MerlinVet will be exhibiting at this year’s BCVA Congress 2023, which is taking place 19th – 21st October at the Telford International Centre in Telford.

The event will feature discussions and demonstrations to offer interactive learning, with practical workshops, as well as socials on the Thursday and Friday nights.

We will be showcasing our fertility equipment including:

Ram E-JAC

The MerlinVet E-JAC is a battery-operated self-contained electro-ejaculator designed for collecting semen from small ruminants. The E-JAC Ram Probe features:

  • rechargeable battery with USB charger
  • ergonomic design, suitable for all hand sizes
  • high-low setting allowing versatility when collecting semen from different breeds, ages, and species
  • lightweight with rubberised handle
  • precision control on/off button & power on light
  • protective carrier case
  • one year warranty
  • specialist electrode technology
  • the unit will operate for around 500 rams on a single charge

Pulsator V

The most advanced electronic bull ejaculator available, manufactured by Lane Manufacturing & distributed by MerlinVet, featuring:

  • Improved battery and charging
  • Smoother signal to the bull
  • Collect bull semen in a safe and controlled environment
  • Features state of the art electronics
  • Multiple, pre-programmed programs designed for specific breeds
  • Stimuli counter

Make sure you visit our stand for a chance to play our cornhole game, with some Merlin branded prizes on offer! It will be a great opportunity to meet the team and find out about MerlinVet, our products, and how we can add a touch of animal magic to your veterinary practice.

On 21st – 23rd September, MerlinVet will be exhibiting at Vet Dynamics Conference at Wyboston Lakes Resort near Bedford.

MerlinSPS, our health plan solutions service, and MerlinVet-cel, our veterinary buying group, will be on hand to answer any of your questions on how we can transform your veterinary practice’s journey.

With over 200 independent practice owners in attendance and 12 hours of vet business CPD, it’s set to be a great event which is targeted exclusively at independents.

If you can’t make the event, then make sure you catch us at BCVA in October or London Vet Show in November.

 

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On 13th – 16th September 2023, MerlinVet and RelyneGI will be exhibiting at BEVA Congress, which is taking place at the ICC Birmingham.

As well as the exhibition for equine businesses, there will be over 90 hours of online and on-demand CPD, covering orthopaedics and diagnostic imaging, reproductive medicine, and internal medicine. The event will additionally feature live debates and sessions from international speakers, plus social events on each day. The socials include the Welcome Reception on Wednesday evening, an early morning jog (RunBEVA), Bova UK’s organised trip to Popworld, the Grad Party, various Happy Hours with the exhibitors, and the Annual Dinner & Dance on the Friday night.

RelyneGI is a sponsor of the Dinner & Dance, where we will have a special video booth for attendees to horse around in… Look out for some Relyne branded coasters on your tables!

There will be a great variety of topics discussed at lectures, workshops and practices, plus a multitude of different products being showcased, covering the full range of equine veterinary sciences and the latest innovations. All attendees will be able to access the recordings to all lectures for six months after the conclusion of BEVA Congress.

You’ll be able to find us at Stand B54, where you can talk to us about the benefits of RelyneGI, as well as the FluroGlide sutures we stock at MerlinVet.

Click here to find out more about BEVA.

This June 2023, MerlinVet Export is celebrating 10 years of MerlinVet supplying quality pharmaceuticals globally.

Since 2013, MerlinVet Export was launched as we expanded our operations outside of the UK and began exporting veterinary products worldwide, benefitting practices from Oman to Hong Kong.

To mark 10 years of MerlinVet Export, we’ll be running a special giveaway at London Vet Show on 16th – 17th November, which we’ll be announcing slightly later on in the year. For updates and further news, keep your eyes on our social media pages and make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter:

With temperatures forecast to remain high throughout the UK, there’s no better time to make sure you’re well aware of the potential risks to animals and how to keep them safe this Summer. Below we run through some tips and advice to keep different types of animals safe in the warmer weather.

General Pet Advice:

  • Don’t leave pets in your car or conservatory
  • Use pet-safe sun cream to protect your pets’ skin
  • Put out damp towels for them to lie on
  • Provide plenty of shade and constant access to fresh water (put some ice cubes in there too to keep it cool – an added bonus is that many animals love eating them)

Advice for Dog Owners:

  • Don’t leave dogs in your car, conservatory, caravan or outbuilding. If you see a dog in a hot car, call 999.
  • If you are driving and bringing your dog, think about travelling during cooler times of the day and arrange to take breaks.
  • Apply pet-safe sun cream to the exposed areas of your dog’s skin, including their ears and nose (white-furred dogs are particularly prone to sunburn).
  • Ensure there is plenty of access to shade and fresh water (ice cubes in the water bowl can be a nice treat for your dog) – take water out with you when leaving the house with your dog.
  • Provide a cool mat or damp towels to lie on (but don’t wrap the towel over your dog); if your dog loves splashing around then paddling pools and sprinklers can also be a fun way for them to cool down.
  • Groom your dog regularly to ensure their coat is lighter.
  • Walk your dog in the morning or evening to prevent their paws from burning and to reduce risk of heatstroke; check the temperature of the pavement with the back of your hand for 5 seconds and if it’s too hot for you, it will undoubtedly be too hot for your dogs’ paws. Signs that your dog has burned pads include licking/chewing their paws, darker coloured pads or any missing parts to the pad, blisters/redness, and refusing to walk or limping.
  • Avoid running or cycling with your dog when it’s hot.
  • When walking (avoid the hottest times of the day) make sure there is always access to shade, water, and a cool surface for their paws, such as grass.
  • Dogs more likely to suffer from heat exhaustion or to struggle during walks in the warmer weather include flat-faced breeds, dogs with thick coats, overweight dogs, very old or very young dogs, and dogs with heart problems or respiratory disease – remember that ultimately, any dog can be affected.

Learn the signs of heatstroke to keep your dog safe:

  • Excessive panting, heavy breathing or difficulty breathing
  • Excessive drooling
  • Red or purple gums
  • Heightened pulse
  • Glassy eyes & fearful expression
  • Lethargy and lack of coordination or seizures
  • Collapsing or vomiting & a reluctance to get back up afterwards

If you see a dog suffering from heatstroke, they’ll need to have their body temperature lowered by:

  • Ensuring the dog is in a shaded area
  • Pouring cool water (tap water 15-16°C) over the dog – avoid extremely cold water as it could shock them; continue to pour water over them until their breathing begins to settle
  • Placing wet towels under the dog ONLY in mild cases – in more extreme cases pouring water over them is the best option
  • Providing water for the dog to drink in small amounts
  • Avoiding pouring water over their head to reduce the risk of them drowning
  • When you have cooled the dog down, ensure you take them to your nearest vet

Advice for Cat Owners:

  • Don’t leave cats in your car, conservatory, caravan or outbuilding; also make sure you check sheds, greenhouses, and summerhouses for cats before closing them
  • Apply pet-safe sun cream to the exposed areas of your cat’s skin, including their ears and nose
  • Ensure plenty of access to shade and fresh water (ice cubes in the water bowl can be a nice treat for your cat)
  • Provide damp towels to lie on
  • Groom your cat regularly to ensure their coat is lighter
  • Leave your windows & doors ajar (if it is safe to do so – for cats which stay indoors make sure these have locking mechanisms) – this will allow a breeze throughout the house

Ticks:

Ticks are small, grey-brown parasites that suck blood from other animals (and humans!) with 6 or 8 legs, growing in size and darkening as they fill with blood. They climb or drop onto your pet’s coat when they brush past them, which can commonly occur when in woodland or grassland.

It’s important to remove ticks from your pets as soon as you notice them as they can carry diseases, such as Lyme Disease. Check your dog after returning from a walk – they’re big enough to spot by eye, but you can also run your hands over their body, particularly around the head, neck, ears and paws, to check for any small lumps that indicate the tick’s presence. Upon removal, it’s crucial to avoid squeezing the tick’s body or leaving the head in your pet’s body, as this can increase the chances of disease transmission. Therefore the best approach is using a tick removal tool (easily found in pet shops or vets), slowly pushing it under the tick, and twisting the tick clockwise until it comes loose. You should dispose of the tick in some tissue and flushing it down the toilet.

You can prevent ticks from biting your pets through tick treatments which kill or repel ticks once they attach themselves to the pet’s fur. You can ask your vet for more information about this. Never use cat tick medicine on dogs or dog tick medicine on cats – this can be fatal. If a tick has fed on your pet for a number of days, they’ll drop off but they may have transmitted a disease in this time. Lyme disease is one such infection which can be extremely serious – symptoms include depression, fever, lack of appetite, lameness and lethargy, swollen joints and swollen lymph nodes. It can be treated by antibiotics if caught early – contact your vet immediately if you suspect that your dog or cat has Lyme disease.

Advice for Rabbit/Rodent Owners:

  • Don’t house rabbits or rodents in your conservatory, greenhouse or glass buildings
  • Keep cages/hutches/runs out of direct sunlight
  • Provide extra drinking water and plenty of shade in their enclosures
  • Open windows for pets that live inside – this will allow a breeze to keep them cool
  • Regularly groom your rabbit/rodents
  • Spray water on the ground or gently mist your rabbit’s ears if they’re happy for you to do so
  • Frozen water in plastic bottles wrapped in a towl can be a good way to cool down your rabbit as they lie against them
  • Regularly (twice a day) check for signs of flystrike, especially around their tail and back end (make sure to clean this area often) – to additionally minimise the risk of flystrike, clean out their enclosure including toilet area (daily), bedding (weekly), and insect-proof any outdoor enclosures
  • If you think your rabbit, hamster, guinea pig or other pet rodent is suffering from heatstroke, move them to a shaded area, wrapping them in a damp towel, and calling your vet
  • Allow your rabbits and guinea pigs to supervised outdoor access in the garden (remove any hazards beforehand)

Advice for Horse Owners:

Horses are very much prone to dehydration and ultimately heat exhaustion or heatstroke as they often spend a lot of time outside in the sun. Some tips for keeping your horses cool and hydrated are below:

  • Provide plenty of water – horses need around 55 litres of water every day, but this increases during warmer weather. Automatic watering systems or full troughs of water are recommended. Horses need to sweat to keep cool – they require constant access to water to replace the large amounts of sweat they produce. A salt lick can help replace salts lost from sweating.
  • Provide constant access to shade.
  • Apply child-safe factor 50 suncream to horses with pink areas of skin (such as on the face).
  • Choose to ride your horse during cool times in the day i.e. in the morning or evening.

Signs of horses struggling from the heat include fast breathing and heart rate, lack of appetite and not drinking, lethargy, urinating less, and muscle spasms. You can tell if your horse is dehydrated by performing a quick examination of their gums – they should be pink, shiny, and moist. If they’re dry, pale or tacky then they could be dehydrated. If your horse is suffering from heat stroke or heat exhaustion then you should move them to a shaded area and pour water over them. Crucially, make sure you call your vet for advice.

Advice for Farmers & Livestock Owners:

  • Provide ample shade & fresh water
  • Keep their living areas well-ventilated
  • Use fans to reduce heat
  • Minimise the number of animals in living areas to help air circulate
  • If cattle are brought inside, provide unlimited water, milk cows later in the day when the temperature has dropped, cool animals down with water, and feed them at either end of the day
  • Pigs are prone to heat stress so make sure: they have wallows available to lose heat; their arcs are well-insulated; misting is installed; and if necessary, hose down pigs to cool them quickly – call your vet if you think they’re suffering from heat stress
  • Keep an eye on newly shorn sheep as they are more likely to suffer heat stress than fully fleeced sheep – the fleece acts as insulation against heat
  • Don’t transport farm animals during hot weather periods – if required, move them at night when the temperature has dropped

Much of this advice comes from the RSPCA. You can find out more and get further advice by visiting their website here.

Role Overview

MerlinVet-cel is hiring for the role of Group Business Manager covering Central England. This is a full-time, permanent position, which is ideally suited to somebody with experience of sales in the veterinary sector. This role has been created given our continued growth and seeks to maximise opportunities in the Central England area. Though this is primarily a sales role, you will be expected to fulfil other duties that affect the veterinary sector. This is a challenging, exciting, but rewarding opportunity for a self-motivated person.
  • Hours: This role is full-time, working 40 hours a week. Travel is essential in this role, and you would be expected to occasionally represent the company at industry events which may take place on a weekend
  • Location: Central England/Midlands, United Kingdom
  • Salary: Competitive – DOE
  • Start Date: Summer 2023
  • Essential Requirements: 3+ years’ experience in sales in the pharmaceutical, health, or veterinary sector

Key Responsibilities

This is more than just a sales position – the successful candidate must have a solid understanding of how a practice operates and what they need to thrive; this role requires knowledge of the full spectrum of issues affecting veterinary practices on a regular basis, including sales, staff issues, health plans, IT, and much more. This position’s responsibilities will include (but are not limited to):

  • Acquiring new customers in the Midlands/Central England area
  • Assisting in the delivery and rollout of the organisation’s health plans service
  • Supporting our existing members
  • Maintaining relationships with partners and negotiating support deals
  • Developing our sister companies within the membership, along with non-member practices
  • Representing the company at events, utilising networking skills to form new partnerships

Required Experience & Skills

The successful candidate must be:

  • Experienced within the veterinary industry, with direct experience in either veterinary practice, veterinary wholesale, or veterinary manufacturing
  • Adaptable – this is crucial to success in the role, as the position covers so many areas of veterinary support
  • Highly organised with good leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills
  • Self-motivated and able to work independently when required and as part of a team
  • Passionate about the veterinary sector and animal welfare/agricultural sector

The successful candidate must have:

  • An understanding of the veterinary and pharmaceuticals sector, including how medicinal products are purchased and sold
  • 3+ years’ experience within the veterinary, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, or related industry
  • Wholesale and/or sales experience

You will bring your own experiences to the role, where your input, opinions, and suggestions will always be listened to and valued. This role offers a high degree of autonomy, and you will help shape our activity as our team thrives on knowledge-sharing across all parts of the business.

Who will I be working for?

MerlinVet-cel is the country’s oldest Veterinary Buying Group servicing independent veterinary practices. MerlinVet-cel is much more than just a buying group though; we provide support for independent practices of all sizes across the UK, improving businesses’ profitability through competitive rebates and reduced administration costs. MerlinVet-cel is based in Kincardine, in the heart of Scotland. As this role is a mixture of home and field-based, you will occasionally be expected to travel to the office in Scotland.

MerlinVet-cel forms part of MerlinVet Group, which comprises a bespoke wholesaler, import/export business, buying group (MerlinVet-cel), health plan provider, and anaesthetic gas exposure monitoring service. By listening to the needs of vets we provide products, services, business solutions and support needed to run efficient and profitable practices. All parts of the Group work together to realise our ambitions.

Benefits

  • Competitive Salary (dependant on experience)
  • Friendly and welcoming office, culture & team environment
  • Generous holiday allowance
  • Pension
  • Company vehicle
  • Computer & mobile phone
  • Be part of an experienced team in an innovative and growing company

Equal Opportunities

MerlinVet-cel is an equal opportunities employer, and we embrace the benefits that a diverse workforce brings. We welcome applications regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability or medical condition, ethnicity, race, religion, family status, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by appropriate law.

How do I apply?

Please email a copy of your CV and cover letter to MerlinVet-cel’s Company Secretary, Chris Bainton, by 23:59 on Wednesday 31st May:

[email protected]

MerlinVet-cel Website

Please take a note of our opening hours for the Bank Holidays during May 2023.

Monday 1st May – CLOSED

Monday 8th May – OPEN

Monday 29th May – CLOSED

However you’re spending your May Bank Holidays, whether that be snoozing or munching or partying, have a great time off. You can still order as usual through our website here

Please take a note of our Easter Hours.

We will be closed entirely on:

Good Friday – Friday 7th April 2023

and

Easter Monday – Monday 10th April 2023

We will be back open as normal on Tuesday 11th April 2023.

We wish all those celebrating a very Happy Easter.

Responsible Person (Quality Manager) – Veterinary Wholesale (Permanent, Part-Time)

MerlinVet is hiring for the role of Responsible Person (Quality Manager). This job is ideally suited to somebody who is a qualified pharmacist (or vet) with knowledge of the pharmaceutical and/or veterinary sector.

  • Hours: This role will be part-time working two days a week with the potential for the job to increase hours as the role develops
  • Location: Kelso, Scottish Borders

The Responsible Person/Quality Manager will be tasked with continually improving systems and ensuring our business processes, policies, and procedures adhere to and comply with Good Distribution Practices (GDP).

MerlinVet is licensed by the MHRA, VMD, Home Office and Food Standards Scotland, and as such the key responsibilities of the Responsible Person/Quality Manager are listed below.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Host and report on regulatory inspections
  • Maintain the Quality Management System & ISO 9001 Accreditation
  • Ensure Good Distribution Practice (GDP) compliance
  • Write, review and/or authorise Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
  • Ensure training programmes are implemented, maintained, and recorded
  • Perform internal audits and oversee training
  • Perform due diligence checks on customers and suppliers
  • Quality check product recalls and returns

Required Experience & Skills:

  • Pharmacy degree or relevant degree in life sciences
  • Working knowledge and practical experience of VMD and MHRA regulations, ideally with time spent in distribution or dispensing of pharmaceuticals
  • Quality Management System (QMS) maintenance experience to ensure maintaining ISO 9001 accreditation – particularly in a healthcare, pharmaceutical or veterinary industry
  • Understanding of the veterinary and pharmaceuticals sector, how medicinal products are purchased and sold, and an awareness of how to handle, transport, store, and distribute medicinal products.
  • 3+ years’ experience with pharmaceuticals or in a related industry
  • Highly organised individual with good leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills
  • Self-motivated and able to work independently when required and as part of a team

Desirable Skills:

  • Passionate about the veterinary sector and animal welfare/agricultural sector
  • Wholesale experience
  • Experience in distribution of veterinary products and controlled drugs

Who will I be working for?

At MerlinVet, we comprise a bespoke wholesaler, import/export business, buying group, health plan provider, and anaesthetic gas exposure monitoring service. By listening to the needs of vets we provide products, services, business solutions and support needed to run efficient and profitable practices.

Equal Opportunities

MerlinVet is an equal opportunities employer, and we embrace the benefits that a diverse workforce brings. We welcome applications regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability or medical condition, ethnicity, race, religion, family status, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by appropriate law.

For a full job description please click here

How do I apply?

Please email a copy of your CV and cover letter to MerlinVet’s Managing Director, David Taylor by 23:59 on Thursday 6th April:

[email protected]

MerlinVet UK:

  • Import pharmaceuticals & farm fertility equipment to supply UK vets, including an extensive range of farm animal fertility equipment developed by experts.
  • Exclusive UK distributor for Lane Manufacturing, who specialise in bull fertility equipment.

MerlinVet Export:

  • Veterinary medicines, equipment & accessories supplied globally (we source and supply unique veterinary products to livestock, equine & companion animal sectors).

MerlinVet-cel:

  • Much more than just a buying group, we provide support for independent practices of all sizes across the UK, offering competitive rebates on members’ purchases and ongoing support & reduced administration costs.

MerlinSalus PAM:

  • We monitor anaesthetic exposure in your workplace safely & accurately.

MerlinSPS:

  • We offer simple subscription & health plan solutions.

Any further questions about the group, please refer to our FAQ page here.

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