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New tools help vets promote nutrition
Dr Marge Chandler

WSAVA Nutrition Toolkit extended

New tools have been added to a Nutrition Toolkit, launched to help the veterinary team promote the importance of nutrition to pet health.

The toolkit was introduced at the recent British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) Congress in April, having been developed by the WSAVA's Global Nutrition Committee (GNC).

Since then, body condition score charts for cats and dogs have been added to the toolkit. Further, a body condition video - currently available in English, Spanish and Japanese - demonstrates how veterinary staff or owners can carry out a body condition check.

A new muscle condition score chart has also been included to help the veterinary team to assess muscle condition.

Co-chair of GNC, Dr Marge Chandler, noted the importance of measuring this as muscle loss has a negative impact on strength, immunity and wound healing.

Commenting on the response to the toolkit so far, Dr Chandler said: "Veterinary staff tell us that the tools are helping them to provide better care for patients.

"[It helps them] to feel more confidant in answering questions about pet food and to suggest useful and accurate nutrition websites to which they can direct owners."

Dr Chandler says that the GNC will continue to add further tools and translate them into more languages to benefit owners and vets across the world.

The launch of the toolkit followed the GNC's creation of Nutrition Guidelines in 2011, which aimed to improve pet nutrition.

Click here to download the toolkit. The Nutrition Guidelines are also available here.

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Building Great Workplaces webinars return

News Story 1
 BVA has announced a new series of its Building Great Workplaces lunchtime webinars.

Launching from 16 July, the sessions will explore patient safety, motivation, client communication and more.

Its first webinar, exploring neurodiversity in the workplace, will take place at 1pm on Thursday, 16 July. It will feature guest speakers from The Vet Project, a group which supports neurodiversity in veterinary environments.

The following three webinars take place in September, October and November.

Booking is open on the BVA website 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
New form for online veterinary medicines retailers

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has produced a new online form for retailers wishing to sell veterinary medicines on the internet.

The form replace the previous Word version and is part of the VMD's ongoing commitment to digitise its processes. Anyone retailing prescription medicines online, including POM-V, POM-VPS and NFA-VPS categories, is lawfully required to register with the VMD before trading.

The change only applies to new applicants. Retailers already listed on the VMD's Register of Online Retailers or registered under the Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme (AIRS) do not need to do anything.