The RCVS and the BVA have issued statements after hearing reports of individual vets and veterinary practices being on the receiving end of abusive and threatening messages from groups campaigning against the XL Bully ban. 

The RCVS said: "We understand that there are very strong opinions about the ban, and we respect the rights of individuals to make their own decisions.

"However, expressing these opinions can never justify or include the harassment and abuse of individual vets, vet nurses or their practice colleagues."

The BVA added: “The Government’s XL Bully ban is also placing additional pressure on veterinary teams who are doing their best in very challenging circumstances to help keep responsible XL Bully owners with their pets wherever possible.

"Their commitment extends to supporting clients with any decision-making around euthanasia in individual cases.

"It’s simply unacceptable for these professionals to face additional challenges through abuse, intimidation or threats.

"Such actions can have a hugely negative impact on individual vets and the wider team."

Resources:

• RCVS XL Bully Guidance: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/xl-bully-dog-ban/
• RCVS Advice line for questions about the legislation: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/contact-the-advice-team/
• BVA toolkit for dealing with abuse: https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/end-the-abuse-of-veterinary-professionals/
  
• Vetlife helpline: https://www.vetlife.org.uk/how-we-can-help/

Photo: Dlexus

The RCVS is advising all practices that it is not currently carrying out a data-gathering exercise and that phone calls prompting the return of a survey, and requesting mobile phone numbers, are not being made on behalf of the College.

The warning comes after several practices have called the College to query 'feedback forms' - supposedly issued in relation to the Practice Standards Scheme or the payment of members' retention fees.

The practices were asked to return forms which they had not received, and also to provide mobile phone numbers, by someone who claimed to work for the 'statutory regulator' or 'the RCVS'. Contact phone numbers left by the caller were either RCVS fax numbers or numbers which looked like RCVS direct dial numbers, but were not. 

Lizzie Lockett, Head of Communications, said: "This looks like an exercise to gain mobile phone numbers which is being carried out in the College's name. We are currently investigating who might be making these calls. In the meantime, if a practice receives such a call, it would be helpful if they could take down a name and contact number and let us know." 

Ring 020 7202 0725 or email l.lockett@rcvs.org.uk to report any suspicious activity.

The British Equine Veterinary Association has introduced free equine vet nurse student membership. 

The offer has been made possible due to the generosity of Baker McVeigh, CVS Equine, IVC Evidensia, Newmarket Equine Hospital, Rossdales, VetPartners and XLVets. 

Benefits of the free membership include:

• Online access to BEVA’s Equine Veterinary Education and Equine Veterinary Journals
• Access to a special student rate for BEVA Congress - the largest equine veterinary conference in Europe 
• Access to the BEVA online learning platform – which hosts a range of equine veterinary learning resources 
• Access to BEVA’s veterinary apps 
• Discounts on a wide variety of everyday things from cinema tickets to grocery shopping through BEVA’s partnership with PG Mutual

Free student membership is one of several equine vet nurse initiatives introduced by BEVA over the past few months.

Earlier this year, the Association published new Schedule 3 Guidelines designed to support equine veterinary professionals and businesses by describing how equine Registered Veterinary Nurses (eRVNs) are permitted to work. 

At its Congress in September, BEVA introduced a Vet Nurse Empowerment Award to highlight the skills and versatility of equine nurses.

It has also increased the amount of CPD it offers vet nurses and started a dedicated stream at BEVA Congress.

Vet nurses also have a direct voice within BEVA via the VN committee.

President David Rendle said: “Historically, equine veterinary nurses have been undervalued in practice but thankfully this is now changing."

“Veterinary nurses have invested huge amounts of time and effort to become highly skilled and it’s great that their talents, versatility and commitment are being supported and celebrated in these ways.” 

https://www.beva.org.uk/Join-BEVA/vet-student 

The International Society of FelineMedicine (ISFM) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) have produced a set of guidelines to help all members of the veterinary team provide high quality feline nursing care that promotes wellness and successful recovery from illness or surgery while addressing the patient's physical and emotional wellbeing.

The guidelines have been published in the May 2012 issue of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS, 14; 337-349) and are available to all ISFM members in the usual way. In addition, the guidelines are freely available for anyone to download from JFMS online at the following link: http://jfm.sagepub.com/content/14/5/337.

The AAFP and ISFM Feline-Friendly Nursing Care Guidelines encourage veterinary team members to look at feline nursing care in ways they previously may not have considered and provide numerous practical tips gleaned from the many years of combined clinical experience of its eight authors.

Claire Bessant, Chief Executive of the ISFM said: 'As part of our mission to improve feline health and wellbeing worldwide, we will be making all guidelines published in JFMS free to download for all'.

For more information, visit www.isfm.net.

The University of Bristol and Companion Care have launched The Great Pet Travel Survey 2012 to assess disease risks in the UK following the simplification of Pet Travel Scheme rules.

Companion Care and The University of Bristol say that there is a great deal of concern about what risks changes in the Pet Travel Scheme Rules pose to the health of the human and dog population in the UK.

Robert White-Adams MRCVS from Companion Care said: "At present there is minimal data available to answer this question as current data logging is minimal and paperwork checking at ports can be variable. We therefore have little idea of how many UK-resident dogs travel abroad, where they visit, how long they stay and what they are doing whilst abroad.

The survey will collect and analyse information about the travel patterns of UK resident dogs, in and around mainland Europe, over the last decade.

Robert added: "The data to be collated by the survey will fill the data void and enable us to provide a quantitative assessment of the disease risk, as well as gaining an understanding of owner awareness of risks face by dogs travelling in Europe.

Owners of dogs with Pet Passports are being encouraged to fill in the short questionnaire, which is available now at  http://www.greatpetsurvey.co.uk/.   All completed questionnaires will be entered into a prize draw to win £100 of Pets at Home vouchers!

The questionnaire will be live online until 30th June 2012 and all data will be analysed by the University of Bristol.

Dr Morgan said: "Without this information we have only a vague idea of the risks that the loss of border controls may pose. The answer could be that there is little additional risk or it could be that the UK dog (and human) population could face some severe disease threats. As it stands now, we just don't know enough to make an informed judgement."

Elanco Companion Animal Health, maker of Comfortis chewable tablets for dogs, has launched a range of support materials to help educate pet owners on flea infestation and the healthcare issues associated with fleas and encourage enquiries about flea control solutions.

The Range of Comfortis materials features point of sale equipment including free-standing zig-zag display units, window hanging displays, stacking cubes, freestanding easels and leaflet holders as well as client leaflets, waiting room display kits, posters and 20% discount letterheads and postcards for mail-outs. An animation (shown below) is also now available in various formats for veterinary practices to use on their waiting room monitors or websites. The animation, which aims to educate dog owners on flea infestations and complications, covers common risk factors for flea infestations, flea facts including the lifecycle of the flea and encourages pet owners to ask for further information on oral flea control options.

Matthew Rowe, senior product manager at Elanco Companion Animal Health said: "With many pet owners seeking their flea control solutions from other sources, such as the increasingly competitive pet superstores, veterinary businesses need to provide unique preventative healthcare services to their clients to help bond them to the practice and ensure that they return again and again. The new Comfortis support materials will help raise client awareness of the benefits of veterinary prescribed flea treatments and thereby help differentiate veterinary practice flea control solutions from those available in country stores, pet shops, supermarkets and pharmacies."

For further information on Comfortis, or the range of support materials, contact your Elanco Companion Animal Health key account manager or email elancocah.uk@lilly.com.

The British Veterinary Nursing Association and the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons have launched a waiting room poster to help practices raise awareness of the status of their VNs and promote the welfare benefits that VNs can help provide.

Rolled copies of the A2 posters are available in a tube for £2.50 (to cover postage). Folded copies are free or you may download the poster here. 

Contact the BVNA office on 01279 408644 to request a copy.

CVS has reported the results of a clinical improvement project it ran in 105 of its first opinion small animal practices to increase screening for hypertension in older cats.

According to the company, participating practices more than doubled the number of blood pressure checks they conducted, within 12 months. 

The CVS’ clinical improvement project initially looked at how effective its first opinion small animal practices were in screening older cats for hypertension.

In line with the veterinary industry norm, it found that less than two per cent of cats over the age of seven were receiving an annual blood pressure check.

This initial research also found that the common barriers to conducting blood pressure checks by vets and veterinary nurses in practice were due to time constraints, availability of equipment and simply remembering to discuss blood pressure checks with owners.

Each CVS site chose two people to lead the initiative at their site, to aid communication and delivery.

A document was created to help, providing background, aims, summary of resources and planning sections.

Contributory factors preventing delivery of blood pressure checks were outlined and practices were encouraged to identify additional barriers and resources needed.

A suite of resources were then produced to support the practice team - from reception to veterinary surgeons - in improving annual blood pressure check rates.

The resources included new clinical frameworks and veterinary guidelines on how to treat hypertension; in-practice educational resources to highlight the benefits of hypertension screening and information sheets and blood pressure diaries to help clients manage their pets condition.

To upskill and develop colleagues in how to identify and treat hypertension and resulting conditions, a collection of training materials was created and training sessions held.

These included a series of webinars which explained why hypertension is important to identify, how to overcome common challenges encountered when looking for hypertension in cats, how to use the ophthalmic exam to help diagnose hypertension and how to treat hypertension.

Three in-person CPD days were hosted with the support from Ceva six months into the project where feline specialists Sarah Caney and Samantha Taylor shared the latest evidence base in this field and practices were encouraged to share barriers, queries and tips, so that ideas could be taken away to make blood pressure screening a simpler process in practice.

Practices were also encouraged to organise lunch and learn CPD sessions, to share best practice and generate discussion within their team.

In addition, a website was created to host all resources in one place, including webinars, clinical frameworks, client resources, a discussion forum and data.

An audit of each participating practice’s blood pressure check data was conducted at the start of the project.

Results were then shared with each participating practice every month - including the total number of blood pressure checks performed each month and the percentage of cats over the age of seven who had an annual blood pressure check.

Twelve months after its nation-wide launch, results reveal that the number of blood pressure checks have more than doubled (110%) within participating CVS practices and an additional 5,984 blood pressure checks have been performed year on year.

A number of practices were able to implement systems that allowed them to perform over 40 blood pressures each month.

The number of cats on amlodipine (the first choice medication to treat hypertension in cats) increased by 303 patients year-on-year, hinting many more cats had been diagnosed with hypertension.

Kate Allgood, Hub Clinical Lead at CVS who was responsible for the hypertension clinical improvement project, said: “There is a huge benefit in treating hypertension.

"No one wants to see a cat suddenly become blind due to hypertension that wasn’t recognised in time.

"So many associated longer-term feline complications and conditions can be avoided if annual blood pressure checks in cats over the age of seven are routinely performed.

"Increasing blood pressure screening is not a simple task though, and this focus has allowed space and time for practices to give this topic the recognition it deserves; to identify and implement systems that make it easier to identify patients at risk, discuss with clients and perform these checks with ease.

"We have created a robust clinical structure, produced some easily accessible materials and supported our practices to make small and simple changes that add up.

"Our practices have done an outstanding job at delivering this project to date and I look forward to seeing what can be achieved in the future. We strongly believe that this work will contribute towards providing some of the best clinical care for cats in the veterinary profession.”

Petplan has launched a new system through which veterinary staff at Appointed Representative (AR) practices can activate 4 weeks Immediate Veterinary Cover (IVC) for clients' puppies, kittens and rabbits at www.petplanvet.co.uk.

Petplan says the new system will greatly improve its service to the veterinary industry, enabling same day information transfer, reducing the amount of paperwork and admin for veterinary staff as well as ruling out the chances of paperwork getting lost or delayed in the post.

Simon Masding, Petplan Head of Sales and Partnerships said: "Petplan has the most established cover note scheme in the market and due to the strength of our brand and the products we offer is able to generate more insured clients for practices than any other provider. Our team of Account Executives visit practices across the UK on a daily basis which means we understand the pressures of day-to-day practice life. Our new online IVC service is just one of the innovative ways we try to make things easier for veterinary staff so they can focus on looking after clients and their pets."

For more information about becoming a Petplan AR practice, and Immediate Veterinary Cover, call Petplan's Vetline on 0800 316 8800.

Any practices that activate IVC online at petplanvet.co.uk  before 31^st July 2012 will be entered into a prize draw to win an iPad.

Almost 90% of the British public think that microchipping dogs should be compulsory, according to a new survey carried out by Petlog, the lost and found pet database.

A public consultation into compulsory microchipping, which proposes that microchips are used to help tackle the issue of dangerous dogs, closes today. Interestingly however, the survey showed that the main reason for compulsory microchipping should be to help speed up the return of a lost pet, although 38% of those who are in favour of compulsory microchipping also thought it would help to tackle dangerous dogs.

Celia Walsom, Petlog Executive said: "The results from this survey were very promising and showed that there is huge support out there for compulsory microchipping. I hope that the public consultation demonstrates the true extent of public support and that Defra will seriously take this on board.

"Unfortunately, press coverage surrounding compulsory microchipping has been focusing on the issue of dangerous dogs and has ignored the main objective of a microchip which is reunification.

The Microchipping Alliance which comprises animal welfare charities, veterinary organisations, assistance dog charities, dog membership organisations and others who are impacted by dog issues, released a briefing at the end of last year that looked into the economic consequences of compulsory microchipping. The briefing states that if compulsory microchipping was to be introduced to all dogs there is a potential saving of over £20 million from reduced kennelling and other costs associated with stray dogs.

Celia continued: "The reasons for compulsory microchipping are strong. We at Petlog along with the Microchip Alliance and a number of other organisations want to see microchipping made compulsory to help dog welfare and reduce the number of dogs needlessly rehomed or put to sleep because they couldn't be reunited with their owner."

Petlog conducted the survey using visitors to the London Pet Show to find out public feeling regarding compulsory microchipping.

This month is National Microchipping Month, an initiative run by Petlog to promote the benefits of microchipping to pet owners and also encourage people to make sure that their contact details are up to date.

If you would like to take part in Petlog's microchipping survey, you can still do so, here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Petlogmicrochipping. 

For more information, visit www.nationalmicrochippingmonth.org.uk.

Following issues with the implementation and associated costs of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' database (iMIS), independent IT specialists TFX Consulting Ltd have reported on both the implementation project and the long-term suitability of the database for the College's needs.

The TFX iMIS Report highlights inadequacies in the procurement process for the IT system, especially with regard to the drafting of the original brief. The Report suggests that this led to differing expectations from the College and ASI, the company licensing and assisting with the implementation of the software, in terms of the detail and complexity of the project.

Although TFX says it believes the iMIS system to be suitable for the finance functionality required, it is critical of its ability to support some other RCVS data structures, and considers it is a poor fit for the complex registration and education functions of the College. The Report writers note that the RCVS continues to fulfil its statutory duties in terms of fee collection and the maintenance of registration records.

The key recommendations of the Report are that the RCVS continues to work with the iMIS database in the immediate future, particularly with regard to core functions, but that a new partner is sought for ongoing support of the system. Thereafter, the Report recommends that a plan is put in place to migrate away from the system over a period of two to three years, as part of a natural upgrade path for RCVS IT systems.

As part of this programme, TFX recommends that a detailed analysis exercise is required, with the objective of more completely defining the College's complex requirements.

This is the second of two reports prepared by TFX; the first reviewed the College's technology more generally. The Technology Report provided valuable advice in areas of network security, staged replacement of legacy hardware and a coherent software and licensing programme, with associated staff training. 

The TFX iMIS Report can be downloaded from http://www.rcvs.org.uk/TFX

The TFX Technology Report will not be published, as it concerns issues relating to security of the College's IT infrastructure.

RCVS President Jerry Davies said: "We are grateful to TFX Consulting, and Ben Murray in particular, for the depth and clarity of both of their reports. It has been very useful to have independent scrutiny of the iMIS project and our IT systems as a whole.

"Lessons can be - and have been - learned. For example, new project management protocols have been introduced by the College, and the instigation of an Audit and Risk Committee has been agreed".

Council accepted the findings of the Report at its recent meeting, and the new Chief Executive and Secretary, Nick Stace, will consider how the recommendations are best implemented, when he takes up his post in September 2012.

Animalcare has published a selection of materials to help veterinary practices promote good dental health during Pet Dental Health Month which runs in February. 

The company has created a new waiting room board kit as a way for veterinary staff to remind owners of the importance of prompt diagnosis and management of dental disease.  

Animalcare has also created a Pet Dental Health Month social media pack with content practices can use on their social media channels.

During the month, the company will be offering dental CPD and prizes for the most creative and engaging waiting room displays.

Will Peel, Animalcare Marketing Manager said: "According to the RVC's VetCompass data, periodontitis is the most common disease seen in cats and dogs however, it can often be difficult to identify and pet owners can often disregard the signs of dental problems, assuming that their pet’s bad breath is normal.

‘Our popular Lunch and Learn sessions have demonstrated to us that veterinary staff recognise the importance of raising dental health awareness, so we’ve created this range of materials specifically to support veterinary practices and their patients.’

Virbac Animal Health has announced that its medical castration implant Suprelorin 9.4mg has received a marketing authorisation for use in ferrets.

The neutering of male ferrets (hobs) is recommended to suppress fertility, decrease odour and reduce territorial aggressive behaviour and urinary marking¹. According to Virbac, Suprelorin offers temporary sterilisation but without the need for surgery, and its use prevents the high Luteinizing hormone (LH)/Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels which occur following surgery and which can play a role in the development of hyperadrenocorticism².

Suprelorin is a slow-release implant containing the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist deslorelin. Once injected under the skin of healthy, sexually mature and entire ferrets, the continuous low release of deslorelin from the implant causes an interruption of the HPA circuit, leading to a reduction in LH/ FSH levels and therefore testosterone production. This results in a reduction of libido, spermatogenesis and testicle size.

The implant lasts for up to four years, at which stage the ferret can be re-implanted to maintain the effect.

Chris Geddes MRCVS, Virbac Product Manager, said: "For owners looking for a surgery-free route to the castration of male ferrets and the problems it can cause, Suprelorin provides a simple and effective alternative."

Suprelorin 4.7mg has been available for use in dogs since 2008. Suprelorin 9.4mg was launched in 2011.

For further information, please contact your Territory Manager or call Head Office on 01359 243243.

References:

1. Mullen H. Soft Tissue Surgery. In Hillyer EV, Quesenberry KE, editors. Ferrets, rabbits, and rodents: clinical medicine and surgery. Philadelphia: Saunders; 1996. P 131-144.
2. Schoemaker NJ, Schuurmans M, Moorman H, Lumeij JT. Correlation between age at neutering and age at onset of hyperadrenocorticismin ferrets. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2000; 216: 195-7.