The materials are designed to help educate pet owners on the benefits of microchipping and the importance of keeping their microchip details up to date.
The company highlights research which shows just how important it is to encourage owners to keep microchip details up to date. In 2017, the BVA found that 44% of vets were unable to reunite stray dogs with their owners due to incorrect information on the microchip database. The Dogs Trust Stray Dogs Survey Report 2017–18 also found that 75% of all microchipped dogs that were unable to be returned to their owners had incorrect contact information on their chip.
To order your 'Chip & Check' display, contact your Animalcare Territory Sales Manager, or call Animalcare's head office on 01904 487687. Display packs are subject to an order of identichip microchips and while display stocks last.
The survey is conducted every four to five years and asks vets to answer questions about a variety of subjects including demographic data (for example, socio-economic background, educational attainment, race/ethnicity, disability), work-related data (for example, employment status, location of workplace, type of workplace, hours of work, position in practice) and information about professional achievement (for example, hours of continuing professional development (CPD) undertaken and extra qualifications earned).
The survey, which is conducted on the College’s behalf by the Institute for Employment Studies, also ask respondents about their views on different aspects of their profession, including career plans, challenges facing the profession, and wellbeing.
This year, the survey also asks for your view of the RCVS, including its values, how it should communicate, and what it should prioritise in future years.
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO (pictured right), said: "The results of the Surveys form a very important ‘snapshot’ of the profession at a given point in time, but they also prove useful for years to come in terms of how the College develops its regulatory and educational policy, the areas it chooses to focus on and the issues it chooses to tackle.
"The ensuing reports are also used by a myriad of other individuals, such as those in academia, government and representative bodies, as well as journalists. It’s therefore really important that we have as accurate a picture as possible. So although completing the Surveys is entirely voluntary, we strongly encourage members of the professions to take the time to complete them. It will, ultimately, help the development of appropriate and supportive policies for your profession."
In addition to the main survey, there will be an additional survey for MsRCVS who practise overseas. This survey aims to better understand why they continue to retain their MRCVS status, what this status means in the countries in which they work, global attitudes towards the RCVS and how the College could improve its communication with them.
Sarah qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in 1998, gained an MSc in Clinical Oncology in 2003, the RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Dermatology in 2010 and RCVS Advanced Practitioner status in 2015. She is now the President of the British Veterinary Dermatology Study Group.
Sarah previously ran two dermatology referral services before co-founding Vet-AI, a company working on artificial intelligence and an online consultation service for pet owners, where she is now the Chief Veterinary Officer.
Sarah said: "Many diseases that are primarily non-pruritic often become pruritic when the animal develops secondary bacterial or yeast infection. These cases require a thorough dermatologic history and physical examination and successful treatment very often depends on identification of the underlying cause."
"Providing the right nutrition should also be implemented to ensure optimal levels of nutrients required for skin repair, barrier function and health. I will be including a complete pruritus work up, discussing how diet can be part of the management of this particular condition."
To register for the webinar, visit: https://vetportal.royalcanin.co.uk/cpd/webinar/
The research, which was carried out by analysing data from 455,557 dogs which presented at veterinary practices participating in the College’s VetCompass programme, investigated the frequency, severity and duration of anal sac disorder, conjunctivitis, dental disease, dermatitis, obesity, lipoma, osteoarthritis and otitis externa.
The main findings were:
The most common conditions were dental disorder (9.6%), overweight/obese (5.7%) and anal sac disorder (4.5%)
The conditions that lasted the longest were dental disorders (76% of year), osteoarthritis (82%), and overweight/obese (70%)
Scoring out of 21, with higher scores for greater severity, the most severe conditions were osteoarthritis (13/21), otitis externa (11/21) and dermatitis (10/21).
The researchers say that by considering frequency, duration and severity together, the study showed that the conditions with the highest welfare impact overall are dental disease, osteoarthritis and obesity.
It is hoped these results can help vets to target conditions that have the greatest impact on dogs they treat. The evidence also shows owners the value of addressing these important conditions to improve their animal’s welfare. The study also provides evidence for other stakeholders on which conditions merit further research prioritisation.
Dave Brodbelt, Professor of Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine at the RVC and senior researcher on the study, said: "First opinion veterinary professionals see dogs presenting to them with a range of conditions everyday and understand what are the common diseases that they treat. Yet there is a need for clear evidence based welfare assessment of the major conditions of dogs. This work adds to our understanding by allowing the transparent comparison of commonly seen disorders in primary practice and highlights conditions with greatest welfare impact."
Dr Dan O’Neill, Senior lecturer in epidemiology at the RVC and co-author said: "During my 20 years as a first opinion vet, owners constantly asked me to advise them about the most important conditions that they should try to prevent in their dogs. At that time, I could not answer this as it was unknown to science. We now have this answer; and we can now advise owners to focus on dental health, monitoring for joint disease and to pay special attention to their dogs body condition score. Finally, we have the key to prioritising long-term health in dogs overall. This is a huge step forward to improving dog welfare; huge thanks to Dogs Trust for having the vision to support this work."
The study is freely available open access.
Reference
Amongst the speakers were Catherine Oxtoby MRCVS, Risk Manager at the Veterinary Defence Society, and Dr Huw Stacey, director of clinical services at Vets4Pets.
Dr Stacey explained how Vets4Pets and Companion Care practices are embracing a culture of sharing information when things don’t go according to plan in practice.
He said: "We all face challenges in the workplace, and this event focused on how different professions can share ideas and good practice and how they find solutions to any challenges.
"The culture of aviation and maritime is one of minimising risk and putting safety first, and it is fascinating to compare their approach to that found in medicine and veterinary.
"One common theme we discussed was the wellbeing of both professionals and patients or clients, with tiredness being at the top of the list of things that can negatively affect wellbeing and performance.
"Both aviation and maritime recognised that long shifts, particularly overnight, needed to be reduced in order to improve the outcome for everyone.
"In veterinary and human medicine, tiredness and long shifts are often worn as a badge of honour and being tired at work was something that should be admired, rather than addressed.
"But, tired vets are effectively neglecting themselves and their own wellbeing, which in turn leads to pets not receiving the best level of care in practice.
"This is something we’re taking seriously at Vets4Pets and Companion Care, and we’re currently looking at ways to decrease the risk of overworked and tired vets and vet nurses."
Another area of discussion was around the reporting of near misses and when things don’t go right, and how veterinary professionals need to identify and share the learnings from these events, not only within their practice, but with the wider profession too.
He said: "We need to continually emphasise the concept of a ‘just’ culture, to ensure our colleagues feel confident about reporting incidents open and honestly."
"It is not in the interests of the professional, the patient or the client to bottle things up, and at Vets4Pets and Companion Care we’re encouraging all of our practices to adopt the VDS VetSafe system, which provides a mechanism for sharing incident reports across the profession, enabling us all to learn from them to the benefit of our patients."
The Committee's decision to recommend the addition of vets to the list is seen as a major win for the RCVS and the BVA which together submitted evidence as part of the review, which began in autumn last year.
Professions on the list are prioritised for visas required to live and work in the UK. Employers wishing to hire professionals on the list are not required to complete the Resident Labour Market Test, meaning they don't have to advertise vacancies locally before offering the role to an employee from overseas.
The RCVS/BVA submission focused on the need for the UK immigration system to recognise that the veterinary workforce is already under capacity and that this problem is likely to be exacerbated after Brexit. This is due to the potential for increased demand for veterinary surgeons in areas such as export certification, and also the likelihood that fewer veterinary surgeons from the European Union will be joining the Register. It also reiterated the importance of veterinary surgeons in areas such as public health, food safety, disease surveillance and control, as well as education, research, clinical practice and animal welfare.
RCVS President Amanda Boag said: "We are very pleased to see that our submission, made with our colleagues at the BVA, has been welcomed by the Committee and that this recommendation will now be going to the key decision-makers at the Home Office for consideration. While we are still unaware of how the process of the UK leaving the EU will pan out, this is a very important step in ensuring the future security of the profession and mitigating against worsening workforce shortages.
"We would reiterate to the Government that the UK is currently reliant on overseas registrants to meet the demand for veterinary surgeons, with veterinary surgeons from the rest of the EU making up around 50% of new registrants each year. By adding veterinary surgeons to the Shortage Occupation List, and therefore reducing the immigration requirements needed to live and work in the UK, the Government will be helping ensure vital veterinary work continues to be done particularly in areas such as food safety and public health."
Simon Doherty, BVA President, said: "MAC’s recommendation is a huge win for animal welfare and a resounding vote of confidence in the veterinary community and the multiple benefits it realises across the UK. We are absolutely delighted that the committee has heeded our calls and recognised the need to reinstate vets on the list to keep workforce supply and resilience high in the unpredictable times ahead."
Rachel has also qualified as a member of the dentistry chapter of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists, and regularly tends to the oral health of zoo and sanctuary animals, including bears, cheetahs, tigers and snow leopards.
She said: "I’m excited to be joining North Downs, which is renowned as a centre of excellence for specialist veterinary care, and I’m really looking forward to this new role. There is a clear benefit in having a multidisciplinary team on site to approach oral surgery cases.
"Dentistry is such a rewarding area and can deliver immediate changes to our patients’ health and well-being.
"Many dental diseases can also be prevented, so I am committed to educating owners about their pets’ oral health and also veterinary surgeons and nurses, about new techniques, best practice, materials and equipment."
North Downs hospital director Terry Emmerson said: "Our aim is always to provide first-class care for our patients and to give an excellent service to their owners and the vets who refer cases to us.
"Rachel’s new dentistry service will be yet another specialist discipline on offer at North Downs to further extend the excellent care and treatment we offer here."
The appointment means that North Downs has a total of 11 specialist services, and makes it one of only a handful of centres in the UK that offer a dentistry service run by a dentistry specialist.
Firstly, the BVA recommends that more work needs to be done in order to clarify and communicate the duties that can already be delegated to Registered Veterinary Nurses under Schedule 3.
In addition, the Association says that:
there should be an expanded role for RVNs in general anaesthesia, where the veterinary surgeon maintains overall responsibility
consideration should be given to granting RVNs expanded rights to dispense POM-V flea and worming treatments
consideration should be given to expanding the role of RVNs in the management of chronic cases, including repeat dispensing
consideration should be given to the potential role for RVNs in dispensing contraceptives, anthelmintics and vaccines in a zoo setting
it would be beneficial to incorporate the Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) role within RVN training
The BVA also recommends that there should be accessible, flexible and professionally recordable post-registration awards for RVNs from all academic backgrounds, and has reiterated its call for the protection of the title of 'Veterinary Nurse.'
BVNA Junior Vice President Jo Hinde RVN (pictured right) said: "BVNA strongly supports the vet-led approach as we believe working together as a team is the best way to improve both patient and staff welfare. We are delighted to be working on this project with BVA and are using our best efforts to continue to strive to strengthen the role of the RVN.
"We have always believed the VN title needs to be protected and this is increasingly important as the veterinary profession adapts to new challenges. It is vital that owners can be confident that their pet is being looked after by well-trained and RCVS-registered staff, as well as there being more clarity surrounding Schedule 3 procedures.
"The support for the advancement of the nursing role through post-registration qualifications is a welcome development and we believe this will help enable RVNs to follow their passion for a particular subject and allow them to significantly increase their knowledge in specific areas of interest. When following the vet-led model, this would result in a strong team of individuals with in-depth knowledge that can enhance their patients’ care."
The allied professionals that the BVA says should be led by veterinary surgeons include: Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVNs), Official Auxiliaries/ Meat Hygiene Inspectors, embryo transfer technicians, equine dental technicians, foot trimmers, farriers, hydrotherapists, animal behaviourists and veterinary physiotherapists.
To clarify where the responsibility for a patient sits and how it is shared between veterinary surgeons and allied professionals, the new policy statement also calls for:
The regulation of allied professionals to include mandatory veterinary diagnosis and oversight and appropriate access to veterinary records as pre-requisites before treatment;
Clarity on the delegation of duties for RVNs under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act and protection of the ‘veterinary nurse’ title in legislation;
Consultation with the veterinary profession on any regulatory changes that may arise as a result of technological or other innovation.
British Veterinary Association President Simon Doherty (pictured right) said: "Against an evolving landscape, it’s essential that the veterinary profession keeps pace with change and addresses the challenges and opportunities it presents.
"Vets across sectors have always worked closely with allied professionals. The hub and spoke model acknowledges and clarifies this working relationship with clear lines of accountability and responsibility for the animals under our care. It also emphasises that vets’ right to diagnose, prescribe, and undertake surgical procedures and medical treatments must not be undermined.
"An effective and efficient vet-led team can help deliver better animal health and welfare, improved client care, and more effective use of skills within the veterinary professions. Given the ongoing workforce shortages, a strengthened veterinary workforce also has the potential to ease recruitment and retention concerns for both vets and RVNs and offer improved wellbeing.
"BVA will continue working with professional bodies and organisations to formalise the hub and spoke model, promote the value of regulation, and drive up professional standards."
The organisers say that the vision for the WellVet Weekend is to offer a range of sport and wellbeing events which give the opportunity to recharge, refresh and re-energise.
This year, the weekend includes the Tour de Cambridge cycle ride, the WellVet sports day, HiiT (high-intensity interval training) sessions as well as some thought-provoking workshops delivered in collaboration with Vets: Stay, Go, Diversify (www.vsgd.co).
The WellVet Mindful stream aims to bring a mellow approach to the weekend with yoga and meditation alongside some reflective workshop-based sessions.
This year also sees the addition of the WellVet Family stream, which will focus on supporting new parents returning to practice, and building mind and body confidence after welcoming a new addition to the family.
The weekend will include plenty of social time, with a gala dinner on Saturday night where the headline speaker is none other than the ultrarunning veterinary surgeon, Jasmin Paris. She'll be giving a speech called 'The Mountains are calling, and so is the baby!' in which she'll talk about her achievement in being the first woman (let alone vet) to win the Montane Spine Race, widely regarded as one of the world’s toughest endurance races. Not only that, but she smashed the overall course record by over 12 hours.
WellVet Co-Founder, Liz Barton, said: "We volunteer a great deal of time and energy to run these not-for-profit events, because of the positive impact it offers individuals. It makes it all worthwhile when we see life-changing experiences from the weekend carried forwards to improve the everyday lives of colleagues within the profession. It’s our way of giving something back. Tickets are subsidised thanks to our generous supporters, making them very affordable and meaning that delegates get a lot of content for their money."
Tickets are now available. For more information and to book your place at WellVet Weekend 2019, please visit www.wellvet.co.uk
In August 2017, Georgina Bretman was found guilty of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to her two-year-old dog Florence by injecting the animal with insulin, causing the dog to suffer from hypoglycaemia, collapse, convulsions and seizures, for which it needed immediate veterinary treatment to avoid coma and death.
Following her conviction, Miss Bretman was sentenced to a Community Payback Order, with a requirement to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work. An order was also made to take Florence away from her and to ban her from owning a dog for two years.
At the VN Disciplinary Committee hearing, Miss Bretman admitted the facts as contained within the charge against her and the Committee found the charge proved.
The Committee went on to consider whether the charge rendered Miss Bretman unfit to practise.
The Committee heard from Miss Bretman’s counsel, Mr O’Rourke QC who indicated that Miss Bretman accepted that her conviction rendered her unfit to practise as a Registered Veterinary Nurse. The Committee found Miss Bretman’s actions in deliberately administering a poisonous substance to Florence thereby risking Florence’s death to be “very serious and deplorable conduct on the part of a veterinary nurse, a member of a profession specifically entrusted to look after and care for animals.” It also took into account the fact that Florence needed urgent veterinary treatment to avoid death and that Miss Bretman was in a position of trust over Florence as her owner.
Stuart Drummond, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "Miss Bretman’s conduct was also liable to have a seriously detrimental effect on the reputation of the profession and to undermine public confidence in the profession. The fact that she was a veterinary nurse was made clear at the trial and reported in the press. The Committee considered that members of the public would be rightly appalled that a Registered Veterinary Nurse had committed an offence of this kind.
The Committee was satisfied that this conduct fell far below the standard expected of a Registered Veterinary Nurse and that Miss Bretman’s conviction was of a nature and seriousness that rendered her unfit to practise."
The Committee then heard oral evidence from Miss Bretman in which she explained that she had always been passionate about working with animals and working in the veterinary profession and how she enjoyed her work as a veterinary nurse with a particular interest in hydrotherapy and rehabilitation.
She spoke about the devastating effect of the incident and the shame that was ‘brought down on her head’. She told the Committee that she had been suspended from her job and, since her conviction, had not worked as a veterinary nurse.
However, Miss Bretman said that, while she accepted and respected the verdict of the court, her stance remained that she had not done what was alleged and now hoped to rebuild her career as a veterinary nurse. She accepted that the offence of which she had been convicted was very serious, particularly for a veterinary nurse.
In considering Miss Bretman’s sanction the Committee took into account the aggravating and mitigating factors. Aggravating factors included the fact there was actual injury to an animal, that it was a pre-meditated and deliberate act against an animal for whom she was responsible, the fact that a medicinal product was misused, a lack of insight and a lack of remorse.
In mitigation the Committee took into account the fact she had no previous disciplinary history, had received positive references and testimonials and that, following the conviction, she demonstrated a willingness to be removed from the Register and to not work with animals to avoid causing embarrassment to the RCVS.
Stuart Drummond said: "The Committee was of the view that the nature and seriousness of Miss Bretman’s behaviour, which led to the conviction, was fundamentally incompatible with being registered as a veterinary nurse. The conduct represented a serious departure from professional standards; serious harm was deliberately caused to an animal; the continued denial of the offence demonstrated a complete lack of insight, especially in regard to the impact of her behaviour on public confidence and trust in the profession. In light of these conclusions, the Committee decided that the only appropriate and proportionate sanction was removal from the Register.
"In reaching this decision the Committee recognised the impact this was likely to have on Miss Bretman, which was unfortunate given her young age and her obvious passion for a career as a veterinary nurse. The Committee had considered with care all the positive statements made about her in the references and testimonials provided. However, the need to protect animal welfare, the reputation of the profession and thus the wider public interest, outweighed Miss Bretman’s interests and the Committee concluded that removal was the only appropriate and proportionate sanction. The Committee determined that it was important that a clear message be sent that this sort of behaviour is wholly inappropriate and not to be tolerated. It brought discredit upon Miss Bretman and discredit upon the profession".
The Committee then directed the RCVS Registrar to remove Miss Bretman’s name from the Register. Miss Bretman has 28 days from being notified of the Committee’s decision to submit an appeal.
There were two charges against Dr Mulvey. The first was that, between May and October 2018, she failed to provide the clinical history for an English Cocker Spaniel named Henry to the Tremain Veterinary Group, despite numerous requests. Also, that between August 2018 and October 2018, she failed to respond adequately or at all to Henry’s owner's requests for information, particularly his clinical records and details of insurance claims made for Henry by her practice.
The second charge was that in January/February 2019, she failed to respond to reasonable requests from the RCVS, particularly in relation to her treatment of Henry, her continuing professional development (CPD) and the status of her Professional Indemnity Insurance.
At the beginning of the hearing, Dr Mulvey admitted the facts and conduct alleged in the charges and also admitted that when her conduct was considered cumulatively, she was guilty of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.
The Committee, having considered the evidence provided by the College and Dr Mulvey’s admissions found all the facts and conduct to be proved.
The Committee also concluded that Dr Mulvey's failure to respond to Henry's owners and to the College amounted to disgraceful conduct both when considered individually and cumulatively.
In respect of the first charge, the Committee decided that Dr Mulvey had breached the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons by failing to provide clinical records or details of insurance claims.
This was an administrative part of the function of a veterinary surgeon’s role and that failure to provide clients with such information was unacceptable and fell far short of acceptable professional standards. The Committee noted that Dr Mulvey’s failure to provide details of insurance claims had occurred because she had not made those claims, despite offering to do so.
With regard to the second charge, the Committee concluded that Dr Mulvey’s failure to respond to five requests from the College for information about Henry was unacceptable.
The Committee also considered that the omissions took place in the context of Dr Mulvey’s previous Disciplinary Committee hearing in April 2018 during which she agreed to a number of undertakings including supervision on her professional practice by an appointed supervisor. It therefore decided that her failure to provide evidence of her CPD and Professional Indemnity Insurance to the College each individually amounted disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.
The Committee then went on to consider the sanction for Dr Mulvey in relation to the both charges that it had found proved and also in respect of the charges it had found proved at its earlier hearing on 26 April 2018 for which sanction had been postponed for a period of 1 year to enable Dr Mulvey to comply with undertakings she gave to the Committee to ensure that her practice met RCVS Core Standards by May 2019.
The Committee heard from Mr Stuart King MRCVS who had been appointed to act as a Workplace Supervisor for Dr Mulvey during the period of her Undertakings. Mr King provided the Committee with a report upon the extent to which Dr Mulvey had complied with the terms of her undertakings including the extent which she had implemented Dr King’s numerous recommendations.
The Committee also heard from Dr Byrne MRCVS an inspector for the RCVS’s voluntary Practice Standards Scheme that Dr Mulvey’s practice, when inspected by him in early April 2019, had not met RCVS PSS Core standards in a number of areas.
The Committee heard from Dr Mulvey and her Counsel that she accepted that she had not met RCVS Core standards as she had undertaken to do.
In reaching its decision as to sanction for all the matters, the Committee took into account that Dr Mulvey’s misconduct overall was serious because it was repeated.
The Committee also considered aggravating and mitigating factors.
Aggravating factors included the fact that the misconduct was sustained or repeated over a period of time (in relation to charge 1 for a period of approximately 4 months and in relation to charge 2 for approximately 6 weeks).
Other aggravating factors include the fact that Dr Mulvey’s conduct contravened advice issued by the Professional Conduct Department in letters sent to her, and that she had wilfully disregarded the role of the RCVS and the systems that regulate the veterinary profession.
Mitigating factors included that: there was no harm to any animal; there was no financial gain for Dr Mulvey or any other party; there was no ulterior motive behind Dr Mulvey’s conduct; and that Dr Mulvey had in fact both completed her minimum CPD requirement and secured Professional Indemnity Insurance, demonstrating that she had not attempted to hide such information from the College.
It also took into account that Dr Mulvey, prior to the first Disciplinary Committee’s hearing in 2018, worked without any previous disciplinary findings against her from 1976 to 2018. The Committee also noted that she had made efforts to comply with some of the undertakings.
Mr Ian Green, Chair of the DC and speaking on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, said: "The Committee considered that a warning or reprimand was not an appropriate sanction that would meet the public interest. Instead, the Committee decided that a suspension order for a period of six months would allow Dr Mulvey sufficient time to focus on ensuring her practice met the Core Standards set out in the Practice Standards Scheme, without the daily demands of practising as a veterinary surgeon, and was a proportionate and sufficient sanction to meet the public interest.
"The Committee was satisfied that a period of six months met the public interest as it was sanctioning Dr Mulvey for two sets of similar misconduct which we had determined overall as serious. The Committee also believed that during these six months Dr Mulvey could reflect and reorganise her practice, and there would be little risk to animals and the public in her returning to practice."
Dr Mulvey has 28 days from being informed of the Committee’s decision to lodge an appeal with the Privy Council.
This is despite the fact that 84% of the 524 veterinary professionals that were polled said they believe that veterinary wellness is very important to the success of their practice.
Perhaps as a consequence, the survey found many respondents taking steps to look after their own wellness, with 57% saying they have started an exercise regime, 54% saying they have taken up other hobbies outside work and 44% saying they are talking more openly to colleagues to share problems and offer support.
When questioned about the obstacles to improving wellness in their practice, 'staff not having the time to focus on it' was cited by 76% as the main barrier. 52% said it was not recognised as an issue, while a further 49% said that the lack of trained personnel to champion wellness was the biggest problem.
Of those practices which had initiated a wellness programme, 83% said it made a positive difference. The most commonly reported wellness initiatives were the provision of a counselling service (38%), online resources (32%), and appointing a practice wellness champion (30%).
When asked what one thing their practice could do to enhance veterinary wellness, the two most popular suggestions were:
Improved communication and support with more openness and empathy (26%)
Improved team working with more breaks and a quiet area for staff (24%)
10% said that an acknowledgement that wellness was actually an issue would be a start.
VET Festival organiser Nicole Cooper said: "What we find startling about these results is that, despite a growing appreciation of the importance of veterinary wellness, almost half of the UK’s practices still don’t recognise it as an issue.
"The good news from this survey is that many veterinary professionals are now starting to take responsibility for their own mental health, whether through taking up interests outside work or sharing problems and experiences more openly at work. We urge more practice leaders to step up and to prioritise enhancing the wellness and wellbeing of their dedicated teams.
Veterinary wellness is a focus for this year’s VET Festival, which takes place on 7-8 June at Loseley Park in Surrey. There'll be expanded Wellness Hub offering sessions run by the charity VetLife, yoga and talks on meditation and reducing stress.
Tickets for VET Festival can be purchased here: https://www.vetfestival.co.uk/delegate-info/ticket-information
60 veterinary surgeons, nurses and other team members from White Cross practices in Tividale, Guiseley, West Derby and Alvaston have formed 20 teams of three people, logging a total of 30,000 miles since the initiative was launched in February, or an average of 11,000 steps per team member per day.
James Harris MRCVS from White Cross Vets said: "We spend a lot of the day on our feet but really had no idea about the distance that we clock up. There are about 2,000 steps in a mile so we are walking more than five miles every day! We are always encouraging our clients to make sure their pets have a healthy lifestyle, so it’s great to practise what we preach.
"As well as the steps we take throughout the day many of us are also committed to sports and exercise regimes outside work and that has helped us to reach the top of the leaderboard for a few weeks. You might even find some of us marching on the spot to boost our step-counts and heart rates, so the Fitbit challenge is definitely keeping us active."
General manager Jo Jobling said: "We understand the vital importance of both physical and mental wellbeing, and our Fitbit challenge is a great way for our teams from across our 19 practices to work together to achieve a worthwhile healthy goal, as well as creating some healthy competition with colleagues in other practices. We also have an individual steppers league table which was recently topped by one of our veterinary nurses, Katie Rose from our Tividale practice. It might have helped that she completed a half marathon over that weekend though!"
Baycox Iron Injection is indicated for the concurrent prevention of clinical signs of coccidiosis (such as diarrhoea) in neonatal piglets on farms with a confirmed history of coccidiosis caused by Cystoisospora suis, and the prevention of iron deficiency anaemia.
Professor Nicole Kemper, Director of the Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behaviour at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover in Germany said: "Piglets go through intense handling in their first days of life. While this is done to give them a better start to life and protect them from disease, it can also cause a lot of stress. Measures to reduce the need for piglet handling can make an important contribution to enhancing piglet well-being in the farrowing pen."
Octavio Orlovsky Eckhardt, Head of Species Marketing Swine at Animal Health, Bayer said: "A combination therapy that can effectively address these concerns with reduced handling can make a real difference for pig health and well-being.
"At the same time, farmers and workers can benefit from the reduced labour. For example, on a 1,000 sow farm, the reduced complexity is estimated to save up to one full work day every month."
For more information on Baycox Iron Injection, contact your local Bayer Animal Health representative.
Rodney (pictured right) has spent the last 26 years practising in the USA, latterly at the California-based Advanced Veterinary Specialists & Animal Specialty Group.
After growing up in Zimbabwe and graduating from the University of Pretoria in South Africa in 1985, he moved to London, where he became an MRCVS, and thence to the USA.
He undertook a small animal internship at the Animal Medical Centre in Manhattan, before moving to the Ohio State University for his residency in medical oncology in 1989. He achieved Board Certification in medical oncology in 1994 and in radiation oncology in 2000.
Rodney specialises in the application of multi-modality therapy protocols for the treatment of cancer in animals, and has conducted research on the phenomenon of multi-drug resistance, mast cell tumour and oral melanoma.
He said: "Thirty-something years on, I have come back to the UK as a specialist, where I started as a GP. Living in the UK also brings me much closer to my family, which is very important to me.
"Over the years, veterinary practice in the USA has changed significantly, where it has become more corporate and less personal. I enjoy being part of a new group where typically it is much closer, friendlier and more like a family."
Rodney now plans to oversee the development of a comprehensive oncology department to include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, immune-therapy and molecular targeted therapy.
He said his work at Paragon will focus on educating referring vets and clients about what is possible in the oncology field.
He said: "My job will be about increasing the level of knowledge, both of owners and general practitioners, of how we treat cancer in animals.
"It can be a scary disease and the first door an owner needs to step through, is understanding that treating a pet is very different to treating a human.
"The intention in humans is usually to cure but with pets, it is more about providing a good quality of life for as long as possible.
"There can be a fear of cancer therapy but if you stick to the protocols, it is no different to treating any other chronic incurable diseases. We use the safest methods with an abundance of caution and try to make sure that the treatment is not worse than the disease.
"It’s about internal training too, from reception right up to nurses and interns, looking at what we do and how we do it, to optimize the quality of life of the pet and their owners.
"I would like to see an oncology department that considers the emotional, financial, time and patient concerns of the owners, so they feel their commitment to cancer treatment for their pet is not a commitment to putting their pet or themselves through a difficult time."
The module, which was produced with Ian Wright, head of the specialist parasitology organisation, ESCCAP, aims to help veterinary professionals with their discussions with pet owners about parasite management.
Andrea Tarr, Veterinary Prescriber’s founder and director said: "Surveys across Europe have shown that the public have poor understanding about the need for endoparasite control in their pets, including the risks endoparasites pose, such as zoonosis, and about routine preventative treatment."
Survey forms are available from Boehringer Ingelheim Territory Managers or the survey can be completed online at https://bovikalc.typeform.com/to/jVGllV.
There will be a prize draw amongst the completed entries for 20 Bovikalc metal applicators, outers or gilets.
The survey will try and assess the scale of the hypocalcaemia problem on dairy and beef farms as well as look at the impact it has on the farm and productivity.
Boehringer says milk fever is currently thought to affect between 4-9% of the UK’s dairy cows, with the subclinical form affecting up to 39%.1,2
The survey will provide another up-to-date figure to compare with existing data and look at any regional trends that might exist.
Farmers are being encouraged to complete the survey regardless of whether they believe milk fever is an issue on their farm or not.
Bovikalc Brand Manager, Mathieu Maignan said: "We are really keen to find out about the real-life experience of milk fever and what really matters to farmers so that we can use this knowledge to improve the approach to managing the condition."
Kath Aplin, Veterinary Adviser at Boehringer Ingelheim (pictured right), is hoping to find out more about the recognition of the signs of subclinical milk fever in particular. She said: "Milk fever is not always well recognised by farmers as a predisposing factor in a number of conditions associated around transition, in particular. It will be really interesting to see if they feel there is a connection between those conditions and low calcium levels and how this affects which animals they target with calcium supplementation and other interventions."
The survey will run until 31st August 2019. The results will be shared with the farming and veterinary community alongside any insights gained into ways to improve the approach to milk fever.
References
BSAVA President Sue Paterson said: "By signposting clients to extra downloadable advice or handing them a printed guide when they leave consultation room, we will hopefully reduce their temptation to run potentially misleading ‘Dr Google’ searches to find out more about the diagnosis."
The series includes:
My dog does not like other dogs
My dog has dental disease
My dog has diabetes
My dog has itchy skin
My dog has kidney disease
They join the PetSavers existing library of general online guides on Puppies, Kittens, Rabbits, Guinea pigs, Caring for your elderly pet and Losing your pet.
Printed versions of the new guides can be ordered by veterinary practices to use in their reception areas, in exchange for a donation to PetSavers.
The new guides can be downloaded at http://www.petsavers.org.uk/Pet-guides
1243 farmers took part in the survey, which was held in partnership with the National Beef Association, British Dairying magazine, the relevant farming unions and the four eradication programmes.
Matt Yarnall from Boehringer said: "Reliance on veterinary input for this decision shows how valuable client discussion and guidance is. And further interrogation of the data shows other areas of BVD control where veterinary input could be extremely valuable.
"Too many producers are still holding onto PI animals in the hope they can be reared successfully and too many are making basic mistakes when it comes to herd biosecurity.
"The survey data revealed that 43% of farmers in Wales have identified a PI, but it is hugely concerning that almost half (42%) of these producers would not cull them immediately; these animals will go on to spread virus throughout the herd."
In Northern Ireland, 26 individual producers said they have kept a PI. "However, 20 had to be put down before reaching adulthood or had to be treated for other health conditions," said Matt. "Even in Scotland, with its well-established scheme, a small percentage of farmers claim they would isolate a PI and try to rear to slaughter and it was exactly the same in England."
Similarly, when it came down to the definition of a closed herd, Boehringer reports that there was significant lack of understanding about what this actually means.
Matt said: "Of the 62% of English producers that state they are closed herds, 2% rear calves away, 19% bring bulls in, 2% buy in heifers or cows and 1% purchase fattening stock.
"Obviously, this means they are not truly a closed herd and supports previous years when 23% and 24% of ‘closed herd’ producers in 2018 and 2017 respectively also brought bulls onto the farm.
"Add to this that 10% of these herds do not currently vaccinate so will not be protected against the BVD virus, and it is clear to see how vulnerable they are."
In Wales, 56% of herds were classified as closed, yet 12% still brought bulls on to the farm. Likewise in Northern Ireland, 60% of farms classified their herds as closed but 20% brought bulls on to the unit. The vast majority of Scottish herds also claimed to be closed, yet there were still inconsistencies around buying policy and biosecurity.
Matt said: "A certain lack of awareness about both the BVD Stamp it Out initiative and Gwaredu BVD schemes (43% English and 27% of Welsh producers respectively claimed to have no knowledge of these programmes) could actually be a positive for vets. It could be the perfect opportunity to engage in proactive conversations with clients, covering issues such as testing, PI removal and biosecurity."
This only affects batch number C967336A, expires before 07/2020. Any other batches of Tylan 200 Injection are not affected and may continue to be distributed.
Elanco is contacting wholesale dealers and veterinary surgeons to examine inventory immediately and quarantine products subject to this recall.
For further information regarding the recall, please contact Ms Victoria Haslingden 01256 779519 or email elanco_orders@lilly.com
First they looked at the names of all the cats and dogs they saw in 2018, finding that the most popular names for dogs were Bella, Poppy and Alfie, whilst the most popular for cats were Charlie, Bella and Molly.
By comparison, the top ten names registered at the practice in the thirties were: Susie, Sally, Judy, Penny, Candy, Sam, Betty, Simon, Wendy and Bridget.
Honestly, who calls their dog Simon? Even in the 1930s.
Tom Ward, from White Cross Vets, said: "The most common names in our research reveal a leaning towards giving pets human names. It’s fascinating that this has gone full circle and was also a trend in the late 1930s, before names such as Fido, Patch, Sooty, Duke and Fluffy became popular with cats and dogs."
White Cross says that more recently it has also seen a surge of pets named after TV and film characters including Elsa from Frozen, Baloo from The Jungle Book, Peppa the cartoon pig, and Khaleesi, Sansa, Brienne and Tyrion, the Game of Thrones characters.
First out of the stalls was Vet AI, a company founded in 2017 by Paul Hallett and Robert Dawson MRCVS, which announced last November that it had filed patents for artificial intelligence technology to deploy in giving online consultations through its newly-launched app: Joii.
More recently, a Swedish company called FirstVet has announced the UK launch of a consultation service it has offered in the Scandinavian countries for a few years now.
All three companies charge £20 for an online consultation with a veterinary surgeon.
All of these services are currently limited in what they can offer pet owners here in the UK, because veterinary surgeons are not allowed to prescribe medicines without having physically examined the patient. FirstVet says that in Sweden, similar rules apply, except that under current guidance, antiparasiticides and feline contraceptives can be prescribed remotely.
This means that for the moment at least, online consultations in the UK can only advise pet owners whether they do or do not need to see a veterinary surgeon in person, or recommend OTC treatments, such as flea control.
Personally, I'm not convinced that it's worth £20 for the privilege of asking a vet whether or not my pet needs to see a vet, although to be fair, Joii includes a free symptom checker to differentiate between those cases that need directing to see a vet in person, and those that would benefit from the online consultation. Also, if a case needs to be referred to another vet after a consultation, Joii refunds the consultation fee.
Nevertheless I think I'd just ring my normal practice and ask. But that's just me. Perhaps others will see a value in the immediacy of the online service, or that it entails less commitment.
FirstVet does, however, have another string to its bow. It has been busy forging relationships with insurers to fund the majority of its consultations. The insured owner gets a free consultation subsidised by the insurance company; if the animal requires treatment, the owner is referred to their normal vet, unless they don't have one, in which case the referral is to the nearest practice which can help.
That seems to make all sorts of sense for insured clients. It really adds value to the insurance policy, to be told you'll have access to free, immediate online veterinary consultations. Almost certainly it will mean pet owners seeking veterinary advice sooner than they might otherwise have done. For the insurer, that in turn might mean earlier diagnosis and therefore cheaper treatment. One assumes it also translates into cost-savings for the insurer by dealing with certain queries without needing a trip to the practice.
Still, the really big prize here for remote consultation companies will come if and when the regulations allow remote prescribing. Not necessarily because they'll make a mark up on the sale of prescription drugs, though of course they will, but because suddenly the proposition to the pet owner is that the consultation can, in many cases, offer more convenient and cheaper treatment than if they had to visit a practice in person.
The problem with that, however, is that the £20 remote consultation may carry a greater risk of misdiagnosis. It may mean that the preventative approach to veterinary medicine goes out of the window, at least until remote monitoring technology catches up. There is also a risk that these new limited service providers will take the bread and butter consultations from bricks and mortar practices, consultations that may have been to some degree subsidising care for other patients. These are all the sorts of things that were hotly debated at RCVS Council last November.
Nevertheless, Vet AI is unashamedly pushing for remote prescribing rules to be relaxed. Founder Robert Dawson MRCVS said: "I think that the ease and reduced cost of access to veterinary advice and medicines will have a positive impact on animal welfare. I also think that it will free up vets' time to see the cases they really need to see.
"But in truth, what I think is not the point. The whole debate at the moment is characterised by members of the profession saying what they think will happen as a result of remote prescribing. What we actually need is some evidence. I'd really like to see some movement from the College on this, for a limited number of treatments like parasiticides, before the end of the year."
As Robert says, the debate is characterised by a lack of evidence. But there is, of course, another way that online consultations could really add value to the client/vet relationship without any of these problems, and that is as an adjunct to the service offered by bricks and mortar practices.
Bricks and mortar practices can already prescribe medicines to animals under their care without physically seeing the animal on every occasion. Furthermore, there are a number of situations where a remote consultation could save both the practice and pet owner time and money. For example, post-operative follow-up consultations.
However, none of the existing providers I've spoken to plan to offer a 'white label' solution. So, if I owned a practice, I tell you what, I'd be looking into online consultation software right now. It is already possible, of course, to offer online consultations via things like Skype. But better still would be a system that allowed clients to schedule an online appointment with their normal vet, perhaps slotted in between their face-to-face consultations. As opposed to the existing online providers, you wouldn't need to refund money if a physical consultation was needed, just - perhaps - set it against the later consultation. You could also offer annual plans to include a certain number of online consultations. You could have online triage consultations carried out by veterinary nurses.
There are lots of possibilities. But if you're a bricks and mortar practice, one thing is for sure, the time to look into all this is now. You could do worse than to start here: https://www.vetsurgeon.org/news/b/veterinary-news/archive/2019/01/15/now-all-vet-practices-can-offer-remote-consultations.aspx
RCVS CEO Lizzie Lockett said: "I am so proud of our performance in the Great Place to Work Awards and the efforts of everyone at the College, and especially our HR team, who have been tirelessly and creatively striving to make the College a wonderful place to work.
"Consistently being placed in the top 50 Great Places to Work is also a testament to the sustained hard work all of our employees and the important part they play in creating a supportive, interesting and good-humoured workplace.
"We are a service-led organisation and we want to make sure that we give our best to the veterinary professions and the general public. If our team enjoys the work, and the workplace, that will improve the service we are able to offer and, ultimately, benefit animal health and welfare."
The link emerged after six cats were taken to separate practices in England suffering with clinical signs of TB. Further tests confirmed that they were all infected with Myobacterium bovis. Seven more cats from the same household were also infected, but asymptomatic.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies carried out an investigation to identify the source of infection.
The one common factor identified, as detailed in their paper, was that all the animals, which were kept exclusively indoors, had been fed Natural Instinct's Wild Venison cat food.
The authors concluded that whilst not conclusive (they were not able to test the food), their research provided 'compelling, if circumstantial, evidence of an association between the commercial raw diet of these cats and their M. bovis infections.
Natural Instinct withdrew the Wild Venison product last December, as some of the ingredients were not inspected in line with EU requirements.
A spokesperson from Natural Instinct said: "Everything we do at Natural Instinct is done so with the best interests of our customers and their pets in mind. We can assure our customers that Natural Instinct followed, and continues to follow, every food standard, hygiene regulation and best practice required to produce raw pet food in the commercial marketplace.
"As a responsible manufacturer, we are regularly inspected by the Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA). We have complied with all of the necessary requirements, and consequently APHA have confirmed they are satisfied all standards have been met by us.
"Even though we no longer manufacture and sell the Venison cat product, we are continuing to work with Food Standards Agency as part of the investigation into the Venison cat food product."
The big question is what broader implications this incident has for feeding animals with raw diets.
Professor Danièlle Gunn-Moore from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, a co-author of the paper, said: "With this outbreak, the problem has been feeding wild venison – the law states the stalker must have their Deer stalker level 1 qualification, but this is only a 3-day course with just one day of disease recognition etc (apparently).
"Natural Instinct apparently sourced their deer from stalkers in the Edge area re TB risk. The stalker is supposed to inspect the gralloch (innards) wild ‘on the hill’ then leave it there for wildlife to eat. They only bring the carcass in skin back with them – which means significant pathology can easily be missed.
"Do we need to strength the law? Either that, or only feed raw venison from Scotland or other areas with no M. bovis (I am ignoring all the other potential infections here).
On the broader issue of feeding cats commercial raw food, Danièlle added: "In concept I think raw food can be far more environmentally stimulating – especially for housecats.
"But that is only safe if we can master 2 things: 1) be nutritionally sound – this is now possible with good companies doing this, and 2) be free of infectious agents – and this is a real problem, especially where the meat has been minced – which they need to be to get the minerals and vitamins correctly mixed in. So I don’t see how to square the circle at present."
Conor O’Halloran et al. Tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis in pet cats associated with feeding a commercial raw food diet. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2019. DOI: 10.1177/1098612X19848455