A Tibetan mastiff has died at a Bejing animal hospital while undergoing a facelift. The surgery was performed at his owner's request, so that he could earn more money out of the dog.

Owner Mr Yu is now suing the hospital, which has performed cosmetic surgery on his dogs in the past in order to make their ears appear more erect.

The situation has appalled animal welfare activists, who say the hospital should never have agreed to perform the surgery for the dog farm owner.

Mr Yu said: "The skin of my dog's head was very flabby, so I wanted to cut part of his forehead and straighten the skin. If my dog looks better female dog owners will pay a higher price when they want to mate their dog with mine."

The British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) is calling nurses to nominate representatives to sit on their association's Council.

The BVNA is also encouraging its vet nurses to consider standing for election themselves.

Candidates are asked to have a strong commitment to promoting the ideals of the BVNA as well as the veterinary nursing profession and a willingness to devote time and effort to representing their fellow members.

Click here to nominate and vote. Results will be announced at the Annual General Meeting in October.

ULTRA Duramune - Introducing the very first 0.5ml canine vaccine line. This new product from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc (BIVI) reportedly offers improved patient comfort at 50 per cent less volume per dose. Innovative improvements to the manufacturing process include better purification processes and tighter manufacturing profiles. "ULTRA Duramune is like no other vaccine," says Dave Hustead of BIVI.

Seresto - Flea & tick control that lasts eight months. Bayer HealthCare announced the launch of Seresto earlier this year. It uses a patented formulation to repel and kill fleas, and is effective for eight months. The treatment comes in an innovative collar form, featuring a sustained release technology which allows a continuous release of imidacloprid and flumethrin in low concentrations. According to Bayer, the product kills fleas within 24-hours and ticks within 48-hours. The aim of the product is to get pets closer to year-round protection by negating the need for owners to apply monthly treatments.

An innovative nutritional supplement called TriCOX was announced at the NAVC conference this year. The drug promises a new approach to the management of osteoarthritis, and contains a patented ingredient named UC-II. Recent research showed autoimmune inflammatory attacks to the joint in response to exposed joint cartilage are a major perpetuating factor in the condition. UC-II is an immunomodulator that will desensitise the organism to cartilage proteins, preventing further damage and pain.

Nominations for the RCVS and VN Council elections closed on 31 January, and the nominees for both have now been publicly announced. There are 13 candidates for the RCVS elections, and four for the VN Council. Candidate information and manifestos will be circulated to veterinary surgeons and nurses in early to mid-March, and will also be available online in due course. Votes close on 30 April 2013.