Jon Bowen, animal behaviour consultant at the Royal Veterinary College and Sureflap have declared 8th May 'Vet Cat Watch Day', and are asking the profession to record the reason why each cat seen that day is brought into the practice.

Jon explained: "There are more than 10 million pet cats in the UK, however there is little information about the prevalence of injuries, disease, cat fights and road traffic accidents on a national scale".

The absence of data became apparent when findings from research on over 1,000 cats - conducted as part of the Neighbourhood Cat Campaign, supported by SureFlap and Your Cat magazine - revealed cats that had suffered minor injuries from fights were more likely to develop other health issues, such as hair loss and eye infections.

Judith Bank from SureFlap said: "People often purchase a microchip-operated cat flap to help their pet to feel secure. Owners tell us that their pet is spraying in the house or has been losing fur and this motivated us to support research to look deeper into the problems that pet owners might be having. We soon realised that objective data from vets was not available to qualify the findings and this is where the idea of 'Vet Cat Watch Day' emerged."

Jon said: "The aim of Vet Cat Watch Day is to take a snap-shot of cats' health from veterinary practices across the nation, on one day. The results will be compiled alongside information from cat owners gained in 'Cat Watch Day' a few days earlier.

A report detailing preliminary findings from the Neighbourhood Cat Campaign is available from the SureFlap website.  When complete the results will be used to help provide vets with an insight into the lives of domestic cats so they are better equipped to understand behavioural issues.

For more information on Vet Cat Watch Day please visit the SureFlap website The site hosts a PDF to print out and help record the feline cases that come through practice doors on the 8th May, which can be downloaded from www.sureflap.co.uk/vetwatch_info. At the end of the day, visit www.sureflap.co.uk/vetwatch to upload your data to the online survey.

Wiley has announced the joint online publication of a special issue of 22 ophthalmology papers from Equine Veterinary Journal, Equine Veterinary Education and Veterinary Ophthalmology.

Clinical equine ophthalmology: The current state of the art brings together papers on some of the most significant advances in equine clinical ophthalmology into a single issue to make them more readily available to a wider audience. The issue contains information of direct relevance to all sectors of the veterinary profession from general practitioners and specialists to researchers, surgeons and students, covering common diseases, surgical procedures and outcomes.

The new publication was devised and compiled by a panel of guest editors comprising Mary Lassaline, member of the Veterinary Ophthalmology Editorial board and Veterinary Ophthalmologist in the Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences at UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, California, David A. Wilkie, Editor of Veterinary Ophthalmology and Professor at Veterinary Clinical Sciences Comparative Ophthalmology Ohio State University, Tim Mair, Editor of Equine Veterinary Education based at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic, Kent and Celia M Marr, Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal, based at Rossdales, Newmarket.

Mary Lassaline said: "The goal was to provide broad access to the most current information applicable to every stratum of the equine veterinary profession. Subsequently, a salient feature is that many of the papers included are collaborations between veterinary ophthalmologists with a special interest in horses, equine practitioners with a special interest in ophthalmology, private practitioners and those in academia, and academicians from different institutions."

Subjects covered include seven papers on new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of ulcerative and non-ulcerative keratitis in the horse. There are three articles on novel approaches to corneal surgery and a further three on corneal neoplasia. Six papers provide valuable data regarding long-term outcomes following surgical intervention for Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU), glaucoma, and cataracts.  Finally, three articles present new information regarding retinal and orbital disease.

Professor Celia Marr, Editor of the Equine Veterinary Journal said: "The key purpose of the EVJ is to disseminate information to help the enhancement of specialist knowledge at every level of the veterinary profession. By collating the most important and up-to-date ophthalmology research into one easy resource the new special issue does exactly that."

The ophthalmology special issue is available free online at: http://bit.ly/1bi0RG0

The Association of Veterinary Animal Care Assistants (AVACA) has launched a census to gather information about Veterinary Care Assistants (VCA) / Animal Nursing Assistants (ANA) and is asking practices to take part to record the number of people in these roles in their practice.

Currently, there is no data on how many VCA/ANAs are working in UK veterinary practice and the type of tasks they are performing.

The Census takes 10 minutes to complete and will provide valuable information to help in the recruitment, training and development of VCA/ANAs.

It can be completed online at https://bit.ly/avaca-2023-census before 18th August 2023.

Any team member can respond on behalf of their practice and all practices are encouraged to fill out the Census regardless of the number of VCA/ANAs employed.

The AVACA also wants to identify how many practices don’t employ VCA/ANAs and the barriers to them becoming team members, so every response will deliver useful information.

Kay Watson-Bray, CEO of the British Veterinary Receptionist Association and founder of AVACA, said: “With so much pressure on practices right now, the VCA role offers great potential to help manage workloads.

"But a picture is already emerging where the scope of the role varies widely between practices and even the name of the role is inconsistent.

"We believe that VCAs work mainly in the areas of caring, cleaning, communication, and coordination, but that’s not currently quantified, and while some see being a VCA as a route into veterinary nursing, again we don’t understand how many primarily aspire to progress into another role or how many want to become excellent VCAs.

"We’d like to clearly identify what VCAs want and need to help them develop as veterinary professionals.”

The Census is being sponsored by Purina Petcare, whose Scientific Affairs Manager, Libby Sheridan, said: “This is a project we are very keen to support.

"Practices need VCAs to help maintain high standards in animal care when everyone else is so busy.

"Coaxing a reluctant patient to eat again or ensuring the operating theatre is turned around quickly so it’s available for use after a long morning’s surgery, are time-consuming tasks that can be hard to squeeze into the working day.

"And as RVNs take on further practice responsibilities, it’s clear there is room for these highly-trained support roles within the team.”

To celebrate 30 years since it launched its first microchips in the UK, Animalcare is providing identichip veterinary customers with a free 'Chip & Check' waiting room display pack.

The materials are designed to help educate pet owners on the benefits of microchipping and the importance of keeping their microchip details up to date. 

The company highlights research which shows just how important it is to encourage owners to keep microchip details up to date. In 2017, the BVA found that 44% of vets were unable to reunite stray dogs with their owners due to incorrect information on the microchip database. The Dogs Trust Stray Dogs Survey Report 2017–18 also found that 75% of all microchipped dogs that were unable to be returned to their owners had incorrect contact information on their chip.

To order your 'Chip & Check' display, contact your Animalcare Territory Sales Manager, or call Animalcare's head office on 01904 487687. Display packs are subject to an order of identichip microchips and while display stocks last.

The RCVS Standards Committee has decided to end the temporary dispensation allowing remote prescribing of prescription-only veterinary medicines on Monday 14th March 2022.

The dispensation was originally introduced during the spring 2020 lockdown to safeguard animal health and welfare, the health and safety of the veterinary team, and public health, by allowing prescriptions to be made by veterinary surgeons without their having first physically examined the animal, subject to conditions and safeguards.

The RCVS says the Committee considered the ongoing challenges posed by Covid-19 and recognised that staff absences due to isolation requirements were still causing issues.

However, given the relaxation of the requirement to work from home in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and relaxation of restrictions generally across the UK, the Committee felt it was time to end the dispensation.

Chair of the Standards Committee, Dr Melissa Donald MRCVS, said: “The safety and wellbeing of veterinary professionals, as well as the health and welfare of the animals they care for, have remained uppermost in our minds when considering this temporary position on remote prescribing.

“We are pleased to have been able to support the professions through a very difficult time by introducing this dispensation, however, it was only ever a temporary measure and, given the relaxation of restrictions across the UK, we feel the time has come to revert to our usual guidance.

“We will continue to keep the position under review in light of any changes, including governments’ advice and regulations, as we have throughout the pandemic.”

Vetoquinol - makers of the NSAID Cimalgex - has announced the launch of its updated website www.CiMyDog.co.uk. 

The company says the website has been developed to provide reliable online information about pain in dogs to cater for the increasing needs of pet owners and vets.

The website has two sections. The first is a pet owner focussed, educational tool which takes the visitor on a journey through the process of pain; from spotting the signs of pain all the way through to ways of relieving pain, culminating in the recommendation that the visitor seeks advice from their veterinary practice.

The second section requires registration as it contains more in depth information on the pain process and potential treatment options available, this section is for veterinary professionals only. Also on this section of the website there are many scientific abstracts related to pain and treatment with links to enable the veterinary visitor can view this peer reviewed material.

Robert Simpson, Cimalgex Product Manager said: "The internet is a very powerful tool in terms of increasing education, especially in areas such as canine pain. Unfortunately there can also be a lot of misinformation online and so we felt it was important for Vetoquinol to try and redress the balance by producing www.CiMyDog.co.uk. This can be used as a reliable and up-to-date resource by pet owners and veterinary professionals alike. -

www.CiMyDog.co.uk is a very interactive site which aims to demystify the pain treatment process, ensure pet owners look out for behavioural signs of pain and looks to improve overall canine health with assistance from their veterinary practice. We hope that this will be a valuable resource to which vets can refer their pet owners."

The European Commission has agreed with the BSAVA and BVA that controls must be maintained to keep the UK free from the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, and adopted a regulation that will permit pre-movement treatment for dogs travelling to listed Member States (i.e. the UK, Ireland, Finland and Malta).

In June Defra announced that the UK's derogation from European pet travel rules, which allows additional protection for the UK against rabies, ticks and tapeworms, would end on 31 December 2011. The movement rules on rabies and ticks will now be harmonised with the rest of Europe.

However, due to the significant public health risk posed by Echinococcus multilocularis, the BVA and BSAVA (working with Defra, the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe [FVE] and colleagues in Veterinary Ireland) continued to lobby the European Commission for controls on tapeworms to be maintained.

The regulation will ensure that a dog must be treated by a veterinary surgeon 24 to 120 hours (1-5 days) before entering one of the listed countries.

The BVA and BSAVA say they made a scientific case for a treatment window of 24-48 hours, but accept that the Commission had to find a compromise that would assist pet owners travelling during national holidays.

Harvey Locke, President of the BVA said: "This has been a long process but the BVA and BSAVA put forward the strong scientific case for the UK to maintain tapeworm controls and we are delighted that the European Commission has adopted this resolution.

"In our role as guardians of public health, vets were deeply concerned that the removal of tapeworm controls would see the introduction of EM to the UK and Ireland.

"Although relatively benign in dogs, the resulting disease in humans - alveolar echinococcosis - is an invasive, cancer-like cystic stage of the parasite, and is invariably fatal if not treated.

"The next stage of our lobbying will be to ensure that Member States and MEPs from across Europe support the UK's case for the additional controls."

Andrew Ash, President of BSAVA said: "Echinococcus multilocularis is a significant public health threat and we have worked hard to ensure the European Commission understands the potential impact of allowing this zoonotic disease to enter our country.

"The BVA and BSAVA will continue to promote the best possible health and welfare advice for pet owners taking their animals abroad. Our advice to owners is to speak to a vet as early as possible to make sure pets are protected from all diseases and parasites encountered abroad."

Veterinary practices are being urged to raise awareness of summer skin conditions, such as sweet itch, following research carried out by Elanco Companion Animal Health, distributor of Cavalesse, which revealed that vets only tend to be consulted after horse owners have tried to manage the condition themselves (73%), or if the clinical signs have become severe (67%), potentially leading to major welfare implications.

According to the research, this is despite the fact that over half (55%) of owners of a horse with sweet itch showed concern that their horse will suffer, and nearly half being stressed about the way the condition will affect it (47%).  While many horse owners are fairly knowledgeable about the causes of sweet itch and its clinical signs, over a quarter of respondents (26%) did not start managing the condition before the midge season in the spring, which may make managing the condition more frustrating.  Nearly a third (31%) stated that they had to curtail their activities with their horse due to welfare, aesthetic and behavioural issues, such as head shaking, rubbing, unpredictability and aggression.

Ed Whittle, technical consultant at Elanco Companion Animal Health said: "86% of those questioned considered sweet itch to be a very serious welfare issue if left untreated, with the worst aspects of the condition being the suffering and distress caused by the constant irritation which affects the quality of life of the horse. Over half (55%) felt that sweet itch had adversely affected the behaviour of their horse, making them difficult to handle or ride. Veterinary practices should be proactively talking to their clients about summer skin conditions such as sweet itch to help alleviate the suffering and distress caused by this frustrating disease."

Elanco says it will be joining forces with the British Horse Society (BHS), The Blue Cross, The Horse Trust, Redwings Horse Sanctuary and World Horse Welfare (WHW) to raise awareness of summer skin conditions, such as sweet itch, during Sweet Itch Awareness Month (SIAM) in March. The campaign will highlight the preventative measures that should be carried out to help alleviate sweet itch and the importance of management of the condition before the start of the midge season in the spring.

Lee Hackett, head of welfare at the BHS, said: "The results of this survey show just how important raising awareness of sweet itch is. All of us, whether we are welfare organisations or vets, need to play our part in educating owners about sweet itch in the hope that they will seek expert advice at an earlier stage and reduce the number of horses that suffer as a result of this condition."

Kerry Taylor, education officer at The Blue Cross, said: "The Blue Cross is pleased to be supporting the sweet itch campaign to raise awareness of the physical and mental impact this condition has on horses. During our May 2011 National Equine Health Survey, skin problems came out the top syndrome affecting horses, and we continue to see many horses coming into our care suffering from sweet itch. Prevention and early treatment is key to managing the potentially debilitating condition."

For further information on sweet itch, Sweet Itch Awareness Month or Cavalesse, please visit http://www.fidavet.com/, or contact Elanco Companion Animal Health, Lilly House, Priestley Road, Basingstoke, RG24 9NL, 01256 353131.

Reference

Sweet itch - effect on horse and owner.  Mo Gannon & Associates.  Web survey in November 2011.  351 responses - owners who have owned horses with sweet itch in the last two years.

A Market Harborough-based practice - Town & Country Veterinary Centre - has announced that it is entering a team into a 10km obstacle course race so gruelling it is called 'The Suffering'. 

The Suffering takes place in the grounds of Rockingham Castle, Leicestershire, on Saturday 12 March 2016. It includes more than 25 water, mud and rope-based obstacles.

The Town & Country team, which includes vets, nurses, students and receptionists, hopes to raise £1,000 for Vets for Change, which is fundraising to vaccinate dogs in Africa against rabies.

Michael Lander MRCVS said: "We are big supporters of the work of Vets for Change which is currently fundraising for its next mass vaccination programme in South Africa. The race does sound gruelling and I have done no training as yet although some of my colleagues have been hitting the gym for the past couple of months. We will all pull together on the big day and getting everyone round the course is our goal.

"We'd be very grateful for donations to help us reach our target for Vets for Change which does such fantastic work and have set up a just giving page at https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/townandcountry-veterinarycentre."

The team members are: Sarah Kay Robinson (Receptionist), Chloe Brown (Receptionist), Zara Lander (VN), Katy Kirkham (VN), Kathleen Gamble (VN), Grace Costall (Student VN), Kate Bodley (Small Animal Vet), Michael Lander (Small Animal Vet), Lucinda Ticehurst (Equine Vet).

The Royal College has announced that a Legislative Reform Order (LRO) to reconstitute its disciplinary committees separately from its Council has been signed by Defra Minister David Heath, and will come into force on 6 April 2013.

The LRO will amend Part I of Schedule 2 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA) and require that the RCVS Preliminary Investigation and Disciplinary Committees are made up of veterinary surgeons and lay members who are not RCVS Council members, and who are appointed independently.

This will ensure that the same group of people is not responsible for setting the rules, investigating complaints and adjudication, and will bring lay people formally into the Preliminary Investigation Committee.

The LRO will also allow the RCVS to increase the pool of people available to investigate complaints and sit on disciplinary hearings, reducing the workload on the individual Committee members whose primary appointment is to RCVS Council.

The RCVS has been working on the LRO with Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) officials since late 2010, and the Order was based on consultations undertaken by the RCVS and Defra.

According to the College, the Order was commended at every stage of Parliamentary scrutiny as an effective means to address the single biggest deficit of the VSA and to improve how the RCVS regulates the profession. During debate in Grand Committee of the House of Lords on 10 January, the RCVS received considerable praise for its strenuous efforts to modernise under the constraints of the present legislation, and the LRO received unanimous support.

Following the Order coming into force, the first external members will join the Disciplinary and Preliminary Investigation Committees from July 2013. After a two-year transition period, members of the RCVS Council will become ineligible for membership of these committees. Information about how to apply to join these committees will be available shortly.

President Jacqui Molyneux said: "I am delighted the LRO has been made and I am immensely thankful for the hard work of the Defra team and my colleagues in the College. The LRO is the single biggest reform to the regulation of veterinary surgeons since the 1966 Act, and it will bring the RCVS in line with regulatory best practice and improve the perception of the independence of the RCVS disciplinary processes."

For the first time in over 60 years, the BSAVA has cancelled Congress due to the global spread of coronavirus.

The Association says it delayed this decision as late as possible, and whilst the most recent government advice does not prohibit large public gatherings, it recognises the importance of personal safety for Congress attendees and the need to support the profession in preserving business continuity, maintaining client services and protecting animal welfare.

Amanda Stranack, BSAVA CEO, said: "As the situation continues to escalate, the government have given a clear steer that they expect more stringent controls to come into force in the coming weeks. With Congress now only a few weeks away, we want to give all our attendees as much notice as possible, both to ensure peace of mind, and to give people adequate time and flexibility to change their plans.

"BSAVA recognises the pressures the current situation brings to bear on the veterinary community and in making this difficult decision, has the interests of the profession first and foremost in its mind.

"We would thank all those who have worked hard over the past two years to contribute to the development of Congress, a huge amount of effort goes into preparations from BSAVA volunteers, Congress participants and our staff."

Sue Paterson, BSAVA President, said: "It is with great regret that we have made the difficult decision to cancel Congress, which has taken place annually for more than 60 years. Congress is an incredibly important event in the veterinary calendar, and we were all looking forward to an inspiring agenda and saying a fond farewell to the city that has made Congress such a great success over so many years. The health and wellbeing of our attendees is of utmost importance to us, and whilst we are sorry to be making this decision, we are confident it is the right one."

BSAVA says it is aware of the impact that cancelling will have on many delegates' CPD hours, so it is now looking at other ways it can deliver Congress lectures and podcasts.

Sue added: "Whilst we won’t be able to deliver the full Congress programme, we will be working with our speakers to capture as many lectures as we can to make content available online."