Cancer Care for Pets offers both clinical and palliative care for pets with cancer, supporting the work of the first opinion team at Donaldson's and taking referral cases from far and wide.
Neil and Kirsty have worked in practice together in the Yorkshire area for seven years, working with owners and families to create treatment plans involving diagnostic investigations, specialised imaging, surgery, chemotherapy and palliative care.
Neil said: "As far as we know, we are one of very few services to offer this combination of veterinary and nurse-led consultations, where comprehensive cancer treatment and care plans are developed together with owners. We have worked hard to instil our team approach where, following surgery and treatment, the Cancer Care team, the owner and the referring practice are all involved in the pet’s ongoing care and wellbeing."
Kirsty said: “Neil and I do many of our consults together. Neil will give his clinical overview and I will help owners to process and understand the treatment and the next steps for their pet.
“It was incredibly important to us to create a friendly, welcoming environment in our new dedicated consultation area at the hospital. We need people to trust us and be honest about how fit and well their pet really is, in the knowledge we are not automatically going to tell them there is nothing we can offer them. Treating cancer is about life, not managing a death, and making sure that the pet’s life – even if it is limited – is as good as it can be.”
Neil said: "The Cancer Care for Pets team will be working alongside the wider Donaldson’s veterinary and nursing teams and we are keen to learn from each other. The facilities at the hospital are second to none, particularly our new purpose-built consultation area, the practice’s new CT scanner and the high spec operating facilities. Donaldson’s also has a well-respected rehabilitation and pain clinician with whom we can work closely to help our older patients to keep mobile, flexible and maintain activity levels.”
Neil and Kirsty are supported by a third member of the Cancer Care for Pets team, oncology nurse Jenna Carrick RVN.
Cancer Care for Pets is now accepting referrals. Contact: info@cancercareforpets.co.uk or 01484 242911.
The UK has now seen a total of 169 confirmed cases of Alabama Rot across 38 counties, since 2012. Six cases were confirmed in 2012, climbing to 40 in 2017 and 46 so far in 2018.
The new research, which was carried out in conjunction with the Royal Veterinary College, found that almost 95% of confirmed cases of Alabama Rot have occurred between November and May, with the highest number of cases being reported in February.
It also found most of the cases have been confirmed in western and southern parts of England, with the highest number found in West Sussex, Dorset, southern Hampshire, Greater Manchester and Monmouthshire. Far fewer cases have been reported from the eastern half of the country and East Anglia in particular.
David Walker, Head of medicine at Anderson Moores and co-author of the research, said: "This research, which was funded by the New Forest Dog Owners Group and the charity Alabama Rot Research Fund, was designed to look for geographical patterns, as well as environmental and climatic risk factors.
"A distinct seasonal pattern is suggested, with the vast majority of cases occurring between November and March, and limited cases over the summer months – just 6.5% of cases have been confirmed from June to October.
"In the scientific world a lot of research is not earth-shattering, but it all builds together and little by little we make progress.
"This information is good in terms of how we manage the next stage of research, however we need to be careful and not jump to any conclusions at this point".
Researchers say the disease has been reported in a wide range of breeds (35 in total) but, due to the small number of cases, it is not yet possible to say with any certainty whether a specific breed has an inherently increased or decreased risk of the disease. Any patterns may simply be the result of varying breed populations in different parts of the country.
Dr Huw Stacey, vet and director of clinical services at Vets4Pets, has been supporting research on the condition for a number of years. He said: "Since we held the first Alabama Rot conference in May 2017, vets and relevant professionals have been working hard to understand more about the condition.
"We know how the disease presents and how it affects dogs internally, and this research adds some interesting information that may help to increase vets’ index of the suspicion for the disease.
"The information on climate and ground type will help us further explore possible triggers for the disease, but at the moment we can’t say if any breeds are more likely to develop the disease.
"The first sign of the disease that is normally seen is a skin sore or lesion that isn’t caused by a known injury. Most commonly these sores are found on the lower half of the leg and appear as a distinct swelling, a patch of red skin or are open and ulcer-like.
"With 46 cases in 2018 already, it is understandably very worrying for dog owners, but we think the increase in cases is partially due to an increased awareness of the disease.
"However, this disease is still very rare, so we’re advising dog owners to remain calm but vigilant, and seek advice from their local vet if their dog develops unexplained skin lesions.
"While this research may be a stepping stone to finding the cause of Alabama Rot, there is currently no known way to prevent a dog from contracting the disease."
*also clinically known as
Mark, who graduated from Cambridge University in 1997, has a broad interest in internal medicine but particularly enjoys the challenges posed by gastrointestinal, endocrine, haematology and renal medicine.
He has a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and after completing his PhD he took a residency in Small Animal Medicine at Cambridge, followed by four years in a private specialist practice in the south of England.
Mark was then appointed Clinical Associate Professor in Small Animal Internal Medicine at the Nottingham Veterinary School, where he was responsible for running the final year medicine rotation along with lecturing to all years of the veterinary course.
He was also in charge of the school’s small animal intern and residency programmes in addition to supervising both undergraduate and post-graduate research students.
Mark has also been involved in national and international investigations into canine breed-related diseases such as canine cancer, canine and feline haematology, canine endocrine disease and the development of novel non-invasive biomarkers to help diagnose both simple and complex medical diseases.
Outside work, Mark is a seven-guitar-owning-musician, a race-winning cyclist and a keen runner with a personal best of one hour twenty five minutes for a half marathon. What a relief for the rest of us mere mortals to hear there's something he's rubbish at: he says he swims 'like a brick'.
Mark said: "I’m excited to be joining the outstanding team at Willows who deliver such exceptional care to pets and their owners and such an outstanding service to the referring veterinary surgeons.
"It is a wonderful opportunity for me and I’m really looking forward to making my own contribution to their continued success."
Ludivine, who graduated in 2008, has come over from America to take up the new post, having just completed a three-year residency at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
She said: "I’m really enjoying working as part of a great team and working with the various different disciplines here.
"I’m passionate about my ECC speciality and I have a keen interest in respiratory diseases, trauma and acid base disturbances.
"I also like teaching and being updated about the most recent studies in ECC to ensure I can deliver the most up-to-date care possible for our patients."
Ludivine was born in France and originally studied at her home town university in Lyon, progressing to a rotating internship there after graduation.
In 2012, she worked as an emergency veterinary surgeon in several general practices across France and Switzerland, before moving to the United States in 2014 to see how ECC medicine was practiced overseas.
First, she undertook an ECC internship at the University of California, followed by a three-year residency at the University of Pennsylvania.
Away from work, Ludivine enjoys horse riding, running, work-outs and practising her skiing in the French Alps. She also has two dogs Dalhi her Golden Retriever and Baya her German Shepherd.
For more information, visit www.willows.uk.net/en-GB/specialist-services.
Headed by Esteban Gonzalez-Gasch, a European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery, the new department enables the practice to undertake a wide range of complex small animal procedures.
Injuries and conditions treated include fracture fixation, including complex and simple fractures; cruciate disease, including tibial osteotomies and extracapsular repair; arthroscopy; arthrodesis of chronically painful joints; elbow dysplasia; lameness investigation in adults and juveniles; treatment of growth deformities including distraction osteogenesis; osteoarthritis and musculo-skeletal neoplasia.
Esteban, who joined Southfields earlier this year from the leading Spanish veterinary hospital Ars Veterinaria, in Barcelona, said: "These new facilities really do put Southfields at the cutting edge of 21st century veterinary science and practice in the UK."
Southfields is also carrying out a full refurbishment of its existing facilities and recruiting a number of additional specialist veterinary surgeons, nurses and support staff.
Southfields’ operations manager Daniel Hogan said: "This is a very exciting period for us. We are growing in every possible area and working more closely with referring practices to continue to develop our bespoke and exceptional service for patients and clients.
"Our aim is aspiring and simple: to create the very best referral centre possible by bringing together the expertise of the very best of veterinary professionals supported by the very latest in technological innovation."
As well as orthopaedics, the practice accepts referrals in soft tissue surgery, internal medicine, oncology, neurology, feline medicine and cardiology. For more information, go to www.southfields.co.uk.
David, who was assisted by Dan Kenny and Kat Grzywa MsRCVS, said: “Penny presented with suspected ascites, given a large volume of peritoneal effusion. Her abdomen was very swollen and taut
“We performed a contrast-enhanced CT scan with an iodine-based contrast to help highlight the areas of the body we needed to examine and the results were startling.
“The mass was enormous. It almost completely filled the abdomen.”
CT images showed that the mass had originated in the right kidney, which had been displaced into the left side of the abdomen, and also compressed the rest of Penny’s internal organs.
There was no evidence of metastatic disease.
David added: “A right ureteronephrectomy was performed and the large cystic parts of the tumour were dissected free from the omentum, the peritoneum and the retroperitoneal vasculature.
“The surgery was really difficult because the mass was so large and heavy, and it required extra surgeons to hold and manipulate the mass, while its vasculature was dissected and ligated.
“The weight of the mass on the diaphragm also made the anaesthesia challenging but surgery went very well.
"Once the surgery was over, the weight of the mass was confirmed at nearly 5kg.
“Penny made a good recovery from the anaesthesia, her blood renal parameters remained normal throughout her recovery, and she was discharged 48 hours later. Histopathology later confirmed the mass to be renal carcinoma.”
Shockwave therapy, or Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) to give it its full nomenclature, sends mechanical shock waves into the affected area to stimulate the natural healing process by triggering the body’s own repair mechanisms.
The therapy is being spearheaded at Willows by Kinley Smith (pictured right), an RCVS and European specialist in small animal surgery. He said: "Shockwave therapy is a whole new line of treatment and has proved a spectacular success.
"It’s an excellent technique for dealing with certain orthopaedic conditions and there’s no invasive surgery, no wound to heal and no risk of infection so it really is a win-win-win procedure.
"It is particularly effective in the treatment of ligament and tendon injuries.
"There can be immediate pain relief for the dog; after two weeks we start to see lasting benefits and in four weeks we normally see a clear improvement.
"The added bonuses are we can normally reduce any medication; the dog can enjoy more exercise plus it is not as costly as undergoing an operation.
"Surgery is still essential in some of the more acute, problematic cases but shockwave therapy has been a terrific development in helping us provide an alternative treatment in a lot of soft tissue, muscle and bone conditions."
For more information, visit www.willows.uk.net.
NDSR’s European Specialist in neurology and neurosurgery Niklas Bergknut is performing the surgery.
He said: "This type of surgery for dogs is not performed in many clinics across the country.
"The pituitary gland is, of course, a very small gland which is very close to the brain, so it requires considerable expertise to perform the operation, followed by a lot of after-care to help the animal recover properly after surgery.
"The pituitary gland produces hormones which are essential for life, so it is then vital to constantly monitor the dog, its blood, hormones and fluid levels both during surgery and for a longer period after surgery.
"Although surgery may be challenging, the aftercare can be even more challenging and requires very skilled internal medicine specialists to manage the patients after surgery.
"Our medics and nurses carry out various blood tests and manage the fluid balance every hour after surgery and all the way through to the dog going home.
"Every department in the hospital has to work closely together to ensure the best possible treatment and the best possible outcome."
Niklas, who learned the technique from Bjorn Meij, Professor of Surgery at the University of Utrecht, described how the operation is performed. He said: "We go in through the mouth, up through the soft palate and into the underside of the cranium. Then you drill a little hole to access the tumour that way.
"It is obviously essential to make sure you are in exactly the right place or the outcome could be disastrous.
"It is also important to operate as early as possible before the tumour gets too big.
"Trying to remove a big tumour is more difficult and holds greater risks because of the damage that can be done to the surrounding brain in attempting to remove the tumour."
Niklas says that if surgery is successful, the results are impressive, with most dogs making a full recovery and not suffering any recurrence of the tumours, a better outcome than treating the dogs with traditional methods such as radiotherapy.
He added: "Removing the tumour like this is the only way of permanently treating tumours of this type. Radiotherapy is very good too but there is a much larger likelihood of the tumour growing back."
For more information, visit www.ndsr.co.uk.
Clare graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1991 and, following an internship at the University of Pennsylvania and general practice in Cambridgeshire, she completed a BSAVA/Petsavers Residency and was Staff Clinician in Neurology at the Royal Veterinary College.
Aged 26, she became the youngest ever Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology and three year later became a RCVS Specialist.
For 16 years, she operated a neurology and neurosurgery referral service at the Stone Lion Veterinary Hospital in Wimbledon and was awarded a PhD from Utrecht University in 2007.
Clare joined Fitzpatrick Referrals and the University of Surrey in 2013, was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2016 and awarded a Professorship of Veterinary Neurology in 2018.
Clare was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2016 in recognition of her meritorious contribution to the profession, including 25 years’ research into ‘Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia’ in dogs.
Clare said: “I will be building and strengthening the neurology service at Wear to make it not just the leading centre in the North East, but in Europe.
“I love collaborating with others to find answers to the clinical problems we face and so, as well as potential partnership with my colleagues in the other disciplines at Wear, I hope to initiate or contribute to other multi-centre studies through the Linnaeus group.
“I am passionate about teaching and learning through collaboration, and I hope to bring multi-disciplinary rounds to the practice including neuro-radiology-neuropathology and neurology- behaviour.”
Michael qualified from the University of Glasgow in 2009 and then worked in first opinion practice in Buckinghamshire and Northern Ireland. He then returned to the University of Glasgow in 2012 to further his training and experience in oncology by completing four years of additional training. He completed an ECVIM residency in oncology in 2016 and became a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and a European Specialist in Oncology in 2017. Michael worked at a private referral practice in Surrey prior to joining Fitzpatrick Referrals. Earlier this year, Michael was awarded a Masters degree in Veterinary Medicine. This additional qualification researched canine mast cell tumours.
Michael said: "I am absolutely delighted to have joined Fitzpatrick Referrals Oncology and Soft Tissue hospital. I have had a long-standing ambition to work as part of the fantastic team here since visiting the hospital during my specialist training in 2015. At this visit, I immediately felt at home in a group of people driven to deliver the very best compassionate care for dogs and cats.
"My ambition is to develop the very best ways to minimise the impact that cancer has on animals. I know that Fitzpatrick Referrals is the best environment for me to be able to achieve this. Throughout the hospital, there is an amazing positive attitude and a collective drive to improve the overall care we can give to pets with cancer. I am also excited by the opportunity to be able to help others to achieve their goals in improving cancer care for pets."
According to Davies, Sharpsmart is the world’s safest and most environmentally responsible sharps and clinical waste management system, proven to:
Ellie West, anaesthetist at Davies and Green Group leader said: "We are really excited to have the opportunity to be the first veterinary centre to be working with Sharpsmart and are already seeing great results in carbon reduction and we look forward to sharing our results later in 2019."
Adrian Giles, Total Waste Program Manager for Sharpsmart added: "Working with Davies has enabled us to showcase our safety engineered sharps system in a new and exciting arena where sharps safety and sustainability are a priority.
"The transition to Sharpsmart was seamless and was completed across the centre in a day without any challenges. Face-to-face training was provided to staff along with touch point education material. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Davies over the coming months and years."
As part of its green drive, Davies will be hosting 'Sustainability CPD' for referring vets on May 2nd 2019 at its HQ in Higham Gobion, Hertforshire.
Ellie West said: "Run by the Sustainability Leads at DVS, this evening aims to increase your carbon literacy, explore the challenges and barriers to improving sustainability in your daily practice and find some positive solutions to implement sustainability. The challenges which we have faced at DVS will be explored, along with the co-benefits of sustainability to our business, and useful resources to help your practice to be more environmentally friendly and resilient will be highlighted."
You can book your place here https://vetspecialists.co.uk/events/davies-first-sustainability-cpd-for-referring-vets/ or contact Ellie.West@vetspecialists.co.uk if you are interested in attending or would like more information.
Davies has also produced a suite of Waste Segregation Posters which are proving popular with their referring practices. You can find out more and view the posters here https://vetspecialists.co.uk/sustainability/sustainability-initiatives-at-davies-your-questions-answered/.
For more information or to receive print ready PDFs, contact marketing@vetspecialists.co.uk
The Wellington-based hospital is hoping to announce its first resident at the start of next year, who will work under the guidance of Fran Taylor-Brown and Tom Cardy.
This is the first residency programme to be conducted at Cave and has been launched by Fran who, along with Tom, is an EBVS and RCVS specialist in veterinary neurology.
Fran said: "The ECVN accreditation is an important milestone for us as we look to develop and expand our expertise in neurology.
"We are currently undertaking a major recruitment drive and having the capability to offer specialist training in this discipline is another feather in the cap.
"We’re hopeful this approval will open the door to allow clinicians in other disciplines to receive specialist-level training with us in the future."
Cave has also introduced an internship programme to support the growth of the team and has taken on Samantha Gilbert a graduate of James Cook University in Australia.
The clinic is led by Sebastien Behr MRCVS, an RCVS Specialist in Neurology. Patients will benefit from access to the referral centre's MRI scanner and its specialist imaging, anaesthesia and neurology teams.
Dr Behr said: "We are very excited to have launched this specialist clinic. Following detailed consultations with pet owners, the animals will be treated to the very highest level and bespoke care designed for each patient."
The practice is offering a fixed price package for routine diagnostic procedures.
For more information, visit www.willows.uk.net or contact the neurology team on 0121 721 7070.
Sarah, who practices at Southfields Veterinary Specialists, was already a European and Royal College Specialist in oncology. Now, after studying for a year and passing the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ECVIM) exams this autumn, she has now been recognised as a European Specialist in radiation oncology as well.
Sarah said: "I intend to use my experience to grow the radiation and oncology service at Southfields and, with the benefit of our new linear accelerator and state-of-the-art hospital, deliver the most advanced treatment options for our veterinary patients.
"I also intend to use my experience and expertise to contribute to the further development of radiation oncology as a specialist qualification in Europe."
Congratulations Sarah!
The patient was a four-year-old Labrador called Vinny who, in 2019, became the first dog in the UK to receive a BioMedtrix canine ankle replacement system, implanted by Wear's Head of Orthopaedic Surgery, RCVS Specialist Neil Burton, assisted by Maciej Krukowski.
That first surgery, on Vinny’s right ankle, was successful. However, two years later he needed similar treatment to his left leg.
Neil said: “Vinny first presented to us at Wear Referrals in 2019 with hind limb lameness.
“He was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in his hock joints bilaterally due to a developmental condition called osteochondrosis of the talus causing him ongoing pain and lameness. We operated on the right ankle, with Vinny becoming the first dog in the UK to have this ankle replacement system placed.
“Vinny was significantly more comfortable on this limb postoperatively but his lameness progressively worsened in the left hind limb. The decision was made to perform the same surgery on the left ankle, making Vinny the first dog in the world to have this surgery performed bilaterally.
“Vinny has made another fine recovery from surgery and is now off medication, meaning he can exercise unrestricted and pain-free without a lifetime reliance on painkilling drugs.
“For our team at Wear to be able to offer him this pioneering surgery has been a great opportunity. He’s now a unique case, being both the first UK recipient of this BioMedtrix joint replacement as well as the world's first bilateral ankle replacement with the same system.”
For more information, visit www.wear-referrals.co.uk.
This multimillion pound centre will support the provision of advanced first opinion and referral equine services in the Midlands.
Senior Partner Richard Stephenson said: "It was a great honour and pleasure to have His Royal Highness visit our new premises, and our staff eagerly anticipated meeting Prince Charles and showing him the wonderful facilities we now have."
Amongst these are a Fujifilm SonoSite Edge II portable ultrasound system. Richard added: "Pool House is a well-known practice – we’ve been in existence for over 150 years – and we have developed a reputation as a specialist equine imaging centre, with radiography, ultrasound and MRI capabilities. The new facility has been designed to give us increased theatre capacity and stabling, and we needed an additional ultrasound system to match this expansion."
"The demands of equine practice mean that ultrasound is often required in difficult circumstances, and we need systems that can cope with extreme temperatures, dust, straw, mud, water and the occasional knock. Many pieces of equipment used in veterinary medicine were originally intended for a human clinical environment, so can’t stand up to the rigors of our work – they’re simply not fit for purpose. However, SonoSite systems are perfect for us; they’re robust, highly portable and very intuitive to use, which is important for intermittent ultrasound users."
The College says the speed and accuracy of scans produced by the new scanner will revolutionise the treatment of animals at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (QMHA). It also reduces the need for animals to be anaesthetised before being scanned, with most patients now only requiring partial sedation.
The new scanner has been named the 'Otter Scanner' after a patient of the RVC whose owner was made a significant donation towards the RVC's charity, the Animal Care Trust, which funded the new machine.
Professor Dan Chan, Professor of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine and Medical Director of the QMHA at the RVC, said: "It is very uncommon that such an incredible leap in the care of animals can be achieved with a single innovation.
"Because of the vast improvement in speed and quality of the images produced by the ‘Otter Scanner’ our specialists are now able to obtain much more detailed images of various diseases affecting our patients so that the best possible treatment can be planned.
"At the RVC, one of our most important missions is to always improve the welfare and care of animals and this latest innovation is just another example of that commitment. We are forever grateful to all our supporters who have made this possible."
RSA has confirmed the initial 27 practices that have joined its new Preferred Referral Network, launching today.
The creation of the network means that whilst veterinary surgeons can continue to appoint referral practices as they do now, owners of animals needing a non-emergency referral outside the RSA network may need to pay £200 towards the cost of treatment.
The new rules currently apply to holders of policies issued by Tesco Bank and MORE TH>N, however RSA says it is in discussion with other insurance brands about adopting the new network.
RSA says the Preferred Referral Network will enable it to provide competitively priced products and deliver a range of benefits for customers including:
The company is highlighting the fact that its new network fields 178 RCVS, EBVS or AVMA recognised specialists, 49 Diploma holders and 71 Certificate holders or Advanced Practitioners, working at a mixture of large, multi-disciplinary centres (including five with links to university teaching hospitals), independents and corporates.
RSA says that over the last 12 months, vets have directed more than half of all RSA cases to the 27 practices in its network.
Bill Paton, Claims Director for UK and Western Europe said: “We are delighted to have twenty seven practices from around the UK join our preferred referral network. This is a huge step forward and will enable us to continue to provide competitively priced insurance cover with access to the highest standards of veterinary treatment and care.
"We expect further practices to join the Network in due course and we are actively engaged in discussions with a number of referral practices of varying size and scale, which have expressed an interest in joining."
The 27 referral practices are:
South East
South West
Midlands
North West
North East
East
Scotland
* referral arrangements still being finalised
Willows, the Solihull-based multidisciplinary referral centre, has announced that it has acquired The Veterinary Cardiorespiratory Centre, the renowned referral service run by Mike Martin MRCVS, RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology (pictured right).
Mike, together with Chris Linney and their team will shortly be moving half-an-hour up the road to join the team at Willows.
The company says that the move will offer a number of benefits to referring practitioners. Chief amongst these is the speed with which an accurate diagnosis can be made and treatment given, both as a result of having RCVS Specialists in neurology, imaging, medicine, soft tissue surgery (and now cardiology) under one roof and because of the state-of-the-art equipment at their disposal, including CT, MRI and digital fluoroscopy.
Lynne Hill, CEO, Willows Group said: ”I’m thrilled that Mike, Chris and their team are joining us at Willows. I have always held Mike in the highest regard and this is a tremendous opportunity for the practice to provide a truly collaborative ‘one-stop-shop’ for both clients and referring veterinary practices”.
Mike said: “I’m really looking forward to working at Willows Referral Service and being part of a multidisciplinary team. It's a logical move to provide Willows with the missing discipline of cardiology and I'm delighted Lynne Hill has allowed us to fulfil that role. There has been an increasing number of referrals between the two centres due to the complexity of cases - now that will be all under one roof and we can manage these much more effectively and offer the best service to our clients and their patients.”
For more information, visit www.willows.uk.net
The Davies Therapy and Fitness Centre has been developed following two years of planning with the intention of supporting referring practices.
Run by a team of Chartered Veterinary Physiotherapists, hydrotherapists and anaesthetists, it has a large hydrotherapy suite, a therapeutic exercise area and gym, an outdoor exercise area, four spacious consultation and treatment rooms and a bright and airy reception.
Services include physiotherapy, rehabilitation, underwater treadmill therapy, soft supports, splinting and orthotics, fitness and conditioning and acupuncture and pain management clinics.
Good rehabilitation is pivotal to the recovery process following injury or surgery and for the management of long-term conditions such as arthritis. DVS says owners are more likely to be compliant with veterinary rehabilitation and fitness programmes if they can fully understand the importance of the process by working with a friendly, professional team, preferably at a bespoke centre.
Diane Messum, Head of Physiotherapy said: "Our mission is to work with referring practitioners to treat every pet, and their owner, with the utmost care and compassion throughout the entire veterinary process. We aim to minimise pain and restore the animals we treat to their maximum physical and mental wellbeing, with the provision of expert therapy, fitness and pain management."
To find out more visit www.vetspecialiststherapy.co.uk
Finn, a seven-year-old German Shepherd dog, sustained stab wounds to the head and chest as he and his handler, PC David Wardell, pursued a suspect in Stevenage. PC Wardell sustained stab wounds to his hand.
Finn was rushed to Roebuck vets in Stevenage where his wounds were dressed and he was stabilised before being transferred to Davies Veterinary Specialists near Hitchin for emergency surgery.
DVS soft tissue surgeon Rob Adams (pictured above) operated on Finn. He said: "For legal reasons we cannot disclose the full extent of Finn’s injuries. We are however able to confirm multiple knife injuries were sustained to his head and chest involving several of his vital organs. Major surgical intervention was required including open chest surgery to save Finn’s life. Several drains were placed after surgery to manage the degree of trauma and contamination risk from the knife. The surgery went very well and Finn was transferred to intensive care for recovery.
"It is a testament to Finn’s incredible bravery, tenacity and loyalty to his handler, to know he continued to stand firm in the line of duty with no regard to the extent and severity of the injuries he suffered."
DVS says that Finn has exceeded all expectations and recovered very quickly. He has been discharged back into PC Wardell’s care and will hopefully be back up and running again just before Christmas.
PC Wardell said: "I’ve had Finn since he was about nine months old and we’ve been out on the street for just over six years together. It’s just great to have him home. I knew he was in safe hands with Rob Adams but because of the extent of his injuries I was so worried I was going to lose him. Finn’s not only my loyal partner at work but he’s also a part of our family. He has a home for life with me - I can’t imagine life without him."
Meanwhile, a campaign is underway to give police dogs and horses the same status as officers if they are injured in the line of work, so that people who attack police animals face charges similar to those for attacking a person.
You can sign the 'Finn's Law Petition' here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/168678
The campaign also has a twitter feed here: https://twitter.com/FinnsLaw
The clinic is being run by Liz Leece, an RCVS and EBVS Specialist in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia, to offer bespoke pain management plans for clients.
Liz has more than 20 years’ experience in specialist anaesthesia and analgesia and has extensive experience managing dogs and cats with complex problems causing chronic pain.
Liz said: "Our pets are similar to humans in the sense that the longer they live, the greater the chance they will develop conditions causing chronic pain.
"The clinic is available for any pet referred by their primary care vet for management of chronic pain, including osteoarthritis and other orthopaedic conditions, neurological and cancer pain.
"Animals will be assessed and advice given on how the pain can be managed, including monitoring a pet’s response to different treatments and what to expect."
For more information, visit www.paragonreferrals.co.uk.
Mark Morton is an RCVS Specialist in small animal orthopaedics, with a particular interest in cruciate ligament injuries: he developed the RCVS Knowledge ‘Canine Cruciate Registry’, of which he remains clinical lead.
Mark has published peer-reviewed papers in the areas of Achilles tendon injury and clinical outcomes measures, as well as pioneering a novel technique to repair Achilles tendon injuries which is now used internationally.
Prior to joining Movement Referrals, Mark has been the lead clinician at a multi-disciplinary referral centre for the last 3 years.
The other Mark, Lowrie, is RCVS and EBVS European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology.
Mark is a global leader in movement disorders in dogs, and has over 50 peer-reviewed articles to his name.
He has also established novel treatment strategies for meningoencephalitis, a common, disabling brain condition of dogs, which has reduced mortality by over 50%.
Mark Morton (pictured) said: “I am delighted to be joining the management team at Movement Referrals.
"I know the rest of the team very well having worked closely with them all before, I can’t think of a better or more experienced team to develop this practice with.
"We aim to provide exceptional care to our patients, with a real focus on the service we provide and the outcomes we achieve”
The two Marks will join the Board of Directors with Ben Walton and Professor John Innes, both RCVS Specialists, and Dr Brian Beale, an ACVS-boarded Specialist in small animal surgery.
The business is led by RCVS Specialists in Small Animal Orthopaedics, Professor John Innes and Ben Walton, alongside American veterinary orthopaedic specialist and investor, Dr Brian Beale.
Two more Specialists are due to join the senior team in May.
Building work is apparently well underway on the 8000ft2 premises in Abbots Park, Preston Brook, which will be equipped with CT, high-field MRI, and three operating theatres.
The centre, which is located near Junction 11 of the M56, will provide referral services to veterinary practices from the conurbations of the North of England and the surrounding English and Welsh counties.
Ben Walton said: “For me, it is an honour to team up with John and Brian who have unparalleled international reputations, and I’m eagerly anticipating the arrival of our two additional colleagues.
"For veterinary professionals and clients, we are concentrating on responsive and clear communication, high clinical standards, and fair pricing.
"And finally, for prospective employees, we’re determined to foster a positive and supportive culture where vets, nurses and support staff can grow, thrive and enjoy a career.”
Until the opening of the new centre, Movement Referrals offers a peripatetic orthopaedics referral service based out of third party veterinary practices in the North West of England and North Wales.
www.movementvets.co.uk
Photo: from left to right: Prof. John Innes, Ben Walton, Dr Brian Beale
Domingo, pictured on the left with Southfields clinical director Henry L’Eplattenier, will join the Essex referral centre as head of cardiopulmonary service at the start of February.
After qualifying in Zaragoza in his native Spain, Domingo completed an internship and several years in practice in the UK, before joining the University of Bristol small animal hospital as a resident.
He then completed a three-year training programme in small animal internal medicine, followed by a four-year programme in cardiology to become an RCVS diplomate and specialist in veterinary cardiology and small animal internal medicine (ECVIM).
After being appointed as head of cardiology and respiratory medicine at Bristol, Domingo joined Dick White Referrals before his move to Southfields.
Domingo said: "I’m delighted to be joining such a progressive and forward-thinking practice as Southfields. It is clear everyone at the practice is dedicated to continuing its growth and dedication to providing the highest possible level of care."
Southfields’ operations manager Daniel Hogan said: "The arrival of Domingo adds another hugely talented specialist to our growing team of experts. He is, without doubt, at the top of his profession and his passion and dedication are traits which will fit perfectly at Southfields as we continue to grow."
Domingo is also a visiting lecturer in cardiology and respiratory medicine at the Catholic University of Valencia, while he is an active clinical researcher and has published widely in many areas of cardiology and respiratory medicine. His areas of special interest are arrhythmias and interventional cardiology.
For more information about Southfields Veterinary Specialists, go to www.southfields.co.uk.