The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is touring the UK, hosting a series of careers events to encourage more young people to consider studying in a veterinary-related field.
The events give young people the opportunity to find out what a veterinary career involves. The College also hopes to impress upon future students that a veterinary education can be used qualify them for a diverse range of professions, and being a vet or vet nurse are just two of these.
The RVC is particularly keen to promote its BSc in Veterinary Nursing and its BSc in Veterinary Science (a bio-science degree). Click here for more information and tour dates.
The new, non-statutory Register for veterinary nurses opened yesterday. 3329 VNs were automatically included (having been listed with the RCVS since 2003). The remainder joined the list voluntarily.
RVNs are obliged to undertake 45 hours of CPD over 3 years, and to follow the Guide to Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses.
To help promote the new title, the RCVS has sent a poster to all newly registered RVNs to display in their practices. More promotional materials are in the pipeline.
September marks ‘Pet Smile Month', and Royal Canin is amongst several companies offering participating practices a great way to build dental sales and reinforce key health messages. During the month, a quarter of a million Doggy Bags and Kitty Packs, including samples of Royal Canin dental diets will be given away. A money off voucher appears on the front of the bags, which can be redeemed there and then against Royal Canin dental products from the clinic. Gill Furniss, Royal Canin veterinary marketing director, says: "We decided that by enabling customers to redeem the money-off vouchers before they even leave the clinic with their gift bags was the best way to ensure that vets get the benefit of these sales - no chance of pet owners taking the bag home and losing the voucher! ‘Pet Smile Month' is a great way for veterinarians to get across the message about good oral care, and an opportunity to help owners keep their pets' mouths healthy for life."
It's the Blue Cross Take Your Dog To Work Day on 14th September.
I don't know how much money it raises, but as a marketing and PR exercise to promote dog ownership, the day is almost without rival. It always gets plenty of media coverage. It's got strong celebridee endorsement. And getting pet owners to bring their dogs into work is a very clever way of getting more people thinking about getting a dog. See http://www.takeyourdogtoworkday.org.uk/ for more (if you're interested, there's a downloadable poster you can display in the practice).
With fireworks season approaching, CEVA reminds that it's a good time to let clients know the steps they can take to minimise noise-related stress and highlight the benefits of the using D.A.P.® and Feliway®. Both products are available in a plug-in diffuser, which the company recommends should be introduced into the home at a week before firework night, to allow the pheromones to build up to significant levels. In addition, D.A.P.® Spray can also be used to provide further reassurance to dogs with a history of firework phobia on the night of each event.
Royal Canin is launching the first complete veterinary diet range especially for neutered dogs, to counter the recognised physiological side effects of neutering. The range consists of Neutered & Osteo for neutered adult and mature dogs over 10kg, Neutered & Stone for neutered adult and mature dogs under 10kg, and Neutered & Digest, for neutered puppies over six months old who will grow into adults over 10kg.
The Company Of Animals has announced its support for a new charity: Cancer & Bio Detection Dogs, which claims to have proved unequivocally that dogs can be trained to detect human cancers by smell. The charity trained dogs to discriminate between urine from bladder cancer patients and urine from both healthy people and patients with diseases other than cancer. "The dogs were taught to signal their choice by lying down next to their chosen sample. Their combined accuracy rate of 56% was highly statistically significant, proving that dogs can detect cancer by using their olfactory capabilities."
Vets Now has just added a new recruitment section to its website, with details of the veterinary career opportunities available within the company. Click here for more.
If you're in London before January 6th 2008, the Animal's War exhibition at the Imperial War Museum might be worth a visit. Sponsored by The Kennel Club and PetPartners, the family exhibition explores the remarkable role of animals in conflict from the First World War to the present day using hands-on interactives, photographs, film and sound clips, paintings, touchable sculptures, and memorabilia from the Imperial War Museum collections and private and public lenders from all over the world.