Brigite Pedro MRCVS, an RCVS and European Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology at Willows Veterinary Centre is to lead an in-depth international study into atrial fibrillation in dogs, and is appealing to colleagues to support the research by referring suitable cases.

Brigite said: "We are leading an international multi-centre study to further investigate the impact of this heart disorder on the quality of life and life expectancy of affected dogs.

"This is an extremely important research project, so we need the co-operation of referring vets in the area to send cases to us to be included in the study. Clearly, the more cases we can assess then the more we can learn and the more we can help. 

"The hope is this study will revolutionise the way in which this condition is treated in dogs around the world, both improving their day-to-day lives as well as giving them longer at home with their families." 

For more information, visit: www.willows.uk.net

Krka has announced the launch of Robexera, the first generic robenacoxib solution for the treatment of pain and inflammation associated with chronic osteoarthritis (OA) and soft tissue surgery in dogs.¹ 

Robexera is a COX2 NSAID formulation which delivers anti-inflammatory pain relief with a once-a-day dosing regime^2,3,4.  

The product is presented as a flavoured chewable tablet for easier administration by pet owners.

For simplicity when dispensing, it comes in four strengths with colour coded boxes, perforated blisters and a set of PIL sheets that convert to prescribing envelopes in each pack.

Charlotte Read, Krka’s UK Key Account Manager, said: “Delivering reliable, cost-effective perioperative pain relief for soft tissue surgery is an everyday concern for veterinary practices, while OA is the most common cause of chronic pain in dogs⁵. 

"This is why we’re particularly pleased to announce the first generic robenacoxib, Robexera. 

“Bioequivalent to the originator product⁶, Robexera provides fast-acting and targeted pain relief, giving enhanced value to veterinary practices and enabling them to offer their clients improved affordability, particularly for those whose animals are on long term pain-management programmes or have other health issues.”

Viktor Kozjan, General Manager Krka UK, added: “The launch of Robexera is further confirmation of Krka’s commitment to develop solutions that are tried and trusted but also flexible and affordable for our customers and their clients.”

Robexera is now available to order from all national UK veterinary wholesalers. 

References

1. Product Information Database (defra.gov.uk)
2. Silber HE, et al.(2010) Population pharmacokinetic analysis of blood and joint synovial fluid concentrations of robenacoxib from healthy dogs and dogs with osteoarthritis. Pharm Res 27:2633-2645. doi: 10.1007/s11095-010-0262z . 
3. Kongara K. , Chambers J.C. (2018) “Robenacoxib in the treatment of pain in cats and dogs: safety, efficacy and place in therapy.” Veterinary medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) vol. 9 53-61. 15 Aug.2018, doi:10.2147/VMRR.S170893
4. Lees, P., et al. (2022). Pharmacology, safety, efficacy and clinical uses of the COX-2 inhibitor robenacoxib. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 45, 325–351. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvp.13052
5. https://caninearthritis.co.uk/what-is-arthritis/arthritis-the-basics/
6. BEQ : Regulatory approved Biowaiver demonstrating bioequivalence to the reference (Registration procedure parallel to DCP procedure No. IE/V/0775/001-004/DC, GB Vm number: 01656/5031 (20 mg); PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ASSESSMENT REPORT FOR A VETERINARY MEDICINAL PRODUCT; https://www.hpra.ie/img/uploaded/swedocuments/Public_AR_VPA10774-075- 003_21082023130723.pdf

The RCVS has published an inspiring talk about the future of digital veterinary practice given by Dr Adam Little, DVM, President of Exponential Vet Inc., at this year's RCVS Open Day.

In his talk, 'Digital Veterinary Practice', Adam presents an exciting and compelling vision as to how technology will transform the profession and enable veterinary surgeons to offer better care to more patients. 

His talk begins with an interesting look at how technological change has gathered pace in recent years, before considering some of the emerging technologies that could be applied to veterinary practice.

In particular, he talked about the so-called 'Internet of things': the way more and more 'things' other than computers are connected to the Internet.

There are now about 9bn 'things' connected to the internet, by 2020 there are expected to be 50bn. Adam predicted that more and more of them are going to be worn by animals: to measure reproductive health in farm animals; to track performance in equines; and to monitor behaviour and activity in companion animals.

Adam discussed how there is already a smart litter box which measures an animal’s habits, an oral pill camera that can take 360 degree internal photos, 3D printed drugs and digitised microscopy. By uniting these technologies with increasingly accurate virtual reality technology, he said, long-distance examinations could become a real possibility.

In relation to the role of the RCVS, Adam explored how the profession could be proactive in engaging with these technologies, such as by: using regulation as a mechanism to attract 'disruptors' to work alongside the profession; identifying areas of retraining and creating targeted learning opportunities; fostering an entrepreneurial mindset; creating an early-adopter network of practices to foster initial collaboration; and framing industry challenges as targeted problems whose solutions can be crowd-sourced.

The RCVS has launched the Edward Jenner Veterinary Leadership Programme, a online leadership training course for all members of the practice team.

The programme, which was developed in collaboration with the NHS Leadership Academy, is designed to teach a number of skills that underpin good leadership, including decision-making, resilience, implementing an inclusive culture and encouraging reflective learning approaches. It comprises two free-to-access courses and an optional paid for assessment.

The College says that one of the programme's most popular aspects is its audio drama, which follows the lives of veterinary professionals living in the fictional county of Glenvern. The stories that depict the characters’ working lives seek to reveal the diverse leadership challenges that veterinary professionals face on a day-to-day basis. This in turn prompts the listener to reflect, consider how they would respond, and learn from their own experiences as well as those of other people.

The first course was piloted this summer, with over 550 veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, students and practice managers helping the College to develop and refine the material, whilst a group of learners are currently piloting the second course in the series.

Simon Patchett MRCVS, who works at Vets Now 24/7 Emergency and Specialty Hospital, Glasgow, said: "This course really highlighted leadership qualities that are often taken for granted. The course demonstrates that you do not need a status position in order to demonstrate effective leadership even though status positions are often where we look for leadership. I would recommend this course to both vets and nurses in clinical practice - it's a real eye opener, and as a result of doing the course perhaps we can see less age-restricted approach to leadership within the veterinary profession?"

Given the overwhelmingly positive feedback received on the first course the RCVS has now opened the programme to all veterinary professionals.

The programme is now accepting registrations for a new cohort of learners to begin the first of three courses on 26^th November.  A ‘sign-up’ email will be sent out to all veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses ahead of the course starting.

Director of Leadership and Innovation at the RCVS, Anthony Roberts, said: "I am very pleased to be able to announce the launch of this programme. I would urge anyone with an interest in developing their leadership skills, as well as those looking to refine their longstanding leadership skills, to take part. The feedback we have received on the first course in this programme [please see Notes to Editors] has shown us that this MOOC has a far-reaching application, and is both educational and enjoyable. Whether you are a vet, veterinary nurse, practice manager or student, this programme will be relevant and useful in your professional career."

For more information, visit: www.rcvs.org.uk/leadershipmooc or email: leadership@rcvs.org.uk

Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College have found that machine-learning algorithms have the potential to improve the diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome in dogs. 

Historically, diagnosis has been achieved with multiple blood tests. However, this process can be time-consuming, expensive and in some cases does not provide accurate results.

In an attempt to address these diagnostic challenges, the researchers, with funding from Dechra, assessed anonymised data from 939 dogs which had been tested for Cushing’s syndrome from the VetCompass population of 905,554 dogs and 886 veterinary practices across the UK¹.

Using structured clinical data to look at the dogs’ demographics, clinical signs at presentation and laboratory results, machine-learning algorithms were applied to predict a future diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome. Dogs suspected of having Cushing’s syndrome were included in the analysis and classified based on their final reported diagnosis within their clinical records.

The researchers say that the findings indicate that machine-learning aided diagnosis could predict the diagnosis of a practising veterinary surgeon and that using machine-learning methods in clinical practice could contribute to improved diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome in dogs.

Additionally, further development of these algorithms could lead to earlier, more reliable and cost-effective diagnoses and therefore, better clinical care for dogs with Cushing’s syndrome. This could also create opportunities for this technology to be applied to other clinical problems. 

Imogen Schofield, lead author and PhD student at the RVC, said: “Machine-learning algorithms, like those used in this study, are already widely integrated in our day-to-day lives to help make certain decisions, such as Google or Netflix recommendations. Now this technology can be harnessed to help improve diagnostics in veterinary practice.

"By embracing the use of machine-learning methods, we are a step closer to providing vets in primary-care practice with an easy to use, low cost and accurate test that can support the often frustrating process of diagnosing Cushing’s syndrome in dogs."

Greg Williams, Senior Business Manager at Dechra Ltd. and Industrial Supervisor of the PhD studentship, said: “By funding Imogen's PhD and working with the RVC we have been able to develop validated clinical scoring and quality-of-life assessments to help vets deliver effective control and management of Cushing's syndrome in dogs.

Reference

1. Schofield, I., Brodbelt, D.C., Kennedy, N. et al. Machine-learning based prediction of Cushing’s syndrome in dogs attending UK primary-care veterinary practice. Sci Rep 11, 9035 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88440-z 

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has reprimanded one veterinary surgeon and suspended another for four months, following a joint hearing regarding their professional conduct while they were in practice in Slough, Berkshire in August 2016.

The Disciplinary Committee considered a number of charges against Javier Salas Navarro MRCVS and Roman Kristin over 35 days.

The charges against Dr Navarro concerned his treatment of a kitten named Marnie. They included: 

• In August 2016, failing to read the anaesthesia consent form in relation to a surgical spay he performed;

• When Marnie was readmitted for surgery, failing to read the anaesthesia consent form, failing to undertake adequate assessment of Marnie’s condition; performing surgery without adequately considering her condition; subjecting Marnie to anaesthesia without recognising the seriousness of her illness; failing to obtain informed consent from the owners; administering medication which was contra-indicated; and failure to make an adequate record of his involvement in Marnie’s care.

The charges against Dr Kristin also related to his treatment of Marnie. They included:  

• In August 2016, failing to undertake an adequate assessment of her condition; failure to recognise and record the fact that Marnie could not pass urine; failure to refer or offer her for specialist treatment; and failure to ensure Marnie received care and treatment overnight. 

• When admitting Marnie for surgery, that he made a number of clinical mistakes including failure to gain informed consent; and failure to recognise the seriousness of her illness;

• that there were a number of failings in relation to Marnie’s care, including failure to arrange adequate overnight care, failure to monitor and record her condition, and failure to gain informed consent for the overnight care.

• that he failed to advise Marnie’s owners that he suspected her uterers had been ligated during the spay, failed to advise Marnie’s owners that she required specialist veterinary treatment; and advised that Marnie undergo further surgery at the practice in spite of this meaning her having to undergo further anaesthesia in a week and with poor chances of survival;

• that the above conduct was misleading and dishonest.

The Disciplinary Committee found a number of the facts in the charges against both Dr Navarro and Dr Kristin proven (the full details can be found in the documentation at www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary). 

The Committee found that Dr Navarro breached a number of aspects of the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons including: making animal health and welfare the first consideration when attending to animals; the provision of appropriate and adequate veterinary care; responsible prescription, supply and administration of medicines; communication with professional colleagues to ensure the health and welfare of the animal; being open and honest with clients and respecting their needs and requirements; effective communication with clients; keeping clear and accurate clinical records; and working with the veterinary team to coordinate the care of animals. 

Of the proven charges, the Committee found that his initial failure to read Marnie’s anaesthesia consent form on 5 August did not amount to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect, but that the repetition of this failure on 9 August did amount to disgraceful conduct. It also found that Dr Navarro’s failure to undertake adequate assessment and perform surgery without this assessment amounted to serious professional misconduct. Furthermore, the Committee found that subjecting Marnie to anaesthesia in spite of her being unwell, failure to obtain informed consent and failure to keep adequate records also amounted to serious professional misconduct. 

For Dr Kristin, in summary, the Committee found not proven the allegation that he had failed to respond on 5 August 2016 to concerns from Marnie’s owners about her condition while she was recovering from a surgical spay and also all the allegations relating to Dr Kristin’s admission of Marnie to the practice on 9 August on the basis that it was not satisfied so as to be sure that Dr Kristin had been the veterinary surgeon who admitted Marnie on that day. 

The Committee found proven the remaining charges and found he breached the following parts of the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons: making animal health and welfare the first consideration when attending to animals; keeping within area of competence and referring responsibly; providing appropriate and adequate veterinary care; responsible prescribing, supply and administration of medicines; communication with colleagues to ensure the health and welfare of the animal; being open and honest with clients and respecting their needs and requirements; communicating effectively with clients and obtaining informed consent; keeping clear and accurate clinical records; and working with the veterinary team to coordinate the care of animals.

Of the proven charges, the Committee determined that his failure to adequately assess Marnie’s health, to obtain a clinical history, to undertake blood tests and recognise that she was seriously ill, amounted to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect and led to “Marnie’s underlying condition going undetected and undoubtedly contributed to her eventual death two days later”. 

The Committee also found that Dr Kristin’s decision to hospitalise Marnie without adequate overnight care, place her on IV fluids without monitoring the treatment or her condition, and failure to obtain adequate informed consent – among other things – amounted disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

Stuart Drummond, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "As a direct result of Dr Kristin’s acts and omissions, Marnie was left alone overnight on fluids when those fluids had nowhere to go. Had he done his job properly he would have known that and Marnie could have avoided the prolonged suffering caused by the chosen course of treatment that did not address the underlying condition. Every element of Dr Kristin’s behaviour was catastrophic for Marnie, and yet he took no personal responsibility for her welfare and just went home.” 

Following its findings on disgraceful conduct in a professional respect, the Committee then went on to consider its sanction for both Dr Navarro and Dr Kristin.

In respect of Dr Navarro, the Committee considered the mitigating factors including previous good character, admissions to some of the facts of the case from the outset; genuine insight and remorse into the seriousness of the actions; his youth and inexperience; and relevant and good-quality testimonials from colleagues. The Committee noted that the testimonials were universally positive and demonstrated that Dr Navarro had reflected on his conduct, had become more mature and confident in his practice and made efforts to rectify the areas in which he had fallen below standards. 

Stuart Drummond said: “Although the consequences for Marnie and her owners were clearly devastating, the Committee considered that Dr Navarro’s part in her demise has to be seen in the context of all the evidence. In light of the extensive mitigation, including significant evidence of insight and remediation, the Committee was able to conclude that Dr Navarro did not represent a future risk to animals or the public. In such circumstances, the Committee considered that it was not necessary to restrict Dr Navarro’s registration and that a reprimand was the appropriate and proportionate sanction in his case.”

In relation to Dr Kristin, the Committee took into account positive character evidence from Mr Karel Daniel, a semi-retired veterinary surgeon and Vice-President of the Czech Republic Veterinary Chamber, a similar body to the RCVS in that country, as well as other testimonials on his behalf. In mitigation, the Committee considered Dr Kristin’s previously unblemished career, the fact that it was a single case involving a single animal; some development of insight into his conduct; no evidence of repetition; expressions of remorse; the impact of a family bereavement during the course of proceedings; and his financial position.

However, the Committee also took into account aggravating factors including a lack of candour from Dr Kristin when he was giving evidence, demonstrated by a tendency to blame others rather than take responsibility, as well as his recklessness in suggesting a third operation on Marnie that was not in her interests, rather than referring her into specialist care.

The final decision of the Committee on the sanction for Dr Kristin was that, given the seriousness of the misconduct, it was satisfied that this warranted a six-month suspension period. However, given the mitigating factors, the Committee decided that four months was appropriate and proportionate. 

Commenting on the sanction Stuart Drummond said: “The Committee determined that it was important a clear message be sent that this sort of behaviour is wholly inappropriate and not to be tolerated. It brings discredit upon the respondent and discredit upon the profession and, most importantly, caused harm to Marnie and great distress to her owners.

"The Committee did consider whether to remove Dr Kristin from the Register. However, in light of the mitigation in this case, the fact that this was a single case in an otherwise unblemished career, together with the unlikelihood he would repeat his disgraceful conduct, the Committee decided that, in all the circumstances, to remove him from the Register would be disproportionate.

"The Committee therefore decided to order that the Registrar suspend Dr Kristin’s registration…. The Committee was satisfied that a period of four months was appropriate and proportionate in all the circumstances."

The full facts and findings from the case can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary 

Bimeda has announced the launch of Tetroxy Vet injection (200mg/ml oxytetracycline), a POM-V indicated for the treatment and control of diseases caused by, or associated with, organisms sensitive to Oxytetracycline in cattle, sheep and pigs.

James Hutchings, Head of Sales for Bimeda UK, said: "The launch of Tetroxy Vet highlights our ongoing commitment to providing UK veterinarians with a choice of high quality veterinary pharmaceuticals at a fair price."

Bimeda says the benefits of Tetroxy Vet include:

• High syringe-ability: the product injects well event at cold temperatures.
• Flexibility: Tetroxy Vet is licensed for use in cattle, sheep and pigs and can be administered to lactating animals
• Fast-acting, yet long-acting: Tetroxy Vet provides rapid initial blood levels of oxytetracycline, followed by a long-acting effect.

Tetroxy Vet is available in a 100ml pack size.

Johnny Plessas, an RCVS and EBVS European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology, has been appointed Head of Neurology at Davies Veterinary Specialists.

A graduate of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece Johnny went on to spend three years working as a general practitioner in England before starting a rotating internship at Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge.

Following a residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Royal Veterinary College he was awarded the Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Neurology (ECVN) in 2014 and joined Davies in the same year.

Johnny has been Chairperson of the Education Committee of the ECVN College since 2018, has been the main author and co-author of numerous publications and regularly lectures in the UK and abroad.

Johnny said: “I am delighted to have been appointed to lead Davies’ neurology team to continue to build on the excellent reputation that we have established in neurology and neurosurgery over the past decade. Specialist and supportive care for neurological patients is paramount and we take pride in treating our patients as if they were our own pets.”

Dechra and VetSurgeon.org have joined forces to offer veterinary surgeons the peri-operative analgesia CPD event of the year, which also marks the launch of a new Anaesthesia Group on VetSurgeon.org.

The CPD event is in two parts. The first is a webinar on Tuesday 30th April at 7:30pm by Dr Jo Murrell DipECVAA (pictured right) entitled: Analgesia for ovariohysterectomy in dogs and cats and the role of Comfortan.

Jo will present the results of studies she has conducted to investigate which opioid provides optimum analgesia for the procedure in both dogs and cats. In one study, she compared the analgesic effect of peri-operative methadone with peri-operative buprenorphine in dogs. In the other, she compared the analgesic effects of methadone with buprenorphine in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy using the QUAD anaesthetic protocol.

You can register now for Dechra’s webinar, here.

The webinar will be followed by the opportunity to put follow-up questions to Jo in a special forum in the new Anaesthesia group on VetSurgeon.org, where she has become a VetSurgeon Contributing Expert.

The webinar entitles you to one hour of CPD, which you can supplement with any additional time spent discussing the issue with Jo in the forum, using the ‘Claim CPD’ button.

The event also marks the official launch of the new Small Animal Anaesthesia Group on VetSurgeon.org, and I would like to invite all members of VetSurgeon.org with an interest in anaesthesia to come and join the group here (press the ‘Join’ button on the left hand side; you may need to rotate your mobile phone to see it).

In addition, you may wish to subscribe to the digest which will alert you to any new anaesthesia discussions on a daily or weekly basis, as you prefer.

RCVS Knowledge has announced the launch of a CPD roadshow covering quality improvement (QI) for equine professionals and QI in the clinical management of hip dysplasia in dogs, starting in October.

The equine events will initially take place at Rossdales Equine Hospital in Suffolk on 22^nd October and at Ashbrook Veterinary Hospital in Cheshire on 5^th December.

The roadshow will see a range of speakers renowned in the fields of equine veterinary medicine and QI share practical examples of improving outcomes for equine patients. Interactive workshops, real-life scenarios and case studies will show how QI techniques can be applied in practice to help teams prevent and respond to errors.

Confirmed speakers include Professor Debra Archer, Head of Equine Surgery and Professor in Equine Surgery at the University of Liverpool, Dr Alice Bird, Senior Clinical Anaesthetist at the Animal Health Trust and Dr Rachel Dean, Director of Clinical Research and Excellence in Practice, VetPartners.

President Elect of BEVA, Tim Mair, said: "There are many challenges to being an equine vet and running a successful equine practice. Even in large practices and equine hospitals, there is a risk that we operate in our own little bubble and assume that what we are doing is best practice, whereas in reality we could often do a better job.

"Clinical governance and quality improvement are tools that allow us to critically appraise our day-to-day work and identify ways in which we can continuously improve what we do – to the benefit of our patients and clients, as well as to ourselves."

The canine hip dysplasia roadshow will begin on 9^th October in Gatwick, Surrey.

The event will review the condition prevalent in dogs, how best to investigate it and the available treatment options. Case examples will be used to show how the evidence can be evaluated, explain how to measure treatment outcomes and show how the use of checklists can help minimise potential errors.

It will be hosted by Mark Morton, RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Surgery (Orthopaedics). He said: "As vets we probably all undertake bits of QI on a day-to-day basis (whether we realise it or not!) but there is so much more we can do to embed it into our clinical work. Checklists, treatment guidelines and clinical auditing significantly improve our patient care and our outcomes.

"Whilst looking at hip dysplasia and the treatment options in detail, hopefully this roadshow will show how we can apply these ideas to improve our management of this condition as well as using them elsewhere.”

For the full programme of each event and to buy tickets, visit bit.ly/RCVSKnowledgeEvents.

Anyone interested in booking an RCVS Knowledge roadshow for their region can do so by contacting ebvm@rcvsknowledge.org.

The race to become the cuddliest, fluffiest, puppy-friendly political party got a little bit closer yesterday as Labour launched a 50 point draft policy document outlining its plans for action on animal welfare.

Titled 'Animal Welfare For The Many, Not The Few' (uh?), the policy proposes appointing an Animal Welfare Commissioner to ensure Government policy across Whitehall is informed by the latest scientific evidence on animal sentience.

The proposed policies in the document include a number of things the Conservatives have already been working on, such as:

• Prohibiting the third party sale of puppies. All puppies will need to be sold with their mother on site.

• Increasing maximum sentences for those convicted of animal cruelty.

• Introducing mandatory CCTV in all slaughterhouses.

• Enshrining the principle of animal sentience in law, covering all policy areas to prevent practices that expose animals to cruel and degrading treatment.

• Introducing a ban on ivory trading.

However, Labour propose a number of additional ideas which are now open for a public consultation, including:

• Improving accessibility to vets for those on low incomes/receiving financial support, working with organisations like the PDSA to explore how access to affordable vet care can be expanded.

• Banning the use of animal shock collars, including sale and importation.

• Expanding mandatory microchipping to cats.

• Consulting with landlords and tenants on the ability for tenants to keep pets as default unless there is evidence that the animal is causing a nuisance.

• Ending the badger cull.

• Strengthening the Hunting Act, closing loopholes that allow for illegal hunting of foxes and hares.

• Banning Foie Gras (which the Conservatives say is impossible under EU rules which Labour has said it wishes to continue following post-Brexit) 

• Mandatory labelling of domestic and imported meat, including country of origin, method of production and slaughter (stun or non-stun)

• Requiring motorists to report accidents where an animal has been injured.

• Banning wild animals in circuses.

Sue Hayman MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, said: "Labour is the party of animal welfare. From bringing in the ban on fox hunting to tightening the rules on the transport of live animals, Labour has always been consistent in our leadership on matters of animal welfare.

"Today we’re making proposals for real, long-term progress. Our vision is one where no animal is made to suffer unnecessary pain and we continue to drive up standards and practice in line with the most recent advances and understanding."

Conservative MP Steve Double said: "Labour are belatedly playing catch-up with the huge progress made by this Government on animal welfare.

However, Labour wouldn’t even be able to deliver some of these promises because they want to keep following EU rules after Brexit.

From introducing mandatory CCTV into slaughter houses to increasing the maximum sentence for animal cruelty ten-fold, the Conservatives will continue taking the action needed to ensure animals receive the proper protection they deserve."

Bristol Veterinary School is offering aspiring vets and nurses the opportunity to explore and experience life as a student and find out what it’s like to work in veterinary medicine at the Bristol Veterinary School on Saturday 27 October.

The one-day event, called VetQuest, will allow prospective students to spend the day being mentored by a current student whilst getting involved in interactive sessions, such as large animal skills, clinical skills and veterinary public health.

Participants will learn about the opportunities available to those interested in pursuing a veterinary career, have a tour of the school and attend talks on vet admissions and work experience.

Dr Louisa Slingsby, Teaching Fellow and Faculty Admissions and Recruitment Officer at the Bristol Vet School, said: "VetQuest allows those who are interested in a career in the veterinary professions to come along for a day to find out more about the roles of veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses.

"They will also have the opportunity to learn what to think about when choosing and applying for courses and how to give themselves the best possible chance to make an informed decision about if vet medicine is the career for them."

There will also be an optional session for parents and carers to help them navigate the challenges of applying to study to be a vet or vet nurse. The morning starts with a tour and then a talk and a Q&A session and finishes around lunchtime.

The cost of the one-day event is £50 and there are a limited number of subsidised places at £10. Lunch is included in the registration fee. To book visit https://www.bristol.ac.uk/vetscience/events/2018/vetquest-2018.html.

The event is primarily aimed at years 11 and 12, although anyone is welcome to attend.

For further information about VetQuest, email: svs-vetquest@bristol.ac.uk or tel: +44 (0)117 928 9280.