An environmental photojournalist, Mr Gekoski has won various well-known wildlife photography awards and is regularly featured in the press, most recently for his book Animosity: Human - Animal Conflict in the 21st Century.
Aaron will join BVA President James Russell, Association of Veterinary Students (AVS) Senior Vice President Izzie Arthur and two other judges nominated by the competition sponsor iM3 Veterinary Dentistry. The BVA photography competition has already had over 200 entries for this year's award since it launched in January. Split into three categories, entrants are asked to focus on images that capture the human-animal bond in day-to-day veterinary work, as well as photos of pets or wildlife taken outside of the working environment.
Submissions for each category can be taken on a phone or a high-spec camera, and should take into account responsible animal interaction and positive animal health and welfare.
The three categories are:
Aaron said: “It's a huge honour to be a judge for the BVA Veterinary Photographer of the Year Award, the most prestigious photographic competition for the veterinary profession. The competition helps shine a light on the invaluable and relentless work carried out by vets around the world; work that may otherwise go unnoticed. I look forward to bringing my experience as an environmental photojournalist to the judging process."
The BVA Veterinary Photographer of the Year Award 2021 closes at 11.59 GMT on 8th March 2021. Winners will be announced in April. They will receive a £250 John Lewis voucher and their pictures exhibited by BVA.
Find out more and submit your entries at www.bva.co.uk/photo-comp
250 mainly menopausal-aged veterinary surgeons and nurses took part in the survey.
Over 80% said the menopause had affected their health. Nearly half said the impact on their mental health had been moderate to severe. Overall, 76% said they were concerned about the impact of the menopause on their health, life and work.
You can read the full survey report here.
The most commonly reported physical symptoms, affecting over three quarters of respondents, were fatigue, irritability and difficultly sleeping. Hot flushes, night sweats and joint pain were also very common. Anxiety was the most common mental health impact, with some individuals experiencing clinical depression and, rarely, suicidal ideation.
Workplace measures said to be helpful included flexible working, help with heavy lifting and provision of fans or air conditioning. Diary management to allow breaks, and openness and understanding amongst colleagues were also valued.
Liz Barton, editor of Veterinary Woman said: “As a predominantly female workforce, we cannot ignore the profound impact the menopause can have both on individuals and veterinary teams. The effects last for an average of seven years and impact a majority of women mid-career. As a profession we have an opportunity to lead this conversation as it’s beginning to open up across the wider media."
Awareness of the impact of menopause was wide-ranging across age categories, but averaged 4.3 out of 10 for those 40 years old and under, and increased to 7.4 out of 10 for those aged 41 and over. Even with relatively high levels of awareness among respondents, 90% said they would like to know more about the impacts from either personal and/or business and human resource perspectives.
SPVS President, Anna Judson (pictured right), said: “Having experienced the effects of the menopause working as a practice owner, I wish I had known more about the impact and that I was not alone in how I was feeling. It’s time to break these taboos, open up the conversation and put in place measures to mitigate the impacts. In so doing, we will not only help individuals to continue to thrive in their careers, but also help practices to retain experienced staff at this challenging time of life."
A free access webinar discussing menopause impacts and how to mitigate is available free at: https://www.veterinarywoman.co.uk/2020/11/menopause-and-the-effect-on-veterinary-professionals-and-teams/
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:
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.
Joii has announced that its free vet nurse consultations and £20 consultations with veterinary surgeons will now be available 24 hours a day. The out-of-hours service will be delivered by eight UK-trained vets based overseas in countries such as Australia, to ensure its UK-based staff continue to enjoy a healthy work-life balance with no interruptions from nighttime working.
Meanwhile FirstVet has announced that for the next six weeks, all consultations via its platform will be free of charge. Appointments will be available for five hours per day, from 12:00pm to 5:00pm.
Veterinary practices that wish to provide their own online consultations have a couple of options to consider: The Virtual Vet Group, and VetHelpDirect.
The new guidance, which can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/coronavirus, will gradually replace the current emergency guidance and aims to help veterinary practices begin a phased return to near-normal operations:
Alongside the College’s guidance, the BVA is also publishing guidance for practices on working safely as lockdown restrictions are eased. [www.bva.co.uk/coronavirus/]
RCVS President Mandisa Greene said: “None of us could have predicted quite what an extraordinary and extraordinarily challenging 12 months this has been for everyone.
"On behalf of the whole of RCVS Council, I would like to thank sincerely once again all our veterinary and veterinary nursing colleagues, and all those in practice teams around the UK, for their awe-inspiring commitment, adaptability, resilience and sheer hard work in continuing to provide essential veterinary services and look after the health and welfare of the nation’s animals, in what have been the most difficult of times.
“Whilst I sincerely hope that we are at last beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, if there is one thing we have learnt, it is that things can deteriorate rapidly if we don’t all continue to play our part and follow all relevant guidelines.
“I therefore urge my colleagues to continue to use their professional judgement and think very carefully about their gradual return to more normal working patterns over the coming weeks and months, according to their individual circumstances and the best interests of their teams, clients, and the animals they care for.”
RCVS Council has also agreed that the policy and guidance changes made in response to the pandemic over the past 12 months will now be reviewed, and decisions made as to whether to retain, amend or reverse them.
201 practices took part in the survey between 25th February and 4th March 2021. The main findings were:
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “Although this survey took place in the midst of the lockdown and before the schools re-opened, there were some positive results here around staffing and the financial situation for practices. Hopefully this will mean that, as the restrictions ease going from spring into summer, many practices and practice staff will be in a position to return to a near-normal level of service and business.
"There were, however, still a few areas of concern, some of which will hopefully be resolved by the forthcoming easing of restrictions, for example, the difficulty in obtaining independent witnesses for the destruction of controlled drugs, with some 34% of practices reporting difficulties, compared to 20% in December.
“Once again, I would like to thank all those practices who responded to this and previous surveys, and continue to provide invaluable evidence and feedback about the current state of veterinary practice.”
The full results of the survey can be downloaded at: www.rcvs.org.uk/publications
Time spent discussing the articles can be claimed towards the annual CPD requirement by pressing the ‘Claim CPD’ link at the top of the forum discussion thread.
The first article up for discussion is "Newborn resuscitation following dystocia or caesarean section", by Tom Towey MRCVS who will be joining us in the forum this week.
Tom is an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Emergency & Critical Care working at Vets Now in Manchester.
He graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2011, before spending 7 years at Petmedics Emergency Hospital in Manchester.
He gained his Advanced Practitioner status in Emergency and Critical Care in 2016 and joined Vets Now in 2018.
He now lectures on a wide variety of aspects of emergency care .
VetNurse.co.uk Clinical Editor Alasdair Hotston Moore said: “For veterinary nurses, I think this adds a really valuable extra dimension to your clinical reading. “It’s not just the opportunity to ask questions of the author, but also to discuss the implications and practicalities of the article amongst yourselves. VetNurse.co.uk Editor, Arlo Guthrie said: “More than that, it’s also in a closed professional community where you can be 100% confident of a friendly atmosphere and authoritative opinions with provenance. “And more even than that, the questions you ask and the discussion you have are then available as a useful, searchable resource for everyone in the profession.” So do come and join in. First read the article here: https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/newborn-resuscitation Then come and join the discussion here: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/001/veterinary-nurse-clinical/small-animal/f/misc-clinical-discussions/32369/new-clinical-article-club-newborn-resuscitation-following-dystocia-or-caesarean-section-with-tom-towey
The CertAVN was launched by the RCVS in May 2019 as an advanced professional qualification allowing veterinary nurses at all stages of their career to develop their professional skills and knowledge in specific areas.
The qualification, which can either be taken as a Level 6 graduate qualification or a Level 7 postgraduate qualification, is smaller and more focused than its predecessor, the Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing.
The other CertAVN providers are Harper Adams University, the University of Glasgow, the University of Central Lancashire in partnership with Myerscough College, and the Royal Veterinary College which has also recently added another pathway to its existing provision.
In total the five providers are offering 23 different CertAVN qualifications, including two with an equine focus.
Matthew Rendle, Chair of RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council, said: “It is fantastic that, in just a few short years after it was launched, we already have five educational institutions accredited to deliver the CertAVN across a wide range of subject matter, covering everything from anaesthesia & analgesia, to dentistry, to teaching, coaching and mentoring, to equine critical care.
“We have more providers on the horizon, as well as a Zoo, Exotics and Wildlife course that I am particularly excited about.
"This demonstrates that there is clearly a demand for the CertAVN courses which are very manageable and can fit around work and personal life, while also offering opportunities to develop a greater focus in designated areas of practice and the career opportunities that may offer.”
www.rcvs.org.uk/certavn
At a hearing in April Dr Johnston had admitted all the charges against him, which related fraudulent claims for the treatment of animals, two of which were fictitious, where he arranged for the insurance claims to be diverted and paid into a personal bank account.
Dr Johnston had admitted all the charges against him as well as admitting that his conduct was dishonest and amounted to serious professional misconduct.
Committee Chair Paul Morris said: “The Committee has no hesitation in concluding that the respondent’s dishonest conduct will have severely undermined the confidence of the public in the veterinary profession and, further, that his conduct fell far short of the standards and conduct properly to be expected of a member of the veterinary profession.
"The Committee is satisfied that this conduct by the respondent brought the profession into disrepute.”
The proceedings were then adjourned to allow a psychiatric report and other mitigation to be prepared.
At its resumed hearing on earlier this month, the Committee considered what sanction to impose.
The Committee found that aggravating features of his misconduct were that it was premeditated, carefully planned and sophisticated in that it involved the creation of numerous and extensive false clinical records to support his fraudulent claims.
It also considered the fact that he implicated an innocent professional colleague who worked alongside him at the practice, that he abused the trust placed in him by clients, that the dishonest conduct was repeated and that it involved significant financial gain in excess of £13,200 to be further aggravating features of his conduct
In terms of mitigation, the Committee accepted that he had made early admissions regarding his conduct to his employer and the College and accepted responsibility.
The Committee also heard that he had made attempts at remediation involving repayments of some of the sums lost by the practice and insurers.
It also considered positive testimonials from family and professional colleagues and the fact that Dr Johnston had taken significant steps to deal with the gambling addiction that was at the root cause of his misconduct.
Having considered all the evidence, the Committee decided to postpone its decision on sanction for a period of 2 years on the condition that Dr Johnston agree to undertakings including refraining from any form of gambling, subjecting himself to a close regime of support and supervision, and repaying some of the sums he had defrauded.
Paul added: “In reaching this conclusion the Committee wishes to make it clear that it has taken an exceptional course in this case.
"Ordinarily conduct of the type covered by the charges which this respondent has accepted will merit the imposition of a sanction of removal from the Register or a period of suspension from the Register.
"In this instance the Committee has found it possible to take the course that it has because it is satisfied that the respondent was, at the time, suffering from a recognisable psychiatric compulsive addiction… and that the fraudulent attempts by the respondent to obtain funds with which to gamble would not have occurred but for this psychiatric condition.
“The Committee further considers that the undertakings offered by the respondent will serve to reduce the risk that he will relapse into gambling again, for his conduct will be closely monitored and he will accept continuing support and guidance from the organisations currently assisting him.
“The Committee is also satisfied of the requirements that neither animals nor the public will be put at risk by this proposed course of action; that the respondent has demonstrated insight into the seriousness of his misconduct and that there is currently no significant risk of repeat behaviour; that his practicing standards are not in need of improvement so long as he continues to fulfil his CPD obligations; that the undertakings offered are capable of being met, are appropriate and are measurable; that there is evidence that his underlying medical problem is being appropriately addressed, will be monitored and reported on; and that he has responded positively to the opportunities for support and counselling which have been offered to him.”
If Dr Johnston fails to comply with his undertakings the Committee will reconvene and consider the charges with the full range of sanctions at its disposal.
www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
The programme includes more than 130 hours of CPD delivered by over 100 speakers from home and abroad, with talks for all members of the practice team.
The UK speakers include Rebecca Geddes on kidney medicine and nursing; Amy Newfield on IV access techniques; Rob White on brachycephalic surgery and acute abdomen surgical techniques; Penny Watson on liver disease; Dick White on the surgical team; Butty Villiers on cytology for vets and nurses; John Chitty on several rabbits, small furries and exotics topics.
BSAVA President, Professor Ian Ramsey, said: “Following months of meticulous planning we are thrilled that the programme is now live
"The sheer range and high quality of our speakers and content, together with our new, more dynamic format takes webinar learning to a new level."
“Delegates will be able to develop their skills and knowledge on topics they see regularly in practice. To make things even easier we will be providing practical resources such as client handouts for delegates to take back to their clinics. This, coupled with many speakers sharing their own notes and practical resources means less note-taking and a quicker and easier way for delegates to share what they have learnt with their colleagues.”
There will be three keynote speakers; Jenny Campbell, a former Dragon on BBC’s Dragon’s Den, will be sharing her experiences as an entrepreneur and business leader. Two other keynote names will be announced shortly.
On the social side the focus is on bringing people together online to share light-hearted entertainment and laughter. Delegates can exercise their taste buds with some wine and whisky appreciation, throw some shapes with a virtual disco, exercise their bodies as well as their minds with yoga and unwind with some restorative meditation practices.
Ian added: “This year’s BSAVA Congress is going to be the most innovative ever and deliver like never before. There is plenty of relevant and engaging CPD for every practice professional, with all the convenience of a virtual event. If you haven’t already taken a look at the programme and registered, I urge you to do so now. With prices starting at just £99 +VAT for members it represents really great value.”
To register now visit https://www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2021/en/page/home
The service will be headed by José C. Almansa Ruiz DVM (Hons) MSc (Vet) MRCVS.
José qualified from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 2008, before completing an honours degree in dentistry and maxillofacial surgery while working in an after-hours veterinary emergency hospital in Madrid.
In 2009, he relocated to South Africa where he undertook an internship in dentistry and maxillofacial surgery at the academic hospital of the faculty of veterinary science of the University of Pretoria. In 2011, he relocated to the UK and, in 2012, began the European Veterinary Dental College diploma.
In 2015, he returned to South Africa, working in referral hospitals, before being appointed as an extraordinary lecturer in veterinary dentistry and maxillofacial surgery at the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria in January 2018.
This summer, José will sit the exams to become a European Specialist in Veterinary Dentistry.
Tim Richardson, managing director of both Southfields and Davies, said: “We look forward to welcoming José to the teams at both Southfields and Davies. He brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in his field and is a highly-respected clinician.
"The launch of dentistry and maxillofacial services at our multi-disciplinary referral centres is another exciting addition and we’re looking forward to accepting referrals from colleagues across the profession as we continue to lead the industry in the breadth of treatments that we can now offer.”
José said: “I’m delighted to be joining the teams at Southfields and Davies, and my plan is to establish and really grow a dentistry and maxillofacial surgery service over the coming 12 months.
“I would like to start offering reconstruction techniques for those patients undergoing mandibulectomies, while I have been hoping for some time now to begin using 3D printing as part of the planning for big surgeries.
“We will be offering a very complete and advanced veterinary dentistry service. From the maxillofacial surgery point of view, fracture repair procedures will see the introduction of non-invasive techniques for repair of maxillomandibular fractures.
“Craniofacial trauma cases will be worked up more in-depth together with anaesthesia, diagnostic imaging, ophthalmology, critical care and neurology, which will offer a truly multidisciplinary approach.”
For more information, visit www.southfields.co.uk or vetspecialists.co.uk.
The case was seen by Tim Charlesworth, head of surgery, who shared details of the case.
The dog was a seven-month-old Jack Russell Terrier which had been referred suffering from urinary incontinence and preputial pruritus.
Tim said: “We believe this is the first reported case of complete unilateral duplication of the urinary tract in a dog presenting with incontinence.
“The dog concerned was born with a duplex or 'double’ left kidney. Each section of the left kidney drained urine via separate ureters into the prostate gland.
“Its urinary bladder was also divided into separate left and right compartments, each of which then drained through separate urethras that coursed through separate penises.
“The two penises were both stuck within a prepuce designed for one which, was causing the dog’s pruritus or ‘itching’ of the penis. The incontinence was caused by the left ectopic ureters.”
Tim was faced with the challenge of devising a surgical strategy that would resolve the dog’s clinical signs. He said: “The left kidney was severely dilated and was deemed to be non-functional and so the dog underwent surgery for the removal of the affected left kidney and ureters; the two halves of the bladder were united by ablation of the septum between these two cavities; the left urethra was transected and the left penis amputated to allow the right penis to have room to fully fit within the prepuce.”
Tim added: “The dog has now made a full recovery with full resolution of his clinical signs and is currently doing very well indeed. We are very pleased to have been involved with such an unusual case and are really happy that he continues to do so well.”
The case was recently written up by one of Eastcott’s interns, Mara Sprocatti, and it has now been published by Wiley Online Library in Veterinary Surgery, highlighting it as the first known case in the history of veterinary surgery.
The pads contain ophytrium and chlorhexidine at 3%. Ophytrium is a purified natural ingredient from Ophiopogon japonicus which, Ceva says, strengthens the mechanical skin barrier1, restores the balance of protective microbial flora2 and reduces irritation, while soothing the skin1. Chlorhexidine is both antibacterial and antifungal.
Ceva says that Douxo S3 Pyo pads, which come in packs of 30, provide antibacterial and antifungal efficacy within one minute and are free from soap, parabens, sulphates, phthalates, colourants and nanoparticles.
They are available in a new, hypoallergenic ‘summertime’ fragrance which pet owners liken to coconut and vanilla.
The pads add to the Douxo S3 Pyo range, which also consists of shampoo and a mousse.
Andrew Fullerton BVSc (Hons) MRCVS, product manager for Douxo S3 at Ceva said: "The new Douxo S3 range has been well received by both veterinary professionals and their clients since its launch, who find that the products are not only effective and well tolerated, but also easy-to-use. The Douxo S3 Pyo pads will enhance this range by offering an easy-to-administer antiseptic action while hydrating and maintaining the skin’s ecosystem.”
For further information, contact cevauk@ceva.com, your local territory manager or visit https://www.douxo.com/uk/Pet-Skin-Care/douxo-s3.
References
Research conducted by the PDSA in 2017 found that 75% of dogs had received a primary vaccination course when young, which dropped to 72% in 2019. According to the BSAVA, it's the first time that vaccination rates have seen a sustained drop over a three year period since vaccinations were first introduced to the UK in the '60s.
The project, titled 'A mixed methods approach to quantifying and characterising vaccine uptake and vaccine hesitancy in UK companion animals' will combine quantitative analysis of existing data from electronic health records with qualitative approaches. It will include interviews and focus-group discussions with vets and owners to gain an in-depth understanding of patterns of uptake of vaccination in UK.
Experiences, perceptions and behaviours around uptake of vaccination and the rise of vaccine hesitancy in UK pet owners will also be investigated.
Dr Gina Pinchbeck, project leader at the University of Liverpool said: “Vaccination is a vital component of preventive healthcare and it is well acknowledged that sub-optimal vaccination uptake may be associated with re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases in populations.
“It is essential that we understand the reasons for vaccine hesitancy in the pet population so that we can use the best methods to promote vaccine acceptance and uptake and this will be the primary focus of the study.”
The study will include the development of a knowledge and dissemination strategy, in association with PetSavers and BSAVA. This will include a project website, publication of scientific research and other articles for both practicing veterinary surgeons and for pet-owners, press releases, conference presentations and public-engagement presentations.
BSAVA President Professor Ian Ramsey added: “This project will be of great value to the veterinary profession and continues the co-operation between BSAVA and the University of Liverpool to build on the successes of the original SAVSNET partnership.”
For information on how to apply for the PhD, contact Dr Gina Pinchbeck (ginap@liverpool.ac.uk).
Reference
The BetterwithPets Prize invites entries from entrepreneurs whose work focuses on the power of the pet human bond and whose efforts are helping to transform society. Purina runs the prize in collaboration with Ashoka, a pioneer in the field of social entrepreneurship.
StreetVet was shortlisted from 150 applicants from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Its Accredited Hostel Scheme offers free, accessible veterinary care for pets whose owners are experiencing homelessness and support for hostel managers and staff to adopt and implement positive pet policies.
Jade Statt, co-founder of StreetVet said: “Discovering a competition that celebrates the importance of the human animal bond felt like fate, one the StreetVet team felt compelled to enter. We are so delighted that we did! Going through this process has been really enlightening and we are beyond pleased that our project has reached the final, it is a real privilege."
The finalists will take part in an online pitch on 3rd June 2020, following which, Bernard Meunier, CEO, Nestlé Purina PetCare EMENA will announce the winners.
Mary Sharrock, External Relations Director, Purina, said: "The work StreetVet do is simply amazing and I’m delighted they’ve made the shortlist. Throughout the selection process for the BetterwithPets Prize, we found ourselves inspired by so many of the initiatives which harnessed the pet-human bond in such innovative ways and create positive changes in communities."
The conference, which was held on 23rd May, brought together over 360 veterinary professionals for online sessions which provided them with a range of wellbeing tools to improve their mental and physical wellbeing.
The organisers say that in addition to delivering wellbeing CPD, they aimed to create community and connection. Co-organiser, vet Nat Scroggie, said: "The conference app platform was chosen for delegates to feel included and network freely with one another and session leaders. With over 2400 messages on the community board and 400 photos uploaded the feedback we’ve had about how positive the experience was for delegates has gone beyond our hopes. We’ve seen new working groups forming and a genuine sense of camaraderie around current challenges."
WellVet has reopened ticket sales which give access to session recordings and the conference community app until May 2021. Tickets are £55, discounted to £15 for students and year 1 graduates, available at: https://www.wellvet.co.uk/tickets. The box office will close on 30th August 2020.
BVA’s advice comes as the four nations of the UK launch contact tracing programmes to move from blanket lockdown restrictions to a more targeted approach, in line with strategies to ease lockdown restrictions.
Although slightly different across the UK, each programme will ask those who test positive for coronavirus to identify people they have been in recent contact with and those people will be contacted and asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
Relevant contact appears to be spending more than 15 minutes within two metres of another person or being in direct face-to-face contact (less than one metre) with them. At present, the schemes are voluntary, but may become mandatory at a later stage.
Northern Ireland: Test, trace, isolate, supportEngland: NHS Test and TraceScotland: Test and ProtectWales: Test Trace Protect
Employees in self-isolation are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay for every day they are in isolation, as long as they meet the eligibility conditions. Further roll out of testing may enable people to return to work sooner that 14 days if they receive a negative test.
BVA President Daniella Dos Santos said: "The next step in the Covid-19 response is shifting to a more targeted approach, but it’s clear that this could have a very significant impact on individual veterinary practices if a member of the team tests positive. The nature of veterinary work means we are in close contact with our colleagues in order to work safely with animals.
“Many veterinary teams will be understandably anxious about the impact on their ability to staff a full rota to maintain 24/7 care. And there are significant concerns about the impact on animal health and welfare if practices are unable to provide veterinary services.
"Our advice is to continue working in fixed pairs or small teams as much as possible to reduce your contact with different individuals and continue to practise good hygiene and biosecurity.
"We continue to ask neighbouring practices to work together to support those impacted by self-isolation and ensure full geographical cover for veterinary services.
"We recognise some veterinary professionals will be worried, but we urge everyone to comply with the contact tracing programmes."
The panel is an international coalition of experts who come from different professional backgrounds but who all specialise in some form in the mental wellbeing of cats.
The purpose of the panel is to help those working and caring for cats in all the various settings to understand their behavioural, emotional and cognitive capabilities and needs in order to be able to promote their mental wellbeing and ultimately protect their welfare.
Such settings include people’s homes, in catteries, in veterinary clinics, and in homing centres and on the streets. Through the sharing of initiatives and information in a confidential space, iCatCare says this will be a collaborative effort that will advance the accepted understanding and common practices in a way that would be impossible to do individually.
CEO, Claire Bessant (pictured right) said: "By working together, gaining input from great people and enabling all those who work with cats to grow their expertise, iCatCare can deliver on its mission to create a world in which each cat’s life experience will be as good as it can be’. For more information about the Feline Wellbeing Panel, visit: https://icatcare.org/about/our-expert-panel
The 'Tea-Time Training' webinar will be led by Animalcare’s Senior Veterinary Manager, Felicity Caddick.
Tea-Time Training was launched by Animalcare in April to support veterinary surgeons and nurses keep up their CPD. The webinars are short, free, refresher-style training sessions, designed to be enjoyed over a cup of tea.
Animalcare Product Manager James Beaumont said: “A missing microchipped pet is much more likely to be reunited with its owner than an animal which has not been microchipped. National Microchipping Month is a great opportunity for practices to remind clients of the benefits of microchipping and, in doing so, to strengthen their relationships with clients – relationships which are even more important given the difficult times we’re living through.”
To register for ‘4 Essentials for Successful Microchipping’, visit https://mailchi.mp/animalcare/tea-time-training.
According to the charity, the fire broke out in an adjacent building in the early hours of the morning and caused considerable damage before it was put out by the fire brigade.
Luckily, the building was unoccupied at the time and nobody was hurt.
Structural damage was caused to the building and the charity reports that much of its office contents were damaged or destroyed by fire, smoke or water, including its servers.
However, because of coronavirus, the charity had already put systems in place to operate remotely, so it expects to continue service more or less as normal.
Probably the most noticeable part of the upgrade is the work we've done to make the site more mobile-phone friendly. But there are also a load of new features, including leaderboards so the most active contributors to the site can be rewarded, a group-based structure so that members can focus on their area of interest, more options for sharing content with colleagues and a brand new format designed especially for veterinary professionals, called the VetNurse Expert Help Forums. Mobile and desktop notifications of new content are also in the pipeline.
All of this builds on VetNurse.co.uk's existing strengths: providing the most popular job board for the veterinary nursing profession (made free of charge to support the profession during the pandemic) and the latest veterinary nursing news.
But it's the VetNurse Expert Help Forums we're most excited about, as they overcome the problems involved with discussing clinical issues on Facebook. The biggest of these is that Facebook gives everyone's opinion equivalence. In other words, it matters not whether you're the country's leading expert in something, or someone who really doesn't know what they are talking about, your post and your opinion is given the same level of prominence. That is fundamentally misleading.
Other problems inherent in Facebook are the fact that good quality replies get drowned in a sea of 'me too' responses, information is poorly curated, there is a lack of transparency because Facebook is not designed to highlight your professional qualifications, and experts get little or no recognition or reward for giving up their time and sharing their knowledge.
The VetNurse Expert Help Forums are designed to overcome all these issues. The concept is simple. Any veterinary nurse can come and ask a clinical question about any of thirteen nursing disciplines. But ONLY veterinary nurses and others who have advanced qualifications or experience can reply. When they do, you can verify their post as answering your question, which awards them points on a leaderboard and allows them to display a logo and contact details in their post (so they get recognition for their business or their employer).
What's more, both the person asking the question and the expert can claim the time spent towards their annual CPD requirement. Just press the 'Claim CPD' link at the top of the page and collect your certificate from the CPD section of your profile.
In due course, there will also be prizes for the most helpful experts and the best questions.
The system is already up and running on VetSurgeon.org, where it has proven very popular because it means members can ask questions without fear of having their question savaged, and know that the answers have come from people with advanced qualifications displayed in their profiles.
The VetNurse Expert Help Forums will be rolled out discipline-by-discipline in the coming weeks. We're currently looking for more nurses to become VetNurse Experts, so if you're interested, email: support@vetnurse.co.uk. The minimum requirements for being an expert are an advanced qualification and/or at least 10 years experience in a given field.
If you are a teacher at veterinary nursing college or a training practice, being VetNurse Expert is a great way to promote your courses or recruit new staff. Likewise if you are a nurse working in industry, it's a good way to highlight your employer's products or services. And finally, if you offer your own services, like referrals or locuming, it's a great way to promote those too.
Finally, we'll also be offering prizes for nurses who contribute to the normal discussion forums on VetNurse.co.uk. So come and get talking in the forums ... and get your name on the new leaderboard early!
Photo: VetNurse Publishing Editor Arlo Guthrie (Sorry, I couldn't think of anything else to illustrate the story with!)
One set of guidelines deals with intoxication from pyrethrins commonly found in flea control products or ant powders, whilst the other covers macrocyclic lactone poisoning which most often occurs due to accidental ingestion of large animal anthelmintic products.
Both intoxications are commonly associated with severe neurological symptoms.
Will Peel, Product Manager at TVM UK said: "Our guidelines have proved very useful to veterinary staff and we have received requests from vets to add new guidelines for antiparasiticide intoxications. Our focus is on helping veterinary staff provide the best possible care for their patients so we hope that these new guidelines will prove beneficial."
The guidelines can be downloaded free from https://www.tvm-uk.com/vet-resource-library.
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 association says it had been contacted by a number of its members, exhibitors and speakers to express concerns about their health and safety if they attended this year’s event. Others said their employers were not allowing them to travel to external events until after Christmas.
The final decision to call off the event was due to the continued uncertainty facing large-scale events.
However, the BVNA says it now plans a virtual event to replace Congress, which will include first-class keynote speakers, interactive workshops, live interviews, themed virtual networking, and evening social quizzes.
The event will be free for BVNA members to take part but open to all.
BVNA President Jo Hinde said: "This is the first time that the BVNA have not been able to hold our congress and it was an exceptionally sad decision to have to make, however it is vital that we play our part in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and put public safety first.
"However, we cannot let the occasion pass without marking it hence offering a weekend that celebrates all things vet nurse!
"Our congress has always been about more than just high quality CPD: it’s where the BVNA family get together with friends – old and new.
"We understand just how isolated and exhausted the veterinary community are feeling right now, and how this has negatively affected individual’s mental health. As such, we want to provide an online space to facilitate those catch ups, hear from inspiring speakers and most of all…have fun!
"I am very excited about the new event and hope vet nurses and the wider veterinary community can join us for what promises to be a fabulous time."
FirstVet says the funding will enable it to expand its service globally, including the United States, Germany, and France. It will also allow it to continue developing its product and introduce new features to improve the experience for pet owners and vets, such as new automation tools and integration with clinics' existing systems.
The latest round of financing takes FirstVet’s total funding to-date to €24.5M.
Founded in 2016 in Sweden, FirstVet currently has a presence in five markets: the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and its native Sweden. The company says it has over 200,000 registered users and has provided consultations for over 150,000 pets since launch.
Currently, FirstVet consultations are offered free to millions of owners through partnerships with 20 insurance companies across all markets, including Bought By Many in the UK.
Co-founder David Prien said: "FirstVet is the first truly neutral stakeholder in the world to coordinate pet care. In what is a highly privatised industry, our reliable service provides value to the entire sector, and we are growing at an incredible rate."