The British Veterinary Association has welcomed a report published by The Advisory Council on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding, which sets out eight priority welfare problems.

Commenting on the report, BVA President Carl Padgett said: "We welcome the Dog Advisory Council's report which highlights key welfare issues of dog breeding and makes sound, practical recommendations for addressing them." 

The eight priority problems addressed are:

• Ocular problems linked to head conformation
• Breathing difficulty linked to head conformation
• Syringomyelia (SM) and Chiari-like malformation (CM)
• Idiopathic Epilepsy
• Heart disease with a known or suspected inherited basis
• Breed-related and inherited skin conditions
• Limb defects (including hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia), and
• Separation related behaviour: a serious but often hidden welfare issue for domestic dogs.

Mr Padgett continued:"The Dog Advisory Council has covered these high priority concerns in some detail. I am pleased that the recommendations give strong support to screening programmes including the BVA/KC schemes for hip and elbow dysplasia and syringomyelia and that they suggest ocular examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS eye scheme should be regarded as routine for all dogs used for breeding. 

"I am also delighted that the Council has recognised the value of using a reputable puppy contract, highlighting the puppy contract and puppy information pack (PIP) recently launched by the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation and RSPCA. The contract and PIP arm buyers with the knowledge to give themselves the best chance of getting a fit, healthy and happy, well socialised pet to join their household and they have been designed to help good breeders demonstrate the care and attention they have devoted to their puppies' breeding and upbringing.

"We must all continue to work together to address these welfare challenges and keep up the momentum to improve dog breeding."

The British Veterinary Association and VDS Training are hosting 'Building Great Workplaces: Practical Tips for Veterinary Teams', a free series of webinars for veterinary professionals, starting on 29th January at 1pm.

Great Workplaces by BVA is an accreditation scheme designed to recognise and reward positive workplace culture in both clinical and non-clinical veterinary workplaces.

The first webinar: 'How to have more good days at work' will be hosted by BVA Junior Vice President, Rob Williams (pictured), and VDS Training’s Carolyne Crowe.

The speakers will discuss strategies to support physical and psychological wellbeing at work and explore how to create a safe and inclusive team environment that supports everyone's needs.

Rob said: “This webinar series is designed to help your team identify practical steps to improve your veterinary workplace and create a working environment that allows the whole team to thrive.

"We’ll be diving into the first session with lots of practical tips and strategies and I hope to see many of you there.”

https://www.bva.co.uk/great-workplaces 

https://mybva.bva.co.uk/ems-event-calendar/building-great-workplaces-how-to-have-more-good-days-at-work.html 

The RCVS has held the first meeting of its Brexit Presidential Taskforce.

The taskforce was established following the EU referendum result on 24 June, with the central purpose of putting the profession in charge of its future by maximising the opportunities and minimising the risks of Brexit.

Almost half of veterinary surgeons registering in the UK qualified from veterinary schools elsewhere in the EU. While the Government issued a statement in mid-July clarifying that as yet there has been no change to the rights and status of EU nationals in the UK or UK nationals in the EU, it is not clear whether this situation will continue once the UK has left the EU.

The Brexit Presidential Taskforce will consider, and proactively engage with, the many possible changes that could shape the future of the UK veterinary profession due to Brexit.

The members of the Taskforce are: the President of the College, Chris Tufnell; the CEO, Nick Stace; the Treasurer, Amanda Boag; Operations Director, Corrie McCann; Junior Vice-President, Stephen May; Acting Registrar, Eleanor Ferguson; Chair of Education, Susan Dawson; Head of Education, Chris Warman; Council member Stuart Reid; Chair of VN Council, Liz Cox; and Director of Strategic Communications, Lizzie Lockett. 

The terms of reference include: considering how EU regulations currently impact the regulation of veterinary professionals in the UK, and making recommendations as to which should be maintained; looking at the issue of mutual recognition of veterinary graduates in Europe; considering workforce requirements and the implications of a new system of immigration; understanding the implications for the current RCVS agenda; considering whether a proactive RCVS agenda can influence any new UK legislation; reconsidering the College’s existing international strategy; and studying the financial impact on the College.

It was also agreed that the College should maintain communications with the British Veterinary Association and coordinate approaches where appropriate. 

Dr Chris Tufnell, President of the RCVS, said: "Brexit has profound implications for our professions. The Presidential Taskforce is exploring all implications and will develop proposals that will seek to mitigate the risks and maximise the benefits that can flow to the veterinary professions and to animal welfare.

"We are working closely with representative bodies and others so that the veterinary professions have a coordinated and well executed plan in place. We are in discussions with all relevant Government departments, working collaboratively and constructively, ensuring that our voice is heard and our influence is felt."

The next meeting will be held on 15 September, with the third one scheduled for 9 November.

Hill's Pet Nutrition and Cat Professional are working in partnership to improve knowledge of feline lower urinary tract disease by giving complimentary copies of 'Caring for a cat with lower urinary tract disease' by UK feline specialists Dr Sarah Caney and Professor Danièlle Gunn-Moore to veterinary professionals and owners of cats affected by the condition.

Feline lower urinary tract disease is thought to affect up to 10% of cats, with particular prevalence in the indoor cat population and it is often a complex and distressing condition for cat owners to tackle. 

Hill's has sponsored 1000 copies of 'Caring for a cat with lower urinary tract disease' , and is giving away vouchers which allow the recipient to visit the Cat Professional website (http://www.catprofessional.com/) to download an interactive copy of the book. 

'Caring for a cat with lower urinary tract disease' is the third title in the successful 'Caring for a cat' series. Renowned cat behaviourist and bestselling author, Vicky Halls reviewed the book in glowing terms: "Feline lower urinary tract disease is a complicated subject for owners to fully appreciate so it is wonderful, at last, to have one book that contains all the necessary information that can be recommended to everyone"

Hill's Pet Nutrition are distributing the complimentary vouchers to owners who contact their customer service freephone line for advice on the condition (0800 282438 - 9am - 4pm, Monday to Friday).  Veterinary Professionals using the free Urolith Analysis Service offered by Hill's, or the Hill's Veterinary Technical Enquiry Line to gain help and advice on nutritional management of Feline Lower Urinary Tract diseases are also able to claim a complimentary voucher to redeem.

Adrian Pratt, Veterinary Affairs Manager for Hill's comments "FLUTD is a difficult disease to manage, let alone explain to fully to an owner. What Sarah and Danielle have done here is fantastic and will help owners better understand their cat's problem. That can only be good for the pet"

Kruuse has launched a new extra large size Bovivet Hoof Bandage for use in the treatment of digital dermatitis (DD) in cattle.

According to the company, an estimated 70 per cent of dairy herds suffer with digital dermatitis and, if not treated, it can persist for months, causing pain and lameness to infected cows. Indeed, a paper¹ presented at the BCVA 2011 Congress by Prof. N.B. Cook, Clinical Associate Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison, USA, said that "lameness can systematically undermine the management of the dairy herd. No other disease has such fundamental and extensive effects on production, reproduction and risk of early herd removal."

The most effective way to fight DD has been found to be the management and treatment of individual animals. Traditional treatments have involved thoroughly washing the infected hoof, applying an antibiotic/drying agent, such as salicylic acid powder, and then applying a dressing that must remain in place usually for three days. However, it can be hard to correctly dose the salicyclic acid powder and there can be complications in ensuring that the dressing is correctly applied at the right pressure and that it stays in place. It can also be a risk to the user's health when mixing the powder.

Kruuse says this can be made easier by using the Bovivet complete Hoof Bandage along with Kruuse Hoof Gel 38%. Firstly, by using a gel, dosing is easy and more accurate, making it more economical per treatment; and, secondly, for the user, it reduces potential health risks from inhalation of the powder when mixing.

Stuart Wilson from Kruuse UK said: "Since the launch in the UK early last year, the hoof bandage has been very well received by cattle vets, but we were told by them that a larger version was needed in some cases. So Kruuse has produced the new extra large size 'red Jimmy Choos for moos'!"

Kruuse has produced the following instructional video to demonstrate the products' ease of use and versatility, and says that the estimated cost per hoof, assuming ten treatments from a bottle of the gel, is £2.71.

Reference

1. "Finding solutions to lameness problems in dairy herds", Cook,N.B., Clinical Associate Professor in Food Animal Production Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI53706, USA

Sheppard Robson, the architects behind the University of Liverpool’s Small Animal Teaching Hospital, have been celebrating this week after their design received a prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) North West Award.

The Small Animal Teaching Hospital, located at the University’s Leahurst campus in Neston, was completed in 2007 and is considered to be one of the most advanced and complete animal veterinary facilities in the UK. It incorporates clinical services, undergraduate teaching and clinical research under one roof.




The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) annually presents regional awards for buildings that make a substantial contribution to the local environment and have high architectural standards.

Ian Butler, Managing Partner at Sheppard Robson North, said: "The Small Animal Teaching Hospital at Liverpool University is a fantastic building. It is very strong and bold yet it is also simple and unfussy. It combines truly cutting edge teaching and research facilities with a sustainable building that blends into its environment. It is fantastic for our design to be lauded by RIBA. The Sheppard Robson team is very proud."

The Small Animal Teaching Hospital, along with ten other North West buildings recognised by the regional judges, will now be considered for the National RIBA Awards in June.

Alternative remedies which could be dangerous to pets are being targeted by the Government in a major drive to improve animal health and welfare.
 
Some herbal and homeopathic products are claiming medicinal benefits without scientific proof, meaning they may not properly treat or prevent serious diseases, leaving pets at risk.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate’s (VMD) Director of Operations, John FitzGerald, said: "Some of these products are claiming to be effective and safe when no scientific evidence has been presented to us to show they are.

"Animal owners have a right to know if a product does what it claims. The products claim to treat diseases which can cause serious welfare problems and in some circumstances kill animals if not properly treated. So in some cases owners are giving remedies to their pets which don’t treat the problem."

A number of unauthorised products are being targeted, including:

• Homeopathic ‘nosodes’ - which are derived from diseased animal tissues, in the belief they act as a vaccination to prevent infection.
• Animal food supplements - known as neutraceuticals, which claim to treat diseases or bring extra health benefits such as improved mental ability in pet animals.
• Herbal liquids, powders and pellets - sold as herbal wormers - claiming to irritate and repel parasitic worms from the guts of horses, livestock, and pets.

From now on, the VMD will be contacting manufacturers to ensure that they demonstrate the products are safe and provide the benefits which they claim to. If this is not the case the manufacturers will be required to re-brand the products to make it clear they are not medicinal.

Supporting the action, British Veterinary Association President Harvey Locke said: "As veterinary surgeons we rely on the use of safe, effective and quality medicines for the health and welfare of animals under our care – and there must always be sound scientific evidence to back up medicinal claims made by the manufacturer of any product.

"Some of these unauthorised products may at the least be ineffective and at worst could cause harm because serious life-threatening diseases may go undiagnosed. We would urge animal owners always to check with their veterinary surgeon before giving any remedy or supplement to their pet."

Insulation manufacturer Saint-Gobain Isover has published the results of a survey of 2000 homeowners which found that 36% are annoyed by noise made by neighbours' pets.

The Noise Report was commissioned to discover how many homeowners suffered with noisy next-door neighbours, to which the answer proved to be one in four. 

According to the survey, which was carried out by Onepoll, Newcastle has the greatest percentage of owners who are disturbed by noise several times per day: 29.76% (click to enlarge infographic right).

In addition to noisy neighbours, 27% of homeowners said they are also disturbed by passing street traffic, while almost a third suffer from the sound of car and burglar alarms, and 36% are annoyed by noise from neighbours' pets.

The findings also suggested that external noise was more than just an irritation for homeowners. Almost a third of respondents said they lose sleep at night due to noise, while 15% claimed it causes them stress and anxiety. More than a fifth reported that they are unable to relax in their own home.

However, despite the impact of external noise on their quality of life, 45% of homeowners say they have not done anything about it. Only 6% report addressing the issue by installing insulation solutions in their homes.

Helen Tunnicliffe, head of marketing at Isover, said: "It is clear that noise from neighbours, traffic and other sources is a big problem for many homeowners. Not only is it irritating, it can have a major impact on people's emotional wellbeing.

"However, in spite of the seriousness of the issue, far too few people are taking measures to address it. There are many simple, easy-to-install solutions that prevent external noise in the home, such as insulation systems, which not only make the house warmer, but offer high acoustic performance too."

Alternatively, I suppose, move to Aberystwyth. 

The RCVS Education Committee has granted conditional accreditation of the veterinary degree offered by the University of Cambridge’s Department of Veterinary Medicine, to allow for further improvements to be made to meet accreditation standards for another year.

In November 2024, the RCVS Education Committee agreed to grant the veterinary degree conditional accreditation after an accreditation visitation earlier that year found deficiencies with the degree meant it only met 27 of the 77 RCVS accreditation standards.

55 recommendations for improvement were made by the visitation panel.

A subsequent visit in September 2025 found that while there were still a significant number of standards to be met, many of the recommendations for improvement had either been achieved, or significant progress had been made towards them being met.

The Education Committee therefore decided to grant the programme conditional accreditation for one year, with an action plan and timetable being put into place to guide how and when the 20 outstanding recommendations would be met.

The next accreditation visit to Cambridge will take place in October 2026.

It was agreed that this timeframe and accreditation status would ensure that progress towards meeting accreditation standards continued at pace, allowing the Department to demonstrate its commitment to student wellbeing and support for learning across the entirety of the veterinary programme.

An RCVS spokesperson said: “We appreciate the considerable efforts and hard work that the staff team within the veterinary department at Cambridge University have put into rectifying many of the issues identified in the 2024 accreditation event, for taking on board the constructive advice that was given and working together to make many of the necessary improvements.

“However, as the report shows, there are still several outstanding areas of concern, and so the Education Committee agreed that it was not yet in a position to grant Cambridge’s veterinary degree full accreditation.

“We have collaborated with Cambridge on putting together an action plan and timeline for meeting the 20 remaining recommendations and we hope that it will continue on its current trajectory towards meeting the RCVS accreditation standards.”

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/university-of-cambridge-2025-report/ 

Photo: © Copyright John Sutton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) have developed a system that eliminates the need for antibiotics and resistance genes in the engineering of industrial and medical products. 

The method involves safer, less costly alternatives and is well suited for industrial production of many biofuels and biopharmaceuticals. This research has been published in the online access journal BMC Biotechnology.

Genetic engineering underpins much of biotechnology, and antibiotic selection of engineered strains is a key tool. Unfortunately, antibiotic selection methods risk spreading resistance traits, particularly as biotechnology products move into the environment and clinic.  There have been alternatives, but none are satisfactory for wide application. 

Gene targeting is the insertion of DNA into specific sites or genes within the genome of selected cells in order to alter gene expression for a particular purpose.

While working on gene targeting in bacteria, RVC researchers discovered that a well-known interaction between a cell membrane synthesis gene and the biocide triclosan could be exploited for strain selection. Surprisingly, triclosan selection performs better than conventional antibiotic selection. 

"We think this simple technology is well suited for industrial scale fermentations that produce a range of valuable products, including bio-fuels and bio-pharmaceuticals," said Dr Liam Good, at the Royal Veterinary College and lead researcher on the project. "More importantly, the new system is relatively safe and inexpensive, because the gene is native in all bacteria and triclosan is approved for use in many household applications."

The research was carried out with Dr Shan Goh of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm.

Biogal has announced the launch of the PCRun Molecular Detection Kit, designed to give PCR results in clinic or in the lab within an hour.

The new kit doesn't require any other equipment, such as a thermocycler.

PCRun is a molecular assay based on the isothermal amplification of part of the HapI gene. The company says it is intended for the qualitative detection of pathogenic species of Leptospires only.

The PCRun has been tested at the OEI Leptospira Reference Laboratory in Ireland, on sample materials including urine and kidney biopsies collected from cows experimentally infected with L. hardjo as well as kidney cells.

According to the company, no false positive results were observed in all 63 samples tested and there was excellent correlation between Real Time PCR and PCRun reactions.

Results of the study and a list of serovars tested with PCRun are available from Biogal. See: http://www.biogal.co.il/products/pcrun 

Dechra Veterinary Products, manufacturer of the leading feline hyperthyroidism treatment Felimazole^®, has launched a new website for cat owners about the disorder: www.hyperthyroidcat.co.uk

The website is an online version of Dechra's popular client booklets on feline hyperthyroidism and, since its launch, has averaged 500 unique visitors a month. With pages on diagnosis, treatment and even tips on how to give a pill to a cat, owners now have a place to go for more information and advice on the disease.

Matthew Olsen, product manager at Dechra Veterinary Products says: "This website is perfect for helping owners better understand and manage hyperthyroidism in their cat. It's also useful for practices as they now have somewhere to refer owners to for more information about the diagnosis and management of this complex hormonal disease." 

Cards with the new website address are available for practices to hand to clients, along with waiting room posters that will serve as a further reminder of the new site. "The website allows clients to browse the site in the comfort of their own home and is also ideal for practices with limited storage space for client information materials," Dr Olsen continues. "The posters, cards and website enhance Dechra Veterinary Products' existing range of marketing materials available to vets and owners on the subject of feline hyperthyroidism." 

Dechra also encourages practices that have their own websites to link directly to http://www.hyperthyroidcat.co.uk/. Practices can order posters and hand-out cards by contacting Dechra on 01743 441632 or email: info@dechra-uk.com