Non Clinical - Recent Threads

RE: Spay vs Spey

Cinzia Gandini — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 09:26:15 GMT

[quote userid="15163" url="~/f/non-clinical-questions/31388/spay-vs-spey/249120#249120"]Scone originates from the Gaelic sgonn[/quote]

But the Scone Palace near Perth is pronounced Skoon

Spay vs Spey

Beats — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 20:19:14 GMT

Is there a correct and an incorrect spelling, or are both acceptable in common usage?

I consider Vetsurgeon to be the authoritative place to make such enquires re UK spelling!

RE: Spay vs Spey

Alistair Taylor — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 09:04:42 GMT

Scone originates from the Gaelic sgonn, a small mound or hill, and rhymes with gone.

As for spay or spey, the latter is a river in Invernessshire and Moray, so spay!

RE: The DEFRA white paper is out – what do you make of all this?

Clive Ansell — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 17:57:00 GMT

[quote userid="31189" url="~/f/non-clinical-questions/31387/the-defra-white-paper-is-out-what-do-you-make-of-all-this/249110#249110"] the UK’s chief veterinary officer at DEFRA, Christine Middlemiss, said the new framework “will build a stronger, more resilient veterinary profession fit to meet the needs of the UK’s animal sector whilst ensuring the highest standards of care for our animals”.[/quote]

Politician speak. A pointless statement that doesn't actually say or mean anything at all.

The DEFRA white paper is out – what do you make of all this?

Chris Ritchie — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:40:45 GMT

https://www.vetsurgeon.org/b/veterinary-news/posts/white-paper-a-step-closer-to-improved-legislation

Sixty years! But now there's real progress being made on the Veterinary Surgeons Act and there's a host of proposed reforms which DEFRA says will "radically modernise the industry, delivering better protections for households and greater transparency around prices – helping pet owners understand what they are paying for, avoid unexpected costs and choose the best value care for their pets".

Among the proposals: there will be an independent veterinary ombudsman, and veterinary businesses will be statutorily regulated with a mandatory licensing system similar to care homes and GP surgeries. It also recommends changing the approach to fitness-to-practise processes. Plus veterinary nurses and other professional groups will be statutorily registered.

The RCVS said it agreed that the profession required modern legislation to protect animal welfare and noted that it was ready to separate its professional leadership and regulatory roles if DEFRA determined it necessary.

Lots more in the news piece. Discuss!

Starlink

carina palmer — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 16:53:37 GMT

Do any of you use Starlink for business for their internet and VOIP and if so how do you get on with it.I have found Starlink for business a massive improvement for internet speeds compared to what BT has to offer us with their old copper lines in our rural community .However we are having issues setting VOIP up on it . We answer an incoming call but it continues ringing on the callers end for 3 -4 more rings before connecting to us , we therefore don’t know at what point the callers can hear what we are saying.Any help would be greatly recieved.

RE: Starlink

Clive Ansell — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 17:54:19 GMT

A family member had it for their (non veterinary) business, as they live in a rural area that had slow conventional internet speeds. They have had nothing but trouble; unreliable connection and speed, and customer service which is rubbish. They are in the process of moving back to conventional internet, which is now much better than it was since a local infrastructure upgrade to FTTP (Fibre to the property), no copper cables. Much faster and far more reliable.

I wouldn't want to give anymore money to Elon Musk anyway - he has more than enough.

RE: The DEFRA white paper is out – what do you make of all this?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 21:04:49 GMT

Woffle woffle blether blether

RE: Spay vs Spey

Clive Ansell — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 15:39:38 GMT

I pronounce it Scon, to rhyme with gone, rather than scone to rhyme with cone.

Oxford dictionary: variant forms also 1500s–1800s scon, skon, (1700s sconn).

Scone, a village in Scotland, is pronounced Skoon

Do you pronounce 'scone' to rhyme with 'cone' or 'gone'? It depends where you're from | Language | The Guardian

RE: Spay vs Spey

Lesley Strong — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 15:15:45 GMT

Sprayed in South Wales so wasnt sure if it was an op or flea control(days of Nuvan Top). Dressed is the term here in Scotland

RE: Spay vs Spey

Chris Ritchie — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 12:12:14 GMT

Scone, or scone?

RE: Spay vs Spey

Clive Ansell — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:49:15 GMT

Spay.

The Oxford English dictionary lists Spey as a variant of Spay. The Cambridge and Collins dictionaries list Spey as a Scottish river, and redirect to Spay as a similar word.

Etymology:

spay(v.)

early 15c., spaien, "stab with a sword, kill" (a hunted animal), also "remove the ovaries of" (a hunting dog), from Anglo-French espeier "cut with a sword," Old French espeer, espaer, from espee "sword" (Modern French épée), from Latin spatha "broad, flat weapon or tool," from Greek spathē "broad blade". Related: Spayed; spaying.

RE: Spay vs Spey

Clive Ansell — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:09:49 GMT

Spladed in some parts of Brum

RE: Spay vs Spey

Dinu Catilina — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:35:51 GMT

Spaded if you move to Chesterfield.

RE: The DEFRA white paper is out – what do you make of all this?

Chris Ritchie — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 18:00:30 GMT

Certainly raises more questions than answers. And it seems it'll largely be left out of the hands of the professionals it will affect.

In particular... the UK’s chief veterinary officer at DEFRA, Christine Middlemiss, said the new framework “will build a stronger, more resilient veterinary profession fit to meet the needs of the UK’s animal sector whilst ensuring the highest standards of care for our animals”.

Statutory registration in all the fields mentioned will not be straightforward. I used to work in the dental media and when the General Dental Council brought in SR for dental technicians, several thousand were lost because they didn't meet the new requirements for registration or couldn't meet the requirements of the grandfather clause. There are also issues with indemnity, etc.

I can see this happening to some degree here too.

RE: The DEFRA white paper is out – what do you make of all this?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:42:09 GMT

[quote userid="5012" url="~/f/non-clinical-questions/31387/the-defra-white-paper-is-out-what-do-you-make-of-all-this/249108#249108"]Who's paying?[/quote]

You are.

What sickens me is our Royal College rolling over and waving its legs in the air.

RE: The DEFRA white paper is out – what do you make of all this?

Clive Ansell — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:14:45 GMT

Bunkum.

"According to DEFRA, the department responsible, “Millions of pet owners will benefit from the most significant overhaul of veterinary regulation in six decades.”

Benefit? How?

"According to DEFRA, the reforms will “introduce more competition to lower costs over time” – though there was no detail in the white paper as to how this might happen."

Again, how? increased regulation will involve costs that ultimately would have to be passed to the end user clients? Of the 3 independent practices I know, margins are already tight with no scope to reduce prices at all.

"An independent veterinary ombudsman is being considered to give pet owners “a clear and straightforward route to redress when complaints cannot be resolved directly with their practice”. DEFRA states: “With the power to make binding decisions, the ombudsman will ensure disputes are resolved more quickly and fairly, increasing confidence across the sector."

"Among the new proposals are that veterinary businesses will be subject to statutory regulation, with a mandatory licensing system – similar to GP surgeries and care homes; and there will be inspections of premises with publication of compliance reports."

Who's paying?

"An independent veterinary ombudsman is being considered to give pet owners “a clear and straightforward route to redress when complaints cannot be resolved directly with their practice”

But how independent will it and can it be? only other veterinary surgeons or in some cases RVN's could really pass accurate judgement on the decision making of other veterinary surgeons or RVN's. How would ombudsman staff be appointed? How would we know it would not be like the water company regulator and the environmental agencies, where ex water company executives get boardroom positions? corporate executives spring to mind?

RE: Introductions: your new editor/moderator

Chris Ritchie — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 08:42:21 GMT

Indeed! Not quite a spring chicken, but new to this space and hopefully attractive to the full gamut. I'd like to think I'm quite a young 51-year-old :-)

Introductions: your new editor/moderator

Chris Ritchie — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:23:56 GMT

Hello!

Some of you may know me, but for those who don’t I’ll introduce myself (as concisely as I can).

I’m a seasoned veterinary journalist, having started working on Veterinary Times and (at its outset) The Veterinary Business Journal back in the 1990s – together with my father, RCVS Honorary Associate David Ritchie.

Am I a nepo baby? Tricky one, that: my father needed an assistant editor and I was at a loose end having just left college; he taught me how to put a magazine together and I taught him what a megabyte is.

I went on to work on the Veterinary Review, was then editor of Animal Health News for John Alborough, and eventually the family firm licensed and then owned the Veterinary Practice journal for some years – until we sold it (and our CPD events) to 5m Publishing.

Then COVID happened, and we were twiddling our thumbs, so we decided to try a new kind of veterinary publication and thus The Veterinary Edge was born! We went on to purchase the VetIndex and VetCPD Congress from Simon Guiton, the latter of which is now called VetEdge Congress, and together with the VOA we created the Veterinary Osteoarthritis Congress. Two years ago I launched (the sadly-too-costly-to-produce, although still a website) Pet&Vet magazine – and now, excitingly (for me, certainly) I find myself Arlo’s successor.

VetSurgeon.org and VetNurse.co.uk have a strong and earned reputation that I am committed to honouring and continuing: no sweeping changes planned, but I’m seeking to build on the excellent resources they already are. So, for anyone who is interested, here is the plan:

Encourage more veterinary professionals to these professional platforms to discuss professional matters. These fora are ‘safe spaces’ for such discussions and don’t rely on algorithms that decide what you see and when.
As executive editor of The Veterinary Edge I receive a great deal of content from lots of talented authors, and so we’ll be running ‘guest editorials’ and features on here to provoke thought and start discussions. If you’d like to contribute in such a way, please get in touch.
I’ll be posting news updates and points of discussion on social media too, so please follow me on https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-ritchie-9a6a7529/.

To conclude: essentially, I’ve grown up in the veterinary media over 30+ years; no, I’m not a vet but I do have a supreme fondness for the profession(s), the animals you treat, and a keen awareness of the issues you’ve experienced and the new ones facing you. I’ll pop into discussions here and there and look forward to talking with you.

The Veterinary Edge July issue is now online

Chris Ritchie — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:20:55 GMT

Hello!

Just a quickie to say the July issue is now online here: https://indd.adobe.com/view/df696ccb-38db-4b36-9143-1a507b86242e. The print copies should be landing on practice doorsteps in the next few days.

If you prefer to read online, you can find all our digital issues at www.theveterinaryedge.com.

Certainly curious to hear people's thoughts on TVE: we've never done a readership survey.

Mindful that veterinary teams are busy and there's not a lot of downtime, do you get the time to read it among the stack of other periodicals? And if so, do you find it a worthwhile read ... or (be gentle!) not?

RE: The Veterinary Edge July issue is now online

Chris Ritchie — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 08:39:38 GMT

Excuse me if I'm double-posting, but I said 'Thank you' yesterday and now can't see that comment. So, again, thank you. In the last year we've had a handful of calls and emails from practices asking not to receive the paper copy because they prefer to read it online. I'm certainly in favour of (sustainably produced) paper copies because reading online just lacks that tactile page-flick. And yet I'm also spending increasingly more time reading on screens – they co-exist comfortably.

RE: The Veterinary Edge July issue is now online

Chris Ritchie — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 08:35:31 GMT

Thanks for the feedback. All appreciated. When we started TVE we wanted to run a range of regular topics, so we'll always cover sustainability and management pieces as part of that brief and in this issue we went for a couple of OA/pain pieces because they're informative and offer practical advice to veterinary teams.

David Williams: I think he'd be upset if we didn't work him to the bone! He's been one of our (if the not the most) popular speaker(s) over the years, and he brings that trademark infectious enthusiasm to the congress and the bar :-)

AI checking: I don't use AI very much (I find it rather hit and sometimes miss) but I do edit every piece of content and check sources where appropriate. In the case of scientific pieces like this issue's on SRMA, there was a list of references longer than my arm but not enough paper to print them on – and they are available on request. Generally, though, articles are received in good faith and I like to build good working relationships with the authors of such. I trust authors who invariably know more than I do about their subjects.

Lots more variety coming in August – not sure if I can guarantee hair colours at this stage though!

RE: The Veterinary Edge July issue is now online

Michael Woodhouse — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 23:09:57 GMT

[quote userid="31189" url="~/f/non-clinical-questions/31385/the-veterinary-edge-july-issue-is-now-online"]Certainly curious to hear people's thoughts on TVE: we've never done a readership survey.[/quote]

It's one of the few that I will flick through. Vet times only makes it out of the wrapper if I gift it to a vet student these days. I agree - needs to be a paper copy.

Sadly I think this current issue has one of the poorest selections of articles I've seen in the publication, for a good while. Maybe you've chosen badly or maybe it's just what interests me. If you have pink hair or want to bring up carbon I'm not interested in what you have to say!

Do you have some dirt on David Williams? You've got him working very hard at your congress over both days!

A second, genuine question, do you do any AI checking on submitted articles or do you just take them at face value?

RE: Introductions: your new editor/moderator

Michael Woodhouse — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 22:35:07 GMT

[quote userid="31189" url="~/f/non-clinical-questions/31383/introductions-your-new-editor-moderator/249090#249090"]It's been a while since I engaged in a forum and this is my first time as a moderator – I'm not expecting too much argy-bargy in here[/quote]

Give me chance

Welcome to the forum. I assumed Arlo had found a spring chicken to take over to attract the youth, and it turns out you've been doing this for over 30 years......

RE: Introductions: your new editor/moderator

janine redman — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:02:19 GMT

You do get to travel

wide