Boehringer Ingelheim has launched an online educational hub to help practices use a risk-based approach to responsible parasiticide prescribing in their practice.

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."

References

1. PSS Small Animal Modules and Awards (V3.2). Available at www.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/small-animal-modules. Accessed July 2023.
2. Responsible use of parasiticides for cats and dogs: The five point plan | British Veterinary Association (bva.co.uk). Available at https://www.bva.co.uk/resources-support/medicines/responsible-use-of-parasiticides-for-cats-and-dogs-the-five-point-plan/. Accessed July 2023.

CEVA Animal Health has joined forces with PDSA, Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB) and the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC) to launch a 'Remember, remember your pets this November' campaign to provide owners with hints and tips on how to look after their pets during the firework season and the precautions they should take to help them cope with their fear of fireworks.

As part of this year's campaign, CEVA will again be running the 'Promote Your Practice' competition, to help practices get the most out of PR and marketing opportunities in the run up to Bonfire Night.

Lucy Brett, product manager at CEVA Animal Health said: "Nearly 90 per cent of veterinary professionals believe that owners could do more to protect their pets from the stress of fireworks. It is therefore important that veterinary practices provide pet owners with the best advice on how to prepare their pets for Bonfire Night and ensure that the firework season is as stress free as possible."

Vets are being urged to discuss behavioural modification programs for noise phobic pets well in advance of Bonfire Night and to recommend that dog owners create comforting 'dens' for their pets. The benefit of the dens should be maximised by plugging D.A.P.® Diffusers in the rooms where the dogs usually retreat when frightened. Switching the D.A.P. ® Diffuser on around a week before Bonfire Night will allow the pheromone to build up to significant levels and ensure the animal is as relaxed as possible before, during and after the firework season. In addition, D.A.P.® Spray can be applied to a dog's bedding to give further support on the night of the event. D.A.P.® is also available in a collar formulation, designed to reduce the dog's general level of stress.

Cats appear generally more capable of managing their fears. However, owners should ensure that cats can access their favourite boltholes and plugging in a Feliway® Diffuser 48 hours before the festivities will increase the sense of security.

To request a copy of the Promote Your Practice information pack, please call Lucy Brett at CEVA on 01494 781510.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Former vet Warwick Seymour-Hamilton, who was removed from the Register in 1994, has had his eleventh attempt at restoration rejected by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton was removed from the Register after his Kent practice was found to have unhygienic and unsterile conditions as well as poor record keeping, although he has always disputed this, maintaining that he was not actually practising at the time of the inspection. 

Mr Seymour-Hamilton made an application for restoration on the basis that he did not want to be restored to the Register in order to practise veterinary surgery, but so that he could more easily achieve recognition from academics and drug companies for his work on herbal and natural remedies.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton's dispute over the original findings of the 1994 case was ruled inadmissible.

In considering his application, the Committee took into account the fact that he had not accepted the original findings from 1994 nor had he, over the course of his various applications for restoration, shown any insight into his original conduct or the serious concerns about his fitness to practice raised in previous restoration hearings.

It also considered that Mr Seymour-Hamilton had been off the Register for 29 years and would need to have demonstrated prolonged, intensive and formal training to ensure he met the Day One Competences required of a veterinary surgeon.

The College submitted that he had made no such attempts and so would pose a significant risk to animal health and welfare if he were allowed to practice again.

The Committee also considered that Mr Seymour-Hamilton had indicated that he had practised veterinary surgery while off the Register – including conducting two spay procedures in Calais, France – and had used his own animals to try out new and untested ‘herbal remedies’.

The College submitted that this indicated someone who didn’t have due regard to the importance of the current level of skills, experience and qualifications required in order to undertake veterinary surgery competently, and therefore posed a risk to animal health and welfare.

Dr Kathryn Peaty MRCVS, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The College invited the Committee to consider that where, as here, some 29 years have passed since this veterinary surgeon has practised, there has been no intensive, and prolonged re-training, no acceptance of the original findings and no insight into concerns about his fitness to practise, there will inevitably be a serious risk to the welfare of animals and the wider public interest if the applicant is restored to the Register.

The Committee agrees, and considers that the applicant has not shown the required insight as to the steps he needs to take to return to safe veterinary practice.”

Accordingly, the Committee decided that it would not be in the public interest to restore Mr Seymour-Hamilton to the Register.

www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

WellVet Virtual, the day-long virtual wellness conference for veterinary professionals, has re-opened ticket sales for its recorded sessions after what the organisers describe as the 'overwhelming success of the event'. 

The conference, which was held on 23rd May, brought together over 360 veterinary professionals for online sessions which provided them with a range of wellbeing tools to improve their mental and physical wellbeing.

The organisers say that in addition to delivering wellbeing CPD, they aimed to create community and connection. Co-organiser, vet Nat Scroggie, said: "The conference app platform was chosen for delegates to feel included and network freely with one another and session leaders. With over 2400 messages on the community board and 400 photos uploaded the feedback we’ve had about how positive the experience was for delegates has gone beyond our hopes. We’ve seen new working groups forming and a genuine sense of camaraderie around current challenges."

WellVet has reopened ticket sales which give access to session recordings and the conference community app until May 2021. Tickets are £55, discounted to £15 for students and year 1 graduates, available at: https://www.wellvet.co.uk/tickets. The box office will close on 30th August 2020. 

The RCVS has reported the results of its recent audit of CPD undertaken by veterinary nurses, finding significantly improved compliance with its CPD requirements.

Last year, a cohort of 1,077 veterinary nurses responded to the request for their CPD records, which took place in June 2019 and which also included a random sample of 761 veterinary nurses sourced from across all UK postcode areas. The audit found that 854 (or 79%) respondents were compliant with the annual CPD requirement – a 7% increase on last year’s compliance rate and the highest compliance rate yet from a veterinary nursing CPD audit.

Amongst vets, the audit found that 820 (or 81%) of respondents met the annual requirement – a 13% increase from the 2018 audit. This followed a decline in compliance rates from 82% in 2014 to just 68% in 2018.

Dr. Linda Prescott-Clements, RCVS Director of Education (pictured right), said: "It is fantastic to see that this year’s results demonstrate a significant increase in CPD compliance rates after a number of years in decline for vets and a largely static rate for veterinary nurses and I hope that it is part of a long-term trend towards the professions recognising the value of keeping their clinical and non-clinical skills up-to-date.

"This year we have made a number of changes that should make CPD compliance even easier now, including a clearer and simpler annual CPD requirement of 35 hours for vets and 15 hours for vet nurses, and the 1CPD platform and app which can be signed into through the My Account area and provides the professions with the ability to record, plan and reflect on their CPD."

Further information about the changes to the College’s CPD policy and the 1CPD platform can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/cpd2020.

The 1CPD app can be downloaded through the Apple App Store, Google Play and via the RCVS website at https://onecpd.rcvs.org.uk/accounts/login/

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has reprimanded and given a warning to Dr John Gunn MRCVS, a Manchester-based veterinary surgeon for providing an inadequate level of care and advice regarding a Jack Russell terrier.

The Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Mr Stuart Drummond, considered six charges against Dr Gunn.

The first charge alleged that, early in 2018, Dr Gunn failed to provide appropriate and adequate care to the dog. In particular, having removed a mass from the right thorax, he undertook an excess number of surgical procedures, including under general anaesthetic, within a 13 day period; performed these procedures without offering alternative treatments or discussing referral with the owners; failed to recognise infected wounds; and administered an antibiotic when the dog was infected with MRSA and E-coli.

The second charge alleged that Dr Gunn failed to communicate adequately, openly and honestly with the owners of the terrier on multiple occasions between 16 January and 3 February 2018. This included but was not limited to: failing to provide the owners with an estimation of fees; failing to inform them in advance of the procedures performed; failing to inform them of options for treatment; and failing to inform them that the terrier had an infection when he knew or ought to have known that she did.

The third charge alleged that Dr Gunn failed to obtain informed consent in relation to the further procedures performed on the terrier in charge one.

The fourth charge alleged that Dr Gunn failed to maintain adequate clinical records in relation to the management of the dog, and that he failed to record the prescription and administration of drugs to treat the terrier.

The fifth charge alleged that Dr Gunn indicated to the owners that euthanasia was the most appropriate treatment option and/or that there were no other realistic treatment options, when this was not the case and when he ought to have known this was not the case.

The sixth charge alleged that, during the course of a referral of the terrier to another practice, Dr Gunn failed to provide an adequate history of his management of the dog and that he informed the practice that the owners had no finances when this was not true, amounting to an incomplete account of his dealings with the owners and to a breach of their confidence.

At the outset of the hearing the respondent admitted to a number of the allegations within the main six charges, which were found proved by the Committee.

Of the charges not admitted to, a number were found proved and the Committee then went on to consider whether or not Dr Gunn’s conduct amounted to serious professional misconduct. 

In considering the aggravating factors, the Committee took into account that the dog’s suffering was prolonged because of the persistence of Dr Gunn in pursuing a single ineffective treatment approach.

With regards to mitigating factors, the Committee found that Dr Gunn was remorseful as to his actions, that there was no financial motivation on the part of Dr Gunn in respect of his treatment of the terrier, and that there is a low risk of repetition because Dr Gunn has sought to learn from this experience. A number of relevant and high-quality testimonials were also provided by colleagues and many satisfied owners on behalf of Dr Gunn.

Considering both the aggravating and mitigating factors, the Committee was satisfied that Dr Gunn’s conduct fell far below the standard expected of a registered veterinary surgeon for a number of the charges.

The Committee then considered what sanction to impose on Dr Gunn. The Committee was satisfied that the misconduct found proved was in relation to the treatment of one dog only and therefore it was at the lower end of the spectrum. However, the conduct took place over a prolonged period of two weeks which in the Committee’s view required a sanction. In such circumstances, and with the significant mitigation, the Committee decided that the appropriate and proportionate sanction was to reprimand Dr Gunn and to warn him about his future conduct.

Speaking on behalf of the Committee, Mr Stuart Drummond said: "The Committee concluded that the effect of a reprimand alongside the Committee’s findings on disgraceful conduct in a professional respect was a sufficient and proportionate sanction. The Committee found Dr Gunn to have developed sufficient insight into his failings and it was satisfied that the disciplinary process had been a salutary experience and that he is very unlikely to pose a risk to animals in the future or to contravene professional standards.

"The Committee decided that a warning as to future conduct was necessary to reduce the risk of any repetition of any similar conduct for Dr Gunn in the future. It therefore concluded that the sanction of a reprimand and warning would be a sufficient in the circumstances of this case having taking into consideration all the powerful personal mitigation."

The complete list of charges and the Committee’s full facts and findings can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

Bristol Vet Specialists has launched a new surgical procedure for dogs with mitral valve disease (MVD).

The procedure, called transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER), is a minimally invasive alternative to open heart surgery.

TEER is performed on a beating heart using a specially designed “V-Clamp” device which brings the mitral valve leaflets together, reducing the severity of mitral regurgitation.

The procedure is guided by real-time 3D echocardiography and performed via a small thoracotomy, typically 6–8 cm in length.

CVS, which owns Bristol Vet Specialists, says dogs undergoing TEER generally experience a rapid recovery, with most discharged within 48 hours and minimal need for intensive care.

The company says that once heart failure is diagnosed, the average survival time is between nine and 12 months, but that after TEER surgery, 95% of dogs are discharged successfully, and 85% survive for two years post surgery. 

The procedure costs £12,000. 

http://www.bristolvetspecialists.co.uk 

VN Council Chair, Matthew Rendle, talked of a bright future for the veterinary nursing profession at the RCVS AGM last week. 

Matthew's address looked at the significance of 2021 as veterinary nursing’s Diamond Jubilee – representing 60 years since the first RCVS-approved Auxiliary Nursing Assistant course.

He spoke about how this was likely to be a year of firsts for the profession, including the awarding of the first Certificates in Advanced Veterinary Nursing, the recruitment of the first VN Practice Standards Scheme Assessors and the first time there would be 20,000 veterinary nurses on the RCVS Register.

He also spoke about the planned activities to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee including webinars, podcasts and the publication of an eBook about the history of the profession.

Matt said: “For my own first podcast I interviewed Jean Turner who – I don’t think she’ll mind me saying – has been a member of the profession for a good chunk of the last 60 years.

“She’s a real professional hero of mine and I had a fascinating conversation with her about what has changed, what hasn’t changed and what really needs to change!

“Speaking to Jean reminded me that we all stand on the shoulders of giants. Where we are as a profession is down to those who came before us and we owe it to them, and future generations of veterinary nurses, to make sure we are always progressing and improving.”

Matt said that with RCVS Council’s adoption of the proposals for legislative reform in June this year, the veterinary nursing profession had a bright future ahead of it, with protection of title and a bolstered role in areas such as anaesthesia being included in any future legislation.

“I still sometimes hear my veterinary nursing colleagues refer to themselves as ‘just a veterinary nurse’. Whenever I hear it said, I challenge it.

“With the Diamond Jubilee celebrations this year I think we will be making a very big challenge to that mindset, and it will remind all veterinary nurses that we are brilliant professionals, with a long and proud history and that we are a force for good in society.”

A new study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP), has shown inherent differences between the electrolyte concentrations measured by point-of-care analysers and reference laboratory methods in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism.  

The study titled “Electrolyte measurements differ between point-of-care and reference analysers in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism” investigated the performance of two point-of-care analysers (IDEXX Catalyst Dx and IDEXX VetStat) against a reference laboratory method for the measurement of blood sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations, as well as sodium-to-potassium ratios, in dogs diagnosed with and treated for hypoadrenocorticism.

Forty-eight dogs with hypoadrenocorticism were enrolled into a prospective cross-sectional study at the University of Glasgow. In total, 329 paired samples were measured on the Catalyst analyser and by the reference laboratory method called an ion selective electrode (ISE), while another 72 paired samples were tested on both the VetStat analyser and by ISE. The clinical effects of any difference in the electrolyte results were investigated.

Sam Fowlie, corresponding author for the paper, said: “Our results indicate that the sodium, potassium and therefore the sodium-to-potassium ratios, as well as the chloride concentrations measured by the Catalyst and VetStat analysers may not be used interchangeably with those from a reference laboratory analyser using an indirect ISE method. Both analysers tended to give higher results than the reference method for all analytes, except for potassium when measured on the VetStat.”

The clinical relevance of the disagreement between these methods was investigated by assessing how often the point-of-care analysers produced results which fell outside their reference range when the ISE method found them to be within reference and vice versa. For the Catalyst, there were 21 cases (6%) with discordant sodium results, 27 cases (8%) with discordant potassium results and 46 cases (14%) with discordant chloride results. The VetStat, meanwhile produced results which disagreed with the ISE method in 19 cases (26%) for sodium, 3 cases (4%) for potassium measurement and 9 cases (13%) for chloride analysis.

Nicola Di Girolamo, Editor of JSAP added: “This study reveals significant systematic differences (“bias”) between the three analysers in this study. Comparing numerical results from different analytical methods – be they point-of-care or reference laboratories – can be dangerous for patients. Clinicians should always use method specific thresholds and, if these are not available (for example the sodium-to-potassium ratios on some analysers), then they should exercise greater caution in their interpretation.”

The full article can be found in the October issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice and be read online here, open access: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13205.

Reference

1. S. Fowlie, S. Spence, E. Roberts and I. K. Ramsey (2020) Electrolyte measurements differ between point-of-care and reference analysers in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 61 (10). Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13205

Photo: Ian Ramsey

The School of Veterinary Nursing at the Royal Veterinary College has received the 2023 Quality Improvement Champion award at this year’s RCVS Knowledge Awards.

The Veterinary Nursing School was commended for its excellent Quality Improvement initiatives.

The RCVS’s Knowledge Awards celebrate achievements in the veterinary profession for initiatives that use Quality Improvement methods that lead to better patient outcomes and system performance and enhanced professional development opportunities.

The School of Veterinary Nursing at the RVC was applauded for how it has incorporated Quality Improvement initiatives into its post-registration qualifications.

For example, teaching students how to write a Knowledge Summary, how to design, plan and carry out a clinical audit proposal and how to conduct and reflect on the results of an audit as well as running group discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions.

Perdi Welsh, Director of Veterinary Nursing, Principal Teaching Fellow and Course Director for Certificates in Advanced Veterinary Nursing at the RVC, said: “This award is important to us because it demonstrates how increased professional development opportunities can shape innovation in clinical practice and how RVNs can be perfect role models for all aspects of clinical governance, and evidence-based practice.”

North Downs Specialist Referrals (NDSR), in Bletchingley, has introduced what it says is an innovative new structure for its nursing team which provides more and better career pathways, a greater importance for its nursing staff, and a better work-life balance.

With the new model, the 90-strong nursing team will increase by around five per cent, with four new Nurse Manager roles with specific operational, quality, pastoral and training responsibilities. 

The practice says the objective is to encourage nursing staff, from all areas of the practice to develop career pathways which play to their strengths and personal interests, with job shares also available.  

Lauren Emmett, Head of Nursing Services, said: “We’re over the moon to be launching what is a really innovative new structure here at NDSR. It moves away from the more traditional flat model and places an emphasis on giving our team balance and really clear career pathways in whichever area their passion lies. 

"The introduction of our four Nurse Managers will allow them to spend 60 to 80 per cent of their time on the clinical floor in the hospital, making them visible and available to support, and work alongside our nursing community. 

"Each Nurse Manager will have a number of team leaders working with them, who will support other RVNs, SVNs and nursing assistants. 

"These additional roles provide more opportunities for career progression and allows our nurses to identify avenues which might be of personal interest. Those avenues can be quite diverse, for example, recruitment, rota management, clinical standards, mental health and wellbeing, or training and development. 

“Nurses who have leadership ambitions but may not necessarily want to manage people on a day-to-day basis can still utilise their skills to support colleagues and the business by becoming clinical coaches and by sharing their experience and knowledge within certain disciplines and fields.

Gerry Polton, clinical director at NDSR, said: “We believe this new structure really is iconoclastic, hopefully defining a new ‘gold standard’ in veterinary nursing. What we’re doing is allowing individuals to create their own career pathways within the business. We’re giving them valuable support and allowing them to forge ahead in leadership roles, should they wish. 

“We’re confident this will benefit patients, clients, referring vets and, of course, the entire nursing team, which will offer us added support, while also receiving added support and structure to build on the fantastic skillsets we have here.”  

For more information, visit https://www.ndsr.co.uk/home.

The BSAVA has added a nutrition webinar to its library to accompany the online BSAVA Guide to Nutrition.

'The essential ingredients of a good nutritional recommendation' is presented by Georgia Woods RVN CertCFVHNut VTS(Nutrition), one of the editors of the new BSAVA Guide. It covers the main points that need to be considered when offering a nutritional recommendation to a pet owner.

• Evaluation of the current situation
• The main aims of a nutritional recommendation
• Assessment of evidence quality for diet claims
• How the recently released BSAVA Guide to Nutrition can help facilitate meaningful conversations with owners regarding diet

Georgia said: "Nutrition discussions with clients can be challenging, not least given the plethora of diets available for pets.

"This webinar aims to cover the main points to support an evidence-based decision-making process to help vets engage owners in a meaningful discussion about nutrition and provide guidance on the most suitable diet for their pet."

The BSAVA Guide to Nutrition is an independent guide comprising a series of factsheets for veterinary professionals on four different diet options; each of these is accompanied by a factsheet for owners that can be provided as part of the consultation. The factsheets cover:

• Commercially manufactured diets
• Grain-free diets
• Home-prepared cooked diets
• Raw diets.

The BSAVA Guide to Nutrition is available exclusively through the BSAVA Library (£25; £15 to BSAVA members). Georgia’s lecture on ‘The essential ingredients of a good nutritional recommendation’ can be accessed via the BSAVA Webinar Library.