Zoetis (maker of Cerenia, the anti-emetic) is using social media for its latest campaign to remind owners that vets have a solution for dogs that suffer from travel sickness.
The company highlights research which shows the problem is more common than one might think, with 62% of dogs experiencing travel sickness for the first time as puppies. What's more, 1/3rd of owners say they would travel with their dogs more often if they didn't get car sick.
Stephanie Smith, Marketing Manager for Cerenia said: "While less than half of vets in the UK report seeing at least one canine motion sickness case each month, we know that over one third (34%) of dogs that travel experience motion sickness. That's a lot of opportunity for vets to provide pets and owners with some relief."
To spread the word, the company has set up an educational microsite: www.nonstoptravelfun.co.uk which it is now promoting with an online social media campaign, including twitter #nonstoptravelfun and targeted bloggers and pet sites. The company has also been advertising the microsite on Facebook and Google, which I'm told has driven thousands of visitors over the past fortnight.
Stephanie added: "Motion sickness can impact the whole family, making travelling an unpleasant experience. Our new campaign aims to raise awareness for the issue and encourage pet owners to seek veterinary help for the problem, so they can enjoy non-stop travel fun, without the sickness."
The awards, which were first launched last year, are open to UK practices, branch surgeries or other organisations who employ veterinary surgeons or nurses. They were created to highlight wellbeing in the veterinary profession and celebrate workplaces where:
• health and happiness are valued;• there are systems and initiatives that motivate;• staff are engaged;• communication is positive;• there is commitment to being a better place to work.
The prize for each category includes two registrations and banquet tickets for SPVS/VPMA Congress 2018 where the winners will be announced to the media and will be available for interview.
Practices that are thinking about applying can now access a free five-minute Wellbeing Checklist that can help provide examples of some simple activities that can improve the health and wellbeing of the veterinary team.
Nick Stuart from SPVS said: "Taking five minutes to fill out the Wellbeing Checklist is a great way to get a sense of how your practice is doing, and to identify ways in which you could improve. Practices are often doing a lot more than they realise and the Checklist shows how even such small steps as a having a fruit bowl in the staff room, or having a five-minute huddle at the start of the day, can make a huge difference."
Lizzie Lockett, MMI Director, said: "Having a supportive and constructive culture is key not just for the welfare of the staff, but for the animals they take care of. It allows all members of the team to feel comfortable coming forward with questions, clarifications, or even mistakes, and can ultimately lead to safer and more consistent care for patients."
Entries can be made now via the website www.vetwellbeingawards.org.uk, where the Wellbeing Checklist is also available.
The closing date for entries is Friday 15 December 2017. You can follow the awards on twitter @vetwellbeing and Facebook /vetwellbeingawards/.
The College says this will pave the way for new diagnostic tests for what could be one of the most common causes of pregnancy loss in mares.
The researchers, led by Dr Mandi de Mestre (pictured right), Reader in Reproductive Immunology and Head of the Equine Pregnancy Laboratory at the RVC, collaborated with seven different veterinary practices to gain access to samples from across the UK and Ireland and found that around 20% of the pregnancies lost were aneuploid, which is when a copy of a whole chromosome is either duplicated or lost (similar to Down's).
Charlotte Shilton, RVC PhD, the student who performed the analysis, applied three different genetic approaches to confirm the results.
Work is now underway to identify the underlying cause of these aneuploid pregnancies, with early data from this study suggesting it is most commonly introduced via the egg or sperm. Until now, chromosomal defects such as aneuploidy have only been reported as a rare condition in young horses with developmental disorders.
The researchers say the study explains why the condition is so rare in horses, with most embryos and foetuses possessing this genetic change dying very early in development, as is also observed in human pregnancy. The study highlights the need to reconsider this genetic condition both in pregnancy loss but also for early developmental disorders.
Dr Mandi de Mestre, Reader in Reproductive Immunology at the RVC, said: “Early pregnancy loss remains a very frustrating condition for clinicians to treat as the underlying cause is unknown in around 80% of cases. These findings will allow researchers to develop new diagnostic tests for pregnancy losses, which would offer hope to thousands of owners of breeding mares that suffer this condition.
“A diagnostic test would allow them to make informed decisions on treatment strategies and to advise on whether they should invest in further attempts to breed their mare benefiting both horses and their breeders alike in the future. I would like to thank both the Thoroughbred Breeders Association and our collaborators at Texas A&M University and the participating veterinary surgeons for their support on this project.
Reference
The RCVS is advising all practices that it is not currently carrying out a data-gathering exercise and that phone calls prompting the return of a survey, and requesting mobile phone numbers, are not being made on behalf of the College.
The warning comes after several practices have called the College to query 'feedback forms' - supposedly issued in relation to the Practice Standards Scheme or the payment of members' retention fees.
The practices were asked to return forms which they had not received, and also to provide mobile phone numbers, by someone who claimed to work for the 'statutory regulator' or 'the RCVS'. Contact phone numbers left by the caller were either RCVS fax numbers or numbers which looked like RCVS direct dial numbers, but were not.
Lizzie Lockett, Head of Communications, said: "This looks like an exercise to gain mobile phone numbers which is being carried out in the College's name. We are currently investigating who might be making these calls. In the meantime, if a practice receives such a call, it would be helpful if they could take down a name and contact number and let us know."
Ring 020 7202 0725 or email l.lockett@rcvs.org.uk to report any suspicious activity.
CVS has launched a buying group open to independently-owned practices to benefit from the knowledge, experience and strength of the 250 practices which form CVS.
The new buying group is called MiVetClub. It offers a range of services, including:
Sara Armitage, Director of Product and Buying at CVS, said: "There are many thriving independent practices out there which have the potential to be even more successful if they just had the time and expertise to negotiate better deals and had access to the business resources and support to help them run their practices more efficiently and cost-effectively.
"That's where MiVetClub can help. CVS' stature in the veterinary sector means that we can negotiate the very best discounts and rebates for the group's members. But MiVetClub isn't just about saving money. It's also about helping independent practices raise clinical standards and run better businesses. MiVetClub experts are constantly on-hand to advise members on all aspects of running their practice, freeing up their time to concentrate on what they do best, caring for their patients."
For more information, visit: http://www.mivetclub.com/
All donations of unwanted clothes, books or bric-a-brac are sent for sale in one of the charity's 55 charity shops around the UK.
Working in partnership with National Veterinary Services (NVS), empty donation bags are given to veterinary practices to fill with goods for NVS to collect and deliver to the charity. The partnership with NVS began in 2011 and so far over 60,000 bags have been collected, with an estimated value of over £1m.
Mark Corbett, Head of Retail at Blue Cross said: "We are extremely grateful to NVS, the vet practices taking part in the scheme and their clients. Although the donated items may be unwanted possessions to some, each bag generates about £20 of income for us. This means the scheme has so far provided an incredible amount of income towards helping the pets in our care.
Blue Cross receives no government funding, so relies on public donations to continue its vital work.
Veterinary practices that receive their stock and drugs from NVS but are not yet part of The Blue Cross donation scheme can sign up now by contacting their NVS representative or email trading@bluecross.org.uk.
Avid, the maker of pet microchip indentification products has developed its registration system so that Avid MicroChips can now be registered via practice management software using the VetXML schema.
This instantly registers the microchip directly on to the UK PETtrac Database, managed by Avid. All the implanter needs to do is add the microchip number to the client record, then click to register.
The practice has the option to print a receipt for the client before they leave the surgery, and a certificate confirming the registration will be posted to the client by PETtrac, usually the same day.
The microchip registration is completed in real time on the UK PETtrac Database, and is automatically checked to ensure the microchip being registered was sold to the practice completing the registration. In the event of any errors, the practice will be contacted by PETtrac to obtain the correct information.
Simon Clark, IT developer for Avid said "Avid already has direct registration via a number of practice management software packages and we are working with others to get this feature implemented as soon as possible. Registrations are now easier and quicker than ever before, and really can be completed with just one click!"
For full details about how the Avid microchip system can benefit your practice please contact the Avid sales office on 0800 652 7 977 or visit www.avidplc.com
I'm delighted to welcome Celia Marr from Rossdales and Edd Knowles from Bell Equine, who have kindly agreed to be our contributing experts. They'll drop in from time to time to add anything helpful they can to the forum discussions.
As elsewhere on VetSurgeon.org, reading content in the new groups or participating in discussions can count towards a VetSurgeon.org CPD certificate. Just press 'Claim CPD' at the top of the page, then collect the record and certificate from your profile.
All members of the site with an interest in equine medicine are now invited to press the join button on the left hand side of the group home page (when viewed on tablet or bigger). You may also wish to select the option to receive a daily or weekly digest of new content by email, which you can cancel at any time.
Equine is the third special interest group launched on VetSurgeon.org. The other two are Small Animal Medicine and Small Animal Dentistry.
The range comprises of a detangling pre-wash, a cleansing shampoo and a fragrant conditioner, all of which are pH balanced and formulated using natural ingredients and a blend of essential oils designed to make bathtime a calmer experience.
The products all come in 300ml bottles with a list price of £6; RRP £12.
The Pet Remedy range can be ordered direct from Animalcare on 01904 487687 (orders@animalcare.co.uk) or from your veterinary wholesaler.
Pit Bull Terriers, Rottweilers and Bulldogs are the breeds most feared by postmen, according to a survey just announced by esure home insurance. More surprisingly, Jack Russells and Yorkshire Terriers also appeared in the top ten list of breeds likely to prevent the mail getting through.
According to the survey, three quarters (74%) of postmen have admitted to finding some dogs on their post round intimidating. In fact over half (54%) of those polled have considered asking for a change to their round due to intimidating dogs and more than a third (37%) have even thought about leaving their jobs completely.
Nearly half (47%) of all postman questioned are frequently growled at, 39% have been the subject of teeth baring and 54% regularly have to endure aggressive barking. Shockingly, a quarter (26%) of postmen have been bitten by a dog on their post round, whilst 23% of those polled have had their clothes damaged when trying to get away from a dog.
In a bid to try and calm down man's best friend and ensure their safety, more than a third (36%) of postmen have offered a dog bones, biscuits and chews. But just under half (44%) admit bribes often don't work as they've had to run away from a dog on their patch.
POSTMAN'S MOST FEARED DOGS: (per cent of postmen)
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “It’s clear that there are a number of workforce issues affecting the professions, such as high vacancy rates that employers are struggling to fill and a resultant increase in pressure on the professions in terms of caseload and hours worked, together with an increase in the number of people choosing to leave the professions.
“While many of these issues are long-standing, and due to complex and multifactorial reasons, the scale of the problem has been exacerbated by three things: the UK’s exit from the EU and the impact this has had on overseas registrants; the ongoing impact of the pandemic in areas such as staff absence and burnout; and an increase in demand for veterinary services.
The reports were published in advance of the College's Workforce Summit, held at the end of November to discuss potential solutions to the problems.
They can be downloaded here: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/events/workforce-summit-2021/
A further report of the Workforce Summit is expected in due course, which the College says will include an action plan with commitments from a range of stakeholders.
Bayer Animal Health has organised for prominent clinical microbiologist Dr Joseph Blondeau, from Canada's University of Saskatchewana, to tour the UK in May, giving talks to practitioners about effective antibiotic usage to prevent bacterial resistance.
Bayer's Technical Veterinary Adviser, Lucy Smith, will also be giving a talk: Maximise Treatment Success, which comes at the subject from the practical veterinary side.
Bayer Animal Health Marketing Manager, Dr Markus Edingloh said: "We are incredibly fortunate to work with such an eminent expert. Dr Blondeau is a leading authority on a new parameter that supports a dosing concept to minimise selection of bacterial resistance - the Mutant Prevention Concentration. Fortunately, he is also expert at presenting complex matters in an engaging and memorable way."
He added: "Lucy Smith will share her specific experience of Bayer's recently launched Veraflox (pradofloxacin), the first and only next generation veterinary fluoroquinolone, which has a broad spectrum of treatment which attacks Gram +, Gram - and anaerobic bacteria, in a highly efficacious way.
The evening events take place on: May 14th (Glasgow), May 15th (Derby), May 16th (Swindon) & May 17th (Surrey). Full details in the VetSurgeon Diary.
Each roadshow session is equivalent to 1.5 hours of free Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
To register to attend one of the roadshows, please email animal.health@bayer.com
Mary (or, to give her her full title, Dr Mary Fraser BVMS PhD CertVD PGCHE FHEA MAcadMEd CBiol FRSB FRSPH FRCVS) focussed on decision-making in practice while studying for her MRes in Clinical Veterinary Research, looking at how vets and owners influence the decision making process. This led her to consider how decision making is taught to students.
As part of the initiative, Mary has launched a new website: www.clinicaldecisions.org, which, together with a supporting blog, is designed to help students and recent graduates examine their decision making in practice, consider how owners influence it, and take forward shared decision making for the benefit of all.
Mary said: "As a student decision making can seem difficult. Working with owners, all of whom have different expectations, can add to those challenges.
"I hope that by bringing that discussion to the fore we can support each other and allow future vets and veterinary nurses to identify their own strengths in supporting owners to make the best decisions for their animals."
Find out more and contribute to the discussion at www.clinicaldecisions.org
The 1st Reproduction Control Guidelines of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) have just been accepted for publication and are expected to recommend a move away from a blanket neutering policy.
Dr Neil Mottram BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS Technical Manager at Virbac said: "This webinar will help clinicians understand and navigate the latest evidence-based medicine in regards to neutering.
"The panel of world-leading experts on reproduction will present their guidance on medical and surgical neutering and offer delegates the opportunity to interact with a live Q&A section at the end of the event.
https://app.livestorm.co/virbac-france/1st-reproduction-control-guidelines?type=detailed
The British Small Animal Veterinary Association is inviting its members to submit their views on DEFRA's recently revised and published draft Rabies Control Strategy.
The BSAVA says that while the general control options for dealing with a suspected or confirmed case of classical rabies are determined by law there are a number of issues raised in this document on which its members may wish to comment.
Details are in the Consultations area under the Advice link here at bsava.com.
Please return responses to s.everitt@bsava.com by Friday 9th December 2011 to allow time to collate the comments and produce a response.
The letter, which was coordinated by BVA President Daniella Dos Santos, reads as follows:
"We are a mixture of volunteers and paid professionals, who give our time to lead and support the veterinary professions, and we are extremely honoured to be able to do so.
But we are increasingly concerned about the tone of some of the debates that are taking place in the veterinary world, particularly by the disparaging and demeaning language used against us or our colleagues.
As leaders in the professions, representing various different organisations, we absolutely expect to receive criticism and challenge of the work we do. But the right to criticise and challenge does not extend to the right to personally attack us as individuals.
Some of the most useful and informative discussions we have are those where our views and actions are questioned with dignity and respect. But the use of derogatory and offensive language to describe or refer to us as individuals is simply not acceptable.
Personal attacks and vilification could also make tomorrow’s leaders think twice before putting their name forward for such roles and subjecting themselves to such treatment by their peers. We might never know what a loss this could be for the future direction and advancement of our professions.
This behaviour is particularly prevalent in online forums, where closed groups and computer screens seem to embolden members of our professions to use language that is wholly inappropriate and which falls far short of the expectations of professionals. As we have seen in the national political arena, we also note with concern that it is often our female colleagues, and those from minorities, who face the worst of it.
We welcome challenge and debate. But please remember that it is possible to disagree with a person or organisation without resorting to personal attacks. Before posting online, please consider how this may be interpreted by the recipient.
Our professions are rightly focused on mental health and wellbeing, and the work of the Mind Matters Initiative and Vetlife are excellent examples of what is being done in this area.
#BeKind extends to those in leadership positions too."
List of signatories by organisation: Katie Roberts: AVS President, David Charles: AVS Senior Vice President, Izzie Arthur: AVS Junior Vice President, Susan Paterson: BSAVA President, Phil Lhermette: BSAVA Senior Vice President, Ian Ramsey: BSAVA Vice President, Sheldon Middleton: BSAVA Junior Vice President, David Godfrey: BSAVA Hon Treasurer, Carl Gorman: BSAVA Hon Secretary, Amanda Stranack: BSAVA CEO, Daniella Dos Santos: BVA President, Simon Doherty: BVA Senior Vice President, James Russell: BVA Junior Vice President, Kathleen Robertson: BVA Scottish Branch President, Ifan Lloyd: BVA Welsh Branch President, Susan Cunningham: BVA Northern Ireland Branch President, David Calpin: BVA CEO, Jo Hinde: BVNA President, Wendy Nevis: BVNA Senior Vice President, Jo Oakden: BVNA Junior Vice President, Peter Kettlewell: BVZS President, Liz Mullineaux: BVZS Junior Vice President, Niall Connell: RCVS President, Amanda Boag: RCVS Senior Vice President, Mandisa Greene: RCVS Junior Vice President, Kit Sturgess: RCVS Treasurer, Lizzie Lockett: RCVS CEO, Anna Judson: SPVS President, Cat Curtis: SPVS Senior Vice President, Nick Lloyd: SPVS Junior Vice President, Nichola Watson: SPVS CEO, Richard Casey: VMG President, Gillian A Page: VMG Senior Vice President, Georgina Hills: VMG Junior Vice President, Miles Russell: VMG Finance Director
The BVA was not prepared to name and shame specific instances of derogatory language being used, or the specific social media websites that are implicated. However, Daniella said: "Online veterinary forums can be a fantastic place for us to share ideas or concerns and support one another but they can also have a darker side. I’ve become increasingly aware of people using forums and other social media to attack and criticise individuals who I know are working hard for our profession.
"I’ve personally been on the receiving end of it, being described as foul, lacking in integrity, incompetent, unsuitable to lead, rotten, idiot, shameful, corrupt or a token. But I know colleagues who have faced far worse and enough is enough.
"It’s high time we collectively speak up and I’m incredibly grateful to those who have co-signed this open letter to our colleagues. Every single vet or vet nurse who volunteers or works as an officer or committee member within the veterinary sphere and all of our lay colleagues work hard on behalf of our professions.
"Our key message is that the mantra to #BeKind, that is so prevalent in our veterinary community, extends to those in leadership positions too.”
COMMENTWhat a can of worms. VetSurgeon.org and VetNurse.co.uk have certainly had their fair share of robust discussions over the years, but I don't believe Daniella has ever been on the receiving end, or that women or minorities have ever been discriminated against, or that the language used has stooped as low or personal as 'foul'.
Indeed, I have always encouraged members to treat each other with respect and to be mindful of the fact that the written word, devoid of the nuances of facial expression, can appear far starker than intended.
However, as a moderator, I can tell you it is very, very hard to draw the line between something that is personal and something which is fair criticism but which will be taken personally.
Therein lies the problem, because almost any criticism written online is likely to be taken personally. If you write that I am doing my job poorly, or making bad decisions, believe me, I will take it very personally.
But is it not entirely right and proper that those in who sit in positions of authority, making decisions which affect the lives or wallets of those who elect them, should expect criticism?
In fact, is there not something a bit worrying about Daniella saying she is aware of people using social media to criticise individuals? Is she arguing that social media should NOT be used to criticise those in authority?
To my mind, there's also something slightly pleading about those in authority asking everyone to "be kind". Why on earth should people be kind when they disagree, sometimes profoundly, with decisions that affect their lives? Wouldn't it be better to entreat everyone to #bepolite?
Either way, it is hard not to feel enormous sympathy for those who enter into public life these days, subject as they are to some pretty vile stuff online.
I think Sir Tim Berners-Lee hit the nail on the head in the Dimbleby lecture last year when he said that greater accountability is needed online. VetSurgeon.org has already started moving in that direction in order to improve the provenance of clinical information and opinions shared online, requiring now that experts share full details of their experience and qualifications alongside their posts.
Maybe the time has come to demand the same standards of accountability when it comes to criticising those in positions of authority. In other words, if you're going to do it, you must show your real name and display a photograph of yourself alongside your post.
What do you think? Have your say here: https://www.vetsurgeon.org/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/28912/be-kind-to-veterinary-leaders
Mrs Jill Nute has been invested as president of the RCVS at the AGM and Awards Day, held on 4th July in London.
Mrs Nute graduated from Liverpool University in 1970 and initially assisted in mixed practice in the Lake District, Droitwich and Leominster. In 1976, she established a mixed practice with her husband Geoff, a fellow Liverpool graduate, in Wadebridge, Cornwall.
The practice is now an eight-veterinary surgeon concern, a veterinary nurse Training Practice, an RCVS Accredited Tier 2 Small Animal General Practice and Farm Animal General Practice, and an equine practice accredited to Tier 1; it is also a Meat Hygiene Service approved contractor.
Mrs Nute has been an RCVS Council member since 1993, serving on all of its committees. She has chaired many of these committees and additional working parties, including the Advisory and Public Affairs Committees. She served on the Officer team as Treasurer for three years, from 1996-1999, and is currently Chairman of the Practice Standards Group. Spending several years on the Councils of the British Veterinary Association and the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS), she was elected President of SPVS in 1991.
RCVS Day also brought other changes to the RCVS Officer team: Dr Bob Moore, outgoing President, became Senior Vice-President, and Professor Sandy Trees took up the role of Junior Vice-President.
Professor Sheila Crispin stood down as Senior Vice-President, with Dr Moore commenting that: “The veterinary profession is privileged to have such a knowledgeable and committed advocate.”
Retiring Council members included David McDowell, Debby Reynolds, Neil Smith and Wendy Harrison. New lay observer to the Preliminary Investigation Committee, Catherine Harvey, will replace retiring observer Diane Mark. The President paid particular tribute to long-standing Council member and past-President Stephen Ware, who retires from Council but will remain active in veterinary politics as Vice-President and Treasurer of the Federation of Veterinarians in Europe, he also remains Chairman of the RCVS Trust.
As part of the AGM, newly-elected Council members Richard Stephenson, Charles Gruchy and Bertie Ellis were welcomed. A fourth new member, Catherine Goldie, was not present. It was also announced that Professor Michael Herrtage and Professor Duncan Maskell have been reappointed for further four-year periods by the University of Cambridge, and Professor Sandy Tress has been reappointed for the same term by the University of Liverpool.
Dot Creighton was re-elected to the Veterinary Nurses Council and Katherine Kissick was elected for the first time. New lay member Penelope Swindlehurst and appointed veterinary surgeon Helen Torrington were also welcomed to the VN Council and the President thanked retiring VN Council members Diane Guinan, Donna Hunter and Neil Smith.
President Dr Bob Moore conferred a range of awards, including an Honorary Associateship upon Petplan and Petplan Trust founders Mrs Patsy Bloom and Mr David Simpson who, he said, have had a “remarkable effect on the veterinary profession, animals and their owners.”
Honorary Associateship was also awarded to Mr Geoff Davies, who has dedicated his 30-year career at the University of Bristol Veterinary School to the training, support and development of future veterinary surgeons. He has also served as a valued member of the RCVS Extra-Mural Studies Committee for many years. “It is his enormous contribution in supporting and encouraging the students that is being recognised today,”said Dr Moore.
Honorary Fellowships were awarded to Mr Gary Clayton Jones, Professor Paul Flecknell and Dr Christine Gibbs, and the Dame Olga Uvarov Award, a cash prize for a researcher under the age of 40, was awarded on behalf of the RCVS Trust to Dr Harriet Smythe (in her absence)
William McEwan BSc MRes PhD, now working at the MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, has been awarded the ABCD and Merial Young Scientist of the Year Award 2010 for his work on the replication and cross-species transmission of feline immunodeficiency virus infection in domestic cats and lions, and the restriction factors in these species in particular.
Dr McEwan said: "Understanding the means by which host species are able to prevent viral replication gives us insight to the mechanisms of infection and may allow us to engineer therapy based on similar mechanisms or by enhancing immune responses."
The award was presented by Professor Marian C. Horzinek, Chair of the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD) and of the award jury. He said: "William McEwan presented a very original, high quality paper. His research has indicated the ability of hosts to potently restrict retroviral replication - given sufficient evolutionary time. It has also highlighted felids as a taxon that is potentially highly prone to cross-species transmission of immunodeficiency viruses".
The ABCD and Merial Young Scientist Award, created in 2008 and worth 1000 €, is funded by Merial and is presented to a young scientist in veterinary or biomedical science, who has made an original contribution in the field of feline infectious diseases and/or immunology. Applicants should have published their findings in a journal listed in PubMed or Web of Science or have had them accepted by another recognised assessing body.
Candidates should be based in Europe, have completed a veterinary or biomedical curriculum, and be under 35 years of age at the time of application. Applications for the 2011 award are now being invited (deadline 15 January 2011). For more information, visit: www.abcd-vets.org
Hill's is holding the Top Dog Challenge: a race to see which vet school can mobilise the largest number of students to support the school's nomination as 'Top Dog' before May, for a prize of €10,000 to support student activities.
Voting is already open at www.hillstopdog.com. Once the preliminary round votes are counted the top five colleges will be selected to go through to the next round for final judging at the Southern European Veterinary Conference (SEVC) 2011 in Barcelona at the end of September. One nominated student from each of the participating vet schools will get the chance to enjoy an expenses paid trip to SEVC to act as a student ambassador and one lucky winner will collect the prize on behalf of their school.
Every vote makes a difference and students who want to remind their colleagues to vote can send them a SMS text message direct from the site. A really determined, committed and well organised student body can make all the difference and ensure their college has a place on the winner's podium.
Last year's winner the Hebrew University of Jerusalem won with in excess of 95 per cent of their students voting, so winning presents quite a challenge. But this is the first time UK vet schools have taken part and they could upset the apple cart.
Adrian Pratt, Veterinary Affairs Manager is looking forwards to seeing how students at UK vet schools rise to the challenge. He said: "We really have excellent vet schools in this country and it would be great to see the students demonstrating how UK students can perform on the European stage and the passion and loyalty they have for their own school!"
Hill's has launched VetEssentials NeuteredCat, a low fat diet for the 90% of UK cats that are estimated to have been neutered.
According to the company, neutered cats are over three times more likely to become overweight and/or suffer from urinary problems.
Hill's says that the low fat formulation of NeuteredCat keeps energy density low, and that its unique Weight Management Formula optimises fat metabolism, whilst preserving lean muscle through supplementation with L-carnitine and L-lysine. The company also claims that NeuteredCat helps to maintain urinary health with levels of minerals carefully controlled to generate a target urine pH of 6.2-6.4.
There are a range of educational and marketing resources to support the new product, available from the company's territory managers.
VetEssentials NeuteredCat will replace any orders made for Science Plan Neutered cat over the coming months.
The first phase of research is being conducted this January and February 2023 and will analyse the amount and distribution of UK canine health research funding over the past decade.
Veterinary associations, societies and charities which support canine health research tend to identify funding priorities aligned with their own strategy and scope, taking account of independent peer review from experts in the field of research.
However, the RVC says that as there are many research funders working independently, some important research topics may be overlooked and separately funded projects can inadvertently overlap in their work.
This study endeavours to investigate these issues and consider how resources are prioritised across different areas of canine research.
Participating stakeholders will be asked their opinions on future research funding and this information will contribute to developing a long-term strategy for not-for-profit UK canine health research.
Thereafter, the aim is to create a pilot consultation process for developing a central prioritisation platform for future collaborative canine research.
The RVC’s says it has already got data and support from several major funders but is keen to maximise the scope of this research, so it is now looking for participation from specialist veterinary societies that fund research, and non-university organisations, such as charities, corporates or independent referral practices which conduct their own in-house canine research.
Dr Alison Skipper, Postdoctoral Researcher into Canine Research Funding within VetCompass at the RVC said: “We are really keen to hear from as many non-profit organisations involved with canine health research funding as possible. The breadth and depth of this data is vital to ensure that our findings accurately reflect this sector."
For more information about how to get involved, please visit https://rvc.uk.com/canine-research-funding-analysis.
Companion Consultancy Director Susan Mackay, herself a veterinary surgeon, started Companion Consultancy in 2002.
She said: “We added a design team to the agency two years ago and it’s been fantastic to have this resource available in-house.
"In the digital space people increasingly consume their content as images and sound as much as the written word and it has become key to delivering communication projects that really work.”
VetSurgeon.org editor Arlo Guthrie said: "I couldn't agree with Susan more.
"As a news editor, I get a barrage of press releases every day.
"Those with powerful photos or video that will stand out on all the different social media platforms get prioritised.
"Those that have poor images, or none at all tend to get ignored."
Susan added: “For complex projects we can have one or more of our vets working alongside the designer to get all the technical nuances exactly right.
"Infographics for instance are a great way to overcome language barriers but explaining the complexities of how vaccines work in pictures needs veterinary input and our designers then come up with visual ways to represent those concepts so we can work through those together.
"On simpler projects, clients don’t have to waste time explaining why they don’t want to show a dog wearing a choke chain or carrying a stick, because our designers already bring an additional level of understanding to their work.
"We want to make it clear that you don’t have to be a Companion Consultancy client to benefit from this great resource.”
Companion Design Studio is offering a free, no obligation 30 minute design consultation to the first 10 applicants from the veterinary community who want expert input on their existing branding and how it has been applied, or to gather ideas for new design projects.
www.companiondesignstudio.co.uk or call Tom on 07925 133302.
Visitors will be given a behind-the-scenes look and have the opportunity to chat with Specialist surgeons Andy Moores and Chris Jordan.
Andy said: “We have had a fantastic first six months, and to say thank you to those who have referred cases to us, and to show off our facilities to those who haven’t seen the clinic, we are thrilled to be holding an open evening.
"I’m looking forward to providing tours of the clinic and having a chance to talk to vets about our services and how we can help.”
All veterinary professionals and their families, and pet owners are welcome.
The clinic is situated just off the M3 and 30 minutes from the M25, in the village of Upton Grey, near Basingstoke.
To register your interest and book a place at the open day please contact Marie at Marie@mooresortho.com or 01256 632100.
BVA has announced that it is launching a pilot of VETS.TV, and invites you to come and preview the service at its stand at BSAVA. Anyone willing to surrender their name and email address will also be entered into a prize draw to win an HP 530 Celeron M 440 laptop computer.
VETS.TV is an internet television site run jointly by the BVA and Ten Alps Publishing which will be available via a microsite of http://www.bva.co.uk/. The pilot includes custom-made videos on MRSA, litigation and stress management, a series of interviews with key veterinary figures and a number of specially acquired programmes.
Ceva Animal Health UK is now providing Logic Oral Hygiene Gel sample sachets to veterinary practices free of charge, to enable clients to try before they buy on their cat or dog
In addition, to help veterinary practices promote the importance of dental hygiene, new waiting room display materials are also available.
To obtain your free Logic sample sachets or waiting room display material, please telephone 01494 781510 or e-mail customerservicesuk@ceva.com.