Locum vets Cristiana and Marco Tudini have had the holiday of a lifetime after winning a competition run by the recruitment consultants, Recruit4vets.

The couple, who came to the UK in 2006, were amongst 1000 people who entered the draw last year, when Cristiana was working for Companion Care in Folkestone.

Kelly Worrall from Recruit4vets said: "Our team called Cristiana on a typical day in the practice to deliver the news. She was obviously thrilled to get the call. Not only did we help find Cristiana her dream job, we sent her on a dream holiday too!"

Cristiana said: "My husband and I went to New York at the beginning of December. New York was full of festivities and was magical to go around Christmas time, we even visited Rockefeller Centre and watched the lights and singers. My husband and I are vegan, so we were delighted to find NYC filled with vegan restaurants and fast food outlets, we didn’t stop eating the whole trip! 

"New York City was absolutely amazing, this really was a dream come true!"

Eukanuba has published the results of a 10 year study to evaluate the health and longevity of continuously Eukanuba-fed dogs, in which 90% lived beyond the breed's typical lifespan.

Before the start of the study, a independent panel of veterinary academics and experts assessed existing evidence concerning the longevity of Labrador Retrievers and came to a consensual conclusion that the average lifespan for the breed is 12 years.

39 Labrador Retrievers in early to mid-adulthood were then enrolled in the study¹, which began in 2004. All the dogs were neutered and had identical housing, standardised daily care and veterinary care. The dogs were fed the amount of food needed to maintain each dog within an optimal body condition score.

Remarkably, 28% of the dogs in the study achieved exceptional longevity, living beyond 15.6 years. One dog very nearly made it to 18 years of age.

The study was overseen Eukanuba's Longevity Council, a panel of international vet and industry experts including Professor Stuart Carmichael, Dr Penny Watson, Dr Vicki Adams, Professor Steve Dean and David Morgan, which collectively agreed that the secret to healthy ageing in canines is a careful balance of nutrition, good husbandry and effective veterinary care.

Professor Steve Dean, Former Chairman of the UK Kennel Club said: "Nutrition is a major contributor to the health of dogs in the long term, of course it isn’t the only contributor; good husbandry and good veterinary care are the other major pillars for health and longevity. The correct nutrition has a big part to play in maintaining dog health throughout its entire life, which we’ve found out from the Eukanuba Long Life Observation, can be a lot longer than we have previously expected. We’ve always assumed that Labradors will live 12 years if we’re lucky, but now we have a whole new target to aim for…16 and 17 years. It is quite phenomenal."

Dr Penny Watson, Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine, Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge said: "Vets as a profession are very good at treating diseases in animals, but perhaps slightly less good at giving preventative advice to pet owners about healthy lifestyles. As vets, we should be thinking all through an animals life cycle, from puppy to geriatric, about the preventative aspects, such as good diet, maintaining the right body condition score and other aspects including dental care, rather than just looking disease and treating it."

David Morgan, Eukanuba’s Senior Scientific Communications Manager said: "The hope is that we can take the message that it’s not only about nutrition but what we call appropriate care, which is veterinary care and husbandry, looking after the dogs in a responsible way. Because, yes we have some great observations and we are starting now with Dr Vicki Adams to break down into more detail what we’ve actually seen in the Eukanuba Labradors and what recommendations we can give in the future so that all dogs can have that longer, healthy and more vibrant lives."

Reference

1. Healthy ageing and longevity in dogs - a lifelong approach. Eukanuba Veterinary Symposium. Pre-Congress Symposium at the VetMadrid 2015, the XXXII AMVAC Annual Congress. March 5th 2015.

CVS has announced the official opening of Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists, a new small animal referral hospital in Alton, Hampshire.

The hospital was officially opened last Saturday by the Town Mayor of Alton during an open day attended by local dignitaries, about a hundred vets and representatives from the veterinary industry and various animal charities. Dr Caner Salih, a consultant cardiac surgeon at the Evelina London Children's Hospital was a special guest.

CVS says it has invested more than £4.3 million to create one of the most advanced, multi-disciplinary specialist veterinary hospitals in the UK. It occupies 1,300 square metres and employs forty people, including nine referral clinicians (seven of whom are boarded specialists), support and admin staff. 

Lumbry Park offers a range of advanced diagnostics and treatments for dogs and cats across a range of specialties, including high-field MRI and CT scanning, key-hole surgery, interventional cardiac procedures, and joint replacements.  Cardiology specialist Dr Luca Ferasin is Lumbry Park's Clinical Director, reporting to Professor John Innes, CVS' Referral Director. 

Simon Innes, Chief Executive of CVS, pictured fifth from left, said: "The opening of Lumbry Park is a proud moment for CVS and the culmination of a huge amount of work by John, Luca and the team involved. They have worked together to create a fantastic environment in which our specialists can offer the highest standard of veterinary care to our patients and their owners and we are delighted to bring their expertise to veterinary practices and their clients right across the South East of England."

CVS Referral Director, Professor John Innes said: "The opening of Lumbry Park marks a major step for CVS in terms of investment in veterinary specialist services and we will work to ensure that it develops an international reputation for the standard of care it provides.  The Hospital is easily accessible and has the space and rural setting to provide a professional and pleasant environment for our patients, their owners, and our team.  Luca and his excellent team are raring to go and we look forward to welcoming our first patients next week."

Alton Town Mayor Mrs Pam Jones added: "I am delighted that Alton has been chosen as the location for such a prestigious veterinary centre and I am honoured to be asked to open it."

The RCVS is seeking applicants for an Appointment Group which will be responsible for deciding the membership for the governing body of the new RCVS Fellowship.

In June, RCVS Council approved proposals to develop a new style Fellowship to move it away from being an examination-based award to a formal learned society with routes to entry for those veterinary surgeons who can demonstrate meritorious contributions to clinical practice, to the profession or to learning. The Fellowship by thesis route has been discontinued as of 1 August 2015, although all applications received by this route prior to that date are being processed.

The new Fellowship will be governed and administered by a Fellowship Board with an additional Credentials Panel of up to 30 members to review new applications.

The College says it is now in the process of putting together an Appointment Group which will decide the membership of the Fellowship Board and the Credentials Panel. It is currently seeking to appoint a veterinary surgeon in the earlier stage of their career to the Group. The full details of the role, including details of the person specification, how to apply and information on expenses and remuneration can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/workforus

The Group will be chaired by former RCVS President Lord Trees with other members being RCVS President Dr Bradley Viner and BVA President Sean Wensley as well as a lay observer. The first meeting of the Appointment Group is likely to take place before the end of the year and, once the Fellowship Board and Credentials Panel are established, the Group will be dissolved.

For an informal chat about the role before applying, contact Dr Simon Wallace, RCVS Education and Scientific Officer, on s.wallace@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0702.

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has reprimanded Gloucestershire veterinary surgeon Adele Lewis for failing to pass on information about a horse’s clinical history to a potential buyer during a pre-purchase examination.

Ms Lewis, the sole principal of the Cotswold Equine Clinic in Lechlade, Gloucestershire, carried out the examination of a pony called Luke on 13 February 2014. Luke was owned by Mrs Booth who was a long-established client of Ms Lewis, both at her previous practice, Bourton Vale, and at her current practice. The examination was carried out on behalf of the prospective purchaser, Mrs Grieve.

Upon examination Ms Lewis certified that, in her opinion, Luke’s veterinary history did not increase the risk of purchase.

Following the purchase of Luke, Mrs Grieve attempted to obtain insurance for Luke and found out from a pet insurance company that a claim had been made by Mrs Booth in September 2013. She subsequently found out that, following concerns expressed by Mrs Booth and her trainer about Luke’s movement and their wanting an expert opinion, Ms Lewis had referred him to Dr Kold, a Specialist in Equine Orthopaedics, in September 2013. Dr Kold had diagnosed Luke with lameness and had given him intra-articular medication. Luke had also had a follow-up appointment with Dr Kold about four weeks later in October 2013.  

The Disciplinary Committee hearing commenced on Tuesday 13 October 2015. At the outset, Ms Lewis admitted several parts of the charges (charge A and charge B) against her. In regards to charge A, she admitted that she had failed to inform Mrs Grieve that, when she examined Luke on 24 September 2013, his then owner Mrs Booth had complained firstly that Luke was “not tracking up and going forward” and, secondly, that he had improved significantly when put on a Phenylbutazone trial. She also admitted that she had referred him to Dr Kold for a poor performance investigation and that she ought to have informed Mrs Grieve of these matters.

In regards to charge B, she admitted that she completed a Certificate of Veterinary Examination in which she had declared that Luke’s veterinary history did not increase the risk of purchase and allowed the vendor’s declaration to include assertions that there had been no previous lameness and no intra-articular medication given in the last 12 months. Ms Lewis admitted that she ought to have known that her declaration that Luke’s veterinary history did not increase the risk of purchase was incorrect.

However, Ms Lewis denied being aware that Dr Kold had diagnosed lameness, administered an intra-articular corticosteroid to Luke and examined and noted a problem with his breathing, including upper airway disease and possible lower airway disease. Furthermore, she denied dishonesty in regards to both the charges against her and in relation to vendor declarations made on the Certificate of Veterinary Examination regarding previous lameness and intra-articular medication.

During the course of the hearing, Ms Lewis told the Committee that she had not received the reports about the two consultations by Dr Kold (despite their having been sent to her by letter and, with respect to the second report, also by email) and that she was therefore unaware of his findings when she carried out the pre-purchase examination. She also stated that she had not been informed of these by Mrs Booth. During her evidence, Ms Lewis also admitted having entered inaccurate information on a veterinary report to assist with an insurance claim.

The Committee did not find Ms Lewis to be an impressive witness citing the fact that her “explanations as to her practice showed a worrying absence of probity in the completion of veterinary reports for the purposes of insurance claims, and an absence of any effective practice management, consistent with acceptable practice.”

However, the Committee felt it did not have the evidence to conclude that Ms Lewis had acted dishonestly during the pre-purchase examination. It cited the fact that her actions, when informed by the purchaser Mrs Grieve of Dr Kold’s examination, did not appear to be those of someone trying to cover their tracks.

In regards to charge A, the Committee also found that the “apparently chaotic manner in which Ms Lewis ran her practice, and her own opinion that the pony was sound, would appear to have led her to wrongly disregard these matters from disclosure.”

In making its decision on her conduct and sanction, the Committee said that Ms Lewis’ failure to fully communicate to Mrs Grieve all the relevant information about Luke’s veterinary history fell far short of the conduct expected from a veterinary surgeon. It also cited the utmost importance of a complete and accurate certification process, as made clear in the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct and the Twelve Principles of Certification.  

Chitra Karve, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said:  “The Committee continues to emphasise the importance of maintaining the integrity of veterinary certification in any aspect of practice. Mrs Grieve told this Committee that if she had been fully informed about Luke’s veterinary history she would not have purchased the pony. It is clear from the evidence that it affected Mrs Grieve’s ability to insure the pony. Ms Lewis has accepted that the information about Luke’s veterinary history, not having been disclosed, was capable of affecting the risk of purchase. The public are entitled to rely upon veterinary surgeons providing complete and accurate information, when certificates and reports are prepared.”

In mitigation, the Committee paid regard to Ms Lewis’ inexperience at running her own practice and found no issue with her competence or clinical ability as a veterinary surgeon. It concluded that she had acted out of character and that there was no financial motivation for her actions. It also found it “highly relevant that the facts admitted and found proved related to a single pre-purchase examination.”

It also noted that Ms Lewis has now put in place a practice management system and has shown insight into her actions, by taking active steps to better comply with her obligations under the Code of Professional Conduct. She had also made early admissions of guilt and made a full apology to both Mrs Grieve and the RCVS both at the outset of the hearing, and in her evidence.

Chitra Karve added: “Having had the opportunity of observing her demeanour at this hearing, the Committee believes that it is unlikely that she will repeat her conduct.... The Committee has concluded that an appropriate and proportionate response in this case is to reprimand Ms Lewis.”

Norbrook has launched an Android version of its existing free iPhone app: ‘the Veterinary Excellence Tool’ (VET).

VET offers a range of functions to assist veterinary professionals and farmers including a product dosing calculator. The Android version has been developed to meet customer demand and has the same features as the Apple version which is available for both iPhones and iPads.

Norbrook highlights the following features of the app:

• A product dosing calculator that allows product dosage to be calculated in seconds
• Full and most up-to-date product listing of UK products
• A Territory Manager locator with full contact details
• A new events section
• A fluid calculator which allows users to quickly and conveniently calculate infusion rates based on factors including a patient’s weight, reason for fluid therapy and choice of product to be infused.
• A nutrition calculator which calculates daily food intake based on animal weight, calorie density of food and nutritional requirements. It also calculates the approximate energy density of food based on fat, protein and carbohydrate requirements, where this information is not readily available.

The app can be downloaded for free by searching for “Norbrook” in either app store.

For further information please contact Laura Holmes, E-Marketing Manager, laura.holmes@norbrook.co.uk or 01536 741147.

Boehringer Ingelheim has announced the winners of its 16th annual awards for students who have shown the best aptitude for cardiology, orthopaedics and anesthesia over the course of the entire final year.

Bethan MacKenzie, Jennifer Scully, Emma Foster (pictured right with Tim Bentall from Boehringer) and Chris Middleton from The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh picked up the awards after being nominated by the respective heads of departments at the college.

The prizes are awarded after discussion amongst all the staff involved with the rotation, specialist surgeons, residents receiving advanced training and the nursing staff.  Each winner was awarded a book on veterinary medicine.

Virbac has announced that its recently launched parasiticide Neoprinil has been granted a shelf life extension from one to two years after first opening.

The company says the extension will help minimise the risk of wasted product and increase its convenience to farmers.

An eprinomectin pour-on solution, Neoprinil is indicated for use against internal and external parasites in cattle, including gut and lungworms, mange mites, sucking and chewing lice, horn flies and warbles. It is administered using the company's Farmpack and Flexibag, and offers a zero-day withdrawal period in milk.

Virbac's Product Manager for Large Animals Brigitte Goasduf MRCVS said: "Understanding the challenges our customers face and offering products to overcome them is our goal so we are delighted that Neoprinil has received a shelf life extension because this adds to its flexibility and convenience for farmers. It also brings it into line with Deltanil, our deltamethrin-based pour-on for use against a range of ectoparasites in cattle and sheep.

"We now offer a comprehensive and flexible parasiticide range administered with a dispensing system that sets a new standard for convenience and ease of use."

Neoprinil is presented in 2.5l, 4.5l and 8l pack sizes.

Hysolv Animal Health has announced that it is offering a free swine flu laboratory diagnostic service to veterinary surgeons in the UK and Ireland.

The company will supply kits to veterinary surgeons with which to take samples from pig herds they suspect are infected with swine flu. The samples, nasal swabs or blood, will be sent direct to Germany where vaccine and biological company IDT Biologika is using a special facility to detect which viruses or antibodies against certain serotypes are present. 

The virological tests will be conducted by the Institute for Virus Diagnostics, part of the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health. Antibody titres against H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, panH1N1 and panH1N2 will be looked for. Hysolv says these tests, including histopathology, can provide the only conclusive proof of influenza infection.

Results from the test — which would normally cost 230 Euros (about £185) to conduct — will be available within a week.  IDT is believed to be the first company offering this type of test.

According to the company, the PCR test — from nasal swabs — is much more precise than previous testing regimes and will identify and type circulating strains as well as emerging strains.

Hysolv says that when swine flu strikes a farm, the signs seen are no longer just typically flu-like but a show whole range including fever, coughing, dyspnoea as well as returns to oestrus and abortions in sows. These may be in combination and concurrent with other diseases which makes accurate diagnosis difficult.

IDT will be offering the newly-branded vaccine Respiporc Flu 3 where the veterinary surgeon feels vaccination in indicated.

Hysolv director Richard Brealey said: “IDT is raising the bar in flu testing and this is a significant advance on what has been done in the past. In 2014 one-third of 1353 nasal swabs sent for testing proved positive for swine flu in Germany. In the UK the samples will help give an insight into the epidemiological status quo of the national pig herd.” 

Vet Futures has published a guest blog by Laura Kidd MRCVS which asks how the profession can increase the number of veterinary nurses entering and staying within the profession?

In her blog, Laura, a VN lecturer and clinical skills tutor for veterinary students, argues that the year-on-year increases in the number of veterinary nurses seems to be insufficient to meet demand. Furthermore, there is a trend towards people leaving the profession relatively early, with the average age being just over 30.

She writes: “Identifying the reasons for VNs leaving the profession at a young age and addressing these, is one potential way of increasing VN numbers in the future.”

Laura argues that poor pay, stress, not feeling rewarded or valued and perceived lack of career progression all contribute to people leaving the profession, although she welcomes initiatives from the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), BVA, RCVS and others to increase the status of the profession, create more diverse career opportunities and improve the profession’s mental wellbeing. 

However, she adds that: “perhaps we may, reluctantly, have to accept that, for the time-being, veterinary nursing is a young profession with a high turnover.”

With this in mind she suggests that training more veterinary nurses will be the key to increasing the number of qualified members of the profession in the immediate future. In order to do this she believes that more practices need to be supported to become RCVS-approved Training Practices offering clinical training and work experience for student veterinary nurses and that an alternative training pathway for veterinary nurses may need to be looked at.

She adds: “The entry requirements for the VN Diploma are relatively low, yet the qualification is academically demanding: the volume and depth of knowledge is considerable for the level and qualification and the requirement to demonstrate critical reflection through academic writing can be challenging.

“It is regrettable that some student veterinary nurses, who appear to have the qualities to be very good VNs, are lost to the profession, unable to pass awarding body exams. Should we be developing an additional VN training pathway which allows more students to demonstrate they have the required skills to provide high quality nursing to their patients?”

In response to her proposal, this month’s poll will ask visitors “Is there a need for another VN training option?” To read the blog, leave a comment and take part in the poll please visit www.vetfutures.org.uk/discuss

Last month’s poll asked if vets always acted as animal welfare advocates. This was in response to an article by animal welfare expect Professor David Main in which he argues that the profession should do more to demonstrate its animal welfare credentials and introduce safeguards against excessive profit-seeking. Although just 22 people took part in the poll, around two-thirds (68%) of them said that vets do not always act as animal welfare advocates.

Mark Bowen, Associate Professor at The University of Nottingham, has been appointed as President of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) for 2015/16.

Mark will take over the role from Andrew Harrison at the end of BEVA Congress on 12th September. Vicki Nicholls, Veterinary Assistant at Wright and Morten Vets, Cheshire becomes President Elect.

He said: "BEVA’s strengths lie in its members, who are committed to the welfare of the horse and the advancement of clinical practice. With new benefits for members, a new website, a new role for the BEVA Trust and the highest quality of education, BEVA is now an even more forceful and effective voice for the equine profession, both internally and externally. 

"Whilst the profession attempts to shape its future for the next 15 years, we must continue to support the innovative individuals in the profession who look ‘outside the box’ and make sure that the future of our profession, the next generation of veterinary surgeons, does not become restricted by dogma and tradition; that they too can replicate the level of innovation seen in equine practice over the last 50 years. 

"It is vital that we continue to strengthen our relationships with the British Horseracing Authority and contribute to the development of a funding body to replace the Horserace Betting Levy Board. Our relationship with the BVA, the regulation of allied professionals, the rescheduling of ketamine, the new EU animal health regulations and EU medicines regulations, even the role of Europe, are key areas where BEVA will make veterinary voices heard for the benefit of equine welfare. 

"Lastly, employment and retention of veterinary graduates in the profession is a cause of concern to us all. Over the next year we will enhance the Internship Awareness Programme and provide support and mentoring for the younger members of the profession. BEVA council is full of individuals committed to working on your behalf and I am looking forward to working alongside them all for the benefit of us all."

Tails.com, a UK pet nutrition company run by a team of people with backgrounds working for well known names as innocent, lovefilm.com and graze, has launched an innovative service delivering dog food optimised for each individual animal, direct to your door.

The concept behind tails.com was born when the company’s co-founder and head vet saw the impact of different diets on the pets in his surgery and realised that the best way to deliver effective health benefits through nutrition was to create unique diets for each animal.

Using research which included analysis of detailed pet growth curves and nutritional requirements based on a wide variety of physical and lifestyle variants, tails.com developed a system which it says offers an optimised feeding plan for each individual dog.

Visitors to tails.com are invited to complete a questionnaire which is then used to calculate their dog's individual feeding plan and the price. After that, the food is delivered to your door in packaging which displays the name of the dog it's for. Nice touch.

Another nice touch in these times of spiralling pet obesity is the inclusion of a free, vet-designed Perfect Portion Scoop, together with an individual feeding plan to help customers feed the correct amount of food in each meal.

The team’s lead nutritionist is Dr Samantha Ware MSc BSc (Hons), a pet nutritionist with over 15 years of experience in the pet food industry. She said: “Tails.com can create a bespoke diet and feeding plan to fulfil the unique nutritional needs and specific feeding preferences of your dog, for life. As a pet nutritionist, the most common question I face is ‘what is the best food that I can feed my pet?’ Despite the plethora of brands and products available in the market it can often be quite a challenge to find and select that perfect product to fit that specific pet, let alone within the budget of the owner. Bespoke diets are the ideal solution. With the ‘Tailored Nutrition’ proposition Tails.com has challenged the status quo, and has fully embraced and acknowledged that each pet is an individual and has its own unique nutritional needs.”

Any UK-based veterinary surgeon that would like to try tails.com free for 2 weeks (with a one-off £1 delivery charge), visit the site and enter the code VETSURGEON, valid from now till 28th September 2015.