Paul Aldrige MRCVS has won £2000 from Hill's Pet Nutrition after removing a cluster of uroliths from the bladder of an English bulldog.

He won the prize after sending the uroliths to the Minnesota Urolith Center to participate in a competition sponsored by Hill's UK in support of the launch of new Prescription DietTM c/dTM Reduced Calorie for cats.

Hill's says that although the winner was a canine patient this time, it was good news for the Bulldog that the sample was sent in, as the uroliths in question were found to contain urate.

Purine uroliths, including urate, accounted for 6.4% of uroliths submitted to the Minnesota Urolith Center between 1981 - 2007¹. Staff at Center said that urate uroliths can vary in size, color, and texture: "This particular sample represents a good example of the need to submit uroliths for quantitative analysis. Physical appearance alone is insufficient to characterise mineral composition."

English bulldogs are one of the 66 breeds identified by the Minnesota Urolith Centre known to be affected by urate urolithiasis. Hill's says that foods such as its Prescription DietTM u/dTM can be used to help reduce the risk of uroliths recurrence in the future.

Sara Locke, Hill's Associate Marketing Manager said: "We were very pleased to award the prize to Paul and congratulate him on being instrumental in producing such a successful outcome for his patient. Accurate urolith analysis is key. In many cases, these results enable vets to make accurate dietary recommendations that improve the long term prognosis for the patient."

The urolith analysis service is subsidised in part by an educational gift from Hill's Pet Nutrition and is provided to veterinary surgeons at no charge. You can download forms to submit a sample of uroliths at www.hillspet.co.uk/urolith or www.hillspet.ie/urolith or by calling Hill's on 0800 282438 or ROI 1800 626002."

Reference

Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, 5th Edition, Hand, Thatcher, Remillard, Roudebush, Novotny, p833

CEVA Animal Health, manufacturer of D.A.P.^® and Feliway^®, has launched a new marketing toolkit to assist veterinary practices in educating and supporting clients with noise phobic pets in the run up to the fireworks' season.

The new firework pack features an A3 waiting room poster, a range of colourful notice board display materials, reminder stickers and a pack of educational client leaflets.

Lucy Brett, product manager at CEVA Animal Health said: "Research has revealed that over 49% of dogs in the UK have a fear of loud noises¹, but only 50% of their owners will ask their vet for help².

"Our new marketing toolkit will help veterinary practices remind their clients of the steps that can be taken to reduce firework fear and highlight the use of D.A.P.^®, the only non-prescription product proven to reduce the intensity of fear suffered as a result of loud noises³."

As part of this year's awareness campaign, CEVA will be running a regional competition amongst veterinary practices for the best decorated waiting room.  

Copies of the fireworks' marketing toolkit can be ordered from you local CEVA account manager or by calling CEVA Animal Health on 01494 781510.

This campaign follows the wildly publicised desensitisation campaign run earlier in 2009 and will include details about using the Sounds Scary CD from Sound Therapy 4 Pets.

Royal Canin is offering veterinary professionals the chance to win a free place on a dedicated practice team training course.

As part of its continued support of the 2016 regional events organised by VPMA and SPVS, in partnership with Zoetis, the company is sponsoring the ‘Focus on the Practice Team’ course on Thursday 13 October at Chesford Grange, Warwickshire. Four veterinary professionals will be selected at random to win a place worth £210.

Royal Canin says the day will bring together some of the best experts in leadership, management, employment law and staff training to ensure that practices are ahead of the game when it comes to trained, happy and well managed staff.

The first half of the day will concentrate on the impact front of house employees can have on client communication, whilst the second half will cover HR issues. Guest speakers include Brian Faulkner from The Colourful Consultancy, Nick Steele from Zoetis, Veterinary Mentor, Carolyne Crowe, and Alison Lambert from Onswitch.

To have a go at winning a free place, send an email with your name, job title, the name of your veterinary practice and the reason why you would like to attend to royalcaninvet.gbr@royalcanin.com by Friday 30 September. The company will then select four applicants at random and will inform the winners via email by Friday 7 October. 

Places on the course can also be booked by calling 01453 872731 or by visiting www.spvs-vpma-events.co.uk. Focus days cost £175 plus VAT for non-members and £125 plus VAT for VPMA and SPVS members (group/ bulk booking discounts are also available). The cost includes lunch and refreshments.

Dechra has launched Cyclofin, an injectable single-dose solution for acute bovine respiratory disease (BRD) caused by oxytetracycline-sensitive Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida where an anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic effect is needed.

Cyclofin contains two active ingredients: 200 mg/ml of the anti-inflammatory flunixin-meglumine (eq. to 33.2 mg/ml flunixin meglumine)  and 300 mg/ml of the class D anti-infective, oxytetracycline (eq. to 323.5 mg/ml oxytetracycline trihydrate).

Dechra says Cylofin acts within 24-36 hours and has sustained anti-bacterial activity for five to six days following a single intramuscular injection.

Administration is deep intramuscular injection in cattle and Cyclofin has a 35-day withdrawal period and a memorable dose rate of 1 ml per 10 kg body weight.

Alana McGlade MRCVS, national sales manager at Dechra, said: “BRD is one of the most prevalent and costly diseases on farm and early administration of an effective and fast-acting NSAID/antibiotic combination treatment, such as Cyclofin, can help relieve discomfort and stress, alleviate pain and improve demeanour and food intake.”

Cyclofin is available in 100ml vials.

https://www.dechra.co.uk/products/livestock/prescription/cyclofin#Cyclofin-300mg-ml.

Elanco will be hosting a panel discussion about hydatid disease at BSAVA Congress on Friday 21st March.

The panel will present the latest information on the prevalence of this zoonotic disease, review prevention strategies, and highlight the significance of cystic echinococcosis in humans.

The panelists are:

• Professor Peter Chiodini Consultant Parasitologist at University College London Hospitals
• Ian Wright, ESCCAP Chairman and Director, Veterinary Surgeon & Parasitologist
• Dr Marisol Collins, Veterinary Surgeon and Lecturer in Veterinary Pharmacology and Clinical Skills at Liverpool Veterinary School
• Dr Laura Nabarro, Consultant in Parasitology, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD), University College London Hospitals.

Dr Carolyn Kyte MRCVS (pictured), Elanco's UK Technical Consultant said: “We are concerned about potential changes in the distribution of Echinococcus granulosus in the UK and a subsequent change in zoonotic risk.

"We are hoping this cross-disciplinary discussion will provide Congress and Expo attendees with the latest insights the profession needs to allow individual, risk-based parasite control in dogs.

"The responsible use of parasiticides needs a true One-Health collaborative approach.”

The British Equine Veterinary Association has launched the BEVA One To Watch Award to recognise exceptional early-career equine vets, nominations for which open on 26th April. 

Anyone - clients, colleagues or mentors - can nominate a young vet who they think has exceptional clinical skills, a particular passion for equine welfare or great leadership skills. 

To be eligible nominees need to be members of BEVA, have graduated within the past seven years and be a registered professional with the appropriate body (eg RCVS).

BEVA Council Member Gemma Dransfield said: “We all know that one superstar who's brilliant with patients, fantastic with clients, and just an all-round legend in the making."

“This is your chance to give them the recognition they deserve. 

"The BEVA One To Watch Award recognises those who are shaping the future, setting new standards in equine care, and driving the next generation of equine veterinary excellence. 

"Not only will they have the glowing accolade of winning, but they will also win some career-boosting perks.”

To put an individual forward for consideration, a seconder is needed and either the nominator or seconder must be a BEVA member. 

All nominations will be reviewed by a panel of experts comprising a BEVA Careers Committee representative, a senior equine vet, a non-equine veterinary professional and an external industry representative or client.

Up to five finalists will be selected and invited for a friendly online chat with the judging panel.

The winner will be announced at BEVA Congress and will be presented with a trophy, one year of BEVA membership, a fully paid BEVA Congress experience (including a one-day pass, overnight stay, and ticket to the annual dinner) and an exclusive career-boosting opportunities with BEVA to help take their career to the next level.

All finalists will receive a one-day ticket to BEVA Congress.

www.beva.org.uk/About-us/What-we-do/BEVA-Awards/One-to-watch 

XLVets, the cooperative of independent practices, has decided to share its resources with independent practices that are not currently members.

XLVets has called on experts in people development, legal, IT and HR, as well as its practice owners, managers and team leaders to develop a package of coronavirus resources. The package includes guidance and best practice, tips offered by XLVets members, expert guidance in the use of technology to support home workers, access to the XLVets Thriving in Practice wellbeing initiative and more. 

To access the resources at www.xlvets.co.uk without charge or obligation, email admin@xlvets.co.uk.

Colm McGinn (pictured right), from XLVets said: "We are very good at working together to develop solutions for problems and supporting each other. This is a national challenge and while our members have faced some difficult decisions, they've been able to share that decision-making process with their peers, calling on them for ideas, guidance and support.

"It's a big ask for just one or two partners to interpret the guidance in a rapidly changing environment and to stay informed about advice from regulatory bodies and associations. We've all benefited from sharing knowledge and it's lifted some of the pressure that comes from taking individual action, while still having freedom to do what's right for your own practice and people. I can't think of a better time for us to share our learning and resources for the greater good."

For more information, visit: https://www.xlvets.co.uk/the-boss. 

A research project funded by equine charity The Horse Trust has found that 40% of horses suffered a traumatic injury within the past year.

Only 13% of injuries occurred during ridden exercise, while 62% occurred while the horse was turned out in the field.

The research, which has been accepted for publication by the Equine Veterinary Journal, was carried out by Rosie Owen, who is currently working as The Horse Trust's Clinical Scholar in Equine Orthopaedics at the University of Liverpool.

Rosie said: "This Horse Trust-funded research shows that horses get injured relatively frequently - much more often than you would expect. Interestingly, most of the injuries happen during turnout, rather than during ridden exercise."

The results were obtained through analysing the responses from 652 randomly selected horse owners from north-west England, Midlands and North Wales, all of whom had a horse aged 15 years or younger. Owners sought veterinary treatment for 47% of the injuries reported, while the remainder were treated by the owner or a friend, or required no treatment.

Rosie identified a number of factors that were associated with an increased risk of injury. For example, horses that had been owned for a shorter period of time were found to be significantly more at risk of injury. She says the increased risk may be due to aggression from other horses when a new horse is introduced to a field, but owners can take various steps to reduce the likelihood of injury: "It's worth trying to avoid regular changes in group composition. A new horse should be introduced to the group gradually, preferably by providing adjacent stabling initially. Protective boots may help as the lower limbs are most at risk of injury. Also, if possible, the other horses in the field should have their shoes taken off during the period of adjustment, so they are less able to injure the new horse."

Rosie also found that horses turned out within larger groups were at an increased risk of injury. This is probably due to there being a larger hierarchy with multiple horses competing for dominance. However, she found that the risk of injury reduced when additional feeding areas were provided in the field: "If you provide hay or haylage to horses in the field, it's worth including an additional feeding area to reduce competition for food."

Other interesting findings included the lower incidence of injury in cob and pony breeds, compared to other breeds. Horses used competitively also had a higher risk of injury, which may be due to the additional athletic demands placed on these horses, or due to the way these horses are managed. Horses trained using Parelli methods were also found to be at an increased risk of injury, but as the numbers in this group were small, more research is needed to confirm this.

Although most of the injuries recorded in the survey occurred during turnout, 11% occurred in the stable, with most of the injuries affecting the head or eye. Rosie says owners can easily reduce the risk of stable injury: "There are various simple steps that owners can take to reduce the risk of injury in the stable. Try to provide hay from the floor, instead of in a hay rack, and make sure there are no protruding nails, hooks or sharp edges in the stable."

Rosie said that it would be useful to conduct further research to understand how injuries occur during turnout: "A lot of injuries are reported during turnout, but we're uncertain about what happened. It would be useful to observe the behaviour of horses in the field to see whether it's competition for food, or another factor, that is responsible for the high rate of injuries among horses."

Jeanette Allen, Chief Executive of The Horse Trust, said: "We are pleased that the research we've funded has provided such useful statistics on the risks of injury for horses. We hope that horse owners will follow some of the tips that Rosie has suggested to reduce the risk of their horse being injured."

Ceva Animal Health, maker of Milbactor, Vectra 3D and Vectra Felis, has launched a new booklet for practices to give clients: Protecting your Pet from Parasites.

The booklet offers an overview of the common ecto and endoparasites that can affect dogs and cats in the UK, including fleas, ticks, roundworm, tapeworm and lungworm. It explains how pets can become infested, how to tell if a pet is infected and the potential health problems that may result from an infestation. It also highlights the importance of routine treatment to help prevent infestation and transmission of diseases.

At the end of the booklet there is a check list designed to help pet owners and their vets determine the parasites that pose the greatest threat to their pet, taking into account factors such as whether there is more than one pet in the household, whether the pet scavenges or hunts wildlife or whether there are children in the household.

Rob McLintock MRCVS, companion animal business unit manager at Ceva Animal Health said: "Recent research¹ carried out by Ceva demonstrated that pet owners are increasingly confused by what parasites are being treated by their current anti-parasitic regime. The new booklet will provide owners with a comprehensive overview of both ectoparasites and endoparasites and facilitate discussion between clients and their vets to assess the best treatments on a case by case basis."

Ceva has recently launched the Ceva Protection System for dogs, a simple two-step solution featuring Milbactor and Vectra 3D to provide comprehensive ectoparasite and endoparasite protection with one monthly topical treatment and one flavoured tablet.  The Ceva Protection System also features Vectra Felis, offering fast-acting flea protection for cats, and Acclaim® for sustained treatment of the pet's home environment.

To request copies of the booklet, call Ceva Animal Health on 01494 781510 or contact your local Ceva Animal Health territory manager.

Reference

1. 536 cat and dog owners, February 2015

Veterinary Insights is highlighting VetViewer, its free practice performance benchmarking service, as a way for veterinary practices to simulate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and plan for the future. 

VetViewer is currently used by over 400 small animal, mixed and equine practices in the UK to track their metrics.

The tool also allows users to run simulations - so for instance if the practice has had to stop offering routine consults, or has a reduced number of vets or RVNS available, they can immediately see the impact on the practice top line.

VetViewer can be used by all practices, independent or corporate, or individual branches. It can track performance for the past 18 months, allowing comparisons to be made with before, during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

VetViewer Director, Alex Arpino, says the service usually helps practices to thrive but right now offers potential to help them survive: "Many clinics are struggling to know what to do for the best and not knowing the magnitude of the economic impact of their decisions doesn't help.

"Everyone wants to protect their staff but also ensure they have jobs to return to. We can link data from nearly every PMS in the UK to VetViewer and the practice's management team is given access to a portal where they can see the data at a glance. Right now, being able to run simulations is central to current and future planning and could help alleviate stress for many practices managers and owners."

In normal circumstances, VetViewer allows practices to look at their performance over time and the effect of any changes they might make. The company says it can also help practices evaluate where they over and under-perform relative to their region and the UK as a whole. 

The data available in VetViewer includes income from food, wormers and flea treatments and other provisions that many practices might find ways to sustain in the coming weeks.

Looking forward to a time when isolation and distancing can be lifted, the tool also shows where there is potential for practices to increase income - whether that's because they are under-charging for consults compared to the regional average, or performing fewer neutering procedures, or under-utilising potential diagnostic or imaging aids.

Such information is likely to be vital to recovery, providing a clear indication of the speed of recovery and the services that are making the biggest contribution to that recovery.

The VetViewer service can be demonstrated remotely by the company's dedicated team of Business Development Managers and the service can be activated at a distance, so practices can set up their account quickly and without any costs, either to set up or maintain.

For more information, visit: www.vetviewer.co.uk / www.veterinaryinsights.com or practice owners or managers can telephone 01403 800135 to make an appointment for an online meeting or to find out more.

Vets Now has this month launched a new fast track programme called 'Cutting Edge', which the company says is aimed at young, dynamic vets.

The 'Cutting Edge' initiative is apparently the first training programme of its kind in the UK and will see 40 graduates who graduated between 2006 and 2009 recruited into a 10 week fast track training programme, before they take up permanent positions in Vets Now clinics. Each recruit will get a salary package which will put them on £40k within 24 months.

Interviews and selection will be held mid-late August at a number of selection centres across the UK, with the first intake of 20 recruits commencing their fast track training programme on 4 October and taking up their positions in a Vets Now clinic in December.

A second intake of recruits to the programme will be selected during November, with these recruits taking up their positions on the fast track training late in January.

The programme is being spearheaded by Vets Now Clinical Director and experienced clinician and teacher in Emergency and Critical Care, Amanda Boag, MA VETMB DipACVIM DACVECC FHEA MRCVS who said: "This is a unique and hugely exciting opportunity for recently qualified vets to enter the field of Emergency and Critical Care. We're looking for dynamic and energetic young vets with a real passion for continuing their clinical development who feel they have what it takes to succeed in this exciting, and growing sector of veterinary medicine."

She added: "The recruits who we select will embark upon an intensive period of training over the 10 week period which will give them the necessary skills and knowledge to launch their career in ECC. They will also receive ongoing support during their first two years as a veterinary surgeon in a Vets Now clinic with a very generous CPD allowance. The initial 10 week period will be a combination of lectures and interactive seminars, practical training in our clinical skills laboratory and mentored work in our clinics. Developing clinical expertise and problem solving skills will clearly be the most significant component of the training but there will also be support and training in other vital skills including communication."

Until now, Vets Now would only employ veterinary surgeons with at least two years post-qualified small animal experience or who have completed their PDP. This new programme has been launched to attract and support young talent in making the move to this growing sector of veterinary medicine. 

Recent graduates who are interested in developing a career in ECC are invited to apply in the first instance by contacting the Vets Now recruitment team on 01383 841181 or by emailing cuttingedge@vets-now.com. 

The new initiative also has a Facebook page - www.facebook.com/vetsnowcutting edge and you can follow news and updates on the 'Cutting Edge' Twitter page at www.twitter.com/vncuttingedge.

BCF Technology has announced the launch of its new BUG ultrasound goggles. The company says that by using cutting-edge OLED display technology, BUGs deliver significant improvements in viewing images from fertility and pregnancy scanning of cattle, sheep, deer and goats.

BCF also says that BUGs are rugged and reliable, combining unprecedented display performance with excellent peripheral vision, and set a new standard in viewing ultrasound images. Optimised for grey scale imaging, the binocular style viewing features a full resolution display on which every ultrasound pixel is displayed. They are headband mounted for comfort and tough enough to suit any environment.

Gavin Mitchell, BCF’s Sales Director, said: “We spent over a year researching the needs of vets and developing the optimum technology for BUGs. We understand the problems that vets have experienced with monocular and binocular goggles, and we have successfully developed the ultimate solution for ultrasound scanning.”

Andrew Bronson, Cattle Vet, Alberta, Canada, said; "These durable goggles give me great peripheral vision when scanning cattle, which means that scanning is a lot safer. With the larger field of view and improved image quality over monocular goggles, I’ve finally found a permanent solution for portable ultrasound."

Charles Marwood, BVM & S, MRCVS, Clyde Veterinary Group, Scotland, said: "These goggles give a crisp, superior image and a fantastic resolution. They are very comfortable to wear with no safety issues."

BUGs are designed specifically for use with the BCF Easi-Scan ultrasound scanner. For more information, visit: http://www.bcftechnology.com/