The study, titled The Veterinary Employment, Engagement and Retention Study (VEER), opened this week and aims to collect data from thousands of veterinary professionals across the United Kingdom and beyond.
Dr Dermot McInerney (pictured right), VetX Head of Research and Partnerships, said: “We will use the data collected to understand the factors influencing career happiness and how they impact on talent attraction and retention.
"We want to share this information with as many people as possible so we can work together to create a better, more sustainable situation for both employers and employees in veterinary practice.”
The study findings will be published later in 2022 and made available to all industry stakeholders.
All participants will receive a special report of the results with customised career advice, and be entered into a weekly draw to win a prize.
To take part in the survey, visit: www.vetxinternational.com/veer.
The programme is designed to take advantage of the RCVS Under Care review changes, which mean that veterinary nurses can now start the patient's journey of care in certain cases, when before, vets were required to do a hands-on examination before delegating.
Racheal Marshall, Vets Now’s Head of Clinical Nursing said: “So, for example, under the protocols a nurse may offer blood tests prior to vet consultation, and the vet can then continue the consultation with the owner with additional clinical information.”
The 'Enhancing the Nurse Role' training programme is covers three main areas: front of house care, patient procedures and team dynamics.
So far, Vets Now has held 11 training workshops using partial task simulators to provide a realistic experience and safe environment to learn new skills.
Emphasis is placed on hands-on practical skills that can be used back at clinics, including placement of central lines, urinary catheterisation of blocked cats, feeding tube placement, suturing and a two-day ultrasound training.
The third phase of the Enhancing the Nurse role programme, which looks at team dynamics, has been overseen by Zara Kennedy, Head of Veterinary Standards at Vets Now.
She said: “As a vet, the collaboration between the vets and the rest of the team, and maximising everyone’s skills is critical.
“This third phase focuses on teamwork and communication, and we are utilising much of what has been learned in human medicine.
"A focus on these softer skills enhances the way the teams carry out patient care and ultimately result in better patient care.
Using the great skills of our nurses can help take the pressure off those bottlenecks where currently the patients are waiting for the vet.”
Vets Now says the Vets Now programme is designed to make the company an appealing place for veterinary nurses to work.
Racheal said: "Using all their skills provides them with greater job satisfaction, and by mixing with other nurses at the training, as well as being a great opportunity to bring our nurses together, they get to share and learn from each other's experiences.
“It will bring greater benefits for patients and clients and their experience in the clinic.”
The new drug represents the fruit of 8 years of product development and more than 11 proprietary studies performed by Ceva R&D teams.
Marie Boutot, development project leader said: "Isemid is an original drug developed by Ceva, and was the subject of full pivotal efficacy and safety studies."
Ceva says the new drug has been recognised by the European Medicines Agency as a "2018 Innovation, advancing animal health".
Isemid is presented as pork-flavoured, scored tablets in three strengths: 1, 2 and 4 mg. They can be administered orally once daily, with or without food. The company's research showed a 98% owner compliance (compared to 92% for furosemide, p<0.05) and 80% voluntary acceptance.
Emilie Guillot, DVM, Ceva Technical Manager for Cardiology said: "With Isemid, we seek to help veterinarians in their goal to improve survival of dogs with heart failure.
"But above all, thanks to its potent action and long half-life which allow once-daily dosing, we hope to ease owner compliance."
Scientific communications with data on Isemid were presented at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine forum in Phoenix in June and will be held at the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine congress in Milan in September.
The charge against Ms Law was that in November 2017, having performed surgery on Kiwi, a German Shepherd/Wolfhound-cross dog, to address gastric dilation volvulus (GDV), she failed to obtain informed consent to the entirety of the surgical process and management, including post-operative aftercare.
The charge also stated that she failed to provide adequate analgesia to Kiwi before, during or after the surgery, failed to provide appropriate and adequate fluid therapy to Kiwi, failed to offer an appropriate and adequate post-operative care plan and/or post-operative transfer for Kiwi to another practice and failed to inform the owners that there would be nobody present at the practice to provide post-operative monitoring and aftercare for Kiwi for approximately seven hours during the night.
Finally the charge stated that Ms Law allowed Kiwi to remain at the practice overnight from 12:30am to 07:45am without adequate monitoring or post-operative aftercare.
Ms Law admitted some of the charges against her, including that she had failed to obtain informed consent, failed to offer an appropriate and/or adequate post-operative care plan, failed to inform the owners that there would be nobody present at the practice and allowed Kiwi to remain at the practice overnight without adequate monitoring and/or post-operative aftercare. However, she denied that she failed to provide adequate analgesia or fluid therapy to Kiwi.
The Committee found all of the charges proved, with the exception of failing to provide adequate analgesia during the perioperative period.
Having considered the facts, the Committee then moved on to consider whether the admitted and proven charges against Ms Law amounted to serious professional misconduct, taking into account any aggravating and mitigating factors. The aggravating features were that, as a result of Ms Law’s failures in relation to analgesia and fluid therapy, there was either actual injury to Kiwi, or a risk of such injury.
In mitigation, the Committee considered that she promptly and accurately diagnosed GDV, and proceeded to perform the necessary emergency surgery. The Committee considered that the charges related to a single isolated incident and that Ms Law has had an unblemished career to date. They also noted that Ms Law had made open and frank admissions as to the majority of the charges.
The Committee found that the conduct of Ms Law set out in the majority of the charges did not amount to serious professional misconduct. However, in the judgement of the Committee, Ms Law’s conduct in allowing Kiwi to remain at the practice overnight without adequate monitoring or post-operative aftercare did amount to serious professional misconduct.
Jane Downes, who chaired the Committee and spoke on its behalf, said: "The Committee considers that the respondent (Ms Law) has insight into the serious mistake that she made in failing to ensure that Kiwi was checked or monitored overnight. The Committee has found that this was a single isolated incident, which involved a serious lapse of clinical judgement, which will probably stay in the mind of the respondent for the rest of her career.
"The respondent has been in practice for some nine years now, and apart from this incident, there is no suggestion that the respondent has fallen short of the standards expected of her on any other occasion. The Committee does not consider that there is a risk that the respondent is likely to leave an animal overnight after major surgery again, without ensuring that it is checked during that time, and, as such, the Committee considers that there is no future risk to the welfare of animals so far as the respondent is concerned."
The Committee considered that the finding of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect in this case is too serious for no further action to be taken, having regard to the need to maintain public confidence in the profession and declare and uphold proper standards of conduct.
The Committee therefore concluded that the appropriate sanction in this case was to issue a reprimand to Ms Law, in relation to the finding of serious professional misconduct.
Jane Downes added: "The Committee considers that this sanction, coupled with the findings of fact and disgraceful conduct made against the respondent, is sufficient to maintain public confidence in the profession and uphold proper standards of conduct. The Committee does not consider it necessary to issue a warning to the respondent about her future conduct, on the basis that the Committee has concluded that there is no risk of repetition."
There were three charges against Ms Creese, all pertaining to the period between July 2016 and November 2017.
The first charge was that she failed to ensure that there were adequate systems and processes in place for out-of-hours’ care for in-patients.
The second charge was that she publicised that the practice had "24 hour care provided by our vets at our practice" and/or "Care 24/7 for your pets" on its website, which suggested that staff were present at the practice 24 hours a day when they were not and as such publicity was dishonest and/or misleading.
The third charge against Ms Creese was that she failed to ensure that Kiwi's owners were informed about arrangements at the practice for out-of-hours’ care for in-patients.
At the outset of the hearing, Ms Creese denied all the charges against her.
After hearing evidence from relevant witnesses, the Committee considered that the practice did have in place systems and processes for out-of-hours care for in-patients and that there was no evidence of repeated or ignored failures of these systems and processes. The Committee therefore found the charges against Ms Creese not proved and all three were dismissed.
The scheme will allow regular referrers to gift free treatment worth up to £5000 to clients in need of financial assistance
Hospital Director Nicola Bromley said: “We recognise the challenge it is for families who may need specialist care for their animal friend but are unable to find the necessary funds.
"We highly value the relationship we have with our referring vets in providing options to their clients, and we hope this scheme will empower them to give hope to those who need it most.
"We are committed to supporting our referring primary care vets through collaboration, to make the whole sector as good as it can be for every animal.”
The new scheme will be activated immediately and apply to referrals made from January 2024, meaning practices and primary care vets who already refer to Fitzpatrick Referrals can refer pro bono cases immediately.
https://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk/news
The Oncology Working Group, winningly styled as 'WOW', says it hopes that the glossary will give owners a clearer understanding of the diagnosis and management choices they have, and help them discuss care with their veterinary surgeon from a more informed perspective.
The glossary is the first output from the WOW Group which was formed in 2021 to raise awareness of the latest thinking in cancer therapy and promote best practice globally.
The glossary is available to download free from the WSAVA website at: https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Glossary-WOW-13.11.2021.pdf
WOW Group Member Professor Nick Bacon, a RCVS-Recognized Specialist in Small Animal Surgery (Oncology) and a European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery, said: “Cancer has a language all of its own and, during our early WOW Group discussions, it became obvious that, in order to improve communication between veterinary professionals and owners, there was an urgent need for a globally accessible resource to help owners better understand cancer terminology.
“Our Oncology Glossary is the result.
"We hope it will enable owners to feel on a more equal footing when they are discussing their pet’s condition with veterinary professionals.
"We hope it will also increase the consistency and effectiveness of communication about veterinary oncology globally.”
He added: “We will update the Oncology Glossary regularly and are now working on the development of further practical and easy-to-use tools to support veterinarians working in this rapidly evolving area of veterinary medicine.
"In the meantime, more resources are available on our web page at https://wsava.org/committees/oncology-working-group/”
CEVA Animal Health has updated its practice support materials to include an all-encompassing D.A.P. client leaflet, a website and a new vet detailer.
The new materials, which also include a D.A.P. and Feliway reference guide containing details of 31 published trials into the practical applications of pheromones, focus on using D.A.P. to prevent stress at key stages of a dog's life. Particular attention is paid to the benefits of fitting a D.A.P. Collar during early puppy consults in order to help prepare dogs for the modern world and helping to prevent anxiety-related problems such as separation anxiety and noise phobia, developing in later life. In addition, the vet brochure will draw practitioners' attention to the times in a dog's life when owners are particularly concerned about their dog becoming stressed including events like trips to boarding kennels.
Lucy Brett, product manager at CEVA Animal Health, said: "Over the last three years eight different trials have been published looking at the use of pheromones to reduce canine stress. The latest data backs up what we have believed for some time - that the management of stress during socialisation is vital if dogs are to grow into emotionally balanced and confident adult dogs. We now have a much better idea of the impact of allowing puppies to get stressed or overwhelmed during socialisation and the difference providing pheromone support in the form of a D.A.P. Collar can make."
For further details, or for information on CEVA's range of educational resources for veterinary professionals interested in feline and canine behaviour, please contact your CEVA Animal Health representative or call 01494 781510.
Perhaps the biggest initiative thus far has been the installation of solar panels which meet the electrical needs of the 25 vets, nurses and support staff at its Kirriemuir branch.
In recent months, the group has also invested in a water purifier and oxygen generation system, installed composting bins made from recycled pallets and changed food packaging to eco-friendly and recyclable materials.
Compostable paper towels are now being used across the practices and, through a partnership with PetsApp, appointment reminders, invoices and receipts are sent electronically.
Anything that does have to be printed is printed on FSC certified paper.
Eco-friendly cleaning supplies and sustainable office products are also being sourced from local suppliers.
Other initiatives include avoiding single-use plastic wherever possible, using water butts to collect rainwater for watering plants and washing vans, and planting wildflowers to encourage wildlife.
The group has also installed energy-efficient LED lighting, along with a system to prompt people to turn off lights, and is currently switching signage lighting to LEDs.
Katrin Lewis said: “As we celebrate our 75th anniversary this year, we’ve clearly always been committed to providing the best care for our clients, but it’s vital that this also extends to the impact we have on the planet.
"We’ve therefore embarked on green mission to ensure our practices are as sustainable as possible.
“We’ve also taken inspiration and advice from practices within XLVets, the community of independently-owned veterinary practices that work collaboratively for the greater good of the industry.
"This has helped us to share best practice when it comes to sustainability and make further improvements to our procedures.
“We now have colleagues from all four of our practices in the green team and we’re continually looking at new ways of improving our green credentials.
"Even simple things like using spare Loxicom syringes for lab work, and washing lines instead of relying on tumble drying, as well as redesigning our recycling plan, are making a noticeable and positive difference.
“Since the start of the year, we’ve significantly reduced our carbon footprint and we’re now looking at a number of other exciting initiatives that we’ll be ready to unveil in the coming months.”
The new course is called ‘New staff training course with Post2Pet’, and, as the name suggests, it will look at how to incorporate the home delivery option into a preventative healthcare plan.
Premier Vet Alliance says the course is suitable for any member of the practice team that wants to increase their knowledge about healthcare plans.
The course is 4 modules long with an assessment leading to 1.5 hours of completed CPD. It will launch towards the end of April.
James Tudor, Head of Customer Experience at Premier Vet Alliance, said: "This is a fantastic resource and I am I so proud of the team who’ve developed this and helped practices to train staff efficiently and effectively.
"It’s opening up the future of training and we hope to gain guidance in developing our training provision by working directly with practices, to help keep the training relevant.
"We see real value in CPD accredited courses, especially where they help enable veterinary staff to increase their knowledge on maximising their clients’ compliance. They can also learn how to influence animal health, and drive other aspects of the business through health plans."
"This is just the beginning; we will continue to increase our CPD accreditations and share best practice across Europe and the United States."
For more information contact 0117 370 0300 or email pcp@premiervetalliance.co.uk.
In the study1, records from a large commercial diagnostic laboratory were searched for canine skin masses submitted for histopathology from dogs aged between 0-12 months from practices based in the UK and Europe.
For each case, data on the breed, age and sex of the dog, the body location of the sample, and the diagnosis made by the original reporting histopathologist were recorded.
For the purposes of the study, masses were included which were cystic, hyperplastic or neoplastic, but not inflammatory.
Submissions of samples from the eyes, anal glands and nails were excluded and only MCTs submissions that were cutaneous were included.
Risk factor analysis using multivariable binary logistic regression modelling was carried out for skin masses with at least 30 submissions.
Professor Ken Smith, corresponding author for the paper, said: “A total of 2553 submissions for a skin mass were included in the study.
"Across all the skin masses, the majority (94.3%) were neoplastic in nature.
"Of the neoplastic lesions, 98.5% were considered benign.
"Almost all of the benign neoplastic lesions were of round cell origin (94.0%), whereas most of the non-neoplastic lesions were derived from the epithelium (93.8%).
“The most common histopathological diagnoses for skin masses were histiocytoma (86.6%), papilloma (3.5%), dermoid cyst (3.3%), follicular cyst (1.7%) and MCT (1.4%).
"Multivariable analysis revealed that Labrador retrievers, Boxers and Golden retrievers had reduced odds of histiocytoma compared to crossbreed dogs.
"Male neutered dogs had lower odds of dermoid cyst compared with female entire animals.
"Dogs aged 9 to 12 months had significantly higher odds of follicular cyst compared with dogs aged under 6 months, whilst dogs aged over 6 months showed significantly higher odds of MCT than dogs under 6 months of age.”
Nicola Di Girolamo, Editor of JSAP, said: “Retrospective studies that include a large number of cases such as this one are an invaluable resource for clinicians working in any setting.
"The findings of this study corroborate those of previous research, suggesting that a skin mass in a young dog is very likely to be a histiocytoma.
"However, the risk factor analysis in this paper identified a number of different predilections to those previously recognised, indicating a need for continued research in this area.”
The full article can be found in the January issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice and can be read online here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jsap.13418
Reference
Neil, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, is an equine veterinary surgeon who has worked in large and small animal practice in the UK and Australia. Neil is clearly multi-talented: on top of his many and various career achievements, he was in the Cambridge Footlights and has performed in four Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows. He also plays the piano.
Danny is another multi-talented veterinary surgeon, currently working as an equine locum and well-known in the profession as an RCVS Council Member, the founder of Veterinary Voices and a campaigner against irrational forms of veterinary medicine such as homeopathy.
Ian Fleming is a Senior Vet at the PDSA, standing as an independent candidate for the Halesowen and Rowley Regis constituency.
If I was a betting man, my money would have to be on Neil: Penrith and the Border has been held by the Conservatives since 1950, most recently by Rory Stewart. Danny, on the other hand, needs to overturn a 7200 Conservative majority in his constituency, something which the latest polls suggest is a bit of an outside bet. Still, stranger things have happened.
The scholarship will enable Claire (pictured right) to enrol on the company's Emergency and Critical Care (ECC) training programme, leading to a Nurse Certificate (NCert) awarded by the International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ISVPS).
Claire has spent over twenty years in general practice and last year made the decision to move into ECC.
She said: “I am truly honoured and excited to have been chosen for the Louise O’Dwyer Legacy Scholarship for 2022.
"Thank you to Louise’s family and Improve International for this amazing opportunity.
"Louise was an inspirational nurse who always promoted autonomy within the profession and encouraged nurses to follow their own interests in a specialist field. I hope to be able to continue Louise’s legacy by inspiring other nurses to follow their own aspirations at any stage of their career.
“I hope to use this scholarship to further my knowledge and develop practical skills to enhance my role as an ECC nurse and provide the best clinical care to critically ill patients.”
Specifically, they're using them as a sheep race of sorts, for patient restraint during fluoroscopic examinations.
Eastcott says the transparent barrier helps to keep patients as close as possible to the practice’s mobile image intensifier, while also limiting any sudden movement. This significantly improves the quality of images taken and reduces the amount of time taken per examination.
Nicholas Taylor, referral radiographer at Eastcott came up with the idea. He said: “Unlike us humans, animals don’t understand the need to remain still and the process of getting these images was becoming quite challenging and time-consuming. Often the length of the process would make the animal anxious and we would inevitably be going in circles.
"The idea came about when we were discussing how we could replicate the x-ray process in the human world, where machines are often very close to the patient’s body.
"We had a few spare desk barriers in the hospital and decided to give it go. We were so pleased at how easy it made the entire process, reducing the amount of time per exam, improving the quality of pictures and ultimately putting the patient at ease since they can see what is going on around them.”
The new aids will make their debut at this month's Vet Festival (20-21 May 2022, Loseley Park, Surrey).
The Flexi-Wedge (pictured) positioning aid aims to deliver both better quality and easier to interpret imaging, and to facilitate the ideal positioning of surgical patients.
The second product is the Saddle-Sandbags, which The Big Dog Bed Company says address two problems – the need to hold a patient in place without loading weight to any part of the body and the tendency of existing sandbags to leak sand after a few months of manipulation to different shapes.
Dru Ross, Director at Big Dog Bed Company said: “Support wedges are obviously widely used in the veterinary field.
"The difference with the design of the Flexi-Wedge is that they can be held securely in the desired position and are fully adjustable, making them suitable for a wide range of patient size and shape”.
“The Saddle-Sandbag is designed for those situations when a limb needs to be held out securely without any load on it and standard sandbags are not suited to this purpose.
"There is no need to manipulate the sandbag to the desired shape.
"The weight is split between two bags joined by a broad central strap so the strap is placed round or over the limb”.
James Weston, Managing Director at Northwest Referrals was one of the first to use the Flexi-Wedge.
James said: “I’ve never had such a straight spine when scanning a greyhound before using these supports. Every CT scanner should be sold with these”.
Patrick Harte MRCVS from the The Sidings Veterinary Surgery said: “The weighted ends make these sandbags much easier to handle.
"The larger aid is excellent for holding upper thoracic limb out of the way for lateral views of the elbow, for instance and the width of the flat part of the aid is perfect for wrapping around the antebrachium of the thoracic limb.”
The Flexi-Wedges and the Saddle-Sandbag products use waterproof, antibacterial, wipe clean fabrics in which the seams are thermally welded so no moisture can enter and no sand can escape.
The Flexi-Wedges are available in two lengths 60cm and 90 cm.
They are supplied with wipe clean straps that can be tailored to the size of table on which they are used.
The Saddle-Sandbags are available in three sizes.
Sabrina joins Fran Taylor-Brown, Simon Bertram and head of service Tom Cardy.
Tom, a European and RCVS specialist in neurology, said Cave is now the biggest specialist-led neurology service in the South West:
“We are very pleased to have Sabrina join the neurology service at Cave, expanding our team to four European and RCVS-recognised specialists in veterinary neurology. This really sets Cave apart from our competitors.
“Sabrina’s arrival, in conjunction with the installation of our new state-of-the-art MRI scanner, means we can see most urgent neurology referrals within 24-48 hours in nearly all cases and increase the number of neurology cases we treat each day.”
Cave’s new £1.2m Phillips Ingenia 1.5T Evolution offers 50% faster scans at a far higher resolution than its previous MRI and shorter general anaesthetics for patients.
It also allows a more detailed and accurate diagnosis of complex neurological conditions.
Tom added: “The MRI scanner is one of the most advanced imaging modalities for the nervous system, providing millimetre-thick cross-sectional images of the brain and spinal cord which is essential for both accurate diagnosis and treatment.
“Having such advanced equipment and facilities plus four recognised specialists means all our clients and their pets will see a vet with the highest level of training in veterinary neurology.
“All of our specialists are happy to discuss challenging cases on the phone with our referring vets and Sabrina's skills and enthusiasm will continue to improve and diversify the service we offer.
https://cave-vet-specialists.co.uk
MORE TH>N Pet Insurance has released the results of its Pet Theft Census, which looked into the prevalence of pet theft in the UK.
The research shows that in 2012, 833 dogs and 83 cats were reported stolen to the police. That trend has continued into 2013, with 722 dogs and 62 cats reported stolen by the end of October.
MORE TH>N says the average value of a stolen cat or dog is £344.86, which would mean that pets worth £678,000 have been stolen since the start of 2012.
However, according to the survey of 4865 cat and dog owners, 37% of cat and dog thefts in the last 12 months were never actually reported to the police, so the value of stolen pets is likely far greater.
According to the survey, pets left in gardens were the most likely to be stolen (52%), followed by those left home alone (19%). Looking at dogs specifically,16% were stolen by brazen thieves while being walked by their owner. 7% were stolen when left tied up outside a shop and 5% were stolen from a car.
To help tackle the issue, MORE TH>N is giving away 500 free microchips for cats and dogs at five RSPCA centres across the UK. A hundred will be available in each centre on a first-come first-served basis. For more information visit www.facebook.com/morethan.
It is not the first time Roundhouse Referrals has innovated in this area. Last year, it launched the first 'Fixed Price TPLO' - a guarantee that pet owners will have no additional costs, should complications arise and further treatment be required following surgery.
Ross Allan, RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Surgery and Surgical Lead at Roundhouse Referrals, said: "We loved the idea of providing price certainty for referral clients, allowing those with no or lower levels of insurance to access our services and plan their finances. We also realised that in putting 'Fixed Price Fix' first and foremost we are also immediately highlight the possibility of complications and we felt the very best way to provide context for owners and referring vets would be to be open about our outcomes."
Following on from this Roundhouse Referrals has published the first of what it says will be a series of reports on TPLO+ clinical outcomes and customer satisfaction.
Ross said: "I think we're the first in Scotland to publish this kind of information outside scientific journals in a way that is easily accessible for pet owners, maybe in the whole of the UK."
The clinical outcome data was collected using a previously published questionnaire which enabled clients to give feedback on their pet’s recovery and status following their TPLO+ surgery.
According to Roundhouse, the results show that over 97% of dog owners rated their pets’ outcome as either excellent (85.29%) or good (11.76%) based on the first 70 TPLO+ surgeries performed. A figure which Ross says compares favourably with studies that have been previously published.
Additionally, 94.1% of pet owners agreed that if faced with having to make a similar decision again, they would choose to have the TPLO+ surgery done at Roundhouse Referrals, compared to 84.6% of owners in the previous study.
The results from the Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire showed that 100% of Roundhouse Referrals’ clients felt supported throughout the referral process, 96.97% of clients felt that the TPLO+ surgery was adequately explained and 100% would recommend Roundhouse Referrals to a friend or colleague.
Ross said: "Pet owners whose dogs’ had been through TPLO+ surgery and rehabilitation completed this questionnaire, enabling us to start measuring the outcome of the surgery, our aim being to ensure the surgery is optimal for the pet, and that owners feel supported throughout the entire surgical journey.
"We are delighted with these results, and will continue to monitor our outcomes and commit to publish our TPLO+ clinical outcome and customer satisfaction questionnaire results in the months and years ahead".
The fellowship provide a grant of up to £35,000 for work in companion animal research to be spent over a maximum of two years.
Applications are open to veterinary nurses who have completed a postgraduate qualification such as a PhD or Masters, and who are within the first four years after starting an academic post (Lecturer, Fellowship or above) and have received no more than £50,000 of funding in competitive external grants to date.
David Killick, Chair of the BSAVA PetSavers Grants Awarding Committee said: “BSAVA PetSavers is delighted to launch the PetSavers Research Fellowship.
"It is well recognised that the journey from completion of a PhD to becoming established as an independent researcher is one of the most challenging times of a researcher career.
“With this new grant BSAVA PetSavers will support exceptional veterinary professionals in the Early Career Researcher phase develop their research ideas by providing £35,000 towards research costs over a two-year period.
"Through this initiative BSAVA PetSavers aims to help these researchers reach their potential and in so doing expand the capacity for companion animal research in the UK.”.
Applications close on 28th February 2022, and a decision will be made by the end of May 2022.
To apply for the Research Fellowship, visit the BSAVA PetSavers website: https://www.petsavers.org.uk/Apply-for-funding/research-fellowship.
16 clinics are affected by the investigation, namely Penrose Veterinary Group Limited, Kevin Castle (Pet Care) Ltd, Swayne & Partners Ltd, Treforest Veterinary Clinic Ltd, Mercer & Hughes Limited, Swaffham Veterinary Centre Limited, Anglesey Pet Clinic Ltd, Chiltern Equine Clinic.
It's not the first time, of course, that the CMA has intervened in the veterinary profession.
Earlier this year, it investigated the acquisition of Quality Pet Care (trading as The Vet) by CVS, and then Vet Partners' acquisition of Goddards, which led to CVS selling The Vet and Vet Partners selling eight of the 47 Goddards sites to Linnaeus.
An IVC spokesperson said: “IVC Evidensia is working closely with the CMA and engaging constructively with this review."
The resource includes content from Companion, BSAVA Congress, and the BSAVA Manual of Wildlife Casualties.
Topics range from hand-rearing to anaesthesia to relevant legal questions and cover both hedgehogs and general wildlife casualties.
Liz Mullineaux, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Wildlife Medicine (Mammalian), Senior Vice President of the British Veterinary Zoological Society, and editor of the BSAVA Manual of Wildlife Casualties, said: "Hedgehogs are the most common mammalian wildlife casualty seen by veterinary surgeons.
"Those caring for these animals have very variable knowledge and look to vets for appropriate help, advice, and clinical care.
"It’s therefore really important that vets and vet nurses in practice have some good information about hedgehogs to hand.
"As well as knowing about clinical conditions, a broader understanding of wildlife rehabilitation is essential.
The collection, which costs £20.00 for BSAVA members or £45.00 for non-members, can be accessed via the BSAVA Library: https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/hedgehogs.
The company says the results of the survey of puppy dental health will be shared with industry experts to help advance understanding and evaluate the future impact on veterinary practices.
Veterinary nurses can also sign up for a free webinar on puppy dental disease led by Head of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Department at the Royal (Dick) Vet School, Ingrid Tundo on 28th April at 7.30 pm at https://veterinarywebinars.com/register/puppy-dentistry-malocclusion.
Cat Henstridge MRCVS, who is fronting the campaign said: “I’m very pleased to be helping to raise awareness of the VisioCare Puppy Tooth Census and this important issue.
"It is so important for all of us in the profession to be helping to identify disease patterns and the scale of the problem. It also provides us with a great opportunity to involve our clients and start discussions about the importance of good dental care.”
VisioCare says the Puppy Tooth Census only takes a few minutes to complete and can be filled in for individual cases or healthy puppy mouths.
Every veterinary respondent will be given a free pack of educational materials to use in the consulting room, including state-of-the art digital animations and dental images that can be used to enhance client communication around the topic, together with explainer videos and puppy owner fact sheets and leaflets.
In addition, each month for the next three months, responses will be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a £50 John Lewis gift voucher.
For further information or to complete the census for a case, visit: http://www.visiocareservices.co.uk/puppy-tooth-census.
The programme offers employers a variety of options, including antigen and antibody testing, environmental testing, a daily wellness symptom checker app and ongoing site monitoring to identify asymptomatic spreaders and pre-symptomatic spreaders, neither of which are identified by the current routine government testing programmes.
Dr Tony Cooke, lead scientist and director at ReCoVa-19 (pictured right) said: "Businesses, such as veterinary practices are struggling to serve the needs of their clients while also protecting their employees in their role as essential workers. Vets also recognise the value of reliable testing at a sustainable cost and the best practice approach. Concerns over obligations with regard to the health and safety of employees and uncertainty, are significant barriers to normal working practices but with the level of testing and support we can provide that’s no longer necessary.”
The company says the new programme is highly accurate and affordable, and can be tailored for businesses of all sizes.
For more information, visit: www.recova-19.com.
The study1 was led by the RVC’s VetCompass programme and included 22,333 dogs whose health was followed for a year, during which 1,580 were recorded by the vet as overweight; roughly 1 in 14.
The authors point out that this figure is probably just the tip of the iceberg, because not every overweight pet will receive veterinary attention.
The study also found that certain breeds were especially prone to weight gain, including Pugs, Beagles, Golden Retrievers and English Springer Spaniels.
As well as showing that specific breeds were at differing risk, the study also highlighted that being neutered and middle-aged were additionally associated with increasing chances of dogs being overweight.
The main findings were:
Owners are encouraged to discuss their dog’s weight and lifestyle on every visit to their veterinary practice. This is of particular importance in the high-risk dogs identified in this study such as Pugs, Beagles, neutered and middle-aged dogs.
Camilla Pegram, VetCompass Epidemiologist at the RVC, and author of the paper, said: "This study has used the power of “big data” to robustly address the risk factors for obesity in dogs. Pugs, Beagles and Golden Retrievers were at greatest risk of obesity compared with crossbreeds.
"As well as genetics, management style could in part drive these breed predispositions. Whilst veterinary professionals and owners should focus efforts on obesity prevention strategies in all dogs, those identified at high-risk, such as Pugs, Beagles and Golden Retrievers, may need a more targeted approach."
Dr Eleanor Raffan, Associate Lecturer in Systems Physiology, at the University of Cambridge, and co-author of the paper, said:
“Where breed increases risk of a problem, it means genes are likely to be at least in part to blame and our previous work suggests that genetics drives a high appetite in some breeds. The bad news is that owners of food-obsessed dogs have to work much harder to keep their dogs at a healthy weight – the good news is that it can be done.”
Sarah Fitzpatrick, Head of Partnerships and Events at BSAVA said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be working in partnership with CVS to support the small animal veterinary profession, through the development and upskilling of veterinary professionals.
"The BSAVA manuals are a go-to vet resource, and by providing this access to CVS they become even more valuable to the community through their use in practice and in consults.”
Joseph Williams, Veterinary Director for the CVS Small Animal Division said: “At CVS we are passionate about giving the best possible care to animals. We take our responsibility seriously to help colleagues to do that, investing in training and through the support given via our Hub Clinical Leadership team.
"BSAVA manuals have long been a trusted reference point for clinical information in our industry. We’re excited to partner with the BSAVA and now, with access to this great resource, every CVS clinician, whether in the consult room, prep room or on a visit, is now just a couple of clicks away from 46 manuals with over 1400 chapters covering all disciplines from anaesthesia to wildlife casualties.’’
The service uses an Xstrahl 100 superficial radiotherapy system, a £150,000 piece of equipment installed by Paragon after it was used successfully in the USA by the hospital's medical and radiation oncology specialist, Dr Rodney Ayl.
Rodney (pictured right) says the new equipment will transform the way Paragon can treat skin cancers, dermatological disorders and some other common superficial conditions.
He said: “This is a very exciting development for us and our clients because Xstrahl systems have been used so successfully in human medicine for many years.
“This prompted us to explore adapting the SRT system for veterinary use in the UK and we hope to collaborate with Colorado State University, which has a similar unit, to develop protocols for pets.
“We believe this will be a significant advance in the treatment and care of animals and we’re delighted to be at the forefront of introducing this new service.
“It is the only one of its kind for pets in the UK and there are very few units like this anywhere in the veterinary industry, so it really is an important move forward.”
Xstrahl radiotherapy systems were originally designed for the treatment of skin cancer, dermatological disorders, certain types of benign disease and some palliative care in humans.
Rodney says that having adapted the SRT system for animals will transform their treatment and the logistics and cost of getting radiation therapy for superficial skin conditions.
He added: “Superficial radiotherapy is particularly useful for treating some types of skin cancer where it may be preferable to surgery as it can deliver excellent non-invasive outcomes with curative or palliative intent.
“The treatment is less stressful from the outset and, thanks to its mechanism of action, it is also pain-free.
“Its use of different size cones, directly over the lesion, minimises effects on healthy skin and the fast treatment means a large reduction in time and impact on the patient’s day-to-day life, while providing a highly-effective treatment.
“The machine’s flexibility also makes it particularly suited for treating multiple lesions that are difficult to access, such as the head and neck, without changing patient positioning.
“The Xstrahl 100 system will help us to respond to the growing demand for radiation treatment and we can treat these patients on an outpatient basis, helping us to reduce surgical and hospitalisation costs.
“The technology is a real winner. It is easy to use and helps us to deliver safe and effective radiotherapy to our animal patients.
“It provides a quicker, easier, cheaper and non-invasive alternative for superficial tumours, especially in geriatric patients where surgery is not always an option. We’re looking forward to seeing the positive results here at Paragon.”
For more information, visit www.paragonreferrals.co.uk.