An amendment to the EU's draft budget for a €2 million pilot research project into homeopathy and phytotherapy for farm animals has been approved today by the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee.
BVA President Harvey Locke, said: "Millions of Euros have already been spent on trying to prove the scientific efficacy of homeopathic medicines. To date we have not seen any data to prove they can be effective in the treatment of bacterial infections.
"Whilst it is unlikely that €2 million will be able to determine whether or not there is a basis for claiming homeopathic products can work, we welcome European investment in veterinary research and hope that the results of the pilot will be useful."
The updated indications reflect the recognition that Stelfonta may be used in any case where surgery may not be an option:
For the treatment of non-metastatic (WHO staging) mast cell tumours that are either non-resectable or those that are resectable but where surgery is not considered the best option, specifically: cutaneous mast cell tumours (located anywhere on the dog) and subcutaneous mast cell tumours located at or distal to the elbow or the hock.
Tumours must be less than or equal to 8 cm 3 in volume, and must be accessible to intratumoral injection.
Neil Mottram MRCVS, Technical Manager at Virbac said: “Stelfonta offers veterinary surgeons a medical option for the successful elimination of mast cell tumours.
"The extended labelled indication demonstrates the wide variety of cases that can benefit where medical treatment is preferred, such as; tumour factors (location and size) making surgical margins difficult, patient factors (concurrent disease and risk of anaesthesia), clinic factors and the simplification of this medical treatment and owner factors, where there is a preference to avoid surgery."
Stelfonta is administered by injection directly into the tumour mass and Virbac say that generally, dogs do not require sedation or local or general anaesthesia during treatment.
The active ingredient, Tigilanol tiglate, works largely through specific protein kinase c (PKC) activation, in which it locally stimulates the immune system, resulting in destruction of the tumour and the tumour’s blood supply, followed by rapid healing of the site with minimal scarring.
www.virbac.co.uk
CEVA Animal Health has launched Diarsanyl Plus, a new intestinal support paste for dogs, cats and small animals containing prebiotics.
Diarsanyl Plus contains the same unique combination of ingredients as Diarsanyl - montmorillonite, Na+, Mg2+ and K+ ions and dextrose - but now also contains prebiotics called fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS).
According to the company, montmorillonite maintains intestinal function by coating and protecting the enterocytes and absorbing toxins, Na+, Mg2+ and K+ ions help maintain electrolyte levels and dextrose provides a much needed energy source for the small intestine. The prebiotics help maintain normal intestinal flora by promoting the growth of good bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli and stimulating the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) - acetate, propionate and butyrate - which are important energy sources for the large intestine.
Fraser Broadfoot, product manager at CEVA Animal Health said: "Diarsanyl Plus will build on the proven efficacy of Diarsanyl by including prebiotics that naturally balance the intestinal flora of animals with digestive upsets and diarrhoea. The new easy-to-use syringes and palatable formulation will also make it easier for pet owners to administer."
Diarsanyl Plus is available in 10ml, 24ml and 60ml pack sizes for a variety of species, from small animals to large dogs.
For further information, please contact your CEVA Animal Health representative or call 01494 781510.
The vaccine will be available to order directly from Merial on receipt of a Special Import Certificate (SIC) issued by the VMD to the named vet. The SIC is only required once but needs to accommodate all potential doses required, enabling Merial to supply to direct orders from the practice.
The product is available in 10 dose packs at a net price of £89.00 per pack.
For further information, contact Merial Customer Support Centre (UK) on 0870 6000 123 or your local equine territory manager.
The first is Design Hub, a self-service marketing portal which allows practices to choose from a variety of designs for posters, social media posts and other collateral and brand them with the practice logo. The portal includes a planner which details noteworthy dates, veterinary campaigns and events that practices might want to include in their marketing plans.
Member practices using the new portal during February also have the chance to enter a competition to win £500 Love2shop vouchers.
The second resource is a pets portal which the company says will make it easier to access live information about pets enrolled on its health plans, make administrative changes, process refunds or cancellations and soon, add new pets.
From July the pets portal will compatible with tablets and other mobile devices, so practice staff can move out from behind the desk and have conversations with pet owners in the waiting or consulting rooms.
Paul Bates, Practice Development Specialist, said: "We had already identified that practices wanted to be able to register plans and change details online. It was important for us to also ensure that the tool we developed had the desired functionality and was robust enough to handle large volumes of data being entered simultaneously across the country.
"We also wanted it to be fit for purpose so that if we want to develop more advanced features going forwards, we don’t have to recreate the wheel and can build on what we have already. The portal will be really useful in its own right and gives us a great launching pad for future development."
To access the new portals, email: pethealthplanscomms@denplan.co.uk, or contact your Simplyhealth Professionals Practice Support Advisor or Business Development Consultant.
For more information about Simplyhealth Professionals visit http://www.pethealthplans.co.uk/vets.
Amongst other things, the plans offer 24/7 telephone counselling from GPs and trained counsellors.
Simplyhealth Professional’s Head Veterinary Officer, Gudrun Ravetz (pictured right), said: "Veterinary practice is a 24/7 job and it can be difficult for the veterinary team to access GP and counselling appointments during the day and of course, a mental or physical health crisis can hit at any time of the day or night. Access to the telephone care line ensures staff can freely access potentially life-saving advice and support at their time of greatest need, no matter when or where."
Optimise health plans also include access to the online myWellbeing portal which offers advice on a range of subjects, including childcare and eldercare responsibilities, finance and legal issues.
The plans also provide employees with free health evaluation tools and cashback on services including sight tests, dental treatment, diagnostics, physiotherapy and even prescription costs.
Lastly, Optimise health plans encourage leisure activities by offering discounts on sports equipment, gym membership and healthy family days out.
Gudrun added: "By providing access to talking therapies and removing some of the barriers to self-care, the Simplyhealth Optimise plans aim to support practices who want to ensure their staff can easily access the tools they need to maintain a healthy mind and body. Knowing that your practice cares enough about your wellbeing to put a care plan in place is very attractive to new recruits and existing staff alike."
Practice owners and managers can find out more by talking to their Simplyhealth Professionals Business Consultant, visit www.simplyhealthprofessionals.co.uk or call 0800 328 3233.
The divestment is expected to be concluded in mid-2020, and Bayer intends to exit its stake in Elanco over time.
Bayer says that combining Elanco and Bayer Animal Health will create the number two animal heath company, with top three positions across a broad range of species and geographies. It also enhances Elanco’s portfolio of leading global brands and bolsters its innovation capabilities and R&D pipeline.
Jeffrey N. Simmons, president and chief executive officer of Elanco, said: "Combining Elanco’s strong relationship with veterinarians and Bayer’s leadership in retail and e-commerce will ultimately benefit all our customers. We look forward to joining our complementary portfolios and capabilities to build a fully focused animal health company, providing a sustained flow of innovation for farmers, veterinarians and pet owners."
60 vets took part in the survey. 80% believed they had seen an increase in behavioural problems since lockdown. Over 60% reported an increase in the incidence of obesity and diarrhoea. Nearly 50% had seen an increase in urinary tract disorders and haemorrhagic gastroenteritis.
When asked which conditions had been harder to manage clinically since the start of the pandemic, the top seven conditions were:
Medicine specialist, Dr Stefanie Mitze (pictured right) said: “We conducted the survey to help us understand changes in disease incidence and the clinical challenges faced by our colleagues in first opinion practice over the last year.
"The fact that the incidence of disorders which can have a stress-related component, including behavioural problems, diarrhoea and urinary tract disease, were reported to have increased by a high proportion of respondents indicates that many pets may be experiencing heightened stress during the pandemic.”
Stefanie is now creating a series of free bitesize CPD videos to help manage these more challenging cases. She said: “We recognise the past year has been challenging, especially with complex staffing issues, reduced vet visits and restricted face-to-face communication with clients. For complex, chronic medical conditions, especially those which require frequent follow up, we wanted to support colleagues in providing the best care possible in the current circumstances. We hope these CPD sessions will provide practical tips to help deliver just that.
The CPD sessions are available at: https://www.hamiltonspecialists.vet
Zoetis says the new product is designed to stimulate both cell-mediated and antibody-based immunity, providing a broad immune response that mimics a natural infection.
The company says CircoMax Myco has demonstrated robust performance in field conditions, delivering improvements in average daily gain (ADG) and close-out weights versus negative controls, helping producers get more kilograms of pork to market.
CircoMax Myco comes in a ready to use single-dose combination with a duration of immunity (DOI) of 23 weeks against both PCV2 and M. hyopneumoniae.
Alvaro Aldaz, Director, Global Commercial Development, Swine, Zoetis, said: “The swine industry needs to adapt to evolving challenges and our research has consistently demonstrated that with its unique technology CircoMax Myco offers robust protection against PCV2 and M. hyopneumoniae.
"It also shows that this new product offers the best chance at protection against continuously evolving PCV2 genotypes – providing a broader umbrella for pig health and productivity.
"Analysis of new European PCV2 strains isolated in multiple countries confirm that CircoMax Myco offers broader coverage than competitor vaccines based on PCV2a only.”
The resource includes content from Companion, BSAVA Congress, and the BSAVA Manual of Wildlife Casualties.
Topics range from hand-rearing to anaesthesia to relevant legal questions and cover both hedgehogs and general wildlife casualties.
Liz Mullineaux, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Wildlife Medicine (Mammalian), Senior Vice President of the British Veterinary Zoological Society, and editor of the BSAVA Manual of Wildlife Casualties, said: "Hedgehogs are the most common mammalian wildlife casualty seen by veterinary surgeons.
"Those caring for these animals have very variable knowledge and look to vets for appropriate help, advice, and clinical care.
"It’s therefore really important that vets and vet nurses in practice have some good information about hedgehogs to hand.
"As well as knowing about clinical conditions, a broader understanding of wildlife rehabilitation is essential.
The collection, which costs £20.00 for BSAVA members or £45.00 for non-members, can be accessed via the BSAVA Library: https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/hedgehogs.
Dave Dickson MRCVS (pictured right) said: "The ECG series is full of case examples and practical advice, delivered by the friendly cardiologists at HeartVets.
"The course should give you confidence to record and interpret ECGs in practice, knowing how to put the ECG information into context with each case and improving how you manage cardiac cases in practice."
ECGs for Vets and Nurses, an online course offering an introduction to ECGs.
The course, which costs £95 for three month's access, has over seven-and-a-half hours of content, divided up into 20-45 minute webinars, so you can watch at your own pace.
For more information, visit: https://heartvets.co.uk/learning-zone/
The RSPCA reports that it has saved nearly 400 animals from flooding, including 40 fish, in the last 3 days alone.
The koi carp were rescued from a pond in Wraysbury, Berkshire, which was being overcome by rising floodwater.
Other rescues have included:
The charity says its flood rescue team has helped 586 animals affected by floods since Jan, with 386 of those in the last three days alone. Their efforts were praised by Labour leader Ed Milliband yesterday, who was at the scene with an RSPCA water rescue team in Wraysbury.
RSPCA flood rescue co-ordinator Jason Finch said: "The water rescue teams on the ground are doing an amazing job with limited resources. We will continue to do everything we can to help animals, and humans, during this difficult time and are so grateful for all the support our workers have received from the public."
Photograph courtesy RSPCA
The book contains 40 chapters of articles about clinical techniques, diagnostic pathways and management approaches published in Companion between 2016 and 2020.
Editor of Companion, Samantha Taylor said: “At Companion we strive to produce well-illustrated, practical articles to help vets and VNs in practice face the day-to-day challenges of a varied caseload. We hope this collection meets our aims by covering a variety of clinical problems from hypercalcaemia in cats to managing the snuffly rabbit, from Leishmaniasis to lymphoma and many more.
Ian Ramsey (BSAVA Senior Vice President) said: “This collection represents a unique body of well-illustrated work prepared by experts from all around the UK and beyond. I would like to thank them all on behalf of BSAVA members and readers of this book for taking the time and care to develop these resources for their colleagues around the world.”
Samantha added: “Whether kept on the shelf for when needed or thumbed through over a cup of tea, we hope that within the pages of this new volume you find a useful tip or technique that helps.”
The How to…collected articles from BSAVA Companion (2016–2020), 3rd edition has been published as a BSAVA member loyalty reward gift for those eligible veterinary members who renew their membership this year.
The book is also available to buy from the BSAVA website www.bsava.com/shop priced at £20.
The first is to confirm officially that Suprelorin, it's non-surgical alternative for neutering male dogs, may be implanted by RVNs under the direction of a veterinary surgeon under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act.
The company is also hosting two free webinars for nurses to learn more about neutering: The Science of Canine Castration and Practical Tips for Clinics, presented by Dr Michelle Kutzler and Nicola Lakeman on Thursday 9th December 2021, and Behaviour in Post-Pandemic Puppies and Practical Tips for Clinics, presented by Stephanie Hedges and Nicola Lakeman on Thursday 16th December 2021.
Dr Neil Mottram MRCVS, Technical Product Manager at Virbac said: "A huge surge in dog ownership in the last two years, combined with the additional pressures of Covid-19, has massively increased pressures on veterinary teams.
"At the same time we know that pet owner attitudes to surgical neutering is changing with 1 in 3 pet owners saying that they would look at alternative methods to surgical castration1.
"Suprelorin offers practices the opportunity to utilise the skills of their RVNs to provide a choice to clients when it comes to neutering and help to ease pressures on surgical waiting lists".
Reference
MSD Animal Health has announced the launch of The Big Tick Project, both to investigate whether ticks are carrying more pathogens and to raise awareness amongst the public.
The company highlights research which shows that nationally, tick distribution has expanded by 17% in the last 10 years and tick numbers have also increased in 73% of locations surveyed.1 In addition, the company says there is evidence that ticks are feeding earlier in the year and feeding for longer2, thus increasing their potential to pass on significant disease to both animals and humans. Lyme disease in particular can be serious health issue for both humans and animals, being increasingly recognised and recorded in the UK recent years3.
So, as part of the project, practices are being invited to collect ticks and send them to the University of Bristol for analysis. In addition, there'll be a national PR and marketing campaign fronted by the naturalist Chris Packham (pictured right).
Practices taking part in the project will receive a tick collection kit and marketing support pack including access to dedicated PR services, postcards and posters to raise awareness of ticks within their clinic and local community. The collection kit includes instructions, collection equipment and Freepost packaging to allow ticks removed from dogs to be sent to the university quickly and easily.
Professor Richard Wall from University of Bristol said: "For accurate results we need as many ticks as possible and I really encourage vet practices up and down the country to get involved. We need data from all types of practices ranging from urban to rural locations to help vets and human health professionals make more effective recommendations and help prevent tick-related disease."
To take part in The Big Tick Project, email a contact name and your practice details to: info@bigtickproject.co.uk.
References
The first opinion Linnaeus Group practice, which also holds RCVS hospital status, is run by a team of nine vets, 14 nurses, nine receptionists and four animal care assistants.
It was given an outstanding rating for client service, inpatient service, patient consultation service and team and professional responsibility.
Maureen Geraghty Sathi, Practice Manager at Maven said: "We’re always asking ourselves how could we do this better? Everyone has to be on board or it would not work."
The practice had a focus team look at awards and the improvements it would need to make to achieve the required standards. Amongst the various things that were highlighted as exceptional were:
A genuinely separate cat waiting area and cat consult room.
An extensive pain monitoring system with pain scoring for all patients in hospital and an outpatient system which enables clients to monitor and chart their pets pain levels at home and review them with their vet.
Daily clinical rounds which involve the entire clinical team as well as management and a member of the customer care team. Aside from discussing clinical cases for the day this platform also enables daily review of any significant events or morbidity and mortality cases to be highlighted and time allocated for review.
A system whereby vets at the practice email clients in advance of any surgical procedure with information on the procedure itself as well as any potential risks associated with the procedure allowing time for further discussion with the client as needed
Consistent use of surgical and GA checklists to maximise patient safety.
In the final report, the RCVS practice standards assessor wrote: "The structures and management in place were of the very highest order. I was really impressed by the commitment of this practice to provide the very highest standards of clinical care to its clients."
Maureen said: "I am massively proud of the team, to see the pride in how they work. It is lovely to be told that you are working to an extremely high level and genuinely reflects the standards of the team day by day."
Flimabend is diluted into water and replaces the flock’s drinking water for a set period during the day.
The new 20g pack includes a post-prescription leaflet to help veterinary surgeons support clients in calculating the correct dose, based on the bodyweight of their flock. It also includes a measuring scoop to ensure accurate administration.
Flimabend is effective against the three key intestinal worms affecting chickens – Ascaridia (roundworm); Capillaria (hairworm) and Heterakis gallinarum, which can be a vector for Blackhead disease. No egg withdrawal period is required.
Charlotte Read, Krka's Key Account Manager – Farm said: “Poultry-rearing is on the increase in the UK, both at a commercial level and among the public. Recent figures suggest that more than one million UK households keep chickens, with the majority of domestic flocks comprising five laying hens and a cockerel1.
"A regular worming routine is, of course, essential for optimal flock health and ensuring ease of use in a worming product is the most effective way of ensuring compliance, especially among those keeping backyard chickens.
“As one of the first water-based worming products available for small flocks, Flimabend now offers an innovative presentation of Flubendazole which we believe offers a new level of convenience and flexibility.”
Krka is currently offering virtual ‘lunch and learns’ on the worming of backyard chickens. Contact your Krka Account Manager for more details.
The money, which was raised from the annual raffle and auction was nearly 50% more than last year's total, which was an already impressive £27,800.
When the total was announced, former Vetlife President and auctioneer for the evening, Graham Dick was visibly moved and rendered temporarily speechless.
Once he's had a chance to recompose himself, he said “Your continued selection of Vetlife as the nominated charity for your now legendary fundraising at your annual conference not only raises much needed funds to enable it to continue to fulfil its mission, but also provides an excellent opportunity to re-enforce its contribution to the wellbeing of so many fellow veterinary professionals.” \
“This amazing sum raised could not have been possible without the provision by so many of such a wide range of raffle prizes and high value lots for auction and the generosity of those who bid unstintingly for them.
"On behalf of those in our veterinary community for whom such generosity may have made a substantial difference Vetlife is extremely grateful.”
Vet Dynamics Director Vicky Robinson said: “Both Graham and I were virtually speechless to see the amazing generosity from our delegates and exhibitors and, of course, the kindness of the donors.
"It's such a pleasure to be able to contribute to a charity who work tirelessly to help our wonderful profession.”
Photo: Vicky Robinson and Graham Dick
The virtual collection provides a source of evidence to determine what is or is not of clinical significance in cardiac arrhythmia and what might represent the best course of action, if action is needed, within the requisite parameters of safety and welfare.
With an editorial written jointly by Peter Physick-Sheard and Joann Slack the virtual collection includes:
... and more.
Professor Celia Marr, Editor of the EVJ said: “In terms of day-to-day veterinary work, rhythm disturbances are a frequent frustration during prepurchase examinations or perceived poor performance assessments. This outstanding collection brings to hand the most recent evidence to help clinicians support their observations, facilitating diagnosis and a treatment plan in this challenging area.”
The Virtual issue can be downloaded here: https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)2042-3306.irregular-hearts-performance.vi
The Action Plan presents what the College is doing to tackle the issue and explains how collaboration, culture change, career development and leadership, among other things, could help with workforce shortages by improving retention of current members of the professions, encouraging more people to join, and making it easier for those who have left the professions to return.
The report lists seven main areas to be addressed:
The full list of actions, with context about what has fed into ambitions, can be found in the Action Plan which is downloadable at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications.
Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS, Junior Vice-President and Chair of the RCVS Advancement of the Professions Committee, said: “This is a very complex, broad and multi-faceted area of concern so the Action Plan has been a long time in the making to ensure that we adequately capture what needs doing and how, in order to enable us to work collaboratively with all veterinary organisations going forward.
"This is not a finished list, but gives all within the veterinary sector the ability to look at the key areas of work that need to be done and prioritise the ones that most suit their organisational needs."
The partnership includes a minimum donation of £10,000 which the company hopes to bolster with additional volunteering and fundraising support.
Gerard Ensink, Head of Animal Health UK and Ireland at Boehringer Ingelheim said: “We are truly delighted to be supporting StreetVet.
“There is already so much passion for the charity within our company.
"Even before we announced this charity partnership, several of our colleagues have been volunteers with StreetVet in a personal capacity.
"We look forward to supporting StreetVet and believe that together we can make a real difference to individuals and their pets who are experiencing homelessness.”
https://www.streetvet.co.uk
The RCVS has introduced a new online recording system for graduates starting their Professional Development Phase (PDP).
The new PDP database sits as a module within the Professional Development Record (PDR), launched by the RCVS in April to help veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses plan, evaluate and record their CPD.
Freda Andrews, RCVS Head of Education said: "Bringing the PDP into the new Professional Development Record shows clearly how this stage of a vet's development is part of the continuum of professional development that starts at university and continues for as long as they practise. We are also developing a system for students to record their practical and clinical experience whilst at university and, once this is complete next year, the PDR will become a complete record of professional lifelong learning."
Like the rest of the PDR, the new PDP module offers extra space for notes, and allows documents such as case reports and presentations to be uploaded and stored. Responding to feedback from users of the old PDP system, the new interface is designed to be more user friendly than the previous PDP database, and contains interactive help, guidance on PDP and an easier means of recording case numbers against the clinical skills lists. All new graduates from 2012 are able to sign up to use the new PDP site and, once their account is activated, they will also be able to use the CPD area to record any additional CPD they might undertake.
Graduates from previous years who are still undertaking their PDP using the old database may continue on the old system for the time being, although at some stage within the next year or so, the old site will need to be archived. Anyone who would prefer to use the new system instead should contact the PDP administrator at the RCVS to discussed transferring (pdp@rcvs.org.uk 020 7202 0736). As the skills lists have changed slightly, however, an automatic transfer of data from the old to the new isn't possible.
The PDP links the 'Day One' competences that veterinary surgeons have achieved when they graduate to the 'Year One' competences which they are expected to have achieved after about a year in practice. Each vet's progress through the PDP is supervised by a Postgraduate Dean, and its completion also requires sign-off from the veterinary surgeon's employer or mentor.
For more information, or to sign up to the PDP, visit www.rcvs.org.uk/pdp.
Eastcott says all staff working in the ECC unit have received specific intensive care training and will be supported by discipline-specific specialists at all times.
The service will be run by three ECC/medicine vets during the day and three ECC vets at night, supported by four day nurses and two night nurses.
David said: “We’ve created a purpose-built intensive care unit with all the latest ICU equipment, including our own laboratory; critical care cribs; temperature, humidity and oxygen-controlled intensive care kennels and an ICU ventilator.
“This means we have the facilities to care for the most severely injured and critical cases.
“We also have a high-quality team of enthusiastic, dedicated ECC vets and nurses to lead the service. Everyone has a background of ECC work and a true passion for it.”
Harriet said: “By having all the specialist disciplines available at the practice, we can offer a more holistic service to emergency patients. For example, if a dog is involved in a road traffic accident, the ICU can stabilise it and give emergency care and pain relief.
“Dentistry can then repair jaw and mouth injuries; orthopaedics can repair any other broken bones and soft tissue can assess and repair any damaged organs. This is all supported by our dedicated anaesthesia service and advanced imaging capabilities.
“The ICU also provides a calm environment for critically ill and injured patients to recover following surgery or other planned treatments from other disciplines.”
For more information, visit www.eastcottreferrals.co.uk.
Woodley Equipment Company has announced that Veterinary Parasep Faecal Filters are now available exclusively from the company.
According to the Woodley, the filters have been developed in conjunction with an independent leading veterinary Institution and offer an improved method of determining Worm Egg Counts (WEC) on cattle, sheep and horses. Flotation methods for WEC can require several Specific Gravity solutions to cover different parasites. The two common flotation methods, ‘Modified McMaster' and ‘Improved Modified McMaster', both use Saturated NaCL and are both catered for with Veterinary Parasep.
Woodley says the key advantages of the new filters are:
For a more information about The Veterinary Parasep please email sales@woodleyequipment.com or call the customer service team on +44 (0) 1204 669033 ~ Option 1.
Alternatively, visit http://www.woodleyequipment.com/.