The final count isn't in yet, but it looks like it's been another record year for attendance at BVNA Congress. Organisers (pictured on the BVNA stand, left to right: Caroline, Angie, Hon. Secretary Lisa Cooper, Alison, Lisa) report that 2044 delegates had pre-registered. More showed up on the day.
TV vet, Dr. Scott Miller gave an entertaining and amusing speech at the Congress opening ceremony.
Jane Barlett BSc Hons VN of Orwell Veterinary Group (pictured left, below), Ipswich, has won the "2007 Hill's Veterinary Healthcare Advisor of the Year" award.
The award was announced by Libby Sheridan, Veterinary Affairs Manager at Hill's (pictured right, below), at the VHA dinner dance at the BVNA Congress.
The RSPCA has just published the report: The Welfare State: Measuring Animal Welfare in the UK 2006, a statistical analysis of animal welfare in the UK. The annual report considers 35 animal welfare indicators relating to wildlife, farm animals, research animals and pets. Key findings concerning pets include:
Other main findings include:
There is more available on the website http://www.animalwelfarefootprint.com/, including a questionnaire to test your own 'animal footprint'.
Hot on the heels of research showing that pets are more pampered, comes the news from Debenhams Pet Insurance of a trend towards pets being given the same names as children. Whereas in days gone by a dog would perhaps wag its tail in response to ‘Rover' or ‘Bonzo', Debenhams online pet cover service has found that dogs covered under its policies are more likely now to be called ‘Jack', 'Max' or 'Charlie', all of which are amongst the most popular names for boys. Similarly, 'Sophie' is the 4th most popular name for cats, and the 6th most popular for girls. Anthropomorphism gone mad? Maybe. But it can only be good news for veterinary practice and standards of petcare if owners are increasingly viewing their pets as one of the family, or as a 'surrogate child'.
An unprecedented outbreak of fleas and ticks in Britain, posing risks to human and animal health, is being blamed on climate change, the wet summer and tougher strains of pests. Experts also warn the problem is set to worsen as autumn provides ideal conditions for the disease carrying parasites. The warnings are made in a new report: "Infest-Nation: the ProMeris Parasite Report 2007" from Fort Dodge Animal Health. In it, a survey of environmental health officers shows one in six reporting a 200% rise in cases involving fleas and ticks in their borough in the last five years. One in four said their borough was now issuing warnings on the subject to the general public. More than one third of the nationwide sample of 2000 vets, environmental health officers and cat and dog owners questioned noticed a rise in ticks and fleas in the last five years. Key findings included:
The Company of Animals has launched a new range of battery-powered, illuminated dog leashes and collars called Visiglo. Available in 5 designs ('Bones', 'Macaroni', 'Paws', sport stripe and flashing LED), these look to me at least like an accessory that could sell really well in practice. They look nice, serve a useful purpose (as well as making the dog more visible to traffic, the collars would presumably make it much easier to see where he's gone when out walking off the leash after dark). There's a video here.
Plus, with Christmas coming up, it's the ideal stocking filler for all those people that do their houses up like Blackpool Pier, and want the dog to look like a Christmas tree. Visiglo is (or will be shortly) available from the veterinary wholesalers.
The BVA has expressed its concern that almost two-thirds of food companies have no information on their commitment to stunning animals before slaughter – with only 4% having a "universal commitment".
The findings were published in the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare report (BBFAW, published 27 January) and also show that slaughter without pre-stunning is the only welfare measure showing a decline in the percentage of food companies that have a specific policy on the practice, down from 34% in 2014 to 32% in 2015.
BVA has run a long-standing and high profile campaign to end non-stun slaughter in the UK, with a public petition in 2015 gaining 120,000 signatures. BVA, together with all leading farm animal welfare organisations, believes that all animals should be stunned before slaughter to render them insensible to pain. Scientific evidence supports the use of pre-stunning to safeguard animal welfare. In 2015, two-thirds of BVA members listed the issue as one of their top priorities for government.
BVA President Sean Wensley said: "Vets and the public are united in their concern about animal welfare at slaughter. There are several positive findings on the growing commitment of food companies towards farm animal welfare in the BBFAW report, which we welcome, but the report highlights a disappointing lack of commitment towards animal welfare at the time of slaughter. The European Commission’s study of 13,500 meat consumers across Europe found that 72% wanted information about the stunning of animals at slaughter. Food companies need to sit up and take consumers’ concerns about humane slaughter seriously. People want to be assured that farmed animals receive both a good life and a humane death."
Laura Turnbull RVN, 34, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, but it has now spread to her vertebrae, ribs, legs, skull and liver.
Her colleague, Stacey Carlton RVN, who set up the fundraiser, said: "Laura is the best person in the world. She is the strongest person I know, and the bravest.
“She’s also one of the best veterinary nurses I know. She puts her heart and soul into caring for every single patient she has.
"She has taken home all the wildlife to rehabilitate, the strays no-one wanted, and the kittens that needed a mum.
“Laura loves India and used to live there. She’s there right now visiting her friends and we want to make sure there’s many more adventures still to come.”
Laura has already ticked off some key items on her bucket list, including a visit to the Himalayas, Christmas in New York and a Broadway show.
She’s also drunk Tequila in Mexico, enjoyed a spa in the exclusive Valle d’Aosta in the Western Alps and sipped fine wine in an Italian Castle.
At the time of writing, the fundraiser has raised over £5,500.
If you would like to help Stacey reach the target of £7000 and help Laura achieve even more of her dreams, visit her GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/a897acd1.
The charity highlights that loneliness affects the mental wellbeing of many in the profession, from locums being away from friends and family, students away from loved ones, those who feel isolated at their practice, and veterinary professionals worried about the lonely farmers they are supporting.
Vetlife Helpline Manager Rosie Allister said: “Every call to Vetlife Helpline is completely confidential and we would never speak or write about them, even anonymised, but we do hear themes around loneliness in our calls.
"It takes courage to acknowledge feeling lonely. There’s a stigma to it, and it’s often trivialised. Saying you’re lonely can feel like disclosing a vulnerability. People feel they need to hide it, to put on a façade.”
The new leaflet encourages those who are experiencing loneliness to open up if they are struggling and gives advice on how it can be combatted.
It can be downloaded here: https://www.vetlife.org.uk/mental-health/loneliness-isolation/
The company says it thinks the film is an industry first because it depicts veterinary professionals in a way that they have never seen themselves before: cinematically showing the highs and lows of a typical day in veterinary practice.
Vets4Pets also says it wants the film to generate greater recognition for everyone working within the industry, not just its own staff, by showcasing the passion, dedication and commitment that unites them.
Keith Leonard MRCVS, Practice Owner at Vets4Pets Leeds Birstall where some of the video was filmed, said: “While there are no words that can do justice to the sheer passion and determination demonstrated by the entire veterinary community, taking part in this campaign and seeing the result is really emotional.
“After an unimaginably turbulent few years, this campaign makes me feel incredibly proud of my whole team.
"It genuinely shows what it’s like to work in veterinary practice and I can’t thank each and every one of my team enough for their outstanding dedication to the care of our clients – both the pets we care for and their owners.
"We all live and breathe what we do, and I hope they feel a sense of pride when they see this campaign.”
Gordon Dunn, People Director at Vets4Pets, said: “The veterinary sector has experienced immense pressure following years of unprecedented challenges and as an industry we need to do our utmost to ensure that veterinary professionals are supported in their development and careers. But alongside this, we need to understand that recognition goes a long way too.
Corneal ulceration is a condition that affects up to 0.8% of cats and dogs in the UK1.
It can have a number of causes such as trauma, foreign bodies or underlying ocular pathology such as tear film insufficiency.
Helen Harrison MRCVS, Veterinary Advisor at TVM, said: "Keratomalacia, or corneal melting, may develop as a complication of an existing corneal ulcer due to the uncontrolled action of proteolytic enzymes.
"This can lead to corneal perforation and permanent loss of vision.
"Management of keratomalacia requires prompt and aggressive medical treatment to arrest corneal destruction.
"Anti-collagenases, anti-microbials and analgesia are the mainstay of medical therapy, with surgical intervention also indicated for cases requiring tectonic support.
"In addition, certain patients (such as brachycephalic breeds) are more at risk of keratomalacia occurring, therefore anti-collagenases should be considered pre-emptively as part of the treatment plan."
Stromease, which TVM says is the first and only licensed product of its type, contains the active ingredient N-acetylcysteine.
It does not require any prior preparation or special storage.
Presented in a 5ml bottle, Stromease has a three-year unopened shelf-life.
The licensed dose is two drops into the affected eye(s) 3-4 times daily.
Will Peel, TVM’s product manager said: "Traditionally vets have had to rely on ‘home-made’ anti-collagenase preparations which can be time-consuming to prepare, difficult to store correctly and inconvenient to use.
Stromease is a licensed, anti-collagenase treatment option for corneal ulcers dogs and cats, presented in a user-friendly format."
For more information visit: www.tvm-uk.com/cornealfocusrange or ask your territory manager.
Reference
BSAVA’s client information leaflets are designed to be used as part of the veterinary consultation and provide information to help owners understand what is involved in a procedure or examination, including the reasons for it, the preparation required, any associated risks and what happens during and after the procedure.
They are available in a PDF format which can be printed and stamped with the veterinary practice details or emailed to clients.
Elise Robertson, ABVS American Board-Certified Diplomate Feline Practice and author of the endoscopic Client Information Leaflets, said: ‘The client information leaflets were created due to the need for accurate and reliable information from reputable sources."
BSAVA’s Head of Publishing, Ian Mellor, said: "This new factsheet brings our total number of client leaflets to 178. Our client leaflets have been downloaded more than 10,000 times in the past year and are an important part of our drive to improve the health and welfare of small animals by providing practical resources to the veterinary profession.’
The new leaflet is available via the BSAVA Library (https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/cilgroupprocedures).
Access to the entire range of client information leaflets (including canine and feline behaviour, exotic pets and medicines) is available for an annual subscription of £40; BSAVA members have access to these leaflets as one of their membership benefits.
BSAVA welcomes suggestions for new topics to cover in its client information leaflets.
Send your ideas to publications@bsava.com.
The first event, being held tomorrow (19th May) at 11:00pm, will be presented live from Calgary by small animal ECC specialist, Dr. Marie Holowaychuk.
Marie has spent more than 15 years speaking to audiences around the world, drawing on her personal experiences and evidence-based information to empower veterinary professionals to look after their personal and professional wellbeing.
Next week, at 8pm on Thursday 26th May, Andy Green MRCVS (pictured right), people director at Kent-based Pennard Vets, will host the second event titled ‘From Victim to Victor.’
His presentation will explore the challenges of clinical life and provide insight into how building healthy habits form the foundations for long-term success in the veterinary industry.
Andy is a certified neuro strategist who has spent the last 15 years exploring the world of personal development.
He's also a regular speaker at vet schools, conferences and events.
Lance Rice, creative director at ezyVet, said: “We’re already on target to have more than 1,000 vets and nurses from practices across the world attending these free webinars that are hosted by veterinary professionals for veterinary professionals.
“Because our hosts and audience are spread across the world, we know that some people won’t be able to watch them live, so we’ll make them available to view again afterwards through our website.
"Both promise to be invaluable events that will also count towards annual CPD requirements, so we’re encouraging vets and nurses to sign up now.”
You can register at: www.ezyvet.com/mindfulmay
Everyone taking part in the survey will receive a fob watch to thank them for their participation.
Sarah is leading the project, which is supported by Ceva Animal Health, alongside Professor Danièlle Gunn-Moore, fellow RCVS Feline Medicine Specialist and Professor in Feline Medicine at The University of Edinburgh.
Suzanne Page MRCVS, Amodip Product Manager at Ceva, said: “There are many barriers to ensuring that all older cats and those with relevant concurrent diseases receive screening for hypertension.
"The survey will help us better understand what those barriers are and how these challenges can be addressed positively to improve animal welfare.
"It is also an issue that requires the whole practice team to come together to deliver a better outcome for their patients.
"We are therefore very keen to find out how all members of the practice team view these important issues and want to encourage all vets and veterinary nurses to share their perspective on the challenges they face in carrying out blood pressure measurements.”
Sarah is emphasising the importance of keeping feline patients calm and relaxed during blood pressure assessments: “The so-called ‘white coat effect’ or situational hypertension, has been observed in both people and animals.
"The survey will also explore the tools and techniques veterinary professionals use to minimise the impact of blood pressure assessments on their patients and will help us to develop some best practice approaches.”
The survey can be found at https://bit.ly/FelineHypertensionSurvey.
Renutend contains primed mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which Boehringer says are specifically targeted to reduce scar tissue formation so horses can return to the intended level of performance, with a reduced risk of re-injury1.
According to the company, a single dose decreases scar tissue formation with consistent and proven results 2.
RenuTend is administered by intralesional injection and complements Boehringer Ingelheim’s other equine stem cell product Arti-Cell Forte, which is authorised to treat mild to moderate recurrent lameness associated with non-septic joint inflammation in horses.
RenuTend will be available in September this year.
In the meantime, Boehringer is encouraging veterinary surgeons to register their interest with their BIAH representative or call 01344746960 in order to get updates or product information as soon as it becomes available.
References
If you're in London before January 6th 2008, the Animal's War exhibition at the Imperial War Museum might be worth a visit. Sponsored by The Kennel Club and PetPartners, the family exhibition explores the remarkable role of animals in conflict from the First World War to the present day using hands-on interactives, photographs, film and sound clips, paintings, touchable sculptures, and memorabilia from the Imperial War Museum collections and private and public lenders from all over the world.
Vets Now has just added a new recruitment section to its website, with details of the veterinary career opportunities available within the company. Click here for more.
The invaluable work done by equestrian vets in the UK is to be recognised with a new award sponsored by leading equine insurance provider Petplan Equine at the Animal Health Trust Awards in November. The ‘Petplan Equine Vet of the Year' award people's vote will reflect the huge contribution made by vets to the equine community. Owners and riders will be able to nominate their equine vet for the award if they feel that they are deserving of the recognition that this accolade would bring. Veterinary practice personnel are also encouraged to nominate a colleague who they feel has gone beyond the call of duty. Leaflets have been sent to practices across the UK outlining how to nominate and people can also register through the Petplan Equine website http://www.petplanequine.co.uk/. A short list will be drawn up from the nominations received and an independent panel will decide the winner, who will receive his or her award at the Animal Health Trust Equestrian Awards in London on November 6th 2008. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Animal Health Trust Equestrian Awards, which recognise the outstanding achievements made by horses, riders, owners and trainers throughout the equestrian world. This milestone coincides with Petplan Equine's 20th anniversary and, since 1994 when the Petplan Equine Charitable Trust was founded, it has raised over £5 million, almost £500,000 of which has been donated to the AHT to fund research and development. Jo Whitaker of Petplan Equine says: "It has been a privilege to be involved with the AHT Awards over the years and we look forward to this exciting 20th anniversary year. Petplan Equine has sponsored the Eventing Award for the past three years but this new award will recognise the commitment and hard work of people within the equine veterinary profession and the service they provide to horse owners. Horse welfare is paramount at Petplan Equine and we are committed to promoting responsible horse ownership, through our wide range of policies, our charitable contributions and our Horse Handbook. This award will give the equine community the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the vet who has made the most outstanding contribution to the care of horses." To nominate go to http://www.petplanequine.co.uk/. The closing date for nomination is 3rd October 2008.
The Company Of Animals has announced its support for a new charity: Cancer & Bio Detection Dogs, which claims to have proved unequivocally that dogs can be trained to detect human cancers by smell. The charity trained dogs to discriminate between urine from bladder cancer patients and urine from both healthy people and patients with diseases other than cancer. "The dogs were taught to signal their choice by lying down next to their chosen sample. Their combined accuracy rate of 56% was highly statistically significant, proving that dogs can detect cancer by using their olfactory capabilities."
Royal Canin is launching the first complete veterinary diet range especially for neutered dogs, to counter the recognised physiological side effects of neutering. The range consists of Neutered & Osteo for neutered adult and mature dogs over 10kg, Neutered & Stone for neutered adult and mature dogs under 10kg, and Neutered & Digest, for neutered puppies over six months old who will grow into adults over 10kg.
With fireworks season approaching, CEVA reminds that it's a good time to let clients know the steps they can take to minimise noise-related stress and highlight the benefits of the using D.A.P.® and Feliway®. Both products are available in a plug-in diffuser, which the company recommends should be introduced into the home at a week before firework night, to allow the pheromones to build up to significant levels. In addition, D.A.P.® Spray can also be used to provide further reassurance to dogs with a history of firework phobia on the night of each event.
It's the Blue Cross Take Your Dog To Work Day on 14th September.
I don't know how much money it raises, but as a marketing and PR exercise to promote dog ownership, the day is almost without rival. It always gets plenty of media coverage. It's got strong celebridee endorsement. And getting pet owners to bring their dogs into work is a very clever way of getting more people thinking about getting a dog. See http://www.takeyourdogtoworkday.org.uk/ for more (if you're interested, there's a downloadable poster you can display in the practice).
September marks ‘Pet Smile Month', and Royal Canin is amongst several companies offering participating practices a great way to build dental sales and reinforce key health messages. During the month, a quarter of a million Doggy Bags and Kitty Packs, including samples of Royal Canin dental diets will be given away. A money off voucher appears on the front of the bags, which can be redeemed there and then against Royal Canin dental products from the clinic. Gill Furniss, Royal Canin veterinary marketing director, says: "We decided that by enabling customers to redeem the money-off vouchers before they even leave the clinic with their gift bags was the best way to ensure that vets get the benefit of these sales - no chance of pet owners taking the bag home and losing the voucher! ‘Pet Smile Month' is a great way for veterinarians to get across the message about good oral care, and an opportunity to help owners keep their pets' mouths healthy for life."
The new, non-statutory Register for veterinary nurses opened yesterday. 3329 VNs were automatically included (having been listed with the RCVS since 2003). The remainder joined the list voluntarily.
RVNs are obliged to undertake 45 hours of CPD over 3 years, and to follow the Guide to Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses.
To help promote the new title, the RCVS has sent a poster to all newly registered RVNs to display in their practices. More promotional materials are in the pipeline.
Pet Protect has launched a new website which includes a tool to compare the benefits of its pet insurance policies with others in the market.
The comparison deliberately excludes the cost of the policies. Pet Protect says that the aim is to "overcome the current preoccupation with price as principal means by which competitive products are evaluated".
It would be interesting to know what your experience is, talking to clients about insurance. Do you think that clients are receptive to buying insurance for the benefits, or do you think that price will always be their main concern?