Researchers have identified the probable cause of equine grass sickness as a neurotoxin, with similar actions to snake venom toxins but produced by pasture microbes¹.

The researchers, from the Dick Vet Equine Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Newcastle University, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, and the University of Padova found that affected horses have major abnormalities in the structure of their neuromuscular junctions, microscopic sites of communication between nerves and muscles that are crucial for normal muscle function.

These abnormalities are believed to represent a toxin specific signature, effectively a ‘smoking gun’, for a neurotoxic enzyme termed a phospholipase A2.

Work is now underway to definitively identify the source of the toxin, in the hope that it will lead to novel treatments and improved diagnostics for this devastating disease.

The researchers think the toxin is likely to be produced by a microbe such as a bacterium or fungus growing on the horse’s pasture during the cold and dry weather which commonly precedes the disease. 

Neurotoxic phospholipase A2 toxins are also present in the venom of many poisonous snakes, and there are many similarities between the signs of grass sickness and those of snake envenomation.

While there is no suggestion that venomous snakes cause grass sickness, it is hoped that some of the drugs that are currently being developed to treat and promote nerve regeneration in people paralysed by snake venoms can aid recovery of horses from grass sickness. 

The researchers say that the neurotoxin most likely also causes the apparently identical diseases (termed animal dysautonomias) which affect cats, dogs, hares, rabbits, llamas, alpacas and sheep, and that their finding contradicts the previous leading hypothesis that grass sickness is a form of botulism. 

This breakthrough is summarised in an editorial in the January 2025 issue of the Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ). 

The editorial, by Bruce McGorum and colleagues, looks at the implications of their article 'Equine grass sickness is associated with major abnormalities in the ultrastructure of skeletal neuromuscular junctions²".

Bruce said: “Identifying a probable cause of Equine Grass Sickness represents a significant breakthrough.

"We hope that this discovery will lead to novel treatments and improved diagnostics for this devastating condition.

"We are very grateful for the generous support we have received from horse owners, veterinary surgeons, scientists, charities and funding bodies.”

Bruce's editorial is currently available on Early View, free for 12 weeks, and will also be published in the January 2025 print issue of the EVJ. 

Reference 

1. McGorum B, Pirie RS, Bano L, Davey T, Harris J, Montecucco C. Neurotoxic phospholipase A2: A proposed cause of equine grass sickness and other animal dysautonomias (multiple system neuropathies). Equine Vet J. 2025 Jan;57(1):11-18. doi: 10.1111/evj.14442. PMID: 39630613.
2. McGorum BC, Davey T, Dosi MCM, Keen JA, Morrison LR, Pirie RS, et al. Equine grass sickness is associated with major abnormalities in the ultrastructure of skeletal neuromuscular junctions. Equine Vet J. 2025; 57(1): 193–202. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.14063

Animalcare has appointed a new technical vet, Colin Capner, to give support and advice about its products to practices in the UK. 

Colin graduated from the RVC in 1992 and has worked as a clinical veterinary surgeon in a variety of first opinion practices and referral centres. He trained as a veterinary anaesthetist at Bristol and Cambridge Universities before moving into the pharmaceutical industry, gaining experience in drug development and technical support, and pre- and post-marketing, at a number of companies.

Colin said: “Animalcare is introducing a number of new and innovative medicines, such as Daxocox, its weekly NSAID to reduce breakthrough pain in dogs with osteoarthritis, to the veterinary sector. This makes it an exciting environment in which to provide technical support.

“I’m looking forward to exploring how my experience can be most useful in supporting Animalcare’s expansion and, more importantly, ensuring that the company’s customers receive the guidance and advice they need to optimise the effectiveness of Animalcare’s product range in treating their patients.”

For technical support, email: technical@animalcare.co.uk

The RCVS is calling for more volunteers to be part of an extended pilot for proposed changes to the way it measures continuing professional development.

This pilot was originally launched in February 2017 to trial proposed changes to CPD, which would concentrate less on hours logged and more on interactive, reflective learning and measuring the impact that CPD has on the individual’s practice and patient health outcomes.

Some 115 veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses volunteered, with 60 attending an induction days at the College’s office last year.

The College says the response to its proposals was largely positive, and at its meeting on 2 November 2017 RCVS Council agreed to an extension of the pilot for a further six-to-nine months, in order to increase the breadth of views on the changes and gather further evidence on its impact. 

The proposed model for CPD has four key components: planning, doing, recording and reflecting. While an overall majority of the 3,357 people who responded to the College’s 2016 consultation agreed with the proposed changes to the CPD requirement, certain elements received less support than others.

The lowest amount of support was received for the ‘reflection’ component with 35% of respondents disagreeing with it.

Shona McIntyre MRCVS, a teaching fellow in small animal medicine at the University of Surrey and the practitioner representative on the CPD Pilot Working Group, said: "As a general practitioner involved in the initial phase of the CPD pilot I was thrilled that we had so many from the profession engage with the consultation, and later with the pilot.

"By extending the pilot further we are looking to get an even wider range of views on board and fine-tune how we will be asking members of the profession to engage with the reflection element of the proposals. We are looking for a mix of those who support the proposals and those who have a ‘healthy scepticism’ about them and I can only encourage those not yet involved to consider signing up for the extended pilot and make their voice heard."

If you are interested in volunteering, contact Naila Hassanali, RCVS CPD Officer, via cpd@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0701.

Volunteers will be supported by RCVS staff throughout the trial. 

Further information, including the CPD Policy Working Party’s response to the consultation, is available on the College website: www.rcvs.org.uk/cpdconsultation/.  

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has restored Ian Beveridge, a Wirral-based veterinary surgeon to the Register.

Mr Beveridge had been removed from the Register following a disciplinary hearing in May 2013 in which he was found guilty of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect with the Committee finding that he had treated clients badly, kept inadequate clinical records, was dishonest in his dealings with the College and that animals in his care were placed at risk. He subsequently appealed to the Privy Council but this was later withdrawn, resulting in him being formally removed from the Register in March 2014.

He first applied to be restored to the Register in 2015 but his application was refused by the Disciplinary Committee at a hearing in November 2015. At the time the Committee found him unfit for restoration to the Register because, following his removal, his veterinary medicines account had been used on an unauthorised basis to order prescription-only veterinary medicines, which reflected a "cavalier attitude to practice". Furthermore, the Committee found that he had not fully accepted the Committee’s original findings, had made inadequate effort in regards to engaging in continuing professional development (CPD) and also considered the seriousness of the original findings.

At the opening of his second hearing Mr Beveridge, who represented himself, sought to address the concerns that the Disciplinary Committee had outlined upon refusing his first application for restoration. Regarding his acceptance of the original findings, the Committee heard that he now apologised "unreservedly for his failings that led to erasure of his name from the Register" and the Committee considered that he had demonstrated a significant change in attitude from the previous restoration hearing where he had not fully accepted the reasons for being removed.

In considering issues of public protection the Committee also accepted that Mr Beveridge, until his original Disciplinary Committee hearing, had an unblemished professional record and had run a successful small animal practice for over 30 years. It considered numerous client testimonials as well as a petition signed by 600 clients from 2013.

The Committee also considered that there was no risk to the future welfare of animals in the event of Mr Beveridge being restored to the Register, noting the testimonials and references to satisfactory care and treatment given by Mr Beveridge to his patients.

Regarding CPD, Mr Beveridge produced evidence before the Committee that he had attended courses run by the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA). The Committee accepted that he had made "considerable progress" in terms of CPD.

In concluding the hearing Judith Way, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "It is the judgement of the Committee that the conduct which resulted in the applicant’s name being removed from the Register is unlikely to be repeated. The applicant has satisfied the Committee that he is fit to be restored to the Register."

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) has announced plans to create Scotland's first new vet school in 150 years, in Aberdeen.  

SRUC, which is the biggest provider of veterinary nursing, livestock husbandry and animal care training in Scotland, says it will offer a core veterinary programme to address existing shortages in veterinary provision, in areas such as rural veterinary practice, food production, food safety and animal and public health.

The College is first establishing a working group to progress the plans for the school. The group will be chaired by Professor Sir Pete Downes, former Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee.

Sir Pete will be joined by Sheila Voas, Chief Veterinary Officer for Scotland, former NFUS President Nigel Miller, SRUC Board member Jane Craigie, and Dr Kate Richards, who is a non-executive director on the SAC Commercial Board and currently the junior vice president of the RCVS, in line to become President in July.

Professor Caroline Argo, currently Dean of SRUC’s North Faculty, will lead the project for SRUC. 

A report from BiGGAR Economics has found that the vet school could add £26 million GVA and 242 jobs to Scotland by 2030. 

Professor Wayne Powell, Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, said: “We are an ambitious institution with a bold vision for the future. This is a ground-breaking model to expand access to educational opportunities and broaden the range of potential students who would not ordinarily be able to attend a vet school. It will also help solve existing skills shortages across Scotland.

“We see a key role of the new vet school in sustaining primary agriculture and hence food and drink productivity, with the welfare of both livestock and companion animals at its heart. The school will produce champions for best-in-class animal welfare in support of these industries, which will help improve productivity, effectiveness, and sustainability.” 

“Building on the excellent new facilities we have already announced for Aberdeen and Inverness, there is a lot of work still to be done, but we are ready to seize the opportunity.”

Norfolk commercial poultry and gamebird vet Henry Lamb has been named the BVA Young Vet of the Year 2023.

Henry won the title in recognition of his work tackling bird flu, as the outbreak of this devastating disease spread across the country this summer.

A total of 140 nominations were received for this year’s Zoetis-sponsored award, which celebrates vets who have made a significant impact in the first stages of their professional career.

The judging panel comprised BVA President Anna Judson, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) President Sue Paterson, National Veterinary Lead Ruminant and Equine at Zoetis UK Ally Ward, and last year’s award winner vet Hannah Hunt.

In addition to his work tackling bird flu, the judges also acknowledged Henry’s role in encouraging other young vets to join the poultry industry.

After graduating from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in 2018, he began working at Crowshall Veterinary Services, Norfolk, providing dedicated consultancy and Official Veterinarian (OV) provision to the poultry/gamebird industry across Great Britain and internationally.

This has seen him working through the recent bird flu outbreaks, holding multiple OV panels, and preparing for export changes associated with Brexit.

Henry is also a mental health first aider and trustee of regional rural mental health charity You Are Not Alone (YANA), deputy rotation lead for the new RVC poultry rotation, which takes its first students in 2024, and is also co-lead of his practice green group through which he has steered his practice to the top Green accreditation for sustainability with Investors in the Environment.

In his role as external lecturer for the RVC, Henry provides opportunities to engage with avian population medicine for new members of the profession.

Henry said: “To be named BVA Young Vet of the Year is a huge honour and it means all the more having heard about the outstanding work, dedication and skills of the other two finalists.

I’m delighted that after a challenging few years the poultry sector has been highlighted tonight, as all those involved have worked tirelessly to overcome the largest animal health outbreak the UK has experienced in recent times - I hope that winning this award will encourage more young vets to consider joining us in the poultry sector.

"It’s extremely rewarding work.”

Henry was shortlisted alongside vet Rebecca Hampson, who co-founded animal welfare charity Veterinary Education Malawi, and equine vet Camilla Church, who set up her own practice, Perth Equine Vets.

BVA President Anna Judson said: “The standard of nominations this year was outstanding. It sounds cliché, but we really did have our work cut out when choosing the finalists.”

Photo: Young Vet of the Year Henry Lamb with finalists Rebecca Hampson, BVA President Anna Judson and Camilla Church.jpg

The RCVS has released the results of a survey which has found that increasing numbers of graduates over the last five years have had little impact on veterinary job prospects.

The survey was carried out for the RCVS by the Institute for Employment Studies, which asked the last five years' UK graduates who have registered with the College how long it took them to find work, how long they stayed in their first jobs, and why they moved on.

The online survey, which achieved a 43% response rate (1,354 responders), found that an average of 94% of graduates seeking a role in clinical practice obtained work within six months of starting to look. 

The actual figure ranged from a high of 96% in 2008 to a low of 92% in 2010, and did not change significantly over the five years under consideration, despite UK graduate numbers increasing by around a quarter during the same period (from 650 in 2007, to 819 in 2012). Meanwhile, the College has registered an average of 618 overseas graduates annually during this time. 

The survey did show that it was taking graduates slightly longer to secure their posts, with a shift from 85% securing work under three months in 2008, to 71% in 2012. 

The results seem to suggest some small differences in the time taken for men and women to find their first jobs, with men finding jobs slightly quicker, although the vast majority of both genders found veterinary work. 

Jacqui Molyneux, RCVS President said: "After the announcement from the University of Surrey that it will be opening a new vet school in the near future, there was a great deal of discussion amongst the profession about how easily new graduates could find employment. I undertook to get some real facts and am pleased to find that the picture is not as gloomy as predicted.

However, Jacqui said she was concerned that there has been a slight increase in the proportion of respondents who left their first position after a relatively short period of time. Amongst 2012 graduates, over 40% of those who had left their first position did so within three months of starting work. However it must be stressed that only 18% of those answering the survey who graduated in 2012 had already left their first position. Jacqui said: "Although the turn-over in first jobs seems to be, in part, due to an increase in temporary posts, I am saddened to see that the most commonly-cited reason for graduates leaving their first job was lack of support from their employers or professional colleagues.

"This is an area that we, as a profession, must address. As I have told all the students I have admitted to the College, their first jobs will influence their whole careers, and getting adequate support is probably the single most important factor. Meanwhile, it is heartening to see that nearly all of those moving on have obtained further employment."

Although the survey was sent to all those UK graduates who had registered with the RCVS within the last five years, the contact details for those who had subsequently de-registered may not have been up to date, which may mean that those who had de-registered because they could not find work were not well represented. However, the College says it thinks it is more likely that these individuals would have switched to the 'non-practising' category. 

A summary of the headline survey results will be available at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications. The full findings, which also looked at the time taken to complete the Professional Development Phase and the type and location of work sought, will be available in due course.

HT Vista has enhanced the diagnostic function on its cancer screening device so that it can now diagnose lumps on dogs when the specificity exceeds 90%.

The update includes a new scoring system of low, moderate or high cancer risk which replaces the original numerical HDI scores and simplifies interpretation for clinicians, making the screening process easier to communicate with pet owners.

HT Vista says the device can now categorise cancer risk levels, based on malignant probability, with a sensitivity of 90% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 98%.

The company says this translates to a “low cancer risk” result having a malignant probability of 10% or less, allowing veterinary teams to rule out cancer of lumps and bumps without the need for invasive procedures.

The tool can also now provide alerts for some of the low-risk cases, identifying them as lipomas, sebaceus adenomas or benign epithelial masses.

Liron Levy-Hirsch DVM MRCVS, Managing Director at HT Vista, said: "I am incredibly excited to enhance our already powerful HT Vista screening tool with a new diagnostic capability, providing veterinary teams with an even more comprehensive decision-support system.

"Our screening technology has already been a game-changer in early detection, and now, with the ability to flag specific tumour types, we are taking another significant step forward.

"This advancement empowers veterinary professionals to make even more informed decisions, supports shared decision-making with pet owners, and ultimately improves patient outcomes.

"By reducing the time from suspicion to diagnosis and treatment, we can detect cancer earlier, avoid the ‘wait and see’ approach, and help save more lives."

On the other end of the scale, a “high cancer risk” result has a malignant probability of 50% or more and indicates a stronger likelihood of malignancy.

HT Vista says these cases require additional diagnostic tests for mass identification.

The company highlights a big distinction between this and other screening modalities is that it can be nurse-led.

HT Vista will be on display and there will be live demonstrations at BSAVA Congress from the 20th to the 22nd of March 2025.

https://bit.ly/ht-vista-screening-tool 

Yumove, the joint supplement brand, has launched Dental Care Sticks - billed as "a uniquely effective, scientifically tested, new generation of daily dog dental care which will help support overall oral health in dogs of all ages". 

The company says the product improves oral health in three ways: cleaning teeth, freshening breath, and helping to reduce the formation of new plaque and tartar. 

The stick is spiral-shaped to maximise contact with the teeth.

As the dog chews, a soft centre is released, which targets the bacteria which causes bad breath and plaque.

Dental Care Sticks are available in three sizes. 

Jayne Laycock, Vet in Residence at Yumove said: “Poor dental health affects around 80% of the dog population and is the most commonly reported problem in primary care vet practices.

"We know that less than 50% of dog owners use a dental product as regularly as they should.

"Yumove Dental care sticks can be easily incorporated into a dog’s existing routine and have been developed to clean teeth, tackle bad breath and through our ActivBarrier technology, support the balance of bacteria in a dog’s mouth - helping to maintain healthy gums and teeth.” 

YuMOVE Dental Care Sticks start at £10.

www.yumove.co.uk

The BSAVA has added the first learning resources in dentistry, exotics and surgery to its free online CPD bank, matched to the RCVS Professional Development Phase (PDP) competences.

The new sections will sit alongside the Emergency and Critical Care (ECC) pages within the Practical and Clinical Skills section of the bank.

Dental subject areas include diagnosis, radiography and surgery. The new exotic subject areas include an overview, birds, small mammals and reptiles. Surgery subject areas include anaesthesia, peri-operative planning, abdominal surgery, ECC/trauma and post-surgical care.

New grad Ellie Morris MRCVS said: "There are some really good videos on emergency surgeries such as the A-Z of GDV, so when we’ve had quieter days I’ve had chance to look at some of these particularly excellent resources and I feel much more prepared for that situation.

"After watching the Anaesthesia of the Caesarean Section webinar, I discussed what I’d learned with my colleagues and how it compared to their approach. I’ve not done a caesarean yet, but I feel a lot more prepared for when the time does come."

BSAVA President Phil Lhermette said: "This fantastic resource is free to all our members with some sections open to non-members - especially employers, and is growing all the time providing great support for the whole profession at every stage of their career.

"The content is reviewed by committee who are currently helping to expand the Mentor & Employer pages, for practices supporting new graduates, which will be added to the site next."

For more information visit: www.bsava.com/pdp

The latest state-of-the-industry report examining the health and welfare of cattle in Great Britain has identified significant progress across key areas of mastitis, lameness and longevity, and for the first time looks in depth at the issues facing the dairy and beef sectors around antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

This third biennial offering from GB’s Cattle Health and Welfare Group also contains a summary of progress on endemic disease control with advances in eradicating Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) in each country highlighted.

The Chief Veterinary Officers of UK, Scotland and Wales have welcomed the publication of the report saying that as the possible impacts of the referendum on leaving the EU are considered, the importance of a GB focus on disease control is as important as ever.

In their joint forward, Nigel Gibbens, Sheila Voas and Christianne Glossop said: "The healthier our animals, the more attractive our products. The better our animal welfare, the greater the confidence of consumers in our production systems.

"With the UK Government placing AMR at the top of its risk register alongside terrorism and pandemic ’flu, it is heartening to see that CHAWG, in common with other livestock sectors, has grasped the nettle in looking first at how the cattle sector can better capture data on use of antimicrobials."

They go on to say that addressing AMR helps address other imperatives as an emphasis on sound animal husbandry and healthy animals kept to high welfare standards will help minimise routine reliance on antimicrobials: "Success in controlling endemic disease is one area of considerable importance, and here we can highlight CHAWG’s pivotal role in the development and promotion of national disease control programmes. These include the launch of the BVDFree scheme in England earlier this year, ongoing progress with BVD eradication in Scotland, the development of a Wales BVD scheme, and the Action Johne’s initiative."

In the report’s conclusion, RSPCA’s head of farm animals Marc Cooper points out that it is clear many positive initiatives are being pursued within the industry. He said: "Notable amongst these are those associated with dairy cow genetics, eliminating BVD, the national dairy cow welfare strategy and the development of a data hub for the collation of information relating to antimicrobial use.

"Indeed, some of these are starting to realise improvements in key areas, for example, dairy cow longevity is beginning to increase, and cow fertility figures and somatic cell counts appear to be moving in the right direction.

"However, there are still ongoing concerns relating to some important health and welfare issues. For example, despite the evidence suggesting the annual prevalence levels of cattle lameness are beginning to fall, there still appears to be no centralised database for recording it."

Chairman of CHAWG Tim Brigstocke says the contributed comments are encouraging and provide positive direction for future CHAWG activities. He also reassures that while this report sees a number of advances in highly topical areas, ‘core’ activities are not being ignored. He said: "Effective farm health planning remains the bedrock of good practice. And while we tend to focus on areas which need improvement, it’s worth mentioning that a delegation from the Food & Veterinary Office (FVO) of the European Commission recently visited and were impressed by the coordinated approach taken in this country."

The report can be downloaded from www.chawg.org.uk.

Purina has launched the very snappily named Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NF Renal Function Early Care and Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NF Renal Function Advanced Care, designed to meet the nutritional needs of cats in International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) stage one and two (early phase) and IRIS stage three and four (late phase) respectively.

Purina says the foods contain adjusted and graded levels of protein and phosphorus to address the delicate balance of providing needed protein in older cats against uraemic toxin production in late phase renal decline.

The current advice is that phosphate should be restricted when the renal patient has confirmed CKD, and IRIS provides therapeutic serum phosphate targets for each stage.

Dr Ellie Groves BA(Hons) VetMB MRCVS, Purina Technical Manager for the UK and Ireland, said: “As obligate carnivores, cats have a high requirement for protein, however, around 20% of senior cats have decreased ability to digest protein, and so are absorbing less protein.

"An inadequate intake of protein leads to loss of lean body mass as muscle is catabolised to meet this need.

"We know that this loss of lean body mass is significantly correlated with an increased risk of mortality.

"But we need to be careful – in renal disease, there is the potential for protein breakdown products to increase in the circulation, acting as toxins.

"So, we need to fine-tune the amount of protein, depending on the stage of chronic renal insufficiency (CRI).

"A dual approach, with Early and Advanced products, allows tailoring of protein levels.” 

“Alongside protein, phosphorus content is also tailored to the stage of kidney decline.

"Restricting phosphorus can slow the progression of chronic kidney disease by reducing morphological damage to the kidneys and is thought to be the most important influencer of survival in cats with CKD.

"The levels of phosphorus in the products, are tailored, alongside the protein, to reflect the needs of the cat, with increased restriction when cats are in advanced decline and the kidneys are struggling most.”

NF Renal Function Early Care is available in a dry format (1.5kg) and a pouch (tender pieces with chicken 85g).

NF Renal Function Advanced Care is available in 1.5kg and 5kg packs of dry food, and ‘wet’ options of tender pieces with chicken/ salmon (85g pouches) and a mousse (195g can).

Both diets are now available in veterinary wholesalers.