The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has produced bookmarks for accredited practices to give clients, which explain the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme (PSS).
Lizzie Lockett, Head of the RCVS Communications Department said: "A key part of the PSS is helping practices explain their accreditation to clients - and the bookmarks are a simple and eye-catching promotional tool for this. We hope they will have the advantage over conventional leaflets of being kept, and used, by clients, meaning the accredited-practice message is more likely to be taken on board. Although many people are using e-books these days, the traditional book - and bookmark - still has a place."
All accredited practices may order a free sample of 100 bookmarks, and a further 400 free bookmarks are available to practices recently renewing or receiving accreditation. More bookmarks may also be ordered from the RCVS, as well as the new accredited-practice logos. To find out more, or download an order form, practices can visit www.rcvs.org.uk/PSSpromo.
Intervet/Schering-Plough has launched Vectin chewable tablets, an ivermectin wormer for horses which is administered as a treat straight from the hand rather than in the traditional paste or granule formulation.
According to the company, syringe handling, horse acceptance and the tendency to spit out some or all of the paste are common problems reported by owners when worming their horses, and more than 55% admit that these issues can result in a mixture of emotions, including frustration, anxiety and upset.
Field studies with Vectin showed more than 70% spontaneous acceptance by horses and the simple calculation of one tablet for every 110kg of a horse or foal's bodyweight helps to reduce wastage as unused tablets can be stored away for future use.
Pharmacokinetics studies have demonstrated improved bioavailability (AUC) and maximal concentration (Cmax) when compared with an equivalent competitor ivermectin paste formulation. Trials have also shown that a more consistent blood concentration of ivermectin when given as a chew which could potentially limit the chance of inducing resistance.
Intervet/Schering Plough says that used as part of a strategic worming plan, Vectin chewable tablets control potentially a wide range of endoparasites including small and large strongyles, stomach worms, cutaneous worms and stomach bots.
Vectin chewable tablets are available as a seven-tablet blister pack, perfect for treating a horse or a couple of ponies. For yards, a tub of 60 tablets is available, containing enough to dispense product for worming approximately 12 horses.
Vectin chewable tablets are recommended for use alongside Pyratape P and Panacur in Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health's Active3 worming plan, a strategic three-year approach to rotating wormers in order to minimize the risk of resistance developing. Visit http://www.intervet.co.uk/ for a copy of the three-year plan.
Veterinary nurse Kelly Lane, a second year nurse at Woodward Veterinary Surgery in Ashby-de-La-Zouch, Leicestershire has won a £1500 Multipurpose Rigid Telescope Kit for her practice in a MediChem International competition.
She also received £75 of M&S Vouchers and a bouquet of flowers for herself.
Correctly completing a competition at the company's stand at the BSAVA Congress, Ms Lane recently received her prize from Bernadette Haley of MediChem International and Cheryl Steer, managing director of Veterinary Endoscopy Services.
Ms Lane said: "It's an amazing piece of kit to win and I am thrilled to be adding to the services already offered by my practice."
Practice owner, David Woodward added "Everyone in the practice is delighted to receive this prize. It's a piece of equipment that has been on our wish list for some time."
The latest solution to the perennial problem of cat mess has arrived in the UK; CatGenie is the world's first self-flushing, self-washing cat loo.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here it is...
According to CatGenie UK, the loo eliminates the need for pet owners to touch, smell or change dirty cat litter again, or carry heavy bags of cat litter home from the supermarket.
Once hooked up to a water connection and plugged into an electrical socket, CatGenie is ready to use. Instead of litter, it uses washable granules that look and feel like litter. Liquid waste drains and solids get scooped. All get liquefied for disposal down the drain, out of the home. The washable granules and cat box interior are then washed with water and SaniSolution. A built in dryer blows hot air through the granules to dry them completely for the cat's comfort. Sensors monitor when a cat visits the box and the CatGenie can be set to clean automatically at intervals throughout the day, or manually whenever required.
CatGenie costs £289.99 including VAT and shipping. The company says that annual running costs are lower than traditional cat litter methods which cost approximately £155/year, with more than 30 hours a year spent on buying and carrying litter, changing and disposing of dirty litter. CatGenie's on-going costs are less than £100.
CatGenie is offering vets the opportunity to take advantage of this product launch in the UK. By displaying CatGenie leaflets in your practice, you can earn £10 for every unit sold. There's no financial outlay and no need to store bulky items. Your leaflets will include a promotional code, unique to your practice. If one of your clients buys a CatGenie online and types in the code from one of your leaflets, you automatically receive £10 and they receive a £10 discount off the purchase price.
For further information on how to sign up to the promotional offer and for leaflets to display in your practice, please email courtney.morgan@catgenie.co.uk
Police have advised veterinary practices to be on their guard following a spate of break-ins in the South East, linked to the theft of controlled drugs.
PC Steve Doswell, Controlled Drugs Liaison Officer in the East Sussex police area said: "Criminal elements in the South East are targeting practices in Surrey, Hampshire and East Sussex. They may well have targeted, or will target, other practices in all of the neighbouring counties".
"Methadone, Ketamine, Alprazolam and Diazepam are all commonly-abused by drug users, and nationally there have been a lot of problems with users buying street heroin that has been cut with Alprazolam," he added.
PC Doswell offered the following advice to practices:
More detailed information about the correct storage of controlled drugs can be found in the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme Manual: www.rcvs.org.uk/practicestandards
The RCVS Trust is offering vets, veterinary nurses and their friends chance to win a stylish small car - and support this small charity - for a mere £2.00.
On offer in this better-than-the-average raffle is a Fiat 500, the 2008 European Car of the Year winner - and described by Jeremy Clarkson as "practical without being boring".
You can buy tickets online at http://www.everyclick.com/rcvstrust until 21 August, or ask Sarah Briggs at the Trust (020 7202 0743 or s.briggs@rcvstrust.org.uk) for a book to sell to colleagues, friends and family.
Tickets will then be entered into the Small Charity Car Draw, organised by the Foundation for Social Improvement, with the Trust receiving over 95% of the ticket price. The draw will take place on 1 October 2009.
Three veterinary nurses have won £50 worth of M&S shopping vouchers and a free bottle of shampoo from Virbac Animal Health, after entering the company's Soggy Moggie And Doggie photo competition held on VetNurse.co.uk from May to July. Members of the site were invited to submit a captioned photo of their soggy moggy or doggy and state which of Virbac's Dermatology Range they felt would be most suitable for their pet. The winners were: Nicola Hopkins from Vets Now and Jennifer Venni from Sunnyside Vet Clinic, who both asked for a bottle of Sebocalm, and Jo Page from Summer Lane Vets, who gets a bottle of Allermyl along with her £50 voucher. Rachel Crowe, Product Manager at Virbac said: "The standard of entries was very high, so we decided to pick a further five winners and give them all a big box of chocolates too."
New research amongst veterinary professionals conducted by CEVA Animal Health, manufacturer of D.A.P.® and Feliway®, has revealed that pet owners may be unintentionally fuelling their pets' noise phobias in the run up to the fireworks' season.
According to CEVA's research, up to 95% react inappropriately, for example petting an anxious pet during firework exposure rather than making an effort to ignore the fireworks, thereby reassuring the animal by behaving normally.
The research also suggested that 77% of clients have never taken action to address their pets' noise phobias as fireworks' season is only an annual occurrence. This is despite evidence that noise phobias can affect pets all year round and tend to become worse over time.
In addition, if owners do seek advice from their vet for noise phobias, it is at the last minute. It is estimated that 46% of clients leave it until the day before the fireworks are due to start before seeking help.
Lucy Brett, product manager at CEVA Animal Health said: "Owners are not doing enough to reduce their pets' firework fears and prevent noise phobias from developing.
"Taking early, proactive action within the practice is the best way to help dogs with pre-existing firework phobias as well as those with mild fears which, if left untreated, may develop into more serious noise phobias."
CEVA Animal Health and Sound Therapy 4 Pets have once again joined forces with the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC), Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB) and PDSA to launch a 'Remember, remember your pets this November' campaign to provide owners with advice on how to look after their pets during the firework season and the precautions they should take to help them cope with their fear of fireworks.
The initiative features a wide range of advice including how to use synthetic copies of natural pheromones, D.A.P. ® and Feliway®, to help comfort and reassure fearful pets, creating a comforting den for dogs to retreat to during firework exposure and treating noise phobias using behavioural therapy with the Sounds Scary desensitisation CD (which is the only behavioural therapy product for noise phobias supported by the RSPCA).
For further information, please visit www.petfireworkfear.co.uk.
As well as recycling its own blister packs used for pet medication, White Cross Vets, which has 21 practices, is urging local residents to bring in their empty blister packs to be recycled in a collection box in its reception areas.
MYGroup will process the collected blister packs, separating it back into its constituent parts so it can be fed back into supply chains and used to make new materials, including MYboard, a product which is used for construction, joinery, shop and event fittings.
Tom Ward, clinic director from White Cross Vets in Guiseley, said: “Very few local authorities or waste companies can recycle blister packs, which are used to package tablets and pills, meaning they usually end up in landfill or incineration.
“As a practice we use thousands of blister packs every year and we’re conscious that we need to look after our environment, so when we discovered there is now a ground-breaking recycling solution through MYGroup, it was obvious we needed to get involved.
“We’re also pleased to be able to make it available to local people in the surrounding area who can collect the blister packs they use at home and drop them off with us for recycling, regardless of whether or not they’re a client or even a pet owner.
"The initial feedback we’ve received has been very positive and we’re now beginning to see more and more blister packs being recycled each week as the scheme begins to grow.”
https://mygroupltd.com
Steve Carrie, group director from MYGroup, said: “MYGroup offers the only circular solution on the market for recycling blister packs and we’re only just getting started in this critical waste space to save such a ubiquitous item from landfill or incineration.
MYGroup launched its first blister pack recycling scheme earlier this year across a series of GP surgeries and pharmacies in York, with over 185,000 waste blister packs collected so far.
Each full box that White Cross Vets collects carries an approximate carbon saving of 30kg, which is roughly the equivalent of driving nearly 800 miles in a car.
The new Aberdeen clinic will be based at Ardene House Veterinary Hospital, Kingswells in Aberdeen and will provide the out-of-hours cover for a number of veterinary practices in the Aberdeen area, treating their clients' pets at nights, weekends and bank holidays.
Vets Now was founded in 2001 when vet Richard Dixon, saw a gap in the market for not only providing an alternative to the 'on call' service which vets are required to provide by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, but to providing a dedicated emergency service for pets, similar to A & E for humans. Vets Now now treats around 100,000 small animal emergencies every year with clinic teams working purely out-of-hours, to ensure that they are always fresh and ready to provide life saving treatment to pets who are injured or critically ill.
Richard said: "Vets Now has a clinic in Edinburgh and we have recently opened the first of our Vets Now Hospitals in Glasgow which combines emergency care with a range of specialist referral options, serving the whole of Scotland so we're looking forward hugely to extending our service in Scotland by bringing the dedicated emergency service to Aberdeen."
Vets Now will be working with Ardene House Veterinary Hospital, Abervet, Ashgrove Veterinary Centre, Bridge Veterinary Group and Swan Veterinary Practice to deliver their Out Of Hours emergency care.
Veterinary practices who would like to find out more about using the new Vets Now service in Aberdeen should contact Vets Now on 01383 620064.
The Blue Cross is to be the first animal charity to star in a BBC Lifeline appeal to help raise funds for animals in need.
Presented by actress Felicity Kendal and her cocker spaniel George, and featuring community vet nurse Laura Liversedge, the short film shows the work of the charity which helps thousands of sick and homeless animals every year.
Felicity Kendal said: "I'm delighted to be able to help publicise the work of this wonderful charity. The Blue Cross does so much to help animals in need and they rely almost entirely on public donations. I hope lots of people watch the BBC appeal to see just where the money goes and why this is a charity worthy of their support."
The BBC Lifeline appeal featuring The Blue Cross will be broadcast on BBC2 on Wednesday 28th October at 2pm.
The film will also be available to view on the BBC website until the end of November at www.bbc.co.uk/lifeline. Thereafter it can be viewed on The Blue Cross website at http://www.bluecross.org.uk/.
Petplan, the pet insurance provider has been selected as a Which? Best Buy. The independent consumer guide selected Petplan's 'Covered For Life' policy that covers animals for accidents and illnesses, including reoccurring conditions, such as diabetes and glaucoma, year after year, as long as the policy is renewed annually.
Alison Andrew, Petplan's Marketing Manager said: "The Which? report is crucial to being acknowledged as a worthy pet insurance provider. We feel being selected as a Which? Best Buy reflects how we treat our customers by offering excellent customer service, paying claims quickly, discounts on pet products and regular information about pet care through our magazine PetPeople."
Petplan provides insurance cover for dogs, cats, rabbits and horses and is the largest provider of animal health insurance in the world.
VetNurse.co.uk has launched a survey to discover what veterinary professionals think of the food available for small furries, and how it is labelled.
The survey closes on 22nd September, when one completed survey entry will be drawn from the hat to win £50 worth of John Lewis shopping vouchers.
The survey consists of nine quick questions, which should only take a few moments to complete.
Click here to take part in the survey.
The College of Animal Welfare (CAW) has gained approval from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to run a two and a half year long full-time veterinary nursing course from this October.
For many years, unless students were undertaking a higher education programme, the route to qualifying has been via employment in a training practice alongside part-time study at college. It has become increasingly difficult for prospective students to find trainee positions leaving many people unable to pursue a career in their chosen field.
Students do not need to be employed whilst on the CAW course, as blocks of work placement are incorporated into the programme alongside blocks of classroom tuition. In addition to the small animal syllabus students will also cover equine subjects and develop more general veterinary nursing subject skills across the species.
To enrol onto the programme students will need to be a minimum of 16 years of age and have 5 GCSEs at grades C or above including English Language, Maths and a Science subject or equivalent.
The courses will be held from the College's Leeds and Edinburgh centres. Home based practice work placements can be requested by those students not normally resident near to Leeds or Edinburgh. The College does not have accommodation available on site although can assist in sourcing local accommodation where necessary.
Leslie Heaton-Smith, Strategic Director at CAW, commented 'After a 10 year absence of full time NVQ level veterinary nurse training, CAW are delighted to have gained RCVS approval to offer such a programme from its Leeds and Edinburgh centres. As a course provider and VNAC we are well aware of the difficulty many prospective students have in finding trainee positions in a TP in order to commence their training. This programme will provide such students with the opportunity to follow their chosen career path when they would have otherwise been unable'.
For further information on the programme please call Sarah McAlister or Donna Clark on 01480 226180.
Urging vets to 'get off their backsides and respond to a VMD consultation' on the introduction of a new POM-EA category (Vet Times, 19th October) is premature.
Contrary to the report, the VMD has not yet launched a formal consultation.
Jo Cawthorne from the VMD said: "In fact, we've only launched an informal consultation on a concept note amongst a small group of key stakeholders from the RCVS, BVA, RPSGB, AMTRA, AHDA and NOAH, in order to decide whether this is a viable idea and merits a formal consultation."
She added: "There is no need for vets to respond to a consultation which doesn't yet exist. If there is a formal consultation, it will be announced formally on our website and everyone will be given the opportunity to respond."
The Blue Cross animal charity has presented its Veterinary Nurse of the Year award to Vania Brasseleur for her dedication to improving animal welfare, both within her veterinary practice and among the local community in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.
The award was presented during the BVNA annual congress in Kettering, Northamptonshire by Mark Carwardine, zoologist and presenter of the BBC2 series 'Last chance to see' and Christian Bamber, Blue Cross director of service delivery.
Christian Bamber said: "This annual award is an opportunity for The Blue Cross to recognise the hard work of veterinary nurses across the UK and applaud those who go the extra mile to improve the lives of Britain's animals. Vania's enthusiastic approach to fundraising activities and her dedication to educating the local community is an inspiration to us all. Well done Vania for winning this year's award!"
Vania Brasseleur was nominated by student vet nurse and colleague Emily Martin at Astonlee Veterinary Hospital in Newport Pagnell. Emily said: "Vania is committed to helping student nurses broaden their knowledge and help them on to the path to qualification. Her charity work, serving the public, helping colleagues and of course her nursing abilities are all truly fantastic! I don't think anybody could ask for a better nurse."
The Blue Cross is one of the UK's leading animal welfare charities and has a long history of educating the public in responsible animal care. This award celebrates the essential work of veterinary nurses, in both educating the public and promoting pet welfare. Veterinary practices and pet owners all over the country were invited to nominate a nurse who they felt had made an important contribution to their local community.
Commenting on her award, Vania said: "I was really surprised to find out I had won the award this year, I think I'm still a bit shocked. I'd like to thank my family for their continued support, and everyone at Astonlee. I really enjoy working at the practice and educating the public about animal welfare. I love my job as a vet nurse, I just hope I can carry on doing this forever!"
Hill's has added to its range of Science Plan Snacks with a large biscuit size, big bag version for large breed dogs. The 400 gram packs are available as Large Breed Light and Large Breed Healthy Mobility Snacks at a launch price of £2.49 (normal recommended retail price £4.99).
The company says that this follows fantastic feedback from veterinary practices about Science Plan Snacks, and requests for more variants tailored to fit the needs of their client's pets.
The Science Plan snack range offers products across five areas of functionality which, according to Hill's, have proven to be highly motivating for clients: light, immunity support, healthy mobility, oral care and skin & coat. There are adult variants across the range and puppy variants in immunity support and skin & coat.
For further information, please contact your Hill's Territory Manager or Hill's customer service on 0800 282438.
The British Veterinary Association's Members' Services Group has devised a Vet Helpline sticker as a practical way to promote the help and support available to members of the veterinary profession suffering from anxiety or depression. It will be sent out with the 20th February edition of the Veterinary Record.
The suicide rate within the veterinary profession is around four times higher than in the general population and around twice that of other high risk groups including farmers and medical practitioners. Research has shown that long hours, the risk of professional mistakes and rising client expectation and administrative work lead to high levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Ready access to and knowledge of lethal means such as medicines and firearms may also be contributing factors in the increased suicide risk.
The Vet Helpline sticker acts as a constant reminder to veterinary professionals that a confidential helpline, manned by trained volunteers from the veterinary profession, is available around the clock on every day of the year to offer support and direct them to specialist help where appropriate. In addition to the Vet Helpline phone number the sticker also gives the number for the Samaritans and includes the address of the Vetlife website which is a "one stop shop" for all the help available.
BVA President, Professor Bill Reilly, said: "Please remember that if you're feeling depressed, lonely or under pressure, or are perhaps worried about a colleague, you can talk it over in confidence with trained volunteers from the veterinary profession. The Vet Helpline is there for all veterinary surgeons, nurses and students.
"Ours is a small profession and sadly most of us know someone who has suffered mental ill health or taken their own life. We hope that by reminding colleagues how to get help and continuing to publicise the Vetlife website and the Veterinary Benevolent Fund support services the BVA can play its part in supporting vets in crisis."
Petproject is updating its ProReward 100% Liver treats and have added three new varieties to the range, a low fat 100% Chicken, hypoallergenic 100% Venison and 100% Icelandic Cod which is high in Omega-3 fatty acids.
Petproject says that after speaking with vets and dog owners it found that many customers had switched on to ProReward because it had helped their dog through a stressful situation such as a trip to the vet or meeting strangers.
ProReward treats are fresh cuts of unprocessed meat and fish that are gently dried to enhance the flavour and lock in the nutrients. Petproject says the intense flavours are similar to those you experience when eating a dried strawberry.
According to the company, the new design uses less packaging and the new varieties will provide veterinary practices with more choice for customers wanting to avoid feeding processed derivatives to their dogs. ProReward is also available in large tubs for use in the consulting room.
Petproject will be embarking on a number of activities to raise brand awareness to get dog owners looking for ProReward products. A free sample pack is available for practices wanting to try ProReward, to request yours or for more information please email info@petproject.co.uk or call 020 8444 1800.
The Government has been forced to scrap plans for compulsory dog insurance less than a two weeks since they were revealed in leaked Defra documents.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has now ruled out the idea.
Apparently, the climbdown followed protests that compulsory insurance was no more than a 'dog tax' which would do nothing to curb the problem of dangerous dogs.
There's a certain irony in the way the story was reported in The Sun newspaper, with the headline: 'Labour forced to ditch pet plan'.
Indeed!
A new study has found that the UK domestic cat and dog population is larger than previously reported by industry figures. Cats and dogs are amongst the most popular pets in the UK but it has been over 20 years since domestic cat and dog population estimates in the UK have been published in scientific peer-reviewed journals.
The paper published in the Veterinary Record by Dr Jane Murray in the Department of Clinical Veterinary Science at Bristol University and colleagues, aimed to estimate the number of UK domestic cats and dogs and identify the characteristics of their owners. The figures are also useful to the animal health and welfare professions, including rescue charities, which can use these and future estimates to assess population changes.
In 2007, a telephone survey of households randomly selected from the electoral roll revealed that cats and dogs were owned by 26 per cent and 31 per cent of households, respectively. The number of owned cats and dogs were predicted by two variables: the number of people in the household and the geographical location (London/rest of UK) of the household. UK census information and mid-year population estimates of the number of households and the average household size in 2006 in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were used to estimate that UK households owned approximately 10.3 million cats and 10.5 million dogs in 2006.
Dr Murray said: "Our 95% confidence intervals were 9.4-11.3 million cats and 9.6-11.4 million dogs".
This compares with PFMA estimates of 7.2 million cats and 7.3 million dogs in 2007, and 8 million cats and 8 million dogs in 2009.
Characteristics associated with cat and dog ownership were also identified. Cats were more likely to be owned by; households with gardens, semi-urban/rural households, households with someone qualified to degree level, respondents who were female and respondents who were aged less than 65 years. Cats were less likely to be owned by households with one or more dogs.
The likelihood of dog ownership increased as the household size increased. Dogs were more likely to be owned by households with gardens, rural households and less likely to be owned by households with someone educated to degree level and households with cats or children aged less than 11 years.
Female respondents and those aged less than 55 years were more likely to report dog ownership than other respondents. Dogs were less likely to be owned by households with one or more cats.
Dr. Murray added: "The study has shown many common factors relating to cat and dog ownership, such as a garden and rural location, but it has also identified some notable differences.
"In particular, the difference in the level of education achieved by a household owning cats and dogs. The reason for this association is unclear. It is unlikely to be related to household income as this variable was not shown to be significant but it could be related to household members with longer working hours having less time available to care for a dog.
"Past reports have suggested that the number of pet cats exceeds the number of pet dogs in the UK. However, results from our study suggest that there are similar numbers of pet cats and dogs."
The researchers recommend the study is repeated in 2011, (the year of the next scheduled UK census), as any increase or decrease in population numbers will enable pet ownership trends to be monitored.
Defra has confirmed that equine infectious anaemia (EIA) has been detected in two horses in Wiltshire following importation from Romania via Belgium.
The premises is currently under restriction and the two infected horses will be humanely destroyed in line with existing regulations. The other horses on the premises will be subject to epidemiological investigation in the coming weeks. A further two horses have also been under investigation and test results have proved negative.
The animals arrived in a group of 10 horses, nine of which originated from Romania and one from Belgium. The nine Romanian horses were tested for EIA as part of routine post-import testing. Seven horses all tested negative. The horse that originated in Belgium is due to be tested shortly.
Chief Veterinary Officer, Nigel Gibbens said: "This is the first case of equine infectious anaemia infected animals being imported into Great Britain since 1976 and shows the success of our post import testing regime. These were apparently healthy horses carrying a notifiable disease that we are keen to keep out of Great Britain. After considering the risk I have decided to take appropriate action and humanely destroy these two horses that tested positive."
The first ever survey of Registered Veterinary Nurses' Continuing Professional Development has found that the average RVN appears to do substantially more than the minimum required amount of CPD.
Libby Earle, RCVS Head of Veterinary Nursing said: "The CPD requirement for RVNs is to complete at least 45 hours in any three-year period - an average of 15 hours a year. As the requirement was only introduced in 2007, it is particularly encouraging to see that in the first two years of obligatory CPD, the average RVN appears to be doing considerably more than the minimum."
However, not all cards were filled in correctly and some RVNs were including more than the permitted five hours of undocumented self-directly study annually. The number of hours recorded in the survey data was accordingly reduced in order to correct this. Taking into account this reduction, the survey found that the RVNs responding completed an average of 23 hours of CPD 2007, and 28 hours in 2008.
The RCVS asked 509 RVNs - a random sample of 10% of all RVNs qualified for more than three years - to submit a copy of their CPD Card. Of these, 460 returned a copy of their card - a response rate of 96%.
Libby said: "I would like to thank the RVNs who submitted copies of their cards as requested. As the purpose of this exercise is to collect baseline data for use in the future, we will be contacting the small number of RVNs who failed to submit a copy of their CPD card when asked."
All RVNs should ensure that they are familiar with the CPD requirements. Guidance is printed on the RVN CPD Record Card which can be downloaded from www.rcvs.org.uk/vnregister.
Grahame Gardner Ltd has announced the launch of a classically styled tunic, the M559, now stocked in bottle green for the first time.
The company says that although there have been numerous ladies tunics available in bottle green, this is the first time Grahame Gardner has stocked a male tunic in the characteristic veterinary colour.
The contemporary design of the M559 incorporates side fastening with the option of contrasting epaulettes, alongside practical pockets and side slits. According to the company, it's a tunic that looks great and performs exceptionally well in the veterinary practice. Stocked in sizes from 34" to 50" (chest), the M559 is one of several new styles introduced within Grahame Gardner's latest 124 page brochure.
To explore Grahame Gardner's collection please take a look at http://www.grahamegardner.co.uk/, or call 0116 255 6326 to order a copy of the new brochure.
Dechra Veterinary Products has sponsored a specialist Feline Nurse at the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.
Sara-Ann Dickson, Dechra Feline Nurse, works in the Hospital for Small Animals at the School and is dedicated to promoting cat friendly practices. Cats are referred to the clinic from other veterinary practices for specialist treatment. The clinic also provides vet students and nurses with specialist training on how to handle and treat cats with a range of ailments.
Sara-Ann qualified from Edinburgh's Napier University and completed her practical training at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. Sara-Ann also spent eighteen months in Australia in a busy veterinary referral centre before returning to the School in 2008. In her role as Dechra Feline Nurse, Sara-Ann cares for and treats sick cats, provides training to final year students and presents lectures on a range of topics to breeders, cat owners, veterinary staff and veterinary students.
Sara-Ann said: "I absolutely love my job and am very grateful to Dechra for its support. One of the best things is being able to identify what is wrong with a sick cat, making it better and extending its life. It's amazing. And of course a happy cat means happy owners. I have learned such a lot here and in Australia. Now I just want to use my skills and knowledge in making our feline friends as happy as possible when they stay here. I hope I can fulfil all expectations and help to create a 'cat-tastic' place!"
Matthew Olsen, Product Manager, Dechra Veterinary Products, said: "Dechra is committed to the support of veterinary staff and this is just one of many projects we are involved in. The enthusiasm and commitment of Sara-Ann and the team at the University of Edinburgh is fantastic and we are proud to be involved with the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. The level of care for its patients and the standard of training for its students is outstanding."