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".

Bayer Animal Health has announced that following the success of its educational TV advertising campaign, which ran earlier this year and promoted the need to worm cats, a second advertising campaign will now run in September.

Bayer (makers of Profender Spot-on solution) says its first campaign, which ran in May, had the principal aim of driving pet owners to their vet to ask about spot-on worming for their cats.

As part of the same campaign, research was conducted on cat behaviour by interviewing cat owners and attaching 'cat cams' and 'cat navs' to nine cats around the country. The results were analysed by cat behaviour expert Roger Tabor and can be found on the website www.spotonwormer4cats.com/, both as a short video documentary and a 24-page report, entitled 'The Secret Lives of Cats'.

A consumer PR campaign was also run in parallel with the TV advertising, which Bayer says was very successful in attracting entrants to a competition to find the cat with the biggest personality. Winners of the Cats with Cat-titude competition have now been announced and profiled on www.spotonwormer4cats.com.

Dan White, Profender product manager, said: "Post campaign market research revealed there was a 5% increase in the awareness of spot-on cat worming.

"The second phase of TV advertising - using the same advert but without the online competition - will start on 4^th September and will build on the success of the previous advertising. And over the following three weeks, it will be broadcast on ITV1, ITV2, Channels 4 and 5, and Sky One, and is expected to reach 7 million of our core target audience."

Veterinary practices can obtain a subtitled version of 'The Secret Lives of Cats' documentary to play in their waiting rooms, and a wide selection of support materials, by contacting their Bayer Territory Manager.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is calling on the profession to support pet owners in choosing a healthy, sustainable diet for their cats and dogs.

The association says that its research has found that 94% of companion animal vets say they have clients who feed a raw diet, 42% who feed meat-free diets and 29% who feed insect-protein in place of meat.

However, 6 in 10 vets are unsure how many of the cats and dogs they see are fed meat-free diets.

In a new policy position, the BVA is now urging vets to talk to all cat and dog owners about what they feed their pet, and record nutritional histories and any resulting issues on their practice systems.

BVA President Anna Judson said: “We know that owners of cats and dogs are increasingly drawn to pet diets that reflect their own personal values and lifestyle choices, and this is leading to a surge in alternative approaches to pet food.

"We support owners making informed choices about what to feed their pets, but they must be aware that these choices play a pivotal role in the health of the animal and can also have a wider impact on human health and environmental sustainability.

“One of the key issues in these conversations is the lack of long-term, evidence-based research.

"If vet teams are to maintain our position as the ‘trusted voice’ in these conversations, it’s vital that we ask the right questions and also record as much data as possible so that we can understand the long-term impact of some of these newer diets.”

The BVA says its new policy position is not trying to dictate the ‘best’ diet for individual pets but to support pet owners in meeting their pets’ nutritional needs as well as meeting their own lifestyle choices.

The BVA is also recommending changes to veterinary education to include a new emphasis on the importance of nutrition in day one competencies for vets and nurses, and improved awareness of the need for supportive conversations with animal owners.

To support the profession, the BVA says it will create a new public facing resource and lobby for better labelling of pet food and better labelling and traceability of the animal by-products that represent one of the major sources of protein in many cat and dog foods.

Anna added: “The issues around pet food are complex and with so much information available to pet owners from breeders, friends, online forums and other sources, we want to support all members of the vet team to feel fully confident in guiding their clients through dietary decisions.

"We hope that these recommendations and our upcoming resources will improve the information available to both clients and vets, supporting owners to make healthy, informed choices for their pets.”

https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/our-policies/diet-choices-for-cats-and-dogs 

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.

Carl Padgett has been elected President of the British Veterinary Association for 2011/2012.

Carl graduated from Glasgow University in 1989 and spent most of his career as a large animal practitioner. He is now a director of Bay Vets Ltd in Lancaster, and has particular interests in cattle health, production and welfare, veterinary politics and the role the profession has to play in the wider livestock industry and the companion animal world.

A former president of the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) and recent Chairman of Trustees of the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation, Carl has been involved in veterinary politics for over 15 years.

Carl said: "My representative roles for BVA, and prior to that BCVA, have enabled me to understand and realise my interest in the veterinary profession: ensuring the profession has a voice and our place in society is valued.

"Our multi-disciplinary education and training places the profession in a unique position to deliver a healthy future at many levels: representing the health and welfare of animals committed to our care, protecting the consumer by ensuring food safety and security at national and international levels by working within the agricultural world and ensuring public health in a variety of ways. Vets are not just part of the leisure industry making animals better; we fill a much wider role in underpinning society and its contact with animals at all levels.

"And so to the future. Although we do indeed live in a changing world, many of the challenges we face as a profession continue through from one President to the next, as they span beyond the year-long term of office. Over the last couple of years BVA has made a lot of progress on a number of policy issues and, in some instances, our lobbying efforts have paid off with Government announcements and new legislation reflecting our endeavours. Looking ahead, much of the coming year will be about putting those policies into practice, and that's why the theme of my presidential year will be 'Delivering a healthy future'.

"I am proud and honoured to be elected BVA President to continue serving the membership as part of the BVA Officer team."

Peter Harlech Jones was elected BVA President-elect for 2011/2012 at the same time.

Jon Bowen, animal behaviour consultant at the Royal Veterinary College and Sureflap have declared 8th May 'Vet Cat Watch Day', and are asking the profession to record the reason why each cat seen that day is brought into the practice.

Jon explained: "There are more than 10 million pet cats in the UK, however there is little information about the prevalence of injuries, disease, cat fights and road traffic accidents on a national scale".

The absence of data became apparent when findings from research on over 1,000 cats - conducted as part of the Neighbourhood Cat Campaign, supported by SureFlap and Your Cat magazine - revealed cats that had suffered minor injuries from fights were more likely to develop other health issues, such as hair loss and eye infections.

Judith Bank from SureFlap said: "People often purchase a microchip-operated cat flap to help their pet to feel secure. Owners tell us that their pet is spraying in the house or has been losing fur and this motivated us to support research to look deeper into the problems that pet owners might be having. We soon realised that objective data from vets was not available to qualify the findings and this is where the idea of 'Vet Cat Watch Day' emerged."

Jon said: "The aim of Vet Cat Watch Day is to take a snap-shot of cats' health from veterinary practices across the nation, on one day. The results will be compiled alongside information from cat owners gained in 'Cat Watch Day' a few days earlier.

A report detailing preliminary findings from the Neighbourhood Cat Campaign is available from the SureFlap website.  When complete the results will be used to help provide vets with an insight into the lives of domestic cats so they are better equipped to understand behavioural issues.

For more information on Vet Cat Watch Day please visit the SureFlap website The site hosts a PDF to print out and help record the feline cases that come through practice doors on the 8th May, which can be downloaded from www.sureflap.co.uk/vetwatch_info. At the end of the day, visit www.sureflap.co.uk/vetwatch to upload your data to the online survey.

The BVA reports that three-quarters of vets are concerned about stress and burnout in the profession as a result the pandemic, according to a new survey of the Voice of the Veterinary Profession panel.

For the survey, 565 respondents ranked their levels of concern about different aspects of veterinary life that may be affected by coronavirus.

The top concerns were:

1. Stress and burnout in the profession – 74% very or quite concerned
2. The provision of extra-mural studies (practical training) for vet students – 72%
3. Student and new graduate confidence – 67%
4. Stress and burnout amongst colleagues – 67%
5. The impact of a recession on the veterinary sector – 62%
6. Wildlife and zoo animal health and welfare in the medium term – 62%

In addition, 42% were very or quite concerned about contracting Covid-19 in their workplace, rising to 55% amongst those working in mixed practice and 50% in small animal/exotic practice.

Respondents were more concerned about stress and burnout amongst their colleagues (67% very or quite concerned) than the impact on themselves (45%), but more than half (58%) of small animal/exotics vets reported being concerned about their own stress and burnout. Managers and employees reported higher levels of concern around stress and burnout than business owners and those who are self-employed.

When it comes to employment, the profession is a bit more optimistic. 23% of respondents are not at all concerned about job security in the veterinary sector, with 43% a little concerned and 31% very or quite concerned. Equine vets (45%) and charity vets (64%) are very or quite concerned about job security in their own sectors, against an average of 23% across all areas of work.

However, 95% of respondents had some level of concern (a little, quite or very) about the potential impact of a recession on the veterinary sector, with government, equine and charity vets most concerned.

The findings will be used to inform BVA’s work on supporting the veterinary profession as the pandemic continues.

BVA President James Russell said: “Although this is just a snapshot survey, it tells us a lot about how our colleagues are feeling six months on from the national lockdown. It paints a worrying, but not surprising, picture about the health and wellbeing of a profession that has worked incredibly hard and in very difficult circumstances this year.

“I’m incredibly proud of the way the profession has adapted to working safely during Covid-19, but we know that it has taken its toll, for example with consults taking longer, needing to cover staff shortages, and dealing with anxious clients.

“BVA also shares the profession’s concerns about the impact on students and new graduates. EMS is the jewel in the crown of UK veterinary teaching and it’s frustrating that opportunities to gain practical training have been hampered by the Covid restrictions. The issue is at the top of our agenda with the RCVS and Vet Schools Council to make sure we can collectively support the next generation of vets through this difficult time.

 “As the UK is braced for the second wave, we know we are much better prepared and far more able to work safely to do our bit to tackle the spread of coronavirus. But it’s vital that we continue to support one another, as well as continuing the spirit of collaboration with neighbouring practices that helped us get through the height of the pandemic.

The snapshot survey on Covid-19 is available to view at: https://www.bva.co.uk/media/3781/voice-covid-survey-2020-results.pdf

Following a nationwide search to find the UK’s top veterinary professionals for 2009 and judged by an independent panel of experts, Petplan has announced the winners for the Veterinary Awards. 

The Petplan Veterinary Awards recognise and applaud staff and practices throughout the country that have delivered an exceptional level of care to the nation’s pets, and their owners.   

Simon Wheeler, Petplan’s Head of Marketing, explains: “Britain is known to be an animal-loving nation and with millions of households owning cats and dogs, pets play a central part in family life. The Petplan Veterinary Awards give us the opportunity to thank the veterinary profession for the outstanding level of care they provide to our animals.”

The winners of the 10th annual Petplan Veterinary Awards were:

VET OF THE YEAR
Ben Jones, Ben Jones Veterinary Surgery, Chester, Flintshire
Ben’s understanding and compassion for his clients’ pets impressed the judges.  Whilst being extremely knowledgeable, Ben can reassuringly explain the most complicated procedures to clients.  Ben continuously goes above and beyond the call of duty, such as establishing a home visit scheme for pensioners and visiting a nursing home when an owner was there as a day patient. 

VET NURSE OF THE YEAR
Karen McQuoid, The Old Golfhouse Veterinary Group, Watton, Norfolk
The judges believe Karen is an excellent role model for her team of nurses.  Karen was noted for her positive attitude and good humour even under extreme pressure of being head nurse of four different practices. 

VET RECEPTIONIST OF THE YEAR
Yasmin Morowa, Melton Veterinary Surgery, Woodbridge, Suffolk
Yasmin’s attention to detail made her stand out as the winner of Vet Receptionist of the Year.  Yasmin always checks to see how patients have progressed when she returns from holiday so she can help clients appropriately when they call or visit.  Her kind approach makes her highly appreciated by both clients and colleagues. 

VET PRACTICE OF THE YEAR
St Clair Veterinary Group, Kirkcaldy, Fife
St Clair Veterinary Group was described as having exceptional customer care and uses every opportunity to educate their clients.  The team stood out for their environmental consciousness.  

Virbac has announced that it is to increase production of cat vaccines at its French plants to help practices in the UK manage a shortfall in supply.

The predicted shortfall follows warnings by other manufacturers of stock shortages of between three and six months. 

Virbac, which makes the Feligen RCP, Leucogen and Leucofeligen cat vaccines, says it wants to reassure practices that it will do its utmost to ensure continuity of supply during this period and is urging them to order as usual and not stockpile product, which could exacerbate the problem.

Simon Boulton MRCVS, Product Manager for Virbac's vaccine range, said: "Our priority is to keep stock flowing to our existing customers. With this in mind, we've now ceased to supply wholesalers with our cat vaccines. Once wholesaler stocks have been depleted, we ask customers to contact us directly so that stock can be despatched to them from our own warehouse. 

By taking this step, we can manage our own stocks effectively and, while we'll be putting our existing customers first, we also stand ready to help supply the rest of the veterinary sector during this period. As a primary manufacturer of vaccines, we're well placed to react quickly to stock shortages and expect to have significantly increased supply by November."

Practices wanting further information should contact their Virbac Territory Manager. Direct orders to the company should be made by calling Virbac on 01359 243243 and selecting Option Three (Direct Orders).

Veterinary surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick, a pioneer of prosthetic implants, has launched what is being billed as Europe's most advanced neuro-orthopaedic centre for dogs and cats.

Fitzpatrick Referrals' £10m facilities at Eashing, near Godalming, Surrey, have been set up to offer a world-class "centre of excellence" in diagnosis, surgery and rehabilitation.

Facilities at the centre include:

• a closed-field Siemens Symphony MRI scanner, which can provide ultra-clear images of bone, spine, brain and soft tissue to enable rapid and accurate diagnosis of routine problems such as slipped discs as well as potentially life-threatening conditions such as tumours.
• a specially fitted-out physiotherapy suite and a hydrotherapy pool to facilitate patients' rehabilitation and recovery.
• a new conference facility which combines a cinema-style environment with a real-time interactive forum for the exchange of medical innovation between universities and centres of excellence worldwide.

Noel was the first veterinary surgeon to successfully apply a prosthetic limb to a dog where both bone and skin can grow into metal - a technique with far-reaching cross-over potential for human surgery. He believes in "pushing the boundaries" and creating solutions for conditions that may never have previously been treatable, and says the work being done at Eashing also provides valuable experience for medical science as a whole. Examples include cartilage resurfacing, limb-sparing cancer surgery and spinal vertebral fusion.

Professor Gordon Blunn of the Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculo-Skeletal Science at University College London said: "Orthopaedic conditions and diseases are common to both human beings and to animals. For example osteoarthritis is debilitating condition seen in humans, cats and dogs. Bone cancer which can lead to loss of life in humans and is usually associated with the peripheral skeleton is also seen in the peripheral skeleton of large dog breeds. Translation of ideas, orthopaedic practice and treatments, from humans to the veterinary field and visa versa has considerable advantages to all animals including dogs, cats and man. Noel Fitzpatrick is pioneering this concept and his work in limb reconstruction for dogs and cats has already had benefits in both veterinary and human orthopaedic practice."

DJ Chris Evans is one satisfied client. His dog, Enzo, a German Shepherd, was "written off" by other vets after becoming paralysed with two herniated discs. Noel fitted Enzo with two bolts to replace the collapsed disc and keep the vertebrae apart. The surgery was followed by extensive physiotherapy and hydrotherapy to enable Enzo to learn to walk again.

Chris said: "Noel lives out his dreams with boundless curiosity, ambition and genius, the product of which is hundreds, soon to be thousands, of fixed pets and happy owners - like me. I have huge respect for his endeavour, his integrity and his compassion and to me he's a superhero-vetman who will leave no stone unturned in his quest to heal, to create and to comfort. He thinks of solutions to medical problems that I'm sure no-one else could even dream of, let alone think of. Actually - I don't think he ever sleeps!"

The RCVS is seeking the views of veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and members of the public about proposals for a new Royal Charter which would clarify and underpin the role of the College and give it formal recognition as regulator of the veterinary nursing profession.

The new Charter, approved at a meeting of RCVS Council in November, would replace the 1967 Supplemental Charter, with the most far reaching change being a proposal to make veterinary nursing a formally regulated profession on a similar footing to veterinary surgeons. Veterinary nurses would become associates of the College and have the post-nominal letters RVN. The List and the Register of Veterinary Nurses would also be effectively combined, meaning that the 1,100 listed veterinary nurses would join the 10,500 already on the Register.

Under the proposals registered veterinary nurses would continue to need to fulfil certain responsibilities, including abiding by the Code of Professional Conduct and completing an average of 15 hours a year of continuing professional development, and would be subject to RCVS disciplinary procedures.

What's new is that individuals struck off from the Register for serious professional misconduct would no longer be able to give medical treatment or carry out minor surgery under veterinary direction.

As well as changes to the regulation of veterinary nursing, the proposed Charter would also more clearly state the role and remit of the RCVS, for example, in advancing standards through the promotion of continuing professional development and the Practice Standards Scheme.

Professor Stephen May, a member of RCVS Council who led the Legislation Working Party that developed the new Charter proposals, said: "The proposed new Charter represents an historic opportunity to affirm the role of the RCVS, and to provide a modern framework for the future regulation of the professions. I call on veterinary surgeons and nurses, together with other interested stakeholders, to read the consultation documents and support our proposals."

Speaking about the need for change, RCVS President Neil Smith added: "The consultation paper explains why it is time to replace the 1967 Charter with a new version which sets out the role of the College. The present Charter doesn't explain what objects the RCVS should set out to achieve, and it is silent about veterinary nurses. The remit of the College should include being the regulator for the veterinary nursing profession, and we want a new Charter to recognise registered veterinary nurses.

"We hope that the new Charter will provide a solid basis for the work of the College for years to come. We would urge members of the professions and the public to let us know what they think and help us to make sure that we have got it right."

The consultation paper, which contains further details about the proposed Charter, is available to download at www.rcvs.org.uk/consultations. Those who wish to have their say must respond to b.myring@rcvs.org.uk with their comments by Friday 7 February 2014.

The RCVS will also be organising a meeting and a webinar during the consultation period for those who wish to ask questions about the proposals. Those interested in attending a meeting should email b.myring@rcvs.org.uk. The webinar will be held early in 2014 - further details will be on www.rcvs.org.uk in due course.

Laura Padron Vega, a veterinary surgeon who was struck off in 2018 for falsely backdating Certificates of Competence whilst working as an Official Veterinarian, has been restored to the Register by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee.

Ms Padron Vega had also been found to have failed in her duties as an OV by being unprepared for, and unaware of, new regulations. She also did not take adequate steps to ensure that the two individuals for whom she had given veterinary certification were licensed to perform slaughter in accordance with the regulations.

Ms Padron Vega originally applied for restoration in December last year, at which time the Disciplinary Committee had concerns about her keeping up-to-date with the knowledge and skills needed to return to practice, and decided to adjourn for six months to allow her to prove that it was appropriate to restore her name to the Register.

At the latest hearing, Ms Padron Vega sought to address the concerns that the Committee had raised about her professional development. In addition to the documentation she provided in her original restoration hearing, which included positive testimonials from colleagues, she provided evidence of her continuing professional development (CPD).

This included a letter from her previous employer, who confirmed she had more recently worked for them as a Certification Support Officer from February to March 2021, where they received positive feedback on her conduct.

The documentation also included a letter from another practice confirming that Ms Padron Vega had been offered a position of employment with them, and a separate letter from practice veterinary surgeon, Dr Khan MRCVS, confirming that he would be her mentor. Dr Khan also confirmed that she had been coming to the practice for work experience and he considered her to have good working knowledge of current medicines used within the practice. He further outlined in his letter what CPD support the practice would be providing for Ms Padron Vega as part of her employment with them.

An additional piece of evidence was a testimonial from Dr Max Rutana MRCVS who confirmed that Ms Padron Vega had worked unsupervised for a period of three weeks, and that he found her clinical notes during this period to be satisfactory and they received no complaints about her conduct from clients.

Ms Padron Vega also submitted CPD documentation which confirmed she has taken a Certification Support Officers’ course and examination in mid-December 2020.

In response to questions from the Committee about her small animal practice experience and how long she had been shadowing Dr Khan for, Ms Padron Vega explained that she had completed 80 hours of shadowing with Dr Khan and that in her future employment under his mentorship, he would be available to support her. She also explained that her job offer was evidence that she would continue to be trained in the relevant area of veterinary work.

Cerys Jones, chairing the Disciplinary Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “During the hearing, we heard evidence from Dr Khan who provided reassurance of Ms Padron Vega’s continued professional development with his practice and the ongoing supervision that she would be under. He explained that the supervision would last at least three months.

“The Committee’s view is that Ms Padron Vega accepts the findings of dishonesty that were made against her at the original Inquiry hearing. In her Reflective Statement, she acknowledges that veterinarians have a professional responsibility to ensure the integrity of veterinary certification, that she is now aware that when signing documents as a veterinary surgeon they need to be approached with care and accuracy. Further she has undertaken a CPD course on this very ethical issue and has passed the examination set at the end of that course. The Committee is confident that Ms Padron Vega is unlikely to repeat the conduct which resulted in her being removed from the Register. It is the Committee’s decision that she should be restored to the Register.”