The British Small Animal Veterinary Association is using European Antibiotics Awareness Day (today) to highlight its guidance on the appropriate use of antimicrobials.

European Antibiotic Awareness Day is an annual campaign held to raise awareness of prudent antibiotic use and the threat of antibiotic resistance. While in the past it has focused on use of antibiotics in human healthcare, there is an increasing realisation that antimicrobial resistance is a 'One Health' issue with implications for human and animal health as well as the environment.

Professor Michael Day, BSAVA President said: "For both veterinary professionals and those working in human health, the spread of multi-drug resistant bacteria means that we may reach the point where we can no longer treat every day infections or diseases. So the responsible use of antimicrobials is an important focus for this pan-European campaign.

"Antibacterial resistance is now a politically important topic for our profession, and there are those who wish to restrict veterinary use of certain antibacterial products, which could have significant implications for animal health and welfare. It is therefore essential that veterinary surgeons are seen to be using antimicrobials responsibly."

CEVA Animal Health has announced that its live enzootic abortion vaccine, CEVAC® Chlamydophila, now has an added benefit. It can be used simultaneously with the only available toxoplasmosis vaccine.

According to CEVA, infectious abortion, particularly enzootic abortion (Chlamydiosis), has been known to wipe out up to 50% of lambs. Strategic use of CEVAC® Chlamydophila, a live enzootic abortion vaccine, can not only prevent abortion but can also control excretion and the threat of infection.

The company says: "CEVAC® Chlamydophila makes practical and economic sense. A vaccination every four years will help your clients’ flocks remain chlamydiosis-free and the cost of treatment should work out at well under 75p per sheep per year. This is a tiny investment for your clients, to prevent the financial loss of an abortion. The fact that the product can now be used on the same day as the toxoplasmosis vaccine means that is now one of the most convenient and affordable methods currently available."

Ideally routine preventative measures should be taken prior to mating and when new sheep are introduced to the flock, to ensure abortion and infection rates always remain as low as possible.

All animals should be vaccinated in the first year, with replacements being vaccinated from six months of age, at least four weeks prior to tupping.

CEVAC® Chlamydophila is quick and easy to administer, using the special, multi-dose injector gun. One bottle of vaccine contains enough for 20 doses.

For further product information contact your local CEVA representative or CEVA Animal Health Ltd, 90 The Broadway, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 1EG or visit the website at http://www.ceva.uk.com/

Organisers are calling for entrants for this year's Vet Charity Challenge, an outdoor sporting fundraiser which also serves as a team building event for practices.

Competitors take part in walking, running, cycling and kayaking challenges, along with some orienteering and mental and physical tasks, in teams of four.

The event will take place on Saturday 28^th September at Pershore College, Worcestershire. 

Organisers say the Vet Charity Challenge has been designed for every level of fitness and success on the day depends very much on how well each team member works together, rather than physical fitness.

Jason Rogers, one of the VCC organisers said: "Teams are registering every day and we are delighted with the response. But there are a few team spaces left, so I urge practices to register a team of four online now at: www.vetcharitychallenge.co.uk."

The Vet Charity Challenge 2012 raised a total of £21,000, which was shared between three animal charities. The event in 2013 will raise funds for Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, SPANA and Animals Asia.

Virbac has launched Nutribound, a complementary feed to help stimulate eating and drinking in inappetent cats and dogs. 

The company says the product has been designed to help animals recovering from surgery or illness and those that are just experiencing a general lack of interest in food or water. 

Nutribound is given alongside the pet’s diet but can also be given by tube or syringe if needed.

Claire Lewis, Product Manager, said: "Pets that lose interest in their food can be challenging for owners to deal with - and a pet that is struggling to eat or drink what it needs, especially after illness or surgery is more likely to have a prolonged recovery.

"Nutribound's palatable formulation aims to 'jump-start' normal eating behaviour by stimulating the animal's appetite and increasing its interest in eating and drinking again.  

"Nutribound is presented in a handy-sized, take-home bottle and is easy for pet owners to administer. It can be given for up to 14 days or until a return to normal eating and drinking behaviour is observed. We are delighted to add it to our nutritional support range, alongside Nutri-Plus gel, our high energy, nutritional supplement for cats and dogs."

Samaxia has launched LacriProtect and Lacri+, two new eye care products for dogs made by French company MP Labo, in the UK. 

LacriProtect is designed to increase the depth of the tear film in the management of dry eye, during anaesthesia, or in case of irritation. 

It contains a carbomer-based formula in individual, resealable single-use pipettes, so that each application is hygienic and free from cross-contamination.

This, says Samaxia, is particularly useful in clinical settings.

Lacri+ contains 0.4% cross-linked sodium hyaluronate and urea, and is designed to hydrate, lubricate and protect the ocular surface.

It comes in a multi-dispense bottle with a tip-seal mechanism and multilayer filtration to ensure sterility and give a shelf life of three months after opening.

https://www.samaxia.com 

Martin Hosegood MRCVS has been selected to run for (your) Vetlife in the Virgin London Marathon.

Martin said: "Through my role at VDS where I assist those on the receiving end of an allegation of professional negligence or professional misconduct, I have seen the fantastic work that Vetlife does to assist anyone in the veterinary community who is having a difficult time. I’ve run the marathon before for other charities but there will be something special about running it to help support my own profession. I feel privileged to have been chosen."

Martin (aka Obed) is a Bristol graduate who worked mainly in large animal practice for 25 years before becoming a VDS claims consultant in 2010. He has also been advising a large safari park on the health, conservation and management of a wide range of zoo species for many years and still continues this role now, albeit in a reduced capacity.

Martin will be running on April 26th with 38,000 other runners – almost five times the number that ran the first race in 1981. Other competitors will include Tim Peake, who will be running the race aboard the International Space Station, Dame Kelly Holmes MBE, James Cracknell and Rosie Allister, Chair of Vetlife Helpline. 

Rosie said: "It’s brilliant that Martin is giving up his time and training miles to support Vetlife. People who call Vetlife Helpline can often feel very alone; knowing the profession is behind us and wants to help can make a real difference. I’m hoping Martin waves as he overtakes me on the day! And that more vets and VNs will help us fundraise for Vetlife in the future."

Anyone willing to sponsor Martin can do so at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ObedMartinHosegood

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies are to start testing whether a compound of cooling chemicals, extracted from mint, can be used to treat laminitis, a condition which affects seven per cent of the British horse population.

The new project, funded by The Horse Trust and led by Professor Sue Fleetwood-Walker, builds on recent work that revealed for the first time that, there is significant nerve damage, as well as inflammation, within the hoof of laminitic horses. This explains why anti-inflammatory drugs are so ineffective in treating the pain of chronic laminitis and highlights the need for therapies to treat nerve injury-induced or ‘neuropathic’ pain in horses.

Prof Fleetwood-Walker’s team discovered in 2006 that the ‘mint’ chemicals have a pain–killing effect in laboratory studies of chronic pain. They will now investigate whether this synthetic treatment could help horses with laminitis.

Dechra Veterinary Products is offering vets free Identichips® worth £100 when they order Equipalazone® Powder 100s.

The European Union (EU) has now approved regulations that any equine foal born after July 1 2009 should be micro-chipped, and Defra is currently consulting with equine industry professionals about the best method of implementation.

The combination of a micro-chip and horse passport provides a reliable method of identification and also a medical record.

Larry King, Dechra's equine product manager said: "We want to make it easier for vets to offer clients the best method of identification and in turn, make it difficult for horses treated with veterinary medicines to enter the human food chain.

"We are pleased to support the micro-chipping initiative and the Equine Passport Scheme with our Identichips offer and an owner leaflet about passports to promote responsible horse ownership. They will both help prevent important products like Equipalazone from inadvertently entering the food chain.

He added: "We stand to lose up to 70 per cent of veterinary medicines if the industry and horse owners don't comply with EU legislation of horse passports and micro-chipping for every equine".

The owner leaflet outlines the importance and benefits of the Equine Passport Scheme and is being inserted into every box of Equipalazone Powder 100s. Further copies are available from Dechra Veterinary Products for practices to distribute to their clients.

Practices can claim their free Identichips by ordering boxes of Equipalazone Powder 100s from Rachel Horton at Dechra Veterinary Products on 01743 452 847 before August 31 2008.

Veterinary practices are signing up fast for the opportunity to take part in Pet Smile Month in September 2010, according to organisers.

Participating practices carry out free dental checks in September as part of a nationwide campaign to promote dental health in pets.

Pet Smile Month founder, veterinary surgeon Bob Partridge said: 'Pet Smile Month is all about relieving pain and suffering in pets and educating owners on the importance of dental care for pets. It also highlights the caring nature of the profession and provides practices with an opportunity to promote the range of services it offers.'

Registered practices will receive information leaflets to give to clients, and an educational poster - illustrating the problems of dental disease and encouraging clients to seek dental care.

For Pet Smile Month 2010, as well as the Pet Smile Art Competition (with prizes for young clients), Kruuse has offered the iM3 42-12 dental scaler as a prize for the best waiting room Pet Smile Month display, together with runner-up prizes.

Pet Smile Month could not exist without the long-standing commitment of Petosan, Genitrix, CEVA, Kruuse, NVS, Centaur, Dunlops, Veterinary Surgeons' Supply Company and IGP UK Ltd.

To find a participating local veterinary practice, owners can use the 'Find-a-PSM-Vet' button at http://www.petsmile.org/. There is also a dedicated vet area on the website.

Pfizer Animal Health has launched Vet Support+ a dedicated veterinary business consultancy team with a brief to boost the profitability and productivity of veterinary practices across the UK. 

Staffed by a team of seven business consultants who have undertaken academic and practical training to add to their experience in the veterinary industry, Vet Support+ will offer tailored support to practices in a format which aims to offer flexibility and a rapid return on investment. The services range across the three critical areas of business operations, client relations and staff management.  Consultants will initially focus on supporting practices operating in the companion animal sector, extending their service to the dairy sector early in 2011.

According to Pfizer, the Vet Support+ service has been developed in response to detailed research among practices to understand their requirements for business advice and support.  It's launched against a backdrop of continued stagnation in the veterinary sector according to latest data from the Fort Dodge Index benchmark of practice performance.  Vet Support+ will operate independently of the pharmaceutical business with no sharing of information or data.

Vet Support+'s consultants are based across the UK in order to be convenient for practices in any part of the country. 

The team is headed by Laura Jenkins, who has held a range of senior roles at Pfizer UK. Laura said:  "Many vets working in practice relish the clinical side of their work for which they have trained so hard.  It can therefore come as a shock to many that they also find themselves responsible for running the business side of the practice for which they may have received virtually no guidance during their training.  They have a real need for objective, practical advice they can trust, which is based on a detailed knowledge of the market.  Many also appreciate 'hand-holding' and coaching through the tough process of making changes required within the practice in order to put it on a more stable and successful footing.  The continuing challenges of the economic climate make it imperative that practices take bold steps now to ensure not only that they're able to withstand the continued recession but are well-positioned to take advantage of the upturn when it comes.

"Our Vet Support+ consultants are highly experienced in the veterinary market and have received very positive feedback from the practices they've worked with during a pilot of the service.  They're focused on demonstrating significant value to their clients and achieving early results on the bottom line. They'll be looking to build a close relationship with their client practices, acting as a coach and 'critical friend' as they help them plan for a successful and profitable future." 

For further information on the Vet Support+ service please contact Laura Jenkins on 01737 330705.

A new study published this month in the Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ)¹ has concluded that toxins from the seeds of the sycamore tree (Acer pseudoplatanus) are the likely cause of Atypical Myopathy (AM) in Europe.

However, to avoid confusion, the authors of the study point out that the American Sycamore (also just called 'the sycamore' in the USA), is a completely different species: Platanus occidentalis. Furthermore, the sycamore found in the UK is also known as the sycamore maple in other countries.

The new research follows on the heels of a study in the USA earlier this year that linked toxins from the box elder tree (Acer negundo) with Seasonal Pasture Myopathy (SPM), the US equivalent of AM². The discovery marks an important step for the future prevention of this fatal disease.

Atypical Myopathy is a highly fatal muscle disease in the UK and Northern Europe. In ten years, approximately twenty European countries have reported the disease. Incidences tend to occur repeatedly in the autumn and in the spring following large autumnal outbreaks. Horses that develop AM are usually kept in sparse pastures with an accumulation of dead leaves, dead wood and trees in or around the pasture and are often not fed any supplementary hay or feed. SPM is a very similar disorder, prevalent in Midwestern USA and Eastern Canada that is now known to be caused by the ingestion of hypoglycin A, contained in seeds from the box elder tree.

The new European research¹ was conducted by an international team led by Dominic Votion, University of Liege and involved 17 horses from Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands, suffering from Atypical Myopathy. High concentrations of a toxic metabolite of hypoglycin A, were identified in the serum of all of the horses. The pastures of 12 of the horses were visited by experienced botanists and the Acer pseudoplatanus, the sycamore maple, was found to be present in every case. This was the only tree common to all visited pastures.

Researchers believe hypoglycin A is the likely cause of both AM in Europe and SPM in North America. The sycamore and the box elder are known to produce seeds containing hypoglycin A and the pastures of the afflicted horses in Europe and the USA were surrounded by these trees.

Hypoglycin-A is found in various levels in the seeds of plants in the genus Acer as well as in various other genera in the family Sapindaceae such as ackee (Blighia sapida).  In ackee, hypoglycin-A levels do vary with ripeness of the fruit and, if the fruit is eaten before it is mature, it causes hypoglycaemia to different degrees including a condition called "Jamaican vomiting sickness" (because of ackee's use in Jamaican cooking) and occasionally death in humans.

Researchers at the Universities of Minnesota² and Liege are continuing their work to try to uncover exactly how the equine disease occurs. Dr Adrian Hegeman of University of Minnesota said: "It is likely that the most important contributing factors to horses becoming poisoned by hypoglycin-A are the availability of seed in the field combined with lack of other feeding options. The seeds from two species of maples (box elder and sycamore maples) that we have tested include significant quantities of hypoglycin-A.

"We know that seeds contain highly variable quantities from seed to seed, even within a single tree. We do not know yet how hypoglycin-A levels vary seasonally, nor do we know how its abundance varies with different levels of stress to the plant, though this may well explain seasonal variability in the occurrence of the malady. It is possible that conditions that stress the plants may contribute to significant seasonal changes in hypoglycin-A levels.  At this point we just don't know.  It is common held knowledge that trees under stress usually produce more seed."

Dr Jeff Gillman of University of Minnesota said: "Without question, further analysis of the seeds and other tissues from Acer species needs to be performed along with sampling of plant materials over multiple seasons and at various stress levels. Additionally, one cannot rule out more complex explanations for the seasonality of disease occurrence such as: animals may begin feeding on seed materials in response to depletion of more palatable choices under drought conditions; or simple explanations such as high wind events driving seeds into fields. These sorts of explanations for the occurrence of the disease do not depend on botanical variations in toxicity across seasons, sites or stress levels, yet also require consideration.

"Although limited examples are available, the experience of animals at a pasture site might also confer some degree of behavioral resistance to poisoning due to exposure at sub-lethal levels with prior exposure to seeds in the pasture."

Professor Celia Marr, Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal said: "This is an important advancement in our understanding of what causes AM and how it can be prevented. In immediate practical terms owners can take prompt measures to avoid exposing their horses to sycamore seeds this autumn. Where horses are grazing in the vicinity of sycamore trees, it is imperative that they are provided with sufficient supplementary feed as this will minimise the risk that horses might be tempted to ingest seeds containing this toxin. This must be done carefully and leaving wet hay on the ground should be avoided so providing extra carbohydrate feeds may be more practical."

References

1. The European study can be accessed at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.12117/abstract
2. Related research from the University of Minnesota can be accessed at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2012.00684.x/abstract

RCVS Day - the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Annual General Meeting and Presentation of Awards - will be held on Friday 1 July 2011 at One Great George Street, London.

All members and listed/registered veterinary nurses are invited to attend the day, which will start at 10am with AGM business, followed by the celebration of veterinary and veterinary nursing achievements. Professor Soraya Shirazi-Beechey will be receiving her Honorary Associateship and Dr James Kirkwood and Des Thompson will be accepting their Honorary Fellowships.

A new award to mark the 50^th anniversary of veterinary nursing will also be presented, as well as a Lifetime Contribution Award from the RCVS Charitable Trust.

In his last official engagement as President, Peter Jinman will give a review of his year before formally welcoming new Council and VN Council Members, and Dr Jerry Davies to the role of President for 2011-2012.

To celebrate Vet2011, the RCVS is honoured to announce that there will be two guest speakers this year - Dr Christophe Buhot DVM and Professor Gary England FRCVS, who will deliver a talk about the history and future direction of veterinary education.

For tickets, which are free and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, please contact Fiona Harcourt at the RCVS on f.harcourt@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0773.