VetKind, a collaboration between the Association of Veterinary Students of UK and Ireland and SkillsTree Training, are giving a webinar this Saturday which will offer advice for student vet nurses about how they can look after their mental wellbeing during the coronavirus pandemic.

The one-hour webinar, titled 'Calm in the Corona' takes place between 11am and 12 noon on Saturday 25 April and is being supported by the RCVS Mind Matters initiative.

The session will look at some of the common responses to uncertainty during the pandemic, with an emphasis on how to recognise and nurture more adaptive or helpful responses that do not lead to heightened anxiety or distress.

Topics will include creating routines, setting boundaries and how to seek social support despite quarantine measures.

Building on the interactive approach from previous VetKind conferences, student veterinary nurses and veterinary students will be invited to share their coronavirus experiences, ideas and successes with their colleagues.

Jenny Moffett, Managing Director of SkillsTree and VetKind facilitator said: "Although we’re all talking about social distancing right now, it’s more accurate to think of it as physical distancing. Social support is more important than ever, and webinars can be a really effective way to connect, and work together on a common challenge.

"We know that many students may be facing heightened stress and anxiety right now as they worry about the impact the pandemic may have on their own and their family’s health, their education, their finances, their housing and so on. We hope that this webinar will provide some effective coping strategies and an opportunity to share fears and worries and find constructive solutions to them."

Those that wish to take part in the webinar should email avsvetkind@gmail.com. An automatic reply with the link to participate in the webinar will then be emailed back.

WellVet, the annual event held to help veterinary professionals thrive and support each other, has announced the line up for this year's conference, which will be held online on Saturday 23rd May 2020.

Five time European champion and British record-holding athlete, Laura Muir MRCVS, will be in conversation with Gudrun Ravetz and Rob Pope for a keynote session at the virtual event. The line-up also includes Bake-Off star, Rosie Brandreth-Poynter, alongside a number of other expert session leaders for personal development, baking, exercise, crafts and social elements.

The day long programme will start with a run, meditation or yoga. The plenary sessions and workshops include topics such as change management, establishing a ‘new normal', and how to build wellbeing into daily life.

Wellvet co-founder Ru Tipney said: "We're delighted to host an event which brings together so many amazing people to lead valuable - and potentially life-changing sessions - for delegates. We have content for everyone, from student sessions to workshops designed for practice managers and owners."

To include a social aspect, the virtual conference platform provides opportunities for networking and connecting with fellow delegates during and after the event. Ru said: "The vibe we've had at the last two WellVet events has been pretty special. WellVet works because of the mutual encouragement, openness and support of delegates. We're delighted to have found a platform to give a rich social experience alongside all the great content."

The content and networking functions are available for a year after the event and the organisers are keen to stress there's no need to sit through the whole day in one go. Delegates are invited to dip in and out, revisit sessions, and connect with others afterwards. Tickets are subsidised at £40 for a full delegate pass and £10 for students and new graduates.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit: www.wellvet.co.uk

A study published by Mike Dryden - one of the world's leading parasitologists - in Veterinary Parasitology has demonstrated that spinosad (Comfortis, Elanco) provides a high level of flea control one month after a single treatment and maintains a high level of effectiveness under conditions of natural challenge following subsequent monthly treatments.

The multi-clinic, investigator-blinded study¹ was undertaken in client-owned dogs provided with three consecutive monthly treatments of oral spinosad (SPN) and fipronil/methoprene spot-on (FSM). All other household dogs and cats, to a maximum of four pets per household, were dispensed the same treatment. Subsequent treatments were given when the dog returned for whole-body flea counts and pruritus-scoring on days 30 and 60, with final assessments on day 90 (plus/minus five days on each occasion).

One hundred and twenty eight dogs were enrolled on the study at 10 veterinary practices in the USA (65 in the SPN arm and 63 in the FSM arm). On day 0, mean flea counts were 57.7 (range: 10-1469) and 44.8 (range: 10-717) for the SPN and FSM groups, respectively. On day 90, 55 of the 58 (95%) SPN dogs were flea free compared with only 21/55 or 38% of dogs in the FSM group. Mean pruritus scores declined to 0.92 (6.67 on day 0) in the SPN group and 3.83 (6.33 on day 0) in the FSM group by day 90. Mean flea counts were 0.08 and 5.19 for SPN and FSM groups respectively on day 90 correlating to a reduction in flea counts of 99.9% in the SPN dogs and 88.4% in the FSM dogs. Between treatment differences were found to be highly statistically significant (p<0.0001) for every parameter measured at every time point during the study in favour of SPN.

Anna Jackson, national veterinary manager for Elanco Companion Animal Health said: "The recent study confirms oral spinosad's outstanding efficacy in controlling fleas and associated pruritus in dogs when administered by owners following natural challenge in the home environment".

For further information please contact your local Elanco Companion Animal Health key account manager or phone 01256 353131.

References

1       Assessment of owner-administered monthly treatments with oral spinosad or topical spot-on fipronil/(S)-methoprene in controlling fleas and associated pruritus in dogs.  Michael W. Dryden, William G. Ryan, Margie Bell, Anthony J. Rumschlag, Lisa M. Young, Daniel E. Snyder.  Veterinary Parasitology 191 (2013) 340-346

Pets Choice Limited has established a veterinary division to develop a range of cannabidiol (CBD) oral dosage formats capable of being prescribed under the cascade.

The new division has been granted a ManSA license by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).

Glesni Owen, Head of Veterinary Sales, said: “Veterinary professionals across the world increasingly prescribing CBD products to their patients for a variety of health conditions including osteoarthritis, epilepsy, pain management and a variety of other behavioural issues.

“Research into the use of CBD is advancing daily which provides veterinary professionals with an increased knowledge base to help clients make informed decisions about treating their pets.”

Pets Choice have been working closely with veterinary professionals in the United States where CBD therapy is far more widely prescribed, collating and sharing the latest supporting evidence and guidance for vets here in the UK to feel comfortable discussing it with their clients. 

Glesni said: “We have developed a CPD-accredited educational webinar and also recorded a podcast with the Vet Times, interviewing highly-respected US-based veterinarian Jeffrey Powers, who has extensive experience prescribing CBD to his patients.” 

https://petschoice-2.wistia.com/medias/cn1g7dr2rc 

For further information, contact specials@petschoice.co.uk or 01934 831000.

RCVS Council has decided to delay the implementation of new 'under care' guidance covering the prescription of POM-V parasiticides until 12th January 2024.

The decision was made after Council heard increasing reports that practices have not been keeping records of POM-V parasiticide prescriptions within patient records as has always been required by the VMD.

This created a bit of a problem when the new 'under care' guidance came into force at the start of this month, which requires that veterinary surgeons must perform a physical examination as part of their initial clinical assessment of an animal before prescribing POM-V anti-parasitics.

Failing a record of an existing prescription, that would have meant re-examining large numbers of animals at a time when resources in the profession are already stretched.

RCVS President, Sue Paterson, said: “While it has been both surprising and disappointing to learn of such widespread non-compliance with legislation that has been in place for many years, Council decided to postpone the implementation of this one aspect of our new under care guidance to allow practices additional time to bring their prescribing protocols into line."

The delayed implementation date of 12 January 2024 relates only to the prescription of POM-V anti-parasitics.

The rest of the new under care guidance remains in effect from 1 September 2023

The Animal Health Trust, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge is going to conduct new research to enable the creation of a blood test to identify Flatcoated Retrievers with early stage histiocytic sarcoma.

The charity says that although histiocytic sarcoma is rare, it is an aggressive form of cancer which Flatcoated Retrievers are particularly susceptible to. 

According to the AHT, almost half of all affected Flat-coated Retrievers will have a tumour in multiple locations in the body at the time of diagnosis. The outlook for these dogs is very poor and, in most cases, means they receive a terminal diagnosis.

The new research revolves around microRNAs, abnormal levels of which are often found in tumours. In addition, different microRNAs are involved in different cancers. These cancer-specific microRNA signatures can be found within the blood of cancer patients, meaning that a tumour could potentially be diagnosed with a blood test.

To start with, the researchers say they plan to confirm if there is a specific microRNA signature that is unique to histiocytic sarcomas amongst tumours and normal tissue samples from Flatcoated Retrievers. If a signature is identified, the project will investigate if measuring the levels of these microRNAs within a Flatcoated Retriever tissue sample can be used to accurately identify a histiocytic sarcoma. If it can, additional funding will be sought for more research to identify if the microRNA signature is also detectable in the blood of affected dogs, and thence to develop a blood test. 

If it comes off, this would mean that a blood sample from a Flatcoated Retriever that was lame, or was showing non-specific clinical signs of the disease such as depression, lethargy, appetite or weight loss, could be tested for the presence of the histiocytic sarcoma-associated microRNAs.

A dog with a positive test result could then have an early MRI scan and histopathology done to confirm the diagnosis, hopefully at a stage where treatment would be more successful. 

Dr Anna Hollis, cancer researcher at the Animal Health Trust, said: "I have Flatcoated Retrievers and have lost one of them to histiocytic sarcoma - it is absolutely devastating. This research could make a significant difference, and that is a huge personal motivation for me. Histiocytic sarcoma is a particularly tricky cancer to diagnose, because the tumours are frequently located deep within or between the muscles of the upper limbs - underneath the shoulder is a common location.

"Often lame dogs are rested and given pain relief before imaging is sought. Delayed diagnosis is a potential problem with histiocytic sarcoma given its aggressive nature and ability to spread rapidly to other locations within the body. If we could identify affected dogs at an earlier stage, this may allow more successful treatment of the disease."

The research project has been funded by the Flatcoated Retriever Society (FCRS) and the FCRS Rescue, Rehousing and Welfare Scheme. The Flatcoated Retriever Breed Health Co-ordinator, Liz Branscombe, said "Sadly, there is a high incidence of this aggressive form of cancer in our beautiful breed. Early detection of the disease is key in optimising cancer treatment and prolonging survival time so the prospect of a diagnostic blood test for use in the future is exciting.'

Photo: Liz Branscombe, Dr Mike Starkey and Dr Anna Hollis of AHT and Brian Jones of FCRS Rescue, Rehousing and Welfare.

CVS has launched a new CPD training programme for its nurses. 

The 2021 Nursing Programme, which was launched in January, is a new course that provides CVS employees with over 150 hours of foundation training and is open to all registered veterinary nurses across the company's practices.

The programme offers a range of courses and is designed to help nurses complete their mandatory CPD requirements, while providing learning and development opportunities for colleagues to further their careers.

CVS says it has capped the cost of the course so it remains accessible to all its nurses. 

The company added that it plans to introduce an intermediate course in 2022, and an advanced some time thereafter, so that it can meet the CPD requirements of all of its nurses, at any stage in their career.

Lucy Turner, Chief Veterinary Nursing Officer at CVS Group (pictured right), said: “At CVS, we place our people at the heart of we do and are always searching for ways in which we can be the veterinary company that people most want to work for.

"This foundational programme, which is available almost entirely online, is a way in which we can support, nurture and build on the extensive talent we have across our Group and we greatly look forward to hearing feedback from the nurses who take part in the programme’s first year.”

The RCVS has published its Diversity & Inclusion Group (DIG) Strategy, setting out how it will help create a veterinary profession where everyone can flourish. 

The strategy, which is available to read at: www.rcvs.org.uk/diversity, lists six areas where the College and other DIG member organisations can work to improve diversity and inclusion within the veterinary professions at all stages – from school-age children who may be considering a career in the veterinary professions, to engendering positive culture change for those already in the professions.

 The six areas are:

• Recruitment to veterinary/ veterinary nurse education and training: developing case studies, ambassadors and careers materials for school-age children from all backgrounds; commissioning research to better understand barriers to veterinary professions; and working with organisations that support applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds.
• Retention and support within vet and VN education: updating veterinary school standards to reflect diversity & inclusion aspirations; implementing suggestions made during recent the RCVS and Veterinary Schools Council Roundtable for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) veterinary students and holding a similar event for BAME student veterinary nurses; and developing clear reporting systems and support for those who suffer from discrimination during extra-mural studies (EMS).
• Recruitment within the profession: encouraging veterinary organisations and workplaces to take up recruitment awards/ standards eg Stonewall, Race at Work, and Disability Confident; helping employers understand the business, moral and societal case for diversity & inclusion; and, working with employers to develop a toolkit to support better recruitment practices and encourage people to call out poor examples.
• Retention and support within the professions: strengthening standards regarding staff support within the Practice Standards Scheme; encouraging members of the veterinary team to attend diversity & inclusion training; producing materials that support difficult conversations; and, strengthening the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct to enable more confident reporting of poor behaviours.
• Organisational policies and procedures: RCVS and other organisations within the DIG ensuring their policies promote and support diversity and inclusion; developing a toolkit to better support in-house conversations around diversity; and encouraging veterinary organisations to have regular discussions around diversity & inclusion and visible statements of intent.
• Culture change: improving the diversity of governance/ leadership within the veterinary professions; ensuring diversity and inclusion is included in agendas at events, within CPD programmes etc; and enabling organisations to have, via the RCVS Diversity & Inclusion Group, a safe space to discuss progress and identify where they may need further help and guidance.

The RCVS Diversity & Inclusion Group includes representation from the Association of Veterinary Students (AVS), British Veterinary Association (BVA), the British Veterinary Ethnicity & Diversity Society (BVEDS), the British Veterinary LGBT+ Society, the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), the Major Employers Group, the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) and the Veterinary Schools Council (VSC) and will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating progress within each of the above areas.

Dr Niall Connell, Senior Vice-President of the RCVS and Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Group, said: "I’ve always been of the opinion that making the veterinary professions more diverse and reflective of British society at large, as well as protecting fellow professionals from discrimination, isn’t just a moral issue, but one that actually improves the quality of the profession and the outcomes we are delivering for our clients and patients.

"If we are losing colleagues to discrimination or just not attracting people from diverse backgrounds in the first place because they think it’s ‘not for people like them’, then we are losing out as a profession, and if we aren’t drawing on a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, and attitudes in our work, then we are also potentially doing a disservice to our patients and clients. This is why this Strategy is not just a case of being seen to be doing something, but is actually crucial for the ongoing vitality and credibility of the veterinary team.

"It’s important to emphasise that this Strategy is a start, and not an end in and of itself. There will be lots of hard work to be done and challenging conversations to be had, and results may not be quick or immediately obvious, but I am proud that we are taking a proactive approach and not just saying ‘things will change with time’.

Dr Mandisa Greene, RCVS President and a member of the DIG, added: “Fulfilling this Strategy will involve a lot of hard work over the coming months and years but I am glad to say that many of the activities it outlines are already underway both at the RCVS and our partner organisations, building on the pioneering work that organisations such as the British Veterinary Association, British Veterinary Ethnicity & Diversity Society, the British Veterinary LGBT+ Society, Animal Aspirations and others have been undertaking.

“For example, we have already held a joint RCVS and Veterinary Schools Council Roundtable with BAME students in which we heard about their experiences, issues that they have encountered and how they felt they could be better supported. These discussions led to the formation of a new RCVS/VSC Working Group that will take forward actions as a priority.

"Our Mind Matters Initiative has also funded a vital piece of research being undertaken by BVEDS and the Royal Veterinary College on the impact of racism on the mental health of BAME veterinary professionals which will no doubt highlight some critical actions to take to better protect members of the professions from discrimination and improve how discrimination is reported and dealt with.

“On a personal level, I have also been undertaking a number of school talks and providing one-to-one mentoring to school students about veterinary careers because I think it is important that children from a wide variety of backgrounds can see me, as a Black British woman of Caribbean heritage, as a role-model for diversity within the veterinary profession and know that the professions can and should be welcoming to all.”

Livisto, an animal health pharmaceutical company, has launched the HappyVetProject, a new website designed to help support veterinary professionals' wellbeing. 

The company points to the well-known veterinary mental health and suicide stats, such as the study by the American Veterinary Medical Association, carried out on 12,000 veterinarians in the U.S. from 1979 to 2015, which found that vets are 3.5 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population.

The company says the new website offers personalised self-care formulas to help veterinary professionals counteract the stress derived from their work.

There are three sections: Emotional Health (Vet Voices), Vet Yogi and Eat Well Vet.

The content is a little thin at the moment, more of a consommé than a thick leek and potato, but no doubt more will be added over time. 

For more information, visit https://www.happyvetproject.com

The RCVS has published a Workforce Action Plan which sets out ways to mitigate the ongoing workforce crisis in the veterinary profession. 

The Action Plan presents what the College is doing to tackle the issue and explains how collaboration, culture change, career development and leadership, among other things, could help with workforce shortages by improving retention of current members of the professions, encouraging more people to join, and making it easier for those who have left the professions to return.

The report lists seven main areas to be addressed:

• Shape leaders at all levels: this includes promoting inclusive everyday leadership; ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion considerations are embedded at all career stages; and launching more opportunities for free and accessible learning resources.
• Confidence, culture and recognition: ensuring that there’s a welcoming and supportive environment for the whole veterinary team; and continuing to deliver to raise awareness and signpost mental health support.
• Greater responsibility for veterinary nurses: demonstrating the capabilities of the veterinary nursing role, ensuring clear career pathways for veterinary nurses, and continuing to progress the need for legislative change which would see veterinary nurses gain more autonomy and responsibility.
• Welcoming a modern way of working: including promoting return-to-work support for both clinical and non-clinical veterinary roles, continuing to strengthen relations between the UK and overseas regulators and representative bodies; and encouraging the use of innovation and technology to tackle some of the sector’s major challenges.
• General practice – a chosen pathway: encouraging confidence in pursuing a career in general practice and the opportunities it offers, encouraging shared training where appropriate between vets and vet nurses at undergraduate level, and learn and model against other professions, such as the medical profession.
• An attractive career for everyone, including those who’ve left: continuing to promote direct RCVS accreditation of overseas veterinary degrees, launching an Extra-Mural Studies (EMS) policy that leads to a more consistent high-quality experience for students and providers, and ensuring employers understand the re-entry process, and the importance of welcoming people back after career breaks.
• Improving client interaction and communication: elevating and driving the status of communication and other interpersonal skills in the professions, developing clearer and more easily accessible explanations of the veterinary role and the scope of vet and vet nurse roles to the general public.

The full list of actions, with context about what has fed into ambitions, can be found in the Action Plan which is downloadable at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications.

Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS, Junior Vice-President and Chair of the RCVS Advancement of the Professions Committee, said: “This is a very complex, broad and multi-faceted area of concern so the Action Plan has been a long time in the making to ensure that we adequately capture what needs doing and how, in order to enable us to work collaboratively with all veterinary organisations going forward.

"This is not a finished list, but gives all within the veterinary sector the ability to look at the key areas of work that need to be done and prioritise the ones that most suit their organisational needs."

Research carried out by YouGov on behalf of the Dogs Trust, has shown that as the cost of living crisis develops, 68% of dog owners in the UK feel worried, to some extent, about how they will care for their dog in the next year, with 30% either ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ worried.

35% think the rising cost of living is already making it more difficult to give their dogs all they need.

By far the greatest worry was how they would manage to pay vet bills, which 49% named as their main concern.

The second biggest worry was affording dog food (17%), closely followed by insurance (15%).

Non-dog owners in the UK, meanwhile, were asked whether the rising cost of living would prevent them from adopting or buying a dog. Over half (54%) said that it would.

The Dogs Trust says this research mirrors its own experience, seeing a steady increase in the number of requests from owners who have decided to give up their dog.

It harks back to the year after the 2008 recession, when the increase in the number of stray and abandoned dogs reached over 25% in the UK.

Owen Sharp, Dogs Trust CEO, said: "We know from the experience of the 2008 recession that economic crisis can and will lead to people needing to give up their beloved dogs. Sadly, many loving dog owners simply won’t be able to afford to keep them.

“At Dogs Trust we’re rehoming and fostering dogs as quickly as we can - but as soon as we free up a kennel space, there’s a dog to fill it again.

“We’ve already taken 13,000 calls this year from owners who need to give up their dogs – a 58% increase on last year.

“We know that dog owners need immediate help and we’re working hard to find ways to support them - but it takes time.

“However, there are other ways we help, like our Hope Project, which aims to keep anyone experiencing a housing crisis and their dog together, and helping people find other services such as pet food banks or local charities that could ease the burden.”  

“We want dog owners to realise that they don’t have to wait until they are in crisis to call us for help.”

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health has launched a series of new guides and videos to help practices engage with clients on social media.

The company says the series will help practices set-up, post content and measure the effectiveness of their social media channels.

There are three introductory videos titled: ‘What are the benefits and why is social media key to my practice?’, ‘Measurement, maintenance and management’ and ‘Planning’.

The first video covers a back-to-basics introduction to social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram. The second video explains how to measure the success of social channels and how to manage posts and content. The final video covers the importance of planning and the use of content calendars to highlight events and awareness days, as well as helpful tools and features such as Facebook Live.

The four how-to guides explain:

• ‘I currently have no social media presence.  How do I get started?’’ 
• ‘How to successfully maintain and measure your social media accounts’
• ‘Why is community management important?’
• ‘How-to – Facebook Live and Instagram Lives’

The social media videos and how-to guides are part of PetNatter, Boehringer Ingelheim’s free veterinary resource, designed to help veterinary practices stay in touch with owners and help them care for their pets. Originally launched in mid-July, PetNatter provides veterinary practices with professionally crafted social media, newsletter and website content. 

Grace Tonner, territory manager at Boehringer Ingelheim said: “Social media plays a big part in our social lives and it is an increasingly important channel in business communities too, which has the potential to help practices maintain and develop vital relationships with pet owners. 

"While most vet practices recognise that social media should play an important role in starting and maintaining communications with clients and potential clients, particularly during challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, finding the time, resource and skills to be effective with social media can be challenging.

"Our brilliant series of short, easy-to-understand social media videos and how-to guides provides veterinary professionals with the essential knowledge, tools and confidence to make vet practice social media a hit.  Using the videos and guides will enable vet practices to get their social media up and running in just 15 minutes.”

For further information on the social media videos and how-to guides contact your local Boehringer Ingelheim territory manager or visit petnatter.co.uk/how-to.