Pfizer has released the results of its first Performance Index (formerly the Fort Dodge Index) which shows mildly improved trading conditions for the companion animal veterinary market in the first quarter of 2011.
Those aspects of veterinary business that showed an improvement in the first quarter of 2011 include: turnover growth (+0.8%, up from -0.1% in March 2010); client retention (+0.1%); the average number of visits per year (+ 0.17%); annual transaction value (+ 1.1%); average transaction value (+0.8% to £41.74); fee per product service (+0.2%) and products and services sold per visit (+0.6%).
Leveraged sales (typically pet-care products), which were down 2% (from 40% to 38%) in 2010, have increased 0.9% in the first quarter of 2011 to make up 39% of practice transactions.
Less positively and pointing to the need for veterinary practices to implement ongoing marketing initiatives, the number of new clients coming into practice is down (-0.4%) as is the number of active clients (-0.26%). Revenue from loyal clients (those that visit the practice for additional products and services, particularly vaccination and other preventative healthcare programmes) was static. Although flat growth is an improvement on previous reports, this is still a concern, as it is these clients who are the driver for revenue growth in many practices.
Pfizer Business Consultant, Simon Fowler said: "Although the figures are only very slightly improved this does mirror what we are seeing in practices that we visit. Practice turnover growth of 0.8%, while only small, is much better than any quarter in 2010. So we may be seeing the first green shoots of recovery, but there's still no room for complacency. Before we all breathe a collective sigh of relief, however, it should be remembered that as this is the first report for 2011 it is only an early picture, while a fuller story will be gleaned from the second report, which will show results from the first six months of the year.
"What is clear is the need for practices to market themselves in order to attract new clients, increase growth from active clients and increase client loyalty. VetSupport+ includes a range of marketing services to help practices in this respect. A practice has already achieved TV coverage via our Public Relations support service, while others are using PressRoom newsletter templates to keep potential and existing clients up to speed with the practice's news."
Further information about Pfizer's VetSupport+ service is available at www.vetsupportplus.co.uk.
The 2020 OV Conference will offer up to 25 hours of CPD with lectures, workshops and Q&A sessions from world-class speakers in streams covering small animals, farm animals and equines. There will also be exclusive offers from industry sponsors and online networking opportunities.
The OV Conference provides an opportunity for OVs to discuss current topics of interest and recent developments in their work. Themes this year will include notifiable diseases, biosecurity and disease control, and export certification.
In addition to the live lectures, delegates will be able to view recordings of all the sessions on-demand for three months following the conference. The CPD on offer counts towards OV revalidation qualifications with the event open to all vets, as well as animal health paraprofessionals, nurses and practice managers.
David Babington MRCVS, Business Development Director at Improve International, said: "Moving the OV Conference online has given us an opportunity to harness the technology we use regularly in all of our veterinary training to bring OVs an exceptional but affordable CPD experience.
"Our excellent speakers are looking forward to sharing the latest updates in all aspects of OV work with our delegates and to discussing the challenges ahead, particularly in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the UK moving inexorably towards leaving the EU at the end of the year.
"We’re looking forward to meeting our delegates old and new online at the OV Conference in September.”
The full programme and tickets are now available from https://officialvet.com
The first 150 tickets will get an ‘Early Bird’ 25% discount from £160 to £120+ VAT using the code UK.OV.EARLYBIRD.
The CVPM is the industry-recognised professional examination for veterinary managers. Covering six main areas – strategy, finance, marketing, personnel, communications and general management - it is available to VMG members who want to consolidate their knowledge and experience with a recognised qualification. Candidates must be employed in the veterinary sector in a management role.
The regional workshops are free to attend but registration in advance is required.
Saturday 7 March 2020, 10.30 am – 1.00 pmWorkshop 1: Coverdale House, Aviator Court, York YO30 4GZ. Workshop 2: Clue House, Petherton Road, Bristol, BS14 9BZ.
Saturday 21 March Workshop 2020Workshop 1: Goddard Veterinary Group Wanstead Veterinary Hospital, 84 New Wanstead, Wanstead, London E11 2SY.Workshop 2, Manchester: This workshop takes place at the Vets Now Hospital, 98 Bury Old Rd, Whitefield, Manchester M45 6TQ.
Those attending VMG-SPVS Congress 2020 at Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, are also strongly advised to attend the Management Mastery Stream, on Friday 24 January 2020.
VMG Director Ms Georgina Hills (pictured right) said: "Those involved in practice management require expertise in all the key aspects of running a successful business, as well as a deep understanding of the veterinary sector. The CVPM is a testing qualification and is increasingly recognised as a benchmark for excellence. Our regional workshops are ideal preparation for those preparing to submit their applications in August and to undertake the examination in November 2020 so we look forward to meeting potential candidates around the country during 2020."
Miss Emma Hollingworth from the Park Vet Group in Cardiff, who achieved the qualification in 2018, said: "Coming from a nursing background where much of my knowledge was gained through experience, the CVPM required me to research and develop skills which are not taught to all veterinary nurses and I feel it has given me a strong platform from which to develop my career. The VMG provides excellent preparation days and I highly recommend attending one to those sitting the exam."
The CVPM examination consists of a written 3,000-word report and the examination itself which consists of a ten-minute presentation on a subject supplied by the examining board; a 15-minute discussion of the submitted report and two further 30-minute oral exams on related topics.
Further information is available at https://vetmg.com/cvpm-vpac/
Floxabactin is indicated for use in dogs with lower UTIs including those associated with prostatitis, upper urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli or Proteus mirabilis in dogs, and superficial and deep pyoderma. For cats, the 15 mg dose can be used with upper respiratory tract infections.
Floxabactin is presented in blister packs: 15mg for cats and dogs, plus 50mg and 150mg for dogs.
Dechra Brand Manager Carol Morgan said: “Floxabactin has been developed with the responsible administration of antibiotics in mind. We would always promote only using antimicrobials when an infection has been documented and based on the results of culture and sensitivity testing, and or cytology testing, if applicable.
"Other treatment options should also be considered before the systemic use of antibiotics such as topical treatment for superficial pyoderma."
For more information, visit: https://www.dechra.co.uk/new-from-dechra
Trilotab is licensed for the treatment of pituitary-dependent hypercortisolism (PDH) caused by an adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenoma, which accounts for 85% of spontaneous cases of Cushing’s, and for the treatment of adreno-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADH) caused by a cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumour (ACT), which accounts for the remaining 15% of spontaneous cases1.
The new tablet is divisible into halves and quarters to facilitate dose adjustment and make administration easier.
Divided tablets remain stable outside of the blister packaging until the next dose is due, thereby avoiding wastage.
Trilotab tablets are chewable and chicken-flavoured to help improve treatment compliance.
They contain hydrolysed chicken flavouring so they can be prescribed for pets allergic to chicken.
Trilotab is administered once daily with food with a starting dose of 2mg trilostane/kg bodyweight.
The new tabs are available in three presentations: 10mg, 30mg, and 60mg presentations, which Virbac says should help practices reduce their dispensary stockholding.
Andrew Connolly, Marketing Director – UK & Ireland at Virbac, said: ‘The complex nature of Cushing’s syndrome in dogs can make it a challenging condition to manage for both the clinician and the pet owner.
"With the requirement for lifelong treatment, it is our hope that Trilotab’s easy administration and simplified dosing protocols will genuinely help to improve the lives of dogs affected by the disease, whilst making the clinician and pet owner’s lives just a little bit easier too!"
Reference
The company says it has made the test available in response to customer demand and growing evidence that in rare cases pets living with COVID-19-positive humans can be at risk of infection.
The test will be available to veterinary surgeons in North America this week and will roll out across most of the world in the coming weeks, via the company's worldwide network of laboratories.
Jay Mazelsky, President and Chief Executive Officer of Idexx Laboratories said: "We have continued to monitor the rapidly evolving public health crisis worldwide, paying special attention to the effects on pets.
"While there is currently no evidence that dogs or cats play a role in transmitting the disease to humans, it became clear offering the test was the right thing to do when we saw clinical evidence that pets—especially cats and ferrets—can in rare cases be at risk for infection. And, we heard from our customers around the globe that veterinarians needed a testing option."
Idexx recommends the test is used when three specific criteria are met:
Idexx says leading health authorities agree with the company that transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is primarily person-to-person and advise against testing asymptomatic pets. Since mid-February, the company has tested over 5,000 specimens for the virus, from cats, dogs, and horses with respiratory symptoms in 17 countries. To date, it has found no positive results, suggesting that dogs and cats living with infected people generally remain uninfected, except in rare and isolated cases.
For information about the Idexx SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) RealPCR Test for pets, visit idexx.com/covid19-pet-test.
'Potential role of veterinary flea products in widespread pesticide contamination of English rivers1, was carried out by Professor Dave Goulson and Rosemary Perkins MRCVS from the University of Sussex and co-authored by Martin (pictured right) and Wayne Civil from the Environment Agency.
For the study, they looked at 3,861 samples taken from 20 rivers around the UK between 2016 and 2018. Fipronil was detected in 98% of the samples and imidacloprid in 66%.
Currently, there are no environmental quality standards for fipronil or the compounds it breaks down into (fipronil sulfone or fipronil sulfide) or for imidacloprid in British surface waters.
The authors therefore used the acute and chronic toxicity limits for fipronil from a report from the Department of Environmental Toxicology at the University of California Davis2, and from Morissey et al (2015)3 for imidacloprid.
They found that the average fipronil concentration across the rivers sampled by the Environment Agency exceeded chronic safety thresholds five-fold. The overall pollution levels in English rivers indicate that fipronil and its toxic breakdown products pose a high risk to aquatic ecosystems.
While, in most rivers, imidacloprid was found to pose a moderate risk, in seven out of the 20 rivers sampled there was a high environmental risk.
The paper, published in Science of the Total Environment, noted that the highest levels of pollution were found immediately downstream of wastewater treatment works, which the authors say supports the hypothesis that significant quantities of pesticide may be passing from treated pets to the environment via household drains.
Professor Dave Goulson said “Fipronil and imidacloprid are both highly toxic to all insects and other aquatic invertebrates. Studies have shown both pesticides to be associated with declines in the abundance of aquatic invertebrate communities. The finding that our rivers are routinely and chronically contaminated with both of these chemicals and mixtures of their toxic breakdown products is deeply troubling.”
Bathing of pets treated with spot-on fipronil flea products has been confirmed as a potentially important route to waterways for fipronil via sewers. The washing of hands, pet bedding or other surfaces that have come into contact with treated pets are potential additional pathways for entry to sewers.
Rosemary said: “We’ve identified a number of steps that can be taken to minimise or avoid environmental harm from pet flea and/or tick treatments. These range from introducing stricter prescription-only regulations, to considering a more judicious and risk-based approach to the control of parasites in pets, for example by moving away from blanket year-round prophylactic use."
Martin said: "The profession urgently needs to adopt ‘responsible use of parasiticides’ similar to the way it is adopting responsible use of antimicrobials. The VMD needs to strengthen the environmental assessment of pet pesticide products in the authorisation process, and they are currently considering this issue. The VMD should also collate and publish annual sales figures for these pesticides as they do for antimicrobials."
He added: "My veterinary hospital has never had a ‘pet health plan’ to provide year round flea products, because we believe that year-round, intensive treatment for almost all dogs and cats does not constitute responsible use of such powerful pesticides."
References
Morrissey, C.A., et al., 2015. Neonicotinoid contamination of global surface waters and associated risk to aquatic invertebrates: a review. Environ. Int. 74, 291–303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2014.10.024.
To date most of these imaging procedures have been performed by vets within the group’s small animal first opinion veterinary practices.
The company says its Foundations in Diagnostic Imaging for Nurses training is designed to give its nurses more clinical stature in first opinion practice.
The programme will teach nurses the workings of an x-ray machine, common X-ray positions and contrast material.
It will also cover the principles of CT and MRI, showing how to set up and operate each piece of equipment, and how to support patients through these imaging procedures.
Finally, the course will provide the training nurses need to be able to perform ultrasounds within the current RCVS legal frameworks.
CVS says it believes this is a first in the veterinary profession
Tara Ryan, Chief Veterinary Nursing Officer at CVS said: “Imaging is a brand new area that we are starting to delegate to our nurses. Having heavily invested in our small animal first opinion practices over the last decade, we have a wide range of imaging equipment at many of our sites.
“Excitingly, this programme will open up the ability for nurses to start to contribute more information - to help vets identify and diagnose conditions and diseases in patients.
"It is another big step that we are taking to empower our brilliant nurses and to enable them to make a great clinical contribution towards the care of our patients – and to be the nurses they want to be.”
CVS is prioritising the consulting room and Schedule 3 delegated tasks as important areas for improving what it calls 'nurse optimisation'.
The company recognises that 'buy in' from veterinary surgeons is vital to the success of its efforts to optimise the role of its nurses, and the group has also published guidelines to provide clarity around effective delegation under Schedule 3.
The sessions will allow members of the profession to find out about upcoming College projects and put questions to the RCVS Officer Team, RCVS Council members and senior staff, in a friendly, informal atmosphere.
The first event is taking place at the Hilton Glasgow on William Street at 6:30pm, where there'll be supper and drinks before the main event at 7:30pm, when RCVS President Melissa Donald, RCVS Treasurer Niall Connell, RCVS Senior Vice-President Kate Richards, Junior Vice-President Sue Paterson, VN Council Chair Matthew Rendle, RCVS Registrar Eleanor Ferguson and RCVS CEO Lizzie Lockett will update everyone on College activities and take questions.
The College says that the topics for discussion will be up to the audience but are likely to include workforce issues, the review of RCVS guidance on under care, proposals for legislative reform, VetGDP and the future of extra-mural studies.
Melissa said: “In my opening speech as RCVS President I said that one of the key missions of my presidential year was to talk – and especially listen – to as many members of the professions as I possibly can.
“Relaunching our question time programme after a hiatus will give me the opportunity to do exactly this, as well as giving members of the professions that all-important opportunity to put their questions and concerns directly to us.
"We might not be able to address every problem, but these events give an excellent opportunity for vets and nurses to raise issues, forge connections with their peers and work together to find solutions.
“I hope that many of you will be able to come to our first in-person event in Glasgow but we will also be holding these question times virtually in the future for those people who may struggle to make it to these evening events.
"Rest assured – if you want to be heard, we will find a way to listen.”
The next in-person event is due to take place in Nottingham in January 2023 while the first virtual question time will take place in November 2022.
To register for the Glasgow event visit: tinyurl.com/22pem3d6
The CertAVN was launched by the RCVS in May 2019 as an advanced professional qualification allowing veterinary nurses at all stages of their career to develop their professional skills and knowledge in specific areas.
The qualification, which can either be taken as a Level 6 graduate qualification or a Level 7 postgraduate qualification, is smaller and more focused than its predecessor, the Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing.
The other CertAVN providers are Harper Adams University, the University of Glasgow, the University of Central Lancashire in partnership with Myerscough College, and the Royal Veterinary College which has also recently added another pathway to its existing provision.
In total the five providers are offering 23 different CertAVN qualifications, including two with an equine focus.
Matthew Rendle, Chair of RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council, said: “It is fantastic that, in just a few short years after it was launched, we already have five educational institutions accredited to deliver the CertAVN across a wide range of subject matter, covering everything from anaesthesia & analgesia, to dentistry, to teaching, coaching and mentoring, to equine critical care.
“We have more providers on the horizon, as well as a Zoo, Exotics and Wildlife course that I am particularly excited about.
"This demonstrates that there is clearly a demand for the CertAVN courses which are very manageable and can fit around work and personal life, while also offering opportunities to develop a greater focus in designated areas of practice and the career opportunities that may offer.”
www.rcvs.org.uk/certavn
whatstherisk.co.uk has been created for all practice staff and contains advice from parasitologists Ian Wright and Eric Morgan.
Topics include advice on practical risk assessments, how risk-based prescribing can work with health plans as well as how to get owners involved to make risk assessment and personalised prescribing quicker and simpler.
Boehringer says that all the materials and advice have been developed in line with RCVS Practice Standards and the BVA's guidance on the responsible use of parasiticides.1,2
Sharron Woods, NexGard brands Franchise Manager said: “With knowledge about parasitic risk low among dog owners, alongside increasing scrutiny on the potential overuse of parasiticides, we’re delighted to be at the forefront of supporting vets, pet owners and the wider industry in driving best-practice risk assessment and responsible parasite control."
Kate said: "In recent days we have watched the unfolding events in Ukraine in horror, shock and with tremendous sadness.
"We are determined to offer as much help and support as we can to our Ukrainian veterinary colleagues fleeing this crisis and seeking refuge in the UK.
To that end, the College offers a financial support scheme for refugees which is immediately available for Ukrainian veterinary surgeons with refugee status.
The scheme enables refugee vets to take the RCVS Statutory Examination for free, offers financial support to attend exams, free access to the RCVS library and free membership of BSAVA, BVA, BEVA, BCVA and VMG.
In addition, whilst Russian-based business interests comprise less than 0.1% of the College's investment portfolio, it has instructed its fund managers to get rid of all Russian investments at the very earliest opportunity.
Meanwhile, veterinary dentist Bob Partridge has donated a day's takings from his Harrogate-based, Specialist-led small animal dental referral practice, VetDentist, to the British Red Cross Ukraine.
He said: "I got home late and exhausted, turned on the news, and knew that my “tough day” was as nothing compared to the troubles, the fear and the pain experienced by the people of Ukraine."
Other members of Bob's team followed suit, as did the team at Training-Progress, and they hope others will do the same.
Bob said: "Please put your money where your mouth (or keyboard) is!"
https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-crisis-appeal
Photo: CC BY-SA 2.0 Aleksej Leonov
Charlotte Fennell and Amber Cooke, senior vet nurses at Southfields (pictured right) have put together a presentation about the life of a vet nurse, which will be online on the Southfields website from Monday, May 11.
They'll be following that up on Thursday, May 14 with a Facebook Live session, in which they will tackle questions posted by members of the public and any would-be vet nurses who have tuned in.
Charlotte and Amber been stopped from doing a face-to-face presentation to interested teenagers due to the current COVID-19 lockdown restrictions but they’re hoping going online can attract an even bigger audience.
Southfields operations manager Sarah Stam said: "We’ll explain what qualifications are needed to start a nursing career, what sort of training is involved and exactly what a registered vet nurse does.
"The Facebook Live should be a really great, interactive experience, with Charlotte and Amber addressing specific questions sent in by members of the public in real time."
Charlotte said: "Being a vet nurse is a hugely rewarding and enjoyable job and we’re looking to connect with teenagers who may be wondering if this could be the career for them."
Amber, a senior ward nurse at Southfields, added: "Like Charlotte, I am really pleased to be involved in this project and to be able to share my RVN journey with our next generation of aspiring veterinary nurses."
For more information about Southfields’ Vet Nurse initiative, visit www.southfields.co.uk or search for Southfields Veterinary Specialists on Facebook.
MSD says the new chip is compliant with ISO standards, has proven temperature accuracy1 and as yet is the only microchip on the market that combines identification and temperature monitoring.
The HomeAgain Thermochip has been designed to work for the lifetime of the pet, and it's being launched alongside the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Database, which is free of charge.
Michael Morrow BSc BVSc MRCVS, Director of St Vincents Veterinary Surgery in Wokingham, has been involved in trials of the new chip. He said: ''The launch of HomeAgain Thermochip is a real game-changer in the market.
“We have been trialling the Thermochip for some time and it’s now our default option to measure temperature.
"It’s incredibly useful in everyday practice, particularly when it comes to fractious cats or extremely nervous dogs, and it improves efficiency in consultations.
"We also use the Thermochip extensively during anaesthetic and post operative monitoring – with minimal handling.
“Reassuringly, we’ve never had any issues with the microchip reader or with the chip migrating to other parts of an animal’s body so it’s very reliable.”
In addition to the benefit of being able to measure temperature in a non-invasive way, MSD points to recent studies which suggest that a pet’s ‘normal’ temperature is not a specific number, rather a range of values that depend on numerous factors such as the time of day, the site of measurement, sex, breed, size, age, activity and stress levels2.
The HomeAgain Thermochip makes it easier to take multiple temperature readings easily over time, thereby establishing a pet’s individual temperature range.
For animal identification, the microchip works in much the same way as other microchips.
Once the owner registers their pet’s microchip with a recovery database, their animal – in theory – can be traced if lost.
The reality is often different, because owners' contact details are frequently out of date, making it difficult to reunite pets.
MSD says it aims to have the most comprehensive reunification platform, with a database which:
For more information, visit: homeagain.co.uk
Laura Hughes, Veterinary Nurse Development Manager for Purina UK and Ireland (pictured right) said: “All of our CPD talks on the stand are certificated and each 20-minute session builds to produce a comprehensive suite of content on making nutritional recommendations.
"It’s the ideal complementary top up to all the wonderful CPD available at congress.”
“Sometimes nutritional conversations can be difficult, especially around weight management, but behavioural science has given us so many new ways in which to approach those to bring the pet owner on board in a positive way so they can be part of the solution.
"We’ll be sharing more about those evidence-based approaches.
"To support nurse clinics further, we’ll be demonstrating our tool kits in the area of gastrointestinal care and weight management, so nurses can see what is available to them.”
There will also be cupcakes and refreshments at the stand, as well as a competition where every day one veterinary nurse can win a spa day for two.
The first webinar will be run by Dr Sarah Caney (pictured right), the CEO and founder of Vet Professionals, and Dr Hannah Newbury, technical lead vet at MSD Animal Health.
It will cover how telemedicine can benefit you, your practice and your patients. Sarah and Hannah will offer practical tips on how to set up a remote consultation, what you can do via telemedicine during the UK lockdown, and how to carry out these consultations and provide care during this time. There will also be an opportunity to ask specific questions in advance.
The series will also explain the financial benefits of remote consulting and the release of a new telemedicine platform.
To register for the first webinar, visit: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4735768510902351372.
Click here to submit your questions before the webinar: https://getfeedback.com/r/hBY8qihT/q/1.
BSAVA PetSavers is funding a research project at the University of Liverpool designed to help vets and owners provide the best care for senior and geriatric dogs.
In the first part of the study, veterinary professionals were interviewed about the services currently provided to senior dogs and their owners regarding preventative healthcare, treatment, and advice.
Owners were interviewed about their experiences of living with and accessing veterinary care for senior dogs.
The results of these interviews were then used to develop the online survey which researchers now need vets to take part in, to validate the interview findings in a quantitative way.
Dr Carri Westgarth said: “The veterinary survey focuses on the perceived barriers to care for senior dogs, end-of-life care including quality-of-life, and the potential design of the BSAVA PetSavers guidance tool.
"We would be grateful if any veterinary professional could take a few minutes from their day to help us with this project.”
The survey should take around 20–25 minutes to complete.
Survey participants will also have the opportunity to win an Amazon voucher.
The survey can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/PetsaversOAPVetSurvey.
DuoTox is the first product to combine activated charcoal and diosmectite, providing a wider spectrum of absorbency against various toxic substances.
Accidental poisoning poses a significant threat to pets, with vets in the UK reporting over 30001 cases a week and making an average 60 calls a day to the VPIS for assistance2
In 2020, 7.1 million pets fell ill after eating something poisonous1 and the VPIS reported a 40% increase in poisoning enquiries in 20212.
The most commonly used product for accidental ingestion is activated charcoal, but it only has affinity for certain substances.
Diosmectite also only binds to select substances, but is not as widely used.
Up until now, the two have not been used together in one product, leaving situations where the chosen binder has no effect.
NVS says that in cases of potential ingestion, identifying the exact substance consumed, and relying on vets to know which binder to use for each substance, is a barrier to successful toxin binding.
Malcolm Dickinson, Category Manager for Select from NVS, said: “Activated charcoal has affinity for substances that are, for example acidic, non-ionised or poorly water soluble, leaving a gap for substances that are alkaline, cationic, hydrophilic etc.
"This is where the absorbency profile of diosmectite comes in to create one product with a much wider spectrum of adsorbency.”
“This will be hugely beneficial to vets in practice: vets can reach for one product, knowing it will be effective.”
DuoTox is available in both paste and liquid forms, designed with palatability in mind.
https://www.nvsweb.co.uk/product-brand/select-healthcare/
References:
Part of the Goddard Veterinary Group and based at Wanstead Veterinary Hospital in East London, the College takes most of its students from vet practices in London and the home counties.
At the time of the inspection, the College had 34 students on its Registered Veterinary Nurse course and 15 students working towards their Level 2 animal care and welfare assistant qualification.
Ofsted inspectors found that the College’s apprentices learn and work in very supportive environments and value the support they get from the tutors and clinical coaches.
In their report the inspectors said: “Apprentices’ academic and welfare needs are met well.
"Apprentices enjoy their training and would recommend it to others.
"Leaders and managers have a clear rationale for delivering their training.
"They aim to train apprentices so they become skilled veterinary practitioners and develop a career in the sector.”
Group Training Manager and Head of Centre at the college, Emma Eve-Raw, said: “To receive such positive feedback from Ofsted is very rewarding.
"Our team prides itself on inspiring the next generation of veterinary nurses and veterinary nursing assistants and we have a flexible approach to give students the best chance of reaching their full potential.
“We offer hybrid learning to make it easier to balance studying alongside working in practice and every student is assessed to find out how they best learn, so their course can be tailored to suit them.
“We are also very proud of our teaching team, as we have more than 100 years of RVN experience between us and our senior teaching team spends time in practice every year to ensure their practical knowledge is kept up to date.”
The online risk checker, which is available at www.parassess.co.uk, asks pet owners a series of questions to assess their dog's risk from fleas, ticks, lungworm roundworm and tapeworm.
The test, which has been developed with parasitologists, takes a few minutes and appears to produce sensible results (not every test produces a "Danger, high risk, emergency, get to your vet NOW" result, as you might expect if this had been entirely produced bv the marketing department).
The subsequent report can then be shared with the vet to review it and make a treatment decision.
Being online, the test can be taken on a smartphone whilst in the practice waiting room, or on tablet or computer at home.
It might be worth sharing the test with your clients by email or social media, inviting them to book an appointment if their results suggest it is necessary.
To that end, Boehringer Ingelheim has produced a range of communication materials, such as waiting room displays and digital content for web, email, SMS, and social media.
For more information, contact your local Boehringer Ingelheim territory manager or phone 01344 746957 (UK) or 01 291 3985 (Ireland).
The company points to research which showed that 42% of cats and 28% of dogs have lesions which are only detectable on x-ray1.
Failing to identify teeth with root lesions can have a significant impact on patient welfare, causing ongoing pain and eventual tooth loss.
The first priority for the CVS clinical improvement project was to review how effective its first opinion small animal practices were at using radiography in dental examinations.
In July 2021, only 16.2% of dental cases had radiography performed and clinicians were mostly using visual examination to guide decision making.
The project then identified the barriers to using dental radiography as: a lack of dental radiography equipment in a practice, a lack of clinician confidence in taking and interpreting the radiographs and a belief that pet owners would not want to pay for it.
To address the first issue, CVS installed new dental radiography machines at over 104 sites, at a cost of £615,000 over the course of the year.
The company then upskilled its vets and nurses in dental radiography - looking specifically at getting good quality radiographs and interpretation.
Finally, the company conducted an audit of each participating practice’s dental radiology data, updating it each month and sharing the results with the practices..
One year on, CVS says the data shows that 43% of dental cases in project practices are now using dental radiography as part of their consultation.
In the best cases, some practices have been using radiography in 100% of cases.
Hub Clinical Lead Deborah Komianos said: “When you open a patient’s mouth and look inside, seemingly normal teeth are oftentimes not normal.
"So vets and nurses can risk missing periodontal disease.
“Dental radiology has historically been underutilised but we believe it adds valuable information to dental consultations and is an important decision-making tool.
“We’re thrilled with the early results in our practices.
"It shows there’s been a real change of mind-set and behaviour towards using X-rays in dentistry – as well as increased confidence in execution."
Administered between the dog’s cheek and gum at the dose of 125 mcg/m2, dexmedetomidine is absorbed across the oral mucosa, delivering a micro-dose at approximately 1/4 of the IM dose.
It is given as soon as the dog shows signs of anxiety or fear, or when typical triggers of fear are detected by the owner.
Re-dosing of up to four times is possible with at least two hours pause between doses.
There's a new dial-to-dose syringe designed to make Sileo easier to administer, and redesigned packaging with a QR code which links to an instructional video for owners.
Emma Hancox, Veterinary Advisor at TVM, said: "Up to 50% of dogs suffer from noise anxiety, which can be extremely distressing both for pets and their owners.
"While many people associate their pet’s anxiety with occasions such as bonfire night, noise-anxiety can apply to everyday noises such as vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers and by social events or parties, which could have a much greater impact on the dog’s everyday welfare.
For more information, email help@tvm-uk.com, call 0800 0385868 visit or contact your local Territory Manager.
Mr Dobson was struck off in 2021 after the DC found that he'd carried out an act of veterinary certification after being removed from the Register for non-payment, failed to have professional indemnity insurance in place and failed to respond to requests from the RCVS about these things.
Mr Dobson submitted a restoration application by email at the start of June, but then didn't reply to any further correspondence from the College, didn't provide any detail supporting his application, didn't attend the hearing and didn't contact the RCVS to explain why.
The Committee decided to go ahead with the restoration hearing in Mr Dobson's absence.
It decided that although Mr Dobson's email on 2nd June 2023 did suggest that he accepted the original findings for which he was removed from the Register, there was not enough evidence of remorse or insight into the the failings which led to him being struck off in the first place, or that he had attempted to keep his continuing professional development (CPD) up-to-date or that, if restored, he would pose no risk to animal health and welfare.
Paul Morris, chairing the Disciplinary Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Disciplinary Committee will only restore the name of the applicant veterinary surgeon to the Register where the applicant has satisfied it that he or she is fit to return to unrestricted practice as a veterinary surgeon and that restoration is in the public interest.
“The Committee’s real concerns about this application and this applicant are that it has before it no evidence of any value or substance to satisfy either of these criteria.
"There is no basis on which the Committee could conclude that the applicant is fit to return to unrestricted practice.
"In turn, there is no basis on which the Committee could conclude that it is in the public interest that this applicant’s name be restored to the Register.
“It is of importance to the profession and to members of the public that restorations to the Register should only occur when the applicant has established by clear evidence that the criteria which are set out in the public documents produce by the College have been satisfied.”
He added: “Having regard to the above criteria and its findings on them, the Committee considers that it remains the case that the protection of the public and the public interest requires that his name be not restored to the Register and therefore refuses this application.”
www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
Samantha, who was a recipient of the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Scholarship, has a degree in genetics, molecular biology and microbiology, and a PhD in cancer research from University College London.
She was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 40, which led her to set up ADHD Girls, an organisation that helps people with ADHD access employment and works with businesses to help them understand ADHD.
Samantha's talk is part of a module on neurodiversity, which will open with an exploration of neurodiversity and the challenges of diagnosis, before looking at how you can better support those in practice teams, as well as neurodivergent clients and students.
The session will wrap up with a discussion about how to cultivate greater inclusivity and understanding around those who are neurodivergent within the veterinary professions.
Being neurodivergent means that your brain works differently from the average person, meaning there may be differences in social preference, ways of communicating, ways of learning and ways of perceiving the environment.
Samantha said: “No two brains are the same. But what if you were born with a brain that constantly makes you feel like everything you do differentiates you from everyone else?”
“My talk introduces neurodiversity in the context of society, casting light on ADHD and autism, and how this impacts the workplace and one’s quality of life, and what we can do to build a compassionate culture, starting with the conversations we have at work.
"I’m really excited to talk at the BSAVA Congress and meet other professionals in the veterinary field.”
After her lecture, she will be partaking in a panel discussion around the challenges of diagnosis of neurodivergence alongside Laura Playforth, a vet who has been diagnosed with both bipolar and autism and is currently Group Quality Improvement Director at IVC Evidensia.
Andy Green, Vice Chair of the BSAVA Congress Programme Committee chair said: “We are delighted to have Samantha delivering our keynote this year on such an important topic.
"Neurodiversity is becoming an increasingly important area of focus and understanding across society and we have a significant population of neurodivergent people working as vets, nurses and in other roles, many of whom may not as yet have a diagnosis.”
“We also need to recognise that many pet owners and clients are neurodivergent.
"Samantha is ideally placed to shine a spotlight on this subject, using her own story and life experience to deliver a greater understanding of what it actually means to be neurodivergent and how businesses/practices can understand, embrace and support neurodivergent members of the work force and community.”
Early bird tickets for BSAVA Congress 2023 are currently on sale with 3-day and 1-day tickets available to purchase. Get your ticket now: https://www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2023/en/page/home.
Zoetis has added a dermatology application to its Vetscan Imagyst, which promises to reduce the time it takes GP veterinary surgeons to analyse skin samples by as much as half.The new Vetscan Imagyst AI dermatology application analyses impression smears and ear and skin swabs to identify yeast, inflammatory cells and bacteria.
It provides results in about ten minutes, depending on your upload speeds, which VetSurgeon understands is probably how long a dermatologist would take to perform the task (compared to a GP, who might take twice as long, depending on skills, available equipment, volume of tests, etc).
In terms of accuracy, Zoetis says the application is comparable to that of a clinical pathology expert.
In addition, it fires out a report, including images, which can be shared with the client, adding more value to the consultation.
According to a 2006 study, something like 72% of vets' derm diagnosis and treatment recommendations are based on presenting clinical signs and physical examination alone1.
Vetscan Imagyst list price is just shy of £18,000, but there are a variety of commercial deals that can be discussed with your Zoetis Account Manager. Each AI analysis costs in the order of a tenner.
So the question is whether the new system is worth the investment - for the 72% in terms of a more accurate diagnosis over an educated guess, and for the 28% in terms of the time-savings over a manual analysis.
Sophie Duguid, Diagnostics National Veterinary Manager at Zoetis UK said: “The ability to accurately and reliably identify inflammatory cells, bacteria and yeast, at the time of visit can make a huge difference for busy clinics, ensuring better outcomes and happier patients and owners.
"Performing cytology is a critical component of the dermatology work-up, however this can often be challenging for veterinary healthcare teams to deliver given the considerable time pressures in clinical practice.
"Vetscan Imagyst AI dermatology allows clinicians to rapidly detect the presence or absence of skin infection in canine and feline dermatology cases which allows for clinically informed decision making."
Hill PB et al; Survey of the prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of dermatological conditions in small animals in general practice. Veterinary Record (2006) 158, 533-539