Menopause is an increasingly hot topic for the general population, but there are aspects of equine veterinary work which can make elements of this normal ageing process more challenging for those affected and the people around them. Liz talks us through the basic understanding which we all need in order to fully support our workforce during those times, and Gemma relays how far-reaching the impact of menopause is, from the very subtle to the more obvious!

Links

Wellvet resources

‘Medical misogyny’ is leaving women in unnecessary pain and undiagnosed for years

BVA menopause hub

Veterinary Menopause Chats

Wellvet menopause video

Dr Morton's

Newson Health

Balance app (symptom tracker)

A rundown of the most important news from the last month that you need to know as a veterinary professional including:

RCVS workforce model highlights need for more vets working in public health

VMD seizes over 13,000 unauthorised horse medicines sold illegally online

How British racing’s data-driven Racing Risk Models are being used to improve outcomes for racehorses.

The BHA has announced changes to the Rules of Racing, which have been approved by the BHA Board.

VetCT X-pert Radiation Safety Centre

National Equine Forum 2025

BEVA's Junior Vice President, Kate Blakeman, talks us through the the new Infectious Diseases hub on the BEVA website. Celia Marr chairs the BEVA Equine Infectious Diseases Group, which worked on this treasure trove of resources which helps vets and nurses out in practice. There are resources for clients also, which vets and nurses can share with the touch of a button. More resources are being worked on and the hub will evolve over time to b your one-stop-shop for clinical sign radars to consensus building tools, endemic to exotic, and biosecurity to vaccines.

Links

BEVA Equine Infectious Diseases hub

This year Professor Chris Proudman published the first paper to demonstrate associations between a foal’s gut microbiome and its future athletic performance and its future respiratory health. The emerging fields of the "omics" has been one of the most exciting branches of science in recent years. Whilst we're a little way off understanding exactly how to capitalise on this in practice, it's already evident that interventions such as antibiotics and probiotics could potentially have far-reaching impacts on future health and performance.

Links

Early-life gut bacterial community structure predicts disease risk and athletic performance in horses bred for racing (Leng, J., Moller-Levet, C., Mansergh, R.I. et al. 2024)

Horse Microbiome Research Group

Alborada Well Foal Study

The ALBORADA Trust

Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB)

A rundown of the most important news from the last month that you need to know as a veterinary professional including:

EVJ Virtual Issue - Antibiotics: Our part in their downfall

BEVA primary care clinical guidelines: Equine parasite control

Environmental impacts of equine parasiticide treatment: The UK perspective

BEVA protectMEtoo guidelines

CANTER Guidelines (First Edition) 2024

Austin Davis Laboratories: What's your worm risk?

BEF and member bodies monitoring EHV reports in France – extra vigilance required

BEVA Trust

BEVA podcasts:

November EVJ In Conversation podcast: BEVA Congress 2024 John Hickman Plenary Lecture - 'They Shoot Horses, Don't They? The Past, Present, and Future of Fracture Management' by Dean Richardson

November EVE podcast: Case Report: Complete abdominal wall rupture in a late-term pregnant mare with pre-existing prepubic tendon rupture with Alex Gillen

BEVApod Focus: Hold your horses! Have you completed BEVA's new course?

RCVS Specialist in equine behavioural medicine, Gemma Pearson, talks us through the background story of this new course, available free to BEVA members. Gemma has compiled a bite-size, digestible course with the busy practitioner in mind, which includes new material, on equine behaviour and learning theory. Once completed, members will be added to a list on the BEVA website, demonstrating their knowledge and skills in this increasingly important aspect of clinical practice. Not only will you be able to work more safely and efficiently, but also with the calmness and ease that both horses and owners will benefit from and be grateful for.

BEVA members can access the course here.

A rundown of the most important news from the last month that you need to know as a veterinary professional including:

Standards & Advice update: Advice published on amended Veterinary Medicines Regulations

Read the RCVS guide to the VMR changes

RCVS Registration categories webpage

Fellowship Day page on the RCVS website

Royal Veterinary College’s fact sheet on Atypical myopathy and the British Horse Society a fact sheet on Acorn Poisoning

Clinical Practice Committee update - October 2024

BEVA podcasts:

BEVA Sustainability Working Group at the the Dung Beetle Conference

EVJ Special Focus Edition: Interdisciplinary approaches to equine soft‐tissue surgery

October EVJ In Conversation: Peter Rossdale Clinical Evidence Lecture from BEVA Congress 2024: Improving evidence for orthopaedics by Andy Carr

EVE October podcast Chessie Greenham and Gemma Pearson discuss her article ‘Welfare considerations for management of horses on prolonged periods of box rest

BEVApod Life: I never thought it would happen to me... but it did with Becky Price, Steph Gillespie and Andy Elkington

BEVA member PG Mutual Income Protection discounts

BEVApod Life: Pregnancy, parenting and equine practice with Gemma Dransfield and Kate Blakeman

BEVA CPD:

BEVA's Christmas Cracker

Gemma and Kate have both experienced the challenges faced by pregnant women and working parents, which are somewhat unique to those working in the equine veterinary industry. Where Vicki Nicholls' MumsVet initiative served to help, Gemma and Kate carried out the sizeable task of reviewing and updating the information provided. By working as a supportive community to help each other practices benefit from a happier workforce with increased trust and empathy across the team.

Access our pregnancy and parenting resources

Illness and injury can happen to anyone, but as equine vets and nurses we're at increased risk of being rendered unable to work. Two BEVA members have come to share their experiences of being off work and how income protection helped them through that time. BEVA members are eligible for discounted cover from PG Mutual, so CEO Andy Elkington joined us to explain how it works.

Get a quick quote from PG Mutual

For equine veterinary professionals "being kind to ourselves" can sound a bit soft. Clinical Psychologist Dr Wakelin shares with us how actually it's quite the opposite and how it can support our performance in the workplace as well as life outside of work. Dr Wakelin tells Council member Sophie Eaden more about what compassion is, how it can help and when it might be especially needed.

Support and advice for improving your mental wellbeing can be found at:

• Vetlife