The Kennel Club has confirmed that the BBC has pulled out of broadcasting Crufts next year. 

According to the Kennel Club, the decision was reached following what it described as 'unreasonable demands' from the BBC, including the exclusion of certain breeds of dog from the group competition at the show.

The Kennel Club says the BBC's demands took no account of the measures it has in place to improve the health of pedigree dogs, or of the fact that judges will be trained to help ensure that all dogs being awarded prizes at Crufts will be healthy representatives of their breed.

Ronnie Irving, Kennel Club Chairman, said "I am very sorry that BBC audiences around the world will not be able to join us in celebrating all dogs in 2009 and to see the remarkable diversity of dogs and activities on show at Crufts; ranging from the show classes to agility displays, the Friends for Life competition and the unsung heroes who take part in breed rescue.

"However, we have been forced to reject the insupportable conditions imposed by the BBC, who have told us they will only televise the show in 2009 if certain breeds are excluded from participating.We are unable to agree to these demands, as it would compromise both contractual obligations and our general responsibility to dog exhibitors and our audience and we believe it would be inappropriate and counterproductive to exclude any recognised breed from Crufts.

"We are obviously disappointed and confused with this outcome as we hoped the broadcast would have supported our focus on health and welfare issues, given advice about caring for and training dogs and showcased the charitable work that we support. This TV exposure would have benefited all dogs and given viewers a well-rounded picture of what the new Crufts in 2009 is all about."

In October 2008 the Kennel Club announced a strategy to show how it is focusing its activities on the health and welfare of all dogs. It announced mandatory compliance with a strict code of ethics for all breed clubs registered with the Kennel Club.

Earlier this month, it completed a review for each of the 209 pedigree dog breeds in the UK and announced revised standards that it says will have far-reaching benefits for the health and welfare of dogs. These new breed standards and health plans will benefit from research that has been funded by the Kennel Club in conjunction with veterinary research centres over a number of years. The overall aim is that all pedigree dogs should be fit for function and that breeders and judges should not reward dogs with obvious conditions or exaggerations, which would be detrimental in any way to their health.

Virbac Animal Health has launched an enhanced version of its flea and tick spot-on Effipro (fipronil) to help pet owners master the art of 'spotonology^TM - a Maureen-Lipmanesque term the company has coined to describe the optimum application of a spot on treatment.

Effipro is now presented in a clear pipette featuring 'Drop-lock' technology to provide precise finger tip control of the flow of liquid with no risk of drip or leakage. The pipette has also been redesigned to ensure it is simple to open and that users can easily check that all the treatment has been dispensed.

Virbac says Effipro is priced to offer an effective but affordable solution to parasite control. It is presented in client packs of four pipettes and in practice packs of 24 to offer flexible dispensing opportunities.  It is also available in a spray form. 

Victoria Hudson, Product Manager at Virbac, said:  "Parasite control is a key revenue generator for many practices. It also presents a great opportunity to create loyal, bonded clients as fleas and ticks cause great concern to pet owners.

"Effipro is already a popular product but we know that some owners find using spot-ons difficult and worry about the risk of the liquid getting on to their fingers or on furniture, particularly if their pets move around while the treatment is being applied.

"With this in mind, we've taken a fresh look at the technology of spot-ons in order to ensure that we're providing a solution which is as simple and hassle-free as possible. As a first step, we've redesigned our pipette. Our unique Drop-lock technology means that owners can start or stop the flow of liquid with their finger tips, giving them full control over where and when the product is applied. The new see-through design and enhanced opening mechanism also make the new version of Effipro more convenient to use.

"We've had great feedback from practices which have trialled the product and believe it represents a significant step forward for users of spot-ons. We are, of course, providing a range of support materials and product promotions to support its launch and look forward to working with our customers to ensure that their clients become expert and enthusiastic 'Spot.on.ologists' during 2012.

For further information about Effipro contact your Territory Manager or call Virbac on 01359 243243.

Voting has opened for the 2023 RCVS Council elections.

There are 10 candidates standing this year and vets can vote for up to three of them until 5pm on Friday 21st April 2023:

• Professor David Barrett FRCVS
• Linda Belton MRCVS
• Dr Martin Chamberlain MRCVS
• Daniel Doherty MRCVS
• James Gartside MRCVS
• Steven Howard MRCVS
• Tim Hutchinson MRCVS
• Dr Alice McLeish MRCVS
• Professor Chris Proudman FRCVS
• Dr Peter Robinson MRCVS

The biographies and statements for each candidate are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote23 where each candidate has also answered two questions of their choice submitted by members of the profession.

The three candidates who receive the most votes will take up their four-year terms on RCVS Council at the RCVS Annual General Meeting on Friday 7th July 2023.

Any veterinary surgeons who have not received their voting email should contact CES directly on support@cesvotes.com stating which election they intend to vote in.

For the first time ever, an educational advertisement about the importance of worming cats and the availablity of spot-on treatment, is to be broadcast on TV.

The advert has been produced by Bayer Animal Health, makers of Profender Spot-on, with the aim of driving pet owners to their vet to ask about spot-on worming for their cats.

Bayer product manager Dan White said: "Profender Spot-on solution is a POM-V product. So we have produced a public information style advert which is educational rather than commercial, in accordance with industry regulations on advertising this animal medicine category to the public. It informs and reminds cat owners of the importance of worming, and encourages them to ask their vet for more information.

"In addition, the advert also features details about a competition to find the cat with the biggest personality to celebrate responsible cat ownership, and invites them to upload images and/or videos of their cat onto the website http://www.spotonwormer4cats.com/."

The 20 second advertisement will be broadcast throughout May on ITV1, ITV2, Channels 4 and 5, and Sky One, and is estimated to reach 7 million cat owners.

Practices can obtain a range of campaign support materials by contacting their Bayer Territory Manager or by calling the Bayer Leaflet Line on 0845 2574798 and quoting 'spot-on'.

Vetlife has announced the launch of Active October, a campaign in which veterinary professionals are encourages to come together, get active and fundraise for the charity during the month of October.

Vetlife says the cost of running its Helpline, Health Support, and Financial Support services for the veterinary community is forecast to exceed the £1million mark for the first time in its history, and it is heavily reliant on donations from fundraisers.

If you'd like to support the charity's work and hold a fundraiser, you can do so individually or as part of a team.

First, you're asked to decide on a goal to set yourself or your team.

This could be an overall distance, a total step count, or to be active each day.

The more adventurous can set walking, running, cycling, swimming, kayaking, rock-climbing, or horse-riding goals.

Then create a fundraising page through JustGiving, so you can share the link and spread the word about your event.

Vetlife asks that you tag the charity in any pictures you share on on social media.

Vetlife Communications Officer Eve Ritchie said: “The links between physical activity and mental health are well documented.

"Active October, is the perfect opportunity to get your friends and colleagues together to boost your wellbeing and raise some much-needed funds for our charity.”

You can buy running vests and t-shirts from Vetlife through its website.

If you have any questions about fundraising for Vetlife, email: fundraising@vetlife.org.uk.

www.vetlife.org.uk 

AVID has launched the MiniTracker 4 universal microchip scanner for veterinary practices, border control, rescue organisations and animal wardens.

The company says the MiniTracker 4 has been designed to make microchip scanning faster, more reliable and less stressful for a wide range of animals.

The MiniTracker 4 reads ISO standard microchips up to 20cm.

A silent mode disables the audible beep to reduce stress for nervous animals.

Bluetooth connectivity pairs the scanner with mobile devices and apps, including the FEI Horse App.

On-board memory stores the last 20 scans with date and time stamps, with expandable memory via a card.

Power options are 4x AA batteries or USB-C, including use with a power bank.

The unit, which is chemical-resistant, reads all four current companion animal microchip standards.

Richard Cratchley, Sales Manager at AVID, said: "With the MiniTracker 4 we’ve created the ideal balance of portability, power and innovation.

"Features like silent mode, extended read range and Bluetooth integration help professionals scan animals quickly and reliably."

www.avidplc.com

CEVA Animal Health has published a trial which, according to the company, shows that horses suffering lameness caused by bone spavin can show marked improvement following treatment with a Tiludronate infusion, in combination with controlled exercise.

Bone spavin is a chronic aseptic osteoarthritis of the distal tarsal joints which, says CEVA, is considered to be one of the most common forms of hindlimb lameness in the horse.

The double-blind, multicentric, placebo-controlled trials were carried out on a total of 108 pleasure horses, show jumpers and eventers of a variety of sizes and breeds, all of which had been clinically diagnosed with bone spavin. The horses were rigorously selected, having to show clinical signs of spontaneous lameness of at least six weeks but less than a year's duration and had to be in daily exercise. Horses suffering proximal suspensory desmitis were excluded.

Horses were defined as suffering from bone spavin if they displayed a chronic hindlimb lameness which improved with distal tarsal joint analgesia and showed radiographic evidence of bony changes associated with bone spavin in the distal tarsal joints. The horses were treated at day zero with a single Tiludronate infusion or a placebo and reassessed 60 days later after a period of controlled exercise.

Eighty seven horses completed the trials, comprising 42 Tiludronate treated horses and 45 placebo cases. By day 60 approximately 60% of the Tiludronate treated horses had improved in lameness by two grades or more, scored on a ten point system.

Horses with bone spavin experience abnormal bone remodeling changes, occasionally with excessive bone resorption in the tarsal bones. Tiludronate works by regulating this bone remodeling through a decrease in the resorptive process, slowing down the degradation of the bone structure when the condition is progressing and alleviating the pain associated with abnormal bone lysis.

CEVA has recently produced a leaflet specifically to help horse owners to understand the diagnosis and treatment of bone spavin. For copies of this leaflet and CEVA's comprehensive veterinary brochure on the product please contact CEVA Animal Health on 01494 781510 or visit the website at http://www.tildren.com/

Tiludronate infusion in the treatment of bone spavin: A double blind placebo-controlled trial

Reference 
M. R. GOUGH*, D. THIBAUD† and R. K. W. SMITH‡ (*CEVA Animal Health, Bucks, UK; †CEVA Animal Health USA, Kansas, USA; and ‡Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, UK). Equine vet. J. (2010) 42 (5) 381-387 doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00120.x

The Veterinary Benevolent Fund (VBF) has announced that the new Vet Helpline, which will now be answered by a live person 24 hours a day, has launched in time for Christmas - an especially difficult time for many people.

The new service runs on a new telephone number: 0303 040 2551. Add it to your address book now, if not for yourself, in case you need to pass on the information to a colleague who needs help.

The new Vet Helpline has been made possible with support from the new RCVS joint initiative “Mind Matters”

Rosie Allister, Chair of Vet Helpline said: “It’s so important that people who take the brave and positive step to seek help by calling Vet Helpline are able to connect with one of our trained volunteers as quickly as possible. We know many are deterred by reaching a voicemail, so connecting to a human being is vitally important and can have an important positive impact. We are so grateful for this vote of confidence in Vet Helpline from the Mind Matters initiative. 

"Everyone involved in running Vet Helpline is a volunteer and the team is so incredibly passionate and keen to see the service continually improve. The launch of our confidential e-mail service last year, which hides all email addresses (accessible via www.vetlife.org.uk), was a huge positive step forward and now this evolution to live answering is another. We are adamant that although the phone number is changing, the non-judgmental, completely confidential and empathetic support that we offer will not."

As one of the four arms of support offered by the VBF, Vet Helpline sits alongside services offering financial support, help with mental health conditions, including drug and alcohol addiction, and a library of resources aimed at promoting well-being on the Vetlife website - www.vetlife.org.uk. 

The Veterinary Karting Championship, organised by NVS, is proving a huge success, according to the company. At the half way stage of the championship, around two hundred drivers have already participated in regional events in Manchester, Edinburgh, Essex, Surrey and Reading. 

Drivers arrive following evening surgery and change from veterinary uniforms into their race suits. All drivers receive race and safety briefings before heading off to meet their team mates and get a feel for the track during the practise session.

Racing lasts for an hour and a half, during which time teams have to use clever strategies and tactics to remain in pole position and avoid eviction from the track for foul play.  At the end of the evening, all competitors get a goody bag and jacket, with each member of the winning team receiving a bottle of champagne, a trophy and certificate. 

Caitrina Harrison, Sales & Marketing Director at National Veterinary Services, said: "All the evenings have been great fun and have certainly shown the competitive side of the veterinary profession.  The ladies have definitely given the men a run for their money, especially in Scotland.  Some drivers have been so inspired by the events that they are looking to host their own inter-practice championships next year."    

The teams that have qualified so far for the National Final are: Manchester Bears, Essex Panthers, Scottish Bears (pictured), Reading Bears and Camberley Elks. There will be a break from racing over the festive period, with the next regional heat taking place in Bristol on Tuesday 18^th January.  Further heats will then be held in Birmingham, Loughborough, Aylesbury and Leeds, followed by the National Final on Sunday 20^thMarch in Milton Keynes.

Caitrina Harrison continues: "NVS would like to thank the event sponsors for their support, which has been invaluable in making the championship happen.  The championship sponsors are Agria Pet Insurance, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Dechra

A new study published this month in the Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ)¹ has concluded that toxins from the seeds of the sycamore tree (Acer pseudoplatanus) are the likely cause of Atypical Myopathy (AM) in Europe.

However, to avoid confusion, the authors of the study point out that the American Sycamore (also just called 'the sycamore' in the USA), is a completely different species: Platanus occidentalis. Furthermore, the sycamore found in the UK is also known as the sycamore maple in other countries.

The new research follows on the heels of a study in the USA earlier this year that linked toxins from the box elder tree (Acer negundo) with Seasonal Pasture Myopathy (SPM), the US equivalent of AM². The discovery marks an important step for the future prevention of this fatal disease.

Atypical Myopathy is a highly fatal muscle disease in the UK and Northern Europe. In ten years, approximately twenty European countries have reported the disease. Incidences tend to occur repeatedly in the autumn and in the spring following large autumnal outbreaks. Horses that develop AM are usually kept in sparse pastures with an accumulation of dead leaves, dead wood and trees in or around the pasture and are often not fed any supplementary hay or feed. SPM is a very similar disorder, prevalent in Midwestern USA and Eastern Canada that is now known to be caused by the ingestion of hypoglycin A, contained in seeds from the box elder tree.

The new European research¹ was conducted by an international team led by Dominic Votion, University of Liege and involved 17 horses from Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands, suffering from Atypical Myopathy. High concentrations of a toxic metabolite of hypoglycin A, were identified in the serum of all of the horses. The pastures of 12 of the horses were visited by experienced botanists and the Acer pseudoplatanus, the sycamore maple, was found to be present in every case. This was the only tree common to all visited pastures.

Researchers believe hypoglycin A is the likely cause of both AM in Europe and SPM in North America. The sycamore and the box elder are known to produce seeds containing hypoglycin A and the pastures of the afflicted horses in Europe and the USA were surrounded by these trees.

Hypoglycin-A is found in various levels in the seeds of plants in the genus Acer as well as in various other genera in the family Sapindaceae such as ackee (Blighia sapida).  In ackee, hypoglycin-A levels do vary with ripeness of the fruit and, if the fruit is eaten before it is mature, it causes hypoglycaemia to different degrees including a condition called "Jamaican vomiting sickness" (because of ackee's use in Jamaican cooking) and occasionally death in humans.

Researchers at the Universities of Minnesota² and Liege are continuing their work to try to uncover exactly how the equine disease occurs. Dr Adrian Hegeman of University of Minnesota said: "It is likely that the most important contributing factors to horses becoming poisoned by hypoglycin-A are the availability of seed in the field combined with lack of other feeding options. The seeds from two species of maples (box elder and sycamore maples) that we have tested include significant quantities of hypoglycin-A.

"We know that seeds contain highly variable quantities from seed to seed, even within a single tree. We do not know yet how hypoglycin-A levels vary seasonally, nor do we know how its abundance varies with different levels of stress to the plant, though this may well explain seasonal variability in the occurrence of the malady. It is possible that conditions that stress the plants may contribute to significant seasonal changes in hypoglycin-A levels.  At this point we just don't know.  It is common held knowledge that trees under stress usually produce more seed."

Dr Jeff Gillman of University of Minnesota said: "Without question, further analysis of the seeds and other tissues from Acer species needs to be performed along with sampling of plant materials over multiple seasons and at various stress levels. Additionally, one cannot rule out more complex explanations for the seasonality of disease occurrence such as: animals may begin feeding on seed materials in response to depletion of more palatable choices under drought conditions; or simple explanations such as high wind events driving seeds into fields. These sorts of explanations for the occurrence of the disease do not depend on botanical variations in toxicity across seasons, sites or stress levels, yet also require consideration.

"Although limited examples are available, the experience of animals at a pasture site might also confer some degree of behavioral resistance to poisoning due to exposure at sub-lethal levels with prior exposure to seeds in the pasture."

Professor Celia Marr, Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal said: "This is an important advancement in our understanding of what causes AM and how it can be prevented. In immediate practical terms owners can take prompt measures to avoid exposing their horses to sycamore seeds this autumn. Where horses are grazing in the vicinity of sycamore trees, it is imperative that they are provided with sufficient supplementary feed as this will minimise the risk that horses might be tempted to ingest seeds containing this toxin. This must be done carefully and leaving wet hay on the ground should be avoided so providing extra carbohydrate feeds may be more practical."

References

1. The European study can be accessed at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.12117/abstract
2. Related research from the University of Minnesota can be accessed at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2012.00684.x/abstract

The Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) has launched its new look, personalised salary survey and is inviting veterinary surgeons to take part.

All SPVS members who complete the survey online will be sent their own personalised survey results allowing them to benchmark their practice against the industry averages. 

SPVS is also offering 3 months free membership to anyone who takes part who is not already a member.

VPMA and BVNA members can also complete the survey and the results will be published on their websites. 

Peter Brown, SPVS President Elect who leads on development of the surveys said: "Whether you are recruiting, doing an internal pay review, looking for a new job yourself or trying to negotiate a pay rise, it helps to understand what the typical salaries are and the trends. Our new software allows you to easily compare your salaries to others in personalised results making it a valuable business tool."

SPVS is urging as many people as possible to take part in the survey as the more participants, the more reliable the results.

For more information, visit www.spvs.org.uk or call 01926 840318.

Rowe Vet Referrals has installed a brand new 3.0T MRI scanner which it describes as game changing to the service it can offer referring practices. 

Rowe Referrals, part of IVC Evidensia Referrals, was one of the very first practices to have an onsite MRI when it installed a 1.5T model five years ago. Now, thanks to investment from IVC Evidensia - of which it is a part - Rowe has been able to replace the ageing model with a new 3.0T machine, which will enable clinicians to diagnose and implement treatment plans quicker.

Referrals Manager at Rowe Referrals, Meg Hayman, said: "The difference between the two machines in amazing. The 1.5T produced very detailed scans but the 3.0T is incredible! It gives our clinicians the ability to perform more complex investigations with far greater clarity.   

The practice says benefits will be seen across all disciplines, including neurology, internal medicine, ophthalmology, dentistry, orthopaedics and soft tissue.

Ian Jennings BSc BVSc CertVDI MRCVS RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Diagnostic Imaging said: "The new 3.0T MRI scanner allows us a much more detailed view of our patients, and has been especially useful for detection of smaller lesions in our neurological and orthopaedic cases. Specialised sequences can also be performed in less time, allowing us a greater ability to help more patients."