Abbey Veterinary Group in Chaddesden, Derby has won a dental x-ray system worth £2,500 in a prize draw held by Pedigree.
The competition aimed to encourage veterinary practices to sign up for the inaugural Oral Care Month which saw 1109 clinics educating dog owners on the importance of regular dental care.
Clive McPherson, veterinary partner at Abbey Veterinary Group, said: "We were extremely pleased to hear that we had won the dental x-ray system. We had been planning to upgrade our dental facilities and this was one item that was high on our wish list. The new machine will enable us to carry out our dental work to a higher standard and will be of use in other maxilla facial problems. We expect it to be used daily and we are very grateful to Pedigree for its very generous prize."
The report comes on the back of a survey by the association which found that 93% of vets say sustainability is important to them.
The BVA says the report aims to break down the challenge that both teams and individuals face in working towards net zero emissions.
It explains the impact of climate change, what the veterinary profession’s role is in tackling it and why the BVA thinks it is so important that the profession plays its part.
The report also includes resources and showcases the ways real veterinary workplaces are taking action to reduce their impact on the environment.
British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President Anna Judson said: “Many veterinary professionals have long been concerned about the impact the sector is having on the environment, and many are already taking action to mitigate this.
"However, there is still more work to do.
"Our vision is that by 2050 the profession will have adapted to support the UK’s net zero targets; is trusted on mitigating its own carbon footprint; and is a leading advocate for environmental sustainability.
"This new report is providing vet teams with the tools and the inspiration to do their bit, because small changes add-up to make a big difference.”
There'll be a session on the subject at the London Vet Show this year, chaired by Anna Judson, with panelists Ed Bailey, Clinical Director and Sustainability Lead at George Farm Vets, Laura Binnie, Sustainability Lead at Paragon Veterinary Group and James Bevan, Planetary Health Senior Teaching Fellow Public Health Registrar, University of Southampton.
"Practice what you preach: Reaching net zero is a team effort" will be held at 10.45am - 11.45am on 14 November in the BVA Congress Theatre.
www.bva.co.uk/net-zero-report
Initial laboratory tests on the samples taken this morning from the cattle on the holding in Surrey where disease was suspected have indicated the presence of Foot and Mouth Disease. On the basis of these initial laboratory results and clinical symptoms Debby Reynolds, UK Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO), has confirmed Foot and Mouth Disease. The farm comprises a number of separate parcels of land and a single Protection Zone will be put in place which extends a 3 kilometres radius from each of them, and a Surveillance Zone of 10 kilometres radius beyond that. Footpaths will be closed in the Protection Zone.
Howard Wilder has been elected chairman of the National Office of Animal Health for 2008-2009. He is the managing director of Genitrix Ltd. The election took place at NOAH's AGM in London on 23 April. Mr Wilder was elected to the NOAH Board of Management in 2005 and appointed Vice-Chairman in May 2006. He replaces Graham Dick who now becomes NOAH past-chairman. Commenting on his appointment, Mr Wilder said: "NOAH provides an important forum in which animal medicine manufacturers can come together on an equal footing to discuss the issues and opportunities they are facing and developments in the sector."
The European Society of Feline Medicine (ESFM) is expanding the scope and reach of its Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS) in January 2009 by moving to a monthly schedule and introducing six colourful new clinical issues which will alternate with the now well-established classic issues.
JFMS, the official journal of both ESFM and of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), has an excellent citation index and is ever-growing with record numbers of high quality papers being received. The clinical issues of JFMS will be highly visual and contain commissioned clinical review articles enhanced by case work-ups, self-assessment questions and multimedia online elements to provide practitioners with the latest author guided evidence-based information as a tool for day-to-day feline treatment.
‘As a practitioner-orientated organisation we wanted to do more for the vet in practice. So, for ESFM's 10th anniversary we are again breaking the mould by introducing six new issues a year containing well illustrated clinical reviews, aimed specifically at practice, from the best authors around the world,' said Claire Bessant Chief Executive of the ESFM and its founding organisation the Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB).
‘The aim of JFMS ‘clinical' is to turn vision into reality by delivering opinionated reviews, and some ‘outside the box' thinking, from respected clinicians to the front line of veterinary practice,' says JFMS editor Dr Andy Sparkes.
From January, members of ESFM will receive a monthly journal - six classic (the current JFMS) and six JFMS clinical issues - classic and clinical - pure and applied - the best of feline veterinary science.
If you would like a mini-sample of the new journal then contact the FAB/ESFM office Margaret@fabcats.org or go to www.fabcats.org/esfm where you can download a pdf or view it on screen.
Individual membership of ESFM is £110 pa (Euros 145) for UK and overseas. Practice membership is £170 for the UK, £190 overseas (soruE 240). ESFM members are entitled to reduced rates to ESFM congress and gain online access to JFMS papers. Full details are available at www.fabcats.org/esfm.
The BSAVA says there unique opportunities and risks to the use of antibiotics in rabbits.
For example, antibiotic combination therapy, which is discouraged in dogs and cats, can be safe and effective in this species.
Also, careful selection of appropriate antibiotics, in terms of active substance, dose and route of administration, is crucial when treating rabbits due to the risk of enterotoxaemia. The new guide gives advice on diagnosing bacterial infections, likely causal organisms and appropriate antibiotic and non-antibiotic management.
The guide covers dacryocystitis, ear disease, facial abscesses, enteritis, urinary tract disease, and upper and lower respiratory tract disease. John Chitty, one of the authors, said: “Choosing an antibiotic for rabbits is not simple.
"Their diseases do not necessarily mirror those of dogs and cats, and they do have gut sensitivities to certain antimicrobials.
"However, like dogs and cats, there are situations where antibiotics are not needed where we once thought they were.
"This is especially important in reducing antibiotic usage in rabbits and, of course, in reducing use of critically important antibiotics in them as well.
"We hope this guide will help practitioners to see when antibiosis is needed, what choices are available and how to sample and select the most appropriate drug if needed.” The new guide is free to all and can be accessed at bsavalibrary.com/protectme.
J.A.K. Marketing has launched an LED surgical light, the Rimsa Tris-led, in the UK.
The compact light head has 28 LEDs that are arranged in a radial pattern in order to provide a cold, shadowless white light, which is adjustable by rotating a sterilisable handle.
The company says the Rimsa Tris-Led offers exceptional performance and excellent versatility. The technical specs are: 100,000 lux at a distance of 1m, Colour temperature: 4300°K, Colour Rendering Index (CRI): 96 Ra, Powder coated finish, 28 LEDs, 50,000 hours LED lifetime, Autoclaveable handle, Power usage 70VA
The Rimsa Tris-led is available in ceiling, wall and mobile versions. Price starts at £2450 ex VAT.
The new resources include:
Celia Marr, chair of BEVA’s infectious disease working group, said: “Equine disease prevention and management are fundamental for responsible equine health, welfare and performance.
“These resources cover the need-to-know information and are all in one easy reverence location on the newly designed infection control page on the BEVA website.”
https://www.beva.org.uk/Resources/Equine-infectious-diseases
The March 2025 Cattle Highlights Report from the Royal GD in the Netherlands has revealed that the proportion of paromomycin-resistant isolates has jumped from 48% in 2021 to 72% in 2024.
The report also highlights an increase in the detection of cryptosporidiosis in calves up to 14 days of age.
MSD says that while it is unclear whether paromomycin is being used to treat E.coli or cryptosporidiosis, the rising use of the antibiotic could be contributing to greater exposure and increased resistance in E.coli K99.
Kat Baxter-Smith MRCVS (pictured), a vet advisor at MSD Animal Health, said: “What we need now is a mindset shift—moving away from routine antibiotic use and towards a more robust, preventative management strategy.
“It’s not about eliminating treatment altogether but using it only when it is really needed.”
“Vaccination, clean pens, and ensuring that every calf receives the right volume and quality of colostrum are the real cornerstones of effective scour control.
“Using vaccines such as Bovilis Rotavec Corona for rotavirus, coronavirus, and E.coli and Bovilis Cryptium for Cryptosporidium parvum is one of the most effective ways to reduce the incidence of neonatal diarrhoea.
"By vaccinating the dam, we ensure the calf has the best possible immunity at birth by ingesting the fortified colostrum and transition milk in the first days of life, which significantly reduces reliance on antibiotics and minimises disease risks.”
The report emphasises best-practice principles such as effective colostrum management, good hygiene and housing, balanced dry cow transition and strategic vaccination of the dam.
The report also recommends halofuginone (Halocur) as the first-line treatment for cryptosporidiosis, due to its targeted action and significantly lower risk of contributing to AMR.
Kat added: "By embracing these proactive strategies, vets and farmers can take a crucial step towards safeguarding calf health, reducing reliance on antibiotics, and combating the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.”
https://issuu.com/gezondheidsdienstvoordieren/docs/highlights_report_cattle-march_2025
The project, which launched in September 2022 and was funded by Boehringer Ingelheim, has given subsidised respiratory pathogen investigations to over 300 farms so far.
The investigations revealed a mixture of agents, including: mycoplasma (37%), IBR (6%), P13 (12%), coronavirus (38%), histophilus (48%), RSV (30%), mannheimia (64%), and pasteurella (94%).
Following each investigation, discussions were held between farmer and vet about taking a more preventative approach, considering things like biosecurity, immunity, housing, environmental management, vaccination and treatment protocols.
CVS says the investigations have also enabled its vets to target the right vaccine to the right farm to cover the main risk periods for those animals.
Vaccinations have been timed in relation to peaks in clinical cases and pre-stress periods - such as weaning, group movements or transport to ensure animals are protected against the correct pathogen effectively.
CVS says that taking this preventative herd health measure has resulted in significantly fewer antibiotics being required to treat respiratory infection and disease in the past year.
Steven Carragher, Quality Improvement Farm Lead for CVS and Senior Veterinary Surgeon at Alnorthumbria Vets, said: “Though only running for just over two years, our programme is already yielding significant data, and we’re using this evidence to help each farm successfully implement a range of measures to help prevent and vaccinate against pneumonia – and to reduce antibiotic use.
Photo: www.depositphotos.com
CPD Solutions has launched a new training CD to help vets refine their skills in the examination of neurological cases.
Authored by neurology expert Simon Platt of the University of Georgia, the multimedia CD gives information and advice on localising the site of a lesion, determining the severity of the disease process and assessing the prognosis for the patient. It includes video footage to show how to perform a full neurological examination and to test for specific spinal reflexes and postural reactions, as well as cranial nerve evaluation and gait evaluation. Examples of normal and abnormal responses are also given.
CPD Solutions’ Dr Susie Coughlan adds: “The video clips, together with the extensive illustration and images that are on the CD will help vets to develop their skills and enable an effective examination to be carried out and interpreted, every time a neurological patient enters the consulting room.”
The Neurology CD is the latest addition to the CPD Solutions range of Keysteps™ training CDs. Already available are CDs on head and neck surgery and joint surgery. More CDs and DVDs are to be launched later this year.
The Keysteps™ CDs, each cost £95 + VAT. For more information, contact CPD Solutions on tel: 0151 328 0444, visit the website http://www.cpd-solutions.com/, or visit the company at BSAVA on stand number 903.
Merial Animal Health, manufacturer of Previcox, has launched a new campaign in small animal practices across the UK to continue to spread the message of 'total joint health'.
As part of the campaign, Merial has produced 'The A-Z of Canine Mobility' - a series of short articles and bite-sized information which can be disseminated to clients, helping to educate dog owners about canine osteoarthritis and the treatment options available.
Previcox Brand Manager Kathryn England said: "We are providing regularly updated articles and information to interested practices in a form that is easily pasted into a newsletter, eshot or fixed to a waiting room wall so that they can communicate with their clients quickly and easily. It's essentially free information to encourage owners to bring their dogs in for a joint check up."
Merial says the message about the importance of joint health and osteoarthritis is not well understood by pet owners, as demonstrated by a recent survey1 which found that only 53% of the owners of old dogs considered reduced willingness to exercise as serious enough to require veterinary attention.
Merial's Technical Manager, Kevin Whelan said: "The results highlight the fact that owners of older pets, even those who would be considered as responsible pet owners, do not consider signs such as unwillingness to exercise or hind leg stiffness to be particularly important. It's therefore important to educate and engage pet owners on this topic to encourage them to seek advice from their vet"
To sign up for regular free updates contact your Merial Territory Manager or call or call 0870 6000 123.
Reference
1. (Davies, 2011)
The Kennel Club is hosting its second Puppy Awareness Week to help improve the health and lives of dogs around the UK, and is seeking assistance from the veterinary profession.
Puppy Awareness Week is taking place from 8th - 14th September and aims to help people find a healthy, happy puppy that is right for their lifestyle, whilst raising awareness about the plight of puppies and breeding bitches born into cruel puppy farms.
To help, veterinary surgeons and nurses are being asked to join in the week, putting up posters and literature in client waiting areas, and selling Puppy Awareness Week badges for £2, which will go to the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary said: "It is vitally important that we spread the word about buying puppies responsibly. At veterinary surgeries there is a captive audience of animal lovers and we can't think of anyone better to communicate with. Not only are a vet's clients animal lovers and as such, potential new dog owners, but they may also make great champions of the cause, spreading the message about buying a puppy responsibly further afield.
"Sadly, we are seeing tens of thousands of puppies born each year suffer as puppy farms churn out litter after litter of undernourished and badly cared for puppies, and then selling them on to unsuspecting owners through pet shops, newspaper ads, online adverts and various other means. With help from veterinary practices we want to provide information throughout Puppy Awareness Week to help people understand how to buy a healthy, happy puppy, and to raise money for the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, which supports charities and organisations that are making dogs' lives better."
To get involved in Puppy Awareness Week and receive literature and Puppy Awareness badges, contact the Kennel Club press office at press.office@thekennelclub.org.uk.
Puppy Awareness Week will kick off at Pup Aid on September 8th in Primrose Hill, London and will run until 14th September. To find out more, visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk/paw.
Here's the latest horror to hit the shops in time for Halloween this year:
Form an orderly queue please, everyone.
Animus Surgical has launched Vetlog, a new temperature data logger designed to be used by the veterinary market. Vetlog will enable practices to prove their temperature compliance to the VMD and RCVS Practice Standards Scheme. Steve Beddall of Animus Surgical said: "data loggers can be easily placed in a fridge and then simply attached to a PC to download data in report or chart format". The company claims that the product is easy-to-use, cost-effective and will provide practices with a permanent record of temperature readings from the day practices start using them.For more information visit http://www.animussurgical.com/ or telephone 01449 775330.
The club is running a series of 5 sessions targeted at business owners.
Each session will comprise of a 20 minute intro, followed by 40 mins of discussion/Q&A/sharing of experiences around the chosen topic.
Session topics will include succession planning, life insurance and critical illness cover for you and your team.
How to conduct an effective PDR, boosting your revenue and profit share schemes are all in the pipeline.
SPVS says its Business Club is different to conventional CPD sessions, because it allows participants to share and discuss ideas, talk through problems and ask each other for advice.
The one-hour sessions will take place on Thursdays, starting at 7:30pm on 13th June, 18th July, 8th August, 19th September, 17th October
In the first, Pete Orpin, BVSc FRCVS from Anval Business Consultancy will present ‘How to nail succession planning’.
SPVS Members: FREE
Non-Members: £15 per session | £50 for bundle of 5
https://spvs.org.uk/spvs-business-club
Animus4Vets has launched a new complete series of training CDs. The new series of 4 CDs is entitled Sales and Merchandising and covers aspects such as consulting room sales, waiting room sales and educational displays.
Animus4Vets says the new CDs have been designed in a similar format as their first Client Care series and aim to enable veterinary practices to run their own in-house training.
For more information go to http://www.animus4vets.com/ and follow the CD training links or phone 01449 775330.
Vétoquinol has announced that Zylkène, a complementary feed used to help pets cope with unpredictable situations, is now available in a 20 capsule pack.
The new packs have been designed to have more 'stand out appeal' on the shelves. Veterinary practices will now be able to display the new packs in waiting rooms and reception areas in a custom-made display unit to generate interest from pet owners and increase revenue for the practice.
Krystyna Joyce, Product Manager at Vétoquinol, said: "This has a huge benefit for the vet practice. As well as increased revenue, pet owners are much more likely to initiate a discussion about behaviour if they can see that there is a product to help their pet adjust to unusual circumstances or environmental changes."
Krystyna added: "With a number of behaviour products on the market, it can be confusing for pet owners to know which ones can be used when. We want to make it easier for pet owners: now when they come to their vets, they can see Zylkène, know what it's for, understand which strength will be right for their pet and pick it up."
As well as increasing product awareness, the packs will work alongside Vétoquinol's ongoing series of pet owner guides which offer advice on how best to help an animal deal with an unusual situation or life change.
Zylkène retail packs are available now from any veterinary wholesaler.
Vets and vet nurses are being asked to take part in a survey which aims to help the industry get a better understanding of canine reproduction health issues.
The survey is being conducted by Virbac Animal Health as part of its reproductive health awareness campaign.
Product manager Chris Geddes MRCVS said: "Following a series of CPD seminars on reproduction, it is evident that the views and experiences of vets vary considerably when it comes to companion animal sexual health.
"The aim of the survey is to obtain a clearer picture of the thoughts and experiences of vets and VNs on the neutering of dogs in the UK. The questionnaire will help us gain a better understanding of practice needs in this often sensitive area, and help provide improved support for vets and pet owners alike.
"Whilst attitudes on neutering vary from country to another, it is clear that within the UK, opinion among vets and pet owners is wider than perhaps we currently realise. The UK currently has the highest canine male and female neutering rate in Europe. What this means will depend on your viewpoint and experiences, however we know that some practices are beginning to offer clients a wider range of options."
He added: "As a veterinary-focused business our aim is to provide solutions which will help support and develop the relationship between practice and client. This survey is part of that continuing process."
All those completing the questionnaire will receive a Cadbury's chocolate bar for taking part, with one lucky person winning £250.00 of M&S vouchers.
If you would like to take part please visit http://www.virbacsurvey.animaloracle.com/
What does a well-known flea & tick collar have in common with the World Cup?
It transpires that the same Bayer MaterialScience technology which is being used by Adidas to make the 'Brazuca' - the new official match ball - more stable, elastic and hardwearing, is also used to allow imidacloprid and flumethrin to diffuse consistently through Seresto flea and tick collars for up to 8 months.
There you go. Bet you didn't know that.