Felpreva contains emodepside and praziquantel, with tigolaner, a novel bispyrazole active ingredient.
Felpreva is licensed for treatment of cats with, or at risk from, mixed parasitic infestations/infections.
Vetoquinol points to a survey revealed conducted last year in which 43% of cat owners said that giving parasite protection to their cat makes them feel guilty, stressed, or worried1.
Felpreva provides an option to reduce the frequency of treatments, lessening stressful interactions between owners and their cats.
Vetoquinol says that with Felpreva’s convenience and longer-lasting flea and tick protection, it aims to help support compliance and thus improve the wellbeing of feline companions.
Helen Hunter, Senior Product Manager at Vetoquinol UK, said: “The launch of Felpreva is a truly proud moment for Vetoquinol, demonstrating our expertise, passion, and commitment to innovation in this essential category of companion animal medicine.
"It will allow us to safeguard the health of cats by bringing longer-lasting protection, convenience, and ease of use – for both pet owners and veterinary professionals.
"At a time when vets are treating more pets than ever before, the need for a breakthrough endectocide solution like Felpreva has never been greater.”
Felpreva is in wholesalers now.
For more information, contact your local Vetoquinol representative.
Reference
The Disciplinary Committee had found Dr Schulze Allen guilty of four charges, namely that he had been convicted of the criminal offence of petty theft in the US which rendered him unfit to practise, and that on three subsequent occasions, twice to the RCVS and once to a notary in California, dishonestly represented that he had no criminal convictions.
Following the DC hearing, Dr Schulze Allen submitted an appeal to the Privy Council. The basis of his appeal revolved around whether, under Californian law, his conviction for petty theft was a conviction for a criminal offence or an infraction, and whether an infraction under US law was a criminal offence.
The RCVS had argued that while the theft is not a criminal felony in California, it would be considered so under English law.
However, the Board of the Privy Council which heard the appeal – comprising Lords Wilson, Carnwath and Lloyd-Jones, found the College had not proven beyond all reasonable doubt that Dr Schulze Allen was convicted of a criminal offence under Californian law. It therefore upheld his appeal against the DC’s finding that he had committed a criminal offence.
The Privy Council then considered Dr Schulze Allen’s appeal against the third and fourth of the charges against him - that he was dishonest in his representations to the College that he did not have a ‘criminal’ conviction and did not have a ‘criminal record’. The Privy Council found that, since the conviction for petty theft was an infraction, and was not a criminal offence and did not leave Dr Schulze Allen with a criminal record, then, strictly speaking, his representations to the RCVS were not false and so upheld his appeal against these two charges.
The Privy Council then considered Dr Schulze Allen’s appeal against the College’s second charge against him. This charge was that he had, in a written application for restoration to the Register, represented that he did not have any cautions, criminal convictions or "adverse findings". The College argued that he still had a responsibility to make a full and frank disclosure about his infraction, even if it did not meet the threshold of ‘criminal’ under Californian law.
The Board of the Privy Council said it had, on Dr Schulze Allen’s behalf, done its best to identify some argument that his conviction for a petty theft infraction did not amount to an "adverse finding", but failed. Rather, it found that "the conviction obviously amounted to an adverse finding."
The Board added that "there is no material by reference to which the Board [of the Privy Council] can depart from the [Disciplinary] Committee’s conclusion that, in answering “no” to that question, he knew that his answer was untrue. In other words, his denial was dishonest."
The Board therefore allowed the appeal against the DC’s conclusion on the first, third and fourth charges. But it dismissed the appeal against its conclusion on the second charge, namely that in that regard Dr Schulze Allen had been guilty of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect."
The Board then set aside the original sanction, that Dr Schulze Allen be removed from the Register, and tasked the Committee with identifying the appropriate sanction in relation to the second charge.
The Disciplinary Committee will now hold a further hearing to decide the sanction, at some time in the future. In the meantime Dr Schulze Allen remains on the Register of Veterinary Surgeons.
Animalcare says hydrocortisone aceponate is a potent, topical anti-inflammatory, proven to quickly relieve itchy and inflamed skin in dogs.
The new product is applied as a spray, designed to make it easy to target affected areas of skin.
Hydrocortisone Cutaneous Spray Solution is presented in a 76 ml size with a two-year shelf life, six months once opened.
Animalcare Product Manager Eleanor Workman Wright said: “Skin problems are extremely common in dogs.
"They can often cause great discomfort to dogs and concern to their owners.
"We believe that Hydrocortisone Cutaneous Spray Solution will be a useful addition to the range of treatment options currently available to vets as they consider the most appropriate care plan for their patients.”
The service is designed to make vital support more accessible to those clients who may face challenges visiting the practice, whether that's down to limited mobility, transport difficulties, or simply a pet’s anxiety with travel.
Led by experienced RVNs, the service includes:
Judith Lee, Small Animal Director at Oakhill Veterinary Centre, said: “Our Community Vet Nurse service is all about making it easier for our clients to access the help they need."
https://www.oakhill-vets.com/pets/community-vet-nurse/
The RNMs, Gemma Mogridge, Neil Smith, Leanne Walker and Kerry Jackson have been hired to promote career progression and to help make sure that nurses are fully used in their roles and able to access more development opportunities.
Claire Roberts, Field Nursing Manager at Linnaeus, said: “Our RNM roles will provide operational leadership to our nurses in primary care practices and provide a nursing voice at a senior level across the group.
"They will focus on every aspect of nursing to help increase job satisfaction and progression opportunities for all our teams.”
RNM Leanne Walker said: “In my region we are focusing on nurse and Patient Care Assistant utilisation by introducing more nurse consults, encouraging nurse involvement in schedule 3 procedures and offering opportunities for leadership and progression.
"We are also training PCAs to the highest standard so they can effectively assist with essential tasks such as running blood samples, setting up clinical areas and maintaining hygiene around the practice.
“I look forward to helping the nursing teams realise their full potential in an area that they are passionate about – or help them realise their interest in an area they haven’t considered before”
A 15-minute consultation with Online Vets on the IVC-owned www.myfamilypet.co.uk website costs £16, compared to the three other players in this marketplace: Pawsquad, Vet AI and Firstvet, which all charge £20.
The other significant difference is that Online Vets is backed by IVC's extensive network of 800+ bricks and mortar practices, so they have somewhere to refer cases that need treatment and they undertake to deduct the online consultation fee from the final bill if that happens.
Douglas Veitch MRCVS, Head of Online Vets (the affable-looking chap pictured right) said: "In human healthcare, an online doctor can prescribe medication to their patients. However under the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) legislation, vets cannot do that. This impacts the wallets of our clients, as it will often mean they pay twice; once for the online consultation and then for the subsequent consultation in practice. That’s why we have launched our Online Vets service as the digital vet team can refer into one of our 800+ practices and ensure the initial online fee is deducted from the bill."
That sounds like a bit of a pop at the RCVS being responsible for legislation that impacts clients' wallets, so it might be worth reflecting whether the GMC would allow doctors to prescribe medication online if their patients were all deaf, mute and had a mental age of less than one, which I assume is the intellectual capacity of the average dog.
That's by the by. It is this ability to offset Online Vets' consultation fee against any treatment needed offline that forms the basis of IVC's claim to save pet owners nearly £100 per annum on veterinary bills.
Of the other online service providers, only one (Vet AI) undertakes to refund the fee if offline treatment is then required. Online Vets says pets typically need 5 consultations per annum, and if they all need a subsequent consultation (and presuming none use Vet AI), £20 x 5 would therefore be down the drain, or, as the French would say, hors de la fenêtre.
I think that claim is a bit punchy myself. It would be interesting to see the research that shows pets need 5 consultations per annum. My dog rarely sees the vet more than once in a year. And even if it did, I'll bet at least a couple of those consultations could be handled online.
But really, isn't this a bit of a red herring? The truth is that all these services are still in their infancy, and online consultations still make up only a tiny fraction of the overall number of veterinary interactions. So really, whether you'll actually save a few quid using Online Vets vs one of the others is probably not the point.
The really big savings for pet owners will surely come when bricks and mortar veterinary practices, IVC included, offer online consultations between clients and their normal vet, who can already prescribe medications remotely if the animal has been seen recently enough. That'll save me a lot more than £20 a visit.
In the meantime, if I was using one of these services to consult about my dog (and I might), the bigger deal for me would be to have the reassurance of knowing the advice was backed by a bricks and mortar practice, which is why I find it curious that the only mention of IVC (and all its resources) on the www.myfamilypet.co.uk website is, er, in the cookie policy.
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 first change has been made to paragraph 1.6 which now advises general practitioners to check whether the vet they are referring a case to is on the RCVS Specialist or Advanced Practitioner list, explaining the difference to the client and what sets them apart from other vets who might be prepared to accept a referral.
Also, practitioners who accept a referral should provide information to the referrer about the experience and status of those likely to be responsible for the case.
The guidance about conflicts of interest in paragraph 1.7 has also been amended such that referring surgeons should tell clients if they are referring their case to a practice owned by the same group.
There is new guidance about how vets and nurses talk about referral practitioners, with the new advice being to focus on accepted terms such as 'RCVS Specialist' and 'RCVS Advanced Practitioner', and avoid more general terms like 'referral surgeon' or 'consultant' to avoid confusion or implying that individuals hold more qualifications than they do.
Lastly, there is new guidance that vets may only use the name 'Specialist' in the name of their practice where there is genuine and meaningful involvement, and oversight, in case management by at least one RCVS specialist in all disciplines where any clinical services are offered under this business name.
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-surgeons/supporting-guidance/referrals-and-second-opinions/
The symposium is the first time the company has delivered virtual nurse training on this scale in the UK and the event will deliver over 20 hours of free CPD: 10 hours live and a further 10 hours of recordings after the symposium.
Topics will include the gut microbiome, management of cat allergens, holistic management of FLUTD and nurse clinics as a way of driving client loyalty; all delivered by a line-up of speakers which includes Clinical Nutritionist, Co-Chair of the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee and WSAVA Liaison to the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition, Dr Marge Chandler (pictured right), feline specialists Drs Andy Sparkes and Sarah Caney, and Honorary Associate Professor at Nottingham University’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Alison Lambert.
Workshops, which will be limited in participant numbers to enable better interaction, will focus on the topics of nurse clinics, lower urinary tract disease, obesity and nutritional consultations.
Purina says the content will be suitable for RVNs at every stage of their career and all RVNs, VCAs and ANAs (or those studying towards those qualifications) are welcome to attend.
You can register at https://www.veterinarywebinars.com/nutrition-symposium/.
Zoe Jackson, Purina Veterinary Nurse Development Manager, UK & Ireland said: "We wanted to show our support for all that veterinary nurses have done to support their practices over this last very difficult year. With so many face-to-face conferences cancelled and practice finances feeling the strain as a result of the pandemic, there is a significant need for quality CPD at nil cost.
"Growing the knowledge base and skills of veterinary nurses has an impact on patient care and practice success and this event has been designed to support those aims though sharing the latest research in key clinical areas. We’ve put together a very ambitious programme with two streams per day, which will include lectures and workshops, so busy professionals can pop in and out or catch up afterwards by watching the recordings.”
The event will start at 12.30 pm on Thursday 29th April and end at 1.30 pm on Friday 30th April.
For more information, contact the Purina Veterinary Nutrition Team on 0800 212161.
Together, these two cancers account for almost a third of all canine cancers.
Dr. Heather Wilson-Robles, an Associate Professor at Texas A&M University and Chief Medical Officer of Volition Veterinary Diagnostics said: "The proof of concept results in these two very prevalent canine cancers give us confidence to move forward with other Nu.Q Vet assays in our pipeline, and with the larger range of cohorts and trials we have collected and planned.
"Clearly, we still have work to do as this single assay did not detect one of the other top five canine cancers, canine osteosarcoma, which was the third cancer tested in this study. However, I am delighted to see such positive results in these two significant cancers and look forward to reporting further data over the coming quarters with additional Nu.Q Vet assays, this time tested on an automated platform.”
Dr. Terry Kelly, Chief Scientific Officer of Volition America said: “It is exciting to see such strong results from our first Nu.Q Vet study conducted at Texas A&M University Veterinary Hospital. It is also interesting to note the similar patterns of detection seen in both canine and human samples confirming that the Nu.Q platform does appear to be useful in more than just human diagnostics.
"As with human diagnostics, there are currently no accurate, simple, affordable cancer screening tests available in veterinary medicine and yet 25% of dogs will develop cancer at some stage of their life. I look forward to completing the planned trials and to launch our first Nu.Q Vet product in the U.S. that we expect to occur in 2020."
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
Lenivia is the first long-acting canine anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibody therapy administered three-monthly.
It acts via its binding to nerve growth factor (NGF), a recognised mediator of pain and inflammation.
Julia von Gablenz, Regional President, Europe & Middle East of Zoetis, said: "Lenivia's approval marks a meaningful milestone in our continued innovation for canine osteoarthritis pain."
She added: "With Lenivia's approval, we're proud to bring UK(GB) veterinary professionals a new, long-acting option that can help alleviate osteoarthritis-associated pain and support sustained comfort with a single injection."
Part of the VN Futures project, the lunchtime webinars will be delivered between February and June 2020 via the Webinar Vet, and the College is encouraging all nurses, veterinary surgeons, practice managers and owners to attend, as it says the webinars will benefit the whole practice team.
All three webinars take place at 12.30pm and last one hour. They are as follows:
Tuesday 4 February 2020 – ‘Maximising the potential of the veterinary nurse’ presented by Louise Northway RVN, BVNA Council member and recipient of the RCVS Inspiration Award. The webinar will give an overview of the role of veterinary nurses under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act, how VNs can develop their role in practice and take on extra responsibilities and how VNs can approach these conversations in practice through the creation of learning and development plans. This webinar will illustrate how fully utilising the nursing team not only hugely boosts the morale of the work force, but also enhances patient care and increases the efficiency of the business.
Tuesday 10 March 2020 – ‘Veterinary nurses’ time is valuable: How and why to charge for it’ presented by Stephanie Writer-Davies MRCVS, Career Progression Working Group member, and Jane Davidson RVN, VN Council member and regular blogger on veterinary nursing issues. This webinar will provide examples and case studies of how veterinary nurses contribute to practice finances, how practice pricing structures can be developed so that the financial value of veterinary nurses’ time and effort can be better highlighted, and how veterinary nurses can demonstrate their value to clients.
Tuesday 23 June 2020 – ‘Lead or Head RVN: What’s in a name?’ presented by Gillian Page RVN, President of the Veterinary Management Group. This webinar will look at the role of the traditional Head RVN and how development of ‘Lead RVNs’ in different areas of practice can help to allow for growth of other talented team members and provide increased and shared responsibility and progression. This webinar will explore how this enhances practice efficiency alongside development of team members, thus increasing job satisfaction and, ultimately, retention.
Racheal Marshall, Chair of RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council and the VN Futures Board, said: "We hope that veterinary nurses will engage with these webinars in order to gain some inspiration about how they can truly show their value to their team, their clients and the wider public.
"The VN Futures research clearly demonstrated that there was a desire from the veterinary nursing profession to find ways in which VNs could gain greater recognition for the work they do and progress in their careers. These webinars, and our talented presenters, will provide many practical examples and case studies on how this can be done, help build confidence and highlight opportunities for further learning and development."
To sign up to the free webinars visit https://www.thewebinarvet.com/sponsors/VN%20Futures.
The charity reports that 2020 was its busiest year ever, with 3,921 calls to its Helpline - a 25% increase over 2019.
Similarly, Vetlife's Health Support service saw a record number of referrals in 2020. There were 190 referrals made over the year, compared to 149 in 2019.
At the same time, the charity says it has seen a decrease in income, putting a strain on its resources. The pledge from the RCVS comes in addition to the annual donation of £100,000 made by the Mind Matters Initiative towards the Health Support service. On top of this, the Mind Matters Initiative also helps to fund other essential running costs for the charity, including the Helpline call directing service and by its contribution to the annual Helpline training for volunteers.
Graham Dick, Vetlife President (pictured right) said: “The last 12 months have brought significant challenges for Vetlife as restrictions in fundraising have combined with a significant uplift in demand for our Vetlife Helpline and Health Support services. Against this background the substantial ongoing financial support provided by the RCVS through MMI, both for the costs of professional mental health support and for the necessary call-handling facilities which underpin our Helpline, continues to be an invaluable contribution to the wellbeing of the veterinary community we serve."
The Association says that now there is so much information about nutrition available to pet owners from so many different sources, it is the responsibility of veterinary professionals to help them make the right decisions about appropriate feeding.
The BSAVA Guide to Nutrition is an independent guide comprising a series of factsheets for veterinary professionals on four different diet options, each accompanied by a factsheet for owners that can be given as part of the consultation.
The factsheets cover:
The factsheets provide information on the formulation of the various diet types and look at the advantages and disadvantages of the diet based on diet claims and available evidence. They also outline the safety measures that need to be taken into account when feeding a particular diet type and detail the considerations for feeding the diet to healthy dogs and cats, as well as those with particular diseases.
The new BSAVA Guide to Nutrition is available exclusively through the BSAVA Library (£25; £15 to BSAVA members).
The strike follows a breakdown in negotiations for better pay and conditions earlier in the year.
Valley Vets, which is owned by VetPartners, offered a 7.27% increase to its lowest paid staff, with smaller increases for higher paid staff.
However, the BVU rejected the offer, describing it as a "derisory real terms pay cut".
A postal ballot was held and 94% of members voted for industrial action, with a 93% turnout.
The BVU says it is open to restarting negotiations in the hope that an improved offer will make the strike unnecessary.
According to the company, the new Avacta Allergy+ offers:
Existing customers will be getting a launch pack this week, which comes with a box of Yorkshire teabags (as that's where Avacta heralds from) and a pack of chocolate biscuits so practice staff can take break whilst they peruse details of the new portfolio and accompanying support materials.
To encourage the reuse of the old Avacta submission boxes, the company is also running a competition where practices can win a £100 Amazon gift voucher if they come up with the most practical and imaginative reuse idea. Full details can be found at avactaanimalhealth.com/news.
For more information visit www.avactaanimalhealth.com.
The new changes are being introduced in the following phases:
The new Environmental Sustainability Award allows practices to demonstrate that they have embedded environmentally sustainable behaviours and are excelling with their sustainability goals.
The Award includes points for reducing waste, consolidating medicines orders and minimising drug wastage, and calculating the practice’s carbon footprint and setting reduction targets.
The changes and additions to the standards at Core Standards and General Practice level cover the sustainability of a wide range of practice areas, including requiring a sustainability policy, communicating sustainability achievements, and minimising anaesthetic gas usage.
As well as improving environmental sustainability, the new and amended standards also include requirements to help make practices more socially sustainable, through measures including increasing diversity and inclusion.
The PSS has produced a list of resources to support veterinary practices with meeting the new environmental sustainability standards and implementing sustainable practices in general.
Mandisa Greene, Chair of the Practice Standards Group, said: “We want to assure PSS-accredited practices that the new standards won’t mean an overhaul of ways of working or result in expensive investment in resources.
"Instead, the standards explain ways that practices can increase their sustainability by putting in place new measures gradually over the next 12 months, in time for them becoming mandatory.
"As with all standards updates, the PSS team are always available to answer any questions that practices have and anyone who is unsure about how to apply them is encouraged to get in touch with the PSS team.”
During the last Standards Committee meeting, there were also several approved clarifications to the standards in the form of guidance notes and minor changes across a range of accreditation levels.
These include updates to the guidance notes for requirements on sterilisation of dental instruments, environmental swabbing of clinical areas, and anaesthetic monitoring.
The new version of the standards that includes all the latest changes, and a separate document listing all the updates, are available to download here: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/practice-standards-scheme/additional-resources
Any questions from practices about the updates can be sent to the PSS team at pss@rcvs.org.uk
The company has set up the Group Veterinary Medical Board (GVMB) Research Fund to offer practical support and financial assistance.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Alistair Cliff (pictured right), said: "We introduced funding for research across our European Group at the beginning of this year and have been overwhelmed by the interest this has received. We understand the importance of these opportunities for professional development and also an individual’s job satisfaction.
“We believe it is incumbent upon us to increase this support for research to contribute to the advancement of knowledge, the development of our teams and our value as an employer. Ensuring our teams are content, with a diverse range of ways to develop, is important in allowing us to continue to attract the best people in the profession.
The GVMB Research Fund made its first awards in June 2021. Seven grants were provided to research teams from three countries – the UK, The Netherlands and France. In total, the funding will benefit some 21 researchers working as interns, residents, referral clinicians and specialists from a variety of different settings.
Chief Medical Officer Amanda Boag said: "It is incredibly satisfying to be able to provide support to our teams at critical points of their professional development. In some cases, funding has been provided to experienced researchers looking to contribute yet more to the understanding within their respective disciplines. In other examples, we have supported interns, who are at the very beginning of that journey and at a stage where funding can be difficult to secure.”
She added: “With additional interest from several general practitioners and nurses, the fund has quickly become a significant benefit to working for IVC Evidensia."
The GVMB also provides resources to guide teams on study design, ethical requirements, and statistical support. Less experienced researchers can access a network of Research Partners - a group of experienced clinicians from around Europe who have volunteered their own time to mentor colleagues through a collaborative approach to a project.
The story of ‘Spliff' the Staffy has clinched the title of the National Office of Animal Health nationwide search for the most striking ‘it shouldn't happen to a pet' anecdote.
Submitted by Vets4Pets in Grimsby, the practice will receive a prize of £500 towards the staff Christmas party.
In a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of animal health and welfare considerations amongst pet owners and potential owners, NOAH has recently launched the new Pet Health Information website (http://www.pethealthinfo.org.uk/) to enable them to make informed decisions about their pet's healthcare.
In Spliff's case, the website could have helped solve a number of queries.
For Spliff it all started with a visit to the vet for a minor operation to cure a simple earache.
The problems started as Spliff was about to leave the practice, with a shiny new bucket collar.
However, his owner explained that Spliff is a bit of a snappy dresser, and if it isn't bling, he's not interested. Despite the practice's advice, he insisted the collar was removed so he could take Spliff home to recover.
The very next day, the phone started ringing ‘Spliff's scratching his ear - we need a collar.' Far too busy to bring him round, the owner sent his girlfriend to pick it up.
Problem solved - surely? Nope. The phone continued to ring. Spliff was ‘going nuts!' Apparently the dog was unable to walk, and was getting very distressed.
Finally, after nearly 24 hours of increasingly frantic calls, Spliff's owner brought him in. He arrived insisting that the vet came out to the car, as Spliff still couldn't walk. Not a common side effect of a minor operation on the ear, so it was a worry.
All became very clear when the vet reached the car, the ear was healing up nicely, and Spliff's paralysis was easily solved. They had put his bucket collar on the wrong way round, and every time he took a step - his front feet got trapped in the collar.
Rather than collapse in a heap, Spliff, in one of the first sensible decisions of his life, chose not to move at all. Mystery duly solved, Spliff went on to make a full recovery.
Sounds like the owner should probably smoke a bit less of it.
Fourteen veterinary surgeons stood for election this year and 8,542 voted, a turnout of 24.5% of eligible voters. That compares with a turnout of 26.2% in 2020, 25.5% in 2019 and 22.7% in 2018.
Danny scored a total of 4,759 votes, leaving the other successful candidates Tshidi Gardiner, Colin Whiting and Louise Allum nevertheless trailing in his wake, with 3,228 votes, 2,957 votes and 2,368 votes respectively.
The VN Council election also had 14 candidates standing for one elected place, the other having been taken by Susan Howarth RVN who was automatically re-elected as the only candidate standing at the time of the original deadline in January.
Donna Lewis was elected with 404 votes from those cast by 2,341 veterinary nurses, which amounted to a turnout of 12.4% of eligible voters. That compares with a turnout of 17.1% in 2020, 14.5% in 2017 and 10.9% in 2016.
All of those elected to either RCVS or VN Councils will formally take up their seats at the RCVS Annual General Meeting on Friday 9 July 2021.
Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar and Returning Officer for both elections, said: “Thank you to all those who stood as candidates and all those who voted in this year’s elections, especially in view of all the extra demands on everyone’s time at the moment. Many congratulations to our five successful candidates with whom we look forward to working over the coming months and years.
“Even though the elections were held during the ongoing pandemic, the RCVS Council election still produced the third highest turnout on record, and turnout in both elections was above the average for those held over the last ten years.
“As always, we made concerted efforts to let people know about this year’s election, which included additional reminder emails sent on behalf of the RCVS by our election provider Civica Election Services, as well as regular email reminders and social media posts from the RCVS. We do, of course, always endeavour to improve turnout, and will continue to review this going forward.”
Photo: Left to right, Danny Chambers, Tshidi Gardiner, Colin Whiting and Louise Allum.
The company says it believes it is the first major veterinary business in the UK to make this promise.
As a result of the pledge, salaries for about a third of the pet emergency firm's 1280 employees, including receptionists and animal care assistants, are set to increase to at least £9.50 an hour from April.
Vets Now says it has made the pledge on the recommendation of the Living Wage Foundation, which offers independent advice to employers and says £9.30 is now the real cost of living, not the Government-set national living wage of £8.72 for people aged 25 and over.
Vets Now’s chief executive Mark Ross said: "Our people are our biggest asset and at the heart of everything we do. We want to properly recognise the vital role each and every one of them plays in the business.
"This move demonstrates our commitment to that. We are confident that by paying all of our staff a competitive hourly rate of at least 20p more than the real living wage we will achieve higher morale and lower turnover."
Animal care assistant, Jody Reynolds, who works in Vets Now out-of-hours clinic in Kirkcaldy, said: “It’s amazing that Vets Now has been able to increase salaries to not only meet but exceed the real living wage. The extra will really help towards the cost of everyday living and even allow a few luxuries."
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.
The College says the reforms will make for a clearer and more streamlined process, and offer an alternative, more compassionate way of resolving cases that might otherwise go to a full Disciplinary Committee hearing.
The College will now establish ‘Stage 1 Preliminary Investigation Committees (PICs)’ to replace the current Case Examiner Group stage of the concerns investigation process.
Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar, said: “Setting up Stage 1 PICs will streamline and clarify the early stages of the concerns investigation process and could also potentially, once sufficiently bedded in, reduce the amount of time taken for a number of cases.
“Currently, Stage 1 of a concerns investigation is carried out by a Case Examiner Group who determine if there is an ‘arguable case’ for serious professional misconduct before referring it on to the Preliminary Investigation Committee.
"However, under these reforms, the Stage 1 PICs will close cases where there is no realistic prospect of finding a case of serious professional misconduct.
"Where cases require formal statements and/or expert opinion they will be referred on to Stage 2 PIC to determine if, based on the additional evidence gathered, a case is serious enough to warrant referral to either the Charter Case Committee [see below], or a full, public Disciplinary Committee hearing.
“In essence this change means that there will be one consistent threshold of seriousness in all our investigations, meaning it is likely that fewer cases will be unnecessarily referred to Stage 2 of the process.”
The second reform involves the implementation of the new ‘Charter Case Protocol’ to provide an alternative way to resolve suitable cases meeting certain criteria which, though they meet the threshold to go to the Disciplinary Committee, it is considered that the public interest can still be served without a full hearing.
The ‘Charter Case Committee’ to which these cases will be referred will be able to issue written warning notices.
Eleanor added: “The establishment of the Charter Case Protocol and Committee is important for the RCVS in being able to get the balance right between upholding professional conduct standards and protecting animal health and welfare and public confidence in the professions, while also being a compassionate regulator.
“The type of cases we envisage being dealt with by the Committee are those where the conduct of the veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse has fallen far short of what is expected of them under the Code, but where there is no ongoing risk to animal welfare or public confidence, and where the level of insight and contrition about their conduct is such that it can be resolved without the need for an onerous, stressful and expensive Disciplinary Committee hearing.
"We estimate that the Charter Case Committee will deal with around 20 such cases per year.
“Of course, the most serious cases of professional misconduct, for example around dishonesty and criminality, will continue to be referred to Disciplinary Committee hearings.
“It is worth noting that Charter Case Protocol and Committee are working titles, describing the fact that we are implementing this process under the remit of our Royal Charter.
"RCVS Council has agreed that the name should be changed in due course to something that better reflects its function and remit."
Unlike the Disciplinary Committee, the Charter Case Committee will not issue to the press the full details of cases as a news article.
Instead, it will publish a warning notice on the RCVS website summarising the area of concern, the relevant sections of the Code that were breached and supporting guidance it referred to, and the reasons for issuing the warning.
These warning notices will remain on the RCVS website for a maximum of two years and will not change the registration status of the individual.
The College says that the reforms are likely to take some months to implement and it will be looking to recruit additional Preliminary Investigation Committee members in due course.
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.