“Livestock and Climate Change - A Veterinary Perspective” is an online learning course designed to give vets the confidence to make changes in their own work and the tools to support farming clients in meeting their goals.
It includes modules such as ‘Introduction to Sustainability for Veterinary Professionals’, ‘Emissions from Livestock Production’, ‘Housed Livestock Systems - Welfare, Nutrition and Emissions’, ‘Impact of Disease State on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Livestock’ and ‘Advantages and Trade-offs of Grazing Systems in Mitigating Climate Change’.
The 6-module course is expected to take up to 3 months to complete (equivalent to 15 hours of CPD) by remote learning, and participants will get a LANTRA-accredited certificate on completion.
Lewis Griffiths, Chair of VetSalus, said “The veterinary profession has always had a critical role to play in technology transfer and the development of new farming systems.
"This course will equip vets to assist their farm clients in the incredibly important work of adapting to more sustainable production.
"I believe this is one of the most important courses to be developed for farm based veterinarians in recent years.”
Rune Friis Kristensen, Managing Director of Dyrlæger & Ko, Executive Officer at VetSalus and module champion said of the course “Livestock vets play an important role in the discussion around/about sustainability.
"Whether it is discussion with farmers, colleagues, academia or future vets it is pivotal that livestock vets know what they talk about when addressing emission issues.
"We know from surveys that the key decision maker when it comes to animal health and robustness is the vet, and more robust animals are always more sustainable.
"This course will provide learners with the knowledge that without a doubt is expected of vets in 2024.”
The course is aimed at veterinary professionals and those working in vet-led businesses, and whilst there are no specific entry requirements, all students are expected to have undertaken an undergraduate degree, technical qualification as a paraprofessional, or a relevant diploma.
The course costs £495 +VAT per student (registered overseas businesses may be eligible for a VAT exclusive price).
https://learn.vetsalus.com
In the webinar, which is sponsored by Horiba, Ian will present an update on new exotic parasite infections and distribution across the UK and Europe, and what this means for pets, livestock and the people that care for them.
“New Exotic Parasites – Worming Their Way In?” is suitable for vets, nurses, students and veterinary care assistants.
https://horiba.link/4h2.
Village Vet is set to become the first veterinary group to have its clinics recognised as 'Cat Friendly' under the International Society of Feline Medicine's (ISFM) WellCat For Life programme, sponsored by Purina.
Working in partnership with Purina, each clinic is undergoing a bespoke 'moggie makeover' to help make visits as stress-free as possible for cats and their owners.
Founder of Village Vet, Brendan Robinson said: "We understand how stressful trips to the vets can be for both our feline friends and their owners. Cats account for 45% of our client base, so it is our goal to make visits to our practices as relaxed and stress-free as possible.
"The Hampstead practice, for example, is introducing a specialist cat ward situated well away from the sight and smell of dogs, with large, glass-fronted kennels that cut down noise and keep the cats hidden from each other.
"Another important change is the introduction of dedicated 'feline advocates' across each practice whose role is to 'think cat' and maintain the gold standard cat care. Front of house staff are also being trained to help owners make their cat as comfortable as possible in the waiting room, by directing them to the cat only waiting areas and offering towels to cover the baskets so cats feel safe and secure."
To help implement the changes, Purina has funded and organised practice visits with feline specialist Andrea Harvey. During her time with Village Vet, Andrea visited each practice to help train the 'feline advocates' and run workshops with vet nurses and front of house staff.
Rea Johnston from the Maida Vale Village Vet has been appointed as a 'feline advocate'. She said: "Here at Village Vet, we have always understood the importance of catering to cats' specific needs. But Andrea really helped inspire the team to think of practical changes that could make a real difference to our clients and their pets. Our support staff now have much greater confidence and it's making a big difference to our clients."
Claire Bessant, CEO at ISFM said: "As territorial animals, cats can become stressed as soon as they leave their home, so by the time they get to the vet practice they can be extremely anxious. This stress can manifest itself physically, which in extreme cases can affect diagnosis of certain conditions.
The Cat Friendly Clinic self-assessment scheme is open to any veterinary clinic that deals with cat patients. It lays out numerous requirements regarding the design, equipment and facilities within the clinic. Importantly, it also covers the quality of care provided to cats, the level of understanding of cats and their needs in the clinic, and interaction between the clinic and cat owners.
Reaching a gold or silver standard allows practices to display the Cat Friendly Clinic logo. For more information, visit: www.wellcat.org.
It is hoped that the treatment centre, which will use radio-iodine therapy to treat the condition, will be completed within three months at its base near Winchester.
The new centre will be one of only 11 in the UK and the aim is to reduce the waiting time for cats with hyperthyroidism to receive treatment.
Davina Anderson, European and RCVS Recognised Vet Specialist at Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, said: "We’re delighted to be able to get the go-ahead to build this facility and will start construction work imminently.
"Radio-iodine therapy is the gold standard of treatment for hyperthyroidism in cats, far exceeding the results seen with surgery or oral medication.
"We intend to offer a service tailor-made to each individual cat and their family, with their clinical history and circumstances screened before they travel to us. This is to ensure that treatment with radio-iodine therapy is the correct therapeutic decision.
"The ten other centres in the UK providing this treatment are spread few and far between, and we hope that opening this facility will help to reduce waiting lists for cats awaiting treatment, particularly across southern England."
The centre at Anderson Moores will be run and managed by Boarded Specialists in Internal Medicine, supported by Boarded Cardiologists and qualified nurses.
It will also have the capacity to address other clinical concerns, if necessary. Davina said: "Cats that are presented with hyperthyroidism are older, more fragile and potentially have other concurrent conditions. It’s very rare for a cat under seven years of age to develop hyperthyroidism.
"The treatment of cats with hyperthyroidism involves a single injection of radioactive iodine, followed by isolation in a radiation-proof facility for two weeks.
"Cats usually respond extremely well to treatment, and if the condition is recognised early and treated appropriately, then the outlook for the affected cat is generally very good."
Graham, 72, who worked at Westover Veterinary Centre in Norfolk for 40 years, set off on his bike from his home in Crostwick last week. He aims to complete the journey in two years, following a route that will take him through Western Europe and into Greece before flying to Ethiopia and cycling through Kenya, where he spent eight years as a government veterinary officer in his early career. He will then follow the Indian Ocean down the African continent's east coast to Cape Town.
Graham said: "I’m no stranger to life on the road – my first job on qualifying was as a field vet in Kenya which I did for eight years. This will be a real adventure though as I am definitely not an accomplished cyclist, however I look forward to the challenge and to raising money for AWF. The route may change slightly as the trip goes along, but that’s down more to government travel advice than my decision - for example, although not currently on my route, I would still like to cycle through Egypt to give a lecture or two, however we’ll need to see what’s possible."
Graham cycled via London to join the annual AWF Discussion Forum in Westminster, attended by other vets, parliamentarians and key stakeholders from the sector, before continuing his cycle to the English south coast with TV vet Emma Milne. Along the way Graham will also be working with equine charitable organisations including the Brooke, SPANA and World Horse Welfare, giving equine welfare and dentistry talks, as well as occasionally returning to the UK to lecture and attend AWF Trustee meetings.
If you would like to sponsor Graham and donate to AWF, or simply find out more about his trip through his regular blog posts, visit vetduncdares.wordpress.com.
Dr Mark Johnston, CEO of Vetstream said: “The usage data of Vetlexicon has continually shown us how important the client factsheets are to practices helping clients understand the health and welfare of their animals.
"Whilst most of our subscribers are accepting of the Vetlexicon content in English, the preferred language of many pet owners is not necessarily English, and we wanted to help practices with that.
"So a major new dimension to the new Vetlexicon website is to enable the content to be made available in many European and Asian languages so that when you are viewing a client factsheet, you can instantly see that content in Spanish, French or Korean and then print it out on paper and give to the owners for them to share with friends or family on their return to home; or to print it as a PDF and email it to them.
"Practices have told us that this will be so useful for the relationship with their clients, and so it is great to be able to provide that now.”
The company says it has also improved the interface and functionality of the site and made it mobile phone friendly.
www.vetlexicon.com
With dysentery apparently at its highest level for many years, Pfizer Animal Health has launched a new campaign to help increase awareness of the benefits of selecting the best prevention and treatment options.
Nigel Lodge MRCVS, Pfizer technical manager said: "The increase in dysentery can be attributed to a combination of factors including more frequent movement of weaners and a reduction in the level of feed medication resulting from the increasing use of more vaccines against other disease.
"With the early onset of winter, we know that dysentery will survive outside the pig for up to seven weeks in cold moist conditions and other pathogens for considerably longer."
The campaign is headed by a new guide, 'Enteric Disease Management', which looks at prevention and treatment of the problem, one of the most costly to the producer. Dysentery alone is estimated to cost more than £10 / pig finished considering higher mortality, increased feed costs and non-marketable animals.
The guide says that according to the housing system some of the pathogens have extremely long survival times - three months for E coli, nine months for salmonella and one year for coronavirus (transmissible gastroenteritis). It provides advice on limiting infection and reducing stress on the pigs.
Mr Lodge says that the incidence of dysentery fluctuates in different areas of the country with varying antibiotic sensitivity. Hence, a sensitivity test is essential when deciding on a particular medication.
With enteric diseases in general, there are a wide range of causes - including bacteria, viruses, parasites, management or nutrition. Mr Lodge said: "The causal agent can sometimes be diagnosed from clinical signs, such as dysentery, but generally post mortem and laboratory diagnosis is required.
"There are various antibiotic products which can be used but all should only be used after management issues such as bio security, pen management and rodent control have been addressed.
"Some products are specific in their activity, such as Lincocin Premix and swine dysentery. Others have a broad spectrum of activity and should be used where mixed infections are diagnosed. Linco-Spectin Premix, for instance, is active against E coli, Salmonella, ileitis, swine dysentery and other enteric bacteria."
Copies of the new publication - including a competition to win two prizes of one tonne of pig feed - are available from Pfizer Animal Health via Scott Wheway Tel: 01737 330941 or scott.a.wheway@pfizer.com
Maverick Television is looking for three veterinary surgeons and two veterinary nurses to front a new Channel 4 television show.
Maverick, makers of Embarrassing Bodies and Bizarre Animal ER, says the new show will be about embarrassing animal behaviours and their bizarre or weird medical conditions.
For further information, contact Laura Wolf on 0121 771 1812, or email her your CV and a recent photograph: l.woolf@mavericktv.co.uk.
Ceva Animal Health has announced that it will be bolstering its spring Feliway TV advertising campaign with a campaign across the London Underground to help extend its reach to light TV viewers.
The campaign will once again feature the brand's 'That Purple Cat' character. Highlighting stress-related feline behaviour problems and encouraging cat owners to talk to their vet about Feliway, the advertisement will appear on channels such as ITV2, E4, More4 and Channel 4 (London only) from 14 February until 27 March.
The campaign will also be running on 50 high impact TV screens on the London Underground from 28 February until 13 March and 18 April until 1 May. So, according to the company, the ad will not only reach over 1.2 million people who commute and use the Underground every day, but will also be seen by millions on one of the busiest days of the year on the Underground, the Royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
Julia Wood, product manager at Ceva Animal Health, said: "By extending our advertising campaign across the London Underground we are complimenting our TV campaign and targeting commuters with busy lifestyles - who spend little time watching TV - during a unique point in their day."
To support the campaign, Ceva is offering veterinary practices free merchandising material including client leaflets, double sided A3 posters and A5 window stickers. A range of offers are also available for free mini merchandisers and digital photo frames in return for purchasing product. In addition, Ceva is running a prize draw for £250 worth of Champneys Spa vouchers for that 'purrfect' pampering session.
For more information, please contact your Ceva account manager or call 01494 781510.
The UK-Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance (UK-VARSS) annual report shows that while sales of antibiotics increased slightly by 1.5 mg/kg to 31.0 mg/kg in comparison to the previous year, this was offset by a reduction in use of the more potent critical antibiotics.
UK veterinary antibiotic use in 2019 was the second lowest since the start of regular reporting, and the UK has one of the lowest levels in Europe.
Between 2018 and 2019 there was a 21% drop in of use of Highest Priority Critically Important Antibiotics (HP-CIAs) in food-producing animals, which account for 0.5% of total antibiotic sales. The UK has also seen an overall reduction in the level of resistance in E. coli from healthy pigs at slaughter since 2015 and resistance to HP-CIAs in E. coli is at very low levels.
Peter Borriello, Chief Executive Veterinary Medicines Directorate said: "In the last five years we have worked closely with the farming industry and veterinary profession to achieve huge reductions in use of antibiotics in animals.
"This demonstrates how farmers and vets have been working together to use antibiotics responsibly while safeguarding the health and welfare of our livestock.
"The UK Government will continue to work with industry to focus on infection control, reducing the need to use antibiotics to treat disease and maintain the UK’s world leading standards in animal welfare."
Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: "I am delighted that the UK continues to lead the way as one of the lowest users of antibiotics in livestock across Europe.
"These findings are testament to the hard work of the UK’s farmers and vets to use antibiotics responsibly in order to tackle antibiotic resistance and protect our most critically important antibiotics in human health, while also reducing the burden of disease in animals."
Mr Seymour-Hamilton made previous unsuccessful applications for restoration in 1995, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Mr Seymour-Hamilton was originally removed from the Register in 1994 following an inspection of his veterinary practice premises in Orpington, Kent, that found that the condition of the practice, including the equipment and facilities, were of such a risk to animal health and welfare that it brought the profession into disrepute.
In considering his current application, the Committee had to take several factors into account, including: whether Mr Seymour-Hamilton had accepted the findings of his original hearing; whether he demonstrated insight into his past conduct; protection of the public and the public interest; the future welfare of animals committed to his care should he be restored; length of time off the Register; his conduct since removal; and evidence that he’d kept up-to-date in terms of the knowledge and skills required of a practising veterinary surgeon.
Mr Seymour-Hamilton accepted the facts of the original charges but did not accept the conclusions of the two veterinary surgeons who inspected his practice, who, he claimed, had falsely accused him.
As a result, the Committee concluded that Mr Seymour-Hamilton did not accept the seriousness of the original findings against him, nor had he demonstrated any insight into either the original charges, nor what was required of him to enable a successful application for restoration.
Judith Webb, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee is driven to the conclusion that the applicant has displayed total disregard for rules and regulations. In his evidence he stated that he is professionally competent to spay a cat and he had done so in Calais. This was in recent years and whilst struck off by the RCVS, and after more than 25 years out of the profession. He was unable to see that he had done anything wrong in this.”
As to protection of the public and the future welfare of animals committed to his care, the Committee found that Mr Seymour-Hamilton continued to display a lack of understanding of the role and purpose of regulation. He had shown no insight into previous decisions or of what was required of him to enable a successful restoration, despite being given advice in that regard. He presented no compelling evidence to indicate that he would be safe to practise veterinary surgery were he to be restored to the Register.
Regarding Mr Seymour-Hamilton’s conduct since removal from the Register, the Committee found he did not demonstrate sufficient relevant conduct in relation to his fitness to practise. The Committee noted that, on previous occasions, he had indicated he had illegally practised veterinary surgery and admitted using his own animals to experimentally administer new and untested remedies.
The Committee found that, in relation to the 27 years since removal from the Register, Mr Seymour-Hamilton had not undertaken the prolonged, intensive and formal retraining needed to ensure he was now fit to practise. It also found that, since the last restoration hearing in 2020, Mr Seymour-Hamilton had undertaken very little continuing professional development, maintaining that he was too busy with his work relating to herbal remedies to attend formal veterinary training.
Judith Webb added: “He claimed that he does not find it difficult to keep up-to-date, because he is able to perform online searches if he is in need of information. He thinks that he is competent to operate even after 27 years out of the profession, and maintains that he could operate now. In the view of the Committee, the applicant is totally unaware of current veterinary principles such as it being an evidence-based profession, use of clinical audit and reflective learning. He does not appear to have accepted the purpose of the regulator in protecting public interest, including maintaining public confidence in the profession, nor its role in upholding professional standards and promoting animal welfare.
The Committee considers that where some 27 years have passed since the applicant has practised, there will inevitably be a serious risk to the welfare of animals if he is restored to the Register. In addition, the Committee is firmly of the opinion that it would not be in the public interest for the application for restoration to the RCVS Register to be granted in this case.”
The full documentation from the restoration hearing can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
CEVA Animal Health has produced Understanding sacroiliac disease, a leaflet to help horse owners understand the cause, diagnosis and management of sacroiliac disease.
CEVA says sacroiliac disease can be a particular challenge because although it can occur in isolation it often occurs in addition to other sources of hindlimb lameness. Acute sacroiliac injury is usually a result of trauma, such as a fall, which may cause pelvic rotation or fracture, resulting in hindlimb lameness and sensitivity to palpation of the tubera sacrale soon after injury. With chronic sacroiliac disease there is usually no history of trauma, rather a prolonged history of poor performance.
Understanding sacroiliac disease explains the anatomy of the sacroiliac joint, the clinical signs of the disease, how it is diagnosed, the treatment options and the general prognosis. The leaflet is available to equine vet practices as a useful information source for clients. You can order free copies from your CEVA sales representative.
BCF Technology has launched a new bovine reproduction clinical booklet which can now be ordered free from the company.
BCF says the booklet has been specifically designed as a reference guide for the reproductive tract of the cow, providing key clinical commentary and scanning images to show various stages of the fertility and reproductive processes.
The booklet was written by Kimberly Palgrave, BS BVM&S RCVS, BCF's in-house vet, and aims to help the user understand the value in using ultrasound for heard fertility management.
The company says the booklet provides essential information which will be useful to its Easi-Scan and Duo-Scan customers. The correct evaluation of the bovine reproductive tract is an essential aspect of both beef and dairy herd management and this 16 page booklet could help the user either to decide or reaffirm its interpretation.
Kimberly said: "This booklet really demonstrates BCFs commitment to learning and hopefully it will provide a quick reference guide to be used on the farm. It's ideal for students and those new to using ultrasound for cattle reproduction."
To order your free copy, visit the BCF website http://www.bcftechnology.com/, telephone +44 (0)1506 460023 or email info@bcftechnology.com.
BCF Technology has launched the Cuattro Small Animal DR, a digital radiography system which it describes as 'revolutionary for the small animal veterinary practice'.
BCF says the system transforms small animal practices' imaging function, producing diagnostic X-ray images in 5 seconds.
Craig Hoines from BCF said: "The Cuattro Small Animal DR is a smart investment for any practice looking to grow and expand. Investing in your imaging function is a perfect way to do this. The Small Animal DR will allow you to cut X-ray study time significantly, improve in-practice workflows and speed up patient care without increasing costs. The team at BCF can show you how."
According to the company. the Small Animal DR can be practical investment for any size of small animal practice.
For more information, visit www.bcftechnology.com or call +44(0)1506 460 023 to arrange a demonstration.
In their report, RCVS assessors highlighted the calm and professional environment at Lumbry Park, which they said, taken together with the enthusiasm of the team provided a very positive overall feel. Its provision of separate dog and cat patient visiting rooms was also singled out as a good use of space and support for clients, especially with the potential for long stay cases.
Lumbry Park Hospital Director Ray Girotti said: "We wanted to participate in the Practice Standards Scheme to benchmark the service we offer to our patients and their owners against the best veterinary hospitals in the country. The whole team has worked together to get us to this stage and we are delighted that our efforts have been recognised by the RCVS with the award of Hospital status."
She said: “My theme will be focussed on recruitment and particularly widening participation, as one of the three themes of the RCVS Workforce Action Plan.
"I want to get out during my presidential year and talk to school children and teachers, especially head teachers at their conferences, to make them aware of the opportunities that are available to a veterinary science graduate.
“I want to continue to work with the Veterinary Schools Council’s Widening Participation Vet Schools Network to make school children from all backgrounds aware, whether they are from a large, single-sex private school, or a mixed-faith inner-city comprehensive, that veterinary science is accessible to them.
“A veterinary science degree equips graduates with the appropriate skillset to follow a myriad of different career paths.
"For example, in clinical practice caring for people’s beloved pets or working with farmers to produce high-welfare food in an economical and sustainable way. Not to mention groundbreaking research into human and animal diseases, public health to help safeguard food security, the pharmaceutical industry to develop new and innovative treatments, and the armed forces to maintain the health and welfare of military working animals. I could go on.
“As professions, and this means not just veterinary surgeons but veterinary nurses, we need to get out there and sell ourselves to the wider public.
"We have made a start, but we need to become more inclusive and diverse.
"We need to do some myth-busting about the real requirements needed to be a vet or vet nurse.
"There is no doubt you do need to have good A levels to study veterinary medicine, but, beyond that, bright students from any background can join our professions.
"You can be a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse if you are black or white; Muslim or Christian; and from any socioeconomic background.”
Sue's speech is available to read in full at www.rcvs.org.uk/features.
Bluevac-3 is an inactivated injectable vaccine indicated for the active immunisation against BTV-3 for use in sheep and cattle.
Ceva says it reduces viraemia, prevents mortality and reduces the clinical signs of BTV-3 in sheep and reduces viraemia in cattle.
In sheep, Bluevac-3 can be administered from two months of age and two doses of 2ml should be administered subcutaneously three weeks apart.
In cattle, the vaccine can be administered from two months of age and two doses of 4ml should be administered three weeks apart.
Onset of immunity occurs 21 days/three weeks after completion of primary vaccination in cattle and sheep.
The vaccine can be used in pregnancy in cows and ewes.
No negative impact on milk-yield after using the vaccine in lactating ewes and cows is expected.
Ceva developed the new vaccine in partnership with vaccine manufacturer CZV Vaccines and launched it in Europe early in the summer, to mitigate the impact of the disease already experienced in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Craig Wright, ruminant business unit director at Ceva Animal Health, said: “In co-operation with our partner, CZV Vaccines, we have worked tirelessly to bring Bluevac-3 to the UK to help fight bluetongue which has the potential to cause severe financial loss to farmers.
"The availability of an effective vaccine is an essential tool to help suppress future outbreaks by reducing viraemia, preventing mortality and reducing the clinical signs of BTV-3.”
Licences to allow the use of the new vaccine will either be geographically targeted general licences, initially in high risk counties as part of a phased approach, or specific licences which can be applied for through APHA.
General licencing will be subject to risk assessment.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-product-characteristics-for-bluevac-3-btv-3-vaccine-in-the-uk.
The RCVS Charitable Trust, has announced a complete rebranding that includes a change of name - RCVS Knowledge - and the refocus of its mission on supporting the flourishing evidence based veterinary medicine (EBVM) movement across the globe.
For the past 50 years, the charity has been known as a small funder of veterinary research and the home of the only freely-accessible library for the practising veterinary community in the UK.
Nick Royle, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge said: "RCVS Knowledge is a name that encompasses our three core offerings: historical knowledge represented by our valuable Historical Collection, present knowledge, represented by our library, and future knowledge, represented by the new evidence based veterinary medicine project, which is underpinned by our grants programme."
The RCVS Knowledge re-launch goes further than a mere name change, and comes as the charity refocuses its efforts to become a global intermediary for EBVM, a direction reached following a period of consultation, and on the back of a successful symposium on the subject held at the end of 2012.
Nick, a former CEO of the human evidence based medicine resource, The Cochrane Collaboration, said: "Today, veterinary surgeons and nurses are required to take account of an ever-increasing pool of scientific data, the owners' values and preferences, and their own clinical expertise when making clinical decisions. RCVS Knowledge is ideally placed to generate, collate and distribute this information to support evidence based practices. We aim to develop tools to assist practitioners to quickly make well-informed treatment decisions."
As part of the new direction, the Historical Collection will be made accessible and available online, following a start-up grant from the Wellcome Trust. Clare Boulton, Head of Library and Information Services, said: "The Collection contains priceless and fascinating material, covering topics such as early horse-care and management, veterinary expeditions of discovery through Africa, and research that made the British Cavalry horses of 1914 the finest in the world. But this is just the beginning. If you have relevant experience or some funds that could help us, please get in touch."
Meanwhile, RCVS Knowledge's Library and Information Service will be re-designed to make it much more than shelves of journals, but rather a resource with the capacity to steer first-rate care and innovation, and an information engine capable of driving evidence based veterinary medicine at a global level.
The Grants and Awards program, for which the former RCVS Charitable Trust has been known, will be redesigned to celebrate professional excellence, and to address gaps in veterinary knowledge. Nick said: "We are aware of the responsibilities that veterinary surgeons and nurses face every day and feel we are in a position to support their decision making. We would like to urge every veterinary professional with an interest in EBVM, a curiosity about the history of their profession or a need to access up-to-date research to get in touch, so that we can keep you up to date with developments."
Mike Martin, an RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology, has launched a new reference library of cardiology echo scans on VetSurgeon.org.
The movies show cardiac scans performed on normal dogs, and on cats and dogs with a variety of different conditions, both acquired and congenital.
Mike said: "I hope these movies will be a really helpful reference for colleagues who have an interest in cardiology. They provide so much more information than can be gleaned from a still image in a textbook, now that online video quality has improved so much."
Mike's gallery is an excellent example of the way in which a social networking website like VetSurgeon allows its members to share information and collaborate. Other referral practitioners interested in having their own gallery in which to share videos or images with colleagues in the profession should contact the site editor, Arlo Guthrie for further details.
Click here to visit Mike Martin's Cardiology Gallery
Robert Newcombe, Senior Veterinary Surgeon at the PDSA Plymouth PetAid Hospital, has won a £50 Marks and Spencer gift card after completing a survey sent to VetSurgeon members on behalf of Swann-Morton.
57% of 283 survey respondents said that they had always used Swann-Morton, with quality and reliability ranking highly amongst the reasons (83%). The survey showed a low awareness of the Swann-Morton website at www.swann-morton.com and the fact that there is a dedicated veterinary section. The site also has an extensive product section and an interactive training section with streaming videos and downloadable PDF copies of the product literature.
In addition, the survey found that 40% of veterinary surgeons feel that the number of surgical procedures being performed overall has increased over the last 3 years.
For further information on the full range of Swann-Morton products please contact Chris Taylor at Swann-Morton, telephone: 0114 234 4231 or email: christaylor@swann-morton.com
The redesign includes an overhaul of the layout, structure and navigation of all the College’s websites: Professionals, Animal Owners, Find a Vet and RCVS Knowledge.
Some of the main changes are:
Ian Holloway, Head of Communications, said: "We’re delighted to be launching our new-look site today and hope all the improvements we’ve incorporated will make using the site a much better experience for veterinary professionals and animal owners alike.
"Working closely with our website provider, NetXtra, over the past nine months, we’ve been able to develop a new-look site with vastly improved design, structure and navigation, whilst avoiding the major expense of building a completely new website from scratch.
"We’re very grateful to them, and to all those vets, vet nurses and members of the public who have helped us with user-testing and content mapping to improve the site as much as possible for everyone who uses it."
Anyone with any comments or feedback about the new-look site is invited to send it to communications@rcvs.org.uk.
Vets Now has won the 'Social Entrepreneur of the Year' award in the Scottish Business Awards for Pet Blood Bank UK.
The charity was initiated by a Vets Now employee, Wendy Barnett, following a change in legislation which created the opportunity to establish a pet equivalent of the human national blood transfusion service. After a trial through Vets Now, Pet Blood Bank UK was set up in 2007 as an independent charity, with a loan and ongoing fundraising support from Vets Now.
Pet Blood Bank UK collects blood from donor dogs, processes it and supplies it to the veterinary profession to use in cases such as traumatic injuries or where major surgery is required. Last year 164 specially organised dog donor sessions were held where owners are encouraged to bring along their dog to 'donate a pint'. Each donation has the potential to save up to four lives. Nearly 9,000 units of blood have been collected in the past five years.
The charity, which has an education and animal welfare remit, charges veterinary practices just the costs incurred in collecting, processing and storing the blood. As well as providing blood, the Pet Blood Bank UK team are experts in transfusion medicine and receive numerous calls through their advice service. Regular lectures, educational talks to the profession and guidance is given to enquiries from all over the world on how to set up a blood bank.
Wendy Barnett, who is now Head of Clinical and Professional Services at Pet Blood Bank UK, said: "At the heart of our charity is a real desire to ensure that should a dog need blood there is a supply available and I'm delighted that our work, and the support of our many doggy donors and their owners, has been recognised through this award.
"Literally thousands of dog lives have been saved as a result of the service and this has been a real collective effort with Vet Supervisor Jenny Walton and the team here contributing to our success. However, we can't rest on our laurels. Demand from vets has been such that we've had to increase our donor sessions considerably. Like humans, there is a less common dog blood type and we desperately need dogs with negative blood type - such as Greyhounds, Weimaraners, Flat Coat Retrievers, Airedales, Boxers, Dobermans and German Shepherd Dogs to donate at our sessions."
Richard Dixon, founder of Vets Now, said: "Wendy was instrumental in setting up the charity and through her vision and leadership donation sessions have grown from one to three a week, with a 38% increase in donations year on year. We are proud of what Wendy has achieved and the role that the charity now plays in providing much needed blood and guidance to veterinary practices the length and breadth of the UK."
Virbac has announced that Canine Prostate Awareness Month, its initiative to highlight the prevalence of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), will be running again in November, and is urging practices to join in.
The initiative is timed to coincide with Movember, the fundraising initiative for male prostate disease and testicular cancer. Virbac says it hopes CPAM will remind owners that men are not the only ones to suffer from prostate disorders. Indeed, more than 80% of entire male dogs over the age of five are thought to suffer from BPH1.
As part of CPAM, Virbac is providing participating practices with promotional materials including owner educational and display materials, a template press release for local media, and free branded slip leads to pass on to owners who have had their dog checked.
Chris Geddes MRCVS, Senior Product Manager, said: "CPAM is a well-supported initiative and, running it at a time when the media spotlight is already on the dangers of prostate cancer in men, means we can spread the message that owners should also be monitoring older dogs for signs of prostate disease."
Virbac has introduced Odelis CPSE, the first ELISA test to screen for, diagnose and monitor BPH. It is available from three UK diagnostic laboratories. According to the company it is a cost-effective, precise and reliable alternative to rectal palpation. It also offers Ypozane, a tablet treatment for BPH, which takes effect within a week and lasts for six months.
Chris added: "The problem with BPH is that the majority of dogs suffer in silence. It is a painful condition that goes unnoticed until it reaches an advanced stage, where the owner notices blood in the urine or painful urination.
"We're providing practices with all the materials they need to promote the campaign in their locality and hope that those getting involved will find it effective in terms of bringing clients into the practice for advice on BPH. We've also organised coverage in national dog magazines to drive clients to practices."
Practices that diagnose a dog with BPH during CPAM are asked to contact Virbac with details as it plans to collate a series of case studies from the initiative. Love2Shop vouchers to the value of £50 will be provided for the five most pertinent case studies submitted by the end of 2013.
For further information on CPAM, email cpam@virbac.co.uk, contact your Virbac Territory Manager or call the company direct on 01359 243243.
Reference
James Beaumont, Product Manager at Animalcare, said: “Microchipping is an essential but simple way to safeguard the welfare of the UK’s horses. Animalcare was the first company to offer a microchipping service with its identichip microchips, so we know from first-hand experience that microchipping is the most important step owners can take to ensure that lost, abandoned or stolen animals are quickly identified.
“Ensuring the welfare of their patients is a guiding principle for equine vets and we know that they are working very hard to remind owners of the need to ensure that their animals are microchipped and to then keep their contact details up to date. We hope that they will find our social media toolkit useful and that, between us, we can ensure that as many horses as possible are microchipped in time for the new law coming into force.”
To request your social media toolkit, contact your Animalcare Territory Manager or ring 01904 487687.
New research, conducted by the WALTHAM-initiated Laminitis Consortium, has raised questions over the assumption that soaking hay will make it safe to feed to laminitis-prone horses and ponies1.
The Laminitis Consortium comprises world-leading equine veterinary, nutrition and research experts interested in collaborating on the important topic of laminitis. It includes the authors of this work: Dr Pat Harris of the WALTHAM® Equine Studies Group, Clare Barfoot of Mars Horsecare UK Ltd and Dr Annette Longland of Equine Livestock and Nutrition Services (ELNS).
Over-consumption of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) has been associated with the onset of laminitis. It has been recommended that hay with a non-structural carbohydrate (WSC and starch) content of less than 10% should be fed to obese animals as well as those at risk of laminitis2 and that hay should be soaked in water before being fed in order to reduce the WSC3,4,5. The study, which was completed earlier this year, examined the loss of water-soluble carbohydrates from nine different hays submerged in water for up to 16 hours. It was presented to the biannual Equine Science Symposium in America in May 2009.
Previous studies have shown that the prolonged soaking of chopped hay in large volumes of water can result in the leaching of nutrients, including soluble carbohydrates. However, because common practice in the UK tends to involve long-stemmed hay, soaked in relatively small volumes of water over varying timescales, the Laminitis Consortium's study aimed to replicate such a practice6.
The nine different hay samples were analysed for WSC and then soaked in cold water. The soaked samples were subsequently analysed at four intervals of 20 minutes, 40 minutes, three hours and 16 hours.
Clare Barfoot said: "The results showed a highly variable leaching of WSC and substantially less leaching than reported previously for chopped hay soaked for 30 minutes.3
"Very few samples reached below 10% WSC, despite prolonged soaking. The concern is that this strongly suggests that soaking may not be sufficient to render some hays safe to feed to horses and ponies prone to laminitis.
"Our current advice is that ideally you should analyse your hay before feeding it to an animal at high risk of laminitis and choose hay with the lowest WSC content you can find. Soaking hay provides an additional safeguard but should not be relied upon."
The study also highlights that if hay is soaked for extended periods, it may not meet the nutritional requirements of the animal because substantial amounts of other nutrients, protein, vitamins and minerals will also be lost 5. In such cases it is even more important that the horse or pony should receive a balanced supplementary feed.
The Laminitis Consortium is continuing its work in this area and hopes to be able to identify practices that will be of greater benefit to the horse owner faced with hay of unknown WSC content.
1Longland AC Barfoot C & Harris PA (2009) The loss of water- soluble carbohydrate and soluble protein from nine different hays soaked in water for up to 16 hours. J. Equine Vet Science 29 (5 ) p 383 - 384, 2 Frank N Equine Metabolic Syndrome J Equine Vet Sci 29 (5) p 259 - 267, 3Cottrell, E., Watts, K., Duarte, S. and Ralston, S. (2005). Equine Science Symposium, 2005, 4Kenny, D. (2007). Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science. 5Warr EM, Petch JL. Equine Vet Educ 1993;5:169-171, 6Longland, A.C. (2009) In preparation.