Kruuse has launched two products for the treatment of digital dermatitis in cattle: the Bovivet hoof bandage and Kruuse Hoof Gel.  

According to the company, an estimated that 70% of dairy herds suffer with digital dermatitis (DD), and it is a growing problem. If not treated, it can persist for months, causing pain and lameness to infected cows. As well as worrying animal welfare concerns, numerous studies have shown that the disease can have a direct impact on milk production and reproduction with financial implications for the dairy farmer.

Traditionally, treatment has involved thoroughly washing the infected hoof, applying an antibiotic/drying agent such as salicylic acid powder and then applying a dressing that must typically remain in place for three days. This method comes with its own problems, including the difficulty dosing salicyclic acid powder correctly, the risk to the user's health when mixing, and the difficulty ensuring that the dressing is correctly applied at the right pressure and that it stays in place.

To help overcome these problems, Kruuse has introduced two products. The first is the ready-to-apply Bovivet complete Hoof Bandage. It is made from a water-repelling material that keeps out unwanted liquids. Its shape and elasticity are designed to keep the bandage in place. Inside the bandage is a treatment pad that makes for easy dosing. The outer stocking design allows for checking on the progress of treatment and for re-application if necessary. The bandage is available in two sizes, large which fits most cattle breeds, and small for calves and small breeds.

The second product, to be used in conjunction with the Bovivet Hoof Bandage, is Kruuse Hoof Gel 38%, containing 38% salicyclic acid. Kruuse says that dosing with this gel product is easier and more accurate than with the powder, making it more economical per treatment. It also reduces potential health risks to the user from inhalation of the powder when mixing.

Kruuse has produced the following instructional video to demonstrate the new products' ease of use and versatility:

A study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology has concluded that children get more satisfaction from their relationship with their pets than with their brothers or sisters.

This study was conducted in collaboration with the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition as part of a larger study, led by Prof Claire Hughes at the University of Cambridge Centre for Family Research.

Researchers surveyed 12-year-old children from 77 families with one or more pets of any type and more than one child at home. Children reported strong relationships with their pets relative to their siblings, with lower levels of conflict and greater satisfaction in owners of dogs than other kinds of pets.

The authors say this research adds to increasing evidence that household pets may have a major influence on child development, and could have a positive impact on children’s social skills and emotional well-being.       

Pets are almost as common as siblings in western households, although there are relatively few studies on the importance of child-pet relationships.  

Matt Cassells, lead researcher, said: "Anyone who has loved a childhood pet knows that we turn to them for companionship and disclosure, just like relationships between people. We wanted to know how strong these relationships are with pets relative to other close family ties. Ultimately this may enable us to understand how animals contribute to healthy child development."

He added: "Even though pets may not fully understand or respond verbally, the level of disclosure to pets was no less than to siblings.

"The fact that pets cannot understand or talk back may even be a benefit as it means they are completely non-judgmental. While previous research has often found that boys report stronger relationships with their pets than girls do, we actually found the opposite. While boys and girls were equally satisfied with their pets, girls reported more disclosure, companionship, and conflict with their pet than did boys, perhaps indicating that girls may interact with their pets in more nuanced ways."

Waltham researcher Nancy Gee, a co-author of the study, said: "Evidence continues to grow showing that pets have positive benefits on human health and community cohesion. The social support that adolescents receive from pets may well support psychological well-being later in life but there is still more to learn about the long term impact of pets on children’s development."

The BSAVA has released the second edition of its Manual of Canine and Feline Head, Neck and Thoracic Surgery.

The original editorial team of Daniel Brockman and David Holt has been joined by Gert ter Haar to produce a new edition which considers the substantial progress that has been made in this important field, including the challenges of treating airway abnormalities linked to brachycephalism, the constraints of complex bony anatomy and rich vascularity of the head when performing radical surgery, and the treatment of trauma.

The book includes a number of new techniques, including dorsal rhinotomy and total ear canal ablation.

The BSAVA says operative techniques, instructive photographs and full-colour illustrations remain a key feature of the manual, which is aimed at the general veterinary practitioner.

The BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Head, Neck and Thoracic Surgery, 2nd edition is available from the BSAVA website: www.bsava.com or by phone: 01452 726700.

Brigite Pedro MRCVS, an RCVS and European Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology at Willows Veterinary Centre is to lead an in-depth international study into atrial fibrillation in dogs, and is appealing to colleagues to support the research by referring suitable cases.

Brigite said: "We are leading an international multi-centre study to further investigate the impact of this heart disorder on the quality of life and life expectancy of affected dogs.

"This is an extremely important research project, so we need the co-operation of referring vets in the area to send cases to us to be included in the study. Clearly, the more cases we can assess then the more we can learn and the more we can help. 

"The hope is this study will revolutionise the way in which this condition is treated in dogs around the world, both improving their day-to-day lives as well as giving them longer at home with their families." 

For more information, visit: www.willows.uk.net

MSD Animal Health has launched a dairy calf heath checklist app, designed to help the veterinary professionals and farmers draw up action plans to improve calf health together.

The app, which works on tablets and smartphones, allows vets to e-mail audit results directly to clients following an interactive calf health assessment at the farm.

MSD Animal Health’s youngstock marketing manager Robert Simpson said: “Our new app allows both parties to explore, record and score calf health performance across five core areas to identify the strengths and weaknesses of any rearing unit’s environment and processes. 

“Working through a series of 10 questions within each core area – designed to tease out where a rearing unit is in terms of accepted best management practice – allows vet and farmer to quickly pinpoint any areas needing attention.

"What’s more, repeating the checklist every six or 12 months is a great way to keep things on track, allowing both parties to monitor progress against agreed targets”.

For more information about the app, contact your MSD account manager.

YORKTEST Veterinary Services has announced a change of name to Avacta Animal Health Ltd., following its acquisition by Avacta Group Plc.

The allergy testing and customer support that is synonymous with YORKTEST Veterinary Services will now appear under the brand name of SENSITEST^® - the complete allergy service.

Janice Hogg, MD Avacta Animal Health said: "It is an exciting time for us at present and the change of name to Avacta Animal Health signifies this forward progression. Our extensive and high quality allergy portfolio is now branded "SENSITEST^®. Previously this was only used in Europe but it will now be our global branding for the complete allergy service offered by Avacta Animal Health. "

For more information on Avacta Animal Health and SENSITEST^® telephone 0800 8494 550 or visit website at http://www.animal-allergy.co.uk/.

Premier Vet Alliance, a provider of pet health care plans, has announced that having completed its acquisition of Simplyhealth’s animal health business, it is now migrating 2000 practices over to its pet health plan portal. 

The company says that practices transferring to its pet health plan portal will be able to take greater control of their pet health plans and benefit from a range of innovative services for the same cost. They include the VMD-approved Post2Pet home delivery service, a messaging system to advise clients on applying products, attending appointments or renewing prescriptions, reporting to give practice leaders the insights they need to drive plan performance, the ability for pet owners to sign up online rather than visit the practice, and 24/7 access to a marketing hub and the Premier Vet Alliance Learning Academy.

Premier Vet Alliance’s Business Development Director Andy Taylor said: "We are excited to be offering our high performing Premier Pet Care Plan to the many new practices joining us following our acquisition of Simplyhealth’s animal health business. 

"We are working to make the transition seamless and believe that our new customers will be delighted at the expanded range of functionality our portal offers them, together with the reduced administrative burden.  We will continue to invest in its development to ensure that all of our customers can be sure that their pet health plan offers the most powerful set of tools and services available to help them drive up the profitability of their practice, while offering gold standard care to their patients and peace of mind to their clients."

For more information, visit: https://premiervetalliance.com/uk/ 

A survey commissioned by the RCVS has found that a significant number of pet owners think veterinary surgeons offer poor or very poor value for money, suggesting more work needs to be done to communicate the value of veterinary services.

The survey was conducted by Mo Gannon & Associates, which asked 2,000 UK adults about their satisfaction with the service they and their animals received from veterinary surgeons, levels of trust in the profession, and whether the service provided by vets represents value for money.

32% of the respondents felt that veterinary surgeons represented excellent (8%) or good (24%) value for money. 38% thought that veterinary fees are fair. However, 29% thought that veterinary surgeons and their services provided poor (21%) or very poor (8%) value for money. The results were very similar to the last time the survey was conducted, in 2015.

Nevertheless, veterinary surgeons continue to enjoy very high levels of trust amongst the public. 94% said they either completely trust (34%) or generally trust (60%) vets. This put veterinary surgeons in third place amongst the most trusted professions, below opticians and pharmacists but above GPs and and dentists. 

Satisfaction with the profession was also high. 80% said they were either very satisfied (39%) or satisfied (41%), putting vets in fourth place below opticians, pharmacists and dentists, but above general practitioners and accountants.

RCVS President Dr Niall Connell, pictured right (would you trust this man?) said: "These results clearly demonstrate that there is a great deal of good will towards the veterinary profession and the work they do in treating the nation’s animals and serving their communities. The basis of all good relationships is trust, and it is fantastic to see that our clients continue overwhelmingly to trust our knowledge and expertise and remain very happy with the service we provide them.

"The picture on value for money is clearly a bit more mixed, although clearly 70% of the respondents recognise that we at least charge fair fees in terms of our time and expertise. There is, of course, always more work that we can do in order to help the public understand veterinary costs and fees and promote the value of veterinary care, as demonstrated by last year’s joint Pets Need Vets social media campaign with BVA, in which we highlighted the benefits to pet owners of being registered with a vet."

The British Veterinary Association has launched its second annual photography competition and is inviting members to submit entries in the run up to World Photography Day on August 19.

The inaugural BVA Photography Competition received more than 400 entries from all over the world last year, with Devon-based small animal vet Stephen Powles and equine vet Karen Coumbe’s images of an Egyptian fruit bat in flight and an operation on an infected horse's hoof being declared winners in their respective categories.

Karen said: "I was encouraged to enter the competition because I am fascinated by the amazing things I am privileged to observe in my day to day work, many of which provide exciting photo-opportunities."

The competition, which is open to BVA members, seeks to showcase images that highlight the human-animal bond and offer a tangible insight into the veterinary profession and its work.

Submissions should promote responsible animal ownership and/or interaction, as well positive animal health and welfare.

Photos can be of any species and the BVA says it would especially like to see images of native and domestic species found in the UK. Photos can be submitted under one of two categories: 

• You and your work
• The wonderful world of animals

The winners will receive a £250 John Lewis gift voucher each and get the chance to have their photographs displayed at BVA Members’ Day in September, at other BVA events and in BVA communications. 

British Veterinary Association President Gudrun Ravetz said: "From sparrows to elephants, and cats to alpacas, veterinary colleagues submitted such a range, quantity and quality of photographs for our first-ever competition last year that we are really excited to be launching the competition for a second year running.

"We’re all passionate about animal health and welfare, so the way we interact with and capture images of the animal world offers a unique perspective. Whether you enjoy taking photos on your phone or have all of the kit, we’re encouraging all of the veterinary family to give it a go and get involved."

The competition closes at midnight on 19 August.

This year’s entries will be judged by an expert panel of judges from the veterinary and photography worlds.

More details about the competition, including terms and conditions, can be found at www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/bva-photo-competition

Zoetis is holding a free webinar to share the latest thinking about Lyme disease on Wednesday 3rd July at 8:00pm.

The CPD-qualifying webinar is being given by Professor Saul Faust, Professor of Paediatric Immunology & Infectious Diseases at the University of Southampton, and Ian Wright MRCVS, a veterinary parasitologist, Head of ESCCAP UK & Ireland and one of the owners of The Mount Veterinary Practice in Lancashire.

The webinar will reveal the real threat of this disease and its impact on sufferers, and give an insight to the challenges of diagnosing the condition. 

Register for the webinar here: https://cloud.mc.zoetis.com/beneath-the-fur-webinar 

The BVA is seeking nominations for seven new regional representatives for the North-East, Yorkshire & Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, London, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Representatives from all sectors of the veterinary profession are encouraged to apply for the role, which is to represent veterinary surgeons in those regions to BVA Council and help shape the association's strategy and policy development.

Candidates are required to be based in the region they represent and to have time available to commit to gathering members’ views on key policy areas, representing those views at three meetings per year in London, and one elsewhere in the UK (attached to BVA Members’ Day). They will also need to meet members at local events where possible, and promote the good name and values of BVA. All of this work is supported by BVA headquarters.

The term of the BVA regional representative role is for three years. It suits motivated individuals who are interested in current issues affecting the profession. BVA pays your expenses and you’ll get free BVA membership for the duration of your term.

Daniella Dos Santos, President of the British Veterinary Association (pictured right), said: "BVA Council plays a key role in helping us to achieve our mission as the leading body representing, supporting and championing the whole UK veterinary profession. Our regional representatives are integral to that mission and to the activities of Council - contributing to effective horizon scanning on matters of veterinary policy and providing an informed steer to BVA’s Policy Committee.

"With an increasingly complex veterinary landscape, and wide range of issues and potential outcomes for animal health and welfare and the veterinary profession it’s essential that members have the best person to represent them at the highest level within BVA."

Emma Callaghan, BVA Scottish Branch regional representative and 2019 Bleby Cup winner, added: "I am currently in the middle of my first term on BVA Council and I would encourage anyone who is considering taking part to put themselves forward for election. This is a fantastic chance to represent the views of your region and to help BVA members to get their voices heard. I’m really enjoying my time as a regional representative - it’s been such a wonderful opportunity to meet a range of people from across the profession and to develop new skills outside my day-to-day role."

BVA members who are interested in becoming a representative for their area can apply before 9am on 16 December 2019 when nominations close. For more information or to submit your application, visit www.bva.co.uk/council/

Dechra has launched Redonyl Ultra, a complementary feed for cats and dogs with allergic skin conditions.

Redonyl Ultra contains essential fatty acids, Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and Biotin.

PEA is a naturally-occurring bio modulator which Dechra says has scientifically proven activity against the mechanisms that contribute to inflammation and pain, while Biotin is important for synthesis of fatty acids and support of optimal skin condition.

Dechra Brand Manager Claire Morgan said: "Redonyl Ultra is a great addition to Dechra’s extensive Dermatology range that allows an holistic approach to treatment, control and maintenance of dermatological conditions.

"Allergic skin conditions are among the most common causes of skin and ear disease in cats and dogs, and it is estimated that up to 15 per cent of dogs are affected by atopy. In situations where an allergen cannot be avoided, multi-modal therapy is useful to control the clinical signs."

Redonyl Ultra comes in a convenient bottle size of 60 skittle capsules, in two strengths for different sized animals. The capsules can be opened and given with food or ingested directly, or swallowed whole for flexible administration.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/2iNa2Ik

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is pushing for a reform of the training and revalidation system for Official Veterinarians after conducting a survey of veterinary surgeons which found considerable levels of frustration with the existing system. 

1,300 veterinary surgeons responded to the BVA survey, which was carried out in July. They were asked what Official Controls Qualification (OCQ) they hold or have held in the past, and give reasons for dropping a previously held qualification or choosing not to revalidate. 

According to the BVA, many respondents criticised the current training and revalidation process, which is administered by Improve International on behalf of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). 

Factors including time, the cumulative cost of renewing each module at regular intervals, a lack of relevance and duplication of learning across different modules were all cited as reasons for choosing to drop qualifications.  

25% of vets who currently hold the Essential Skills OCQ say they are planning not to renew the qualification, with 67% saying it is because of the expiry of grandfather rights and 66% saying it is because they find the requirements too onerous.

18% of those who currently hold the Tuberculin Testing OCQ are not planning on renewing, either because they are finding the revalidation requirements too onerous (58%), too expensive (42%) or because the work is not sufficiently rewarding (42%).

35% of those who hold the Statutory Surveillance OCQ are not planning on renewing, primarily because of overly onerous revalidation requirements. 

The largest drop off is predicted amongst holders of the Exports OCQ, 38.4% of whom said they plan not to revalidate. 

Amongst the species bolt-ons, 45.5% of the holders of the Small Animal Exports OCQ, 51% of the Ungulate Exports OCQ, 66% of the Equine Exports OCQ, 72.5% of the Avian Exports OCQ, 47% of the Product Exports OCQ, 68% of the Germinal Products Exports OCQ and 32% of the Companion Animals OCQ said they plan not to renew, either because of the expiry of grandfather rights, or the expense or, in the case of Ungulate Exports, because revalidation is too onerous. 

In the current system equine exports are included in the ungulate export OCQ, which the BVA says was a concern for those vets who only work with farm animals. APHA and Improve International have helpfully introduced an equine-only OCQ for exports that better meets the needs of equine-only vets. 

BVA reports that it has had a positive meeting with APHA to discuss the survey results and explore practical solutions to iron out issues with the current system and make it easier to use. As a next step, BVA has agreed to review the modules and make recommendations for improving the structure of training and the revalidation process.

BVA President John Fishwick said: "The unprecedented response rate to this survey really hits home the strength of feeling on this issue. There is an urgent need to review and improve the revalidation process to safeguard against capacity and capability issues in this critical section of the workforce.

"It’s really positive that APHA recognises that there are issues with the current system and is keen to work with us to make it more proportionate and fit for purpose while continuing to maintain high standards.  It’s more important than ever to retain skilled professionals so that the workforce is at full strength to respond robustly to disease outbreaks and meet demand for export certification after Brexit."

Andrew Soldan, APHA Veterinary Director said: "The integrity of our official controls and export certification is vitally important. The Official Controls Qualifications are a key part of this as they provide standardised OV training as well as assurance of high standards.  I’m grateful to BVA for their assistance as we look to make further improvements to the system in the future."