Public Health England has released figures showing that the number of people testing positive for Lyme disease was up over 30% in the period July to September 2015, from 300 lab confirmed cases to 421.

The figures are being highlighted by MSD Animal Health, organisers of the Bravecto 'Big Tick Project', a campaign to raise awareness of tick-borne disease amongst vets and pet owners.

The TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham said: "The rise in the number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease in the UK reported by Public Health England suggests the need for greater awareness of this damaging illness. Vets have a huge part to play in educating pet owners.

"As well as highlighting the risks that ticks present to both human and companion animal health we need to be more alert to the signs and symptoms of tick-borne disease and the sensible steps we can all take to protect ourselves and our animals.”

Professor Richard Wall who has led Bristol University’s Big Tick Project team said: "Given the reported increase in cases of Lyme disease, the results of the Big Tick Project study will help us to understand these changes both in terms of the longer seasonal activity of ticks and their increasingly widespread geographic location and could have important implications for both human and animal health by quantifying the diversity and prevalence of the pathogens they may be carrying."

According to the NHS around 2,000 to 3,000 people in the UK are affected by Lyme Disease each year but charities campaigning for greater awareness of the disease suggest this could be as many as 15,000.

Growing concern over the rise in the tick-borne infection has prompted Government ministers to set up a network of regional experts to help diagnose and treat the problem.

Last autumn, Health Minister Lord Prior told a House of Lords debate: "Some patients suffer debilitating illness with symptoms that persist after treatment for several months or longer."

Lord Prior revealed that the Department of Health is to set up a network of experts around the country to support GPs and hospital staff, most of whom have never seen cases of the disease. The increase in the disease is being blamed on rising numbers of tick populations which are active for longer due to climate change, a rise in numbers of wild mammals such as deer that host them.

The clinical signs of Lyme disease in dogs include recurrent lameness due to inflammation of the joints. Sometimes the lameness lasts for only three to four days either in the same leg or in other legs and the joints may be swollen, warm, and painful. In some cases, kidney failure may occur and the dog may exhibit such signs as vomiting, diarrhoea, lack of appetite, weight loss, increased urination and thirst.

Companion Care has launched a new section on its website for vets and nurses that want to know more about current partnership and career opportunities in its small animal veterinary surgeries. The new section includes:

• The latest practice locations available for partnership, in both new and established surgeries
• Current vacancies for employed positions at the Companion Care surgeries around the country including receptionists, trainee nurses, nurse and veterinary surgeons
• An explanation of Companion Care’s joint venture model - how it operates and the benefits to potential partners
• Current joint venture partners and staff talking about their roles at Companion Care

Companion Care Services Managing Director, Jane Balmain added: "Our business goes from strength to strength, confirming that we are here to stay and present a genuinely attractive option for vets looking at different routes to business ownership. The Group, which now numbers 39 surgeries across the country, is forecast to turn over in excess of £28 million this year, and is achieving annual like-for-like sales growth of 17%. We estimate that dividend payments to our 50 plus partners will total £1.5 to £2 million this year."

A new quarterly veterinary publication - Companion Animals - has been launched to provide veterinary surgeons with a structured summary of the best international literature published in the past three months.

The peer-reviewed publication is backed by an educational grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, which says it is part of the company's commitment to invest in education and continue to support vets in practice.

Companion Animals contains expert commentary and analysis on recent advances in veterinary medicine and has an international editorial and advisory board. The board comprises Virginia Luis Fuentes from the Royal Veterinary College, Daniel Holden from the County Veterinary Clinic, Jacques Penderis from the University of Glasgow, Scott Brown from the University of Georgia, Brice Reynolds from the National Veterinary School of Toulouse, Rob Rayward from Coast Veterinary Referrals, James Oliver from North Kent Referrals, Sarah Smith from Sarah Smith Cardiology, Mark Lowrie from Davies Veterinary Specialists, Marieke De Vries from the Animal Health Trust and Patricia Ibarrola from University College Dublin.

In addition, each issue contains an original review article. The leading article in Volume 1, Issue 1 is titled 'The recognition and management of acute and chronic pain in cats' and is authored by Louisa Slingsby from the University of Bristol.

To register an account and receive all content free of charge, courtesy of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, please contact your local Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica territory manager or telephone 01344 746959.

Bayer Animal Health has been enjoying considerable success in its efforts to raise awareness of the danger of lungworm amongst pet owners.

The company signed model and 'Strictly Come Dancing' presenter Tess Daly to front it's Be Lungworm Aware campaign at Crufts this year.

Coincidentally, her previous involvement in the Be Lungworm Aware campaign has led her to believe that her Golden Retriever, Sam, died of lungworm.

She said: "Back then I didn’t even realise lungworm existed. It was only subsequently that I became aware of the parasite and symptoms and I thought, ‘hang on this sounds horribly familiar’.

"It wasn’t confirmed what was causing Sam’s symptoms, but he was very tired, off his food and coughing a lot. Eventually we had to send him to a specialist vet centre as his symptoms worsened. They did all sorts of tests on him, and even a blood transfusion in an attempt to save his life, it was awful. We had to liquefy all his food and feed him through a syringe, and by this point he was vomiting and had severe diarrhoea, and in the end we had no choice but to put him down, he just couldn’t carry on."

Tess's involvement in the campaign is definitely paying dividends in raising awareness. Here she is talking about it in a Daily Telegraph video. There's also a piece in What's on TV. And although the Daily Mail seems more interested in her 'casual but slick ensemble', the photographs get the message across and there's a video there too.

Bayer has also launched an interactive lungworm map to assist with plotting the prevalence of the disease across the UK. The company says it is part of a wider research programme to better monitor and document the spread of the disease. Vets are asked to report cases of lungworm in their practices to be added to the map, so dog owners can then view reported cases of lungworm in their area at www.lungworm.co.uk.

Exotics referral practitioner, Mark Rowland MRCVS CertZooMed MRCVS has launched an iPhone app for GPs which puts all the information you need about the commonly presented exotic species at your fingertips.

Mark said: "Vets often have little training in exotic animal medicine, an area which is becoming increasingly important as more rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, tortoises, other reptiles and birds are presented in practice. Although data is available in books, it usually has to be sourced, which can be difficult if the practice does not have the relevant texts."

"For this reason, I've developed an iPhone app which provides species biological data, such as normal temperatures and gestation periods, a exotics formulary, a list of common conditions and a gallery of images and video footage of basic procedures."

Mark says he hopes it'll be an invaluable mobile resource for veterinary surgeons, students, nurses and technicians worldwide, and that he will be updating it regularly.

Veterinary Care of Exotic Pets is now available now from iTunes, priced at £7.99. Click here for more information: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/veterinary-care-exotic-pets/id511902278?mt=8

The BSAVA has launched a new collection on One Health, including chapters from relevant BSAVA Manuals and resources such as Companion articles and Congress podcasts.

One Health – the symbiotic relationship between human, animal and environmental health – is becoming increasingly important, encompassing things like sustainability, the increase in antimicrobial resistance and the link between human and animal obesity. 

Krista Arnold, Honorary Secretary of BSAVA said: "The complicated relationship between human and animal health has been the subject of scientific investigation since the 19th century.

"Important discoveries and the recognition of disease connections have helped to develop strategies for disease prevention in humans and animals alike.

"This collection in the BSAVA Library will contribute to further understanding and knowledge of this important topic."

The collection can be accessed via the BSAVA Library here: https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/one-health

It is freely available until the end of December 2022; after this time access is £16.25 for BSAVA members and £25 for non-members.

CPC, the pet crematorium, has developed a new online survey tool to help practice staff analyse the effectiveness of their bereavement care capabilities.

Called "Bereavement Care - How does your practice compare?", the online survey comprises a series of multiple choice questions designed to produce a star rating out of 5. The idea is that these questions will help practices establish whether they need to improve how staff deal with bereaved pet owners.

Duncan Francis, Director, CPC said: "Coping with the loss of a much-loved pet is never easy for a bereaved owner. While support from those who are close to both the owner and the pet can make a real difference, many vets and vet nurses have received little training on this sensitive topic.

"Understanding client's needs before, during and after euthanasia, helps staff establish a rapport with emotional clients at a critical time and maintains a positive practice image.

"The aim of the survey is to raise awareness among vets and vet nurses of the importance of feeling confident in their ability to help bereaved owners through their grief. This helps clients come to terms with the death of their pet enabling them to move on and welcome another companion animal into their lives."

To find out more about how CPC can help your practice to improve its bereavement care, please ring 01763 207700, email info@cpccares.com or visit www.cpcvets.com

The BSAVA is reminding everyone that the closing date for the BSAVA PetSavers' 40th Anniversary Awards is Friday 1^st August .

To celebrate 40 years of funding veterinary projects, the charity has up to £5000 for each vet school to fund veterinary undergrad student projects, and also a £5000 award going to veterinary nursing projects, both RVNs and undergrad students.

Derek Attride, chairman of the grants awarding committee, said: "The PetSavers 40th anniversary grants reflects the charity's commitment to ensuring that first-class research into small companion diseases continue in the future. This grant is the first of its kind for PetSavers and is a great opportunity for veterinary students and veterinary nurses to work on a companion animal clinical research project."

The closing date for applications will be the 1st August 2014. Veterinary students should apply through their university and veterinary nurses can apply directly to the BSAVA.  Each university will be able to submit five applications.

The awards will be announced in December 2014 and the projects will have to be completed and written up by December 2015.

Further information about the anniversary grants can be found at www.petsavers.org.uk 

Royal Canin has launched a new urinary range for cats and dogs. There are four new products including the veterinary market's first canine pouch. 

The launch also includes a 20 page booklet for owners which explains the urinary system, different types of problem and stone, and why and how diet can make a difference. Royal Canin says this should be a real boost to encouraging owners to adopt the new diet.

According to the company, the pouch format is highly palatable, convenient and easy for owners to use, which will ultimately lead to improved compliance once a prescription has been made. 

Canine Urinary S/O comes in a 150g pouch, and dissolves struvite uroliths as well as diluting the urine to decrease oxalate concentration and ensure the bladder is regularly washed out.  Feline Urinary S/O Moderate Calorie in a 100g pouch is for adult cats with difficulty maintaining ideal weight (neutered, overweight, low activity levels) and is indicated for the nutritional management of cats with feline idiopathic cystitis, struvite urolithiasis, and the management of recurrent struvite and calcium oxalate stones. 

New dry food additions include Canine Urinary S/O Moderate Calorie with the same benefits in formulation to help limit weight gain, while Canine Urinary S/O Small Dog offers benefits for the smaller canine population; particularly important as 50% of all stones analysed in reference laboratories worldwide come from small breed dogs. 

Royal Canin Director of Scientific Communications Pauline Devlin said: "Urinary problems are a common reason for veterinary consultation, and this new range brings together our existing products with four new ones, meaning that vets can be even more precise in prescribing the clinical diet which will best suit the owner and the nutritional management of the pet, meaning that compliance levels will improve."

Royal Canin says neutering and obesity are known predisposing factors for urolithiasis, and some patients are more prone than others - Persian and Burmese cats are predisposed to oxalate stones for example.  Age and sex have also been recognized factors influencing the risk of both struvite and oxalate stones.  In dogs, small breeds such as the Bichon Frise, Miniature Schnauzer, Poodle, Shih Tzu and Yorkshire Terrier are at risk, while Dalmatians have a tendency to ammonium urate stones. 

Royal Canin's urinary diets should be fed for a period of five to twelve weeks, and have been proven to dissolve uroliths in as little as 17 days.  To avoid recurrence of clinical signs it is recommended their use is continued as required.

The Royal Canin Urinary range is available from all veterinary wholesalers.  Find out more by contacting your Veterinary Business Manager, visiting http://www.royalcanin.co.uk/, or by calling 0845 717 800.

Royal Canin has announced the launch of two new veterinary diets designed to tackle obesity in cats and dogs.

'Satiety Small Dog' is for adult dogs with an ideal weight up to 10kg. 'Satiety Wet' has been developed for those dogs who prefer wet food, or who are used to eating a combination of wet and dry food.

Satiety Small Dog is available in 1.5kg, 3.5kg and 8kg bags and contains a blend of fibres that Royal Canin says increases the volume of stomach contents and promotes satiety. The company says the new diet also contains specific nutrients which contribute to maintaining good oral health, and a high protein content to help maintain muscle mass during the weight loss programme.

Satiety Small Dog is designed to improve digestive tolerance in smaller breeds, as it has a different blend of fibre and higher levels of butyrate than Satiety Canine, which is formulated for the needs of medium and larger dogs. The diet contains less dietary oxalate which Royal Canin claims is of benefit to smaller dogs that are at a greater risk of developing calcium oxalate uroliths.

The second new diet, Satiety Wet for Dogs, is available in 410g and 195g cans. The diet has a high protein content (14.1g per 100kcal), and is enriched with nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Royal Canin also highlights what it says is a particularly innovative feature: a high fibre content in a canned diet.

Ian Williams, Veterinary Scientific Support Manager at Royal Canin, said: "Almost 60% of dogs and 40% of cats in the UK and Ireland are overweight or obese. With obesity comes an increased risk of animals developing conditions affecting the upper respiratory tract, cardiopulmonary system, joints and urinary tract. In cats obesity is also a major risk factor for Type II diabetes mellitus. In essence, obesity can lead to a decreased life expectancy and a reduced quality of life.

"Royal Canin has a proven track record of developing innovative diets to help these pets and the latest additions to our range really will complement the existing choice for vets and their clients."

Improve International has announced that it will be running a three-day masterclass on neurosurgery at its veterinary wet-lab training facility in Sheffield from 27-29 January 2021.

The masterclass, which will be 50% lectures and 50% practical, will give veterinary surgeons with some experience in neurology with the opportunity to develop their skills under the guidance of neurosurgeons, Dr Andrew Craig, Dr Harry Scott and Dr Nadia Shihab.

The course aims to equip delegates with the confidence to perform a range of procedures, including routine hemilaminectomies, corpectomies and ventral slots. It will also offer a grounding in lumbosacral stabilisation, thoracolumbar fractures, disc associated wobblers syndrome and atlantoaxial subluxation.

Dr Alison Babington MRCVS (pictured right), Business Development Coordinator at Improve International, said: “Veterinary neurology is a rapidly developing discipline and this Masterclass course offers delegates and their practices a welcome opportunity to reduce referrals and generate additional revenue by providing the skills in-house to deal with the increasing number of neurological cases.”

The masterclass is limited to 18 delegates.

For more information, visit www.improveinternational.com or call 01793 759159.

IVC Evidensia has reported great success using a more conversational style of online CPD session, following a trend started by VetSurgeon.org earlier this year. 

Rather than offering 'death by Powerpoint', where large numbers of delegates are invited to sit and stare at a Powerpoint screen for an hour, followed by a few questions at the end, IVC and VetSurgeon.org invited a smaller, more intimate group to come and discuss a subject on Zoom, a recording of which was then made available for everyone else to watch later.

In the case of VetSurgeon.org, the first such meeting was 'Let's Talk About Small Animal Surgery' with Alasdair Hotston-Moore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1rD3zfcUZE

Meanwhile, IVC has based its recent CPD sessions about equine emergencies on a very similar model. During the event, short case studies were presented in a format which allowed for discussion all the way through.

IVC Evidensia Equine Clinical Board Vice Chair, Mark Tabachnik said: "We decided on a reflective, case-based approach rather than the usual monologue, where so much information is thrown at you, you’re lucky to catch a couple of snippets. I wanted something that was a little more relaxed and more collaborative, like a group of colleagues chatting about the cases from their night on call over a drink or two at the pub.”

It's a format which seems to be proving popular. Chessie Greenham of Fyrnwy Vets in Shropshire said: "Interesting cases that reflected on call life, worked through in an approachable style that is easily applied to real life scenarios."