The videos, by BCF in-house vet Ben Sullivan BVSc MRCVS (pictured right), give a step-by-step guide for each of the measurements covered (LA:Ao ratio, EPSS and EF), to enable viewers to get more from their ultrasound equipment.
Ben said: "At BCF we’re always striving to produce educational resources to help our customers make the most of their imaging equipment, and welcome suggestions from all quarters. In recent months we’ve received a large number of requests for help performing basic 2D echocardiographic measurements. In response to those requests we produced this short video series providing a 'how-to' guide for three of the most common measurements encountered in practice."
The videos were filmed using a Vivid iq, the latest cardiac ultrasound scanner from GE.
Ben added: "We hope you find them useful, and welcome suggestions for other topics you’d like to see covered. Please don’t hesitate to visit our website – www.bcftechnology.co.uk – to access the cardiac measurement videos along with a wide range of other learning materials. We have also recently introduced free monthly webinars. The recorded webinars are also available to view at www.bcftechnology.co.uk."
To watch the cardiac measurement videos, visit: http://bit.ly/2rW1BxM
The ProfCon Investigation Support (PCIS) service is a free, confidential listening and support service funded by the RCVS and its Mind Matters Initiative mental health project but delivered independently by VetSupport.me, an organisation that already offers general support services to veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses.
The service is provided by a group of trained and experienced volunteers who will also be able to offer support to any veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse who is acting as witness.
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “At the RCVS we recognise that being investigated in respect of alleged professional misconduct is a very stressful and trying experience that can knock confidence and, in some cases, lead to distress amongst practitioners.
“While part of the social contract of being members of regulated and protected professions is that, when accusations around professional misconduct are made, they have to be fully investigated by a regulator to determine if there is a case to answer. As a compassionate regulator we want to make sure that individuals going through this process can access the help and support they need.
“This service is staffed by a team of brilliant volunteers who already have experience in providing help and support on matters of mental health and wellbeing and have received additional training to augment their ability to provide emotional support to vets and nurses who may be under investigation.
“In our Strategic Plan for 2020-24, one of our key ambitions is to strengthen our credentials as a compassionate regulator that acts with empathy and understanding. The ProfCon Investigation Support Service is an important step in fulfilling this ambition, and I hope that it can deliver help to the people that need it.”
David McKeown, from VetSupport, added: “Whether via a phone call, an email conversation, or a meet-up over Zoom, our team of trained volunteers, all of whom are registered vets or vet nurses themselves, will support service users through the duration of an RCVS investigation.
“Through their support we will aim to help individuals going through this process maintain good mental health and wellbeing and strive to prevent more serious issues arising. The service is completely confidential and no conversations that individuals have with our volunteers will ever be shared with anyone else, including the RCVS. Nothing will be fed back to the College nor be used as part of the investigation process. It is also completely within the individual’s control as to how much information is shared with the VetSupport volunteer. There is no obligation to disclose any information other than perhaps a first name.
“We look forward to working with the RCVS to provide this very important service. Please don’t hesitate to contact us on info@vetsupport.me or visit www.vetsupport.me to find out more about the service and meet our team of supporters.”
From this summer, all new veterinary graduates have had to be enrolled on the VetGDP when they start their first job as a qualified vet. This means that veterinary practices and other workplaces wishing to employ new veterinary graduates will need to become, or be working towards becoming, an RCVS-Approved Graduate Development Practice or Workplace. To date, over 1,800 VetGDP Advisers around the UK have registered for the training to help develop their new graduate colleagues.
All new veterinary graduates and their VetGDP Advisers will be able to use the new e-portfolio platform to record and monitor the graduate’s progress as they work through the programme.
Dr Linda Prescott-Clements (pictured right), RCVS Director of Education, said: “We recognise how important it is to support new veterinary graduates as much as possible during their first job as a fully-qualified veterinary surgeon. The transition from study to work can be a daunting one, and we wanted to create a resource that would help new graduates record and reflect on their journey through the programme and provide a space for the VetGDP Adviser to monitor and support their graduate as they progress.
“We believe the VetGDP programme will have a positive impact on graduates’ development and their confidence during their first role. The new e-portfolio will be a key resource for employers to help them support the professional development of the newest cohort of veterinary professionals.”
The RCVS will be holding two online workshops to provide VetGDP Advisers and veterinary graduates with support and advice about using the e-portfolio. The workshop dates and times are:
Further information and the online booking form can be found at https://www.rcvs.org.uk/vetgdpworkshops.
Some graduates may have completed forms to record their activities and progress as part of the VetGDP platform launch interim measures provided earlier this summer. Anyone who has manually completed any forms is encouraged to get in touch with the VetGDP team by emailing vetgdp@rcvs.org.uk who will be able to help transfer the data onto the e-portfolio if required.
Further information about becoming an RCVS-Approved Graduate Development Practice or Workplace can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/vetgdp
2000 veterinary surgeons and nurses/technicians took part in the study, of which 545 completed all questions.
The biggest equipment barriers to BP measurement were 'cuff frustration' (cuffs pinging off) and difficulties hearing the pulse, which were experienced at least sometimes by 72.2% and 71.6% of participants respectively when using Doppler machines.
When asked about barriers relating to the procedure itself, the most significant issues were a lack of time, not having a colleague available to restrain the cat, and simply forgetting to include BP in the assessment.
Owner-related barriers included difficulties persuading clients to book a separate BP appointment, difficulties persuading clients to bring cats in for a BP check at all, and reticence over the cost.
Sarah Caney, RCVS recognised Specialist in Feline Medicine who lead the study, said: “Feline hypertension is an extremely common condition which affects approximately one in five cats nine years or over4, however there are several challenges that we need to address to enhance the long-term health and welfare of the nation’s cats.
"The good news is that some of the barriers identified in the study can be overcome by taking a ‘practice makes perfect’ attitude towards taking blood pressure, in that the more experience vet professionals have, the easier the procedure will become.
"The study showed many VNs are confident and enthusiastic about blood pressure assessment in cats; this should be encouraged and expanded upon to ensure that as many older cats and those with conditions increasing their risk of hypertension, receive the BP monitoring they deserve.
Eye examinations are helpful in confirming a diagnosis of systemic hypertension, however the study revealed that while 96.5% of respondents had access to a direct ophthalmoscope, 73.1% reported that they felt under-confident in performing and interpreting ocular examinations when identifying hypertensive lesions in cats.
Ceva Animal Health, which funded the study, says that because between 50 and 100% of hypertensive cats have ocular lesions2,3, it is vital that clinicians feel able to identify ocular pathologies associated with high blood pressure.
Sarah added: "VNs and vets should be encouraged to ‘upskill’ their eye examination skills, as this can be extremely helpful in identifying cats with hypertension."
To that end, Ceva has published an online feline ophthalmology course ‘Looking hypertension in the eye’: www.veterinarywebinars.com/community/ceva
The course, which is presented by Dr Ben Blacklock BVSc (Hons), Dipl. ECVO, MRCVS, senior lecturer in veterinary ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh, is designed to help vets and vet nurses to get the most out of their ocular exams and gain confidence in identifying ocular lesions associated with feline hypertension.
https://easethepressure.co.uk.
References
Awarded by The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), the programme starts in March 2024.
The programme combines practical training with reflective learning and enables veterinary surgeons to achieve their PGCert within 12 months.
Vet and PGCert Programme Manager, Alison Malone, said: "This course came about as a result of listening to what vets in practice want, and many wanted a focused soft tissue surgery curriculum without the orthopaedic element amid concerns that their practices don’t have the case load to benefit from the advanced learning.
"The Soft Tissue Surgery PGCert provides delegates with hands-on experience for the cases they will be seeing frequently, making a dramatic impact to their daily work life”.
The Soft Tissue Surgery PGCert comprises three modules: Essentials of Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery, Small Animal Abdominal, Perineal and Urogenital Surgery, and Small Animal Head, Neck and Thoracic Surgery.
Each module begins with three days of practical sessions at CPD Solutions Training Centre in Warwickshire provided by tutors Lynda Rutherford, Faye Swinbourne, Will Robinson, Lara Dempsey, Elinor Field and Lee Meakin.
There are 20 spaces on the PgCert in Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery starting next March.
The course costs: £10,947 + VAT, plus you'll also need to register with the University of Central Lancashire, which costs £2630 (No VAT) for UK students.
www.pgcert.com
The Veterinary Development Council (VDC) is conducting a survey to investigate the role of paraprofessionals and technicians in veterinary practice, and is asking vets in large animal, equine, and mixed practices to complete a short survey.
The VDC says that information from the survey will help inform discussions on the regulation of technicians.
The survey will take between 5 and 10 minutes to complete and can be found on the BVA website at www.bva.co.uk/vdc. The BVA has also emailed the survey directly to practices.
The survey has been devised by the VDC working group looking at the role of the veterinary-led team, chaired by BVA Past President Professor Bill Reilly. This is one of three working groups that will report to the VDC:
Professor Reilly said: "The relationship between veterinary surgeons and technicians is vital but it varies from practice to practice.
"The working group on the role of the veterinary-led team aims to take a snapshot of how services, such as artificial insemination and foot trimming, are currently delivered, and gauge how veterinary surgeons feel about other services being delivered by non-veterinarians in the future.
"I hope veterinary surgeons in large, mixed and equine practice will take 10 minutes to complete our survey to help us map the current use of technicians in veterinary practice and help shape our future discussions."
Forte highlights that Utertab's intrauterine administration allows it to act directly in the target tissue. It is presented in a perforated blister pack for better sealing.
Dr John Henderson, Large Animal Product Manager at Forte Healthcare Ltd said: "Given the need to use appropriate first-line antibacterial drugs where possible we are delighted to bring vets a new Tetracycline pessary, ‘Utertab’, for the treatment of metritis and retained foetal membranes.
"In-situ therapy for these conditions has more recently been neglected in favour of injectables but still has much to recommend it. We look forward to highlighting these benefits over the next few months."
For further information on Utertab 2000mg, contact your local Forte Territory Manager or enquiries@fortehealthcare.com.
The new service is available to any practice, regardless of which practice management system you use, or which healthcare provider you are with. You can specify your product catalogue and are not tied to particular products or manufacturers. You can also decide how you want to manage client delivery charges and how to treat health care plan clients.
OurVet.Shop can also be used to take payment for services, such as telephone or video consultations, and because it allows for one-off ordering, clients aren’t forced to sign up to a 12-month subscription with an unknown third party.
Lastly, the service is tailored to your practice’s brand and personalised to every client and their pets. The company has also produced marketing materials for use in social media, on websites and in client communications.
Jamie Crittall, co-founder of Virtual Recall, said: "As a veterinary practice owner myself, these last few months have been tough – I mean really tough.
"Nine years ago, Charlie Barton and I created Virtual Recall from a desire to communicate with our clients in a personal & timely manner. Not being able to find a solution, we built one and iRecall was born. Since then it has helped over 1,500 practices communicate with over 5 million clients & their pets worldwide.
"Now, here we were again - desperate to ensure that my patients got the healthcare they needed, but no home delivery service that I wanted to put my practice’s name to, I turned to my team at Virtual Recall to create a solution - that was not just right for my practice but every practice.
"So, we did what we do best – we put ourselves in practices’ shoes and created a smart solution that would help them safeguard animals’ health, enhance their relationship with their clients, and provide them with a life-line to help get through this crisis and build a stronger future. It couldn’t come with any compromises."
For more information, visit: www.ourvet.shop
The Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority (AMTRA) is launching its new Continuous Professional Development (CPD) scheme today, designed to ensure that the Authority's registered Suitably Qualified Persons (SQPs) keep up to date with the latest animal medicines information.
In order to maintain their SQP status, every SQP will have to achieve a minimum number of CPD points during each AMTRA CPD period, running for two years from July to June. However, in the initial stages of the scheme, this first period will run for 33 months, from October 2008 to June 2011, allowing AMTRA to fine tune the system if required and give its SQPs time to get used to the new structure.
During these CPD periods, SQPs are required to obtain a minimum number of CPD points depending on their SQP type:
SQP Type: Modules; VPS medicines supplied; CPD PointsR-SQP: FAM+EQM+CAM; All VPS Medicines; 70 pointsG-SQP: FAM+EQM; VPS-farm animals and equines only; 50 pointsK-SQP: FAM+CAM; VPS-farm and companion animals only; 50 pointsE-SQP: EQM+CAM; VPS-equines and companion animals only; 50 pointsL-SQP: FAM; VPS-farm animals only; 30 pointsJ-SQP: EQM; VPS-equines only; 30 pointsC-SQP: CAM; VPS-companion animals only; 30 points
(FAM - Farm Animal Module, EQM - Equine Module, CAM - Companion Animal Module)
In essence, this means that 20 points are required per animal group, plus a further 10 points. Dr Roger Dawson, Secretary of AMTRA comments, "There is no maximum number of CPD points that SQPs can accumulate and we will be encouraging them to gain the benefit of as much CPD as they can."
Those SQPs who do not achieve the minimum number of CPD points by the end of the period will not be eligible to renew their status for the following year. However, such SQPs will have the option of sitting an examination before the end of that CPD period in order to maintain their SQP status and eligible be to renew for the next year.
SQPs will have a range of avenues through which to gain CPD points, ranging from four types of AMTRA-accredited CPD Events, to online study and personal study. With CPD Events and online studies, accreditation and points will be awarded by the AMTRA CPD Accreditation Panel. With personal study, AMTRA accepts a degree of self-certification of this form of CPD, however the points gained in this way are limited to a relatively small proportion of the minimum required in a CPD period.
Throughout a CPD period, all SQPs are required to attend at least ONE CPD Event. These events will comprise a range of modules that will be assessed for coverage, of relevant topics ranging from legislation, regulations and prevalence & effects of parasites and pathogens, to control of disease management, resistance, warnings and SARS.
Dr Dawson says, "The new CPD scheme has the necessary flexibility to allow SQPs to gain the required CPD points via a number of routes, from accredited CPD events and online study to personal study. Furthermore, the structure of the scheme ensures that their studies will be properly assessed to ensure they have gained the necessary knowledge to secure their CPD points."
Merial has highlighted two new studies which the company says demonstrates the efficacy and safety of its canine NSAID, Previcox.
In the first study, Lecoindre and Pepin evaluated the beneficial effects of once daily administration of 5mg/kg Previcox to dogs suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) for 90 days. According to the company, response to treatment was excellent, with significant improvements observed in lameness scores, pain on manipulation of the affected joint and range of motion. Of particular note was the fact that the degree of improvement increased with duration of treatment, clearly demonstrating the benefits of longer term treatment. These results support the findings of a recent review of the safety and efficacy of long-term NSAID use in dogs with OA. The product's safety profile was also evaluated by means of biochemistry and haematology assessments. In addition, regular gastroscopic examinations were used to directly visualise the effect of treatment on the gastric mucosa. These safety assessments demonstrated that Previcox therapy was well tolerated, with no significant treatment related changes seen on biochemistry or gastroscopy, despite the fact that this was a geriatric population which included a number of dogs with a prior history of gastrointestinal tract disease.
Merials says the findings from a different study by Joubert, published in the South African Veterinary Journal, provide further confirmation of the beneficial effects of 90 days Previcox treatment in a geriatric population of dogs.
Commenting on the results of the two studies, Kevin Whelan, Merial's Veterinary Technical Manager said: "The outcome from these studies provide further evidence for the benefits of long term use of Previcox in dogs suffering from osteoarthritis. There is relatively little published information available on the use of NSAIDs in older dogs, and these results confirm that Previcox is well tolerated in this group of patients."
For further information about Previcox, please contact your local Territory Manager or call 0870 6000 123.
References:
Virbac Animal Health has launched Speed Leish K, a diagnostic test for canine leishmaniosis.
Speed Leish K detects antibodies directed against the kinesins of leishmania using a Kinesin Capture Complex (KCC), a complex of recombinant proteins with strong immunogenic power at all stages of infection. Virbac says that in trials the test has demonstrated 98.5% overall accuracy.*
Virbac Product Manager Simon Boulton MRCVS said: "Leishmaniosis presents a growing threat to UK dogs, particularly those which travel with their owners on holiday to regions where the disease is endemic.
"Speed Leish K should be used as part of the primary CaniLeish vaccination protocol in animals previously at risk of exposure to ensure only health animals are vaccinated. The test can also be used to screen for the disease in animals suspected to be infected."
Speed Leish K is presented in kits of two or six tests and can be stored for 24 months at room temperature.
The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has accepted an application for restoration to the RCVS Register by Gordon Lonsdale, who had been struck off in March 2004 for illegally delegating acts of veterinary surgery to insufficiently qualified members of his practice staff.
At the initial Inquiry, Mr Lonsdale, who formerly worked as a sole practitioner in Shropshire, had admitted three separate charges of serious professional misconduct. These included allegations that he had instructed nurses and support staff to undertake dental extractions, dog and cat castrations, the removal of tumours or masses, the induction and maintenance of anaesthesia, lancing abscesses and suturing wounds.
At yesterday's hearing, the onus was on Mr Lonsdale to satisfy the Committee that he was fit to be restored to the Register, not least in view of his former health problems and the eight-year period for which he had been off the Register.
He provided the Committee with evidence of undertaking continuing professional development, including 130 hours of online courses and seven weeks of seeing practice, letters of endorsement from former clients and testimonials from friends and former colleagues.
The Committee accepted Mr Lonsdale's evidence that he had successfully addressed his alcoholism, which it recognised as being a contributory factor to his poor decision making in an isolated working environment. He assured the Committee of his intention that, should his application be successful, he intended to work only in a multi-handed, rather than single-handed, practice in future.
The Committee found him to be an honest and frank witness who had made a credible attempt to refresh his small animal practice knowledge; it was satisfied that he accepted the findings of the original hearing and that he had put the welfare of animals at risk, and it noted his expression of remorse.
In considering Mr Lonsdale's application, the Committee made a number of recommendations, including that he should register for the RCVS Professional Development Phase, undertake certain parts of the RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice, restrict himself to his recognised areas of competence, investigate communication courses run by the Veterinary Defence Society and continue with the mentoring programme provided by the Veterinary Surgeons Health Support Programme. Mr Lonsdale stated that he was willing to follow all of these recommendations.
Professor Peter Lees, who chaired and spoke on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, concluded: "In these circumstances, we do not consider that any further period of erasure would be of benefit either to the public or the veterinary profession. Therefore, we direct the Registrar to restore Mr Lonsdale's name to the Register."
The course covers wound management, making decisions on dressings, drain management, how to complete biopsies and fine needle samples, how to complete a number of suture patterns and how to remove cutaneous masses and complete other surgeries under Schedule 3 legislation.
The course includes eight hours of practical skills training on cadavers as well as 2 hours online training, covering suture selection and legislation.
On completion of the course, CVS nurses are able to recognise what nurses can complete under Schedule 3 legislation, identify the correct dressing for each stage of wound healing, identify the equipment and correct technique for a range of biopsies, complete a number of different suture patterns, and remove cutaneous masses and complete other surgeries under Schedule 3 legislation.
Each nurse has a skills checklist to inform their ongoing training needs and is encouraged to have regular, informal meetings with a local mentor – who is able to support their learning.
The next Surgical Schedule 3 Course is scheduled for 21st March 2024.
Karen Learmonth, LED Nursing Lead at CVS said: “I am excited about the opportunity that Surgical Schedule 3 provides for nurses within CVS to further their skills and knowledge.
"Advocating nurses’ involvement in Schedule 3 procedures supports improved patient care and provides nurses with rewarding careers.
“It’s fantastic to see so many nurses completing the course to date and we’ll further develop nurse utilisation in 2024 where we’ll rollout both ultrasound and lab skills training.
"We hope this will encourage nurses to utilise all aspects of their role in line with Schedule 3 guidelines.”
Fran Wood, an RVN at Albavet - Rogers, Brock & Barker said: “I have been loving doing surgery and felt the course was the best CPD I have ever been on!
"It has given me the confidence to complete stitch ups, tail amputations and many other procedures.”
One of the critical factors in allowing vet nurses to use all their skills is having vets who are comfortable delegating.
To that end, CVS has vets who have pledged to support nurses to achieve this work.
The group has also published guidelines for its vets to provide clarity around effective delegation under Schedule 3.
The company says it is launching the new slCT after achieving success imaging horses in collaboration with its UK-based clinical trial sites.
The new standing CT scanner has a unique low, flat platform for quick and easy entry and exit of the standing sedated horse.
The system uses a dual-concentric ring design which enables the detector plate to remain very close to the region of interest, thereby improving image quality.
Hallmarq says slCT is a good fit for equine practices wanting to step up to 3D imaging in the evaluation of their lameness cases.
Bell Equine in Kent, Sussex Equine in Ashington, and Berkshire- based Donnington Grove Equine were involved in early trials of novel system.
Dr Elisabetta Giorio from Donnington Grove says slCT complements their sMRI which highlights soft tissue and metabolic changes: “The combination of MRI and CT was a useful tool to have and helped with surgical planning and decision making".
For more information, visit: https://hallmarq.net/
The results of the UK's first ever public National Equine Health Survey have quantified non-notifiable healthcare issues affecting horses, ponies, donkeys and mules in the UK.
The survey, which was pioneered by The Blue Cross animal charity and is supported by The British Equine Veterinary Association, was carried out last November following two years of pilot schemes. The intention was to find out more about endemic non-notifiable diseases that have never before been recorded in horses, ponies, donkeys and mules, such as coughs, skin diseases and lameness.
The results were announced at the National Equine Forum by Professor Josh Slater, Professor of Equine Clinical Studies at The Royal Veterinary College, who has been working with The Blue Cross on the survey.
A total of 306 sets of records were submitted from 3120 horses in mainly private ownership, with a balance of representation from competition yards, riding schools, welfare charities and studs. A broad range of syndromes and diseases were assessed including colic, sarcoids, laminitis, wounds, dental issues, eye disease, lameness and weight issues.
The results showed that lameness was the most common problem affecting horses (11% of horses surveyed) but that the foot was not the most common cause of lameness and that laminitis (3%) was less common than the 7-8% total that previous surveys had suggested.
Weight management was the next most common issue for horse owners, with 9% of horses recorded as overweight and 8% as underweight. These figures are lower than previous surveys which may be because they are based on the owner's assessment of their horse's weight which is subjective and may vary according to their perception of 'the right weight'.
Skin disease and wounds (5% and 4% respectively) posed a significant problem and colic (2%) was also a common occurrence, with a 6:1 ratio between medical and surgical cases.
The survey is breaking new ground in Europe as well as the UK. Currently Government agencies in all European countries conduct surveillance for prescribed exotic diseases such as West Nile Virus and African Horse Sickness but currently there are no large scale surveillance programmes for endemic diseases.
Professor Slater said: "The regular collection of such data holds numerous benefits to the UK equine industry. Not only does the survey provide a benchmarking facility for equine disease, welfare, standards of care and codes of practice but it will also underpin standards for yard inspection schemes. Not least it confirms the workability of an important template to monitor the serious threat of infectious and exotic disease in the future."
He added: "It's exciting to see hints in the NEHS 2010 survey that data 'straight from the horse's mouth' might challenge some established ideas. For example; the survey found that lameness was common, as you would expect, but that the foot was not the most common cause of lameness, which you might not have expected. This kind of data has never been collected before and is invaluable to the veterinary profession and wider animal welfare industry, helping to inform our future research, training and education. It will be really exciting to see the results of the larger surveys The Blue Cross are running in 2011."
Kerry Doyle, education officer at The Blue Cross said: "We are thrilled to be involved with this innovative project to enhance the future health of our horses and very grateful to all those who have participated in the survey so far. We now need even more horse owners to sign up for the next round so that we can capture as much useful data as possible."
The National Equine Health Survey is currently funded by The Blue Cross but sponsorship is being sought. It is to be conducted twice-yearly with the next census week planned for 9-15 May 2011. All keepers and owners of horses are urged to participate and details of all horse owners will remain anonymous. It's very quick and easy to complete and should only take around five minutes. To register online visit www.bluecross.org.uk/NEHS or email NEHS@bluecross.org.uk.
Zoetis has announced the introduction of Equimidine solution in a 50% larger plastic bottle.
The company says the new 15ml multi-dose presentation, now in plastic rather than glass, offers greater safety, as well as cost-saving advantages to practices.
Equimidine, containing 10mg/ml detomidine hydrochloride and methyl parahydroxybenzoate 1 mg/ml as a preservative, is a clear solution for intravenous injection. It has sedative and analgesic properties and is indicated for use either alone or in combination with butorphanol to facilitate the handling of horses for clinical examinations, minor surgical procedures and other manipulations. It can also be used with ketamine for short duration general anaesthesia for surgical procedures such as castration.
According to the company, the new 15ml plastic bottle is more cost-effective per dose than the old 10ml glass vial. It is also safer to use as the bottle is less likely to break if accidentally dropped. The multi-dose facility involves a tightly fitted rubber bung through which a sterile needle can be inserted to withdraw each dose.
Penny McCann, Equine Product Manager, Zoetis UK Ltd, said: "The new presentation provides practical benefits for vets and the larger bottle size means the product is now even more cost-effective."
For more information, speak to your Zoetis Account Manager, refer to the SPC or contact Zoetis Customer Support on 0845 3008034.
Merial has announced that a recent change of licence means you can now administer the new generation NSAID, Previcox® for the relief of post operative pain associated with soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery in dogs.
Mark Riggs MRCVS, Veterinary Technical Advisor for Merial said: "Previcox (firocoxib) is now licensed for the relief of post operative pain. Oral PREVICOX can be administered starting 2 hours prior to surgery and has a rapid onset of action reaching peak plasma levels within 90 minutes. The palatable tablet can be given without food and is a realistic option which should be seriously considered when choosing pain relief for surgical patients.
"Containing the active ingredient firocoxib, Previcox is also highly COX-2 selective, being 380 times more selective for COX-2 than COX-1. As a result, it offers a highly desirable efficacy and safety profile which is particularly beneficial in cases which have gone through the additional stress of surgery.
"The recently published study by John P. Punke et al strengthens the evidence reinforcing the benefits offered by firocoxib. The research evaluated the in-vivo effects of firocoxib, meloxicam and tepoxalin in target tissues of dogs suffering with chronic osteoarthritis.
"Eight dogs were used in the cross-over study and each dog received each of the treatments (and a placebo) for seven days, with an appropriate wash out period in between. Firocoxib significantly reduced inflammatory mediators within blood and synovial fluid at all time points, whereas meloxicam only showed a significant reduction compared to baseline values at day four.
"With evidence demonstrating the speed of the anti-inflammatory effect of firocoxib, it may be time for vets to reconsider their post operative pain management. Previcox can be administered orally prior to surgery and can be given once daily for up to three days post operatively. For orthopaedic surgery this treatment schedule can be extended after the first 3 days upon judgement of the attending vet."
For further information please contact your local territory manager or call the Merial Customer Support Centre on 0845 601 4236.
Eight vet students have been recognised for their exceptional work with the Intervet / Schering-Plough Animal Health Connect Bursary Awards, designed to provide financial assistance for students for elective research during their college years. Three main awards were made for projects focussing on laterality in dogs, stallion semen preservation, and developing a better understanding of wobbler syndrome in horses.
Charlotte Cockburn from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and Hayley Harwood from the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies (Edinburgh) were the joint winners of the main Bursary Award, while the RVC's Holly Claridge was presented with the inaugural Equine Award.
Charlotte's research investigated tests for laterality in dogs to determine if domestic dogs show a significant paw preference and to identify a test that can be used for this purpose by veterinary practices. The results showed a lateralisation bias in the dog population towards the left with no significant correlations between paw preference and the sex, age or breed of dog. In addition, the initiation of gait test used in the study was the only test that gained a response from 100% of the dogs.
Hayley set out to investigate the motility of stallion spermatozoa thawed at various rates and maintained for up to 24 hours with the aim of designing a protocol for the thawing of semen that would allow cooled transported frozen-thawed semen to be used effectively. The study showed that for total motility, thawing the straws at 72°C resulted in significantly higher motility than when compared with other treatments.
Holly's research aimed to describe the 3D anatomy of the cervical articular process joints in relation to the spinal cord and whether artificial distension of these joints, mimicking effusion, would cause the pouches of the joints to compress the spinal cord in the horse. The study concluded that in the absence of any other soft tissue or bony changes effusion of these joints is unlikely to cause spinal cord compression. However, given that these joints and the spinal cord are in close approximation, in the presence of other changes, an effusion may have the potential to cause compression.
While Charlotte, Hayley and Holly were the overall winners, five other students also received a Connect Bursary from Intervet / Schering-Plough Animal Health to fund their research. The Bursaries were awarded to Rebecca Johnson and Sharon Brown (Glasgow), Gabrielle Laing (Liverpool), Alex Torrance (Cambridge) and Amy Gordan (Bristol). Students were required to present their work to a judging panel from Intervet / Schering-Plough Animal Health, representatives from the veterinary schools and industry key opinion leaders. Two further Bursaries were also awarded to students from Nottingham.
David Hallas, General Manager at Intervet / Schering-Plough Animal Health said: "Being part of the Connect Bursary is intended to give veterinary students both the freedom to explore new ground as well as providing a taste of working in industry. The fact that we awarded a record number of Bursaries this year, elected joint winners and launched the new Equine Award is testament to the refreshingly high standard of work being undertaken by veterinary undergraduates."
Loseley, the ice-cream maker, has announced that it has developed a new way of making flavoured ice-cream by adapting the diet fed to its cows.
The first variety to be made using the new technique is 'Eton Mess', for which the company's herd is being fed a diet of strawberries and meringues.
Loseley says its cattle - which are housed at the Beechdean Dairies farm in Buckinghamshire - have already been feeding on the ingredients found in the much loved pudding for over a year, to ensure their milk supply is infused with the strawberry and meringue flavours. Apparently, huge amounts of strawberries are having to be air-freighted into the UK in order to ensure an uninterrupted supply through the seasons.Andrew Howard Managing Director of Beechdean Dairies said: "We have been perfecting the quantities in the cattle feed for over 18 months to perfect the Eton Mess flavour. The cows need to be fed just the right quantities of meringues, strawberries, fat and hay to make the perfect Eton Mess ice cream. We believe ice cream should be great quality, tasty and interesting. Our products will always deliver against these criteria."Vince Bamford, Fast Moving Consumer Goods Editor at The Grocer, the UK's leading grocery trade magazine said: "Loseley's flavour development process is cutting edge - I have tasted the product and it is delicious. It is an exciting innovation for the ice cream category."
Over the next few weeks, experts from the fields of veterinary science, academia and government will be offering sector-specific insight into key achievements, latest research and future action needed to tackle AMR through a number of blog posts published on www.bva.co.uk/BVA-blog.
Bloggers will include BVA President John Fishwick, presidents of several BVA specialist divisions, leading academics, and heads of the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) and the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH), among others.
AMR poses a global threat to human and animal health and requires concerted efforts across the medical and veterinary professions to steward responsible use and prescription, as recognised in the UK Government-commission global Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, chaired by Lord O’Neill (May 2016).
The veterinary profession in the UK has been committed to the responsible use of antimicrobials, with the Chief Medical Officer publicly recognising the concerted efforts to reduce antibiotic usage in agriculture. BVA is a member of RUMA and has been working closely with stakeholders in government and industry to develop appropriate and evidence based targets across the livestock sector, which will be announced tomorrow (27 October) at a conference in London.
British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President Gudrun Ravetz said: "AMR is a serious global One Health issue that the veterinary profession is deeply concerned about, as it threatens our ability to treat animals and protect human health, and it is an issue BVA is addressing through joined-up working with UK governments, industry and other health sectors. Increased collaboration between the health sectors, underpinned by a commitment from each of us within the veterinary profession to maintain the highest standards of stewardship in using antimicrobials, most especially Critically Important Antibiotics, is the only way we can preserve these essential medicines for future generations.
"The blog series highlights various aspects of AMR by experts in their field, and we hope that throwing a spotlight on various sectors’ achievements so far and suggested steps for the future will help keep this important issue on all of our agendas, where it should be."
AMR discussions will continue at BVA Congress at the London Vet Show (16-17 November) with a Friday afternoon session on ‘The psychology of antimicrobial resistance: what can social science tell us?’, featuring David Brodbelt, Professor of Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine at Royal Veterinary College; Ian Donald,Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Director, Mulberry Research & Consulting Ltd, and Kristen Reyher, Senior Lecturer in Farm Animal Science at the University of Bristol.
To read Nigel Gibbens’s blog and other blogs from the series, see https://www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/bva-community/bva-blog/safeguarding-the-future-of-antibiotics-is-our-moral-responsibility-as-vets/ and follow the ‘#AMRinfocus’ hashtag on social media.
The RCVS has announced that this year, for the first time, it will accept debit card payments from veterinary surgeons who are renewing their registration.
The annual renewal fee should be paid by 31 March. Those who have not paid by 30 April will be charged an extra £35 to renew their registration while those who have not paid by 31 May will be removed from the Register.
Corrie McCann, RCVS Director of Operations, said: "Following feedback from the profession, this year, thanks to a change in our registration regulations, we are able to accept debit card payments which we hope will make the renewal process much easier and more convenient for our members. Furthermore, members will also no longer be charged if they choose to pay their fee by credit card."
Veterinary surgeons will also need to confirm their registration details (including their correspondence and registration addresses), confirm that they have met the RCVS requirement for continuing professional development of 105 hours over a three-year period and disclose any new or previously undisclosed convictions, cautions or adverse findings.
Another change is that vets will now have the choice of either home or work as their registered address (in the past, only work addresses were allowed).
The annual renewal can be completed by returning the form that has been sent by post or by logging into the 'My Account' area of the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/login) using the security details that have been sent to all MsRCVS.
Any members who have not received their annual renewal form or security details for the 'My Account' area should contact the RCVS Registration Department on 020 7202 0707 or registration@rcvs.org.uk as soon as possible.
Those with queries about paying the annual renewal fee should contact the RCVS Finance Team on 020 7202 0733 or finance@rcvs.org.uk
Sophia Salmon MRCVS from Central CPD said: "All of the major corporate chains in the UK now deliver a significant proportion of their clinical and non-clinical staff training via online learning platforms. These systems form an important part of professional development, training standardisation and even performance evaluation.
"However, learning platforms can be expensive to procure and develop, as well as being time-consuming to maintain, and therefore may not be viable for smaller businesses."
Central CPD has used its experience providing online learning to several of the UK’s major corporate veterinary groups to create 'Central CPD On-Demand', which features over 1500 clinical and non-clinical CPD videos for vets, nurses, managers and receptionists.
There's a new practice subscription package which, developed with whole-team learning in mind, costs £2000 per year for up to twenty people (veterinary surgeons, nurses or management staff).
Central CPD says the new package allows individuals and practices to set their own learning plan for the year, and for mentors to build and supervise training programmes for other staff members.
Practices can add their own content, such as policy documents, in order to assist with the delivery of compulsory elements of staff training.
Central CPD says its service is a fraction of the cost of procuring and populating an off-the-shelf learning platform, and the company is staffed by vets and vet nurses who are available to provide one-to-one advice and support to help practices set up their team’s platform and get the most out of the system.
For more information, visit: https://centralcpd.co.uk/
Vet Sustain works to inspire and enable veterinary professionals to become leading forces in sustainability and improve the health and wellbeing of animals, people and the environment.
To that end, the company produces tools, training and communications for veterinary professionals centred around its six Veterinary Sustainability Goals (SDGs):
Gudrun Ravetz, Chair and Director of Vet Sustain, said: “We are very pleased to announce IVC Evidensia as a strategic partner of Vet Sustain.
"Veterinary professionals sit at the One Health triumvirate of people, planet and environment every day and working with IVC Evidensia will allow Vet Sustain to continue work on ambitious projects to support veterinary professionals to be active sustainability champions.”
You can find out more about IVC's Sustainability Report here: https://ivcevidensia.com/how-we-work/sustainability/
Krka’s Farm Key Account Manager Charlotte Read said: “BRD remains a priority issue on farm and advising farmers on the management of BRD risks, and treatment options when needed, is a key task for farm vets.
"Flovuxin’s combined formulation is a high efficacy BRD treatment acting within six hours1, to improve treatment outcomes.”
Reference
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