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VetSurgeon.org publishes a curated feed of veterinary news for practising veterinary surgeons, with a primary focus on the UK profession.
We select stories based on their practical relevance, clinical interest, or professional significance — filtering out noise so busy vets can stay informed quickly.
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We report across all areas of practice, including companion animal, farm, equine and exotic species.
Our editorial approach is deliberately selective and concise. We prioritise clarity and relevance over volume, aiming to make each story worth your time.
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Andrea Tarr BPharm MSC MRPharmS, the founder and director of Veterinary Prescriber said: "Prescribing is a neglected aspect of veterinary practice. When it comes to making treatment decisions, vets are very poorly supported by their professional organisations, the pharmaceutical industry has a hugely distorting influence and there's a lack of access to really helpful information.
"We're determined to use the expertise in Veterinary Prescriber to change this, and support vets in their use of medicines in the best interests of animals, their owners and the environment.
"With this in mind, we start the year with a learning module of good veterinary dispensing practice."
The module explains what constitutes a well-run dispensary, including how to organise, handle and store medicines correctly. It reviews the legal classifications of medicines, including controlled drugs and the cascade. It also considers why dispensing errors occur and what to do when they happen.
Veterinary Prescriber says its modules are evidence-based, peer-reviewed and independent of the pharmaceutical industry.
Subscription costs £9.95 per month, which you can cancel any time. To subscribe, visit: www.veterinaryprescriber.org
The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has reprimanded and warned a Clwyd-based veterinary surgeon on charges relating to falsifying prescriptions to obtain drugs for her own use.
At the outset of the two-day hearing, Mrs Alina Grecko admitted that in 2009 she had written out three prescriptions for her own use whilst working as a veterinary surgeon at Greenfield Veterinary Surgery, Holywell, Clywd, and that this amounted to serious professional misconduct. The Committee found this to be the case, and said she was right to admit it. The Committee also said this was deliberate wrong-doing on three separate occasions and involved an obvious breach of Mrs Grecko's legal duties in relation to prescription which was bound to diminish the profession and public confidence in it. It was also a flagrant breach of the Guide to Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons.
In the Committee's opinion the charge was a serious one; it involved falsehoods and disregard of legal obligations and of the profession's standards, as well as compromising another professional - a pharmacist. In mitigation, however, the Committee accepted that the offence involved no harm to any animal or person, nor risk of harm except to herself; nor was there financial gain. Mrs Grecko was a young and relatively inexperienced veterinary surgeon, and the Committee's view was that the offence was the result of her not thinking straight at a time of great stress in her personal and professional life, rather than a clearly thought out course of deliberate conduct. It was in no doubt that Mrs Grecko was genuinely remorseful about her behaviour and had insight into its seriousness.
The Committee also considered evidence relating to the circumstances in which the prescription came to be written. It accepted the general case that the original idea of self-prescribing did not come from Mrs Grecko; however, the Committee did not find that she had been encouraged or persuaded; the most that could be said was that Mrs Grecko had taken up a casual suggestion that she might write the prescription herself.
When deciding on sanction, the Committee took into account both the facts of the particular case and the mitigating factors. It reiterated that the primary purpose of the sanction is not to punish the Respondent but to protect the welfare of animals, to maintain public confidence in the profession, and to uphold proper standards of conduct and said the sanction applied must be proportionate to the nature and extent of the Respondent's conduct, and weigh the public interest with the interests of the Respondent. The Committee also said that in a case involving the writing of false prescriptions the importance of public confidence in the profession and of upholding the standards of the profession mean that the Committee would normally feel that at least a suspension from the Register should be imposed.
Having given anxious consideration to the question whether that course could properly be avoided in this case, the Committee felt able to take an exceptional course and the sanctions it has imposed are that the Respondent will both be reprimanded and warned as to her future conduct. It directed that these sanctions will remain on her record indefinitely.
Cefshot is indicated for treatment of subclinical mastitis at drying off with action against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria.
Jude Roberts MRCVS from Zoetis says this makes possible three-way selective dry cow therapy with products from the company's dry cow portfolio: "With evidence-based triage, this covers teat sealant solo, in combination with narrow spectrum cloxacillin, or now with broader spectrum long-acting cephalonium.
"This is in keeping with the trend from milk buyers for increasing precision in the use of antibiotic dry cow therapy, and only when it is justified in the first place."
Dry periods longer that 54 days require milk withhold for 96 hours. For shorter dry periods, milk withhold is 58 days. Meat withhold period is 21 days.
Cefshot is available in multiples of 24 and 120 tubes, for delivery September onwards.
The company points to research which showed that 42% of cats and 28% of dogs have lesions which are only detectable on x-ray1.
Failing to identify teeth with root lesions can have a significant impact on patient welfare, causing ongoing pain and eventual tooth loss.
The first priority for the CVS clinical improvement project was to review how effective its first opinion small animal practices were at using radiography in dental examinations.
In July 2021, only 16.2% of dental cases had radiography performed and clinicians were mostly using visual examination to guide decision making.
The project then identified the barriers to using dental radiography as: a lack of dental radiography equipment in a practice, a lack of clinician confidence in taking and interpreting the radiographs and a belief that pet owners would not want to pay for it.
To address the first issue, CVS installed new dental radiography machines at over 104 sites, at a cost of £615,000 over the course of the year.
The company then upskilled its vets and nurses in dental radiography - looking specifically at getting good quality radiographs and interpretation.
Finally, the company conducted an audit of each participating practice’s dental radiology data, updating it each month and sharing the results with the practices..
One year on, CVS says the data shows that 43% of dental cases in project practices are now using dental radiography as part of their consultation.
In the best cases, some practices have been using radiography in 100% of cases.
Hub Clinical Lead Deborah Komianos said: “When you open a patient’s mouth and look inside, seemingly normal teeth are oftentimes not normal.
"So vets and nurses can risk missing periodontal disease.
“Dental radiology has historically been underutilised but we believe it adds valuable information to dental consultations and is an important decision-making tool.
“We’re thrilled with the early results in our practices.
"It shows there’s been a real change of mind-set and behaviour towards using X-rays in dentistry – as well as increased confidence in execution."
Reference
Vet-AI's automated triage app offers instant advice to pet owners 24/7, early detection of health issues and advice as to whether they need to speak to a vet.
For the blinded test, which was conducted in April 2025, three UK veterinary surgeons reviewed the responses from Vet-AI, Gemini 2.0 and ChatGPT 4.0 to 48 simulated enquiries from owners.
The vets evaluated each on clinical accuracy, triage effectiveness and the subjective criteria of factuality, integrity, safety, empathy and readability.
Vet-AI’s Large Language Model (LLM) achieved an accuracy score of 81%, surpassing Gemini (69%) and ChatGPT (50%).
Vet-AI’s model also stopped triage at the correct point in 81% of cases according to the vets, compared with Gemini’s 75% and ChatGPT’s 56%.
Vet-AI’s tool also outperformed the leading LLMs on subjective measures, delivering more empathetic, thorough and factual responses to pet owners.
Samantha Webster, Chief Veterinary Officer at Vet-AI said: “These latest results are a significant milestone in the development of automated triage.
"We’re proving we can provide trustworthy online pet care by combining clinical and technical expertise.
"This tool can support the wider industry too, engaging more pet owners in the first step of vet care, ensuring their pets get the care they need - whether in practice or remotely.
"We know that an increasing percentage of the UK pet population is struggling to access veterinary care.
"Whilst AI will never replace a vet, the use of innovative technology can break down the barrier to access, leading to more pets getting the care they need, when they need it."
“With this level of clinical accuracy and technical innovation, we're helping to bring great pet care to more people. As well as helping to create more demand for vet services by making the triage of pets as accurate as possible,” said Paul Hallett, Vet-AI founder and exec chair.
https://www.vet-ai.com/automated-triage
The new bill - Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) - would increase the maximum prison sentence for animal cruelty tenfold, from six months to five years, in England and Wales.
The draft bill also sets out that the government "must have regard to the welfare needs of animals as sentient beings in formulating and implementing government policy".
Subject to consultation on the draft bill, the government says it will legislate to deliver both aims.
In fact, the draft bill goes further than Article 13 as it applies to all areas of government policy, rather than specified areas of policy. If passed, the law would apply to the whole of the UK.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: "Animals are sentient beings who feel pain and suffering, so we are writing that principle into law and ensuring that we protect their welfare. Our plans will also increase sentences for those who commit the most heinous acts of animal cruelty to five years in jail. We are a nation of animal lovers so we will make Brexit work not just for citizens but for the animals we love and cherish too."
BVA President John Fishwick said: "Vets have been clear in our calls that the duty on the state to have due regard for animal welfare - as captured in Article 13 of the EU Lisbon Treaty - must be enshrined in UK law. This Bill captures the substantive obligation that Article 13 currently puts on the national government to consider animal welfare, as well as explicitly recognising animals as sentient beings."
"Today’s draft Bill lays out in black and white the Government making good on its promises, to ensure the UK remains a global leader in animal welfare post-Brexit."
James Hutchings, Head of Sales for Bimeda UK, said: "The launch of Tetroxy Vet highlights our ongoing commitment to providing UK veterinarians with a choice of high quality veterinary pharmaceuticals at a fair price."
Bimeda says the benefits of Tetroxy Vet include:
Tetroxy Vet is available in a 100ml pack size.
The University of Liverpool has developed a new diagnostic tool to help practitioners with their treatment programmes for osteoarthritis in dogs.
VetSurgeon.org member Dr Ben Walton, from the University's School of Veterinary Science, said: "In first opinion and referral practices canine mobility is assessed in a subjective fashion, either by a vet or owner. Assessment can differ between vets, and if more than one limb is affected it becomes even more difficult.
"Pain and mobility associated with this condition depends on recent activity levels, medication and even weather conditions, which mean that a dog can have good and bad periods and any physical assessment will only provide a snapshot of the disease.
"The most reliable data on this disease is often gathered from informally asking owners for their observations of their pet's behaviour. The difficulty until now has been knowing how to reliably record this valuable information so that it can recalled the next time the patient visits."
The new tool, which takes the form of a questionnaire, attaches score rates to quantify the level of disease against key questions addressed to the dog's owner. Owners are asked to grade their dog's activity and exercise levels, stiffness and lameness, and any changes that occur in different weather conditions. The information is recorded digitally so that it can be referred to throughout a patient's treatment programme.
Ben said: "This record of behaviour history, together with clinical assessment, could provide a more detailed understanding of how the disease is progressing, and importantly how healthy and comfortable the dog is."
Research which validates the new tool has been published on PLOS ONE here.
Kruuse UK has expanded the well-known Buster range of “elizabethan” collars with the introduction of a Buster Comfort Collar. This new design is softer and more flexible and features a soft rubber outer edge for better comfort for the animal and is kinder to its surroundings.
Kruuse says prolonged use can make the edges of strong, rigid plastic collars brittle and ragged, especially with active animals, which is why the Comfort Collar was developed to alleviate this problem in such situations. Manufactured out of environmentally-friendly 100 per cent polypropylene, these collars still feature the quick-fastening system found on the Buster Clic Collar and are fully transparent to allow the animal all-round vision. The Buster Comfort Collars are available in seven sizes ranging from 7.5 to 30cm. For further information, please contact: Andrew Groom, Country Manager, Kruuse UK Ltd. Telephone: +44 (0) 1977 681523. E-mail: andrew.groom@kruuse.com.
The group, which opened in 2021, is also securing sites in Newcastle and Halesowen for a further two practices which are due to open in 2026.
Harrison Family Vets says at least £350,000 will be invested in each of the new practices which will be staffed by a team of six initially.
Operations director, Kristie Faulkner said: “In less than four years we’ve opened seven extremely successful practices and quickly established a reputation for being a great place to work.
"We’ve built a team where everyone’s individual strengths and personality traits contribute to what we do, in a family-orientated environment.
“We take pride in creating very modern and well-equipped surgeries that are designed around the pets we treat, and we push the boundaries of what’s possible when it comes to pet care.
"In addition, all our team members are also trained, or currently in training for, the Fear Free Accreditation, to significantly reduce fear, stress and anxiety for both pets and their owners, which means every pet’s visit to Harrison Family Vets is as positive as possible.
“Crucially, we also offer pet owners far more affordable pet care than the large corporate chains and our total wellness plan is one of the best value offerings on the market.
"When this is combined with our exceptional team and pioneering practices, it’s not unusual for us to have hundreds of pet owners registering with us in new locations before we even open.
“We’re now looking forward to embarking on our next phase of growth and making our unique offering available to even more veterinary professionals and pet owners throughout the country.
"We would urge anyone interested in joining us in Stoke, Sheffield or Darlington, as well as Newcastle or Halesowen, which will launch in the next phase of openings, to contact us now.”
https://www.harrisonfamilyvets.co.uk/
Dechra Veterinary Products has announced that Intubeaze Oromucosal Spray is now back in stock.
Intubeaze is used for local anaesthesia of the laryngeal mucosa of cats to facilitate endotracheal intubation by preventing the stimulation of the laryngeal reflex.
The product had gone out of stock due to a temporary manufacturing problem which has now been fixed.
Intubeaze is a clear solution containing 2% w/v lidocaine hydrochloride, with 0.1% w/v chlorocresol as an antimicrobial preservative. Intubeaze is now available through all wholesalers.
For further information on Intubeaze please contact Dechra on 01743 441 632 or visit www.dechra.co.uk.
According to the forthcoming PDSA Animal Welfare 2016 report, only 35% of pet owners are familiar with their pets' legal welfare needs, a figure which has remained persistently low over the past 6 years (45% in 2011, 31% in 2012, 38% in 2013, 36% in 2014 and 31% in 2015).
The same report revealed in 2015 that 97% of veterinary professionals agreed there is value in encouraging pet owners to better understand and provide for the five welfare needs of their pets.
The 2016 report will also report that pet owners who feel more informed about each of the five welfare needs are significantly more likely to provide preventive healthcare to their pets.
Gudrun Ravetz, President of the BVA said: "It’s concerning that, despite many veterinary practices’ best efforts, public awareness of the five welfare needs remains consistently low. There are so many strong voices for animal welfare, which is why it’s great that so many veterinary organisations – including BSAVA, BVNA and BVZS – are coming together within this coalition to highlight pet owners’ legal duty of care. We hope practices across the country will join us in spreading the message by continuing to deliver the welfare need-focused advice to clients that they already do, day-in, day-out."
The 2006 Animal Welfare Acts of England and Wales, and Scotland consolidated and replaced more than 20 pieces of outmoded legislation. They established a duty of care, enshrining in law five animal welfare needs, outlining housing, diet, behaviour, social interactions and health as the legal responsibilities that every owner should meet to ensure their pet is as happy and healthy as possible.
The veterinary animal welfare coalition says it recognises that veterinary practices across the UK already promote the five welfare needs through a range of methods, from displaying materials in their waiting rooms to providing health check consultations with vets and vet nurses to discuss pets’ needs. The seven organisations, which are all UK based and support or provide veterinary service delivery, are pooling their resources so that veterinary practices can more easily signpost clients to the wealth of resources that are available.
James Yeates, who chairs the veterinary animal welfare coalition as part of the Vet Futures Action Plan, said: "The five welfare needs are a fantastic 'umbrella' guide to taking care of our pets, yet each and every species has such differing welfare needs - from cats who tend to be solitary animals and usually prefer to be the only pet to rabbits that should live in pairs or groups of other rabbits and dogs, who should not be left on their own for more than a few hours a day - it’s vital that pet owners can translate theory into practice. Our understanding of animal welfare science has come such a long way over the past 50 years so we'd really like pet owners to visit their local veterinary practice, where they will be able to get tailored, up-to-date advice for their pets."
The BVA's Spring 2016 Voice of the Profession survey of over 1,600 veterinary surgeons found that the majority (60%) see diet as their main welfare concern, causing obesity, dental issues and a variety of other complex health problems. The coalition of veterinary organisations behind this campaign says it hopes it will encourage the 15% of pet owners not currently registered with a veterinary practice to seek out their local surgery for expert advice about issues such as these.
More information about the coalition and the resources available to practices can be found at www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/newsroom/news-releases/uk-pets-at-risk-as-two-thirds-of-owners-unaware-of-legal-welfare-needs/
7,383 veterinary surgeons voted in this year's election, a turnout of 19.7%.
This compares to turnouts of 16.7% in 2023, 18.6% in 2022, 24.5% in 2021, and 26.2% in 2020.
Of the 14 candidates, Professor David Barratt, Sinead Bennett and Zara Kennedy were all elected to serve for a four year term, with 1,747 votes, 1,796 and 2,264 votes respectively.
Mark Bowen (1,404), Richard Brown (1,030), Paddy Gordon (1,612), Gerard Henry (1,157), Peter Higgins (496), Penelope Morgan (1,584), Kate Richards (1,264), Richard Sanderson (1,380), Sally Schroeder (1,630), Lara Wilson (1,399) and the inevitable Thomas Lonsdale (257) were all unsuccessful.
The winning candidates will take up their posts at Royal College Day, which is open to all vets to attend on Friday 5th July at the Royal Institute of British Architects.
www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote24
Virbac Animal Health has launched CaniLeish, the first vaccine for canine leishmaniosis in the European Union.
Leishmaniosis is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by infection with protozoa of the genus Leishmania (L infantum in Europe). Leishmaniosis is transmitted by the bite of infected sandflies. In south-western Europe 2.5 million dogs are believed to be infected1,2 with the parasite and the disease is spreading northwards,3 as more people travel with their dogs or import infected animals from endemic areas.4 So far preventative methods have been limited to reducing the habitat of sandflies, minimising the physical contact of dogs with sandflies and using insecticides on dogs (sprays, spot-ons, repellent-collars, etc).
According to Virbac, CaniLeish's ability to protect dogs was demonstrated in an experimental challenge study, where the benefit of vaccination was still evident after one year.5 In an extreme condition natural challenge trial lasting two years under environmental conditions rarely encountered in reality, 93% of dogs vaccinated with CaniLeish did not develop symptomatic leishmaniosis. CaniLeish provides a fourfold reduction in the risk of developing this fatal disease. 6 Its safety profile has been shown in laboratory testing and field trials.7 In addition, Virbac says it contains no whole parasites that could be virulent in any host.
David McGahie BVMS Bsc (VetSci) MRCVS, Medical Department Manager at Virbac SA, said: "The development of this vaccine is a key milestone in the battle against this challenging disease which is a major problem in many regions of the world. Although in the past it was considered a rather exotic disease here in the UK, the advent of the Pet Travel Scheme means it has become increasingly important as a problem for dogs which regularly travel abroad to endemic regions."
CaniLeish can be given to dogs as young as six months of age: the primary course consists of three injections given over six weeks. Dogs should be re-vaccinated annually, with a single dose administered one year after the third injection and annually thereafter.
References:
A 2021 German study reported the incidence of diarrhoea to be 18.5% and the most common disease observed in almost 14,000 neonatal calves examined on 731 dairy herds1.
Fencovis is indicated for the active immunisation of pregnant heifers and cows in order to stimulate the development of antibodies against bovine rotavirus, bovine coronavirus and E. coli expressing F5 (K99) adhesin and to increase the level of passive immunity of calves against neonatal diarrhoea caused by bovine rotavirus, bovine coronavirus and E. coli expressing F5 (K99) adhesin.
Boehringer says that in calves fed with colostrum and milk from vaccinated cows, these antibodies have been demonstrated to prevent diarrhoea caused by rotavirus and E. coli F5 (K99) adhesin and reduce the incidence and severity of diarrhoea caused by coronavirus.
Viral shedding in calves infected by rotavirus and coronavirus was also reduced by Fencovis.
Findlay MacBean, Business Head Livestock at Boehringer Ingelheim UK & Ireland, said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of Fencovis, the first vaccine that is licensed to prevent calf scour caused by Rotavirus and E. coli F5 (K99), and also reduce the incidence and severity of scour associated with coronavirus infection. ”
Fencovis is a suspension for injection which uses a non-oil adjuvant. It comes in a variety of presentations including a single dose pack.
Inigo’s abstract entitled “Predictive value of cardiac remodelling on survival in dogs with persistent atrial standstill – the UK perspective” sought to determine the survival of dogs in the United Kingdom with persistent atrial standstill (PAS) after pacemaker implantation and the prognostic value of cardiac remodelling. The Congress Programme Committee were impressed by Inigo’s innovative presentation, praising the planning and execution of the multi-centre project.
Ditte’s presentation was entitled “Evaluation of a point-of-care dot Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay to detect antibodies against canine parvovirus, distemper virus and adenovirus before revaccination”.
Her study described the findings of a prospective non-inferiority study of a point-of-care semi-quantitative titer test performed on canine serum samples and compared to gold standard analysis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the point-of-care titer test were determined for the gold standard titer cut-offs for canine adenovirus, canine distemper virus and canine parvovirus. Ditte was commended by the Congress Programme Committee for the quality of presentation as well as the practical and clinically applicable findings of the study.
The BSAVA Congress Clinical Abstracts, including the winners’ abstracts, are now available to view in the BSAVA Library here: https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/book/10.22233/9781913859039.
Zoetis has launched a 4ml vial of the antibiotic, Convenia.
Zoetis says Convenia gives veterinary surgeons control by providing an assured injectable treatment course, relieving clients of the burden of daily dosing. This avoids missed or mistimed doses, lost tablets, or courses stopped too soon, thereby eliminating a major reason for treatment failure, non-compliance. Poor compliance is also a significant factor in the development of antimicrobial resistance.
Convenia is licensed for skin, soft tissue and urinary tract infections in dogs and cats, as well as severe gingivitis/periodontitis in dogs (as an adjunct to mechanical or surgical periodontal therapy). A 4ml vial can treat up to 40kg of bodyweight, making it appropriate for treating cats and smaller dogs.
Zoetis says that the launch of the new vial demonstrates its commitment to the 'Respect Antibiotics' campaign launched last year. The Respect Antibiotics campaign encourages careful and informed selection of appropriate antibiotic therapies for the treatment of dogs and cats.
Product Manager, Andrew Page, said; "We are committed to encouraging responsible antibiotic usage, and reducing the incidence of antibiotic resistance. Non-compliance plays a key role in the development of antibiotic resistance and we hope that by making Convenia more accessible through the introduction of a 4ml vial we can help alleviate compliance issues."
For further details about Convenia please contact your Zoetis Account Manager.
Two winners will be flown from a London airport to spend 2 nights at the Krka Terme Hotel Svoboda Strunjan, a night at the Grand Union Hotel Ljubljana and a night at the Grand Hotel Bled, plus car hire.
To enter, visit www.discoverkrka.co.uk and pick out the differences between the Dalmations.
Ned Flaxman from Krka said: "I’ve only recently joined KRKA and I’m sure like many people I imagined Slovenia to be some far-off country in Eastern Europe. But it’s much closer than you might think - being only a couple hour’s boat ride from Venice.
"I would urge anyone to enter the competition to be in with the chance of winning this truly memorable trip. From the cliffs and stunning beaches of Strunjan to the lively and beautiful city of Ljubljana, Slovenia is a hidden gem just waiting to be discovered."
The Scottish Fold is bred for a cartilage abnormality which gives them their distinctive folded ears.
However, that same cartilage abnormality affects their joints, meaning that they go on to develop painful arthritis, even from a young age.
The charities say the impact of using this breed in a Hollywood film cannot be overstated and is likely to significantly increase their popularity with potential cat owners.
Nathalie Dowgray, Head of ISFM, said: “International Cat Care (iCatCare) and its veterinary division, the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), believe that it is simply unethical to continue to breed cats with a genetic mutation that is known to cause significant painful disease – the rationale for breeding these cats was purely for traits considered attractive to humans, as some people believe the folded ears look appealing.
"This is an unnatural appearance for a cat, and the underlying genetic defect has far-reaching and severe consequences for the health of the cat.
"Health should always be more important than looks.”
The trailer for the film also shows a cat travelling in a backpack and subjected to rough handling, including being picked up by the scruff and thrown from a building.
ISFM says that although these scenes have been created using digital animation, the organisations share concerns that suggesting these interactions with cats are acceptable or entertaining may have a negative impact on the welfare of cats.
Sarah Ellis, Head of Cat Mental Wellbeing and Behaviour at International Cat Care, said: “Scruffing a cat is an unacceptable form of restraint that can cause a cat considerable discomfort, fear and even pain, as the weight of its body is completely unsupported, and the cat cannot escape the pressure from its skin being grasped.
"Backpacks are not a cat friendly way to transport a cat; they can leave a cat cramped, without enough ventilation, struggling to control body temperature, and uncomfortable due to the unpredictable movement from being worn on a person’s back.
"Backpacks are simply not cat friendly - they do not respect the cat as a species and run the risk of psychological and physical suffering to the cat.”
The organisations have contacted Universal Pictures, asking them to adopt Cat Friendly Principles in future, and not to promote cat breeds with extreme features in future.
Alstoe is launching Vetergesic Multidose, a 10ml version of the opiate injection, in a new multi-use vial.
Alstoe Technical Director, Dr Ian Ryder said: "In addition to the new vial size the inclusion of a preservative enables Vetergesic Multidose to be used for up to 28 days following its initial use. Also the product is now licensed for intravenous administration."
Vetergesic Multidose should drastically reduce the amount of product wasted by practices using the old, smaller single-use vial.
Alstoe says that supplying Vetergesic in a multi-use vial was one of the first things discussed with the drug originators, Reckitt Benckiser, when it took over the marketing of the product. However, for a large scale medical pharmaceutical manufacturer to consider producing a veterinary product in a different pack and in much smaller production runs than their medical operating scales, the answer is normally no. But in this case, Reckitts gave the project its full support, so in addition to reduced wastage, the inconvenience of snapping glass necks will become a thing of the past.
Please contact Alstoe Ltd for further information at info@alstoe.co.uk or telephone 01347 878606.
To mark today's European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2010, the British Veterinary Association is warning veterinary surgeons in the UK that failure to use antimicrobials responsibly could result in their use being restricted.
The BVA promotes the responsible use of antimicrobials and last year published a poster and guidance for vets: 'Responsible use of antimicrobials in veterinary practice: the 8-point plan'. According to the association, the poster received very positive feedback from across the UK and from the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE).
Concerns regarding resistance to antimicrobials and antibiotics span both the human and animal medicine fields and in 2008 the Chief Medical Officer called for a ban on the use of certain types of antibiotics in animals in order to protect their activity in humans.
Furthermore some EU Member States already restrict the availability of antimicrobials to veterinary surgeons and adopt a strict formulary approach to the medicines that they can prescribe. The BVA says it is concerned that this trend will reach the UK and the freedom of vets to prescribe according to their clinical judgement will be restricted.
Harvey Locke, President of the BVA, said: "Antimicrobial resistance is an enormous problem for both human and animal health. As veterinary surgeons we have a duty to use these medicines responsibly for the good of animal health and welfare as well as public health.
"The BVA's poster on responsible use should be displayed in veterinary practices across the UK as a constant reminder, and I would urge all vets to refer to it.
"Failure to heed the message of responsible use could result in vets losing the right to prescribe certain medicines, which could have a significant impact on animal health and welfare.
"On Antibiotic Awareness Day our message to vets is clear: use them responsibly or lose them."
The BSAVA Guide to the Use of Veterinary Medicines has been developed to help veterinary professionals navigate the regulations, changes and issues that face the profession when it comes to the use of veterinary medicines.
Edited by David Harris and Pam Mosedale, there are three new sections which cover:
The BSAVA also highlights that the law in the UK relating to the use of veterinary medicines will be updated when the VMD completes its review.
In addition changes to the RCVS Code of Conduct concerning under care are due to come into force in September.
This, the Association says, will lead to significant changes in medicines use, as well as legal and ethical dilemmas.
As a result, the new guide includes a section at the beginning of the Guide that will be updated as required and the editors encourage all veterinary professionals to stay up to date with the progress of these reviews.
The new BSAVA Guide to the Use of Veterinary medicines is freely available to all via the BSAVA Library.
The new product contains astaxanthin (an anti-oxidant), fucoidan (a fucose-rich, sulfated polysaccharide) and indigo (a deodorant), which together are claimed to fight against gum infections, deodorise the mouth, and reduce the build-up of plaque and tartar.
Bob Ferguson, Commercial Lead for Accord Animal Health said: “We are excited to bring to the UK and Ireland market, Vivinicord Chews, a novel combination of natural ingredients designed to aid pet owners support their dogs’ oral health.
"Dental disease and associated infections are such a huge issue for vets and owners, we believe Vivinicord Chews can be a valuable part of the solution.
“Vivinicord Chews will only be available for owners to buy from their local veterinary practice, supporting our mission of building a sustainable partnership with our veterinary customers.”
Vivinicord comes in packs of 30 chews with a shelf life of 24 months.
For further info or stock enquiries, contact: info@accord-animalhealth.com / 01271 385 200
For the study, 2,834 seizure incident cases were identified from a population of 455,553 dogs attending VetCompass participating practices in 2013.
The study found that that approximately 1 in 160 dogs under first opinion veterinary care are affected by seizures every year.
Many of those dogs will have underlying epilepsy, defined as dogs with two or more unprovoked seizures at least 24 hours apart. Seizures can be secondary to idiopathic epilepsy, structural epilepsy or epilepsy of unknown cause.
Until now, however, there has been little information on the classifications of seizures, diagnostic approaches, or clinical management of dogs with seizures in the veterinary first opinion population.
The main findings from the research were:
Dr Dan O’Neill, Senior Lecturer in Companion Animals Epidemiology at the RVC, and author of the paper, said: "Watching your dog undergo a seizure can be an incredibly scary moment for any dog owner. It is really important that dogs that seizure are rapidly diagnosed to decide whether they need no further treatment beyond careful monitoring or alternatively require a clinical work-up to define the cause of the seizures.
"There are now some excellent treatments for many seizure-related diseases. This study helps up to understand the current state of play for seizure management in dogs and identifies opportunities for improved care of these affected dogs."
The full paper is freely available from Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine and can be accessed here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jvim.15911
According to the College, other research suggests that comorbidities - such as anxiety and cognitive impairments - are common in dogs with epilepsy, meaning there is a need for new epilepsy management options which help to control seizures and improve behavioural and cognitive comorbidities.
Led by canine behaviour and welfare scientist Dr. Rowena Packer from the RVC and veterinary neurologist Professor Holger Volk from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo), alongside RVC PhD student Dr. Benjamin Andreas Berk, the team of researchers tested the effects of an oil supplement on seizure frequency in dogs with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Multiple studies from the RVC have shown that medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oils-enriched diets can improve seizure control in difficult to treat, drug-resistant dogs with epilepsy. This controlled clinical study used non-invasive cognitive tests and a validated psychometric tool to show that dogs had improved spatial and working memory when treated with MCTs.
Dr Rowena Packer, Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare at RVC, said: "Our ground-breaking research into the behavioural and cognitive comorbidities of canine epilepsy was the first to identify cognitive impairments in this population. We have now gone one step further and found a promising way to boost the impaired memories of these patients and reduce their seizure frequency, by a simple dietary change."
Professor Holger Volk, Department Chair for Small Animal Diseases at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, said: "Our guts influence how well we think – this study highlights the importance of diets and the power of the gut-brain axis. We are just at the beginning of understanding how diets can influence complex diseases such as epilepsy and dementia. MCT oil could offer a promising addition to our management tool-kit."