With dysentery apparently at its highest level for many years, Pfizer Animal Health has launched a new campaign to help increase awareness of the benefits of selecting the best prevention and treatment options.
Nigel Lodge MRCVS, Pfizer technical manager said: "The increase in dysentery can be attributed to a combination of factors including more frequent movement of weaners and a reduction in the level of feed medication resulting from the increasing use of more vaccines against other disease.
"With the early onset of winter, we know that dysentery will survive outside the pig for up to seven weeks in cold moist conditions and other pathogens for considerably longer."
The campaign is headed by a new guide, 'Enteric Disease Management', which looks at prevention and treatment of the problem, one of the most costly to the producer. Dysentery alone is estimated to cost more than £10 / pig finished considering higher mortality, increased feed costs and non-marketable animals.
The guide says that according to the housing system some of the pathogens have extremely long survival times - three months for E coli, nine months for salmonella and one year for coronavirus (transmissible gastroenteritis). It provides advice on limiting infection and reducing stress on the pigs.
Mr Lodge says that the incidence of dysentery fluctuates in different areas of the country with varying antibiotic sensitivity. Hence, a sensitivity test is essential when deciding on a particular medication.
With enteric diseases in general, there are a wide range of causes - including bacteria, viruses, parasites, management or nutrition. Mr Lodge said: "The causal agent can sometimes be diagnosed from clinical signs, such as dysentery, but generally post mortem and laboratory diagnosis is required.
"There are various antibiotic products which can be used but all should only be used after management issues such as bio security, pen management and rodent control have been addressed.
"Some products are specific in their activity, such as Lincocin Premix and swine dysentery. Others have a broad spectrum of activity and should be used where mixed infections are diagnosed. Linco-Spectin Premix, for instance, is active against E coli, Salmonella, ileitis, swine dysentery and other enteric bacteria."
Copies of the new publication - including a competition to win two prizes of one tonne of pig feed - are available from Pfizer Animal Health via Scott Wheway Tel: 01737 330941 or scott.a.wheway@pfizer.com
BCF Technology has announced the launch of the Logiq S7 Expert ultrasound system.
BCF says the new system offers the latest in ultrasound technology and represents a significant leap forward in imaging capability.
The Logiq S7 ultrasound system includes features such as B-Flow, Elastography, Flow Quantification, Contrast Imaging, B-Steer+, 3D/4D ultrasound, Volume Imaging and Multi-Modality Imaging Display.
Nigel Perry from BCF said: "The new Logiq S7 Expert provides the highest image quality currently available in the market. With a wide range of probes available for every veterinary application. If you are looking for the ultimate in ultrasound capability then the Logiq S7 is the system for you."
For more information, visit http://www.bcftechnology.co.uk/ or call +44(0)1506 460 023.
The British Small Animal Association has responded to Defra's statement on compulsory microchipping.
The Association says it is an advocate of compulsory microchipping as the most effective way to permanently identify a dog - as long as owners maintain an up-to-date registration on the various databases. As such it broadly welcomes the recent Defra statement.
However, BSAVA points out that the statement has come before a full and considered consultation in terms of its implementation, and says it raises a number of questions for vets in practice:
Despite the headlines around the statement, this is yet to be laid down in law and will require changes under the Animal Welfare Act and potentially the Dangerous Dogs Act, so there is still a conversation to be had about its implementation.
For this reason BSAVA has announced that it is launching a consultation with its members to establish their concerns and opinions in order to work with all the organisations involved in the best interest of animal welfare and the profession. If anyone in practice wants to feed into this consultation, they should visit http://www.bsava.com or contact BSAVA's Scientific Policy Officer Sally Everitt via email - s.everitt@bsava.com.
BSAVA President Mark Johnston said: "While implantation can be straightforward for those with appropriate experience it will be important to ensure that all those who carry out implantation are properly trained. However microchipping is not just a matter of implanting the microchip, there is a significant amount of administrative work in ensuring that animals are properly registered and that details are kept up-to-date. All of these stages need to be properly funded if the scheme is to be successful and sustainable. BSAVA will be consulting its members to gather their views and concerns and hope to be involved in a productive conversation with all interested parties."
BSAVA says there is a good news animal welfare story within this statement concerning the seizure of animals during investigation under the Dangerous Dogs Act. The new measures will allow the authorities to decide whether a suspected prohibited dog can stay with their owners until the outcome of court proceedings. Until now all such animals had to be kennelled until the proceedings had concluded, which often means that dogs who posed no risk suffered unnecessarily. BSAVA welcomes this new measure in the interest of animal welfare.
Alan, who is MD of the veterinary business consultancy, Vet Dynamics, will be looking at finances, the team, and scoping out a future strategy. The session will provide practical planning tools, strategic advice, and the opportunity to ask questions.
Bayer points to a number of trends which have emerged during lockdown which it says practices must respond to quickly in the post-lockdown recovery.
The company says retailers have reported that internet traffic increased threefold at the start of lockdown and it remains at double the pre-lockdown levels. Direct retail sales of flea and tick products have also increased.
This suggests that owners are becoming more comfortable with buying preventative healthcare products online.
Bayer says there is a business opportunity here for practices. The subscription box market is expected to hit £1 billion by 20222, and one way practices can capitalise on this trend is by offering home-delivered flea, wormer and tick treatments.
Another business opportunity could lie in research by Banfield Pet Hospital among 1,000 US pet owners in which 20% vowed to take their pets ‘more often’ to the vet post-lockdown for preventative care checkups3.
Caroline Braidwood, Regional Business Manager of Bayer Animal Health said: "We know that many veterinary customers have potentially gone elsewhere during the pandemic and vets will need to work hard to win them back. Our webinar will provide tangible insights to ensure that practices can flourish. Whether you’ve worked with Bayer or not, our team of Veterinary Business Managers are here to help. We’re all in this together, and with some planning, we can ensure the veterinary industry continues to grow.”
To book your webinar place, visit: https://event.webinarjam.com/register/46/rk71qav5
In addition to its Helpline service, Vetlife continued to provide mental health care through its Health Support service.
In 2023, the service facilitated 198 referrals, connecting individuals with mental health care resources.
The charity also provided over £100,000 of financial support to members of the profession who were facing financial hardship.
Trustee Danny Chambers said: "Within the veterinary community, there is a profound sense that Vetlife belongs to all of us.
"With over 4000 of our friends and colleagues reaching out for support within just 12 months, we urgently need your assistance to ensure this invaluable service continues.
"By becoming a 'Friend of Vetlife' with a monthly contribution from just £2.10—less than the cost of a cup of coffee—you provide us with a steady, predictable income, enabling us to plan and deliver long-term, consistent support to our veterinary community."
https://www.vetlife.org.uk/become-a-vetlife-member
The six-floor building, which the College bought for £22.3m in 2022, was originally a warehouse.
Over the years it has been home to a range of businesses from leather manufacturers and papers makers to lithographic plate makers and shoe upping manufacturers, before becoming an office space.
The building remained tenanted until 2024, when £5.8m worth of renovation work to convert the building into a space suitable for a royal college began.
In addition to the working areas for RCVS and RCVS Knowledge staff, the building also has:
RCVS CEO, Lizzie Lockett, said: “After a few years in a rented co-working office space, we’re delighted to have moved into our new home, designed not only to meet the needs of College staff, but to support the broader ambitions of the RCVS as a whole.
“Our new strategic plan has collaboration at its heart – the idea of being stronger through working together – and our new building will help us to achieve that.
“Whether attending events, exploring RCVS Knowledge’s archives, using the members' area and meeting rooms, or benefitting from the outputs that the new space enables, the building has been developed with members and associates as a central focus.”
RCVS President, Linda Belton, added: "It’s great to see what’s been achieved through this project and my thanks go to the team who have managed the refurbishment and move.
“The new premises are equipped to ensure that the voice of the veterinary professions remains integral in assuring animal health, welfare, and public health in the UK, allowing for those all-important stakeholder conversations essential to setting, upholding and advancing veterinary standards.
“We look forward to welcoming members, associates, students and stakeholders alike in the coming months and years.”
Two veterinary surgeons from the Animal Health Trust have won international awards for outstanding work in diagnostic imaging at 16th International Veterinary Radiology Association (IVRA) meeting held in Bursa Turkey.
Dr Sue Dyson, Head of Clinical Orthopaedics at the AHT, was awarded the IVRA J Kevin Kealy Award, which recognises members of the IVRA who have made substantial, scientific contributions to veterinary radiology.
The Award, established in 2003, is named in honour of Emeritus Professor J. Kevin Kealy, organiser of the first meeting of the IVRA, the first President, and an Honorary Member of the Association.
Sue has lectured internationally and published more than 200 refereed papers in scientific journals, as well as being a major author and editor of four books. On receiving the award, she said: "I was hugely surprised to receive this award and feel extremely honoured."
Past president of the IVRA, Peter Lord, said: "It is hard to imagine that equine diagnostic imaging today would be the same without the contributions of Sue Dyson and her colleagues. She is an outstanding recipient of the J Kevin Kealy Award."
Ruth Dennis, Head of Diagnostic Imaging (pictured above right), was awarded the European Association of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging (EAVDI) Douglas and Williamson Award, established in 1983, to recognise outstanding achievement within the field of veterinary diagnostic imaging.
Ruth was President of the EAVDI between 2000 and 2002 and her long standing contributions to the association have been recognised with this award.
Ruth said: "I am very honoured to receive this award, especially since, as a vet student in Cambridge in the late 1970s, I was taught by Sidney Douglas and David Williamson, who were pioneers of veterinary radiology."
Nuria Corzo-Menendez, current EAVDI President, said: "Ruth's contributions to veterinary diagnostic imaging are vast and we will always be grateful for such great additions to our field."
Details of the new charges are found on the in-flight safety card ...
Feline charity International Cat Care (the charity formerly known as FAB) has teamed up with Digital Photographer and Your Cat magazine to launch a photography competition, 'Picture Purrfect Cats', which they are asking veterinary surgeons and nurses to help spread the word about.
The charity, which undertakes feline welfare projects across the globe, is looking for exceptional images of cats, celebrating their unique appeal under the following categories:
The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges including International Cat Care CEO Claire Bessant, Digital Photographer editor, April Madden, and Your Cat magazine editor Sue Parslow.
The first prize is a weekend safari break for two at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Kent, which includes tented accommodation overlooking a watering hole where a variety of African animals, such as zebras, giraffes and rhinos drink - offering plenty of magical photo opportunities. The winner also will be invited to attend International Cat Care's annual event at Altitude 360 in London, where their photograph will be exhibited and they will be presented with their prize.
International Cat Care CEO, Claire Bessant, said: "They say a picture conveys a 1,000 words, so we are hoping for some high quality images which shout to the world about the beauty of cats, and therefore why it's important to ensure they are looked after properly. Our welfare projects are international, working with both owned and unowned cats, pedigrees and moggies. We've reflected this in our categories and are hoping for some very varied entries. Please visit our Facebook page and enter or have a look at our growing gallery of feline photographs and vote for your favourite."
Runners up from each category will receive a framed A3 print of their winning photograph, along with official merchandise from the charity. Young photographers, ages 12 - 17 years, can win a Samsung Galaxy Smart WiFi Compact Digital Camera.
You can help support the competition by tweeting or e-mailing this link to your clients: www.facebook.com/internationalcatcare. Alternatively, add it to your practice website or your newsletter. It'll be fun if one of your clients wins.
The deadline for the competition is 16th August 2013.
Ceva Animal Health has announced that it has made its cardiology webinar series, first broadcast in November and December 2013, available to view on demand at: www.cardaliscpd.co.uk.
Featuring some of the UK's leading veterinary cardiology specialists, the webinars that can be watched on demand include:
Each webinar lasts for around 1.5 hours. CPD certificates are then available after answering questions relating to each webinar.
Senior product manager Fraser Broadfoot MRCVS said: "We have been overwhelmed by the response to this webinar series, which shows how strong the demand is for high quality cardiology CPD. Ceva remains committed to continue supporting veterinary professionals by carrying out ongoing cardiology seminars, webinars and online CPD programmes."
For further information, please email Ceva Animal Health on customerservicesuk@ceva.com.
The RCVS has announced that those veterinary surgeons who wish to gain the middle tier RCVS Advanced Practitioner status will have extra time to do so this year.
The status, which was launched last August, recognises those veterinary surgeons who can demonstrate knowledge and skills beyond their initial degree in a designated field of veterinary practice. This year the application process, which opens today, will end on Friday 30 October, meaning that veterinary surgeons will have over four months to submit their application, compared to less than three months last year.
Christine Warman, Head of Education at the College, said: "Following on from the great success of our first ever application process last year, in which some 640 vets applied of whom 575 were successful, we have decided to lengthen this year's application window. We hope that this will allow prospective applicants extra time to consider and make an application."
Applications received in June and July will be considered by the Advanced Practitioner Panel and, where successful, ratified by the RCVS Education Committee in October this year, which may result in an earlier listing for successful applicants. Successful applications received in August, September and October will be ratified at the Education Committee's February 2016 meeting.
This year veterinary surgeons will be able to make an application for Advanced Practitioner status through the online 'My Account' area on the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/login). The fee payable on application is £80 and the RCVS can also now take payment online.
Details of the application process, eligibility criteria, eligible qualifications and fee information, as well as a list of designations, can be found in the Advanced Practitioner Applicant Guidance Notes document which is available to download from www.rcvs.org.uk/advanced
Those who are interested in applying can also contact Duncan Ash, RCVS Education Officer, for an initial discussion on 020 7202 0703 or d.ash@rcvs.org.uk
Over 500 practices took part in the 2016 initiative, and Avacta is hoping even more will get involved this year, helping to raise awareness of allergies in cats and dogs.
Marketing Manager Gary Skipper said: "This year’s PAW campaign will focus on the clinical signs associated with allergies in cats and dogs as well as what is involved in the diagnosis and treatment process."
To help raise the PAW profile, Avacta has created a series of cartoon characters, such as the one pictured right, to help engage pet owners with the initiative and demonstrate the clinical signs associated with allergies in pets. There'll be a competition to name the cartoon characters at Avacta's stand (808) at BSAVA Congress this year, for the chance to win a personal pet portrait.
Gary said: "There are a wealth of reasons to get the practice involved in the initiative. PAW aims to help boost awareness among clients of the common clinical signals associated with allergies in cats and dogs; we will be offering heavily discounted canine and feline allergy tests throughout June to help reduce costs, and the campaign also helps to encourage team work by getting everyone at the practice involved in the competition for the best PAW waiting room display using the pack materials – the winning practice will receive a luxury hamper!"
To register your practice for the 2017 Pet Allergy Week, complete the online registration form at www.avactaanimalhealth.com/PAW. Alternatively speak to your local Territory Manager or contact the Avacta Customer Services Team on 0800 3 047 047 or email customer.services@avacta.com.
The registration deadline to receive a pack is Friday 5th May.
The redesign includes an overhaul of the layout, structure and navigation of all the College’s websites: Professionals, Animal Owners, Find a Vet and RCVS Knowledge.
Some of the main changes are:
Ian Holloway, Head of Communications, said: "We’re delighted to be launching our new-look site today and hope all the improvements we’ve incorporated will make using the site a much better experience for veterinary professionals and animal owners alike.
"Working closely with our website provider, NetXtra, over the past nine months, we’ve been able to develop a new-look site with vastly improved design, structure and navigation, whilst avoiding the major expense of building a completely new website from scratch.
"We’re very grateful to them, and to all those vets, vet nurses and members of the public who have helped us with user-testing and content mapping to improve the site as much as possible for everyone who uses it."
Anyone with any comments or feedback about the new-look site is invited to send it to communications@rcvs.org.uk.
This, the company says, makes Simparica Trio the only oral moxidectin that is licensed to treat A.vasorum in dogs in the UK.
Louise Longstaff, National Veterinary Manager at Zoetis UK said: “The last time a product was licensed for the treatment of lungworm in the UK was some time ago, so this is an especially important development.
"Simparica Trio offers a new licensed route of administration for lungworm treatment in dogs, giving vets another option to that which is currently available.
"It enables them to tailor treatment based on their patient’s needs while still prescribing within the cascade.”
Simparica Trio is a chewable monthly tablet for dogs containing sarolaner, moxidectin and pyrantel.
It kills fleas and ticks, treats mites, roundworm and hookworm, prevents and treats lungworm and prevents heartworm disease.
https://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-485011
Rob Rayward, an RCVS Orthopaedic Specialist at Davies Veterinary Specialists, Hertfordshire, is preparing to grease up and swim the murky waters of the English Channel this month, to raise funds for the Christian charity Derek Prince Ministries UK.
Rob is undertaking the 35km swim as a part of a Channel Swim Relay Team and has been in training for his chilly trip across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes for the past year. He is hoping to raise £1500 for the charity, which provides Christian teaching materials in over 1000 languages to Church leaders and Christian communities around the world. They also provide food and education to poor widows and orphans in Ethiopia.
Rob said: "Despite being a small animal vet I'm definitely not planning on doing the doggy paddle. All members of the team have different strengths and weaknesses but for me the cold water is proving to be a real challenge. It is likely to be about 16C on the day but as well as the cold we may have to swim part of it in the dark. Many people are aware that the Channel has debris floating in it but few are aware that we may also face jelly fish, basking sharks and if really lucky, sewage! We anticipate it taking us approximately 14 hours to complete the crossing but weather and tidal conditions can have a major impact on our time."
Rob will be completing his challenge when the conditions are favourable at some point between 19th and 28th July.
To sponsor him visit his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/rob-rayward.
All donations are gratefully received.
The Animal Health Trust has cut the first sod of a new cancer centre for animals in Suffolk.
The AHT's Cancer Centre will provide all three treatment options: surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, on one site. The cancer facility is being purpose-built to treat horses, dogs and cats.
Sue Murphy, Head of Clinical Cancer Treatment at the AHT, said: "Having all three treatment options on one site means that whatever the diagnosis, we will be able to offer each and every patient the very best options for their specific case. With one in four dogs and one in six cats developing cancer at some time in their life this new centre will help many more animals - from Suffolk, East Anglia and all across the UK."
The new centre will also further research into cancer. Treating animals with all types of the disease will enable the AHT's vets and scientists to expand current knowledge about cancer. This will help with the development of new ways to diagnose and treat the disease.
Vets and scientists at the AHT already work collaboratively with cancer researchers looking at the disease in humans. There are a number of links between human and animal cancers which have already been identified. It is hoped that knowledge gained from the AHT Cancer Centre may also help in the understanding of cancer in people.
The AHT hopes the building will open in summer 2012 . It is launching an appeal to raise much needed funds to equip the centre with a linear accelerator. This piece of specialist equipment works by delivering high-energy radiation beams to break cancerous tumours down while sparing the surrounding normal tissue.
The AHT Cancer Centre will be one of only six veterinary facilities in the UK to house a linear accelerator.
Sue Murphy added: "Currently, there is no way to tell which animals will, and which animals won't, develop cancer. It could happen to any animal at any time. This new centre will give more animals a fighting chance of beating the disease, enabling them to lead long and healthy lives. The fact that treatments developed to benefit our pets may also lead to improvements in the prevention and treatment of cancer in humans makes this centre all the more important.
"I would urge you to donate whatever you can to help equip the centre. Your donation, however large or small, will help many more animals beat cancer and it may also help in the fight against cancer in people."
If you would like to make a donation to the AHT Cancer Centre please visit www.aht.org.uk or telephone 01638 555648.
Alternatively you can make a £5 donation by textingVETS24 £5 to 70070
Apparently, there were over 100 times more recorded outbreaks of equine flu across the UK in 2019 than the year before1, and numerous equestrian events were cancelled as a result.
The company says that despite this, as of 2019, only about half of all UK horses are vaccinated2.
Blaise Scott-Morris MRCVS, Equine Marketing and Technical Manager at MSD Animal Health said: "Last year’s outbreaks of equine flu rocked the equine world, raising important animal welfare issues and costing the racing industry millions.
"Furthermore, they highlighted the need for good preventative healthcare and, in particular, vaccination. It’s vital that more owners are encouraged to vaccinate and those that already have, to keep up with their annual vaccinations and health checks so we don’t experience the same suffering again."
MSD's campaign invites horse owners to join the movement to #fightequineflu, and there is a range of materials to help practices promote the campaign and encourage clients to talk about vaccination and preventative healthcare, including an educational infographic poster, a social media pack and new resources on the Chameleon appointment reminder system.
MSD will itself be promoting the campaign on social media (Facebook: @Keeping Britains Horses Healthy, Instagram: @KeepingHorsesHealthy), and through partnerships with consumer channels such as Horse and Country TV.
There is also a new information resource online at www.kbhh.co.uk/achoo, which offers horse owners links to a range of other educational preventative health materials and horse care advice.
To request your Fight Equine Flu practice pack, speak to your MSD account manager.
References
WikiVet has announced the launch of a new information resource about undesirable behaviour in cats for veterinary professionals and students.
The resource has been produced by WikiVet in collaboration with Ceva Santé Animale following a survey of 800 cat owners by the Royal Veterinary College in which 75% said that problem behaviour is a subject that they expected vets to be knowledgeable about.
WikiVet says that despite this level of concern and expectation among cat owners, many find that their local vet is less knowledgeable than they anticipated and cannot offer the effective advice they need. Hence the new resource.
The new Feline Behaviour Section on WikiVet is described as the first of its kind and contains over 40 encyclopaedic pages on the topic of feline behaviour as well as expert videos and an interactive quiz. The section includes information on normal feline behaviour, problem behaviours and how to manage them, as well as the importance of cats' environment.
Jon Bowen leads the Veterinary Behaviour Service at the RVC, is an expert in feline behaviour and has contributed his knowledge to the resource. He said: "I am thrilled to have been involved in the creation of these new resources which will help to raise awareness and understanding of this complex and previously under-appreciated topic."
To mark the beginning of the project WikiVet is launching the Feline Behaviour Global Student Challenge. This is an online quiz which gives participants the chance to test their expertise and identify gaps in their knowledge. The top three scores will be rewarded with a £50 ebook prize. Once the competition has ended, the quiz will be available to users of WikiVet.
Martin Mitchell, Group Communications Director at Ceva Santé Animale, said: "In an increasingly urban and stressful world, the veterinary profession has a major role to play in educating the public about behaviour related issues. As Ceva, we are delighted to partner WikiVet in the development of this valuable new online resource that we all hope will help veterinarians and future veterinarians to pass on their knowledge to help improve the bond between cats and their owners."
For more information, visit: http://en.wikivet.net/Feline_Behaviour_Launch
CEVA Animal Health has produced Understanding sacroiliac disease, a leaflet to help horse owners understand the cause, diagnosis and management of sacroiliac disease.
CEVA says sacroiliac disease can be a particular challenge because although it can occur in isolation it often occurs in addition to other sources of hindlimb lameness. Acute sacroiliac injury is usually a result of trauma, such as a fall, which may cause pelvic rotation or fracture, resulting in hindlimb lameness and sensitivity to palpation of the tubera sacrale soon after injury. With chronic sacroiliac disease there is usually no history of trauma, rather a prolonged history of poor performance.
Understanding sacroiliac disease explains the anatomy of the sacroiliac joint, the clinical signs of the disease, how it is diagnosed, the treatment options and the general prognosis. The leaflet is available to equine vet practices as a useful information source for clients. You can order free copies from your CEVA sales representative.
Enrolment is now open for the programme, which matches participants with an experienced supervisor and provides BSAVA support and guidance.
The Association says the qualification is intended to give veterinary surgeons the opportunity to investigate in more depth any aspect of clinical research relating to their work – in particular vets working in practice, including those who may be unsure how to take the first step.
It could be a special interest, such as evaluating risk factors for a particular disease or common case they see in practice, with experienced peers available in diverse areas – from exotics to ophthalmology and nutrition to internal medicine.
The Masters is a significant addition to the most successful CPD programme in the 60-year history of the BSAVA, spearheaded by Academic Director Frances Barr (pictured above right).
Frances said: "This qualification offers exciting possibilities for vets to unlock their inner researcher, finding answers to clinical questions faced in practice and guided every step of the way by highly experienced supervisors and the BSAVA team.
"It furthers the BSAVA’s mission to help vets realise their ambitions and develop through lifelong learning at every stage of their careers, which we hope will have a very positive impact on the profession."
The Masters programme, validated by Nottingham Trent University, is aimed at people who already have any accredited postgraduate certificate (60 credits at Level 7) relevant to some aspect of veterinary medicine or surgery.
It is based on a further 1,200 study hours and could be flexibly achieved in two years of part-time study or up to five years, depending on the project type and an individual’s availability. It starts with online study into the principles of clinical research, which students will then apply to their own research project.
The programme starts in January 2017 and applications are now open.
Students can enroll online and find out more information at www.bsava.com or by emailing masters@bsava.com.
VMA chair, Claire Edmunds said: "The aim of the PR award is to recognise the value that media and public relations can add to the marketing mix.
"The award is given to the entry that has delivered the most innovative and effective PR campaign during the previous year, as judged by a panel of industry professionals. This can be a single ‘one-off’ event or article, or a sustained campaign over a given period."
The winner and two highly commended entries will be announced at the VMA Awards on Friday 17th March 2017, at the London Lancaster Hotel.
The last date for entry submissions is 10th February and the event takes place at 11.30am on Friday 17th March 2017.
For further information visit www.vma.org.uk
The training material includes a range of new downloadable marketing resources for vets and SQPs to help maintain communications with their farmer customer base while face-to-face contact opportunities are restricted. They include a newsletter and social media and farmer engagement tools for various dairy, beef and sheep disease management issues.
Vets can also access new BRD management content highlighting the benefit of immunity-led disease prevention and ultrasound scanning of calf lungs. You can also view a range of practical ‘how to’ videos, as well as five different webinar recordings explaining ways to collaborate more effectively with farmers over youngstock rearing issues. The content is based on implementing MSD Animal Health’s versatile calf health checklist engagement tool, which facilitates an audit-based approach to assessing and improving current on-farm management practices.
MSD says it has another two webinars in the pipeline, which will be released in the weeks ahead: ‘Immunology’ with Professor James Roth and ‘Salmonella’ with Katrina Henderson from SAC.
To access all the training content, visit: https://www.msd-animal-health-hub.co.uk
In the 15 minute podcast, Carolyn Kyte, a vet in general practice, talks to Natalie Barnard, a veterinary dermatology specialist from Highcroft Referrals, and together they share their experience of the challenges of treating animals with otitis and explain why owners play a important role in successful treatment of the condition.
Dechra Brand Manager Carol Morgan said: “Otitis is very common, particularly in dogs, but there is no ‘quick fix’ when some underlying factors are causing the problem. This can lead to frustration for the pet’s owners and animals not getting the consistent treatment they need to get better.
“What Carolyn and Natalie bring to the table with their new podcast for the Dechra Academy is a light and insightful discussion about communication and education being the keystone for better otitis outcomes and how vets can improve on their consultation skills to handle cases better.”
The otitis podcast is here: https://academy.dechra.com/learn/course/internal/view/elearning/1034/think-differently-about-otitis
The symposium, which offers up to 5 hours of CPD, is now available at: https://purinasymposium2022.vfairs.com/en/hall#exterior-view
In the recording, the following six experts share their knowledge:
Viewers can also download the delegate notes which provide a summary of the research explored in the talks.