The three presentations, which are between 30 minutes and an hour in length, are aimed at vets but may also be of interest to veterinary nurses. They cover: ‘Topical therapy in canine atopic dermatitis’ and ‘Antimicrobial resistance’ presented by Dr Tim Nuttall and ‘Emotional considerations in dealing with dermatology cases’ by Dr Sarah Heath.
The presentations will be available for download from 7th June 2021, and viewers will be able to enter into a prize draw to win a £50 Love2Shop voucher and a free Cytology Manual.
To pre-register, visit: https://www.thewebinarvet.com/pages/ceva-dermatology-tea-time-top-ups-bite-size-cpd-sessions/
Zoetis says the new product is designed to stimulate both cell-mediated and antibody-based immunity, providing a broad immune response that mimics a natural infection.
The company says CircoMax Myco has demonstrated robust performance in field conditions, delivering improvements in average daily gain (ADG) and close-out weights versus negative controls, helping producers get more kilograms of pork to market.
CircoMax Myco comes in a ready to use single-dose combination with a duration of immunity (DOI) of 23 weeks against both PCV2 and M. hyopneumoniae.
Alvaro Aldaz, Director, Global Commercial Development, Swine, Zoetis, said: “The swine industry needs to adapt to evolving challenges and our research has consistently demonstrated that with its unique technology CircoMax Myco offers robust protection against PCV2 and M. hyopneumoniae.
"It also shows that this new product offers the best chance at protection against continuously evolving PCV2 genotypes – providing a broader umbrella for pig health and productivity.
"Analysis of new European PCV2 strains isolated in multiple countries confirm that CircoMax Myco offers broader coverage than competitor vaccines based on PCV2a only.”
The first meeting takes place on Thursday 27th May from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. It will look at how veterinary practices have had to work differently and adapt to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Chris Tufnell, RCVS Council Member and Innovation Lead (pictured right), will be chairing the session. He said: “In the past 15 months we have been in innovation overdrive, adapting at a unprecedented pace to transform how we work, serve our clients and patients, and continue to function as veterinary businesses in less-than-ideal circumstances.
"This event is an opportunity to take a step back, look at what has happened, how we have changed and consider what aspects of these changes we might carry over when we return to near normal working conditions.
"For those who join us, we would like to know what kind of innovation solutions you and your colleagues have developed, and share your stories and ideas to help and inspire others.”
Joining Chris on the panel will be a selection of veterinary professionals who will share their own experience of how they have had to adapt the way they work during the pandemic. Participants include Anita Patel, an RCVS-recognised Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology, who runs her own dermatology referral service, and Richard Artingstall, Clinical Director of Vale Referrals in Gloucestershire.
The event, which will feature short presentations followed by a reflective discussion, is free to attend and can be signed up to via its Eventbrite page at: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/152857028487
More meetings are planned for later in the year:
If you have any questions about the sessions or would like to take part as a speaker, email the ViVet Manager, Sophie Rogers on s.rogers@rcvs.org.uk or info@vivet.org.uk
The updated guidance follows a public campaign known as ‘Tuk’s Law’, which was started after a healthy dog by that name was euthanased despite its microchip being dually registered with a rehoming centre as a 'rescue backup'.
In response, the RCVS and the BVA agreed that more should be done to prevent occasions where a dog might be needlessly put to sleep, but voiced concerns that a legislative approach could undermine a vet’s clinical judgement, unfairly involve veterinary surgeons in ownership disputes or potential criminality, and leave vets unfairly exposed to financial sanctions.
In consultation with Defra, the RCVS and BVA therefore jointly agreed to strengthen the Code of Professional Conduct as follows:
Chapter 8 (para 8.9)
There may be circumstances where a request is made by a client for the destruction of a dog, where in the clinical/professional judgement of the veterinary surgeon destruction of the dog is not necessary, for instance where there are no health or welfare reasons for the dog to be euthanised.
In these circumstances, before carrying out the request for euthanasia the veterinary surgeon should scan the dog for a microchip and check the relevant database if a microchip is found.
Chapter (paras 29.25 -29.27)
Clients may have a contract with the shelter from which they acquired the dog such that it can be returned to that shelter, and that it may be appropriate to discuss this with them prior to euthanasia. Alternatively, there may be another individual willing to take responsibility for the dog (who may be named on the microchip database), and this may also be discussed with the client.
The updated guidance supports existing best practice in terms of discussing alternatives to euthanasia with clients, and give vets flexibility where, in their professional judgment, scanning is not appropriate; this might be if scanning would itself cause a welfare problem, or where a vulnerable client might be involved.
The RCVS Standards Committee says it recognised the difficulties experienced by veterinary surgeons in dealing with the current microchip database system, but felt that introducing these provisions into the guidance was a more proportionate response than the alternative of legislation with substantial fines.
BVA Senior Vice President Dr Daniella Dos Santos MRCVS said: “One of the most important jobs as a vet is having those difficult conversations with clients about euthanasia where we talk through all the options that are in the animal’s best interests. But where the vet doesn’t consider that euthanasia is necessary, the new guidance clearly sets out the steps we need to take. We support this constructive approach that addresses the campaigners’ concerns without undermining veterinary judgement.”
Ms Burrows faced 11 charges against her.
The first alleged that in November 2017 she had allowed or caused her horse to be re-registered at the Cardiff equine practice where she worked under a different patient name, and had failed to consolidate and cross-reference this new record with the previous one.
The second charge alleged that between November 2017 and March 2018 she failed to make entries into the practice’s clinical records for her horse about its epistaxis and the investigations into the condition.
Charges 3 to 9 related to various telephone conversations and email exchanges Ms Burrows had with NFU Mutual in 2018 in which she failed to disclose the horse’s full clinical history and knowingly gave false statements to the effect that the horse’s condition of epistaxis had started more recently than it actually had. These charges also include asking an administrative colleague in the practice to, unknowingly, provide the insurance company with false information.
Charge 10 alleged that Ms Burrows asked a colleague to provide incorrect and/or dishonest information to the insurance company about the date of an endoscopy that had been performed on her horse in or around November or December 2017.
The final charge (Charge 11) alleged that, in regard to all previous charges, Ms Burrows had acted dishonestly.
At the outset of the hearing Ms Burrows admitted to Charges 2 to 9, as well as charge 11 in so far as it related to these charges.
However, she denied that she had allowed the creation of a new record for her horse under a different name for the purposes of concealing its clinical history or that she had attempted to induce a veterinary surgeon colleague to provide false information about the treatment of her horse.
Nevertheless, the Committee found all the charges proven.
Next the Committee considered whether the charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.
In doing so the Committee considered the pre-meditated nature of Ms Burrows’ conduct in setting up the second record for her horse with the intention of benefitting financially by providing false information. Likewise, the Committee considered that Ms Burrows had abused her professional position by asking her colleague who was a practice administrator to, unknowingly, provide false information to the insurance company on her behalf and in attempting to induce a veterinary surgeon colleague to lie on her behalf.
The Committee found her guilty of serious professional misconduct in respect of all 11 charges and stated that her conduct could be characterised as deplorable.
Cerys Jones, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee noted that, in the event, no actual harm had been occasioned to any animal or person. There had been an attempt at, but no actual, financial gain. The Committee had not been informed of any previous regulatory findings against Ms Burrows. In addition Ms Burrows had made some, limited, admissions to the College in her responses to it and has admitted a number of the Charges, including her dishonesty, before the Committee. Ms Burrows has apologised for that to which she admitted and in the Committee’s view has displayed a limited degree of insight.”
Having determined serious professional misconduct, the Committee then went on to consider the appropriate sanction for Ms Burrows. Ahead of the decision she made representations to the Committee in which she acknowledged that she had let the profession down, multiple breaches of the Code, and highlighted that her actions had prejudiced the delicate relationship between the public and the profession and had tarnished the reputation of the profession. She asked the Committee for the opportunity for a second chance, saying that she had started her own veterinary practice now and that honesty and integrity were now integral to her practice.
The Committee also heard several character witnesses as well as testimonials from both professional colleagues and clients attesting to her integrity and capabilities as a veterinary surgeon. Ms Burrows’ counsel also highlighted that at the time of the misconduct she was young and relatively new to veterinary practice and had been going through a difficult time, both professionally and personally.
Ultimately, however, the Committee decided that removal from the Register was the most appropriate and proportionate sanction.
Cerys Jones, speaking on behalf of the Committee, said: “In the view of the Committee, honesty in a veterinary surgeon is a fundamental professional issue, and that is the case regardless of age and experience. The public, other professionals and insurers all at times rely on the word of a professional veterinary surgeon to honestly attest to matters of importance. All need to be able to trust the veterinary surgeon. Any departure from a standard of honesty undermines public confidence in the profession.
“In the Committee’s determination, Ms Burrows had shown a repeated disregard for the principle of honesty on a number of occasions when dealing with the insurance claim in her telephone calls. Moreover, the Committee had found that Dr Burrows had caused or allowed the preparation of documentation concealing the full history of her horse and attempted to involve another professional in the matter.
“The Committee had found that Ms Burrows’ dishonesty had extended over approximately five months, and she had had several opportunities to resile from it. However, it took until [a colleague] raised the issue with Ms Burrows before she took steps to end the claim.
“The Committee determined that Ms Burrows had put her own interests ahead of those of the public and undermined the trust that underpins the relationship with insurers.”
She added: “In the Committee’s determination, the repeated dishonesty in the case in all the circumstances could not be met other than by directing that Ms Burrows’ registration be removed from the Register.”
Ms Burrows has 28 days from being informed of the outcome of the hearing to appeal the Committee’s decision.
The full findings for the case can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
Jack Fellows, Elanco swine sales leader, said: "With the potential zinc oxide restrictions coming into place next year, it’s crucial that vets work with their farmers to start trialling alternative PWD prevention strategies now, while the use of zinc is still permitted.
“Keeping PWD at bay going forward will require a multifaceted approach to piglet management. Gradually reducing the level of zinc oxide, while simultaneously incorporating alternative preventive techniques, will reduce the likelihood of problems arising during this transition.
“It’s far more convenient to have the vaccine in a 200 head dose, rather than the current pack size that offers 50 treatments. This will greatly cut down the time required to dilute and stabilise multiple individual packs, while helping to minimise any margin of error during administration."
Research has shown over 90% of farmers1 would head to their vet as the first port of call when it comes to advice on treating PWD.
“It’s crucial that vets are aware of all the preventive tools and options for managing the disease as over half of farmers surveyed2 also said they would treat PWD with antibiotics, which is obviously something we’re trying to steer away from as an industry, and why vaccines play such an important role going forwards.
“The Coliprotec vaccine is proven to prevent against these issues, delivering healthy pigs that reach a heavier market weight up to 7 days earlier3, while substantially reducing the in-nursery use of antibiotic treatments."
To mark the launch of the new 200 dose pack size, Elanco is offering veterinary practices the chance to buy five packs for the price of four, a total of 1000 doses, through their wholesaler.
For more information, contact Jack Fellows at jack_michael.fellows@elancoah.com or call 07771 798157.
References
Clomicalm contains Clomipramine hydrochloride, a broad-spectrum tricyclic antidepressant that inhibits the neuronal reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. A non-sedative, Clomicalm is used in combination with behavioural modification techniques to help separation anxiety.
Itrafungol is an oral solution containing Itraconazole for the treatment of ringworm in cats, administered orally directly into the mouth by means of a dosing syringe.
Both Clomicalm and Itrafungol are available to order from the veterinary wholesalers.
For more information, speak to your Virbac Territory Manager.
The study “Hypoadrenocorticism in dogs under UK primary veterinary care: frequency, clinical approaches and risk factors1”, identified dogs diagnosed with hypoadrenocorticism from the electronic patient records of practices participating in the UK VetCompass programme during 2016.
The study aimed to estimate the frequency of hypoadrenocorticism in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK, describe the diagnosis and clinical management of hypoadrenocorticism and report the risk factors for the disease.
Cases were categorised as having a laboratory-confirmed or presumed diagnosis, based on the information available in the electronic patient records. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify demographic risk factors.
A total of 177 hypoadrenocorticism cases were identified from 905,543 dogs in 2016; 72 laboratory-confirmed and 105 presumed. The one-year period prevalence for hypoadrenocorticism in all dogs was 0.06%.
The most commonly recorded clinical signs included:
Imogen Schofield, corresponding author for the paper, said: “By presenting epidemiological data on dogs with hypoadrenocorticism attending primary-care practice, this study provides representative and relatable information for vets working in primary-care practice in the UK. It should be borne in mind that diagnostic and clinical management data were reported for laboratory-confirmed cases only.
“Breed, age, neuter status and insurance status were all associated with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of hypoadrenocorticism. The standard poodle had 51.38 times the odds of hypoadrenocorticism compared with crossbreeds. The labradoodle (OR: 7.40) and West Highland white terrier (OR: 5.84) also had increased odds.
Nicola Di Girolamo, Editor of JSAP, said: “This is the largest study to date to provide benchmark data on hypoadrenocorticism in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. Given that the frequency of hypoadrenocorticism has rarely been reported, it is typically difficult to diagnose due to the non-specific clinical signs associated with the disease, and many previous studies have focussed on referral populations. This is a welcome publication adding to the evidence base of an important topic.”
The full article can be found in the May issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice and can be read online here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13285. It is open access and can be freely accessed by anyone.
Reference
The survey is the second stage of a three stage review recommended to RCVS Council by the College’s Standards Committee in 2019, after it looked at the implications of new technologies for both animal welfare and veterinary regulation.
The main areas under consideration include the provision of 24/7 emergency cover and the interpretation and application of an animal being under the care of a veterinary surgeon. The review also encompasses remote consulting.
In stage one of the review, the RCVS commissioned a research agency to conduct a series of focus group discussions with veterinary professionals working in a variety of roles and sectors. The information gleaned from the discussions was then used to develop the questions for this survey.
The survey will ask veterinary professionals to reflect on what, for them, should underpin good regulations and guidelines for practice.
It will then ask respondents how these principles should be applied in particular situations relating to 24/7 emergency cover and 'under care' before inviting their views on how they would like regulations on these two areas to deal with any tensions between different desirable regulatory aims.
The survey results will be used to help produce any changes to the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct and its supporting guidance concerning ‘under care’ and the provision of 24/7 emergency cover, which will then be put out for full public consultation later this year.
Chair of the RCVS Standards Committee, Dr Melissa Donald, said: “This review addresses fundamental questions about how we should continue to interpret ‘under care’ in a profession, and a society, that is largely unrecognisable to the one that first defined the term, and, at the same time, how we can continue to provide 24/7 emergency cover for those animals under our care.
“The original Vet Futures report also emphasised the impact that technological advances may have on the veterinary professions, so we must ensure we have in place a regulatory framework that gives consideration to these potential changes whilst ensuring animal health and welfare remain at its heart.
“These are challenging but hugely important questions on which we are hoping to receive as much feedback as possible. I do understand the huge pressures my vet and vet nurse colleagues continue to work under at the moment, so would like to thank them in advance for taking a little time out of their busy days to send us their views.”
The survey will open on Wednesday, 19th May 2021 for all UK-based veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses.
All responses will be used and reported anonymously, so respondents will not be identified.
The survey will be open for four weeks, closing at 5pm on Wednesday, 16 June 2021.
It should take 15-20 minutes to complete, but can be returned to and completed in stages if preferred.
Further background information about the Under Care Review is available at www.rcvs.org.uk/undercare.
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 book contains 40 chapters of articles about clinical techniques, diagnostic pathways and management approaches published in Companion between 2016 and 2020.
Editor of Companion, Samantha Taylor said: “At Companion we strive to produce well-illustrated, practical articles to help vets and VNs in practice face the day-to-day challenges of a varied caseload. We hope this collection meets our aims by covering a variety of clinical problems from hypercalcaemia in cats to managing the snuffly rabbit, from Leishmaniasis to lymphoma and many more.
Ian Ramsey (BSAVA Senior Vice President) said: “This collection represents a unique body of well-illustrated work prepared by experts from all around the UK and beyond. I would like to thank them all on behalf of BSAVA members and readers of this book for taking the time and care to develop these resources for their colleagues around the world.”
Samantha added: “Whether kept on the shelf for when needed or thumbed through over a cup of tea, we hope that within the pages of this new volume you find a useful tip or technique that helps.”
The How to…collected articles from BSAVA Companion (2016–2020), 3rd edition has been published as a BSAVA member loyalty reward gift for those eligible veterinary members who renew their membership this year.
The book is also available to buy from the BSAVA website www.bsava.com/shop priced at £20.
The GDP offers one-to-one mentoring, alongside professional and clinical skills development in primary care practices across the UK.
Chloe Roberts, clinical and educational development manager at Linnaeus, said: “This fourth cohort of graduates is looking likely to be the biggest yet, which is testament to how successful the programme has become over recent years.
“We’ve received so many high-quality applications and look forward to welcoming many of them into our practices.
“There’s still time left for people to apply via our online portal, so we’d love to hear from any prospective candidates interested in roles in the Midlands and Yorkshire.”
Linnaeus delivers all clinical training in-house through its extensive network of specialists, referral clinicians, certificate holders and experienced primary care clinicians.
Graduates take part in 20 core educational days as part of their clinical and professional skills training, with access to an additional 10 CPD days to undertake training of their own choice over the course of the programme.
For more information about the Graduate Development Programme, visit https://graduates.linnaeusgroup.co.uk.
Photo: Bristol University graduate Abigail McCarthy, a vet at Blacks Vets in Dudley
The Farm Vet Champions initiative has been set up to build a supportive community of farm animal veterinary professionals to collaborate in championing good antibiotic principles.
Led by RCVS Knowledge and funded by the VMD, the project has brought together a number of UK veterinary and agriculture organisations to develop free learning materials for farm veterinary professionals.
The new online course covers:
A course offers a total of 20 hours of free on-demand CPD.
The second phase of the initiative, due to start development over Summer 2021, will provide online and in-person networking opportunities for Farm Vet Champions to learn from one another by sharing their experiences and working together towards the common goal of good antibiotic stewardship.
Chris Gush, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge, said, “With antimicrobial resistance being one of the top 10 health threats facing our planet, we are delighted with the quality of the Farm Vet Champions course and we look forward to connecting with farm vets across the UK to tackle AMR. Farm Vet Champions is just the beginning of our work in antimicrobial prescribing, and we look forward to building on our resources that will benefit all animals, the public and society.”
Fiona Lovatt, Farm Vet Champions Clinical Lead, said, “I am incredibly proud of the Farm Vet Champions project and extremely grateful to every member of our steering group who have been instrumental in the creation of high-quality and engaging learning materials. I encourage all UK farm vets to sign up and join us on the journey to tackle AMR.”
Farm Vet Champions can be accessed for free at https://learn.rcvsknowledge.org/
Francisco says he decided to launch the podcast after watching how the bond between society and veterinary professionals has been eroded in recent years, with vets increasingly being portrayed as money-grabbers and uncaring in the press.
The aim of the podcast is to show the human behind the surgical mask; that veterinary professionals have the same feelings, motivations, worries and passions as anyone else.
Francisco said: "For those who aren’t part of the veterinary community, I hope to open a window into who we are, so they can better understand what drives our behaviours, decisions and compassion. And for those who are, I hope to make them feel that they’re not alone."
More Than Just a Vet is open for everyone to listen to directly from the website morethanjustavet.net, where you can subscribe to be alerted when there's a new release. The podcast is also available on all major podcast providers.
Historically, diagnosis has been achieved with multiple blood tests. However, this process can be time-consuming, expensive and in some cases does not provide accurate results.
In an attempt to address these diagnostic challenges, the researchers, with funding from Dechra, assessed anonymised data from 939 dogs which had been tested for Cushing’s syndrome from the VetCompass population of 905,554 dogs and 886 veterinary practices across the UK1.
Using structured clinical data to look at the dogs’ demographics, clinical signs at presentation and laboratory results, machine-learning algorithms were applied to predict a future diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome. Dogs suspected of having Cushing’s syndrome were included in the analysis and classified based on their final reported diagnosis within their clinical records.
The researchers say that the findings indicate that machine-learning aided diagnosis could predict the diagnosis of a practising veterinary surgeon and that using machine-learning methods in clinical practice could contribute to improved diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome in dogs.
Additionally, further development of these algorithms could lead to earlier, more reliable and cost-effective diagnoses and therefore, better clinical care for dogs with Cushing’s syndrome. This could also create opportunities for this technology to be applied to other clinical problems.
Imogen Schofield, lead author and PhD student at the RVC, said: “Machine-learning algorithms, like those used in this study, are already widely integrated in our day-to-day lives to help make certain decisions, such as Google or Netflix recommendations. Now this technology can be harnessed to help improve diagnostics in veterinary practice.
"By embracing the use of machine-learning methods, we are a step closer to providing vets in primary-care practice with an easy to use, low cost and accurate test that can support the often frustrating process of diagnosing Cushing’s syndrome in dogs."
Greg Williams, Senior Business Manager at Dechra Ltd. and Industrial Supervisor of the PhD studentship, said: “By funding Imogen's PhD and working with the RVC we have been able to develop validated clinical scoring and quality-of-life assessments to help vets deliver effective control and management of Cushing's syndrome in dogs.
The Association says following the launch two years ago BEVApod has become such a popular information and learning resource that members have been asking for more content.
The new BEVApod will include regular features from equine vet Brad Hill, clinical Assistant Professor in Equine Practice at the University of Nottingham (pictured right), who will be exploring the many aspects of life in equine practice. He will be sharing real life stories to help promote a sense of togetherness and support mental health and wellbeing.
Brad said: “Although based at Nottingham, I am passionate about maintaining links to all areas of the equine profession. This podcast will provide a platform to bring the experiences of others directly to the listener wherever they are.”
Brad will be releasing a new episode every other week and has already lined up some participants, including Maddy Campbell, Ellen Singer, Graham Duncanson, Jack Wallace and Gemma Kirk.
BEVApod will also host clinical episodes on a monthly basis, taken from the BEVA Clinical Catch-Up recordings.
BEVA President Lucy Grieve said: “These are live webinars where we invite a practitioner to present on a clinical topic and then open it up for an informal discussion. We have turned the recordings of these into podcasts so that our members can listen to the recordings whilst travelling between clients. It makes great use of travel time and fills the void we all sometimes feel when we are alone with just our thoughts in the car.”
Current clinical catch-ups available on BEVApod include a panel discussion with experts on PPE, a discussion on equine obesity with Lucy Grieve and Cathy McGowan and treating and managing liver disease with Sarah Smith.
You can listen to the BEVApod here https://beva.podbean.com
The ‘Introduction to the UK veterinary professions’ is a two-part online course run in partnership with VDS Training, designed to equip vets and nurses with the insight needed to work in the UK veterinary profession.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the course has been moved online. It includes a series of free online pre-recorded talks from representatives at a number of different veterinary organisations, including the RCVS, VDS Training, the British Veterinary Association, Vetlife, and VetAbroad.
The talks cover a variety of topics such as the Code of Professional Conduct, how to find the right job for you, how to look after mental health and wellbeing, and recognising and understanding cultural differences.
There will then be a number of live Question and Answer sessions across different dates over the coming months [see below], which are also free to attend, so those who have watched the videos can ask further questions from some of the speakers themselves.
Part 2 of the course is an optional practical and participatory paid-for online live communications skills training session run by VDS Training, looking at how to navigate some of the most common pitfalls encountered during client consultations, helping to equip you with the skills and confidence to communicate effectively in practice.
Ian Holloway, RCVS Director of Communications, said: “While we enjoyed running this course in person and meeting veterinary professionals from all over the world, the coronavirus pandemic has also given us the opportunity to look at how we can make this course even more accessible for a greater number of people.
“While there is still a significant live element, albeit online for the time being, the pre-recorded talks enable those veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to do much of the learning in their own time, without having to take time off work or travel to London for the day, meaning that more people can engage with this crucial information on working in the UK.”
Elly Russell MRCVS, a consultant at VDS Training, added: “Communicating with clients can be one of the most rewarding, but also challenging parts of our jobs as veterinary professionals. Communication problems lead to complaints, increase your stress at work and can impact the care our patients receive. Join VDS training for a highly interactive, online 4-hour workshop. Work in small groups with our experienced facilitators and role players using realistic scenarios to practise and develop your communication skills. Let us help you feel more confident managing common communication challenges in UK practice: improved communication will help you, your clients, and your patients.”
The dates for the free live 2021 Q&A sessions are:
The dates and times for the paid-for live online communications skills workshops from VDS Training are:
The cost for attending the communication skills session (Part 2) is £150 +VAT per person. It is not mandatory to complete both parts of the course, but those who are interested may choose the part of the course most suitable for them.
For further information: www.rcvs.org.uk/overseas-cpd
Nutraplaque contains Ascophyllum Nodosum seaweed and decaffeinated green tea extract, presented in sprinkle capsules. Nutravet says the seaweed in nutraplaque has been shown to reduce plaque build-up by 35% after 4 weeks.
Nutravet says the new product also helps in the removal and control of tartar, supports healthy teeth and gums, reduces bad breath and is free of artificial preservatives, gluten and sugar
Matthew Shaw, Managing Director at Nutravet said: "We’re really excited to introduce nutraplaque into our market-leading range of veterinary exclusive nutraceuticals. Maintaining pets’ dental health is an important part of looking after a pet and our nutraplaque sprinkle capsules make it easy for pet owners to keep up with oral health in an easy to administer form.
“The unique formulation of nutraplaque works naturally within an animal’s body. The natural ingredients work through the saliva, where they help reduce new plaque from forming and soften existing tartar around the clock."
For further information about nutraplaque, visit www.nutravet.co.uk.
Chris, who is moving from Willows, will develop both the medical cardiology service and deliver a new interventional cardiology service to complement the existing surgical offering at Paragon, which is investing around £145,000 in ultrasound equipment and operating facilities to support the service.
Chris said: “I’ve had a great time at Willows and couldn’t think of a better place than Paragon to continue my passion for all things cardiology.
“It’s an exciting time to be joining Paragon, which is growing phenomenally to service the region whilst it cements itself as one of the leading referral centres in the north of England.
“The investment and expansion which is taking place at Paragon will allow us to develop another globally-recognised cardiology centre within Linnaeus.”
For more information, visit: www.paragonreferrals.co.uk
According to the company, coprophagia affects 23% of dogs, with 16% being repeat offenders.
Copro-nil is a powder which, when added to food, makes the resultant faeces unpalatable. This, says the company, breaks the coprophagia habit and gives the owner an opportunity to implement training to eradicate the behaviour long-term.
Copro-nil has been relaunched in smaller 100g pots with a new look designed to make the product more appealing.
The product comes with advice about behavioural training methods to help owners understand how they can break the coprophagia habit in the long term.
Will Peel, product manager at TVM UK said: "The new format and packaging have been designed to help deal with this very unpleasant problem which many owners believe is a behaviour that dogs will grow out of.
"The new format is intended to demonstrate that Copro-nil, combined with effective behavioural training, can help resolve the problem effectively.’
Copro-nil also provides a comprehensive B vitamin source as deficiencies in B vitamins may contribute to coprophagia.
Downloadable advice sheets for veterinary staff to share help and advice with clients are available from www.tvm-uk.com/coprophagia.
At the meeting, Simon Biles from Moore Scarrott gave a 30 minute presentation, which was followed by a one hour discussion.
The recording can be watched on VetSurgeon.org here https://www.vetsurgeon.org/001/nonclinical/m/meetings/138080, where you can also claim the time watching towards your annual CPD requirement. Press the 'Claim CPD' red button in the title bar towards the top.
To make it easier to find content that interests you, there are markers on the video timeline.
There is also a forum thread on vetsurgeon.org for further discussion of any of the points raised in the film. See: https://www.vetsurgeon.org/001/nonclinical/f/site-support-discussions/29784/vetsurgeon-zoom-ir35-locums-and-umbrella-companies
For more information about Moore Scarrott, visit: https://www.moore-scarrott.co.uk
The charity is asking everyone to donate £5 and nominate 5 friends to get involved in the activities.
The activities are:
For more information, visit: https://www.vetlife.org.uk
Vetlife Helpline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on: 0303 040 2551 or via anonymous email at https://helpline.vetlife.org.uk
The research project, which is being carried out by RVC student Collette Taylor for her PhD, is looking at the development of novel diagnostic targets to establish the specific leptospira implicated in canine clinical cases.
Collette said: "Existing leptospirosis diagnostics have a number of limitations. MAT serological testing may provide information that can be supportive of a serogroup diagnosis but may also provide false positives due to previous vaccination or indeed be confounded by cross-reactivity. It can also be difficult to interpret serology in the absence of paired samples.
"PCR tests are sensitive, usually specific, but are dependent on timing of sampling and do not tell you which serovar is concerned.
"My research is focused on offering more specialised diagnostic tests which can differentiate antibodies associated with infection from those due to vaccination. Extending this theme, our group is interested in further typing of samples where the Leptospiral DNA is identified using Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). I am now at the stage of validation and we are able to offer additional testing of serum or blood test samples from confirmed clinical cases."
If you'd like to send in a sample for further tests, you will need to complete a questionnaire, and samples must be from confirmed cases of leptospirosis that have already undergone leptospirosis diagnostics from another laboratory.
John Helps, Senior Technical Manager, Companion Animals, MSD Animal Health said: "As a 3rd year PhD student Collette has two main areas of study. The first is looking at the risk factors of leptospirosis including ecological niche modelling for specific serogroups in different regions across the country. The second part is the development of new specialised diagnostic tests that can provide better targeted serological approaches to diagnosis of this disease."
"As a potentially serious zoonosis, leptospirosis is an important differential diagnosis for a variety of canine disease presentations. These include not only acute renal or hepatic disease; it should also be on the differential list in conditions such as uveitis and retinal bleeding, acute respiratory distress, and haemorrhagic gastoenteritis when parvovirus is excluded.
"Collette's highly valuable research expands understanding of the epidemiology of canine leptospirosis within the UK. Veterinary practices that take advantage of this scheme will gain a better understanding of locally relevant disease data which is likely to better inform the approach to dog vaccination."
For further information contact Collette Taylor at ctaylor18@rvc.ac.uk.
The study analysed information from a random sample of 29,865 dogs that died over a one-year period, taken from a study population of 905,544 dogs from 626 clinics in the VetCompass database.
From the sample, 26,676 (91.5%) of deaths recorded in practice involved euthanasia and 2,487 (8.5%) of deaths were unassisted. However, it is unknown how many dogs die unassisted and unreported to a practice.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the findings indicated that certain types of diseases and conditions were more likely to lead to death by euthanasia than unassisted death.
by contrast,
Larger bodyweights, increasing age and certain breeds of dog were also additional risk factors for euthanasia. Rottweilers were more likely to die by euthanasia compared to Labrador Retrievers as the standard baseline breed. In contrast, breeds such as Bulldogs, Pugs and West Highland White Terriers were more likely to have unassisted deaths, and these deaths were more likely caused by traumatic injury, foreign body and heart disease.
Additional findings from the study included:
Camilla Pegram, VetCompass Epidemiologist at the RVC, and author of the paper, said: “End-of-life discussions between veterinarians and owners can be particularly difficult for both parties. This study provides benchmark data for the relative proportion of deaths that involve euthanasia and for the relative impact from demographics and disorders on euthanasia decision-making. Owners and veterinary professionals may find it easier to discuss end-of-life options, to reach a final decision and be comfortable with these decisions based on a feeling of broader support from the reported actions of others in similar situations.”
Dr Dan O’Neill, Senior Lecturer, Companion Animal Epidemiology, at the RVC, and co-author of the paper, said: "The decision for many animal owners to put a beloved dog to sleep is often the hardest decision of their life. The moment of euthanasia often lives with owners forever. Hopefully, the information from this study can at least help some owners come to terms with the responsibility of helping their dog go with dignity. Understanding that over 90% of other owners also opted for euthanasia may help anyone struggling to make this final and hardest decision.”
Dr Carol Gray, Research Associate at the University of Liverpool and co-author of the paper, said: "Decision-making around euthanasia is shared between veterinarian and owner, although it is the owner who must give consent for euthanasia. Providing this final authorisation is potentially a burden for owners. This paper will help to ease that burden by allowing veterinarians to provide reassurance that they are not the only dog owners to make a decision for euthanasia in similar circumstances.”
Pegram, C., Gray, C., Packer, R.M.A. et al. Proportion and risk factors for death by euthanasia in dogs in the UK. Sci Rep 11, 9145 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88342-0
Alphazium TT contains alphalactalbumin and magnesium, which, according to the company, targets the three main neurological pathways involved in the regulation of mood and emotional balance.
TVM says Alphazium TT is highly palatable, so it can be administered as a treat, making the process stress free for veterinary staff, pets and pet owners.
TVM UK’s product manager Will Peel said: "Behavioural problems are becoming increasingly common in cats and dogs and are these problems are likely to get worse with pet owners going back to work as lockdown measures lift, which could cause further stress and anxiety in pets.
"Alphazium TT can help owners address these problems whilst being highly palatable – therefore also reducing the stress of tablet administration all-round."
For more information and support materials, visit: https://www.tvm-uk.com/alphaziumtt/2520/ or contact your TVM UK Territory Manager.