The National Office of Animal Health has released two films to help industry and consumers understand issues surrounding the use of animal medicines in the food chain.
A film made for the food chain industry titled "Animal Medicines in Food Production - The Food Industry Perspective" has been produced to help industry understand the levels of awareness and concerns that consumers have.
A second film, "Animal Medicines in Food Production - Challenging the Myths" is aimed at consumers and looks at some of the myths surrounding the use of animal medicines in livestock production.
Phil Sketchley, Chief Executive of NOAH, said that while the public was generally supportive of the use of animal medicines in farm production, there was a knowledge gap among consumers about the way that medicines were used: "It was interesting to discover how much people knew about medicines in food production. There were some very positive attitudes among consumers, particularly towards the way British farmers care for their animals. But there were still some areas of concern, for example with the belief among a large number of people that growth hormones were still being used on UK farms, despite the fact they have been banned since 1988.
"The industry film should help people involved in food production understand what consumers are thinking when it comes to animal medicines. Animal health and welfare and ensuring sick animals are treated is a big issue, and food producers and retailers need to be able to communicate clearly with consumers on the subject of animal medicines.
"It is important there is transparency on all issues of animal health and welfare."
The RCVS has launched a new animated video to help promote Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) accredited practices to the public, and explain the benefits of the scheme.
Launched in 2005, almost 60% of practices are now part of the PSS, which requires them to submit to a rigorous inspection every four years and meet a stringent standards across a wide range of areas including cleanliness and hygiene, facilities and equipment, staff training and development and customer service. Practices may also be subject to spot-checks between inspections.
Jacqui Molyneux, who heads up the RCVS Practice Standards Group said: “Our new video is a light-hearted explanation of the Practice Standards Scheme, how it can help animal owners decide which practice to go to and reassure them about the standards they can expect to find at an RCVS-accredited practice.”
The College says a similar version of the video will soon be available for RCVS-accredited practices to show to their clients, either on their own websites and social media channels, or in the waiting room.
Jacqui said: “Not only do we want to spread the word about the benefits of the Practice Standards Scheme and suggest animal owners look for the RCVS-accredited practice logo, but we also want to give accredited practices an engaging way of telling their clients about their achievement.
“Gaining RCVS accreditation is not easy, so accredited practices deserve every opportunity to demonstrate to their clients their commitment to supporting high standards of veterinary care. This fun two-minute video should help them do just that.”
Animal owners can search for an RCVS-accredited practice in their area, or elsewhere in the UK, using Find A Vet – the College’s online search tool – at www.findavet.org.uk.
Virbac has announced the launch of the Compulsory Chipping Support Pack, designed to help veterinary practices raise awareness of the importance of microchipping and the new legislation coming to England, Scotland and Wales in April.
The pack contains a range of promotional and educational items including:
Sarah Walker MRCVS, BackHome Product Manager, said: "Compulsory microchipping comes in this April and awareness needs to be raised among the general public – numerous reports in the media still show a significant proportion of dogs are not yet microchipped. The new BackHome Mini Chip has a 34% smaller needle than our standard needles and is ‘one size fits all animals’, making it easier than stocking different chips for different size pets.
"The resources in our Compulsory Microchipping Support Pack are great for practices to use. We want to help practices and the teams working within them to engage with the public in their vicinity and help to drive practice footfall."
Intervet / Schering-Plough has announced that following the success of National Vaccination Month, which targeted the owners of unvaccinated dogs, cats and rabbits, and resulted in more than 32,000 additional vaccinations, a second National Vaccination Month will run throughout March 2009.
According to the company, National Vaccination Month 2008 won strong support from vets nationwide and succeeded in increasing awareness among pet owners of the need to vaccinate their animals, with the end result of driving unvaccinated pets into practices across the country.
Just over 2,100 veterinary clinics registered to take part and following a heavyweight marketing and TV advertising campaign, the pet owning public responded in their thousands.
Almost 70,000 people visited the website www.vaccinationmonth.co.uk with over 32,000 pets vaccinated as a result.
To build on the success of this campaign and in light of data suggesting a continued escalation in the number of unvaccinated pets, Intervet / Schering Plough Animal Health is calling on veterinary practices to sign up and benefit from the massive marketing drive that will underpin the second National Vaccination Month.
As in 2008, central to the success of the campaign will be a nationally co-ordinated amnesty encouraging owners of unvaccinated dogs, cats and rabbits to have their pets fully vaccinated for the cost of a booster. The amnesty will highlight the shocking fact that only half of the nation's dogs, a quarter of cats and just 10 per cent of rabbits are up to date with their vaccinations. This is in the face of survey work, indicating the widespread and prevalent nature of certain infectious diseases.
Angus Robinson of Intervet / Schering Plough said: "The success of the 2008 campaign blew us away. Of most significance was the feedback that we had from vets, which suggested that rather than drawing from their existing client base, National Vaccination Month improved pet vaccination levels by attracting new clients into practice.
"However survey results show we have a long way to go. Too many cases of serious infectious disease are still seen in practice and wider vaccination uptake would reduce the number of animals susceptible to these serious and preventable diseases.
"In 2009, given the prevailing economic climate, pet owners will be particularly alive to the fact that there is a cost benefit to them and this may give even greater impetus to the campaign."
During National Vaccination Month, participating vets will provide a free healthcheck and discounted vaccination saving owners up to £30 per pet.
As well as TV advertising, a radio campaign, PR editorial across a range of media and marketing support, this year's campaign will be backed by a leading TV wildlife broadcaster and celebrity who will be unveiled at the consumer launch.
As in 2008, the website www.vaccinationmonth.co.uk will give pet owners the chance to search for their nearest participating vet.
For more information on how to register your practice to take part in the campaign, please contact your Intervet account manager or call Intervet's Veterinary Support Group on 01908 685685.
Understanding profit and loss within a veterinary practice is vital for all employees. That was the message delivered to delegates attending Pippa Reffold's lecture, sponsored by Dechra Veterinary Products, at the VPMA Congress late last month.
Pippa said: "Very few practice managers set targets or share financial data with their employees. Employees have a lot to contribute by improving service and increasing sales."
Roger Brown, product manager at Dechra Veterinary Products said: "Sponsoring Pippa's lecture is part of Dechra Veterinary Products response to market conditions. We have also reduced the price of two key products in our Veterinary Essentials range.
"We realise how significant margin control is right now and constantly review our Veterinary Essentials range. That's why we have reduced prices on Atipam 5ml, the Thyroxyl range and have introduced the Essentials Purchase Plan so practices can make further savings.
Pippa added: "Be open-minded about margin setting and don't apply a blanket mark-up to all products. Consider the contribution to your gross profit and passing on some of the improvement to your customers."
Dechra Veterinary Products offers a margin and profit calculator to compare market prices with the Veterinary Essentials range - to show just how much mark-up can be applied to products without impacting on a client's budget. "It's a simple, but very effective calculation that our Territory Managers can run for you," explained Mr Brown.
To find out more about the Veterinary Essentials range, including further cost savings with an Essentials Purchase Plan and free margin development advice, please call Liz Rawlings on 01743 441632.
Prac-tic® – the spot-on flea and tick treatment from Novartis Animal Health has added a new claim to its licence.
It now states that adult fleas are killed before they lay eggs for a minimum of four weeks after treatment and, as the product completely eliminates egg production, it also breaks the flea life cycle.
The British Veterinary Association has reacted to the Comprehensive Spending Review announced by the Government.
BVA President, Harvey Locke said: "Clearly this is a substantial hit on Defra's overall budget but there are some elements to welcome.
"We are pleased with the commitment to protecting the science base and Defra's clear focus on tackling TB and we await with interest future announcements on how the Government plans to introduce responsibility and cost sharing.
"However, the Government has put a lot of emphasis on securing flood defences within Defra's budget and we remain concerned that other crucial animal health and welfare issues could be further squeezed in this massively reduced budget.
"The BVA will continue to champion these health and welfare issues to ensure they remain a priority for the Department."
The day-long courses, each running from 9.30-5:00pm, will cover: basic mental health awareness; HR employment regulations and the legal position; the role of the line manager in supporting someone with poor mental health; making reasonable adjustments; planning 'return to work'; and designing and putting in place wellbeing action plans.
The courses will be run by Connecting with People, a social enterprise that develops and delivers high-quality training to employees with healthcare or safeguarding responsibilities.
Helen Sanderson, former VPMA President and representative on the Mind Matters Initiative Taskforce, said: "If you do one thing this year for your team I strongly recommend it be attending one of these courses. It provided me with invaluable information in recognising stress and depression in a team, as well as giving useful tools and tips on how to discuss and handle situations. I would encourage anyone to attend."
Lizzie Lockett, Director of Mind Matters, added: "It has been wonderful to see the response from the veterinary profession to our mental health awareness training sessions, but we know that managers can face particular challenges in supporting their team's mental health. Meanwhile, line managers play a key role in whether or not someone feels comfortable discussing a mental health issue, goes on to seek help, and, ultimately, returns to the workforce.
"We therefore designed these courses to provide very practical information for those in managerial positions, covering legal requirements as well as how to implement wellbeing strategies for colleagues."
The courses, which are subsidised by Mind Matters and the VPMA, cost £80 for VPMA members and £120 for non-members.
To book a place, visit the Mind Matters Eventbrite page: www.rcvsmindmatters.eventbrite.com
Langford Veterinary Services, a fully owned subsidiary of the University of Bristol, has announced the opening of a new standing equine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facility at the university's equine centre.
The equine MRI facility completes the diagnostic imaging facilities in the School, which include a 16-slice CT scanner for small animals and standing horses, digital radiography, high-resolution fluoroscopy, diagnostic ultrasound, echocardiography and scintigraphy with a high-resolution 1.5 tesla MRI scanner, available seven days a week.
Evita Busschers, Senior Teaching Fellow and orthopaedic surgeon in the equine centre, said: “We are very grateful to the Trustees of the Alborada Trust and the Langford Trust who have provided generous support for the MRI facility. The new imaging facility will enable us to provide an even better and more complete service for our equine patients and completes the diagnostic imaging facilities available at the centre.
“Equine MRI offers the ability to image soft tissue structures and identify soft tissue injuries that cannot be demonstrated with other diagnostic imaging modalities and therefore has major additional value in providing a diagnosis and prognosis in lameness evaluations.”
Miles Littlewort, a trustee from the Alborada Trust added: “Donating the money is the easy bit but ensuring that it has been used where it should be and that it has made the necessary difference is much more challenging. We are so pleased to have had the opportunity to support the Langford Trust and their work to improve animal health and welfare. We are delighted to have attended the opening, to meet the clinicians who will use the magnificent facility and to learn about the clinical research which gives all veterinary surgeons evidence-based information to enhance diagnosis and treatment for all patients.”
The club is running a series of 5 sessions targeted at business owners.
Each session will comprise of a 20 minute intro, followed by 40 mins of discussion/Q&A/sharing of experiences around the chosen topic.
Session topics will include succession planning, life insurance and critical illness cover for you and your team.
How to conduct an effective PDR, boosting your revenue and profit share schemes are all in the pipeline.
SPVS says its Business Club is different to conventional CPD sessions, because it allows participants to share and discuss ideas, talk through problems and ask each other for advice.
The one-hour sessions will take place on Thursdays, starting at 7:30pm on 13th June, 18th July, 8th August, 19th September, 17th October
In the first, Pete Orpin, BVSc FRCVS from Anval Business Consultancy will present ‘How to nail succession planning’.
SPVS Members: FREE
Non-Members: £15 per session | £50 for bundle of 5
https://spvs.org.uk/spvs-business-club
Here’s a gadget I’d love to get my hands on: the Zoombak advanced GPS pet locator, launched in the UK today.
The locator attaches to any dog collar, or indeed your car, husband, wife or teenager, and allows you to get a real time fix of their location by telephone, or on your computer. It costs £99.99 from pet retailers, with an additional £9.99 per month service subscription (£99.99 if paid annually upfront), which allows for an unlimited number of ‘locates’. Hot on its heels comes the Pawtrack, which will also cost £99.99 with a similar monthly subscription which allows for 1200 locates per month.
Pawtrack is being aimed at both cats and dogs, and whilst it is marginally smaller and lighter than the Zoombak, there isn’t a lot in it. Both are still probably too cumbersome for a cat, which is why Zoombak more pragmatically recommends its product for dogs over 7 kg.
Doubtless it won’t be long before they miniaturise the technology so that it’ll be the width of a nostril hair, thereby solving the problem of pet theft and loss completely. Meantime, these look like a practical and fun gadget for the owners of larger breeds that regularly go AWOL.
For more information on stocking Zoombak please contact Zoombak on 08708 033095.
Janssen Animal Health is advising vets to be on the look out for coccidiosis as the spring lambing season approaches: cases usually rise in March and peak in April and May.
According to the company, some reports also suggest that the incidence of coccidiosis in calves may apparently increase during the grazing months. However, vets are reporting that interpretation of laboratory tests used to confirm diagnosis, such as oocyst count, can be problematic due to the ubiquitous nature of the Eimeria parasite in the UK.
Young animals may be infected by oocysts shed by asymptomatic carriers or infected older cohort animals. Low levels of challenge can help young animals develop immunity but exposure to high oocyst numbers, particularly in combination with stress can lead to clinical and subclinical forms of the disease. Diagnosis can be problematic, particularly in subclinical cases of disease where failure to gain weight is the main presenting sign and in clinical cases the differential diagnoses include all causes of scour in young animals.
Janssen Animal Health has suggested a few indicators that may be useful in identifying cases of coccidiosis. The Vecoxan Coccidiosis Survey in 2008 and 2009 asked farmers about their experiences of coccidiosis and identified that bad weather was a major trigger particularly in lambs; while castration and weaning were also factors in calves. As the parasite life cycle is 21 days, vets should be alert to disease 2-3 weeks after a stressor event.
The company has also suggested a few guidelines to aid interpretation of laboratory results:
Janssen says Vecoxan (diclazuril) does not interfere with the development of immunity and kills all stages of the parasite in the host.
The Royal College is calling for views on the Day One Competences required of newly qualified veterinary surgeons, via an online survey.
The survey can be accessed from the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/consultations), and can be completed until 31 May.
The College says that the survey is the first step in a review of the Day One Competences, which define the level to be expected of new veterinary graduates when they first qualify. The competences set out in broad terms what is required of new graduates at the end of their veterinary degree, and provide the foundation for curriculum design and student assessment in UK veterinary courses.
RCVS Council member David Catlow, who chairs the Working Party undertaking the review, said: "The Day One Competences are deliberately general as they aim to convey the important principles that all students must master by the time they graduate, regardless of the precise curriculum they have followed, so they are safe to practise in a range of veterinary contexts from day one after they graduate.
"As it is over ten years since these competences were confirmed, we are reviewing them to ensure they remain valid, and to seek to ensure they reflect current and likely future expectations."
The Working Party will report to the Education Policy and Specialisation Committee (EPSC), and includes representatives from the veterinary schools and the British Veterinary Association (BVA), as well as a recent veterinary graduate.
Since being confirmed by the RCVS, the Day One Competences have also been adopted across Europe, through the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE), and in countries such as Australia.
Each event is designed to help attendees with:
Each attendee will be given a complimentary annual Veterinary Osteoarthritis Alliance (VOA) membership.
Kai Crawshaw, Animalcare Brand Manager said: "We had excellent feedback from our first workshops, so we’re pleased to be able to reach veterinary practices in more locations around the UK.
"We also have plans to run more across the rest of the year.
"We hope that these events will lead to veterinary staff becoming more confident in dealing with OA in dogs and helping owners understand the options open to them."
All events start at 7:30pm (arrival from 7pm) and will finish approximately at 9:30pm.
Hot food and drinks will be provided.
https://www.animalcare.co.uk/oa-workshops
The posters are designed to educate clients about what their pet should be drinking on a daily basis, according to their weight.
The company has also prepared a rehydration social media pack with content for practices to use on their social media feeds.
Posters can be requested and social media packs downloaded at: https://www.animalcare.co.uk/oralade-poster.
It will compare current prescription levels with two-year retrospective data to gain an understanding of prescribing behaviour.
It will also look at the proportion of prescriptions that are Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials (HPCIAs).
Individual practice data will then be given to a dedicated AMS representative at each surgery who will be responsible for sharing it with their team - to gain an understanding of their prescribing for these conditions and to review actions which can be taken at practice level.
CPD on antimicrobial stewardship will be given to all practices to encourage responsible antimicrobial usage.
The research project will then capture ongoing data - from August 2024 until July 2025 - to show changes in antimicrobial prescribing.
The research is expected to provide an opportunity to build upon ongoing veterinary antimicrobial stewardship strategies.
This could include: using diagnostics to ensure accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatment plans, informing a change in prescribing behaviour, selecting antimicrobials responsibly, educating pet owners on antimicrobial resistance and using evidence-based guidance.
The clinical research project is being run by Kezia Wareham, Doctor of Philosophy student at Bristol Veterinary School (supervised by Dr Fernando Sanchez-Vizcaino, Dr Emi Barker, Dr Nicola Rooney and Dr Irene Bueno Padilla) and Deb Komianos, Regional Clinical Lead at CVS.
Deb said: “Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top ten global health threats and the figures projected by the WHO for attributable deaths are truly startling.
"To address the development of drug-resistant pathogens requires a One Health approach.
"It is not enough to pay lip service to AMS, we need to be leading the change."
Purina has launched a range of services and support materials to help veterinary professionals approach the subject of nutrition with owners.
The Gastrointestinal Support Pack includes a GI handbook, "lunch and learn" educational sessions, a diagnostic support tool (available at www.purinavets.eu/giapplication) and a toolkit containing information sheets and diagnostic advice.
The company has also announced the result of some consumer research it conducted through One Poll in 2013, which revealed that 77% of dogs have experienced some form of digestive health issue, but only 20% of owners had visited their vet to discuss it. The research also found that 80% of owners would be willing to change their pet's diet if it would improve their digestion.
Esther Rawlinson, Purina UK Veterinary Affairs Manager said: "GI upsets and associated 'accidents' can be really distressing for both owner and pet but are seemingly suffered as 'just one of those things' by many. This needn't be the case though, as a lot of GI-related conditions could be prevented or at least managed by the correct nutritional advice and a specially formulated veterinary diet. By addressing nutrition at every consultation, vets can better identify those patients who suffer regular GI disturbance but whose owners do not feel it worthy of mentioning when in the clinic. The survey results show that there is a huge opportunity for vets to improve the health of many more of their clients' dogs and this is why Purina has introduced a range of GI services and support materials. We aim to help vets to include a nutritional assessment in all of their consultations."
For more information call PURINA PetCare Team on 0800 212 161.
Boehringer Ingelheim has launched Care and Connect a free online PPID aftercare service for horse owners, designed to help veterinary practices monitor their PPID case load and streamline the case management process.
The new service is part of Boehringer's 'Talk About Laminitis (TAL)' Awareness campaign.
The company says that PPID is the sixth most frequently encountered disease syndrome affecting equids in the UK1, and the new service should help engage owners and vets post diagnosis, thereby maximising treatment success.
Liz Barrett, equine business manager at Boehringer, said: “PPID is a progressive disease, so it is vital that veterinary surgeons remain at the centre of care, and that horses are monitored carefully following their initial diagnosis. However we recognise the high administrative demand associated with this, and TAL Care and Connect has been designed to reduce this as much as possible.”
TAL Care and Connect will be offered automatically to horse owners who take advantage of this year’s free* ACTH testing scheme, which will be available from July to November. Equine practices can also offer this aftercare service to all owners of previously diagnosed PPID cases.
Owners who join TAL Care and Connect will be able to set up a profile for their horse which allows all their ACTH results to be stored in one place. They will then receive the relevant reminders for follow-up ACTH testing which will make it easier for vets to monitor their patient’s progress over time.
In addition, owners can download an independently-written PPID information pack. Edited by Prof. Catherine McGowan with contributions from Dr Jo Ireland, Prof. Andy Durham, David Rendle and Dr Teresa Hollands, the pack includes advice on monitoring and follow-up ACTH tests, feeding, general care of the PPID patient and the link between laminitis and PPID.
Talk About Laminitis is supported by Redwings, The British Horse Society and World Horse Welfare, and will run from July until the end of October 2015. Horse owners can find out more and obtain their free ACTH voucher code at www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk.
For further information contact your local Boehringer territory manager or visit www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk.
*Cost of laboratory test
References
The webinar is being presented by Cassie Woods (RVN Cons) CertNCS, Equine Nurse and Partner at Lower House Equine Clinic in Shropshire.
Cassie has a degree in bio-veterinary science and many years experience working in equine and small animal practice.
She regularly lectures for BVNA and BEVA. She is a member of the BEVA equine nurse committee and works closely with the BEVA Trust.
Cassie will share insights and practical strategies to strengthen biosecurity for both clinic and ambulatory teams, and will offer advice and guidance for helping clients to improve their own biosecurity measures.
Horiba's Veterinary specialists will also be available to answer veterinary diagnostics-related questions and share information about the range of pathogen tests the company offers.
https://horiba.link/register-143bbc
Photo: www.depositphotos.com
Hot on the heels of the new license claim for Prac-tic comes the news that Novartis has launched new tasty Milbemax for cats.
The new tablet is the same small size as the original, but is beef-flavoured to ensure high palatability. According to Novartis, trials show that 100 per cent of cats accept the treatment with wet food and 83 per cent with dry food.
To help promote worming the palatable way, Novartis is offering practices some tasty marketing tools to use including posters, client leaflets, worming reminder pads and even a sturdy cut-out cat for reception.
Novartis will also be running a ‘Name Our Cat’ competition with the chance to win an iPod touch complete with an educational podcast; there are five to be won. Entry details can be obtained from Novartis Territory Managers.
For more information about new tasty Milbemax, please contact your Novartis Animal Health Territory Manager or call the Practice Support Line on 0800 854100.
Boehringer Ingelheim has announced the results of an independent three-year study which demonstrates that dogs suffering from the most common type of heart failure lived longer (average time in the study of 267 days vs. 140 days) when treated with the product Vetmedin (pimobendan) compared with the ACE inhibitor benazepril hydrochloride.
According to Boehringer, results from the QUEST (Quality of Life and Extension of Survival Time) study, published in the September/October 2008 issue of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, mark a significant milestone in canine cardiac health.
25% of all small to medium-sized dogs over the age of seven are likely to suffer from heart disease at some point in their life, and 75% of those cases are caused by myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD), sometimes known as "valvular insufficiency" or "endocardiosis".
Adrian Boswood from the Royal Veterinary College, London, a Veterinary Cardiology Specialist and a lead-investigator on the study, said: "With QUEST demonstrating that dogs treated with Vetmedin live on average nearly twice as long as those on benazepril, it is now time for us as veterinary cardiologists and practising veterinarians to look again at how we are treating our patients suffering from this serious condition."
Dr. Michael O'Grady from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, a fellow lead-investigator added, "The QUEST study provides compelling evidence that dogs with the most common form of heart failure should be receiving Vetmedin® as an essential part of their treatment regimen."
QUEST is the largest international study ever conducted looking at treatment for congestive heart failure (CHF) caused by MMVD, with 260 dogs studied in 11 countries, across three continents, over a period of three years.
The study was conducted by a team of 32 independent veterinary cardiologists from Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom among other countries.
For more information on the QUEST study and on CHF caused by MMVD, see http://www.questtrial.com/
A research project funded by The Horse Trust has found that various types of ocular tumours can be successfully treated with mitomycin C, a cytotoxic antibiotic isolated from a bacterium.
The research concludes that mitomycin C offers a safe and cost effective alternative to current treatment options such as surgery and radiation.
The research project was led by Fernando Malalana, while working as The Horse Trust's Clinical Scholar in Equine Internal Medicine at University of Liverpool. Fernando is now working as a Clinician Teacher in Equine Internal Medicine at the university.
Ocular tumours are more difficult to treat than tumours in other parts of the horse's body due to the risk of damaging the eye. In the study, Malalana investigated the use of mitomycin C in treating ocular squamous cell carcinoma, the most common ocular tumour in horses, and occular sarcoids, skin tumors that frequently affect the eyelids .
Mitomycin C is an antibiotic isolated from a bacterium, Streptomyces caespitosus. It is known to have cytotoxic effects and has been used to treat tumours in horses before, but only in combination with surgery.
Currently, the main method of treating ocular squamous cell carcinoma is by removing the tumour surgically or with radiation. Both treatments are costly and have a number of associated risks. There is also the risk of damage or scarring to the eye.
Fourteen horses with ocular squamous cell carcinoma, three of which were affected bilaterally, were included in the study. Mitomycin C was applied to the conjunctival sac of the affected eye; in some of the cases the treatment was combined with surgery. Malalana found that of the 8 eyes treated with mitomycin C alone, clinical resolution occurred in 6 cases. Of the 9 eyes treated with both surgery and mitomycin C, clinical resolution occurred in 7 cases.
Mitomycin C was also used to treat various types of sarcoids found in the eye. Currently, the most effective treatment for occular sarcoids is radioactive wire. However, radioactive wire treatment is not ideal as it is expensive, only offered in two locations in the UK, and has potential health risks to the vet applying the wire due to exposure to radioactivity.
Six horses and two donkeys with occular sarcoids, including one horse that was affected bilaterally, were treated with mitomycin C, which was injected directly into the tumour. Malalana found that of the nine nodular and fibroplastic occular sarcoids treated with the antibiotic, all were completely cleared. However, the vets did not have good results with verrucous sarcoids.
Malalana said: "The results of this research should offer hope to the owners of horses that have eye tumours. We have already been contacted by vets from across Europe to find out more information about this treatment and hope that it will be offered to more horses with occular tumours in the future".
Vets at the University of Liverpool are now testing the use of mitomycin C on other tumours that are difficult to treat surgically, including melanomas near the horse's anus. So far, two cases have been treated, but it is too early to tell whether treatment has been successful.
Malalana's research has been submitted to Veterinary Ophthalmology journal.
Would-be candidates in the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeon Council and Veterinary Nurse Council elections are reminded that the nominations deadline is 5pm on 31 January 2013.
Veterinary surgeons need two nominations from veterinary surgeons, and veterinary nurses two nominations from veterinary nurses, to stand in the respective elections.
Veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses not presently on either Council can nominate one candidate each.
Nomination forms, full instructions and guidance notes are available from www.rcvs.org.uk/rcvscouncil13 and www.rcvs.org.uk/vncouncil13.
Six seats are due to be filled on RCVS Council, and two on VN Council. Those elected will take their seats on RCVS Day next July, to serve four-year terms. Council members will be expected to spend at least six to eight days a year attending Council and Committee meetings, working parties and subcommittees (for which a loss-of-earnings allowance is available).
Woodley Equipment Co Ltd has announced the launch of the new, improved i-STAT® 1 Portable Critical Care Analyser. According to the company, the new i-STAT 1 analyser offers the same extensive test menu as the original analyser, plus the new CHEM8+ cartridge. The CHEM8+ panel provides many of the tests typically needed for quick general or emergency assessment, with just one cartridge. The i-STAT 1 analyser also provides new testing platforms, such as immunodiagnostic capability that will allow additional tests to be released in the future. Other improvements include the Cardiac Troponin test and Glucose strip reader, as well as infrared printer connectivity, upgraded storage capacity and ergonomic improvements. The i-STAT handheld analysers are the only handheld analysers available for veterinary medicine that provide vets with critical care electrolyte, blood gas, chemistry and basic hematology results in two minutes, from three drops of blood. Mike Wickham, Managing Director of Woodley Equipment said, “The new i-STAT 1 Handheld Clinical Analyser and original i-STAT analysers enable vets to make critical care decisions for their patients, whether in-practice or in the field.”