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The next guest to join us is Inge Breathnach AKA The Oncology RVN!With quite a sensitive episode ahead of us, we start with the most difficult question we can... what is Inge's favourite bread? Slightly silly questions aside, Inge explains how she got into oncology as a veterinary nurse and shares the aspects of her work that she really enjoys.Alongside being an oncology nurse, Inge has experience as a client with a pet who has dealt with cancer treatment and uses this insight to improve her client relationships. We discuss the difference between holistic healthcare, homoeopathy and herbalism alongside the importance of proper research to make an informed decisionInge dispels preconceptions about her job and cancer treatment for animals whilst explaining the human side of her work. We talk about the cost of oncology veterinary care and Inge gives some top tips for approaching palliative care for our pets and her advice on how to switch off from the job and establish clear boundaries in the workplace.Lastly, Inge delivers an insightful 60-second CPD on how to ensure the quality of life for our patients and shares her reflective question which aims the change the way we treat cancer in animals.Support the show

This week we’re joined by Jessica May MRCVS! Jessica has worked in mixed and equine practices, both in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Having worked in a variety of clinics, she has experience in first opinion, referral hospital and charity settings.  We begin this week's episode by discussing Jessica’s time spent in Hong Kong as an intern at a jockey club and her love for seedy loaf bread! We talk about Jessica’s pioneering role using TeleMedicine within the equine industry, and her work with FirstVet, an independent digital veterinary clinic. Jessica goes on to explain how online vet services can be utilised alongside traditional appointments. She describes both the challenges and benefits of bridging the gap between veterinary clinical care and the tech world. We talk about the increasing pressure on vet professionals, particularly new grads, and how we can leverage technology to help support workers' mental health within the industry. Jessica delivers an insightful 60-second CPD providing 3 tips and tricks on how to get the most out of telemedicine consultations  We then discuss Flexee, Jessica’s new business that not only helps raise awareness and understanding of flexible working but also offers solutions to implement this within a practice. Jessica asks our listeners to reflect on the lessons learned throughout the pandemic and shares her fond memories of hiking in the British countryside. Support the show

This week we're joined by Toby Trimble, an RCVS and ECVAA Specialist in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia, award-winning speaker and founder of Trimble Group (previously Trimble Productions). We begin this week's episode at the start of Toby's journey, from a child struggling with dyslexia to a teenager with no GCSEs or A-levels, overcoming adversity to enter the veterinary profession.  He explains how, despite his unconventional application, he thrived at Nottingham vet school and went on to become an Associate Professor.We've all felt a little uninspired at webinars, so Toby offers up his advice for presenting better and how his company, Trimble Group, aims to change the CPD game. We wonder what Toby would say to his younger self, discuss the impact of neurodiversity, and the importance of embracing your differences.As someone who has gone on to pass many difficult exams, Toby shares his tips and tricks for exam preparation and clear thinking under pressure, delivering an excellent 60-Second CPD about teaching, which leads us to reflect on the value of storytelling in regard to audience retention.With his team, Toby has created nearly 700 CPD lessons and online CPD broadcasts and runs the Future of Education events which are attended by academics and science communications around the world. To learn more from the Trimble Group, head over to their website (https://www.trimblegroup.io/).Support the show

This week we're joined by Darragh O' Hanlon (@thetopicalvet), an Advanced Veterinary Practitioner and Veterinary Dermatologist. He enjoys all things dermatology, from ears to anal glands, with a special interest in allergies. Darragh describes his journey from an arts degree to veterinary medicine and how his grandmother inspired him to pursue this career.We discuss the impacts Brexit has had on Irish citizens regarding pet passports and a genuine attempt to float Ireland to sunnier shores!Darragh explains the three different types of communication we can experience when talking with clients and shares his experiences of working in the UK (and how he discovered the word chav!)We talk about the NHS's impact on the perception of the price of pet care, the difficulties new graduates may face due to the lack of mentorship and how the industry has changed over the years. Darragh talks about the turning point that steered his interest in dermatology and shares some very successful dermatology cases he has worked on.  Lastly, Darragh delivers a fantastic 60-Second CPD about acral lick dermatitis and shares his advice for new graduates in this week's reflection question.Support the show

Join us as we chat with Laura Jones RVN about her life as a veterinary nurse, her hobbies, and her passion for internal medicine. Laura shares her journey to becoming a veterinary nurse and the importance of nurses to the veterinary team and client relations. Outside of work, Laura is an adrenaline junkie who loves to drag race and explains what this courageous hobby involves and how it helps her switch off from work.We also delve into the impact of the pandemic on the veterinary industry and client expectations. Laura tells us about how she accidentally ventured into internal medicine and how it has become her niche. She shares her different responsibilities and how they contribute to providing quality care for pets.We pose a difficult question to Laura: what does the quality of life mean and how does it differ between clients and their pets? Laura provides insightful answers and highlights the need for both clients and practitioners to improve their perception of veterinary nursing.In addition, Laura takes on our 60-second CPD challenge and delivers a fantastic run-down of the six things you need to do during nurse clinics for chronic disease patients. She also asks us to reflect on the circumstances that could be behind difficult behaviour between colleagues and clients.If you're interested in learning more about Laura and her work, head over to her website https://www.veterinaryinternalmedicinenursing.com/. Support the show

This week we are joined by the fantastic Dr Russell Chandler! Russell graduated from the University of Bristol Veterinary School and has a self-confessed addiction to learning! He has studied various post-graduate qualifications including the RCVS Certificate in Small Animal Orthopaedics, an MSc in Orthopaedic Engineering and RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Orthopaedics.His current clinical interests are multimodal osteoarthritis management and regenerative medicine and he is currently studying for an MSc in stem cells and regeneration at the University of Bristol.Russell explains why he thinks imposter syndrome is such an issue for veterinary professionals and how it works in conjunction with the scientific discipline.As someone addicted to learning, we discuss one of Russell's degrees in orthopaedic engineering. We ask: what exactly does that mean? How did he find it as a veterinarian working with human surgeons? And how has it impacted his work?We then discuss his work combining orthopaedic work with stem cells and regenerative medicine. Russell explains what stem cells are and how they can be used in a way that's very easy to understand and summarises all of the things you need to know about stem cell therapy in this week's 60-second CPD.  Lastly, Russell talks about his work with the Veterinary Orthopaedic Alliance and the importance of practising gratitude in both your professional and personal life.Support the show

 Dr Mike Davies graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, in 1976. He owned his own veterinary practice for more than 11 years and has worked in academia and in the pet food and pharmaceutical industries.Mike has postgraduate Certificates in Veterinary Radiology and Small Animal Orthopaedics and a Diploma in Small Animal Clinical Nutrition. He published one of the first books on Veterinary Geriatrics and has also published numerous papers. Mike is an RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Clinical Nutrition and has always been a very active member of the BSAVA, attending his first Congress when he was a student in the 1970s.We find out how Mike's upbringing influenced his decision to become a vet and how one lecture changed the trajectory of his career from zoology to nutrition. Mike obtained his fellowship for the RCVS, despite being examined by his competitors and doing a very tricky exam (not for the reasons you may think!)As Mike has had a long career, we discuss the benefits of working in the veterinary practice, how the profession has changed over the years and the problems we're facing that affect the service we can provide to our clients. Mike offers up his solutions to the problems our industry is facing and delivers a fantastic 60 Second CPD entitled 'Lack Of Knowledge About Clinical Nutrition In  Veterinary Practice'We then reflect on how we assess the nutrition of our pregnant pets and discuss how nutrition deficiency creates unexpected problems for our client's pets. Lastly, we discuss the guidelines for 'complete' pet food and the consequences for other animals, and humans,  when people chose a raw food diet for their pets Support the show

Join us as we sit down with the wonderful Caroline Murray,  an international veterinary locum and adventure traveller who is also known as The Wilderness Vet!We begin our conversation by discussing Caroline's adventures in Mongolia and the action-packed, yet surprisingly modern lives of the nomadic people she travelled with. Caroline tells us which careers she considered before she decided to become a  veterinarian and how she was fortunate enough to take part in a research scholarship which developed her wanderlust.  Caroline is such a positive person, however, things haven't always been that way. Her research into NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) changed her life after she faced a lot of adversities regarding her health and wellness.  She summarises the alternative pain management methods that can help you in this week's 60 Second CPD: Pain & The Brain. Lastly, Caroline tells us about her time working with chimpanzees, and the unintended (hilarious) effect that had when working with more traditional patients and we spent some time discussing one of her favourite charities: Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee. Support the show

 Laura joins us for the second time after smashing the Guinness World Record for tandem cycling, covering 18,000 miles in 180 days with her husband Stevie! On their way, they raised money for VetLife, Mind and Sustrans. You can still support them by heading over to stelatandem.com. We catch up on her amazing, but sometimes dangerous, world trip and find out about all the wonderful places they visited in Laura's 60-second CPD.  A true challenge in every sense of the word, we hope you find her story as inspiring as we did. If you would like to learn how why she did this, and how she and Stevie prepared for an adventure of a lifetime, catch up on her first episode of Episode 75 of Veterinary Ramblings.Support the show

Merry Christmas Ramblers!We're blown away by the year that we've had. If you follow us on social media you might have seen that we've had one of the best years on record, and we're so thrilled that our following is going strong. We wanted to celebrate the end of 2022 with some of our favourite stories from this year, where we revisit some of our favourite moments with guests - including some awesome life stories, some fascinating research and veterinary work, some thought-provoking conversations that changed our perspective and a few of the biggest laughs that we've had this year. We hope you enjoy, and we look forward to producing new content for you all next year!Bring on 2023 - may your dog go with you!Support the show

Last week, we released part one of our episode with Helen MacDonald, giving you the chance to get the know the person behind the scandal surrounding Geronimo the alpaca. If you haven’t tuned in already, we highly recommend listening to part one before you listen to this week's episode which will focus on Geronimo's story.Geronimo was born on Waitangi Day (6th of February) in 2013 at New Zealand's largest alpaca farm. In 2017, Geronimo was sold to Helen, who at that time had been breeding alpacas at her farm for more than 15 years. She imported him to the United Kingdom in August after he had four skin tests for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) which returned negative results. Once he arrived in the UK, Geronimo was kept in quarantine and tested positive in two voluntary blood tests.As a result of the positive tests, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) ordered that Geronimo had to be euthanised. After years of court battles, protests and celebrity interventions, Geronimo, the UK’s most divisive alpaca, was put down by government officials on 31 August 2021. We sat down with Helen just over a year after Geronimo's death to hear her side of the story.  Helen explains why she brought geronimo to the UK, the biosecurity measures her farm has in place and reveals why she thinks there is insufficient evidence as to the accuracy of DEFRA's testing process.  She believes that she and Geronimo received exceptional treatment during the horrific events that took place between 2017 and 2021 and that Geronimo experienced unnecessary distress and animal cruelty when he was taken away from her farm to be euthanised. We also discuss why Geronimos post-mortem results are seen as inconclusive.However, this is not the end of the story...Helen explains how a campaign group came together to fight for Geronimo's Law, which aims to refine TB policy, biosecurity and animal welfare in the UK and shares how you can get involved. Lastly, Helen reflects on the silver linings that have come about as a result of this experience - as well as her hopes for the future.We know that this is a very divisive topic, and we want to remind everyone that above all, we need to show compassion and kindness to each other.  In our industry, we need to stop having arguments and start having conversations. The views expressed by our guests may not necessarily represent our views, but we do believe that everyone deserves a fair and impartial platform to be able to share their stories. Support the show

You may know Helen MacDonald as the owner of Geronimo the alpaca - however, there is so much more to her story! As such we have decided to release Helen's episode in two parts.  In Part One, we get to know the fascinating person behind the scandal.We begin this week's episode discussing Helen's time spent in Australia as a child and the difference in culture and education that she experienced when she moved back to the UK. Formerly a keen diver, Helen and Julian discuss the wonderful places they have explored under the sea and we learn how one summer changed everything about Helen's career path, beginning her love of Veterinary Nursing. With 32 years experience in the industry, Helen has worn many hats. From Head Nurse to Teacher, Locum to Assessor - even hitting the road in 2010 to work in the commercial veterinary sector in sales and practice support.Her fascination for alpacas led to her buying her first 3 breeding females in 2002. 20 years later, she now has a quality breeding herd of over 80 coloured alpacas. Her focus is on the health and welfare of alpacas with an emphasis on best practice, biosecurity, education and evidence-based science.Following the horrific events surrounding Geronimo spanning 5 years, she is now a reluctant campaigner for evidence-based science and transparent justifiable policies for disease eradication. We will be discussing Geronimo's story in next week's episode, which will be released on Thursday the 24th of November.Support the show

This week we're joined by the wonderful Carly Kilby!Carly is a veterinary nurse, scout leader and mother. She grew up in South London, but discovered her love for veterinary work and the outdoors after moving to countryside in her teenage years. We discuss the difficulties of finding people who understand the intricacies of a job in the veterinary profession, and the embarrassment of accidentally recounting  disgusting work stories to non-vet friends over dinner.After qualifying in 2006, Carly has worked within farm, equine, first opinion practice and the referral locum scene. She has gained an ISFM certificate in Feline Friendly Nursing, an ESVPS certificate in anaesthesia, an ISVPS certificate in surgical nursing and is also the BVNA Regional Representative for the South West (Somerset and Gloucestershire)!  We spend a lot of time talking about the importance of family and the difficulties of finding balance between commitments at home and work. As veterinary professionals, it's something that we can all relate to. Carly talks about her experiences of having to put work before fun during her vet nurse training, and the pressure of being a parent alongside supporting a number of busy teams as a locum.Carly gives us a reflective 60-second CPD on  returning to work after maternity leave and we discuss the worries, guilt and pressures that working parents can experience when trying to balance life's wants and needs.If you are ever struggling with any of the issues we spoke about in this episode (or any episode) don't forget there's support out there -  speak up if you're struggling: we all have times when we need some care ourselves. Please reach out to Vetlife on 0303 040 2551.Support the show

Join us as we chat with the awesome Ruth Greenhill, an ECC veterinary night nurse at a busy 24hr hospital in central London.  Maintaining a good work-life balance is important to her and she has many fascinating hobbies and passions outside the veterinary world. Ruth talks to us about how she uses night-shift work to achieve a better work-life balance and helps her find time for all of her eclectic hobbies. Ruth is an avid snorkeller and at the time of recording was due to complete a scuba diving qualification the very next day. We discuss the differences in dead space between snorkels and anaesthetic equipment. Ruth is an amazing ballerina and uses dance to keep her grounded and to blow off steam both in and outside of work. Ruth recalls how she nearly became a professional ballerina - but after a work placement with a veterinary surgeon, decided that she would much rather work in veterinary medicine.Finally, we quiz Ruth on her diving signals and she delivers an awesome 60-second CPD about how to overcome exam nerves. Support the show

This week we're chatting with Lacey Pitcher, an RVN who has travelled the world and enjoyed a varied career across GP, OOH, Referral and charity medicine. We begin this week's show with the most important question, what is her favourite type of bread? Lacey then explains how cheese influenced her to buy her house!She shares her love of travelling and how her veterinary passport helped her to travel the world. We discuss the strength of the veterinary community and she explains why she set up Veterinary Pay It Forward to show her appreciation for her colleagues and support their mental health. We also talk about brachycephalics and Lacey tells us how she thinks people should deal with their treatment.  We learn about what neurodiversity is and how it affects people, and Lacey uses her own experience to summarise these points in her 60-Second CPD. She also talks to us about Vets: Stay, Go, Diversify and how it helps people to stay in the veterinary profession and have a fulfilling career. Lastly, we discuss the Mind Matters Initiative and close the show with a reflection question from Lacey.Support the show

*Please note, this episode was recorded last year during coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions, however, we had such a fantastic time recording this wonderful conversation with Lou that we still really want to share it with you all!* *Lou's views are her own and do not represent or reflect the views of the BVNA*This week we're thrilled to present our episode with the fantastic Lou Northway whom many of you know as Lou The Vet Nurse!We begin this week's episode by delving into Lou's childhood experiences of visiting the vets, how that inspired her to become a veterinary nurse and how her weekend job developed into her lifelong career.We discuss how the roles of a veterinary surgeon and a veterinary nurse complement each other, depend on one another and by working together, improve animal welfare for our patients. Lou shares her views on analgesia, how it could be improved by giving vet nurses more responsibility in practice and her passion for clinical auditing.We discuss a period of huge change for Lou that took place over 2020/2021 with her pregnancy and the subsequent birth of her baby during COVID. Lou shares her experiences of being a new mother and offers advice for any veterinary nurses that are considering having a baby.Lastly, she does an awesome 60-second CPD about quality improvement in human factors and we discuss the importance of fostering a no-blame culture in the workplace.Support the show

This week we are joined by the fantastic Craig Tessyman RVN!Craig started working in practice as a student in 1999 and has worked in small animal practice, referral, emergency out of hours and charity medicine.  He explains how his appearance breaks the mould of what you would expect a veterinary nurse to look like and how he hopes it will make the industry more inclusive!For the last 6 years, he has worked 100% with non-traditional companion animals (NTCAs or anything that is not a traditional cat or dog). We discuss why there is a need to call exotic animals none traditional companion animals and Craig shares his journey of career progression alongside his hopes for his future within the BVNA council.We also talk about the state of the veterinary profession as a whole,  including the industry staffing issues, joint venture partnerships and a particular patient Craig has worked with that has since gone viral online!Lastly, Craig delivers a thoughtful  60-second CPD entitled 'Things they should have tortoise' (Hint: it has something to do with cats!?) and the nuanced ways spider owners can tell what their needs are to avoid getting bitten.Support the show

This week, we speak to the wonderful Dr Hannah Perrin - a leading figure in veterinary education.  She's worked with Street Vet, Veterinary Management Group, and lectures at the Royal Veterinary College.  We talk leadership, education, and identity in the veterinary profession, with Hannah delivering an excellent 60-second CPD on how to build a support network as a leader.Hannah originally qualified as a pharmacologist, before becoming a practice manager in a specialist exotics practice. Working alongside a variety of professionals from specialists and students,  she developed a keen interest in education, research and leadership.  Hannah discusses how varied and rewarding teaching can be, and how we can positively influence others through our leadership and teaching style. In 2010 she went back to school for a part-time Master's degree in Health Services Research while consulting for a variety of first opinion and referral practices, followed by a PhD in Veterinary Education focusing on the development of professional identity in vet students and the transition from student to practice.  She is now Learning and Development lead for VMG (Veterinary Management Group) and Course Director for the VMG/ILM Award, Certificate and Diploma in Veterinary Leadership and Management.  Alongside her professional interests, Hannah loves parkrun, coffee and cake. Support the show

This week we are joined by the fantastic Karen Hiestand!Karen shares her experiences training as a vet in New Zealand and practicing veterinary medicine in both NZ and the UK while also volunteering in many more countries. We discuss how problems with clients affect your self-worth and how the industry can improve working environments to deal with traumatic situations through ethics and reflection.  We also share out experience with personal ethics tests and Karen reveals fascinating results regarding ethics in veterinary professionals!Karen has master’s degrees in applied animal behaviour and welfare, medical ethics and law, a BSc in psychology and is a resident of the European college of animal welfare and behavioural medicine. She explains the preliminary findings of her PhD investigating the role of animal empathy in human–companion animal relationships and we learn some intriguing facts about how cats and dogs' brains work.Lastly, Karen delivers a wonderful 60-Second CPD about the  idea of the autonomy principle and how its used in veterinary medicine!Support the show

In this episode, we're chatting to Dr Sean McCormack: Conservationist, Vet, and Presenter!Graduating from Dublin vet school in 2010, Sean spent the first six years of his veterinary career in domestic, exotic pet, and zoo animal practice. In 2016, Sean left clinics to work in pet nutrition and have more time for media and wildlife conservation work. Sean tells us about his role at tails.com and his lifelong love of nature, which began as a child turning over rocks in the garden! He explains the academic route he took to study veterinary medicine, his experience of burnout within his career, and the difficulty he had admitting to himself and others that he needed help.Sean offers wise advice for veterinary students and graduates regarding the different pathways their careers could take and we discuss how  Ealing Wildlife Group came to be, their work to reintroduce beavers (and other species) back to Ealing and the benefits of rewilding for urban communities.Lastly, Seans explains how to have your own disney princess moment with robins in the garden and delivers a wonderful  60-second CPD about what to do when bats get brought into your practice  Support the show