Our bearded collie (daughter of the Cruft's winner in '89!) has been diagnosed with Cushings. She is 12 years old and is generally in good health apart from taking Syloxin for the last couple of years for her hyperthyroid which is now under control.

The vet has prescribed Veteril for the Cushings. I have heard a lot of confusing advice about this disease and how to treat it and am not sure what to do. An earlier drug called Lysodren was obviously a pretty harsh drug with lots of bad side-effects.

What would you recommend - her Cushings is not advanced although she does do a wee in the middle of the night every night and is generally very hungry all the time. Should we try her on the Veteril, perhaps a low dose or is there something else on the market?

Many thanks for your help.

Your veterinary surgeon is best able to prescribe the most appropriate medicine for your dog. Lysodren is a potent medication, and if a less aggressive medication works as well, or better, it would be preferable.
Take your veterinary surgeon's advice about the dosageof Veteril - I cannot comment on thay without knowing the full clinical picture. In this case, the issue is complicated by concurrent hyperthyroidism. Seems to me like you vet. is on the ball!

I wonder how a owner could tell if a vet was'splitting their vaccines', i.e gives half a syringe of vaccine, changes the needle and puts the other half in another dog. Would a owner only know when the dog comes down parvo?.Or would you say this never happens.

'Splitting' a dose of vaccine,to vaccinate two or more dogs out of one battle, is, to the best of my knowledge, unacceptable, and would almost certainly be regarded by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as a serious disciplinary offence. This has been known to happen, and there is a precedent for the RCVS to act against the vet concerned.
A dog developing parvo after vaccination does not necessarily mean that this has taken place - in fact modern vaccines are sufficiently potent for even a half does to give a degree of protection. Some dogs - only a very few percent- fail to respond to vaccination, and there is no simple and inexpensive test to dteremine if the vaccine has worked. The granting of a 'Pet Passport' does depend on a blood test taken sometime after vaccination to ensure that rabies protectiion has been established, but this is a special situation.

When the RCVS identifies a serious disciplinary offence, what action would they take?. Have you been involved in adjudicating on any serious disciplinary offence cases, brought to the attention of the RCVS?.

Hi, Karina,
If a member of the public feels that they have a grievance against a veterinary surgeon, the correct procedure is for them to send to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons a letter o complaint, containing full details of the grounds for the complaint. It is first looked at by the Head of Professional Conduct - a barrister, not a vet - who decides whether or not it falls within the jurisdiction of the Royal College. If he so decides, it is then sent to the Chairman and to the Vice-chairman of the Preliminary Investigation Committee (PIC). If either or both think that the complaint has any justification - and many really do not, for a variety of reasons- a copy is sent, with the complainant's permission, to the veterinary surgeon who is the subject of the cmplaint - both sides of the matter must be heard!.
The complaint, together with the vet'e response, then goes to a meeting of the full PIC. As well as the RCVS officers and some members of RCVS Council, there are two non-veterinary members of PIC. The complaint is discussed at length. Sometimes more information is requested from either the complainant or the vet, sometimes the complaint is dismissed there and then, sometimes the vet is invited to attend for interview, and, admittedly in only a small number of the most serious cases, the matter is referred to the Disciplinary Committee, which has the status of a Court of Law, demanding the same standards of proof as a case in a criminal court - i.e. proved'beyond reasonable doubt'. The Disciplinary Commttee has powers to admonish, to suspend from the Register for a period of up to one year, or to 'strike off'. Either of the last two are very serious sanctions depriving the veterinary surgon of his/her right to practise, and thus his/her liveliehood.
I hope that this explains it clearly.
You may be able to get more information if you go to the RCVS web sight - www.rcvs.org.uk
WB

Thank you for your reply, very helpful. The vet gets a copy of the complaint, does the complainant get a copy of the vets response, to that complaint?. Why are most complaints dismissed?. Is it difficult for the vets on the panel to decide when something is unacceptable.To protect themselves and their pet, should a owner ask for copies of consent forms and treatment plans before their pet is left.

Hi, Karen,
If the complaint is not upheld by the Royal College, the Professional Conduct Department gives the reasons why not. The veterinary surgeon's response may or may not be copied to the complainant.
Many complaints are not pursued if they do not fall within the Royal College's authority - for example, some clients wish their pets to be treated on a 'now cure, no fee basis' and if the patient dies, they make a complaint when they receive a bill for the treatment given. Many cases of professional negligence, strangely, are matters for the civil courts and not dsiciplinary offences.
It is perfectly reasonable to ask for a copy of any consent form, which itself should contain some information about the proposed treatment. Most practices do this anyway.
W