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.

Craig Mostert MRCVS has been suspended from the Register for 18 months by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee after pleading guilty in the USA to providing false statements about exported flea and tick medicines and subsequently not declaring the conviction to the College.

Dr Mostert admitted to his conviction but denied that it rendered him unfit to practise as a veterinary surgeon.

He also admitted not disclosing his conviction to the RCVS but denied that it amounted to dishonesty or was misleading and that failing to do so amounted to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

The Committee first considered whether Dr Mostert’s conviction affected the public interest, which included the need to maintain public confidence in the profession by upholding proper standards of conduct and behaviour for members of the profession.

The Committee noted that the conviction involved dishonesty relating to false statements about the value of goods sent to the USA.

The Committee felt that a conviction for a serious offence involving dishonesty would have a negative impact on public confidence in the profession, and that its reputation would be damaged if proper standards of conduct and behaviour were not upheld.

The Committee also noted that as the products that Dr Mostert imported into the USA were not labelled as coming from a foreign market and were not labelled as needing to be administered by a vet, his conviction also related to animal safety, as anyone who accessed the medications could believe that it was safe for them to be given to an animal.

The Committee then considered Dr Mostert’s failure to declare the conviction to the College on three separate occasions.

Dr Mostert testified that, at the time, he did not believe he had to disclose his conviction as it occurred in a country where he had not practised as a veterinary surgeon. 

He also said he had not taken the time to read and interpret the application form accurately.

However, the Committee considered that the wording around convictions on the application and annual renewal forms is very clear and that, as a veterinary surgeon, Dr Mostert would be familiar with such documents.

The Committee considered that it was inconceivable that an experienced veterinary surgeon, making a declaration of this kind to his regulator, would not have understood that a serious conviction in the USA, dating from June 2017, was a conviction that he was obliged to disclose.

The Committee therefore found Dr Mostert’s failures to declare his conviction dishonest.

Judith Way, Chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, noted that in deciding upon the appropriate sanction, the case did not involve any actual harm to an animal or human and that Dr Mostert had had a long and otherwise unblemished career.

However, a key aggravating factor was that the action that led to the conviction resulted in financial gain through the creation of a business enterprise and that Dr Mostert falsely declared the value of goods.

The extent of any financial gain was not known to the Committee, but the business operated on the basis that false declarations were repeatedly made.

Judith said: “After careful consideration the Committee has concluded that in all the circumstances, a lengthy period of suspension would properly reflect the gravity of the case and satisfy the public interest. The Committee has decided that the appropriate length of suspension is one of 18 months.”

The Committee’s full findings can be viewed at www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

CEVA Animal Health has launched Marbokem, a Marbofloxacin-based antimicrobial for the treatment of respiratory disease in cattle which offers the advantages of a one-shot protocol and a shock-resistant vial.

Marbokem is used for the treatment of respiratory infections caused by sensitive strains of Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica and Histophilus somni. CEVA says Marbofloxacin's efficacy has been proven in terms of re-treatment rate, success, speed of action and MICs in comparison with many frequently used quinolones and macrolides. ^(1,2,3,4)

According to CEVA, Marbokem's one shot protocol means it's quick and economical to use, while its presentation in an ergonomic CLAS vial makes for light and shock-resistant handling, resulting in fewer breakages and reduced costs. The company says Marbokem is also very competitively priced.

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

¹ Grandemange, E., Fournel, S., Woerhle, F. (2009) Field evaluation of the efficacy of 2 antibiotics in treating bovine respiratory infections. Poster, Journées Nationales des GTV, Nantes, France.
^2. Grobbel, M., Lübke-Becker, A., Wieler, L., Froyman R., Friederichs, S., Filios, S. (2007) Comparative quantification of the in-vitro activity of veterinary fluoroquinolones. Veterinary microbiology 124 (73-81).
^3. Roy, O., Pillet, F., Heurtin-Vallé, A., Frontczak, N. (2008) Comparative field clinical efficacy of a single intramuscular injection of marbofloxacin in the treatment of bovine respiratory disease. Poster, World Buiatrics Congress, Budapest, Hungary.
^4. Wu, C. (2004) Determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations of danofloxacin and other commonly used cattle antimicrobial agents against Mycoplasma bovis isolated from cattle with clinical disease. Le médecin vétérinaire du Québec. 34 (1-2).

The BVA has announced that Ben Goldacre, the best-selling author, broadcaster, campaigner and medical doctor who topped the paperback non-fiction charts with Bad Science, will deliver the 50^th anniversary Wooldridge Memorial Lecture at this year’s London Vet Show (17 - 18 November).

Ben trained in medicine at Oxford and London before becoming a household name through his weekly Bad Science column published in the Guardian between 2003 and 2011.

Ben is the author of three books. His first, Bad Science, published in 2008, sold over half a million copies worldwide and is published in 31 languages. His second, Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients was published in 2012 and his third, a volume of collected journalism entitled I think you’ll find it’s more complicated than that, in 2014. He currently works as an academic in epidemiology.

In his lecture, Ben will be talking about how quacks and charlatans misuse evidence, and the placebo effect, to bamboozle the public. It's an issue of particular interest for the veterinary profession, given the growing focus on evidence-based medicine.

The lecture is open to all London Vet Show attendees and will take place in the BVA Congress Theatre at London’s ExCeL between 12.30 – 1.30 on Friday 17 November.

BVA President Gudrun Ravetz said: "We know that many people’s first point of call is the media or Dr Google when trying to decide what pet to purchase or how to treat their animal’s - or their own - health! So, I’m sure veterinary colleagues from all areas of the profession will find Dr Goldacre’s insight both engaging and inspiring in their day-to-day and working lives."

Other BVA Congress sessions at London Vet Show 2017 include Nudge, nudge – how can we change owner behaviour for better welfare?; Veterinary workforce crisis: what’s really going on? and Veterinary Surgeons Act: an open and shut case?. BVA Congress sessions as well as associated BVA Farm Animal, BVA/BEVA Equine, and BVA Career Development Streams count towards CPD.

BVA members can get access to the full BVA offering, as well as the usual London Vet Show programme, for 15% less than the lowest advertised price. To book, enter your BVA membership number and the code BVA 8 to claim your discount when you book online at www.londonvetshow.co.uk

Photo: John King 2012

Organisers of The London Vet Show 2009 report that the event was a great sucess, greeted with 'considerable delight' by delegates and exhibitors alike.

The event, which featured clinical and commercial lectures as well as a major exhibition, ran on 6^th and 7^th November at London's Olympia Conference Centre. 2410 veterinary professionals attended, and most were there for both days.

VetSurgeon.org attended the event, asking commercial exhibitors: "What's New?" Those of you that didn't make it to the show can click here to watch a video of their answers.

Overall feedback from vets about the quality of the CPD programme was overwhelmingly positive. Delegate feedback forms rated the quality of speakers in the programme as 4.39 out of 5, and rated the event as 4.68 out of 5 in terms of value for money.

Rachel Bolus of Riverside Veterinary Practice said: "All the lectures were to a really good standard - a lot of CPD for a very cheap price."

Bridget O'Farrell of Dick Vet Small Animal Practice agreed: "Very cheap for two days of CPD and the quality of the speakers has been very good. I went to five lectures yesterday and planning on six today. It's been a very worthwhile exercise and I would certainly recommend this to my peers".  

Event organiser Phil Nelson said: "We have witnessed an amazing two days, surpassing all delegate estimates and it's gone down really well. The 2010 exhibition is already 40% bigger than this year almost 12 months out and looks set to sell out. We are carefully listening to the delegates and exhibitors comments, and have already a number of plans to develop and build the event going forward. But as a starting point we could never have dreamt for the launch event to be so well received."  

For 2010 the London Vet Show is moving to the bigger Olympia National Hall having out grown the Conference Centre. It will run on October 22^nd and 23^rd. It is committed to retaining the same approach to offering affordable and World Class CPD qualifying clinical and commercial content for all the UKs vets. Having very quickly established itself as a major part of the veterinary calendar the organisers expect to announce their 2010 programme in the early part of 2010.

The BVA has issued a new policy position on non-traditional companion animals (NTCAs), aka exotics, after finding that 81% of vets are concerned that their needs are not being met, with many saying that owners being unable to care for them properly is a major welfare issue. 

The BVA Voice of the Veterinary Profession research found the most cited welfare issue facing exotics was ‘irresponsible animal ownership’ (82%).

Vets who treat NTCAs reported that 58% of the NTCAs they see do not have their five animal welfare needs met and 26% have seen a rise in the number brought in for treatment in the past year. 

BVA Senior Vice President and zoo veterinary surgeon Justine Shotton said: “The welfare of non-traditional companion animals has long been a concern of many vets and this is demonstrated in our recent research.

"It is worrying that a quarter of vets are seeing an increase in the number brought in for treatment and sad to hear that so many cite irresponsible ownership as the top cause behind welfare issues.

"We know people who keep these animals have the right intentions to give them best care they can but their needs are so complex it can be difficult to do so, particularly if they are a new pet and owners are not sure exactly what they need.

"It is so important that potential buyers give careful consideration to buying such an animal before bringing one home.

"We’d also urge any vets who are approached by potential keepers for advice to strongly encourage them to do their research to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to care for them properly before buying an exotic species.”

BVA's new policy position calls for more regulation of online sales and third-party advertising of NTCAs and an end to the import of wild-caught reptiles and amphibians for non-conservation reasons. 

BVA also recommends a pre-purchase test, both demonstrating a potential owner’s knowledge on how to properly care for an NTCA, and helping to improve education around the needs of the species.

Past BVA President and Chair of the Working Group Sean Wensley said: “The new policy position makes recommendations which will help to protect the welfare of NTCAs, including calling for improved regulation of their keeping and sale.

"It highlights issues such as the welfare risks of certain breeding practices and stresses the need to move away from the wild-capture of animals for the pet trade.

"Taken together, the 32 recommendations present a clear veterinary view on the ethical sourcing and care of these species.”

www.bva.co.uk/exoticpets

Boehringer Ingelheim's Bultavo 3 bluetongue vaccine has been given provisional UK marketing authorisation by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has also granted a marketing authorisation in exceptional circumstances (Article 25, 26 EU Reg 2019/6) for Bultavo 3 in Ireland.

The company says that so far, more than 40 million doses of Bultavo 3 have been distributed in Europe to help limit the spread of BTV-3.

Boehringer points to a recent field study published by the German reference laboratory Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), which showed that vaccination of sheep and cattle with Bultavo 3 induces immunity against the virus¹.

According to the study, animals vaccinated with Bultavo 3 consistently showed evidence of a protective antibody response to BTV-3, although animals vaccinated with other BTV-3 vaccines did not¹.

Boehringer says it is now compiling the data needed to obtain a full marketing authorisation in accordance with Article 8 of EU Regulation 2019/6.

Reference

1. Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Serologische Studien zum Nachweis von BTV-3-Impfantikörpern – eine erste Zusammenfassung und Bewertung durch das Nationale Referenzlabor für Blauzungenkrankheit, December 2024.

The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has directed that the name of a veterinary surgeon who had been practising in Essex be removed from the RCVS Register, having found him guilty of attempting to obtain medicines dishonestly.

James Alexander Lockyear, a graduate from Pretoria University in South Africa, was charged with two offences. The case was heard in his absence, although the Committee did not draw any adverse inference from this. One charge concerned his attempted purchase of steroids from a pharmacy in Colchester by dishonestly representing that the medicine was for legitimate veterinary use. The second charge related to several instances of what the Committee referred to as "inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour", including showing an offensive image to another staff member on a mobile phone, placing the testicle of a castrated dog in his mouth and the misuse of an endotracheal tube.

All of the incidents had taken place between April 2008 and September 2009, while Mr Lockyear was practising as a locum veterinary surgeon at St Runwald's Veterinary Surgery, Colchester, Essex.

The Disciplinary Committee heard evidence from a pharmacist, Mr Noble, to whom Mr Lockyear had presented an incomplete veterinary prescription for 12 ampoules of Sustanon, a prescription-only anabolic steroid for humans, and a further pharmacist, Mr Foskett MRPharmS, who outlined his suspicions that the steroids were in fact for Mr Lockyear's personal use (Sustanon is a substance which can potentially be misused in relation to body-building). Mr Lockyear had originally claimed the drugs were for general stock at the practice; he later returned with a second prescription, for double the amount of Sustanon, claiming it was for his own dog; later again, he said the prescription was for a friend's dog.

The Committee also heard evidence from the veterinary owner of the practice, a veterinary nurse and a student veterinary nurse working in the practice team, and from Dr Maddison MRCVS, an expert on small animal clinical pharmacology. Dr Maddison informed the Committee that there was a veterinary alternative to Sustanon, so it was not necessary for that drug to have been sought by Mr Lockyear. She was also of the view that Sustanon would not have been suitable to treat the ailments for which Mr Lockyear claimed it was to be used.

The Committee found Mr Lockyear guilty of the first charge - that is attempting to obtain medicines dishonestly. Chairing the Disciplinary Committee, Mrs Alison Bruce, said: "Whilst it was a one-off incident, it is conduct which falls far short of that which is expected of a member of the profession. It involves serious dishonesty; it represents an abuse of a veterinary surgeon's authority to prescribe drugs; it is conduct which tends to undermine public trust in the profession, and the honesty of its members; it is conduct which compromised other professionals, the pharmacists involved, and undermined the trust which ought to exist between pharmacists and veterinary surgeons generally, in the important area of drug prescription." The Committee therefore directed that Mr Lockyear's name be removed from the Register.

Regarding the second charge, the Committee was most concerned about the incident relating to the dog's testicles, which it felt offended against Mr Lockyear's duty to treat with respect all animals which were his patients. Taking the three incidents as a whole, the Committee felt that Mr Lockyear should be seriously criticised for behaviour that was "unprofessional... juvenile, inappropriate, disgusting and offensive". However, they felt that the conduct was not malicious, and did not occur in the presence of a member of the public, so concluded that this did not amount to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

The RCVS is attending an increased number of public events around the UK this summer, to promote 'Find A Vet', the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) and careers within the profession. 

The outreach programme began earlier this month at the Devon County Show (pictured right), where the College used the opportunity to spread the word about its petsneedvets campaign, handing out over 1000 promotional bags in the process.

Next on the itinerary is the Royal Welsh Show near Builth Wells from the 23rd to 26th July. From there, the College will be heading to the BBC Countryfile Live event, held in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire from the 2nd to 5th August.

Ian Holloway, Director of Communications at the RCVS, said: "Following the success and popularity of our stand at Countryfile Live over the past two years we decided that this year we would broaden our horizons and attend some of the UK’s most prestigious and well-attended regional events.

"We have our ever-popular careers materials available, and it was wonderful to see dozens of young people at the Devon County Show asking us about how they can become veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses, as they always have the past two years at Countryfile. This is a really encouraging level of interest in the professions and we’re very happy to provide information to help them fulfil their aspirations. 

"Attending more and different public events is a trend we are very keen on continuing with and we will be looking at other events to attend in different parts of the UK for next year."

For more information about upcoming events involving the RCVS visit www.rcvs.org.uk/events

Photo: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

The Royal Veterinary College has been named as the top veterinary school in the QS World University Rankings 2021.

Compiled by global higher education analysts, QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the rankings provide a comparative analysis on the performance of 14,435 individual university programs, taken by students at 1,452 universities in 86 locations around the world, across 51 academic disciplines and five broad Faculty Areas. The rankings are determined by a range of criteria, including academic reputation, research impact, number of citations, employer reputation and the h-index. 

In addition to maintaining a perfect score for the Academic Reputation indicator (100) for a second year running, the RVC saw improvements across every category. Research impact was recognised with the RVC scoring 98.9 in Citations per Paper. This was supported by the 97.5 score for h-index, surpassing 2020’s 96.9.

Rankings for Employer Reputation also increased by 29% since 2020, with the RVC now scoring 83.3.

Professor Stuart Reid, Principal of the RVC, said: "Last year, we made a commitment to redouble our efforts in seeking to regain the top spot in the QS rankings, and I am delighted that we have achieved it. This would be remarkable in normal times but, in the context of COVID-19, it is all the more so and a real tribute to the whole RVC community.

"It is the result of enormous efforts made by all RVC staff and students, and I could not be prouder to be Principal of the RVC. The QS rankings are important for our reputation and international standings. With so many outstanding veterinary schools worldwide and with peer recognition one of the metrics, it is particularly pleasing to be first amongst equals."

The full set of rankings can be found at: https://www.topuniversities.com/subject-rankings/2021

VetSurgeon.org member Sam Westhead, a vet from Farnborough, has secured sponsorship from Vets Now and Vet Times in his entry to the grueling Ironman 70.3 World Championship challenge in Clearwater in Florida this November

The two organisations will each sponsor Sam £250 for taking part in the challenge.

Sam, who works at Grazely Vets in Farnborough, qualified for the World Championship event earlier this year in the Singapore Ironman 70.3, coming first in the veterans group and a not too shabby 30^th overall!

Clearly not for the faint hearted, the Ironman 70.3 World Championship consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56-mile bike and a 13.1 mile run, adding up to 70.3 miles of total racing.

Speaking about his entry to the race, Sam commented; "The training is going well and I'm trying to focus on keeping up the momentum and enthusiasm for the race as the countdown is now on!  I'm obviously looking forward enormously to arriving in Florida in a few weeks time and competing in the event - it's a real achievement to have got to this stage.  I would like to say a big thank you to Vets Now and the Vet Times for their extremely kind donations which will go some way to covering the cost of my flights to and from the event."

Richard Dixon, Group Managing Director for Vets Now said; "Sam is an extremely dynamic individual who displays wonderful passion for both his career and in living life to the full.  I know he has trained hard to qualify for the event and to get to this stage and Vets Now is delighted to be backing Sam in this particularly grueling and ambitious challenge.  We wish him well in his final few weeks of training and of course in the event in November."

Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW) has published a three-part webinar series to give veterinary surgeons and nurses the latest advice on diet, neutering, sudden death and infectious diseases in rabbits.

Burgess Pet Care, which organises the event, is encouraging vets and nurses to watch the webinars to ensure they’re aware of the key information concerning this year’s Rabbit Awareness Week, Protect and Prevent campaign, taking place from the 1st to the 9th June.

The webinars are hosted by Dr Richard Saunders BSc (Hons) BVSc FRSB CBiol DZooMed (Mammalian) DipECZM(ZHM) MRCVS, veterinary adviser to the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF).

Richard said: "These webinars provide information across all of the key areas relating to preventative healthcare in rabbits. There is a large number of health issues facing rabbits but thankfully many of these can be prevented. Vets play an incredibly important role in ensuring rabbit owners have all the information they need to correctly care for their pets but unfortunately there is still a lack of awareness and understanding around many basic needs such as diet, husbandry and the importance of vaccinations to protect against dangerous diseases.

"The webinars have been designed to be accessible and engaging to all vets and nurses, regardless of their experience level. We’re urging vets and nurses to watch all three seminars so they’re able to provide the best possible advice to rabbit owners seeking advice on their pets in advance of Rabbit Awareness Week."

To watch the webinars and learn more about this year’s Rabbit Awareness Week campaign, visit: www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk, where you can also request a free vet pack to help promote any activity you're planning for RAW. 

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has restored Joseph Lennox Holmes to the Register of Veterinary Surgeons, two years after he was originally struck off.

Mr Holmes was removed from the Register in February 2012 after the Disciplinary Committee found him guilty of multiple charges of serious professional conduct. Mr Holmes lodged an appeal against the decision, which was heard and dismissed by the Privy Council.

The original charges related to two separate complaints; the first involved numerous charges in respect of Mr Holmes' treatment of a King Charles Spaniel between October 2007 and March 2008; the second, several charges in relation to his treatment of three cats in 2008.

The Committee found that the majority of the charges amounted to serious professional misconduct. In removing Mr Holmes from the Register, the Committee found that "aggravating factors in both... cases included actual injuries to the animals... and a serious breach of the trust which Mr Holmes' clients had placed in him to make the welfare of the animals his primary consideration according to the standards to be expected of the profession". In addition, the Committee cited 10 further aggravating factors including lack of reference to continuing professional development (CPD) in clinical policies and practices; lack of reference to accepted practice; lack of appreciation of the importance of adequate pain relief when performing painful surgical procedures; reluctance to consider referral as an option; and lack of understanding about what information is required by a client to enable fully informed consent to be given.

Following the dismissal of Mr Holmes' appeal by the Privy Council, his first application for restoration was heard by the Disciplinary Committee in February 2013. The Committee was not satisfied that he was fit to be restored to the Register, citing the fact that his application was "premature" and that he had failed to truly appreciate the seriousness of the findings against him. The Committee was also unimpressed with the efforts he had made to keep up-to-date with skills and developments in practice and with his CPD, noting in particular that he had made very limited attempts to observe the function and experience the culture of a modern first opinion practice.

However, in this week's two-day hearing, the Committee was satisfied that Mr Holmes was now fit to be restored to the Register. It heard that Mr Holmes had made a concerted effort to engage in CPD and bring his skills and knowledge up-to-date. During a period of observation at a veterinary practice, he had gained insight into modern practice and the need for veterinary general practitioners to be aware of the advantages in referring patients to specialists.

Professor Noreen Burrows, who chaired and spoke on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, said: "The Committee has concluded that, in the course of genuine efforts to do what was necessary to address the deficiencies identified during the original Inquiry and at the last restoration hearing, the Applicant has at last understood the seriousness of his previous misconduct and has learned new skills and, most importantly, to recognise his limitations from the extensive course of study, reflection, and other training that he has undertaken."

Furthermore, the Committee was satisfied that Mr Holmes had gained a proper understanding of the importance of securing the informed consent of his clients and building a relationship of trust with them and, in addition, recognising the importance of maintaining close relations with fellow professionals and engaging with CPD opportunities.

Additional factors considered when making the decision included: that he had been off the Register for two years; that, through self-improvement, he had equipped himself to treat animals appropriately; the impact that being removed from the Register had in both personal and financial terms; his conduct since being removed from the Register; and, a number of positive testimonials from previous clients and professional colleagues.

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