Vets4Pets has launched Project Listen, a survey to find out what challenges, motivations and experiences veterinary surgeons face every day, and what the company might to do lead positive change in the sector. 

The findings will be published in a freely-available and independently-authored report.

Jane Balmain, Chief Operating Officer at Vets4Pets (pictured right), said: “The last 18 months have been indescribably tough for everyone, not least the veterinary practice teams. Soaring levels of pet ownership coupled with recruitment challenges have meant that an already-stretched profession has been almost brought to its knees.

"As a profession, you’ve always put pets first. But now it’s time to also concentrate on you - the vets, nurses and support teams that make up our beloved sector. We want to hear how you’re feeling and give you the power to help us make change.

“By launching this sector-wide survey, we’re kick-starting a vital conversation to protect the wellbeing of vet teams and the future of the profession. We believe that, by sharing experiences openly and honestly from all corners of the sector, we can come together to bring about the much-needed changes to ensure it remains an attractive, long-term career option.”

The survey, which runs until 16th November 2021, can be completed at www.projectlisten.co.uk. Respondents will remain anonymous and no data will be collected via the survey.

Bayer Animal Health has announced the launch of Ceffect (cefquinome), for the treatment of bacterial infections in cattle and pigs caused by Gram-positive and Gram-negative micro-organisms sensitive to cefquinome.

Ceffect is available as a 25mg/ml suspension for injection of cattle and pigs, and as Ceffect LC, a 75mg intramammary ointment for lactating cows.

In cattle, Ceffect 25mg/ml suspension for injection is licensed for the treatment of respiratory disease caused by Pasteurella multocida and Mannheimia haemolytica, and also for the treatment of digital dermatitis, infectious bulbar necrosis, acute interdigital necrobacillosis, and acute E.coli mastitis with signs of systemic involvement.

In calves, Ceffect 25mg/ml suspension for injection is licensed for the treatment of E.coli septicaemia

In pigs, Ceffect 25mg/ml suspension for injection targets cefquinome-sensitive organisms including Pasteurella multocida, Haemophilus parasuis, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae  and Streptococcus suis which can cause bacterial infections of the lungs and respiratory tract. It is also licensed for the treatment of Mastitis-Metritis-Agalactia syndrome (MMA) with involvement of E.coli, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp. and other cefquinome-sensitive organisms.

In piglets, Ceffect 25mg/ml suspension is licensed for the reduction of mortality in cases of meningitis caused by Streptococcus suis. For the treatment of arthritis caused by Streptococcus spp., E. coli and other cefquinome-sensitive organisms, and epidermitis (mild or moderate lesions) caused by Staphylococcus hyicus.

Ceffect LC, 75mg intramammary ointment for lactating cows also contains cefquinome and comes in individual 8g prefilled syringes for treatment of clinical mastitis caused by Streptococcus uberis, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli, in lactating dairy cows.

For further product information, visit www.noahcompendium.co.uk or contact your local Bayer territory manager.

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has suspended Oxfordshire-based practitioner Dr Susan Catherine Mulvey MRCVS for six months, for failing to communicate with clients, professional colleagues and the College.

There were two charges against Dr Mulvey. The first was that, between May and October 2018, she failed to provide the clinical history for an English Cocker Spaniel named Henry to the Tremain Veterinary Group, despite numerous requests. Also, that between August 2018 and October 2018, she failed to respond adequately or at all to Henry’s owner's requests for information, particularly his clinical records and details of insurance claims made for Henry by her practice.

The second charge was that in January/February 2019, she failed to respond to reasonable requests from the RCVS, particularly in relation to her treatment of Henry, her continuing professional development (CPD) and the status of her Professional Indemnity Insurance.

At the beginning of the hearing, Dr Mulvey admitted the facts and conduct alleged in the charges and also admitted that when her conduct was considered cumulatively, she was guilty of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

The Committee, having considered the evidence provided by the College and Dr Mulvey’s admissions found all the facts and conduct to be proved.

The Committee also concluded that Dr Mulvey's failure to respond to Henry's owners and to the College amounted to disgraceful conduct both when considered individually and cumulatively.

In respect of the first charge, the Committee decided that Dr Mulvey had breached the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons by failing to provide clinical records or details of insurance claims.

This was an administrative part of the function of a veterinary surgeon’s role and that failure to provide clients with such information was unacceptable and fell far short of acceptable professional standards. The Committee noted that Dr Mulvey’s failure to provide details of insurance claims had occurred because she had not made those claims, despite offering to do so. 

With regard to the second charge, the Committee concluded that Dr Mulvey’s failure to respond to five requests from the College for information about Henry was unacceptable.

The Committee also considered that the omissions took place in the context of Dr Mulvey’s previous Disciplinary Committee hearing in April 2018 during which she agreed to a number of undertakings including supervision on her professional practice by an appointed supervisor. It therefore decided that her failure to provide evidence of her CPD and Professional Indemnity Insurance to the College each individually amounted disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

The Committee then went on to consider the sanction for Dr Mulvey in relation to the both charges that it had found proved and also in respect of the charges it had found proved at its earlier hearing on 26 April 2018 for which sanction had been postponed for a period of 1 year to enable Dr Mulvey to comply with undertakings she gave to the Committee to ensure that her practice met RCVS Core Standards by May 2019.

The Committee heard from Mr Stuart King MRCVS who had been appointed to act as a Workplace Supervisor for Dr Mulvey during the period of her Undertakings. Mr King provided the Committee with a report upon the extent to which Dr Mulvey had complied with the terms of her undertakings including the extent which she had implemented Dr King’s numerous recommendations.

The Committee also heard from Dr Byrne MRCVS an inspector for the RCVS’s voluntary Practice Standards Scheme that Dr Mulvey’s practice, when inspected by him in early April 2019, had not met RCVS PSS Core standards in a number of areas.  

The Committee heard from Dr Mulvey and her Counsel that she accepted that she had not met RCVS Core standards as she had undertaken to do.

In reaching its decision as to sanction for all the matters, the Committee took into account that Dr Mulvey’s misconduct overall was serious because it was repeated.

The Committee also considered aggravating and mitigating factors.

Aggravating factors included the fact that the misconduct was sustained or repeated over a period of time (in relation to charge 1 for a period of approximately 4 months and in relation to charge 2 for approximately 6 weeks).

Other aggravating factors include the fact that Dr Mulvey’s conduct contravened advice issued by the Professional Conduct Department in letters sent to her, and that she had wilfully disregarded the role of the RCVS and the systems that regulate the veterinary profession.    

Mitigating factors included that: there was no harm to any animal; there was no financial gain for Dr Mulvey or any other party; there was no ulterior motive behind Dr Mulvey’s conduct; and that Dr Mulvey had in fact both completed her minimum CPD requirement and secured Professional Indemnity Insurance, demonstrating that she had not attempted to hide such information from the College.

It also took into account that Dr Mulvey, prior to the first Disciplinary Committee’s hearing in 2018, worked without any previous disciplinary findings against her from 1976 to 2018. The Committee also noted that she had made efforts to comply with some of the undertakings. 

Mr Ian Green, Chair of the DC and speaking on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, said: "The Committee considered that a warning or reprimand was not an appropriate sanction that would meet the public interest. Instead, the Committee decided that a suspension order for a period of six months would allow Dr Mulvey sufficient time to focus on ensuring her practice met the Core Standards set out in the Practice Standards Scheme, without the daily demands of practising as a veterinary surgeon, and was a proportionate and sufficient sanction to meet the public interest.

"The Committee was satisfied that a period of six months met the public interest as it was sanctioning Dr Mulvey for two sets of similar misconduct which we had determined overall as serious. The Committee also believed that during these six months Dr Mulvey could reflect and reorganise her practice, and there would be little risk to animals and the public in her returning to practice."

Dr Mulvey has 28 days from being informed of the Committee’s decision to lodge an appeal with the Privy Council.

RCVS Knowledge is asking vets working in small animal practice to take part in a survey and share their views on how vet teams can be supported to deliver contextualised care.

The survey is part of an initiative to develop a 'roadmap' for what needs to happen to support veterinary teams to deliver contextualised care and shared decision-making.

The survey will be used alongside interviews with people in a range of roles in the veterinary sector, including veterinary receptionists and practice managers, to gather insights about what makes it easier or more difficult to practise contextualised care and what could help support its delivery.

Pet owners will also be surveyed and invited to focus groups to understand what matters most to them when making decisions about their pets’ health, and what would help them to feel supported to decide the veterinary care that is right for them and their pet.

Sally Everitt, Clinical Lead – Evidence at RCVS Knowledge, said: “Although the term contextualised care is now being widely used, and a requirement to practise contextualised care is included in the RCVS Guidance for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses, there is little information available on how contextualised care is most effectively delivered in practice.

"Our research aims to address a gap in the evidence about what the barriers and enablers are and what needs to change to support veterinary teams to deliver contextualised care.”

The survey is open to veterinary surgeons currently in clinical practice in the UK working with dogs and cats.

The survey can be accessed here until 17th April 2025: https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90806393/rcvskresearchprofessionals 

Photo: www.depositphotos.com

Zoetis has launched a one-dose vial of Rispoval IntraNasal, in order to offer respiratory health protection in calves as soon as possible after birth without either waiting to batch them in groups or wasting unused vaccine in multi-dose packs.

To make ready for use, the vaccine is reconstituted by mixing a powder with sterile diluent. Once mixed, the licensed shelf life is two hours. This means any that is unused in multi-dose packs must be thrown away. By stocking a combination of one- and multi-dose packs, farmers can eliminate this.

The vaccine protects against two primary viral causes of pneumonia in young calves, BRSv and Pi3v¹. Surveillance of blood samples from 2,145 calves with pneumonia signs found 78% exposed to BRSv, 81% to Pi3v². The product licence allows use from nine days of age, with onset of immunity to BRSv and Pi3v after five and 10 days respectively. The licence also specifies a duration of immunity of 12 weeks.

Zoetis vet Carolyn Hogan says that viruses are the instigator of a majority of respiratory health problems: "Early-life protection also helps reduce the threat from opportunistic secondary bacterial infections, such as Pasteurella.

"Good respiratory health is essential to ensure calves develop to achieve their lifetime potential. But it's estimated that 67% of pneumonia cases occur in calves less than three months of age³.

"Whether suckled or reared, calves that don’t grow effectively in the early weeks are unlikely to catch up later. On both dairy and beef units, proactive management of the calf living space, nutrition and disease resilience is critical to maximise lifetime productivity, which is clearly so important under today's farm business economics.

More information about the benefits of managing respiratory health in calves is available at plantoproduce.co.uk.

Midlands-based Dr Lynn Jo Ann Davies MRCVS has been reprimanded and warned by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee for serious professional misconduct involving drink driving convictions and being under the influence of alcohol whilst on duty as a veterinary surgeon.

The committee heard five charges against Dr Davies at a resumed hearing of an inquiry which was originally adjourned in January and then July 2018. The decision was made, at both the 2018 hearings, to postpone the final decision on the sanction.

The first two charges against Dr Davies related to convictions for drink driving in March 2014 and October 2015 for which she received driving bans of 17 and 45 months.

The third charge related to her breaching a number of undertakings she had entered into as part of the College’s Health Protocol, including her consuming alcohol on four occasions between May 2015 and January 2016 and missing a pre-arranged appointment with a consultant psychiatrist appointed.

The fourth and fifth charges related to being under the influence of alcohol on three occasions while she was on duty as a veterinary surgeon in December 2016 which was also in breach of her undertakings under the Health Protocol.

At Dr Davies' first Disciplinary Committee hearing in January 2018, she admitted all five charges against her and also accepted that her conduct was disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

The Committee accepted her admissions and found, with the exception of one allegation, that her conduct was disgraceful in a professional respect.

At the conclusion of its hearing on 23 January 2018 the Committee decided to postpone its decision regarding sanction for six months on the basis of Dr Davies’ entering into undertakings, including not to practise veterinary surgery and to remain abstinent from alcohol during the period of postponement and to undergo blood and hair tests for alcohol consumption every two months.

At the resumed hearing on 30 July 2018, Dr Davies’ Counsel submitted on her behalf that she wished to return to practise and the Committee reviewed evidence that she provided to demonstrate she had complied with her undertakings.

However, the Committee retained concerns about Dr Davies' return to practise and therefore required her to identify a veterinary surgeon who would agree to act as her mentor, noting that the mentor would have to be acceptable to the College as someone suitable to act in that capacity.

The Committee also required the continuation of the requirements for abstinence from alcohol and the programme of blood and hair testing.

A further requirement of the Committee was that Dr Davies should make a disclosure to any new employer of her appearances before the Committee in January 2018 and in July 2018 and of the decisions it made.

The final requirement of the Committee was that the respondent should not accept a ‘sole charge position’ at any time during her employment during this next period of postponement of sanction. The Committee then directed that the hearing be postponed for a further 12 months.

The Disciplinary Committee resumed its inquiry on 7th August 2019, when Dr Davies submitted documentary proof and medical records to demonstrate she had complied with all her undertakings given at the last hearing. The Committee also heard from Dr Davies’ appointed veterinary mentor who provided a statement that concluded that she no longer needed monitoring or supervision.

The Committee then considered what sanction to impose on Dr Davies.

Ian Green, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The view of the Committee is that the respondent has to date overcome her addiction to alcohol and, given that her competence as a practising veterinary surgeon is not disputed, that she should therefore be permitted to return to her chosen profession. However, in the judgment of this Committee the seriousness of the offences to which the Respondent has pleaded guilty means that a sanction of “No Further Action” cannot be justified."

The Committee therefore decided that the most proportionate sanction was for Dr Davies to be reprimanded as to the conduct she admitted at previous hearings and that she be warned as to her future conduct.

Ian added: "The respondent must understand that she has been given an opportunity to prove that, for the remainder of her time in practice, she can meet the high standards expected of all registered veterinary surgeons from both other practitioners and from members of the public who entrust the care and treatment of their animals to members of this profession."

The Royal Veterinary College has launched an appeal to the veterinary profession to raise a target of £10,000 to enable VetAid Kenya to help during what has become the worst drought in living memory in the Horn of Africa.

According to the RVC, the drought has already forced over one million cattle and small stock south into the Tana Delta district of Kenya in search of grazing. Crowded together, these weakened animals are at major risk of infectious and parasitic disease. In some cases 80-90% mortality can be expected in herds or flocks. Without veterinary intervention, breeding livestock for communities in the Horn of Africa drought area will be devastated.

Government veterinary services are stretched and they are assisted in a coordinated response involving Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (Belgium, Switzerland and Germany) and VetAid Kenya which has staff in the field protecting herds.  The programme has been partly funded by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), but with funds running low this vital activity is at risk just as it is most needed. VetAid Kenya is now the only veterinary agency working in the area, implementing an emergency vaccination programme to protect the breeding stock.

Gabriel Turasha, Director of VetAid Kenya said: "We only have one team working in Tana River and desperately need funds to send out three more teams as soon as possible.  £10,000 would cover the cost of three teams, transport and vaccinations to treat 20,000 animals per week.  This will make a real difference as we are providing the only veterinary support in this vast area.  

"Our vaccination teams are ready to go out into the field at a few days notice. We just need to mobilize them.  This is where the UK veterinary profession can help - every pound donated will make a huge difference!"

RVC Principal Professor Stuart Reid said: "Veterinary services are seriously stretched in Kenya and the only organisations with the flexibility, initiative and expertise to respond this to emergency are the veterinary NGOs such as VetAid Kenya and its Vétérinaires Sans Frontières partners.

"FAO has limited budget to spend on disaster response and RVC has a longstanding relationship with VetAid Kenya and with the region in general.  As a College, we strongly feel that we should do all we can to support pastoral farmers in the region, and mounting this appeal is one way in which we can respond to the ongoing disaster and support our veterinary colleagues in East Africa."   

The RVC and all other agencies involved in this appeal are contributing their services pro-bono so that all funds raised will go to the programme to help the people and animals struggling with the drought. 

To donate, visit: www.rvc.ac.uk/vetaidkenya

Mandisa Greene has been elected Junior Vice-President of the RCVS for 2019-20.

Mandisa (pictured right) was first elected to Council in 2014 and then re-elected last year. She is currently Chair of the Practice Standards Group, which coordinates the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme, and a member of the Primary Qualifications Subcommittee and the Legislation Working Party. She has also served on Standards Committee and as well as chairing the Extra-Mural Studies (EMS) Coordinators Liaison Group.

Born in the UK, and raised in Trinidad & Tobago in the West Indies from the age of two, Mandisa moved back to the UK aged 18 to study for a BSc in Biological and Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Exeter. She then gained her veterinary degree from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh in 2008.

Since graduating, her interests have lain in small animal practice and emergency and critical care, and she has worked as a veterinary surgeon in a number of practices in the West Midlands. She currently works for Medivet in the Staffordshire town of Newcastle-under-Lyme and lives in Stoke-on-Trent. She is a published author, having been the researcher on a paper about genomic variations in Mycobacterium published in BMC Microbiology.

More information about RCVS Council and its members can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/who-we-are/rcvs-council/

Photo: Copyright RCVS

The RCVS is reminding practices about how best to store and secure controlled drugs after receiving reports from the police of eight practice burglaries in one week.

All Schedule 2 controlled drugs (with the exception of quinalbarbitone) and certain Schedule 3 controlled drugs are legally required to be stored in a locked container which is compliant with the Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973; however, the College considers it advisable for all Schedule 3 controlled drugs to be stored in the controlled drug cabinet.

Controlled drug cabinets must only be accessed by a veterinary surgeon, or another nominated responsible person at the practice. In the case of a nominated person who is not a veterinary surgeon removing controlled drugs from the cabinet, the legal and professional responsibility remains with the veterinary surgeon whose direction they are under.

The College’s full guidance, including advice on use, location, and design and construction of cabinets, can be found in the Controlled Drugs Guidance and the Practice Standards Scheme Manual. Many police forces in the UK also have Controlled Drugs Liaison Officers who offer advice on various matters, including safe storage.

To download the Controlled Drugs Guidance, which includes further guidance on areas such as storage and destruction of controlled drugs, please visit the College’s website: http://www.rcvs.org.uk/publications/controlled-drugs-guidance/

To access the PSS Manual, visit the College’s website: http://www.rcvs.org.uk/practice-standards-scheme/

 Contact details for Controlled Drugs Liaison Officers by area can be obtained from the Association of Police Controlled Drugs Liaison Officers: http://www.apcdlo.org.uk/contact.html.

The RCVS has launched Mind Matters, a new initiative to help address mental health and wellbeing issues within the veterinary profession.

Neil Smith, RCVS Vice-President and Chair of the Mind Matters Initiative said: "Mental Health is a significant issue for the veterinary profession. Most of us have experience of colleagues or ourselves having problems. The Mind Matters Initiative is a pan-profession project, and I am very pleased that there is active engagement from across the various veterinary associations and stakeholders."

"The RCVS already contributes through our Health Protocol and support of the Veterinary Benevolent Fund. The Mind Matters Initiative seeks to work more proactively by increasing the accessibility and acceptance of support, encouraging a culture that is better equipped to talk and deal with stress and related mental health issues, and, ultimately, by helping to reduce such triggers within the profession."

The first Mind Matters Initiative action is providing funding to ensure that callers to Vet Helpline, a completely confidential support service which is part of the Veterinary Benevolent Fund and run by volunteers, are put directly through to a person, rather than having to leave a message.

Rosie Allister, Chair of Vet Helpline said: "We are able to offer confidential, non-judgemental support to many vets, VNs, vet students and members of their families who call us in distress, but we know there are more who are put off by the prospect of leaving a message.

"It takes real courage to reach out for help when you're struggling, and we know it can be especially tough for vets. Although we respond to calls quickly, callers need to speak to someone immediately, and not a message system, when they are in crisis. Through the Mind Matters Initiative funding we are able to put in place a service that connects a caller directly to a human being, which could make a real difference for people who call."

The new Vet Helpline system will be in place on 22 December, in time for Christmas, which can be a difficult time for many people. The Vet Helpline number is 07659 811 118 and there is also a confidential email service, accessible viawww.vetlife.org.uk. 

The Mind Matters Initiative will be sustained over an initial three-year period, and will include five streams of activity:

• Learning and understanding best practice - research within the veterinary profession, for example, into occupational stress factors; and among other related professions and private and public sector organisations that have successfully tackled similar issues
• Changing the culture - a programme of communications activities to help generate a positive environment for discussion, reduce stigma, increase awareness and the ability to identify risks, and encourage help-seeking behaviour
• Intervention: personal level - financial and other support for existing services, such as Vet Helpline and Veterinary Surgeons Health Support Programme, together with an investigation into what more may be required to support those in need
• Intervention: supporting the supporters - training and guidance for those who may be working or living with someone who needs assistance, in order to help supporters spot and understand signs of stress and mental illness, and help the person seek expert help
• Making changes - working closely with the joint RCVS/British Veterinary Association Vet Futures project (www.vetfutures.org.uk) to help identify aspects of how the profession is structured and run (from student to retirement) that exacerbate stress and mental health problems - and consider how they may be addressed

The Mind Matters Initiative is supported by a group comprising the Veterinary Benevolent Fund, the British Veterinary Association, the British Veterinary Nursing Association, the Veterinary Practice Management Association, the Veterinary Schools Council, the Veterinary Defence Society and the Association of Veterinary Students.

Legislation to make CCTV cameras mandatory in slaughterhouses in England has been laid before Parliament by Environment Secretary Michael Gove.

The legislation will come into effect from May 2018, at which point businesses will have six months to comply. The penalty for failing to comply will be an enforcement notice to the business or prosecution.

In August 2017, the Secretary of State launched a consultation on the plans to deliver a manifesto commitment for CCTV to be required in every slaughterhouse in England in all areas where live animals are present, with unrestricted access to footage for Official Veterinarians.

A summary of responses published in November showed that of almost 4,000 respondents, more than 99% were supportive of the plans.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: "We have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and want to cement our status as a global leader by continuing to raise the bar.

"Introducing compulsory CCTV cameras in slaughterhouses is a further demonstration to consumers around the world that as we leave the EU, we continue to produce our food to the very highest standards.

"The previous reaction to the consultation highlighted the strength of feeling among the public that all animals should be treated with the utmost respect at all stages of life and be subject to the highest possible welfare standards."

The proposals will also give the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) Official Veterinarians (OVs) unfettered access to the last 90 days of footage to help them monitor and enforce animal welfare standards.

BVA President John Fishwick said: "Mandatory CCTV in all areas of slaughterhouses will provide an essential tool in fostering a culture of compassion that could help safeguard animal welfare.

"We commend the Government’s commitment to provide Official Veterinarians with unrestricted access to the footage, which the veterinary profession has long been campaigning for. 

"It is vets’ independence and unique qualifications that help ensure the UK will continue to have the highest standards of animal health, welfare and food safety post-Brexit."

Photo: Lititz, Pennsylvania. Hoisting a slaughtered steer in Benjamin Lutz's slaughterhouse, 1942. Wikipedia.

Animalcare, the maker of Thiamacare, has launched ‘Make Senior Easier’ a new campaign designed to help improve the quality of life of older pets by helping practices enhance their level of care and educating owners how they can maintain their pet's wellbeing in later life.

Animalcare hopes that its ‘Make Senior Easier’ campaign will raise awareness of conditions that can go unnoticed or get dismissed by owners as a normal part of ageing, such as hyperthyroidism.

As part of the campaign, practices can request a free resource pack which includes:

• A video offering top tricks and tips to help practices get the best out of the ‘Making Senior Easier’ campaign
• Health check materials, including a ‘senior triage form’ to be completed by owners and a ‘senior pet assessment form,’ which can act as a checklist for practice staff
• Condition handouts for owners, detailing common age-related problems
• Social media posts 
• Generic short articles on age-related issues for use in e-newsletters and on websites.

Kirsty Cavill RVN said: ''In my role as a RVN and canine rehabilitation therapist, I often come across senior pets with underlying conditions which are adversely affecting their health but could be managed successfully through a multimodal approach and structured treatment plan.

"By adopting a proactive approach to senior pet care and by helping owners to understand how to best support their pets through this life stage, we will strengthen the bonds with our clients, to ensure the highest standard of care is afforded to all senior patients.''

James Beaumont, Brand Manager at Animalcare, added: "As life expectancy increases and numbers of senior pets continue to grow, veterinary care tailored to the needs of these animals has never been more relevant and it is also a huge business opportunity for practices. To help them capitalise on this opportunity, we have created our Make Senior Easier campaign and hope that the resources we have created will improve owner awareness and give practices the tools they need to achieve the best clinical outcomes for older pets and their owners.”

To request your free resource pack, visit: www.animalcare.co.uk/makesenioreasier. 

For more information, contact your Animalcare Territory Manager or ring 01904 487687. 

Dechra Veterinary Products has announced the launch of Metaxol, a new POM-V for the mass treatment of respiratory disease in pigs and chickens.

Metaxol contains 20 mg trimethoprim and 100 mg sulfamethoxazole per ml and can be added directly to drinking water or used in a concentrated stock.

The new product, which is part of the company's SoluStab range, replaces Methoxasol. Dechra says it is likely to be welcomed by farmers wanting to target entire flocks because of its shorter withdrawal time for broilers.

Dechra Brand Manager Emma Jennings said: "Sulfamethoxazole is a potent sulfonamide and, when combined with trimethoprim, it has a synergistic and bactericidal effect.

"Both active ingredients are rapidly absorbed and distributed widely in tissues making it a highly effective treatment.

"The shorter withdrawal time for broilers will make it an attractive treatment for farmers wanting to target entire flocks."

Metaxol is not suitable for laying hens.

In fattening pigs, Metaxol is suitable for the treatment and metaphylaxis of post-weaning diarrhoea caused by beta-haemolytic K88-positive, K99-positive or 987P Escherichia coli strains susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

It can also be used for secondary bacterial infections caused by Pasteurella multocida, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Streptococcus spp. and Haemophilus parasuis susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

In broilers, it can be used for treatment and metaphylaxis of Colibacillosis caused by Escherichia coli susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or Coryza caused by Avibacterium paraga.

The recommended dosage is 0.25 ml of product per kg body weight per day for four to seven days for pigs and 0.38 ml of product per kg body weight per day for three days for chickens.

For support in calculating dosages, visit http://calculator.solustab.eu/.