As the London Olympics draw nearer, an increasing number of overseas equestrian teams are basing their horses in the UK. Some will use local practices for their veterinary care but others will also bring their team vet. Away from their practice and facilities, many of these team vets will seek to work alongside local equine practices and this can be an interesting and fruitful professional relationship for all concerned. However, it is worth noting that if you work alongside team vets, you may also have a duty of care to the owner of the horse, even if you are merely observing what is being done. All teams' vets must be registered as practising members of the RCVS and will need to change their status if they are overseas members. There are no exemptions simply because they are with an Olympic team. You should satisfy yourself that they are registered with the RCVS and that they have appropriate professional indemnity insurance that covers the work they carry out in the UK. All veterinary surgeons who care ...

Congratulations to the RCVS for receiving the MemComm Award

Following reports of equine influenza (EI) outbreaks linked to horses attending various events held in north-western France in the past few weeks, the Animal Health Trust's OIE reference laboratory for EI is asking equine veterinary surgeons to take full advantage of their on-going EI surveillance initiatives, which have been generously supported for many years now by the UK's Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry under the auspices of HBLB funding.  The AHT laboratories would be very happy to receive any samples from horses in which EI may be suspected and in particular from animals in yards where there may have been recent introduction of infection through return of animals from competition events, both here in the UK and from mainland Europe. AHT and BEVA feel that this heightened surveillance activity for probably the most potentially infectious and rapidly spreading equine infectious disease is particularly important at this time, given that a) the London Olympics are now less than 3 months awa ...

  Former Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) President, Professor Sandy Trees, will be appointed to the House of Lords as a non-party-political (cross-bench) peer, following recommendation by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.   Professor Trees, who was President of the RCVS in 2009-2010, has served on the College Council for 12 years. He becomes only the second veterinary surgeon to take a seat in the House of Lords, joining Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior.   "This is a great honour, and a wonderful opportunity," says Professor Trees. "I look forward to the prospect of ensuring that legislation relating to animal health and welfare is fit for purpose, but I also feel that veterinary surgeons have a great deal to offer society more broadly, and I will relish the opportunity of raising the profile of the profession and what it can contribute.   "Beyond the immediate veterinary sphere, my areas of experience include science, the environment, education, middle eastern politics and tropical medici ...

The independent body has offered reassurance that the election was fair

Could you help lead BEVA? Nomination forms are now available

The two day practice management forum aims to help equine practices get the best out of their business

17 clinical cases of Atypical Myopathy have been reported to Liege University and to RESPE

The Association of Racecourse Veterinary Surgeons will be holding they're Summer Scientific Meeting later this month

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