Casco Pet has launched CareKennels, a new veterinary clinical housing range designed to provide an accessible, cost-competitive and quieter alternative to stainless-steel cages.

The new line incorporates integrated sound-dampening materials to reduce noise both within and outside the kennels both for the patients and clinical teams.

It also features a proprietary antibacterial polymer and toughened safety-glass doors, which Casco says improve biosecurity and support more efficient cleaning protocols. 

According to Casco, testing has shown CareKennels take around 40% less time to clean than stainless-steel cages.

Casco Pet CEO Matthew Bubear said: "CareKennels bring together many of the strengths our products are known for - design quality, thoughtful construction and a wellness-first approach - while offering an accessible option for clinics looking to improve their housing standards."

"Creating calmer, more comfortable spaces for patients supports better clinical outcomes as well as contributing to a more positive working environment for veterinary professionals."

https://cascopet.com 

VetSurgeon understands that a major corporate veterinary group is preparing a workaround to the Competition and Market Authority’s proposed £21 cap on prescription charges, according to internal documents seen by this publication.

The documents, provided to VetSurgeon by a whistleblower from within IVC, reveal the company's plans to stop issuing prescriptions and replace them with a new Pre-Scription service.

IVC Pre-Scriptions will include:

• A calligraphy-style prescription “suitable for presentation to external pharmacies”
• A velvet presentation folder
• A complimentary treat for the patient
• A framed photograph of the veterinary surgeon who issued the prescription

VetSurgeon understands that Pre-Scriptions will be charged at £85.68

The whistleblower also shared a draft public price list which the company is said to be preparing in anticipation of the CMA’s proposed requirement for practices to publish pricing information online.

The leaked price list includes entries for first consultations, repeat consultations, out-of-hours consultations, nurse consultations, nail clipping, anal gland expression, microchipping, animal health certificates, primary and booster vaccinations, kennel cough vaccination, pet care plans, prescription and dispensing fees, dental work, neutering procedures, physiotherapy, laser therapy, diagnostic imaging, blood tests, euthanasia and cremation.

At first glance, many of the prices shown in the draft appear surprisingly low.

Among the figures listed are:

• First consultation: £5

• Repeat consultation: £4

• Nurse consultation: £3

• Nail clipping: £1

• Anal gland expression: £2

• Microchipping: £2

• Booster vaccination: £2

• MRI scan (per body part): £7

• CT scan (per body part): £6

VetSurgeon contacted Intrepid Veterinary Care for comment.

Company spokesperson Dr Flora Olip MRCVS said the group was “committed to embracing the spirit of transparency while continuing to innovate in client experience”.

She said: “The proposed CMA remedies create an important opportunity for veterinary businesses to present pricing clearly and consistently. We believe pet owners deserve not only transparent pricing, but also choice.

“The Pre-Scription offer is not a prescription fee.

"It is a wider premium service built around documentation, presentation and client convenience, within which a prescription may be provided.”

The leaked document also included indicative pricing for procedures not listed on the CMA-mandated price list, including TPLO surgery, which is listed at 'fixed cost price' of £4,475,000.

Dechra Academy has added four new modules to its free 'Not One More Vet' mental health training course for veterinary professionals. 

The course, which has been produced as part of Dechra's collaboration with Not One More Vet, is presented by vets who specialise in mental health counselling.

The four new topics are: client communication: the human side of veterinary medicine; professional identity development for students and recent graduates; executive function management and mental health; and the science of mindfulness.

https://academy.dechra.com/learn/catalog/view/502 

The BSAVA has released the 12th edition of its Small Animal Formulary Part A: Canine and Feline, and Part B: Exotic Pets, with updated drug monographs, prescribing details and added reference material.

The drug monographs in Part A were revised and updated by the Editorial Panel during 2025, and new monographs include citalopram, enflicoxib, ilunocitinib and verdinexor.

Part A also denotes drugs available as extemporaneous products, also called "veterinary specials", as VSP in the formulations section of the monographs.

Additional content in Part A includes information on drugs used for the management of urinary incontinence, while the Appendix now includes a seizure algorithm, guidance on supplements and nutraceuticals, and expanded information on contrast agents.

There are also 7 new client information leaflets in Part A, including bezafibrate, chloramphenicol, clomipramine and memantine.

Part B covers mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, and its drug monographs were reviewed and updated by the Editorial Panel during 2025 under Editor-in-Chief Joanna Hedley.

New monographs in Part B include afoxolaner, atorvastatin and danofloxacin, and emergency drug doses for rabbits, rodents, ferrets, birds and reptiles have been added to the inside front cover.

Part B also adds Appendix information on barium and iodinated contrast agents for diagnostic imaging, and includes client information leaflets on inhaled medications, injectable medications, oral medications, topical ear medications and topical eye medications.

Additional information on proprietary fish medicines and drug doses for different species of British wildlife, including badgers, deer, foxes and hedgehogs, is available via the BSAVA library.

Eligible BSAVA members will receive a printed copy of Part A: Canine and Feline as part of their membership from April 2026 onwards, while all BSAVA members will have access to the online version via the BSAVA library and the BSAVA app from mid-April.

Printed copies are available for £37.70 for BSAVA members and £58.00 for non-members.

https://bsavaportal.bsava.com/s/store#/store/browse/cat/a0w8d000000Mh3FAAS/tiles 

Forte Healthcare has announced that Reconcile (fluoxetine), its treatment for separation anxiety in dogs, is now back in stock in all veterinary wholesalers in the UK.

The company says that recent supply issues have been due to 'incredible' demand for Reconcile since it was launched in the UK in 2022, which greatly surpassed expectations.

Dr Lucy Chadwick, Head of Technical Services & Marketing at Forte Healthcare Ltd said: “We realise that the recent supply issues have been very inconvenient so we thank all of our customers for their patience and support during this challenging time.

"We are confident that our supply issues to date have been resolved and that we have enough stock going forward to meet market demand.“

www.reconcilefordogs.com

Newly-invested RCVS President, Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS, has announced that her focus for this year will be on widening access to the veterinary profession to those from different socioeconomic, ethnic and religious groups.

She said: “My theme will be focussed on recruitment and particularly widening participation, as one of the three themes of the RCVS Workforce Action Plan.

"I want to get out during my presidential year and talk to school children and teachers, especially head teachers at their conferences, to make them aware of the opportunities that are available to a veterinary science graduate.

“I want to continue to work with the Veterinary Schools Council’s Widening Participation Vet Schools Network to make school children from all backgrounds aware, whether they are from a large, single-sex private school, or a mixed-faith inner-city comprehensive, that veterinary science is accessible to them. 

“A veterinary science degree equips graduates with the appropriate skillset to follow a myriad of different career paths.

"For example, in clinical practice caring for people’s beloved pets or working with farmers to produce high-welfare food in an economical and sustainable way. Not to mention groundbreaking research into human and animal diseases, public health to help safeguard food security, the pharmaceutical industry to develop new and innovative treatments, and the armed forces to maintain the health and welfare of military working animals. I could go on. 

“As professions, and this means not just veterinary surgeons but veterinary nurses, we need to get out there and sell ourselves to the wider public.

"We have made a start, but we need to become more inclusive and diverse.

"We need to do some myth-busting about the real requirements needed to be a vet or vet nurse.

"There is no doubt you do need to have good A levels to study veterinary medicine, but, beyond that, bright students from any background can join our professions.

"You can be a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse if you are black or white; Muslim or Christian; and from any socioeconomic background.”

Sue's speech is available to read in full at www.rcvs.org.uk/features.

Former vet Warwick Seymour-Hamilton, who was removed from the Register in 1994, has had his eleventh attempt at restoration rejected by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton was removed from the Register after his Kent practice was found to have unhygienic and unsterile conditions as well as poor record keeping, although he has always disputed this, maintaining that he was not actually practising at the time of the inspection. 

Mr Seymour-Hamilton made an application for restoration on the basis that he did not want to be restored to the Register in order to practise veterinary surgery, but so that he could more easily achieve recognition from academics and drug companies for his work on herbal and natural remedies.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton's dispute over the original findings of the 1994 case was ruled inadmissible.

In considering his application, the Committee took into account the fact that he had not accepted the original findings from 1994 nor had he, over the course of his various applications for restoration, shown any insight into his original conduct or the serious concerns about his fitness to practice raised in previous restoration hearings.

It also considered that Mr Seymour-Hamilton had been off the Register for 29 years and would need to have demonstrated prolonged, intensive and formal training to ensure he met the Day One Competences required of a veterinary surgeon.

The College submitted that he had made no such attempts and so would pose a significant risk to animal health and welfare if he were allowed to practice again.

The Committee also considered that Mr Seymour-Hamilton had indicated that he had practised veterinary surgery while off the Register – including conducting two spay procedures in Calais, France – and had used his own animals to try out new and untested ‘herbal remedies’.

The College submitted that this indicated someone who didn’t have due regard to the importance of the current level of skills, experience and qualifications required in order to undertake veterinary surgery competently, and therefore posed a risk to animal health and welfare.

Dr Kathryn Peaty MRCVS, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The College invited the Committee to consider that where, as here, some 29 years have passed since this veterinary surgeon has practised, there has been no intensive, and prolonged re-training, no acceptance of the original findings and no insight into concerns about his fitness to practise, there will inevitably be a serious risk to the welfare of animals and the wider public interest if the applicant is restored to the Register.

The Committee agrees, and considers that the applicant has not shown the required insight as to the steps he needs to take to return to safe veterinary practice.”

Accordingly, the Committee decided that it would not be in the public interest to restore Mr Seymour-Hamilton to the Register.

www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

The BVA has launched a new menopause hub to support members of the veterinary professions affected by menopause and keep more vet nurses in the profession.

Evidence given to the Women and Equalities parliamentary committee by BUPA last year suggested that 900,000 women may have left the UK workforce in recent years as a result of menopausal symptoms.

With the veterinary profession increasingly female in composition it is hoped that the hub will support more women to stay in the profession and therefore retain their vital skills in the workforce.

Statistics from the Voice of the Veterinary Profession Spring 2023 survey showed that only 14% of vets are aware of a menopause policy at their workplace, while 46% say there is no policy and 39% are unsure.

The survey also revealed that only 59% of vets would feel confident supporting a colleague experiencing menopause.

The new menopause hub provides veterinary specific menopause content to support everyone working in practice including colleagues, managers and partners of people experiencing menopause.

BVA recently signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge – committing to take positive action to make sure everyone experiencing menopause is supported - and is now urging other veterinary employers to do the same.

British Veterinary Association Junior Vice President Anna Judson, said: “We know that menopause is of growing importance to our profession, with female vets now making up more than half the workforce, and we know that issues with managing menopause symptoms prompt a significant number of women to move away from clinical work.

“As part of our Good Veterinary Workplaces campaign we’re committed to supporting all veterinary staff affected by menopause, allowing them to remain in post, and to providing relevant resources to improve employer engagement in this area.

"We urge all veterinary workplaces to sign the pledge and consider what more they could be doing to support their staff in managing menopause symptoms in the workplace.”

 BVA members experiencing menopause are also eligible for 3 months free access to the Stella app, which includes a personalised plan to manage your specific symptoms, real-life coach support, menopause resources, progress tracking, and a supportive community.

Content on the Stella app is created in collaboration with a range of clinicians and healthcare professionals and goes through a rigorous fact-checking and review process.

https://www.bva.co.uk/menopause-hub

North Downs Specialist Referrals (NDSR) in Surrey is pioneering the use of Neuromed Invetra, a new spinal stabilisation system which uses screws rather than bone cement.

Dr Guillaume Leblond, an American specialist in veterinary neurology at NDSR said: “Traditionally, bone cement has been used to provide support and stabilisation when treating veterinary spinal instability cases.

“Polyaxial pedicle screws have proven a very reliable and efficient way of treating such spinal problems in human medicine.

“These special screws can be inserted in the vertebrae and connected to strong metal rods instead of bone cement and we’re now very excited to be offering this new service to our patients.

“The main advantage to this cutting-edge procedure is its flexibility.

"Once cement is set in place it is obviously very hard to move, manipulate or remove should you need to adjust or correct.

“With the metal rod and screw system, it is more adaptable and you can adjust it far more easily and quickly.

“It may also be less prone to infection compared to cement, which has been known to harbour bacteria sometimes causing infections several years after the surgery.

"Another hope we have for this system is that it will be less prone to failure compared to cement, especially on extended stabilisation constructs.

Guillaume added: “The neurology team at NDSR has been training in applying this new system as soon as it became available and we have already used it to treat two dogs, both of them having surgery on the same day.

“One was a golden retriever treated by my colleagues Rodolfo Cappello (head of neurology) and Natalie West (neurology resident), and the other was a whippet under my care.

"They were two very different sizes of dog but both operations went well.

“We are grateful to OrthomedTM, the company manufacturing the stabilization system, provided all necessary details to plan the surgeries as precisely as possible.

“We also collaborated with Vet3DTM to create patient specific 3D printed guides to ensure the precise placement of screws and it proved a great solution in both cases.”

“Admittedly, it is still early days for the introduction of this new spinal stabilisation system but we are optimistic it will prove a significant advancement in treating many spinal problems.”

www.ndsr.co.uk

Hampshire-based Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists (SCVS) has announced its programme of free and paid-for CPD sessions for veterinary surgeons and nurses in 2023.

The programme covers everything from diagnostic imaging and ophthalmic emergencies to practical nursing skills and using echocardiography to help with day-to-day decision-making in practice.

SCVS says the programme has been made possible by the addition of a new lecture theatre during SCVS’s recent expansion, which was supported by the hospital's owners IVC Evidensia.

Stephen Collins, SCVS Hospital Director and IVC Evidensia’s National Cardiology Lead, said: “We’re proud to announce one of the UK’s most comprehensive CPD programmes and share the vast knowledge that our specialist team has with the rest of the veterinary community.

“Our programme is packed full of informative and practical sessions that everyone can benefit from - whether that’s specialist skill development or improving everyday advice and practices in clinic.”

A full list of CPD events is available here: https://www.ivcevidensiareferrals.com/events-and-cpd.

www.scvetspecialists.co.uk

Petplan has announced the finalists for this year's Veterinary Awards. 

This year, there have been over 30,000 nominations for the awards. 

The finalists this year are:

Vet Nurse of the Year
Caroline Jones, Battle Flatts Veterinary Surgery, York
Helen Rooney, Pet Blood Bank, Loughborough
Lesley Ramsey (pictured right), Debenham Veterinary Practice, Stowmarket 

Vet of the Year
Andrew Hayes, Towcester Equine Vets, Towcester
Clare McCabe (pictured right), Claymill Veterinary Clinic, Cookstown
Laurence Behrens, Goddard Veterinary Group, Dagenham

Practice Support Staff of the Year
Rhiannon Lewis, Streatham Hill Vets, Streatham
Laura Cameron, Lomond Veterinary Clinic, Helensburgh
Louise O’ Reilly, Vets4Pets, Llanrumney 

Practice Manager of the Year
Kristen Lorimer, Blue House Veterinary Centre, Stoke-on-Trent
Louise Newman, Blue Cross Vets, Merton
Nicki Ridgeway, Vets4Pets, Ridgeway

Practice of the Year
Hollybank Veterinary Centre, Northwich
Lanes Vets, Poulton
Milfeddygon Williams Vets, Gwynedd 

The awards will be hosted at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Manchester on 23rd March.

Bella von Mesterhazey, Sales & Marketing Director at Petplan, said: “This year’s finalist line-up includes an outstanding array of veterinary professionals and practices, and Petplan is delighted to be celebrating the highest achievements in pet healthcare once again." 

Vets Now has opened bookings for its Emergency and Critical Care Congress, taking place on Thursday 9th and Friday 10th November 2023 at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.

Dr Stephen Hearns, a consultant in aeromedical retrieval (human) medicine, who delivers pre-hospital critical care for major trauma patients, will open Congress as the keynote speaker.

He'll also present a limited-seat session where he’ll focus on performance under pressure.

Joining Stephen in the speaker line up are Simon Cook from the RVC, Megan Brashear from Purdue University Veterinary Hospital, Tim Travail, Chloe Fay, Dan Tipney, Jenny Guyat, Ashton Hollworth and Dr Craig Joyce, an educational psychologist who will be offering his insights into dealing with imposter syndrome.

Racheal Marshall, RVN and head of clinical nursing at Vets Now, teamed up with Simon Hagley, ECC specialist at Vets Now hospital in Manchester, to create this year's veterinary and nursing programmes for Congress.

She said: “We have carefully tailored our programme again this year to provide an inclusive learning experience for vets and vet nurses no matter what stage they’re at in their career, from students through to specialists and everything in between.

"The biggest change this year, in our 20th year of running the ECC Congress, is an entire day dedicated to advanced referral nursing, and a very hands on approach during all the CPD and practical workshops.”

This year, participants will have the opportunity to follow a trauma case from arrival to departure on the first day of Congress, gaining real-time insights into the decision-making process and management strategies.

On day two, speakers will delve into lessons learned, allowing attendees to deepen their understanding of emergency and critical care practices 

Simon said: “Get ready for a fantastic speaker line-up, an array of workshops and learning experiences, a bustling exhibition hall and more opportunities than ever for veterinary and nursing delegates to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. 

"Brace yourselves to absorb knowledge and tips from some of the world’s leading veterinary experts discussing emergency and critical care.”

The ECC Congress programme for 2023 is open to veterinary professionals of all levels, including veterinarian surgeons, vet nurses, students and graduates.

Tickets range in price from £50+ VAT for exhibition-only tickets, up to £520+ VAT for a vet to attend for 2 days plus the Gala dinner.

https://www.vets-now.com/congress/