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Somerset animal hospital awarded for environmental impact
Pictured: The 'green team' at Cave.
Cave Veterinary Specialists has been awarded silver status by the iiE. 

A Somerset-based animal hospital has been recognised for its efforts to become a more environmentally friendly establishment.

Cave Veterinary Specialists, based in West Buckland, has been awarded silver status from Investors in the Environment (iiE), which runs the UK's environmental accreditation scheme.

EBVS and RCVS specialist in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia, Will McFadzean, who oversees Cave's green project, commented on the accreditation: “As a practice, we take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously so we’re delighted to have been awarded silver status by iiE.

“At Cave, we’ve put a detailed action plan in place to initiate change across the business to increase efficiency, reuse materials, embrace recyclable options and, in doing so, reduce waste. There’s now more, and larger, recycling bins around the practice and we’ve introduced blue recyclable hand towels to replace the white, non-recyclable ones.”

He continued: “All bottles used in our pharmacy are recyclable and all new syringes are made from recycled plastic in a carbon-neutral factory, where possible. We also have a paperless referral process and send certificates via email rather than on printed card, while our lab reports can now be accessed online. 

“It extends right down to providing recyclable and biodegradable drinks cups and bamboo stirrers in reception. It’s a long and detailed list which illustrates just how determined we are to make a significant change in the way we work and reduce our impact on the environment.”

Cave has also made changes to its clinical settings, including switching to low flow anaesthesia and ending the using of nitrous oxide gas. 

Other environmentally friendly changes to clinical settings that the hospital has made include the use of microfibre colour-coded cloths, which have been pre-soaked with vaporised peracetic acid to replace disposable wipes, and reducing the use of disposable theatre hats and aprons – opting for reusable versions where possible.  

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.