Eukanuba's Longevity Council has published a new video in which the panel of experts offer their thoughts about how veterinary surgeons can educate clients about helping their pets grow old gracefully.  

The video includes contributions from the following council members, discussing things like preventative medicine and the importance of good diet/body weight and exercise: 

• Dr Penny Watson (pictured right) - MA, VetMD, CertVR, DSAM, DipECVIM, MRCVS. Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine, Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge.
• Dr Vicki Adams – BSc, DVM, MSc, PhD, MRCVS. Veterinary Epidemiology Consultant. Editor, Veterinary Record Open. Acting Chief Executive, Animal Cancer Trust.
• Professor Stuart Carmichael – BVMS, MVM, DSAO, MRCVS. Managing Director at Fitzpatrick Referrals. Professor of Veterinary Science, University of Surrey.
• Professor Steve Dean – BVetMed, DVR, MRCVS. Former Chairman of the UK Kennel Club. President of Windsor Dog Show Society. Author of A Vet’s View, Dog World UK.
• David M. Morgan – BSc, MA, VetMB, CertVR, MRCVS. Eukanuba Scientific Communications Senior Manager.

watch?v=JRjCWhnGaGY

The BSAVA has published the Manual of Practical Veterinary Welfare, billed as offering pragmatic advice and information about assessing and maintaining the highest standards of welfare in veterinary environments.

Edited by Matthew Rendle and Jo Hinde-Megarity, the manual covers a wide range of species, including cats, dogs, exotic companion and zoo animals.

The book integrates ethics and theory with quantifiable measurement of welfare and evidence-based practical solutions.

It also takes into consideration the welfare of the veterinary team.

The BSAVA says that the book will be relevant to all veterinary professionals and animal carers, as well as those studying animal welfare and behaviour. 

Dr Sean Wensley, Chair of the Animal Welfare Working Group, Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, said: "implementing animal welfare policies and activities in a range of settings … can improve patient welfare, client satisfaction, staff morale, staff health and safety, and professional reputation.

"This valuable book will make a significant contribution to helping ensure all of these benefits are realised".

The BSAVA Manual of Practical Veterinary Welfare is available from the BSAVA store: https://bsavaportal.bsava.com/s/store#/store/browse/detail/a1B8d000000icQ9EAI (£90; £58.50 for BSAVA members).

The RCVS has released the results of a competition held at BSAVA Congress earlier this month, in which veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and other members of the practice team were asked to identify three animals from sound only.

The correct answers were a purring cat, a Chihuahua dog (the breed had to be specified) and a guinea pig.

Of 370 entrants, only 104 (28%) were correct. Some of the more outlandish answers included, for the cat noise: elephant, lion, whale and dolphin; and, for the guinea pig noise:  ferret, meerkat, dove, chicken and frog. However, the majority of those getting it wrong were stumped by the requirement to specify the breed of dog, with Jack Russell Terrier or some 'yappy little thing ' proving a favourite.

The winner of the competition was Liverpool-based veterinary surgeon, Anna Rowntree, who won an iPod Nano. She said: "I thought the competition was good fun and a real novelty. It certainly drew me to the stand and was not what I would have expected from the RCVS - it proves they can be approachable! I was very excited to have won and I still can't believe I have."

The noises competition linked to the College's theme for the event, 'Falling on deaf ears?', which examined how the organisation takes account of responses to its consultations, debunking the myth that those who take the trouble to reply are not listened to. The topic was addressed by President Professor Sandy Trees in a presentation on the Saturday of Congress. Visitors to the stand were also given RCVS-branded earphones to reinforce the listening message.

Copies of all three presentations made by the RCVS at BSAVA Congress are now available on RCVSonline (www.rcvs.org.uk/ear_ear). They are:

• 'Falling on Deaf Ears', where President Sandy Trees considered responses to four recent consultations - on Extra-Mural Studies, veterinary nursing qualifications, the Practice Standards Scheme and veterinary legislation - and outlined how the College took account of them
• Senior Vice-President and Practice Standards Scheme Chairman Jill Nute launching the new Practice Standards Scheme Manual, which came into effect on 1 April 2010
• Jacqui Molyneux, Chairman of the RCVS Awarding Body Board, outlining the new veterinary nursing qualifications, which will replace the National Vocational Qualifications when they are phased out by government this summer.

Inocul8 and the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed), have launched vetvac.org a free new online database of information about livestock and poultry vaccines. 

Currently the Vetvac database contains information on nearly 2,000 livestock vaccine products produced by more than 95 manufacturers. This included cattle, sheep, goat, pig and poultry vaccines available in the UK, Australia, Africa, India, South America and the United States. It is being expanded and updated on a continuous basis, and aims to cover all markets, providing the most complete compendium of licensed livestock vaccine products available worldwide.

The database developers say that they hope Vetvac.org will be especially useful to vaccine manufacturers and developers, and animal health professionals and livestock keepers.

Josef Geoola, Vetvac's co-founder, said: "Although there are a number of on-line databases and websites that focus on livestock vaccines, none provide the global coverage that Vetvac.org aims to achieve - our product will be unique."

In the most recent Petplan Pet Census, an annual study of pet ownership in the UK, 97% of vets reported that a lack of funds had led to owners choosing euthanasia over treatment.  

Whilst some cases are the result of one-off ‘emergency' treatment, manageable long-term conditions are often at the root of much unnecessary euthanasia because owners simply cannot afford the cost of ongoing treatment. Reported increases in pet obesity and diabetes, arthritis and behavioural problems have all been cited in the Pet Census as common causes of increased and ongoing vet bills.

Vets have been reporting a rise in diseases that are related to obesity in companion animals for some time and with the Petplan Pet Census panel of almost two hundred (198) UK veterinary practices reporting that more than one third (36%) of all dogs and one quarter (29%) of cats they treat are obese, the future for many pets looks bleak. More than half (53%) of vets say that cases of cat and dog diabetes are on the increase. Obesity is actually bucking the trend of more historically significant diseases, including kennel cough and feline leukaemia, which are either remaining static or decreasing. 

The number of pets with behavioural problems is also on the rise, with more than half of vets (55%) reporting an increase and most (95%) practices offering support for these animals. Effective treatment is not a quick-fix solution and requires changes to the owner's lifestyle and lengthy work with experts in the field. 

Petplan Vet of the Year, Brian Faulkner said: "I think it is a common misconception that the predicament forcing pet owners to euthanase their pet is the out-of-the-blue, one-off vet fees for emergencies. But in fact we are noticing that owners whose pets have on-going illnesses such as diabetes and even behavioural problems that are very manageable are being faced with the dreadful decision to have to euthanase than face the ongoing financial burden.  It's even more devastating when the owners have actually taken out an insurance policy but the nature of the policy only covers treatment of any one condition for up to one year.  I always advise people to make sure their policies do not cap the time period over which any one condition is covered to avoid this very problem as more comprehensive insurers are then unable to offer cover on a pre-existing condition."

Simon Wheeler, Head of Marketing at Petplan, said: "We receive over 8,700 claims per week and of the top ten claims, six could be recurrent manageable conditions, such as diabetes or arthritis - the very animals that are currently most at risk of being euthanased."

Research announced simultaneously by Sainsbury's Finance has reached similar conclusions. Sainsbury's found that:

• 51% of vets have put down a pet cat or dog in the past five years because the owners couldn't afford to treat them
• 80% of vets have had an uninsured dog or cat owner decline a course of treatment because they couldn't afford it
• 1.6 million people have had to put down at least one pet dog or cat over the past five years because they can't afford treatment. In total, the research shows that 927,000 dogs and 822,000 cats were put down for this reason between 2003 and 2008.

Sainsbury's believes that there are two main reasons for this tragic problem: advances in veterinary care leading to increased costs, and the large number (55%) of pets that remain uninsured.

Ed's note: Isn't it time that pet insurance became compulsory?

Royal Canin has launched a new Skin Care family of dermatological diets, designed for the nutritional support of skin function in dogs with dermatosis unrelated to food intolerance or allergy.

At the same time, Royal Canin has also launched DermAlliance, a campaign to improve skin care knowledge in general veterinary practice. The 2011/2012 DermAlliance campaign will include educational initiatives such as free CPD webinars, a training roadshow, case study collaborations and competitions to win skin disease reference materials.

Gudi Stuttard BVSc MRCVS, Royal Canin's Veterinary Support Manager, said: "The Skin Care diets (available for adult dog, adult small dog and junior small dog) offer veterinarians a proven¹ option for the nutritional management of dogs with common skin problems. 

She added: "The large volume of skin cases we see in general practice necessitates a certain level of expertise in small animal dermatology and we believe our new Skin Care range, coupled with the creation of our dedicated DermAlliance educational campaign, will help promote greater clarity in an often confusing clinical area."

According to Royal Canin, Skin Care diets help in the nutritional management of dogs with reactive skin; they contain a patented complex to help maintain the barrier effect of the skin and high levels of essential fatty acids to help support healthy skin reactions. They also contain a synergistic complex of antioxidants to help support natural defences, and nutrients to help maintain a healthy digestive system and contribute to good oral health.

Reference

¹ In a multi-centre trial on 47 dogs, the average CADESI (canine atopic dermatitis extent and severity index) score of all dogs improved by a factor of three over three months of being fed Skin Care exclusively. Average CADESI scores increased again after dogs returned to their original diets.

Drontal has renewed sponsorship agreements with councils throughout the UK in a bid to further encourage pet owners to scoop their dogs' poop.

The support will see thousands of council dog bins featuring Drontal branding to promote best practice amongst dog owners and urge them to clean up after their pets.

Dan White, product manager for Drontal, said: "Through our dog bin sponsorship we are highlighting the importance of responsible pet ownership which includes preventing the spread of worm eggs in the environment by scooping poop."

According to Bayer, Drontal is the only wormer that kills every type of intestinal worm commonly found in UK dogs and cats.

For further information please contact your Bayer representative or log on to www.drontal.com.

A new study¹ published in the Equine Veterinary Journal's (EVJ) special American Association of Equine Practitioners supplement has concluded that maggots can play an integral role in modern veterinary care for a variety of wounds in horses.

The study assessed the efficacy of maggot debridement therapy in a diversity of equine lesions and found that the method was beneficial in 93% of cases.

Maggots have been used for the treatment of wounds for hundreds of years. Freshly emerged, germ-free larvae of the common green bottle fly are usually used for the purpose. Their wound-healing action is attributed to a debridement effect, an antiseptic effect, a direct effect on cytokine and cell proliferation involved in wound healing and breakdown of biofilm formation. Maggots also destroy and digest bacteria and may also be beneficial in the fight against multi-drug-resistant bacteria such as MRSA.

The study involved the retrospective analysis of 41 horses with various lesions including foot injury, limb laceration, soft tissue abscesses and musculoskeletal infection. Depending on the type, size and location of the wound the maggots were applied either in direct or indirect contact. In some cases a second maggot application was necessary to reach the desired level of healing. Debridement, disinfection and healing occurred in all but three cases, in less than a week. Of the three that did not respond two were complicated by the presence of tumours and one by pre-existing damage to the underlying bone.

Olivier Lepage of the University of Lyon, who led the study, said: "These results show that maggot debridement therapy potentially has an integral place in modern veterinary wound care. It can be used to treat many types of lesions, although not those involving tumours or bone sequestration. Associated high costs present a limiting factor but maggot debridement therapy should certainly be considered for lesions that fail to respond to conventional methods."

Professor Celia Marr, Editor of the EVJ, said: "Horses often suffer from non-healing wounds, particularly in the limbs where the skin is under continuous movement and there is very little subcutaneous tissue. Although at first glance this study might seem counter-intuitive and we might think of maggots as being the last thing one would want on a clean wound, it shows that maggots can be an effective way to clear damaged tissue and this is an important adjunctive approach in equine wound management."

¹The use of maggot debridement therapy in 41 equids OM Lepage, A Doumbia, MF Perron-Lepage and M Gangl. EVJ ISSN 0425-1644 DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2012.00609.x

The study is published by Wiley-Blackwell and can be accessed at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2012.00609.x/abstract

Vets Now has pledged to pay all of its staff more than the 'real' living wage.

The company says it believes it is the first major veterinary business in the UK to make this promise.

As a result of the pledge, salaries for about a third of the pet emergency firm's 1280 employees, including receptionists and animal care assistants, are set to increase to at least £9.50 an hour from April.

Vets Now says it has made the pledge on the recommendation of the Living Wage Foundation, which offers independent advice to employers and says £9.30 is now the real cost of living, not the Government-set national living wage of £8.72 for people aged 25 and over.

Vets Now’s chief executive Mark Ross said: "Our people are our biggest asset and at the heart of everything we do. We want to properly recognise the vital role each and every one of them plays in the business.

"This move demonstrates our commitment to that. We are confident that by paying all of our staff a competitive hourly rate of at least 20p more than the real living wage we will achieve higher morale and lower turnover."

Animal care assistant, Jody Reynolds, who works in Vets Now out-of-hours clinic in Kirkcaldy, said: “It’s amazing that Vets Now has been able to increase salaries to not only meet but exceed the real living wage. The extra will really help towards the cost of everyday living and even allow a few luxuries."

A study carried out by Fiona Lovatt FRCVS, an RCVS and European-recognised specialist in sheep health and production and past president of the Sheep Veterinary Society has demonstrated the benefits of treating lambs’ navels with navel protection solution, NoBACZ Navel.

The randomised controlled trial¹ was conducted in 11 flocks with 6840 lambs during last year's lambing season (2023-2024), making it the largest ever navel protection study in the UK. 

For the trial, odd numbered lambs were treated with strong iodine and even numbered lambs were treated with NoBACZ Navel. 

Current practices on the farm were observed, so if the farmer normally dipped the lambs’ umbilicus they dipped with iodine or NoBACZ Navel and if they normally sprayed the umbilicus then they sprayed with iodine or NoBACZ Navel. 

Survival and weights were recorded.

The study concluded that NoBACZ Navel demonstrated superior protection compared to iodine, with a 21% reduction in mortality (p=0.005).

On top of that, lambs that had NoBACZ Navel applied to the umbilicus and tagging sites were on average 230g heavier than those in the iodine group at eight weeks.

Fiona said: "Until now, best practice to manage navel ill has been to apply strong iodine to the umbilicus and ear-tagging sites by dipping or spraying to desiccate the umbilicus and disinfect the surface. 

"Prophylactic antibiotic use also still occurs on as many as 19% of farms², which is not best practice or good antimicrobial stewardship.

“NoBACZ Navel provides greater desiccation of the umbilicus than iodine and forms a non-colonisable waterproof barrier which protects lambs from the environment.

“The economic and welfare benefits to farmers are clear, with 17 more lambs alive per 1,000 born and an average of 230g extra bodyweight per lamb at eight weeks, which more than justifies the 16p per dose investment in NoBACZ Navel. 

"During the trial I also received fantastic feedback from farmers on its ease of use and long-lasting protection to these vulnerable sites.”

www.nobacz.com

References

1. Lovatt, F. (2024). A randomised controlled trial to compare the use of a novel product (NoBACZ Navel) with strong iodine to protect navel and ear tag sites of neonatal lambs (with some additional data on neonatal calves). British Cattle Veterinary Association Congress. October 17- 19, The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Wales.
2. Duncan, J & Jackson, L. (2024). Epidemiology, Sources and Routes of Transmission of Streptococcus dysgalactiae bacteria (SDSD) Joint Ill Bacteria. Sheep Veterinary Society Autumn Conference. September 23 – 25 2024, Linden Hall Hotel, Northumberland, England.

Novartis Animal Health has assumed marketing responsibilities for the joint health supplement Dasuquin in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Dasuquin is a veterinary formulation developed to deliver advanced cartilage support in dogs. It contains a combination of glucosamine hydrochloride, chondroitin sulphate, avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU), and tea polyphenols. Novartis says these compounds work synergistically to protect the cartilage, thereby playing an important role in supporting and maintaining joint health.

Novartis highlights a 2007 study which, according to the company, demonstrates that the combination of ASU, chondroitin sulphate, and glucosamine hydrochloride delivers incremental benefits compared to the combination of chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine hydrochloride alone.¹

Dasuquin is available in flavoured chewable tablets in 80-count containers. Dasuquin is available in two strengths: small-to-medium dogs weighing between 5 and 25 kg and for large dogs weighing over 25 to 50 kg.

Gaynor Hillier, General Manager UK & Ireland Novartis Animal Health said: "This is a fitting addition to our overall orthopaedic health offering for vets and pet owners. Dasuquin brings vets and dog owners advanced joint health support with the next generation of the popular Cosequin family."

Dasuquin is available from Novartis Animal Health in the United Kingdom and Ireland from licensed veterinary wholesalers. For more information on Dasuquin, contact your Novartis Animal Health Territory Manager

Reference:

1. Au RY, Au AY, Rashmir-Raven A, et al. Inhibition of pro-inflammatory gene expression in chondrocytes, monocytes, and fibroblasts by the combination of avocado soybean unsaponifiables, glucosamine, and chondroitin sulfate. FASEB, 2007.

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is urging veterinary surgeons to be on the lookout for outbreaks of Atypical Myopathy (AM) this spring.

Atypical Myopathy is a serious muscle disease found in the UK and Northern Europe. It is linked to horses eating the seeds from trees in the Acer family, including sycamore and box elder. There were more than five times as many cases of AM last autumn than in the previous year and experts have warned that the disease tends to occur more frequently in the spring following an autumn surge, possibly because of the growth of seedlings. The prognosis is poor, with survival rates of less than 25%. Early diagnosis is essential to give the best chance of survival.

Horses that develop AM are usually kept on sparse pastures, near trees from Acer pleudoplatanus (sycamore) or Acer negundo (box elder, pictured right) that shed seeds containing the toxin hypoglycin A. They are often not fed any supplementary hay or feed and may be driven to browse on an accumulation of dead leaves, dead wood and trees in or around the pasture but sometimes well-fed animals are affected. While the tree seeds may not be directly palatable, horses on poor quality grazing may ingest considerable numbers of them.

The clinical signs of AM may include muscle weakness or stiffness, colic-like symptoms, laboured breathing, dark red-brown urine, recumbency or even sudden death. Often the disease will present as an outbreak. Confirmation of diagnosis is by a blood or urine test. The toxin directly targets aerobic energy metabolism so therapy should be targeted at promoting glucose metabolism and provided fluid dieresis.

Preventative advice for horse owners includes:

• Check spring pasture carefully for seeds prior to turnout
• Limit turnout if you are concerned about seed presence and ensure horses are well-fed prior to turnout
• Provide supplementary feeding in the field to reduce the risk of horses being tempted to ingest seeds
• Avoid leaving wet hay on the ground where it will rot
• Fence off affected areas
• Be aware that a field without sycamore trees can still contain seeds spread by high winds or flood water

Professor Celia Marr, Partner at Rossdales, Newmarket, European Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine and Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal said: "New, collaborative research, instigated last year between the University of Liege, the Irish Equine Centre and the Animal Health Trust should shed more light on the characteristics of the disease in this country. Once we know more about the specific causes we should be able to make more positive progress with prevention strategies."

BEVA has provided free online access to two articles from the journal of Equine Veterinary Education on the disease for all vets to help them address the threat.

Volume 25, Issue 5, pages 264-270, May 2013

Management of cases suffering from atypical myopathy: Interpretations of descriptive, epidemiological and pathophysiological findings. Part 1: First aid, cardiovascular, nutritional and digestive care (pages 264-270) G. van Galen and D -M Votion.

Volume 25, Issue 6, pages 308-314, June 2013

Management of cases suffering from atypical myopathy: Interpretations of descriptive, epidemiological and pathophysiological findings. Part 2: Muscular, urinary, respiratory and hepatic care, and inflammatory/infectious status (pages 308-314) G van Galen and D - M Votion.