Agria has announced two new measures designed to help make sure pets are covered by insurance during the coronavirus pandemic.

Firstly, pets that haven’t received primary vaccinations due to the coronavirus outbreak and develop an issue that would have been prevented by a vaccination they were unable to access, will now have that condition covered under their Agria policy.

Secondly, the company has now made it possible for owners of cats and dogs under the age of five to set up a 'Four Weeks Free' policy - which would ordinarily be set up in practice - themselves. 

Simon Wheeler, Managing Director of Agria Pet Insurance (pictured right), said: "We have introduced these additional products during the pandemic to ensure that pets remain covered despite new and significant challenges faced by vets and owners. We hope that they alleviate a little of the pressure faced by veterinary staff and worry felt by owners."

Robin Hargreaves, who is Agria's Vet Lead and helped develop the solutions said: "Times are pretty tough in practice right now, and operating on a restricted basis isn’t ideal for us or the pets registered with us. One thing that would make life even harder would be if the percentage of uninsured pets was to rise.

"With Agria making it possible for owners to activate their own 4 Weeks Free policies at this time, even owners that can’t see vets as usual can still protect their pets with insurance.

“Relaxing restrictions around cover for unvaccinated pets will come as a huge relief in some cases, enabling any pets that have missed primary vaccinations or gone past their booster date due to current restrictions to still be insured."

For more information, visit: agriapet.co.uk/guide

Lanes Health, manufacturer of the mobility supplement, LitoVet, has announced the nominees for the inaugural Litovet Equine Scientific Achievement Award, part of the annual Animal Health Trust (AHT) awards.

The award which has been set up to recognise a person or group whose clinical or scientific work has made a substantial difference to the equine veterinary world will be judged by a panel of leading veterinary surgeons and scientists.

The nominees are:

Peter Clegg - MA VerMB PhD CertsES DepEVCS MRCVS.
Dr Clegg is Professor of Equine Surgery and Deputy Head of the Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, The University of Liverpool. Peter's current research focus is equine orthopaedics, in particular identifying the basic mechanisms of injury and repair in equine joints and tendons. He has supervised 13 successful PhD students and is currently supervising a further nine.

Andy Durham BSc, BVSc, DEIM, Dipl.ECEIM, MRCVS (RCVS & European Specialist in equine internal medicine).
Liphook-based Andy Durham exemplifies the premise that veterinarians in practice can maintain an active interest in current research, undertake clinically relevant research projects, interact with researchers on an international stage and  contribute to CPD through scientific papers, book chapters and lectures.

Tim Mair BVSc PhD DEIM DESTS DipECEIM MRCVS.
Dr Mair ha been innovative in veterinary practice (e.g., an early adopter of standing magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]), has an extensive publication list recently focusing on evidence-based medicine for colic, but spanning the full breadth of common medical disorders in horses. He has made an enormous contribution to veterinary practice within both Europe and America in his role as Editor of Equine Veterinary Education.

Chris Proudman MA VetMB PhD CertEO FRCVS.
Dr Proudman is Professor of Equine Studies at the University of Liverpool.  His research interests are related to the aetiology and surgical management of acute intestinal disease (colic) in the horse: specifically, the diagnosis of intestinal parasites associated with colic and understanding dietary determinants of colic.  Most recently this has involved using metabolomics and molecular microbiology to investigating the intestinal microbiota and its response to dietary change.

The LitoVet Equine Scientific Achievement Award can be granted to any individual or group that is currently undertaking, or has successfully implemented within the past ten years, one or more clinical or other research projects which has, or will, make a significant contribution to equine health and welfare.  

The award will be presented to the recipient, or recipients, at the UK Equestrian Awards held at the Lancaster London on Thursday 3 November 2011.

The veterinary recruitment company Gardner Llewelyn has announced that it is to hold Thank A Vet Nurse Day on 28th May 2015.

As the name suggests the company is urging everyone to join them and make a point of thanking a veterinary nurse on the day for all their dedication and hard work.

In the run up, the company is also asking everyone to think about nominating a veterinary nurse who has gone the extra mile for an award. Two winners will each be given an iPad mini.

You can nominate a nurse here: http://www.glvets.com/competition-entry.asp

The RCVS has announced that the Privy Council has approved a rise to the current annual renewal fees of £24 for UK-practising members, £12 for overseas-practising members and £4 for non-practising members.

The College says the increase is needed to fund a number of ambitious projects and make sure the it is fit for the future.

The approved fee rise will apply to the 2020-21 annual renewal fee, which is due to be paid by 31 March 2020.

Increases will also be applied for those registering on or after 1 April 2020, including the restoration fee for those applying to re-join the Register.

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: "While we appreciate that asking people for more money is never going to be popular, I would like to reassure the profession that the fee rise is both a necessary piece of financial future-proofing and will also help fund current projects and future initiatives stemming from our new Strategic Plan.

"Many of our existing projects such as the RCVS Leadership programme, the ViVet innovation project, the Fellowship and the Mind Matters mental health initiative, have an increasing workload, often due to popular demand, which requires additional resources – including staffing – to meet those needs. There is also increasing demand on some of our core regulatory functions such as our concerns investigation and disciplinary processes, including the Veterinary Client Mediation Service (VCMS), and our Education Department which is responsible for ensuring standards in an increasing number of educational institutions both domestically and internationally.

"Furthermore, there is lots of additional work on the horizon, much of which relates to improving and enhancing aspects of the profession and stems from our newly approved Strategic Plan, which will be published soon. For example, RCVS Council has just agreed an ambitious overhaul of the Professional Development Phase to help graduates better transition to life in practice; we are carrying out an increasing amount of work on understanding the barriers to diversity and inclusion in the veterinary profession: and, we are looking to relocate the College in order to be better able to accommodate the increasing number of staff and functions the work we do requires.

"In terms of future-proofing, we also need to make sure we have sufficient financial security for a potential decrease in the number of veterinary surgeons currently registered with us, as well as the number of veterinary surgeons joining the Register on an annual basis, that may arise when the UK fully leaves the EU at the end of the transition period in December 2020."

The current levels of RCVS fees are able to view at: www.rcvs.org.uk/how-we-work/fees/, which will be updated with the new fees shortly.

The RCVS has launched a research project into the extent to which veterinary surgeons are able to meet its requirement that steps are taken to provide 24-hour emergency cover.

The College's 24-hour Emergency Cover Working Party (24-7 WP) has been considering the ongoing practicality of the current requirement in the Guide to Professional Conduct, and whether it should remain, be removed, or be amended in some way. The research aims to build a sound evidence base on which a decision can be made.

"Changes in practice profiles and owner demands, health and safety issues, the desire for an improved work-life balance, veterinary and animal density... all these factors affect the ability of veterinary practitioners to meet our 24-7 requirement. The Working Time Regulations - which prescribe maximum working hours and minimum rest periods - have also affected practices' ability to run out-of-hours services," according to RCVS President Jill Nute. 

"However, we are frequently reminded by members that the profession is proud to offer a 24-hour emergency service to animals and their owners. There seems to be no single majority view in the profession, so we need to understand exactly how people are meeting the requirement before any changes are made," she says.

To ensure that the research is independent and representative, the RCVS has contracted a specialist market research agency, Cognition Market Intelligence.

The first step is to build a robust and unbiased questionnaire that takes account of all of the issues. To this end, in-depth interviews will be carried out over summer with a small number of veterinary surgeons from a range of different practice types, and across different gender/age/role categories.

The 24-7 WP will then meet in September to hear the findings and agree the questionnaire, which Cognition Marketing Intelligence will then use during autumn as part of a quantitative phone interview exercise with 440 veterinary surgeons, again covering a spread of individuals, practice types and geographies. The phone interview approach will ensure that the views of a range of different practitioners are heard, which is not always the case with a paper survey.

Should changes to the Guide to Professional Conduct be recommended by the Working Party on the basis of the findings, a consultation exercise may be undertaken. 

The RCVS President has sent a letter to all home-practising members to explain the activities. She has urged veterinary surgeons to assist the research team, saying "your contribution will make a difference".

Identics, an animal identification company run by veterinary surgeon Egbert de Vries, has launched Labtags, a system with which you can tag animals and takes tissue samples simultaneously.

Egbert said:  One of the diseases for which this tag has proven to be useful is Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD). BVD Antigen testing is an important method of identifying the persistently infected (PI) animals in a herd.

"Use of labtags can be integrated in an accreditation scheme to achieve BVD Free status. It removes the need for taking blood samples and therefore simplifies the implementation of the accreditation scheme.

"BVD Antigen testing is not solely used for achieving an accreditation status. Persistently infected (PI) animals in your herd allow for the circulation of the BVD virus and have a negative impact on herd fertility and calf health. Identifying these animals is necessary for good herd management."

Two different labtags are available from IDENTICS. The first is the green button tag with a sequential number, which can be used as a complimentary tag to your double tagged animal. The second is a DEFRA approved tag with your UK herd number and individual animal number, allowing you to tag and sample your newborn calves with the correct tag without any extra work.

For more information, visit www.identics.co.uk, start a conversation with Egbert, email: info@identics.co.uk, or telephone: 01994 342100 / 07787 420646

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bayer Animal Health, maker of Advocate and organiser of the Be Lungworm Aware campaign, is warning that last year's damp summer and the mild winter conditions may lead to a continued spread of Angiostongylus vasorum in the UK.

Biodiversity & Conservation Officer for The Natural History Museum, Professor Fred Naggs, said: "An increase in the number of slug and snail populations this year would suggest there will consequently be a continued spread of the parasite. However, this depends on a number of factors: (i) the number of slugs and snails around last year, of which there were many (ii) the level of precipitation throughout the year, as slugs and snails will breed continuously when temperatures are mild to warm and there is adequate relative humidity. According to many reports in the press, last year was one of the wettest on record (iii) the survival of slugs and snails over the winter. As this winter has not been particularly harsh, reasonable numbers of slugs and snails should have survived."

In addition, a study by the RVC as shown that A. vasorum is spreading beyond the traditional geographic distribution with 20 per cent of veterinary practices across the country reporting at least one case of A. vasorum. ¹

To help raise awareness of the parasite, veterinary surgeons and nurses are being encouraged to support the 'Be Lungworm Aware' campaign. The scheme will offer support and education to owners and participating vet practices throughout this month, which has been labelled 'Lungworm Awareness Month'.

Caroline Braidwood, Group Product Manager at Bayer Animal Health said: "While dog owners are becoming more aware of A. vasorum, there is still a real lack of understanding as to the warning signs associated with the condition and how to prevent or treat it. Some owners still believe that Lungworm can be prevented by using normal intestinal wormers which is not the case - Advocate is the only product that can prevent A. vasorum, and from the first application. Our aim with the 'Be Lungworm Aware' campaign is to drive pet owners to their vet practice, where they can then be informed of the danger of the parasite and educated about correct preventative treatment."

Practices can request a range of materials including a practice press pack by calling their Bayer Territory Manager. The pack is designed to promote the awareness campaign to local dog owning clients and includes a regional press release, images and other collateral including leaflets, posters and a campaign DVD for display in waiting rooms.

For more information on lungworm, visit www.lungworm.co.uk

Reference

1. Royal Veterinary College survey 2012, 1,419 veterinary practices

Henry Schein Inc. has announced an agreement to acquire RxWorks Inc., the veterinary practice management software provider.

Founded in 1988 and with headquarters in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, RxWorks has 68 team members and an installed base of more than 1,500 veterinary clinics in 19 countries worldwide (primarily Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the Netherlands).

Henry Schein says RxWorks will become part of it's Global Animal Health Practice Solutions business, led by its current management team.

Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Henry Schein, Inc. said: "RxWorks has an excellent reputation for helping veterinarians increase practice efficiency and improve quality health care through its innovative practice management software solutions.

"The addition of RxWorks further strengthens our growing practice management software solutions business, which helps deepen relationships in the regions served by RxWorks with our animal health customers, including large corporate customers. The addition of RxWorks will nicely complement our expanding animal health technology businesses. We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues from RxWorks to Henry Schein."

Nathan Basha, Chairman of RxWorks said: "RxWorks software is designed to facilitate consistency of patient care, enable practice growth, achieve enhanced profitability and optimize professional time, all the while improving the quality of life for patients. Aligning with Henry Schein, a global company committed to serving animal health professionals and bringing innovation to the marketplace, allows RxWorks to provide even further value to customers while expanding industry reach."

Henry Schein says it expects the acquisition to close in the second half of January 2016. Financial details and terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Virbac has launched an improved formulation of Veterinary HPM Small & Toy which, the company says, offers both high quality nutrition and advanced oral care in a single product.

Virbac highlights research which shows that 90% of all dogs over one year are affected by dental issues, including plaque, tartar, gingivitis and halitosis¹, but small breed dogs are 5 times more likely to have dental issues than large breeds².

The new formulation of Veterinary HPM Small & Toy range contains Ascophyllum Nodosum, which Virbac says has been scientifically proven activity on four aspects of oral and dental health: calculus index, volatile sulphur compound concentration, plaque index and gingival bleeding index³.

Virbac points to research which shows that after being absorbed in the small intestine and then secreted into the oral cavity via saliva, Ascophyllum Nodosum inhibits some pathways involved in plaque or calculus development⁴.

Nutrition-wise, Virbac says the new diet offers 33% less carbohydrate and 34% more protein, on average, compared to other brands sold in veterinary practices⁵.

90% of the protein included in the diets is also from animal protein.

The updated range also features 2 new kibble sizes (10.5mm & 7.5mm), for smaller mouths.

 References

1. WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines (2020) Journal of Small Animal Practice 61. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.13132 
2. C. Wallis, E.K. Saito, C. Salt, L.J. Holcombe, N.G. Desforges, Association of periodontal disease with breed size, breed, weight, and age in pure-bred client-owned dogs in the United States, The Veterinary Journal, Volume 275, 2021,105717, ISSN 1090-0233, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2021.105717.
3. Gawor Jerzy, Jank Michał, Jodkowska Katarzyna, Klim Emilia, Svensson Ulla K. Effects of Edible Treats Containing Ascophyllum nodosum on the Oral Health of Dogs: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Single-Center Study, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, Vol 5 2018, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00168 
4. Gawor Jerzy Pawel, Wilczak Jacek, Svensson Ulla K., Jank Michal, Influence of Dietary Supplementation With a Powder Containing A.N. ProDen (Ascophyllum Nodosum) Algae on Dog Saliva Metabolome, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, Vol 8 2021, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.681951 
5. Average protein and carbohydrate amounts in Small & toy adult dog dry food available in the European veterinary market. Virbac internal analysis performed in France, 2023.

Time is running out to nominate your fellow staff members for this year's 'Petplan Pet Insurance Advisor Award'.

The award recognises the hard work and dedication that Pet Insurance Advisors (PIAs) do to highlight the importance of insurance to pet owners so that they are protected financially.

Donna Lewis, President of The British Veterinary Nursing Association said: "The PIA in a practice is an important role for a member of staff to fill and the award is just as relevant as the Vet Nurse of the Year or Receptionist of the Year award.  The Petplan PIA Award recognises the individual who fully understands and works to help educate clients and staff about insurance, it is also recognises their passion for their role."

To nominate your dedicated PIA for Petplan's PIA of the Year Awards, please visit www.petplan.co.uk/pia.  The PIA of the Year will receive a new laptop and their practice will receive £100 in vouchers!

Nominations close on 3^rd September and the nominees will be judged by industry professionals.  The winner will be announced at the annual BVNA Congress on 9^th October.