Vétoquinol are new sponsors of Vet Charity Challenge 2013
Vet Charity Challenge is delighted to announce that Vétoquinol has now joined BCF Technology and Kruuse as main sponsors of the event in 2013.
Caitrina Harrison, Vétoquinol UK and Ireland Deputy Managing Director commented, “We are absolutely delighted to join the Vet Charity Challenge as one of the main sponsors. We saw how much everyone enjoyed the event last year and how it raised a fantastic amount for the three animal charities. There are a good few of us here who are interested in keeping fit and we are looking forward to entering a few teams ourselves.”
The Vet Charity Challenge 2013 will take part on Saturday 28th September at Warwickshire College, Pershore in Worcestershire. The event comprises teams of four taking part in walking/ running, cycling and kayaking along with some orienteering and mental and physical tasks. This event has been designed for every level of fitness and success on the day depends very much on how well each team member works together, rather than physical fitness.
Teams can register from 2nd April at www.vetcharitychallenge.co.uk and early registration is recommended, since people who took part last year are keen to do so again this year. For example, Head Nurse, Angella McNellan from Glenbrae Veterinary Clinic in Bearsden, Glasgow said after the event in 2012, “The Vet Charity Challenge has been brilliant fun, beautiful scenery, great challenges. It has really helped get fitter through training as a team after work during the summer. We cannot wait to do it all again next year.”
The Vet Charity Challenge raised £21,000 for three animal charities last year. The event aims to raise money in 2013 for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, SPANA and Animals Asia.
BSAVA Welcomes a Paralympian Hero to Congress
Vetoquinol asks Vets to get geared up for BSAVA
At BSAVA 2013 Vetoquinol is aiming to raise as much money as possible for Dogs for the Disabled and Pet Savers by getting delegates to take part in a virtual bicycle relay.
Paralympic Gold medalist Mark Colbourne will be attending on Friday from 12.30 to take part and sign autographs and will also have his medals with him!
Caitrina Harrison, Vetoquinol UK and Ireland Deputy Managing Director comments “These are both amazing charities and we want to raise as much money as we can with help from as many delegates as possible at this year’s congress”
Race down to stand 922 for a wheelie good time!
BSAVA Volunteers give their top tips
BSAVA Board members and volunteers have clocked up thousands of Congress hourse between them over their years as volunteers, so there is no better group to offer advice on making the most of this event.
Each week in the run up to Congress, a different volunteer or Board member will give their tips.
Mark Johnston (BSAVA President)
Until I got involved with BSAVA I never knew how much of Congress is produced by volunteers - vets and nurses in practice just like me. It is astonishing, truly remarkable - and means that it has a different agenda to a commercial event - it isn't driven by profit margins, but about what is good for the profession and what the needs are of the clinical and management staff. It would be a shame if the only events available were all about profit margins, because then we wouldn't have opportunities to nurture new talent, as we do with CRAs, or put together a programme that can include talks that won't attract huge numbers, but that a few will find so very valuable.
Andrew Ash (BSAVA Senior Vice President)
I am new to Apps but am really getting the hang of them now. The BSAVA Congress App (read more) has completely changed my view of Congress, not only can I search the lecture streams and plan my Congress CPD, read biographies of the lecturers and generally organise my Congress time but I can also search a full list of the exhibitors and plan my trip around the exhibition. It's really useful to have all the email contact details of the exhibitors on my phone included in the App. This App will really change my time at Congress and will be useful as a resource after the event is over.
Phil Lhermette (Petsavers Management chair)
I used to panic about missing out on lectures I really wanted to get to, and agonise over picking one over another where the timetable clashed. It was also a challenge to scribble notes in my copy of Proceedings whilst listening to a particularly engaging talk. Now I remind myself that I can listen again online after Congress, and I can make the event last throughout the year by catching up on missed talks with the BSAVA Congress lecture archive. This is such a treat of a member benefit, and I'm always surprised when collaegues aren't making the most of it.
Patricia Colville (BSAVA Honary Secretary)
Plan your lecture timetable in advance, and be sure to add in a few talks outside of your comfort zone – with so much variety on offer you can afford to spend some of your time spreading your wings a bit. I remember discovering a lot more about canine myocardial disease and pericardial disease by going to John Bonagura cardiology lecture back in 2007. Whilst I might not have chosen a whole course on the subject at that point, Congress gave me the chance to ‘try before I buy’ – and I now always look out for talks at Congress that might stretch me a little more or inspire a new interest.
Rewarding loyal BSAVA Members
How to... collected articles from BSAVA companion
The member loyalty benefit for 2013 is a selection of how to articles from companion. This compendium covers a wide range of procedures, decisions, techniques and species; from microchipping chelonians to the approach to the anorexic rabbit; from performing a successful joint tap to selecting the right urinary catheter. With useful nuggets of knowledge, the book provides readers with a diverse wealth of information that can be applied when making decisions in the future.
BSAVA Members who have renewed their membership for 2013 with no break in their subscription are eligible for a complimentary copy of this title.
Just come up to the BSAVA Balcony during Congress with your proof of membership to collect this.
Make a date with tomorrow's science
Clinical Research Abstracts are sometimes overlooked in the rush of seminars and workshops at congress, but they provide much more than just the chance to escape the bustle.
They give researchers the chance to share their findings and the audience the opportunity to ask questions and be inspired. It is where the scientific stars of tomorrow could be inspiring the general practitioners of today – and this year BSAVA is taking a fresh approach. The 15-minute presentations are grouped by subject, and previously these have often concentrated on preliminary results considered of particular interest to other researchers or those with a specific interest in the subject. In recent years they have also become where practice based research has been presented. For the first time this year, two streams are specifically dedicated to research about first opinion practice, including such diverse subjects as “What’s in a name?”, an assessment of the misfortune of pets called Lucky; a comparison of auxiliary, aural and rectal temperature measurement in dogs and “Shut up while I listen!” – can we stop cats purring during the consultation? There are also many abstracts in other streams relevant to first opinion practice from “Out of hours consultations: are they really so different?” in the anaesthesia and critical care stream, to “Longevity of dogs attending veterinary practices in England” in the oncology stream. Those in practice with a particular interest will still find plenty of specific clinical research, from ocular abnormalities in European hedgehogs (exotics stream) to stifle surgery (orthopaedics stream); and from an investigation of the relationship between vitamin D status and gastrointestinal disease in cats (gastroenterology and hepatology) to a retrospective cohort study of Vizsla polymyositis (neurology). As well as oral presentations, a poster session will be held on the Saturday in the foyer of Hall 4 at 4pm, where delegates can discuss the posters with the researchers