Petplan has teamed up with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home to launch Summer Safety, a pet owner education campaign based on insurance claims received by the company.
The company reports that last year, 83% of all heat stroke claims occurred in the summer months (June-August), with 48% of them in July alone. Almost half of all heat stroke claims last year came in at an average of £315, with the highest claim reaching nearly £600.
80% of grass seed claims happened between June and August last year, 41% of which happened in July. The highest grass seed claim paid out by Petplan last year was just over £3,600, with the top ten highest grass seed claims totalling over £18,500.
Petplan says it also sees a significant spike in claims for injuries resulting from other foreign bodies in ears and paws in the summer months. Last year, 77% of claims arising from foreign bodies in ears and 55% for foreign bodies in paws occurred between June and August.
In order to alleviate the risk to pets and highlight the danger, Petplan and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home have created a guide to help pet owners determine how at-risk to heat their pet is. The guide is available to download at petplan.co.uk/summersafety and Battersea.org.uk/funinthesun.
Petplan's vet Brian Faulkner MRCVS said: "Using the simple four step process, the guide encourages pet owners to answer a series of questions that reveals their pet's SPF score, whilst including useful tips to help keep their pet out of harm's way during the hotter months. The scale calculates a pet's risk to retaining heat based on four factors, those being; coat colour, coat type, length of the animal's nose and its age, to determine either a low, medium or high risk susceptibility."
Starting in October 2018, the programme includes nine days of practical clinical emergency training at the CPD Solutions Training Centre near Birmingham, where emergency tutors Tobias Grave, Aidan McAlinden, Smita Das and Scott Kilpatrick will help attendees refine their techniques and decision-making in small group sessions.
The new emergency certificate includes modules in Essentials of Small Animal Emergency Practice, Small Animal Emergency Medicine and Small Animal Emergency Surgery. Each module starts with a three day practical attendance session.
CPD Solutions says the programme focuses on practical training combined with work-based learning. Assessment is continuous and is based on submission of a reflective portfolio in keeping with the current RCVS move towards outcomes based CPD.
Students will also have access to online resources provided by CPD Solutions and the University of Chester, together with emergency textbooks, DVDs and membership of CPD Solutions' Emergency and Critical Care Webinar Club.
Susie Coughlan, Managing Director at CPD Solutions said: "Our experience is that vets get the most out of hands-on practical training in a structured and supportive environment, combined with reflective application of their new skills in practice.
"This is the format for the PgCert in Emergency Practice – all attendance sessions are practical, and the course provides support for developing reflective work-based learning that vets can then use throughout their careers. We are developing the range of 12 month PgCerts for vets and we’re very excited to be able to offer the highly popular subject of Emergency Practice this year."
For more information, contact CPD Solutions on 0151 328 0444 or visit www.pgcertemerg.com
Called 24/7 Pet Hospital, the 10-part series will be broadcast every weekday morning at 10am until Friday 17 February.
Ben Harris, Wear’s Clinical Director, said: “Opening our doors to the BBC will help us to show the public what happens in a specialist veterinary hospital when a pet is unwell – and highlight the incredible care they receive by vets, nurses and support staff.
"The programme follows all aspects of our work, from initial consultations to the moment pets are reunited with their owners."
You will be able to view all 10 episodes on iPlayer here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001hz7n/broadcasts/upcoming.
The surveys, which are part of Abi's honours research project, ask veterinary professionals and owners separately to place 'ability to see the same vet', 'staff friendliness', 'competency of vets and nurses', 'appointment availability' and 'appointment waiting times' in order of importance.
It also looks at whether veterinary professionals and owners think practice independence and nurses' clinics have an impact on client loyalty.
The surveys should take less than 10 minutes, and Abi has promised to share the results with VetSurgeon.org and VetNurse.co.uk in due course, so please do take part. It'll be fascinating to see whether there's a mismatch between what vets and nurses think are important, and what clients think!
The survey for veterinary professionals is here.
If you know any owners that would be interested in taking part, the survey for clients is here.
At first glance, one might ask why? After all, who - other than the pilot - would fly with Thomas Cook sober?
However, there's a world of difference between being not entirely sober and Ms Heyes's level of intoxication, which according to the judge at Greater Manchester Magistrates Court, made her 'every passenger's worst nightmare', and earned her a sentence of 80 hours community service, a victim surcharge of £80 and £250 in costs.
At the start of her disciplinary hearing, Ms Heyes admitted the facts of her 2020 conviction, but denied that the conviction rendered her unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse.
The Committee then considered whether Ms Heyes's conduct amounted to serious professional misconduct.
The Disciplinary Guidance states: “A conviction may be related to professional or personal behaviour and whether it renders a respondent unfit to practise is a matter of judgment for the Disciplinary Committee.
"Behaviour unconnected with the practice of veterinary surgery can cause concerns about the protection of animals or the wider public interest.”
The Committee concluded that the conviction and underlying behaviour was sufficiently serious that it required a finding that Ms Heyes was unfit to practise veterinary nursing on public interest grounds and that it also breached Code 6.5 of the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses which states: ‘Veterinary nurses must not engage in any activity or behaviour that would be likely to bring the profession into disrepute or undermine public confidence in the profession’.
The Committee then considered the most appropriate sanction for Ms Heyes, taking into account the relevant aggravating and mitigating factors.
Aggravating factors included the risk Ms Heyes caused to passengers, including children and that she had behaved recklessly, falling far below the standard to be expected of a member of the veterinary nursing profession.
In mitigation, the Committee considered this was a single and isolated incident, Ms Heyes had no previous disciplinary findings against her and following her conviction she had shown developing insight.
It also noted that she had continued to practise as a competent and dedicated veterinary nurse.
Cerys Jones, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee decided to reprimand Ms Heyes because of its finding that the charge amounted to disgraceful conduct and rendered Ms Heyes unfit to practise.
"Such a sanction was necessary in the Committee’s view because the conviction brought the profession into disrepute.
"Whilst the charge was not so serious as to require suspension or removal from the register, the Committee decided it is necessary to issue a formal warning to Ms Heyes as to her future conduct.
“Taking into account the overall circumstances of the case including the positive references and the fact that a number of mitigating factors set out in the Disciplinary Committee Sanctions Guidance were present in this case, the Committee was satisfied that this sanction would meet the public interest and protect the reputation of the profession and uphold standards within the profession; thereby maintaining public confidence in the College as the regulator for veterinary nurses.”
The full details of the hearing and the Committee’s decision can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
B&W operates an integrated practice based around a multi-disciplinary referral hospital in Breadstone, Gloucestershire, with additional clinics in Cardiff, Gloucestershire and Bristol. The group employs more than 30 veterinary surgeons, including seven diploma holders, and offers a full range of services, including what it says is the most comprehensive equine imaging service in the UK.
Ian Camm, Managing Director of B&W, will continue in the role of Equine Regional Director for the South West at CVS. He said: "We are excited about life within CVS and see many opportunities for our staff both within B&W and within the wider Equine Division at CVS. We look forward to working with the CVS team to realise the potential the partnership offers to members of our team and to further developing B&W as an equine veterinary centre of excellence."
Simon Innes, Chief Executive at CVS, said: "Our Equine Division has grown rapidly over the last 18 months because we offer an ambitious and exciting vision for the future of equine practice. B&W is one of the UK’s premier equine practices and we are delighted to welcome the team to CVS and look forward to working with them to help them build an even more successful future."
The company points out that poisoning cases rise dramatically over Christmas, when food that is poisonous to dogs is more likely to be left out and owners are more relaxed (is that a euphemism, TVM?).
For that reason, the Emedog bumper pack contains 20 x 1ml single use vials - four times more than the regular pack and retails at £251.76 a saving of 10% compared to purchasing four regular packs.
Dosage is one vial injected subcutaneously per 10kg and vials have a three-year unopened shelf life, which should minise wastage.
Will Peel MRCVS, Product Manager at TVM UK said: "The number of poisoned animals seen by vets rises dramatically over the festive season so it’s vital that vets have enough product to see them through this time. The Emedog bumper pack will ensure that they are prepared for Christmas with the resources they need to deal with such cases."
The Emedog bumper pack is available from November 2019 from all veterinary wholesalers.
The website, web-vetneurology.com, has an open access veterinary neurology literature section with up-to-date research on all aspects of neurological diagnosis and treatment.
The website also includes a case study section showing video footage and cross-sectional imaging studies of interesting and illustrative cases.
New, common and rare cases of clinical neurology presentations seen in cats and dogs are added every month.
There's also a range of webinars and podcasts.
The first podcast series - Neurology for Vets and Pets – aims to demystify veterinary neurology in small ‘bite-sized’ episodes, aiming to keep vets up to date on how to diagnose and treat the most common problems in practice and the clinical signs they will see in their cat and dog patients.
The second - Neurology for Specialists - is for vets who have a special interest in neurology, looking at the most challenging neurological problems in dogs and cats, and focusing on the latest publications - often presented by the authors of these studies.
Laurent Garosi said: “The reason behind this website is purely altruistic. We share a passion for neurology and - like the launch of our earlier Facebook page – we wanted to use this platform to share the fifty-plus combined years of experience we have between us.
“We do hope that we have created a comprehensive source of veterinary education and that it will act as an invaluable veterinary neurology resource for vets around the globe for many years to come.”
The website has been developed and supported by PRN Pharmacal in the United States.
The Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) has launched a distance learning course aimed at veterinary professionals working with individuals and families facing pet bereavement.
Officially accredited by the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), the course considers many forms of bereavement including the loss of a pet through illness, disease, ageing, accidental trauma or enforced separation due to changes in the owner's personal circumstances.
SCAS says the 'Pet Loss Support in Veterinary Practice' course has been co-written by leading international experts in pet loss support and aims to provide the specialist knowledge and skills required by the entire veterinary practice team. It offers up-to-date, in-depth information on many aspects of pet loss, including euthanasia; specific guidelines for children and older people; after death body-care and effective communication skills. The course provides practical guidelines and tips on how to introduce pet loss support protocols into practice management and also looks at self-care for staff, offering useful suggestions on how to recognise and minimise possible signs of stress and burnout.
Elizabeth Ormerod BVMS MRCVS, Chairman of SCAS said: "We should not underestimate the potential effects of grief on people's mental health and well-being and as vets we need to recognise the impact of pet loss on our clients and support them more fully than we currently do. Failure to fully understand and support the human-companion animal bond also has an adverse impact on animal welfare, and a negative effect on the success of a veterinary practice. Fifteen percent of clients who are not supported following pet loss choose never to adopt another companion animal. Of those who do adopt again, there is generally an extended interval before adoption and the likelihood of registering the new pet at a different veterinary practice."
The 'Pet Loss Support in Veterinary Practice' course is delivered through a distance learning programme, and students can register at any point during the year. The course, which includes all materials (a workbook and CD), is currently available at the special introductory offer of £375. SCAS members and members of BVNA receive a discounted rate of £325. Upon successful completion, students will be awarded 45 hours of CPD learning. For more information contact SCAS on 01993 825539 or email pbsstraining@bluecross.org.uk
The study1 investigated the effects of a weight loss programme on biochemical and immunological profile, blood leptin level, and cardiovascular parameters in a cohort of dogs with naturally occurring obesity, in order to address the effects due to the imbalance of these aspects on the clinical presentation and management of canine obesity.
For the study, eleven obese but otherwise healthy dogs were included in a six-month weight loss programme, together with a control group of eleven healthy dogs at ideal body condition.
After the six-month weight loss programme, the obese dogs showed clinical improvements on a number of key indicators related to immune function, such as reduced tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6, known to impair insulin action in metabolic tissues but also favour cancer development in humans. Ten out of eleven showing a reduced BCS and no longer classified as obese.
Ten out of eleven dog owners also reported that their dogs were more active and that their quality of life had notably improved.
Hugues du Plessis, Pet Obesity Prevention Manager, at Purina said: “Preventing pet obesity is a major focus at Purina. We not only want to be providing pet owners with information on the benefits of a healthy pet lifestyle, but we also want to help them achieve it. This is why we are working with partner organisations to understand how behavioural science can be used to support owners, from the recognition of an issue, to the changes that will make a difference".
Reference:
The weekly sessions will offer practical guidance for veterinary surgeons and nurses about how they can manage chronic cases in line with guidelines issued by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the British Veterinary Association and the government.
Dechra’s Veterinary Technical Advisor Emily Casey BVM&S MRCVS will present the first webinar tackling Addison’s disease on Thursday April 2 from 1pm to 2pm and again from 7pm to 8pm. It will be available to watch again or download via the Dechra Academy.
It will include advice on how to stabilise patients and administer Zycortal while respecting government guidelines, including prioritisation of blood testing, use of telemedicine and provision of additional owner support. Each webinar represents one hour of CPD.
Dechra’s Technical Services Manager Jamie Walker said: “Since the outbreak of coronavirus began, we have received a large number of calls from practices wanting advice and guidance on how they should be managing chronic cases at this time.
"Our case management webinars will offer practical advice on a number of common small animal issues and aim to provide reassurance and support to veterinary professionals at this challenging time."
Further webinars will be held each Wednesday in April.
To register for the free webinars visit www.dechra.co.uk/events.
The events will cover a range of subjects designed to boost morale, positively influence wellbeing and reduce the impact of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). They will also demonstrate how to support employees and colleagues to ensure work is sustainable, productive and enjoyable and guide veterinary professionals through mechanisms to make working life a more positive experience, despite the current climate.
The series will feature 30-minute presentations by wellbeing professionals such as sports psychiatrist, Dr Claire Gillvray (pictured right), human factors specialist, Dan Tipney, and occupational psychologist, Prof Elinor O’Connor.
The full programme is:
Liz Barton, co-founder of WellVet, said: “WellVet exists to provide practical tools and a supportive network to help positively influence and improve wellbeing and boost morale. This programme of events is designed to answer specific challenges we’re experiencing – now more than ever in veterinary teams, and to bring us together for a bit of festive cheer."
Emma McAnally, territory manager at Boehringer Ingelheim. said: “During these challenging times, work and life in general can often seem overwhelming. We are delighted to support the WellVet Winter Wellbeing series to help improve wellbeing both in the work and home environments.”
For further information on the WellVet Winter Wellbeing series and for details on how to join visit www.wellvet.co.uk.
The reported behaviour patterns, seen on a weekly basis, included rabbits biting the bars of their run or hutch repeatedly, fur pulling, biting, growling and hissing.
The charity says that with more than 680,0001 rabbits living alone, despite being highly sociable animals, and thousands more living in small hutches with no opportunity for exercise or mental stimulation, it is no surprise owners and vets are seeing these issues on a regular basis.
PDSA veterinary surgeon Rebecca Ashman said: "Our figures highlight that lack of mental stimulation can have a huge impact on pet behaviour. What’s most frustrating is the fact that many of these issues could easily be avoided if rabbits were given the right conditions, diet and companions to live alongside."
For this reason, PDSA is backing Rabbit Awareness Week’s #BuddiesForBunnies campaign to get solitary rabbits paired up with suitable companions from rescue centres. The charity says the findings should be a call to action for the 57% of rabbit owners who own single rabbits.
Rebecca added: "Pets do so much to enrich and improve our lives, but by not meeting their needs, their physical and mental wellbeing can be severely compromised. "Sadly, rabbits seem to be the forgotten pet". They can’t speak up and tell us if they’re unhappy, but with the right information and education, owners can make positive changes to their pets’ lives."
Reference
They say this approach could lead to a reduction in the number of vaccines that need to be administered to each bird.
Vaccines that target multiple diseases are in high demand due to the many viruses that can circulate simultaneously in flocks. Protecting against the most dangerous diseases with one vaccine could reduce overall vaccination costs for poultry producers and decrease the number of times that birds need to be handled.
The researchers demonstrated that a gene editing system called CRISPR/cas9 can be used to insert a gene of the IBD virus into the currently used Marek’s disease vaccine virus. The added genetic material protects poultry against IBD in addition to the protection already offered by the Marek’s disease vaccine, meaning that bird owners would only need to use one vaccine instead of two.
Other vaccines generated by conventional methods can achieve a similar result, but by using the CRISPR/cas9 system the Pirbright researchers say they have been able to insert the IBD gene far more quickly, easily and accurately than the methods that have been used before. This will significantly reduce the time needed to generate new vaccines.
Professor Venugopal Nair, joint leader of the research at Pirbright said: "The method we have created with CRISPR/cas9 really increases the scope of how we edit the Marek’s disease vaccine to include other virus components. Now we have shown that the gene-edited vaccine protects against both Marek’s disease and IBD, we are looking at inserting more genes from other viruses."
The team intend to generate a vaccine that will be able to protect against multiple avian diseases and will next target two high consequence poultry viruses - avian influenza virus and the Newcastle disease virus. The flexibility of the new method also means that as the viruses evolve, the vaccine virus can be easily edited to include new genes which protect against emerging strains.
The Pirbright Institute says there has been huge commercial interest in using this technology to develop novel vaccines, so it intends to partner vaccine manufacturing companies to bring CRISPR/cas9 edited vaccines to market.
This scientific paper can be found in the Vaccine journal and was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); grant numbers BB/P016472/1 BB/L014262/1.
Photo: Cells infected with the Marek's disease vaccine virus, HVT, (green) expressing the inserted infectious bursal disease virus gene, VP2 (red). Cell nuclei are shown in blue. © Dr Na Tang, The Pirbright Institute 2018.
The announcement comes as as findings from the BVA’s Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey showed that 45% of vets under 35 had concerns about their mental health in the last year. While under-35s were among the most likely to seek support, half of veterinary surgeons under 35 with concerns did not seek support and 45% of all vets reported that they weren’t sure, or could not recognise, the signs of mental ill health in a colleague.
A Vet Futures survey found that recent graduates actively look for and want supportive working environments in the early stages of their careers, with two out of five students and young graduates rating a ‘supportive workplace’ as a key factor in influencing career choice.
However, in the BVA’s Voice of the Profession survey, 70% of young vets said they did not feel supported in their professional development phase (PDP) during their first year of employment, indicating that more needs to be done across the veterinary profession as a whole to provide such supportive environments. The survey also revealed that 69% had no appraisal, 82% had no mentor and 77% had no time within standard hours of work to update their PDP record and case notes, with over half having none of these.
The BVA says it is investing in the Young Vet Network (YVN) to support recent graduate groups and help individuals make connections with other young vets in their regions. The BVA’s support includes funding to set up regional groups and run meetings, and a dedicated team to act as a point of contact for YVN groups to help to establish and facilitate new groups throughout the UK, both via social media and through physical meetings, and to signpost resources that are available to vets to help them in their early careers, including with their mental health and wellbeing.
As a member of the RCVS-led Mind Matters Initiative, the BVA is also calling on the profession as a whole to help support the next generation of veterinary surgeons and urging employers and managers to make use of a wide range of practical resources available to help with PDP and mentoring recent graduates. These include:
BVA President Sean Wensley said: "These statistics present a sobering challenge to the veterinary profession and it is essential that we all take steps to support our colleagues. We all have a role to play in making veterinary workplaces supportive and nurturing places for recent graduates. Through the Young Vet Network, BVA is taking a lead to help graduates fulfil their potential as veterinary surgeons, helping them cope with the pressures of the job in their early careers.
"We know we are not alone – there is some fantastic work going on, with some employers embracing PDP and practices making innovative and positive use of ideas such as reflective practice sessions. But clearly this isn’t happening everywhere and we need to make sure good practice is widely disseminated and replicated so we urge everyone to make use of the resources and guides available.
"By investing in students and recent graduates we are investing in our future as a profession. We need to ensure that all vets who need support have access to it and know where to seek help if they need it. I would encourage any colleague with concerns about their mental wellbeing to use the Vetlife helpline and confidential email service."
Anyone interested in setting up a YVN group, including funding support, should contact Tim Keen at timk@bva.co.uk or call 020 7908 6343.
Kate said: "In recent days we have watched the unfolding events in Ukraine in horror, shock and with tremendous sadness.
"We are determined to offer as much help and support as we can to our Ukrainian veterinary colleagues fleeing this crisis and seeking refuge in the UK.
To that end, the College offers a financial support scheme for refugees which is immediately available for Ukrainian veterinary surgeons with refugee status.
The scheme enables refugee vets to take the RCVS Statutory Examination for free, offers financial support to attend exams, free access to the RCVS library and free membership of BSAVA, BVA, BEVA, BCVA and VMG.
In addition, whilst Russian-based business interests comprise less than 0.1% of the College's investment portfolio, it has instructed its fund managers to get rid of all Russian investments at the very earliest opportunity.
Meanwhile, veterinary dentist Bob Partridge has donated a day's takings from his Harrogate-based, Specialist-led small animal dental referral practice, VetDentist, to the British Red Cross Ukraine.
He said: "I got home late and exhausted, turned on the news, and knew that my “tough day” was as nothing compared to the troubles, the fear and the pain experienced by the people of Ukraine."
Other members of Bob's team followed suit, as did the team at Training-Progress, and they hope others will do the same.
Bob said: "Please put your money where your mouth (or keyboard) is!"
https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-crisis-appeal
Photo: CC BY-SA 2.0 Aleksej Leonov
Zoetis has announced that PropoFlo Plus is now back in stock following a huge surge in demand caused by supply issues with a competitor propofol.
Licensed for use in dogs and cats, PropoFlo Plus is an anaesthetic injection for the induction and maintenance of general anaesthesia for up to 20 minutes. It is used for dental treatment, biopsies, radiographs, mass removals and endoscopy.
Ned Flaxman, companion animal business unit director at Zoetis said: “Following an unprecedented demand for PropoFlo Plus, which we believe was caused by an out of stock situation from a competitor product, we have quickly ramped up production in order to return PropoFlo Plus to the market as quickly as possible. I am pleased to confirm that we now have sufficient stocks to supply the entire UK veterinary market for the foreseeable future”.
For further information, contact your Zoetis Account Manager.
The RSPCA is asking veterinary surgeons to take part in a new survey which aims to build a true picture of the scale of the problem of illegally imported puppies being brought into the UK.
Amongst other things, the survey asks what you consider to be the greatest concerns regarding the poor breeding, dealing and illegal import of puppies and what you think can be done to tackle these and the associated problems.
You can take part in the survey here: www.surveymonkey.com/s/QQNBVFV
James Yeates, Chief Veterinary Officer, said: "RSPCA intelligence suggests that there is a growing illegal trade in puppies from other EU countries and is causing serious health and welfare problems. In many cases puppies are dying or becoming seriously ill. Risk factors appear to include being taken from their mothers too early, not being vaccinated and having to endure long journeys in poor conditions.
"However, it's very difficult to get a full view on the scale of the problem as many cases never get reported to the RSPCA. Vets are likely to be the first port of call when a puppy bought by an unsuspecting buyer becomes sick and may be faced with many of these cases - if sadly not all.
"We're interested in hearing from vets to get their evidence from practice and to hear their ideas about how we can tackle the lucrative illegal trade in puppies."
Jason (pictured right with Paul), said: "Let me tell you, that was hard! Nine days and 900km of mountain bike riding, with 250km technical single track and only about 10 km tar, but we did it! We are so proud to be able to contribute to a future for rhinos!"
The veterinary velocipedists were raising money for The Chipembere Foundation, which specialises in sourcing, testing and funding technology for monitoring rhinos. They fund K9 handlers and their tracking and apprehension dogs, as well as funding and providing anti-poaching teams with vital equipment needed to translocate rhinos across Southern Africa.
It costs about £38000 to translocate a rhino from South Africa to neighbouring Botswana where there is less poaching (for now). Satellite tracking leg collars cost £1500 with an annual service and VHF collars and transmitters costing around £220. Dog and dog handler training is in the region of around £5000 per dog and there are additional costs for kennels, transport vehicles and day to day items like bowls, brushes, leads etc.
If you want to support Jason and Paul in their efforts to make a positive difference to the plight of the fast-dwindling numbers of rhino, visit www.justgiving.com/teams/rhinocycle.
This year's competition saw over 400 applications from vets from across the profession with a passion for photography, judged by an expert panel which this year was joined by zoologist and wildlife photographer, Victoria Hillman and Guardian picture editor, Eric Hilaire.
Jennifer Dykes won first prize in her category for a photograph of two sheep seemingly 'in conversation' on a misty morning at Castlerigg Stone Circle in the Lake District. She called it ‘Conversations at Dawn (Sheep at Dawn Lakes)’.
Jennifer: "I am overjoyed that my image has been selected as the overall winner of the All Creatures Great and Small category, especially having seen the high calibre of photographs entered in previous years. I’d come across images of Castlerigg stone circle near Keswick before and so I dragged us all out of bed exceptionally early to try and capture the dawn. The combination of the early light and the mist provided the perfect backdrop to the foreground scene; the sheep seemingly completely unfazed by the presence of a few bystanders. Capturing their normality, amidst such beautiful surroundings, was my intention when taking this photograph."
Judge, Victoria Hillman said: "The composition draws you into the sheep, which are an integral part of the image without being front and centre. The light and mist bring a real atmosphere to the image that beautifully sums up the British countryside. It’s a very well thought out and executed image."
In the ‘One Veterinary Community’ category, Laura Caballero Pastor, a small animal vet from Gateshead, won first place. Her photograph depicts a vet helped by the community to vaccinate a dog against rabies in Nepal. She named it ‘One shot, two lives’ and said that the photo was taken during a project where she was part of a veterinary team working with the community to neuter, treat and educate on managing dog populations for rabies and other diseases.
Laura said: "Receiving recognition for this picture enforces my belief in the responsibility that the veterinary sector has to promote animal health to global communities and society. There is a thin line between humans and animals when we talk about diseases. Also, this photo encourages me to continue working on international projects and to be aware of all the amazing possibilities our profession has to offer."
Judge Eric Hilaire said: "With an expressive framing this meaningful picture has captured two important aspects of veterinary work. On one side, treatment, with this team vaccinating street dogs against rabies, on the other, prevention, with this girl holding tight on her booklet."
BVA President Simon Doherty said: "I was pleased to see such a strong portfolio of entries alongside an incredible diversity of subjects. Many congratulations go to our winners Laura and Jennifer, as well as the highly commended selections, and I’d also like to thank everyone who entered."
"I hope it will inspire more BVA members to dust off their cameras, and go and capture some great images for next year."
The winning and highly commended photographs will be exhibited at Brangwyn Hall in Swansea on Thursday 19th September as part of BVA’s Members’ Day. The images can be viewed here.
CEVA Animal Health has launched Marbokem, a Marbofloxacin-based antimicrobial for the treatment of respiratory disease in cattle which offers the advantages of a one-shot protocol and a shock-resistant vial.
Marbokem is used for the treatment of respiratory infections caused by sensitive strains of Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica and Histophilus somni. CEVA says Marbofloxacin's efficacy has been proven in terms of re-treatment rate, success, speed of action and MICs in comparison with many frequently used quinolones and macrolides. (1,2,3,4)
According to CEVA, Marbokem's one shot protocol means it's quick and economical to use, while its presentation in an ergonomic CLAS vial makes for light and shock-resistant handling, resulting in fewer breakages and reduced costs. The company says Marbokem is also very competitively priced.
For further product information, please contact CEVA Animal Health Ltd, 90 The Broadway, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 1EG, telephone 01494 781510 or visit the website at http://www.ceva.uk.com/
1 Grandemange, E., Fournel, S., Woerhle, F. (2009) Field evaluation of the efficacy of 2 antibiotics in treating bovine respiratory infections. Poster, Journées Nationales des GTV, Nantes, France. 2. Grobbel, M., Lübke-Becker, A., Wieler, L., Froyman R., Friederichs, S., Filios, S. (2007) Comparative quantification of the in-vitro activity of veterinary fluoroquinolones. Veterinary microbiology 124 (73-81). 3. Roy, O., Pillet, F., Heurtin-Vallé, A., Frontczak, N. (2008) Comparative field clinical efficacy of a single intramuscular injection of marbofloxacin in the treatment of bovine respiratory disease. Poster, World Buiatrics Congress, Budapest, Hungary.4. Wu, C. (2004) Determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations of danofloxacin and other commonly used cattle antimicrobial agents against Mycoplasma bovis isolated from cattle with clinical disease. Le médecin vétérinaire du Québec. 34 (1-2).
New research published online by the Veterinary Record suggests that puppies separated from their litters early are significantly more likely to develop potentially problematic behaviours as adults than puppies who stay with the litter for at least two months.
This is important, say the Italian authors, because behavioural problems affect relationships with owners and the risk of subsequent abandonment.
The authors based their findings on 140 adult dogs, half of whom had been taken from the litter and adopted between the ages of 30 and 40 days, and half of whom had been taken from the litter at 60 days.
The dogs' owners, who were clients of several veterinary practices in Naples, Italy, were all asked to complete a telephone questionnaire about their pets, including their provenance, breed, and a range of potentially problematic behaviours.
These included destructiveness, excessive barking, possessiveness around food and/or toys, attention seeking, aggressiveness, play biting, fearfulness on walks, and reactivity to noises.
The dogs were aged 18 months to seven years at the time of the study. Half had come from a pet shop, while one in three came from a friend or relative, and the remainder were sourced from a breeder. None of the dogs had been in a shelter or been obviously traumatised.
Attention seeking and reactivity to noises were the most commonly reported behaviours. And younger dogs (under 36 months) were significantly more likely to be destructive and to tail chase than older animals.
But with the exception of pica eating, aggression towards the owner, paw licking and shadow staring, all behaviours were significantly more likely among dogs who had been separated from their litters before 60 days, irrespective of their breed, neuter status and size.
Similarly, some behaviours were more common among pet shop dogs who had been taken early from their litters than among pet shop dogs taken from their litters at 60 days.
The authors write: "It is generally accepted that dogs go through a sensitive period, the socialisation period, during which social experiences and stimuli have a greater effect on the development of their temperament and behaviour than if they occur in later life."
They say that the evidence increasingly points to a mix of early genetic, environmental and experiential factors that may permanently reconfigure the DNA, so leaving lasting effects. "Early separation from the dam and littermates, especially when combined with housing in a pet shop might affect the capacity of a puppy to adapt to new environmental conditions and social relationships later in life. "Behavioural intervention can address the development of problem behaviours and improve the dog's relationship with the owners, ultimately reducing the number of dogs that are relinquished or abandoned."
Click here to read the paper in full.
Under the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct veterinary surgeons are expected to demonstrate that they are keeping their skills and knowledge up-to-date by engaging in at least 105 hours of CPD over a rolling three-year period.
As part of the auditing process the 1,071 vets will be asked to share their CPD records for 2014 to 2016, either by allowing the College to access their online Professional Development Record or by sending the College a copy of their CPD record card.
The audit will focus on six groups:
The College says that if any of the veterinary surgeons who have been audited are found to be non-compliant they will be asked to explain why and send a plan stating how they will make up the hours in order to become compliant.
The deadline for sharing records is Tuesday 31 October 2017.
As part of the auditing process the College is reminding veterinary surgeons that CPD encompasses a wide range of recorded activities, which can be clinical or non-clinical, including private reading/study, webinars, mentoring, clinical audit and discussion groups as well as attending seminars and workshops.
Don't forget that reading content and participating in forum discussions on VetSurgeon.org can count towards your annual requirement, using the 'Claim CPD' feature at the top of each page.
Those with any questions about the auditing process or what constitutes CPD can contact Jenny Soreskog-Turp, RCVS Education Officer, on cpd@rcvs.org.uk.
Researchers say that whilst widely discussed, many in the profession may not be aware that prevalence of the disease has been steadily increasing across all regions of the UK.
Since November 2012, 177 cases have been reported, with more than 90% between November and May. However, the cause of CRGV, which often presents as ulcerations to the dog’s skin and can lead to acute kidney injury (AKI) and potentially death, remains unknown.
Practices are being now asked to report suspect cases in a bid to gain vital insight into the disease and what may be causing it.
David Walker BVetMed (Hons) DipACVIM DipECVIM-CA from Anderson Moores (pictured right) is helping lead the research: "CRGV is a disease that impacts lots of breeds across the UK. Reports show there is seasonality to the disease and therefore an environmental cause is a possible component in its development.
"This research is part of the puzzle and will hopefully help to guide further work on this disease. By collecting more information on confirmed cases, such as walking habits and diet, we hope to build more understanding in order to better protect pets and inform treatment decisions."
To gather this information, Anderson Moores is asking practices to share a 10-minute online survey with the owners of dogs in which CRGV has been confirmed, as well as some control dogs following criteria provided with the survey link.
David said: "Many pet owners are aware of this disease and are concerned for their pets; if they are asked to help they are usually happy to do so. By offering a direct link to the survey, very little of the veterinarian’s time is needed to collate the information."
If you have a suspected case of CRGV, contact Anderson Moores on 01962 767920 or email medicine@andersonmoores.com
If the pet does not survive, then histopathologic assessment of tissue will be performed free of charge to confirm the diagnosis.
In confirmed cases the veterinary surgeon will be sent a link to a 10-minute survey to be completed by the owner.
Along with encouraging the owner of the confirmed case to take part, four unaffected control cases from the same clinic, on the same day, will also need to be recruited.
When a set of five qualifying surveys (one confirmed case and 4 control cases) are provided, practices can claim an Amazon Echo Dot, provided by Bayer, as a thank you for helping with the research.
Last year, the company had more than 37,000 entries from pet owners and the veterinary community for the five award categories:
The winners will be announced later this year and will recognise the remarkable work carried out by some of the best veterinary professionals in the country.
James Barnes, Head of Sales & Partnerships at Petplan (pictured right), said: “Now more than ever it’s important to recognise the lengths the veterinary community goes to in looking after our pets. Every year we’re astounded by the quality and quantity of nominations which are a real testament to the hard work of all of those involved at practices who care for animals and clients all year round.
"The awards are a perfect opportunity for you to showcase your practice and your colleagues. If you haven’t already I’d invite you to nominate someone today.”
Nominate a colleague or your practice at www.petplanvet.co.uk/vetawards.