Vets4Pets has launched Project Listen, a survey to find out what challenges, motivations and experiences veterinary nurses face every day, and what the company might to do lead positive change in the sector. 

The findings will be published in a freely-available and independently-authored report.

Jane Balmain, Chief Operating Officer at Vets4Pets (pictured right), said: “The last 18 months have been indescribably tough for everyone, not least the veterinary practice teams. Soaring levels of pet ownership coupled with recruitment challenges have meant that an already-stretched profession has been almost brought to its knees.

"As a profession, you’ve always put pets first. But now it’s time to also concentrate on you - the vets, nurses and support teams that make up our beloved sector. We want to hear how you’re feeling and give you the power to help us make change.

“By launching this sector-wide survey, we’re kick-starting a vital conversation to protect the wellbeing of vet teams and the future of the profession. We believe that, by sharing experiences openly and honestly from all corners of the sector, we can come together to bring about the much-needed changes to ensure it remains an attractive, long-term career option.”

The survey, which runs until 16th November 2021, can be completed at www.projectlisten.co.uk. Respondents will remain anonymous and no data will be collected via the survey.

The Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) has produced two new waiting room posters: ‘Handling Commercial Raw Pet Food Safely’ and 'Importance of Hay in a Guinea Pig’s Diet'.

The raw pet food poster gives owners guidance on how to handle and prepare their pet’s meal when feeding a commercial raw pet food. The guinea pig one gives guidance on what owners need to feed their guinea pig to ensure good health and well-being. It is also available to download from: www.pfma.org.uk/the-importance-of-hay-poster-guinea-pigs.

The PFMA will be giving away free copies of both the posters, alongside a range of other fact sheets and posters, at the London Vet Show.

The Association is also offering veterinary nurses the chance to win a £100 high street shopping voucher by taking part in its annual survey focusing on health and feeding trends, which can be done here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/PFMALVS19

The survey closes on Sunday 17th November.

Dechra Veterinary Products has launched Finilac for the treatment of false pregnancy in bitches.

Dechra says Finilac inhibits prolactin secretion by the pituitary gland and therefore inhibits all prolactin-dependent processes, meaning it can also suppress lactation in bitches and queens.

Finilac, which contains cabergoline (50 microgram/ml), is presented as a liquid which can be given orally or in food. It is available in 3 ml, 10 ml, 15 ml and 25 ml bottles with 1 ml and 2.5 ml syringes included in every pack to ensure accurate dosing.

The dosage is 0.1 ml/kg bodyweight once daily for four to six consecutive days, depending on the severity of the clinical condition. Maximum inhibition of prolactin secretion is achieved after four to eight hours.

Dechra Brand Manager Carol Morgan said: "A false pregnancy can be a distressing condition for an animal and its owner so Finilac offers a fresh approach for cases with more severe symptoms that require veterinary intervention.

"It is easy to administer either directly into the mouth or by mixing with food and it doesn’t need to be transported or stored in the refrigerator, making it ideal as an ‘at home’ treatment that can be administered by owners."

The RCVS has launched 'Veterinary care from your kind of vets', a new campaign to raise awareness of the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) amongst animal owners.

The two-month campaign is comprised of a series of very polished videos which are now being shared on YouTube. 

The videos share the experiences of a number of veterinary professionals from PSS practices who talk to the camera first as owners themselves, and then as vets.  

The College says the aim is to demonstrate to the public that their animals will receive veterinary care from empathetic practice teams committed to delivering the kind of veterinary care they would want for their own animals.

Mandisa Greene, Chair of the Practice Standards Group, said: "In order for a veterinary practice to be accredited under the Practice Standards Scheme it needs to demonstrate that it is meeting a broad range of stringent standards and undergo a rigorous independent assessment every four years. 

"However, we know that awareness and understanding of the Scheme amongst animal owners is relatively low, and that there is always more we can do to help change this. We have therefore developed this digital campaign to help RCVS-accredited practices explain to animal owners what RCVS-accreditation means, and why they should care about it.

"We think it’s important that RCVS-accredited practices, which go through a great deal of effort and work to achieve their accreditation, receive the recognition they deserve and we hope that they will help us to spread the word far and wide."

Ian Holloway, RCVS Director of Communications, said: “A vital ingredient of this campaign will be the support and involvement of RCVS-accredited practice teams right across the country. Throughout the two-month campaign, we will be posting lots of wonderful video stories, pictures and PSS infographics across all of our social media channels, along with other fun ways to help spread the word.

"We’re posting launch packs to all accredited-practice premises this week, which include a variety of campaign posters to display in waiting rooms and details of how to download all the digital resources from our campaign website for use in practice and online. 

"We really hope that everyone associated with an RCVS-accredited practice, including their clients, will be able to share this campaign across their own channels as widely as possible, remembering to use the campaign hashtag #YourKindOfVets, of course!"

Anyone wanting more information about the campaign should email: yourkindofvets@rcvs.org.uk.

Two limited-service, remote veterinary consultation providers have stepped up their activities following the coronavirus outbreak.

Joii has announced that its free vet nurse consultations and £20 consultations with veterinary surgeons will now be available 24 hours a day. The out-of-hours service will be delivered by eight UK-trained vets based overseas in countries such as Australia, to ensure its UK-based staff continue to enjoy a healthy work-life balance with no interruptions from nighttime working. 

Meanwhile FirstVet has announced that for the next six weeks, all consultations via its platform will be free of charge. Appointments will be available for five hours per day, from 12:00pm to 5:00pm. 

Veterinary practices that wish to provide their own online consultations have a couple of options to consider: The Virtual Vet Group, and VetHelpDirect. 

A new study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP), has found that key surfaces in the small animal veterinary hospital setting are unlikely to be cleaned satisfactorily, potentially posing a risk to both animal and human health.

In the study, Fluorescent tagging for environmental surface cleaning surveillance in a veterinary hospital ¹, researchers at Ohio State University used a fluorescent dye to tag pre-determined surfaces in a large veterinary teaching hospital.

The dye was invisible to the naked eye, but fluoresced under a blacklight (UV-A source). It could be easily removed by regular cleaning.

Surfaces were tagged and then assessed 24 hours after tag placement to determine whether they had been cleaned. Tagging and assessment took place during non-peak hours in an attempt to eliminate observer bias. The study ran for a period of 5.5 weeks between June and July 2014 and a total of 4984 surfaces were tagged and assessed.

Jason Stull, corresponding author of the paper said: "Overall, 50% of surfaces were adequately cleaned so that the tag was completely removed. Cleaning varied widely by surface/object and hospital location. Of the surfaces designated as having primarily human contact, the equipment cart and door handle to the dog walking area were most frequently cleaned (100%), whilst examination equipment including the otoscope, ophthalmoscope and swivel light handle were the least frequently cleaned (2.3%).

"Of the surfaces designated as having primarily animal contact, the ward cage interior was the most frequently cleaned (89.0%) whilst the dog run interior was the least frequently cleaned (23.1%). In terms of hospital location, the most frequently cleaned area was radiology (77.5%) and the least frequently cleaned area was the small animal treatment area (4.2%)."

The overall proportion of surfaces satisfactorily cleaned was similar to that reported in previous studies, however, the findings for some surfaces and hospital areas differed.² This demonstrates the importance of veterinary cleaning surveillance in individual practices so that targeted interventions can be implemented.

Nicholas Jeffery, editor of JSAP said: "With health-care associated infections being a persistent problem in human and veterinary medicine, it is important that surfaces and equipment within the veterinary practice are adequately cleaned. This research demonstrates the potential use of a commercial fluorescent dye for veterinary cleaning surveillance to inform hospital cleaning practices."

The full article can be found in the February issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice which is free for BSAVA members. It can also be read online here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13090 

References

1. G. Langdon, A. E. Hoet, J. W. Stull (2020) Fluorescent tagging for environmental surface cleaning surveillance in a veterinary hospital. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 61 (2). Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13090
2. J. S. Weese, T. Lowe, M. Walker. (2012) Use of fluorescent tagging for assessment of environmental cleaning and disinfection in a veterinary hospital. Veterinary Record, 171. Available at: https://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/171/9/217.info

Ceva Animal Health, manufacturer of Adaptil and Feliway, has announced that it'll be running Pet Anxiety Month in March.

The campaign will highlight things that can be done to help anxious pets, including getting professional advice from a behaviourist or trainer and using the company's products. 

There's a marketing pack for practices, to help you educate owners and promote the month. It includes bunting, wall displays, posters, leaflets and gift vouchers for pet owners. 

To raise awareness, Ceva will also be running a PR and advertising campaign together with a social media initiative in which owners will be encouraged to share their experience of having an anxious pet on Instagram and Facebook. 

Abigail King, senior product manager at Ceva said: "It is widely known that humans suffer from anxieties, but pets do too with 82% of dogs and 89% of cats reported to be scared of something¹.

"It is therefore important that we educate pet owners on the signs of stress and the help and support that they can give to their pets. 

"Pet Anxiety Month will get people talking and we want people to know that there are products out there to support pets and that help is at hand to get the right advice, which is extremely important."

For further information, visit the Pet Anxiety Month website or follow the campaign on Instagram and Facebook.  To request the Pet Anxiety Month marketing pack, email cevauk@ceva.com.

Reference

1. PAW (PDSA Animal Wellbeing) report 2018

The Royal Veterinary College’s VetCompass programme has published the results of new research which shows that ownership of Chihuahuas is growing despite the breed being particularly prone to expensive dental problems and obesity.

According to the study¹, which looked at Chihuahuas treated in first opinion practice, ownership in the UK has increased over five-fold in the past decade from 1.0% of all puppies born in 2005 to 5.4% in 2016.

However, the study also found the breed was particularly susceptible to a number of health issues, including: dental disease (13.5%), obesity (5.9%) and retained baby teeth (5.7%).

Compared with other dogs, Chihuahuas were also more prone to aggression (4.2%), slipping kneecap (4.0%) and retained testicles (3.9%).

Other findings included:

• Males are more likely than females to show aggression, heart murmur, ear infection, conjunctivitis and upper respiratory tract infection. There were no disorders that were more common in females.
• The average adult Chihuahua bodyweight was 3.4kg.
• The average Chihuahua lifespan was 8.2 years. Females (10.2 years) generally outlived males (6.9 years).
• The most common causes of Chihuahua deaths were heart disease (18.8%), lower respiratory tract disorder 16.3% and traumatic injury (13.8%).

Dan O’Neill, senior lecturer at the RVC and author of the paper, said: "Chihuahuas are an old breed but the recent craze for them can cause some real welfare issues for this tiny dog. There is increasing evidence that unscrupulous breeders and dealers both inside and outside the UK are cashing in on this trend by making a lot of money but with little regard for the welfare of these puppies and breeding bitches."

Camilla Pegram, VetCompass epidemiologist at the RVC and co-author of the paper said: "Dental disease and retained baby teeth should be recognised as important health concerns for Chihuahuas, with preventative care for dental disease a key topic for discussion between vets and owners. In addition, many of the common or predisposed disorders, such as dental disease, retained baby teeth, sliding kneecap and retained testicle(s), often require surgical intervention. The Chihuahua’s small size increases its anaesthetic risk. Obesity has many detrimental effects, including increased anaesthetic risk, and aggression makes them challenging patients and pets, therefore nutrition, lifestyle and behaviour are also key areas for veterinary-owner discussions."

The full paper is open access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-2258-1.

Reference:

1. O'Neill, D.G., Packer, R.M.A., Lobb, M., Church, D.B., Brodbelt, D.C. and Pegram, C. (2020) 'Demography and commonly recorded clinical conditions of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2016', BMC Veterinary Research. 

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has reprimanded David Henry Eccles MRCVS and warned him about his future conduct after he admitted to clinical failings relating to his treatment of a cat.

Mr Eccles had first appeared before the Disciplinary Committee in November 2018 where he admitted a number of clinical failings regarding his diagnosis of a cat, the keeping of accurate and detailed clinical records, giving the animal appropriate treatment, surgery and care, and failing to provide the cat’s owners with adequate information on the cat’s care upon discharge.

After Mr Eccles admitted the two charges against him, and the Committee found him guilty of serious professional misconduct, the Committee then postponed its decision on sanction on the condition that Mr Eccles agreed to abide by a set of undertakings in the interim. They included: the preparation of a personal development plan, the enrolment of his practice in the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme, the appointment of a veterinary mentor, the completion of additional training and CPD, and his agreement to pay any costs of complying with the undertakings, including the appointment of and work undertaken by the appointed mentor.

At the resumed hearing last week, the Committee received evidence from Mr Eccles confirming that he had complied with all the original undertakings agreed to in 2018. It also considered some further undertakings that Mr Eccles had agreed to in October 2020 when his reconvened hearing was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. They included: confirming his compliance with the personal development plan he had drawn up in 2019, his practice achieving the Core Standards accreditation level within the Practice Standards Scheme, continuing to meet with his veterinary mentor, and undertaking additional CPD – all of which were found to be completed.

The Committee also heard evidence from both the veterinary mentor and Mr Eccles himself. In his evidence, Mr Eccles apologised to the owners of the cat for the care he had provided, admitting that he had let them and himself down by not having sufficient knowledge to recognise the cat’s needs and to provide him with a sufficient level of care. He also confirmed he was continuing to make improvements to his practice and that he had enjoyed the process of being mentored.

Dr Martin Whiting, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “In November 2018, Mr Eccles practice had fallen significantly short of an acceptable and adequate standard. He was a sole practitioner who had drifted away from professional standards.”

“The Committee today considers that Mr Eccles has met the undertakings which he accepted in November 2018 and again in October 2020 when the resumed hearing was adjourned owing to Covid-19. It accepts the College’s analysis as to how those standards have been met. It notes that Mr Eccles’ practice has achieved accreditation in Core Standards under the Practice Standard Scheme, something which is voluntary in ordinary practice. That is an exacting scheme. He has engaged with his mentor and had indicated that he will continue to do so as the need arises in order to maintain his development.”

Dr Whiting added: “The Committee also recognises that this was a single incident in a long career. It accepts that he has shown insight into his shortcomings. He understands what went wrong and why. The Committee was impressed with Mr Eccles’ statement of apology in his oral evidence today.”

“The Committee found the language which he used in answering its questions, as to the effect compliance with the undertakings has had upon him professionally, reassuring. He said he had been rejuvenated and stimulated; he had renewed enthusiasm for the profession. The Committee commends him for exceeding the minimum requirement of the undertakings, despite the stressful context of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

In considering its sanction for the original admitted charges from November 2018, the Committee considered that a reprimand and warning as to future conduct was the most appropriate and proportionate sanction.

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

The RCVS is inviting all vet nurses to attend its Annual General Meeting, taking place online, on Friday, 9 July 2021.

The proceedings will begin at 10am with the formal adoption by RCVS Council of the Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2020, which will be published prior to the event.

The College will then answer any written questions that have been submitted about the Annual Report by veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses.

If you have any questions about the Annual Report, you'll need to submit them to RCVS Events Manager Deborah Rowlanes on d.rowlanes@rcvs.org.uk no later than Friday 2 July 2021.

RCVS President Mandisa Greene will then formally welcome the newly-elected RCVS Council members – Louise Allum, Danny Chambers, Tshidi Gardiner and Colin Whiting – onto Council for their four-year terms, and newly-elected VN Council members Susan Howarth and Donna Lewis for their three-year terms, as well as saying farewell to retiring members of both Councils.

After a short break, the AGM will reconvene at 11am to approve Kate Richards (pictured right) as President for 2021-22, Melissa Donald as Junior Vice-President, Mandisa as Senior Vice-President, and Niall Connell as Treasurer.

There will then be addresses from Matthew Rendle as Chair of Veterinary Nurses Council, and from Mandisa as the outgoing RCVS President for 2020-21, followed by the formal investiture of the new RCVS Officer Team.

There will then be closing remarks from Kate Richards as the newly invested RCVS President.

If you'd like to attend the AGM, you'll need to register here: www.rcvs.org.uk/agm21-registration.

The BVDA has teamed up with IM3 to launch a new course to help veterinary surgeons improve their knowledge and practical skills in dentistry.

The 2-day course, which includes both theory and practical sessions, will be taught by Sarah Ramsden RVN (pictured right), aka 'The Dental Nurse' on social media, at IM3's Advanced Centre for Education near Dublin on the 8th and 9th September 2021.

The course will cover all the basic aspects of veterinary dentistry including oral examination and charting, dental radiography, local anaesthetic techniques, nurse consults and maintenance of dental equipment..

The cost of the course is £430 and there's a 15% discount for BVDA members (so if you're interested in the course, then joining the BVDA is a bit of a no-brainer). 

To register, visit: https://www.bvda.co.uk/education/courses/essential-dentistry-for-vet-nurses, or email Rob Davis (BVDA Education Officer) at davis4ginger@yahoo.co.uk for further information.

The RCVS has launched an independent service to provide emotional support to veterinary nurses and surgeons who are under investigation by the College after a complaint about their professional conduct.

The ProfCon Investigation Support (PCIS) service is a free, confidential listening and support service funded by the RCVS and its Mind Matters Initiative mental health project but delivered independently by VetSupport.me, an organisation that already offers general support services to veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses.

The service is provided by a group of trained and experienced volunteers who will also be able to offer support to any veterinary surgeon or nurse who is acting as witness.

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “At the RCVS we recognise that being investigated in respect of alleged professional misconduct is a very stressful and trying experience that can knock confidence and, in some cases, lead to distress amongst practitioners.

“While part of the social contract of being members of regulated and protected professions is that, when accusations around professional misconduct are made, they have to be fully investigated by a regulator to determine if there is a case to answer. As a compassionate regulator we want to make sure that individuals going through this process can access the help and support they need.

“This service is staffed by a team of brilliant volunteers who already have experience in  providing help and support on matters of mental health and wellbeing and have received additional training to augment their ability to provide emotional support to vets and nurses who may be under investigation.

“In our Strategic Plan for 2020-24, one of our key ambitions is to strengthen our credentials as a compassionate regulator that acts with empathy and understanding. The ProfCon Investigation Support Service is an important step in fulfilling this ambition, and I hope that it can deliver help to the people that need it.”

David McKeown, from VetSupport, added: “Whether via a phone call, an email conversation, or a meet-up over Zoom, our team of trained volunteers, all of whom are registered vets or vet nurses themselves, will support service users through the duration of an RCVS investigation.

“Through their support we will aim to help individuals going through this process maintain good mental health and wellbeing and strive to prevent more serious issues arising. The service is completely confidential and no conversations that individuals have with our volunteers will ever be shared with anyone else, including the RCVS. Nothing will be fed back to the College nor be used as part of the investigation process. It is also completely within the individual’s control as to how much information is shared with the VetSupport volunteer. There is no obligation to disclose any information other than perhaps a first name.

“We look forward to working with the RCVS to provide this very important service. Please don’t hesitate to contact us on info@vetsupport.me or visit www.vetsupport.me to find out more about the service and meet our team of supporters.”

The BSAVA has published a new collection of resources on the subject of end of life care and decision-making, with a particular focus on the pastoral aspects, to help support clients and the practice team.

The collection draws together a selection of materials, including chapters from BSAVA Manuals, articles from Companion, webinars and Congress lectures.

The collection is divided into four areas: general information, client communication, client support and practitioner support. It includes things like:

• Euthanasia decision-making: a case-based discussion
• How to discuss euthanasia with your client
• Quality of life and decision-making around end of life care
• The client journey: supporting the client before and after the last appointment
• Euthanasia and how it affects veterinary nurses’ mental health
• Euthanasia support in practice.

Julian Hoad, Chair of the BSAVA Publications Committee said: “Death and taxes are the only two certainties of life, according to Benjamin Franklin! Our pets don’t have the worry of taxation but managing the end of life for them is something that all owners must face. It is probably the most challenging part of our veterinary work also – managing the emotional, sometimes highly charged, aspect of the situation, whilst maintaining an objective focus on the patient.

"This new collection provides a handy resource for this important area of veterinary practice. The collection will enable the recent graduate to gain confidence in dealing with these cases; tips for improvement that even the more experienced clinician will find useful are also included.”

The collection can be accessed via the BSAVA Library https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/end-of-life---introduction at a cost of £20.00 for BSAVA members or £45.00 for non-members.