The service uses an Xstrahl 100 superficial radiotherapy system, a £150,000 piece of equipment installed by Paragon after it was used successfully in the USA by the hospital's medical and radiation oncology specialist, Dr Rodney Ayl.
Rodney (pictured right) says the new equipment will transform the way Paragon can treat skin cancers, dermatological disorders and some other common superficial conditions.
He said: “This is a very exciting development for us and our clients because Xstrahl systems have been used so successfully in human medicine for many years.
“This prompted us to explore adapting the SRT system for veterinary use in the UK and we hope to collaborate with Colorado State University, which has a similar unit, to develop protocols for pets.
“We believe this will be a significant advance in the treatment and care of animals and we’re delighted to be at the forefront of introducing this new service.
“It is the only one of its kind for pets in the UK and there are very few units like this anywhere in the veterinary industry, so it really is an important move forward.”
Xstrahl radiotherapy systems were originally designed for the treatment of skin cancer, dermatological disorders, certain types of benign disease and some palliative care in humans.
Rodney says that having adapted the SRT system for animals will transform their treatment and the logistics and cost of getting radiation therapy for superficial skin conditions.
He added: “Superficial radiotherapy is particularly useful for treating some types of skin cancer where it may be preferable to surgery as it can deliver excellent non-invasive outcomes with curative or palliative intent.
“The treatment is less stressful from the outset and, thanks to its mechanism of action, it is also pain-free.
“Its use of different size cones, directly over the lesion, minimises effects on healthy skin and the fast treatment means a large reduction in time and impact on the patient’s day-to-day life, while providing a highly-effective treatment.
“The machine’s flexibility also makes it particularly suited for treating multiple lesions that are difficult to access, such as the head and neck, without changing patient positioning.
“The Xstrahl 100 system will help us to respond to the growing demand for radiation treatment and we can treat these patients on an outpatient basis, helping us to reduce surgical and hospitalisation costs.
“The technology is a real winner. It is easy to use and helps us to deliver safe and effective radiotherapy to our animal patients.
“It provides a quicker, easier, cheaper and non-invasive alternative for superficial tumours, especially in geriatric patients where surgery is not always an option. We’re looking forward to seeing the positive results here at Paragon.”
For more information, visit www.paragonreferrals.co.uk.
The College says the event is aimed at RVNs who are interested in upholding standards of veterinary nursing professional conduct and who would like to help the RCVS maintain public confidence in the veterinary nursing profession. Prospective applicants for these roles should ideally have a minimum of five years' experience in veterinary nurse practice.
Attendees will have the opportunity to chat to representatives of the committee, and the staff involved in handling cases that go to disciplinary hearings. There will also be a short presentation on the application process from Thewlis Graham Associates – the external agency handling the recruitment.
RCVS staff and DC members will present some anonymised VN DC / DC example cases to talk through in small informal groups, to help convey an idea of the work involved and the challenges one could expect to face when making decisions on allegations of serious professional misconduct or fitness to practise.
The overall programme will be run in the afternoon from 3pm – 5pm and repeated in the early evening from 6pm – 8pm, to suit differing diaries and travel times. Snacks and refreshments will be provided on the day, and the RCVS will reimburse reasonable travel expenses for attendees.
Places at the information day can be reserved by contacting Deborah Rowlanes, RCVS Events Manager, via D.Rowlanes@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0773. The deadline for registering is Friday 21 February 2020.
Alternatively, if you can't attend on the day itself, but would like to speak to the RCVS Registrar and Director of Legal Services Eleanor Ferguson about the vacancies, you can contact Deborah to arrange a convenient time.
Prospective committee members will then have until 5pm GMT Monday 2 March to submit their applications. Applications can be submitted through the Thewlis Graham Associates website: www.thewlisgraham.com/assignment-briefings.
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 programme offers employers a variety of options, including antigen and antibody testing, environmental testing, a daily wellness symptom checker app and ongoing site monitoring to identify asymptomatic spreaders and pre-symptomatic spreaders, neither of which are identified by the current routine government testing programmes.
Dr Tony Cooke, lead scientist and director at ReCoVa-19 (pictured right) said: "Businesses, such as veterinary practices are struggling to serve the needs of their clients while also protecting their employees in their role as essential workers. Vets also recognise the value of reliable testing at a sustainable cost and the best practice approach. Concerns over obligations with regard to the health and safety of employees and uncertainty, are significant barriers to normal working practices but with the level of testing and support we can provide that’s no longer necessary.”
The company says the new programme is highly accurate and affordable, and can be tailored for businesses of all sizes.
For more information, visit: www.recova-19.com.
16 clinics are affected by the investigation, namely Penrose Veterinary Group Limited, Kevin Castle (Pet Care) Ltd, Swayne & Partners Ltd, Treforest Veterinary Clinic Ltd, Mercer & Hughes Limited, Swaffham Veterinary Centre Limited, Anglesey Pet Clinic Ltd, Chiltern Equine Clinic.
It's not the first time, of course, that the CMA has intervened in the veterinary profession.
Earlier this year, it investigated the acquisition of Quality Pet Care (trading as The Vet) by CVS, and then Vet Partners' acquisition of Goddards, which led to CVS selling The Vet and Vet Partners selling eight of the 47 Goddards sites to Linnaeus.
An IVC spokesperson said: “IVC Evidensia is working closely with the CMA and engaging constructively with this review."
The fellowship provide a grant of up to £35,000 for work in companion animal research to be spent over a maximum of two years.
Applications are open to veterinary nurses who have completed a postgraduate qualification such as a PhD or Masters, and who are within the first four years after starting an academic post (Lecturer, Fellowship or above) and have received no more than £50,000 of funding in competitive external grants to date.
David Killick, Chair of the BSAVA PetSavers Grants Awarding Committee said: “BSAVA PetSavers is delighted to launch the PetSavers Research Fellowship.
"It is well recognised that the journey from completion of a PhD to becoming established as an independent researcher is one of the most challenging times of a researcher career.
“With this new grant BSAVA PetSavers will support exceptional veterinary professionals in the Early Career Researcher phase develop their research ideas by providing £35,000 towards research costs over a two-year period.
"Through this initiative BSAVA PetSavers aims to help these researchers reach their potential and in so doing expand the capacity for companion animal research in the UK.”.
Applications close on 28th February 2022, and a decision will be made by the end of May 2022.
To apply for the Research Fellowship, visit the BSAVA PetSavers website: https://www.petsavers.org.uk/Apply-for-funding/research-fellowship.
Animalcare says the wipes deliver tartar reduction with some mechanical action without the difficulties that some owners experience when using a toothbrush. The company says they can also help owners grow more comfortable with handling their pets’ mouths before they progress to full toothbrushing.
Animalcare Senior Brand Manager Eleanor Workman Wright said: “With periodontal disease so common in dogs and cats, supporting owners to help them start and maintain an oral health regime for their pet is essential.
“Toothbrushing is, of course, the Gold Standard but it must be done frequently to achieve a significant degree of efficacy.
"For many owners this is just not possible and, if they find it difficult, the risk is that they then give up and their pet’s oral health is neglected.
"One of the founding principles of the Plaqtiv+ range is to offer proven technology in multiple formats which can be used daily by owners as an alternative to toothbrushing, as part of a programme to build up to toothbrushing or within a multi-modal framework.
"Launching our new dental wipes is the latest step in achieving this goal.”
To support Plaqtiv+, Animalcare has published a website with content for both veterinary professionals and pet owners.
For veterinary professionals, there's advice about how to start discussions with clients about dental care and tools to help them recognise signs of dental pain.
The pet owner site offers information on the importance of dental health in pets and advice on establishing a dental care regime.
www.dental.pet
Andra-Elena Enache and Savina Gogova join the head of service Richard Everson, an RCVS and European Recognised Specialist, to form one of the strongest ophthalmology teams in the UK.
Richard said: “It is fabulous that Andra and Savina were both successful in their specialist examinations.
“Of course, we already knew their expertise but passing the examination requires not just an unparalleled knowledge of their subject but also the constitution that allows them to prove their knowledge, skills and professionalism in the crucible of the examination environment.
“For both Andra and Savina to pass at the first time of asking is remarkable and just confirms their brilliance. It’s also a big boost for NDSR.
“Having three internationally-recognised specialists in ophthalmology in one hospital makes the service so much more resilient; for example, we will never have to close due to annual leave or lecturing commitments.
“This strength in depth means we really can offer the best possible service to our referring vets and poorly pets.”
For more information, visit: www.ndsr.co.uk.
The company says the results of the survey of puppy dental health will be shared with industry experts to help advance understanding and evaluate the future impact on veterinary practices.
Veterinary nurses can also sign up for a free webinar on puppy dental disease led by Head of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Department at the Royal (Dick) Vet School, Ingrid Tundo on 28th April at 7.30 pm at https://veterinarywebinars.com/register/puppy-dentistry-malocclusion.
Cat Henstridge MRCVS, who is fronting the campaign said: “I’m very pleased to be helping to raise awareness of the VisioCare Puppy Tooth Census and this important issue.
"It is so important for all of us in the profession to be helping to identify disease patterns and the scale of the problem. It also provides us with a great opportunity to involve our clients and start discussions about the importance of good dental care.”
VisioCare says the Puppy Tooth Census only takes a few minutes to complete and can be filled in for individual cases or healthy puppy mouths.
Every veterinary respondent will be given a free pack of educational materials to use in the consulting room, including state-of-the art digital animations and dental images that can be used to enhance client communication around the topic, together with explainer videos and puppy owner fact sheets and leaflets.
In addition, each month for the next three months, responses will be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a £50 John Lewis gift voucher.
For further information or to complete the census for a case, visit: http://www.visiocareservices.co.uk/puppy-tooth-census.
IIC is an independent customer experience agency which conducts assessments, develops insights and awards annual accreditations to businesses.
For its accreditations, IIC uses feedback from customers, employees and the management team to assess the customer experience delivered by an organisation.
Customer services manager at Pennard Vets, Collette Rednall, who is also an IIC Ambassador, said: “We are the first in our industry to go through the rigorous process and we are thrilled to achieve a gold award.
“There are just 36 businesses in the UK that have achieved gold status – so this a fabulous achievement for every single one of our 100-strong team.”
In 2021 Pennard Vets became the largest veterinary practice in the world to become employee owned, through an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), meaning its entire team are now practice owners and shareholders in the business.
The scholarship will enable Claire (pictured right) to enrol on the company's Emergency and Critical Care (ECC) training programme, leading to a Nurse Certificate (NCert) awarded by the International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ISVPS).
Claire has spent over twenty years in general practice and last year made the decision to move into ECC.
She said: “I am truly honoured and excited to have been chosen for the Louise O’Dwyer Legacy Scholarship for 2022.
"Thank you to Louise’s family and Improve International for this amazing opportunity.
"Louise was an inspirational nurse who always promoted autonomy within the profession and encouraged nurses to follow their own interests in a specialist field. I hope to be able to continue Louise’s legacy by inspiring other nurses to follow their own aspirations at any stage of their career.
“I hope to use this scholarship to further my knowledge and develop practical skills to enhance my role as an ECC nurse and provide the best clinical care to critically ill patients.”
The recall is due to the fact that particulates have been found in identified batches of product during routine stability testing.
The affected batches are:
This issue only applies to the batches listed above. All other batches and the 20 ml pack size are not affected.
For further information regarding the recall, contact Richard Beckwith on 07584 099536 or: richard.beckwith@jurox.co.uk.
The study1 was led by the RVC’s VetCompass programme and included 22,333 dogs whose health was followed for a year, during which 1,580 were recorded by the vet as overweight; roughly 1 in 14.
The authors point out that this figure is probably just the tip of the iceberg, because not every overweight pet will receive veterinary attention.
The study also found that certain breeds were especially prone to weight gain, including Pugs, Beagles, Golden Retrievers and English Springer Spaniels.
As well as showing that specific breeds were at differing risk, the study also highlighted that being neutered and middle-aged were additionally associated with increasing chances of dogs being overweight.
The main findings were:
Owners are encouraged to discuss their dog’s weight and lifestyle on every visit to their veterinary practice. This is of particular importance in the high-risk dogs identified in this study such as Pugs, Beagles, neutered and middle-aged dogs.
Camilla Pegram, VetCompass Epidemiologist at the RVC, and author of the paper, said: "This study has used the power of “big data” to robustly address the risk factors for obesity in dogs. Pugs, Beagles and Golden Retrievers were at greatest risk of obesity compared with crossbreeds.
"As well as genetics, management style could in part drive these breed predispositions. Whilst veterinary professionals and owners should focus efforts on obesity prevention strategies in all dogs, those identified at high-risk, such as Pugs, Beagles and Golden Retrievers, may need a more targeted approach."
Dr Eleanor Raffan, Associate Lecturer in Systems Physiology, at the University of Cambridge, and co-author of the paper, said:
“Where breed increases risk of a problem, it means genes are likely to be at least in part to blame and our previous work suggests that genetics drives a high appetite in some breeds. The bad news is that owners of food-obsessed dogs have to work much harder to keep their dogs at a healthy weight – the good news is that it can be done.”
Reference
Building on the success of last year's hybrid Congress, BVNA will be streaming all live lectures and special events online, making it a more accessible three-day event for veterinary nurses in the UK and the rest of the world.
The scientific programme of lectures includes Rehabilitation; Wildlife, Zoo and Exotics; Emergency & Critical Care; Equine; Wound Management; Behaviour; Advanced Nursing; Infection Control, and more.
The special events running alongside are:
BVNA President, Alex Taylor (pictured right), said: "BVNA Congress 2022 is going to be a fantastic event, as there’s something for everyone.
"The scientific programme is packed full of a variety of interesting and thought-provoking lectures, which will not only be available for our in-person delegates, but also remote delegates too.
"It will come as no surprise that I am particularly looking forward to the feline stream, so if you have a keen interest in feline nursing then you should definitely attend this year’s BVNA Congress!
"As well as lectures we will be hosting a series of fringe events, where will be discussing matters that are important to the veterinary nursing profession, so the more delegates who attend these events the better – your voice needs to be heard.
"For those of you want something more practical, there will be a series of workshops too, so watch this space.
"As always there will an exhibition and of course the famous dinner dance event, which is a lot of fun.
"This year’s theme will be ‘Feline fabulous with Cattitude’ so get ready to strut your stuff and show us your best kitty moves at the cat-themed ball!”
For more information or to book tickets, visit: https://the-bvna-shop.myshopwired.com/programm
The 'Obesity Care in Practice' webinars are designed to help you recognise obesity, create individual weight-loss plans and turn failing cases into successful ones.
The webinars will be presented by Georgia Woods RVN, CertCFVHNut, VTS (Nutrition). Georgia is clinic nurse at the Royal Canin Weight Management Clinic at the University of Liverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital. She has been dealing exclusively with obese pets and nutrition for the past five years.
Georgia said: “Pet obesity is on the rise and it’s one of the biggest challenges that veterinary professionals face. It reduces pets’ quality of life and leads to a range of illnesses that shorten life expectancy. This two-part webinar will help veterinarians, veterinary nurses and practice managers to effectively manage pet obesity and make a difference to the lives of their patients."
The first webinar: Obesity Care in Practice – Essential Elements, takes place on Tuesday 22nd September at 8pm.
The second webinar: Tailored plans and problem cases, takes place on Tuesday 20th October 2020 at 8pm.
To register for the free webinars, visit: https://www.thewebinarvet.com/pages/register-royal-canin-weight-management-series/
Earlier in the year, we conducted a survey of veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons to discover what you feel are the biggest weaknesses in social media for the sharing of knowledge and experience.
By far the biggest problem was that on Facebook, you cannot tell how well qualified someone is to answer your question. So unless you know them offline, you simply do not know whether they are an expert in their field, or not.
As part of the VetNurse upgrade, we'll be launching new 'VetNurse Expert Forums', where any member can come and ask for help, but only those who have applied and been validated as 'Experts' can reply. When they do, their answer can be branded with their logo and contact details. They'll also be rewarded with points. And points mean prizes!
So, you may wish to become a VetNurse Expert because you find it rewarding helping others in the profession, or because you want to promote something - such as your training establishment or perhaps that your practice is a nice place to work, or perhaps you have just written a book! Or maybe you'd just like to be in with a chance of winning some prizes. It doesn't matter which!
Either way, time spent asking or answering questions can also be claimed towards your CPD requirement, using VetNurse.co.uk's 'Claim CPD' feature which produces a certificate with a record of those Q&A discussions you have taken part in, completely free of charge.
If you'd like to be a VetNurse.co.uk Expert, please enrol here: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5375658/VetNurse-Experts
If you have any questions, do come and discuss here: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/nonclinical/f/16/t/31865.aspx
The resource includes content from Companion, BSAVA Congress, and the BSAVA Manual of Wildlife Casualties.
Topics range from hand-rearing to anaesthesia to relevant legal questions and cover both hedgehogs and general wildlife casualties.
Liz Mullineaux, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Wildlife Medicine (Mammalian), Senior Vice President of the British Veterinary Zoological Society, and editor of the BSAVA Manual of Wildlife Casualties, said: "Hedgehogs are the most common mammalian wildlife casualty seen by veterinary surgeons.
"Those caring for these animals have very variable knowledge and look to vets for appropriate help, advice, and clinical care.
"It’s therefore really important that vets and vet nurses in practice have some good information about hedgehogs to hand.
"As well as knowing about clinical conditions, a broader understanding of wildlife rehabilitation is essential.
The collection, which costs £20.00 for BSAVA members or £45.00 for non-members, can be accessed via the BSAVA Library: https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/hedgehogs.
Lead author Professor Clare Rusbridge, Chief of Neurology at Fitzpartick Referrals, conducted the study because of a lack of clarity on the recognition and diagnosis of the clinical signs associated with CM as opposed to syringomyelia (SM).
CM is an abnormality in the skull, making it smaller, and impacting on the brain to alter the flow of cerebrospinal fluid; this results in pain and a collection of fluid pockets within the spinal cord. These fluid pockets are commonly known as SM and over time can cause irreversible damage to a dog’s spinal cord. However it is not clear whether signs of pain in affected dogs are due to CM or SM or both.
To try to rectify this, Clare studied the medical records of all the cavalier King Charles spaniels diagnosed with CM-associated clinical signs presenting to her at Fitzpatrick Referrals over a five year period. She documented the historical and examination findings and related them to the MRI findings, including presence and size of the SM.
She found common signs in all dogs were vocalisation, spinal pain (neck, middle or lower back), reduced activity, reduced stairs or jumping ability, aversion to being touched or groomed, altered emotional state (described as being more timid, anxious, withdrawn or aggressive) and sleep disturbance.
A tendency to rub or scratch at the head or ears was common but was more likely in dogs with small or no SM suggesting that this may be a sign of head discomfort associated with CM. Head and ear rubbing was not associated with the presence of material within the middle ear (a condition which is also common in this breed and often given the acronym PSOM).
The only signs that were specific to SM were phantom scratching, scoliosis (twisted spine) and weakness and these were only present when the SM was large (at least 4mm wide).
Clare says this study is important because it suggests that CM alone is a cause of pain in many dogs. The aim now is to use the information gained in this study to develop a questionnaire to determine risk of CM and monitor the response to clinical signs.
Photo: Charlie on a bad day
Thiamacare contains 10 mg/ml thiamazole, which is double the concentration of Thyronorm, for a lower dose volume.
Animalcare highlights research which shows that 87.4% of owners prefer liquid medications for their cat1, and that cats find liquid presentations more palatable2.
James Beaumont from Animalcare said: "With the lowest dose volume available, we believe Thiamacare will make the medical management of this condition easier through improved cat acceptance and better owner compliance."
Thiamacare's dosing syringe is marked with a single scale in 1.25 mg increments to facilitate precise dosing in response to total T4 measurement values. The scale does not need converting when switching from other brands or formulations.
Animalcare has developed a range of supporting materials to encourage the use of Thiamacare as the preferred choice for feline hyperthyroid medical management. They include social posts and a post-prescription leaflet to help veterinary teams support owners, particularly through the stabilisation phase post-diagnosis.
A short webinar offering top tips for treating feline hyperthyroidism from feline Specialist Dr Caney will also be available later in October. These resources will all be available at www.the-pac.co.uk.
References
The survey was held in mid-June and gathered 196 responses from UK practices. That compared with the 532 responses to the initial survey conducted early in April and 251 responses to the second survey conducted at the start of May.
One of the main findings was a marked increase in the number of practices running a near-normal caseload, from 3% in May to 32% in June. Practice turnover data similarly reflected a shift back towards normality, with 46% now reporting a reduction of less than 25%, compared with 19% last month.
Other findings included:
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: "This latest survey has demonstrated a continuation of the previous survey’s positive trends including an increase in practice turnover with more practices approaching a ‘near normal caseload’ and with a reduction in the number of practices impacted by staff self-isolating or with confirmed cases of Covid-19.
“In this survey we also asked about what difficulties practices may be experiencing with EMS placements for vet students and VN training placements as a result of Covid-19, and this will help us to understand how we can better support students and practices in these areas.
“We will continue to monitor the situation via these regular surveys, with the next one planned for later this summer. I would urge as many practices as possible to continue to complete them, so that we can build up a stronger evidence-base on how veterinary businesses have been affected and how they are recovering.
"This information is not only vital for our own policy decisions but also allows us to present a stronger case to the Government and other public bodies where we wish to influence the decisions they make that will impact the veterinary professions and businesses.”
The survey results can be read in full at www.rcvs.org.uk/coronavirus-resources.
In the study titled “Safety of early postoperative hydrotherapy in dogs undergoing thoracolumbar hemilaminectomy”, the medical records of a single referral hospital in Sweden were retrospectively reviewed to identify dogs that had been treated with hemilaminectomy for acute or chronic thoracolumbar IVDE and had commenced hydrotherapy within five days after surgery.
Information collected from the medical records included signalment, presenting clinical signs, severity of neurological signs, initiation and duration of hydrotherapy, postoperative complications and follow-up.
Postoperative complications were considered major if there was a need for hospitalisation, surgery or if the dog died or was euthanised as a direct consequence of the complication.
A complication was deemed minor if outpatient medical treatment was sufficient to rectify it.
A total of 83 dogs were included in the study.
Hydrotherapy was started within a mean of 2.7 (one to five) days after surgery and consisted of swimming without underwater treadmill (UWTM) in dogs with severe paraparesis or paraplegia.
With neurological improvement, and when supported ambulation was possible, UWTM was initiated.
Ninety-six percent of the dogs used swimming as postoperative hydrotherapy, starting with a mean of 2.7 days after surgery, fifty-seven percent of the dogs used UWTM as the postoperative hydrotherapy, starting with a mean of 13 days after surgery.
Forty-five percent of dogs used both hydrotherapeutic modalities.
Dr Abtin Morjarradi, corresponding author for the paper, said: “A total of 10 minor complications were recorded during the study period, including surgical site infection (SSI) (n=5), diarrhoea (n=4) and urinary tract infection (n=1).
Major complications were recorded in 26 dogs during the study period and included euthanasia (n=13), acute dermatitis (n=1), spinal abscess (n=1) and disc extrusion (n=1).
Reasons for euthanasia were urinary incontinence (n=5), lack of neurological improvement (n=2), clinical suspicion of progressive myelomalacia (PMM) (n=2), persistent pain (n=1), aggression (n=1) and widespread cellulitis with an abscess caudal to the right stifle without known cause (n=1).”
Abtin added: “Follow-up visits for 71 dogs were performed at a mean of 15.3 (9 to 30) days, and 68 dogs at a mean of 45.9 (30 to 111) days, after surgery.
"At the first follow-up visit 68% of the dogs were ambulatory with Modified Frankel Score (MFS) 4 or higher.
"At the last follow-up visit 97% of the dogs were ambulatory with MFS 4 or higher, with 34% demonstrating normal neurological function. None of these dogs deteriorated after the initiation time of hydrotherapy.”
Nicola Di Girolamo, Editor of JSAP, said: “Whilst previous studies indicate that early rehabilitation may be beneficial after acute spinal cord injury, the optimal timing to start hydrotherapy is unclear.
“Despite a high number of complications being recorded in the present study, it is not clear how many of these complications were directly related to the initiation time of hydrotherapy and therefore further research is required.”
The full article can be found in the December issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jsap.13412.
The elections will again be held completely online this year.
Veterinary nurses have until 5pm on Monday 31st January 2022 to put themselves forward as candidates for the elections which will take place in March and April 2022.
The full eligibility criteria can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/vncouncil22, where prospective candidates will also find further information about the role of the RCVS, RCVS VN Council and RCVS VN Council members, guidance notes, and frequently asked questions about standing as a candidate.
Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar and Returning Officer for the elections, said: “We look forward to hearing from prospective candidates and are happy to give further information about what being an RCVS VN Council member means and what the role entails to those who may be considering standing for office.”
Prospective candidates for RCVS Council can also contact VN Council Chair Matthew Rendle for an informal conversation on what it means to be an RCVS Council member on vncchair@rcvs.org.uk
Matthew said: This 60th anniversary year for the veterinary nursing profession has been a time to take stock about how far the profession has come and where it is going.
"One thing I have appreciated is the important role both VN Council and its committees will continue to have in this development process, by making key decisions on areas such as student training and wellbeing, continuing professional development, post-registration qualifications and statuses, and registration of veterinary nurses.
“I would be happy to talk to anyone who might be interested in joining VN Council about its role and how you could contribute both to it, and to the wider profession.”
Anyone interested in the work done by Council can also visit: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/who-we-are/vn-council/vn-council-meetings/ to see the agendas for previous meetings.
The objectives of the study1 were to assess the impact of the pandemic on the management of laminitis susceptible horses and ponies, to identify challenges faced in implementing COVID-19 based guidance, and to ascertain areas of decision making and policy development which could undergo improvement in future pandemic or emergency scenarios.
Lead author Ashely Ward, a PhD student at SRUC said: "We discovered that lockdown-associated factors had the potential to compromise the welfare of horses and ponies at risk of obesity and laminitis.
“These included: disparate information and guidance, difficulties enacting public health measures in yard environments, and horses having reduced exercise during the pandemic.
"Our conclusion was that guidelines should be developed for the care of horses and ponies at risk through collaborative input from veterinary and welfare experts. This would help to reduce the negative impacts of future lockdown events in the UK.”
Clare Barfoot RNutr, Marketing and Research and Development Director at Spillers said: “This work carries important recommendations to reduce equine welfare risks during any future lockdowns.
“This summer our primary focus has been on helping horse owners keep their horses at a healthy weight to reduce the risks associated with obesity, in particular laminitis. Until formal guidelines are developed we hope our range of practical advice, available online and via our Care-Line will help, should there be another lockdown."
The study was conducted in tandem with research looking at how the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 lockdown affected horse on the human/animal interaction. The conclusion, disseminated by SRUC last week, concluded that the coronavirus pandemic had a negative impact on the mental health and wellbeing of horse owners. https://www.sruc.ac.uk/all-news/horse-power-helps-owners-through-lockdown
This year's competition saw over 400 applications from vets from across the profession with a passion for photography, judged by an expert panel which this year was joined by zoologist and wildlife photographer, Victoria Hillman and Guardian picture editor, Eric Hilaire.
Jennifer Dykes won first prize in her category for a photograph of two sheep seemingly 'in conversation' on a misty morning at Castlerigg Stone Circle in the Lake District. She called it ‘Conversations at Dawn (Sheep at Dawn Lakes)’.
Jennifer: "I am overjoyed that my image has been selected as the overall winner of the All Creatures Great and Small category, especially having seen the high calibre of photographs entered in previous years. I’d come across images of Castlerigg stone circle near Keswick before and so I dragged us all out of bed exceptionally early to try and capture the dawn. The combination of the early light and the mist provided the perfect backdrop to the foreground scene; the sheep seemingly completely unfazed by the presence of a few bystanders. Capturing their normality, amidst such beautiful surroundings, was my intention when taking this photograph."
Judge, Victoria Hillman said: "The composition draws you into the sheep, which are an integral part of the image without being front and centre. The light and mist bring a real atmosphere to the image that beautifully sums up the British countryside. It’s a very well thought out and executed image."
In the ‘One Veterinary Community’ category, Laura Caballero Pastor, a small animal vet from Gateshead, won first place. Her photograph depicts a vet helped by the community to vaccinate a dog against rabies in Nepal. She named it ‘One shot, two lives’ and said that the photo was taken during a project where she was part of a veterinary team working with the community to neuter, treat and educate on managing dog populations for rabies and other diseases.
Laura said: "Receiving recognition for this picture enforces my belief in the responsibility that the veterinary sector has to promote animal health to global communities and society. There is a thin line between humans and animals when we talk about diseases. Also, this photo encourages me to continue working on international projects and to be aware of all the amazing possibilities our profession has to offer."
Judge Eric Hilaire said: "With an expressive framing this meaningful picture has captured two important aspects of veterinary work. On one side, treatment, with this team vaccinating street dogs against rabies, on the other, prevention, with this girl holding tight on her booklet."
BVA President Simon Doherty said: "I was pleased to see such a strong portfolio of entries alongside an incredible diversity of subjects. Many congratulations go to our winners Laura and Jennifer, as well as the highly commended selections, and I’d also like to thank everyone who entered."
"I hope it will inspire more BVA members to dust off their cameras, and go and capture some great images for next year."
The winning and highly commended photographs will be exhibited at Brangwyn Hall in Swansea on Thursday 19th September as part of BVA’s Members’ Day. The images can be viewed here.
To use the service, you order recycling boxes to suite your needs, and then place them where it will be most convenient for staff to throw the rubbish in.
Once full, you send the box back to TerraCycle via UPS.
It is then saved from incineration or landfills and recycled by TerraCycle.
Once collected, products and packaging are sorted and separated by material composition.
The separated items are then cleaned, shredded, and made into new recycled products such as outdoor furniture and decking, playgrounds, benches, or watering cans.
Hannah James, Head of Environment, Social & Governance at VetPartners said: “We started using the Zero Waste Boxes at our practices during the pandemic to recycle the large volumes of PPE being used, and they were instantly popular with practice teams.
"We’re now recycling plastic packaging, pet food packaging and medicine blister packs through TerraCycle as well, and since 2020 we’ve saved over 14 tonnes of waste from landfill and incineration.
"The Zero Waste Boxes are an important feature of our sustainability strategy, providing a solution for much of the waste generated by veterinary practice that isn’t hazardous and yet isn’t widely accepted for recycling.”
www.vetcycle.co.uk