Horiba is hosting "One Health – Actions in diagnostics and therapeutics”, a free CPD webinar to explain how a 'One Health' approach can improve veterinary diagnostics and therapeutics usage, on Thursday 7th September from 7.30-9pm.

The webinar will allow veterinary teams to learn from three expert speakers how they can make small practical changes to have positive impacts in their own settings.

Helen Ballantyne, Chair of the UK One Health Coordination Group (UKOHCG) and both a human and animal health nurse, will provide a ‘human’ view of One Health and the strategies in the NHS.

She will highlight areas of excellent practice she has experienced, and from a One Health angle where the veterinary profession could learn from the NHS, and vice versa.

Fergus Allerton MRCVS, an Internal Medicine Specialist and lead on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at Linnaeus will talk about, amongst other things, the optimal use of antimicrobials for infection control.

In collaboration with the NHS, he launched Veterinary Antibiotic Amnesty activity which saw a 19% reduction of antimicrobial use across the Linnaeus veterinary group.

Fergus will also talk about the PROTECT ME guidelines on the responsible use of antibacterials, such as for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis.

Simon Doherty, past-president of the British Veterinary Association and one of two BVA representatives at the Federation of Veterinarians in Europe, will focus on the history of One Health and One Agriculture; highlighting how improved communication and collaboration at the intersection of people, animals and the environment can drive productivity and sustainability in food production.

Simon will also share some of Vet Sustain’s farm animal resources and how the principles can be applied.

To register, visit: https://horiba.link/one-health-webinar  

In the most recent Petplan Pet Census, an annual study of pet ownership in the UK, 97% of vets reported that a lack of funds had led to owners choosing euthanasia over treatment.  

Whilst some cases are the result of one-off ‘emergency' treatment, manageable long-term conditions are often at the root of much unnecessary euthanasia because owners simply cannot afford the cost of ongoing treatment. Reported increases in pet obesity and diabetes, arthritis and behavioural problems have all been cited in the Pet Census as common causes of increased and ongoing vet bills.

Vets have been reporting a rise in diseases that are related to obesity in companion animals for some time and with the Petplan Pet Census panel of almost two hundred (198) UK veterinary practices reporting that more than one third (36%) of all dogs and one quarter (29%) of cats they treat are obese, the future for many pets looks bleak. More than half (53%) of vets say that cases of cat and dog diabetes are on the increase. Obesity is actually bucking the trend of more historically significant diseases, including kennel cough and feline leukaemia, which are either remaining static or decreasing. 

The number of pets with behavioural problems is also on the rise, with more than half of vets (55%) reporting an increase and most (95%) practices offering support for these animals. Effective treatment is not a quick-fix solution and requires changes to the owner's lifestyle and lengthy work with experts in the field. 

Petplan Vet of the Year, Brian Faulkner said: "I think it is a common misconception that the predicament forcing pet owners to euthanase their pet is the out-of-the-blue, one-off vet fees for emergencies. But in fact we are noticing that owners whose pets have on-going illnesses such as diabetes and even behavioural problems that are very manageable are being faced with the dreadful decision to have to euthanase than face the ongoing financial burden.  It's even more devastating when the owners have actually taken out an insurance policy but the nature of the policy only covers treatment of any one condition for up to one year.  I always advise people to make sure their policies do not cap the time period over which any one condition is covered to avoid this very problem as more comprehensive insurers are then unable to offer cover on a pre-existing condition."

Simon Wheeler, Head of Marketing at Petplan, said: "We receive over 8,700 claims per week and of the top ten claims, six could be recurrent manageable conditions, such as diabetes or arthritis - the very animals that are currently most at risk of being euthanased."

Research announced simultaneously by Sainsbury's Finance has reached similar conclusions. Sainsbury's found that:

• 51% of vets have put down a pet cat or dog in the past five years because the owners couldn't afford to treat them
• 80% of vets have had an uninsured dog or cat owner decline a course of treatment because they couldn't afford it
• 1.6 million people have had to put down at least one pet dog or cat over the past five years because they can't afford treatment. In total, the research shows that 927,000 dogs and 822,000 cats were put down for this reason between 2003 and 2008.

Sainsbury's believes that there are two main reasons for this tragic problem: advances in veterinary care leading to increased costs, and the large number (55%) of pets that remain uninsured.

Ed's note: Isn't it time that pet insurance became compulsory?

Inocul8 and the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed), have launched vetvac.org a free new online database of information about livestock and poultry vaccines. 

Currently the Vetvac database contains information on nearly 2,000 livestock vaccine products produced by more than 95 manufacturers. This included cattle, sheep, goat, pig and poultry vaccines available in the UK, Australia, Africa, India, South America and the United States. It is being expanded and updated on a continuous basis, and aims to cover all markets, providing the most complete compendium of licensed livestock vaccine products available worldwide.

The database developers say that they hope Vetvac.org will be especially useful to vaccine manufacturers and developers, and animal health professionals and livestock keepers.

Josef Geoola, Vetvac's co-founder, said: "Although there are a number of on-line databases and websites that focus on livestock vaccines, none provide the global coverage that Vetvac.org aims to achieve - our product will be unique."

Zoetis has added AI equine faecal egg count analysis to its diagnostics platform, Vetscan Imagyst.

Dr Wendy Talbot BVSc DipECEIM MRCVS, Equine National Veterinary Manager at Zoetis said: “Fast equine faecal egg count results are crucial for the appropriate and timely treatment of gastrointestinal parasites, and to detect the increasingly concerning issue of dewormer resistance in horses.

"This technology is proven to be as accurate at identifying Strongyle spp. and Parascaris spp. as a board-certified parasitologist, delivering fast, reliable and shareable results within 10 minutes.¹”

Zoetis says study results have demonstrated the AI capability within the Vetscan Imagyst to be up to 99% in agreement with board-certified parasitologist results¹.

This, says the company, allows for rapid identification of high shedders versus low shedders to enable strategic targeted deworming protocols to be implemented.

Reference

1. Zoetis Data on File. Study Report No. DHX6Z-US-22-131 (D6131).

Vets should now consider Angiostrongylus vasorum a countrywide parasite and not one that is restricted to the traditional hotspots of the South East, the Midlands and south Wales. This was the main message delivered by Shelia Brennan of University College Dublin to almost 300 vets attending the recent Bayer-sponsored A vasorum CPD meetings, held across the north of England and Scotland.

Sheila said: "Until recently, angiostrongylosis was only recognised in limited areas of the UK, and confirmed cases were few and far between. Now we are hearing reports of the disease as far afield as Kent and Glasgow and dogs are dying as a result. If caught early enough, the disease can be treated successfully. Vets should be aware of the many and varied symptoms and consider this parasite as a differential in any dog with suspicious clinical signs."

Dogs of any age can be infected with the parasite, but the majority presenting with clinical disease are less than two years of age. A number of clinical presentations are recognised. Dogs may present with respiratory signs (cough, exercise intolerance), coagulopathy, neurological signs, syncope and in a small number of cases hypercalcaemia. These signs can occur in isolation or in combination, and not all dogs have respiratory signs. Haemorrhage following routine neutering has been anecdotally reported. Dogs with a history of eating the parasite's intermediate hosts (slugs and snails) should be considered as being at high risk.

Chris White, Bayer's Advocate product manager said: "The attendance of nearly 300 vets at the four-meeting series, in areas not normally associated with the disease, is further evidence that vets are becoming increasingly concerned about the threat posed by A vasorum. This is the third series of meetings we have held, reaching around 1,000 vets and vet nurses across the country."

A new study¹ published in the Equine Veterinary Journal's (EVJ) special American Association of Equine Practitioners supplement has concluded that maggots can play an integral role in modern veterinary care for a variety of wounds in horses.

The study assessed the efficacy of maggot debridement therapy in a diversity of equine lesions and found that the method was beneficial in 93% of cases.

Maggots have been used for the treatment of wounds for hundreds of years. Freshly emerged, germ-free larvae of the common green bottle fly are usually used for the purpose. Their wound-healing action is attributed to a debridement effect, an antiseptic effect, a direct effect on cytokine and cell proliferation involved in wound healing and breakdown of biofilm formation. Maggots also destroy and digest bacteria and may also be beneficial in the fight against multi-drug-resistant bacteria such as MRSA.

The study involved the retrospective analysis of 41 horses with various lesions including foot injury, limb laceration, soft tissue abscesses and musculoskeletal infection. Depending on the type, size and location of the wound the maggots were applied either in direct or indirect contact. In some cases a second maggot application was necessary to reach the desired level of healing. Debridement, disinfection and healing occurred in all but three cases, in less than a week. Of the three that did not respond two were complicated by the presence of tumours and one by pre-existing damage to the underlying bone.

Olivier Lepage of the University of Lyon, who led the study, said: "These results show that maggot debridement therapy potentially has an integral place in modern veterinary wound care. It can be used to treat many types of lesions, although not those involving tumours or bone sequestration. Associated high costs present a limiting factor but maggot debridement therapy should certainly be considered for lesions that fail to respond to conventional methods."

Professor Celia Marr, Editor of the EVJ, said: "Horses often suffer from non-healing wounds, particularly in the limbs where the skin is under continuous movement and there is very little subcutaneous tissue. Although at first glance this study might seem counter-intuitive and we might think of maggots as being the last thing one would want on a clean wound, it shows that maggots can be an effective way to clear damaged tissue and this is an important adjunctive approach in equine wound management."

¹The use of maggot debridement therapy in 41 equids OM Lepage, A Doumbia, MF Perron-Lepage and M Gangl. EVJ ISSN 0425-1644 DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2012.00609.x

The study is published by Wiley-Blackwell and can be accessed at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2012.00609.x/abstract

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is urging veterinary surgeons to be on the lookout for outbreaks of Atypical Myopathy (AM) this spring.

Atypical Myopathy is a serious muscle disease found in the UK and Northern Europe. It is linked to horses eating the seeds from trees in the Acer family, including sycamore and box elder. There were more than five times as many cases of AM last autumn than in the previous year and experts have warned that the disease tends to occur more frequently in the spring following an autumn surge, possibly because of the growth of seedlings. The prognosis is poor, with survival rates of less than 25%. Early diagnosis is essential to give the best chance of survival.

Horses that develop AM are usually kept on sparse pastures, near trees from Acer pleudoplatanus (sycamore) or Acer negundo (box elder, pictured right) that shed seeds containing the toxin hypoglycin A. They are often not fed any supplementary hay or feed and may be driven to browse on an accumulation of dead leaves, dead wood and trees in or around the pasture but sometimes well-fed animals are affected. While the tree seeds may not be directly palatable, horses on poor quality grazing may ingest considerable numbers of them.

The clinical signs of AM may include muscle weakness or stiffness, colic-like symptoms, laboured breathing, dark red-brown urine, recumbency or even sudden death. Often the disease will present as an outbreak. Confirmation of diagnosis is by a blood or urine test. The toxin directly targets aerobic energy metabolism so therapy should be targeted at promoting glucose metabolism and provided fluid dieresis.

Preventative advice for horse owners includes:

• Check spring pasture carefully for seeds prior to turnout
• Limit turnout if you are concerned about seed presence and ensure horses are well-fed prior to turnout
• Provide supplementary feeding in the field to reduce the risk of horses being tempted to ingest seeds
• Avoid leaving wet hay on the ground where it will rot
• Fence off affected areas
• Be aware that a field without sycamore trees can still contain seeds spread by high winds or flood water

Professor Celia Marr, Partner at Rossdales, Newmarket, European Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine and Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal said: "New, collaborative research, instigated last year between the University of Liege, the Irish Equine Centre and the Animal Health Trust should shed more light on the characteristics of the disease in this country. Once we know more about the specific causes we should be able to make more positive progress with prevention strategies."

BEVA has provided free online access to two articles from the journal of Equine Veterinary Education on the disease for all vets to help them address the threat.

Volume 25, Issue 5, pages 264-270, May 2013

Management of cases suffering from atypical myopathy: Interpretations of descriptive, epidemiological and pathophysiological findings. Part 1: First aid, cardiovascular, nutritional and digestive care (pages 264-270) G. van Galen and D -M Votion.

Volume 25, Issue 6, pages 308-314, June 2013

Management of cases suffering from atypical myopathy: Interpretations of descriptive, epidemiological and pathophysiological findings. Part 2: Muscular, urinary, respiratory and hepatic care, and inflammatory/infectious status (pages 308-314) G van Galen and D - M Votion.

Veterinary experts from around the world have stepped closer to defining guidelines for the identification of pre-fracture pathology in the racehorse fetlock at a meeting held last week. 

The two-day collaborative workshop was hosted by the Jockey Club Estates, Newmarket and sponsored by The Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust and the Beaufort Cottage Educational Trust, together with a number of other industry contributors.

Injuries to the racehorse fetlock are rare: it is one of a number of racecourse musculoskeletal injuries which are collectively estimated to occur in around 8 of every 10,000 race starts in the UK. Nevertheless, fetlock injury can be extremely impactful and can be career-ending in some injured horses.

On the first day of the workshop an expert panel discussed how diagnostic imaging prior to racing can contribute to risk reduction.

Radiography is currently the most widely available tool used to identify tiny fractures which will heal effectively, providing exercise is reduced. However, advanced imaging such as standing MRI, standing CT and PET scanning, have the potential to identify pathology even earlier. At the workshop, the expert panel reviewed existing knowledge and discussed how to generate the research evidence, which is essential if these novel technologies are to gain a place in effective pre-race risk assessment programmes.

The following day a larger group of stakeholders reviewed the expert panel’s conclusions and discussed the need for greater transparency, education and communication amongst the racing industry stakeholders, all of whom share responsibility for ensuring racing continues to collaborate and enhance racehorse safety and welfare.

Prof Celia Marr, Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal, who chaired the meeting said: “Racing has an excellent safety record and the injuries we are talking about are extremely rare. The low prevalence of fetlock injury makes it very difficult to pinpoint the affected individuals. But it is essential that we continue our efforts to do so ever more effectively because if silent injury is not detected it can progress to become much more serious."

Pete Ramzan, Partner at Rossdales LLP, who co-ordinated the workshop said: “There was a great need to get some of the key experts leading these new technologies together in the same room to correlate their findings and work out how to translate them into tangible reductions in serious injury rates. One of the somewhat unexpected outcomes of the discussions was that despite the fact that we are riding the crest of a wave of technological advances, basic radiography still has much to offer; better education around the application and interpretation of radiographs has real potential to allow vets like myself at the coal face to detect injuries at an early and recoverable stage”.

Photo: A radiograph showing of a racing thoroughbred’s fetlock joint. The arrow points to linear radiolucency in the parasagittal groove of the lower cannon bone, a finding that is frequently detectable before progression to serious injury. Image courtesy of Dr P. Ramzan, Rossdales LLP, Newmarket.

Drontal has renewed sponsorship agreements with councils throughout the UK in a bid to further encourage pet owners to scoop their dogs' poop.

The support will see thousands of council dog bins featuring Drontal branding to promote best practice amongst dog owners and urge them to clean up after their pets.

Dan White, product manager for Drontal, said: "Through our dog bin sponsorship we are highlighting the importance of responsible pet ownership which includes preventing the spread of worm eggs in the environment by scooping poop."

According to Bayer, Drontal is the only wormer that kills every type of intestinal worm commonly found in UK dogs and cats.

For further information please contact your Bayer representative or log on to www.drontal.com.

The BSAVA has launched a new Masters in Clinical Veterinary Research. 

The Association says that the qualification is intended to give vets the chance to conduct clinical research relating to their work – in particular vets working in general practice.

The qualification, validated by Nottingham Trent University, is aimed at people who already have any accredited Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits at Level 7) relevant to some aspect of veterinary medicine or surgery.

The programme is based on a further 1,200 study hours and could be flexibly achieved in two years of part-time study or up to five years, depending on the project type and an individual’s availability.

Frances Barr, BSAVA Academic Director, has developed the most extensive CPD programme in the 60-year history of the organisation. She said: "It’s a really significant addition to the BSAVA CPD programme and another step supporting lifelong learning, which we hope will have a very positive impact on the profession."

"Anyone who has an interest in clinical research – such as evaluating risk factors for a particular disease or factors that might influence an outcome – will find this an ideal way to satisfy their enquiring mind.

"If they have the motivation to keep developing a deeper understanding, we can provide encouragement and support for how to answer those clinical questions."

The Masters programme starts with online study into the principles of clinical research, which students will then apply to their own research project.

Students will be allocated a ‘matched’ supervisor who will provide project advice and guidance, plus the BSAVA team will be on hand to ensure ongoing support and encouragement.

The programme starts in January 2017 and applications open this October.

Frances added: "It can sometimes be quite difficult to get going in research when you don’t know how to do it, so having taken the first step in a supported environment we hope many will go on to do extend their clinical research ambitions.

"BSAVA’s mission is to support vets at every stage of their careers. There are often limited opportunities for practitioners to conduct clinical research, so this is a qualification that enables vets to do just that."

For more information, please contact the BSAVA Education team at masters@bsava.com

Sonya Miles CertAVP(ZM), CertAqV, MRCVS, an Advanced Practitioner in Zoological Medicine, has announced 'Anaesthesia and Analgesia in Exotic Pets', a day of CPD lectures at The Hive, Weston-Super-Mare on Friday 25th August 2023.

The lectures, which are sponsored by Pinmoore Animal Laboratory Services, aim to dispel many of the myths associated with anaesthetising a wide variety of exotic species, including fish and amphibians, whilst simultaneously providing vets and nurses with the skills to undertake these often challenging and comparatively high-risk anaesthetics.

Techniques, protocols, potential drug options and combinations as well as blood sampling and hospitalisation techniques for a wide variety of exotic species will be discussed at length.

Delegates will also get lecture notes, a CPD certificate, goodie bags, refreshments and lunch, not to mention the chance to discuss the day's content with Sonya,

To book your place or for more information, please email us via info@justexotics.co.uk.

Genitrix has repackaged its palatable, fenbendazole-based treatment for internal parasites, with an easy dose syringe mechanism to allow its accurate administration to rabbits, ferrets, exotic birds and reptiles.  To make life simpler for pet owners, it has also provided detailed dosing instructions for worming all the species for which it is indicated.

First launched in 2008, Lapizole is a broad spectrum oral-antiparasiticide for use in the prevention and treatment of infections caused by internal parasites of rabbits, birds, reptiles and ferrets, including Encephalitozoon cuniculi (E. cuniculi) in rabbits.

Genitrix' marketing director, Rob Watkins, said: "Lapizole proved itself as a highly effective treatment for E. cuniculi during its first year. Many of our customers have expressed the wish to use the treatment on a broader range of animals and in species groups for which highly accurate dosing and a syringe mechanism would be vital.  We've taken their feedback on board and are delighted to be making Lapizole available to them with its new dispenser.

"The combination of efficacy, easy dosage and palatability make it an ideal product for the control of internal parasites in these species."

For more information, visit http://www.genitrix.co.uk/

Petlog has kicked off its annual National Microchipping Month by joining forces with Hampden Veterinary Hospital in Aylesbury.

Petlog holds National Microchipping Month throughout June each year to promote the benefits of microchipping and the importance of keeping contact details up to date.

This year, Hampden Veterinary Hospital has been encouraging pet owners to make sure their pets are microchipped by offering half price microchipping at a 'responsible pet ownership' event hosted at the hospital.

Celia Walsom, Petlog Executive said: "National Microchipping Month is a fantastic chance to promote the benefits of microchipping, and we are thrilled that Hampden Veterinary Hospital took such a proactive role in encouraging responsible dog ownership through this event. Microchipping is a great way to permanently identify your pet, and ensure that if he or she goes missing that you are reunited as quickly as possible."

Petlog says that last year, it received almost 120,000 lost and found calls in total from around the UK.

This June, Petlog customers can upgrade to the Petlog Premium lifetime service online for £7.50, allowing them to update their contact information as often as needed with no extra costs.

For more information on National Microchipping Month or Petlog visit www.petlog.org.uk or www.thekennelclub.org.uk.