Stacey Godbold, a Registered Veterinary Receptionist from Paddons Vets in Wisbech, has been named Vetpol’s CPD Champion of 2023. While nearly 50% of all Vetpol SQPs exceeded their CPD targets last year, none did so by as large a margin as Stacey, who did over 40 hours: more than 13 times her target. Caroline Johnson, Director at Vetpol, said: “Her commitment to learning and CPD is truly inspiring. "To have exceeded her quota by such a fantastic margin is something to be truly proud of, and perfectly exemplifies the high standards that we strive for within the SQP community and it is ..read more

Millpledge Veterinary has launched Oculeze, an ocular lubricant. The new product, which is for the management of any condition where eye health is supported by providing additional moisture or lubrication, is suitable for dogs, cats, horses, rabbits and other animals. Oculeze contains glycerine (0.8%), Aloe vera, chamomile and propolis extract, the latter of which contains polyphenols which Millpledge says have been shown to support corneal health by multiple mechanisms of action including modulation of the tear film and a reduction in inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative ..read more

A study published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice has concluded that the majority of suspected adverse drug reactions (SADR) in veterinary medicine go unreported. The authors say that whilst it has long been suspected that adverse drug reactions are under-reported, this study is the first to show the scale of the problem, using real data from veterinary clinical records. For the study, researchers looked for electronic heath records within the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) which contained “adverse drug reactions” and “side effects ..read more

Creature Comforts, the start up which promises to revolutionise veterinary care using tech, has opened its first clinic in Notting Hill Gate, London.  The new, four storey, architecturally-designed clinic is full of natural light and includes calming and spacious staff breakout areas.  By combining a beautiful work environment with seamless technology, the company believes it can transform working conditions and job satisfaction for vet teams. On the tech side, the Creature Comforts has created a proprietary app which allows triage to be handled online and for staff to ..read more

Vetpartners is offering grants to support those of its RVNs who want to boost their clinical skills by doing veterinary work overseas. The veterinary group is stumping up more than £100,000 for the initiative, which will enable 20 vets and nurses, and 56 new grads from across the group to work with the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) and other overseas animal charities. The grants are for £1,500 and those taking part will also get up to one week of paid time off work whilst they volunteer. VetPartners CEO Jo Malone said: “We wanted to support colleagu ..read more

Virbac is hosting a webinar at 5pm on Wednesday 17th April, where members of the WSAVA Reproduction Control Committee will present its new reproduction guidelines. The 1st Reproduction Control Guidelines of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) have just been accepted for publication and are expected to recommend a move away from a blanket neutering policy. Dr Neil Mottram BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS Technical Manager at Virbac said: "This webinar will help clinicians understand and navigate the latest evidence-based medicine in regards to neut ..read more

Lincolnshire-based veterinary nurse Karen Alcock has been deemed fit to practise after being convicted of being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog, resulting in the death of her three-month-old daughter, Kyra. Ms Alcock was convicted on 23 December 2022 at the Lincoln Crown Court, following a guilty plea of being the owner/person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death. The court heard that in March 2022, Ms Alcock and her partner had taken their dogs to Ostler Plantation at around 11pm to pull a racing sledge. Kyra was in her pram o ..read more

The BSAVA has launched a new Vet Nurse Merit Award (VNMA) in Dentistry, starting in September 2024. The Vet Nurse Merit Award courses are designed for RVNs in primary care practice. The VNMA in Dentistry offers 30 hours of CPD and will help delegates feel confident in: Identifying abnormalities in the mouth and performing oral exams under anaesthesia and conscious. Being able to obtain dental radiographs and understand them. Making anaesthesia and analgesia plans for dental treatment. Correctly annotating a dental chart and safely scaling and polishing teeth. Maintaining and id ..read more

Agria Pet Insurance has launched ‘The Pet Profession Podcast', which aims to help veterinary nurses navigate some of the challenges they face in their career. Hosted by industry veteran, Anthony Chadwick MRCVS, there will be five episodes, covering pet life expectancy, sustainability in the vet industry, recruitment, and euthanasia. The first episode of The Pet Profession Podcast is available now with guest Dan O’Neill, Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Epidemiology and co-lead of the VetCompass Research Programme at the RVC, discussing pet life expectancy. The Pet Profes ..read more

The BSAVA has published a series of client information leaflets about the care and welfare of reptile species most commonly kept in the UK. Data for 2023 from UK Pet Food research found that around 5% of UK households own a reptile, up from 3.4% in 2022. The new leaflets have been created using information from the BSAVA Manual of Reptiles and reviewed by Simon Girling, reptile specialist at The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. They cover things like housing, feeding, handling, medication and spotting health concerns, and are now available for veterinary nurses to download and&n ..read more