Dechra Veterinary Products has launched www.canine-cushings.co.uk, a new website for owners of dogs with Cushing’s syndrome, to support the advice given by their veterinary surgeon.

The new site contains information and resources designed to support dog owners whose pets have been prescribed Vetoryl. It looks at symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options, and owners can register for interactive treatment log book.

Craig Sankey, Brand Manager at Dechra Veterinary Products, said: "Diagnosis can be worrying for owners and the aim of the website is to help increase knowledge surrounding Cushing’s syndrome.

"The interactive treatment log book can be used by owners to chart progress and provide reassurance about how their dog is responding to Vetoryl therapy."

Ceva Animal Health has announced the winners of its 2014 Animal Welfare Awards.  

The awards recognise volunteers, charity workers and veterinary professionals who have gone the extra mile in improving animal welfare around the world. Winners were decided by a panel of industry professionals, including Christopher Laurence MBE BVSc and Claire Bessant of International Cat Care. 

The winners of the 2014 Ceva Animal Welfare Awards were as follows:

Christopher Laurence Vet of the Year Award
Marc Abraham, veterinary surgeon and founder of Pup Aid, for his tireless campaigning about puppy farming. He recently gathered more than the 100,000 names required to trigger a parliamentary debate about puppy farming in a record breaking six months.

Volunteer of the Year Welfare Award
Johanna Beumer from Whittingham Kennels, Essex, for dedicating the last 50 years of her life to finding loving homes for retired racing greyhounds. Joanna is one of the Retired Greyhound Trust's longest-serving volunteers.

Farm Animal Welfare Award
Molly McKay from Norfolk Farm Vets Ltd, Norfolk, for her tireless work to ensure the health and wellbeing of her farm animal patients. 

Charity Professional of the Year
Luke Gamble MRCVS from the Worldwide Veterinary Service, for raising awareness about animal welfare and in particular his recent work in launching Mission Rabies, a worldwide campaign to highlight this issue and bring about control.

Charity Team of the Year
Hope Rescue, a small charity dedicated to rescuing stray and abandoned dogs. Last year it successfully rehomed 143 dogs and on top of that placed a further 384 dogs with reputable rescues.

Welfare Nurse of the Year Award
Jodie Foster from Haygate Veterinary Centre, Muxton, for her work helping owners whose pets have behavioural problems, and organising blood drives for the Pet Blood bank. 

International Cat Care Welfare Award
Agnes Dufau from Plataforma Gatera for her work to ensure the welfare of cats in Spain.

Jodie Foster said: "I didn't even know I had been nominated until very recently so I'm still in shock! I'm loving every minute of the night though. Awards like these really help raise awareness of the work veterinary nurses and other veterinary professionals play in improving animal welfare."

Upon receiving their award, Vanessa Waddon of Hope Rescue, winners of the Charity Team of the Year Award, said: "We are so proud to have been recognised for all the hard work that our volunteers and one paid member of staff do. We are a very small charity, and it is amazing to have been picked as winners over hundreds of other larger charities, all deserving of awards for the fantastic work they do in animal welfare. Even though we are a small charity, we do try to make a big impact and it is wonderful that Ceva are here in recognition of the important work that smaller charities, like Hope Rescue, do."

Ceva Managing Director, Alan Doyle said: "The judging panel were overwhelmed by the quality of the entries we received this year. It is truly wonderful to read so many stories about honourable people dedicating their time to improve the welfare of animals both in the UK and internationally. The judges had a tough time whittling down the short list as there were so many well-deserved entries; however we are pleased with the final result."

Claire Bessant CEO of International Cat Care adds: "I began my charity career more than 20 years ago and I only wish awards like these one had existed then as the wonderful work that these people do needs celebrating. Ceva's Animal Welfare Awards provide a real insight into the lengths people are prepared go to improve animal welfare. The stories were both tear jerking and inspiring - each and every one deserves to be a winner." 

Pfizer Animal Health, maker of the equine wormers Equest and Equest Pramox, has unveiled www.wormingyourhorse.info, a new website which aims to make it easier for horse owners to understand and follow the most up-to-date principles of sustainable worm control.

Based on the company's Manage, Test, Plan, Dose campaign, Pfizer says the new website is designed to take the confusion out of equine worm control with clear, logical and easy-to-understand guidance and advice.

The four main sections use diagrams and text to explain how and why it's important to manage the worm challenge on the pasture; the role of faecal worm egg counts (FWECs); how history and management play a part in planning the best worm control programme and how to choose and use the right wormer at the right time of year.

There's an interactive and educational parasite page that shows the parasites that can affect the health of your horse. There are click through buttons on parts of the horse's anatomy revealing details about the appearance of each particular parasite, their lifecycle and the symptoms they can cause. In addition there's a section on frequently asked questions which provides no-nonsense answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about worm control.

Paul Blanc, Pfizer's equine brand manager said: "In developing our new website we have listened carefully to what horse owners really want and need to know. The result is a source of plain-speaking, unbiased facts and advice, providing horse owners with the most current thinking on sustainable worm control in a format they can really identify with."

Virbac Animal Health has developed a 'Yield Wheel' to show vets the additional income that farmers can achieve through taking a tailored and more flexible approach to the management of their dairy herd through the dry period. 

The company says this approach is made easier using its Cephaguard DC dry cow therapy.

While a 60 day drying off period is required for some cows, others may not need to be withdrawn from milk production for the full period, including those with a high body condition score in late lactation, high yielders and older healthy cows with an increased tendency for weight gain. For cows in these categories, a shorter drying off period can mean additional days of milk production and extra income for the farmer with no negative impact on future lactations or the cow's overall health.

The Yield Wheel shows how production and income can be maximised on a sliding scale from a standard 60 day drying off period down to 36 days, the shortest drying off period.  It also shows the benefits which can be gained in terms of reduced discarded milk days in the case of cows with an unclear calving date.

Cephaguard DC dry cow therapy is the most recent entrant to the dry cow therapy market. With its 35+1 day withdrawal period in milk, Virbac says it offers farmers increased flexibility for the management of dry periods.

Brigitte Goasduf, Ruminants Product Manager at Virbac said: "For dairy farmers, it's all about milk. They're looking to optimise production and reduce waste while also ensuring that they treat infections effectively at drying off and prevent new infections which may reduce yield during the next lactation.

We've produced the Yield Wheel to highlight the tangible benefits of taking a customised and more flexible approach to drying off using Cephaguard DC. The data is provided in a practical and straightforward way and demonstrates the potential yield benefits that can be achieved from an overall herd management and income perspective. We hope it will prove a useful tool."

A report published by the Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs committee this week has concluded that The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 is in need of updating. However, lack of available budget in the current Comprehensive Spending Review period means that further work on a White Paper won't happen till 2011 at the earliest.

In particular, the report found consensus within the profession that the disciplinary procedure is in urgent need of updating. However, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons does not have majority support for its proposals on compulsory practice standards and compulsory continuing professional development.

The report crticised the RCVS for not having done enough to provide a clear picture of its proposals for a new statutory framework for the regulation of the profession.

However, an RCVS spokesman said: "In fact, we have invested considerable time and resources in the development of proposals, led by a working party that included stakeholders. However, we have been awaiting further input from Defra before taking matters further."

Chairman of the Committee the Rt Hon Michael Jack said: "We urge the profession to coalesce round some specific proposals to amend the disciplinary process for veterinary professionals. We believe that a working party should be set up between Defra, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the British Veterinary Association to produce a new Bill for introduction in 2009."

Responding to the publication of the report, BVA President Nick Blayney said: "While we will certainly consider EFRACom’s proposal that BVA work with Defra and RCVS to produce a draft bill, the BVA is a voluntary association and our focus is the benefit of our members. Given that we are not even persuaded of the need for a new Act, it is likely that our contribution will be advisory and not financial."

Click here for the full report

The Society for Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) has published its 2015 Fee Survey, which has revealed an increasing divergence between fees charged for routine and unroutine procedures in small animal practice.

SPVS says that small animal practices accounted for the largest proportion of responses to its survey, and that 75.9% of them had increased their fees during the last 12 months. When comparing a 'bundle' price comprising a kitten vaccination course, puppy vaccination course, cat spay, dog spay and consultation, the increase was 4.09%. However SPVS notes that this increase may be artificially low, as it relates to the sort of procedures that are regularly quoted and may therefore be constrained by the marketplace.

Perhaps more revealingly, whilst routine procedures such as vaccination had risen 3.3%, non routine procedures had risen by considerably more: pyometras were up 15.6%, cat dentals were up 17.5% and out-of-hours callouts  were up 18.6%.

Equine fees showed an overall drop of 3.5% on the bundle price comprising initial routine examination, five-stage PPE, routine dental examination and float, a colic examination and the cost of sedation / waiting. Although many of the individual equine procedures showed a fee decrease, 79% of equine practices reported that they had increased fees over the past year. The largest decrease in equine fees was for sedating a horse and waiting while the horse was clipped or treated by an equine dental technician, with the fee charged being 12.5% less than last year and ranging from £12.50 to £93.82. Conversely, conducting an ultrasound scan of a mare for pregnancy had increased by 17.3% and ranged from £20 to £62.36.

For large animal vets, the fees are more tightly constrained by the commercial realities of farming and the range of fees quoted tends to be lower. This year, the overall price rise for the bundle of fees comprising routine calving, foot trimming, elective Caesarean and hourly rates for fertility work and herd health schemes was 4.1%. However, only 47.8% of large animal practices reported an increase in fees charged over the last twelve months. The largest increase reported was for paring the hind feet of a cow without sedation, which was up 24.4% and ranged in price from £19 to £70, while issuing a prescription to a farm animal client had decreased by 1.6% and ranged in price from 0 to £48.

Nick Stuart, SPVS president said: "We all know the industry is facing real challenges and this is reflected in the fee survey, with equine practices in particular decreasing many of their prices on last year. However the survey also shows that the fees vets charge vary widely, particularly in the small animal sector. While some of this can be accounted for by differing overheads, it does provide a fascinating insight into the various financial models that exist and challenges practice owners to review how they construct their fees. It also suggests that there is scope for practices to grow their profitability and understanding the market will help them with this.

"We have a new benchmarking service from Veterinary Insights that will help practices to set more accurate fee levels and we will be developing our fee survey further so that it dovetails with this service. I would urge practices to join SPVS and access the invaluable data we produce to help them grow their businesses."

For more information, a copy of the survey, or to join SPVS visit www.spvs.org.uk

VetHelpDirect.com has conducted a survey of 380 vets which found that 54% have received verbal abuse referencing the Competitions and Markets Authority report.

15.3% said they had received written abuse and 13.4% had received online abuse.

One in ten (9.87%) had cited receiving generally negative grumbles from their clients and a small percentage (0.8%) said they had noticed negativity from usually supportive clients.

17% reported abuse relating to the CMA across more than one platform. 

On the other hand, the survey also revealed that 22.4% had received support in person, almost one in twenty (4.5%) had received online support, and 2.4% cited they had received supportive correspondence.

MSD Animal Health has announced that this year's Horse Health Week will take place between the 26th and 30th September. 

The aim of the week is to focus equine practices on ‘Taking care of the small things that make a big difference’ with a toolkit of resources designed to help them promote their businesses and educate and promote the benefits of preventative healthcare. 

Peter Young, MSD Equine Business Manager said:  "This year’s Horse Health Week has been created to focus on the small things we can all do to help keep our nation’s horses happy and healthy.  We are encouraging equine vets to get involved and engage with their clients throughout the week with the support of our toolkit. This celebration of Britain’s horses and the things we can do to improve their health is a positive opportunity for vets to build client loyalty and attract new clients. I urge practices to do as little or as much as they can, but I urge them to do something!"

Horse Health Week is supported with a range of materials for both practices and clients, along with social media content, which vets can obtain on a USB stick from their MSD Animal Health Equine representative.

The toolkit includes a series of five animations – one for each day of the week. They each cover a different topic including; horse connections, the importance of hand washing, equipment at shows, isolation and vaccination. There is also a social media campaign for practices to run called #BonVoyageBuzz, and a survey that will gather the views of horse owners on preventative healthcare. 

For full details talk to your MSD Animal Health Account Manager, call MSD on 01908 685685 or refer to www.healthyhorses.co.uk/horse-week.

To celebrate the launch of its brand new keep reproduction simple advertisement campaign, CEVA Animal Health is giving British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) Congress delegates the chance to win an iPod by entering a special spot the sperm competition. 

BCVA Congress runs from 26-28 November 2009 in Southport. Delegates just need to spot five sperm lurking in the banner-sized cartoon for CEVA's GnRH product Ovarelin^®. The correct answers will be entered into a draw to win an iPod.

The company says its new ad campaign brings together a series of cartoons with a clever play on words to highlight the importance of a simple protocol for success with reproduction. You can follow this irresistibull series in the farm media throughout the autumn. 

For further information contact your local CEVA representative or CEVA Animal Health Ltd, 90 The Broadway, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 1EG, www.ceva.uk.com

Liverpool based online CPD provider, The Webinar Vet reports that more than 350 veterinary surgeons from over 30 countries registered for its first virtual Veterinary Congress held earlier this month.

The one day congress consisted of six streams with top speakers from the UK, Australia and the USA covering radiology of the chest, cardiology, endocrinology, feline internal medicine, practice management and dermatology, totalling 18 hours of CPD.All six streams can still be accessed by delegates after the congress.

Anthony Chadwick MRCVS, founder of The Webinar Vet said: "Delegates were able to watch two streams on the day and then the other lectures at their leisure. And those who were unable to attend on the day, they can still register to access the congress.

"I was so pleased with the way the congress went. We had internationally renowned speakers being beamed into our homes without us having to go out in the cold wet weather to drive somewhere. Many of the early bird delegates also enjoyed the Fairtrade goodies we sent them in the post to enjoy during the coffee breaks."

Joe Hollins MA VetMB MRCVS, senior veterinary officer on the Island of St Helena has been based there since 2009, and believes that the Webinar Vet CPD has been a lifeline. He sent this message to the team: "Many congratulations to you and your team for putting together what must be deemed an historic event, the first ever virtual international veterinary congress. It's no mean feat. Your masterly control of proceedings, your cool, calm response to small technical glitches, the background coordination of proceedings by your staff; all this combined to create a useful, instructive, purposeful day.

"The fact that you manage to attract world class speakers says it all. My isolation in St Helena from 2009 initially presented me with major concerns regarding my CPD commitment, but The Webinar Vet has resolved any issues - and some. In fact my access to CPD has been greatly enhanced, and whether I was in the UK or not, I would encourage anyone involved in the profession to enrol."

Veterinary surgeons can buy recordings of the event at www.theinternationalwebinarvet.com

The Copper Development Association (CDA) reports that a Harare veterinary practice has become the first in Zimbabwe to add copper touch surfaces to its suite of infection prevention measures.

24 Hour Veterinary Practice opted to replace frequently-touched surfaces including table tops, drawer handles, light and electrical switches, chair arms, desk tops and even mice with solid copper equivalents. 

The CDA says copper is a powerful antimicrobial with rapid, broad-spectrum efficacy against bacteria and viruses, including MRSA, E.coli and norovirus (references). It shares this benefit with a range of copper alloys - including brasses and bronzes - forming a family of materials collectively called 'antimicrobial copper'.

Touch surfaces made from solid antimicrobial copper are used by healthcare facilities around the world to reduce the spread of infections such as norovirus and MRSA, supporting key infection control measures such as good hand hygiene and frequent surface cleaning and disinfection.

Dr Vinay Ramlaul, who runs the practice, said: 'We're very pleased with the copper touch surfaces. They're easy to clean and present a bright, sterile image to our clients. We feel secure knowing that copper is continuously killing microbes being transmitted to the surfaces by both our clients and patients.'

24 Hour Veterinary Practice joins a number of other veterinary facilities in South Africa already using antimicrobial copper surfaces to enhance hygiene. The CDA says it is not aware of any UK practices that have yet installed the surfaces, although it is being used in a number of human healthcare hospitals and clinics in the UK.

For more information, including a list of antimicrobial copper products and suppliers, visit www.antimicrobialcopper.org.

The National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) is calling on vets to support the #VaccinesWork campaign.

Starting in the New Year, the benefits of vaccination will be communicated to both farmers and pet owners, initially focussing on farm use. 

The aims of the campaign are to raise awareness of how and why vaccines work and the range of diseases they protect against, to review and improve how vaccines are stored and administered, and to encourage better uptake of existing vaccines. 

Further information and tips on storing and using vaccines correctly will be shared, to help ensure that vaccines used will be effective.

NOAH says that research has shown that:

• Only 53% farmers know the correct temperature for vaccine storage
• 73% do not have a separate thermometer or data logger
• Less than 10% check fridge temperatures daily

Dawn Howard, NOAH’s Chief Executive said: “It is encouraging that vaccination of the UK’s calves and sheep against livestock diseases has risen to one of the highest levels in seven years¹. This increase is encouraging, however still more needs to be done in relation to uptake, storage and usage. We are asking the vet profession to support the #VaccinesWork campaign by spreading the messages with their clients and engaging on social media."

"We will be providing information for farmers e.g. if vaccines are not stored correctly, it will impact on their potency, meaning they could be less effective – not only will there be the potential for the vaccine to fail to protect animals against disease but also farmers may have wasted their efforts – and may be deterred from vaccinating again."

Whilst correct use by farmers is the initial focus, the campaign will include pets. Dawn said: "The topic of vaccine hesitancy is becoming increasingly important. Recognised by the WHO as one of the top 10 global health threats for people in 2019, this phenomenon is translating to the veterinary sector as well, especially in companion animals. The PDSA reports an ‘alarming’ drop in pet vaccinations: the proportion of pet dogs, cats and rabbits receiving a primary course when young has fallen by 18% over the past 3 years, down to 66%³.”

"This is bad news for the health and welfare of the nation’s pets, who are increasingly at risk of disease, and we need to work to address this."

References

1. https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/use-of-vaccines-in-cattle-and-sheep-2018-sales-update

2. https://www.noah.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NOAH-Vision-Paper-8pp-A4-Sep-19-vf.pdf

3. https://www.pdsa.org.uk/media/7420/2019-paw-report_downloadable.pdf 

Dorwest Herbs has highlighted research that suggests a highly rational mode of action for kelp seaweed as an aid in the treatment of obesity when used alongside a weight reduction diet. The company is asking vets and nurses to look at the evidence and consider using licensed herbal medicines to help cats and dogs lose weight naturally. To help you evaluate the product, Dorwest is giving away 50 trial packs of Kelp Seaweed Tablets.

Mary Boughton MBE, Quality Director at Dorwest Herbs and the UK's leading specialist in the formulation of veterinary herbal medicines said: "We have lots of evidence that Kelp Seaweed Tablets work as an aid in the treatment of obesity but traditional explanations were based on the effect of iodine supplementation on thyroid function as a mode of action. That just didn't hold water for us. However, in common with many conventional medicines, the mechanisms for mode of action of herbal medicines are often not known. So, it was with some excitement that we heard of research that demonstrated that fucoxanthin, a pigment found in kelp, upregulates expression of UCP1 (uncoupling protein) and produces weight loss in the same region as conventional anti-obesity drugs."

Various studies estimate pet obesity may affect 30 to 60 per cent of pets in the UK and arthritis, heart disease and diabetes are just some of the diseases that occur with increasing frequency in obese pets. The research indicates that fucoxanthin has an effect on glucose metabolism and may lower the risk of coronary heart disease in humans. Phlorotannins found in brown seaweed have also recently been indentified as interfering with both the onset and consequences of osteoarthritis. Mary Boughton points out that multiple effects are often seen when herbal treatments are used, "Herbal treatments contain thousands of plant derived chemical compounds and are known for their diverse action, as opposed to the 'magic bullet' effect seen with conventional medicines. In a condition such as obesity where we see many disruptions of normal metabolism and several co-morbid conditions, choosing a herbal treatment makes sense. Kelp Seaweed Tablets are the logical alternative."

Dorwest has prepared a fully referenced technical information sheet detailing recent scientific studies and data from herbal formularies with reference to the role of kelp seaweed in obesity management.

To help vets and nurses further evaluate Kelp Seaweed Tablets - a licensed herbal medicine - used as part of a weight management programme the company is giving away 50 FREE trial packs containing seven weeks of Kelp Seaweed Tablets for a large breed dog, a case report sheet and the technical information sheet. There is also a prize of £100 of John Lewis shopping vouchers for the most informative case report received before the end of February 2010.  There is one pack available per practice, while stocks last.

To request a technical information sheet or pack call Dorwest Herbs on 01308 897272.