Take a moment and catch up on the latest news from Veterinary Diagnostic Services (VDS). The quarterly VDS newsletter, VDS Lab Notes, highlights cases from our provincial veterinary laboratory, as well as other activities from the Animal Health and Welfare Branch.

The June newsletter is now available online and can be found at the following link. Past issues of VDS Lab Notes can also be found on the VDS website. Please feel free to contact deanne.wilkinson@gov.mb.ca if you have interesting topics ideas and pictures from Manitoba veterinary experiences or livestock production.

Hello Everyone!

We just wanted to let everyone know that after 30 years of coming to Winnipeg to do veterinary ophthalmology consults, Dr Grahn has finally decided to officially retire.

His last 2 clinics will be July 12-14^th and August 24-26^th.

We want to thank you all for your continued referrals and support.

We want to thank Dr Grahn for always being there for our amazing clients whether he was here in Winnipeg or in Saskatoon.  He was an awesome boss and we will miss seeing him every month.

Please watch for our email introducing the new ophthalmologist who will be taking over for Dr Grahn and permanently located in Winnipeg.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email us at mbeyeclinic@gmail.com.

Thank you

Cathy and Cheryl

Tick season is in full swing, and Manitoba Agriculture along with the MVMA wants to hear about your experiences with tick borne disease (TBD) in your practice!

As veterinary professionals, your input in this survey is valuable for understanding the current status of TBDs in domestic animals in Manitoba. We want to have a better understanding of the perceptions, diagnostics, testing, and treatment of TBDs.

Your responses will be kept confidential and the findings from this survey will be summarized in a report for distribution to members of the MVMA.

The survey can be found here and should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Dr. Alexandra Jerao (alexandra.jerao@gov.mb.ca) or Dr. Dale Douma (dale.douma@gov.mb.ca).

Thank you for your consideration!

Congratulations to Dr. Philipp Schott on his book launch for Six Ostriches, the second book in the Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery series. It was great to see Dr. Schott and other MVMA members and their families at this great event!

More information about this book, at Dr. Schott’s growing collection of veterinary (and non-veterinary) themed books can be found at https://www.philippschott.com/.

The Canadian Council of Veterinary Registrars (CCVR) has launched its Limited Licensure Project (LLP). The LLP aims to build an assessment program to assess the competence of veterinarians with a proposed limited scope of practice. The assessment program includes portfolio and supervised practice assessment components. The CCVR has engaged a contractor to assist with the project development.

We are currently seeking 8 to 10 subject matter experts (SMEs) from across Canada to assist with the development of the portfolio and supervised practice components. To ensure broad representation, we are looking for at least one candidate from each Canadian jurisdiction. Click here to view the Terms of Reference for the SME Group.

Criteria include availability over the summer months and experience in at least one of the 3 following practice areas: small/companion animal, production animal, and equine.

Please email Corey Wilson, MVMA ED/Registrar, registrar@mvma.ca,  with your expression of interest (i.e., contact information and brief background) no later than June 5, 2023.

The Canadian Association of Bovine Veterinarians (CABV) in conjunction with Boehringer Ingelheim are pleased to announce the “Metacam 20 Bovine Welfare Award”. This award will recognize the achievements in advancing the welfare of animals via leadership, public service, education, research/product development, and/or advocacy by a DVM or animal scientist working in Canada, a faculty member or graduate student of a Canadian university.

The deadline for submission of nominations is May 31, 2023.

For more information click here. To view the nomination form click here

The Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) is seeking two or more new veterinarian representatives to be part of the MVMA Peer Review Committee (PRC). The role of a veterinarian representative is to review/investigate complaints against MVMA members and reach decisions regarding these complaints within the framework of The Veterinary Medical Act  and the General By-laws of the MVMA as part of a Peer Review Complaints Committee (PRCC). All PRCC members must approach each complaint as impartially as possible. For more information, or if you are interested in joining the Peer Review Committee, please contact the MVMA Deputy Registrar, Barb Kryzanowski via email at barbk@mvma.ca

Renewals for Veterinarians, RVTs, and Veterinary Corporations will launch in the coming weeks. The MVMA has transitioned to a new data management system and as such members will notice changes in the renewal process. Please stay tuned for more information.

2023/2024 Fees

RVT Fees

The MVMA Council resolved to increase the 2023/2024 veterinary technologist membership fees by 13.1%. This increase includes inflation from February 2021-2022 and February 2022-2023. Unlike veterinarians, the February 2021-February 2022 inflation fees had not been applied to RVT membership fees. This was due to the previous difference in annual membership renewal dates.

All fees (except RVT fees)

The MVMA Council resolved to increase all fees (except RVT fees) by the Manitoba February 2022-February 2023 inflation rate of 6.4%. This allows the MVMA to operate sustainably while being sensitive to the economic issues caused by high inflation.

Legal Fund Fees and Marketing Fund Fees

On April 5, 2023, the MVMA Council resolved to no longer charge separate Legal Fund and Marketing Fund fees. These fees are now included in normal membership fees. To ensure that the MVMA maintains a sufficient Legal Fund, it has adopted the Legal Fund Policy, available for review here  (please note that you need to be logged into the member side of the MVMA website to view). The MVMA Council will continue to budget for marketing in its annual budget.

Veterinary Corporations

Please note that the Veterinary Corporation Renewals will now be completed through the MVMA data management system. Voting shareholders of a Veterinary Corporation and previously identified contact persons will receive emails in the coming weeks, allowing them to log in and renew the Veterinary Corporation Permit. Please stay tuned for more information.

As the MVMA Council continues to address the shortage of veterinary professionals in Manitoba, it wishes to advise membership that it has sent a letter to government requesting subsidization for the eight (8) Manitoba un-funded veterinary students at the WCVM. The MVMA Council thanks the MVMA Rural Issues Committee (formerly the Vet Shortage and Rural Forum Committee) for its work on this matter. The MVMA Council is currently seeking support from industry groups in Manitoba and looks forward to working collaboratively with government on this issue.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes are looking for two veterinarians who be “on call” at Bark in the Park on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 6:00 pm.  Each participating veterinarian will receive 4 tickets to the game, complimentary parking and $40 in Goldeyes gift certificates. For more information about Bark in the Park please click here.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Michelle Kusano at michelle@mvma.ca, and she will get you in contact with the Goldeyes.