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Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month competition winners revealed
Thrums Vets created a two-day course for school leavers interested in veterinary nursing.
The theme for this year’s VNAM was ‘Progression’.

The Donkey Sanctuary and Thrums Vets have won this year’s Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM) competition.

Run by the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), which organises the awareness month, the competition celebrates the different ways practices, nursing teams, and individuals join in with VNAM.

The brief for this year’s competition was ‘Your #VNAM2024, Your Way’ and the overall theme for VNAM was ‘Progression’.

During VNAM, the Donkey Sanctuary invited members of the public for a tour of the sanctuary. A talk was given by the veterinary nursing team and those attending were taught about what veterinary nurses do and the need to protect the title.

The veterinary nursing team also invited students from local veterinary nursing colleges to three talks about how to progress into equine nursing.

Thrums Vets, based in Scotland, put together a two-day course for children at school-leaving age who were considering a career in veterinary nursing.

The course included information about where and how to train to become a veterinary nurse, and introduced the students to some of the tasks veterinary nurses carry out, including bandaging, suturing, and conducting a clinical examination.

The runners up were Delaware Veterinary Group, based in Somerset, and Island VetCare, based on the Isle of Wight.

Lyndsay Hughes, BVNA president, said: “Our competition entries have been absolutely outstanding, and it has been wonderful to see how the theme has been interpreted.

“The variety of entries we have had, and the quality of these, has made it really very difficult to judge this year's competition and has made the team exceptionally proud to know we work alongside such excellent veterinary nursing teams.
 
“Thank you to everyone who entered for taking the time to be an integral part in sharing this year's VNAM theme. Your continued efforts help us raise awareness about the significant impact veterinary nurses have and the fundamental role you play in ensuring animal welfare is maintained.”

The full list of entries can be found on the BVNA website.

Image © BVNA

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New guidelines published for wildlife disease surveillance

News Story 1
 A set of international guidelines for disease surveillance in wildlife has been updated for the first time since 2015.

Released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the World Organisation for Animal Health, General Guidelines for Surveillance of Diseases, Pathogens and Toxic Agents in Free-ranging Wildlife is designed to help wildlife authorities and others working with wildlife carry out effective surveillance programmes.

The document, which cover areas including choosing appropriate strategies, safety and biosafety protocols, and ethical and legal considerations, can be read here.  

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Restricted zone extended after more bluetongue cases

After three new cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 were detected along the Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire border, the restricted zone has been extended.

The zone now includes Buckinghamshire and part of Berkshire, as well as Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, City of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Greater London, part of Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, part of Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, part of Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk, Surrey, and West Sussex.

Susceptible animals in the restricted zone should only be moved if it is essential. A specific licence is needed to move a susceptible animal from within the restricted zone to outside of the zone.

Bluetongue is a notifiable disease. Suspected cases must be reported on 03000 200 301 in England or 03003 038 268 in Wales. In Scotland, suspected cases should be reported to the local field services office. In Northern Ireland, suspected cases should be reported to the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or by contacting the local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.

A map of the areas where restrictions apply can be found here.