Nominations are now being sought for candidates to stand in the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Council and Veterinary Nurse Council (VN Council) elections. The deadline for nominations is 5pm on 31 January 2013.
Nick Stace, RCVS Chief Executive said: "Last year, a record number of veterinary surgeons showed by seeking a seat on RCVS Council that they were willing to help regulate their profession. The RCVS needs the efforts of willing vets and VNs to ensure that their professions continue to be well regulated. If you've thought about standing 'someday' - why not make someday now?"
There are six seats due to be filled on RCVS Council, and two on VN Council. Those elected will take their seats on RCVS Day next July, to serve four-year terms. Council members will be expected to spend at least six to eight days a year attending Council and Committee meetings, working parties and subcommittees (for which a loss-of-earnings allowance is available).
Each candidate needs to find two proposers; any veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse (who is not presently on either Council) may propose one candidate for RCVS or VN Council respectively.
Nomination forms, full instructions and guidance notes are available from www.rcvs.org.uk/rcvscouncil13 and www.rcvs.org.uk/vncouncil13.
For the first time this year the RCVS will organise a webinar-style hustings event for RCVS Council candidates during the election period. This will offer candidates the opportunity to outline his or her manifesto verbally in a live event, with an audio-only recording. It will not be compulsory for candidates to take part, although it is hoped that the event will enable candidates to make their points in a way that will engage a broader range of voters than the paper manifestos alone.
Expert speakers at Advances in Diagnostics, a meeting held in Brussels last month, have said that molecular technology will play a vital role in safeguarding the health and productivity of food animals in the future.
Dr Willie Loeffen, President of the European Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (EAVLD) said: "Technology is taking over. Laboratory diagnosis used to be 99% labour and 1% technology, nowadays the emphasis is the other way around. Technology is now an integral and indispensable part of veterinary laboratories."
Dr Loeffen used the investigation of PRRSV infection in pigs and the more recent appearance of Schmallenberg virus in Europe to highlight how modern molecular techniques could help to characterise new disease threats rapidly.
"It took four years of laborious work for us to characterise the cause of PRRS, but thanks to sequencing technology Schmallenberg virus took just a few months.
"Technological developments mean that diagnosticians now do things that they could only dream about 10 or 20 years ago."
As well as providing a means of identifying new disease threats quickly, the meeting highlighted the increasing role of diagnostic tools as an integral part of maintaining animal health.
Dr Kirk Adams, Director of Product Management at Life Technologies, the meeting sponsor, said: "Diagnostics are no longer just a way of finding out what an animal died of - they have a multitude of uses on farm. They mean that we can take a more holistic and proactive approach to animal health; in contrast to the reactive, disease-driven approach of the past.
"As just one example, better diagnostics allow a more targeted approach to treatment, and the potential to reduce the use of broad-spectrum drugs - such as certain antibiotics - and thus comply with the wishes of consumers and legislators."
Dr Adams said that modern diagnostic tools also provided the means to improve vaccination programmes and biosecurity, and were essential for disease eradication schemes and for improving herd health status, for example by identifying persistently infected, asymptomatic animals.
They also enable veterinary surgeons to monitor herd health and build up an accurate and dynamic picture of health status and risk profile - and screen for emerging disease threats.
Dr Adams added: "Veterinarians now have access to a wider range of better diagnostics than ever before. Tests are now faster, more accurate and more precise than ever before.
"The next twenty years could see the biggest change in the way we manage production animals in over a hundred years."
The meeting was also addressed by Dr Kees van Maanen, from the Netherlands Animal health Service (GD), an expert in modern diagnostic technology and its application on both local and national levels. He called for greater international co-operation to protect European animals against threats from increasing global interaction. He said: "Pathogens and insects do not respect borders: trusting each other's results requires further harmonization and transparency for diagnostic procedures between laboratories and countries.
"Rapid and accurate diagnosis contributes to disease management, but does not stop epidemics. However, it has contributed significantly to gaining insight into the epidemiology of emerging diseases and formulating appropriate measures.
"The development of modern diagnostics has given us the potential to manage animal health and control infectious diseases in production animals far more effectively in the past - both on a local level and a national or regional level. Recent experience with unexpected disease outbreaks has shown that we can now characterise and track pathogens far more quickly and accurately than ever before.
"However, we need to make sure that we keep veterinarians and farmers informed about these developments, so they know how to apply them in practice in order to make the most of them.
"Diagnostics will continue to become a more integral part of animal health management in the next decade, we just need to make sure we can apply that knowledge in the best possible way."
Pets’n’Vets has announced that it is burying a veterinary time capsule under its new Roundhouse Veterinary Hospital being built on the southside of Glasgow.
Brainchild of Pets’n’Vets partner Ross Allan, the idea is that the capsule will reveal to future generations how the cutting edge veterinary facility in Glasgow looked in 2015 and help show just how far veterinary science has developed when it is opened in 2115.
Ross said: "The aim of the time capsule is to document the memories, hopes and dreams of our staff at this exciting point in our story, and preserve them as best we can for discovery in 100 years."
The capsule, which was curated with help from The Veterinary History Society and the British Library, contains:
Ross said: "As an orthopaedic surgeon, I’m used to dealing with cutting edge metal plates, screws and pins when fixing fractured legs, but helping develop this capsule was an entirely new challenge for me. It is very rewarding to use great science to preserve these memories as best we can.
"The time capsule has been designed with this in mind: maintaining optimal humidity, zero oxygen and steady temperature. It will be welded shut before being flushed with argon gas, all measures to help preserve the photos, letters and other contents for those that are lucky enough to open it."
In order preserve the contents as best as possible, Ross sought the advice of Glasgow Museums, which advised including archive quality paper and ink to prevent fading of writing and images, as well as the use of corrosion bags to contain the metallic surgical implants.
"I thought it would be fun to include the implants we currently use for cruciate surgery," said Ross. "This is one aspect of veterinary surgery that has especially progressed over the last 30 years and will doubtlessly continue to progress in the years ahead."
David Thomson, Preventative Conservation Officer, Glasgow Museums, added: "Sending things safely into the future is very like preserving the collections we have in the Museum. The Veterinary Time Capsule meets the highest standards for slowing down the normal ageing effects of our environment and we wish it well on its journey through time."
The time capsule has been registered with the International Time Capsule Society (ITCS) at Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, USA.
Ross said: "This will ensure the capsule is followed up and not, like the majority, lost forever," said Ross. "When opened, the contents should offer a snapshot into Scottish 21st Century veterinary medicine and perhaps it can offer a small legacy to the future of veterinary medicine too.
"Veterinary medicine is going through a huge transition at present – the scope of what is available today is poles apart from what was possible even 10 years ago – and we are delighted to help document its development in Glasgow to this point. Just what might be possible when the capsule is opened in 2115 is mind boggling!"
A leather and brass dog collar once owned by Charles Dickens is one of a number of items coming under the hammer at a sale of 'dog art' at Bonhams New York on 16th February.
You'll have to have deep pockets, though: with a nameplate inscribed 'C. Dickens, Esqe,, Gad's Hill, Place, Higham.' the collar carries an estimate of $4,000 - $6,000.
If you're feeling really flush, you could also pick up a painting by the foremost dog artist John Emms. Amongst the six Emms lots to be offered, a painting titled The Bitchpack of the Meath Foxhounds is expected to fetch $500,000 to $700,000.
The illustrated auction catalogue for the sale is online and available to view at: http://www.bonhams.com/dogs
The RCVS Charitable Trust is looking to recruit volunteers from amongst the vets going to the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress this year to participate in research for its website www.rcvstrust.org.uk.
The charity says it is trying to gauge responses to its website, to make sure it is delivering what the profession genuinely needs.
There will be two focus groups on Thursday 12 April. The first session is from 12.45-2.15pm and the second is from 4.00-5.30pm. The charity is looking for between six and ten participants in each group. All participants will be offered a three-month Library membership or a free literature search. Food and drink will be provided.
Please contact c.bushell@rcvstrust.org.uk or ring 0207 202 0714 if you'd like to take part.
New research1 published in in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery by veterinary clinicians at the University of Lisbon and a clinic in the nearby town of Barreiro in Portugal, suggests that cats may benefit from reduced anxiety, stress and perceived pain if music is played in the operating theatre.
Lead author, Miguel Carreira, said: "In the surgical theatres at the faculty where I teach and at the private veterinary medical centre where I spend my time operating, environmental music is always present, and is an important element in promoting a sense of wellbeing in the team, the animals, and their owners. Different music genres affect individuals in different ways. During consultations I have noticed, for example, that most cats like classical music, particularly George Handel compositions, and become more calm, confident and tolerant throughout the clinical evaluation. After reading about the influence of music on physiological parameters in humans, I decided to design a study protocol to investigate whether music could have any physiological effects on my surgical patients."
The clinicians studied 12 female pet cats undergoing surgery for neutering, and recorded their respiratory rate and pupil diameter at various points to gauge their depth of anaesthesia. The cats, which had been fitted with headphones, were meanwhile exposed to 2 minutes of silence (as a control), followed randomly by 2 minutes each of Barber’s 'Adagio for Strings (Opus 11)', Natalie Imbruglia’s 'Thorn' and AC/DC’s 'Thunderstruck'.
The results showed that the cats were in a more relaxed state (as determined by their lower values for respiratory rate and pupil diameter) under the influence of classical music, with the pop music producing intermediate values. By contrast, the heavy metal music produced the highest values, indicating 'a more stressful situation'. The clinicians conclude that the use of certain music genres in the surgical theatre may allow a decrease in the dose of anaesthetic agent required, in turn reducing the risk of undesirable side effects and thus promoting patient safety.
Dr Carreira and his colleagues plan to continue their studies by looking at the influence of music on other physiological parameters, including cortisol and catecholamines, in dogs as well as cats. In the future, they hope to incorporate more sophisticated techniques, such as functional MRI and electroencephalography, into their investigations.
The study can be read for free here: http://jfm.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/03/30/1098612X15575778.full.pdf+html
Reference
The course offers practical tips and is also designed to help vets understand their obligations under the Code of Professional Conduct when discussing costs with clients.
RCVS CEO Lizzie Lockett said: “Discussions around the costs of veterinary treatment are not always easy and can sometimes give rise to misunderstandings or lack of clarity between clients and veterinary teams.
"We recognise the challenges these conversations present and the pressures veterinary professionals face.
“Meanwhile, the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation has highlighted that animal owners are not always satisfied with the level of information they receive in order to make an informed choice about treatment options.
This course supports the development of veterinary surgeons’ and veterinary nurses’ communication skills so that they can discuss treatment costs more transparently with their clients, helping to reduce potential misunderstandings and build trust.”
The course takes 45 minutes to complete and features an interactive scenario as well as expert video advice from experienced veterinary surgeons.
https://academy.rcvs.org.uk
With just a few days to go before the first anniversary of bluetongue being detected in England, the JAB campaign group is urging farmers to vaccinate their livestock to stop the disease from taking hold in this country as it has in Europe.
So far this year France has reported 4,543 cases of bluetongue, including cases in Calais, and the Netherlands has just confirmed its first case of the disease in 2008. The affected small holding reported a sick cow found with serotype eight which had not been vaccinated against infection.
With the threat of bluetongue re-emergence in the UK growing by the day, JAB leaders have issued a reminder to farmers to contact their vets as soon as their region is in the protection zone and vaccine is available.
In a statement JAB said: "The amount of cases being reported across Europe shows the disease is on the move. This most recent case in Holland demonstrates that not vaccinating livestock leaves farmers vulnerable to outbreaks now the midge season has started.
"The industry has rallied behind the JAB campaign and has done tremendously well in terms of vaccination. Nearly 19 million doses have already been made available to English farmers, and with another nine million doses planned to be released in the coming weeks we need those areas that are new to the protection zone to vaccinate as soon as they are able. We must remember bluetongue could already be circulating in areas where outbreaks occurred last year so the risks to everyone are very real.
"The explosion in the number of cases on the continent also acts as a timely reminder to those farmers in the current protection zone who have not vaccinated and the dangers this presents to their unprotected livestock
"We are entering the peak period for midge activity so vaccination is the only way to prepare and protect us from any potential outbreaks that may emerge in the coming weeks."
Following last weekend's Mail on Sunday revelation that a number of well-known organisations have been routinely serving meat from animals which have not been humanely slaughtered, the BVA has written to the companies involved, both to express concerns about animal welfare and to renew calls for clearer labelling.
The Mail on Sunday found that meat slaughtered under certain religious rules without pre-stunning (including kosher and some halal meat), is entering the mainstream food chain without being labelled as such. The investigation found that the meat is being used in schools, hospitals, pub chains and sporting venues.
The investigation follows news reports that GateGourmet, one of the largest airline caterers, is considering making the majority of its meals halal.
The BVA is concerned that consumers are confused by existing food labels and supports moves by the European Parliament to introduce mandatory labelling of meat from non-stunned animals, including use of the meat in other products. The BVA also supports the concept of one clear EU-wide label that would indicate higher welfare throughout the food chain.
Professor Bill Reilly, President of the British Veterinary Association, said: "Whilst we understand the need to respect religious freedoms the BVA believes that all animals should be stunned before slaughter to ensure the highest possible welfare for the animals.
"The exemption for religious slaughter should therefore be kept to a minimum. Meat from animals slaughtered according to these religious rules should not used in the mainstream market, particularly if it is not labelled as such.
"Earlier this year the European Parliament voted in favour of the compulsory labelling of meat from non-stunned animals and the British Veterinary Association strongly welcomed this move.
"We believe that consumers do want to make choices based on higher animal welfare and not cause unnecessary suffering. They should have the right information to make those pro-welfare choices."
Hill's Pet Nutrition has reported some early results from its '60 Tonnes in 6 Months' pet weight loss campaign, which started 2 months ago.
The company says that although there is only preliminary data available from 33 practices, it's clear that the campaign is working, with each practice involved reporting on average over 10 Kg weight loss from their patients. However, many practices are holding on to send in results until their patients have reached their final targets, so more data is expected.
Hill's says that some practices have had great success using its PR kit, generating positive coverage in local newspapers. Sara Locke, Associate Customer Marketing Manager is reminding practices that January is the traditional time for 'dieting fever' to hit the headlines after the indulgencies of the festive season. She said: "If you have one of our PR kits, don't forget to send out your pro forma press release - it's not a big task to customise it with your practice details and you could find yourself making a big splash locally at a time when we know interest will be heightened."
As part of the campaign, Hill's has also produced a series of nurse webinars, the last of which was on exercise and rehabilitation programmes for overweight pets and contains tips on how to develop a personalised exercise programme that fits with the owner's lifestyle and reflects the pet's capabilities and level of mobility. The webinar can be viewed here: https://hillsvet.webex.com/hillsvet/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=EC&rID=13881732&rKey=E1182C100CB53476
Further information is available from local Hill's Territory Managers or by calling Hill's on 0800 242438 or in ROI 1 800 626002.
Over 1,200 members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, including around 800 UK-practising veterinary surgeons, have not yet paid their retention fees, and face being removed from the Register if they do not pay before 29 May 2010.
Veterinary surgeons must be registered with the College in order to practise legally in the UK. Retention fees are due by the end of March each year, and the College allows a further two-month period before removing veterinary surgeons from the Register, during which time reminders are issued.
There is still just time for payment to be made by credit card, bank transfer or cheque. Payments cannot be made over the telephone.
Those who have recently changed address, practice address or bank details are urged to check that payments have been properly processed. It is the responsibility of individual members to ensure payment has been made, even if an employer pays the fee. Those whose names are removed for non-payment after 29 May will no longer be able to practise legally in the UK, and would need to pay an additional fee if they wished to be restored to the Register.
Bill Mavir, VDS Chairman said: "Registration with the RCVS is a prerequisite for membership of the Veterinary Defence Society and the provision of professional indemnity insurance."
The Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB) has announced the winners of four 'Easy to Give' Awards, given to the makers of veterinary medicines designed to be easy to administer to cats.
Claire Bessant, FAB's Chief Executive, said: 'Medicating cats is notoriously difficult. It is, therefore, always a pleasure to be able to reward companies who have made great efforts to make their products easier to administer to cats'.
The 2012 FAB Easy to Give Award winners were:
ALSTOE: Therios - The antibiotic cephalexin as a palatable tablet that can be split easily for accurate dosing in cats.
VIRBAC: Effipro - A spot-on preparation for the treatment of fleas, ticks and lice. The new transparent pipette prevents spillage and ensures a complete dose is given. An image of a cat appears on each pipette, so that if one is separated from its packaging it is still clear for which animal the product is intended.
NOVARTIS: Atopica - A treatment for allergic dermatitis that comes in solution form and can be given in food or directly into the cat's mouth. The specifically-designed syringe dispenser allows accurate dosing.
CEVA: Fiprospot - A spot-on medication for treating fleas and flea allergic dermatitis.
The winning products join 20 others which have been given an Easy to Give Award by FAB's expert panel of veterinary surgeons since 2005.
For more information about FAB, visit: www.fabcats.org
The guides have been developed for vet teams to share with their clients and work through together, so that both sides are on the same page about owner values, pet welfare and behaviour, and diagnosis and treatment options.
A member of the veterinary team and the client can then work together to make decisions and provide quality care.
One of the pet owners who helped develop the guides said: “I always get so worked up with vet consultations that I forget half of what they say, or feel like I didn’t tell them enough about my pet’s history.
"If the vet used these guides at my next consult, they would make me feel very at ease indeed!”
Pam Mosedale, Clinical Lead at RCVS Knowledge, said: “These guides offer a simple, actionable way to help deliver contextualised care in practice.
"To get started, run through the questions in the guide with a client, and see how this can help you devise a treatment plan with the information you’ve discovered.
"This helps you gain a fuller understanding of your patient’s care and wellbeing needs and your client’s circumstances and expectations.
"Ultimately, this will assist you in delivering quality care that aligns with the needs and expectations of your clients.”
There are three contextualised care discussion guides:
RCVS Knowledge is encouraging veterinary teams to adapt the guides to meet their individual needs.
https://rcvsknowledge.org/contextualisedcare
COMMENT
Anything which helps clear communication between the owner and vet is surely to be applauded, and if owners are prepared to spend the time completing the pre-consultation guide, it would surely leave less room for error.
However, arguably the greatest cause of friction between owners and vets is cost, and that is something only mentioned fleetingly, in the context of: 'Are there any other factors that may impact on the care of your pet? e.g planned holidays or financial concerns'.
Isn't it time to stop beating around the bush?
Isn't there an opportunity here for greater clarity over the level of spending a client is happy with?
Is there an acceptable form of words here to ascertain whether - regardless of whether they have financial concerns or not - the client is one of those who wants the cheapest solution to the problem, one for whom money is no object, or someone who sits somewhere in the middle?
Wouldn't that be more instructive than almost anything else?
DISCUSS HERE
Defra has announced the detection of Bluetongue in 18 imported cattle on premises near Bishop Auckland, County Durham. The animals originated from within the BTV8 Restricted Zone in Germany and were detected as a result of post-import testing carried out by Defra on all Bluetongue susceptible animals arriving from Continental Europe.
This is the fourth incidence of infected animals being imported to the UK. Alongside the premises in East Sussex, Hertfordshire and Devon identified in August, the imported animals will remain under restrictions.
As of 1 September the whole of England and Wales is now in a Protection Zone and approximately 30 million doses of vaccine have so far been made available to farmers throughout England and Wales to protect their stock. However, it may take up to six to eight weeks from now for livestock keepers in the North of England and Wales to have had sufficient opportunity to vaccinate their livestock and to gain immunity (at least three weeks in sheep, and six weeks in cattle).
To allow livestock keepers in those areas sufficient opportunity to protect their animals, and while further veterinary investigations are carried out, these particular infected animals will remain under restriction until late October. Any further positive import cases detected may also be restricted for a period of time depending on veterinary risk assessment, while vaccination continues.
Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, Alick Simmons said: "This incident shows how important it is for farmers to consider potential disease risks when buying stock, regardless of source. Buyers need to consider how best to protect their own businesses and those of their neighbours and make sure they are clear about the stock they are intending to buy.
"I also want to remind farmers about the importance of vaccination. It is the only effective tool to protect susceptible animals from Bluetongue. Recent evidence indicates a drop or delay in vaccine take-up in counties recently brought into the Protection Zone. Sales data for some of those counties suggest that the number of animals vaccinated in these areas could be as low as one in three, and in Northumberland and Cumbria, the most recent counties brought into the Protection Zone, as low as one in five.
"The threat from Bluetongue is present and real, as shown by the most recent import cases. Vaccination as a preventive measure is therefore more important than ever, so the message to the industry remains clear: don't hesitate, vaccinate".
The American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation has awarded Dr. Bruce Smith, director of the Auburn University Research Initiative in Cancer, a two-year grant totaling $118,848 to test a new therapy for treating bone cancer in dogs.
According to the University, the research could one day be broadened to include many other kinds of cancer - and possibly cancer in people.
The treatment consists of a virus normally used as a hepatitis vaccine in dogs that has been modified to only make copies of itself inside bone cancer cells. The virus ruptures the cancer cells, releasing thousands of copies of the virus from the tumor cells, killing them.
Dr. Smith said: "By using this approach, we turn the cancer cell into a 'factory' that produces more virus. You could say that we help the cancer cell become an agent of its own death."
Bone cancer, or osteosarcoma, accounts for around 5% of tumours in dogs. More than 90% of dogs with this tumour have had tumour cells migrate into their lungs, creating what are known as micrometastases, at the time of diagnosis.
Dr. Smith said: "This therapy attacks those metastases and will hopefully eliminate them or make them more sensitive to chemotherapy."
The Auburn University Research Initiative in Cancer, or AURIC, was founded in 2012 to accelerate translation of cancer innovation from the laboratory to the clinic. AURIC embodies "One Medicine" - the concept that sees human and animal health as a single field where discoveries in one species advance health in both species.
The University of Nottingham, with funding worth £2.2m, is to carry out a study of the most common cause of Bovine Mastitis in the UK - Streptococcus uberis (S. uberis). If researchers can identify which parts of the bacteria enable the infection their results could lead to the production of an effective vaccine.
James Leigh, Professor of Molecular Bacteriology, who has recently joined the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, said: "We hope to uncover bacterial antigens of potential use in vaccines aimed at preventing bovine mastitis and provide a detailed understanding of how animals can fight off the disease."
S. uberis is responsible for a significant proportion of clinical mastitis worldwide - but unlike many other bacteria that cause the disease, S. uberis is also in the environment - it is found in pasture and bedding and can even colonise the cow at other body sites with no ill effect - so it is difficult to see how it can be controlled by changes to animal husbandry and milking-time hygiene.
With funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science has established research laboratories at the Institute for Animal Health (IAH). The project is being conducted in collaboration with Dr Tracey Coffey's Bovine Genomics group based at IAH and other groups at the Royal Veterinary College, the US Department of Agriculture in the UK and the University of Oxford.
Professor Leigh said: "We will use state-of-the-art molecular technology to determine the differences between strains of S. uberis that can and cannot cause disease. Proteins that are only present in the disease causing strains hold the key to determining which components are essential for infection. We will show which of these proteins are most likely to make an effective vaccine by producing strains of S. uberis which lack the ability to produce each of these proteins; if a strain lacking a particular protein is less able to cause disease then this protein is important for the disease process and becomes a candidate for vaccine development."
The team also want to identify any parts of the immune response in the dairy cow which can be altered to prevent the disease - this information could subsequently be used to develop drugs that interfere with the chemical messages that lead to inflammation and therefore reduce the level of disease.
According to the European Scientific Counsel for Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP), serious zoonotic diseases, currently rife across Europe, could be a far more serious threat to pet and human health in the UK than official figures suggest.
Vets and parasitologists at an ESCCAP meeting held in Bristol on 19th September, heard evidence that UK cases of diseases such as leishmaniosis and babesiosis are grossly under-reported. ESCCAP is urging vets and parasitologists to help raise awareness of the threat and lobby the Government to prevent further relaxation of pet movement restrictions.
According to DACTARI, the voluntary web-based Dog And Cat Travel And Risk Information scheme, just 19 cases of leishmaniosis, 10 babesiosis, 10 ehrlichiosis and one case of dirofilariosis had been recorded between 1 January 2003 and 30 September 2006, which are the latest figures reported on the Defra website.
But latest figures presented by Susan Shaw, senior lecturer in dermatological and applied immunology, revealed a screening programme underway at Bristol University casts serious doubts on the reliability of the Defra-backed service to monitor cases.
"From 2005 to 2007 we recorded 257 cases of leishmaniosis. The babesiosis cases you can multiply by about five, the ehrlichiosis cases by about 10 and dirofilariosis by three," Ms Shaw told delegates at the sixth ESCCAP meeting. "That is absolutely outrageous - we are dealing with a massive number of cases. I would be very concerned if we are making decisions for the UK based on the DACTARI figures."
Maggie Fisher, an independent consultant in veterinary parasitology and founding member of ESCCAP pointed out that the PETS (Pet Travel Scheme), has issued dogs and cats with passports for travel across Europe since 2000 and has proven immensely popular, with 76,000 dogs entering the UK in January to October 2007 alone.
"What is coming into the country with those animals is not well documented," said Mrs Fisher. Case studies point to harrowing experiences for individual families travelling with their dogs to mainland Europe unaware of the dangers. "One family thought they'd done everything they should because they followed the instructions under PETS. What they didn't realise is that they weren't protected against ticks, tick-borne diseases and worms whilst they were away and their dog picked up babesiosis."
Human health and veterinary professionals at the meeting explored the real threat and implications of parasites across Europe. Peter Deplazes of ESCCAP, Switzerland, reported that the human form of Echinococcus multilocularis claims three or four lives per year in Switzerland and is a very common endoparasitic diagnosis in dogs. Forty per cent of foxes are infected with E multilocularis.
Leishmaniosis causes renal failure in dogs, reported ESCCAP Spain's Lupe Miro Corrales, often leading to death or euthanasia. Worldwide more than 12 million people are already infected, and one in ten at risk of being infected. Stray dogs and cats are important carriers and almost 80 per cent of sero-positive dogs have no clinical signs.
Natural controls offered by the UK's island status are now under threat. Currently a derogation allows the UK, and four other EU member states, stricter controls to help maintain their Echinococcus multilocularis and tick-borne disease free status. It extends to July 2010 but comes up for review next year, pointed out Maggie Tomlinson from the Department of Health, who is taking the case to the EU Commission.
"I can say categorically that they are not keen for us to keep the derogation and it's going to be a very hard fight. We only have until January to push the Commission to make a decision."
Chairman-elect of ESCCAP Europe, James Duncan, pointed out the organisation is seeking to raise awareness of the serious risks posed by endo and ecto-parasites to human and animal health, and is developing independent guidelines and educational materials for their optimal control.
"There is no immediate panacea," he said. But those in the veterinary profession who are aware of the risks should take action. "It is up to you to lobby - put your voice to Government and influence the pet passport scheme. You can do that and it will help our cause because we are singing from the same hymn sheet."
A project which aims to standardise the assessment of veterinary nurse practical training across Europe will have life beyond its pilot phase, thanks to European VN training network, Vetnnet.
The announcement was made in September at an Oslo-based conference to mark the conclusion of the pilot phase of the Pan-European Practical Assessment System project (PEPAS).
During its two-year pilot, the Leonardo da Vinci-funded project developed 111 new stations for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), including mark-sheets and examiner notes, and trained over 50 veterinary nursing examiners from eight countries across Europe. The new OSCE stations have been trialled across 250 students by seven European veterinary nurse schools.
Vetnnet has now committed to continuing the project, enabling its members to access the OSCEs and associated training.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons was a main project partner in the pilot, with specific responsibility for training and quality assurance of the system. Victoria Hedges, RCVS VN Examination and Higher Education Quality Manager said: "It's great that the hard work put into the project by so many countries will continue to bear fruit.
"Feedback in Oslo was excellent and it was heartening to see that when examiners' marks were compared across countries, standardisation was very good. The feedback also helped us to see where students were not achieving the desire results, indicating where more training is needed."
See www.vetnnet.com for more information.
Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica has increased its range of marketing and educational materials about heart disease and the use of Vetmedin.
The materials include canine heart disease awareness posters for either the waiting room or consult room which feature 'static cling' technology, enabling them to stick to any surface without adhesive, as well as information leaflets, owner booklets, health diaries and dog tags.
Materials for dog owners are designed to inform about the signs to look out for with heart disease, and the steps involved in the diagnosis and management of the condition. There's a post-prescription owner booklet which features a health diary for dog owners to fill in, allowing them to track any changes in their dog's condition, as well as details on the telltale signs of heart failure and the benefits of Vetmedin.
Also available in the range are materials to help make prescribing the optimum dose of Vetmedin as easy as possible, including dose optimisation mouse mats, dose dials, treatment algorithms and interactive dose calculators on CD for those veterinary practices without internet access.
For further information, please contact your Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica territory manager or call 01344 746959.
Dechra Veterinary Products has launched a range of support material to help educate owners about pet ear health.
Senior Brand Manager at Dechra Veterinary Products, Larry King, said: "This extensive range of new material will help veterinary professionals raise client awareness of ear infections and also help owners understand why ear health is important.
"The information available includes a leaflet for owners on how to treat their pet's ear infection as well as a guide to effective ear cleaning, which is also available as a video for practice and client use."
Videos entitled: 'How to clean your dog's ears' and 'How to clean your cat's ears are available to view at www.dechra.co.uk/How-to-Guides/Dechra-how-to-videos-guides.aspx
The It's Time to Change campaign offers best practice guidelines and information on ear disease in cats and dogs. It provides assistance in helping to diagnose the organisms associated with infection, support in choosing the correct approach to control as well as help in educating owners to apply and use treatments correctly.
More information on the support material can be found at www.dechra.co.uk/timetochange or veterinary professionals can contact their local Dechra representative.
VetSurgeon.org and Clinical Partners have joined forces to offer the profession two new sources of help coping with physical or mental illness in practice.
Clinical Partners is the UK’s largest private mental healthcare partnership, founded by VetSurgeon.org Editor Arlo Guthrie’s brother, Barny.
In addition to providing treatment for a wide variety of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and addiction, Clinical Partners has now launched a ‘pay as you go' occupational health service through which practice principals and managers can get advice and support in dealing with illness in an employee.
Helen Humphreys (pictured right), who heads the new service at Clinical Partners, said: "Working with employers, our job is usually to assess an employee’s fitness to work and then smooth their passage back to it, helping both parties through what can be a very difficult time."
In addition, Clinical Partners also offers Occupational Health Audits, for practices that want to make sure they are adhering to the highest standards when it comes to ensuring the health and wellbeing of their staff.
To provide further support with matters relating to health and wellbeing in practice, VetSurgeon.org and Clinical Partners have launched a new Occupational Health Forum, where both practice owners/managers and employees can come and discuss workplace health issues (anonymously if needs be).
Arlo said: "Our forums have always been a popular place for members to come and seek the support and advice of others in the profession in times of need. My hope is that this new forum will not only continue that tradition, but also help promote and share best practice when it comes to keeping everyone mentally and physically well."
Visit the new forum here: https://www.vetsurgeon.org/uk/practice_management/f/208.aspx
The initiative seeks to understand the barriers and enablers to delivering contextualised care in companion animal practices, and to set out what contextualised care looks like when done well.
As part of the initiative, RCVS Knowledge is gathering perspectives from across the veterinary community and from pet owners to design a roadmap for the profession.
The work started last week at the National Forum for Contextualised Care in London, which brought together more than 60 people from across the veterinary sector, including leaders from veterinary associations, veterinary educators, students, practice staff, veterinary charities and rescues, pet insurers, regulators, representatives from corporate and independent practices and animal owners.
RCVS Knowledge will now be working with an independent research partner to conduct focus groups, surveys and interviews to gather a representative range of views from across the sector and pet owners.
The work will culminate in a summit in the summer that will use the findings of the research to design recommendations on:
Sally Everitt, Clinical Lead – Evidence at RCVS Knowledge said: “Contextualised care is the way of delivering veterinary care that acknowledges that there are different ways to approach the diagnosis and treatment of an animal, depending on the circumstances of the individual animal and their caregivers and the context in which the care is delivered.
"The term has been used increasingly over the past year, and is now the subject of much debate, alongside other aligned terms such as ‘spectrum of care’ and ‘pragmatic medicine’.
"However, we need to better understand what constitutes good-quality contextualised care, and the barriers and enablers to its delivery in practice.”
Katie Mantell, Chief Executive of RCVS Knowledge, said: “As an independent charity with a mission to advance the quality of veterinary care, we believe RCVS Knowledge is well-placed to bring together all parts of the veterinary community to seek consensus on what good-quality contextualised care looks like and how it can be delivered in practice.
"Our aim is to take a collaborative, robust approach to co-producing a roadmap for contextualised care that will support its widespread delivery for the benefit of animals, the veterinary professions and animal owners.”
To be updated about the progress of this work, and to hear about opportunities to take part in the focus groups, interviews and surveys to follow, sign up to receive RCVS Knowledge’s monthly email newsletter intheKNOW.
The National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) has announced the results of a survey of 2000 pet owners which found that 77% believe their pet's health is as or more important than their own, with 16% even claiming to visit the vet more often than their doctor.
The survey marks the launch of NOAH's newly revamped website: www.pethealthinfo.org.uk and the second year of its 'I Heart My Pet' campaign. The campaign is designed to encourage owners to seek expert preventative healthcare advice for their animals and was created in response to NOAH figures which show that despite our love for our pets, many owners neglect to take preventative healthcare measures such as vaccination and worming.
The survey also showed that vets remain the most trusted source of advice about pet healthcare (86%), despite the rise of the Internet. Other pet and animal experts came second at 53%, followed by independent pet healthcare websites in third (47%).
The survey usefully identified the three priorities pet owners have when choosing a veterinary practice:
NOAH Chief Executive, Philip Sketchley said: "Once again we're encouraged by how seriously British pet owners take the healthcare needs of their animals and the love they clearly have for their pets. As we move into the second year of our 'I Heart My Pet' campaign, we're calling on all pet owners in the UK to share this love by getting involved with the campaign and visiting our revamped www.pethealthinfo.org.uk site for independent, expert advice to keep their pets happy and healthy all year round. We're encouraging veterinary and pet professionals to get involved and join the conversation on the site as well as through our social media communities on Twitter (@IHeartMyPet) and Facebook (IHeartMyPetUK).
"The website continues to include a wealth of completely unbranded information on animal healthcare as well as exciting resources for owners, but is now in a fresh new format - much more interactive and designed for use with mobile devices. We still encourage vet practices and pet businesses to link to the site, and to recommend it to support their own advice and information", he added. "In addition, we can offer veterinary and pet professionals materials such as campaign window stickers to help engage their audiences."
Scientists from the Animal Health Trust, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the University of St. Andrews have pinpointed the genes which allow the bacteria responsible for strangles to thrive, thereby paving the way for the development of a vaccine.
In the study, which the researchers say was the largest of its kind, 224 samples of Streptococcus equi (S. equi) were procured from horses around the globe to try and find a common bacterial ancestor from which modern strains would have developed. Despite the disease first being described in 1251, the researchers were surprised at the genetic similarity of the samples and identified a total population replacement at the 19th or early 20th century. This corresponds to a period when horses from around the world were brought together in global conflicts including World War I, where an estimated eight million horses died on the battlefield.
Dr Simon Harris from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute said: “The mobilisation and mixing of horses in conflicts such as WWI provided perfect conditions for S. equi to thrive. This combined with high mortality rates among the horses and their replacement with young susceptible horses could explain what we see around the world today".
While loss of diversity could be considered detrimental to bacterial populations, S. equi still infects more than 20,000 horses in the UK alone each year. Its success, researchers believe, is due to its ability to persist in some horses for years after they have recovered from strangles, where the bug can evolve to evade the horse’s immune system.
Dr Andrew Waller, Head of Bacteriology at the Animal Health Trust said: “The data we have gathered in this study has enabled us to pinpoint the genes that help the bacteria to persist, spread and thrive in the horse population. This research provides an unprecedented opportunity to reduce the impact of and prevent strangles in future generations of horses.”
The AHT says that the ability of S. equi to adapt to living in a persistent state within its host and still infect new horses mirrors the situation with HIV and the bacteria that causes tuberculosis in humans. Dr Matthew Holden from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the University of St Andrews said: “Unravelling the complex population dynamics of S. equi sheds new light on the balancing act between acute and persistent infection that is going on in many pathogens. Not only does this collection of whole-genome sequences for S. equi offer hope for an effective strangles vaccine, it also provides us with a useful model for understanding persistent infection in humans.”