A Dogs Trust Glasgow resident who made the news last January for being so obese he could not even walk has lost almost half his body weight.

Patch, a six year old Beagle Cross, weighed the same as an average six year old child - 4.5 stones (28.45kg) - when he was brought to the Rehoming Centre last year.

Staff desperately hoped 2009 would see him find a new home and see him shed almost half his bodyweight to reach his goal of 2.4 stone (15kg). After finding a new home with the MacLean family in Motherwell, exactly one year after hitting the headlines Patch is within sniffing distance of his target by weighing in at 2.9 stone (18kg).

Vets had warned that a rapid weight loss would put strain on Patch's organs and could actually harm him, so it has been a slow, careful process. He follows a strict diet and his exercise levels have been built up gradually, with careful monitoring by veterinary staff.

Claire Kelman, Dogs Trust Glasgow Assistant Centre Manager, said: "When Patch first came to us he was so obese he couldn't even walk and needed a sling to be moved from one place to another. Now he's lost the weight he can run around and properly enjoy his walks like any other dog.

 It just goes to show a good diet and careful exercise can make a real impact, so maybe he can be a shining example for everyone feeling a bit bloated after the Christmas break!"

 Images courtesy Centre Press Agency

ProteqFlu, the live attenuated canarypox equine influenza (EI) vaccine, has had its shelf life extended from 27 to 36 months.

Merial says the increased shelf life is the result of ongoing investment in vaccine research & development, and that the new data underpins the stability of modified live vaccine technology.

Merial highlights that ProteqFlu is the only equine flu vaccine in Europe to include the updated American clade 1 Ohio/03 strain in accordance with the OIE recommendations (2004).

Animalcare has released the results of a survey in which 60% of respondents said a lack of time / staffing levels were the main barriers to setting up senior pet clinics. 

The survey was carried out to get an insight into how practices are currently helping clients ensure that their pets continue to enjoy life during their later years.

152 people took part: 60% nurses, 26% vets and 5% practice managers. 

Less than 3 in 10 practices run senior pet clinics, and they mostly run them infrequently (biannually or less).

Three quarters of respondents also said that clients don't see the benefits of attending a senior pet clinic regularly. 

It seems the current situation, then, is that few practices are providing a service that, er, apparently not many owners want. 

Yet few in the profession would argue that a preventative approach is essential in order to give pets the best chance of leading healthier lives for longer. 

To that end, Animalcare has produced some time-saving materials to help more practices run senior pet clinics, such as health check materials, handouts on age-related conditions and generic short articles for use in practice newsletters, which can be downloaded at: www.animalcare.co.uk/seniorpet

However, the problem is that these things alone cannot solve the underlying problem of a shortage of time. 

The only way to solve that one is probably to find more inventive, efficient ways to engage with the owners of older pets in a way that minimise the time pressures on veterinary practice staff. 

Vetoquinol has announced that Epiphen® Solution, the phenobarbital anti-epileptic treatment for dogs, is now back in stock following a manufacturing issue that has been successfully resolved.

The company says the solution now completes the Epiphen® range to offer convenient dosing for all weights of animal as part of its overall epilepsy management package. 

To order, please contact your wholesaler or Vetoquinol Territory Manager.

Researchers from Highcroft Veterinary Referrals, the Royal Veterinary College and the University of Zurich are asking veterinary surgeons to take part in a survey designed to identify the rate of complications associated with Angiostrongylus vasorum (lungworm) infection or treatment in dogs.

The research, which is led by Drs Kieran Borgeat, Jose Matos and David Connolly, is the first step of a larger project, which hopes to culminate in the development of a set of consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of lungworm in dogs.

The researchers say that the guidelines are needed because there is currently no consensus amongst veterinary practitioners as to how dogs infected with Angiostrongylus vasorum (lungworm) are best treated. In addition, whilst there are anecdotal reports of adverse reactions after treatment, none are currently published in the literature.

The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete, and all participants who leave their email address will be entered into a prize draw for £100 worth of Amazon vouchers.

No pharmaceutical or food companies have been involved in the design or funding of the research, and approval has been granted by the RVC Ethics and Welfare Committee.

The survey  will close on 1^st May 2016, or when 1000 responses have been completed. All information entered into the questionnaire will be completely anonymous and contact information will be held in a confidential database and not shared with any third parties.

To take part, visit http://tinyurl.com/lungwormsurvey

Midlands-based veterinary surgeon Richard Hillman, who will become the new President of Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons on May 25th, has outlined the issues he'll be championing during his term of office:

• On practice standards: “We need to influence the RCVS so that as the Practice Standards scheme evolves it produces genuine improvements in both clinical and non-clinical standards and is not just a bureaucratic box ticking exercise adding to the stress, workload and overheads of practices.”
• On clinical governance and audit: “The SPVS needs to ensure that the establishment of protocols does not impinge on clinical freedom while establishing ‘best practice’ and that they are used as a yardstick to encourage practitioners to engage with CPD and improve, not as an excuse for unnecessary procedures and profiteering.”
• On the Veterinary Surgeons Act: “We need to influence the RCVS in developing the Veterinary Surgeons Act review so that we bring about the best results for all of the stakeholders. We need to recognise that there are shortcomings in the present Act, particularly with regard to the disciplinary process, but we need to be sure of what we want from a review, as well as being confident we will get it, or else we may be opening up Pandora’s Box with our eyes half-closed and end up in a worse position than the current one. We must ensure that any disciplinary process punishes members who do not measure up to our standards in an appropriate way, while not putting an onerous burden on vets who are well-meaning, hard-working and doing a good job.”
• On 24 hour provision: “There is much debate on whether practitioners should lobby for 24-hour provision to become voluntary, especially in view of Working Time Regulations. We need to be careful on how we develop policy on this issue. There has to be a compromise somewhere between the needs and wants of practitioners to earn a reasonable living and have a reasonable work-life balance, and clients to have reasonable access to veterinary services when they need them (though not necessarily when they want them) while ensuring good welfare for our patients.”
• On Prescription charging: “Regulations forcing us to provide free prescriptions end in October and we enter a 12-month period of monitoring to see if we can be trusted not to operate a complex monopoly or over-charge for prescriptions. We need to be careful in how we handle this next 18 months. SPVS will work hard to ensure that vets can charge fairly for the work they are doing but not exploit our privilege to prescribe in the short term and give those who look for a reason to take that privilege off us an excuse to do so.”
• On support: During his year in office Richard also wants to support vets suffering from depression or mental health problems because of the “huge stress” of veterinary practice.

The owner of Hillman Vets, a five-clinic practice based in Walsall, Lichfield, Brownhills and Darlaston, Richard is a successful businessman with numerous achievements under his belt. During the 1990s, he developed the Hillman Vets practice as well as helping to launch the first out-of-hours animal clinic in the country, Northside Emergency Veterinary Clinic in Great Barr, Birmingham, and the Birmingham-based chain of Value Vets clinics, for pet owners wanting basic services.

Passionately committed to the veterinary profession, Richard wanted to be a vet even as a child, and has described his job as “a privilege, and the enduring cornerstone of my life”.

In recent years, Richard has become an activist on issues he feels strongly about, such as the rights of animals. He has called on shoppers to buy British organic or farm assured meat because of poor welfare standards in other countries. He has also backed plans to introduce “ASBOs for dogs” in a bid to reduce the growing number of attacks by dangerous dogs on children in their homes and on members of the public.

During his year as SPVS president, Richard intends to encourage UK veterinary practitioners to play a greater campaigning role on welfare issues. “We are the best placed, most motivated, and appropriately qualified people to ensure animal welfare, the responsible use of pharmaceuticals, and food safety,” he will tell fellow vets.

Richard is excited about his presidential year and says: “This year gives me the opportunity to drive the agenda from the front to make a difference, and to work tirelessly to promote, support and represent our profession.”

Novartis has made a last call for entries to its competition in which you can win an iPad whilst getting the latest update on the correct use of NSAIDs from an acknowledged expert in the field. 

To enter the competition, watch the first in a series of webcasts by Dr Jo Murrell, Senior Lecturer at Bristol Vet School, then answer three questions about what you've seen.

Competition closes at the end of May. More information here.

The Pig Veterinary Society (PVS) has announced that following a review carried out by its Medicines Sub-committee, it is adopting the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA’s) list of highest-priority Critically Important Antibiotics (CIAs), namely fluoroquinolones, 3^rd and 4^th generation cephalosporins and colistin.

The review coincided with a move last month from RUMA, the agricultural and food industry alliance which promotes responsible use of medicines in farm animals, to align with the EMA position.

The announcement means that under PVS guidelines, fluoroquinolones, 3^rd and 4^th generation cephalosporins and colistin will retain Class 3 status. This means they are only used when no other options are available and when supported by laboratory sensitivity testing – or exceptionally when all other options have failed.

Class 1 antibiotics form the standard prescribing list within responsible use guidelines and Class 2 are used only when sensitivity tests or clinical experience proves standard antibiotics are not effective. In all treatment decisions the health and welfare of the pigs must always take priority.

Betalactams with betalactamase inhibitors (clavulanic acid) were previously in the highest priority Class 3 but in light of the list defined by the EMA, which has been adopted by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate as well as RUMA, the PVS has reassessed the risk and moved them to Class 2 to align them with plain betalactams. This means they are still subject to voluntary restrictions, but their use would not necessarily be only as a last resort.

PVS president Mark White said that despite the ongoing review process and the potential to reclassify certain products, the Society’s underlying principles remain unchanged: "The total amount of all antibiotics used on pig farms to treat and prevent disease should be minimised, and the types of antibiotics used in pigs should be considered in light of the implications for antibiotic resistance challenges in both pigs and man.

"This policy is proving successful with AHDB Pork’s electronic pig medicine book (e-MB) recently showing that use of colistin appears to have fallen by over 70% in 2016 following its move to a Class 3 antibiotic in late 2015.

"We must also continue to be alert to the possibility of cross resistance, even in older antibiotics that have little or no use in humans. Risk must be acknowledged where it exists and overall reductions are still imperative."

RUMA has welcomed the review and alignment from the PVS. Secretary General John FitzGerald said: "Farmers and vets need boundaries within which to operate and clear objectives to meet, and we would urge all supply chains, from farmer to retailer, to align with the sector position on best practice use of antibiotics, as defined by each sector’s professional veterinary organisation."

Pneumonia-induced lung damage could be costing some cattle almost 74kg a year in lost lifetime growth potential with even moderate damage resulting in animals losing 39kg over an 18 month beef finishing system.

These are the figures from a major collaborative study between Schering-Plough and Blade Farming, announced yesterday. They suggest that some producers may not be treating cattle pneumonia as effectively as they could. The project also highlights how better abattoir feedback can be used to improve cattle pneumonia management regimes on farm.

In the study, 645 commercial beef animals from 15 units were examined at slaughter for evidence of lung damage. Data on carcase weight, age and grade were also collected to allow estimated daily live weight gains (EDLWG) to be recorded.

According to project co-ordinator Paul Williams MRCVS from Schering-Plough, the research team recorded a significant level of pneumonia-induced lung damage in the slaughtered cattle.

“Nearly half the cattle (48%) examined on the slaughter line had some level of lung damage. But there was also huge variation between units, with all the cattle from one particular farm having damaged lungs,” he said.

The researchers also established that the extent of lung damage was strongly associated with reduced EDLWG. “The more lung lobes that are affected, the greater the potential daily liveweight gain loss and those cattle that had the most lung damage experienced a significant reduction in EDLWG of 202g per day throughout their entire lifetime.

“For the animals with any degree of lung damage (310 cattle), the average reduction in weight gain over 14 months was 15kg – equivalent to a financial loss of £16.90 per animal based on a live weight price of £1.10 per kg. So the overall loss for this group of animals was potentially £5,239 – money the industry simply cannot afford to lose,” Paul Williams stressed.

“In addition, those carcases with lung damage were significantly more likely to have a lower conformation grade and so receive an even lower price,” he explained.

Blade Farming managing director Richard Phelps pointed out that the study had convinced him that paying closer attention to minimising pneumonia-induced lung damage could easily make some beef producers an extra £40-£50 an animal.

“All the cattle we take look healthy, but I’ve been surprised at the level of undetected lung damage once the animals have been slaughtered. This lung scoring trial work in the abattoir is now helping us assess just how much lung damage diseases like pneumonia can cause. The feedback will be able to help producers reassess early stage rearing issues and be more vigilant. It’s not just grading issues that we are concerned about.

Blade Farming consultant veterinary surgeon Rob Drysdale from the Westpoint Veterinary Group stressed that whilst pneumonia prevention should be the number one objective for all cattle producers, having an effective disease treatment protocol in place is increasingly vital – and particularly one that prevents permanent lung damage from occurring. He said: "Pneumonia infections can quickly damage lungs and once this happens the animal will not be able to express its full genetic potential. This means that even if the affected animal survives it is likely to have damaged lungs for the rest of its life, and this will reduce productivity and growth."

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Dechra Veterinary Products has launched a case study competition to find out how veterinary professionals are using Celox, its new haemostatic agent designed to stop heavy bleeding.

According to the company, Celox Veterinary forms a gel-like clot within 30 seconds when mixed with blood.

Dechra says it would like examples of how it has been used, whether for planned procedures or in an emergency, and is asking veterinary surgeons and nurses to send in case histories and photos for the chance to win an iPad2.

Rachel Horton, Dechra's Brand Manager for Woundcare, said: "Celox Veterinary was launched to the market last year, with the human version of the product being used with great success on the battlefield by the British military for several years.

"Now we are asking veterinary professionals to share their experiences of using Celox Veterinary in practice, whether used in its gauze or granular form. It is ideal for fast-acting haemostasis, and provides a quick and efficient solution wherever and whenever bleeding needs to be stopped fast.

"Entrants providing case histories with accompanying photos can enter as many times as they like and have a chance to win an iPad2. Learning about how veterinary professionals are using products is important to Dechra Veterinary Products and assists in developing the high level of support we offer to vets and vet nurses."

Dechra says Celox Veterinary is being used not only for trauma injuries and emergency first aid but also for planned operations including castration, mass removal, nasal polyps, dental extractions and soft palate resections.

Case histories should be emailed to Rachel.Horton@dechra.com before the closing date of July 20^th 2012 to be eligible for the draw. For further information about  Celox Veterinary, please visit see www.dechra.com

Amy Bergs MRCVS, owner of The Cat Doctor in Surrey and co-founder of the new British Mobile Veterinary Association, has won a week's worth of free advertising for her practice on national TV.

The competition was run by the mobile payments company iZettle, which invited entrants to submit a 15 minute video about their business.

Amy's husband and business partner Robert put the video entry together. It was one of seven winners picked out of hundreds that iZettle said it received.

The resulting advert (below) is being shown on a number of TV channels, including Sky News, Sky Sports and Comedy Central, from today.

Amy said: "We are so excited to have won the competition. We love what we do and would like to help more cats, it’s such an amazing opportunity to share what we can offer on national television!"

watch?v=Vi8SCWcPJoo