The RCVS Day held last Friday saw the investiture of Professor Stuart Reid as the new President for 2014/15, the formal adoption of a new Royal Charter that recognises veterinary nurses, and a smorgasbord of awards.

Professor Reid, who graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987, began by outlining three things he wants to pursue during his term in office:

• To continue to push forward with improvements to the governance of the RCVS in light of the success of the Legislative Reform Order last year and its changes to the composition of the Preliminary Investigation and Disciplinary Committees.
• To further the amount of work the College does on a global stage, including the possibility of the RCVS helping to set standards of veterinary education outside of the United Kingdom.
• To look at the possibility of veterinary graduates being able to use the title 'Doctor' based on their registerable degree, as is the case in some other countries.

Jacqui Molyneux then stood down as Vice-President, replaced by Dr. Bradley Viner, who in turn was replaced as Treasurer by Amanda Boag.

After approving of the minutes of last year's RCVS Day and the Annual Report and Statement of Accounts for 2013, members of the College were then asked to vote on a motion to adopt the new Royal Charter. The motion, which was proposed by Professor Reid and seconded by Robin Hargreaves, President of the BVA, was passed unanimously. The proposed new Charter was delivered to the Privy Council that afternoon. According to the College, approval should be given later this year or early next.

Introducing the new Charter, Professor Reid said it would better define the objects of the College, provide a clear framework for the existing functions of the RCVS and give Council the power to create new classes of associate.

However, the greatest impact of the new Charter will surely be felt by veterinary nurses, as it formally recognises them as professionals and associates of the College for the first time. Professor Reid said: "Words like 'historic' should be used sparingly, but on this occasion it is justified. We now have some 12,000 veterinary nurses on the books, nine-tenths of them being registered veterinary nurses. Yet the present Charter does not so much as mention their existence.

"The new Charter gives the RCVS a formal duty to keep the Register of Veterinary Nurses and makes the Veterinary Nurses Council responsible for setting standards for their training, education and conduct."

After adopting the Charter, David Bartram, Mandisa Greene and Susan Paterson were formally welcomed on to Council. Amber Richards was welcomed onto VN Council, which Neil Smith is also joining. 

Outgoing President, Neil Smith, then conferred a range of awards including:

• The new Queen's Medal to Des Thompson OBE, a distinguished veterinary surgeon from Northern Ireland and past-President of the RCVS and several other organisations, including the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) and the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS).
• Honorary Fellowships to pathologist Andrew Holliman, Professor Maxwell Murray, Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow, and Donald Rutty, a former president of the Laboratory Animal Veterinary Association.
• Fellowships by Meritorious Contributions to Learning were awarded to Dr Alan Conley for his research on comparative reproductive endocrinology, and Dr Robert Hanna for his research into certain digenetic tremadote parasites in domestic ruminants.
• Veterinary diplomas in Cattle Health and Production, Small Animal Surgery (Orthopaedics), Zoological Medicine (Avian) and Zoological Medicine (Reptilian) were also awarded.
• 16 veterinary nurses were presented with Diplomas in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (DipAVN) small animal, and one equine.
• The VN Golden Jubilee Award to Hayley Walters, an Anaesthesia and Welfare Veterinary Nurse at the University of Edinburgh Hospital for Small Animals

Nick Stace, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary of the RCVS, then gave an update on what the College had achieved in the last year.  Among the achievements he noted was the introduction of a new system to reduce the time it takes to process complaints; the imminent launch of the new Advanced Practitioner status; and the development of a new Practice Standards Scheme, due to come into force next year.

He said: "In addition, we have listened and responded to fair criticism from the profession, including a very productive evidence-gathering session on 24/7 emergency care, which has resulted in important changes.

"I believe listening and responding is a sign of strength and confidence. We do not seek to be popular but to be sensible in how we regulate and respectful in how we carry out our Royal College duties."

He also outlined how he wanted the RCVS to be a "force for good" in the world by supporting the very best veterinary practitioners and ensuring that the public feels properly protected.

A new study carried out to look at the efficacy of spinosad (Comfortis) in cats has shown that they can acquire a flea infestation even when kept in a controlled laboratory environment. 

The study was conducted on a laboratory colony of 15 cats that had been kept strictly indoors for at least a year, four of which had presented to the dermatology clinics of the Small Animal Hospital of the Toulouse Veterinary School, two with miliary dermatitis lesions and two with symmetrical alopecia.

Further investigation revealed that despite these animals having been confined to quarters for so long, adult Ctenocephalides felis and flea dirt were found on coat brushing. 

All the cats were then combed meticulously twice at the start of the study using an extra fine comb and fleas counted before being replaced on each cat. In total 60 fleas were counted. On the cats showing no lesions there was an average of 5.2 fleas per cat and on the cats exhibiting flea allergy dermatitis it was less than one. Two of these cats had no fleas on them, probably due to excessive grooming caused by pruritus.

Spinosad was found to be 100% effective, with no adult fleas found on any cat from day 15 of the study through to day 90.

The cats with skin lesions were assessed for pruritus levels using the SCORFAD system, an extent and severity scale for feline hypersensitivity dermatitis. The SCORFAD value rapidly decreased throughout the study and achieved 98% reduction by day 90. The skin lesions in the flea allergic cats completely resolved during this time without the use of any other flea control or the use of anti-inflammatory products on the cats.

Researchers Maria-Christine Cadiergues and Charline Pressanti from Toulouse Veterinary School also noted a greater level of palatability than previously reported in clinical trials and there were no side effects in any of the cats.

Reviewing the study, David Grant MBE BVetMed CertSAD FRCVS said: "This study confirms that indoor cats, even in a tightly controlled laboratory environment, can still acquire an infestation of fleas. These can be brought in on the clothes of owners of cats if they have been in the garden, for example, particularly in the summer. 

"In addition, flea allergic cats may have few fleas on them due to excessive grooming caused by pruritus, and it is often very difficult to persuade owners of the diagnosis, even more so with indoor cats. This study provides precise data to support the above statement.

"This study also demonstrates that spinosad can be used as a stand-alone treatment for mild to moderate flea infestation in an indoor environment without the need for environmental insecticides or anti-inflammatory treatment of the cats. This would be a major consideration for many cat owners." 

Reference

1. Marie-Christine Cadiergues and Charline Pressanti, "Efficacy of Spinosad Tablets Administered to a Colony of 15 Indoor Cats Naturally Infested with Fleas," ISRN Veterinary Science, vol. 2014, Article ID 484308, 4 pages, 2014.doi:10.1155/2014/484308

The RCVS is hosting a free webinar at which it will explain changes to the guidance on 24-hour emergency care at 8.30pm on Monday 28 July. 

Veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and other practice staff are all welcome to attend.

The webinar - 24/7 Emergency Care - A New Emphasis - will be led by RCVS Registrar and Head of Legal Services Gordon Hockey and Clare Tapsfield-Wright, former RCVS Council member and Chair of the RCVS Standards Committee. They will be explaining changes to supporting guidance of the Code of Professional Conduct and their impact on the responsibilities of practices and practice staff, as well as the public.

The changes to the guidance resulted from an extensive evidence-gathering process with both the profession and animal owners in respect of their expectations on the provision of 24-hour emergency veterinary cover.

The new supporting guidance, which was developed by RCVS Standards Committee after a thorough review of the evidence and approved in principle by RCVS Council in June, now places a greater emphasis on owners' legal responsibilities for the welfare of their animals as well as an obligation on veterinary surgeons to provide more information to clients about their out-of-hours service.

Furthermore, the new guidance will assist and empower vets to decline to attend an animal away from the practice when unnecessary or unsafe. The new guidance will be published online shortly.

To register for the free webinar, hosted by the Webinar Vet, please visit www.thewebinarvet.com/rcvs. A recording of the webinar will be made available to listen to again.

Fitzpatrick Referrals has announced the launch of a new cancer and soft tissue surgery referral service headed by Professor Nick Bacon (pictured right) and Dr Laurent Findji. 

Professor Bacon and Dr Findji are American and European Board-Certified Surgeons respectively, with extensive experience in cancer care and soft tissue surgery innovation.

Professor Bacon joins the service directly from his post as Head of Oncology at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine. He will also take up the position of part-time Chair of Oncology at the new University of Surrey School of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr Findji joins the team from his prior role as director of the VRCC in Essex, bringing his expertise in cancer and soft tissue surgery advancements. 

Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, founder of Fitzpatrick Referrals, said: "With these two eminent and globally recognised Specialists leading the new service, the UK will now be able to provide an innovative approach and comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, management and prognosis for all cancer and soft-tissue patients. The service will also be able to use the additional expertise available through the University of Surrey and both Specialists will be available for referring vets to discuss cases and to offer advice on the innovative treatment options available."

Professor Stuart Carmichael, the new service's director, said: "We would only introduce a service like this when we know it can provide the best options, the most comprehensive care and the highest level of expertise available. This is a referral service which will change the way that cancer patients are dealt with in the UK."

Noel added: "It's a testament to the reputation of Fitzpatrick Referrals and the University of Surrey, our partner in education, that we have been able to attract talents as great as Nick and Laurent. This is an exciting time not only for the hospital, but also for first-opinion practices throughout the UK who can avail of this world-class opportunity to offer a potentially life-saving service to their clients for their patients."

The service will operate initially from a self-contained clinic at the existing Fitzpatrick Referrals Orthopaedic + Neurology Hospital in Surrey and will be accepting patients from 1^st October. 

The BSAVA is reminding everyone that the closing date for the BSAVA PetSavers' 40th Anniversary Awards is Friday 1^st August .

To celebrate 40 years of funding veterinary projects, the charity has up to £5000 for each vet school to fund veterinary undergrad student projects, and also a £5000 award going to veterinary nursing projects, both RVNs and undergrad students.

Derek Attride, chairman of the grants awarding committee, said: "The PetSavers 40th anniversary grants reflects the charity's commitment to ensuring that first-class research into small companion diseases continue in the future. This grant is the first of its kind for PetSavers and is a great opportunity for veterinary students and veterinary nurses to work on a companion animal clinical research project."

The closing date for applications will be the 1st August 2014. Veterinary students should apply through their university and veterinary nurses can apply directly to the BSAVA.  Each university will be able to submit five applications.

The awards will be announced in December 2014 and the projects will have to be completed and written up by December 2015.

Further information about the anniversary grants can be found at www.petsavers.org.uk 

Vetpartners is offering grants to support those of its RVNs who want to boost their clinical skills by doing veterinary work overseas.

The veterinary group is stumping up more than £100,000 for the initiative, which will enable 20 vets and nurses, and 56 new grads from across the group to work with the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) and other overseas animal charities.

The grants are for £1,500 and those taking part will also get up to one week of paid time off work whilst they volunteer.

VetPartners CEO Jo Malone said: “We wanted to support colleagues to have a fantastic experience while improving their skills in a different environment.

"It will give people a chance to use their clinical skills to give back to charities which are doing great work.

“If you’re working in a veterinary practice in Europe, you have support from team members around you and great facilities and equipment compared to the more challenging conditions working for a charity overseas.

"Working in these more challenging environments while they are volunteering will help build resilience, as our team members are unlikely to have experienced anything like this before.

“Charities like the World Veterinary Service are working ethically to help animals that may or may not have ever had veterinary care, and are doing a great job so we are delighted to support them.”

A study published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice has concluded that the majority of suspected adverse drug reactions (SADR) in veterinary medicine go unreported.

The authors say that whilst it has long been suspected that adverse drug reactions are under-reported, this study is the first to show the scale of the problem, using real data from veterinary clinical records.

For the study, researchers looked for electronic heath records within the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) which contained “adverse drug reactions” and “side effects” in the free-text clinical narratives.

The results were then analysed to determine the suspected product, the seriousness and expectedness of the event, and whether the event had been reported to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate or Marketing Authorisation Holders.

Of the 827 cases of suspected adverse drug reactions identified out of a total of 10,565 records reviewed, approximately 90% were not reported.

74% were related to dogs and 70% were listed as “expected” (i.e. already listed in the product information).

The clinical severity of the reaction didn’t appear to impact whether it was reported. 

Dr Heather Davies, lead author of the study, said: “As adverse drug reaction reporting rate is directly linked to the regulators ability to mitigate safety issues, this paper is a call to arms encouraging all veterinary professionals to report suspected adverse drug reactions and regulators to make reporting quicker and easier.

"It also the highlights the promise that big real-world data sets hold in enhancing drug safety monitoring processes.” 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jsap.13721

Veterinary scientist, Dr Alex German and veterinary nurse, Shelley Holden are joining presenter and vet, Mark Evans in a new Channel Four series exploring the secret life of dogs, the first of which airs tonight at 8:00pm.

The three-part series looks at how people's lives and those of their dogs have radically changed in the last 50 years.

Using hidden cameras, episode one investigates how dogs gain weight when their owners are not present or out at work, as well as what research is being done to understand the UK's obesity epidemic in dogs and cats.

Alex, who is head of the University's Weight Management Clinic, said: "Obesity is common in dogs and can lead to a range of illnesses and diseases.

"Although treatment for weight loss has been in existence for some time it has not been without its problems, and owners, with busy lives, can find it difficult to even understand how their dog has gained weight in the first place.

"By showing what dogs get up to out of their owner's sight, this programme explores how understanding our animals' behaviour and habits can help in producing a healthy diet and exercise regime."

Dr German has also contributed to the Channel Four website, which provides information for owners and access to case studies: http://dogs.channel4.com/fat-dogs/

The first MRCVS to be killed in the First World War has been honoured with a portrait at the College's offices in Belgravia House - 100 years after his death.

The portrait of Lieutenant Vincent Fox, who was from Dundalk, Co Louth, and was an alumnus of the then Royal Veterinary College in Dublin, was presented by his great grand-nephew, James Tierney, and received by RCVS Registrar Gordon Hockey.

Lieutenant Fox, a member of the former Army Veterinary Corps (AVC), was killed in action by a shell on August 26 1914 during the Battle of Le Cateau in northern France in which British and French forces fought to impede a German advance. He is now buried in the nearby Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery at Caudry.

Paul Watkins, a veterinary surgeon and military historian, conducted the research into Lieutenant Fox, his career and his deeds in the First World War, with the help of his family. He said: "The family story was that he had been found dead in a church with no mark or scars on him and, in fact, this turned out to be completely true.

"The church where he died was in the village of Audencourt in northern France where a dressing station had been set up for the wounded.

"The key issue was that, in the absence of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Lieutenant Fox was ordered to take charge of the medical treatment of the men using his skills as a veterinary surgeon. I'm sure he did his very best under such extreme circumstances but he would have been very ill-equipped."

Talking more generally about the role of the AVC during the First World War, Dr Watkins said: "The AVC made very significant contributions to the war effort because there were so many horses and mules deployed. They would have been responsible for a range of tasks from husbandry - and educating other soldiers on husbandry - to the treatment of injured animals."

In total, some 67 veterinary surgeons are believed to have been killed in the First World War - of whom 34 died from disease, 24 died as a result of wounds and nine were killed in action.

On presenting the portrait, which was drawn by artist Dave Gleeson based on a photograph of Lieutenant Fox, Mr Tierney, from Dublin, said: "I am very pleased that the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has accepted this portrait as future generations of vets will be able to see it here and learn about my great grand-uncle's story.

"He has become my hero because he died while trying to save human lives and, for me, that's a huge source of pride.

"While his story is very interesting, however, it's not just about him. There are 66 other names on the RCVS First World War memorial and they all have a story to tell as well."

Gordon Hockey, RCVS Registrar, added: "We are very pleased to receive this portrait of Lieutenant Fox in recognition of the sacrifice he made during the First World War. The fact that he died while tending to his wounded fellow soldiers demonstrates the caring nature of the profession and the wider contribution to society made by veterinary surgeons.

"In this centenary year I would also like to commend the contribution made by members of the profession as a whole during the war."

Throughout the centenary the RCVS Knowledge Library blog - written by Clare Boulton, Head of Library and Information Services - will be updated with stories about the conduct of veterinary surgeons in the First World War. Visit rcvsknowledgelibraryblog.org to see the updates.

The Royal Veterinary College and the Animal Health Trust are trying to recruit 3000 horse and pony owners to take part in 'CARE about laminitis', a web-based research project that aims to reduce the threat caused by laminitis.

The four-year study, which is being funded by World Horse Welfare, is being conducted by PhD student, Danica (Dee) Pollard, based at the AHT. The main aims of the study are to:

• Estimate the frequency of owner-reported laminitis, including both horses that are diagnosed by a vet and those that aren't
• Further investigate factors which increase or decrease the risk of an animal developing laminitis, especially focusing on factors relating to management that can be changed by owners
• Provide owners with evidence-based guidelines that will reduce the impact of laminitis nationwide.

Currently the veterinary-reported frequency of laminitis in Britain, estimated between 2009 and 2011, shows that active episodes of veterinary-diagnosed laminitis occurred in nearly 1 in 200 horses/ponies registered with veterinary practices, and accounted for nearly 1 in 200 equine visits. Dee said: "However an overall lack of studies into the frequency of laminitis leaves little to compare these estimates with."

If you'd like to take part in the study, or invite clients to do so, visit: www.careaboutlaminitis.org.uk or email danica.pollard@aht.org.uk.

The veterinary buying groups VetShare and London Vet Forum (LVF) have announced that they have merged to become the VetShare Buying Group.

VetShare Buying Group says that merger will ensure it has the resources and capabilities to compete in an industry that is increasingly made up of larger merged animal health suppliers.

The venture was prompted by a decision by London Vet Forum to offer itself up for a merger or sale with the aim of attracting better discounts for its members. It then interviewed a shortlist of candidates and says VetShare come out on top principally for its clarity and competitive discounts negotiated with the manufacturers.

In addition, VetShare and LVF shared some ways of working - members handle their own wholesaler invoice with the wholesaler-practice relationship remaining intact, allowing discounts to be rebated as a separate transaction. This means that members can continue to do business as before, while also benefiting from being part of the new, larger buying group.

Vet Ruth Gray, VetShare Director, said: "We are very pleased to have been chosen by the LVF directors to take their members into the future. We are the only major buying group without reps on the road and yet are now perhaps the largest buying group in the UK. We started VetShare initially to help our own practice achieve better discounts with the assumption that if we set up the perfect model for us then it would probably also be perfect for others. In hindsight, I think our assumption was right and this merger will mean even better discounts with new and exciting opportunities for existing members of both groups".

For more information on membership and the merged group, visit www.vetshare.co.uk or call Ruth on 0800 7566636.

The Veterinary Benevolent Fund (VBF) has announced the retirement of its President Dr. Lydia Brown, who had served the maximum of nine years as a trustee and member of the VBF Board.

Lydia became a director of the VBF following the merger of the Fund with the Vet Helpline (VHL) and the Veterinary Surgeons' Health Support Programme (VSHSP) in January 2005.

A past-president of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and former chairman of the RCVS Trust, Lydia was a driving force behind the establishment of the VSHSP in 1999. This support programme was developed in response to the genuine need for a confidential service to treat veterinary surgeons with a wide variety of addictive conditions. Since then she has been involved in the expansion of the Helpline service from a telephone service to an increasingly-widely used email service.

The charity says that it is as a result of Lydia's thoroughness, sympathy and understanding, that very many veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses have been helped to recover from many forms of addictive conditions and health problems.