The RCVS Officers will be heading to Somerset, home ground of President Bob Moore, on Thursday 22 May for RCVS Question Time.

The Shrubbery Hotel in Ilminster is the venue for the final Regional Question Time of Bob Moore’s Presidential year, where he looks forward to seeing lots of familiar faces for a lively debate.

Veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and others involved in the profession are all welcome to attend the meeting, which kicks off at 6:30pm with a relaxing drink, a bite to eat and a chance to catch up with colleagues, followed by Question Time at 7:15pm. The meeting will finish at approximately 10:00pm.

Bob Moore will be chairing the meeting and the panel will be made up of the Officer team and Veterinary Nurses Council Chairman Andrea Jeffery, who will be answering your questions and concerns regarding the veterinary profession.

Hot topics expected to be raised on the night include the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme, a new Veterinary Surgeons Act, RCVS modular certificate, 24-hour cover, the Professional Development Phase and the non-statutory Register for veterinary nurses.

To book your place contact Fiona Clark at the RCVS on 020 7202 0773 or f.clark@rcvs.org.uk before 9 May 2008, or download an invitation at http://www.rcvs.org.uk/ and post it to the address supplied. All veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses living within reasonable travelling distance of the meeting venue will be sent a personal invitation.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, but have a question you would like to raise, please do write in.

Ceva Animal Health has announced that it is now accepting nominations for its annual Animal Welfare Awards.

The awards recognise veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and charity professionals who go the extra mile to prevent and reduce welfare problems for animals.

If you think one of your colleagues, vet or nurse, should be recognised for their work improving animal welfare, you'll need to nominate them before the 15^th February 2013 deadline.

The awards include:

• Chris Laurence Vet of the Year Award: In honour of the Chris - a welfare expert - this award is for a veterinary surgeon working in practice that consistently demonstrates their commitment to the continued improvement of animal welfare.
• Welfare Nurse of the Year Award: For a veterinary nurse working in practice who has shown dedication to improving and championing excellent animal welfare.
• Charity Professional of the Year Award: For an individual who works within a charity organisation who is consistently driven to perform to the best of their ability, with the single-minded goal of helping save and improve the lives of animals in need.

Winners of all awards will have a choice of luxury prize - ranging from spa weekends, European city breaks, countryside retreats or an animal experience. All individuals who nominate will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win £250 of high street vouchers.

Ginette Bryant from Ceva, said: "The Ceva Animal Welfare Awards are an opportunity to recognise the hard work and dedication of individuals in the veterinary and animal charity industry. Our mission 'Together, beyond animal health', recognises that the health of animals, humans and the planet are inextricably linked, these awards are fitting way to work towards improving the health of all.

"Whether it is improving animal welfare through client education in practice, championing good causes or helping specific cases, we know there are many people who share our ambitions in preventing and reducing companion animal welfare issues. It is these passionate individuals who are the unsung heroes of our industry and we're really excited to hear the inspiring stories from each nomination."

There are also three awards for people who work outside the veterinary or animal charity sector.

• UK Volunteer Animal Welfare Award: For individuals who have demonstrated dedication to helping animals independently or within a charity. Ceva are looking for a person who goes above and beyond the call of duty in their free time.
• International Volunteer Animal Welfare Award: For those who make changes to the lives of animals around the world. This person must show courage and determination to improve the perception and action of animal welfare in other countries.
• Young Persons Volunteer Animal Welfare Award: For anyone under the age of 16 who has, in their free time shown compassion in helping aid and bringing joy to animals in need.

Nominations forms are available from www.ceva.com.

The deadline for entries is 15 February 2013.

For further details or additional nomination forms for your practice call Ceva on 01494 781 510 or email welfare.awards@ceva.com

The awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday 3 April 2013 during the BSAVA conference in Birmingham.

Novartis Animal Health has announced that Crovect 1.25% Pour-On solution for sheep, a broad spectrum ectoparasiticide, is now licenced for the treatment of ticks, with a persistent efficacy of ten weeks and the majority killed within three hours.

Crovect also works in the treatment and control of headflies, the treatment of biting lice, and the prevention and treatment of blowfly strike in sheep.

Crovect has a meat withhold period of eight days. Novartis says this makes Crovect the long-lasting tick treatment with the shortest meat withhold period available, which is of use to farmers taking lambs to market at this time of year.

Helen Langham, Brand Manager at Novartis Animal Health said: "Farmers now have another option available for effective and long lasting tick treatment for their flocks, and one that can be flexibly used in lambs to be marketed. This should greatly reduce the worry of tick infestation along with the associated welfare and economic problems, and we are pleased to bring this solution to the market".

The University of Liverpool’s Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital has installed a standing equine MRI scanner from Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging.

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica has launched a competition to find 12 dogs that have responded well to treatment with Vetmedin, to feature in the company's forthcoming 2012 Better Dogs calendar.

Boehringer is particularly interested in hearing about dogs with funny or quirky stories, or ones that have made a dramatic heart-warming recovery. If the submission makes it to the short list of 12 they will be featured in Vetmedin's 2012 Better Dogs Calendar which will be available to veterinary practices later in the year. In addition, the vet with the best story will win a £250 Red Letter Days' voucher with the 11 runners up winning the new BSAVA Manual of Thoracic Imaging.

In return for pet owners agreeing to their dog's story being submitted, Boehringer will send each veterinary practice a complimentary pack of either Vetmedin 1.25mg x 50 tablets or Vetmedin 5.0mg x 50 tablets, depending on the normal prescription, to give to their client.

Entries can be made either on the 2012 Better Dogs Calendar form which can be found in a recent Vetmedin mailing or via email to vetmedin.bra@boehringer-ingelheim.com.  All entries should be accompanied by a photograph. Terms and conditions apply and the closing date for submissions is 30 September 2011.

For further information, please contact your Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Territory Manager or call 01344 746959.

BCF Technology is offering up to 35% off a variety of ultrasound and x-ray equipment until the end of February.

The offers are available on x-ray generators and ultrasound products such as the Medison Sonovet R3, GE C5 and Zonare.

For more information, visit the BCF website: www.bcftechnology.com, or ring 01506 460023.

Offers end 24th February and are subject to availability.

The PDSA is asking vets to take part in the PAW Report, its annual research into pet wellbeing. 

The 2023 PAW Report will assess how lifestyle changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis have affected the nation’s pets.

The survey, which is open to vets, veterinary nurses and students, closes on 10th February 2023.

Entrants will be in with a chance of winning a £100 One4all voucher, accepted in over 130 high street stores.

Rebecca Ashman, PDSA’s Veterinary Engagement and Communication Manager said: “The PAW Report provides invaluable insight into key areas of pet wellbeing in the UK.

"Lifestyles had to adapt and change through the pandemic, and now as we navigate a cost of living crisis, this research is more vital than ever before.” 

Rebecca added: “It takes less than 15 minutes to complete the survey, and by taking part you’ll be helping us maintain an accurate picture of the biggest welfare issues facing pets in the UK today.”

Survey: https://start.yougov.com/refer/vz7hC0lZ0d10nG 

Petplan has announced the winners of its annual Veterinary Awards. 

The awards recognise and celebrate staff and practices throughout the country who have delivered an exceptional level of care, going above and beyond the call of duty in keeping the nation's pets healthy and owners happy.   

Suzanne Cheadle, Petplan's Acting Head of Marketing said: "As the leader in the pet insurance market for over 36 years, we have a rich history of working with veterinary practices across the UK. The Petplan Veterinary Awards recognise and celebrate the fantastic work that goes on across those practices."

She added: "This year saw over 12,000 nominations which demonstrates the appetite from both staff and clients for celebrating exceptional work. We had a wonderful selection of first class finalists and I'd like to congratulate all the winners who thoroughly deserve their awards."

The winners for each category are:

VET OF THE YEAR: Hector Low, Old Mill Veterinary Practice, Isle-of-Lewis
The judges said: "What really stood out was Hector's dedication to the profession and how he moved his practice to a new premises so it could offer better facilities and a wider range of services for animals and owners alike. He has always got his clients and their pets at the forefront of all his decisions and is truly passionate about his role within the profession".
 
VET NURSE OF THE YEAR: Tina Wright, Warbeck House Veterinary Centre, Merseyside
The judges said: "Tina is particularly responsible for setting up an Ear Care Club for animals at the centre who suffer from recurrent ear problems, which she has put her heart and soul into over the last year, while also tutoring student veterinary nurses and running puppy socialisation classes which have proved hugely popular among clients. Tina is a shining example of how vital the role of the vet nurse is when delivering outstanding service to clients and their pets. She is enthusiastic, passionate and always puts her clients' needs first".
 
PRACTICE SUPPORT STAFF OF THE YEAR: Henrietta Fidler, Beech House Veterinary Centre, Surrey
The judges said: "Henrietta is somebody who loves her role within the veterinary profession, thriving on the interaction she has between both the clients and animals. She has nurtured and developed strong and solid client relationships as well as good working relationships with her colleagues. If there is anything that the Veterinary Awards highlights, it is that team work is a vital part of the job, and Henrietta is proof of that".
 
PRACTICE OF THE YEAR: The Vets' Place, Cheshire
The judges saiod: "Wendy and Michael Hough set up their practice, The Vets' Place, from scratch in 2009. Since then, the practice has grown from strength to strength. As a small practice they have plenty of opportunity to really get to know their individual clients and their pets and have built strong relationships that their customers value. The Vet's Place is a shining example of the exceptional service a practice can deliver".
 
PRACTICE MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Sharon Lane-Kieltyka, Shepton Veterinary Group Ltd, Somerset
The judges said: "Sharon is a people person through and through which feeds the passion she has for a role that extends beyond the care of clients and their pets. Sharon has overseen a large scale building project that saw the practice double in size and been a key driver in the recent rebranding of the practice, highlighting not only her steadfast can-do attitude, but her ability to drive change in the interest of her clients. Her enthusiasm for the industry is something to be admired".

Ceredigion veterinary surgeon Robert Alun Merfyn Evans has been suspended from the Register for six months by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee after he admitted to misconduct relating to tuberculin testing for cattle he owned and failing to register the births and deaths of cattle.

Mr Evans appeared before the Committee on the 11th February, when he admitted the two heads of charge of misconduct against him.

The first head of charge related to the fact that, between 24 June and 29 June 2013, he deliberately failed to bring to attention of Wyn Lewis MRCVS, an Official Veterinarian (OV) and fellow director of Mr Evans’ practice in Cardigan, the cattle on his farm requiring intradermal comparative tuberculin tests; that he tested certain of the cattle himself despite not being the OV for those tests and having a conflict of interest; and that he provided inaccurate and incomplete information to his practice for the completion of a report on the testing to be sent to the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA). This misconduct was then repeated the following year between 19 June and 1 August 2014.

The second head of charge against Mr Evans related to breaches of the Cattle Identification (Wales) Regulations 2007 between 4 July 2005 and 20 June 2014, namely the fact that he failed to register the birth of five calves and the death of nine cows. These were accepted as being specimen charges reflecting a much larger total number of breaches over the whole nine year period.

Mr Evans’ misconduct first came to light when a late return was sent to the AHVLA in August 2014 regarding the TB testing of 51 live animals on his farm in June 2014. When the report was scrutinised the AHVLA noticed that 26 animals shown on the return as dead were still registered, while 20 animals that were tested were not registered. When the AHVLA investigated, Mr Evans immediately admitted that he had misled Mr Lewis on two occasions and carried out his own testing despite not being the OV.

The Committee heard that he did this because he did not want it to be found out that he had unregistered cattle on his farm. Regarding the unregistered cattle, the Committee heard that this stemmed from a mistake made by Mr Evans in 2005 or 2006 whereby he mislaid a batch of around nine bovine passport application forms sent to him to register the birth of calves on his farm, a legal requirement for the purposes of animal health, disease control and safeguarding the food chain.

As a result of poor IT skills and being profoundly deaf, Mr Evans felt unable to seek support online or by telephone, was too embarrassed to tell others and, furthermore, felt that it was impossible to correct his mistake without being in breach of the law. So, for a period of nine or 10 years, he failed to register the birth of calves on his farm. His failure to register the deaths of cattle, was also caused by administrative failings. His breaches of the cattle registration regulations were subject to criminal proceedings and on 14 October 2015 he plead guilty at Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire Magistrates Court  to 14 offences for which he was given a conditional discharge for 18 months and ordered to pay costs of £1,000.

The Committee considered that a suspension from the Register would be in line with the seriousness of the charges against Mr Evans. Professor Alistair Barr, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee agrees that the lengthy period over which these offences took place, his betrayal of his colleague, and the undermining of the reputation of the profession and of the system of disease control, taken together with his dishonesty, make it impossible to impose a lesser sanction than suspension.

"The Committee finds that the respondent, who is a man of good character, has fully accepted his guilt, and has real insight into the seriousness of his conduct. He cooperated fully with the investigations and with the County Council who prosecuted him in the Magistrates [Court], and with the College. He made an open and frank admission about his misconduct from the outset.

"The course of conduct on which he embarked and which has led to these charges was the result of a simple mistake at a time of considerable stress to him. He was not guilty of deliberate misconduct at the outset but… what started as an innocent mistake took on a life of its own and led him to deliberate and dishonest misconduct because he did not know how to get himself out of the predicament he was in."

Professor Barr also said that there was no financial gain in Mr Evans’ actions and that animal welfare had not been compromised as the cattle were well cared for and in good health and that Mr Evans’ actions in carrying out the tuberculin tests on the unregistered cattle himself demonstrated that he was concerned about identifying any disease in his herd.

He added: “In all the circumstances the Committee has decided a proportionate sanction is that the respondent’s registration should be suspended for a period of six months.”

The Committee’s full findings and decision are available on the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary).

The RCVS is to hold a series of in-person and virtual question times, starting this autumn.

The sessions will allow members of the profession to find out about upcoming College projects and put questions to the RCVS Officer Team, RCVS Council members and senior staff, in a friendly, informal atmosphere.

The first event is taking place at the Hilton Glasgow on William Street at 6:30pm, where there'll be supper and drinks before the main event at 7:30pm, when RCVS President Melissa Donald, RCVS Treasurer Niall Connell, RCVS Senior Vice-President Kate Richards, Junior Vice-President Sue Paterson, VN Council Chair Matthew Rendle, RCVS Registrar Eleanor Ferguson and RCVS CEO Lizzie Lockett will update everyone on College activities and take questions. 

The College says that the topics for discussion will be up to the audience but are likely to include workforce issues, the review of RCVS guidance on under care, proposals for legislative reform, VetGDP and the future of extra-mural studies.

Melissa said: “In my opening speech as RCVS President I said that one of the key missions of my presidential year was to talk – and especially listen – to as many members of the professions as I possibly can.

“Relaunching our question time programme after a hiatus will give me the opportunity to do exactly this, as well as giving members of the professions that all-important opportunity to put their questions and concerns directly to us.

"We might not be able to address every problem, but these events give an excellent opportunity for vets and nurses to raise issues, forge connections with their peers and work together to find solutions.

“I hope that many of you will be able to come to our first in-person event in Glasgow but we will also be holding these question times virtually in the future for those people who may struggle to make it to these evening events.

"Rest assured – if you want to be heard, we will find a way to listen.”

The next in-person event is due to take place in Nottingham in January 2023 while the first virtual question time will take place in November 2022.

To register for the Glasgow event visit: tinyurl.com/22pem3d6

RCVS Knowledge has published the 2024 annual report of its Canine Cruciate Registry (CCR) which reveals a 79% increase in the number of surgeries recorded by UK-based vets in the last year. 

The Registry’s dataset now contains the details of 1,319 canine cruciate surgical procedures, compared with 735 reported in 2023.

The report contains 3 years of data provided by 138 UK-based vets and their clients, and reports on cruciate surgery outcomes on dogs from all stages of life – from 3 months to 18 years.

The report provides a breakdown of the clinical outcomes of different surgical techniques, patient demographics, use of antibiotics, and more.

Some of the main findings in this year’s annual report were:

• Staffordshire Bull Terriers are no longer among the top five most common breeds on the registry, with Cockapoos jumping from seventh most common to fourth.
• The rest of the top five remained unchanged from 2023: Labrador Retrievers (first), English Springer Spaniels (second) Golden Retrievers (third), and Cocker Spaniels (fifth).
• The most commonly performed procedures were osteotomies, while the proportion of Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO) procedures have increased.
• Regional anaesthesia was used in 82.6% of patients. A femoral and sciatic block was the most commonly performed technique.
• Patient weights ranged from 1.6kg to 80.3kg, with the number of patients reported as Overweight and Too Heavy having reduced by 1.5% since the last report.
• Most patients (97.5%) had an intra-articular assessment, a 5.5% increase from 2023. Arthrotomies remain the most common.
• Antibiotics were used peri-operatively for most patients (99.9%), remaining constant with data from 2023.
• Only about a third (36.1%) of patients were dispensed post-operative antibiotics, a reduction of 1% since 2023.
• Adverse event reporting increased, with haemorrhage remaining the most common. In line with the last report, the majority of patients are still rated ‘Much Better’ at all time intervals post-surgery.

Mark Morton, Clinical Lead for the Registry, said: “It has been fantastic to see the CCR go from strength to strength this year with contributions from owners and vets across the country.

"Evaluating what we do and sharing this information with owners is really important.

"There is now sufficient data in the registry that vets can use the reporting functionality to see how they compare to anonymous data from the registry as whole.

"This allows everyone to look at where we can improve what we do to enhance outcomes for our patients.”

Steve Butterworth, veterinary surgeon at Weighbridge Referral Service, Swansea, and CCR contributor, said: “To better understand the long-term outcomes for different breeds of dog using differing surgical techniques we need the power of numbers and this will only be achieved by pooling our resources. 

"The CCR offers the veterinary profession an opportunity to do this. 

Any veterinary surgeon performing cruciate surgery in the UK can get involved in the CCR by signing up and logging surgical cases.

All data submitted by summer 2025 will be anonymised and become part of the next report in late 2025.

ccr.rcvsknowledge.org/annualreport

Pfizer Animal Health has confirmed that the agreement to acquire multiple product franchises from the Schering-Plough Corporation has been completed - and approved by the European Commission.  Pfizer has acquired these assets for approximately euro 116 million in cash.

The agreement covers all European Union countries and the franchises include all major animal health species including cattle, swine, equine and companion animal.  Pfizer executives say the agreement leaves them with the most in-depth coverage of therapeutic areas, and the most highly recognised brands, in the industry. Precise details of the agreement are not being released although additional information on the products concerned will be the subject of further announcements in due course.  

 Pfizer has acquired certain rights to the following products in the European Economic Area:

• The Gletvax range of swine E.coli vaccines
• The Equip range of equine Influenza and Tetanus vaccines
• The Covexin range of ruminant Clostridial vaccines
• Lactovac -C, a cattle neonatal vaccine
• Rabdomun, a Rabies vaccine
• Companion animal specialist products Insuvet and Eutha 77
• The Autoworm range of parasiticides, Coopers Spot-On in the UK, Coopers Spot-On CY in Ireland and Versatrine in France
• Quadrisol 100, anti-inflammatory product

Albert Bourla, President of Pfizer Animal Health in Europe, said: "This represents a significant expansion of our product portfolio and strengthens our long term commitment not just to veterinary surgeons, but also to farmers and pet owners.  Pfizer spends hundreds of millions of dollars on research and development every year, and brings more new products to market than any other company, but when the opportunity arose to add well known, well respected brands to a portfolio that is already extremely strong, we had little hesitation in taking it."