The British Veterinary Asssociation and British Small Animal Veterinary Association have strongly welcomed moves to tighten up the rules on dog breeding in Wales with the publication of the proposed Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales) Regulations 2011.

The draft proposals follow a report by an expert Task and Finish Group, including veterinary representatives, which made recommendations for new legislation to tackle the significant problem of puppy farming.

The BVA and BSAVA were both represented on the Task and Finish Group and have welcomed the proposals, which include:

• tightening the thresholds where a dog breeding licence is required; 
• a staff-to-dog ratio of one person to care for a maximum of 20 adult animals;
• compulsory microchipping of dogs on licensed breeding premises;
• the need for behaviour and socialisation of animals to be taken account of in the licensing requirements to meet the obligations in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. 

The draft legislation is now out for consultation until 13 January 2011.

Harvey Locke, BVA President, said: "The Welsh Assembly Government should be congratulated for driving forward legislative changes to tackle the abhorrent practice of puppy farming.

"The Task and Finish Group brought together everyone with an interest in dog health and welfare so the Minister should be confident that these proposals will gain widespread support.

"Puppy farming is not only a problem in Wales and it is clear that the rest of the UK is now lagging behind. We will be encouraging England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to follow suit and ensure dog health and welfare is promoted across the country."

Grant Petrie, President of BSAVA, added: "Vets are often faced with the terrible consequences of puppy farms and bad breeders, which can lead to suffering for both the animals and their owners.

"We are delighted that this action is being taken by the Welsh Assembly Government.

"The compulsory microchipping of dogs and puppies on licensed premises is a particularly welcome move but the veterinary profession will continue to campaign for this to be extended to all dogs."

Pfizer, manufacturer of the wormer Strongid^TM-P has launched a new promotional campaign. Love your horse is based on simple, straightforward and unbiased educational messages to help ensure the optimum health and wellbeing of horses and ponies in the UK.

Pfizer's veterinary adviser Ben Gaskell said: "Simplistically, the three key tools for the horse owner to understand are diagnostics, worming and pasture management. If these tools are used in combination with specialist advice, then the horse owner will be able to provide a sustainable, reliable and cost-effective worm control strategy for their horse."

At the core of the campaign is a new range of four highly informative and uncomplicated leaflets directed at every type of horse owner: Do you need to worm; Choosing and using the right wormer; Managing your pasture and Worming and Your new horse.

"Each leaflet has been designed to work as a stand-alone piece or can be presented as a smart, matching series of four," says Helen Shirley, brand manager for Strongid^TM-P. "The leaflets can be displayed in-store in a distinctive counter-top leaflet dispenser and are supported by eye-catching point of sale materials including posters and balloons."

The new campaign packs will be rolled out to all stockists from early June, supported by a dramatic new Love your horse advertisement in national equestrian trade and consumer titles.

The campaign will build up momentum over the summer months and into autumn's double dosing time with a series of authoritative, no-nonsense features and news stories from Strongid^TM-P's veterinary advisor Ben Gaskell. 

For further information please email: Strongid-P@pfizer.com

CEVA Animal Health is rolling out what it describes as a hard-hitting TV campaign on four national TV channels to highlight awareness of stress related feline behaviour problems and encourage cat owners to talk to their vet about Feliway.

This second bout of TV advertising will run in March and April on ITV2, ITV3, E4 and More 4 and on Channel 4 in the London region and will be seen by over five million people.

Featuring the animated character 'That Purple Cat' who first appeared in CEVA's TV advertising and marketing push at the end of 2009, the new campaign will see 'That Purple Cat' displaying signs of stress in the home environment to raise awareness of the issue amongst cat owners.

Lucy Brett, product manager at CEVA Animal Health said: "Our first TV advertising campaign back in the autumn went a long way to raise awareness. We found that more cat owners were able to recall the advertising for Feliway than for any other animal health brand.

"However, it is clear that in practice merchandising is crucial if practices are to make the most of this opportunity and I would encourage them to get in touch to request a display pack, which includes a waiting room poster and leaflets, as soon as possible."

A limited number of desktop and floor standing merchandising units are also available. For more information or to order your FREE waiting room merchandising materials call 01494 781510.

The RCVS has opened a consultation on the future of veterinary specialisation, which includes a proposal that the use of postnominals and titles by veterinary surgeons should be rationalised in order to avoid confusion amongst the public. 

The proposals are submitted for comment by the RCVS Specialisation Working Party, which is chaired by former Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Kenneth Calman.

The Working Party's review was precipitated by a finding that the structure of veterinary specialisation is "confusing and opaque" to both animal owners and the profession (Unlocking Potential - a Report on Veterinary Expertise in Food Animal Production, by Professor Philip Lowe, 2009).

The Working Party has explored the routes to RCVS Recognised Specialist status. It has also looked at the use of 'specialist' more broadly, given the fact that it is not a protected term in the veterinary field, and has considered animal owners' expectations of a 'specialist'. 

The Working Party also makes proposals for encouraging more veterinary surgeons to become specialists, given that there are currently only 319 on the RCVS List of Recognised Specialists, out of a UK practising arm of the profession of some 17,400 veterinary surgeons.

The proposals from the Working Party could have far-reaching impact. One suggestion is that all those meeting the criteria for specialist status would also become Fellows of the RCVS (FRCVS) - a status currently only held by those who complete a thesis or exam, or who qualify on the basis of 'meritorious contributions to learning'. There are also proposals that the term 'RCVS Recognised Specialist' be dropped and replaced with the much simpler term 'specialist' or 'veterinary specialist'.

Further proposals include the introduction of a 'middle tier' of veterinary surgeons - potentially to be called 'advanced practitioners' - who would be below full specialist status and subject to periodic revalidation.

There are also recommendations that veterinary surgeons should be obliged to explain referral options to their clients, including the level of expertise of those to whom they are referring cases.

The future of the RCVS subject boards, which currently manage the various Certificate and Diploma examinations, is also considered in the proposals.

The emphasis throughout is on simplification and improvement, according to Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, who said: "New legislation to introduce statutory registration for veterinary specialists would no doubt make things clearer, as it is for doctors and dentists, but, in the meantime, we believe there are a number of actions which the RCVS could take to improve matters."

The consultation paper can be downloaded from www.rcvs.org.uk/consultations, and comments are welcomed from members of the public, veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses. The closing deadline for comments, which should be sent to RCVS Head of Education, Freda Andrews, on f.andrews@rcvs.org.uk, is Friday 9 December.

Comments received will be considered by the RCVS committees and Council in early 2012.

Vethelpdirect.com, the website founded by VetSurgeon.org member, Susie Samuel MRCVS, has launched a new system called VetReviews which allows your clients publish a review of your service directly from your own website.

To use the system, you (or perhaps more likely your website person) embed a small form on your website, called a widget, as shown on this example: www.baytreevets.co.uk (bottom right hand side).

Clients then click the link in the widget to submit a review of your practice, or to read existing reviews.

To ensure fair play, each review is checked by a person who removes any spammy or malicious reviews, and looks for any signs of fraudulent multiple reviews being submitted by one person.

In the event of a negative review, the practice is given 5 days to respond before the review is published, which means the review isn't displayed without the practice's side of the story.

However, as Susie points out, a single negative review is not necessarily a bad thing; most people are able to put one bad review into context. Indeed, a small number of negative, or less positive reviews tends to make the glowing ones seem more credible.

VetReviews are optimised for inclusion in Google search results, which should also help your search engine visibility.

For more information about VetReviews (which is a free upgrade for existing customers), email: vets@vethelpdirect.com, or telephone 0845 4961 204.

The RCVS has announced far-reaching changes to the CPD requirements for veterinary surgeons, agreed by Council at its June meeting.

The proposals put to Council by the Education Committee included six key recommendations for changes to CPD policy: 

• To change the CPD requirement – as stated in the Codes of Professional Conduct – to 35 hours per calendar year for veterinary surgeons and 15 hours in the same period for veterinary nurses, from the start of 2020. This replaces the previous requirement of 105 hours and 45 hours of CPD over a rolling three-year period for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses respectively. 

• Making the use of the new CPD platform (currently in development) for recording learning and development mandatory from 2022. 

• Giving veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses who, upon renewing their registration, have confirmed their compliance with the requirement, the opportunity to download a certificate demonstrating this. 

• The introduction of an administration fee (which is currently yet to- be determined) that will be charged to any veterinary surgeons or veterinary nurses who continually (defined as two or more years in a row) fail to confirm their compliance with the requirement and/or fail to respond to requests from the College for their CPD records.

• Changing the words of the Codes of Professional Conduct to include the fact that CPD should be ‘regular’ and ‘relevant’.

• The continuation of the RCVS CPD Referral Group, which meets to consider what further steps should be taken in cases of veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses who continually fail to comply with CPD requirements and/or respond to requests. 

RCVS Council agreed, by a majority vote, to approve the above recommendations. 

RCVS Council member Dr Sue Paterson (pictured right), who introduced the paper and is the incoming Chair of the Education Committee, said: "While the majority of both veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses do recognise the importance of continuous learning and development for their professional practice, their clients and, ultimately, animal health and welfare, it’s clear that there has been a cohort of people in both professions who take a more lax view of undertaking CPD.

"The changes to our CPD policy are intended to tighten up our processes and are targeted at those who, when challenged about why they have not undertaken sufficient CPD, say that they will meet the requirement one or two years down the line as part of the rolling three-year system. The administration fee also recognises the amount of time and effort spent by staff in the College in contacting and chasing up those people who aren’t compliant. 

"However, we also recognise the fact that some members of the profession may have personal circumstances that means they are unable to meet their CPD requirement in a given year – whether that’s because of parental leave or other caring responsibilities, or long-term sick leave. So we will be retaining flexibility within the system and will be considerate and compassionate when taking into account individual circumstances when considering non-compliance.

"Furthermore, in light of the fact that the majority of vets and vet nurses do meet the requirement but also often go above-and-beyond it, we also thought it would be a good idea to introduce a downloadable compliance certificate in recognition of their achievement. This could be displayed, for example, in the practice and would be particularly useful for Practice Standard Scheme assessments.

"Over the coming months we will be fine-tuning the details of these policies and will be making further decisions about how they will work in practice in due course."

Veterinary surgeons and nurses who feel they will struggle to complete their CPD requirement within a 12-month period due to personal circumstances can contact RCVS confidentially at any time to discuss their difficulties on cpd@rcvs.org.uk

For full details about the decision, you can download the RCVS Council paper at: www.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/rcvs-council-papers-13-june-2019/

Merial Animal Health, manufacturer of Previcox, has launched a new campaign in small animal practices across the UK to continue to spread the message of 'total joint health'.

As part of the campaign, Merial has produced 'The A-Z of Canine Mobility' - a series of short articles and bite-sized information which can be disseminated to clients, helping to educate dog owners about canine osteoarthritis and the treatment options available.

Previcox Brand Manager Kathryn England said: "We are providing regularly updated articles and information to interested practices in a form that is easily pasted into a newsletter, eshot or fixed to a waiting room wall so that they can communicate with their clients quickly and easily. It's essentially free information to encourage owners to bring their dogs in for a joint check up."

Merial says the message about the importance of joint health and osteoarthritis is not well understood by pet owners, as demonstrated by a recent survey¹ which found that only 53% of the owners of old dogs considered reduced willingness to exercise as serious enough to require veterinary attention.  

Merial's Technical Manager, Kevin Whelan said: "The results highlight the fact that owners of older pets, even those who would be considered as responsible pet owners, do not consider signs such as unwillingness to exercise or hind leg stiffness to be particularly important. It's therefore important to educate and engage pet owners on this topic to encourage them to seek advice from their vet"

To sign up for regular free updates contact your Merial Territory Manager or call or call 0870 6000 123.

Reference

^1. (Davies, 2011)

Suffolk-based Stephanie Hazelwood has been suspended by the RCVS VN Disciplinary Committee for three months after she admitted stealing a prescription-only veterinary medication and pet food from the veterinary practice where she worked.

Ms Hazelwood faced three charges: 

• that she had, on three separate occasions, taken bags of pet food from the practice without paying for them;
• that she had taken a prescription-only veterinary medication, from the practice without paying for it or having a prescription from a veterinary surgeon for the product; and
• that her conduct in relation to the previous two charges was dishonest and in respect of the latter, risked undermining procedures there to protect animal welfare.

Having accepted her admissions on the charges, the Committee considered whether the three charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.

Regarding misconduct, Ms Hazelwood had also written to the RCVS prior to the start of the hearing and had accepted her conduct fell far short of what was expected of a veterinary nurse.

The Committee itself considered that Ms Hazelwood stealing the medication and other products was a serious breach of the trust placed in her by her employer, which had entrusted her with access to veterinary medications and their responsible use.

The Committee also considered that her conduct undermined the reputation of the profession and the public’s confidence  in those within it. Accordingly, the Committee found that the charges amounted to serious professional conduct.

In terms of aggravating factors, the Committee considered that her conduct was a breach of trust and abuse of her professional position, that there was a possible risk to animal health in terms of the prescription-only veterinary medicine, that the conduct involved financial gain (albeit limited), that the conduct was sustained and repeated over a period of time, and that elements of her conduct were premeditated and sophisticated.

In terms of mitigation, the Committee noted that Ms Hazelwood had no previous disciplinary history and a hitherto unblemished career, that she had made open and frank admissions on her conduct and demonstrated genuine remorse, that there was no actual harm to animals, and that she demonstrated significant insight into her actions and the impact they could have on her colleagues and the wider profession, as well as taking into account a number of positive testimonials.

Judith Way, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee noted the mitigating factors in this case and that Ms Hazelwood stole these items at a time when she was under particular financial and personal pressure.

"She said it was out of character and her testimonials supported this assertion."

"The amounts involved were small and had been repaid.

“Furthermore, it was apparent that at the time Ms Hazelwood was struggling financially and her motivation was not so much financial gain but rather the need to feed and protect her animals.

"It was unfortunate that Ms Hazelwood had not attended this hearing, but in her written submissions she had, in the Committee’s view, demonstrated significant insight.

"Her writing came from the heart, she clearly recognised what a dreadful thing she had done and provided genuine expressions of apology and remorse.  

“The Panel noted that Ms Hazelwood had worked as a veterinary nurse for some 16 years without incident.

"Her testimonials describe her as a very experienced and competent nurse, with an excellent work ethic and a real passion for the animals in her care.”

She added: “The Committee considered a period of suspension to mark the behaviour was both appropriate and proportionate in all the circumstances.

The order will be for a period of three months to reflect the seriousness of Ms Hazelwood’s disgraceful conduct, whilst reflecting the significant mitigation.

In light of the insight she has shown, the Committee was satisfied that it was highly unlikely Ms Hazelwood would ever behave in this way again and that she would be fit to return to practice after the period of suspension.

The Committee considered it would be wrong to deprive the profession of an otherwise competent veterinary nurse and that a member of the public in full possession of all the facts would not have their confidence in the profession undermined by such a decision.”

The full details of the case and the Committee’s decision can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

Davies Veterinary Specialists, the small animal referral hospital based at Higham Gobion in Hertfordshire, has reported treating four cases of serious lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum) infection over the past couple of months, all within around 30 miles of each other.

The practice says it usually sees only two or three lungworm cases a year, at most. It is thought that the increase in cases could be the result of a lack of knowledge amongst some owners about the right wormers to use, as well as the fact that lungworm appears to be getting a stronger foothold in some areas, possibly due to factors such as climate change.

One of the cases referred to DVS was a Cocker Spaniel called Honey belonging to Irené O'Hanlon-Marin from Beaconsfield. Vets initially believed the dog's symptoms of neck pain, breathlessness, shaking and lethargy to be the result of a recent head injury. Serious alarm was raised when Honey appeared to suffer a fit three weeks later, became unable to walk and lost her vision in one eye. She was immediately referred to DVS as an emergency.

Peter Smith, Neurology Specialist at DVS, said: "Honey was in a pretty serious condition when admitted here and would, I suspect, have died if she'd been left another few hours. She's now back home and much improved, and appears to be regaining her sight."

Irené O'Hanlon-Marin said: "It scares me to think how little I knew about lungworm and the fact that I need to use a specific wormer for it. We have been so lucky with Honey but I am determined to help prevent other dogs going through what she suffered so we all need to help spread the word about the dangers of this parasite."  

The other three cases referred to DVS were from High Wycombe, Pinner and St Albans. The practice reports that all patients have recovered well.

The RCVS has appointed Amanda Boag as its new Treasurer, replacing Dr Bradley Viner who will become (junior) Vice-President in July.

Amanda will officially take up her post at RCVS Day - the College's Annual General Meeting and Awards Day - on Friday 11 July.

Amanda is a Clinical Director at Vets Now and is also currently President of the European Society of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. She was elected to RCVS Council for a four-year term in 2012.

As Treasurer she will be responsible for maintaining an overview of the College's affairs, ensuring its financial viability and making sure that proper financial records and procedures are maintained.

Amanda said: "I am very honoured to have been appointed Treasurer for the RCVS and am looking forward to working closely with other Council members and the Belgravia House team.

"I would particularly like to thank my predecessor Bradley Viner for the excellent work he has done over the past four years. This has been a period of great change for the College and during his tenure he has done a huge amount of work to support the improvements in governance, including standardising the way that the College's accounts are reported.

"Our finances are currently in a healthy state despite no increase in the annual renewal fee for several years. I am now looking forward to building on his legacy and ensuring the finances remain healthy, allowing us to move forward with our Strategic Plan."

At RCVS Day on 11 July, Professor Stuart Reid will also be confirmed as President; current President Neil Smith as (senior) Vice-President; Chris Tufnell as Chairman of the Education Committee; and David Catlow as Chairman of the Standards Committee.

Maggie Fisher MRCVS, the parasitologist and chairman of ESCCAP (European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites), has highlighted studies which demonstrate an association between the common parasite, Toxocara spp. and human disease, and has called on the profession to help reduce the damaging and widespread effects of this parasite.

Maggie says that many in the profession may not be aware that Toxocara eggs aren't actually infective when they are first passed in an animal's stools, sometimes taking weeks to develop to this stage. Eggs persist long after pet waste has naturally washed away too, so the risk of infection still exists even in environments that appear to be clean and safe. Interestingly, there seems to be only a very loose (and according to some studies, entirely absent) link between owning a pet and an increased risk of human Toxocara infection, suggesting that most infections are acquired from the environment^1,2 . Education of pet owners about responsible pet ownership, including appropriate worming and picking up their dog's waste quickly is essential to reduce this environmental infection risk.

The parasite's larval stages cause disease in humans as they migrate through body tissues, with retinal damage a previously well identified consequence. However, Maggie has identified studies which suggest a whole range of common conditions that may also be attributable to Toxocara infection. One study³ included 425 children displaying signs of a persistent cough and 1600 asymptomatic children as controls. Blood tests confirmed that a statistically significant 32% of the symptomatic group were positive for Toxocara antibodies, compared to just 17% of the asymptomatic control group. What's more, when given a week's course of an appropriate anthelmintic, the vast majority of symptomatic children had a greatly reduced and frequently absent requirement for inhaled corticosteroids to control their symptoms when re-examined by the study team a year later.

Numerous other studies from around the world have shown similar strong associations with asthma, allergies and epilepsy. One nationally representative US study even showed an alarming association with Toxocara infection and reduced cognitive function in children² . Those that were positive for antibodies to the parasite on blood tests (proving prior exposure) scored significantly lower on tests assessing verbal and manual dexterity as well as maths and reading abilities² .

So, what should veterinary staff and SQPs be telling clients? Maggie says you should be advising pet owners to worm pets regularly (at least four times a year) with an effective anthelmintic from an appropriately young age (2 weeks of age for puppies and 3 weeks of age for kittens, because transfer of the parasite to puppies before birth and to kittens via milk is a feature of the parasite lifecycle). Reducing pets' access to raw food and hunting activities can also help. This is in addition to more general recommendations including cooking food well and making sure children wash their hands before eating.

Maggie said: "Vets, nurses and SQPs are perfectly placed to make sure that pet owners are aware of the risks and take precautions to protect themselves and the wider general public."

For further information about effective control of Toxocara and a wide range of other companion animal parasites, visit www.esccapuk.org.uk. To view all the presentations from the 'Everyday Parasites' CPD day, visit www.esccapuk-cpd.co.uk.

References:

1. Taylor, M.R., 2006. Ocular Toxocariasis. In: Toxocara, the enigmatic parasite. Holland, C.V., Smith, H.V., Eds. CABI Publishing, Ch. 9, 127-144.
2. 2. 3^rd US National Health and Nutrition Survey Walsh, M.G., 2010. Toxocara infection and diminished lung function in a nationally representative sample from the United Sates population. Int J Parasitol.41(2):243-7
   Walsh, M.G., Haseeb, M.A., 2012. Reduced cognitive function in children with toxocariasis in a nationally representative sample of the United States. Int. J. Parasitol. 42, 1159-1163
3. Bede, O., Szénási, Z., Danka, J., Gyurkovits, K., Nagy, D., 2008. Toxocariasis associated with chronic cough in childhood: a longitudinal study in Hungary. J. Helminthol. 82, 357 - 63.

Lucy Evans and Jamie Hollis, who work in the RCVS Professional Conduct Department, will join RCVS Trust Director Cherry Bushell to raise funds in the British 10K London Run on 12 July.

None of the three runners have run any kind of race since their school sports days - and are appealing for support as they aim to raise at least £300 each for the Trust. 

To sponsor a runner, you can log onto http://www.justgiving.com/rcvstrust and, if you are a UK tax-payer, this also means the Trust gets your tax back. Or, if you prefer to send a cheque, sponsorship forms are available from info@rcvstrust.org.uk or 020 7202 0743.

Lucy said: "The RCVS Trust is a great charity which supports veterinary education and has specialist library and information services for vets and VNs to use. Small charities like the Trust can get overlooked in big fundraising events so I'm glad to be able to help out - even if the thought of running 10K is a bit daunting!"

The race will be broadcast through the British 10K London Run website: http://www.thebritish10klondon.co.uk/.