Dechra has relaunched Sedaxylan 20 mg/ml solution for the sedation and premedication prior to general anaesthesia of dogs, cats, horses and cattle.

Sedaxylan 20 mg/ml contains the short acting alpha-2 agonist xylazine and is licensed for I/V administration. 

It is also licensed for I/M administration in cattle; it has zero milk withdrawal and short one day meat withdrawal and sedation occurs in cattle within two minutes I/V and five to 10 minutes I/M.

Sedaxylan 20 mg/ml joins  Dechra’s Nerfasin vet 100 mg/ml solution in the company’s anaesthesia and sedation range.  Nerfasin vet also contains xylazine and is licensed for I/V administration for sedation and premedication prior to general anaesthesia in horses and cattle.

Alana McGlade, national sales manager at Dechra, said: “Dechra offers a comprehensive range of anaesthesia and sedation products allowing vets to customise protocols to the individual animal. 

"Sedaxylan 20mg/ml and Nerfasin vet 100 mg/ml solution provide vets with flexible and convenient dosing options.”

Both Sedaxylan 20 mg/ml and Nerfasin vet 100 mg/ml are available in 25ml vials.

For more information, talk to your Dechra territory sales manager.

www.dechra.co.uk.

SureFlap, a microchip pet product company, will be launching SureFeed, a new automatic cat feeder at the London Vet Show, Stand L32, on the 21^st - 22^nd November 2013. 

The company, which already sells a range of microchip-operated pet doors, says the new products are designed to keep food fresh and the kitchen free of smells and flies.  

SureFeed will be available in two models: the SureFeed Pet Feeder, which opens when any pet approaches, and the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder which in addition functions as a selective pet feeder that opens only when it identifies a cat with a registered microchip or RFID collar tag.

Both products feature a bowl which seals shut to keep wet food fresh.    

Dr Nick Hill, inventor of SureFeed as well as founder and inventor of SureFlap says this is an exciting new development for the company: "Many cats are fussy eaters and prefer to eat food when it is fresh, others are on special diets and this can be a problem in multi-pet households. Even in households where each cat is on the same diet, a 'greedy' cat, or even dog, can eat most of the food. This can result in one pet becoming overweight while the other starts to lose condition. The SureFeed product range has been designed to address all these issues." 

The SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder recognises a cat's unique microchip number and when an authorised cat is present, the sealed lid over the bowl slides back to reveal the food. Once the cat has left the feeder, the lid slides back over the bowl. The SureFeed Pet Feeder features the same sealed lid which is triggered to open by any approaching pet, closing again when the pet has finished feeding. 

Nick said: "The SureFeed product range is the culmination of two years' intensive development work. The feeders incorporate a number of features to maximise usability, such as the Microchip Pet Feeder's side guards and lid which folds up to the rear, which shield the food from other pets while the authorised cat is eating. The feeders are both easy to wipe clean and the food bowl, mat and lid can be removed and are dishwasher-safe.

"The SureFeed Pet Feeder and Microchip Pet Feeder are the first in a suite of pet feeding products from SureFlap incorporating sealed operation and flexible feeding options and we are looking forward to developing the range in the future."

SureFeed products will be available to order from early 2014 but in the meantime, you can see them in action at Stand L32 at the London Vet Show.

The BSAVA has announced the launch of the BSAVA Summit, a new 2-day CPD event in London which will tackle the major issues facing the profession and to which all vets are invited.

BSAVA Summit will take place from 16-17 December 2019 at the Royal College of Physicians in London and will involve a series of high-profile keynote speakers and interactive workshops.

The Association says the event will deliver CPD differently to other veterinary meetings, with most sessions run as facilitated workshops to enable delegates to lead and shape discussions. 

Confirmed facilitators include RCVS CEO Lizzie Lockett, BEVA President Renate Weller, Director of Clinical Research and Excellence in Practice at VetPartners Rachel Dean and Small Animal Medicine Specialist and Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Cardiology Dr Kit Sturgess. Each day delegates can choose three out of a total of five workshops. Online forums will be used in the run up to BSAVA Summit to develop ideas and thinking for the workshops before the event.

Day one will focus on ‘The Profession Today’ and topics will include workforce issues, telemedicine, specialism, the future of advanced practitioners and regulation of the profession.

Day two will explore the future of ‘The Profession Tomorrow’ with topics including communication, over-diagnosis, over-treatment and innovation.

On the Monday evening delegates, speakers and facilitators will be able to network at a drinks reception in the library at the Royal College of Physicians. 

BSAVA President Sue Paterson said: "We have launched BSAVA Summit to address the rising demand for a space to debate important topics, challenge mindsets and question accepted benchmarks. Following feedback from our members and the profession, Summit will revolutionise veterinary conference norms with a free-flow approach to champion active debate, discussion and reflection.

"There is a growing need to tackle some of the ethical and professional problems that face vets today such as over diagnosis, the role of specialists in practice, and research in practice. Importantly, the format of the discussion forums means that whilst the debate is led by a facilitator, the delegates will drive the agenda to arrive at stimulating and satisfying outcomes.  It has been designed to fit with the new outcomes-based approach proposed by the RCVS where veterinary professionals are encouraged to plan their CPD, do their CPD and reflect on what they have learnt.

"The delegates are the key to the event, and Summit should attract people who want to be involved, want to input, want to make a difference and want to help drive the profession forward. I already have people eagerly emailing me wanting news of when the registration goes live.

"Summit aims to help delegates take a hard look at the way they work. Our aim is for each delegate to set themselves personal goals and we will be following up in 3 months to see if they have achieved them."

The BSAVA says that although the Summit is primarily targeted at experienced small animal practitioners, all vets, including equine and large animal practitioners, are welcome to attend. 

The full programme will be available and registration will open online on 17^th June.  BSAVA members will have an opportunity to book advance tickets, with general sale opening two weeks later.

For further information visit www.bsavasummit.com.

David Chalkley MRCVS has been suspended for three months by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee after it found him guilty of serious professional misconduct over bovine tuberculosis (bTB) testing at a Cheltenham farm in March 2018.

Mr Chalkley faced three charges against him. The first was that he failed to identify some or all of the animals tested with Intradermal Comparative Tuberculin (ICT) tests at the farm.

The second charge was that Mr Chalkley had certified that he had carried out ICT tests on 279 animals at the farm and recorded the results on the accompanying paperwork but had, in fact, not adequately identified some or all of the 279 animals and had fabricated the skin thickness measurements recorded for some of them.

In addition, the charge alleged that Mr Chalkley’s conduct was dishonest, misleading and risked undermining government testing procedures designed to promote public health.

The third charge was that between June 2011 and September 2018, Mr Chalkley received payment of approximately £20,000 for ICT tests when, as a result of his conduct in relation to ICT tests at the farm, he was not entitled to such payment.

At the outset of the hearing Mr Chalkley admitted the first charge, that he had not adequately identified some of the animals.

On the third day of the hearing, during his evidence to the Committee, he admitted that his certification of the ICT testing was therefore misleading.

He denied the rest of the charges including that his conduct had been dishonest and that it had risked undermining government testing procedures designed to promote public health.

In considering the charges against Mr Chalkley, the Committee heard that discrepancies regarding the tests that were carried out on the farm in March 2018 were originally raised by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), on whose behalf Mr Chalkley carried out ICT testing in his capacity as an Official Veterinarian.

When Mr Chalkley gave evidence during the hearing, he explained that he had taken over TB testing for the farm in 2008 and that working conditions on the farm had been difficult throughout the whole period 2008 to 2018. He stated that due to the harsh weather conditions of early 2018, TB testing was difficult, and that the farmer needed to complete the test by March 2018 to avoid a financial penalty.

Mr Chalkley explained that one of the reasons for there being limited time available for him to carry out the test within the time required by the farmer was that he was due to provide veterinary cover at the Cheltenham races the following week and he was unable to find anyone else to cover the tests. Mr Chalkley also explained that during the tests on 5 and 8 March there had been limited farmhands available to assist in processing the cattle through the tests.

In the course of being asked questions by counsel for the RCVS, Mr Chalkley accepted that he had failed to identify some 45% of the animals he had injected on 5 March 2018 and had, in respect of each of the skin thickness measurements for those animals, randomly chosen a figure that he believed would be appropriate based on the breed, age and sex of the animal.

The APHA guidelines state that specific measurements should be made and recorded for each individual animal using callipers. Mr Chalkley said that he could not remember seeing the “pop-up” declaration which appeared when submitting the results to the APHA online and had never read it. He stated that he was not aware that he was making a declaration.  However, he accepted that as an Official Veterinarian he was confirming that he had carried out the test properly. While he agreed that he knew that the test contained inaccuracies, he did not accept that he was being dishonest when he submitted the results.

Having considered all the evidence put forward by the RCVS and Mr Chalkley in his own defence, the Committee found that Mr Chalkley had acted dishonestly in deliberately choosing not to take the measurements on 5 March and had instead submitted fabricated alternatives, and so risked undermining public health by failing to carry out his duties as an OV.

The Committee also concluded that Mr Chalkley had been acting dishonestly, as he  knew that he was submitting the test results as if they were the authentic outcome of a properly conducted test when in reality, they were no such thing.

The Committee did not accept Mr Chalkley’s evidence that he was unaware of the declaration which accompanied the submission of the test outcome. The Committee therefore found both the first and second charges proved.

In respect of the third charge the Committee found that this was not proven noting that the RCVS had not disproved Mr Chalkley’s explanation regarding his reasons for returning the £20,000 in fees he had received for carrying out TB testing at the farm from the APHA since 2011.

The Committee then considered whether the first two charges, both of which had been found proven, amounted to serious professional misconduct.

Ian Arundale, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee was prepared to accept that the respondent considered the risk arising from his actions as negligible. Nonetheless, in the Committee’s assessment a real risk existed due to the respondent’s actions and it was precisely the risk which the authorised testing procedure was designed to negate. The simple fact is the respondent could not be sure that each animal he assessed on 8 March 2018 had also been seen by him on 5 March 2018.

“However, the wider point with which the Committee was concerned related to the importance of any member of the profession or public being able to rely absolutely on the integrity of veterinary certification. Those parts of the Code and supporting guidance [concerning certification]… were unequivocal. It was very difficult to conceive of circumstances in which it could ever be justifiable to certify the outcome of a test which had not, in fact, been conducted in a way which was demonstrably valid and reliable. Such conduct was bound to be regarded as disgraceful by members of the profession and the general public.

“Honesty is the bedrock of appropriate certification and the Code and Guidance for the Disciplinary Committee is also unequivocal. Dishonesty in professional practice is always an extremely serious matter and the respondent’s responsibilities in the discharge of his functions as an Official Veterinarian were clear. On this occasion those responsibilities had been compromised.

“For these reasons, the Committee has come to the conclusion that the respondent’s conduct in relation to the facts found proved was disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.”

The Committee then went on to consider the sanction for Mr Chalkley.

The Committee heard oral evidence in mitigation, including from a former colleague who had worked with him in practice since 2006, as well as receiving a large number of written testimonials from various sources that attested to his honesty, integrity, willingness to help others, and charitable work in support of animal welfare.

Mr Chalkley’s counsel, in mitigation, highlighted his long and previously unblemished career, and characterised the conduct as an inexcusable but explicable error of judgement that was entirely isolated and out-of-character. Mr Chalkley’s counsel added that he had not done anything that he thought was seriously wrong, and there was no evidence that any harm had been done and that any risk to public health was not serious.

The Committee accepted that the conduct was isolated and out-of-character and that, furthermore, Mr Chalkley had made early and frank admissions to the APHA and that he had displayed a degree of insight, although the Committee was less confident that he truly understood the seriousness of the potential consequences of his dishonest conduct.

The Committee took into account the aggravating factors, including Mr Chalkley’s breach of trust of his position as an OV, the undermining of the integrity of veterinary certification, dishonesty and the potential public health impacts of his conduct.

Ian Arundale added: “The Committee considered that, having regard to the mitigating features which it had identified, a suspension order would be sufficient to send to the profession and the public a clear signal about the importance to be attached to accurate certification. The Committee considered that in the particular circumstances of this case, a period of three months suspension would be sufficient to achieve this objective.”

The full findings for the case can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

IVC Evidensia has opened two veterinary training centres, one at the Vets Now headquarters in Dunfermline and the other based at Blaise Referral Hospital in Birmingham. 

The centres have cutting-edge facilities, including high-tech audio-visual equipment with ceiling-mounted cameras to relay demonstrations, phantom models for abdominal ultrasound training and advanced simulators for practicing echocardiography.

The courses will be taught mainly by clinicians from across the IVC Evidensia network, 

IVC says the centres will deliver 20,000 hours of CPD for its staff this year, and it aims to make its training available to the broader veterinary community towards the end of 2025. 

Daniella Dos Santos, Director of Professional Culture at IVC Evidensia, said: “These centres will allow us to provide tailored training, whether you’re just starting your career or you’re looking to develop new skills and techniques.

"The training will help us deliver exceptional care for pets and their owners by ensuring our colleagues and eventually the wider profession continue to grow and develop their expertise.”

Video Vets Now, the telemedicine arm of Vets Now, has reported a 54% year on year growth in the use of its service in 2022, and says the redefinition of 'under care' will pave the way for further opportunities.

Vets Now launched the service at the start of the pandemic to provide remote veterinary advice, and it has now expanded from eight to nearly 30 emergency vets. 

In 2022, Video Vets Now had over 13,000 consultations, with 80% of these occurring out-of-hours. Sundays are the busiest day, with almost a third of all consultations taking place.

Of these total consultations, 17% of pets were discharged normally, 7% were immediately referred in-clinic, and 48% were discharged as non-emergency cases, but with a recommendation to get a daytime vet appointment within 48 hours.

Dave Leicester, Vets Now’s head of telehealth says the fact that so few of Video Vets Now calls are referred on to a face-to-face consultation is a real benefit for pet owners and the veterinary profession: “Over two thirds of cases don’t need to be seen urgently by a vet.

"A lot of the cases are pet owners needing some clinical reassurance.

"As cases are triaged remotely, the service therefore frees up clinical staff for genuine emergencies. 

“Additionally, without the service, many clients would have no other option than to attend for a full consultation at an out-of-hours clinic; so, clients save money too, allowing them to save their budget to spend at their daytime practices.

“Following the triage consultation, if the pet does need a non-urgent face-to-face consultation, we always direct clients to their registered vet. The £24 Video Vets Now consultation fee is then refunded.

"We call this our ‘Never Pay Twice’ promise, and it applies regardless of where that follow on consultation takes place.

"We see this as a win-win situation for clients and practices.” 

Dave continued: “Over the past three years, Video Vets Now has seen unparalleled growth, providing essential care and reassurance for pet owners during a time of many challenges to traditional veterinary practice.

“As the pandemic has drawn to a close, we have consolidated our position as one of the UK's foremost providers of teletriage.

"Looking to the future, the changes in veterinary regulation will allow us to grow further and expand the range of services we can provide, bringing telehealth to an even greater number of pet owners.”

New research conducted in collaboration with Spillers and published in the Equine Veterinary Journal has shown that even healthy older horses have increased insulin responses, compared to younger horses, in response to a starch rich or starch and sugar rich meal.

This, says Spillers, suggests that older horses, whether or not they have been diagnosed with insulin dysregulation, need an appropriate diet and management plan to help minimise the risks associated with insulin dysregulation such as laminitis.

The two studies^1,2, which were conducted in collaboration with Michigan State University, aimed to find out more about the relationship between insulin dysregulation, dietary adaptation, and ageing to help guide more appropriate feeding regimens for senior horses.

Both studies investigated tissue insulin resistance and the insulin response in healthy adults compared to healthy senior horses adapted to diets with varying levels and sources of hydrolysable and structural carbohydrate (starch, sugar, and fibre).

Results from both studies showed insulin responses tend to increase with age in healthy horses, regardless of the diet they had been fed prior to evaluation. The insulin response, for example, was highest in the senior horses fed a starch rich meal even when they had been adapted to such a diet. 

Clare Barfoot, RNutr, the research and development manager at Spillers said: "These studies confirm that even healthy older horses can have an increased insulin response compared to younger animals.

"This suggests that the energy sources used in the diet of senior horses and their effect on insulin dynamics need to be carefully considered.

"Practically, this means restricting the overall amount of starch and sugar in the diet especially for those horses that already have additional risk factors such as obesity, native breeding or PPID."

References

1. Rapson J.L. , Schott II H.C. , Nielsen B.D. , McCutcheon L.J. , Harris P.A. &  Geor R.J.   Effects of age and diet on glucose and insulin dynamics in the horse. Equine Veterinary Journal https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12812
2. Jacob, S. I., Geor, R. J., Weber, P. S. D., Harris, P. A. and McCue, M. E. (2018), Effect of age and dietary carbohydrate profiles on glucose and insulin dynamics in horses. Equine Vet J. 50: 249 - 254. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12745

Unite, the largest trade union in the country, has announced that up to 17,000 members of the UK veterinary profession could become members within the next five years, following the establishment of the British Veterinary Union (BVU)

The union says it will be able to give veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, practice managers, support staff and students in all disciplines, the additional muscle to tackle employment problems in the workplace, such as pay, contracts, bullying and professional development.

Unite's General Secretary, Len McCluskey said: 'As a progressive trade union, Unite warmly welcomes BVU into the Unite family. The fact that a highly-regarded profession is looking to Unite for support in employment matters is an indication of the validity and relevance of trade unions in 2011 Britain.'

Dr Shams Mir, Chairman, Professional Advisory Committee, British Veterinary Union in Unite said: 'Our biggest challenge will be to change the mindset of our profession to address the deep-trenched problems of working conditions and terms of employment for vets and nurses, and safeguarding their professional status. But, most importantly, we have to overcome the sense of fear amongst veterinary professionals in raising legitimate employment issues.'

'Veterinary professionals face the same problems in their working lives as any other health professionals, but never before have vets had a trade union to support and represent them. BVU in Unite is a great opportunity for the profession to develop and expand, and is a goal that many have aspired to for years. We believe that up to 17,000 veterinary professionals could join BVU in Unite in the next five years.'

Dr Mir said that research has revealed that vets suffer from much higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms and they are five times more likely to have suicidal thoughts and four times more likely to commit suicide compared to the general UK population.

He said: 'Sadly, according to the most recent Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' survey of the profession, nearly half of the responding vets and nurses said that if they had their time again, they would choose a different profession.'

'This is a wake-up call for our profession and we must act to address all the underlying problems leading to this situation.'

Further information is available at: www.bvu.org.uk and www.unitetheunion.org/bvu

FirstVet, the online veterinary consultation startup, has announced two more partnerships with pet insurers, through which pet owners will be offered free online veterinary consultations.

As a result, clients of LV=GI and Waggel will be able to book an online appointment with a veterinary surgeon within 30 minutes, without having to pay FirstVet's normal £20-30 charge. 

Waggel is FirstVet's 26th insurance partner globally, and its third in the UK. The company now has 150 veterinary surgeons working on the platform. 

Lucy Broadbridge, LV= GI Pet Product Manager, said: “At LV= GI we’re always looking for ways to help our customers protect what they love, so we’re very excited to be able to work with FirstVet to provide this service to our pet customers. With access to a vet from your smartphone or device, our pet customers will have peace of mind knowing that qualified veterinary advice is on hand 24/7, avoiding unnecessary time, cost and distress of visiting their vet if they don’t really need to."

Under current legislation, there is very little practical assistance that can be offered via an online consultation, other than recommending whether or not the animal needs to be seen by a veterinary surgeon in person. It may also be the case that the online consultation offers little more than a pet owner would get by ringing their normal vet. Nevertheless, online consultations will doubtless grow significantly in 2020, as the players line up to take advantage of any relaxation in the regulations that they hope will allow veterinary surgeons to prescribe medicines for animals they have not seen in person. 

Regardless of whether that happens, there is a value in face-to-face communication between a veterinary surgeon or nurse and a client, whether it be for triage or follow up consultations. Independent practices might therefore be well advised to start implementing this kind of technology in practice sooner rather than later, in particular looking at ways that online appointments could be scheduled (perhaps between normal consultations) so as to compete with the short waiting times offered by companies like FirstVet.  

The Practice Standards Group, which comprises representatives from all of the key veterinary and veterinary nursing organisations, has updated the standards of the Practice Standards Scheme and a draft of the new Manual is now available for comment.

The Scheme is a voluntary accreditation programme that aims to promote and maintain high standards of facilities and care within UK veterinary practices. When it was launched in 2005, a commitment was made that the standards would not change for five years, unless new legislation (such as the Veterinary Medicines Regulations) required it. Following a detailed review of the standards, to ensure they continue to be relevant to current veterinary practice, proposals have been made by the Group for new standards to be implemented during 2010. 

Jill Nute, Chairman of the Practice Standards Group said: "It is unlikely that any already-accredited practices will be required to invest in additional facilities or equipment to meet the new standards.

"Instead, greater emphasis has been placed on clinical outcomes and training. For example, performance review has been introduced for all clinical staff, including the Professional Development Phase for new graduates. We are keen to hear feedback on the proposed new standards."

One recommendation is that the 'tiers' should be dropped. The categories will retain their descriptive names, for example, Small Animal General Practice or Equine Veterinary Hospital. Feedback suggests that clients, and the profession, found the tiers to be misleading.

The layout of the Manual has been revamped, to include guidance that was previously available online. Guidance for each relevant standard can now be seen at a glance. There is also an icon to indicate if documentary evidence will be required by the inspector. In addition, the new format clarifies the derivation of each standard, so that legislative requirements are distinguished from those required under the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct and those indicated by better practice.

Membership of the Scheme continues to grow, with 126 applications to join the Scheme in the first six months of this year, representing 264 premises, compared with 61 applications in the whole of last year. There are currently 2,351 practice premises under the ambit of the Scheme - approximately 50%.

The draft new Manual is online at www.rcvs.org.uk/consultations.

Hard copies are available from Eleanor Ferguson, Practice Standards Scheme Manager: e.ferguson@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0720.

The deadline for comments is 31 August 2009. Responses will be considered by the Practice Standards Group at its September meeting and thereafter by Council in November.

Eurovet Animal Health has launched Marbiflox 10%, a new marbofloxacin preparation for the treatment of respiratory infections in cattle and pigs.

Eurovet says the product can be used flexibly to provide a single dose treatment, with a concentration-dependent effect and a relatively short withdrawal period. Marbiflox can be administered intravenously, subcutaneously or intramuscularly in cattle or intramuscularly in pigs.

The main indications, with reference to good prescribing practice, are for the treatment of respiratory infections caused by sensitive strains of Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica, and Histophilus somni and acute forms of mastitis induced by marbofloxacin-sensitive Escherichia coli strains, during lactation. In pigs the main indication is in the treatment of MMA (metritis mastitis agalactia syndrome).

Further information about Marbiflox and the complete Eurovet range of products is available from Eurovet Animal Health. www.eurovet-ah.co.uk/.

Ines Carrera MRCVS, who holds the European Diploma in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, has joined the six-strong imaging team at Solihull-based Willows Veterinary Centre.

Ines, who graduated from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain in 2001, has spent the last seven years working at universities in America, Australia and Europe. She undertook her PhD in MR spectroscopy of the brain in dogs at the University of Bern-Zurich in Switzerland. She has a Masters in Radiology from University of Glasgow. She has also worked at the University of Illinois and Sydney University.

Willows clinical director Toby Gemmill said: "Ines is highly qualified and highly regarded, so is a very welcome addition to our talented imaging team. Her experience of working around the world will also be a terrific asset to the practice."

Ines said: "I am very happy and honoured to be joining Willows and to now be part of such a great diagnostic imaging team. "This is a well-known centre of excellence and I’m really looking forward to helping deliver the first class care and treatment that Willows always aims to provide."

For more information, visit www.willows.uk.net.