News section
(Source: Veterinary Record)
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News and reports Source Type: research
Should veterinary nurses be able to do more under Schedule 3?
Cat castrations, inducing anaesthesia by increment and TB testing are among a range of procedures carried out by veterinary nurses illegally, an RCVS survey has found. According to the survey of thousands of veterinary professionals in May and June this year, veterinary nurses are confused about what they are legally entitled to do under current Schedule 3 arrangements. The findings have prompted calls for the College to clarify exactly what procedures nurses can and cannot do. Schedule 3 is an exemption to the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. It allows registered or student veterinary nurses to carry out some limited veterin...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research
Credit where its due
‘IT’S very rare to leave a conference feeling so positive.’ That’s how a vet summed up last week’s special meeting on antibiotic resistance as he made his way home. Farmers and representatives from government and industry had joined vets at a joint meeting of the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. They had spent a day hearing how livestock farming has achieved record low usage of antibiotics. The mood was upbeat. Some headline figures had featured on the BBC news that morning – in the last two years there has been a 27 pe...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Waters, A. Tags: Comment Source Type: research
People
Zoetis appoints new member to the equine team Becky Disney is the new Equine Account Manager for equine veterinary practices in the central and north of the UK. She brings to the team a strong combination of experience in veterinary pharmaceutical and consultative sales. She is working with equine veterinary practices across the north Midlands and northern England providing product and business support for the company’s pharmaceutical range, which includes sedatives, anaesthetics, analgesics, anthelmintics and vaccines. The British Veterinary Nursing Association appoints strategic director Robin Millar has joined the...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Vet record careers Source Type: research
Veterinary management is really where I feel at home
Sarah Hibbert is a partner relationship manager at Vets4Pets. She explains how the variety of roles and places of work have helped shape her career in veterinary management (Source: Veterinary Record)
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Vet record careers Source Type: research
Affordable home visits for owners with mobility issues
Independently-owned Willows Veterinary Group has launched a mobile veterinary service for people in Warrington, Runcorn and Lymm who find it difficult to get to the practice.
The Vet Van is equipped to provide routine care in a person’s home and it will travel to a different postcode patch every Wednesday and Thursday, so that each area will receive a visit once every three weeks.
Vet Kate Williams, who is leading the project, said: ‘The idea was to set up a service that makes routine care at home an affordable option. The appointment system is similar to systems used by parcel delivery companies, but owners do...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 26, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Products and Services Source Type: research
TB advisory service for farmers
A new bovine TB (bTB) Advisory Service for farmers has opened for business. Cattle farmers in high risk and ‘edge’ areas of England can register for the service by telephone or e-mail. Over the next three years, eligible farm-ers can receive an advisory visit from the service’s bTB specialists provided by ADAS, Kingshay and Westpoint Farm Vets, at no cost to the farmer. For farmers with specific questions about bTB, a telephone advice ser-vice is also available. The TB Advisory Service aims to help maximise farm biosecurity and minimise risks associated with cattle movements, according to technical direct...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 26, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Products and Services Source Type: research
Alfaxan licensed for rabbits
Jurox (UK) has extended the licence for its anaesthetic for cats and dogs, Alfaxan, to include the induction of anaesthesia in pet rabbits. Alfaxan 10 mg/ml solution for injection, which contains alfaxalone as its active ingredient, provides a wide safety margin, the company says. It adds that it has an ‘excellent cardiorespiratory profile and is dosed to effect, making it an excellent choice for the induction of anaesthesia in rabbits’. Alfaxan provides smooth and rapid induction and recovery, painless administration and good muscle relaxation with low impact on ventilation and blood pressure. Richard Beckwith...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 26, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Products and Services Source Type: research
Wearable tech for dogs
Motorola has launched a wearable tracking device for dogs. Scout Traks combines mobile phone technology with GPS and ‘an accelerometer’ to provide information on location, exercise and ambient temperature. The device, which is waterproof, weighs under 30 g and is said to be suitable for any size of dog or puppy. Scout Traks is housed in a protective silicone rubber casing and attach-es to a dog’s collar. The device provides on-demand location information through the Hubble for Pets app. And Motorola reports that owners can set safe zones and get push alerts if their pet were to escape. The device also inc...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 26, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Products and Services Source Type: research
Tracking and managing diabetes in dogs
MSD Animal Health has created a diabetes app to enable vets and their clients to better track and manage diabetes in pets. It is being made available in the lead up to Pet Diabetes Month next month. The app allows owners to use a smart-phone or tablet to track water and food consumption, exercise, glucose levels and insulin injections. It also allows reminders for vet appointments and insulin injections to be set, and creates charts that clients can share with their vet. Caroline Darouj, product manager, says: ‘This tool links the pet owner with the vet and puts all the pertinent diabetic health information at their ...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 26, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Products and Services Source Type: research
Guidance on parasite control for farmers
The National Animal Disease Information Service, NADIS, has launched a parasite con-trol pack to help vets engage with farmers. The pack includes a local monthly para-site forecast for farmers; interactive parasite control planners for cattle and sheep and pres-entations that can be used at farmer meetings. Practices can sign up to receive monthly alerts and forecasts by area, which can be personalised and forwarded to farmers by e-mail. These will include nematodirus and fluke forecasts that can be used in conjunc-tion with the parasite control planners. The planners allow vets and farmers to work together to produce a ye...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 26, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Products and Services Source Type: research
Extreme breeding in horses
El Rey Magnum, the Arab colt whose head shape reminds many of a seahorse, has understandably stimulated those with both clinical and ethical interests to speculate the future (VR, October 14, 2017, vol 181, pp 390-391). The pictures of the colt show that the lower jaw is shorter than the top jaw. This would indicate that it is undershot and therefore has a parrot mouth (brachygnathic). Depending on the severity, this would impair its grazing ability. This condition is hereditary and horses with such conditions should not be bred from. Assuming that his dentition has not been compromised, in spite of his flawed nostrils whi...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 26, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Denny, D. J. B. Tags: Letters and notices Source Type: research
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Thank you for your welcome feedback on recent changes to Veterinary Record. In relation to columns and the need to inject diversity, I think your challenge is a fair one. I should clarify that in order to stimulate debate and advance thinking within the profession, we welcome columns/ideas for columns from vets at all levels; from students to those in retirement, on subjects that are relevant to the profession (To contribute, contact bva.editorial@bmj.com). To that end, we recently ran a column writing competition and we will be unveiling new regular columnists soon. In relation to the specific column you mention, the exam...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 26, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Letters and notices Source Type: research
Increasing diversity in the 'My view column
I commend the editorial team on their updates to Veterinary Record. The publication now looks and feels more contemporary and relevant. I was also encouraged by the launch of the ‘My view’ section; I imagined it would showcase a range of different perspectives. I am therefore disappointed that since June, Siobhan Mullan has coauthored one article, otherwise we have heard the views of people who appear to inhabit one social group. Can we please inject some diversity and hear from individuals who might have different life experiences and viewpoints, or who might challenge us to think differently? It may assist us...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 26, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Page-Jones, S. Tags: Letters and notices Source Type: research
The authors of 'Comparison of veterinary drugs and veterinary homeopathy: part 1 and 2, respond
We welcome the opportunity to emphasise our concerns regarding what we view as an unethical practice by responding to the points raised in the above letter. As explained in our review, we believe that homeopathy requires the existence of a ‘healing power’ with multiple supernatural properties. According to scientific understanding, such a thing is extremely implausible, as homeopaths – including De Beukelaer and others – acknowledge. To counter this problem, the term ‘plausibility bias’ has been used in an attempt to make credulity appear a positive thing.1 We argue that plausibility bia...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 26, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Whitehead, M., Chambers, D., Lees, P., Pelligand, L., Toutain, P.-L., Whiting, M. Tags: Letters and notices Source Type: research
