Veterinary Nurses are being invited to comment on National Occupational Standards (NOS) as Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for environmental and land-based industries, announced today that further consultation meeting dates have been set for January and February.
Individuals and organisations representing veterinary nursing are being invited to get involved in shaping the NOS for their industry and ensure they accurately reflect today's way of working and the role of veterinary nurses in practice.
Lisa Jarvis, Lantra's Partnership Manager for veterinary nursing and a RVN herself, said: "NOS identify the detailed knowledge, understanding, ability and experiences somebody needs to carry out their job effectively. Lantra works hard with industry to make sure they fit their needs and is continuing the consultation process by holding a number of additional meetings in January and February."
The additional meetings will take place at Antrim, Northern Ireland (12 January, 11.00 to 14.30), Lantra House, Warwickshire (14 January and 17 February, 10.30 to 15.30) and a meeting at the College of Animal Welfare in Edinburgh, Scotland (23 February).
Lisa Jarvis continued: "These newly added meeting dates will give all those interested parties, who missed the first set of meetings, the opportunity to come along and define the standards for today's veterinary nurse. We want as many people to get involved as possible but if you can't join us at a meeting, you can register with us to take part in the online consultation that will follow later in January and February."
Lantra ensures that all industries represented in their footprint have up-to-date and accurate National Occupational Standards. The standards help businesses improve performance and productivity as they can be used to identify the skills needed for their workforce, highlight best practice, develop training and recruitment plans and develop job descriptions.
If you would like to take part in any of the meetings or the online consultation to help industry get the most out of the skills system, please visit www.lantra.co.uk/nos, call Lantra on 02476 858 424 or register your interest by emailing standardsandquals@lantra.co.uk.
Research amongst veterinary surgeons by Janssen Animal Health, maker of Cavalesse oral and Cavalesse topical, has revealed that owners could be doing more harm than good when it comes to managing sweet itch in their horses.
92% of vets questioned are aware that people follow old wives' tales by administering lotions and potions such as garlic and olive oil to ward off flies during the summer sweet itch season, when garlic actually has the opposite effect of attracting them.
According to Janssen, it is thought that only a quarter of horse owners are aware that it is important to carry out preventative measures before the start of the midge season to help alleviate sweet itch. 14% of people are thought to go to their vet for advice on sweet itch, while 30% seek help from their country store or tack shop, 27% search for information on websites and 26% ask other horse owners for guidance. This is despite the fact that 92% of those questioned believe that sweet itch would clear up quicker if people sought advice from their veterinary surgeon.
Nicki Glen, marketing manager at Janssen Animal Health said: "Sweet itch can be an incredibly difficult and frustrating condition to manage, however horse owners do not tend to seek advice from their vets. It is therefore important to educate horse owners while you are on yard visits with pro-active advice on the condition for the long-term health and welfare of horses."
Cavalesse is a natural food supplement containing a specialised formulation of water-soluble vitamins and minerals, including nicotinamide. Once a month the contents of each sachet are dissolved in water to form an oral solution, which can be administered daily via a special pipette, either by sprinkling over a small handful of feed or adding to a treat such as a sugar lump. Janssen says the supplement helps horses maintain a healthy skin and promotes normal immune function in horses prone to summer allergies.
Cavalesse Topical is a skincare gel that can be used in combination with the Cavalesse solution. The gel can be applied to the skin to help support natural immunity from the outside, whilst the oral solution works in partnership from the inside.
For further information on Cavalesse and Cavalesse Topical please contact your Janssen Animal Health account manager or phone 01494 567555.
Hill's has launched Science Plan Snacks: a new range of treats which includes light, immunity support, healthy mobility, oral care and skin & coat variants for adults, and immunity support and skin & coat variants for puppies.
Market research has shown that 76% of UK dog owners feed their pet treats, and that snacks represent 33% of total market value in the dog food segment. Hill's has identified that 84% of pet owners want their pet's snack to be healthy and 67% want the snack to meet a specific need. However, the company says many pet snacks and table scraps are high in salt, sugar and fat and overfeeding can unbalance a nutritionally balanced diet provided by the main meal, as well as being a major cause of obesity.
Adrian Pratt, Veterinary Affairs Manager at Hill's said: "Owners like to treat their pets to snacks as it helps cement their close bond but they are also aware that feeding unhealthy food is a bad idea. We believe that responsible snacking is the way forward and to that end have launched Science Plan Snacks. The range is not only low in calories and made with all the optimal nutrition principles that guides the formulation of Science Plan main meal but also features on-pack guidelines to indicate the number of snacks that can be given per day. "
Hill's says the new range outperforms other mainstream biscuit treats in taste tests, being up to 79% preferred. Science Plan Snacks offer fatty acid ratios and blends to support healthy mobility and patented fibre technology in the oral product, with controlled levels of calcium and salt. The resealable bag maintains freshness and the high impact premium black packaging provides great stand out on shelf.
For further information contact your Hill's Territory Manager or Hill's customer service on 0800 282438.
A survey by Hill's Pet Nutrition has concluded that nine out of ten vet professionals believe UK pets are at serious risk of diet related diseases, mirroring the trends seen in human health, and the recession has increased the risk.
The study of more than 100 veterinary professionals suggests their daily case loads are weighed down with a host of serious man-made dietary-related problems including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, simply because owners are not feeding their pets appropriately. These problems are on the increase as a result of owners switching to lower quality food or feeding a man-made diet of crisps and chocolate.
Pet Obesity Task Force Committee Member and Veterinary Nutritionist, Dr Daniel Chan, DVM, DACVECC, DACVN, MRCVS said: "As a nation, our modern lifestyles of fast food, large food portions, and too little exercise are taking a toll on our health, our children's health, and now our pet's health. Excessive calories and lack of physical activity are leading to alarming rates of obesity, which has become the most common form of malnutrition in pets today. As the links between obesity and disease are becoming clearer, it is vital that pet owners adopt healthier practices such as feeding appropriate portions of food, avoiding too many snacks and treats, and exercise with their pets."
Despite obesity being the most physically obvious diet-related disease in the UK, the vet professionals who participated in the study agreed unanimously that owners do not realise their much-loved but overweight pet is actually suffering from malnutrition.
The vet professionals were also in agreement that not all pet foods are the same, believing to some degree you get what you pay for. Yet worryingly, 83% of vet professionals believe our pet's health has been another casualty of the economic downturn, as cutbacks in the family budget saw trading-down on pet food. Vets suggest the effects of these cutbacks will lead to increases in cases of diet related diseases in the next two years, with a surge in potentially fatal conditions such as diabetes (61%), intestinal problems and pancreatitis (66%).
Adrian Pratt BVSc MRCVS, Hill s Pet Nutrition Veterinary Affairs Manager, said: The results make sombre reading. Almost all (98%) of the vet professionals who participated report seeing a host of preventable diseases in practice which are the result of inappropriate feeding. While obesity tends to be caused by an excess of empty calories and too little exercise, inadequate nutrients or excess nutrients like salt, will also affect a pet s general health and wellbeing, leading to sickness or long-term diet-related diseases.
Other findings of the study included:
So you're preparing a patient for foot surgery.
Remove the hair from the foot either using standard clippers or those mini ones you get in the barbers.
Now grab a large latex glove, fill it with the scrub solution, place over the foot.
Now with one hand hold the glove on the foot by the cuff and with the other hand squeeze the hand of the glove this makes for better coverage of the scrub solution on the foot.
Attach a giving set (which is attached to an empty drip bag) to the end of the catheter and ensure the giving set is 'open'. This will ensure the patient stays clean and dry from urine as all bladder contents will go into the drip bag.
I stole this from the VetSurgeon site, cos i thought it was useful to know, apologise to the person i stole it from
You know those small metal circles at the centre of the tops of bottles of injectables? Those ones that are attached by just two connections? And that you stick your fingernail under to try and twist off when you start the bottle?
Push them inwards with the tip of something hard - syringe nub, end of a forceps, and they pop off.
It is well known in human medicine that rest promotes healing and well being. If possible once your morning rounds are finished on the ward, and all pets have been medicated, fed and toileted, switch off the lights and make it a quiet place, even for an hour or so. I have been doing this for a while and I think the patients appreciate it, rather than the noise and glaring light all day. I think the less stimulation the better, although I do have the radio on very low in the background. I think it lulls them to sleep
When you are on nights on your own and have a urinary incontinent patient who is difficult to move, layer the pads one on top of another as many as you think necessary, and when one is wet, you can easily roll it and slide it out from under the patient without disturbing them, and they have a clean pad underneath.
Also if you have a large patient who is incontinent who needs a thick padded bed for bony prominances, then get a quilt, and tape it inside a thick plastic bag (body bags are best for this) then place a normal bed and pads on top. It saves on washing thick beds all the time and the plastic can be wiped clean.
Virbac has announced the reintroduction of chews as part of its dental range.
VeggieDent chews are available in packs of 15 in sizes suitable for small, medium and large dogs. The chews contain chlorhexidine and have a texture and shape designed to optimise plaque removal by physically abrading the tooth surface during chewing.
Product manager Chris Geddes said: "The gold standard of dental hygiene is regular brushing, but that isn't always possible, and products such as this are ideal for those difficult cases."
For further information please speak to your Virbac representative, phone 01359 243243 or email admin@virbac.co.uk.
No it's not hot hands and it is Bouncyfi idea, but I am putting it up as it is a brilliant idea.
any fluids that have been used for flush , instead of binning them, inject food dye into them and use them as heat pads for your patients.
Dogs hate them, and the bed usually ends up bundled in a corner after the dog has had a total hissy fit getting into the kennel due to it beiong slippery.
Use rubber car mats to stop the beds slipping, the dogs walk in no problems and no stress, and they are easily washed too.
Use betadine to clean the blood stained coat rather than hibi, it gets it out in seconds! no need for scrubbing either.
Good old fashioned washing up liquid is a very effective way to wash instruments. Very good at getting rid of the fat & grease from those fryable pyometra op's plus many others! And its a lot cheaper than chlorohexidine (hibiscrub)
Threading your suture needles through a piece of suture material and tying a knot in the top is a successful way to sterilise them with your surgical packs - no more jagged fingers with needles inside swabs!
In an emergency situation, either post extubation or a patient coming in with respiratory distress and are unable to intubate the patient.
Grab a 10F Dog Urinary Catheter and a 3.5mm ET tube blue connector. The connector fits perfectly in the end of the catheter.
The catheter can then be introduced into the patients trachea. A breathing system can then be attached to the blue connector and oxygen can be supplied to your patient!
When clipping a dog with short hair, that takes ages to get rid of all the little hairs that seem to stick like glue and no matter how much you clean they still seem to be there. Use a lint roller on the area before scrubbing it gets rid of almost all the hair!
If the cuff no longer works on your ET tube - cut if off! I know that sounds drastic but it will stop other staff members from trying to inflate it!
I find often that the stoppers on the cuff come undone, so after you have inflated it - use the cover of a needle to place over and that ensure it stays done!
I know what it's like in practice, trying to find the scissors, thermometer, nail clippers, stitch removers etc all those little bits and pieces we use everyday, well, after a discussion here on the forum, some good tips were mentioned - Sal the 1st said about using a bumbag - one of those your wear around your waist. Thats a fab idea! I hope Sal doesnt feel I stole her idea lol but it's too good to keep to ourselves!
Bunnies aren't always the easiest creatures to intubate, so when the tube is in place you want it to stay there!
Using WOW bandage or string to tie the tubes in often slips and the tube doesn't remain secure.
Using a thin strip of Micropore/Duropore or similar to tie around the tube and then wrap around the back of the ears keeps the tube secure and easy to untie when you want to extubate.
'Get Well Friends', a new retail opportunity for veterinary practices, has now officially launched with a new website: www.getwellfriends.com
Described by their inventor, childrens' author Kes Gray, as "the ouch factor mixed with the aah factor", Get Well friends are a new and unique range of soft toy poorly animal characters for veterinary surgeries to sell. Each character is as cute as it is accident prone, and comes complete with a prescription from mouse Nurse Nibbles.
"For all kinds af reasons a young child may have to leave their pet with a vet. Under such circumstances, they can now depart from the surgery with a soft toy animal character that they themselves can nurse back to good health."
The Get Well Friends.com website has been set up to try and lower the blood pressure of long suffering veterinary waiting room staff, with online games for children to play and activity sheets for surgeries to print off.
First shown at the London Vet Show, the current gift range comprises 5 soft toy characters and a 'childrens picture book entitled 'Who's Poorly Too?' The recommended retail price for each 8" soft toy characters is £11.99. (Trade price £5.50 per unit not inclusive of Vat.) The 'Who's Poorly Too' paper back picture book has an RRP of £5.99 and a trade price of £3.60 per unit.
Kes Gray's wife and co-founder of Get Well Friends said: "The spinner is our recommended display method. It has a strong and colourful retail presence. It holds fifteen toys and fifteen picture books, and can be bought for a special intoductory offer price of just £157.50. If a surgery waiting room is pushed for space, we can offer our striking 10 unit counter display boxes, or if preferred we can supply any combination of characters loose."
Click here to download the brochure and trade price list.
If you would like to place an order or make an enquiry contact Kes & Claire direct at info@getwellfriends.com.
Eskimo, a reindeer at Edinburgh Zoo has received life-saving surgery just in time for Christmas, making him the first reindeer in history to receive keyhole surgery.
Vet Romain Pizzi successfully removed one of Eskimo's testes, which had been lodged in its abdomen since birth, using specialist surgical instruments donated to the zoo by one of Ark Surgical's strategic partners Surgical Innovations.
The zoo was worried that the retained testicle may have been developing into a tumour giving off abnormal hormones, and that this could become life-threatening. Thankfully, zoo surgeons found that the retained testicle, although abnormally sized, had not yet developed a tumour.
It is thought that the abnormal testicle was affecting Eskimo's production and flow of testosterone and, as a result, he was showing submissive behaviour and being bullied by the other male reindeer in the herd. He had also started to show some abnormal and delayed antler growth and development. Removing the testicle will halt any abnormal hormone production so hopefully Eskimo will return to full vigour just in time for Christmas.
Gavin O'Brien, Director at Ark Surgical said: "We were only too happy to help when Romain mentioned the challenging operation faced by Eskimo and in the season of goodwill we approached Surgical Innovations who kindly donated the instruments for this pioneering surgery."
Although laparoscopic surgery is routine in humans, the standard procedure in animals is still open abdominal surgery. Open abdominal surgery is 20 years behind human medical advances and has a number of negative factors on animals such as more post-operative pain, slower recovery and a higher risk of post-operative complications and infections.
Romain, a veterinary surgeon for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, based at Edinburgh Zoo, said: "Laparoscopic surgery is still very uncommon in veterinary medicine, even amongst common species such as dogs, cats and horses, so for keyhole surgery to be carried out on a reindeer shows a great advancement in veterinary surgery."
It is estimated that nearly one out of every two households in the UK are pet owners. Veterinary surgeons perform on average 600,000 open abdominal procedures annually but it is believed that less than 1% of vets currently practice laparoscopic surgery.
Romain believes that with the right instrumentation available through innovative companies such as Ark Surgical, UK vets now have more opportunity than ever to introduce laparoscopic techniques as part of their operating procedures.
Romain said: "This procedure was only really possible thanks to a cutting-edge designed retractor which we were able to use in this case. Ironically although a reindeer is a reasonably large animal, due to their unique anatomy and massive four chambered stomach that takes up most of the space in the abdomen, there is a very limited internal operating space. For this reason the operation was much more difficult than in a human, or in a dog, where there is more space to work, despite their smaller size."
"We were especially pleased with how quickly Eskimo recovered after surgery, he was standing and happily eating lichen again within 10 minutes of recovery from anaesthesia. He hardly seemed to notice he had even had surgery, although he was still slightly groggy from the anaesthesia. This would simply not have been possible with traditional open abdominal surgery, as the long wound would have been much more painful and debilitating."
The minimally invasive nature of laparoscopic surgery means there are numerous benefits for animals such as a reduction in post-operative pain, a faster recovery and reduced post-operative care. It also has a decreased risk of infection after surgery and a lower risk of any wound complications.
For veterinary surgeons laparoscopic surgery can offer better visualisation of the operated area, allowing them to be more precise and reach areas that are difficult to see in open surgery such as the liver and pelvic canal.
Romain carries out laparoscopic operations on dogs, cats and exotic pets at his own veterinary practice Inglis Veterinary Centre (Scotland) and has pioneered several new laparoscopic techniques.
He said: "Laparoscopic surgery has so many benefits for the animal, the veterinary surgeons and the zoo, so there is no reason why it should not be more common practice within veterinary surgery. I hope Eskimo's experience helps raise its profile and encourage more veterinary surgeons to look in to it as a standard surgical procedure."
Ark Surgical offers a wide range of laparoscopy instruments and peripherals to vets across the UK and to suit all budgets. The company says it is already working with many of the UK's leading vets and agencies such as the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, as well as the UK foremost laparoscopic medical device manufacturer Surgical Innovations, to be at the forefront of veterinary laparoscopic surgery
For more information on animal laparoscopic surgery contact Ark Surgical on 01732 862882 or http://www.arksurgical.co.uk/
Veterinary practices are being encouraged to enter the annual Veterinary Marketing Association's (VMA) awards, which now include a practice-only category.
The annual VMA awards are intended to recognise excellence in all aspects of veterinary and animal health marketing. The Practice Marketing Award, sponsored by Pfizer, is awarded to the companion or production animal practice that demonstrates the most initiative and innovation in the marketing of its products and/or services to end users. This can involve the use of any form of activity, including advertising, websites, direct mail and media relations.
Last year's winner of this award was Kessock Equine Vets from Aberdeen, who travelled down to London to receive their award at a presentation lunch. The 2009 awards presentation ceremony takes place on Friday, 19th March at the Old Brewery in Chiswell Street, London. The meeting also presents a very good opportunity for vets to meet representatives from all the major animal health companies.
Tickets for the event cost £115+VAT for VMA/VMPA members (£150+VAT for non-members). The price includes a three-course meal (prepared by a two-star Michelin chef) with wine, a champagne reception and entertainment by a top comedian.
Further information on the awards is available on the Veterinary Marketing Association's website - http://www.vma.org.uk/. Closing date for entries is 5th February 2010.
The first ever survey of Registered Veterinary Nurses' Continuing Professional Development has found that the average RVN appears to do substantially more than the minimum required amount of CPD.
Libby Earle, RCVS Head of Veterinary Nursing said: "The CPD requirement for RVNs is to complete at least 45 hours in any three-year period - an average of 15 hours a year. As the requirement was only introduced in 2007, it is particularly encouraging to see that in the first two years of obligatory CPD, the average RVN appears to be doing considerably more than the minimum."
However, not all cards were filled in correctly and some RVNs were including more than the permitted five hours of undocumented self-directly study annually. The number of hours recorded in the survey data was accordingly reduced in order to correct this. Taking into account this reduction, the survey found that the RVNs responding completed an average of 23 hours of CPD 2007, and 28 hours in 2008.
The RCVS asked 509 RVNs - a random sample of 10% of all RVNs qualified for more than three years - to submit a copy of their CPD Card. Of these, 460 returned a copy of their card - a response rate of 96%.
Libby said: "I would like to thank the RVNs who submitted copies of their cards as requested. As the purpose of this exercise is to collect baseline data for use in the future, we will be contacting the small number of RVNs who failed to submit a copy of their CPD card when asked."
All RVNs should ensure that they are familiar with the CPD requirements. Guidance is printed on the RVN CPD Record Card which can be downloaded from www.rcvs.org.uk/vnregister.
Pedigree® has announced the launch of national Oral Care Month, which will take place during March 2010.
Recognising that canine periodontal disease affects over 80% of dogs in the UK, yet with only 2% of owners following a regular oral care regime for their dog, Oral Care Month will seek to encourage owners to visit their veterinary practice for free dental check-ups.
The company says the initiative will be supported with a wide range of marketing material for practices, including striking waiting room posters, leaflets and free Pedigree DentaStix samples. A far-reaching national press and TV advertising campaign will also take place leading up to the campaign to encourage existing and potentially new clients to seek advice from their vet.
Pedigree's oral care expert, Dr Marie-Louise Baillon says that most owners simply aren't aware that four out of five dogs over the age of three are likely to have gum disease. "We've found that around 90% of owners rate their own dog's teeth and gums as being either good or perfect. What our campaign is aiming to do is educate owners to look out for the telltale signs, such as bad breath, which many will often wrongly accept as being normal, or bleeding and inflamed gums."
Practices can sign up to Oral Care Month from 1st January at: http://www.oralcaremonth.co.uk/.
Promotional materials will be sent to registered surgeries in the New Year. All practices that sign up will be listed on the campaign's consumer website so that dog owners can easily find their nearest participating vet.
All registered Oral Care Month practices will also be entered into a free prize draw. Prizes include a dental X-ray system worth £2,500, 25 free places on next year's 'Improving Periodontal Health' autumn lecture tour and 50 periodontal probes.