, online 4-hour workshop. Work in small groups with our experienced facilitators and role players using realistic scenarios to practise and develop your communication skills. Let us help you feel more confident managing common communication challenges in UK practice: improved communication will help you, your clients, and your patients.”

The dates for the free live 2021 Q&A sessions are:

• Wednesday 19 May 2021 - 7pm to 8.30pm
• Wednesday 1 September 2021 – 7pm to 8.30pm
• Wednesday 8 December 2021 – 7pm to 8.30pm

The dates and times for the paid-for live online communications skills workshops from VDS Training are:

• Thursday 20 May 2021 – 9am to 1pm (4hrs)
• Thursday 2 September 2021 – 9am to 1pm (4hrs)
• Thursday 9 December 2021 -  9am to 1pm (4hrs)

The cost for attending the communication skills session (Part 2) is £150 +VAT per person. It is not mandatory to complete both parts of the course, but those who are interested may choose the part of the course most suitable for them.

For further information: www.rcvs.org.uk/overseas-cpd

A survey of veterinary professionals conducted by the Veterinary Management Group and the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons has concluded that veterinary leaders, chiefly vets and practice managers, lack the man management skills needed to improve staff motivation and retention. 

330 people who took part in the survey were presented with a list of management and leadership skills. Those of the respondents who are leaders were asked to rate their confidence in applying the skills, whilst those in non-management positions were asked to rate their line manager's skills. Both sets of respondents were also asked to place the skills in priority order.

The management skills were: Setting clear tasks and objectives. Providing clear roles and responsibilities. Communicating clearly and effectively. Monitoring and evaluating. Planning and organising. Effectively managing difficult situations.

The leadership skills were: Providing rationale and explaining why. Regularly providing and seeking feedback. Building trust. Providing guidance and training. Creating development plans and opportunities.

Interestingly, the survey found a close correlation between how the leaders and the employees prioritise these things, with management skills being perceived as more important overall than leadership skills. 

Communicating clearly and effectively was deemed the most important skill of all (ranked 9 out of 10 by both groups). Meanwhile, creating development plans and opportunities for others was prioritised the least (ranked 3.7/10).

But hang on a moment. If both the managers and the employees agree that creating development plans and opportunities is the least important thing, then surely it is? In other words, if employees say that creating development plans is unimportant, then surely it is unimportant, and if leaders think the same, they would appear to be right.

Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps employees don't know what's good for them, and leaders don't know what employees don't know what is good for them. If you take my point. 

Veterinary leaders were then asked to rate their confidence in applying the listed leadership and management skills. The skills which elicited the largest number of 'not confident' responses were: monitoring and evaluating performance, regularly providing and seeking feedback, and creating development plans and opportunities for others.

The skills with which leaders were most confident were: communicating clearly and effectively, building trust, and providing rationale and explaining why. 

Again, there was a close correlation between prioritisation of these skills and confidence levels. 

VMG Vice President Richard Casey said: “The survey has helped us to identify priorities for learning and development both at our 2020 Congress and during our joint CPD programme next year.  It is striking that the very skills required to motivate colleagues to remain in veterinary medicine and to support them in doing so are the ones which so many veterinary leaders admit that they lack confidence. Given the challenges the profession faces, it is also concerning that they appear to be undervalued both by veterinary leaders and the team members who report to them.

"Delegates to SPVS-VMG Congress and our other 2020 CPD events will benefit from a wealth of evidence-based lectures from experts on all aspects of veterinary leadership and management, enabling them to improve their own performance and contribute to an overall raising of standards of leadership and management across the veterinary sector." 

Peter Brown, Senior Vice-President of SPVS, said: "We know that veterinary students receive an excellent clinical training and, in recent years, universities have started to include more non-clinical skills on the curriculum. However, these results suggest that when professionals move into more senior roles, be it leading a team or running their own practice, they find they still need to acquire new skills. SPVS’ role has always been to equip veterinary professionals to be effective leaders and SPVS-VMG congress is an excellent opportunity to both hear inspiring speakers and meet and learn from fellow leaders within the profession."

The VMG-SPVS 2020 joint Congress takes place from 23-25 January at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, and will feature dedicated streams on effective leadership, management mastery, practice profitability, preparing for a digital future and sustainability in practice.

Details on the VMG-SPVS 2020 CPD Programme can be found here: https://spvs-vmg-events.co.uk/cpd-events/ 

The Codes were approved by RCVS Council and the Veterinary Nurses Council earlier this year, following a lengthy consultation and review process that began in 2009, and will replace the existing Guides to Professional Conduct.

The College says the new Codes are principles-based, easily accessible and, at 16 pages long compared to the 50-page Guides, much more concise. They bring the College's guidance into line with the codes of conduct of other regulatory bodies, and help to describe those professional responsibilities that are fundamental to veterinary surgeons' and veterinary nurses' practice.

To expand on and clarify these professional responsibilities, an additional 27 chapters of supporting guidance have been published on the RCVS website, which also consolidate and update all existing RCVS guidance for veterinary professionals.

Both Codes set out five principles of practice: professional competence; honesty and integrity; independence and impartiality; client confidentiality and trust; and, professional accountability.

The veterinary surgeons' Code features an update to the declaration made on admission to the profession and, for the first time, the veterinary nurses' Code includes a declaration to be made on professional registration.

Among the professional responsibilities introduced in the Codes are: mandatory recording of continuing professional development; a mandatory professional development phase for new veterinary surgeons and period of supervised practice for registered veterinary nurses (RVNs) returning to practice after a break; a Performance Protocol; and, notification to the RCVS of any matter that may affect fitness to practise, including convictions (although this will require further consideration by the College).

For the first time, mandatory clinical governance has been introduced, and minimum practice standards have also been incorporated, at equivalence to the core standards set out in the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme.

A pocket-sized hard copy of the Code will be posted to all vets and RVNs shortly, which will include references to where the supporting guidance and further information can be found on the RCVS website. The online versions - at www.rcvs.org.uk/vetcode and www.rcvs.org.uk/vncode - are fully searchable by keyword, and PDF versions will soon be available to download. A digital version is also being explored, to enable veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to access the Codes and supporting guidance on smart phones and tablets.

Although only registered veterinary nurses have agreed to abide by the VN Code of Professional Conduct, the College hopes that all veterinary nurses will consider it a useful benchmark of professional standards.

Dr Jerry Davies, RCVS President, said: "I am delighted that this significant piece of work has come to fruition. The RCVS has shown that, despite aged legislation, the Codes will, through imaginative interpretation of the Veterinary Surgeons Act, ensure the public and their animals continue to receive the level of professional service they have come to expect from veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses in the UK."

The British Veterinary Association has launched a free new webinar series starting at 1:00pm tomorrow with 'Mentoring Matters', a look at what it takes to be an inspiring mentor or an engaged mentee.

"Great Workplaces: Raising the Bar (Elevating Skills, Culture, and Leadership)" is a series of four in-depth conversations that will tackle themes that have an impact on recruitment and retention, uncovered through the Great Workplaces by BVA accreditation scheme.  

All members of the profession are welcome to join the 50-minute webinar, which will be hosted by Rob Williams, BVA President, and Dr. Kirsten Ronngren, ManyPets Consulting Veterinarian & Vet Engagement Lead.

Rob said: “Effective mentorship is the backbone of any thriving veterinary workplace.

"Whether you’re guiding others or building your own skills, strong mentoring relationships can make all the difference.

"We hope colleagues find the webinars engaging and informative. In our first session, we’ll explore the power of mentoring and work through common gaps revealed by the Great Workplaces by BVA accreditation scheme.” 

https://mybva.bva.co.uk/ems-event-calendar/mentoring-matters.html