See attached document for details of BMUS meeting in Brighton which has a veterinary stream
The 2011 AGM meeting minutes have now been uploaded to the media section of the SAMSoc website on vetsurgeon.org
Alex Gough
Dear Colleagues,
We are conducting a survey of veterinary surgeons to try and establish some baseline facts about the treatment of canine lymphoma. We would be most grateful if you would complete the following questionnaire.
The questionnaire is short and simple and should take you no more than 10 minutes to complete. Needing no specific case details, it does not require you refer to clinical records. Furthermore it requires no case follow up at all. If you prefer you can save your responses and return to the survey later, though it is very short.
http://www.smart-survey.co.uk/v.asp?i=37382vpylk
Many thanks indeed in anticipation of your help
Yours faithfully
Christopher Saul, BVetMed CertSAM MRCVS, Cranmore Veterinary Services and Chestergates Referral Hospital
Just a reminder of research projects by our members that are ongoing. Full details can be found in the wiki on the group homepage:
Diabetes Treatment Survey for vets, nurses and owners
Primary Investigator Contact Info:
Stijn Niessen
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences,
Royal Veterinary College,
University of London, UK
sniessen@rvc.ac.uk
Genetic Basis of Endocrine Disease in Dogs
Further details can be obtained from:
Brian Catchpole BVetMed PhD MRCVS
Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Immunology
Dept. of Pathology & Infectious Diseases
Royal Veterinary College
Hawkshead Lane,
N. Mymms
Herts AL9 7TA
Tel: +44 (0)1707 666388
Fax: +44 (0)1707 666483
Email: bcatchpole@rvc.ac.uk
Congenital PSS in Birman Cats - DNA Project
Angie Hibbert BVSc CertSAM DipECVIM-CA MRCVS
Feline Centre
University of Bristol
Langford
Exocrine Pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) Treatment Study
Aran Mas DVM MRCVS
P-J.M.Noble BSc BVM&S PhD MRCVS,
A.J.German BVSc PhD CertSAM DipECVIM-CA MRCVS
If you have a suitable case and would like to discuss enrolment on the trial, please do not hesitate to contact us (telephone 0151 795 6100, vetinmed@liv.ac.uk)
Efficacy of masitinib in dogs with steroid-resistant inflammatory bowel disease
cic@rvc.ac.uk
Fabio Procoli
Efficacy of Protexin Pro-Kolin Enterogenic in conjunction with ronidazole in the treatment of T.foetus in cats with diarrhoea
Tel. 0131 650 7650
Email. slalor@staffmail.ed.ac.uk
The first one-day courses will take place in Yorkshire in 2026, offering practical teaching in subjects that can currently only be found by traveling abroad:
As these are small group practical courses, places will be limited.
https://awecpd.co.uk
The webinar will be presented by Jenny Helm Cert SAM Dip ECVIM-CA FHEA MRCVS EBVS and RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Medicine.
Jenny will explain the latest knowledge about lungworm in dogs, including an update on prevalence, clinical case management and treatment and prevention options.
Louise Longstaff, National Veterinary Manager at Zoetis said: “Jenny will not only cover some of the challenges with diagnosing lungworm but will also discuss the latest prevention strategies including the use of Simparica Trio."
https://cloud.mc.zoetis.com/LungWormWebinar2025
The new law allows the Government to:
require that the owner travels with the pets, or within 5 days of the pets arriving.
Danny said: “As a vet, I've treated many dogs with cruelly cropped ears or docked tails, leaving them physically scarred and emotionally traumatised.
"Knowing this Bill will help us put a stop to this abuse and have a bigger impact on animal welfare than I could possibly have achieved in a lifetime treating individual animals, demonstrates how important this legislation will prove to be.
"Thanks to the support of organisations like the BVA and other animal welfare nonprofits, we got the Animal Welfare Bill through the Commons, through the Lords, and today passed into law."
The College says the findings address evidence gaps from previous research and highlight the importance of routine veterinary otoscopic ear checks.
Although previous research has suggested that lop-eared rabbits may be more susceptible, the researchers say it relied on small samples and retrospective clinical records or owner reports.
For this study, RVC Rabbit Welfare Research Assistants, Maria Jackson RVN and Michaela Betts MRCVS, examined 435 pedigree rabbits volunteered by British Rabbit Council (BRC) breeders.
Between October 2023 and February 2024, the team travelled to BRC shows and breeding studs to record each rabbit’s ear type, head shape, estimated adult bodyweight, age and other features before performing a structured otoscopic examination in which the outer ear, the diverticulum and the full length of the external ear canal were checked for signs of inflammation, narrowing, discharge or crusting.
By combining these observations with multivariable statistics, the team was able to compare ear health across 49 breeds and identify which conformations were most strongly associated with specific ear abnormalities.
The results showed that ear shape plays a central role in predisposing rabbits to hidden ear disease.
Lop-eared rabbits were more likely to show 9 of the 11 abnormalities assessed, including ear canal narrowing, abnormal colour, flaky and wet discharge, behavioural reactivity to ear examination, dermatological changes to the pinna and crusts in the diverticulum.
The shape of a rabbit’s head was also associated with the types of ear problems they were likely to develop, but not in a consistent manner.
Brachycephalic rabbits had narrower ear canals, while dolichocephalic rabbits were more likely to have crusts in the diverticulum.
Body size mattered too, with heavier rabbits more likely to show problems such as redness, narrowing, flaky discharge and traumatic pinna changes, as well as stronger behavioural reactions during examination.
Other physical and signalment factors showed mixed results, highlighting the complexity of ear health across breeds.
Maria said: “Our findings have once again shown that rabbits with lop ears are more likely to develop ear problems – specifically, signs of otitis externa – than rabbits with upright ears."
Dr Charlotte Burn, Associate Professor in Animal Welfare and Behaviour Science at the RVC, and senior author on the paper, said: “This is the first study to have directly and systematically examined rabbit ears outside a clinical context, and it confirms that the seemingly endearing shape of lop rabbits’ ears really do risk deeper ear disorders.
"Alongside the physical changes we observed, we documented rabbit behaviour, such as avoidance, shaking their heads and scratching at their ears, and found that the lop-eared rabbits reacted significantly more to having their ears examined than rabbits with ‘up’ ears.
"To me, this indicates that their ears were not only physically affected, but they also hurt more, highlighting the animal welfare burden of this hidden problem.”
References
Vidas Equine Insulin provides insulin levels in approximately 20 minutes, which the company says will help with the diagnosis and management of Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), commonly associated with insulin dysregulation in horses.
Vidas Equine ACTH provides dysregulation level testing of the adrenocorticotropic (ACTH) hormone related to the development of Equine Cushing’s Disease (aka Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction - PPID) in about 45 minutes.
Pierre Rouppert, Global Veterinary Product Manager at bioMérieux, said: “Our new endocrinology tests, because of their rapidity and ease of use, will bring clinical value for veterinary practices, directly at the Point of Care.
"Equine Metabolic Syndrome and Cushing’s Disease are chronic conditions that often evade detection in their initial stages, making early testing crucial in achieving proper management and animal care.”
David Smart, Global Veterinary Business Developer at bioMérieux, said: “This dedicated equine immunoassay test for insulin and ACTH represents a transformative step forward in animal care.
"Veterinary practitioners will be able to achieve fast, reliable and cost-effective laboratory grade results that can aid early detection and subsequent diagnosis for two prolific and debilitating medical conditions in horses.
"The fast and accurate results from these two new tests will allow quicker clinical decisions that will ultimately help more horses receive an improved standard of care and reassure horse owners.”
https://www.biomerieux.com/corp/en/our-offer/clinical-products/vidas-equine-insulin.html
The charity says it is facing serious financial pressures, with the cost of caring for rescued animals having increased by £17M over the last 5 years.
Meanwhile, claims for emergency treatments payments have dropped by 87% in the last two years because of a greater awareness by vets of their responsibilities under the RCVS Code in providing treatment to injured wildlife and stray animals.
Rebecca Ashman, the RSPCA’s Head Vet for Operations, Partnerships and Prevention, said: "Thanks to this, and better understanding of the role and remit of the RSPCA, we have been able to focus our charity resources on managing cases of cruelty and neglect."
She added: “The RSPCA has always worked closely with the veterinary professions and we are very grateful for the ongoing support of practices with our work.
"Colleagues will be aware that we have increasingly needed to focus on our core work of rescuing and rehabilitating neglected and cruelly treated animals, in the face of growing demand.
“We have seen the number of animals in our care grow; we are now caring for double the number of cats and dogs since the pandemic, many of whom need longer, more complex rehabilitation due to the nature of why they came into our care.
“Despite work to put the RSPCA on a more sustainable footing, between 2020 and 2024, the annual cost of rescuing and caring for animals has gone up by £17m, due to rising energy prices, veterinary costs, the increased need to pay for private boarding and the increase in the number of animals in our care.
"Alongside this, unforeseen costs such as the hike in national insurance, high inflation, rising fuel and increase in the cost of living, means it is a challenging climate for all charities, putting us under pressure at a time when donations are slowing across the sector.”
The RSPCA says it will continue to allocate log numbers for IET until the end of 2025 and vets have until the end of January 2026 to make any requests for payment in the usual way.
The webinar explores the practical application of thoracic ultrasound to support earlier, more accurate identification of BRD in the field.
The webinar demonstrates how integrating thoracic ultrasound into routine assessment can help clinicians identify cases earlier, target treatment more precisely and avoid the use of blanket metaphylaxis – supporting both herd health and antimicrobial stewardship.
George said: “Recent research suggests that nearly one third of UK dairy calves experience BRD and subclinical pneumonia, and a significant proportion may remain undiagnosed when assessed by clinical signs alone.
"One of the clearest indicators of pneumonia is lung consolidation.
"Thoracic ultrasound enables us to detect this early, grade its severity and provide a meaningful prognosis.
"It’s easy to do in the field with minimal patient preparation and gives a level of clarity that helps manage BRD much more effectively.”
Alongside the main webinar is a series of four bite-sized sessions which address common clinical scenarios, including when initiating antimicrobials is justified in BRD cases and how thoracic ultrasound can be used to monitor treatment progress.
Krka has also developed a new Vet2Vet Insight guide on creating an on-farm BRD protocol, together with a downloadable, editable template that practices can tailor to their own herd health plans.
https://www.krka.co.uk/veterinary-knowledge-hub
Led by clinicians from Davies Veterinary Specialists, the Royal Veterinary College, and Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, the study assessed the proportion of metronidazole use that was prescribed for non-antimicrobial purposes, and the rationale for it.
A survey was completed by 138 veterinarians, primarily in the UK and working in primary care small animal practice, who treated 332 cases (285 dogs and 47 cats) with metronidazole.
In 42% of cases, metronidazole was selected exclusively for non-antimicrobial targeted therapy, and was most commonly prescribed to treat acute diarrhoea, chronic diarrhoea, or giardiasis.
This, say researchers, is despite recommendations that antimicrobials are very rarely warranted for the management of acute and chronic diarrhoea.
The most common rationale cited by vets to justify metronidazole use was its supposed anti-inflammatory or immunomodulatory properties.
Other reasons included: treatment of suspected or confirmed anaerobic or susceptible bacterial infection, the patient being systemically unwell or having severe disease, treatment of protozoal infections, experiencing a previous positive outcome in a similar case or the same patient, anti-diarrhoeal action and owner or practice expectations.
Dr Justin Ng, lead author of the study, said: “These insights are alarming given that such practices frequently deviate from current antimicrobial use guidelines, potentially contributing to ongoing challenges with antimicrobial resistance and adverse effects on gastrointestinal health.”
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13910
The company says it has now had over two million client interactions, more than three quarters of which result in the pet visiting their vet practice, generating an average revenue of £206 per case, with a net promoter score of 88.
VidiVet was founded by veterinary surgeon Ben Sweeney in 2020, the main idea being to keep vet clinics at the centre of the customer journey whilst driving footfall and revenue, keeping pet owners happy and saving clinic teams time and stress.
VidiVet now has more than 60 vets providing a remote digital support team for vet clinics, 24/7.
Every vet working for VidiVet is still in clinical practice and has spent at least five years working in practice, with an average of 14 years experience.
Ben said: “We enable practices to complete the circle of care and augment the services they offer.
"Rather than us competing with clinics, under our strapline of ‘Just Trust VidiVet’, we continually delight clients, drive efficiencies and deliver revenues.
“We work with clients to determine whether their pet requires emergency treatment and, in most cases, direct them back to the practice at an appropriate time, based on their symptoms.
"Crucially, Vidivet vets never diagnose or prescribe, meaning they remain totally impartial and all revenues generated from a case go to the clinic.
VidiVet’s head of veterinary operations, Sarah Holmes, who is also a qualified vet, added: “VidiVet’s success is built on our ability to provide immediate advice from highly experienced UK based vets who all still work in clinics, and we only select those with exceptional communication and clinical skills.
"When this is combined with people’s appetite for instant information in a digital age, it gives us a very compelling offering, which is hugely popular with both veterinary practices and pet owners.”
Pippa Adams, director at PowisVets in Stourbridge, said: “We have been using VidiVet for four years now and it has been a game changer for our business.
"The clients love it, the system is simple for our staff and it has really helped our business as we have been growing.
"We would recommend it to any vet practice.”
www.vidivet.com.
The EMS database began development in 2022.
It was launched for placement providers a year ago and for students in March this year.
The College says it was implemented following a lengthy consultation amongst veterinary students, EMS placement providers and the veterinary schools, which resulted in broad commitment to the project.
Feedback from graduates had indicated that EMS was a hugely valuable part of their undergraduate studies, but that access to placements could be difficult.
The aims of the database were to streamline the EMS placement booking process for providers, to support vet schools in their implementation of EMS and to help students find placements relevant to their learning needs and personal circumstances.
According to the RCVS, initial reaction to the database from providers and students was positive.
Hundreds of providers joined the system, reporting that they appreciated having a central system which allowed students from all schools to be able to book placements.
Students accessing the system said the database was easy to use and contained features that improved EMS accessibility.
However, the College says that despite all this, the majority of schools were, in part due to a range of IT and legal complexities, no longer able to commit to the project now or within the time needed to make it viable.
Tim Hutchinson, Vice-Chair of the Education Committee, said: “This decision has not been taken lightly, as the Education Committee recognised both the substantial work from EMS providers in creating and maintaining their placement profiles, and the support shown from students using the database.
“RCVS staff and stakeholders have put a tremendous amount of effort into getting this system off the ground, however it could only have worked with all parties continuing to engage and, despite best efforts, this unfortunately has proved not to be.
“On behalf of the Education Committee, I would like to thank those stakeholders who signed up to the database for their engagement, and I share their frustration that this project did not succeed.”
The RCVS says it will provide support for those veterinary schools that were signed up and using the database whilst the system is wound down.
Any bookings already in the system will be relayed to veterinary school internal systems.
It is expected that the software will be retired by February 2026.
The news comes only weeks after the RCVS announced conditional accreditation of the school's veterinary degree for a further year whilst further improvements could be made, having previously identified ‘wide-ranging concerns’.
The RCVS responded to the news with the following statement:
"We were very sorry to learn that Cambridge University’s Council of the School of Biological Sciences has decided to recommend to the University’s General Board that veterinary education at Cambridge should cease and, as ever, our first thoughts are with the students and staff team at the veterinary department, who will be affected directly by this news.
“As we reported on 25 November 2025, in light of the significant progress made by the vet department at Cambridge over the past 12 months towards meeting our accreditation standards, our Education Committee decided to grant conditional accreditation of the Cambridge veterinary degree programme for a further year to allow time for remaining improvements to be made.
“As stated, we appreciate the considerable efforts and hard work that the staff team at the vet department had put into rectifying many of the issues identified in the 2024 accreditation event, for taking on board the constructive advice that was given and working together to make many of the necessary improvements.'
“We had collaborated with the team within the vet department on putting together an action plan and timeline for meeting the 20 remaining recommendations, and we hoped that the department would continue on its current trajectory towards meeting our accreditation standards.
“The visitation panel noted the considerable efforts the department staff had made to make improvements in a relatively short timeframe, and the staff’s commitment to improving the remaining issues was clear. We also understood from discussions during the visitation that the department had the full and ongoing support of the School of Biological Sciences and wider University.
“In light of the School Council’s recent recommendation, however, we know that this will be a very upsetting and uncertain time for the vet department staff team and students, so we stand ready to offer as much support as we are able over the coming months.”
The BVA has also responded, it's President Dr. Rob Williams MRCVS saying: “When we met with senior leadership at Cambridge University back in June, we secured reassurances that they remained committed to the long-term future of the vet school.
"It’s therefore deeply concerning to hear that once again the future of Cambridge Vet School is in doubt.
"Working with students, alumni and staff, we’re seeking clarity on the situation and will make the case for its veterinary medicine degree course to continue."
A final decision will be made by the university's general board in January.
This takes total investment to £21 million, following a £6 million Seed round in August 2023.
Hello Vet was founded in 2022 by healthcare entrepreneurs, James Lighton and Alessandro Guazzi, and veterinary surgeon Oli Viner.
They opened their first site in London Fields in July 2024.
VetSurgeon.org spoke to Oli, who explained some of the things Hello Vet is doing to offer greater transparency and tangible value whilst remaining affordable:
Oli said: "We're using technology to reduce the amount of time we spend on admin and mundane stuff, so we can concentrate more on those things which deliver better value for our clients.
"For example, our clinicians make clinical notes as normal, but they are translated by AI into treatments plans which, after a once-over by our nursing team, we give to clients both as an aide-memoire and as a tangible presentation of the advice they've bought from us.
"When we used to do this manually, it would take 10 minutes. With AI, that's down to 90 seconds.
"We also use WhatsApp to foster a better connection between clinicians and clients, and to triage cases.
"We don't charge for interactions on WhatsApp, so it saves clients time and money whilst allowing us to focus our efforts where they are most needed and offer greater value.
Hello Vet reckons its WhatApp triage service has saved clients more than £75K in fees alone in the last year.
Another novel side to the practice is that it allows clients into its procedure rooms to hold their pets’ paws as anaesthesia is administered and to be present when their pets wake up.
Oli said: "This reduces stress for both pets and people and there are studies1 which have shown it improves outcomes and speeds recovery.
"As importantly, it shows tangible value to the client when they can see all the equipment we've invested in.
"Allowing clients to be there at the start of a procedure strengthens relationships with the team and builds trust."
Hello Vet now plans to launch clinics across the UK and hire a team of 200 vets and vet nurses over the next two years.
James Lighton, co-founder and CEO, said: “We know that most veterinary professionals come into this industry because they love working with animals.
"But too many good people are leaving this vocation.
"We want to become Britain’s best place to work, to ensure working in a vet clinic feels like the dream job it should be.
https://www.hellovet.co.uk
Reference
Jonathan Hill (UK Country Manager) said: “I’m delighted to announce that TVM UK is changing its name to Dômes Pharma.
"This will align with the other operating companies within the group.
"TVM UK has always been owned by the Dômes Pharma group, and since the start of our journey in the UK market we have been synonymous with expertise and outstanding levels of customer service in selected speciality segments of the animal health market and this won’t change.”
“Under the Dômes Pharma name we will continue to build and grow on this very strong foundation.
"I’m looking forward to working with the entire Dômes Pharma team as we increase our presence as a leading specialty pharmaceutical company, bringing our ethos to new speciality segments with innovative products and solutions for vets in the UK.
"Dômes Pharma remains a family-owned business, and the culture of the company really reflects this and we live by our values of kindness, boldness and responsibility.” https://www.domespharma.com https://www.tvm-uk.com
15.3% said they had received written abuse and 13.4% had received online abuse.
One in ten (9.87%) had cited receiving generally negative grumbles from their clients and a small percentage (0.8%) said they had noticed negativity from usually supportive clients.
17% reported abuse relating to the CMA across more than one platform.
On the other hand, the survey also revealed that 22.4% had received support in person, almost one in twenty (4.5%) had received online support, and 2.4% cited they had received supportive correspondence.
For the study, 12 month's worth of anonymised data from CVS practices was analysed2.
The study concluded that lower engagement between a practice and its staff or clients, recent parental leave, shorter practice employment tenure, and younger age were all associated with an increased likelihood of support staff resignations.
Lower practice client engagement, which CVS says is a proxy for client satisfaction, was associated with increased odds of support staff resigning3, highlighting the potential impact of client incivility on veterinary colleagues who are typically in customer facing roles.
Reduced employee engagement – measured by a ‘employee net promoter score’ (eNPS), where colleagues rate how likely they would recommend the practice as a good place to work4, also correlated with increased resignations.
Within CVS, eNPS has been demonstrated to be positively correlated with the frequency of line manager discussions.
The current data suggests that consistent measurement of employee engagement in a veterinary setting at regular intervals throughout the year can have benefits for line managers in identifying increases in the risk of resignations and practice attrition, allowing them to take proactive steps to improve engagement.
A recent record of taking parental leave was also associated with greater odds of resigning in the following 12 months than staff who have not taken parental leave in the previous 12 months5.
Qualitative studies in other professions highlight the need for greater flexibility in working hours and focused managerial check-in support.
Therefore ‘return to work’ interventions may present an opportunity to improve retention.
Conversely, the increased length of employment tenure was associated with decreasing odds of support staff resignations6, potentially highlighting the role for long service reward schemes, such as the long service holiday awards CVS introduced a couple of years ago. Whilst employee age was associated with the odds of resignations, with a 1% decrease in the odds of support staff resigning with each additional year of age7.
Imogen Schofield, Director of Clinical Research at CVS, said: “Support staff are integral members of the team.
"These key roles contribute to the efficient and effective functioning of a veterinary practice.
"Despite the important roles of support staff, little research exists on these team members and there is no data describing reasons for their attrition.
“This research was done to help the wider industry to understand how we can reduce support staff resignations.
"It aims to identify demographic, payroll and engagement factors associated with resignations.
"We believe it adds valuable insights to previous survey-based research by organisations such as the British Veterinary Receptionist Association.
“Reflecting on our research from 2021, we have introduced a Zero Tolerance Policy to protect our colleagues against intrusive, offensive, violent or aggressive behaviour from clients.
"We have launched monthly interactive Receptionist Support Sessions, giving receptionists the opportunity to connect with their peer network, share experiences and ideas, and feel supported.
"And we are now focussing on developing our support staff through creating new Receptionist and Patient Care Assistant Career Pathways.”
The ‘Ear essentials – a holistic approach to the treatment of canine otitis externa’ webinar will include a presentation by Jonathon Elgie, veterinary technical advisor at Dechra UK and Ireland.
Jonathon will talk delegates through case examples to help them make decisions that can be used in practice and take a clear, practical and holistic approach to treatment.
He will also update vet professionals on Dechra support including the Lifelong Ear Partnership which provides education, tips and assistance to achieve better clinical outcomes and owner satisfaction.
In addition, some delegates at the ‘Break the Pain Conference and Round Table’ event, which took place last month, said that they sometimes assume that farmers are worried about the cost of medication, which discouraged them from talking about it.
Katherine Timms, ruminant veterinary advisor at Ceva Animal Health, which manufactures the NSAID Ketofen, said: “The Stride UK dairy mobility report 2024 revealed that 7% of dairy farmers were not using NSAIDs in any lame cow, yet foot care and lameness management should be included in their herd health plans to meet the Red Tractor Dairy Standards and the standards of their milk buyer.
“Farmers want an easy and cost-effective solution when it comes to offering pain relief to their herds due to other priorities on farm and using NSAIDs strategically have shown a substantial return on investment of £1.66 for every £1 invested1.
"Vets should be leading discussions on pain relief to change their clients’ mindset with the goal of providing gold standard care for the long-term health and welfare of the nation’s herd.”
Sam Bowker, vet surgeon at Blackdown Farm Vets in Devon, who attended the conference, said: “It was a good challenge to us as vets to lead on the use of NSAIDs and pain relief on farm.
"We had a good discussion about protocols we have in the practice, particularly around the use of pain relief when called to assisted calvings and all agreed to use them ongoing.
"The other good reminder was not to assume that farmers won’t want to give pain relief because of cost, and to consider both the welfare and production benefits of their use.”
www.wavegoodbyetopain.co.uk
Each 'Facing Up To Finances' discussion will include tips from a financial professional and live Q&A from the community.
Hosted by a member of VetYou, the panel will include a financial professional, a guest sharing their experience, and a member of the Veterinary Woman team.
Registrants can pre-submit questions or ask them live, including anonymously.
Editor of Veterinary Woman, Jenny Langridge, said: “Readers of Veterinary Woman ranked ‘finances’ as the top subject they needed to know more about to make the most of future opportunities.
"It’s vital that women in the veterinary professions are able to access trusted resources such as the Facing Up To Finances discussions to help achieve their financial goals.”
Further sessions in October 2024 and January and May 2025 will cover subjects including preparing for the unexpected, financial planning and negotiation around life moves such as family, moves and career shifts, and financial strategies for wellness and insurance.
https://www.subscribepage.com/veterinary_woman_finance_series
Linda gave her address at the Royal Institute of British Architects, venue for the RCVS Annual General Meeting last Friday.
Linda, an equine vet and director of the Wiltshire-based George Veterinary Group, said: “A Royal College and a regulator – it’s a challenge but this combined role is also an opportunity for us.
“In the time I’ve served the RCVS, I’ve definitely learnt some of what it takes to fulfil these roles under the remit of both the Veterinary Surgeons Act and our Royal Charter; to think not just from personal perspective and experience, and also to try to look beyond the needs of the profession today and consider what tomorrow might bring.
“Vets are not just one thing.
"The roles we fill in our working lives are many and varied, and I would argue that the MRCVS is the best placed arbiter of animal health and welfare.
"As such, keeping the MRCVS at the heart of decision-making around how veterinary care and services are provided is essential both to safeguard animal health and welfare and also to retain public trust in our work.
“Cultivating trust is a big part of what many of us do, day in and day out – trust in us from within our teams, from our clients and perhaps even from our patients.
“The RCVS with its two hats does a tough job for both the professions and the public.
"In many cases, the interests of the professions and the public align and there is no conflict.
"Of course, as a regulator where the interests don’t align, the RCVS regulates in the wider public interest and this, too, is a positive for us as a profession.
“Working in a regulated environment is a strength for us.
"The landscape in which we work has changed and the regulatory environment needs to change too. Now we are the other side of the general election, work can continue on legislative reform seeking parliamentary time for a new Veterinary Surgeons Act.”
As the 13th female President of the RCVS, Linda will lead an Officer Team comprising the now Senior Vice-President Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS, Junior Vice-President Professor Tim Parkin FRCVS and Treasurer Dr Tshidi Gardiner MRCVS as well as VN Council Chair Belinda Andrews-Jones RVN, who attends Officer Team meetings as an observer.
The content covers the main points in the WSAVA’s report and offers up-to-date information and advice.
For example, Virbac highlights how the report raises concerns about increasing moves to early neutering, or for neutering to be used as a method of behavioural control, as not all aggressive behaviours are testosterone related.
For that reason, a “castration trial’ with long-acting GnRH agonist is recommended by the report before irreversible orchiectomy is performed.
In addition, there is also evidence that gonadectomy may contribute to the development of some tumours, which is currently under intense investigation, as is the effect of age at castration
Dr Neil Mottram, Technical Manager at Virbac, said: "There is so much new information coming through that vets need to assimilate.
"So the educational reproductive resource is designed to make that journey easier to navigate and provide vets with easy access to up to the minute information on key issues in the report’.
To access the materials visit: https://vet-uk.virbac.com/home/resource-library.html, or contact your territory manager.
The webinar will discuss the importance of self-compassion and provide an overview of Katherine and Sarah’s research into the effectiveness of an online compassion focused therapy (CFT) intervention in improving the mental wellbeing of veterinary professionals.
Katherine and Sarah will also go into more detail about how to get the most out of a CFT course they have created, which will be made freely available for veterinary professionals on the Mind Matters website and on the RCVS YouTube channel .
Katherine said: “Our recent randomised control trial has shown the course to significantly improve resilience and self-compassion and reduce rumination and self-criticism amongst veterinarians.
"Therefore, Sarah and I are delighted to now be disseminating the CFT course freely to the veterinary professions, so that as many people are able to benefit from the evidence-based resource as possible.
“Even though our research was conducted on veterinary surgeons, we hope that the course will be useful to all those working in the veterinary team as the content can be applied in a number of contexts.
“Our webinar will explain more about our research, as well as some of the science behind the effectiveness of the course in a veterinary context.
"So, if you are interested in learning more about how CFT may be able to help you and your team, both in a personal and professional capacity, please do come along.”
Katherine and Sarah’s compassion focused therapy course will be made available on the Mind Matters website in due course. In order to access the online compassion course, individuals are invited to complete a short questionnaire before and after watching one 10-15 minute video each day for 14 days, with the aim of the video intervention being to develop self-compassion skills and reduce self-criticism.
https://vetmindmatters.org/events/