Virbac Animal Health has developed a 'Yield Wheel' to show vets the additional income that farmers can achieve through taking a tailored and more flexible approach to the management of their dairy herd through the dry period.
The company says this approach is made easier using its Cephaguard DC dry cow therapy.
While a 60 day drying off period is required for some cows, others may not need to be withdrawn from milk production for the full period, including those with a high body condition score in late lactation, high yielders and older healthy cows with an increased tendency for weight gain. For cows in these categories, a shorter drying off period can mean additional days of milk production and extra income for the farmer with no negative impact on future lactations or the cow's overall health.
The Yield Wheel shows how production and income can be maximised on a sliding scale from a standard 60 day drying off period down to 36 days, the shortest drying off period. It also shows the benefits which can be gained in terms of reduced discarded milk days in the case of cows with an unclear calving date.
Cephaguard DC dry cow therapy is the most recent entrant to the dry cow therapy market. With its 35+1 day withdrawal period in milk, Virbac says it offers farmers increased flexibility for the management of dry periods.
Brigitte Goasduf, Ruminants Product Manager at Virbac said: "For dairy farmers, it's all about milk. They're looking to optimise production and reduce waste while also ensuring that they treat infections effectively at drying off and prevent new infections which may reduce yield during the next lactation.
We've produced the Yield Wheel to highlight the tangible benefits of taking a customised and more flexible approach to drying off using Cephaguard DC. The data is provided in a practical and straightforward way and demonstrates the potential yield benefits that can be achieved from an overall herd management and income perspective. We hope it will prove a useful tool."
Virbac is launching a nationwide consumer campaign directing pet owners into practice with a special £1 off Indorex voucher promotion.
Indorex product manager Victoria Hudson said: "Participating practices also have the chance to win £250 worth of shopping vouchers for themselves. The practice returning the most client vouchers, plus two runners up, will each win Love2shop shopping vouchers which can be spent at thousands of high street stores, restaurants and attractions across the UK!"
Victoria added: "Indorex is such an easy product to use providing owners with 12 months protection against fleas in their home with just a single application. Even in the summer months, the product is UV stable so it can also be used in sunlit areas such as cars and conservatories."
Vouchers can be obtained from your local Virbac territory manager or downloaded at www.fleafreezones.co.uk/. Following customer redemption each £1money off voucher can be reclaimed by the practice with proof of purchase.
The Veterinary Marketing Association is running a free seminar on Thursday 24th November from 5-7pm for any delegates of the London Vet Show, or those in the vicinity, that feel they'd like to learn about the principles of marketing.
The VMA says that in today's competitive environment, the key to success for a veterinary business is often making oneself heard and standing out above the competition, but questions how many vets are taught any marketing at college or whether marketing is something that most vets just pick up over time?
The VMA's Principles of Marketing seminar will aim to address the basics in marketing, with an emphasis on the veterinary sector. It's taking place at the Hilton Hotel, London Olympia, a few minutes walk from the show.
The VMA has enlisted the services of Paul Fifield (Visiting Professor in Marketing Strategy at the Southampton University School of Management) to deliver the seminar.
This event is open to anyone and entry is free. As spaces are limited to a maximum of 60, registration is strongly advisable. For more information, or to register, please visit the VMA's website - http://www.vma.org.uk/.
The seminar will be followed by a free buffet and time for questions.
The Kennel Club and dog breeding world still needs to take urgent action to improve the health and welfare of pedigree dogs, five years after a BBC documentary highlighted the levels of suffering many animals endure, according to the RSPCA.
Programme maker Jemima Harrison, who produced and directed Pedigree Dogs Exposed, has backed the RSPCA's call for urgent action.
She said: "Five years on from Pedigree Dogs Exposed, the Kennel Club is still in denial about the extent of the problems.
"It is unethical to continue to breed dogs like Pugs and Bulldogs which have such flat faces that they cannot breathe - and yet the Kennel Club registers these breeds in their growing thousands and these dogs continue to be celebrated at Kennel Club shows.
"The Kennel Club has done too little to tackle the suffering these and many other breeds endure, despite an increasing amount of science which both articulates the issues and offers solutions. The dogs continue to pay a huge price."
The RSPCA has acknowledged the progress made by the Kennel Club and dog breeders, including the development of DNA and health screening tests for hereditary diseases and the introduction of veterinary checks on 'high profile' breeds.
However, the charity says it believes much more should have been done in the five years since Pedigree Dogs Exposed was first broadcast on BBC One in 2008.
RSPCA chief vet James Yeates said: "Although some progress has been made by the dog world to address the issues raised in Pedigree Dogs Exposed, it has not been nearly enough. Five years on the problems are still far from being solved.
"We are concerned that many pedigree dogs are still suffering because they're bred and judged primarily for how they look rather than with health, welfare and temperament in mind.
"We believe that meaningful action is urgently needed in order to make a real improvement to the welfare of pedigree dogs."
Some of the changes the RSPCA is calling for include:
The RSPCA's Born To Suffer campaign and petition was launched more than 18 months ago, with a call to change breed standards so that they prioritise the health, welfare and temperament of a dog over its looks. It is hoped this will put an end to the avoidable suffering many dogs endure.
You can still sign the petition by visiting www.rspca.org.uk/borntosuffer
Novartis Animal Health has assumed marketing responsibilities for the joint health supplement Dasuquin in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Dasuquin is a veterinary formulation developed to deliver advanced cartilage support in dogs. It contains a combination of glucosamine hydrochloride, chondroitin sulphate, avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU), and tea polyphenols. Novartis says these compounds work synergistically to protect the cartilage, thereby playing an important role in supporting and maintaining joint health.
Novartis highlights a 2007 study which, according to the company, demonstrates that the combination of ASU, chondroitin sulphate, and glucosamine hydrochloride delivers incremental benefits compared to the combination of chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine hydrochloride alone.1
Dasuquin is available in flavoured chewable tablets in 80-count containers. Dasuquin is available in two strengths: small-to-medium dogs weighing between 5 and 25 kg and for large dogs weighing over 25 to 50 kg.
Gaynor Hillier, General Manager UK & Ireland Novartis Animal Health said: "This is a fitting addition to our overall orthopaedic health offering for vets and pet owners. Dasuquin brings vets and dog owners advanced joint health support with the next generation of the popular Cosequin family."
Dasuquin is available from Novartis Animal Health in the United Kingdom and Ireland from licensed veterinary wholesalers. For more information on Dasuquin, contact your Novartis Animal Health Territory Manager
Reference:
The Association says that the qualification is intended to give vets the chance to conduct clinical research relating to their work – in particular vets working in general practice.
The qualification, validated by Nottingham Trent University, is aimed at people who already have any accredited Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits at Level 7) relevant to some aspect of veterinary medicine or surgery.
The programme is based on a further 1,200 study hours and could be flexibly achieved in two years of part-time study or up to five years, depending on the project type and an individual’s availability.
Frances Barr, BSAVA Academic Director, has developed the most extensive CPD programme in the 60-year history of the organisation. She said: "It’s a really significant addition to the BSAVA CPD programme and another step supporting lifelong learning, which we hope will have a very positive impact on the profession."
"Anyone who has an interest in clinical research – such as evaluating risk factors for a particular disease or factors that might influence an outcome – will find this an ideal way to satisfy their enquiring mind.
"If they have the motivation to keep developing a deeper understanding, we can provide encouragement and support for how to answer those clinical questions."
The Masters programme starts with online study into the principles of clinical research, which students will then apply to their own research project.
Students will be allocated a ‘matched’ supervisor who will provide project advice and guidance, plus the BSAVA team will be on hand to ensure ongoing support and encouragement.
The programme starts in January 2017 and applications open this October.
Frances added: "It can sometimes be quite difficult to get going in research when you don’t know how to do it, so having taken the first step in a supported environment we hope many will go on to do extend their clinical research ambitions.
"BSAVA’s mission is to support vets at every stage of their careers. There are often limited opportunities for practitioners to conduct clinical research, so this is a qualification that enables vets to do just that."
For more information, please contact the BSAVA Education team at masters@bsava.com
The measures agreed by RCVS Council will allow UK-practising members to spread the cost of renewal over three instalments: paying 50% of the full cost by 30th April, 25% by 30th September, and the remaining 25% by 31st December.
Kit Sturgess, Treasurer, said: “We recognise that most veterinary businesses will be seeing a downtown during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, especially as veterinary practices reduce their workloads to emergency-only procedures or those that can be classed as urgent. Furthermore, we understand that many individual veterinary surgeons will no longer be working, and that this will cause financial difficulties for many vets and their families.
"We appreciate that this is a very difficult time for the profession, and as part of our compassionate approach to regulation we wanted to do our bit to help people manage the difficult financial consequences of the coronavirus crisis, and to help them to return to work as soon as Government advice allows. While fees for veterinary nurses are not due until the end of the year, we will keep the impact of the coronavirus pandemic under review on an ongoing basis.”
Any UK-practising member wishing to switch to the payment-by-instalments system should cancel their existing Direct Debits immediately (the College has already temporarily deferred these direct debits for around 10-14 days to allow time for them to be cancelled).
The College says that any member who does not pay the first instalment of 50% of the total fee by the end of April will need to pay the full amount in one instalment by the end of May. Should they then fail to make this payment, the College would then have to remove their name from the Register.
Those who pay the initial 50% instalment but fail to pay one or both of the subsequent 25% instalments will be moved to the non-practising Register for up to one year. This would mean that they could transfer back to the UK-practising Register without incurring a restoration fee. However, they would no longer legally be entitled to practise as a veterinary surgeon while on the non-practising Register until they had paid the retention fee in full and been transferred back to the UK-practising Register.
RCVS Council also agreed that the higher fee that usually applies for late payments, ie those made between 1 May and 30 May, will not be applied to any category of membership this year.
Members can opt to move to the new arrangements or continue with full payment. Details of how to pay under the new arrangements will be sent to members shortly. Any member who has already paid their fee in full and would like to switch to the payment-by-instalments mechanism should contact the College on refunds@rcvs.org.uk.
Further details about the scheme are available in a detailed Frequently Asked Questions guide via www.rcvs.org.uk/coronavirus.
COMMENTIt has been argued that at a time when many veterinary surgeons have lost a significant part of their livelihood, the College should have gone further and reduced the renewal fees, at least for the period of time that vets' earning ability is compromised. I'm not qualified to judge whether the College could have afforded that, and a spokesman would only say: "...we have to work within the framework of the legislation and the statutory instrument and, given this, the measures that RCVS Council has put in place is a reasonable outcome and will assist veterinary surgeons who may be struggling during these very tough times."
The company has been gathering information on the health, wellbeing and life expectancy of hundreds of thousands of dogs since 2014.
Sean McCormack (pictured right), Head Vet at tails.com, said: “As a vet in practice, you gain an understanding of general animal issues and trends. But what this data can do is look over hundreds of thousands of dogs, unpick all of the nutritional, breed and age-related data we’ve collected over time, and then provide an insight-rich window into the best possible way to care for our dogs.
“We’re really just scratching the surface in terms of what we have at our disposal. There’s real potential for Data Labs to fundamentally change the way that we view dog nutrition and dog health going forwards.”
According to the company, the database has already revealed that:
Lorna Brightmore, Lead Data Scientist at tails.com, said: "Even at this early stage, we are finding strong associations between a number of health factors and longevity and our conclusions will only become stronger over time.”
The first major milestone of Data Labs will be the publication of tails.com’s first peer-reviewed scientific paper.
The paper will detail the effects of body weight, body condition, gender and neutering on the longevity and health of dogs, with further scientific papers planned for publication in the coming months and years.
For more information, visit www.tails.com/gb/data-labs/.
CEVA Animal Health has announced that its live enzootic abortion vaccine, CEVAC® Chlamydophila, now has an added benefit. It can be used simultaneously with the only available toxoplasmosis vaccine. According to CEVA, infectious abortion, particularly enzootic abortion (Chlamydiosis), has been known to wipe out up to 50% of lambs. Strategic use of CEVAC® Chlamydophila, a live enzootic abortion vaccine, can not only prevent abortion but can also control excretion and the threat of infection.
The company says: "CEVAC® Chlamydophila makes practical and economic sense. A vaccination every four years will help your clients’ flocks remain chlamydiosis-free and the cost of treatment should work out at well under 75p per sheep per year. This is a tiny investment for your clients, to prevent the financial loss of an abortion. The fact that the product can now be used on the same day as the toxoplasmosis vaccine means that is now one of the most convenient and affordable methods currently available."
Ideally routine preventative measures should be taken prior to mating and when new sheep are introduced to the flock, to ensure abortion and infection rates always remain as low as possible.
All animals should be vaccinated in the first year, with replacements being vaccinated from six months of age, at least four weeks prior to tupping.
CEVAC® Chlamydophila is quick and easy to administer, using the special, multi-dose injector gun. One bottle of vaccine contains enough for 20 doses.
For further product information contact your local CEVA representative or CEVA Animal Health Ltd, 90 The Broadway, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 1EG or visit the website at http://www.ceva.uk.com/
A PR headache for Fortnum and Mason yesterday, as PETA employee Abi Izzard changed her name by deed poll to StopFortnumandMasonFoieGrasCruelty.com to try and shame the London store into stopping selling foie gras.
To produce foie gras, birds are force-fed several times per day in a controversial practice known as gavage, which causes their livers to swell to many times their normal size. PETA claims the practice causes the birds' livers to become diseased, that many animals bleed to death after their throats are punctured by force-feeding tubes, that surviving birds live in terror as they await the next assault, and become sick and lethargic.
However, Dr. Daniel Guemene, Director of Research & Senior Scientist at the National Agronomic Institute in France, says his research proves otherwise. In one study for example, stress levels in force-fed birds were guaged through the measurement of corticosterone blood levels. The study concluded that there was no significant increase in stress levels, except after the first instance of force-feeding, which researchers said was most likely due to holding the ducks, rather than the force-feeding. In addition, he claims to have demonstrated that ducks show no avoidance behaviour to the force-feeder or force-feeding, as would be expected if they feared these things.
The actor Roger Moore is a supporter of this girl's campaign. He said: "Many people know me as James Bond or 007, but I never went so far as officially changing my name from Roger Moore. I hope the young lady now known as StopFortnumAndMasonFoieGrasCruelty.com royally shames this store".
Dorwest Herbs has launched its annual 'Dorwest Say Relax' fireworks phobia campaign, which includes free promotional packs for practices.
The promotional packs, which contain a poster, leaflets, flashing badges and a 'Dorwest Say Relax' t-shirt, being given free to the first 100 practices that request a product box (containing licensed Scullcap & Valerian Tablets and Organic Valerian Compound at a discounted price) from the company.
In addition, Dorwest is running a seemingly popular consumer facebook competition to find the most relaxed dog in the nation, the winner of which will be sent on a pet-friendly luxury weekend break.
Finally, the company is writing a blog written from the perspective of Merlin, the dog used in its logo - http://merlintakescontrol.wordpress.com - though quite who is going to read it, or why, is slightly beyond me.
201 practices took part in the survey between 25th February and 4th March 2021. The main findings were:
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “Although this survey took place in the midst of the lockdown and before the schools re-opened, there were some positive results here around staffing and the financial situation for practices. Hopefully this will mean that, as the restrictions ease going from spring into summer, many practices and practice staff will be in a position to return to a near-normal level of service and business.
"There were, however, still a few areas of concern, some of which will hopefully be resolved by the forthcoming easing of restrictions, for example, the difficulty in obtaining independent witnesses for the destruction of controlled drugs, with some 34% of practices reporting difficulties, compared to 20% in December.
“Once again, I would like to thank all those practices who responded to this and previous surveys, and continue to provide invaluable evidence and feedback about the current state of veterinary practice.”
The full results of the survey can be downloaded at: www.rcvs.org.uk/publications
Kruuse has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Henry Schein Inc., under which the American supplier of veterinary, dental and medical healthcare products and services will acquire a majority shareholding in the company.
Under the agreement - the financial details of which are not being disclosed - the Kruuse family will retain the remaining shareholding and work with Henry Schein to accelerate global expansion of the company.
Kruuse and Henry Schein have already been business partners in the marketing and distribution of animal healthcare products. Kruuse says it expects the deal to create significant growth prospects, particularly for its own products and brands which will in the future be included in Henry Schein's offering to its animal health customers.
Chairman of the Board of Kruuse, Peter Eriksen Jensen said: "We are very pleased with the agreement with Henry Schein, which fulfills our wish to find a strong investor to support our efforts of creating an attractive future for our company. We complement each other extremely well - and the partnership provides us with a much broader platform to market our products. In Henry Schein, we will get an ideal partner to realize our ambitious growth strategy."
Kruuse's CEO, Jesper Smith said: "It is very important to us, that we and our new owner have a mutual understanding of the values and customer-centric focus on quality and services which have guided us throughout Kruuse's 119 years' history. We will continue this approach under our new ownership, making sure that our employees, customers, and suppliers continue to experience all the benefits of Kruuse - now in an even stronger set-up and with new, exciting prospects for the future."
Key Note Ltd, has published Pet Insurance 2015, a report into the state of the UK pet insurance market which forecasts that premiums will rise by 46.7% by 2019.
The report notes that the percentage of adults in Great Britain owning at least one dog has increased by 2.1 percentage points over the past 5 years, and the percentage owning at least one cat is 2.5 percentage points higher than it was 5 years ago. Yet despite growth in the pet population, the increase in the volume of pet insurance policies (23.6% between 2010 and 2014) has been far exceeded by the increase in the value of premiums written (40.7%).
Key Note says claims inflation has been a major factor in rising premiums; despite gross written premiums for cats, dogs and other pets increasing by 13.3% between 2013 and 2014 alone, the cost of claims for the same animals rose by 14.7% over the same period, over and above the premium increases seen.
According to the company, rising claims are largely down to the increasing cost of veterinary treatment — as advances in pet medicine increase apace with those in human medicine, treating pets is getting more costly. Not only this, but other factors, such as the rise in overweight or obese pets and even antibiotic-resistant bacteria, both common problems in the human health service, are also pushing up the costs of veterinary treatment.
In other general insurance markets, most notably motor insurance, which price comparison websites (PCWs) were initially set up to focus on, competition exerts a major downward pressure on premiums. However, the report says this is not always the case in the pet insurance market. This is because it can be difficult for those who have already claimed on pet insurance policies to switch insurers; the result of doing so is often that the condition the pet has previously been treated for is classed as ‘pre-existing’ in the new policy and therefore it, and related conditions, will not be covered under the new policy. This could leave pet owners liable to pay for veterinary treatment in full.
The situation has been further exacerbated by the high-profile withdrawal of a number of underwriters from the pet insurance market. The nature of the pet insurance market, though at first seeming diverse, actually involves a relatively limited pool of underwriters behind the numerous brands available. The report details how just four underwriters between them either underwrite or, at the very least, arrange and administer the pet insurance policies of 27 of the foremost brands in the pet insurance market.
Key Note forecasts that although insurance companies will see an increase in the volume of pets insured, this will not compensate for the relentless increase in the cost of claims which will be largely responsible for driving the cost of pet insurance up 46.7% by 2019.
The RCVS has announced that the Registrar, Gordon Hockey, has decided to leave the College after 16 years' service.
Gordon served first as Assistant Registrar / Head of Professional Conduct, and, since 2012, as Registrar / Director of Legal Services.
Dr Bradley Viner, RCVS President, said: "We wish to thank Gordon for all his hard work and wish him every success in the future.
"He has been a key figure at the RCVS for many years, and has brought about much positive change in the organisation, particularly with respect to reform of our disciplinary processes and the introduction of our new Charter, in February 2015."
The company has introduced a new online range of pack inserts for several of its key products including Vetoryl, Felimazole, Metrobactin and Thyforon so veterinary practices can download and print the latest pack inserts for the treatments.
The move will ensure that practices always have access to the most up-to-date information about the prescribed medication. Dechra says it will also save time as staff will not have to copy original documents from the pack.
The pack inserts will be available via www.dechra.co.uk and www.dechra.ie. In addition, Dechra has developed dispensing envelopes which are available at no charge from wholesalers in packs of 25.
Larry King, Marketing Manager, said: "Veterinary practices often dispense pharmaceuticals from bulk which involves having to copy original pack inserts for owners.
"By printing the online pack inserts, practices will no longer have piles of inserts to store and will be safe in the knowledge they are supplying the most up to date pack insert to their clients.
"When used together, the pack inserts and dispensing envelopes provide practices with an effective solution when dispensing from bulk."
The NOAH Compendium is also available online at www.noahcompendium.co.uk, and via a smartphone app which was launched in November 2016.
A special edition of the book for SQPs, commissioned by AMTRA, will be also available shortly.
NOAH chief executive Dawn Howard said: "The NOAH Compendium in all its formats is a major part of NOAH’s efforts to assist the appropriate and responsible use of all animal medicines.
"Every NOAH member, as well as the non-member participants in the NOAH Compendium, is a signatory to the NOAH Code of Practice on Promotion, which demonstrates their commitment to operate above and beyond any regulatory requirements.
"As well as product datasheets, the Compendium includes another vital resource – the contact details for each participating company. Company veterinary and technical advisors have detailed knowledge about their company’s medicines. They are ready to talk to prescribers about the use of a medicine in a particular animal or in a particular situation, as well as to explain any queries about the data sheet."
If your practice has not yet received its copy, perhaps because you are a new practice, or have changed address in the past year, contact Amy Davis at NOAH (a.davis@noah.co.uk).
Extra copies are also available to order now, for £45. NOAH says many veterinary surgeons choose to buy extras for each consulting room and special prices are available for bulk orders.
Earlier in the year, we conducted a survey of veterinary surgeons to ask what you felt were the biggest problems with using Facebook as a way to share or discuss clinical information.
According to the survey, veterinary surgeons felt the greatest problem with Facebook is that you cannot see the professional qualifications of those contributing to a discussion, so unless you know them offline, you have no context for what they post. Even in closed groups, it can be hard, if not impossible to know whether you are talking to someone with many years' experience, or virtually none; an RCVS Specialist, or a general practitioner, or a veterinary nurse.
The father of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee recognised transparency as one of the most significant problems with the Internet during the Dimbleby Lecture at the end of last year. He said:
“Another problem people are perhaps increasingly aware of, particularly more recently, has to do with the fact that much of the web has insufficient accountability. There is by design, no approval system people need to go to, to share their information online. They don’t have to come and ask me to post something. So as soon as someone posts something on the web it can be viewed by a huge number of people. This seemed to work when people posted as individuals with their own reputations at stake. But now we have systems which create fake accounts and there are millions of automated systems, bots we call them, for robots, on social media platforms spreading messages of hate and conflict
"Because of this, misinformation has been spreading rapidly. There are not enough systems holding these people and this information to account. They should be testing the truthfulness of the information organisations and individuals are putting online.”
Whilst it is perhaps unlikely that malign foreign governments have been infiltrating veterinary Facebook groups to spread discord or indeed that there are many individuals deliberately spreading misinformation in this small profession, Sir Tim's point is still highly relevant to the sharing of clinical information, advice, experience or opinion.
The problem is that Facebook gives equivalence to everyone's opinion, an equivalence they simply do not deserve.
Sir Tim is right, you should indeed be questioning the truthfulness, or rather the accuracy of clinical information and opinions posted by colleagues online, and the starting point for that is knowing who posted it, and what qualifications they hold.
The new VetSurgeon.org discussion forums make an important step forward with that, by displaying the year and place of qualification next to posts, together with veterinary postnominals, taken from members' full VetSurgeon Profiles. We're also going to make it compulsory for contributing referral practitioners to complete their profile before posting.
The other biggest problems identified in the survey are how quality information gets drowned in a sea of 'me too' replies on Facebook, how it is difficult to refer back to old posts with useful information and how information is badly curated, making it hard to find what interests you.
On VetSurgeon.org content is now curated both by type, for example forum or news posts, and by areas of clinical interest, which each have their own group you can join and subscribe to. That makes it easier for referral practitioners or postgrad students to follow just their specific area of interest, or for anyone just trying to find information quickly.
We also asked what we could do to encourage you to visit VetSurgeon.org more often for clinical discussions. 62% of you said: 'improve the ease of use on smartphones' and 50.9% said: 'create a way for you to put a question to a group of expert clinicians'.
So that is what we've done (or are doing).
The new VetSurgeon discussion forums have been significantly enhanced for mobile phones. The new main navigation makes it far easier to find your way around the site. You can now reply to forum posts on the same page as the original post, which may sound like a small thing, but it makes a big difference. Elsewhere, we've optimised our use of the more limited space available.
Very soon, we'll be unveiling another feature designed to improve the quality of online clinical discussions, and to stop them drowning in a sea of me too replies. In our new Expert Help Forums, all members will be able to ask a clinical question, but only referral practitioners and selected expert general practitioner members will be able to reply (so long as they display their credentials, of course). When they do, they'll get proper recognition for their help, something which is again missing from Facebook.
With all this talk of better standards of clinical discussions on VetSurgeon.org, it is also worth reminding everyone that time spent in the forums counts towards your annual CPD requirement too. Just click the 'Claim CPD' button in the title.
Finally, as with any building project of this magnitude, there are inevitably some snags. Things that don't work or display as expected, especially on older or more obscure devices. If you come across something like that, please do email details (your browser, version and device type) to support@vetsurgeon.org and we'll endeavour to get it fixed, pronto.
Photo: Arlo Guthrie, Editor www.vetsurgeon.org
The Wellbeing Programme, which has been put together in collaboration with British Veterinary Chronic Illness Support, the British Veterinary Ethnicity and Diversity Society, British Veterinary Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender+, the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative, Vetlife, the BVA and others, aims to help people create workplaces and teams where everyone can feel they belong and problems are dealt with before they become catastrophes.
Several of the sessions will allow participants to practice skills, which the Association hopes will be transformative experiences.
Alison Speakman, BSAVA President said: “This year has continued to provide increasing challenges both within the veterinary workforce and in the world at large.
"This has challenged our physical, mental and financial wellbeing which are inextricably linked.
"Therefore, we will be covering aspects of all three with a wide range of presenters included in these conversations, from both within and outwith the veterinary arena.”
New for this year are four separate sessions looking at our understanding of hormonal health and some of the difficulties hormone variations might cause, including menstrual issues, polycystic ovary syndrome, fertility, menopause, understanding and support for gender transition and non-binary people, and male aging.
There will also be wellbeing sessions looking at self-compassion as an antidote to perfectionism and self-criticism, learning to work with grief, flexible working, and developing human-savvy teamwork.
Alison continued: “Whether you wish to expand your knowledge to improve personal understanding and support of your own wellbeing, that of a colleague or friend, or to improve workplace practices and culture, there really is something for everyone to learn.
"Please come along to our safe and supportive space at Congress to improve the wellbeing of our veterinary profession.”
BSAVA has also created a free collection on mental health and wellbeing, looking at resources on both an individual basis and as a team perspective: https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/mental-health-and-well-being.
To see the full Wellbeing Programme: https://www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2023/en/page/wellbeing?&view-type~0=date.
BSAVA Congress tickets: https://www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2023/en/page/registration-pricing.
The British Veterinary Association has expressed disappointment, but no surprise, at the Government's decision to reject the multi-faceted approach unanimously recommended by the House of Commons Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRACom) to address the spread of Bovine TB within the cattle and badger population.
BVA President Nick Blayney said that the veterinary profession was "deeply concerned about the ongoing lack of disease control and the resulting impact on cattle and badger health and welfare" and that "to date, measures directed at cattle alone have not led to disease control".
While welcoming the commitment to increased funding for research on vaccines, Mr Blayney said: "There is little doubt that any progress is some years down the line and it is hard to see how the Minister can expect either dairy farmers or the veterinary profession to ‘move forward' in tackling the disease when nothing, other than yet another group, albeit under a new name - the Bovine TB Partnership Group - is envisaged for the foreseeable future. Both badgers and cattle are significant animals in the spread of TB as all the science agrees."
New research, conducted by the WALTHAM-initiated Laminitis Consortium, has raised questions over the assumption that soaking hay will make it safe to feed to laminitis-prone horses and ponies1.
The Laminitis Consortium comprises world-leading equine veterinary, nutrition and research experts interested in collaborating on the important topic of laminitis. It includes the authors of this work: Dr Pat Harris of the WALTHAM® Equine Studies Group, Clare Barfoot of Mars Horsecare UK Ltd and Dr Annette Longland of Equine Livestock and Nutrition Services (ELNS).
Over-consumption of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) has been associated with the onset of laminitis. It has been recommended that hay with a non-structural carbohydrate (WSC and starch) content of less than 10% should be fed to obese animals as well as those at risk of laminitis2 and that hay should be soaked in water before being fed in order to reduce the WSC3,4,5. The study, which was completed earlier this year, examined the loss of water-soluble carbohydrates from nine different hays submerged in water for up to 16 hours. It was presented to the biannual Equine Science Symposium in America in May 2009.
Previous studies have shown that the prolonged soaking of chopped hay in large volumes of water can result in the leaching of nutrients, including soluble carbohydrates. However, because common practice in the UK tends to involve long-stemmed hay, soaked in relatively small volumes of water over varying timescales, the Laminitis Consortium's study aimed to replicate such a practice6.
The nine different hay samples were analysed for WSC and then soaked in cold water. The soaked samples were subsequently analysed at four intervals of 20 minutes, 40 minutes, three hours and 16 hours.
Clare Barfoot said: "The results showed a highly variable leaching of WSC and substantially less leaching than reported previously for chopped hay soaked for 30 minutes.3
"Very few samples reached below 10% WSC, despite prolonged soaking. The concern is that this strongly suggests that soaking may not be sufficient to render some hays safe to feed to horses and ponies prone to laminitis.
"Our current advice is that ideally you should analyse your hay before feeding it to an animal at high risk of laminitis and choose hay with the lowest WSC content you can find. Soaking hay provides an additional safeguard but should not be relied upon."
The study also highlights that if hay is soaked for extended periods, it may not meet the nutritional requirements of the animal because substantial amounts of other nutrients, protein, vitamins and minerals will also be lost 5. In such cases it is even more important that the horse or pony should receive a balanced supplementary feed.
The Laminitis Consortium is continuing its work in this area and hopes to be able to identify practices that will be of greater benefit to the horse owner faced with hay of unknown WSC content.
1Longland AC Barfoot C & Harris PA (2009) The loss of water- soluble carbohydrate and soluble protein from nine different hays soaked in water for up to 16 hours. J. Equine Vet Science 29 (5 ) p 383 - 384, 2 Frank N Equine Metabolic Syndrome J Equine Vet Sci 29 (5) p 259 - 267, 3Cottrell, E., Watts, K., Duarte, S. and Ralston, S. (2005). Equine Science Symposium, 2005, 4Kenny, D. (2007). Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science. 5Warr EM, Petch JL. Equine Vet Educ 1993;5:169-171, 6Longland, A.C. (2009) In preparation.
Boehringer Ingelheim is offering a free stainless steel bolus applicators, worth £42.60/€ 59.39 (plus VAT), with the first 1,000 Bovikalc multipacks sold after 1st March in the UK and Eire.
According to the company, milk fever is recognised as the most common mineral deficiency affecting transition cows; one that has a significant impact on the overall health of affected animals, even those showing no outward symptoms. This offer aims to help combat this costly but preventable disease.
The offer is open to farmers, vets and suppliers of Bovikalc and one free applicator will be provided for each Bovikalc multipack - 6 x 4 boluses.
Farmers are required to apply for the free applicators through their veterinary surgeon or Bovikalc supplier.
For further information, including the terms and conditions of the offer, visit www.bovikalc.co.uk. Alternatively, contact your regional cattle specialist or call Boehringer on 01344 746959.
The Animal Health Trust is calling for all small animal practitioners to help with a prospective survey study on breed differences in clinical features in canine hyperadrenocorticism.
The Trust is asking vets that diagnose a case of spontaneous hyperadrenocorticism to complete an online questionnaire at bit.ly/aht-cushing.
The questionnaire should take 10 minutes to complete and all the information will be processed anonymously. Each questionnaire submitted has a chance to win a £100 Amazon voucher. On completing the survey, participants can ask to be notified of the results of this study when available.
Researchers say they hope this data will help veterinary surgeons in the diagnosis of canine hyperadrenocorticism, and ask that everyone helps spread the word about the study.
If you have any queries about this study, please contact michael.bennaim@aht.org.uk
The webinar programme includes both clinical and non-clinical topics.
Clinical topics include post mortem/diagnostics and calf pneumonia, parasitology – getting the basics right, and herd health planning – vaccination on farm.
Non-clinical topics include business skills, motivational interviewing techniques – facilitating effective communication between farmers and vets, and cow signals.
Webinars take place on the last Wednesday of each month, except August and December when there are no sessions.
Each webinar lasts for one hour, including a live question and answer session with the presenter. Those who are unable to view the live webinar will be able to access the content at a later date, but will not be able to pose questions.
To access the webinars, you need to register on Merial’s Nexus portal (merialnexus.co.uk). If you sign up in advance for individual webinars, you'll get reminder emails before they start.