View all veterinary jobs
VetNurse.co.uk publishes a curated feed of veterinary nursing news for registered veterinary nurses (RVNs), students (SVNs) and veterinary nursing assistants, with a primary focus on the UK profession.
We select stories based on their practical relevance, clinical interest or professional significance — filtering out noise so busy veterinary nurses can stay informed quickly.
Our coverage includes:
We report across all areas of practice, including companion animal, referral and specialist settings, with a focus on issues affecting veterinary nurses in clinical and professional roles.
Our editorial approach is deliberately selective and concise. We prioritise clarity and relevance over volume, aiming to make each story worth your time.
You can follow VetNurse news by subscribing to the daily, weekly or monthly email digest, or via our channels on Facebook and LinkedIn.
All RVNs were set an email with a voting link and a unique voter code.
The College says it will be writing to the few veterinary nurses for whom it has no unique email address with further instructions.
There are 3 candidates standing this year and you can now cast your votes for up to two of them by 5pm on Friday 26 April 2024.
The candidates are:
The individual candidate profiles are available to view at www.rcvs.org.uk/vnvote24 where you can also read the candidates’ answers to two questions of their choice submitted by the profession.
The two candidates with the most votes will join VN Council for their three-year terms at the College’s AGM in July.
Any vet nurses who have not received their voting email should contact CES directly on support@cesvotes.com.
For the study, the RVC interviewed 13 small animal general practitioners, exploring their experience of providing pre-purchase consultations for brachycephalic dogs.
The study revealed a number of barriers to delivering effective pre-purchase consultations and advice about these breeds.
They included limited time and resources, competition for appointment availability, a perception that vets are only there to fix things, public distrust of veterinary surgeons (often over money), fear of damaging vet-client relationships, and the conflicting influence of breeders and the Kennel Club on clients.
Many veterinary surgeons that took part in the research felt that they had little or no power to overcome these barriers which are highly intractable at an individual veterinarian level.
A resulting moral conflict in veterinary surgeons between their perceived ethical and moral responsibilities to animal welfare versus the needs and wants of their clients and businesses was expressed by many vets in the study, and was felt to compromise their professional integrity and autonomy.
The study set out a series of recommendations:
Dr Rowena Packer, Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science at the RVC and lead author of the study, said: “This is the first time that the impact of brachycephaly on the practising veterinary surgeon has been explored.
"Our concerning results highlight the importance of recognising that the brachycephalic crisis is not only negatively impacting animals, but it is affecting human wellbeing too.
“Our study highlights the conflict that vets are experiencing - bound both by their duty of care to their brachycephalic patients, but also to animal welfare at a population level.
"Trying to balance both of these responsibilities in the current working environment is proving very challenging for some, leading to moral distress.
"It is, therefore, essential that we protect the mental wellbeing of vets on this issue as well as from an animal welfare perspective.
“As the brachycephalic crisis continues to prevail, the support of leading veterinary organisations is vital in providing a united voice regarding the known harms of brachycephaly and support in facilitating PPCs to ensure vets are protected, and potential owners are fully informed when it comes to acquiring decisions.”
Dr Dan O’Neill, Assoc Prof of Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC and co-author of the study, said:
“Over the past decade, the RVC has generated a vast evidence base revealing the true extent of the serious health issues of dogs with brachycephaly.
"This new study now focuses RVC research towards protecting the wellbeing of practising veterinary surgeons who are also shown as victims of the brachycephalic crisis.
"The clear message here is that we all need to ‘stop and think before buying a flat-faced dog’.”
The keynote speaker on the Saturday this year is Helen Ballantyne, a renowned dual-qualified medical and veterinary nurse, currently working as a Transplant Coordinator for the NHS.
Bringing her rare perspective from both veterinary and human-centred nursing, Helen will highlight the progress made by the veterinary nursing profession, and its future potential.
There's a diverse programme of CPD lectures, debates on various hot topics including the CMA investigation and practical workshops covering things like: practical application of wound dressings, suturing skills, interactive CPR and preventing wound infections and AMR.
On top of all that, there's the usual commercial exhibition, bingo evening on the Friday, and a singing sixties-themed dinner dance on the Saturday.
https://bvna.org.uk/registration
This year's event, titled “Nourish the Gut, Nurture the Future,” will have talks from over 17 experts, including:
Dr. Karen Shenoy, US Chief Veterinary Officer at Hill’s Pet Nutrition said: “The microbiome is a trending focus in human health, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition is proud to assemble leading minds to bring this emerging topic into deeper focus for the veterinary community.
“We’re bringing this powerful content to an even broader audience this year through livestreams in both Spanish and English. I’ll be hosting the English stream, and I’m excited about our plans for guest appearances from the speakers and sharing extra tidbits to make the virtual experience as engaging as it is informative.”
https://way.in/618A0oP
The awards are given to practices across the UK with the most four- and five-star reviews from their clients.
To select the winners, awards organisers analyse over 10,000 reviews left by pet owners on vet practice websites over a 12 month period.
Warren House Veterinary Centre scored over 900 outstanding online reviews from clients.
Swanspool Veterinary Clinic, Northamptonshire, came in second, and Willows Veterinary Centre & Referral Service, West Midlands, third,
Winners of various sub-categories included:
Susie Samuel, CEO of VetHelpDirect.com, said: “The BestUKVets Awards were established to reward vet practices for outstanding feedback from clients.
"We are delighted for Warren House Veterinary Centre (Small Animal Services) – having read so many of their wonderful reviews, it no surprise that they won.
"Local pet owners are very fortunate to have this practice in their area”.
www.bestukvet.co.uk
Photo: vethelpdirect.com
In 2022, Winchester published the results of a study led by Professor Andrew Knight, which claimed the headline: "Vegan diets may be the healthiest to feed pet dogs, say researchers"1,2.
For the study, 2,639 dog owners were invited to report their own opinion of seven indicators of their dog's health.
The researchers also looked at the prevalence of 22 specific health disorders, reported as being based on 'predictions by vet assessments', finding 49% prevalence in traditional meat diets, 43% for raw meat diets and 36% for vegan diets.
However, it was not clear in the report what "predictions by vet assessments" actually means. Whose predictions? The vets'? Or the owners'?
Closer examination of the original study reveals it was "owners' predictions of vet assessments".
Owner-reported opinion, otherwise known as anecdote, is of course notoriously unreliable, and if there is one thing more unreliable than owner-reported opinion, it would surely be owner-reported opinion of their vet's opinion.
Furthermore, the original study was of an observational design, and therefore could only suggest correlation, not causation.
Lastly, the original analysis only looked at the relationship between diet and owner observations/opinion, without considering the impact of other factors assessed by the study, such as the age of the dog and whether the owner was a vegan.
For the new study3, therefore, researchers at the University of Liverpool led by Professor Alex German re-analysed the data used for the original study, in particular correcting the data for confounding variables.
When analysed in this way, significant illness in dogs correlated most strongly with the age of the dog, whether it was on medication, and the frequency of visit to the vet.
Compared to these, the association between owner opinions of health and feeding vegan dog food was minimal.
Co-author of the second study, Richard Barrett-Jolley, Professor of Neuropharmacology, said: “We know how seriously owners take their pet’s health.
"By revisiting and further interrogating these data, we have been able to draw more nuanced insights.“Crucially, we cannot draw a firm conclusion as to what diet type is actually best for dogs; this was never possible given the nature of the original dataset and study design.
"However, we can conclude that variables other than dog diet are more strongly associated with owner opinions about the health of their dog.”
References
The pack contains species-specific microchipping law guides, a practice registration guide, a cat chipping cheat sheet, flyers about registration and flyers about Identi’s silent microchipping scanner.
The company has also produced three short videos with more information for vet professionals about Identi, what it does, registering microchips and compulsory cat microchipping.
Tammie O’Leary, commercial lead at Identi, said: “From June 10th, it will be compulsory that owned cats in England are microchipped and registered in the same way.
"With these changes imminent, it is important that staff are up to date with the relevant legislation and the potential consequences of pet keepers not adhering to the law.
"identi’s new Practice Pet Protection Pack will provide busy vet professionals with comprehensive information answering a wide range of microchipping questions in a quick and simple format.”
For a copy of the Practice Pet Protection Pack, email: contact@identichip.co.uk
The Big Pain Survey is designed to identifying opportunities to help veterinary professionals improve their patient pain management and take a zero tolerance approach to pain in their patients.
Last year's survey revealed that only 18% of veterinary professionals use pain scoring for chronic pain, 78% of practices don't offer pain clinics, only 23% of vets always prescribe analgesia for acute otitis externa, 70% of vets don't do epidural anaesthesia at their practice, and most veterinary professionals agreed that clients' understanding of pain is low.
The organisers say that last year's survey results also suggest that awareness around educational information such as the WSAVA pain management guidelines needs further promotion, particularly when it comes to the use of local anaesthesia.
For example, 39% of practices don’t use local anaesthesia during bitch spays.
Lack of experience was commonly cited as the reason that local anaesthetic was not used for a variety of procedures that would benefit from it, including dental extractions.
For those vets that do use local anaesthesia more regularly, many said they feel they still need further education about it.
Survey: https://forms.gle/ogQmQsCKupW83u7FA
Invetx specialises in developing protein-based therapeutics for chronic conditions in companion animals, with a focus on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).
Dechra says these therapies have targeted modes of action and therefore are often more effective, provide an extended duration of activity and have fewer side effects, all of which help to extend and improve the quality of life for companion animals while decreasing the care burden for pet owners.
Jesper Nordengaard, Chief Executive Officer of Dechra, said: "I regard this acquisition as hugely important for Dechra, marking the start of a new chapter in our growth.
"It demonstrates our ambition to create further points of differentiation and relevance with veterinarians and pet owners alike, confidence in our ability to deliver highly innovative new products, and capacity to execute large scale transactions at speed."
Jesper added: “The half-life extension technology developed by Invetx allows for the generation of therapeutics that make treatment of chronic conditions far more convenient for pet owners and veterinarians through improved compliance.
"The pipeline of products currently being developed are all high value potential and will deepen our expertise in core therapeutic areas such as atopic dermatitis and osteoarthritis, allowing for synergistic product development, sales & marketing, and education efforts in the future.”
https://www.invetx.com
The company says that Daxocox achieves significant improvement of clinical signs associated with the pain of osteoarthritis (OA) in dogs1,2 and also helps reduce the risk of breakthrough pain.
Breakthrough pain is defined as “an abrupt, short-lived, and intense pain that breaks through the analgesia that controls pain”3. Risk factors for breakthrough pain in cases of canine OA include poor owner compliance, variable plasma drug levels between doses, natural or exercise induced flare-ups and disease progression.
According to research carried out by the company, veterinary surgeons estimate that nearly half of their canine OA cases on daily NSAIDs experience breakthrough pain4, whilst owners put the figure much higher at 80%5.
Animalcare says that as well as compromising patient welfare and increasing the risk of clinical consequences such as wind-up pain (hypersensitisation), breakthrough pain risks owners losing confidence in their vet and/or the recommended treatment plan for their dog. This may lead owners to independently stray from the treatment plan, with potentially damaging consequences. In its research, 87% of vets agreed that avoiding breakthrough pain is critical to the management of canine OA4.
Animalcare adds that because of the pharmacology, there is no risk of risk of over-accumulation or need for mandatory treatment ‘breaks’6. Also, adverse effects were found to be no different from any other NSAID1,2 and there was no increase in treatment-related adverse effects at up to 5 times the recommended dose7, so Daxocox has a broad margin of safety and is well tolerated by dogs7.
James Beaumont, marketing manager at Animalcare said: “Daxocox’s weekly administration of a flavoured tablet addresses some of the challenges of managing canine OA that I’m certain most vets will identify with. Breakthrough pain is a real problem and by being able to provide consistent pain control, in a compliance friendly formulation, Daxocox is a real game changer for canine OA management.
For more information, visit: www.animalcare.co.uk, or contact your local Animalcare territory manager, or Animalcare’s head office on 01904 487687.
References:
The Clinical Abstracts provide an opportunity to present new research to the wider veterinary community at Congress and Expo 2025, taking place at Manchester Central on 20th - 22nd March 2025.
Abstracts can be on any veterinary subject, whether it’s the preliminary results of a new study, a discussion of a new technique or a description of an interesting case.
Each application should be based on high-quality clinical research undertaken in industry, practice or academia, and summarised in 250 words.
Applications are welcome from veterinary surgeons, nurses, practice managers and students, with applications from those working in general practice especially encouraged.
Researchers with research of direct relevance to veterinary practice may also submit an abstract for consideration.
Andy Green, Chair of BSAVA’s Congress Committee said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for veterinary professionals to showcase their research to the global veterinary community, and a chance for delegates to learn about the latest concepts and thinkings in veterinary medicine from their peers.”
Entries for the Clinical Abstracts will close on Monday 18th November.
https://www.bsavacongress.com/clinical-abstracts
For its research, the company surveyed 700 veterinary veterinary professionals.
The subsequent report, "Digital Adoption in Veterinary Medicine", provides up-to-date data on the levels of digital adoption by vets in the UK.
It also explores their attitudes to technology and digital communications tools, and the barriers to adoption. At the Zoom meeting, Scott Goodsir-Smyth, Provet Cloud’s VP of Growth for the UK & US will share and discuss some of the main findings of the report. He will also be answering questions about how practices can go digital, what the pitfalls are, how you can get the most value out of practice management software, and whether you should switch to the cloud. With the RCVS currently in the process of changing the rules regarding telemedicine, and only 23% of veterinary practices currently using telemedicine, this meeting could not be more timely. VetSurgeon.org/VetNurse.co.uk and Provet are now inviting questions from vet nurses about adopting digital technology, including online booking, integrated payments, pet owner apps, telemedicine, referral portals and digital whiteboards. The people who submit the best ten questions will be able to ask them before anyone else on the night and the best of the lot will get a bottle of champagne in time for Christmas.
To download the report, visit: https://www.provet.cloud/provet-cloud-digital-adoption-report To submit your question, email it to editor@vetnurse.co.uk by Wednesday 9th November at 11:00am.
To register to join the Zoom meeting, visit: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIsdOugpzMoGd0mrFcC_cyz1kNrGcwpMULV
Identichip says the scanner is particularly suited to noise-sensitive dogs and cats.
It's designed to fit in one hand, and is compatible with all ISO 15-digit (FDX-B) microchips.
Tammie O’Leary, commercial lead at Identicare, said: “With compulsory microchipping coming into effect for owned cats from 10 June in England, it is likely that more cats will be presented to check for a chip or to be implanted.
"Many practices are making substantial efforts to minimise fear or stress in their patients, however most microchip scanners beep when they locate a microchip, which can be stressful for animals.
"The silent microchip scanner will help reduce any associated stress for noise sensitive animals.”
Dr Ellie Lee, veterinary surgeon and director at Manchester Cat Clinic, has trialled the silent microchip scanner.
She said: “The scanner is a great tool; we really like how compact it is, which makes it less intimidating for cats, and the silence is definitely beneficial to them too.
"As it doesn’t beep, we watch the screen to check that a chip has been detected, but this is easy to do as it’s such a handy size.”
The silent scanner can be purchased from NVS, Covetrus or from identichip direct.
Questions: contact@identichip.co.uk.
The Swadlincote and Melbourne-based IVC practice worked with a Great Workplaces by BVA accreditor during the pilot of the new scheme, to demonstrate its strengths against an accreditation framework covering four key themes: health and wellbeing, leadership and management, culture and learning and development.
In the report, the accreditor was particularly impressed by the practice’s strong leadership and management; its emphasis on accommodating flexibility for team members in various forms; a robust teamworking ethos; and a focus on continuous improvement.
British Veterinary Association President Elizabeth Mullineaux said: “We’re delighted to see Swadlincote Veterinary Centre become the first veterinary workplace to achieve Gold accreditation through Great Workplaces by BVA scheme.
"Congratulations to the whole practice team for this incredible recognition.
“Creating positive working environments and targeting areas for improvement are the key to tackling ongoing workforce challenges around recruitment and retention.
"We hope this first Gold accreditation inspires others to strive towards gaining recognition as workplaces where vet teams thrive.”
Ingrid Stevenson, Clinical Director at Swadlincote Veterinary Centre, said: “While we knew the practice was doing well, we didn’t go into this process expecting Gold at all.
"My practice manager and I were just both really keen to get some feedback and to find out what more we could do to help the team.
“We have several clinical accreditations in the practice, but it is the team that are responsible for achieving these and maintaining the high standards.
"I believe the team should be looked after, recognised and rewarded for their hard work and going above and beyond when necessary.
"The team were really pleased when I shared the news.
"It has certainly been good for team morale and a positive outcome to share with potential new recruits. '
“The accreditation process was a thorough assessment of the practice and our accreditor made us feel all at ease during the interviews.
"While we achieved Gold, which was unexpected, we have also learnt of areas to develop further over the coming months.
"Overall, it was a positive experience for our practice.”
www.bva.co.uk/take-action/good-veterinary-workplaces/
Nutramega contains omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA, which the company says are critical for the overall health of animals, with many health benefits, including joints & mobility, skin & coat, heart health, the kidneys and brain health.
Nutramega comes in two sizes, 100ml and 200ml, with prices starting from £20.00.
Pet Ready LifeStages are health chews designed to provide daily support for puppies, adult dogs and senior dogs.
Each LifeStage product comes in 30 and 90 chew packets and prices range from £19.99 to £34.99.
www.nutravet.co.u
The device emits low dose 265 nanometre (nm) ultraviolet C light at a targeted area.
In a 2022 in vitro / ex vivo study to evaluate the therapeutic potential of 265nm UVC for infectious keratitis1, UVC was found to inhibit all tested bacteria and fungi, including mixed culture and strains linked to antibiotic resistance.
In the study, no evidence of infection was found from 4 hours onwards, ulcers responded significantly in under 24 hours, and at the end point, those treated with UVC performed as as well as those treated with ciprofloxacin.
Photon Therapeutics says that in simple cases, one five-second treatment will suffice, but more complex cases can be re-treated after 24 hours.
Currently, there are two main barriers to the successful treatment of eye infections in dogs.
The first is the difficulty diagnosing the infection and identifying the right antimicrobial to use, highlighted by a 2017 study: Bacterial Isolates from Canine External Ocular Disease and their Antimicrobial Sensitivities 2.
The second is whether the owner is able or willing to administer a topical treatment.
Here the evidence suggests that even when treatment is possible, people do not comply with clinical advice anything like as much as they claim.
Photon Therapeutics points to what it says is the nearest study there is, in which carers of young children with uveitis did not give the correct treatment in 75% of cases3.
If the device is as effective as claimed, then both these issues simply evaporate.
PhotonUVC costs £4,995.
https://photon-therapeutics.com
VetNurse.co.uk product briefing: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/nursing/m/veterinary-product-briefings/156724
The bursary gives Louise a £2,000 CPD allowance for having demonstrated her commitment to making a difference and furthering Louise’s legacy of sharing learning.
Louise said: “I'm absolutely over the moon to have been awarded the Louise O'Dwyer bursary - and am incredibly grateful for the support and opportunity provided by Vets Now.
"I have worked in practice for some 26 years now and was lucky enough to attend several of Louise's emergency and critical care nursing lectures at a variety of veterinary conferences over the years.
"Her lectures were inspiring and full of humour.”
“I intend to use the bursary to undertake the Post Graduate Certificate in Advanced Practice in Veterinary Nursing (PgCert APVN) through the University of Glasgow.
"I am incredibly excited to embark on this new learning journey - and hope that I can share these skills with other RVNs, and encourage others to keep following their dreams within the veterinary nursing profession, just as Louise did.”
Applications for next year’s Louise O’Dwyer bursary will open in spring 2025.
The course is comprised of five modules, four of which are online and one taught in person. The syllabus includes:
To enter the competition, nurses are invited to write to tracey.jones@vahl-academy.com and explain why you believe you should be considered and what difference it would make to you and the practice you work at.
The closing date for entries is 14th May and the winner will be announced by email 14 days later.
All entries will also receive a 10% discount on any e-learning courses at www.vahl.vet.
Founder Professor Noel Fitzpatrick said: "It is a real joy to see the VET Festival growing and growing, not just in physical size, but from the immense goodwill that radiates from it. The weather didn’t get in the way of the wellness and there was nothing rainy about the atmosphere at VET Festival - in fact I think that the rain brought us closer together.
"I set out to build a community of compassion for our profession and I genuinely felt that there was a tangible sense of togetherness. There were loads of great conversations with each other and with the exhibitors. The educational content really was world class and the tents were packed. I hoped that VET Festival would be a breath of fresh air, where having an education event outdoors - combined with a focus on wellness of body and mind for all of us - could help vet professionals to be the very best that they could be - and so serve our patients better.
"Everyone there was part of something innovative and refreshing I felt – the delegates, the exhibitors, the team who have worked year-round to create the event, and the fantastic speakers. I’m very grateful to all of them and I sincerely hope that this feeling remains strong for each and every one all year round.
"The resonant theme this year was ‘kindness’ – to ourselves, to each other, to the families of animals and the animals we are lucky enough to take care of. Nobody is a nobody at VET Festival, and never will be. In that field, we’re all equal, no matter what we do in the vet profession - we all matter - we all want the same thing, which is wellness for each other and the animals we serve - and importantly, we’re all in it together for the greater good, rain or shine."
The Walpole Bay Tidal Pool is the biggest in the UK, covering four acres.
Everyone taking part is being challenged to raise at least £100 for Vetlife, to go towards its helpline, health support and financial support for the veterinary community.
Sea temperature at this time of year is a decidedly brisk 10 degrees Celsius, but Vetlife says the dress code is reasonably relaxed: anything from a swimming costume to a full diving dry suit!
https://events.more-human.co.uk/event/1713190086537x259173669533122560
The 12-strong crew, aged between 18 and 60, left Marina San Miguel, Tenerife on 22nd March and rowed 2,875 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua 42 days, 2 hours and 30 minutes later.
Each of the crew of the 12-metre boat, Roxy, rowed more than 1.5million strokes and burned over 5000 calories a day.
During the journey, the team had to battle with ocean storms and seasickness, not to mention extreme blisters and callouses. Simon lost almost 10kg.
Simon, who was a rowing novice before this, raised almost £15,000 for MacMillan Cancer Support. He said: "It’s without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I can’t put into words how I’m feeling right now. The sense of achievement is a little overwhelming.
"The journey was everything I wanted it to be - tough both physically and mentally but hugely rewarding and one thing is for sure, I wouldn’t be standing here at the finish line if it hadn’t been for each and every one of the incredible crew. What a gorgeous group of people who will remain lifelong friends. After catching up with my family, the thing I was most looking forward to was a good meal!”.
The crew were welcomed to Antigua by a flotilla of smaller boats with many of the crew’s families onboard, before a reception at the Antigua Yacht Club.
The RCVS says this is the first time that two leading organisations in veterinary QI are collaborating to establish a new evidence-based model for QI specific to veterinary care.
The project is being overseen by Jocelyn Toner MRCVS, an experienced veterinary surgeon with a background in shelter medicine and an interest in evidence-based interventions to improve welfare outcomes.
The team will test the model against a prevalent problem in practice and measure the cost of making the changes against the benefit it brings.
They will refine the model based on lessons learned before they make it available to all veterinary practices, to tackle any area a practice wants to improve, regardless of practice type or specialism.
The aim is to help time-poor practitioners implement proven QI methods to improve outcomes and provide a return on investment.
Jocelyn said: “I’m looking forward to working with colleagues from across the sector to develop a model that will make Quality Improvement more accessible, and show that it can have a real economic benefit.
"We know that there is increased demand for veterinary teams to provide more efficient and effective care while maintaining high levels of animal welfare, improving team welfare and client satisfaction.
"Over recent years an increasing number of veterinary teams have embraced QI techniques.
"Now is the time to take this to the next level by creating an evidence-based model for QI, which can be applied systematically in any veterinary setting.
The project will involve bringing together veterinary professionals to co-design the model and test it in practice.
If you are interested in supporting this work, please register your interest at: rcvsknowledge.org.uk/forms/ktp-interest-form/
The maps provide vets with a visual representation of targeted diagnostic tests conducted in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the UK, using data sourced from Idexx.
They show the percentage of positive test results for a range of parasites and parasite-associated infections in dogs and cats, including Giardia, roundworm, and whipworm, and Lyme (Borrelia burgdorferi), Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., and Leishmania in dogs.
Data can be filtered by country, region, animal species, parasite type, and time period.
ESCCAP highlights that the data reflects the percentage of positive tests in screened animals, not the overall prevalence of infection.
https://www.esccap.org/parasite-infection-map/
Topics include:
Merel Taal, MRCVS DVM CHPV, Founder and Director at Dignipets, said: “Veterinary receptionists are often the unsung heroes of practice life.
"They are the first voice clients hear and often the last person they see when saying goodbye to a beloved pet.
"That emotional weight can be immense, which is why we believe in equipping them with training, resources and support to carry out their role with confidence and compassion.”
https://www.dignipets.co.uk/login
The Fear Free movement was founded in 2016 by US veterinary surgeon Dr Marty Becker.
Marty said: “Just like with humans, a pet can’t be optimally healthy unless they’re also happy.
"Fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) raise the levels of hormones that are destructive to both the body and mind.
"Fear Free uses clinically proven protocols to remove or reduce FAS triggers, it takes steps to mitigate FAS so that the pet feels safe and calm during a veterinary visit.”
Since launch, over 320,000 veterinary professionals, pet professionals, animal welfare communities, and pet owners have registered for Fear Free’s programmes and courses, and Fear Free says it has become the accepted gold standard within North American veterinary practices.
Yvette Rowntree, Clinic Director at Harrison Family Vets in Reading, said: “This accreditation process has taken everything we do to the next level.
"With open and honest team conversations, development of realistic protocols and a subtle change in behaviours to ensure we always put the pet first within a supportive work environment, our entire team has worked hard to achieve this certification.”
Operations Director, Kristie Faulkner, from Harrison Family Vets, said: “Although it was possible for individuals to be Fear Free certified, this is the first time an entire practice has become certified.
"We have worked very closely with the Fear Free team during the past several months to enable detailed inspection and certification to take place, and we now intend for our other practices, in Dudley, Didsbury, Stockton, and Doncaster, to each reach this standard and become officially certified in the immediate future.”
Fear Free’s CEO, Randy Valpy, said: “Harrison Family Vets’ certification is part of the Fear Free expansion into the UK, New Zealand and Australia and we are absolutely thrilled to have the Reading practice as our first UK Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice.
"We now plan to certify further practices in the UK and support veterinary professionals who have the relevant knowledge and techniques to practise quality medicine, as well as understanding how to develop the utmost consideration for patient’s emotional health as well.”
https://fearfreepets.com