Vet Sustain, the BVA, the BVNA and SPVS are urging veterinary practices to go green and have produced a new checklist to help teams drive change at their workplace

In a 2019 BVA Voice of the Veterinary Profession Survey, 89% of vets said that they would like to play a more active role in the UK sustainability agenda.

The new checklist includes four major areas for action that cover practising responsible resource use, being sustainable in your operation, using medicines responsibly, and sustaining the team. Each theme has a list of ways that these actions can be achieved.

Vet Sustain founder and director, Laura Higham said: "Veterinary professionals and members of the vet-led team are extremely well positioned to show leadership in sustainability, in their workplaces and in their communities.

"Our new checklist helps veterinary teams to put their sustainability intentions in to practice, through a number of practical steps that will ultimately support the wellbeing of our patients, ourselves and the natural world."

BVA Junior Vice President, Justine Shotton said: "We know that lots of our members are passionate about the environment, and the ‘Greener Veterinary Practice Checklist’ is a great place to start for any veterinary team wanting to work in a more environmentally friendly way.

Jo Oakden RVN BVNA President said: "Environmental Sustainability is really important to us at the BVNA; we are currently going through the process of Environmental Accreditation. Veterinary Nurses are ideally placed to get involved and drive eco-friendly changes within the veterinary practice."

For more information, visit: https://vetsustain.org/

The RVC has published the results of a new study investigating the risk factors for the euthanasia of dogs. 

The study analysed information from a random sample of 29,865 dogs that died over a one-year period, taken from a study population of 905,544 dogs from 626 clinics in the VetCompass database.

From the sample, 26,676 (91.5%) of deaths recorded in practice involved euthanasia and 2,487 (8.5%) of deaths were unassisted. However, it is unknown how many dogs die unassisted and unreported to a practice.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the findings indicated that certain types of diseases and conditions were more likely to lead to death by euthanasia than unassisted death.

• 19.6% of dogs with neoplasia or a mass were euthanised, compared to 8.6% that died unassisted. 
• 7.3% of dogs with a behaviour disorder were euthanised, compared to 0.5% that died unassisted.
• 5.7% of dogs with a poor quality of life were euthanised, compared to 0.2% that died unassisted.

by contrast, 

• 19.7% of dogs with heart disease died unassisted, compared to 4.6% that were euthanised.
• 17% of dogs that suffered traumatic injury died unassisted, compared to 1.1% that were euthanised.
• 7.6% of dogs with upper respiratory tract disorder died unassisted, compared to 3.7% that were euthanised.

Larger bodyweights, increasing age and certain breeds of dog were also additional risk factors for euthanasia. Rottweilers were more likely to die by euthanasia compared to Labrador Retrievers as the standard baseline breed. In contrast, breeds such as Bulldogs, Pugs and West Highland White Terriers were more likely to have unassisted deaths, and these deaths were more likely caused by traumatic injury, foreign body and heart disease. 

Additional findings from the study included:

• The average age at death of euthanased dogs (12.1 years) was older than the average age of dogs that died unassisted (9.9 years).
• Increasing age at death (years) was associated with increased risk of euthanasia relative to unassisted death, with dogs aged ≥ 15 years showing 5.9 times the risk of euthanasia compared with dogs aged < 6 years.
• Bodyweight (kg) was associated with euthanasia, with dogs weighing 20 to < 30kg at 1.24 times the risk of euthanasia compared with dogs < 10 k

Camilla Pegram, VetCompass Epidemiologist at the RVC, and author of the paper, said: “End-of-life discussions between veterinarians and owners can be particularly difficult for both parties. This study provides benchmark data for the relative proportion of deaths that involve euthanasia and for the relative impact from demographics and disorders on euthanasia decision-making. Owners and veterinary professionals may find it easier to discuss end-of-life options, to reach a final decision and be comfortable with these decisions based on a feeling of broader support from the reported actions of others in similar situations.”

Dr Dan O’Neill, Senior Lecturer, Companion Animal Epidemiology, at the RVC, and co-author of the paper, said: "The decision for many animal owners to put a beloved dog to sleep is often the hardest decision of their life. The moment of euthanasia often lives with owners forever. Hopefully, the information from this study can at least help some owners come to terms with the responsibility of helping their dog go with dignity. Understanding that over 90% of other owners also opted for euthanasia may help anyone struggling to make this final and hardest decision.”

Dr Carol Gray, Research Associate at the University of Liverpool and co-author of the paper, said: "Decision-making around euthanasia is shared between veterinarian and owner, although it is the owner who must give consent for euthanasia. Providing this final authorisation is potentially a burden for owners. This paper will help to ease that burden by allowing veterinarians to provide reassurance that they are not the only dog owners to make a decision for euthanasia in similar circumstances.”

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.

Linnaeus has announced that - subject to completion - it has acquired Pets at Home’s Specialist Division of five veterinary referral practices, which together employ almost 680 staff.

Linnaeus was founded in 2014 from Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service and a team of 120. It was acquired in 2018 by Mars Veterinary Health and has continued to grow, now employing around 3,500 staff. 

The referral practices joining Linnaeus are Anderson Moores near Winchester, Dick White Referrals near Cambridge, North West Veterinary Referrals and Eye Vet in Runcorn and Veterinary Specialists Scotland in Livingston.

Linnaeus says the practices will retain their existing branding and will initially continue with business as usual, with all staff transferring to Linnaeus after completion. 

Bart Johnson, CEO of Linnaeus, said: “We are delighted to welcome our new colleagues and these fantastic and highly-respected referral practices into the Linnaeus family and to grow our offering further, taking another step towards making an even better world for pets.”

Alejandro Bernal, President, Mars Veterinary Health International, part of Mars Petcare which owns Linnaeus, said: “Pet care has been an important part of Mars for over 80 years and this strategic acquisition reaffirms our commitment both to the pet care industry and veterinary profession.

For more information, visit www.linnaeusgroup.co.uk.

The Dick White Academy, part of the eponymous referral centre, is offering 18 places on its inaugural online apprenticeship course for veterinary nursing assistants, to gain a VetSkill Level 2 Certificate in Veterinary Care Support.

The course is open to all veterinary nursing assistants, not just those associated with Dick White Referrals or working within the county. 

During the course, which begins in September, students will work in a virtual classroom for three hours a week with a DWA lecturer leading their studies and guiding their progress.

DWA principal Ali Heywood said: “This apprenticeship is designed for those providing care to animals in a veterinary care environment and combines the skills, knowledge and behaviours that are required to complete the apprenticeship.

“The aim is to provide practical competence and an underpinning of knowledge that’s relevant to the role of a veterinary carer in a modern veterinary practice and it provides a terrific alternative for those students who do not have access to other qualifications.

“This is already a successful course that we moved on-line to support employers and 100 per cent of our apprentices passed with a distinction this year.

“Successful applicants will need to attend online lectures for three hours a week. They will all be led by our team, which is highly-experienced and successful in the delivery of veterinary care training. 

“This online delivery is part of the 20% ‘off the job’ training that must be completed on the course, with the remainder of the apprenticeship based on completion of practical assessments and an e-portfolio.”

Subjects covered on the course will be legislation and safe working practice, animal health and welfare, animal environment and accommodation, introduction to patient care, introduction to animal anatomy and physiology and veterinary care support.

A minimum of 600 hours of veterinary experience is expected for a student to gain the required veterinary care experience and develop the practical competence to successfully achieve the award’s outcomes.

As a result, all students must be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week, although part-time options can be considered on a case-by-case basis. An L1 in English and Maths are expected as a minimum, with the expectation that those holding L1 will work towards L2 during the VCS course.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the course or signing up can email Ali at ali.heywood@dwr.co.uk. 

Photo: Jess A’Court, Dick White Academy’s first L2 apprentice to complete and pass the new L2 apprenticeship standard. 

Animalcare has published new feline hyperthyroidism educational materials for veterinary practices developed in partnership with RCVS Feline Specialist, Sarah Caney.

The materials include a 15-minute video in which Sarah (pictured right) gives her advice on the medical management of hyperthyroid cases. She also introduces Thiamacare, Animalcare's high strength (10mg/ml) thiamazole oral solution, launched by the company last year.

Sarah has also helped to produce an in-clinic infographic which offers practical tips on handling hyperthyroid cats in order to minimise stress, as low-stress handling is known to help benefit treatment outcomes. The infographic also contains tips for owners on transporting cats, gives advice to practices on how to make waiting rooms and consult rooms cat-friendly and suggests considerations for blood-sampling and therapeutic assistance.

The materials are all available free of charge from www.the-pac.co.uk

James Beaumont, Brand Manager, said: ‘’Hyperthyroid cats can be challenging to treat and to handle. We hope the educational resources we have developed with Dr Caney will support practice teams in strengthening the management of these cases, ensuring higher welfare for affected cats and supporting the human-companion animal bond.”

For more information, email: animalcare@animalcare.co.uk or telephone 01904 487687.

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has accepted an undertaking from Lanarkshire vet Robert Andrew Crawford to voluntarily remove himself from the Register and to not apply to re-join.

At the hearing, Dr Crawford made no admissions to the charges against him which involved allegations of: failing to provide adequate and appropriate care; failing to provide adequate clinical histories to another practice in respect of several animals; failing to treat fellow veterinary professionals and other members of staff from another practice with courtesy and respect; failing to maintain adequate clinical records; failing to have in place Professional Indemnity Insurance or equivalent arrangements; and, failing to respond to reasonable requests from the RCVS.

Dr Crawford’s representative drew the Committee’s attention to the fact that Mr Crawford was 71 years old, had no previous disciplinary findings against him and had now ceased practising, including closing his practice premises and notifying his previous clients of the closure.

His representative confirmed that Mr Crawford was fully aware that if his application was accepted, he would no longer be able to practise as a veterinary surgeon or identify as a veterinary surgeon. The Committee also noted that the RCVS had consulted with the complainants who were satisfied with the case being disposed of in this way.

Dr Martin Whiting, chairing the Committee, and speaking on its behalf, said: “Having weighed the public interest in a hearing with the registrant’s interests, the Committee determined that this is not a case in which the public interest required there to be a full hearing. Protection of the welfare of animals would also not be further served by a full hearing. The Committee decided to accede to the respondent’s application.

"The Committee considered that the adjournment on undertakings served to protect the public interest, confidence in the profession and the welfare of animals.

"The Committee carefully considered the detail of the undertakings. It decided, after due consideration that it would accept the respondent’s undertakings in the terms offered and signed."

Two enterprising veterinary nurses have set up a cat-only home visiting service in London, called Whiskers 'n' Beans.

Ellie Baggs, who qualified in 2008, and Sarah Reilly, who qualified in 2016, decided to launch the service after seeing the problems that cat owners were having in transporting their animals to the not-for-profit clinic where they worked.

They considered setting up a nurse-owned veterinary practice, but decided the costs were too great, and the overheads presented too much of a risk if they didn't get enough clients through the door.

Being a mobile nurse clinic also means they can offer their service in a more comfortable, stress-free environment for their patients.

That's not to say that starting a home service is all plain sailing. Sarah said: "Lots of things we're taken for granted, such as deliveries, rules, regulations etc were not straightforward to set up"

Ellie said: "There is a lot of competition out there so the worry is what is making us stand out - why choose us?

"We are hoping being cat-only and uniquely nurse-owned and holding ISFM nurse certificates will show everyone we are dedicated to cats and their wellbeing."

Whiskers 'n' Beans will launch at the end of June 2024.

Good luck, ladies!

Essex-based Anne Mullen has been struck off by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee for a series of clinical failures and failing to respond to requests from the regulator.

Mrs Mullen faced four charges against her.

The first was that she failed to provide information to her clients about her practice OOH provision.

She was also charged with discharging a Labrador, called Cleo, that was unfit to be discharged following spay surgery, with an inadequate abdominal dressing and inadequate information given to the dog's owners regarding complications from surgery, the risk of post-operative haemorrhage and arrangements for out-of-hours care, as well as failing to make adequate clinical records.

The third charge alleged that she had failed to obtain informed consent for anaesthesia/ surgery performed on an English Bulldog, called Boycie, from his owners, failed to ensure the dog had adequate monitoring whilst recovering from anaesthesia, failed to offer an adequate range of overnight care for the dog, left the dog alone overnight when it was not in a fit condition to be left, failed to provide information to its owners on post-operative care at home and out-of-hours emergency arrangements, and failed to make adequate clinical records relating to its treatment.

Finally, she was charged with failing to have Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) or equivalent arrangements in place or failing to provide details of it, failing to respond to requests regarding her continuing professional development records and failing to respond adequately to reasonable requests from the College for details and documents regarding her treatment of the two dogs.

Mrs Mullen indicated to the RCVS before the hearing that she would not be engaging with the disciplinary process.

The Disciplinary Committee therefore granted the RCVS permission to proceed in her absence on the basis that Mrs Mullen had made it clear that her absence from proceedings was deliberate and voluntary, that there was no indication she would attend any future hearing if it was adjourned and that the charges were of sufficient seriousness that it was in the interests of animal welfare to proceed with them. 

The Committee heard evidence from a number of witnesses including the animals’ owners, an expert veterinary witness and College staff.

In the evidence, the Committee heard that the Labrador had died while undergoing treatment at another veterinary practice from complications arising from blood loss following Mrs Mullen’s surgery.

The Committee also heard that the English Bulldog had suffered brain damage and had lost its sight due to post-operative hypoxia, although it had otherwise recovered.

Having heard all the evidence, the Committee found all the charges against Mrs Mullen proven.

The Committee then went on to consider whether the proven charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.

In doing so it considered the aggravating factors, including that there was actual injury to animals, that the misconduct was sustained and repeated over a period of time, that the conduct directly contravened advice issued by the RCVS, and the blatant disregard of the RCVS’s regulatory role.

It also considered that Mrs Mullen had previously been suspended from the Register by the Disciplinary Committee for two months in April 2017 for failing to have Professional Indemnity Insurance arrangements in place.

It considered that there were no mitigating factors in the case and accordingly found serious professional misconduct in relation to all the proven charges.

The Committee then considered what the most appropriate sanction would be. 

Judith Way, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “Animal welfare lies at the heart of the veterinary profession.

"The Committee considers that  [Mrs Mullen’s] treatment of Cleo and Boycie constitutes a breach of this fundamental tenet of the profession.

"Other serious findings of disgraceful conduct against [Mrs Mullen] are her failure to provide informed consent, failure to provide details about out-of-hours cover, failure to have in place Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII), continuing professional development (CPD), and failure to respond to the College’s request for information.”

The Committee considered that the conduct was so serious that the only means of protecting animal health and welfare and public confidence in the profession was to direct the Registrar to remove Mrs Mullen’s name from the Register of Veterinary Surgeons.

Judith added: “The Committee considers that [Mrs Mullen] has displayed a persistent lack of insight into the seriousness of her actions or their consequences.

"The Committee considers that [Mrs Mullen’s] conduct raises serious clinical concerns, shows disregard of obligations in relation to out-of-hours care, indicates deficiencies in making decisions, demonstrates an obstructive attitude to her regulator and creates a potential risk to patients.

"She has not engaged with the regulator, she has not demonstrated insight into her misconduct, has learned nothing from her previous suspension in relation to PII, and has done nothing to remediate her disgraceful conduct.

"There is no evidence that [Mrs Mullen}  has complied with any of her obligations in relation to CPD."

“In the view of the Committee, if [Mrs Mullen] were permitted to remain on the Register, there would be a serious risk of harm to animals. She has demonstrated a reckless disregard for the obligations of a registered veterinary surgeon.” 

Mrs Mullen has 28 days from being informed of the Committee’s decision to lodge an appeal with the Privy Council.

TVM has launched Carbodote Prime and Carbodote Repeat, two complementary products designed to make dealing with poisoned pets easier, safer and more convenient.

Carbodote Prime is the first activated charcoal product for cats and dogs to contain a cathartic, which speeds up intestinal transit time so that bound toxins are expelled more quickly.

Carbodote Repeat is for those situations where repeated administration of plain activated charcoal is needed due to the type of the toxin involved. 

Carbodote Repeat can be administered to the patient every 4-6 hours over 24-48 hours.

Both products are presented as a ready-mixed, easy to swallow gel formulation, for less mess and reduced risk of aspiration.

TVM says the 60ml ‘dial and dispense’ syringes make administration easy for both veterinary staff and pet owners.

For more information, visit www.tvm-uk.com/carbodote or contact your Territory Manager.

Virbac has launched Stelfonta, a novel injectable solution to treat mastocytoma in dogs.

Stelfonta is licensed for the treatment of non-resectable, non-metastatic (WHO staging¹) subcutaneous mast cell tumours (MCTs) located at or distal to the elbow or the hock, and non-resectable, non-metastatic cutaneous MCTs in dogs. Tumours must be less than or equal to 8cm³ in volume and must be accessible to intratumoural injection.

The company says that a single intratumoural treatment has been seen to destroy the tumour completely in 75% of observed cases.

The active ingredient in Stelfonta is tigilanol tiglate, a compound extracted from Fontainea picrosperma, a shrub found in the Australian rain forest. According to the company, it works largely through specific protein kinase c (PKC) activation, in which it locally stimulates the immune system, resulting in destruction of the tumour and the tumour’s blood supply, followed by rapid healing of the site with minimal scarring.

Virbac says that generally, dogs do not require sedation or local or general anaesthesia during treatment.

Dr Neil Mottram MRCVS, Technical Product Manager at Virbac said: "Stelfonta is an innovative yet simple treatment which provides a high tumour elimination rate, rapid healing and a speedy return to a good quality of life for the pet. In the cases studied, the tumour was destroyed in seven days and full wound healing observed in 96.5% of cases, with no significant adverse effects on the dog.

“The effects of Stelfonta really do need to be seen to be believed."

Reference

1. Garrett, L.D. (2014) Canine mast cell tumors: diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Veterinary Medicine: Research and Reports, Vol 5. https://doi.org/10.2147/VMRR.S41005

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has published its full review of the Shortage Occupation List and recommended that veterinary surgeons are added to it (page 82).

The Committee's decision to recommend the addition of vets to the list is seen as a major win for the RCVS and the BVA which together submitted evidence as part of the review, which began in autumn last year.

Professions on the list are prioritised for visas required to live and work in the UK. Employers wishing to hire professionals on the list are not required to complete the Resident Labour Market Test, meaning they don't have to advertise vacancies locally before offering the role to an employee from overseas.

The RCVS/BVA submission focused on the need for the UK immigration system to recognise that the veterinary workforce is already under capacity and that this problem is likely to be exacerbated after Brexit. This is due to the potential for increased demand for veterinary surgeons in areas such as export certification, and also the likelihood that fewer veterinary surgeons from the European Union will be joining the Register. It also reiterated the importance of veterinary surgeons in areas such as public health, food safety, disease surveillance and control, as well as education, research, clinical practice and animal welfare.

RCVS President Amanda Boag said: "We are very pleased to see that our submission, made with our colleagues at the BVA, has been welcomed by the Committee and that this recommendation will now be going to the key decision-makers at the Home Office for consideration. While we are still unaware of how the process of the UK leaving the EU will pan out, this is a very important step in ensuring the future security of the profession and mitigating against worsening  workforce shortages. 

"We would reiterate to the Government that the UK is currently reliant on overseas registrants to meet the demand for veterinary surgeons, with veterinary surgeons from the rest of the EU making up around 50% of new registrants each year.  By adding veterinary surgeons to the Shortage Occupation List, and therefore reducing the immigration requirements needed to live and work in the UK, the Government will be helping ensure vital veterinary work continues to be done particularly in areas such as food safety and public health."

Simon Doherty, BVA President, said: "MAC’s recommendation is a huge win for animal welfare and a resounding vote of confidence in the veterinary community and the multiple benefits it realises across the UK. We are absolutely delighted that the committee has heeded our calls and recognised the need to reinstate vets on the list to keep workforce supply and resilience high in the unpredictable times ahead."