Sally Everitt speaks to Martin Whitehead about the "Down the drain" study, looking at how spot-on parasiticides applied to dogs can contaminate the environment, and how he takes a risk-based approach to the prevention and treatment of parasites.

Read the transcript

Read the paper

Additional resources

Down-the-drain pathways for fipronil and imidacloprid applied as spot-on parasiticides to dogs: Estimating aquatic pollution - inFOCUS

Veterinary medicines and the environment - inFOCUS 

Responsible use of antiparasitic medications in veterinary practice - inFOCUS 

How cat and dog routine prophylaxis needs to change | BSAVA Library

How can we prevent worms and still protect the environment? | BSAVA Library

The views and opinions expressed in our podcasts are the speakers’ own and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of RCVS Knowledge.

In this Knowledge Natter podcast, Lou Northway speaks to 2024 Quality Improvement champion, Corinne Ackroyd from Yorkshire Vets about her nurse-led initiative to reduce the use of oxygen and volatile anaesthetic gasses.

Through the initiative, the team were able to substantially reduce oxygen and isoflurane use. The carbon footprint reduction is the equivalent of driving from London to Rome, and back.

Read the case study here.

Read the transcript.

Additional resources 

Oxygen Conservation – Davies Vet Specialists

Conversations with Keith and Courtney: Non-Rebreathing Systems

Conversations with Keith and Courtney: Rebreathing Systems

Demystifying Circle Breathing Systems: A Practical Overview by Courtney Scales

The views and opinions expressed in our podcasts are the speakers’ own and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of RCVS Knowledge.

In this episode, Helen Silver-MacMahon talks to Pam Mosedale about Clinical Audit Awareness Week 2023, and how you can get involved by making a start on your own clinical audits.

Read the transcript

Learn more about Clinical Audit Awareness Week

Samantha Thompson, RVN and Post-Registration Programme Manager for the Linnaeus Group, discusses her post-operative hypothermia audit and how the team used the results to make changes within practice. 

The case example was awarded Highly Commended in the Knowledge Awards 2020.

The written case example can be read here, and the transcript can be read here. 

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website for more free quality improvement resources. 

Dr Sarah Caddy VetMB PhD DipACVM MRCVS, Virologist at University of Cambridge, discusses when we should test an animal for COVID-19.

Download the transcript and the presentation from the RCVS Knowledge website.

For more COVID-19 mythbusting resources, visit the RCVS Knowledge website.

In this Audio Summary, Carla discusses the evidence on educational interventions for hand hygiene. This is the winning Knowledge Summary of the Veterinary Evidence Student Awards 2020. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access transcript here. 

Dr Liam Brierley, MRC Skills Development Fellow, University of Liverpool, discusses whether good weather will decrease the infection rates of COVID 19. 

Download the transcript.

For more free COVID-19 resources for veterinary professionals, visit: rcvsknowledge.org/covid-19

Alan Radford, Professor in Veterinary Health Informatics at the University of Liverpool and RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisor, discusses whether ultraviolet light can actually kill COVID-19.

Download the presentation and transcript.

For more free COVID-19 resources for veterinary professionals, visit: rcvsknowledge.org/covid-19

Pam Mosedale, BVetMed, MRCVS and Chair of the Quality Improvement Advisory Board, discusses what patients can be cleaned with, and whether this could kill COVID-19. 

Download the presentation and transcript.

For more free COVID-19 resources for veterinary professionals, visit: rcvsknowledge.org/covid-19

Getting started with quality improvement in practice can be daunting if you don't know where to start, and continuous quality improvement can often seem overwhelming. In this webinar produced for BSAVA 2020, Louise Northway, RVN, discusses why quality improvement is a staple in practice, how to get started with clinical audit and what your results might indicate for patient care.    

Based on practical examples, including Lou's award-winning small animal neutering audit, find out how to use evidence to improve standards of care, and how QI can help promote a just culture.  

- Louise Northway VNCertECC NCert(Anaesth) RVN

Download the transcript and presentation from the RCVS Knowledge website.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website for more free quality improvement resources. 

Alan Radford, Professor in Veterinary Health Informatics at the University of Liverpool and RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisor, discusses the difference between Feline Coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2.

Download the presentation and transcript.

For more free COVID-19 resources for veterinary professionals, visit: rcvsknowledge.org/covid-19

How can we express evidence in a way that means people will engage with it and understand it? How do team dynamics and individual context influence whether evidence is used appropriately and fully? What can we learn from the experience in human medicine?

These questions and more are explored in this roundtable discussion featuring:

• Trish Greenhalgh, Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford
• Dr Zoe Belshaw, internal medicine specialist, Centre for Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine at the University of Nottingham/PDSA
• Dr Louise Buckley, RVN and Lecturer, University of Edinburgh/Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
• Laura Playforth, Veterinary Surgeon, Vice-Chair of RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisory Board and Professional Standards Director at Vets Now
• Adewole Adekola and Imogen Schofield: Veterinary Surgeons and PhD students at the Royal Veterinary College

Download the transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website.

The Knowledge Sessions bring together specialists from across the industry to examine the landscape, propose potential approaches to complex problems, and provide practical advice on a range of subjects.

Dr Sarah Caddy VetMB PhD DipACVM MRCVS: Virologist at University of Cambridge provides the latest evidence and advice regarding the potential for cats to transfer COVID-19 to other animals, and the risk of zoonosis.

Download the transcript.

For more free COVID-19 resources for veterinary professionals, visit rcvsknowledge.org/covid-19.

Sally Everitt speaks with Elly Russell and Julie Gibson about the paper 'Are They Thinking Differently? The Perceptions and Differences in Medical Disputes between Veterinarians and Clients'.

Read the paper

Read the podcast transcript

Some further resources that are referenced in the podcast are linked below:

Read the paper by Russell, E. et al (2022)

Read the paper by Gibson, J. et al (2022)

Read the paper by Gibson, J. et al (2023)

Read the paper by Gibson, J. et al (2024)

Access VetSafe

Dr Sarah Caddy VetMB PhD DipACVM MRCVS: Virologist at University of Cambridge provides the latest evidence and advice regarding the use of kennel cough vaccine in relation to humans that may be immunosuppressed due to COVID-19 infection.

Download the transcript.

For more free COVID-19 resources for veterinary professionals, visit rcvsknowledge.org/covid-19.

In this Audio Summary, Mike discusses whether calves separated at birth vs. suckled with the mother, has any behavioural and performance effects on both cow and/or calf. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access the transcript here

A presentation on the management of feline chronic kidney disease produced by RCVS Knowledge for BSAVA Congress 2020 by:

• Sarah Caney BVSc PhD DSAM(Feline) MRCVS, RCVS specialist in feline medicine, and
• Paul Pollard MVB CertAVP(VC) PG Dip Vet Ed FHEA MRCVS, First opinion practitioner, responsible for student learning on first opinion rotation at the Royal Veterinary College in Camden.

Download the transcript and presentation from the RCVS Knowledge website.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website for more free quality improvement resources. 

Part 5 in our infection control series focuses on the use of audits in veterinary practice, and the role of auditing in benchmarking and monitoring infections and progress. It is delivered by:

- Pam Mosedale: Chair of the RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisory Board, Lead Practice Standards Scheme Assessor (RCVS) and Bella Moss Clinical Advisor

- Dr Tim Nuttall: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh; RCVS Knowledge Infection Control Advisor and Bella Moss Clinical Advisor

Download the accompanying presentation and transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website.

CPD: 1 hour

This guide to disinfectant types for veterinary professionals is Part 4 in our infection control series.

- Sairéad Wild BSc (Hons), PgDip, RVN. RCVS Knowledge Infection Control Working Party; Course Director: University College West Anglia, Access to Veterinary Science; Lecturer: Veterinary Nursing (Higher Education)

- Pam Mosedale: Chair of the RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisory Board, Lead Practice Standards Scheme Assessor (RCVS) and Bella Moss Clinical Advisor

Download the accompanying presentation and transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website.

CPD: 25 mins

Part 3 in our series on infection control: infection prevention, and control policies and procedures in routine practice by:

• Liz Branscombe DipAVN(Surgical) RVN: RCVS Knowledge Trustee and Training Manager, Davies Veterinary Specialists
• Pam Mosedale: Chair of the RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisory Board, Lead Practice Standards Scheme Assessor (RCVS) and Bella Moss Clinical Advisor

Download the accompanying presentation and transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website.

CPD: 1 hour 15 mins

Lizzie Lockett, CEO of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, provides a personal take on quality improvement, why it's important for all people working in a practice to be alive to change, and RCVS initiatives that support the adoption of quality improvement.

Download the transcript and find free quality improvement resources on the RCVS Knowledge website.

The Knowledge Sessions is a series that brings together specialists from across the veterinary industry to examine the landscape, propose potential approaches to complex problems, and provide practical advice on a range of subjects.

CPD: 30 mins

Part 2 in our series on infection control: organisms of concern and modes of transmission by:

• Dr Tim Nuttall: RCVS Knowledge Infection Control Advisor; Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh; and Bella Moss Clinical Advisor
• Pam Mosedale: Chair of the RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisory Board, Lead Practice Standards Scheme Assessor (RCVS) and Bella Moss Clinical Advisor

Download the accompanying presentation and transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website.

Listen to Part 1: Infection control and biosecurity during COVID-19.

CPD: 1 hour

Pam Mosedale (Chair of RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisory Board and Acting Lead Assessor and Veterinary Advisor for the Practice Standards Group) and Charlotte Hartley (RVN and Practice Standards Advisor for North West) advise on getting started with clinical audit in practice, discussing topics, benefits and barriers.

This presentation was recorded at Ashbrook Equine Hospital during the RCVS Knowledge Equine Roadshow, kindly sponsored by the Horserace Betting Levy Board and accredited by the British Equine Veterinary Association.

Download the full transcript and presentation from the RCVS Knowledge website.

CPD: 35 mins

Tim Mair, President of the British Equine Veterinary Association and Equine Veterinary Director of CVS, looks at the challenges and benefits of introducing clinical guidelines into equine practice. Real-life examples demonstrate how to create your own guidelines and monitor their effect in practice.

This session was recorded at Ashbrook Equine Hospital as part of the RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Equine Roadshow, kindly sponsored by the Horserace Betting Levy Board and accredited by the British Equine Veterinary Association.

Download the transcript and the presentation from the RCVS Knowledge website.

CPD: 35 mins

In this VetTeamAMR podcast, Pam Mosedale speaks with Danny Chambers MP about the upcoming Antibiotic Amnesty.

Danny touches on his experiences working in equine and small animal practice to discuss why the Antibiotic Amnesty is important, and how you can get involved.

Get involved with the Antibiotic Amnesty campaign: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/amr/antibiotic-amnesty/

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this episode are that of the interviewee and are not necessarily held by RCVS Knowledge.

Please note: This episode was recorded in 2023.

Read the podcast transcript

Audio version of an RCVS Knowledge webinar providing an introduction to the evidence base on COVID-19 and the patient/client journey, featuring:

• Pam Mosedale: Chair of the RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisory Board, Lead Practice Standards Scheme Assessor (RCVS) and Bella Moss Clinical Advisor
• Alan Radford: RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisor and Professor in Veterinary Health Informatics at the University of Liverpool
• Dr Tim Nuttall: RCVS Knowledge Infection Control Advisor and Bella Moss Clinical Advisor; Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh

Download the transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website. For more COVID-19 guidance, visit the RCVS Knowledge COVID-19 resources hub. 

CPD: 1 hour

In this Audio Summary, Mike discusses the age at first calving in order to maximise milk yield, minimize risk of non-voluntary culling and optimize fertility. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access the transcript here. 

Rachel Dean of VetPartners and Ulrika Gronlund of AniCura share views and experiences of the clinical benefits of corporatisation - capturing and sharing data and knowledge at scale, quality improvement approaches, benefits for the animal owner, and more.

Download the transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website.

This podcast is part of the Knowledge Sessions, a resource that brings together specialists from across the veterinary industry to examine the landscape, propose potential approaches to complex problems, and provide practical advice on a range of subjects.

CPD: 45 mins

Chaired by Dan Tipney, VetLed, the panel featuring Louise Northway, Wendover Heights Veterinary Centre; Alison Thomas, Blue Cross; Pam Mosedale, RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisory Board; and Richard Byrne, West Bar Hospital, discuss their experience of quality improvement in practice.

Areas of discussion include topics to start with, how to record, tips to engage your team, as well as the benefits and barriers they have experienced.

Download the full transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website.

This session was recorded at SPVS VMG Congress, Newport in January 2020, as part of the Quality Improvement stream.

 CPD: 75 minutes

What can we learn from the NHS's approach to patient safety over the past 20 years?

Suzette Woodward, a paediatric intensive care nurse who is now a Professor in patient safety, discusses the latest safety concepts and science that are sweeping the NHS - as well as what we could do differently.

Download the full transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website.

This session was recorded at SPVS VMG Congress, Newport in January 2020, as part of the quality improvement stream.

CPD: 40 mins

Shobhan Thakore, Clinical Lead for the Scottish Quality and Safety Fellowship Programme, gives an approachable and personal perspective on how to get your team on board to deliver quality improvement.

Shobhan discusses recent NHS initiatives to help manage expectations, engage and work with the team to respond to change, and deal with fear of blame. 

Download the full transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website.

This presentation was an Adapt, Improve, Achieve session by RCVS Knowledge recorded at SPVS-VMG Congress 2020 in Newport as part of the Quality Improvement stream.

CPD: 40 mins

Pam Mosedale, Chair of RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisory Board, shares valuable lessons about how checklists have reduced errors in human healthcare and other industries, and how checklists can be applied successfully in a veterinary setting.

This presentation was recorded at Ashbrook Equine Hospital during the RCVS Knowledge Equine Roadshow, kindly sponsored by the Horserace Betting Levy Board and accredited by the British Equine Veterinary Association.

Download the full transcript and accompanying presentation from the RCVS Knowledge website.

CPD: 38 mins

In this Audio Summary, Hannah discuses the evidence around whether bisphosphonates are a more effective treatment than intra-articular steroids in horses with OA. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access the transcript here. 

Alice Bird, Senior Clinician in Anaesthesia at the Animal Health Trust, talks through the significant event audit of a postoperative complication that occurred in equine practice, including how a blame culture was avoided, lessons learned and resultant processes put in place.

The session formed part of the RCVS Knowledge Equine Roadshow recorded at Ashbrook Equine Hospital in 2019, sponsored by the Horserace Betting Levy Board and accredited by the British Equine Veterinary Association.

Download the accompanying presentation and full transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website.

CPD: 40 mins

Checklists have been used in aviation and human medicine for decades, given their proven power to reduce avoidable errors and significant events.

Amanda Boag (Clinical Director at Vets Now, RCVS Knowledge Trustee and Vice-President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) discusses the state of play with checklists in the veterinary industry, why checklists are liberating rather than constraining, and how a simple piece of paper can save lives.

Download the full transcript, the accompanying presentation and RCVS Knowledge's new Surgical Safety Checklist Manual from the RCVS Knowledge website.

This podcast is part of the Knowledge Sessions, a resource that brings together specialists from across the veterinary industry to examine the landscape, propose potential approaches to complex problems, and provide practical advice on a range of subjects.

Pam Mosedale speaks to 2023 Knowledge Award Antimicrobial Stewardship Champions Paul Stanley and Emily Parr from White Lodge Veterinary Surgery in Exmouth. They conducted a prospective audit to review antibiotic use in cat bite abscesses and successfully treated 86% of their patients without antibiotics without compromising patient welfare. 

Read the podcast transcript

Read Paul and Emily's case example 

The 2024 RCVS Knowledge Awards are open for applications now, learn more at rcvsknowledge.org/knowledgeawards

In this Audio Summary, Jacqueline looks at the evidence around whether a daily probiotic supplement improves clinical outcomes in dogs with diarrhoea. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access the transcript here. 

Doing research as a veterinary practitioner is easier and more rewarding than you think. But what kind of research can you do? What are the benefits of doing research in practice, and what skills and resources do you need? Where do you get started, and what kind of impact can you make?

Dr Marnie Brennan, Dr Zoe Belshaw and Hannah Doit from the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine provide an approachable step-by-step guide, with tips on making research in practice useful and fulfilling, and some inspiring examples.

Download the full transcript and the references from the RCVS Knowledge website.

This podcast is part of the Knowledge Sessions, a resource that brings together specialists from across the veterinary industry to examine the landscape, propose potential approaches to complex problems, and provide practical advice on a range of subjects.

In this Audio Summary, Vitória looks at the evidence around whether sheep vaccinated against caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) are less likely to develop the disease when compared to unvaccinated sheep. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access the transcript here. 

This roundtable discussion looks at the controversial area of patient values and ethics in evidence-based veterinary medicine. What are patient values and do they matter? How does animal sentience affect the notion of informed consent? Who should have the final say in potential treatment?

Peter Cockcroft, Editor-in-chief of Veterinary Evidence, chairs this fascinating and wide-ranging podcast recorded last year featuring experts in the field: Carol Gray, David Mills, Siobhan Mullan, Francoise Wemelsfelder and James Yeates.

Download the full transcript.

This podcast is part of the Knowledge Sessions, a resource that brings together specialists from across the veterinary industry to examine the landscape, propose potential approaches to complex problems, and provide practical advice on a range of subjects.

In this Audio Summary, Honoria looks at the evidence around whether changes in hoof wall temperature and digital pulse pressure can be used to predict laminitis onset. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

For World Antibiotic Awareness Week, UK Chief Vet Christine Middlemiss chairs a roundtable discussion on challenges presented by antimicrobial resistance and ways to tackle it, with guests Ian Battersby (Davies Veterinary Specialists/Mission Rabies), Steve Howard (PDSA), Kristen Reyher (Bristol Veterinary School) and David Singleton (Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network).

This podcast is the first of 'The Knowledge Sessions', a series of discussions with leading experts on hot topics in evidence-based veterinary medicine.

Download the full transcript from the RCVS Knowledge website.

In this Audio Summary, Avril looks at the evidence around whether oral B12 tablets can be used to treat hypocobalaminaemia in dogs with chronic enteropathies. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access the transcript 

In this Audio Summary, Louise looks at the evidence around whether Pet Remedy reduces stress in dogs. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access the transcript. 

In this Audio Summary, Molly looks at the evidence around whether disposable synthetic drapes reduce the risk of surgical site infections when compared to reusable woven drapes. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access the transcript. 

In this Audio Summary, Adelle discusses equine livery yard owners’ opinions of emergency conditions, and the factors influencing emergency decision making. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access the transcript. 

In this Audio Summary, Anne-Claude asks, in cats with psychogenic alopecia, is overgrooming reduced by the use of clomipramine compared to untreated cats? Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enable vets and vet nurses to more quickly and more easily access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

In this Audio Summary, Kate discusses the evidence around whether 0.2 Mg/kg Vs. 1.0 Mg/kg of oral meloxicam provides adequate pain relief in rabbits. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access the transcript.

In this Audio Summary, Louise discusses whether there is any evidence to support the use of garlic as a wormer in dogs and cats. Read the full Knowledge Summary here.

Audio Summaries are a free resource that enables vets and vet nurses to access and digest relevant and up-to-date evidence quicker and easier! A time-saving way to make better and faster evidence-based decisions.

Access the transcript here.

Margaret Mary Devaney, Assistant Director for Quality and Risk at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, and Anita Malana, Team Leader for Trauma, Orthopaedics and Private Theatres at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, draw on personal experiences to give a thought-provoking overview of quality improvement, approaches to safety and a learning culture in the NHS.

This emotive presentation was made at RCVS Knowledge’s National Summit for Supporting Quality Improvement in Veterinary Care 2019.

 Follow the visual presentation while you listen