Virbac has launched Veterinary HPM Kidney & Joint, a range of wet and dry clinical diets formulated to help manage both chronic kidney disease (CKD) and osteoarthritis in cats simultaneously.

The new range allows for gradually increasing support for the CKD patient according to the International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) stage, reducing phosphorous levels whilst avoiding early protein reduction and the associated lean mass loss correlated to a reduction in life expectancy.

Virbac says Veterinary HPM Kidney & Joint contains high quality protein, of which more than 85% is of animal origin, to support body condition and limit renal workload.

All of the products in the range contain Mobility Plus Complex, a mix of chondroprotective agents for joint support which are designed to increase joint flexibility and mobility with high levels of Omega 3 and DHA.

Dan Johnson, Product Manager at Virbac said: "CKD is the first cause of mortality at, or after, 5 years of age and osteoarthritis is highly prevalent but under-diagnosed in senior cats, with most cats being diagnosed at an advanced stage.

"So with Veterinary HPM Kidney & Joint, Virbac hopes to provide clinicians with a significant advancement in the nutritional management of these feline pathologies."

Veterinary HPM Kidney & Joint is presented in three dry and two wet formats:

• Early Kidney & Joint– For cats at IRIS Stage 1. Available in dry and wet chunks in gravy.
• Kidney & Joint – A dry diet for cats at IRIS Stage 2.
• Kidney & Joint Wet Mousse – a highly palatable, energy dense mousse for cats at IRIS Stages 2, 3 & 4 which can be fed alone or in combination with Kidney & Joint or Advanced Kidney & Joint dry.
• Advanced Kidney & Joint – A dry diet for cats at IRIS Stages 3 & 4.

15 of the major UK member organisations, vet schools and policy-making bodies have come together to affirm their commitment to veterinary medicine based on sound scientific principles, in a new publication produced by RCVS Knowledge and the charity Sense about Science.

Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine Matters: Our Commitment to the Future represents the first time that such a broad and influential group has united in support of a single issue in the veterinary profession. 

The publication contains a number of case studies which illustrate the impact that evidence can have – and has had – on animal health and welfare. It also provides a rationale for veterinary professionals to contribute to the evidence base and put evidence into practice, to the benefit of animals, owners and veterinary teams themselves.

The signatories to the commitment are: 

• Animal and Plant Health Agency

• British Cattle Veterinary Association

• British Equine Veterinary Association

• British Small Animal Veterinary Association

• British Veterinary Association

• British Veterinary Nursing Association

• RCVS Knowledge

• Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)

• Royal Veterinary College

• University of Bristol

• University of Cambridge

• University of Liverpool

• University of Nottingham

• University of Surrey

• Veterinary Policy Research Foundation

No sign of the BAHVS, I see.  

Jacqui Molyneux, Chair of the Board of Trustees of RCVS Knowledge, said: "Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine Matters is a milestone publication for the professions, representing the first time the majority of the key institutions have aligned under the same EBVM banner.

"A celebration of decades of incredible discoveries, achievements and improvements in animal health, it also serves to remind us that even the earliest forms of veterinary medicine were underpinned by evidence."

UK Chief Vet Christine Middlemiss said: "What’s the evidence? An evidence-based approach is vital in all areas of our profession, whatever is keeping you awake at night. For me, it is the threat of African swine fever and avian flu. The evidence I rely on comes from our specialist surveillance monitoring and testing, veterinary epidemiologists and disease modellers. It enables me to make timely, proportionate risk-based decisions that stand up to scrutiny.

"If you are managing veterinary care in practice, the evidence you rely on to underpin your standards of clinical care comes from multiple sources too. Evidence-based veterinary medicine allows us to refine and tailor strategies to be effective and efficient, making full use of existing and new technologies. 

"The profession has taken great strides towards embracing evidence-based veterinary medicine and building on this will strengthen the links between clinical decision-making, policy development and future research."

Chris Gush, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge, added: "We are impressed by the contributions from our co-signatories, which clearly demonstrate the phenomenal impact on patient outcomes that conducting research and using evidence can have. We are also delighted that Sense about Science, a flagbearer for evidence, transparency and rational thinking, has joined with us to highlight the many benefits EBVM can bring.   

"The publication also makes a strong case for much-needed funding for research to grow the evidence base, which would put powerful, robust data into the hands of veterinary professionals as they make critical decisions that can affect patient outcomes.

"It is our hope that the calibre, diversity and sheer number of the organisations putting their name to this commitment will galvanise all vets and their teams to expand their use of evidence in practice."

Rebecca Asher, Deputy Director at Sense about Science, said: "This is a showcase of game changers in veterinary care and we hope it will inspire and motivate everyone in the profession.

"We were delighted that RCVS Knowledge approached us to collaborate with them and other leading institutions in the veterinary research community to affirm their commitment to an evidence-based approach to veterinary medicine.

"Everyone expects treatment for humans to be underpinned by evidence. We now expect the same of the whole veterinary community when it comes to the treatment of animals."

The full commitment and portfolio of case studies can be read in Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine Matters, available for free online: bit.ly/EBVMMatters.

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has published research which sheds light on the frequency, risk factors and linked health problems associated with periodontal disease in pet cats in the UK.

RVC researchers say that the VetCompass study is the largest ever carried out into dental disease in cats using veterinary clinical records.

The study investigated a sample of 18,249 cats randomly selected from a study population of 1,255,130 cats in the UK in 2019.

Periodontal disease was recorded in 15.2% of the sample making it the most common disorder. 

The cat breeds with the highest annual levels of this diagnosis were Siamese (18.7%), Maine Coon (16.7%) and British Short Hair (15.5%) as well as crossbreeds (15.4%).

The average bodyweight of cats with periodontal disease (5.7kg) was higher than for cats without periodontal disease (5.5kg).

The risk of periodontal disease rose steeply as cats got older, with cats aged 9 to 12 years being 6.7 times more likely to have periodontal disease compared with cats aged under 3 years.

Cats with periodontal disease were much more likely to have a range of other health conditions compared to cats without periodontal disease (x 1.8 risk).

These conditions included cardiac dysrhythmia (x 2.3 risk), ear discharge (x 2.3 risk) and hairball/furball (x 2.3 risk).

The researchers say that these findings suggest that periodontal disease should be acknowledged as a leading health and welfare issue in cats, and highlight the need for greater dental care in cats as they age. 

The study was supported by an award from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust and Agria Pet Insurance.

Building work has started on the new Harper & Keele Veterinary School, which is due to take its first students on the veterinary medicine course in 2020, and will also serve students on Veterinary Nursing, Veterinary Physiotherapy and wider animal sciences courses at Harper Adams.

The 2,200sqm building – equivalent to half a hockey pitch or four netball courts – will include a range of facilities across two floors. It will have two new lecture theatres, a number of IT-rich teaching and learning spaces, general teaching rooms and various environments for teaching clinical skills.

The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr David Llewellyn, said: "Our plans for the Veterinary School are proceeding well, with our first student intake to the new veterinary medicine course due in 2020.

"The building on the Harper Adams site will provide a great range of teaching facilities for our students, to complement the wide range of animal facilities we already have on campus.  We are excited to see the progress that is being made with the Harper & Keele Veterinary School, which is generating considerable interest within the veterinary profession, and we look forward to seeing the new building take shape in the coming months."

Picture shows: Vice Chancellor Dr David Llewellyn, McPhillips’ Marketing Manager Mark Kiddie, Site Manager Ed Bickford, McPhillips’ Managing Director Paul Inions, Head of Estates and Facilities at Harper Adams University, Jonathan Cain,

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has reprimanded Dr Vanja Fures MRCVS for giving a false (and startlingly bad) excuse for his conviction for drink driving. 

Dr Fures was convicted of driving with excess alcohol in the Dublin Criminal Courts of Justice in December 2018. 

Later, when renewing his UK RCVS registration, Dr Fures told the RCVS Chief Investigator that on the day of his offence, he'd been on a flight from Frankfurt to Dublin which suffered engine failure, causing the pilot to perform a forced emergency landing in Amsterdam. There, he claimed, the passengers switched to an airworthy plane for the rest of the journey, during which he had several drinks to calm his nerves.

In a remarkably detailed and complex investigation, the RCVS Chief Investigator rang Lufthansa and discovered that the flight had not suffered engine failure and had flown direct from Frankfurt to Dublin without incident. 

In May and July 2020, the RCVS Chief Investigator wrote to Dr Fures setting out the result of his investigations and research. In his responses Dr Fures accepted that his memory of the incident was wrong.

At the outset of the hearing Dr Fures made an application to the Committee enter into undertakings to voluntarily remove himself from the UK Register and to not apply to re-join. However, the Committee did not accept these undertakings in part on the basis that he was not of retirement age and intended to continue to practise in Ireland.

The Committee considered that if it were to accept his undertakings, then there would be no judgement or findings that could be passed on to the Veterinary Council of Ireland for consideration via its own disciplinary procedures.

Ian Arundale, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee decided that this is a case in which the public interest, confidence in the profession, and, potentially, the welfare of animals, demands that there be a full hearing, with determinations made by the Disciplinary Committee."

The Committee then went on to consider the facts of the case.

Dr Fures admitted that he had supplied the RCVS with false information about his conviction for drink driving but denied that this was dishonest at the time that he supplied the information. He accepted that the information he provided was wrong, in that his flight between Frankfurt and Dublin, while delayed by just over an hour, did not have to land in Amsterdam as he had previously claimed.

He said that his false statement was based on misremembering the circumstances and that he had genuinely believed his statement was true at the time it was made to the RCVS. He said that, due to shame over his conviction and the negative impact it had on the life of him and his family, he had created a false memory of the circumstances.

However, the Committee was not persuaded that there was any other explanation in this case, other than that Dr Fures deliberately and dishonestly gave false information to the RCVS, to excuse his behaviour.

The Committee then considered if the admitted and proven charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.

Ian said: “The Committee was of the view that Dr Fures’ actions in dishonestly giving false details to his regulator was serious. While it was the case that there was no actual harm or risk to animals arising out of his conduct, the Committee took into account that the dishonest account was given deliberately.

“In addition, it was sustained, in that it was relied upon and expanded upon on several occasions when the College sought further clarity. Dr Fures had the opportunity to correct the situation, and give the truthful account, but he did not do so. The dishonesty was designed to achieve personal gain to Dr Fures, in that he wished to minimise the actions which the College may take against him, and, in consequence, safeguard his career.

“Dr Fures’ action in dishonestly giving false information to his regulator struck at the heart of his obligation, as a registered professional, to be open and honest with his regulator. This obligation is necessary to allow the College, as regulator, to carry out its crucial and statutory functions in ensuring that it investigates concerns properly.”

In considering the sanction for Dr Fures, the Committee took into account the mitigating factors, including the fact that there were no previous regulatory findings against Dr Fures or any previous conviction for dishonesty, that he had demonstrated remorse for his actions, that there was no actual harm or risk of harm to any animal, that no concerns raised about Dr Fures’ practice, that there was no repetition of the dishonest conduct and that he had demonstrated some insight.

However, in terms of aggravating factors it considered that there was deliberate and sustained dishonesty and that he had sought personal gain as a result of his actions.

After considering various options, the Committee decided that a reprimand and warning as to future conduct was the most appropriate sanction for Dr Fures.

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

The BVA has submitted a joint response with the BSAVA, SPVS, BVNA and VMG to the Competition and Markets Authority consultation on a proposed market investigation. 

The response offers further evidence concerning the CMA’s potential concerns, and says that voluntary measures relating to transparency of fees and ownership could be introduced before the conclusion of a market investigation.

The BVA has formed a working group to develop guidance on transparency, client choice and the value of veterinary care to support companion animal practices.

British Veterinary Association President Anna Judson, said: “We’re keen to see healthy competition and consumer choice and we recognise that some of the areas identified by the CMA would benefit from further scrutiny.

"We are already taking steps to support vet practices by developing guidance for the profession in relation to transparency of fees, transparency of ownership, prescribing and dispensing of veterinary medicines, and contextualised care.

“However, we are extremely disappointed to see the suggestion in the CMA’s report, as well as in subsequent media reporting, that veterinary professionals might prey on owners’ desire to do the best for their pets by using these circumstances as a “strategy” to promote more sophisticated or expensive treatment.

"Vets enter this high-pressure profession out of genuine care for animals and will always prioritise their health and welfare."

“We also have significant concerns about the suggestion that practices might be mandated to provide information to clients about quality or outcome-related measures.

"We do not see primary concerns about the quality of veterinary treatment and we believe such a requirement would not meaningfully support consumer choice.

"Instead, it would be extremely challenging to deliver and could significantly exacerbate many of the complex issues faced by our members, who are already under significant pressure.

There will be a panel discussion about the CMA investigation at BVA Live this year.

https://bvalive.vetshow.com 

COMMENT

There are lots of good points made in this latest response to the CMA, if no more than a nod to the real issue here: which is the often eye-watering cost of modern veterinary care. 

But it is hugely disappointing to see the BVA (and others) berating the CMA and the media for suggesting that vets might prey on owners' desire to do the best for their pet, rather than asking WHY people think that, and how can the profession regain trust.

That, surely, is the starting point here: for the profession to stop feeling sorry for itself, and instead think how it can change to meet the needs of its customers and dispel their perception of being taken for a ride.

The CMA Investigation is a bit of a red herring: the price of veterinary care is not going to be significantly changed by displaying the prices for a few standard procedures on practice websites, with greater transparency over practice ownership or with slightly cheaper prescriptions, all of which is just tinkering. 

The biggest influence on the size of the client's bill is not marketplace competition, it's the vet's recommendation.

Paul Manktelow, Chief Vet at the Blue Cross has already hit the nail square on the head when he called on the profession to practise pragmatic medicine. 

The BVA now alludes to this with talk in its response of 'contextualised care' - a concept which allows practitioners to offer pragmatic medicine (aka what people can afford, rather than 'gold standard'), without the judgement that it is inherently associated with).

The benefits of 'contextualised care' are well explained by Ruth Serlin at VDS Training here. 

That's great, but will it be enough? 

Perhaps not, because whilst someone might be happy to walk out of the car showroom with a Dacia Sandero knowing they cannot afford a Bentley, they may be less happy to accept the Dacia level of care for their beloved pet, when they watched 'Supervet' only the night before.

If that's true, then pragmatic medicine will have to be combined with all sorts of other measures, such as reviewing and reducing the cost of regulation, questioning the value of diagnostics and changing to a less 'referall' (sic) culture. 

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

A study published in the Vet Record has found that rates of ear cropping in dogs seen in vet practices in the UK rose sharply from 2020 to 2021, from a reported two cases per 100,000 consultations, to over 10.

For the study¹, the authors Lucy Norris, Gina Pinchbeck, Peter-John Noble and Alan Radford, analysed data from electronic health records submitted by veterinary practices participating in the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET).

They found that a total of 132 dogs with cropped ears were seen by vets across a sample size of 500 practices between 2015 and 2022, with numbers peaking in 2021.

The breeds most likely to have cropped ears were the American bulldog, Dobermann, Italian mastiff and bulldog.

In more than 60% of the cases, the dogs had been imported from countries where ear cropping is illegal, such as Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Spain, Poland and Ireland.

The authors acknowledge that the findings of their research are likely just a small snapshot of the true scale of the ear cropping problem: figures from the 2022 PDSA PAW Report suggest that the true numbers of dogs imported with cropped ears could be as high as 26,000.

RSPCA Head of Companion Animals Samantha Gaines said: "The study provides strong evidence to refute arguments for ear cropping to prevent ear infections, as the breed types identified in Norris and colleagues’ study are not generally predisposed to such infections. 

"Rather, this finding adds weight to anecdotal evidence suggesting that the motivation for ear cropping in many dogs is driven by appearance rather than any perceived health benefits. 

“It is also possible that some dogs were cropped illegally in the UK using legal importation as a smokescreen for this activity.

"Indeed, it is the RSPCA's experience that many dogs stated as being cropped outside of the UK have histories that would make this highly unlikely.”

Vet Record editor-in-chief Suzanne Jarvis said: “One solution to the importation problem is proposed in the Kept Animals Bill, which is currently stalled in parliament.

"Although there could be potential for fraud around grandfather rights initially, a ban on such importations would ultimately mean that the sight of a dog with cropped ears becomes a thing of the past in the UK.”

https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/ear-cropping-campaign 

Reference

1. Norris, LJ, Pinchbeck, GL, Noble, P-JM, Radford, AD. Dogs with cropped ears in the UK: A population-based study using electronic health records. Vet Rec. 2023;e2483. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.2483 

The RCVS has launched its new Charter Case Committee (CCC), which aims to provide an alternative, compassionate and streamlined way of dealing with less serious cases of professional misconduct.

The Committee has been named after the Supplementary Royal Charter 2015 which broadened the functions of the RCVS and allowed for a more flexible approach when dealing with complaints about professional conduct.

The Charter Case Committee can resolve cases where the conduct of a veterinary surgeon or nurse has fallen far below the level of conduct expected of them, but not so far as to warrant a full, public Disciplinary Committee hearing.

The Committee can deal with such cases without the need for a public hearing and can give veterinary surgeons or nurses either a confidential or a public warning about their future conduct.

A warning issued by the Charter Case Committee does not affect the individual’s registration status or their right to practise.

Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar, said: “The establishment of the Charter Case Committee plays a vitally important role in balancing our statutory role of upholding professional conduct standards and protecting animal health and welfare and public confidence in the professions, with our mission to become a compassionate regulator.

“The Charter Case Committee Protocol allows for the alternative resolution of certain cases where a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse has engaged in behaviour that amounts to serious professional misconduct or has been convicted of an offence, but where it is not in the public interest for the matter to be referred to a hearing of the Disciplinary Committee because it is at the lower end of seriousness.

“The type of cases we envisage being dealt with by the Committee are those where the Code has been breached but where there is no ongoing risk to animal welfare or public confidence, and where the level of insight and personal reflection regarding their conduct is such that it can be resolved without the need for an onerous, stressful and expensive Disciplinary Committee hearing.

"We estimate that the CCC will deal with around 20 such cases per year.

“The most serious cases of professional misconduct will, of course, continue to be referred to Disciplinary Committee hearings.”

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/who-we-are/committees/charter-case-committee. 

CVS is funding a research project at the University of Liverpool to understand more about veterinary workplace injuries and what can be done to prevent them.

CVS says that in the USA, the veterinary profession is the fifth highest profession for non-fatal injuries, with equine veterinarians sustaining an average of eight serious injuries during their career.

‘The context, consequence and prevention of veterinary workplace injuries: a qualitative and quantitative study in the UK’ will be undertaken at the University of Liverpool in collaboration with CVS colleagues as part of its Clinical Research Awards.

The study will run for three years, supported by £74,400 of CVS funding. 

The research will investigate what veterinary injuries are, what context they occur in and what their consequences are.

It will look to highlight areas of the profession where injury prevention training and strategies can be developed and adopted to improve the safety of working in veterinary practice.

For the first phase, University of Liverpool researchers have rolled out the largest ever survey to explore veterinary workplace injuries with over 5,000 CVS staff UK-wide.  

The survey investigates how veterinary professionals define injuries, their specific causal mechanisms, and why individuals do or do not report injuries or seek medical treatment.

The survey will be followed by an independent audit of CVS’ accident reporting system.

The results of these two activities will lead to the development of a suite of industry leading ‘open access’ educational tools aimed at promoting injury awareness and prevention to help drive behaviour change and support injury avoidance.\

The research project is being led by Dr. John Tulloch, a Research Fellow and European Specialist in Veterinary Public Health, at the University of Liverpool. 

Collaborators include CVS Head of Health and Safety Rebecca Jackson and Director of Learning, Education and Development Dr Martin Whiting. 

John said: “Injuries that occur within veterinary practice can tragically at times be life-changing and are often avoidable.

"Currently we do not know some critical details that would help to improve safety within the veterinary workplace.

"If we can better understand these details, we will be able to develop and strengthen prevention measures through policy, education, and training.

"We anticipate that this project will result in safer workplaces within the wider veterinary community and, indirectly, in improved animal treatment through a fitter, healthier and safer profession.”

Zoetis is holding a free webinar to share the latest thinking about Lyme disease on Wednesday 3rd July at 8:00pm.

The CPD-qualifying webinar is being given by Professor Saul Faust, Professor of Paediatric Immunology & Infectious Diseases at the University of Southampton, and Ian Wright MRCVS, a veterinary parasitologist, Head of ESCCAP UK & Ireland and one of the owners of The Mount Veterinary Practice in Lancashire.

The webinar will reveal the real threat of this disease and its impact on sufferers, and give an insight to the challenges of diagnosing the condition. 

Register for the webinar here: https://cloud.mc.zoetis.com/beneath-the-fur-webinar 

The Veterinary Management Group (VMG) has announced that candidates who want to sit its Certificate in Veterinary Practice Management (CVPM) this year have until 1 August to apply.

Achieved by VMG members who have demonstrated an ability to effectively manage a veterinary practice, hospital or unit, the CVPM is aimed at experienced managers and members of the veterinary team in a leadership or management role. The qualification tests the knowledge of candidates in areas including management, HR, communication, marketing and financial planning.

VMG Director Georgina Hills (pictured right) said: "Effective veterinary leaders require expertise in all aspects of running a successful business, as well as a deep understanding of the veterinary sector and the CVPM is unique in testing their knowledge across the board. It is increasingly recognised as a benchmark for excellence and we are delighted to have seen an uplift in applications last year."

Further details on the CVPM and the application form are available here: https://www.vetmg.com/education/cvpm/