Henry Schein, Inc. has announced the acquisition of Veterinary Instrumentation, the supplier of surgical instruments and implants to veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom.
Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein said: "We are delighted to welcome this highly regarded company to the Henry Schein family, and very pleased that founder John Lapish and Managing Director Steve Fletcher will continue to drive the business forward.
"The success of Veterinary Instrumentation closely parallels the cornerstones of Henry Schein, including a deep understanding of customer needs, innovative solutions, superior product quality and customer service, and a trusted advisory relationship with our customers. Reinforcing our existing animal health business in the U.K., we look forward to strengthening our relationship with veterinary customers in this region, and bringing the Veterinary Instrumentation product portfolio of high-quality surgical specialties to a growing number of veterinarians across Europe, the United States and Australasia."
Veterinary Instrumentation was founded by John Lapish in 1986 in Sheffield, England, where the business and distribution operations are currently conducted from a single facility. Working as a small animal orthopaedic surgeon in the late 1970s, Mr. Lapish began designing and developing a range of instruments specifically for veterinary surgery, initially for his own use. As requests for these products increased, the market need became clear and Veterinary Instrumentation was formed, in particular to meet the needs of orthopaedic surgeons focused on small animals.
Mr Lapish said: "We look forward to contributing to the continued growth and success of a leading supplier of companion animal health products and services in the United Kingdom and to becoming part of a global leader in the distribution of health care products and services.
"The expertise that we bring in the area of veterinary surgical instruments will complement Henry Schein's broad offering, and our customers will benefit greatly from the global resources of a company that has quickly become an animal health care product and service leader on three continents."
With approximately 60 percent of sales in the U.K., and the balance split fairly evenly between Europe and the rest of the world, Veterinary Instrumentation has 20 employees, including a team of eight Veterinary Technicians who advise customers on the most appropriate procedures and instrumentation.
Veterinary Instrumentation sales for the 12 months ended September 30, 2011 were approximately £6.7 million ($10.8 million). Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Hannah, who graduated from the RVC in 2015, was nominated for her dedication to excelling in first-opinion practice through her farm, small animal and equine work as a mixed animal vet in Aberystwyth.
She was selected from a field of more than 100 entrants by the award judges BVA President Malcolm Morley, President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Melissa Donald, Professor the Lord Trees, Zoetis National Veterinary Manager Jonny Lambert and last year’s winner of the award, Alex Davies.
Hannah said: “This is fantastic! I’m so pleased to accept this award.
"I want to say a huge thanks to my practice for giving me the freedom to explore my passions and enabling me to work with a wide of range of species.
"I want to particularly mention my mentors Dafydd, Phil and Kate, who inspired me to focus on what I love.”
BVA President Malcolm Morley said: “Hannah’s incredible enthusiasm and passion for her work as a mixed-practice vet really made her stand-out to us.
"She is excelling in her work across species, which is challenging enough, but she’s also doing it at a high level.
"It is great to recognise the contribution that Hannah and other first-opinion vets make to our profession."
The company says that the Phillips tuberculin gun is easier to use, clean and maintain than the most commonly used device, and it also offers practices doing government TB testing work the opportunity to make substantial savings on the cost of consumables.
Dave Gilbert MRCVS, director with Dairy Insight said: "There is no official requirement to use a single make of gun for TB testing work, so with tightening margins for work in this arena it makes sense for practices to explore valid cost-saving options.
"Having trialled this NJ Phillips gun over the last 12 months in our own farm practice we’ve been very pleased with it, particularly when it comes to changing needles. I’ve always found this process fiddly, especially when you have cold hands. We’ve also made substantial savings on consumables, which are over 70p per needle cheaper for the V-Grip."
The V-Grip is precision engineered for optimum dosing accuracy and comes with a visible chamber, to help ensure correct administration of tuberculin.
For more information, contact Dairy Insight at: info@dairyinsight.co.uk
The individual, referred to as Mrs D throughout the hearing and who was granted anonymity by the Committee on grounds relating to her health, faced three charges against her.
The first charge was that she posted the tweets from her Twitter/X account.
The second charge was that in a number of tweets (Schedule 1 below), she falsely stated or implied that she was a veterinary surgeon, and that, in some tweets, while falsely holding herself out to be a veterinary surgeon, she used language that was offensive and/or unprofessional.
The third charge was that in a number of tweets (Schedule 2 below) she made statements that were offensive, discriminatory and brought the veterinary professions into disrepute.
At the outset of the hearing Mrs D admitted all the facts of the charges against her, and also admitted that her conduct amounted to disgraceful conduct in a professional capacity.
The Committee considered that there were a number of aggravating factors in Mrs D’s behaviour, including a lack of probity and integrity, as well as dishonesty, in holding herself out as a veterinary surgeon.
Her conduct was also premeditated and took place over a lengthy period of time, involved abuse of her position, and demonstrated discriminatory behaviour, as a large number of her tweets were highly offensive towards various minority groups.
In mitigation, the Committee heard from the respondent that she had a number of difficulties in her personal life which led to inappropriate use of social media, though she did not suggest these factors excused her behaviour.
The Committee also considered that Mrs D had a long and previously unblemished career of 15 or so years, had made early admissions (albeit she had initially denied being responsible for the tweets) and shown considerable remorse.
However, in terms of the sanction, the Committee considered that removal from the Register was the most proportionate sanction it could impose.
Paul Morris, who chaired the Committee and spoke on its behalf, said: “For a registered veterinary nurse to pretend to be a veterinary surgeon on a public platform is itself an extremely serious matter.
"When that presentation is associated with the highly offensive language of the tweets in this case, extending over a period of years, the conduct is in the view of the Committee fundamentally incompatible with continued registration.
“The Committee has concluded that removal from the register is the only sanction which is sufficient to satisfy the public interest in maintaining proper standards of behaviour for registered veterinary practitioners and public confidence in the profession and its regulation.”
www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
The Tweets
Schedule 1
Schedule 2
Duncan makes three requests of the UK Government:
The first is to make changes to encourage more overseas vets, and specifically the return of EU vets.
The second is to increase funding for UK universities to provide veterinary courses.
The final request is to update the regulatory framework to enable veterinary nurses to expand their role.
Full article: https://ivcevidensia.co.uk/News/duncan-phillips-time-to-overhaul-vet-support
Mr Gove ministerial statement followed the brouhaha last week when MP's voted against transferring the EU protocol on animal sentience into UK law.
However, Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith said in a tweet that the vote had not been about whether or not MPs recognise animals as sentient, but about the best legal framework within which to deliver high standards of animal welfare. Rachel Maclean, MP for Redditch also weighed in, saying that the idea that MPs had voted against animals as sentient beings was 'fake news'.
Mr Gove's ministerial statement reads as follows:
"This Government is committed to the very highest standards of animal welfare. As the Prime Minister has set out, we will make the United Kingdom a world leader in the care and protection of animals.
It has been suggested that the vote last week on New Clause 30 of the EU Withdrawal Bill somehow signalled a weakening in the protection of animals - that is wrong. Voting against the amendment was not a vote against the idea that animals are sentient and feel pain - that is a misconception.
Ministers explained on the floor of the house that this Government’s policies on animal welfare are driven by our recognition that animals are indeed sentient beings and we are acting energetically to reduce the risk of harm to animals – whether on farms or in the wild. The vote against New Clause 30 was the rejection of a faulty amendment, which would not have achieved its stated aims of providing appropriate protection for animals.
The Prime Minister has made clear that we will strengthen our animal welfare rules. This government will ensure that any necessary changes required to UK law are made in a rigorous and comprehensive way to ensure animal sentience is recognised after we leave the EU. The Withdrawal Bill is not the right place to address this, however we are considering the right legislative vehicle.
We are already proposing primary legislation to increase maximum sentences for animal cruelty from six months to five years, and the creation of a new statutory, independent body to uphold environmental standards.
The current EU instrument – Article 13 – has not delivered the progress we want to see. It does not have direct effect in law – in practice its effect is very unclear and it has failed to prevent practices across the EU which are cruel and painful to animals.
In contrast, here in the UK, we are improving animal welfare standards without EU input and beyond the scope of Article 13. We are making CCTV mandatory in all slaughterhouses – a requirement which goes above and beyond any EU rule. We will consult on draft legislation to jail animal abusers for up to five years – more than almost every other European nation. We propose combatting elephant poaching with a ban on the ivory trade which is more comprehensive than anywhere else in Europe. Our ban on microbeads which harm marine animals has been welcomed by Greenpeace as “the strongest in the world”, and is certainly the strongest in Europe.
Once we have left the EU there is even more we could do. EU rules prevent us from restricting or banning the live export of animals for slaughter. EU rules also restrict us from cracking down on puppy smuggling or banning the import of puppies under 6 months. Article 13 has not stopped any of these practices – but leaving the EU gives us the chance to do much better. We hope to say more in these areas next year.
This government will continue to promote and enhance animal welfare, both now and after we have left the EU."
Photo: Curious cattle on farmland in Cornwall UK. Shzphoto/Shutterstock
Salmoporc gives protection against Salmonella Typhimurium and its monophasic variants. It is administered orally to piglets and through subcutaneous injection in sows.
According to the company, Salmoporc is the only live, attenuated salmonella vaccine licensed for pigs in the UK and Ireland.
Ceva says salmonella in UK and Irish herds is the highest in the EU, with a prevalence of 19.5% and 17.5% respectively. It is particularly difficult to control in outdoor herds since the bacteria can survive in soil for a year, even longer in dried dung and has been detected in fields two years after being vacated by pigs.
Outdoor bred, or reared, pigmeat accounts for 12% of retail sales and the majority of this is processed.
Dr Rike Schmelz from Ceva said: "Salmonella is an increasing problem on pig farms and the bacteria are transmitted through breeding pyramids which eventually supply finishing pigs. Clinical cases of diarrhoea often occur after weaning and tend to be treated with antibiotics."
Rike added: "The monophasic variant of S. Typhimurium is already multi-drug resistant and vaccinating pigs can help farmers to substantially reduce their use of expensive antibiotics. In addition, with the removal of zinc oxide at therapeutic levels from the feed in mid-2022, salmonella and other enteric diseases are likely to become more apparent."
Ceva says that by immunising their pigs against S. Typhimurium, farmers will gain an economic benefit from lowered mortality and improved daily liveweight gain (DLWG) among their pigs.
In independent trials at the University of Ghent in Belgium, between three and 29 weeks, vaccinated piglets from three herds gained between 30g and 39g, significantly more per day than unvaccinated controls.
Trials in Germany have shown that, with vaccination of sows and gilts at the top of the breeding pyramid, combined with a competent hygiene programme, it is possible to eliminate salmonella from the supply chain.
Finding and settling into that first job is a particularly challenging time for a veterinary surgeon. Not only do you need to adapt to the practice environment and fit in with colleagues, but also gain a fast understanding of what's expected clinically, professionally, ethically and academically.
Recently retired after a 40-year career in practice, Clare is very well placed to give new grads useful advice. She's had six year's experience in mixed practice and 34 in small animal practice, both as an employee and an employer. She co-owned a small animal practice in Yorkshire which she developed with her veterinary partner from one surgery to a small animal hospital with four surrounding branch practices employing many vets and nurses over the years. She also spent 8 years on RCVS Council, giving her a deeper insight to the complexities of the wider profession.
What is perhaps a tad more unusual is that she writes from the perspective of someone who feels she has nothing to lose by being completely open and candid about her experiences.
Clare said: "I've really enjoyed my career and been fortunate enough to be able to balance it with family life, practice ownership and time on Council. But it hasn't always been easy. There are things I think I could have done better, and like everyone I've made some mistakes. I hope that by being open about these things, I might prevent others falling into the same traps.
The New Vet's Handbook covers employment options, interviews, mentoring, working with clients, patients and colleagues, consulting advice, dealing with euthanasia, record-keeping, veterinary standards, training and CPD, career options, professional skills and avoiding common pitfalls.
Clare added: "Although the purpose of the book is to help new grads settle in, especially those in smaller practices where a mentor may not always be readily available, I hope people will find it a funny, enjoyable read too."
The New Vet’s Handbook is available from 5m, priced at £24.95: http://www.5mbooks.com/the-new-vet-s-handbook-information-and-advice-for-veterinary-graduates.html
The team at the centre will be led by Dr Ryk Botes (pictured right), a Medivet Branch Partner with a special interest in orthopaedics and, in particular, replacement surgery.
The company says it is investing in specialist equipment to help the team refine current surgical techniques, including a gait analysis walkway which will be used to help diagnose the cause of lameness and be a means to measure improvement in surgical cases objectively. The data it provides will also enable the team to publish its results in peer-reviewed papers.
Ryk, who qualified in South Africa and joined Medivet in 2013, said: "The volume of elbow, hip and knee replacements we undertake is growing rapidly and the creation of this new centre of excellence at Medivet Faversham will enable us to provide an even higher standard of service to our clients and to help develop and refine orthopaedic techniques for use by the wider veterinary community.
"Data from the gait analysis walkway will be particularly useful in sharing our findings in scientific papers. We will also use the data to support an ongoing research project in elbow replacement surgery in partnership with one of the leaders in implant technology based in Zurich, Switzerland.
The guidelines, launched during WSAVA World Congress 2018 in Singapore, aim to bridge differing perceptions of welfare around the world and help veterinary surgeons and nurses tackle the ethical questions and moral issues which impact welfare.
They also offer guidance to ensure that, in addition to providing physical health advice and therapy to their patients, veterinary surgeons and nurses can advocate for their psychological, social and environmental wellbeing.
Dr Shane Ryan, incoming President of the WSAVA and former Chair of the WSAVA Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee, said: "As veterinarians, our responsibility extends far beyond the physical health of our patients. Animal welfare as a science is a new and rapidly developing discipline and veterinarians need current, evidence-based invformation to enable them to maintain the highest welfare standards and to provide knowledgeable, accurate advice for pet owners and communities.
"Our new Guidelines provide recommendations, checklists and other tools to promote optimal levels of welfare throughout the veterinary visit. They also offer guidance on increasing welfare beyond the doors of the clinic through outreach activities.
"As levels of pet ownership increase in many regions of the world, including Asia, it is essential that veterinarians champion animal welfare and the WSAVA hopes that these new Guidelines will encourage our members to adopt best practice and set the highest standards.
"I would like to thank the members of the Animal Welfare Guidelines team, who worked so hard to create them and, of course, our sponsor, Waltham, whose constant support was instrumental in enabling us to deliver them."
The Animal Welfare Global Guidelines for Companion Animal Practitioners and the Veterinary Team are available for free download at: https://bit.ly/2D3RAoc.
Pawz Ltd, a UK company founded by Diwaker Singh, Radu Georgescu and Francesco Cardoletti has launched PawSquad, a new on-demand veterinary video consultation service for pet owners.
The service offers pet owners a 15 minute online consultation with a veterinary surgeon for £15, any time from 6:00am to midnight, seven days a week.
PawSquad points out that the service cannot offer a diagnosis - apart from the fact that it would be contrary to the CoPC, it's obviously not possible without a physical exam - so the service is designed to offer more general health advice concerning such things as behaviour, nutrition and the management of long-term, non-emergency conditions.
Andrew Francis BVSc CertVC, DipECVIM-CA MRCVS ex-Head of Cardiology at Anderson Moores Veterinary Referrals is the company's Chief Veterinary Officer, sitting alongside Andrew Ash MRCVS (the BSAVA Past Pres). Andrew #1 said: "Currently, pet owners have only two options when they need advice about their pets' health and welfare. They either take time out of busy schedules to visit the vet or, when a visit to the vet is not possible they search the Internet for non professional and frequently unreliable information."
Francesco Cardoletti said: "It’s important to understand that PawSquad is a supplementary service – it’s not replacing traditional veterinary services.There are limits to the services you can digitally provide. If an animal is seriously ill, it needs to get to a bricks and mortar veterinary clinic and be examined by a vet."
Eleanor Ferguson, Head of Professional Conduct at the RCVS said: "We have had a discussion with Pawsquad and understand that the aim of its service is to increase accessibility to veterinary advice, which can only be a good thing as a large percentage of animal owners are not registered with a veterinary surgeon.
“We understand that the veterinary surgeons involved will not be giving detailed clinical advice but will be limited to offering general advice on areas such as puppy care, nutrition, allergies and pet passports.
“We also recommended to Pawsquad that their veterinary surgeons should take care to point out the limitations of their advice, given no physical examination has taken place, and suggest that owners takes their pets to a veterinary practice where that is appropriate.
“The issue of telemedicine has come up often during the joint RCVS/BVA Vet Futures project and is a topic that the Standards Committee, which looks after the Code of Professional Conduct and its supporting guidance, is currently considering in more depth, with an evidence-gathering process due next year.”
I tried out the new service with a question about my dog's slightly worrying habit of growling at one of my children. It was a question which we had not thus far raised with our normal vet because it hadn't been enough of a concern at the last consultation. But it seems to be getting slightly worse, and my wife and I had recently talked about getting advice. It seemed like just the sort of situation where an informal chat with a vet could be helpful.
Completing the preconsultation details was a breeze, slowed only by the need to shove the dog on a set of scales (I didn't know what she weighs, and it's needed for the consultation). Thereafter, only one hiccup when it transpired that Safari, the browser I was using, is incompatible. I switched to Chrome, which is.
The consultation itself was excellent. Within a few seconds, the very charming Angie Henderson MRCVS appeared on my screen. It transpired I was her very first consultation since the service was launched yesterday! We discussed the problem. She reassured me that one of the things I was doing (getting the child to feed the dog under supervision) was a good idea, and we discussed a number of other positive reinforcement strategies to try and improve our dog's behaviour. She explained that she wasn't one for certain types of negative reinforcement, but that using a spray bottle of water when the dog behaved inappropriately could help. She explained that we would need to do these things several times a day for them to have an effect, and even then it may take some considerable time, and may need the services of a behaviourist. She also reassured me that the dog would be unlikely to do anything worse than nip, whilst stressing that even a nip is very upsetting for a child, so it does need to be dealt with.
All in all, I came away reassured, with some very useful suggestions and a clear idea of what we need to do. £15 very well spent. I gather that I should also have received a written post-consultation report by email, which didn't arrive because of some technical glitch. But that's slightly by-the-by; the icing on the cake.
I can also see the service would be very useful as a sort of out-of-hours triage, in other words offering me the ability to have a "my-dog-has-just-eaten-three-kilos-of-Green-and-Blacks-what-next-consultation?" at 11:00pm at night.
If the service proves popular amongst pet owners, the question remains whether it will reduce the number of people seeking and paying for traditional consultations. I suspect not. Perhaps the reverse will happen as pet owners use the system to corroborate their feeling that the dog might need a physical exam. As part of the service and with your permission, PawSquad forwards a copy of the consultation report to your normal vet.
Again if the service proves popular, it seems to offer the potential for a nice additional income stream for veterinary surgeons, especially locums, which can be earned in the hours you specify, from the comfort of your home. PawSquad says it pays vets between £12-£32 per hour; equivalent to £60K per annum. Whilst the company doesn't directly employ vets, it will provide liability insurance provided by the VDS.
PawSquad says it also plans to recruit veterinary nurses later in the year, to offer advice to new pet owners on nutrition, behaviour and the environment.
The company says Dormazolam works in synergy with other induction agents to provide an extended duration of anaesthesia without adversely affecting the quality of recovery 2,3,5.
Benzodiazepines are commonly incorporated into anaesthetic regimens to alleviate issues seen with the administration to ketamine alone2,3,4, including inadequate muscle relaxation2,3,4, anaesthesia not lasting long enough2 and induction failure2.
Despite the issues caused by the sole use of ketamine, it remains the primary anaesthetic induction agent of choice for more than 90% of equine vets2.
Dechra Brand Manager Emma Jennings said: “Using Dormazolam as part of an equine anaesthesia protocol will give optimal general anaesthetic conditions every time, including a rapid onset of action1.
"Anaesthetic co-induction with ketamine and midazolam has been shown to provide a superior quality of anaesthesia compared to ketamine alone3 and midazolam is equally as effective as diazepam when used as a co-induction agent alongside ketamine4. It also cuts down on the number of ketamine ‘top-up’ doses required compared to using ketamine3 alone.
"Additional benefits include no clinically significant differences in cardiopulmonary function1 or recovery times1 between midazolam and diazepam and it can be mixed in the same syringe as ketamine for ease of use4.”
Emma added: “The introduction of Dormazolam provides an exciting new option for equine vets. It delivers enhanced anaesthetic and surgical conditions by improving anaesthetic induction quality2,3,4 and giving better surgical relaxation scores2,3,4. It also reduces involuntary movements because, as a co-induction agent, midazolam only causes minimal cardiovascular and pulmonary depression2,4.”
Dormazolam is available in a 20 ml vial. It has a shelf life of four years and a broached shelf life of 28 days.
For more information, visit: www.dechra.co.uk/therapy-areas/equine/anaesthesia/analgesia.
References:
The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has dismissed a case against a Southampton veterinary surgeon after finding him not guilty of serious professional misconduct, saying at all times that he acted in the best interests of a dog under his care.
At the start of the five-day hearing, the charges against Edward Gillams MRCVS were that, whilst in practice at Vets Now in Southampton in 2011, he discharged a dog that he knew or ought to have known was in no fit state to be discharged, and, at the same time, failed to provide adequate advice and information to the dog's owners, particularly with regard to an alternative plan to discharge and treatment options.
The dog, an Italian Spinone called Zola, had first been taken to the Vets4Pets veterinary clinic in Southampton at 4.30pm on 2 November 2011, where gastric torsion was diagnosed. During a subsequent gastrotomy, 3kg of sausages and plastic wrappings were removed. Zola was discharged three days later, with a guarded prognosis from the operating veterinary surgeon. Zola's condition deteriorated that same evening, so his owners called the Vets4Pets practice and were referred to their out-of-hours provider, Vets Now, where Mr Gillams was on duty. On admitting Zola, the only information available to Mr Gillams was what the dog's owners were able to tell him.
The Committee heard differing witness accounts from the dog's owners and from Mr Gillams regarding what tests and examinations were to be performed, and what advice and options were suggested. Ultimately, Zola was hospitalised overnight (despite some reluctance for this from one of his owners), given pain relief and antibiotics and placed on a drip; he was then to be collected by his owners first thing for transfer back to Vets4Pets. The next morning, Zola was described as 'sternally recumbent but responsive', holding his head up but not moving and not making any attempt to get up. Mr Gillams carried Zola to his owner's car for transport back to the Vets4Pets practice. He considered that he had discharged his duty to provide advice, as this was given the night before and in the circumstances prevailing in the morning there was no obligation to repeat this. Zola died on the journey between the two practices.
Before reaching a decision, the Committee considered, in detail, the expert evidence of witnesses for both the College and Mr Gillams, which provided some conflicting views on Mr Gillams' actions. It also referred to the RCVS guidance available to Mr Gillams at the time through the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct 2010.
The Committee noted that both experts agreed that Mr Gillams could not have known Zola was about to die when he discharged him and that it was a difficult decision for Mr Gillams to make, but expressed differing views about the fitness of the dog to be discharged and whether it was in its best interests to be discharged. The Committee rejected the contention that Mr Gillams ought to have known that Zola was not fit to be discharged, and instead considered appropriate his decision to discharge him into the care of his original veterinary surgeon. It felt that continuity of care would actually be better maintained in this manner, rather than a third veterinary surgeon taking over the case.
Regarding provision of adequate advice, the Committee accepted Mr Gillams' evidence that he was frustrated that the owners refused him permission to undertake the diagnostic work necessary to treat Zola effectively, and that he had no other clinical information to work with.
Chairing and speaking on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, its Vice-Chairman, Ms Judith Webb, said: "The Committee expresses its sincere condolences to [the owners] for the loss of their much loved family pet Zola and recognises that this loss caused the family great distress."
Ms Webb added: "The Committee accepts that [Mr Gillams] discharged his obligations to Zola and to [his owners] in a manner wholly consistent with the standards of a competent veterinary surgeon in difficult circumstances. He leaves with no stain on his character or professional ability."
The full detail of the Committee's decision is available on the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary).
Meantime, the school was given a “conditional accreditation” for its degree, as it had met only 27 of the 77 RCVS accreditation standards.
The visitation was conducted by an accreditation panel comprising representatives from veterinary academia and clinical practice, as well as student and international representatives.
As part of the accreditation process, the panel considered documents and records, discussions and interviews with students and faculty members, a tour of the teaching facilities, and meetings with other stakeholders.
Based on the evidence, the panel agreed 55 recommendations for improvement which were then discussed, alongside the formal response from the Department, by the RCVS Primary Qualifications Subcommittee (PQSC), the body responsible for considering accreditation reports and making recommendations to Education Committee.
By contrast, the accreditation visit to the University of Bristol this year generated just one recommendation, likewise the visit to the University of Surrey last year.
Due to the unusually high number of recommendations and concerns about the delivery of the Cambridge degree, PQSC recommended that the programme receive conditional accreditation for 10 months, which was then agreed by Education Committee.
An RCVS spokesperson said: “Following careful review of the evidence, during the Committee’s detailed discussions, it was unanimously agreed that the number of standards not currently being met, which extended across all domains, meant that the Committee made the difficult decision to grant conditional accreditation.
“In reaching a decision and timeframe, given the problems identified, and the impact these will have on student learning and experience, Education Committee members firmly agreed on the need to help the vet school support both existing students on, and future applicants to, the Cambridge veterinary programme.”
“At the next visitation in September 2025, a panel will consider the evidence submitted and then a decision will be made on the future status of the degree.”
"In the meantime, we recognise that both students and staff might have concerns about this outcome, so we remain able and very willing to work closely with the Department in the coming weeks to ensure it has appropriate support plans in place.”
The full list of recommendations, suggestions and commendations for Cambridge can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/visitations.
MWI Animal Health, a part of AmerisourceBergen, has announced the acquisition of St. Francis Group, the UK’s largest animal health buying group.
The acquisition of St. Francis Group highlights AmerisourceBergen and MWI’s continued global expansion in the animal health sector, while also positioning MWI to better support the viability of independent veterinary practices internationally.
St. Francis Group, which represents more than 460 member practices throughout the UK and Northern Ireland, has steadily grown its member base and service offerings. The company aims to save its members time and money on veterinary products by providing information, technology and support that simplifies their processes, maximises purchasing benefits and reduces administration so members can focus on clinical care.
James F. Cleary, Jr., Executive Vice President and President, MWI Animal Health said: "At MWI, we’re focused on providing independent veterinary practices with the tools and resources they need to thrive in a competitive animal health marketplace. St. Francis Group is dedicated to this same mission and we believe that adding the resources of AmerisourceBergen to their existing expertise and tools will further strengthen the impact they’re able to create for their members."
Alan White, Managing Director, St. Francis Group, said: "We’re proud of the work we’ve done to encourage the health and viability of our member practices. We look forward to working with MWI and AmerisourceBergen to further expand our capabilities with the goal of providing even greater value to current and future members of St. Francis Group."
AmerisourceBergen completed its acquisition of MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc. in February of 2015. MWI completed the acquisition of Vetswest Limited, a leading veterinary support services provider in the UK in August of 2015.
MWI says that through the acquisition, St. Francis Group will continue to negotiate with manufacturers based their ability to best meet member needs and purchase products from preferred wholesaler partners.
For more information about MWI Animal Health, visit www.mwianimalhealth.com.
If, as is predicted, social distancing methods need to be employed to reduce the spread of the virus, or clients find themselves having to self-isolate, video consultations may offer a way in which veterinary practices can continue to serve their clients, maintain animal welfare and, importantly, revenue.
VetHelpDirect's video consultation system, which was announced earlier this year, is still in the Beta testing phase, and the plan had been to roll out the full service in May.
Under the circumstances, however, the company has decided to offer the service to all practices immediately, free of charge for the next three months.
To use the video consultation service, you do need to subscribe to use VetHelpDirect, a service through which you can manage client reviews of your practice. That costs £38 per month, per practice and a further £16 for branch practices.
Susie Samuel, CEO of VetHelpDirect said: “The Coronavirus presents a very real business risk to veterinary practices and a health risk to staff.
"As cases increase, animal owners in quarantine will not be able to visit the vet when their animals become unwell. In these cases, veterinary practitioners will not be able to discuss an animal’s symptoms with their owner in person and could end up relying solely on telephone consultations which would most likely be conducted free of charge.
"Our video platform allows vets to collect payment for a consultation as usual, hold the consultation with the animal’s owner and if a pet needs to be seen, the owner could, in theory, drop it off at the surgery without making personal contact with the vet clinic staff."
VetHelpDirect has not yet decided precisely what the video consultation service will cost after the free period, but it is likely to be around the £20 per month mark. In addition, there is a 4.8% transaction fee.
For more information, contact Susie Samuel susie@vethelpdirect.com
COMMENTDespite the emergence of a number of online-only, limited-service veterinary video consultation providers, it seems like very few, if any independent practices are yet offering this service. There is a danger that unless they do so very soon, they will find themselves at a real disadvantage to the first movers. But there is still time; according to VetHelpDirect's research, 38% of people say they would use video consultations with their own vet but only 7% with a vet they don't know..
It strikes me that now is a very good moment to start offering clients this kind of service, because regardless of government advice, there will doubtless be some who will want to avoid a trip to the vets whilst the outbreak persists.
The scheme will allow regular referrers to gift free treatment worth up to £5000 to clients in need of financial assistance
Hospital Director Nicola Bromley said: “We recognise the challenge it is for families who may need specialist care for their animal friend but are unable to find the necessary funds.
"We highly value the relationship we have with our referring vets in providing options to their clients, and we hope this scheme will empower them to give hope to those who need it most.
"We are committed to supporting our referring primary care vets through collaboration, to make the whole sector as good as it can be for every animal.”
The new scheme will be activated immediately and apply to referrals made from January 2024, meaning practices and primary care vets who already refer to Fitzpatrick Referrals can refer pro bono cases immediately.
https://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk
DISCUSSION
Alexander McKinstry and Andrew Rutherford were both charged with writing letters indicating that Rebecca Inman had undertaken an assessment when in fact they had done the assessments themselves, the former without Ms Inman's knowledge, the latter with.
The charges were that all three, who worked at the same practice group in North-West, had been dishonest, misleading and risked undermining procedures designed to promote animal welfare.
At the outset of the hearing, all three admitted the charges against them and the Committee found serious professional misconduct in the case of all admitted charges.
The Committee then considered the sanctions for all three of the respondents.
In the cases against Mr McKinstry and Mr Rutherford, the Committee considered that the conduct was premeditated, that they had an increased position of trust and responsibility as practice directors at the time of the misconduct and that it was a breach of trust for the farm clients.
Additionally, Mr McKinstry had put Dr Inman’s professional reputation in jeopardy by not informing her of his conduct.
In mitigation, the Committee considered that there was no harm or risk of harm to animals, the conduct was not done for personal financial gain, that both had been open and frank in their dealings with the RCVS and had shown insight into their behaviour, and their previous good character and unblemished careers.
Regarding Dr Inman, the aggravating factors were the abuse of her position of trust as a registered mobility scorer and the breach of trust with the farm clients.
In mitigation the Committee considered that it had been an isolated incident involving, from Dr Inman’s point of view, a single telephone call.
It also considered that there was no risk of harm, no personal financial gain, her open and frank admissions in dealings with the RCVS, demonstration of insight, previously unblemished record, and efforts to avoid repeats and remediate past misconduct.
Paul Morris, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee carefully weighed the demands of the public interest, as well as the previously stated mitigating and aggravating factors and all the particular circumstances before it.
"The Committee concluded that a period of suspension was sufficient and proportionate in this case to meet the need to maintain public confidence in the profession and uphold proper standards.
"It had a sufficient deterrent effect upon others in the profession and was sufficient to mark that the disgraceful conduct was unacceptable.
“The Committee considered all of the factors before it, and decided that given the personal mitigation in this case, as set out above, a period of one month was appropriate and proportionate in all the circumstances."
The full findings of the Disciplinary Committee regarding this case can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
The website has been redesigned to help pet owners improve their understanding of the disease and support their commitment to treating their pet, thus improving the survival rates of diabetic pets.
The site includes videos which show how to give insulin injections to dogs and cats. There are also links to the Pet Diabetes Tracker App, which helps owners of diabetic pets monitor and record their pets’ progress. There are also tools to help pet owners build glucose curves they can share with their veterinary practice, and FAQs that will answer their main concerns.
The company is also offering additional support to help veterinary practices raise awareness of pet diabetes in the form of staff training and a Pet Diabetes Month Resource Pack.
Caroline Darouj, Senior Product Manager at MSD Animal Health said: "Pet diabetes continues to rise in the UK1,2 due to the growing prevalance of obesity in our pets. Research has shown that up to 20% of diabetic pets die, or are euthanised, within a year of diagnosis3. Many of these early deaths however, are avoidable and effective management can result in good outcomes in most pets. A diabetes diagnosis should not be a life sentence for our pets.
"This campaign and new website will make a big difference, giving practices the tools to engage pet owners, provide treatments plans and explain effective disease management. Diabetes is a disease with many elements that can feel overwhelming for pet owners so it’s vital that all veterinary practice team members have the right resources to be able to advise and support them so their pets can lead long and happy lives."
To sign up for a pack practices should go to www.msd-animal-health-hub.co.uk/PDM
References
Kruuse has announced that it has become the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Pulse Veterinary Technologies LLC shockwave systems, including the Versatron, Versatron 4paws and Equitron.
Shockwave therapy, otherwise known as extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), uses a high-energy sound wave that rapidly increases pressure as it travels through tissue. It is a non-invasive modality used to stimulate healing particularly in ligament, tendon or boney structures.
Andrew Groom, Managing Director, Kruuse UK Ltd said: "This agreement widens the Kruuse equine and small animal capital equipment profile within the UK and Ireland; increasing the range of technologies available to the veterinary practitioner , whilst providing aftercare support of existing shockwave users".
Eric Goorno , Chief Executive Officer, Pulse Veterinary Technologies LLC said: "This exciting partnership will further enhance our presence within the veterinary industry and allow Kruuse UK to bring leading edge technology to its customers, building upon its strong relationships within veterinary practices".
Unlike a normal 2D X-ray system, Adaptix's system fires very low-flux X-rays from many different positions in a sequence.
This allows the system to reconstruct a stack of slices through the patient which can be reviewed like the coronal slices from a CT scan, with only marginally more of a dose than a single 2D X-ray.
Adaptix says this means each side of the jaw can then be seen separately and clearly, in a much easier workflow than taking multiple intraoral 2D X-ray images.
Dr Conrad Dirckx, Director of Product Management at Adaptix said: "The system is both lightweight and simple to install in an existing radiology or treatment room, and it is also very useful for orthopaedic imaging.
"It reduces the workflow time for dental imaging from about 12-20 minutes to less than three.
"On top of that, it offers veterinary surgeons access to advanced 3D imaging for most complex orthopaedic cases without having to buy a CT scanner and sacrifice a treatment room, or refer the patient away."
The system is also being offered with an innovative pay-per-study pricing model, through which Adaptix installs the system with no capital outlay, and charges on a 'per-study' basis which also covers maintenance.
The system is available from Clark Dental Veterinary: www.clarkdentalveterinary.co.uk.
For more information, visit: adaptix.com
Eurovet Animal Health has launched Vomend, a new veterinary licensed metoclopramide that can be used to treat vomiting and reduced gastro-intestinal motility in both dogs and cats.
Eurovet says that for years, vets have often had little choice but to use metoclopramide preparations designed for human use - therefore effectively off-licence. This new preparation will allow vets to use a medication they know is of great benefit in treating dogs and cats, without taking all the additional precautions required for off-licence use, such as having clients sign consent forms.
The product can also be used in puppies and kittens. Severe vomiting in young puppies particularly can quickly lead to dehydration and depression, so it is vital to control the clinical signs and prevent fluid loss. Vomend will, according to the company, be particularly useful in this regard. As well as being an anti-emetic Vomend is also a pro-kinetic upper GI tract stimulant, so it is indicated for use in chronic nephritis, pyloric spasm and drug induced digestive intolerance.
Vomend will be available in 20 ml and 10 ml vials, providing greater flexibility over usage and stock control.
For further information on Vomend contact Eurovet on 01223 257933 or order direct from your wholesaler from early February.
Ed's note: The name. Is it just me? Wouldn't 'Tummyeaze' or something (anything) have been better?
Established over 100 years ago, Alfreton Park Veterinary Hospital is based in a purpose-built clinic; one of four International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) recognised Cat Friendly Practices in Derbyshire.
Dr Nick Pine MA VetMB MRCVS has been at Alfreton Park since 1999 and has become a Medivet Branch Partner following the acquisition, together with his colleague Dr Matt Ingram CertSAS MRCVS. He said: "We are excited about joining the Medivet Partnership. It will help us to continue to develop what is an already successful, trusted and highly respected local practice and enable us to offer even more opportunities for our people."
Medivet Chief Executive Officer Dr Arnold Levy, said: "Alfreton Park is an impressive practice with a great team and we are delighted to welcome them to Medivet. Our model is focused on adding value to every practice that joins our partnership, and we look forward to working with Nick and Matt to build an even brighter future for the practice, its clients and patients."
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Worcester vet David Denny MRCVS accidentally euthanised a Jack Russell in the presence of its owner, who believed he was giving the animal antibiotics.
Mr Denny told VetSurgeon.org that it had been the result of a dreadful misunderstanding between himself and his secretary, for which he had apologised, but that he couldn't say much more because the VDS had advised him not to talk to the media.
The dog, called Gunner, was 14 years old; old enough that alarm bells obviously didn't go off when it was presented to Mr Denny for euthanasia (or so he thought).
The story does serve as a reminder of the importance of communicating with absolute clarity, both written and oral, when performing euthanasia. In this case, the Daily Mail reports that Mr Denny asked the client: "if Gunner had had enough". Under any other circumstances, that would seem a sensitive comment to make. In this case, though, the owner thought he meant the dog had had enough of its cough.
The VetCompass programme studied 10,313 English Cocker Spaniels from an overall sample of 336,865 UK dogs of all breeds under first opinion veterinary care during 2016.
English Cocker Spaniels made up 3.1% of all dogs, showing ongoing high popularity of this breed as a UK companion animal.
The most common disease was periodontal disease, diagnosed in 20.97% of English Cocker Spaniels each year.
In second place was otitis externa (10.09%), followed by obesity/overweight (9.88%), anal sac impaction (8.07%), diarrhoea (4.87%), and aggression (4.01%).
The order of these top disorders in English Cocker Spaniels was similar to those previously reported in dogs overall; however, the frequency of each disorder was generally higher in English Cocker Spaniels than the general dog population, possibly because several of these conditions are related to the longer ears and looser skin on English Cocker Spaniels.
Researchers say these results suggests that English Cocker Spaniels can be considered a typical dog in many respects, but with higher risk of some disorders related to their specific body shape.
Aggression was found to be relatively common in English Cocker Spaniels, although the frequency differed depending on the sex and coat colour of the dogs: aggression was more common in males than females, and in single-coloured than multi-coloured dogs.
The risk of aggression also varied widely between the four most common single-coloured coat colours: golden-coloured dogs showed the highest frequency of aggression (12.08%), followed by red (6.52%), black (6.29%), and liver (4.33%).
Additional findings include:
Karolina Engdahl, Epidemiologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and lead author of the paper, said: “English Cocker Spaniels are popular family dogs and can make fantastic pets.
"However, we found that aggression was relatively common in the breed, especially in golden-coloured dogs.
"This highlights the importance of focusing good breeding on behavioural as well as physical health, and that behavioural-related problems should be a key area for veterinary-owner discussions.”
Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC, co-author of the paper, said: “Everyone who loves dogs just wants their animals to live long and happy lives.
"This study provides the data to help owners to understand that preventing dental, ear, weight and anal sac problems can go a long way to helping English Cocker Spaniels to enjoy a better life.
"It really can be that simple.”