Vétoquinol - maker of Epiphen, the anti-epileptic phenobarbital for the control of epilepsy in dogs - has added a new client brochure and a fridge magnet to its Epiphen support packs, designed to help owners understand the condition and make it easier for them to comply with daily dosage requirements.

The new brochure is called What I need to know and is written for clients that have been prescribed Epiphen for their pet for the first time.

Abbie King, Product Manager for Epiphen, said: ''The inspiration for the new brochure came after spending time at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket and realising how much information an owner needs to take in when their dog is diagnosed with epilepsy."

The new brochure covers the important information owners need to help them understand and manage their dog's epilepsy, including how Epiphen works, what they can do to help their dog, how to monitor seizures, where to find further information and frequently asked questions.

The Epiphen Treatment fridge magnet is designed as a quick reference guide to prescribing information that is needed every day when living with a dog with epilepsy. The magnet leaves space for the owner to write in their dog's name, dosage details and timings and their vet's phone number. Vétoquinol says it is especially helpful as a reference if more than one person is caring for the dog.

The new items enhance the existing Epiphen support pack, which comprises an owner manual, medication record and seizure diary, dog tags, seizure report pads, free serum level monitoring vouchers and a free, online resource at www.epiphenonline.co.uk

Vétoquinol also invites practitioners who are dealing with challenging cases to take advantage of its free Ask the expert scheme on 0800 169 8197 or email a case history to epiphen@vetoquinol.co.uk.

To order the new Epiphen support materials, ring 0800 1698197. Alternatively, visit: www.vetoquinol.co.uk to find out more.

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is marking Volunteers' Week, the annual celebration of the contribution volunteers make across the UK, by issuing a 'heartfelt' thanks to the veterinary nurses who have volunteered their time and expertise over the past 12 months, in support of the BEVA Trust.

The BEVA Trust is the Association’s philanthropic arm and in 2015 members decided that it should provide support for voluntary projects to help improve knowledge and welfare.

Since then volunteers have been rolling up their sleeves to help out with castration and welfare clinics in the UK and veterinary training schemes around the world.

Over the past 12 months a total of 42 vets and vet nurses have volunteered their time at seven BHS Education and Welfare Clinics throughout the UK.

They have helped microchip, passport, vaccinate and castrate horses recognised by Welfare Officers as needing help.

So far 598 horses and ponies have received passports and 302 been castrated.

The Trust has seen a further ten volunteers travel across the globe, working on projects in Cambodia, the Gambia, Honduras, Kiev, Nicaragua and the Ukraine.

BEVA President Vicki Nicholls said: "We thank all of the volunteers that make our Trust such a success, with special mention to Luke Edwards from the University of Liverpool and Alice Horne from Ddole Road Veterinary Clinic who have both volunteered at four clinics. We must also remember the good work of our industrious BEVA Council members and our excellent speakers at Congress this September, who are all volunteers."

For further information on BEVA Trust volunteer projects email lara@beva.org.uk to be added to the BEVA Trust mailing list. 

Ridgeway Research Ltd has a surplus supply of short-dated Target IgG kits on special offer.

The kits are to test for passive transfer to foals via colostrum. Each kit contains 20 tests and normally costs £74. They have been reduced to £20 to clear. The use by date is end February 2010.

If you are interested, please email jo@ridgewayresearch.co.uk, or ring 01594 530809 for further information.

The countdown has begun for Vets Now's ECC congress, which begins online on the 4th November.

Vets Now says that the move to holding the 4 day congress online has resulted in a surge in interest from international delegates, with veterinary surgeons and nurses from more than 20 countries, including Kuwait, Hong Kong and Australia, due to attend.

Speakers at the event this year include Dan Fletcher, Megan Brashear and Claire Sharp.

Dan Lewis, Vets Now’s national ECC lead, said: “The interactive platform we’re using is cutting edge and it provides so much more than just webinars. There will be live content, an interactive exhibition hall and more opportunities than ever for delegates to network and learn from some of the world’s leading veterinary experts discussing emergency and critical care. 

"Our programme this year has been carefully tailored to provide an inclusive learning experience for vets and vet nurses no matter what stage they’re at in their career, from students through to specialists. 

"We’ll obviously miss seeing everyone in person, but we’re very excited that we can gather together online for a one-of-a-kind experience.” 

Full four-day tickets for delegates range in price from £60 to £175 and ticket-holders will be able to access all the sessions on-demand for up to a month following the event.

Click here to book your place at Vets Now’s ECC Congress.  Registrations close on November 1. To book your place, visit: congress.vets-now.com

Intervet/Schering-Plough has announced that the license for Leptavoid-H has been improved allowing concurrent use with Bovilis BVD.

Intervet/Schering Plough says that given both vaccines are typically administered in the busy pre-turnout period, this will ease on-farm workload and should help to ensure that all primary courses or boosters take place sufficiently in advance of the period of risk.

Each vaccine is to be given by separate routes and sites, to animals of 8 months or older. The concurrent use in cattle may result in fewer animal interventions, less stress and better welfare.

The studies, undertaken by Intervet/Schering Plough's R&D division in the UK, focussed on both the safety and efficacy aspects of the concurrent administration of Leptavoid-H with Bovilis BVD. The company says no systemic adverse events occurred, there was no effect on the outcome of pregnancy or milk yields and the efficacy in cattle was not compromised.

Leptavoid-H is licensed to reduce the shedding of Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo in urine. Leptavoid-H is the only Leptospirosis vaccine licensed to improve herd fertility when Leptospira hardjo is the cause of herd infertility, and the only vaccine proven to protect stock against both strains in the UK.

Purina has launched a FortiFlora veterinary support pack designed to help veterinary professionals advice owners about their pet's intestinal health and balance.

The support package includes a "Training Toolbox" with Lunch and Learn sessions to help guide veterinary professionals through the introduction of Fortiflora to an owner. It explains the indications, ingredients, benefits and summarises the added value in prescribing to animals with specific health issues. In addition, there are leaflets for owners explaining what probiotics are and how they can help support a pet's intestinal health on a daily basis, as well as some testimonials from owners explaining how Fortiflora has helped their pets.  Promotional bunting and posters are designed to raise awareness in the waiting room, and for a short time there is a promotional pillow pack available to allow clients easy access to a short course of FortiFlora.

In a recent survey of pet owners conducted by Purina, 66% of respondents said their dog had suffered with digestive problems and 80% said they would be willing to make a change to their dog's diet to improve their digestion.¹

Purina says that providing a supplement such as FortiFlora is also recommended as a nutritional supplement to help with diarrhoea associated with stress, antibiotic therapy, diet change and acute enteritis. The company claims it can also help with situations associated with stress such as moving house, vet visits and shows.

Chris Nickson, Senior Brand Manager at Purina said: "Intestinal upset is a very common problem for dogs as our research highlighted.  The aim of this support pack is to help vet practices initiate the conversation with owners to ensure they are aware of the benefits that a nutritional supplement like FortiFlora can offer."

FortiFlora is suitable for use in cats and dogs of all ages.  Animals should be fed one sachet of FortiFlora per day sprinkled over the pet's regular food. 

For more information or to request a FortiFlora support pack, call Purina on 0800 212 161.

Reference

1. Purina Consumer Research Survey, 2013

CVS has reported the results of a clinical improvement project it ran in 105 of its first opinion small animal practices to increase screening for hypertension in older cats.

According to the company, participating practices more than doubled the number of blood pressure checks they conducted, within 12 months. 

The CVS’ clinical improvement project initially looked at how effective its first opinion small animal practices were in screening older cats for hypertension.

In line with the veterinary industry norm, it found that less than two per cent of cats over the age of seven were receiving an annual blood pressure check.

This initial research also found that the common barriers to conducting blood pressure checks by vets and veterinary nurses in practice were due to time constraints, availability of equipment and simply remembering to discuss blood pressure checks with owners.

Each CVS site chose two people to lead the initiative at their site, to aid communication and delivery.

A document was created to help, providing background, aims, summary of resources and planning sections.

Contributory factors preventing delivery of blood pressure checks were outlined and practices were encouraged to identify additional barriers and resources needed.

A suite of resources were then produced to support the practice team - from reception to veterinary surgeons - in improving annual blood pressure check rates.

The resources included new clinical frameworks and veterinary guidelines on how to treat hypertension; in-practice educational resources to highlight the benefits of hypertension screening and information sheets and blood pressure diaries to help clients manage their pets condition.

To upskill and develop colleagues in how to identify and treat hypertension and resulting conditions, a collection of training materials was created and training sessions held.

These included a series of webinars which explained why hypertension is important to identify, how to overcome common challenges encountered when looking for hypertension in cats, how to use the ophthalmic exam to help diagnose hypertension and how to treat hypertension.

Three in-person CPD days were hosted with the support from Ceva six months into the project where feline specialists Sarah Caney and Samantha Taylor shared the latest evidence base in this field and practices were encouraged to share barriers, queries and tips, so that ideas could be taken away to make blood pressure screening a simpler process in practice.

Practices were also encouraged to organise lunch and learn CPD sessions, to share best practice and generate discussion within their team.

In addition, a website was created to host all resources in one place, including webinars, clinical frameworks, client resources, a discussion forum and data.

An audit of each participating practice’s blood pressure check data was conducted at the start of the project.

Results were then shared with each participating practice every month - including the total number of blood pressure checks performed each month and the percentage of cats over the age of seven who had an annual blood pressure check.

Twelve months after its nation-wide launch, results reveal that the number of blood pressure checks have more than doubled (110%) within participating CVS practices and an additional 5,984 blood pressure checks have been performed year on year.

A number of practices were able to implement systems that allowed them to perform over 40 blood pressures each month.

The number of cats on amlodipine (the first choice medication to treat hypertension in cats) increased by 303 patients year-on-year, hinting many more cats had been diagnosed with hypertension.

Kate Allgood, Hub Clinical Lead at CVS who was responsible for the hypertension clinical improvement project, said: “There is a huge benefit in treating hypertension.

"No one wants to see a cat suddenly become blind due to hypertension that wasn’t recognised in time.

"So many associated longer-term feline complications and conditions can be avoided if annual blood pressure checks in cats over the age of seven are routinely performed.

"Increasing blood pressure screening is not a simple task though, and this focus has allowed space and time for practices to give this topic the recognition it deserves; to identify and implement systems that make it easier to identify patients at risk, discuss with clients and perform these checks with ease.

"We have created a robust clinical structure, produced some easily accessible materials and supported our practices to make small and simple changes that add up.

"Our practices have done an outstanding job at delivering this project to date and I look forward to seeing what can be achieved in the future. We strongly believe that this work will contribute towards providing some of the best clinical care for cats in the veterinary profession.”

Six individuals have been announced as the winners of the second annual Ceva Animal Welfare Awards, honoured for their contributions to the prevention and reduction of animal welfare problems in the UK and abroad.

All winners were originally nominated by friends, colleagues or family. The judging panel consisted of panel chairman and veterinary surgeon Chris Laurence MBE, Ross Tiffin of the International Cat Care (formerly the Feline Advisory Bureau), Dennis Baker, OBE, Chief Executive at Wood Green, the Animal Charity and media vet, Joe Inglis. Marc Abraham also assisted in the Volunteer categories.

Dr. Pascal Raoul, Ceva's Head of Global Pharmaceuticals, said: "Ceva is delighted to host these Animal Welfare Awards as they help to highlight the incredible affection and care that people have for animals. With 6 billion people living in megacities in the future, companion animals will often be their major link to nature. The benefits that animals have on improving human health are well documented; in turn we all have a duty to protect them and this evening we have seen some of the best examples, from professionals, members of the public, young and old as to how that should be done."

Timothy Phillips, a Plymouth-based vet from the Elm Veterinary Group (above right), was awarded the Chris Laurence Vet of the Year Award for his 15 years of charitable work in the Greek Islands with Friends of the Strays of Greece. Tim performs surgeries and other treatments, helping to establish a re-homing system, with dogs fully vaccinated and declared healthy by the vets before being flown out of Greece.

Veterinary Nurse Scott Parry of Bridge Veterinary Surgery was awarded Welfare Nurse of the Year for his work with the RSPCA's Brent Knoll Animal Centre. Scott has spent hours of his own time raising funds and helping with the rehabilitation of a number of traumatised dogs. He also recently assisted in an RSPCA visit to a travellers' camp to vaccinate more than 50 dogs following an outbreak of Parvo Virus on the site.

Other award winners included Logan McKerron, aged 6, who was awarded Young Person of the Year for his fundraising for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People; Kim Taylor, co-founder of the charity Animal Care Egypt, was awarded the Charity Professional of the Year accolade for her work setting up a large animal hospital helping more than 26,000 animals every year; Faye Stacey of People4Ponies in Devon was awarded the UK Volunteer of the Year Award for the large part she has played in stopping ear cutting, notching and tagging of equines in the UK; Jen White has been named International Volunteer of the Year for her work with the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust.

His Majesty King Charles III has been confirmed as the Royal Patron for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the British Veterinary Association, roles previously held by his mother.

The roles were confirmed by Buckingham Palace this month as part of a recent review of royal patronages. 

RCVS President Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS said: “We are delighted that His Majesty the King is our new Royal Patron, continuing his mother’s support for the veterinary professions. 

“We know that His Majesty is a keen advocate for animal health and welfare, the environment and biodiversity, and so his interests align very much with ours in areas such as sustainability, tackling antimicrobial resistance, and in supporting veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to best meet their professional standards.

British Veterinary Association President Dr. Anna Judson said: “We’re honoured to welcome His Majesty King Charles as our Patron.

"This ongoing royal commitment recognises the vital contribution vets make to animal welfare and their critical role in society, from taking care of the nation’s pets through to ensuring animal welfare in food production, public health and international trade.

"On behalf of our members, we’d like to thank His Majesty for his commitment to BVA, our profession and the work we do.”

The RCVS and the Veterinary Schools Council (VSC) have launched a joint survey of new grads from UK vet schools to determine if and how the coronavirus pandemic has affected them.

The survey has been sent to 984 veterinary surgeons who graduated from one of the UK’s eight vet schools in 2020 to measure how the pandemic may have affected graduates’ employment prospects, clinical & non-clinical skills, and resilience in the workplace.

The survey has a deadline date of Wednesday 16 December 2020 and all responses to it will remain anonymous while helping to inform future policy on graduate support.

Dr Linda Prescott-Clements, RCVS Director of Education, said: “We know that the coronavirus pandemic has had a disruptive impact on the final stages of education for the 2020 cohort, in terms of clinical placements for extra-mural studies as well as teaching. This survey aims to gauge whether this has, in turn, had a deleterious impact on their confidence with both clinical and non-clinical skills as well as their resilience, for example, in asking for help and support from colleagues, managing their time effectively, and managing complex and stressful situations.

“Employment is another area of concern and in any typical year almost all graduate vets would find work or go on to further study after their veterinary degree had finished. Some anecdotal reports have suggested a perceived or real change to employment prospects this year and so we are hoping to gather some further data to see if there has been a discernible impact on this cohort.

“We are mindful that the pandemic is having a significant impact on all students and we are keen to understand how best we can support them moving forward. I would strongly encourage those graduates who have received the survey, which should only take around 10 minutes to complete, to take part, because the results will help the RCVS and the VSC inform future policies on how we can better support veterinary graduates in 2021 and subsequent years.”

Any graduates who have not received the survey or require further information can contact the RCVS Education Department on education@rcvs.org.uk. 

The BVA, SPVS and BVNA are calling on the Government to restrict the movement of dogs from countries with high levels of diseases like Brucella canis, which are currently not widely present in the UK, and introduce mandatory pre-import testing.

In the last four years, there has been an increase in the number of identified B. canis cases in the UK, which had previously been sporadic and isolated.

Data released by the Government shows that cases have risen from three reported before 2020 to 240 in the last three years.

Most dogs were either imported, had returned from holiday overseas, or been bred with an imported dog.

In 2022, the first UK case of dog-to-human transmission was reported, highlighting the risks to those handling and treating infected dogs and raising levels of concern within veterinary teams, although the BVA says the risk is relatively low.

The BVA, SPVS and BVNA joint policy calls on the Government to :

• Restrict the movement of dogs from countries that are endemic for diseases not currently considered endemic in the UK, after carrying out a risk assessment to determine for which countries and diseases testing should be implemented.
• Introduce testing for any relevant diseases as a mandatory requirement for dogs before travel to the UK.
• Improve border controls and increase enforcement to prevent the importation of puppies and pregnant bitches.

British Veterinary Association President Anna Judson said: “Vets are seriously concerned about the lack of adequate checks for potentially zoonotic diseases entering the country via imported dogs.

"Brucella canis is not currently considered to be widespread in the UK, so a proactive approach with an emphasis on reducing the risk of this and other worrying exotic diseases being brought into the UK is crucial.

“This is important both for the health of the UK’s dogs and the humans who care for them."

https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/our-policies/brucella-canis 

Novartis Animal Health has announced that Crovect 1.25% Pour-On solution for sheep, a broad spectrum ectoparasiticide, is now licenced for the treatment of ticks, with a persistent efficacy of ten weeks and the majority killed within three hours.

Crovect also works in the treatment and control of headflies, the treatment of biting lice, and the prevention and treatment of blowfly strike in sheep.

Crovect has a meat withhold period of eight days. Novartis says this makes Crovect the long-lasting tick treatment with the shortest meat withhold period available, which is of use to farmers taking lambs to market at this time of year.

Helen Langham, Brand Manager at Novartis Animal Health said: "Farmers now have another option available for effective and long lasting tick treatment for their flocks, and one that can be flexibly used in lambs to be marketed. This should greatly reduce the worry of tick infestation along with the associated welfare and economic problems, and we are pleased to bring this solution to the market".