Husky, a rather aptly named refrigeration company, has announced it is to launch a veterinary vaccine fridge.

According to the company, the new fridge is a specially adapted version of its SS1 model, one of the most popular refridgerators for caterers because of its performance, reliability and durability. 

The new unit is designed to ensure the safe storage of a wide range of vaccines at 2º - 8º degrees Celsius. The unit also incorporates an audible door open alarm, failed temperature alarm, and a fail-safe secondary back-up digital display thermometer as an added safeguard.

The vaccine refrigerator door includes security lock as standard, and the refrigerant used in manufacture is R600, a highly efficient hydrocarbon refrigerant coolant - CFC-free and a natural non-greenhouse gas. 

Geoff Thomasson, Chief Executive of the Husky team of companies said: "The SS1 has long been a winner with the hospitality trade and we believe we will enjoy similar success with this medical version. The potential market is enormous."

For more information, ring 01455 555340 or email: info@husky-global.com

Locum vets Cristiana and Marco Tudini have had the holiday of a lifetime after winning a competition run by the recruitment consultants, Recruit4vets.

The couple, who came to the UK in 2006, were amongst 1000 people who entered the draw last year, when Cristiana was working for Companion Care in Folkestone.

Kelly Worrall from Recruit4vets said: "Our team called Cristiana on a typical day in the practice to deliver the news. She was obviously thrilled to get the call. Not only did we help find Cristiana her dream job, we sent her on a dream holiday too!"

Cristiana said: "My husband and I went to New York at the beginning of December. New York was full of festivities and was magical to go around Christmas time, we even visited Rockefeller Centre and watched the lights and singers. My husband and I are vegan, so we were delighted to find NYC filled with vegan restaurants and fast food outlets, we didn’t stop eating the whole trip! 

"New York City was absolutely amazing, this really was a dream come true!"

Fort Dodge (makers of Equest equine worming brands, and Deosect), is launching a new Equine Parasites Reference Manual.

The manual, which is supported by AHDA, AMTRA and BEVA, is billed as 'an objective and comprehensive reference guide covering endoparasites and ectoparasites and their control, as well as offering prescribing tips, a glossary of terms and reference sources'.

Fort Dodge has produced the manual to provide an ‘all in one’ guide to support veterinary professionals and Suitably Qualified People (SQPs) involved in prescribing equine parasite treatments. It brings together, in an A5 spiral bound booklet, all the information they may need on the full range of licensed veterinary medicines to control equine parasites of concern in the UK. It will be launched at BETA (17-19 February at the NEC).

For further information about the manual (or to get a copy), please contact Fort Dodge on 01489 781711.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Improve International has announced a two-day Masterclass in Feline Endoscopy with Dr Elise Robertson BS BVetMed MACVSc (Feline) DipABVP (Feline) FHEA FRSB MRCVS ABVS at its wet-lab practical training facility in Sheffield.

Limited to 12 delegates, the masterclass will cover flexible and rigid endoscopy and offer delegates the opportunity to practice techniques under the guidance of Dr Robertson.

The learning objectives include:

• The ‘driving skills’ needed for flexible endoscopy, in vivo, to limit the risk of iatrogenic damage to the patient and equipment

• Techniques for obtaining endoscopic biopsies and endoscopic foreign body removal

• Proficiency in J-manoeuvre, pyloric and ileocolic sphincter intubation in the cat

• Approaches to respiratory endoscopy

• The assembly of the endoscopy chain (both flexible and rigid endoscopy)

• The performance of infraorbital nerve blocks.

Improve's Veterinary Operations Manager, Juliet Pope BVSc Cert SAS MRCVS, said: "Virtually every feline medicine case has the potential to be an endoscopy case and, without it, colleagues can hit a ‘diagnostic roadblock’ in which they find themselves simply repeating diagnostic tests; resorting to polypharmacy in an attempt to ‘treat the treatable’ or referring the patient.

"An understanding of endoscopy and the confidence to perform it can help to overcome this roadblock and reach a diagnosis and definitive treatment plan quickly. This is good for practice performance and it’s also good for patients as it ensures a quicker recovery, with reduced pain and fewer complications."

For more information, visit: https://www.improveinternational.com/uk/coursedate/masterclass-in-feline-endoscopy, or contact Improve International on 01793 759159.

Specialists at the RVC appear to have saved Christmas after successfully treating Snowflake, one of twenty reindeer owned by a Mr S. Claus* of Rutland, for a neoplastic lesion of the third eyelid. 

Snowflake previously had a squamous cell carcinoma mass on the right lower eyelid, which was completely removed in 2018.

However, her owner noticed an abnormal growth in the left eye, and brought her back to the RVC.

On presentation, Snowflake was bright and in good body condition, weighing 71kg.

Both eyes were open and appeared comfortable and visual.

Ocular reflexes and responses were also present as expected and there was no evidence of recurrence of the squamous cell carcinoma on the lower right eyelid.

Snowflake was, however, diagnosed with mild cataracts in her right eye deemed unlikely to interfere with her vision.

In addition, the mass of her left third eyelid was nonpigmented and displayed a poorly defined mass-like lesion, with an irregular surface on the leading edge, appearing consistent with a squamous cell carcinoma.

The team, led by Dr Maria-Christine Fischer, Lecturer in Ophthalmology, Dr Sara Lawrence-Mills, Senior Clinical Training Fellow in Anaesthesia, and Dr Carolina Palacios Jimenez, Lecturer in Anaesthesia, decided to undertake surgery.

They removed the third eyelid under sedation and applied local anaesthetic blocks and topical tetracaine eye drops.

Cryotherapy was then applied to the wound edge as an adjunctive therapy.

The RVC says that to date, there are few publications detailing anaesthesia in reindeer and so this protocol was a novel approach to maintaining a safe level of sedation in a well-domesticated animal.

The College added that the use of these nerve blocks to facilitate ophthalmic surgery has not been reported before and is in the process of being published.

Snowflake’s third eyelid was submitted for histopathology, which confirmed the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma, which the team at the RVC was able to remove completely.

During the process, Snowflake’s daughter was with her so they both remained calm, and she has now made a full recovery and has enjoyed being reunited with her herd.

Maria-Christine said: “Snowflake had a cancerous mass on her third eye lid.

"Surgical removal of the third eyelid in a reindeer has not been reported before.

"We were pleased that we could perform the surgery with Snowflake under a standing sedation and with using local anaesthetics.

"As an ophthalmologist, I am committed to preserving vision so it’s rewarding that we were able to completely excise the tumour and did not have to remove the eyeball. It’s a very good outcome.

"I’m also pleased that Snowflake recovered quickly from the procedure, and we were able to share the protocol of the sedation and the local nerve blocks with other vets via a scientific publication.

"Sharing our knowledge will hopefully be beneficial for future ophthalmic surgeries in reindeer.”

* aka Mr Nick Dean.

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has dismissed an application to be restored to the Register of Veterinary Surgeons from a former Kent-based veterinary surgeon, Warwick Seymour-Hamilton.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton was originally removed from the Register in June 1994 for failing to maintain his equipment and facilities such that it evidenced a total disregard of basic hygiene and care for animals, thereby bringing the profession into disrepute.

The restoration hearing on Friday 18 March was Mr Seymour-Hamilton’s fourth application for restoration, with previous applications being submitted but refused in July 1995, June 2010 and January 2015. However, as the Committee made its decision on the merits of the case before it, those previous applications were not admitted as relevant to its decision.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton told the Committee that he currently works as a herbalist and naturopath for humans and wished to be restored to the Register so he could include animals in his research. He had completed a course in herbal and naturopathic medicine at the College of Naturopathic Medicine in Dublin in 2010, and told the Committee that he believed that being restored to the Register would lend credence to his endeavours to secure funding and other support. He stated that he did not intend to work again in a veterinary practice.

However, the Committee rejected his application on a number of grounds, including the impact on animal welfare should Mr Seymour-Hamilton be restored to the Register; the length of time he had been off the Register and the fact that he was therefore not up-to-date with contemporary veterinary practice and professional conduct; and that his efforts to keep up-to-date in terms of knowledge, skills and developments in practice were insufficient.

Judith Webb, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee is concerned about the length of time that has passed since he last practised and the paucity of the evidence he has provided to establish that, if permitted to return to practice, he would be able to attain the professional standards required of a modern veterinary practitioner, either as regards surgical capabilities/competence or as regards his knowledge of currently available veterinary medicines."

She added: "This Committee’s obligations and duties are to see that the interests of animal welfare are properly protected by ensuring that only those who are properly trained, knowledgeable and experienced are permitted to treat animals and that public confidence in the standards of the profession are maintained. The risks attendant on a restoration of this applicant to the Register are, in the judgement of this Committee, plain and obvious. Accordingly, this application is refused."

BEVA has announced that it'll be offering delegates at this year's Congress (7-10 September 2016) the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and get hands on with endoscopy techniques.

The organisers have invited veterinary experts to share their knowledge and expertise in gastroscopy, sinoscopy and upper respiratory tract (URT) endoscopy, using cadaver heads and state of the art models, during daily practical sessions.

Practical sessions will guide delegates through the most commonly used equine endoscopy procedures, including how to perform gastroscopy, how to perform upper respiratory tract endoscopy and exploration of the guttural pouches and how to get the most out of sinoscopy.

Each session will include a review of the anatomy involved and helpful tips from experts Jonathan Anderson, Tim Barnett, Imogen Comyn, Ollie Crowe, Sarah Mack, Patrick Pollock, Alex Rafferty, Richard Reardon, Neil Townsend, Sophie Wilford and Tom Witte.

The gastroscopy practical will make use of a custom synthetic model of a horse’s oesophagus and stomach, uniquely developed by BEVA, Burtons and DeLegge Medical Design in the USA.  The URT endoscopy practical will utilise cadaver heads on stands so delegates can look at laryngeal components, sinus drainage angle, ethmoids, guttural pouch ostia and can then scope/ pass foley catheters/chambers catheters in to guttural pouches. Pre-prepared cadaver heads will also be used for the sinoscopy practicals. Frontal sinus trephine holes will allow a scope to be inserted and one side will be broken through the maxillary septal (ventral conchal) bulla so delegates can compare the differences in anatomy.

At the end of each demonstration Burtons, who have sponsored the event and supplied the endoscopic equipment, will be providing advice on how to clean and maintain scopes properly.

Mark Bowen, President of BEVA, said: "BEVA is committed to providing innovative and practical CPD through its entire CPD programme, including congress and these practical sessions showcase the excellent and varied education provided to members. At a time when the RCVS are considering the value of certain types of CPD in improving professional competence, BEVA is committed to leading the field and challenging perceptions of what a modern conference can be."

The practical sessions will run on all three days of Congress on the balcony above the exhibition hall. Each session will comprise a demonstration and then three practical slots, each for a maximum of ten delegates. Places can be secured on a first come first served basis by signing up on the day.

Visit www.beva.org.uk to find out more and to sign up.

Following last week's news from Defra that sales of antibiotics for food-producing animals in the UK have dropped by 27%, comfortably beating the government target of 50mg/kg which was set following the 2016 O’Neill Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, targets for further reducing antibiotic use across the key livestock sectors have been announced by Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance 'Targets Task Force'.

The Targets Task Force comprises a leading veterinary surgeon and farmer from each of the beef, dairy, egg, fish, gamebird, pig, poultry meat and sheep sectors, who have been consulting with key organisations in their respective industries. The group also includes observers from regulators Food Standards Agency and Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).

While the targets each sector has set vary according to the availability of data and scope in their sector, the targets as a whole have been described as 'positive and proactive' by the VMD. 

The headline targets for the eight sectors include a reduction in use of antibiotics in pigs by over 60% between 2015 and 2020, with minimal use of highest priority Critically Important Antibiotics (CIAs). RUMA reports that good progress has already been made in this sector, with usage falling by around 35% between 2015 and 2016.

Targets Task Force member and president of the Pig Veterinary Society Mark White said: "It's encouraging to see the response in the sector to the challenge laid down, which bodes well for achieving our ambitious 2020 goal. It is evident that the sector – steered mainly by the members of the Pig Veterinary Society, AHDB Pork and the National Pig Association – has the will and the capability to fully engage with the issue."

Next steps, he said, were to focus on eliminating routine preventative treatment where it is still happening, mainly due to lack of resource or expertise. "We can also work to improve water delivery systems so that more targeted treatment in the water can be used instead of in-feed medication."

The dairy cattle sector has committed to a 20% reduction by 2020, with a particular focus on halving use of the highest priority CIAs. The work to achieve this will be led by a newly-created Dairy Antimicrobial Stewardship Group (DASG) which includes all key organisations in the sector.

Some of the strategies to achieve these goals in dairy farming include reducing the use of antibiotic dry cow therapy and injectable products, and cutting back on group treatments such as antibiotic footbaths for lameness which remain largely unproven, instead using topical and targeted treatments.

Di Wastenage, dairy farmer from Devon, Task Force member and chair of the DASG, said the sector needed to be ambitious about what it could achieve. “While use is lower than in some sectors, there are clear areas to tackle where use can be habitual, or common disease problems go unchallenged.

"For example, eliminating BVD and Persistently Infected animals from the herd is one of the obvious places to start, as well as talking to your vet to calculate the usage levels you have at the moment. Calf rearing can produce a 'hot spot' of treatment, as can digital dermatitis. Everyone has the potential to use antibiotics more responsibly somewhere."

The gamebird sector, having undergone a comprehensive awareness-raising initiative among game rearers in 2017 to cut back on reducing the need for medicines, aims to reduce use by a quarter this year, with a further 25% reduction between 2018 and 2020. 

Three sectors – poultry meat, laying hen and fish – are either already low users of medicines or have made significant reductions over the past five years. These sectors will be focusing on maintaining use at the minimal level needed to ensure good health and welfare among their livestock, while tackling emerging challenges should they arise.

The poultry meat sector, previously described as a 'pathfinder' for the rest of the farming industry, has already reduced use by 71% between 2012, when its stewardship scheme was introduced, and 2016. 

In doing this, the poultry meat sector has also ceased all preventative treatment and use of the highest priority CIAs. It will now maintain current levels in chickens and look for further reductions in turkeys. This sector will use clinical governance to ensure CIA antibiotics are only prescribed when absolutely needed and with sign off from veterinary specialists and management.

The laying hen and fish sectors have similarly committed to continuing low use, with the laying hen sector eliminating all use of highest priority CIAs in the past two years. The development of a vaccine in the salmon sector several years ago successfully controlled one of its most challenging bacterial diseases, so the focus has turned to the health of the ‘cleaner fish’ used to provide natural control of sea lice.

The trout farming sector, with its greater number of small producers, is concentrating on reducing the need for antibiotics and improving data capture.

The beef and sheep sectors are already low users of antibiotics, but have acknowledged they each need better data, and will also commit to addressing 'hotspots' of use. Both have committed to a 10% reduction in antibiotic use by 2020, subject to securing better data.

For the beef sector, reduction in use centres around calves and youngstock, particularly in the areas of respiratory disease. There is also an emphasis on calves from dairy herds, where mixing animals from different sources can create a peak in disease pressure similar to children going to school for the first time.

In sheep, the focus areas are to reduce routine preventative antibiotic usage against abortion (miscarriage), lameness and neonatal lamb diseases such as watery mouth and joint ill. 

With initiatives proving that routine preventative use is largely avoidable through a combination of vaccination, good hygiene, quality nutrition and careful shepherding, Dr Fiona Lovatt of the Targets Task Force is optimistic about the opportunities to reduce overall use.

"In the sheep sector, we’re not high users of antibiotics. But we want to ensure that any use is totally targeted so we are challenging all inappropriate or routine preventative use.  

"Convincing farmers to change practices is tricky, and none of us want to see an increase in levels of disease, but those who have had the courage to work with their vets to change what they do are now seeing what is possible. The answer is to take a holistic approach and work closely with a keen sheep vet."

Gwyn Jones, chair of both RUMA and the Targets Task Force, said he has been overwhelmed by the positivity of the group and its willingness to be ambitious. "The members have worked very hard and have shown incredible leadership and persistence. They have also provided unprecedented support and inspiration to each other.

"I am delighted they have agreed that the group should continue to meet twice-yearly to review progress and discuss issues."

The full report with all targets for each sector can be downloaded from the RUMA website www.ruma.org.uk.

Elanco is hosting a webinar for vets about practical flock health management Wednesday 28th February at 12.30-2pm

During the webinar, panel contributors Fiona Lovatt (past president of Sheep Veterinary Society), Jenny Hull (Black Sheep Farm Health, Northumberland), Lesley Stubbings OBE (lead member of SCOPS and independent sheep consultant), and Phillippa Page, (independent sheep vet consultant) will discuss: 

• Fertility management and improving flock returns
• An update on the cost of blowfly strike control
• Improving lamb survival rates 
• Using health and performance data to maximise sheep production
• Advances in the control of gastrointestinal roundworms in sheep

The first 250 delegates to sign up will receive a copy of the In Practice supplement as well as a Zolvix notebook and pen.

https://app.livestorm.co/elanco-animal-health/flock-health-in-practice-webinar

Woodley Equipment Company Ltd has announced the launch of InSight rapid diagnostic test kits. The test range includes FeLV, FIV, FeLV-FIV Combi, Giardia, Canine Heartworm, Canine Parvovirus and with more tests in development.

The test kits are available to veterinary practices across the UK and to Woodley's global veterinary diagnostic distributors. Each test is based on a sandwich lateral flow immunochromatographic assay and contains 10 cassettes per box. The company says that the diagnostic kits are simple and easy to use and will provide point of care testing direct to the veterinary practice. The kits are stored at room temperature (2⁰C - 30⁰C).

The range of InSight Rapid Diagnostic Tests includes:

• FeLV: for the detection of feline leukaemia antigen in cat serum, plasma or whole blood.
• FIV: for the detection of feline immunodefinciency virus antibody in cat serum, plasma or whole blood.
• FIV-FeLV Combi: for the detection of feline immunodefinciency virus antibody and feline leukaemia antigen in cat serum, plasma or whole blood.
• Giardia: for the detection of Giardia antigen in animal faeces.
• Heartworm: for the detection of heartworm antigen in dog serum, plasma or whole blood.
• Parvo: for the detection canine Parvovirus antigen in dog faeces or vomit.

To place an order, email sales@woodleyequipment.com, fax 01204 669034, or telephone 01204 669033.

For more information, visit: http://www.woodleyequipment.com/.

Giles Yeo MBE, Cambridge Professor of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, will deliver a lecture looking at the genetics of canine obesity on Friday 21st November, 11:00am to 12:15am, at BVA Congress. 

Giles is the professor of molecular neuroendocrinology at the Medical Research Council Metabolic Diseases Unit and scientific director of the Genomics/Transcriptomics Core at the University of Cambridge.

He is a well-known broadcaster thanks to his appearances on programmes such as BBC’s ‘Horizon’ and ‘Trust me, I’m a Doctor’ and author of two books: Gene Eating: The Story Of Human Appetite and Why Calories Don't Count.

He also hosts the podcast Dr Giles Yeo Chews The Fat. 

Giles and his colleagues at the University of Cambridge recently identified a genetic mutation in Labrador retrievers that significantly increases their propensity for obesity and food motivation.

This mutation, a 14-base pair deletion in the POMC gene, disrupts the production of beta-MSH and beta-endorphin, hormones involved in regulating appetite and energy balance.

The study found this mutation is present in about 25% of Labradors and 66% of flat-coated retrievers, and is also more common in assistance dogs than pet Labradors.  

Giles' lecture: "The genetics of obesity: Can an old dog teach us new tricks?" will lay out the evidence for a genetic basis to body weight and explore the role of the leptin-melanocortin pathway in both human and dog obesity, and its conservation through evolution. 

Giles said: “It is clear that the cause of obesity is a result of eating more than you burn.

"It is physics.

"What is more complex to answer is why some people eat more than others?

"Differences in our genetic make-up mean some of us are slightly more hungry all the time and so eat more than others.

"I will highlight the fat-sensing 'leptin-melanocortin' pathway, as a key appetite control circuit.

"Not only is the pathway conserved in all mammals and many higher vertebrates, but genetic disruption of the pathway as an evolutionary strategy to influence feeding behaviour has also been conserved. In contrast to the prevailing view, obesity is not a choice.

"People who are obese are not bad or lazy; rather, they are fighting their biology.” 

British Veterinary Association President Elizabeth Mullineaux said: “I’m sure our BVA Congress delegates will appreciate both Dr Yeo’s scientific knowledge and his dynamic delivery style and I’m personally looking forward to learning more about this exciting topic.” 

https://london.vetshow.com