WellVet and Boehringer Ingelheim have partnered to host ‘Spring into Spring', a series of online wellbeing events for veterinary professionals

The series will start on Sunday February 27th when Katie Ford MRCVS, who is also a life coach, will discuss the benefits of 'gratitude practice' in a 'Facebook Live' session starting at 8:00pm.

Thereafter, there will be a further seven 30-minute sessions: 

• 8pm on Thursday 4^th March – Spring flower paper craft – Hannah Perrin (this event will be on Zoom via registration only)
• 8pm on Thursday 11^th March – Leading your team through troubled waters – Christina Youell
• 8pm on Thursday 18^th March – Is perfectionism ideal? – Dr Elinor O’Connor
• 8pm on Thursday 25^th March – Forest bathing. Say what? – Adrian Nelson-Pratt
• 8pm on Thursday 1^st April – Rewiring your brain for pandemic survival – Libby Kemkaran
• 8pm on Thursday 8^th April – Sleep cycles – vicious or virtuous – Dr Claire Gillvray
• 8pm on Thursday 15^th April - Mindset minefield – Paul Horwood

Liz Barton, co-founder of WellVet, said: "We were blown away by the positive response to the Winter Wellbeing series and want to continue to build more tools and content to help people through what has already been a tough start to 2021. Our emphasis is on simple, practical, accessible tips to improve personal and team wellbeing.”

Emma McAnally, territory manager at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health said: “Spring is the ideal time to hit refresh on your mental and physical wellbeing. So we felt that this series will help to shed the winter blues, re-energise the team and offer an opportunity for the veterinary community to come together and take forward positive wellbeing practices. We’re delighted to support WellVet again in bringing this Spring series to life.”

For further information on the WellVet Winter Wellbeing series and for details on how to join visit www.wellvet.co.uk.

Dechra will be hosting two CPD sessions at the London Vet Show, the first about why senior cat health checks are worthwhile and the second covering the Nordic approach to antibiotic usage in otitis external.

‘Feline enthusiasts assemble! How to help senior cats retain their superpowers' will be led by Geoff Duncan, veterinary technical advisor at Dechra, alongside panellists Natalie Dowgray, Head of ISFM, Sam Taylor, Head of Veterinary Specialists at ISFM (pictured), Vicky Halls, Head of Unowned Cats at ISFM and Marge Chandler, Clinical Nutritionist at Vets Now Referrals. 

They will discuss the type of behavioural indications that a senior cat may present with, support for a stress-free visit and how practices can get the most out of these visits including the ‘how and why’ of BCS (body condition score), MCS (muscle condition score), the frailty scale and best practice nutritional guidance. 

This hour-long session will be held twice: at 9.10am in Gallery Suite 22 on Thursday 16th November and 1.45pm in Gallery Room 17 on Friday 17th November.

‘Nordic voices on antibiotics in otitis externa; a call for responsibility’ will address the challenges associated with antibiotic usage in the management of otitis externa and discuss the importance of embracing the Nordic model to help significantly cut down on antibiotic usage in the UK. 

It takes place at 10.10am on Friday 17th November in Gallery Room 17.

The CPD sessions are first come, first served.

The company is also offering Happy Hour cocktails on its stand from 4:00pm to 6:00pm on Thursday.

CVS has launched a new ‘receptionist career pathway’ for the 1,100 frontline receptionists at its companion animal and referral practices.

The pathway allows receptionists to progress through five stages of seniority, from receptionist to head receptionist - then beyond into practice and regional leadership roles.

It also shows how receptionists can branch out laterally into different  roles within the group’s other divisions. 

For each stage, there's a detailed outline of the necessary skills and capabilities and a curriculum of learning.

Philip Webb, Learning Partner at CVS who led the development of the pathway, said: “Receptionists are one of the most important roles in practice.

"They are the first and oftentimes key point of contact for our clients and play an instrumental role in how the workload of a practice is managed.

“We hope that the structured information and learning within our pathway will build the skills of each of our front-line colleagues, enhance the role of the receptionist in our practices, and give clear guidance on how to progress.

Boehringer Ingelheim is hosting a live webinar at 7:30pm on Thursday evening (16th April) in which a panel of business experts will offer advice as to how practices can navigate the coronavirus pandemic.

The webinar will consider questions such as how practices can maintain turnover whilst sticking to the government and regulator guidelines, and how this can be done without compromising the customer experience. 

Hosted by Past President of the British Veterinary Association Gudrun Ravetz, three additional veterinary business experts - Brian Faulkner, Alison Lambert and Alan Robinson - will come together to share their advice on how to minimise the impact that coronavirus has on the practice, the team and a practice’s clients.

Veterinary professionals can submit questions directly to the panel who will answer them during the live event.

To register for the webinar, visit the Boehringer www.boehringer-academy.co.uk.

Melvyn Driver, the founder of MDC Exports who dedicated his life to the design and production of humane animal handling equipment, has died of natural causes aged 80.

Melvyn was instrumental in shaping the success of the Trap, Neuter, Return, method of controlling feral cat populations. After meeting 60's supermodel Celia Hammond, scientist Dr. Jenny Remfry, and Peter Neville, a research biologist for UFAW, acted on their requests for better and more humane traps and engineered his first trap - the Eziset.

Melvyn went on to develop a dog grasper and a wide range of other handling products widely used in veterinary practice. He then developed the Mikki Muzzle, on the back of which he launched Mikki Pet Products, adding a range of grooming products. 

In 1998, Melvyn sold Mikki to focus on his real passion – developing high welfare animal handling equipment and products sold via MDC Exports.

Ian MacFarlaine RVN said: "His impact on the veterinary world is only eclipsed by how much of a contribution he's made to animal charities globally, not just in inventing stuff, but then discounting it readily (through good and bad economic times) and then if that wasn't enough, giving thousands of pounds worth of it away at the ICAWC conference every year.

"If you were privileged enough to know him well, then you'll miss the kindness, the mischievous humour and the occasional bad taste joke. But I can guarantee that a little bit of Melvyn is there in each and every one of your practices in the form of one piece of equipment or other."

Vetlife has won The Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO) Campaign of the Year Award 2024 for its work raising awareness about neurodiversity within the veterinary profession.

Vetlife's campaign included talks at various veterinary events, an awareness video, a series of lived experience blogs, and a downloadable resource for individuals and workplaces, all made possible by grant funding from the Zoetis Foundation.

Kirstie Pickles, Vetlife Trustee and project lead for the neurodiversity campaign said: “To be shortlisted was an honour, but to win this award is just incredible and is a testament to the dedication and passion that the team put into the campaign.

"It has been a pleasure and a privilege to lead this project and share this much needed information with the veterinary community.

"It is our hope that this campaign and its resources will enable and initiate discussions within teams to ensure that all within our wonderful veterinary professions can thrive."

https://www.vetlife.org.uk 

There has been a notable change to the RCVS council elections this year: candidates are now required to answer a number of insightful questions so that voters can better understand what they would bring to the party if elected. 

In previous years, candidates were only asked to provide manifestos, which often contained information that wasn't especially relevant to whether or not they should be elected to Council. 

Now, they are asked to share their reasons for wanting to be elected, what they can bring to Council and what experience they have. 

This year’s candidates are:

Bethan Pinhey RVN
Hannah Welsman RVN
Lauren Whittaker RVN

The full biographies and election statements for each candidate are available to read at: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/vnvote25 

The two candidates who get the most votes will take up their three-year terms on RCVS Council at the College’s Annual General Meeting on Friday 4 July 2025.

Simon Wiklund, Assistant Registrar and Returning Officer for both elections, said: “We are glad to see such a large number of veterinary professionals putting themselves forward as candidates for this year’s elections.

"It is worth noting that any future governance changes, including RCVS and VN Councils becoming all-appointed bodies, are contingent on new legislation and, until that happens, we will continue to hold our annual elections.

“You may have also noticed some differences with this year’s elections, particularly in terms of the candidate statements.

"This is thanks to a change to our election scheme, which provides greater flexibility about how we run our elections, and the information that we can ask the candidates to submit.

“This means that, rather than asking candidates for a broad manifesto statement, we’ve asked them to answer key questions that are relevant to the role of a Council member, including what skills and experiences they can bring to the table.”

Ahead of the elections, RCVS will be running its ‘Quiz the candidates’ initiative in which veterinary surgeons can submit questions to the candidates standing in their respective elections, in order to better understand them and their views.

However, due to the additional information now included in each of their statements, this year candidates will only answer one question of their choice each.

Before submitting questions to the candidates, please note the RCVS will only accept one question per person. Offensive, defamatory and inaccurate questions will be rejected by the Returning Officer and not be passed on to candidates.

Veterinary nurses can submit a question to the VN Council candidates by emailing vnvote25@rcvs.org.uk.

Vets Now has opened the bookings for the UK’s for its emergency and critical care congress, which will take place online from 3rd to the 6th November 2021.

2021’s event will see over 70 hours of CPD across eight themes, with speakers including Megan Brashear and Helen Wilson, clinical lead for ECC at Langford Vets, University of Bristol.

RCVS President Mandisa Greene will open Congress with reflections from the past year. She'll be followed by the keynote speaker, Marie Holowaychuk, who will be sharing her knowledge and experience around health and wellbeing.

Dan Lewis – ECC specialist at Vets Now, who planned the veterinary Congress programme, said: “In 2020, the world of live events changed, and in November we delivered our first ECC virtual Congress to great success.

"Not only do we feel it is the right decision for everyone to continue our ECC Congress as a virtual event, but the format brings a huge number of opportunities for delegates, exhibitors and speakers, who joined us from all across the world.

"The interactive platform we’re using is cutting edge and it provides so much more than just webinars. Like last year, there will be live content, an interactive exhibition hall and more opportunities than ever for delegates to network and learn from some of the world’s leading veterinary experts discussing emergency and critical care. 

"Our programme again this year has been carefully tailored to provide an inclusive learning experience for vets and vet nurses no matter what stage they’re at in their career, from students through to specialists.

"All being well, we will be back in Leeds for the ECC Congress in November 2022.”
 
Full four-day tickets for delegates will range in price from £60 to £199 and ticket-holders will be able to access all the sessions on-demand for up to a month following the event.

To book your ticket, visit congress.vets-now.com

A study by Gnanadesikan et al, supported by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute and published in Psychoneuroendocrinology has found higher levels of the so-called 'love hormone', oxytocin, in children after they interacted with dogs.

In the study: "Effects of human-animal interaction on salivary and urinary oxytocin in children and dogs¹", oxytocin levels were recorded in 55 children and their pet dogs.

Oxytocin is associated with positive emotions, the reduction of stress and the formation of social bonds.

Oxytocin levels were tracked in both the children’s and dogs’ urine and saliva before and after they interacted.

Researchers say this is one of the first studies to examine the benefits of human animal interactions for both humans and dogs. 

For the study, the children's oxytocin levels were measured when they interacted with their own pet dog, with an unfamiliar dog (a trained therapy dog), and when they engaged in solitary play.

The study found that:

• Interaction with dogs led to higher oxytocin levels in children compared to solitary play.
• Both familiar and unfamiliar dog interactions had this effect.
• Interactions with familiar children may similarly stimulate oxytocin release in dogs.
• Dogs’ cortisol concentrations also decreased markedly from before to after these interactions.

The researchers concluded that the results support the hypothesis that oxytocin pathways may shape and respond to social interactions between children and dogs, highlighting an important role for companion animals in child development.

https://www.waltham.com/oxytocin-children-and-dogs 

Reference

1. Gitanjali E. Gnanadesikan, Katherine M. King, Elizabeth Carranza, Abigail C. Flyer, Gianna Ossello, Paige G. Smith, Netzin G. Steklis, H. Dieter Steklis, C. Sue Carter, Jessica J. Connelly, Melissa Barnett, Nancy Gee, Stacey R. Tecot, Evan L. MacLean. Effects of human-animal interaction on salivary and urinary oxytocin in children and dogs, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Volume 169, 2024, 107147, ISSN 0306-4530, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107147.

Linnaeus has published Pathways to Innovation: Learning and Leadership in Clinical Veterinary Research, which contains a selection of veterinary research papers and articles by experts from across the profession. 

The studies and articles include a look at retention in the veterinary nursing profession, the importance of ethics, artificial Intelligence in veterinary practice, canine corneal bacterial pathogens, canine appendicular soft tissue sarcomas and mast cell tumours, and autologous mesenchymal stromal cell treatment.

Professor Luisa De Risio, Clinical Research and Excellence Director at Linnaeus, said: “Innovation in clinical research can only happen if we embrace change in society – from new technology to improvements in animal welfare. As well as showcasing the latest research, our new report also brings together experts to consider the opportunities for our profession.”

https://bit.ly/42KFrMK 

Research carried out at two CVS referral hospitals has found a significantly higher incidence of thoracolumbar invertebral disc extrusions (IVDE) in Dachshunds compared to Basset Hounds¹.

For the research, the medical histories of 188 Basset Hounds and 270 Dachshunds presenting to CVS’ Dovecote Veterinary Hospital and Chestergates Veterinary Specialists, and the University of Ghent were retrospectively assessed.

Information included signalment, whether the dog had received a diagnosis of TL-IVDE, the duration of clinical signs, affected discs and anatomical region and the neurological grading at presentation and discharge.

Basset Hounds and Dachshunds are both chondrodystrophic breeds which are predisposed to IVDE. 

However, the study found 77.4% of Dachshunds had presented with IVDE, compared to only 36.2% of Basset Hounds.

Dachshunds also presented earlier (66.5 months) compared to Basset Hounds (median 87.5 months).

Dachshunds had a lower proportion of midlumbar IVDE and were more frequently non-ambulatory at discharge than Basset Hounds. 

In addition, Dachshunds were more likely to be paraplegic without sensation at presentation than Basset Hounds (16/154 Dachshunds compared to just one Basset).

The Basset Hound is the largest chondrodystrophic breed and the physical characteristics of this larger body conformation may have benefits, with previous studies suggesting the protective effects of being a larger dog2.

One hypothesis is whether breed conformation and anatomy – the relative height/weight ratio - influences the severity and occurrence of IVD and points to a link between the size of the patient and the space in the vertebral canal.

A smaller spinal cord versus vertebral canal ratio in the Basset Hound may indicate a less compressive lesion.  

Sergio Gomes, Head of Neurology and specialist in veterinary neurology at Dovecote Veterinary Hospital, who led the study, said: “This is the first time that IVDE data for Basset Hounds has been directly compared with that for Dachshunds.

“We now need to look closely at the conformation and anatomy of the Basset Hound to see what learnings we can take.

"This could have positive future implications for Dachshund breeding programmes, so that longer term we can try to minimise this painful and common canine condition.”

References

1. Thatcher H, Targett M, Alcoverro E, Stee K, Schofield I, Lowrie M, Gomes SA. Incidence and clinical characterisation of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusions in Basset Hounds compared with Dachshunds. Veterinary Record. 2024 Jan 6;194(1):10.1002/vetr.3212
2. Packer RMA, Hendricks A, Volk HA, Shihab NK, Burn CC. How long and low can you go? Effect of conformation on the risk of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion in domestic dogs. PLoS One. 2013;8(7):e69650.

The BSAVA has now published its 100th drug information leaflet for clients. Its 103rd, to be precise. 

The association began to produce client information leaflets in 2011, to help its members provide information to clients about the safe use of the drugs that they prescribe and dispense for the patients under their care. Over the years the range of leaflet groups has expanded to include canine and feline behaviour and exotic pets, as well as medicines.

Designed to be printed easily in practice, all the leaflets have the option to add practice details if required. The new additions for June are Antihistamines, Ferrous sulphate, Fluconazole, Hydrochlorothiazide, Imipramine, Leflunomide, Travoprost and Trimethoprim/Sulphonamide, with authors including Polly Frowde, Hannah Hodgkiss-Geere, and Fergus Allerton.

Julian Hoad, Chair of the Publications Committee said: “We are proud to have hit this impressive milestone; we know that our client information leaflets are of great use to our members to help them keep their clients informed and we aim to add to this number every year.”

The client information leaflets are provided to BSAVA members as part of their member benefits and are also available for non-members to buy as part of the ‘Formulary Plus’ online subscription. You can find them in the BSAVA Library here.