VetCT, the Teleradiology and teleconsulting company, is offering free Computed Tomography (CT) training for practices. 

The company says more and more CT scanners are being used in general practice, but many teams have been telling them they're not sure if they're using their scanner optimally, or that only some of the team are confident in using it.

The online training aims help teams get the best diagnostic use of CT 

The first of the sessions, on 15th June, will cover the indications and benefits of CT in small animal practice.

The second on 22nd June will look at how and when to perform CT reconstructions.

Manuel Pinilla, VetCT Supporting Radiologist and Director of Quality Assurance (pictured right), will be delivering the talks.

Manuel said: “We are seeing a rapid increase in the use of CT in first opinion practice.

"We know CT can provide vital diagnostic information in addition to the more traditional modalities of x-ray and ultrasound.

"However, it can be challenging to optimise the diagnostic capability.

"We’re keen to support veterinary teams to help them get the most out of their machine and do the best for their patients and the owners.”

To register for the training, visit: https://welcome.vet-ct.com/ctcpdwebinars 

Dechra Veterinary Products has launched Osphos, an intramuscular clodronic acid injection for the control of clinical signs associated with the bone resorptive processes of navicular syndrome in horses, the only such licensed product in the UK.

Dechra says it expects Osphos to change the way chronic lameness caused by navicular syndrome is tackled by equine vets.

According to the company, clinical trials of Osphos showed 74.7% of horses experienced improvement by at least one lameness grade at 56 days post treatment.

Dechra brand manager Emma Jennings said: "Osphos intramuscular injection contains the bisphosphonate clodronic acid which inhibits resorption in the navicular bone by binding to hydroxyapatite crystals and by direct cellular effects on osteoclasts.

"We are delighted with the results of the trials, which proved that Osphos is effective at 6 months post-treatment. We're looking forward to being able to support equine vets, vet nurses and practices by providing an intramuscular Clodronic acid injection for horses."

Dechra also says studies showed that mild transient colic was seen following just 1.6 per cent of treatments.

Osphos 60 mg/ml solution for injection for horses is available from September 2014. 

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has suspended Oxfordshire-based practitioner Dr Susan Catherine Mulvey MRCVS for six months, for failing to communicate with clients, professional colleagues and the College.

There were two charges against Dr Mulvey. The first was that, between May and October 2018, she failed to provide the clinical history for an English Cocker Spaniel named Henry to the Tremain Veterinary Group, despite numerous requests. Also, that between August 2018 and October 2018, she failed to respond adequately or at all to Henry’s owner's requests for information, particularly his clinical records and details of insurance claims made for Henry by her practice.

The second charge was that in January/February 2019, she failed to respond to reasonable requests from the RCVS, particularly in relation to her treatment of Henry, her continuing professional development (CPD) and the status of her Professional Indemnity Insurance.

At the beginning of the hearing, Dr Mulvey admitted the facts and conduct alleged in the charges and also admitted that when her conduct was considered cumulatively, she was guilty of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

The Committee, having considered the evidence provided by the College and Dr Mulvey’s admissions found all the facts and conduct to be proved.

The Committee also concluded that Dr Mulvey's failure to respond to Henry's owners and to the College amounted to disgraceful conduct both when considered individually and cumulatively.

In respect of the first charge, the Committee decided that Dr Mulvey had breached the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons by failing to provide clinical records or details of insurance claims.

This was an administrative part of the function of a veterinary surgeon’s role and that failure to provide clients with such information was unacceptable and fell far short of acceptable professional standards. The Committee noted that Dr Mulvey’s failure to provide details of insurance claims had occurred because she had not made those claims, despite offering to do so. 

With regard to the second charge, the Committee concluded that Dr Mulvey’s failure to respond to five requests from the College for information about Henry was unacceptable.

The Committee also considered that the omissions took place in the context of Dr Mulvey’s previous Disciplinary Committee hearing in April 2018 during which she agreed to a number of undertakings including supervision on her professional practice by an appointed supervisor. It therefore decided that her failure to provide evidence of her CPD and Professional Indemnity Insurance to the College each individually amounted disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

The Committee then went on to consider the sanction for Dr Mulvey in relation to the both charges that it had found proved and also in respect of the charges it had found proved at its earlier hearing on 26 April 2018 for which sanction had been postponed for a period of 1 year to enable Dr Mulvey to comply with undertakings she gave to the Committee to ensure that her practice met RCVS Core Standards by May 2019.

The Committee heard from Mr Stuart King MRCVS who had been appointed to act as a Workplace Supervisor for Dr Mulvey during the period of her Undertakings. Mr King provided the Committee with a report upon the extent to which Dr Mulvey had complied with the terms of her undertakings including the extent which she had implemented Dr King’s numerous recommendations.

The Committee also heard from Dr Byrne MRCVS an inspector for the RCVS’s voluntary Practice Standards Scheme that Dr Mulvey’s practice, when inspected by him in early April 2019, had not met RCVS PSS Core standards in a number of areas.  

The Committee heard from Dr Mulvey and her Counsel that she accepted that she had not met RCVS Core standards as she had undertaken to do.

In reaching its decision as to sanction for all the matters, the Committee took into account that Dr Mulvey’s misconduct overall was serious because it was repeated.

The Committee also considered aggravating and mitigating factors.

Aggravating factors included the fact that the misconduct was sustained or repeated over a period of time (in relation to charge 1 for a period of approximately 4 months and in relation to charge 2 for approximately 6 weeks).

Other aggravating factors include the fact that Dr Mulvey’s conduct contravened advice issued by the Professional Conduct Department in letters sent to her, and that she had wilfully disregarded the role of the RCVS and the systems that regulate the veterinary profession.    

Mitigating factors included that: there was no harm to any animal; there was no financial gain for Dr Mulvey or any other party; there was no ulterior motive behind Dr Mulvey’s conduct; and that Dr Mulvey had in fact both completed her minimum CPD requirement and secured Professional Indemnity Insurance, demonstrating that she had not attempted to hide such information from the College.

It also took into account that Dr Mulvey, prior to the first Disciplinary Committee’s hearing in 2018, worked without any previous disciplinary findings against her from 1976 to 2018. The Committee also noted that she had made efforts to comply with some of the undertakings. 

Mr Ian Green, Chair of the DC and speaking on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, said: "The Committee considered that a warning or reprimand was not an appropriate sanction that would meet the public interest. Instead, the Committee decided that a suspension order for a period of six months would allow Dr Mulvey sufficient time to focus on ensuring her practice met the Core Standards set out in the Practice Standards Scheme, without the daily demands of practising as a veterinary surgeon, and was a proportionate and sufficient sanction to meet the public interest.

"The Committee was satisfied that a period of six months met the public interest as it was sanctioning Dr Mulvey for two sets of similar misconduct which we had determined overall as serious. The Committee also believed that during these six months Dr Mulvey could reflect and reorganise her practice, and there would be little risk to animals and the public in her returning to practice."

Dr Mulvey has 28 days from being informed of the Committee’s decision to lodge an appeal with the Privy Council.

Following the outcry from the profession over the disciplinary hearing into Mr M Chikosi, the RCVS' new Operational Board has clarified the the College's position on the use of blankets to move animals.

The hearing found Munhuwepasi Chikosi guilty of unreasonably delaying attending a dog that had been run over at a farm, and of unnecessarily causing her to remain in pain and suffering for at least an hour.

As a result, the Disciplinary Committee directed that Mr Chikosi's name be removed from the Register for serious professional misconduct. The College says that since the appeal window has closed without an appeal being made, Mr Chikosi has now been struck off.

However, the Committee also said: "... his [Mr Chikosi's] advice that Mitzi should be moved on a blanket was wrong, as she may have had an injured back."

This was widely criticised as being out of touch with the practicalities of real life and unsupported by any evidence.

Speaking on behalf of the Board, President Neil Smith said: "We fully support the decision taken by the independent Disciplinary Committee with regard to the Chikosi hearing, with one comment requiring clarification: the issue of whether a blanket can be used to move an injured dog. We consider that it is acceptable, in most cases, to transport an injured dog with the aid of a blanket.

"The profession should be reassured that our Standards Committee [the new name for Advisory Committee] will consider the general issues raised by the Chikosi hearing at its next meeting. This will not be a review of the decision, but form part of the routine consideration of DC hearings made by the Committee to see if they raise issues that require additional guidance and advice."

The RCVS has announced that next month, it will be asking veterinary surgeons and nurses for their view on a proposed new framework for post-registration veterinary nursing qualifications which aim to enhance the structure of the veterinary nursing career and introduce an Advanced Veterinary Nurse status.

The proposed framework has grown out of the VN Futures research project, run jointly with the BVNA, which identified developing a structured and rewarding career path for veterinary nurses as one of the key demands of the profession.

It has been developed by the VN Futures Post-Registration Development Group in conjunction with the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Education Committee and Veterinary Nurses Council.

The College says the proposed framework is designed to provide accessible, flexible and professionally relevant post-registration awards for veterinary nurses in order to provide an enhanced level of veterinary nursing practice, while also providing specific modules that veterinary nurses at all career levels can study independently for their continuing professional development (CPD).

Julie Dugmore, Director of Veterinary Nursing at the RCVS, said: "One of the strongest messages that came out of the research we conducted with the British Veterinary Nursing Association prior to the publication of the VN Futures Report was that there was a need for a more structured and rewarding career path for veterinary nurses.

"Throughout the VN Futures roadshow events nurses felt they were often entering a career cul-de-sac after a certain amount of time in practice and so the need for further post-registration qualifications which promote excellence and recognise advanced knowledge, skills, competency and experience in designated areas were strongly expressed.

"We have taken this feedback and developed it into a comprehensive framework for two defined post-registration qualifications and are very interested in hearing what both veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons have to say about all aspects of what we are proposing.

"Once we have collated the responses, we will incorporate the feedback into the framework for further consideration by the relevant committees and VN Council. The eventual aim is that these qualifications will, once sufficiently bedded in, lead to the development of an Advanced Veterinary Nurse status so that members of the VN profession with the sufficient skills and experience will get the recognition they truly deserve."

The two new qualifications included in the framework are a Graduate Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing and a Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing. Details of the courses’ structure, candidate assessment criteria, accreditation standards, student support, candidate eligibility rules, the RCVS enrolment process and the procedures for certification will be set out in a framework document as part of the consultation process. 

The document also includes a prospective list of designations for the two courses covering areas of advanced veterinary nursing knowledge such as wellness and preventative health; rehabilitation and physiotherapy; anaesthesia and analgesia; triage, critical care and emergency nursing; pharmacology; animal welfare; education and teaching; management and leadership; research; and, dentistry. 

The consultation will be launched in early July with an email sent to all veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons containing a link to the survey and asking for their views on the proposals. Details of the consultation, once launched, may also be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/consultations 

The VN Futures Report is available to download from www.vetfutures.org.uk/vnfutures

The BSAVA has announced the launch of its third smartphone app - the BSAVA Small Animal Formulary App.

This member-only access app is available to download now from iTunes and Android Market and offers the same reference materials found in the latest 7th edition printed version.

The BSAVA says the app contains more than 450 drug monographs and a wealth of additional information, allowing easy and rapid access to vital information about those medications that veterinary surgeons most commonly prescribe. It is hoped that the convenience of having the BSAVA Small Animal Formulary on a smartphone will mean that vets in practice will always have this valuable reference tool within easy reach.

Once the app is installed it will ask for a validation code that can be obtained from the smartphone app validation code page within My BSAVA pages at www.bsava.com. All future BSAVA member-only smartphone apps will be validated using the same process.

BSAVA IT Manager Emma Hayes said: "BSAVA is continually aiming to provide a range of valuable member benefits in a variety of formats so they can be used in the most efficient and effective way by our members. The BSAVA Formulary was a natural candidate for release as a mobile application, following the successful launch as an online searchable database at Congress in April. By developing this application it has also provided us with a platform that will enable us to produce additional useful applications in the future that can provide unrestricted content for our members."

The BSAVA Small Animal Formulary App follows on from the BSAVA Congress App and the BSAVA Guide to the use of Veterinary Medicines App. You can find out more about these other BSAVA smartphone apps through My BSAVA at www.bsava.com.

The number of veterinary students suffering from stress has dropped by 23% over the last four years, according to a survey conducted by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Association of Veterinary Students (AVS).

In the BVA/AVS Survey 2012, sponsored by Vets4Pets, 82% of students reported suffering from stress currently or while at university, with this figure falling to 63% of students in 2016. Those who reported suffering from depression also fell from 33% to 27%.

By far the biggest contributor to, or trigger of, mental health problems was veterinary students’ studies, with 83% citing this as the main reason. Other contributions to, or triggers of, mental health issues cited by students included:

• Lack of free time (58%)
• Relationship or family issues (44%)
• Other financial worries (40%)
• Stress of finding extra-mural studies (EMS) placements (34%)
• The cost of EMS (23%)
• Having to work as well as study (19%)
• Other (9%)

Researchers say that the fall in students reporting stress could be attributed to improved university support for students, with almost three quarters (72%) of survey respondents saying they felt supported in terms of welfare.

In recent years, a number of initiatives have been developed to help and support students. They range from the counselling and peer mentoring services available through individual universities to the confidential support offered by the independent charity Vetlife through its helpline, health support programme and fund for financial support.

While the significant fall in veterinary students reporting stress is positive, the BVA/AVS survey also shows that there are a range of factors that affect students, including financial pressures. A third of veterinary students work part-time to supplement their income and around half of students say they usually have less funds than they need, with the average shortfall per term estimated at £1,231.

Hannah Mason, President of the Association of Veterinary Students, said: "There is no escaping that veterinary medicine is a challenging degree. On top of strenuous exams, holidays are filled with compulsory EMS making it hard to sustain part-time work which is often needed to supplement the expense of a five or six year degree. It is therefore no surprise that stress is a problem in the vet student population. Whilst it is pleasing to see that the numbers reporting stress have declined, the majority of vet students still report having suffered at some point during their degree. We now have various counselling services and peer support systems across the universities to help students to cope better. However, while it is important to have reactive strategies in place, we also need to examine the fundamental reasons why vet students are stressed and how we can prevent it from occurring."

Gudrun Ravetz, President of the British Veterinary Association, said: "A significant drop in those students reporting stress is very much to be welcomed. But any veterinary student feeling stressed, under pressure and unable to cope is one too many. The truth is that there will be pressure in the work we do and there will be times that we feel stressed. Veterinary medicine university courses are tough and that is reflected in studies being the number one contributor to mental health and wellbeing concerns in the survey. But as a veterinary family, we need to help our colleagues to cope from the earliest stages of their career and make the right resources available to them, along with creating the right kind of supportive culture. We also need to recognise and work on solutions for what can be a toxic mixture of a highly demanding course, little leisure time and huge financial pressure. It is the responsibility of everyone in the profession to nurture a robust, skilled, compassionate and happy new generation of vets."

Improve International has announced the launch of its General Practitioner Advanced Certificate (GPAdvCert) in Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery.

Accredited by the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ESVPS) and due to be validated by Harper Adams University, Improve says the new Cert will be delivered over 14 modules in three blocks of training by globally recognised experts in practical training centres in Sheffield, UK; Cremona, Italy and Madrid, Spain. 

The modules will be supported by an online learning platform providing notes, additional learning resources and the ability for delegates to discuss clinical cases in a closed forum.

David Babington MRCVS, Business Development Director at Improve International, said: "Our GPAdvCert in Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery is a natural progression for veterinary surgeons who want to develop their soft tissue surgery skills. 

"The programme focuses on problem-solving to increase confidence in diagnosing and stabilising animals with complex pathologies and delegates will have plenty of opportunity to practise new surgical techniques and advanced procedures under close supervision in a wet-lab environment."

He added: "In common with our other GPAdvCerts in Orthopaedics and Small Animal Medicine, achieving this qualification will help vets in practice to reduce the number of patients they have to refer, enabling them to retain a higher level of income for their practice. The programme will also provide them with skills which they can pass onto their team."

The GPAdvCert in Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery is aimed at veterinary surgeons who have already completed a General Practitioner Certificate in Small Animal Surgery (GPCertSAS) or a Postgraduate Certificate (PgC) in Small Animal Surgery.

Improve says the successful achievement of a GPAdvCert enables delegates to progress from a Postgraduate Certificate (or equivalent) to the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Practice Sciences in the UK, which is awarded by Harper Adams University.  This can, in turn, be used towards the award of a Master’s Degree (MSc) in Advanced Veterinary Practice Sciences.

The British Equine Veterinary Association has announced the launch of a coaching scheme which will pair new grads with experienced equine vet coaches for career support.

As part of the programme, BEVA is giving the coaches workshops, discussion forums and online toolkits to develop their mentoring skills. Having been trained by a specialist mentoring professional, the coaches are then paired with recent graduates to give them guidance and support during the foundation years of their careers.

The project, called 'Leg Up', has been driven by BEVA President Renate Weller, and is being trialled over the next 12 months before being rolled out more widely.

Renate said: "All professionals, but especially new graduates need support in navigating their journey through their chosen career.

"With the veterinary industry’s rapidly changing landscape and rising concern around wellbeing, consistent support and guidance have never been more relevant."

Coaching is open to BEVA concessionary members who have graduated within the past three years. They will be able to self-select a preferred coach on a first come, first served basis from the Leg Up section of the BEVA website.

Renated added: "To date access to targeted careers support has most often depended on where you work and who you know. We hope the scheme will encourage and support those entering the profession, giving them the opportunity to discuss their training, development, career progression and self-care with trained professionals who were once in their shoes."

To find out more and to sign up for the Leg Up programme visit https://www.beva.org.uk/Careers/Leg-Up

MSD has announced that its calf scour vaccine, Bovilis Rotavec Corona is now licensed to boost antibodies against both F5 (K99) and F41 E.coli adhesins – the most commonly isolated fimbriae taken from calves suffering with infectious diarrhoea¹.

MSD says the new license claim means the vaccine combines the broadest calf scour protection available with unique user convenience.

MSD Animal Health livestock veterinary adviser Dr Kat Baxter-Smith said: “When correctly administered as a single 2ml intramuscular dose to pregnant cattle 12-3 weeks prior to calving, Bovilis Rotavec Corona boosts antibodies in colostrum for rotavirus, coronavirus and now both E.coli F5 (K99) and F41.

"Calves gain protection against these infectious scour pathogens by drinking the fortified colostrum from their vaccinated mothers.

“Bovilis Rotavec Corona also contains the most prevalent rotavirus strain in Europe², which minimises the chances of a calf scour protection breakdown due to differences between vaccine antigens and the ubiquitous antigens on farm³.”

Kat added: "Vet, RAMA and farmer feedback suggests the wide vaccination window (12-3 weeks pre-calving) and the fact that an opened bottle of vaccine lasts for up to 28 days are particularly useful practical benefits in a mix of both dairy and beef suckler systems.”

Bovilis Rotavec Corona is available in 5, 20 and 50-dose packs from both veterinary professionals and the agricultural merchant trade.

References

1. Kolenda et al. (2015) A systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiology of pathogenic Escherichia coli of calves and the role of calves as reservoirs for human pathogenic coli. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. Mar 12;5:23.
2. Kaplon J et al. (2013) Impact of rotavirus vaccine on rotavirus genotypes and calciviruses circulating in French cattle. Vaccine. 31(20): 2433-40
3. Papp H et al. (2013) Review of group A rotavirus strains reported in swine and cattle.Vet Microbiol. 165 (3-4): 190-9

The BSAVA has announced that it is increasing the number of practical sessions at Congress by a quarter.

The practical, wet lab, small group and 'Breakfast with a Specialist' programme has expanded to enhance the CPD experience and to meet rising demand, alongside more than 450 lectures for delegates to choose from.

Wet lab sessions, introduced at Congress 2017, will again be held at the University of Birmingham’s Medical School and include topics on cytology, haematology, basic eye surgery, rabbit dentistry and dental radiography for dogs and cats.

'Breakfast with a Specialist' sessions give delegates exclusive access to world-renowned experts to discuss challenging cases informally, in a small group setting: endocrinology cases with David Church on Friday, epilepsy cases with Holger Volk on Saturday and jaw fracture fixation in the dog and cat with Peter Southerden on Sunday.

BSAVA Congress Programme Committee Chair Sue Murphy said: "Responding to the excellent delegate feedback from 2017’s programme, we are increasing the number of practical and small group sessions to enable more delegates to benefit in 2018. These sessions represent excellent, value for money education and a unique opportunity for delegates to practice vital skills with guidance from experts in their respective disciplines.’"

Each workshop or small group is available to purchase when registering for Congress and a full summary of each practical and small group session is available at: http://www.bsavacongress.com/programme

The 61st annual BSAVA Congress takes place at the Birmingham ICC and Arena Birmingham from 5-8 April, including a new non-clinical stream on Sunday – Beyond the Clinics.

The British Equine Veterinary Association has published the results of a survey it commissioned which found that horse vets in the UK are probably at greater risk of injury than any other civilian profession, including the prison service.

For the study, which was conducted by the Institute of Health and Wellbeing and the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow, 620 equine vets completed a work-related injuries questionnaire. The results of the study indicated that an equine vet could expect to sustain between seven and eight work-related injuries that impeded them from practicing, during a 30-year working life. 

If the 620 respondents were representative of the rest of the profession, the injuries they reported would equate to 26,452 per 100,000 equine vets in employment per year. That compares with 10,760 for people working in the prison service, 8,700 for policemen below the rank of sergeant, 6,980 for welders, metal formers and related trades, and 4,760 for construction workers.

Participants were asked to describe their worst-ever injury. Most were described as bruising, fracture and laceration, with the most common site of injury being the leg (29%), followed by the head (23%). The main cause of injury was a kick with a hind limb (49%), followed by strike with a fore limb (11%), followed by crush injury (5%). Nearly a quarter of these reported injuries required hospital admission and notably, 7% resulted in loss of consciousness. The most common reason for the examination during which the injury occurred was foot lameness, followed by dental and female reproductive. 

BEVA Past-President Keith Chandler said: “We were shocked to discover the extent of the injuries sustained. Of greatest concern is the number of vets who suffered head injuries and unconsciousness. These injuries appeared to be more common when certain procedures were being performed, such as endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract, when vets are often only partly sighted while using examination equipment, or during wound management and bandage-changes, where vets are often crouched-down for long periods, next to the patient.” 

38% of the ‘worst’ injuries occurred when the vet was working with a ‘pleasure’ horse and most frequently (48% of all responses) the horse handler was the owner or the client at the time of the injury. Whilst the number of laypersons or handlers injured at the same time was low, Tim Parkin, vet and lead researcher, pointed out: “This work should act as a wake up call to all involved in the training, employment and engagement of equine vets. The risks associated with handling and working with horses should be the primary consideration for equine vets and horses owners alike, every time a horse is examined or treated. In addition, the experience of the horse handler should be considered when undertaking riskier procedures.”

David Mountford, Chief Executive of BEVA said: “The results are very concerning and justify a careful prospective scientific quantification of the risks.  In the short term, knowledge of these risks allows us to better inform all vets who work with horses.  In turn vets will be able to inform horse owners, horse-keepers and trainers of the risks, and this may provide justification for having trained assistance on-hand or the more extensive use of sedative drugs in practice, potentially reducing the risk of injury.

"The British Equine Veterinary Association will now look to work with the Health and Safety Executive, Veterinary Schools, large employers of vets in the UK and our members to help develop policies to mitigate the risk of serious injury for vets working with horses.” 

Photograph courtesy Towcester Veterinary Centre

Northwest Surgeons, the Cheshire-based referral centre which is now part of Pets at Home, has announced the expansion of its clinical specialisms into the field of neurology, with the appointment of Dr Lorenzo Golini.

Dr Golini underwent residency training in neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Zurich where he remained as a clinician after his residency. He holds the European Diploma in Veterinary Neurology and a Master's degree in behavioural medicine. His main interests lie in epilepsy and MRI.

Dr Chris May, Northwest Surgeons' Managing Director said: "Neurology is a natural extension of the services we offer currently and is an area of growth in response to an increased demand from our referring vets. I am delighted to welcome Lorenzo to our team."

Dr Golini will accept referrals for both medical and surgical neurology cases, expanding on the case load seen by Northwest Surgeons' existing specialist teams which offer referrals in orthopaedic, soft tissue and spinal surgery and internal medicine. These services are supported by veterinary specialists in anaesthesia, pain management and diagnostic imaging.

For more information, visit: www.nwsurgeons.co.uk