Linnaeus reports that last year, it doubled the funding for its Open Access Publication Charge (OAPC) initiative, through which it covers the fees for its associates to publish open access in prominent peer-reviewed veterinary journals.

The Linnaeus OAPC initiative was launched in 2021 and originally allocated £30K for 2022.

However, that figure was doubled after the company received a growing number of high quality submissions. 

33 papers were accepted for funding in 2022, of which 24 have so far been published and the remainder are undergoing peer review. 

The authors comprise clinicians, specialists, residents and interns across nine referral and primary care sites within the group.

The OAPC was introduced by Professor Luisa De Risio, Clinical Research & Excellence Director at Linnaeus (pictured right).

She said: “By making clinical research open access, we can ensure it makes the widest possible impact – while also supporting the author’s profile and career development.

"We are continuing to offer OAPC funding to our associates in 2023 and look forward to seeing the fantastic research published as a result.”

The government has confirmed that tests carried out on a poultry farm in Dunfirmline have indicated the presence of a notifiable strain of avian influenza.

At this stage, officials say that the clinical picture indicates that this is a low pathogenic strain which poses little risk to human health.

All birds at the premises - 40,000 according to the Daily Mail - will be humanely culled, and a 1km Temporary Control Zone has been put in place to prevent the movement of birds, carcasses and eggs.

BVA President Sean Wensley said: "This suspected outbreak is further evidence of the vital surveillance role played by frontline vets in protecting animal and, by extension, human health. We commend the veterinary surgeon involved in detecting the outbreak in Fife, which has enabled a swift and effective response by the Scottish Government and all other organisations involved.

"We urge poultry keepers and vets working in the area to remain vigilant and to report any concerns to their local Animal Plant & Health Agency (APHA) office. We would like to emphasise that there is no food safety risk to the public."

Photo: RonaldDuncan at en.wikipedia

BVA President Gudrun Ravetz has been on Radio 4's Today programme, doing her bit to educate the public about the health problems suffered by brachycephalic breeds.

In the piece, which starts at 1:22:54 here, Gudrun explained that what is seen as “normal” and cute for these dogs, such as snorting and snuffling, is in reality a result of debilitating respiratory problems caused by the squashed faces that have made them so fashionable.

Today also highlighted the fact that flat-faced breeds have experienced a huge boom in popularity recently, driven by celebrity owners, advertising and the media. According to the Kennel Club, the French bulldog is set to knock the labrador off its perch as the UK's most popular breed.

Following the interview Gudrun said: "We shouldn’t be buying and breeding dogs on the way we want them to look - it should always be about prioritising welfare above appearance.

"These are breeds that can suffer just by walking around or eating, which is why we’re calling on the media and advertisers to stop using them in their adverts.

"It is also difficult to turn on the TV, check Instagram or see a celebrity photo without also seeing a brachycephalic breed so it’s not surprising that demand for these dogs is rising."

Gudrun urged anyone thinking about buying a brachycephalic breed to talk to their local vet and think about choosing a healthier breed or crossbreed instead.

The RCVS is publishing new Covid recovery guidance for the veterinary professions in the UK.

The new guidance, which can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/coronavirus, will gradually replace the current emergency guidance and aims to help veterinary practices begin a phased return to near-normal operations:

• Professional judgement and biosecurity
  Subject to each government’s plans remaining in place, the new guidance will enable practices to provide services to clients in accordance with their professional judgement, the ongoing requirement to maintain biosecurity and social distancing, and any other relevant government guidelines and restrictions.
• Flowcharts removed
  The College’s Covid flowcharts, which have aimed to support veterinary decision-making throughout the pandemic restrictions, will be removed, and practices will no longer be expected to provide only essential/urgent services.
• Remote prescribe if no suitable alternative
  The College is retaining its temporary guidance that permits remote prescribing of prescription-only veterinary medicines, but only where there is no suitable alternative and still subject to certain guidelines and requirements.

Alongside the College’s guidance, the BVA is also publishing guidance for practices on working safely as lockdown restrictions are eased. [www.bva.co.uk/coronavirus/]

RCVS President Mandisa Greene said: “None of us could have predicted quite what an extraordinary and extraordinarily challenging 12 months this has been for everyone.

"On behalf of the whole of RCVS Council, I would like to thank sincerely once again all our veterinary and veterinary nursing colleagues, and all those in practice teams around the UK, for their awe-inspiring commitment, adaptability, resilience and sheer hard work in continuing to provide essential veterinary services and look after the health and welfare of the nation’s animals, in what have been the most difficult of times.

“Whilst I sincerely hope that we are at last beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, if there is one thing we have learnt, it is that things can deteriorate rapidly if we don’t all continue to play our part and follow all relevant guidelines.

“I therefore urge my colleagues to continue to use their professional judgement and think very carefully about their gradual return to more normal working patterns over the coming weeks and months, according to their individual circumstances and the best interests of their teams, clients, and the animals they care for.”

RCVS Council has also agreed that the policy and guidance changes made in response to the pandemic over the past 12 months will now be reviewed, and decisions made as to whether to retain, amend or reverse them.

Ceva Animal Health has produced a new advisory leaflet about enzootic abortion control and vaccination strategy in sheep to help vets explain the best prevention protocols to clients.

According to the company, it is estimated that around half of the 400,000 infectious abortions in UK sheep each year are from enzootic abortion caused by Chlamydophila abortus, but timely vaccination programmes can prevent such dramatic losses.

The eight-page leaflet explains how enzootic abortion can spread, why prevention is better than cure, the importance of timely vaccination of ewe lambs and replacement stock, how vaccination programmes make good economic sense and the benefits of using Cevac Chlamydia, Ceva Animal Health's live enzootic abortion vaccine as part of the control programme.

Carol Atkinson, reprodAction's product manager said: "Cevac Chlamydia receives consistently good feedback from vets, many of whom have enthusiastically volunteered their praise for the product to our territory managers. We thought a leaflet would be a constructive way to share views, giving vets the chance to hear about the advantages of vaccination and to provide them with the tools to explain to their clients why vaccinating against enzootic abortion is cost worthy."

For further information contact Ceva Animal Health Ltd, Unit 3, Anglo Office Park, White Lion Road, Amersham, Bucks, HP7 9FB, Telephone +44 (0) 1494 781510.

Zoetis has produced new guidance to help veterinary surgeons develop successful strategies for controlling worms in foals and youngstock.

According to the company, information on best worming strategies for foals and yearlings remains largely anecdotal, making it difficult to develop a clear plan for this age group. Zoetis veterinary surgeon Wendy Talbot has therefore reviewed the recent literature to develop an eight-point plan. 

Explaining the guidance, Wendy writes:

Foals and yearlings are usually more susceptible to worms than are adult horses because they have had little chance to develop any immunity. They are more vulnerable to related diseases and tend to have higher egg shedding, which increases the risk of infection. The main parasitic culprits in the UK for foals less than six months of age are large roundworms (ascarids). In older foals and weanlings, small and large strongyles, tapeworms (and pinworms) are the main considerations.¹ Yearlings may also have a second wave of large roundworm infection at 8-10 months of age.² Any control strategy will need to take into account the individual circumstances such as stocking density, pasture management and previous disease history.

Guidelines for parasite control in foals suggest a first treatment with fenbendazole at 2-3 months of age, targeting large roundworm, followed by another treatment at 5-6 months. Alternatively, pyrantel may be considered for these doses; however, there may be resistance in some areas and foals with large adult ascarid burdens may be at higher risk of intestinal rupture when this drug is used.⁴ At weaning (approximately six months of age), it is advisable to perform a faecal worm egg count (FWEC) to determine if treatment for strongyles is also required; the macrocyclic lactone anthelmintics (ivermectin or moxidectin) are expected to have the highest efficacy. At 9 and 12 months of age treatment for stronglyes and a larvicidal dose for encysted stages of small strongyles (moxidectin or a 5 day course of fenbendazole) are indicated.  A tapeworm treatment should be included with one of these doses.^2,3

For yearlings, two methods have recently been proposed for worm control: the first involves using faecal worm egg counts (FWECs) at more frequent intervals than for adults to guide dosing for strongyles in the grazing season.¹ The second suggests three baseline treatments targeting strongyles in spring, summer and late autumn, with FWECs in between to identify and treat any still shedding high numbers of eggs, up to a maximum of six treatments per year.² Macrocyclic lactones have the highest expected efficacy against small strongyles and should form the basis of treatments; however, pyrantel can be considered for some treatments where it has been shown to have continued efficacy. Both strategies include a larvcidal treatment for encysted small redworm combined with testing or treating for tapeworm in late autumn. The inclusion of one or two doses of a macrocyclic lactone each year (usually already used for small strongyle control) should be sufficient to prevent large strongyle related disease.³

The wide differences in the circumstances of foals and yearlings, together with geographical variations in resistance patterns and a lack of consensus on best practice in this group means it is not possible to define a single approach to a worming plan. An important point to note is that FWECs may give surprising results because higher counts are generally seen in youngstock.

Eight ways to keep clients' youngstock worms controlled:

1. Clean pasture is key to keeping foals and youngstock healthy. Regular removal of droppings is crucial to a successful worm control plan.
2. All foals are considered to be susceptible and at risk of acquiring ascarid infection. Some degree of anthelmintic intervention should be considered and in most circumstances administration at 2-3 months of age and again at 5-6 months of age is advisable.⁴
3. Older foals are primarily at risk of strongyle infection; macrocyclic lactone anthelmintics have the highest expected efficacy.
4. Worm egg counts are likely to be higher in yearlings compared to adults and interpretation of them requires good knowledge of all the circumstances including management, clinical history, previous worm control and test results. Cut-off values for treatment have been suggested to be between 100-500 epg.
5. Moxidectin for the treatment of encysted small redworm is advised for all youngsters (> 6 months of age) in late autumn.¹
6. Faecal worm egg counts are advisable in late winter/start of spring to identify high shedders. These should be treated as necessary with moxidectin particularly after a mild winter.¹
7. New arrivals should be dosed with moxidectin and then quarantined for three days.¹
8. A yearly faecal egg count reduction test is advised to check efficacy against strongyles and ascarids for all class of drugs used on the premises.¹

For further information on worming together with some equine specific CPD visit: https://blog.vetsupportplus.com/

1. Matthews www.vettimes.co.uk/article/helminth-control-programmes-for-equine-yearlings-at-pasture/
2. Nielsen (2017) Endoparasite Control. 9^th ECEIM congress proceedings, 63-64
3. AAEP (2016) Parasite Control Guidelines
4. Nielsen (2016) Evidence-based considerations for control of Parascaris spp. infections in horses. Equine vet. Educ.  28 (4) 224-231

Virbac has launched Pyoderm, an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal dermatological shampoo for dogs and cats.

Containing 3% m/v Chlorhexidine, Pyoderm is designed to support the natural microbial balance of the skin whilst delivering gentle yet effective cleansing.

Along with the rest of Virbac's range of dermatological and everyday care shampoos, Pyoderm is presented in 250ml eco-friendly bottles which are made from 100% recycled plastic and recyclable packaging.

The shampoos themselves are also biodegradable. 

https://uk.virbac.com/

A new device call the Animalarm, which sends dog owners an SMS text message if the temperature in their car exceeds a preset threshold, has been launched this week.

Apparently, you can also ring the device to check what the temperature is inside your car.

The Animalarm sells for £108 inc. VAT from www.animalarm.co.uk.

Now all we need is a bit of sun. 

Following a public consultation, the RCVS Council has voted to adopt all the proposals made by the RCVS Legislation Working Party concerning future veterinary legislation.

The Legislative Reform Consultation took place between November 2020 and April 2021 and asked members of the veterinary profession and the public to give their responses to a package of proposals for future veterinary legislation designed to enhance the role of veterinary nurses, modernise RCVS registration, lead to a modern fitness to practise regime, and ensure the regulation of veterinary practices. 

The proposals represent the biggest legislative reform since the 1966 Veterinary Surgeons Act.

In total the consultation received 1,330 responses, of which 714 (54%) were from veterinary surgeons, 335 (25%) from veterinary nurses, 93 (7%) from veterinary paraprofessionals, 73 (5%) from student veterinary nurses, 58 (4%) from members of the public, 40 (3%) from veterinary and industry organisations, including representative bodies, and the remainder from veterinary students and veterinary practice managers.

An analysis of the consultation responses covering each of the five core areas and their individual recommendations can be found in the final report, which is available at www.rcvs.org.uk/legislativereform.

After considering this report, Council voted by a majority to accept the recommendations, meaning that they are now formally adopted as RCVS policy and will form the basis for discussions on the need for new legislation with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).

Professor Stephen May has chaired the Legislation Working Party that developed the proposal since its inception in 2017 when he was RCVS President. He said: “We are very grateful to those individuals and organisations who took the time to complete this very important consultation on recommendations for the future legislative framework for the professions. We also appreciate the candour of those who were unsure about or opposed to the recommendations.

“When the Legislation Working Party met to consider the responses and the report, it decided that, while no substantive changes needed to be made to the principle-based recommendations, the points raised both against and in favour of individual recommendations gave us important material for additional consideration, and food for thought as to how any detailed proposals would be implemented once enabling legislation is in place.

“We look forward to submitting these recommendations to Defra formally, with a view to them becoming, in time, a bill put before Parliament to replace the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. In so doing, this would establish a modern, flexible and comprehensive piece of legislation that would make sure the regulatory structure for the veterinary professions is fit for purpose for decades to come.”

As well as the main report of the Legislative Reform Consultation, RCVS Council also considered a series of interim measures that would be in line with the overall aims of future legislative changes, but which could be implemented without primary legislation.

The proposed interim measures included:

• the establishment of smaller-scale (‘mini’) Preliminary Investigation Committees (PICs) to help streamline the concerns investigation process;
• the establishment of a Charter Case Protocol where certain cases that meet the threshold for a full disciplinary hearing, but which might be likely to attract a lesser sanction, may be concluded, without recourse to a full public Disciplinary Committee hearing, via a system of published warnings; and,
• changing the standard of proof in determining the facts of a case during a Disciplinary Committee hearing from the criminal standard (‘beyond all reasonable doubt’) to the civil standard (‘on the balance of probabilities’).

Council members voted on each of these interim measures on an individual basis – with the mini-PICs and the Charter Case Protocol being accepted by majority vote.

However, Council members voted against implementing the change to the standard of proof at this time, citing a number of concerns about the potential impact of it being implemented under the current concerns investigation and disciplinary procedures. Similar concerns had been put forward by many of those who responded to the consultation itself.

Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar, said: “The approved procedural changes will, I believe, lead to a significant improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of our disciplinary processes. The Charter Case Protocol will mean that, in suitable cases where a finding of serious professional misconduct at a full disciplinary hearing would likely only lead to a reprimand or to no further action being taken, a more proportionate and less time-consuming and expensive means of resolving cases will be available. However, it will still reflect the seriousness of the matters and continue to protect the public interest, welfare and the reputation of the profession.

“Furthermore, by phasing out the Case Examiner Group stage and instead referring concerns to ‘mini’ PICs, which will decide if the threshold of serious professional misconduct has been met, it will make our concerns investigation processes clearer and more streamlined and therefore more efficient. We look forward to publishing further details on both of these changes in due course.

“Although Council members accepted that a change of the standard of proof would be an integral part of introducing a modern fitness to practise (FTP) regime as part of any future legislation, they had significant concerns about the ‘interim’ recommendation to introduce it under the current arrangements, in advance of implementing a full FTP model, and so a majority felt that they could not vote for it.”

To read the full report of the Legislative Reform Consultation, including analysis of the responses, please visit www.rcvs.org.uk/legislativereform.

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.

Cardiologists at Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in Solihull have performed a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure on an eight-week-old Staffordshire bull terrier puppy weighing 2.2kg, believed to be amongst the smallest dogs ever to have undergone the procedure.

Scans had showed that as a result of the PDA failing to close after birth, Teddy's heart had become significantly enlarged, with fluid building up on his lungs, causing dyspnoea.

The closure operation required a 1cm incision and involved passing catheters via an artery in the hind leg and then plugging the PDA. The whole procedure, including anaesthetic, took about 90 minutes to complete. 

Mike Martin, RCVS Specialist Veterinary Cardiologist at Willows who led the operation, said: "Teddy was already suffering heart failure, with severe heart enlargement. His breathing was very heavy and fast due to the fluid build-up in his lungs. He was not going to survive another week without the PDA being plugged. 

"We’ve gained a lot of experience over the years and we’re pushing the boundaries as best we can. We had previously operated on dogs weighing around four or five kilos, then three kilos, but Teddy, at 2.2kg, has been our smallest by some way. 

"It all went according to plan and Teddy was up, running and playing happily the same afternoon. There was a slight added pressure to the procedure, in that maybe he would be too small, but we made his owners aware of the fact it may not be successful and he might need traditional surgery. He’d been prepped and was ready for that if needed. 

"A lot of little dogs such as Yorkies and Chihuahuas suffer from heart problems when they are too small for cardiac catheterisation but instead have to undergo traditional surgery, so this type of interventional procedure is increasingly important." 

To find out more information about Willows Referral Service, visit www.willows.uk.net.

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.

CVS reports that it is upskilling its nurses in diagnostic imaging techniques - so that they can take X-rays and perform CT scans, MRI and ultrasound.

To date most of these imaging procedures have been performed by vets within the group’s small animal first opinion veterinary practices.

The company says its Foundations in Diagnostic Imaging for Nurses training is designed to give its nurses more clinical stature in first opinion practice.

The programme will teach nurses the workings of an x-ray machine, common X-ray positions and contrast material.

It will also cover the principles of CT and MRI, showing how to set up and operate each piece of equipment, and how to support patients through these imaging procedures.

Finally, the course will provide the training nurses need to be able to perform ultrasounds within the current RCVS legal frameworks.

CVS says it believes this is a first in the veterinary profession

Tara Ryan, Chief Veterinary Nursing Officer at CVS said: “Imaging is a brand new area that we are starting to delegate to our nurses.

"Having heavily invested in our small animal first opinion practices over the last decade, we have a wide range of imaging equipment at many of our sites.

“Excitingly, this programme will open up the ability for nurses to start to contribute more information - to help vets identify and diagnose conditions and diseases in patients.

"It is another big step that we are taking to empower our brilliant nurses and to enable them to make a great clinical contribution towards the care of our patients – and to be the nurses they want to be.”

CVS is prioritising the consulting room and Schedule 3 delegated tasks as important areas for improving what it calls 'nurse optimisation'.

The company recognises that 'buy in' from veterinary surgeons is vital to the success of its efforts to optimise the role of its nurses, and the group has also published guidelines to provide clarity around effective delegation under Schedule 3.