The College is seeking nominations this year for all six of its awards, all of which will be presented to the successful nominees at Royal College Day 2020, which will take place at 1 Great George Street in July 2020. These awards are:
The Queen’s Medal: the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a veterinary surgeon for a highly distinguished career with sustained and outstanding achievements throughout.
The Veterinary Nursing Golden Jubilee Award: for veterinary nurses who have had a sustained and distinguished career, who can demonstrate a leadership role within the profession and who can act as an ambassador for the value of veterinary nurses and their work.
RCVS International Award: for vets, vet nurses or laypeople who work internationally in making an outstanding contribution to, for example, raising veterinary standards, veterinary education and improving animal health and welfare.
RCVS Impact Award: for vets or vet nurses who have undertaken a project or initiative that has a significant impact on the profession at large, animal health or welfare, or public health. Such impact could have been made through any field of veterinary endeavour, including clinical practice, research, education or veterinary politics.
RCVS Inspiration Award: for vets or vet nurses at any stage of their career who have demonstrated the ability to inspire and enthuse others consistently throughout. It is open to those who have inspired and motivated individuals anywhere within the profession and recognises those who have gone ‘above and beyond’ what may normally be expected from a professional colleague.
Honorary Associateship: conferred on a small number of laypeople each year, in recognition of their special contribution to the veterinary sphere. It recognises the full range of individuals who contribute to the veterinary and animal health sector including scientists, lecturers, journalists, charity-workers, farriers, farmers and those involved in the commercial field.
Niall Connell, RCVS President for 2019-20, said: "2019 was particularly fruitful in terms of the number of nominations that we received for some of these awards, including the Queen’s Medal and the Impact and Inspiration Awards. In fact, those of us who had to compile the shortlist really struggled because of the sheer quality of the nominations we received and the people who were nominated.
"We hope that this will be repeated this year, and I would ask the profession to give some extra thought to making a nomination for Honorary Associateship, an award which is conferred on laypeople who are going above-and-beyond for animal welfare and the veterinary professions.
"In my veterinary career I have met many of these people: the biochemistry lecturers at vet school who gave me a passion for the science behind clinical veterinary medicine; the receptionists who were experts at talking to clients with empathy and kindness, often during distressing situations; and the volunteers who give up their precious free time to help with the smooth running of our PDSA hospital.
"I would urge everyone to have a think about who might be suitable for any of these awards, to find out more about making a nomination on the RCVS website."
To make a nomination, visit www.rcvs.org.uk/honours and click on the link for the specific award.
Applications can be made either through an online application form or by downloading a PDF application form and emailing or posting it to the RCVS.
The deadline for nominations is Friday 10 January 2020.
For an informal talk about the awards and how to make a nomination you can contact Susie Tomlin, Executive Secretary, on s.tomlin@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0761.
Photo: Dr Abdul-Jalil Mohammadzai, one of the recipients of the 2019 RCVS International Award, with the then RCVS President Amanda Boag
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 first change has been made to paragraph 1.6 which now advises general practitioners to check whether the vet they are referring a case to is on the RCVS Specialist or Advanced Practitioner list, explaining the difference to the client and what sets them apart from other vets who might be prepared to accept a referral.
Also, practitioners who accept a referral should provide information to the referrer about the experience and status of those likely to be responsible for the case.
The guidance about conflicts of interest in paragraph 1.7 has also been amended such that referring surgeons should tell clients if they are referring their case to a practice owned by the same group.
There is new guidance about how vets and nurses talk about referral practitioners, with the new advice being to focus on accepted terms such as 'RCVS Specialist' and 'RCVS Advanced Practitioner', and avoid more general terms like 'referral surgeon' or 'consultant' to avoid confusion or implying that individuals hold more qualifications than they do.
Lastly, there is new guidance that vets may only use the name 'Specialist' in the name of their practice where there is genuine and meaningful involvement, and oversight, in case management by at least one RCVS specialist in all disciplines where any clinical services are offered under this business name.
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-surgeons/supporting-guidance/referrals-and-second-opinions/
The 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
The talks will be free to join live on Zoom, while being simultaneously streamed into the Vet Mums Facebook group.
Following the live stream those on Zoom will be invited to join in a private, unrecorded QnA session.
Liz Barton, co-founder of WellVet and Vet Mums said: “We have spent the last year creating a fab new website for people to access some of the great content WellVet has created over the last few years.
"However, we also noticed a few challenges mentioned with increasing frequency and severity by Vet Mums members.
"It’s fantastic to bring together such great speakers to directly address these issues and provide advice and support to anyone affected.”
For more information, visit www.wellvet.co.uk.
The charity says it estimates there has been a ten-fold increase in fertility clinics in the past two years, and it is now aware of at least 339 dog fertility businesses across the UK.
Such clinics, which typically offer artificial insemination, progesterone testing, cytology and ultrasound scanning, are often operated by lay people, rather than veterinary professionals.
There have been concerns about the seeming indiscriminate use of breeding procedures by some fertility clinics, and about links to low welfare breeding operations.
Naturewatch says some fertility clinics have been found selling and administering prescription medicines and offering to perform operations.
The charity now wants to understand what veterinary professionals think about this new industry, and is running a short survey until 21st August 2022.
In particular, Naturewatch wants to know who you think should be permitted to perform commonly offered breeding procedures.
It also wants to hear your thoughts about possible solutions.
Are canine fertility clinics inherently problematic?
Or could canine fertility clinics - if operated ethically and regulated properly - bridge the gap between breeders and the veterinary profession?
Complete the survey here: https://action.naturewatch.org/canine-fertility-clinic-survey-for-veterinary-professionals
The Oncology Working Group, winningly styled as 'WOW', says it hopes that the glossary will give owners a clearer understanding of the diagnosis and management choices they have, and help them discuss care with their veterinary surgeon from a more informed perspective.
The glossary is the first output from the WOW Group which was formed in 2021 to raise awareness of the latest thinking in cancer therapy and promote best practice globally.
The glossary is available to download free from the WSAVA website at: https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Glossary-WOW-13.11.2021.pdf
WOW Group Member Professor Nick Bacon, a RCVS-Recognized Specialist in Small Animal Surgery (Oncology) and a European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery, said: “Cancer has a language all of its own and, during our early WOW Group discussions, it became obvious that, in order to improve communication between veterinary professionals and owners, there was an urgent need for a globally accessible resource to help owners better understand cancer terminology.
“Our Oncology Glossary is the result.
"We hope it will enable owners to feel on a more equal footing when they are discussing their pet’s condition with veterinary professionals.
"We hope it will also increase the consistency and effectiveness of communication about veterinary oncology globally.”
He added: “We will update the Oncology Glossary regularly and are now working on the development of further practical and easy-to-use tools to support veterinarians working in this rapidly evolving area of veterinary medicine.
"In the meantime, more resources are available on our web page at https://wsava.org/committees/oncology-working-group/”
RCVS Knowledge launched the Canine Cruciate Registry on the Amplitude pro registry platform last year.
The automated registry, the first of its kind in veterinary medicine, allows the profession to evaluate the success of surgical techniques, and practitioners to benchmark their performance.
In June, RCVS Knowledge had a poster detailing the purpose, impact and aspirations of the registry accepted at the PROMs research conference, which before now typically only accepted submissions from the field of human medicine.
This, says Amplitude, marks the first step in sharing information about running registries designed to identify best practice in the care and treatment of both animals and people.
Chris Gush, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge, said: "RCVS Knowledge is proud to be leading the development of clinical audit and registries to support the veterinary professions on their journey to continually improve the care they deliver.
"Registries are key in supporting the professions in understanding first-hand information about our patients with certain conditions, both individually and as a group, contextualizing with information from their owners, and over time, to increase our understanding of that condition.”
The charge against Ms Law was that in November 2017, having performed surgery on Kiwi, a German Shepherd/Wolfhound-cross dog, to address gastric dilation volvulus (GDV), she failed to obtain informed consent to the entirety of the surgical process and management, including post-operative aftercare.
The charge also stated that she failed to provide adequate analgesia to Kiwi before, during or after the surgery, failed to provide appropriate and adequate fluid therapy to Kiwi, failed to offer an appropriate and adequate post-operative care plan and/or post-operative transfer for Kiwi to another practice and failed to inform the owners that there would be nobody present at the practice to provide post-operative monitoring and aftercare for Kiwi for approximately seven hours during the night.
Finally the charge stated that Ms Law allowed Kiwi to remain at the practice overnight from 12:30am to 07:45am without adequate monitoring or post-operative aftercare.
Ms Law admitted some of the charges against her, including that she had failed to obtain informed consent, failed to offer an appropriate and/or adequate post-operative care plan, failed to inform the owners that there would be nobody present at the practice and allowed Kiwi to remain at the practice overnight without adequate monitoring and/or post-operative aftercare. However, she denied that she failed to provide adequate analgesia or fluid therapy to Kiwi.
The Committee found all of the charges proved, with the exception of failing to provide adequate analgesia during the perioperative period.
Having considered the facts, the Committee then moved on to consider whether the admitted and proven charges against Ms Law amounted to serious professional misconduct, taking into account any aggravating and mitigating factors. The aggravating features were that, as a result of Ms Law’s failures in relation to analgesia and fluid therapy, there was either actual injury to Kiwi, or a risk of such injury.
In mitigation, the Committee considered that she promptly and accurately diagnosed GDV, and proceeded to perform the necessary emergency surgery. The Committee considered that the charges related to a single isolated incident and that Ms Law has had an unblemished career to date. They also noted that Ms Law had made open and frank admissions as to the majority of the charges.
The Committee found that the conduct of Ms Law set out in the majority of the charges did not amount to serious professional misconduct. However, in the judgement of the Committee, Ms Law’s conduct in allowing Kiwi to remain at the practice overnight without adequate monitoring or post-operative aftercare did amount to serious professional misconduct.
Jane Downes, who chaired the Committee and spoke on its behalf, said: "The Committee considers that the respondent (Ms Law) has insight into the serious mistake that she made in failing to ensure that Kiwi was checked or monitored overnight. The Committee has found that this was a single isolated incident, which involved a serious lapse of clinical judgement, which will probably stay in the mind of the respondent for the rest of her career.
"The respondent has been in practice for some nine years now, and apart from this incident, there is no suggestion that the respondent has fallen short of the standards expected of her on any other occasion. The Committee does not consider that there is a risk that the respondent is likely to leave an animal overnight after major surgery again, without ensuring that it is checked during that time, and, as such, the Committee considers that there is no future risk to the welfare of animals so far as the respondent is concerned."
The Committee considered that the finding of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect in this case is too serious for no further action to be taken, having regard to the need to maintain public confidence in the profession and declare and uphold proper standards of conduct.
The Committee therefore concluded that the appropriate sanction in this case was to issue a reprimand to Ms Law, in relation to the finding of serious professional misconduct.
Jane Downes added: "The Committee considers that this sanction, coupled with the findings of fact and disgraceful conduct made against the respondent, is sufficient to maintain public confidence in the profession and uphold proper standards of conduct. The Committee does not consider it necessary to issue a warning to the respondent about her future conduct, on the basis that the Committee has concluded that there is no risk of repetition."
There were three charges against Ms Creese, all pertaining to the period between July 2016 and November 2017.
The first charge was that she failed to ensure that there were adequate systems and processes in place for out-of-hours’ care for in-patients.
The second charge was that she publicised that the practice had "24 hour care provided by our vets at our practice" and/or "Care 24/7 for your pets" on its website, which suggested that staff were present at the practice 24 hours a day when they were not and as such publicity was dishonest and/or misleading.
The third charge against Ms Creese was that she failed to ensure that Kiwi's owners were informed about arrangements at the practice for out-of-hours’ care for in-patients.
At the outset of the hearing, Ms Creese denied all the charges against her.
After hearing evidence from relevant witnesses, the Committee considered that the practice did have in place systems and processes for out-of-hours care for in-patients and that there was no evidence of repeated or ignored failures of these systems and processes. The Committee therefore found the charges against Ms Creese not proved and all three were dismissed.
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 study, titled The Veterinary Employment, Engagement and Retention Study (VEER), opened this week and aims to collect data from thousands of veterinary professionals across the United Kingdom and beyond.
Dr Dermot McInerney (pictured right), VetX Head of Research and Partnerships, said: “We will use the data collected to understand the factors influencing career happiness and how they impact on talent attraction and retention.
"We want to share this information with as many people as possible so we can work together to create a better, more sustainable situation for both employers and employees in veterinary practice.”
The study findings will be published later in 2022 and made available to all industry stakeholders.
All participants will receive a special report of the results with customised career advice, and be entered into a weekly draw to win a prize.
To take part in the survey, visit: www.vetxinternational.com/veer.
Zesti comprises three ranges:
The Spirit range is a more standard looking scrub, manufactured from Alsi-Flex. The ‘Mode’ range looks a little more figure hugging, with an exclusive colour palette, and the Power range has a more sporting look.
Greg Houlston, General Manager, said: “Our healthcare workers need clothing that is practical and comfortable above anything else, yet our market research showed us that when it comes to scrubs with stretch, choice is limited in the UK compared with other markets such as the US.
“Veterinarians in particular need workwear that is especially hard wearing as the nature of their work means their clothing can be especially susceptible to rips, tears and soiling.
“We set out to create a brand that answered the need for more flexibility while challenging the perception that workwear should be dull and boring, and Zesti was born – a vibrant and contemporary range of garments, sustainably designed, to inspire confidence and positivity.”
Sara Catanzaro, Design Manager, added: “Our tailored garments offer exceptional attention to detail while being strong, hard wearing and resilient.
"They can be laundered domestically or industrially up to 60 degrees which is ideal for infection control.
"We’re already witnessing considerable demand as we believe we’ve hit the perfect balance between function and fashion.”
For more information, visit www.zesti.co.uk
Cosacthen contains 0.25 mg/ml of tetracosactide which had only previously been available as human-registered or compounded veterinary ‘special’ preparations meaning availability and cost could be unpredictable.
Tetracosactide is used in the ACTH stimulation test to assess the adrenocortical function of patients with endocrine diseases, such as Cushing’s and Addison’s.
Dechra Brand Manager Claire Morgan said: “As experts in endocrinology, we recognise that the testing involved in adrenal conditions can be a costly process for pet owners, which can mean that some cases don’t progress to treatment or have their treatment optimised.
"The launch of Cosacthen gives veterinary surgeons the reassurance associated with a veterinary licensed medicine. As these cases can appear on an irregular basis, Cosacthen is ideal to keep in the practice ready for when a case is presented making it a cost-effective solution that can help offset the cost for owners of long-term treatment of adrenal conditions."
Cosacthen is available in 1 ml single-use vials.
For more information visit www.dechra.co.uk/cosacthen.
The College is currently collaborating with VetLed, a leading provider of Human Factors skills training for veterinary professionals and the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), to launch the “VetLed Safe to Speak Up campaign” on the 2nd May.
The campaign aims to empower all members of the veterinary team to talk openly about their mistakes, concerns and new ideas by raising awareness of the importance of psychological safety.
The College says psychological safety is the belief that there won’t be negative repercussions as a result of vocalising thoughts, ideas or concerns, and is a beneficial value for practices to adopt.
Safe to Speak Up will include a social media campaign that raises awareness of the benefits of psychological safety and provides advice for how workplaces and individuals can apply psychological safety in their practice.
The Safe to Speak Up campaign will also feature a day of interactive workshops focussed on psychological safety on the 11th May.
The day will include free-to-attend sessions from VetLed that will explain what psychological safety is and how it can be created and maintained in practice.
Later, there will be four Veterinary Nurse Think Tanks, 90-minute interactive learning and discussion sessions that cover key Human Factor themes:
Lisa Quigley, Mind Matters Initiative Manager, said: “Every single vet nurse should feel comfortable and psychologically supported in their role, and we hope that the training and awareness campaigns that we are running over the upcoming year will ensure that more VNs will feel empowered to talk about their mental health and wellbeing at work.”
Alex Taylor, BVNA President, said: “The BVNA are so pleased to be part of the Civility Training, Think Tanks, and Safe to Speak Up Campaign, especially as these fall in line with our current theme of 'building resilience'.
"We recognise how important the mental health of veterinary nurses is, not just for their own wellbeing, but for the good of the workforce too.”
For more information about the MMI training sessions or to book a place on our Civility Training https://www.vetmindmatters.org/training/
Neil, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, is an equine veterinary surgeon who has worked in large and small animal practice in the UK and Australia. Neil is clearly multi-talented: on top of his many and various career achievements, he was in the Cambridge Footlights and has performed in four Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows. He also plays the piano.
Danny is another multi-talented veterinary surgeon, currently working as an equine locum and well-known in the profession as an RCVS Council Member, the founder of Veterinary Voices and a campaigner against irrational forms of veterinary medicine such as homeopathy.
Ian Fleming is a Senior Vet at the PDSA, standing as an independent candidate for the Halesowen and Rowley Regis constituency.
If I was a betting man, my money would have to be on Neil: Penrith and the Border has been held by the Conservatives since 1950, most recently by Rory Stewart. Danny, on the other hand, needs to overturn a 7200 Conservative majority in his constituency, something which the latest polls suggest is a bit of an outside bet. Still, stranger things have happened.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
Perhaps the biggest initiative thus far has been the installation of solar panels which meet the electrical needs of the 25 vets, nurses and support staff at its Kirriemuir branch.
In recent months, the group has also invested in a water purifier and oxygen generation system, installed composting bins made from recycled pallets and changed food packaging to eco-friendly and recyclable materials.
Compostable paper towels are now being used across the practices and, through a partnership with PetsApp, appointment reminders, invoices and receipts are sent electronically.
Anything that does have to be printed is printed on FSC certified paper.
Eco-friendly cleaning supplies and sustainable office products are also being sourced from local suppliers.
Other initiatives include avoiding single-use plastic wherever possible, using water butts to collect rainwater for watering plants and washing vans, and planting wildflowers to encourage wildlife.
The group has also installed energy-efficient LED lighting, along with a system to prompt people to turn off lights, and is currently switching signage lighting to LEDs.
Katrin Lewis said: “As we celebrate our 75th anniversary this year, we’ve clearly always been committed to providing the best care for our clients, but it’s vital that this also extends to the impact we have on the planet.
"We’ve therefore embarked on green mission to ensure our practices are as sustainable as possible.
“We’ve also taken inspiration and advice from practices within XLVets, the community of independently-owned veterinary practices that work collaboratively for the greater good of the industry.
"This has helped us to share best practice when it comes to sustainability and make further improvements to our procedures.
“We now have colleagues from all four of our practices in the green team and we’re continually looking at new ways of improving our green credentials.
"Even simple things like using spare Loxicom syringes for lab work, and washing lines instead of relying on tumble drying, as well as redesigning our recycling plan, are making a noticeable and positive difference.
“Since the start of the year, we’ve significantly reduced our carbon footprint and we’re now looking at a number of other exciting initiatives that we’ll be ready to unveil in the coming months.”
It is not the first time Roundhouse Referrals has innovated in this area. Last year, it launched the first 'Fixed Price TPLO' - a guarantee that pet owners will have no additional costs, should complications arise and further treatment be required following surgery.
Ross Allan, RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Surgery and Surgical Lead at Roundhouse Referrals, said: "We loved the idea of providing price certainty for referral clients, allowing those with no or lower levels of insurance to access our services and plan their finances. We also realised that in putting 'Fixed Price Fix' first and foremost we are also immediately highlight the possibility of complications and we felt the very best way to provide context for owners and referring vets would be to be open about our outcomes."
Following on from this Roundhouse Referrals has published the first of what it says will be a series of reports on TPLO+ clinical outcomes and customer satisfaction.
Ross said: "I think we're the first in Scotland to publish this kind of information outside scientific journals in a way that is easily accessible for pet owners, maybe in the whole of the UK."
The clinical outcome data was collected using a previously published questionnaire which enabled clients to give feedback on their pet’s recovery and status following their TPLO+ surgery.
According to Roundhouse, the results show that over 97% of dog owners rated their pets’ outcome as either excellent (85.29%) or good (11.76%) based on the first 70 TPLO+ surgeries performed. A figure which Ross says compares favourably with studies that have been previously published.
Additionally, 94.1% of pet owners agreed that if faced with having to make a similar decision again, they would choose to have the TPLO+ surgery done at Roundhouse Referrals, compared to 84.6% of owners in the previous study.
The results from the Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire showed that 100% of Roundhouse Referrals’ clients felt supported throughout the referral process, 96.97% of clients felt that the TPLO+ surgery was adequately explained and 100% would recommend Roundhouse Referrals to a friend or colleague.
Ross said: "Pet owners whose dogs’ had been through TPLO+ surgery and rehabilitation completed this questionnaire, enabling us to start measuring the outcome of the surgery, our aim being to ensure the surgery is optimal for the pet, and that owners feel supported throughout the entire surgical journey.
"We are delighted with these results, and will continue to monitor our outcomes and commit to publish our TPLO+ clinical outcome and customer satisfaction questionnaire results in the months and years ahead".
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
Prior to becoming COO, Tim was Managing Director of three referral hospitals owned by Linnaeus – Davies Veterinary Specialists, London Veterinary Specialists and Southfields Veterinary Specialists – and a number of its primary care sites.
Prior to joining Linnaeus, Tim worked in Iceland, where he was a vet for the Icelandic Government.
On his return from Iceland in 2016, he joined Village Vet and then progressed into a range of regional management and practice leadership positions across the industry.
Tim said: "I am proud to be part of our wonderful, unique industry that, although currently facing a number of challenges, continues to make such a difference to the lives of our patients and their owners every day.
“In my first vet role in mixed practice, I was fortunate to receive brilliant support, guidance and encouragement from my team.
"Since then, I have always wanted to do the same for my colleagues, particularly those who are just starting their careers.
“I have used my experience within the veterinary profession to support some fantastic teams at Linnaeus.
"Becoming COO is an honour and opportunity that will enable me to help even more people across the business.”
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