The RCVS and VN Councils have each agreed to raise registration and retention fees for the financial year 2011-12 by 2%. This means the annual retention fee for a home-practising veterinary surgeon will increase by £5, and the fee for a veterinary nurse, by £1.
To encourage members who cease to practise to request removal from the Register, rather than simply allow their membership to lapse, the fee for restoration following voluntary removal will be reduced by almost 50%, from £147 to £75.
All fees for the current financial year were, exceptionally, frozen to help mitigate the impact of the difficult economic climate on the veterinary profession. The increases agreed for 2011-12 are below current inflation figures, and in line with the RCVS financial policy of introducing small fee increases on an incremental basis in order to avoid sharp fee hikes resulting from inflationary pressures.
A list of the new fees can be found in the June edition of RCVS News, also available online at www.rcvs.org.uk/rcvsnews.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is warning veterinary surgeons to be on their guard after it came to light that a fraudster is charging a £150 'non-refundable application fee' for an RCVS 'internship' which does not exist. Apart from anything else, the RCVS does not offer internships.
Information about the fake internship has been sent to individuals registered with German website http://www.vetcontact.com/. It includes details about the Royal Veterinary College and the RCVS, but is basically fiction. It refers to a made up 'RCVS Hospital' in the 'Flint Hills of London'.
Gordon Hockey, RCVS Head of Professional Conduct said: "So far, only a handful of veterinary surgeons - all based overseas - have contacted us regarding the internship and queried the request for a non-refundable 'application' fee, although we are concerned that others may have been caught out.
"We would advise any veterinary surgeon to think twice before paying for a third party to facilitate an application for any placement or internship, and reiterate that the RCVS does not offer any such programmes."
The College is following up the situation with http://www.vetcontact.com/ and, if appropriate, will notify the police. In the meantime, anyone who is concerned that they may have fallen victim to the hoax should contact the RCVS Professional Conduct department on 020 7202 0728.
Graham Gardner has launched its summer collection of scrubwear in the form updated versions of its Urbane and Easiphit Collections, with new colour combinations added to the range.
The Urbane Collection, pictured right, is designed specifically for the female form. Easiephit is a contempary unisex collection.
Simon Ward, Sales Director said: "Scrubwear is becoming a firm favourite with veterinary staff in the UK. The relaxed comfort offered by scrubs is very attractive to staff, and the smart image of colour coded garments is very well received by managers seeking a unified department look. With the increased stocks and increased colour combinations, customers can now get their hands on the new uniforms more quickly than ever before!"
Other colour combinations are still available as special imports. Non-stocked colour requests will be directed to Grahame Gardner's USA Partners and the sales team will ensure that customers are kept updated as to delivery times.
Both Easiephitt and Urbane have also increased their stocked size range. Grahame Gardner now aim to hold sizes from extra, extra small to extra, extra large.
For further information on Urbane, Easiephitt or Grahame Gardner Ltd, please call 0116 255 6326, or visit http://www.grahamegardner.co.uk/.
Less than a quarter of veterinary students starting their degrees in 2009 were male (24%), according to figures released today in RCVS Facts.
This is up slightly from 23% last year, but down from just over 30% in 1999: ten years before that, the gender balance of new students was approximately 50:50. Meanwhile, 53% of UK-practising veterinary surgeons are female.
RCVS Facts is part two of the RCVS Annual Report, and presents a statistical picture of the veterinary and veterinary nursing professions. Other headline facts include a 21% increase in the number of practice premises registered with the College since 1 April 2009, bringing the total on the Register of Veterinary Practice Premises to 4,821; some 766 veterinary nurse students completing their training and becoming eligible to register (an increase of 28% compared with those eligible to register during the previous two-year period) and an increase of nearly 10% in the number of complaints received about veterinary surgeons, to 739.
Figures are also available for:
The reporting year is 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010, and part one of the RCVS Annual Report, RCVS Review, takes a more personal look at the activities of the College during the period, through the eyes of some of those involved. Topics include reviews of Extra-Mural Studies and the Practice Standards Scheme, the modular Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing producing the first diplomates, a focus on mental health and wellbeing, fund-raising for the RCVS Trust and the College's joint work with other authorities to bring justice in cases of fraudulent 'veterinary surgeons'.
Both publications are available online at: www.rcvs.org.uk/review and www.rcvs.org.uk/facts.
The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has refused an application for restoration to the RCVS Register from a Kent-based former veterinary surgeon struck off in 1994 for disregarding basic hygiene at his professional premises and failing to properly maintain a Controlled Drugs Register or patient records.
In June 1994, the Committee found that Mr Warwick John Seymour-Hamilton, at that time the only veterinary surgeon practising at premises at 9 Orchard Grove, Orpington, Kent, was guilty of disgraceful professional conduct and should have his name removed from the Register. The state and condition of the premises were found to be such as to risk the health and welfare of animals taken to the premises, and bring the profession into disrepute. An application made by Mr Seymour-Hamilton for restoration made in 1995 was refused.
At a restoration hearing on 18 June 2010, Mr Seymour-Hamilton told the Committee that he sought restoration to the Register because he wished to further his research work into plants with potential medicinal properties. Restoration, he said, would improve his professional status by giving him more credibility, particularly in terms of recognition by the medical and veterinary professions.
Mr Seymour-Hamilton said that he had no intention of returning to clinical practice immediately, and neither the Committee nor the College had heard of any adverse conduct by the applicant since his removal.
However, Caroline Freedman, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, noted that if Mr Seymour-Hamilton were to be restored, the Committee would have no power to prevent him from returning to general practice.
Mr Seymour-Hamilton's response to questioning by the Committee raised a number of concerns with respect to the future welfare of animals should restoration be granted. He told the Committee that he had not undertaken any relevant Continuing Professional Development in the past 15 years, and said he lacked knowledge of current relevant legislation, for example, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and basic 'Cascade' prescribing requirements. He also said that he had not read the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct in the past 15 years and that it would not be satisfactory for him immediately to return to general practice.
Ms Freedman said: "If the Committee were to reinstate the Applicant to the Register, it would have to be satisfied that he is competent and safe to practise immediately. The Committee has an obligation to protect the public and animal welfare and cannot simply accept his assurances that he would take steps to rectify his self-confessed shortcomings at some point in the future."
Having taken all the evidence presented into account, the Committee was not satisfied that Mr Seymour-Hamilton was fit to be restored to the Register and dismissed his application.
Janssen Animal Health has launched Domosedan Gel, an oromucosal gel for the sedation of horses.
Janssen says Domosedan Gel, which contains 7.6 mg/ml (40mcg/kg) detomidine, induces sedation and analgesia with the efficacy and recovery comparable to Domosedan injection. Domosedan Gel is administered under the horse's tongue, so it is rapidly absorbed.
The company also says Domesedan Gel can replace physical restraint and improve safety during treatments, diagnostics and transport, and that the gel is ideal for horses that are nervous or needle-shy and when owners need more control during clipping, shoeing, dental treatments and boxing.
Nicki Glen, marketing manager at Janssen Animal Health said: "Domosedan Gel is proven to be both effective and easy-to-administer with 98% of horses accepting the gel and owners finding it easy and convenient to use.
"The gel starts to be absorbed immediately and demonstrates a reliable sedatory effect and high safety margin, making it an ideal solution for sedation and restraint when performing non invasive procedures on horses."
For further information, please contact your Janssen Animal Health territory manager.
Boehringer Ingelheim has launched a cat-specific presentation of Metacam Injection combined with a new indication which permits the company's existing oral suspension (0.5mg/ml meloxicam) to be used for up to four follow-on days.
The company says this will give veterinary surgeons increased flexibility for managing feline post-operative pain, and that the new Metacam 2mg/ml Injection helps accurate dosing. Used at the recommended dose rate of 0.2mg/kg, the injection can be followed by Metacam 0.5mg/ml Oral Suspension to provide up to five days of analgesia following surgical procedures in cats. The licensed claims for Metacam 5mg/ml Injection for dogs and cats have not changed.
Boehringer added that Metacam is now the only brand which enables vets to offer their feline patients several days of post-operative analgesia, as well as being approved for long-term use for chronic musculoskeletal disease.
Claire Fowler, Boehringer Ingelheim's companion animal marketing manager, says that the new presentation and indication are significant developments in feline post-operative pain management: "Around half of all dogs undergoing surgery receive an injectable NSAID followed by a follow-on oral NSAID. In cats this figure is around 22%, yet there is no evidence to suggest that pain perception in cats should be any different to that of dogs".
Royal Canin has introduced Feline Satiety Support diet in 1.5kg and 3.5kg bags to complement the existing packs of 28 sachets.
Royal Canin veterinary support manager Lepha McCartan said: "As every vet and vet nurse knows, obesity is an ever-increasing problem in cats. We have found that once owners are used to the idea of portion control provided by the existing 28 sachet packs, they are happy to continue to help get their cat's weight down. Bigger packs offer more convenience and value for money for the customer, particularly those who have a few cats with weight issues."
Royal Canin says Feline Satiety Support helps cats feel fuller for longer, offering a greater food volume compared to standard diets. A satisfied cat is less inclined to beg for food, which in turn helps prevent owners giving in to demands from a complaining cat. According to the company, vets recommending Feline Satiety Support have found that the sachet packs help owners understand the correct amount of kibbles per meal, and once this has been established the larger packs offer owners greater choice.
Feline Satiety Support is available in packs of 28 x 20g sachets and 1.5 and 3.5kg bags from all veterinary wholesalers. For more information, contact your Veterinary Business Manager or visit http://www.royalcanin.co.uk/.
The British Veterinary Association has welcomed the European Parliament vote to improve the labelling of food, including new country of origin labelling and a requirement to label meat from animals slaughtered without stunning (according to certain religious traditions).
The BVA believes that all animals should be stunned before slaughter, for welfare reasons. However, as long as slaughter without stunning is permitted the BVA has argued for any meat from this source to be clearly labelled to enable all consumers to fully understand the choice they are making when buying such products.
Meat from slaughter without stunning currently enters the mainstream food chain without being labelled as such, leaving consumers unaware.
The European Parliament also voted to extend country of origin labelling to all meat, poultry, dairy products and other single-ingredient products as well as all meat, poultry and fish when used as an ingredient in processed food. Importantly, meat labels should indicate where the animal was born, reared and slaughtered.
The UK enjoys some of the highest animal welfare standards in the production of food and the improved country of origin labelling will allow consumers to make a more informed choice.
The BVA is calling for one clear EU welfare label that takes into account the welfare of animals use in food production from birth to slaughter, including the production system, transport and method of slaughter.
Professor Bill Reilly, President of the BVA, said: "This is a huge step forward in improving the welfare of animals at slaughter. The more consumers understand these issues, the more consumer power can make a difference.
"The BVA has argued for some time for meat from animals slaughtered without the more-humane method of stunning should be labelled as such and we are delighted that the European Parliament supports this view.
"However, there are many issues associated with the welfare of animals in food production and the BVA would like to see the development of a clear welfare label that consumers recognise as a mark of higher animal welfare.
"Currently there are too many different labels that mean different things, which can be confusing for shoppers. One higher welfare label would go a long way to improving consumer choice and animal welfare."
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has released diagnostic data which the company says indicates that calf scour problems caused by cryptosporidia are on the increase.
A summary of 2010 results from the company's ScourCheck scheme, which identifies infectious scour pathogens in calf faeces, show the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum being present in 37% of samples.
Intervet/Schering-Plough ruminant veterinary adviser Drew McGurren said: "Ever since we started testing calf faecal samples in the 1990s, rotavirus and cryptosporidia have always been identified as the two main pathogens implicated in infectious scour problems. But the latest data - and feedback from vets in practice - suggest cryptosporidia incidence is on an upward trend.
"Ten years ago our top line reporting used to refer to rotavirus being implicated in around a third of all infectious calf scour problems and cryptosporidia in roughly a quarter. But in 2009, we detected cryptosporidia in 30% of samples. And this year - from the 250 plus faecal samples we have looked at so far - the incidence seems to be even higher."
Drew stressed that scours caused by cryptosporidia are not always confined to housed calves: "Suckler calves between one and two weeks of age can be very susceptible to infection at grass, particularly if conditions underfoot are muddy around ring feeders. Early May has seen quite a lot of rain, and the parasite thrives in damp conditions."
The major source of cryptosporidia is thought to be either adult cows (which act as carriers without showing signs of disease) or infected scouring calves passing the parasite in their faeces. Drew said: "The infectious dose of the organism is very low and if ring feeders are not moved regularly the disease threat that builds up can be very similar to the housed situation. Faecal contamination of feed and water troughs can also be reduced by raising and covering them.
"Cryptosporidiosis in calves is often seen in combination with other diseases, particularly rotavirus. So vaccinating cows against rotavirus with Rotavec-Corona one to three months pre-calving - as well as a sound colostrum feeding regime and maintaining high hygiene standards - can often tip the balance in your favour."
Intervet Schering-Plough says that if cryptosporidia is diagnosed as the problem, parasite replication and excretion can be reduced with Halocur. This is the only product licensed to treat and prevent cryptosporidiosis. Administered orally to calves after feeding (daily for seven days), it can reduce the severity of diarrhoea and prevent the infection spreading to other calves. Treated calves have also been shown to require fewer antibiotic and anti-inflammatory treatments, as well as less rehydration therapy.
The removal of names from the RCVS Register of Veterinary Surgeons for non-payment of retention fees is now complete, with 386 veterinary surgeons having been removed, compared with 616 last year.
The RCVS says that the administration involved with removing a name for non-payment is time-consuming and costly. Hence, to be restored to the Register, the veterinary surgeon must pay the appropriate annual retention fee, and the restoration fee, currently £294, which multiplies each time if fees are not paid in successive years.
The College writes to members' Register addresses to remind them when fees are due and, where an email address is maintained by the member as part of their formal record, also sends an email. It is, however, the responsibility of members to inform the RCVS Registration Department of any changes to their contact details and to ensure that payment is made. It is illegal for veterinary surgeons to practise or undertake any veterinary-related activities if their name does not appear on the RCVS Register as a home-practising member.
To help ensure that members removed for non-payment are aware that they have been removed from the Register, the full list of those removed for non-payment and not restored by 10 June can be downloaded from RCVSonline. The current status of individual veterinary surgeons can be checked online (www.rcvs.org.uk/checkregister).
A veterinary surgeon whose name has been removed from the Register and who wishes to restore him or herself should view the information on restoration to the Register.
Alternatively, please ring the RCVS Registration Department on 020 7202 0707. Restorations made since 10 June are not shown on this list.
Virbac has announced a special promotion in which practices can earn a specialist ear instrument kit worth £100
The kit, which has been designed by Virbac vets in consultation with a number of veterinary dermatologists, is available with multiple purchases of the otitis treatment EasOtic, and the neutral pH glycotechnology ear cleaner Epi-Otic.
Product manager Chris Geddes MRCVS said: "Each kit contains a haemostat, ear forceps, 3 various cerumen scoops and a Spreulls ear-flushing needle. Basically it's the best ear equipment for daily use by practitioners. For a limited period we are giving away one set FOC with every purchase of 25 bottles of EasOtic and 25 bottles of Epi-Otic."
Chris added: "When it comes to treatment of otitis, we know that client compliance is a key issue. The award-winning design of EasOtic makes it an extremely easy product to use. The 'one pump' delivery system helps deliver more accurate dosing and minimises animal stress during application. This means that treatment courses are more likely to be completed, thus optimising results and client satisfaction all round."
For further information, please contact your local Virbac territory manager or call Virbac on 01359 243243.
A poll carried out by The Children's Mutual has found that becoming a veterinary surgeon is one of the most popular career ambitions for 5-7 year olds, second only to becoming a teacher.
The Children's Mutual questioned over a thousand parents about what their children said they wanted to be when they grew up and found that the majority of today's children are looking for a career which requires further training and education. The top careers of doctor, teacher and vet have featured in the 'What I Want To Be' poll for the last three years, demonstrating that children consistently aspire to careers that will need higher education.
However, if you want your children to follow in your footsteps as a vet, you might like to start setting something aside now. According to The Children's mutual, it currently costs £74,700 to train to become a doctor and £75,100 to become a vet but these are set to increase by around £41,000 based on current projection levels over the next 18 years.
The top 10 career ambitions in 2010 (2009 in brackets) were:
Tony Anderson, Marketing Director of The Children's Mutual, said: "The children questioned for our research are lucky enough to have a Child Trust Fund account and with half of accounts opened with us receiving additional savings on a monthly basis, we hope these children face brighter financial futures. The question going forward is how parents will fill the savings black hole for children born from January 2011 if the Child Trust Fund is scrapped."
An Oxford woman has launched Veterinary Thermal Imaging Ltd, a company which claims to be the first in the UK to use thermal imaging to help identify and monitor injury and illness in domestic pets.
Helen Morrell, 34, uses an FLIR infrared camera to detect physiological changes in animals. She says the technique is traditionally only used in top competition and racing stables, and can highlight health problems, including tendon, joint and nerve damage, which would otherwise be undetectable without invasive and expensive procedures such as x-rays and MRI scans.
Helen said: "I became interested in thermal imaging after being made redundant from my job in financial services. I'd studied Animal Science at Newcastle University when I was younger and I viewed the redundancy as the perfect opportunity to return to the industry.
"I realised that there were only a few people in the country who offer thermal imaging, and then only to horses. It's a really emerging technique that has huge potential and is already widely used in the US across all animals, including domestic, livestock, zoo and wildlife. It seemed that there was a huge gap in the market in this country."
Helen contacted leading experts in the US and became the first British woman to be accepted onto the thermal imaging course at Florida University. She said: "I knew I wanted to use the technique on domestic pets and the experts in the field were all in America. It made sense to me to get the training there and make sure I was at the top of my game."
Helen says she is currently working with a three-year-old terrier called Jack who is suffering from muscular atrophy caused by a locking patella. Although the thermal imaging didn't diagnose the problem, she says it is allowing the monitoring of his treatment and providing an objective assessment of the muscles affected by the injury.
Changes to the registration procedure for veterinary surgeons, which are being put forward for approval by the Privy Council, have caused some concern in the profession.
Most contentious is the new requirement for veterinary surgeons to confirm their contact details annually, or face removal from the register.
Judging from the remarks in the VetSurgeon forums, many in the profession see this as just another example of bureaucratic-big-brother-pen-pushing-time-wasting (a perception that probably hasn't been helped by the RCVS stating that the change is driven by the need to meet EU Directive 2006/123/EC). Nor would Lynne Hill's remarks have done anything to calm the situation. She said: "If that [the requirement for vets to confirm their address once a year] is beyond the wit and the capability of supposed professional people that we expect to follow a guide to professional conduct, to act as professionals in everything that they do, then I really despair of this profession.
"I do not see anything wrong with the College asking people to confirm their address year in, year out when they make a payment. And if those people cannot be responsible for doing that then they deserve to go forward to be taken off the Register because, if they can't do that, God only knows what else they may well be doing in their professional lives!"
At face value, it's completely understandable why the new regulation was bound to get members' backs up. I mean, the threat of losing your license to practise because you didn't confirm something which hasn't changed anyway. It's a bit extreme isn't it?
The truth of the matter is probably a little more prosaic:
At present, many members pay registration fees by standing order, and may never have updated their contact details. You could argue that it is only right that the authority changed with regulating veterinary surgeons knows how to get hold of them. If a consequence of this is also that the RCVS is able to work more efficiently and cost-effectively (apart from anything else, it shouldn't have to spend so much time tracking down and chasing non-payers), then so much the better.
Fitzpatrick Referrals has carried out a world-first procedure in which an American Bulldog was fitted with a prosthetic hip and femur with a special in-growth attachment which effectively re-attaches the tendons and muscles to the artificial limb.
The procedure took place after 8 year old Roly was diagnosed with cancer in his rear hind leg earlier this year. It involved a highly complex two-hour operation, during which Dr Noel Fitzpatrick, a neuro-orthopaedic veterinary surgeon, replaced the cancerous femur bone and hip joint with a specially constructed artificial prosthesis, while re-attaching the musculature and realigning the relative position of the joint to restore perfect movement to the dog.
The prosthesis was designed through a collaboration between Professor Gordon Blunn, Head of the Centre for Bio-Medical Engineering at UCL's Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science; veterinary surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick and Jay Meswania from specialist implant manufacturer OrthoFitz.
Professor Blunn said: "What is significant about the design is the way in which it sandwiches tissue and metal together overlaying the gluteal muscles onto the top of the endoprosthetic femur - alternating tendon, synthetic Dacron mesh, tendon, synthetic Dacron mesh, tendon and finally trabecular metal - which has a honeycomb surface resembling a series of small chambers. In this way, the hope is that the Sharpeys fibres which attach tendons of muscles to the bone will grow into the trabecular metal surface and permanently adhere to it."
"This truly remarkable achievement was made possible through the convergence of biomechanics, biology and surgical innovation," said Noel Fitzpatrick. "We tapped into the evidence provided by the CT and MRI scanners we have in place at the practice, so that the data collected about Roly during clinical diagnosis was used to design and construct an artificial femur which exactly mirrored his original limb. It has been constructed rather like a telescope - one section fitting inside the adjoining section, so that we get maximum flexibility and traction during motion."
Noel added: "Hip replacement is common here. We do more than 50 a year, on animals as small as a cat or a Chihuahua. But this hip replacement was special, and to my knowledge, the first of its kind in the world. It's important though to emphasise that this technology must only be employed when it is in the best interests of the individual patient. It's not enough to be able to do something; it must be done for the right reason in every case without exception. It must be ethically right. It's also important to emphasise that Roly will probably not live for a normal lifetime because bone cancer generally spreads to the lungs over time in spite of chemotherapy. However, this technology is equally applicable for dogs and cats affected by trauma who will likely live longer. My job is to look after my patients as best I can and to be honest with their guardians and give them options. What I do is provide pain free functional quality of life for as long as my patient is alive. That's important and that's special, but the decision must remain with each and every individual animal owner".
According to the team, this development also has potentialy life-changing implications for human patients such as motorcycle accident victims, where a key challenge to recovery may be successfully re-attaching the kneecap tendon onto the top of the tibia in the lower leg, and injured sports players with ruptured repairing ruptured tendons.
Click here to view the x-rays of this case in the VetSurgeon Gallery.
Burgess Pet Care is investing a six figure sum in its first ever television advertising campaign to promote Supadog and Excel.
Running in tranches across targeted satellite and terrestrial channels up until August 2010, the adverts aim to drive trial and purchase of the products by offering samples through SMS or www.supatasty.co.uk and www.fibrevores.co.uk websites.
Justin Heaton, Head of Marketing, Burgess Pet Care, said: "Burgess Supadog and Excel have seen huge growth this year despite the economic climate for consumers. Pet owners still want to feed their animals quality food but without the expensive price tag. Aligned with our 'Forever Promise', Burgess is committed to making great food that's good for pet's health, is deliciously tasty but at an affordable price. The TV adverts have been a fantastic way to deliver this message and we are extremely pleased with the results they are generating."
The advertising activity is supported by PR, in store POS and a £5,000 golden ticket prize promotion during July and August.
For further information on Supadog and The Excel Feeding Plan visit www.burgesspetcare.co.uk
Merial Territory Managers have taken the first three places at the British Excellence in Sales & Marketing Awards, beating off competition from over 100 other entries, including those from household names such as Virgin, npower and DHL.
Merial's Andi Collins was named Sales Professional of the Year (companies over 50 employees), while her colleagues Emma McAnally and Stephen Booth came second and third respectively. In the eyes of the judges it was their ability to listen, ask questions and then develop insightful business proposals that set them apart.
Merial National Sales Training Manager, Tony Jones said: "At Merial we believe our responsive, well-trained Territory Managers are a great resource for vets. A resource that we are only too happy to see practices use to the fullest extent. We expect our people to do their utmost to find out what a practice's needs really are and then work to deliver the requirements."
The judges recognised the quality of the Merial candidates and their training and also the value this brings to veterinary customers. Andi's commendation said: "Her questioning was very strong, undertaking a fact-find in a relaxed manner which gained empathy and importantly she did not try and propose a solution until she had completed her questioning, to gain a full background of the situation in hand."
Nigel Slater, Head of Companion Animal Sales at Merial said: "I am delighted for Andi, Emma and Stephen. These awards are also a huge endorsement of the training investment we make here at Merial. An investment that independent surveys show is highly regarded by successful veterinary practices."
US veterinary equipment manufacturer Midmark is holding a draw for a Matrx VMS anaesthesia machine, open to all UK veterinary practices.
Click this link, enter your details, and the winner will be announced on 7th July 2010.
The Royal Veterinary College and The Donkey Sanctuary have launched WikiDonkey, a new information resource about donkeys for veterinary surgeons, nurses and students.
According to The Donkey Sanctuary, WikiDonkey is the first site of its kind and will provide the most comprehensive source of accurate, research-led, practical and regularly-reviewed donkey veterinary information on the web.
WikiDonkey covers all the common conditions of donkeys and identifies the major differences between the management and treatment of donkeys and horses. The site also provides a set of normal physiological, biochemical and haematological parameters, resources that have not always been easily accessible but will undoubtedly prove essential for those treating donkeys.
The Donkey Sanctuary's veterinary project and development manager, Faith Burden said: "When we were approached by WikiVet to sponsor and provide content for their donkey section we were happy to support the initiative as it offers an excellent medium for us to share our expertise with others. We are pleased that these pages will allow veterinary professionals access to the most up-to-date information on donkey specific ailments and treatments."
Nick Short, head of the eMedia unit at the RVC said: "I believe that this unique resource will become an invaluable reference source for vets not only in the UK but all over the world. It will also help ensure that future generations of veterinary students will have access to a reliable and extensive knowledgebase on donkey health and welfare."
To view the Donkey Sanctuary's WikiVet pages, visit http://www.wikivet.net/ or to find out more about the work of The Donkey Sanctuary visit http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/
The Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) has launched a distance learning course aimed at veterinary professionals working with individuals and families facing pet bereavement.
Officially accredited by the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), the course considers many forms of bereavement including the loss of a pet through illness, disease, ageing, accidental trauma or enforced separation due to changes in the owner's personal circumstances.
SCAS says the 'Pet Loss Support in Veterinary Practice' course has been co-written by leading international experts in pet loss support and aims to provide the specialist knowledge and skills required by the entire veterinary practice team. It offers up-to-date, in-depth information on many aspects of pet loss, including euthanasia; specific guidelines for children and older people; after death body-care and effective communication skills. The course provides practical guidelines and tips on how to introduce pet loss support protocols into practice management and also looks at self-care for staff, offering useful suggestions on how to recognise and minimise possible signs of stress and burnout.
Elizabeth Ormerod BVMS MRCVS, Chairman of SCAS said: "We should not underestimate the potential effects of grief on people's mental health and well-being and as vets we need to recognise the impact of pet loss on our clients and support them more fully than we currently do. Failure to fully understand and support the human-companion animal bond also has an adverse impact on animal welfare, and a negative effect on the success of a veterinary practice. Fifteen percent of clients who are not supported following pet loss choose never to adopt another companion animal. Of those who do adopt again, there is generally an extended interval before adoption and the likelihood of registering the new pet at a different veterinary practice."
The 'Pet Loss Support in Veterinary Practice' course is delivered through a distance learning programme, and students can register at any point during the year. The course, which includes all materials (a workbook and CD), is currently available at the special introductory offer of £375. SCAS members and members of BVNA receive a discounted rate of £325. Upon successful completion, students will be awarded 45 hours of CPD learning. For more information contact SCAS on 01993 825539 or email pbsstraining@bluecross.org.uk
The RCVS Trust has announced 34 grants totalling approximately £165,000, being made to veterinary surgeons, universities and higher education (HE) establishments, to fund high-quality research projects in the UK and overseas, and support veterinary education.
Harper Adams University College and Myerscough College will be the first veterinary nursing colleges to receive funding under the Spencer-Hill equipment grants programme; this was the first time that RCVS-approved HE veterinary nurse training providers were able to apply for this funding. Harper Adams will receive £2,350 to purchase a Humphrey ADE-circle system, and Myerscough, £1,395 for an 'Emily' canine positioning mannequin.
Severine Tasker MRCVS, from the University of Bristol, and Janet Patterson-Kane MRCVS, from the University of Glasgow each received Blue Sky Awards of £17,000. Severine will conduct research into constructing defined feline coronavirus strains for determination of the role of virus genetics in the development of feline infectious peritonitis. Janet Patterson-Kane's research will investigate whether a new therapy for treating wounds in humans can be translated for use in horses.
Janet said: "Limb wounds in horses are very common and are notorious for developing masses of exuberant scar tissue - proud flesh - and not healing properly. This can necessitate multiple operations. The findings of current research at University College London by our collaborator, Professor David Becker, suggest that in human patients a protein, connexin 43, is not downregulated at the edges of wounds that are difficult to heal. Use of therapy to reduce connexin 43 expression in human skin wounds in which healing has stalled has been remarkably successful in achieving wound closure. The aim of our research is to determine if connexin 43 plays a similar key role as a 'master switch' for wound healing in horses. I am extremely grateful to the RCVS Trust for their support."
Six veterinary undergraduates will also receive EMS vacation research scholarships of £700 each, which can be used to fund expenses relating to a research project undertaken in the UK or overseas as part of a UK veterinary school's extra-mural studies requirement.
Full details of the RCVS Trust grant awards may be found at www.rcvstrust.org.uk/awards
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has published the results of the distribution category review, which has recommended the re-classification of 50 products from POM-V or POM-VPS to a less restrictive distribution category.
Not all the products recommended for reclassification will be reclassified, as in some cases, the Marketing Authorisation Holder (MAH) has declined.
MAH will change the distribution category from POM-V to NFA-VPS:Advantage Spot-on Solution for dogs, cats, small cats, small dogs and pet rabbitsDuowinScalibor Protectorband for dogsTop Drop Spot-on Solution for dogs
MAH will change the distribution category from POM-V to POM-VPS:Alpha Ject 2-2Aquavac FNM Plus VaccineAquavac FurovacFurogen 2LactovacLeptavoid HNobilis CAV P4ParacoxParacox 5 oral suspensionRotavec CoronaSpirovacSuvaxyn Ery
MAH will change the distribution category from POM-VPS to AVM-GSL:Coprite
MAH will change the distribution category from POM-V to AVM-GSL:Rearguard
MAH has decided not to change the distribution category from POM-V to NFA-VPSAdvantix Spot-on Solution for dogsFleegard for dogs / cats Frontline Combo spot on for cat and dogFrontline SprayTop Drop
Those Marketing Authorisation Holders that have indicated they are content with the recommendations are required to submit a variation to change the distribution category for the products involved by 30th June 2010, and the variations will come into force at the next label reprint.
For the full report, and a complete list of the affected products, please visit the VMD website here.
For practices planning to take part in National Microchipping Month, Virbac is providing a personalised poster design service and chip promotion throughout June.
According to product manager Gillian Brown, the idea is to offer additional tailored support to practices during the promotional period: "Obviously many practices will have National Microchipping Month materials in place, but the price each practice offers their clients is individual to them. These posters provide a visual platform to highlight the promotion.
"To take advantage of the scheme, practices just need to notify their territory manager of the price they propose to charge and we will then manage the design and print."
Virbac will also be offering a promotional chip price in June to support National Microchipping Month. Gillian said: "Microchipping is now the official means of pet identification approved by the EU Pet Passport Scheme. This will help practices provide an attractive promotion to pet owners and hopefully encourage greater up-take of microchipping."
Any practice interested in the initiative should contact their local Virbac territory manager or call Virbac on 01379 243243.
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has announced that it is re-introducing Equilis StrepE, the only strangles vaccine for horses in Europe. The vaccine was voluntarily withdrawn from the market in 2007 for stability reasons.
Equilis StrepE, which has already been relaunched in the Netherlands, is now scheduled to arrive in Italy in September and the United Kingdom in October this year. Further re-launches in European countries are scheduled later in 2010 and beyond.
According to Intervet/Schering-Plough, three years of additional research and development have resulted in several improvements to the vaccine, including a better manufacturing process to ensure that the product maintains its characteristics throughout its shelf-life. A more user-friendly applicator has been developed, which enables the needle to slot into place, thereby making it easier to administer the vaccine.
Equilis StrepE is administered through a submucosal injection in the upper lip of the horse and provides immunity for three months following two initial injections, four weeks apart. The vaccine significantly reduces clinical signs of strangles and occurrence of lymph node abscesses in horses that are at risk of infection.
Dr. Peter Daels, veterinarian at the Keros Insemination and Embryo Transfer Center in Beselare (Belgium) said: "In our recipient embryo transfer herd, we have used this strangles vaccine on over 500 mares. After a few applications, the vaccine was easy to administer and did not cause any serious side effects. Despite a steady flow of new horses, only eight cases of strangles were noted - all were mild and most were newly acquired horses that had apparently been exposed shortly before vaccination. I believe that the vaccine provided solid protection against the disease, reduced the severity of clinical cases and eliminated the risk of a widespread outbreak in our herd."
Dr. Roberto Ragni-Alunni, Global Technical Manager Equine at Intervet/Schering Plough Animal Health said: "The re-launch of Equilis StrepE in Europe is an important milestone in our efforts to fully meet the needs of our customers in the equine industry. We continue to work in a very intense and comprehensive way to ensure adequate supply of our equine vaccine range".