The RCVS and the BVA have announced the launch of Vet Futures, a jointly funded initiative designed to stimulate discussion about the future of the profession, and help its members prepare for and shape it.

The initiative will draw on the experience and insight of a wide range of individuals and organisations, including veterinary surgeons and nurses, veterinary bodies, farmers, pet owners and other key stakeholders.

The objective is to understand where the provision of veterinary services is currently heading, whether this is in the best interests of the profession, animal owners and the public at large, and what might be done to shape an optimal future for the veterinary team, keeping animal health and welfare at its heart.

In the project's first phase, independent researchers will gather evidence via focus groups, phone interviews and desk-based research, in addition to the gauging of opinion through events, the internet and social media.

This evidence gathering will be followed by an engagement phase, where the profession will be asked for their feedback on initial thoughts; a period of analysis, where a report will be written by the independent researchers; and, finally, there will be an action phase, where key strategic issues will be identified, together with a clear plan for action from the BVA and the RCVS, as well as other organisations and individuals.

Professor Stuart Reid, RCVS President. said: "The RCVS is implementing a programme of reform to make it a first-rate regulator, but how do we also make ours a first-rate profession, that is resilient and agile enough to meet future demands?

"The Vet Futures project will not just be about horizon-scanning, but getting a fix on those issues over the horizon that we may not yet have considered, such as the use of emerging technologies.

"It's an exciting challenge and I am looking forward to members of the veterinary team getting involved so that, together, we can develop an action plan that will deliver a sustainable future for the profession."

John Blackwell, BVA President, said: "It is no secret that the veterinary profession is changing rapidly and that is why the theme for my presidential year is 'driving change and shaping the future'. It is essential that we come together to map out where we want to be as a strong and trusted profession and identify how we can make that happen.

"On such cross-cutting issues it is appropriate that the two leading professional bodies come together to provide joint leadership for the profession, but we are keen to engage as many individuals and stakeholders as possible. It is designed to be a hugely collaborative project and we want to hear voices from across the whole profession and the whole veterinary team."

The project has a dedicated website www.vetfutures.org.uk where the latest events, reports and publications will be found. There will also be a 'topic of the month' for the duration of the project, with controversial opinion-pieces being posted to stimulate debate from within the profession and amongst animal owners and other stakeholders.

Virbac has announced that Bovigen Scour, its vaccine for the immunisation of pregnant cows and heifers to raise antibodies against E.coli F5 (K99), rotavirus and coronavirus, has had the shelf life on its SPC increased from 10 hours to 10 days. 

The broached bottle must be kept refrigerated between 20C and 80C until the next use.

Virbac says that whilst this may not seem a huge change, it significantly increases the cost-effectiveness and convenience to farmers.

The SPC changes mean that 

• cows do not have to be handled all at the same time or treated on the same day.
• farmers can use larger vials and the vial does not have to be thrown away after the first broach so there is less wastage.
• there is more opportunity for farmers to vaccinate more of their dams, reducing the effects of neonatal calf diarrhoea.

Bovigen Scour is available in 5 and 30 dose bottles.

To meet market demands and ensure that their customers comply with regulatory requirements, British manufacturer Labcold has released the first models in a new range of vaccine and pharmaceutical refrigerators designed specifically for this use from the ground-up. The company says more models will be added to the range over the next 12 months. 

When storing temperature-sensitive vaccines and pharmaceuticals, Veterinary Practices need to ensure compliance with an ever-increasing burden of legislation, regulations and guidelines,  such as the latest VMD Code of Practice, (Oct 2007).  The BVA Good Practice Guide - Standard Operating Procedure 04 on the storage of medicinal products in permanent premises says as follows:

Refrigerated storage must:

• Be available for the storage of biologicals (i.e. vaccines) requiring a storage temperature between +2OC and +8OC
• Have temperatures monitored and capable of being recorded daily and the records retained for subsequent inspection
• Not be used for food or drink for human consumption

Although this guidance stops short of specifically excluding the use of domestic refrigerators, Labcold says professional products are more appropriate since they are built specifically for vaccine and pharmaceutical storage. Labcold refrigerators all fully compliant and have locking doors plus a host of handy options including capacity, glass doors and a new divided-drawer system.  

Robin Gregson, Sales & Marketing Director at Labcold said, "Our whole product range is constantly being updated to ensure that we provide our customers with market-leading solutions.  Many previous pharmacy refrigerators have simply been modified designs of domestic fridges, whilst our new range, the result of three years work, is one of the few on the market to be designed specifically for pharmacy use from the ground up."

For full information on all Labcold products, including portable refrigerators suitable for farm vets please visit http://www.labcold.com/ or contact sales@labcold.com / Telephone 0870 3001001 for a free copy of the latest Product Guide.

The RCVS has released the results of a competition held at BSAVA Congress earlier this month, in which veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and other members of the practice team were asked to identify three animals from sound only.

The correct answers were a purring cat, a Chihuahua dog (the breed had to be specified) and a guinea pig.

Of 370 entrants, only 104 (28%) were correct. Some of the more outlandish answers included, for the cat noise: elephant, lion, whale and dolphin; and, for the guinea pig noise:  ferret, meerkat, dove, chicken and frog. However, the majority of those getting it wrong were stumped by the requirement to specify the breed of dog, with Jack Russell Terrier or some 'yappy little thing ' proving a favourite.

The winner of the competition was Liverpool-based veterinary surgeon, Anna Rowntree, who won an iPod Nano. She said: "I thought the competition was good fun and a real novelty. It certainly drew me to the stand and was not what I would have expected from the RCVS - it proves they can be approachable! I was very excited to have won and I still can't believe I have."

The noises competition linked to the College's theme for the event, 'Falling on deaf ears?', which examined how the organisation takes account of responses to its consultations, debunking the myth that those who take the trouble to reply are not listened to. The topic was addressed by President Professor Sandy Trees in a presentation on the Saturday of Congress. Visitors to the stand were also given RCVS-branded earphones to reinforce the listening message.

Copies of all three presentations made by the RCVS at BSAVA Congress are now available on RCVSonline (www.rcvs.org.uk/ear_ear). They are:

• 'Falling on Deaf Ears', where President Sandy Trees considered responses to four recent consultations - on Extra-Mural Studies, veterinary nursing qualifications, the Practice Standards Scheme and veterinary legislation - and outlined how the College took account of them
• Senior Vice-President and Practice Standards Scheme Chairman Jill Nute launching the new Practice Standards Scheme Manual, which came into effect on 1 April 2010
• Jacqui Molyneux, Chairman of the RCVS Awarding Body Board, outlining the new veterinary nursing qualifications, which will replace the National Vocational Qualifications when they are phased out by government this summer.

Merial Animal Health has revealed the latest MOO test figures which suggest that the productivity of four out of five UK dairy herds is compromised by high levels of gutworm.

The company says it has been helping dairy farmers to assess the level of gutworm challenge in their herds since 2009 by supporting and promoting MOO tests. The test measures the level of antibody to gutworm (Ostertagia ostertagii) that is present in a bulk milk sample and can determine if the herd has been exposed to low, medium or high challenge.

Data from five years of MOO tests shows that whilst there was a steady reduction in the number of herds with a high challenge between 2009 and 2013, the figure rose in 2014. In 2009, 93% of herds tested high and by 2013 this had fallen to 71% but this rose again to 88% last year.

Merial says that whilst these figures show an overall reduction in challenge since 2009, levels of gutworm across the UK dairy herd are still very high. Those animals affected will suffer from the negative impact of a parasite burden on productivity and fertility.

Between 2009 and 2014 nearly 900 dairy herds across the UK have been tested. During that time several counties had significant numbers of herds with high gutworm challenge results. This included Cheshire (85%), Cornwall (93%), Cumbria (91%), Dyfed (92%), Lancashire (90%), North Yorkshire (83%), Shropshire (86%), Somerset (86%), and Staffordshire (83%).

Sioned Timothy, veterinary adviser for Merial Animal Health, said: “Gutworm can significantly reduce the productivity of the herd. Although adult dairy cows develop immunity to gutworm that makes them resilient to outward clinical signs of infection, it does not prevent them from becoming infected with Ostertagia ostertagi. This parasite burden can reduce milk yield by as much as 2.6 litres per cow per day¹”

She continued: “Gutworm may also have a negative impact on fertility. Removing damaging gutworms from dairy cows may improve their fertility and has been linked to reduced calving to conception intervals and improved conception rates² to levels comparable with animals without a gutworm burden.

"Calving is another key period in the production cycle. Optimising cow and heifer management during this period is critical to the animal’s health and productivity throughout the subsequent lactation. Cows treated for gutworms around the time of calving have been shown to increase their grazing time by almost an hour compared to untreated cows³. Improved appetite and higher dry matter intake helps cows to bridge the energy gap; maximising their production, and reducing the time it takes to get them back into calf⁴.”

The MOO test figures show that the UK dairy herd continues to be affected by high levels of gutworm challenge. At a time when maximising productivity is vital to dairy business success, farmers should seriously consider testing their herd this autumn and develop a treatment plan with their vet or animal health adviser based on the result.”

MOO tests will be available in autumn 2015. The results of MOO tests are sent to both the farmer and their vet or animal health advisor, to enable them to determine the best course of action and treatment.

References

1 Reist et al, Effect of eprinomectin treatment on milk yield and quality in dairy cows in South Tyrol, Italy. Veterinary Record 2011 168, 484-487 Vet Rec 2002151:377-380
2  McPherson  et al. Proceedings of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists. 44th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 1999 Abstr. 28.
3 Forbes et al. Behavioural mechanisms underlying production responses in dairy cows treated with eprinomectin. 19th WAAVP Congress 2003, New Orleans
4 Sanchez et al. The effect of eprinomectin treatment at calving on reproduction parameters in adult dairy cows in Canada. Preventative Veterinary Medicine 2002 56:165-177

Ceva Animal Health has launched a new national TV advertising campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of its veterinary behaviour product Feliway amongst cat owners.

Featuring the strapline 'Transforming behaviour begins with Feliway', Ceva says the advertisement will educate cat owners on the action they should take to keep their cats happy and maintain a happy home, particularly in multi-cat households where inter-cat tension may be a problem.  It focuses on the real life testimonial of a pet owner and the challenges of introducing a new cat to a household.

The 30 second advertisement, which is aimed at ABC1 women, will air from Christmas Day until Sunday 11 January.  It will be featured on ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5, digital channels including E4, Film4, ITV2, ITV3 and ITVBe and London Live.

For further information on Feliway visit feliway.co.uk. 

Zoetis has announced that a batch of the bluetongue vaccines, Zulvac® 8 Bovis and Zulvac® 8 Ovis, is expected to become available to veterinary practices in mid-July, in time to manage the risk of an outbreak predicted by Defra to reach mainland UK by the late summer. 

The company says the quantity of vaccine will not be unlimited and that it will strive to achieve as widespread availability as possible.

The two vaccines (Bovis for cattle and Ovis for sheep) are licensed to “prevent viraemia” caused by bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8). Prevention of viraemia, the presence of bluetongue virus in the blood, ensures no onward spread of infection via the blood sucking Culicoides midge.

The vaccines can be used in cattle from three months of age, or six weeks in sheep, requiring two doses three weeks apart in either species. Each dose is 2ml administered intramuscularly in cattle or subcutaneously in sheep, and onset of immunity is 25 days after the second dose. The vaccine provides immunity for a full 12 months.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA), British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA), Goat Veterinary Society (GVS), and Sheep Veterinary Society (SVS) welcomed the announcement from Zoetis, and another from MSD, but sought clarification about the cost and the amount of vaccine likely to be available in July and thereafter.

BVA President Sean Wensley said: "We welcome the announcement that vaccine will be available in time to meet potential demand. This disease seriously affects animal health and welfare as well as the productivity of livestock, and vaccination is the key control. While it is good news that vaccine will be available, we know that both farmers and vets will have questions about cost and whether there will a limit to the amount of vaccine available in July. It would be helpful to have these questions clarified as soon as possible."

Photo by Fourrure (http://www.boulesdefourrure.fr) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Forte Healthcare Ltd, maker of Locatim, hosting “Fresh Ideas on Neonatal Passive Transfer in Calves: Implications For Scour Prophylaxis”, a free webinar presented by Dr Nicola Gladden, a European specialist in cattle practice and Farm Animal Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham Vet School, at 8pm on the 29th March 2023.

Lucy Chadwick, Head of Technical Services & Marketing at Forte Healthcare Ltd said: “Neonatal calf diarrhoea is a leading cause of death in the calf crop in the UK and Ireland.

"We are delighted to therefore offer this webinar discussing up to date information on what we can do to boost neonatal defences in the face of an NCD outbreak.

"Tune in to learn more about the importance of colostral antibodies and how the resecretion of antibodies plays a key role in gut protection.

"We will also discuss what factors can influence the effectiveness of a NCD vaccination programme and what this means for your farmers.”

You'll be able to ask questions during the event and the webinar will also be made available to watch on demand afterwards.

https://www.thewebinarvet.com/pages/forte-healthcare-register

Veterinary experts from around the world have stepped closer to defining guidelines for the identification of pre-fracture pathology in the racehorse fetlock at a meeting held last week. 

The two-day collaborative workshop was hosted by the Jockey Club Estates, Newmarket and sponsored by The Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust and the Beaufort Cottage Educational Trust, together with a number of other industry contributors.

Injuries to the racehorse fetlock are rare: it is one of a number of racecourse musculoskeletal injuries which are collectively estimated to occur in around 8 of every 10,000 race starts in the UK. Nevertheless, fetlock injury can be extremely impactful and can be career-ending in some injured horses.

On the first day of the workshop an expert panel discussed how diagnostic imaging prior to racing can contribute to risk reduction.

Radiography is currently the most widely available tool used to identify tiny fractures which will heal effectively, providing exercise is reduced. However, advanced imaging such as standing MRI, standing CT and PET scanning, have the potential to identify pathology even earlier. At the workshop, the expert panel reviewed existing knowledge and discussed how to generate the research evidence, which is essential if these novel technologies are to gain a place in effective pre-race risk assessment programmes.

The following day a larger group of stakeholders reviewed the expert panel’s conclusions and discussed the need for greater transparency, education and communication amongst the racing industry stakeholders, all of whom share responsibility for ensuring racing continues to collaborate and enhance racehorse safety and welfare.

Prof Celia Marr, Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal, who chaired the meeting said: “Racing has an excellent safety record and the injuries we are talking about are extremely rare. The low prevalence of fetlock injury makes it very difficult to pinpoint the affected individuals. But it is essential that we continue our efforts to do so ever more effectively because if silent injury is not detected it can progress to become much more serious."

Pete Ramzan, Partner at Rossdales LLP, who co-ordinated the workshop said: “There was a great need to get some of the key experts leading these new technologies together in the same room to correlate their findings and work out how to translate them into tangible reductions in serious injury rates. One of the somewhat unexpected outcomes of the discussions was that despite the fact that we are riding the crest of a wave of technological advances, basic radiography still has much to offer; better education around the application and interpretation of radiographs has real potential to allow vets like myself at the coal face to detect injuries at an early and recoverable stage”.

Photo: A radiograph showing of a racing thoroughbred’s fetlock joint. The arrow points to linear radiolucency in the parasagittal groove of the lower cannon bone, a finding that is frequently detectable before progression to serious injury. Image courtesy of Dr P. Ramzan, Rossdales LLP, Newmarket.

Dorwest Herbs has launched its annual 'Dorwest Say Relax' fireworks phobia campaign, which includes free promotional packs for practices.

The promotional packs, which contain a poster, leaflets, flashing badges and a 'Dorwest Say Relax' t-shirt, being given free to the first 100 practices that request a product box (containing licensed Scullcap & Valerian Tablets and Organic Valerian Compound at a discounted price) from the company.

In addition, Dorwest is running a seemingly popular consumer facebook competition to find the most relaxed dog in the nation, the winner of which will be sent on a pet-friendly luxury weekend break.

Finally, the company is writing a blog written from the perspective of Merlin, the dog used in its logo - http://merlintakescontrol.wordpress.com - though quite who is going to read it, or why, is slightly beyond me.

The Moores Orthopaedic Clinic has got approval from the RCVS Ethics Review Panel to offer Biomedtrix third-generation TATE elbow replacement surgery for dogs with severe osteoarthritis as part of a clinical evaluation trial for the implant.

The original TATE elbow replacement was first in clinical use in the 2010s and the revised 3rd generation version is apparently a much-improved implant, something which the clinical evaluation trial should demonstrate.

Andy Moores, head of the joint replacement programme at The Moores Orthopaedic Clinic, said: “Canine elbow replacement can be a game-changer for dogs living with chronic elbow pain but up until this point the elbow replacement systems have not been as reliable as we would like.

"The third-generation TATE implant has been in use with a small number of US surgeons for several years now and the results so far have been very promising.

"We are delighted that Biomedtrix have invited us to join the evaluation trial for this implant and that the RCVS Ethics Review Panel have approved this.

"We look forward to offering this surgery as an option for some of our most painful canine patients.”

www.mooresortho.com

A survey conducted earlier this year by Novartis Animal Health¹ has shown that owners of dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis want to learn more about the condition after their veterinary consultation.

When asked about what would help them understand and cope with their dog receiving a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis, 42% of dog owners said that they want reliable information about the condition on the Internet that they can read at their own pace. 27% said that hearing or reading about case studies of dogs that were diagnosed with atopic dermatitis would be a source of help and reassurance.

That isn't to take anything away from the importance of the relationship between owner and vet: 49% of respondents said that having enough time to discuss everything with their vet is the most important thing following a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis.

However, the reality of busy small animal practice means that some vets are apparently finding themselves short of time, with 62% saying that they would like to have more time in consultations to explain the diagnosis fully.

To support both vets and owners, Novartis has produced a range of education materials available at www.itchfreepet.co.uk. They include information about a variety of skin conditions in dogs and cats, including causes, clinical signs, diagnostics and treatment options, which can all be used to support recommendations made during consultations.

Novartis says it is also continuing to support vets with the 'Comfort Club' scheme, through which owners get the 2nd, 6th and 12th month of Atopica treatment free of charge. The club also allows clients to try other dermatology products that might help their pet's condition free of charge, including shampoo, EFA's and specialist diets.

Ricardo Garvao, category manager at Novartis said: "By providing reliable information and tools to help re-iterate and expand on the information given to owners by their vets, we hope to help both parties make the most of the face to face time that they have with each other. Ultimately this will strengthen the vet-client relationship, which can only improve long-term clinical outcomes.

"Good client education is vital, demonstrated by the fact that nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of pet owners that admit to giving up on their vet's advice claim that this is because they haven't understood it. A large part of the trust building process is being able to recommend a management strategy with proven efficacy and safety data for long-term use, such as Atopica. Atopica has been keeping dogs with atopic dermatitis comfortable for a decade due to its proven ability to safely provide long-term reduction of pruritus and skin lesions associated with the disease, as demonstrated by the recently published independent paper 'The use of ciclosporin: a decade of experience in veterinary dermatology."

Reference

1. All statistics taken from the Atopica Decade of Comfort surveys, which asked 1000 dog owners and 132 practicing vets across the UK to give their opinions, experience and understanding of canine atopic dermatitis.

Laura Padron Vega, a veterinary surgeon who was struck off in 2018 for falsely backdating Certificates of Competence whilst working as an Official Veterinarian, has been restored to the Register by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee.

Ms Padron Vega had also been found to have failed in her duties as an OV by being unprepared for, and unaware of, new regulations. She also did not take adequate steps to ensure that the two individuals for whom she had given veterinary certification were licensed to perform slaughter in accordance with the regulations.

Ms Padron Vega originally applied for restoration in December last year, at which time the Disciplinary Committee had concerns about her keeping up-to-date with the knowledge and skills needed to return to practice, and decided to adjourn for six months to allow her to prove that it was appropriate to restore her name to the Register.

At the latest hearing, Ms Padron Vega sought to address the concerns that the Committee had raised about her professional development. In addition to the documentation she provided in her original restoration hearing, which included positive testimonials from colleagues, she provided evidence of her continuing professional development (CPD).

This included a letter from her previous employer, who confirmed she had more recently worked for them as a Certification Support Officer from February to March 2021, where they received positive feedback on her conduct.

The documentation also included a letter from another practice confirming that Ms Padron Vega had been offered a position of employment with them, and a separate letter from practice veterinary surgeon, Dr Khan MRCVS, confirming that he would be her mentor. Dr Khan also confirmed that she had been coming to the practice for work experience and he considered her to have good working knowledge of current medicines used within the practice. He further outlined in his letter what CPD support the practice would be providing for Ms Padron Vega as part of her employment with them.

An additional piece of evidence was a testimonial from Dr Max Rutana MRCVS who confirmed that Ms Padron Vega had worked unsupervised for a period of three weeks, and that he found her clinical notes during this period to be satisfactory and they received no complaints about her conduct from clients.

Ms Padron Vega also submitted CPD documentation which confirmed she has taken a Certification Support Officers’ course and examination in mid-December 2020.

In response to questions from the Committee about her small animal practice experience and how long she had been shadowing Dr Khan for, Ms Padron Vega explained that she had completed 80 hours of shadowing with Dr Khan and that in her future employment under his mentorship, he would be available to support her. She also explained that her job offer was evidence that she would continue to be trained in the relevant area of veterinary work.

Cerys Jones, chairing the Disciplinary Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “During the hearing, we heard evidence from Dr Khan who provided reassurance of Ms Padron Vega’s continued professional development with his practice and the ongoing supervision that she would be under. He explained that the supervision would last at least three months.

“The Committee’s view is that Ms Padron Vega accepts the findings of dishonesty that were made against her at the original Inquiry hearing. In her Reflective Statement, she acknowledges that veterinarians have a professional responsibility to ensure the integrity of veterinary certification, that she is now aware that when signing documents as a veterinary surgeon they need to be approached with care and accuracy. Further she has undertaken a CPD course on this very ethical issue and has passed the examination set at the end of that course. The Committee is confident that Ms Padron Vega is unlikely to repeat the conduct which resulted in her being removed from the Register. It is the Committee’s decision that she should be restored to the Register.”