The Privy Council has dismissed an appeal lodged against the RCVS Disciplinary Committee’s decision in May 2018 that Dr Horia Elefterescu should be removed from the Register.

The Committee had found Dr Elefterescu guilty of serious professional misconduct in relation to a number of charges which covered issues such as dishonesty, poor record-keeping, and failure to carry out adequate clinical examinations.

The full charges and findings of the RCVS Disciplinary Committee can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council held the appeal hearing in October last year with three Justices of the Supreme Court - Lord Kerr, Lord Carnwath and Lord Kitchin – comprising the Board.

The basis of the appeal to the Privy Council was that the Committee’s findings on the facts of the case were flawed, with his counsel saying that Dr Elefterescu 'strenuously disputes the findings by the Committee of his dishonesty and lack of professional competence and submits that there is no adequate basis for them in the evidence’.

His counsel also told the Board that the Disciplinary Committee’s sanction failed to take into account mitigating factors and that the decision to remove Dr Elefterescu from the Register was disproportionate.

In relation to the appeal against the Disciplinary Committee’s findings on the facts, the Board was not persuaded by any of the arguments put forward on behalf of Dr Elefterescu. These arguments included that the RCVS had failed to call relevant witnesses and had failed to make Dr Elefterescu aware of the significance of some evidential matters, disclosed to him.

In respect of the sanction, the Board was also unpersuaded by the arguments put forward by Dr Elefterescu’s counsel, namely that it was too harsh in its assessment of aggravating factors, did not give adequate weight to mitigating factors, and that it failed to distinguish lack of competence from misconduct.

In its judgment on the arguments put forward by Dr Elefterescu’s counsel, the Board said: "It is the opinion of the Board that these criticisms are not well founded. The Committee considered with care Dr Elefterescu’s proven and admitted conduct in relation to each of the charges and whether it fell below or far below the standard to be expected. It is to be noted in this regard that a number of the charges which were either admitted or upheld were not the subject of any challenge on this appeal. 

"Overall, the Committee found that Dr Elefterescu’s clinical failures were very serious, involved failures in the basics of animal care, resulted in animal suffering and involved widespread breaches of the respondent’s [RCVS] code of professional conduct. It also expressed particular concern about its findings of dishonesty, and rightly so. That conduct was, in its view, ‘at the top end’ of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect. What is more, Dr Elefterescu had a lack of insight into his failings and a wholly unjustified confidence in his abilities which constituted an ongoing risk to animal welfare."

"These were findings which the Committee was clearly entitled to make and, in the light of them, the Board is firmly of the view that the decision of the Committee to direct the removal of Dr Elefterescu’s name from the Register cannot be impeached. The Board rejects the criticisms made of the Committee’s reasoning and the conclusions to which it came. The direction that Dr Elefterescu’s name must be removed from the Register was appropriate and proportionate."

The Judicial Committee’s full findings can be found at www.jcpc.uk/cases/docs/jcpc-2018-0060-judgment.pdf.

Dechra Veterinary Products has launched Rominervin, a new, fast-acting injectable solution for equine sedation and premedication.

Rominervin contains 10 mg/ml romifidine hydrochloride, equivalent to 8.76 mg romifidine, presented in a 20 ml vial.

It can be used as a sedative to facilitate handling, examination, minor surgical interventions and minor procedures or as a premedication prior to administration of injectable or inhalation anaesthetics.

Rominervin can also be used in combination with synthetic opiates such as butorphanol to provide deeper sedation or analgesia.

Dechra Brand Manager Emma Jennings said: "Rominervin is highly effective as it has a longer duration of action than other alpha-2 agonists¹. It starts to work within one to two minutes with maximum sedation achieved between five and 10 minutes.

"It is yet another valuable addition in our equine anaesthesia and analgesia range that has been designed to provide vets with the therapies they need to operate successfully in day-to-day practice."

Rominervin can be used in conjunction with Dechra’s equine anaesthesia and analgesia app, designed to help veterinary professionals choose optimal anaesthetic protocols and calculate anaesthetic drug doses and administration rates.

For more information visit: www.dechra.co.uk/products/equine

A survey commissioned by the RCVS has found that a significant number of pet owners think veterinary surgeons offer poor or very poor value for money, suggesting more work needs to be done to communicate the value of veterinary services.

The survey was conducted by Mo Gannon & Associates, which asked 2,000 UK adults about their satisfaction with the service they and their animals received from veterinary surgeons, levels of trust in the profession, and whether the service provided by vets represents value for money.

32% of the respondents felt that veterinary surgeons represented excellent (8%) or good (24%) value for money. 38% thought that veterinary fees are fair. However, 29% thought that veterinary surgeons and their services provided poor (21%) or very poor (8%) value for money. The results were very similar to the last time the survey was conducted, in 2015.

Nevertheless, veterinary surgeons continue to enjoy very high levels of trust amongst the public. 94% said they either completely trust (34%) or generally trust (60%) vets. This put veterinary surgeons in third place amongst the most trusted professions, below opticians and pharmacists but above GPs and and dentists. 

Satisfaction with the profession was also high. 80% said they were either very satisfied (39%) or satisfied (41%), putting vets in fourth place below opticians, pharmacists and dentists, but above general practitioners and accountants.

RCVS President Dr Niall Connell, pictured right (would you trust this man?) said: "These results clearly demonstrate that there is a great deal of good will towards the veterinary profession and the work they do in treating the nation’s animals and serving their communities. The basis of all good relationships is trust, and it is fantastic to see that our clients continue overwhelmingly to trust our knowledge and expertise and remain very happy with the service we provide them.

"The picture on value for money is clearly a bit more mixed, although clearly 70% of the respondents recognise that we at least charge fair fees in terms of our time and expertise. There is, of course, always more work that we can do in order to help the public understand veterinary costs and fees and promote the value of veterinary care, as demonstrated by last year’s joint Pets Need Vets social media campaign with BVA, in which we highlighted the benefits to pet owners of being registered with a vet."

Bayer has announced the result of a survey it commissioned from YouGov which found that 85% of British adults are unaware that foxes are a carrier of Angiostrongylus vasorum and might be responsible for spreading the potentially fatal infection to pet dogs.

It might explain why, according to the research, around 14% of British adults actively encourage fox visitors into their garden, with 10% of adults leaving out food, water or toys for foxes and 48% of them admitting they would feel disappointed if their garden fox did not return at night.

Bayer highlights research which showed an increase in the number of foxes infected with Angiostrongylus, from 7.3% in 2008 to 18.3% in 2015^2,3.

More recent work led by the aptly named Professor Mark Fox at the Royal Veterinary College has shown that, in the Greater London area, nearly three out of four foxes (74.4%) are infected with the parasite.⁴

Mark said: "We had previously mapped the distribution of Angiostrongylus in pet dogs by seeing how many cases every small animal practice in Britain had seen over the previous 12 months. This revealed the parasite’s widespread distribution coupled with hotspots of infection in Greater London/south-east England and South Wales, where dogs were four to five times more likely to be infected than elsewhere in the country.

"We then investigated why hot spots were seen in these locations and, apart from land type, dog density and climatic factors, we found that the mere presence of foxes locally increased the risk of infection in dogs five-fold."

"The overall prevalence of infection in Greater London was very high, at just under 75 per cent⁴, and prevalence was maintained at this level throughout the year. These results suggest that foxes act as year-round, wild animal reservoirs of infection for urban dogs."

Donna Tomlinson, Bayer Senior Brand Manager said: "The recent ‘pet foxes’ pet owner research results coupled with the lungworm prevalence fox studies highlights the growing concern of the spread of Angiostrongylus vasorum in the UK and the need for adequate preventative measures for pet dogs.

"Veterinary professionals are perfectly placed to advise dog owners on the risk of their pets becoming infected with the parasite, including the growing role of foxes as potential wild animal reservoirs of Angiostrongylus, as well as advising pet owners to use a monthly spot-on prevention such as Advocate.

"Treatment with products containing moxidectin, such as Advocate, not only kills lungworms present at the time of treatment but also kills larvae after ingestion preventing new infections. Regular monthly use prevents disease and ensures that no lungworm larvae are shed in dogs’ faeces which helps to prevent the spread of the parasite in the environment."

To highlight the increased prevalence of lungworm in foxes Bayer has created a poster for veterinary practices, which you can get from the Bayer Vet Centre at: https://www.vetcentre.bayer.co.uk/marketing-and-resources/advocate-fox-poster

References

1. YouGov Survey, May 2019, 2036 GB adults surveyed. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2036 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 20th - 21st May 2019.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
2. Taylor et al. (2015) Parasitology 142:1190-5.
3. Morgan et al. (2008) Veterinary Parasitology 154: 48–57.
4. Fox et al. (2017) Proceedings of WAAVP, Abstract No. 4196, p.163.

The RCVS Veterinary Nurse Disciplinary Committee has ruled that Somerset-based William Kane is fit to practice after he was convicted of three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Mr Kane was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months in September 2024.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years until he had passed an extended driving test, and was ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work within 12 months, and to pay a victim surcharge of £187.

It was alleged that the conviction rendered Mr Kane unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse.

From the outset, Mr Kane admitted the facts contained in the charge, but did not accept that this rendered him unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse.

After the criminal proceedings, Mr Kane wrote to express his deepest regret for his actions and the pain and guilt they had caused, stating that there was not a single day that had passed that he had not thought about the family that was affected by his actions, and the lifelong consequences that they now face.

He went on to express that he understood that as a member of a trusted profession, his conduct must reflect not only his clinical competence, but also his integrity and accountability.

He also noted that he had sought to recognise and address the consequences of his actions and that he is determined to make a positive contribution to society and to the profession.

The Committee found the charge proved on the basis of Mr Kane’s admission and the Certificate of Conviction.

The Committee found a number of factors relevant to the case:

• there was no explanation for the accident
• Mr Kane was not intoxicated, nor was he distracted by using his mobile phone
• he was not carrying out any type of manoeuvre, for example overtaking where he shouldn’t
• his car was not in a dangerous condition
• no concerns had been raised about the manner of his driving, other than the moment immediately before the collision
• the judge repeatedly described the accident as a ‘momentary lapse of attention’, whereby Mr Kane’s car drifted into the opposing lane of traffic for a couple of seconds and there was then a catastrophic collision
• whilst the consequences were severe, the culpability, said the judge, was low and just crossed the threshold between careless and dangerous driving;
• the judge found there to be no aggravating features
• the judge, who had the benefit of watching dash-cam footage from another car that captured the collision, described it as a ‘mistake’.

The question for the Committee was whether Mr Kane’s conviction of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, when put into proper context, rendered him unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse.

This was not a conviction in any way linked to his practise and there was no suggestion that he represented any sort of a risk to animals in his care.

The Committee was not, therefore, concerned with any issues arising out of the need to protect animals, but rather with whether a finding of unfitness to practise was needed to uphold standards of conduct and behaviour in order to maintain public confidence in the profession.

Kathryn Peaty, Chair of the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee took into account the public interest which includes maintaining public confidence in the profession and the regulator and upholding proper standards in the profession.

"The public interest also includes allowing an otherwise competent veterinary nurse to continue in practice, where appropriate.

“Agreeing with the judge that this was indeed an exceptional case, the Committee did not consider that Mr Kane’s conduct was liable to have a seriously detrimental effect on the reputation of the profession and concluded that the public, in full knowledge of the circumstances of this particular case, would not expect a finding that the conviction renders him unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse.

"Rather, the public would recognise that whilst the consequences were appalling and tragic for the family involved, in terms of Mr Kane’s culpability this was a momentary piece of dangerous driving, categorised by the judge as a ‘mistake’ rather than anything more blameworthy.

“The Committee therefore concluded that Mr Kane’s conviction does not render him unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse.

"This is not to in any way detract from the catastrophic consequences for the family, but rather is to reflect the context, exceptional circumstances and level of culpability in this case.”

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/disciplinary-hearings/ 

The RCVS has announced that its third Mind Matters Mental Health Research Symposium will take place live online from 10am on Wednesday 24 November, and is now open for registration.

Professor Susan Dawson (pictured right), Chair of the Mind Matters Taskforce, will introduce the event and will be followed by the symposium’s plenary speaker, Rory O’Connor, Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Glasgow and President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention.

Rory's talk: ‘When It is Darkest: Understanding Suicide Risk’ will draw upon his research and work on the psychological processes which precipitate suicidal behaviour and self-harm, an area of expertise that has seen him advise the Scottish Government, as well as other national and international organisations, on suicide prevention strategies.

The next presentation will be from Dr Victoria Crossley from the Royal Veterinary College and Navaratnam Partheeban, co-founder of the British Veterinary Ethnicity & Diversity Society (BVEDS), on their research into the mental health impact of racism and discrimination on Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) veterinary surgeons.

They'll be followed by Professor Neil Greenberg and Dr Victoria Williamson from King’s College London, who will talk about their research into the impact of ‘moral injury’ on the mental health and wellbeing of vets. 

The day will then split into different research streams with presentations on a variety of topics including: the impact of cyberbullying and harassment; the wellbeing of veterinary interns and residents; stigma and stress in veterinary nursing; mental health awareness training in the undergraduate veterinary curriculum; and the relationship between ‘patient safety culture’ and staff burnout.

Lisa Quigley, Mind Matters Manager, said: “As with previous years the Mind Matters Mental Health Research Symposium promises to be a very informative and important day in terms of international researchers coming together to share their research, their conclusions, areas for further work and study, and best practice.

"Some of the topics we will be discussing, such as suicide, will be difficult, but research into issues affecting the international veterinary community is a vital first step to putting in place strategies and support mechanisms to help those in need. This is why research will be one of the key strategic priorities for the Mind Matters Initiative and our forthcoming actions in this area will be published later this year in our Mind Matters Initiative Strategic Plan.

“I would like to thank Dr Rosie Allister, a veterinary mental health researcher from the University of Edinburgh and manager of Vetlife Helpline, for putting together an excellent programme.

"As with previous years we are also offering free attendance of the symposium to those who have lived experience of mental ill-health, those who are currently not working, and veterinary and veterinary nursing students. If you have any queries about the event, please don’t hesitate to contact me on l.quigley@rcvs.org.uk to discuss further.”

Registration for those not entitled to a free ticket is £10.

To register for the event visit: www.vetmindmatters.org/events. 

Zoetis has ramped up production of its Marek’s disease vaccine.

Poulvac CVI + HVT Marek’s vaccine provides the combination of the Rispens CVI strain and the HVT strain.

Zoetis says this combination of serotypes has long been recognised for providing strong, reliable protection against the disease, effective even against the very virulent pathotype of the virus.

John Kenyon, Zoetis National Veterinary Manager for Poultry said: "Marek’s disease remains a major problem for the poultry industry.

"To increase protection, it is a good idea to combine the CVI and HVT vaccine strains, and the new supplies of our vaccine help to make this more feasible.

“Currently in some longer-lived broilers and backyard laying hens a vaccine composed of just a single serotype is used, but it is advantageous to use a combination of serotypes to boost immunity further.”

Marek’s vaccination with Poulvac CVI + HVT can be performed in the hatchery at day of age via subcutaneous or intramuscular injection.

The Zoetis vaccine is supported with a range of services, including hatchery and vaccine audits, vaccine training and technical assistance.

Nutravet has launched Nutrafibre, a high fibre supplement to support normal anal gland function and digestive health, available exclusively from vets.

Nutrafibre contains high fibre pellets which use a combination of insoluble and soluble plant fibres, probiotic & prebiotics and fish hydrolysate which, the company says, optimises stool consistency and encourages normal bowel movements. 

The company claims Nutrafibre also assists anal gland clearance, helps maintain a sufficient level of fibre in the body, supports pets with sensitive digestion, helps reduce hairball in cats and also helps to balance raw and high meat content diets.

Chris Jones, Director at Nutravet said: “We’re incredibly excited to launch this innovative new fibre product.

"The team have worked in partnership with veterinary practices across the UK to create this high fibre supplement and the feedback has been incredibly positive from both vets and pet owners alike.”

For more information, contact: 0845 604 1688, email: info@nutravet.co.uk or visit www.nutravet.com.

Ms Emma Bowler has been struck off by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee after multiple clinical failings.

Ms Bowler faced four sets of charges, each of which contained sub-charges, summarised as follows: 

• that between August 2018 and March 2022, she failed to provide adequate care to 18 animals on which she had performed surgery.
• that she failed to provide adequate care to a German Shepherd Cross Belgian Malinois in relation to surgery she had performed early in 2020.
• that in May 2021, when speaking to a client about surgery performed on their Jack Russell, Ms Bowler told the client that everything that had been written in the clinical records up to the point of the surgery referred to the right hind being the problem, when this was not the case and/or the veterinary surgeon who had seen the client about the x-rays prior to the surgery had not placed any notes on the file at the time the Jack Russell came in for surgery, when this was not the case.
• that Ms Bowler’s conduct in relation to the third charge was dishonest, and/or misleading.

Despite being served with the Notice of Inquiry, Ms Bowler decided not to attend the hearing due to ill-health but was represented by a counsel and solicitors.

The Committee did not find that Ms Bowler was medically unfit to attend on the basis of the medical evidence before it.

The Committee also concluded that it was in the public interest and interests of Ms Bowler to proceed with the hearing in her absence so that it could be concluded in a timely manner.  

Ms Bowler’s counsel applied for parts of the hearing to be heard in private on health grounds, which was approved by the Committee.

It was also determined that any parts in the Committee’s decision or hearing that referred to Ms Bowler’s health would be redacted. 

At the outset of the hearing, Ms Bowler’s counsel made admissions to five of the sub-charges which the Committee therefore found proven.

She also made some partial admissions in relations to a further 11 sub-charges.

After hearing a wide range of evidence, both written and oral, from Ms Bowler, the College, from clients and from an expert witness, the Committee found all charges proved except for four sub-charges.

On deciding whether the proved charges amounted to serious professional misconduct, the Committee took the following aggravating factors into account.

• In respect of charges 1 and 2, several animals suffered unnecessary injury (these charges encompassed 18 animals).
• In respect of charge 2, Ms Bowler had acted recklessly in performing revision surgery and should have recognised that she was significantly beyond her surgical ability.
• In respect of charges 3 and 4, Ms Bowler’s conduct was aggravated by her lack of integrity.
• That, overall, the misconduct spanned approximately three years and eight months and involved repetition of egregious failings.
• It was also noted that the charges encompassed multiple animals that were either caused injury or were at risk of injury.

In mitigation: 

• Ms Bowler had been working in an atmosphere that generated a highly pressurised working environment, which was somewhat unsupportive to her.
• Regarding clinical record keeping, Ms Bowler had less time available due to her heavy workload.
• Personal circumstances which exacerbated the pressures she faced at work.
• Ms Bowler had no previous disciplinary findings against her.
• She received positive character references.'
• She had made partial admissions in her statement and response to the charges and had apologised to the owners in respect of charge 2 and acknowledged that she was inexperienced in performing total hip replacements.
• Ms Bowler has subsequently made substantial efforts to avoid repetition of some of the matters encompassed in the charges.

In all, the Committee decided that the seriousness of the misconduct meant that a sanction was necessary to meet the public interest.

When deciding on whether to issue a reprimand with or without a warning, the Committee once again decided that the misconduct was too serious to allow for this.

It also decided that a reprimand and/or warning was not sufficient to protect animals and the wider public interest.

It then went onto consider whether a sanction of ‘suspension’ was sufficient but noted that it did not have enough evidence to show that Ms Bowler had shown significant insight to continue to practise unrestricted in the future.

The Committee eventually concluded that Ms Bowler’s conduct was incompatible with remaining on the Register.

Neil Slater, chairing the Disciplinary Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee decided that the broad range of Ms Bowler’s misconduct which had spanned three years and eight months and involving injury or risk of injury to 18 animals, was incompatible with remaining on the Register and the public interest required removal from the Register even when all of Ms Bowler’s mitigation was taken into account.

“The Committee decided that it did not have sufficient evidence overall on Ms Bowler’s insight, current competence and future risk to persuade it that the lesser sanction of suspension was appropriate in this case.

“Although Ms Bowler had shown some insight, the Committee decided that she would need to have provided detailed evidence about her current practice before it could decide that she no longer represented a risk to animals in the future.

“The Committee therefore concluded that ‘removal from the Register’ was the appropriate and proportionate sanction because there had been a serious departure from professional standards, a reckless disregard for professional standards, multiple cases involving harm or risk of harm to animals and because, in Ms Bowler’s absence, it had been difficult to unravel whether she had an attitudinal problem.

“These were all factors in the Disciplinary Committee Sanctions Guidance that indicated that a sanction of removal was the appropriate sanction and, in the Committee’s decision, removal from the Register was the only sanction which would meet the public interest.

"It concluded that a lesser sanction would undermine public confidence in the profession and in the regulatory process.”

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/disciplinary-hearings 

The British Equine Veterinary Association is encouraging veterinary practices to recognise and reward their nurses.

The initiative comes after BEVA's new nurse committee ran a survey which found a poor understanding within the profession and amongst clients of what equine nurses can do.

Nurses said they believed they could be given more responsibility and do more within their roles and that there was a lack of opportunity for progression.

BEVA President David Rendle, who is championing this initiative, said: “RVNs are a significant an asset to any equine practice.

“They have invested a lot of time and effort to become highly skilled but in some instances their significant attributes are not being utilised to the full.

“Allowing RVNs to perform the clinical tasks that they are qualified to carry out under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, will provide better job fulfilment and career development as well as free up veterinary surgeons to carry out other tasks, all increasing the efficiency of the veterinary team.

“I feel, and the RVN survey results would seem to confirm, that veterinary surgeons and practice managers do not appreciate how much veterinary nurses are allowed to do in equine practice.

"We all know veterinary nurses have the ability; look at what they do in small animal and human nursing, but we have felt unnecessarily constrained by Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and the associated RCVS guidelines.

"If you actually look at Schedule 3 it is clear that we can and should be letting our qualified equine nurses do far more. 

“There are so many things in equine practice that nurses do better than vets.

"In addition to performing clinical tasks they can add wider value; they are generally (or are perceived by clients to be!) more patient, empathetic and caring so we should utilise these skills and get nurses to take on some of the roles that take more time and require longer client interactions – discussing parasite control programmes,  running weight loss clinics, reviewing healthcare plans, making follow-up phone calls and visits to name just a few.

"Nurses can take a lot of pressure off vets and can add a significant revenue stream for the practice.” 

On the 9th February, the BEVA will be hosting an online discussion forum for all members of the practice team to discuss the role of nurses and how their skills, experience and knowledge can be better-used. 

It's free for BEVA members: https://www.beva.org.uk/Home/Events/BEVA-Events/Event-Details.aspx?eventDateId=1716  

In addition, the Association is organising a number of other career events for nurses throughout the year: 

• 09 March 2023: A practical CPD day for nurses on setting up nurse-led weight management clinics: https://www.beva.org.uk/Home/Events/BEVA-Events/Event-Details.aspx?eventDateId=1706
• 18 April 2023: Online CPD course for nurses on holistic care of surgical cases, pain scoring, physiotherapy and environmental enrichment. https://www.beva.org.uk/Home/Events/BEVA-Events/Event-Details.aspx?eventDateId=1704 
• 13 September 2023: Presentation of the new BEVA equine nursing award at BEVA Congress
• 16 September 2023:  Dedicated nursing sessions at BEVA Congress including a debate on the role of equine nurses and the interpretation of Schedule 3
• Winter/Spring 2023: Podcasts with nurses – discussing how nurses feel about their careers in equine nursing, and how practices can up their game to keep them happy and fulfilled members of the team.

Marie Rippingale Chair of the BEVA Nurse Committee said: “Last year’s recruitment and retention survey revealed that 50% of nurse respondents were earning less than £25,000 per annum and 48% of nurses said they were likely to look for a new job in the next two years.

"When asked their top reasons for leaving, salary was the biggest reason, and common themes on what would help the retention of nurses included salary, work-life balance and career progression.

“The review of Schedule 3 is important so we can encourage delegation of tasks to RVNs.

"This will allow RVNs to demonstrate their value and worth, earning money for the practice and achieving job satisfaction at the same time. This will contribute positively towards the current retention crisis.”

To find out more about what equine veterinary nurses can do in practice visit https://www.beva.org.uk/nurses 

Photo:  Liphook Equine Hospital.

A study led by Bristol Veterinary School and published in Animal Welfare and has highlighted several potential welfare relating to how snakes are kept in private homes including issues with enclosure size, temperature and humidity. 

In the study¹, which was funded by Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW), an online questionnaire was completed by 744 snake owners worldwide but predominantly from the UK (68.8%).

The questionnaire investigated housing and husbandry practices and snake health and welfare as measured by clinical signs and behavioural indicators.

Associations between clinical signs, behavioural indicators and housing and husbandry aspects were tested for the three most common snake families: Pythonoids, Boids and Colubrids.

The study found 54.7% of snakes were kept in enclosures shorter in length or height than their body, preventing them from stretching out fully.

10.2% of snakes in the UK were kept in enclosures that do not comply with current recommended guidelines (minimum enclosure length <0.66 of snake length).

Whilst most snake owners (93.1%) reported measuring the temperature in their snakes’ enclosures, 24% of these checked less than the recommended once daily.

When looking at the most commonly owned snake species (royal pythons, corn snakes and common boa constrictors), 47.2% were kept in sub-optimal temperatures for their species.

Furthermore, 48.1% of owners reported not measuring the humidity in their snakes’ enclosure.

Owners reported that many snakes experienced at least one of the listed clinical signs, with the most common issues being skin shedding (28.2%), parasites (11.2%), rostral cuts and scrapes (7.4%) and respiratory problems (5.6%).

Snakes that were kept in enclosures <1 snake length had significantly more clinical signs compared to those snakes kept in enclosures >1 snake length.

Similarly, most snakes were reported to experience at least one of the listed negative behaviours, most commonly interacting with transparent boundaries (52.8%), wincing or withdrawal of head when gently touched (52.4%), putting the head under the substrate (52.1%), unusually high level of activity (51.1%) and attempting to escape (45.9%).

All these negative behaviours have previously been described as associated with captive stress.

Snakes that were reported as having more clinical signs tended to show more reported negative behaviours. 

Dr Nicola Rooney, Senior Lecturer in Wildlife and Conservation at Bristol Veterinary School and corresponding author for the paper, said: “Our study has highlighted various concerns for snake welfare.

"The first of these relates to enclosure size, with snakes commonly being kept in vivaria preventing straight-line postures and movement.

"Snakes that were unable to stretch out fully had more clinical signs than those that were able to stretch out fully. 

“Whilst we did not find a significant association between temperature or humidity and measures of health and welfare in this study, it is a concern that many snakes were housed in conditions considered sub-optimal for their species.

"We know that appropriate temperature and humidity is vital for maintaining the health of snakes and it would therefore be prudent to investigate these associations further, using methods other than owner reporting.”

Dr Huw Golledge, Animal Welfare Editor-in-Chief, said: “Until now, there has been little empirical data on the housing and husbandry practices of privately kept snakes, and how these impact on their welfare.

"As the first study of this size, this research provides valuable baseline data against which future surveys or welfare interventions can be compared. 

“As this survey relies on owner-reported information, it is very likely that many of the frequencies of clinical and behavioural signs are underestimated.

"This demonstrates the need for evidence-based recommendations, and the importance of such recommendations being made accessible to owners to improve snake welfare.”  

Reference

1. Cargill BM, Benato L and Rooney NJ (2022) A survey exploring the impact of housing and husbandry on pet snake welfare. Animal Welfare 31 (2), pp. 193-208. DOI: https://dxoxoi.org/10.7120/09627286.31.2.004  

Photo: Brown and Black Snake in Close Up Photography © deedee Pexels

Dr Sarah Heath is presenting a free webinar for vet nurses about cognitive dysfunction syndrome on Tuesday 1st March at 8:00pm.

Sponsored by Vets4Pets, Sarah will look at ways the veterinary profession can improve the detection of this condition and enable you to offer practical advice and support for older animals and their owners.

Sarah is an RCVS and European Veterinary Specialist in Behavioural Medicine and was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2018.

She is a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist under the ASAB accreditation scheme and registered as a Veterinary Behaviourist with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council.

Dr Huw Stacey, Director of Clinical Services at Vets4Pets (pictured right) said: “Sadly, cognitive dysfunction is a progressive degenerative disease that can affect many of our beloved pets during their lifespan.

"However, various studies have shown that early intervention, using a combination of environmental, nutritional and medicinal approaches, can lead to significant improvement in quality of life.

“As part of our commitment to the wellbeing of pets, we are partnering with Sarah to sponsor this webinar and enable the entire industry to access the latest insights into early detection and proper management of the condition.

“Our aim is to help educate vets and nurses across the nation and empower them in their decision making when diagnosing elderly pets.”

The webinar will consist of a 45-minute webinar and 15-minute Q&A session.

It will count as one hour of CPD, and a recording will be available to attendees for a year following the event.

 The webinar also forms part of a wider campaign which will see pet owners polled to ascertain their current understanding of the condition, and ultimately help to raise consumer awareness of cognitive dysfunction.

To register for a free place, visit: https://bit.ly/3IkuC9e