Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) and the Doctors’ Support Network (DSN) have published the first blog by a veterinary nurse as part of the joint mental health anti-stigma campaign, &me. &me encourages people within healthcare professions to come forward with their personal mental health stories, to demonstrate that mental health issues do not preclude people from…

The rules, which will apply to England, are designed to deter smugglers who abuse the Pet Travel Scheme to bring young animals into the UK to be sold. Known as Lucy’s Law, it will ban the sale of kittens and puppies from third parties from 6th April 2020, making buyers deal with breeders directly. Environment…

The use of wild animals in travelling circuses will be banned in England from January 2020. The Wild Animals in Circuses Bill, which was revealed by Environment Secretary Michael Gove will mean that the remaining animals used for performances, which include reindeer, zebra and camels, will no longer be allowed to be used as part…

Two of the UK’s largest veterinary groups have defended their positions after being identified by the BBC as having the largest gender pay gaps among all UK companies with 5,000 or more employees. Under the headline “Gender pay: fewer than half of UK firms narrow gap”, the BBC report, compiled from government figures and published online…

Research conducted by scientists at the Animal Health Trust in collaboration with groups in The Netherlands, Sweden and the USA, and funded by The Kennel Club Charitable Trust, has revealed that 70% of Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers carry a genetic factor which increases their risk of developing mast cell tumours. Dr Mike Starkey, Head…

EU Member States have agreed the UK’s listed status application after it met the animal health and biosecurity assurances required for a third country to export live animals and animal products. Securing listed status will mean the UK will be able to export animal products and most live animals to the EU in the event…

The Dogs Trust is appealing to veterinary professionals to fill in a 10-minute survey to help tackle illegal imports and improve animal welfare. They have joined forces with Veterinary Times to establish both the true scale of illegal imports and, for the first time, attempt to identify the barriers vets are allegedly encountering in terms of reporting…

Vets are being urged to participate in a new survey aimed at evaluating their confidence when it comes to treating exotic patients. It is hoped the survey, which is open to all first opinion RCVS-registered vets in the UK who work in small animal or mixed practice, will further scientific understanding of the way professionals…

StreetVet, the registered charity dedicated to helping homeless people and their pets, has appealed for the backing of the profession to help create a national “StreetVet directory”. The aim of the project is to establish a listing of practices willing to help care for animals of the homeless in every major city in the UK.…

Insurance provider Legal and General has revealed survey data showing 1 in 4 dog owners (27%) – proposed to be equivalent to 2.4 million people – said they worried their vet personally judged how well they looked after their animals. This concern was shared by 1 in 5 cat owners – extrapolated to around 1.8…

Sunday night’s episode of Countryfile included a segment on the recruiting crisis in farm animal practice, as well as mental health issues in the profession and the rise of corporate practices.

The BVA and RSPCA have called on the Government to repeal a legal exemption currently permitting sentient animals to be slaughtered without pre-stunning for religious purposes. In a joint letter to environment secretary Michael Gove, they said: “Scientific evidence clearly indicates slaughter without pre-stunning can cause unnecessary suffering. The level of restraint required to hold…

Following an audit of 1,016 veterinary nurses, which showed a 28% non-compliance rate, members of the council decided that any veterinary nurse who was audited and found to be non-compliant in three consecutive years should have their records sent to the CPD Referral Group, a subcommittee comprising members of RCVS and VN Council who review cases of…

The BVA has launched its first questionnaire to gather experiences of discrimination in the veterinary professions. It is seeking anonymous feedback from vets, VNs, students and other veterinary professionals regarding incidents where they have witnessed discrimination or felt discriminated against. The questionnaire is open until 2 March and takes around 10 minutes to complete. Read the full…

The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) is currently running VetSurvey2018, its second Europe-wide survey of the veterinary profession and is calling on UK-practising veterinary surgeons to respond with their views. The purpose of the FVE survey is to provide information about a number of different aspects of the veterinary profession, for example, in terms of demographics,…

The Government has published a 20-year vision and 5-year national action plan for how the UK will contribute to containing and controlling antimicrobial resistance by 2040. The plans cover animals and the environment, as well as human health. The Government has committed to working with vets and farmers to further reduce antibiotic use in animals by 25% between 2016…

When, where, what and how to administer intra-articular injections for the treatment and management of osteoarthritis and stifle disease. Theory session and practical training from the VOA: just £75 for 3 hours of CPD. **Dinner included** Click here to find out more.

Former RCVS president Bradley Viner said more could be done to raise awareness of the importance of clinical governance in relation to enhanced animal care. Following the release of data from vetAUDIT – a sub-brand of RCVS Knowledge, which conducted the first major audit of routine neutering of dogs and cats in the UK (VT48.48) – Bradley…

The RCVS has sought to reassure vets with the following statement: “In light of the shortages of the product, as recently reported by the manufacturer Zoetis, we would like to reassure members of the profession that any problems that may arise from a shortage of the anaesthetic agent are very unlikely to be considered as…

The RCVS is reminding all RVNs that their fees must be paid on or before Monday 31 December 2018. Those who do not pay will be removed from the Register. The annual renewal fee for veterinary nurses is currently set at £67 and payments can be made by debit or credit card via the ‘My Account’ area…

Woman make up over 60% of the veterinary profession but a recent study has found that woman still face discrimination and they are actually more likely to be discriminated against by the people who think it does not exist in our profession. The BVA in collaboration with the University of Exeter have published a report…

The UK’s first national neutering audit of cats and dogs has revealed almost 1-in-10 cases involved one or more abnormalities requiring medical treatment or surgical intervention – and in both species, spays suffered more complications than castrates. The audit data, comprising more than 30,000 individual cases from veterinary practices across the country and released by…

We are excited to announce the launch of their new programme of equine CPD courses for 2019. Delivered by Liphook Equine Hospital directors Prof Andy Durham and Dr Jane Boswell, the programme includes both theory and cadaver-based practical courses across a range of topics relevant to the first-opinion practitioner. The programme has been designed to…

The aim of the proposed trial is to assess the benefits and risks of the remote prescription of POM-Vs where no physical examination of the animal has taken place. A more detailed proposal will come back to a future meeting of the council for discussion. Issues raised at the meeting included how this would affect…

The series of case studies have been developed by the Standards Committee to aid veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses regarding the important issue of gaining informed consent from clients for procedures and treatments, as well as advice on communication. They use a variety of examples of where miscommunication between a client and the veterinary practice…

We will be hosting a two-day programme of bitesize lectures for vets and VNs in the comfort of our “Great Outdoors” stand (K30). Check out the timetable in the brochure, grab a coffee and join us for the mini-lecture of your choice.  

Now that autumn is here, the AHT has once again published advice urging owners and vets to be aware of the signs of SCI. To download a copy of their poster for your practice click here.

The latest RCVS statistics revealed 97.62 per cent of RVNs are female compared with 2.36 per cent male (0.02 per cent were unidentified). Chairman of VN council Racheal Marshall said: “Our aim to increase diversity does not sit solely with the focus on bringing more male VNs into the profession, but diversity in the wider…

With stronger animal licensing and breeding regulations coming into effect in England as of 1 October, the BVA and AWF have relaunched a new-look website and a step-by-step guide to the dos and don’ts of buying a puppy The aim is to empower prospective buyers with all the information they need in order to avoid puppy farms and…

Study shows that Gundogs and Hounds have been found to be more at risk than terriers from contracting Alabama Rot. The research carried out by RVC has also identified other risk factors including sex and neuter status. Researchers hope that these findings will help vets to more reliably discern suspicion for the disease and aid…

Scottish Veterinary Surgeon, John Glen has been given the Lasker Award- America’s top biomedical research prize, for his discovery of Propofol. John spent 13 years developing the breakthrough anaesthesia, which is now one of the most widely used anaesthetic agents in over 90 countries. Read the full article HERE.  

Several news outlets have reported on the Kennel Club’s finding that a third of puppies bought over the internet become unwell and even die within a year of having been purchased. Their report has found that of the eight million dogs in the UK, more than 630,000 were ordered online and delivered to people’s homes.…

Vets at UC Davis have diagnosed the first reported case of a cat with a congenital platelet disorder – Glanzmann thrombasthenia (GT). Miao Miao, a four-year-old male domestic shorthair, was brought to the veterinary hospital with clinical signs consistent with a bleeding disorder. GT causes Miao Miao’s platelets to be nonfunctional and lack expression of the…

Vets and vet nurses seeking clarification around Schedule 3 can now access a host of case studies via the RCVS website. The college added the studies to its website following a consultation last year highlighting some confusion existed among vets and VNs around Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons’ Act, which covers what vets can…

New research has been published relating to the controversial practice of pre-emptive tail-docking in working dogs. Scotland-based researchers involved in The FareWellDock project have demonstrated tail amputation causes significant adverse effects on the welfare of pigs up to four months after the procedure is carried out, despite the use of local anaesthetic and postoperative pain…

The Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) is looking to recruit two production animal vets as trustees to help drive the charity’s mission to improve the welfare of animals through veterinary science, education and debate. Simon Doherty, British Veterinary Association Junior Vice President and AWF Trustee, said: “As a vet with a long-standing interest in research that provides an…

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the UK’s farm assurance schemes and the crucial work of vets within the schemes to safeguard animal health and welfare. It is hoped that this will inspire informed choice amongst consumers when buying animal-derived food products and aims to provide the public with guiding principles to help them…

As part of the #ChooseAssured campaign, aiming to educate and encourage people to buy farm assured animal products, the BVA has released an useful infographic. It outlines how each farm assurance scheme addresses different aspects of animal health and welfare and hopes to make it easier for veterinary professionals and the general public to make…

Staffordshire Bull Terriers will not be put on the Dangerous Dogs list, despite a leading animal rights charity calling for the breed to be placed on the register. PETA submitted a proposal to the Government’s consultation on the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 concerning the status of the breed, claiming it would help protect the animals…

Blue Cross is searching for the UK’s veterinary nurse of the year – and is calling on veterinary practices and pet owners to help find this year’s winner. Blue Cross director of veterinary clinical services David Catlow said: “Blue Cross gives this annual award to recognise the commitment of vet nurses across the UK who…