Animalcare has launched Hydrocortisone Cutaneous Spray Solution (Hydrocortisone Aceponate 0.584 mg/ml), a topical spray for the symptomatic treatment of inflammatory and pruritic dermatoses and the alleviation of clinical signs associated with atopic dermatitis in dogs. 

Animalcare says hydrocortisone aceponate is a potent, topical anti-inflammatory, proven to quickly relieve itchy and inflamed skin in dogs.

The new product is applied as a spray, designed to make it easy to target affected areas of skin.

Hydrocortisone Cutaneous Spray Solution is presented in a 76 ml size with a two-year shelf life, six months once opened.

Animalcare Product Manager Eleanor Workman Wright said: “Skin problems are extremely common in dogs.

"They can often cause great discomfort to dogs and concern to their owners.

"We believe that Hydrocortisone Cutaneous Spray Solution will be a useful addition to the range of treatment options currently available to vets as they consider the most appropriate care plan for their patients.”

Defra has announced that new rules on pet travel will be introduced from 1^st January 2012. The changes will mean that the rules on rabies vaccination for entry into the UK will be in line with the rest of Europe.

Defra has carried out a risk assessment to find out how the changes will affect the level of risk of rabies entering the UK. Although the probability of rabies introduction into the UK will increase, the assessment found the risk will remain very low after the increase.

The British Veterinary Association and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association are informing their members of the new rules so that the right advice can be given to pet owners planning to travel abroad with their animals.

Dogs, cats and pet ferrets entering the UK from an EU or 'listed' third country from 1 January 2012 must:

• be microchipped
• be vaccinated against rabies
• have waited 21 days after vaccination before entering
• have an EU Pet Passport

The current requirement to carry out a blood test followed by a six-month wait before entry into the UK will no longer be required.

From 1^st January pets entering from a non-listed third country must pass a blood test 30 days after vaccination followed by a three-month wait.

Until now, the UK, Ireland and three other Member States have had derogations from EU pet travel rules to allow for additional controls to protect against rabies, ticks and tapeworms.

Successful vaccination programmes in wildlife in mainland Europe have now allowed the UK to consider whether the additional controls for rabies are still necessary.

The BVA and BSAVA have continued to lobby in Europe for additional controls to be maintained for tapeworms, which could introduce Echinococcus multilocularis to the UK - a significant public health concern.

Although a final decision has not yet been made the European Commission has indicated that it will support the UK case for additional tapeworm controls.

Harvey Locke, President of the BVA, said: "It is vital that any controls on animal movements are proportionate to the risk.

"Due to the highly successful vaccination programme in wildlife in mainland Europe there has been a huge reduction in the incidence in rabies. Research carried out by Defra reveals that the risk of introducing rabies under the new rules is very low.

"However, it is essential that pet owners get good veterinary advice when planning to take their animals abroad because pets can be exposed to a number of diseases not currently endemic in the UK, for example leishmaniasis, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis.

"As part of responsible ownership we would always advise pet owners to visit their vet for a pre-travel consultation to discuss how to protect the health and welfare of their animals when travelling abroad."

Andrew Ash, President of the BSAVA, added: "The Pet Travel Scheme has been highly successful in keeping the UK free of rabies. BVA and BSAVA have been working closely with Defra to ensure that any changes to the pet travel rules do not threaten our disease-free status.

"The rabies vaccine has advanced and now has a longer duration of immunity and we welcome the continuing requirement for all pets to be vaccinated before travel."

Simplyhealth Professionals, a provider of preventive health plans for cats, dogs, rabbits and horses, is launching two new online resources for veterinary practices.

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.

A new study, led by the Royal Veterinary College, has determined that low-cost thermal imaging devices show minimal difference in effectiveness of detecting lameness in dairy cattle when compared to more expensive devices.

The researchers say the effectiveness of cheaper devices could result in wider use amongst farmers, vets and hoof trimmers helping to identify lameness earlier. 

The study, led by RVC undergraduate veterinary student, Aidan Coe, alongside Dr Nicola Blackie, a senior lecturer in Production Animal Science at the RVC, compared the thermal images of 83 cows’ hind feet, captured with both high and low cost thermal imaging devices.

Very little difference was identified in the performance and quality of the devices despite the low-cost device being 2% the cost of the high cost device.

Images captured suggested that low-cost thermal imaging devices would be the most cost-effective choice to aid in the identification of lameness.

This study highlights the effectiveness of cheaper infrared thermal imaging devices in identifying the condition which has the potential to lead to the wider use of the devices by farmers, vets and hoof trimmers, in turn allowing the condition to be identified earlier.

Whilst high-cost devices have sometimes been used to detect lameness in cattle, the price point of up to £20,000 and fragility has previously limited their usefulness in a farm setting. 

Aidan Coe, Undergraduate Veterinary Student at the RVC, and lead researcher on this paper, said: “There is a possibility that low-cost infrared thermal imaging devices could be used as an objective, cost-effective method of assessing the lameness of the national herd, which may prove a useful adjunct to the current lameness detection methods.”

The full paper can be accessed at: https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/9/8/414 

Reference

1. Coe A, & Blackie, N, Comparison of Low- and High-Cost Infrared Thermal Imaging Devices for the Detection of Lameness in Dairy Cattle. Veterinary Sciences. 2022’ 9(8):414. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9080414 

The BVA has forecast that new post-Brexit trade agreements for meat and agricultural products like milk, gelatine and hay could trigger a 325% increase in the number of veterinary certifications needed, requiring many more veterinary surgeons to perform the role.

The forecast formed part of the Association's response to the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EfraCom) inquiry into the impact on the UK’s trade in food after Brexit.

The BVA says that if the UK is treated as a 'third country' post Brexit, exports and imports of animals and animal products to and from the EU will need new veterinary certifications.

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer, Nigel Gibbens, says the volume of products requiring veterinary certifications could increase by as much as 325% as a result.

There are currently 1,063 Official Veterinarians authorised by the Government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to certify food products for export to third countries from Great Britain, a number which the BVA says would have to be significantly increased.

The BVA is urging the Government to undertake a major review of third country certification to ensure we have the capacity to fulfil new trade agreements. To combat the potential shortage in veterinary capacity, BVA is also calling on the Government to guarantee working rights for non-British EU vets and veterinary nurses currently working and studying in the UK. 

British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President, Gudrun Ravetz said: "Vets are absolutely vital to facilitating UK trade by ensuring standards so that consumers at home and abroad have confidence in the food safety and welfare of the products they choose to buy. Veterinary certification is required not only for meat, but a whole range of products such as gelatine in sweets.

"Ironically, it is non-British EU vets who make up around 50% of our new workforce each year. However, since the EU referendum, we are facing serious problems in recruiting and retaining EU vets, which makes the need for more vets to perform this crucial trade-task an even more pressing concern. Vets’ role in the future of UK trade must be recognised and planned for, as an integral part of forthcoming trade negotiations."

The BVA trade submission also outlines that access to veterinary medicines could potentially be restricted post-Brexit. In order to protect animal and public health, BVA is calling for any new trade deal with the EU to maintain the link with EU veterinary medicine approval systems.

The UK currently has high standards of animal health, animal welfare and public health, including food safety, in its food production. These standards help prevent the spread of pathogens and diseases in animal products, ensure farm animals have a humane death, protect food safety and safeguard responsible antimicrobial use. BVA’s submission to the EfraCom trade inquiry emphasises that, as public goods, the UK must prioritise the maintenance of these standards in all trade negotiations moving forwards.

BVA’s full response to the EfraCom inquiry into the impact on the UK’s trade in food after Brexit is available on the BVA website at www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/consultations/consultation-responses/

VetPlus has launched ‘On The Move’, a car diffuser designed to reduce anxiety in cats and dogs when they’re travelling.

The diffuser contains a blend of rose, lavender, and chamomile oils, which the company claims provides stress-relieving benefits during car journeys.  

'On The Move' is part of the Calmex range, which includes a plug-in diffuser for the home and two nutraceuticals: a palatable tablet for dogs and a liquid formulation for cats. 

Jackie Marshall, Technical Advisor at VetPlus, said: “We’re committed to developing products and solutions that allow vets to give their clients the best management options possible to ensure that pets are happy and healthy all year round.

“Combining the new in-car diffuser with the Calmex supplement and plug-in diffuser can be highly effective at supporting animals affected by many causes of stress, including loud noises, separation related anxiety, car travel, and environmental change.

"This gives vets the ability to recommend a truly multimodal approach to help animals cope better with stressful situations both in the home and on the move. 

“The products can be used all year round to offer calming support for potentially distressing situations such as visits to the groomer, training and visits to the vet, as well as in the lead up to potentially stressful or busy events like Christmas or New Year’s Eve.”

VetPlus has also worked with behaviourists to develop a free app called Plasid.

Calmex users can access the app, which includes tracking tools, videos from behaviourists, and calming music to help stressed pets, by scanning the QR code on the product packaging.

www.vetplus.co.uk/product-category/brain-behaviour 

Braemar Finance has published the results of research it commissioned in July to canvass the thoughts of senior members in veterinary practice about the impact of coronavirus.

Two hundred members of the profession took part. The main results were:

• 68% said it will be up to six months before they are fully operational again
• 65% said they expected their business to stay the same overall, over the next 12 months. Of the remainder, 22% thought their business will contract.
• 85% expect revenue over the next 12 months to decrease (29.5% by 21-40%, 26% by 41-60% and 24.5% by 1-20%).
• 80% made use of the furlough scheme
• 63% believe that once things return to normal staffing levels will return to normal too. 
• 58.5% had made use of the government Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
• When asked how supported you feel by your professional body, 18.5% said 'very' and 78.5% 'Somewhat'.
• 27% felt the worst is behind us, but the economy could decline again, 24% said the worst is behind but it will be a slow recovery, 22% said there is worse to come and 21.5% said the worst is behind and there will now be a quick recovery.  

Luis Sainz-Pardo, a Spanish vet who migrated to the UK, has started VetAbroad, a new company which will offer advice and support to practices employing foreign vets, and training to non-UK practitioners in order that they are better equipped to work in this country.

Luis says it's not unusual for practice owners and managers to have concerns about how best to mentor and support non-UK veterinary graduates. Teamwork and a sense of what it means to be part of the UK veterinary community are essential. But cultural differences, professional obligations and coping with regional accents and idioms, all present significant challenges for both the non-UK vet and the practice employing them. Luis says he's experienced these challenges from both sides of the fence: first as a vet migrating to the UK and later as the owner of one of the first practices to achieve BSAVA practice standards. 

To help foreign vets coming to the UK, VetAbroad has launched a new e-learning course Working as a foreign vet in the UK that trains non-UK vets to practise in the UK. It is suitable for graduates who've recently started to work here, those preparing for work in the UK and graduates who have been in the UK for longer but would benefit from brushing up on the expectations of UK regulatory bodies, clients and practices.

The 140-hour course includes a significant audio element to ensure competence in the understanding of spoken English. It addresses all aspects of life as a vet in the UK, including culture, necessary adaptations, the RCVS Code of Conduct, teamwork & productivity and client & patient care. The course ensures that graduates know what they need to fulfil their obligations of professional conduct, to respond appropriately to UK clients and to fit with the needs of busy UK veterinary practices.

To help practice owners and managers that employ foreign vets, VetAbroad offers a mentor scheme to help deal with their issues or concerns. For a nominal monthly fee, the mentor is able to counsel, provide advice, identify training needs, or liaise between the two parties, taking into account cultural differences, common misconceptions and barriers to communication. VetAbroad says the percentage of vets not adapting to the UK system is close to 50% and providing appropriate support is likely to improve employee retention, client satisfaction and productivity.

For more information, visit www.vetabroad.com 

The RCVS has announced that registrations for the new RCVS Register of Veterinary Practice Premises will be accepted from 1 November 2008, allowing all those who wish to supply medicines from veterinary practice premises from 1 April 2009 onwards a full five months to comply with the latest medicines legislation.

In order to fulfil its obligations under European law to maintain and improve traceability of, and accountability for, veterinary medicines, the UK Government decided that any veterinary surgeon may only supply veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) from premises registered with the Secretary of State, with effect from 1 April 2009.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is responsible for the inspection and registration of practices under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations. Steve Dean, VMD's Chief Executive, says the new veterinary practice premises register will complete the UK information base by bringing veterinary practices in line with other suppliers of veterinary medicines who already have to operate from registered premises.

The Register will enable the supply of veterinary medicines by veterinary surgeons, including controlled drugs, to be subjected to inspection and verification. As a result, DEFRA Ministers and the European Commission can be re-assured that veterinary medicines are being supplied in the UK in accordance with EC legislation.

In discussion with the VMD, it was agreed that the most appropriate body to maintain this register would be the RCVS, not least because the College already manages the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme and publishes the (voluntary) Directory of Veterinary Practices, so has the necessary systems already in place. The register will be published on RCVSonline and updated quarterly.

Whilst there will now be a statutory fee levied for each practice premises registered on the new Register, the College's existing database framework has kept this to a relatively low £40 compared to what other bodies might have had to charge after starting from scratch.

Practices could appear in the Directory for free because the cost of producing it was partially covered by subsequent data sales. However, the new Register will need to be self-funding, as the data it contains will be freely available online.

Not all practices will have to pay the statutory fee. RCVS President Jill Nute said: "For those practice premises already accredited under the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme (PSS), the fee will be taken from their existing PSS annual fee. 

"What's more, accredited practices will not face additional four-yearly inspections by VMD inspectors (unless there is an investigation for enforcement purposes) as their PSS inspections already ensure that they keep up to date with current medicines legislation."

Practice premises that have applied to join the Scheme, but have not yet been accredited, will not face additional VMD inspections either, but will still need to pay the statutory fee.

To help practices understand the new requirements and what they need to do before next April, the RCVS has produced a range of guidance, including a series of Frequently Asked Questions (www.rcvs.org.uk).

"In particular, we hope this guidance will help to explain which premises are likely to be considered ‘veterinary practice premises' and the difference between those premises and places where medicines might simply be stored or kept," said Mrs Nute.

"It is important to realise that there is a legal requirement to register veterinary practice premises for the supply of medicines, and a professional obligation, set out in the Guide to Professional Conduct, to keep a record of where all medicines are stored or kept. This record should avoid the need for additional registration of car boots, farms and homes."

Over the coming weeks, application forms will be posted to all practices currently listed in the Directory and accredited under the PSS, containing all the practice information currently held. These forms must be checked, signed and returned, even if no fee is due. Separate application forms will be available for any non-accredited practice premises not published in the Directory, and a letter will be sent to all RCVS members to ensure the whole profession is aware of the new requirements.

A panel of experts at the National Equine Forum’s (NEF) Great Weight Debate (Equine) has concluded that teamwork, communication and trust are key to solving the problem of horse, pony and donkey obesity in the UK.

Equine obesity is a growing problem not just in the UK but around the world. The debate explored how various sectors of the equestrian industry see the challenges faced by people who are struggling to manage their horse’s weight. It included the views of equine vet Lucy Grieve, horse owner Helen Gale, livery yard owner and coach Beth Maloney, nutritionist Liz Bulbrook, competition judge David Ingle and equine welfare officer Penny Baker.

The session was chaired by equine vet and nutrition specialist Professor Pat Harris with the support of Dr Tamzin Furtado, a social scientist with a special interest in human behaviour change for animals.

The panellists shared their views on what they believed to be the blocks for horse owners in recognising obesity and addressing the problem.

They identified the importance of empowering owners and working with them to make step by step changes with the support of a reliable and trusted team including vet, nutritionist, yard owner and farrier.

Lucy said: “Vets are in unique and privileged position to provide an achievable and effective tailor-made strategy for individual horses.

"We must all learn to overcome avoidance and engage recognise, accept and understand, and tailor a solution.”

Helen added: “Owners need to be able to recognise and acknowledge that their horse has a weight problem and be motivated to take action. Communication is key. It’s important for others to understand why you are following the advice form vets and other experts and how they can best help."

There was recognition that a bespoke approach is needed for every horse, owner and situation. Some livery owners may face challenges in changing management practices and peer pressure on a yard may prevent people implementing intake restriction measures such as a grazing muzzle or restricted turnout.

Beth said: “Peer pressure can be daunting and there can be a lack of confidence that you are doing the right thing."

Communication and proactive signposting to reliable advice and scientific information were identified as pivotal, not only in helping to identify weight changes but also to build horse owners’ knowledge and confidence. This would build a clearer understanding of the calorific value of feeds and of grass and forage, what constitutes a balanced diet, the importance of regular exercise and weight monitoring, being able to identify the difference between fat and muscle and being familiar and comfortable with the range of weight control tactics, such as grazing muzzles, restricted grazing and track systems.

The language used was also identified as important; gauging the needs and response of the individual and asking the owner what they think, would be more effective than using potentially inflammatory language - for example choosing the phrase ‘fat pad’ rather than the terms ‘overweight’ or ‘obese’.

Lucy said: “If we are all being really honest with ourselves obesity is neglect. I doubt many vets would walk away from an emaciated horse or an infected wound or a cloudy eye so why are we so willing to walk away from these ticking time bombs which are actually a real welfare issue as the animal is potentially at risk of losing their life?”

You can buy tickets for a replay of the debate for £5, here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-great-weight-debate-equine-playback-tickets-138080533593 

The 29th National Equine Forum will be held online on Thursday 4th March 2021. Tickets will be available in February 2021. If you'd like to be notified when they become available, you can subscribe here: https://www.nationalequineforum.com/subscribe/ 

Boehringer Ingelheim has launched Arthritis AWARE, a campaign to raise awareness that osteoarthritis is much more common in young dogs than previously thought.

Although the disease is commonly diagnosed later in life, a 2022 study of 123 dogs found that 40% of those aged between one and four years old had radiographic osteoarthritis, of which about half had clinical signs and of those only 2 were being treated for pain¹.

Another 2022 study found that 38% of dogs over the age of one had osteoarthritic pain, but only half of them were presented for lameness or stiffness².

Geoffrey Guyot, Pain and Inflammation Franchise Lead at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, said: “Clinical signs of early osteoarthritis can be subtle.

"Some young dogs may present with overt lameness, but many compensate for years and manage to continue to perform their daily activities.

"Common compensations include gait or posture changes to unload the painful joint, which often go unnoticed.” 

Boehringer says the aim of its campaign is to shift the perception of osteoarthritis as an old dog disease, to one which could affect dogs of all ages.​

Boehringer also wants the campaign to bridge the gap between vets and dog owners, making it easier for owners to spot the early signs and initiate conversations about the condition.

Geoffrey added: "We hope the Arthritis AWARE campaign will raise awareness of early OA among owners to create more opportunities for you to diagnose and treat dogs with arthritis and improve their outcome.

"We encourage vet practices to join us on the journey so we can help improve dogs’ wellbeing together.”

Vet practices can help spread the word by downloading the Arthritis AWARE campaign pack which includes a waiting room video, a poster, owner-facing leaflets, and social media assets.

www.metacam.co.uk/aware

References

1. Enomoto et al. Prevalence of Radiographic Osteoarthritis and Associated Clinical Signs in Young Dogs. ACVS Surgery Summit (2022). https://www.eventscribe.net/2022/ACVS/fsPopup.asp?Mode=presInfo&PresentationID=1098164
2. Wright, A. et al. Identification of canine osteoarthritis using an owner‐reported questionnaire and treatment monitoring using functional mobility tests. J Small Anim Pract 63, 609–618 (2022). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13500

The RCVS has published Fitness to Practise - A Guide for UK Veterinary Schools and Veterinary Students, a guide for veterinary students which aims to introduce them to the concept of fitness to practise and help prepare them for professional life.

The guide was developed by an RCVS working party in conjunction with the UK's seven veterinary schools that currently offer an RCVS-approved veterinary degree. It has also received approval from the Veterinary Schools Council, a new body which represents the interests of the country's veterinary schools.

The guide is split into two parts: the first part provides guidance for veterinary schools on how to recognise and address fitness to practise concerns; the second part sets out the broad principles of fitness to practise that students should follow and which veterinary schools should uphold.

Laura McClintock, an Advisory Solicitor from the RCVS Professional Conduct Department, said: "While we don't regulate veterinary students themselves, we hope that this guidance will prepare future vets for the requirements and standards that we expect from members of a regulated profession and for adhering to our Code of Professional Conduct and its supporting guidance.

"The guide also recognises that each university will have its own specific disciplinary guidelines and procedures, but we hope that this will help promote consistency in their fitness to practise regimes.

"Although we expect any adverse findings made in university fitness to practise proceedings to be declared to us upon application to register, we would take into account the fact that a student is not a fully-fledged professional and would therefore make some allowance for any mistakes and poor judgement when considering whether or not they should join the Register."

The guide can be downloaded for free from www.rcvs.org.uk/studentguide

The RCVS is also in the process of forming a working party to produce equivalent guidance for student veterinary nurses.