Petplan is urging members of the veterinary profession to put their colleagues forward for the 2021 Petplan Veterinary Awards before the nominations close on 18th January. 

Last year, the company had more than 37,000 entries from pet owners and the veterinary community for the five award categories:

• Practice of the Year
• Vet of the Year
• Vet Nurse of the Year
• Practice Manager of the Year
• Practice Support Staff of the Year.

The winners will be announced later this year and will recognise the remarkable work carried out by some of the best veterinary professionals in the country.

James Barnes, Head of Sales & Partnerships at Petplan (pictured right), said: “Now more than ever it’s important to recognise the lengths the veterinary community goes to in looking after our pets. Every year we’re astounded by the quality and quantity of nominations which are a real testament to the hard work of all of those involved at practices who care for animals and clients all year round.

"The awards are a perfect opportunity for you to showcase your practice and your colleagues. If you haven’t already I’d invite you to nominate someone today.”

Nominate a colleague or your practice at www.petplanvet.co.uk/vetawards.

A new study backed by Purina has shown that weight loss in obese dogs is associated with significant improvements of health measures like metabolic status, cardiovascular parameters, life quality and immune-regulation.

The study¹ investigated the effects of a weight loss programme on biochemical and immunological profile, blood leptin level, and cardiovascular parameters in a cohort of dogs with naturally occurring obesity, in order to address the effects due to the imbalance of these aspects on the clinical presentation and management of canine obesity.

For the study, eleven obese but otherwise healthy dogs were included in a six-month weight loss programme, together with a control group of eleven healthy dogs at ideal body condition.

After the six-month weight loss programme, the obese dogs showed clinical improvements on a number of key indicators related to immune function, such as reduced tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6, known to impair insulin action in metabolic tissues but also favour cancer development in humans. Ten out of eleven showing a reduced BCS and no longer classified as obese.

Ten out of eleven dog owners also reported that their dogs were more active and that their quality of life had notably improved.

Hugues du Plessis, Pet Obesity Prevention Manager, at Purina said: “Preventing pet obesity is a major focus at Purina. We not only want to be providing pet owners with information on the benefits of a healthy pet lifestyle, but we also want to help them achieve it. This is why we are working with partner organisations to understand how behavioural science can be used to support owners, from the recognition of an issue, to the changes that will make a difference".

Reference:

1. Piantedosi D, Palatucci AT, Giovazzino A, et al. Effect of a Weight Loss Program on Biochemical and Immunological Profile, Serum Leptin Levels, and Cardiovascular Parameters in Obese Dogs. Front Vet Sci. 2020;7:398. Published 2020 Aug 6. doi:10.3389/fvets.2020.00398

Improve Veterinary Education has opened its first wet-lab training facility in Neu-Isenburg (Frankfurt, Main-Germany).

The training facility is over 800m2 and houses 18 working stations, three lecture rooms, the latest training technology, a leisure area and library with outdoor space and parking. 

Heber Alves, CEO of the Improve International Group said: “It has been a goal of ours for a long time to open a new, top-of-the-range training facility for veterinary professionals in Germany.

"We are delighted to see this dream come true and we are very excited to now have the opportunity to work more closely with vets and veterinary technicians and help them grow their skillsets.”

www.improveinternational.com.

In the run up to this year's 10th Rabbit Awareness Week (18th-16th June), the PDSA has released statistics from its latest Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report, in which more than 55% of rabbit owners have identified behaviour patterns suggesting their rabbit is bored, lonely or stressed.

The reported behaviour patterns, seen on a weekly basis, included rabbits biting the bars of their run or hutch repeatedly, fur pulling, biting, growling and hissing. 

The charity says that with more than 680,000¹ rabbits living alone, despite being highly sociable animals, and thousands more living in small hutches with no opportunity for exercise or mental stimulation, it is no surprise owners and vets are seeing these issues on a regular basis. 

PDSA veterinary surgeon Rebecca Ashman said: "Our figures highlight that lack of mental stimulation can have a huge impact on pet behaviour. What’s most frustrating is the fact that many of these issues could easily be avoided if rabbits were given the right conditions, diet and companions to live alongside."

For this reason, PDSA is backing Rabbit Awareness Week’s #BuddiesForBunnies campaign to get solitary rabbits paired up with suitable companions from rescue centres. The charity says the findings should be a call to action for the 57% of rabbit owners who own single rabbits.

Rebecca added: "Pets do so much to enrich and improve our lives, but by not meeting their needs, their physical and mental wellbeing can be severely compromised. "Sadly, rabbits seem to be the forgotten pet". They can’t speak up and tell us if they’re unhappy, but with the right information and education, owners can make positive changes to their pets’ lives."

Reference

1. PDSA PAW Report 2015. 57% of owners reported their rabbit lives alone. Estimated rabbit population 1.2 million, therefore 57/100 x 1,200,000= 684,000.

Petplan has teamed up with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home to launch Summer Safety, a pet owner education campaign based on insurance claims received by the company. 

The company reports that last year, 83% of all heat stroke claims occurred in the summer months (June-August), with 48% of them in July alone. Almost half of all heat stroke claims last year came in at an average of £315, with the highest claim reaching nearly £600.

80% of grass seed claims happened between June and August last year, 41% of which happened in July. The highest grass seed claim paid out by Petplan last year was just over £3,600, with the top ten highest grass seed claims totalling over £18,500. 

Petplan says it also sees a significant spike in claims for injuries resulting from other foreign bodies in ears and paws in the summer months. Last year, 77% of claims arising from foreign bodies in ears and 55% for foreign bodies in paws occurred between June and August.

In order to alleviate the risk to pets and highlight the danger, Petplan and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home have created a guide to help pet owners determine how at-risk to heat their pet is. The guide is available to download at petplan.co.uk/summersafety and Battersea.org.uk/funinthesun. 

Petplan's vet Brian Faulkner MRCVS said: "Using the simple four step process, the guide encourages pet owners to answer a series of questions that reveals their pet's SPF score, whilst including useful tips to help keep their pet out of harm's way during the hotter months. The scale calculates a pet's risk to retaining heat based on four factors, those being; coat colour, coat type, length of the animal's nose and its age, to determine either a low, medium or high risk susceptibility."

Jennifer Dykes, a small animal, Nottinghamshire based veterinary surgeon, has won first prize in the 'All creatures great and small' category of the BVA Veterinary Photographer of the Year competition.

This year's competition saw over 400 applications from vets from across the profession with a passion for photography, judged by an expert panel which this year was joined by zoologist and wildlife photographer, Victoria Hillman and Guardian picture editor, Eric Hilaire.

Jennifer Dykes won first prize in her category for a photograph of two sheep seemingly 'in conversation' on a misty morning at Castlerigg Stone Circle in the Lake District. She called it ‘Conversations at Dawn (Sheep at Dawn Lakes)’.

Jennifer: "I am overjoyed that my image has been selected as the overall winner of the All Creatures Great and Small category, especially having seen the high calibre of photographs entered in previous years. I’d come across images of Castlerigg stone circle near Keswick before and so I dragged us all out of bed exceptionally early to try and capture the dawn. The combination of the early light and the mist provided the perfect backdrop to the foreground scene; the sheep seemingly completely unfazed by the presence of a few bystanders. Capturing their normality, amidst such beautiful surroundings, was my intention when taking this photograph."

Judge, Victoria Hillman said: "The composition draws you into the sheep, which are an integral part of the image without being front and centre. The light and mist bring a real atmosphere to the image that beautifully sums up the British countryside. It’s a very well thought out and executed image."

In the ‘One Veterinary Community’ category, Laura Caballero Pastor, a small animal vet from Gateshead, won first place. Her photograph depicts a vet helped by the community to vaccinate a dog against rabies in Nepal. She named it ‘One shot, two lives’ and said that the photo was taken during a project where she was part of a veterinary team working with the community to neuter, treat and educate on managing dog populations for rabies and other diseases.

Laura said: "Receiving recognition for this picture enforces my belief in the responsibility that the veterinary sector has to promote animal health to global communities and society. There is a thin line between humans and animals when we talk about diseases. Also, this photo encourages me to continue working on international projects and to be aware of all the amazing possibilities our profession has to offer."

Judge Eric Hilaire said: "With an expressive framing this meaningful picture has captured two important aspects of veterinary work. On one side, treatment, with this team vaccinating street dogs against rabies, on the other, prevention, with this girl holding tight on her booklet."

BVA President Simon Doherty said: "I was pleased to see such a strong portfolio of entries alongside an incredible diversity of subjects. Many congratulations go to our winners Laura and Jennifer, as well as the highly commended selections, and I’d also like to thank everyone who entered."

"I hope it will inspire more BVA members to dust off their cameras, and go and capture some great images for next year."

The winning and highly commended photographs will be exhibited at Brangwyn Hall in Swansea on Thursday 19^th September as part of BVA’s Members’ Day. The images can be viewed here.

Linnaeus has appointed Tim Richardson as its Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Prior to becoming COO, Tim was Managing Director of three referral hospitals owned by Linnaeus – Davies Veterinary Specialists, London Veterinary Specialists and Southfields Veterinary Specialists – and a number of its primary care sites.

Prior to joining Linnaeus, Tim worked in Iceland, where he was a vet for the Icelandic Government.

On his return from Iceland in 2016, he joined Village Vet and then progressed into a range of regional management and practice leadership positions across the industry.

Tim said: "I am proud to be part of our wonderful, unique industry that, although currently facing a number of challenges, continues to make such a difference to the lives of our patients and their owners every day.

“In my first vet role in mixed practice, I was fortunate to receive brilliant support, guidance and encouragement from my team.

"Since then, I have always wanted to do the same for my colleagues, particularly those who are just starting their careers.

“I have used my experience within the veterinary profession to support some fantastic teams at Linnaeus.

"Becoming COO is an honour and opportunity that will enable me to help even more people across the business.”

Chris Linney, an RCVS and EBVS specialist in cardiology is moving north to become head of cardiology at Paragon Veterinary Referrals in Wakefield, Yorkshire.

Chris, who is moving from Willows, will develop both the medical cardiology service and deliver a new interventional cardiology service to complement the existing surgical offering at Paragon, which is investing around £145,000 in ultrasound equipment and operating facilities to support the service.

Chris said: “I’ve had a great time at Willows and couldn’t think of a better place than Paragon to continue my passion for all things cardiology.

“It’s an exciting time to be joining Paragon, which is growing phenomenally to service the region whilst it cements itself as one of the leading referral centres in the north of England.

“The investment and expansion which is taking place at Paragon will allow us to develop another globally-recognised cardiology centre within Linnaeus.”

For more information, visit: www.paragonreferrals.co.uk

Researchers at The Pirbright Institute have developed a new method of genetically modifying the Marek’s disease vaccine so it is also able to protect against other destructive poultry viruses such as infectious bursal disease (IBD), avian influenza or Newcastle disease.

They say this approach could lead to a reduction in the number of vaccines that need to be administered to each bird.

Vaccines that target multiple diseases are in high demand due to the many viruses that can circulate simultaneously in flocks. Protecting against the most dangerous diseases with one vaccine could reduce overall vaccination costs for poultry producers and decrease the number of times that birds need to be handled.

The researchers demonstrated that a gene editing system called CRISPR/cas9 can be used to insert a gene of the IBD virus into the currently used Marek’s disease vaccine virus. The added genetic material protects poultry against IBD in addition to the protection already offered by the Marek’s disease vaccine, meaning that bird owners would only need to use one vaccine instead of two.

Other vaccines generated by conventional methods can achieve a similar result, but by using the CRISPR/cas9 system the Pirbright researchers say they have been able to insert the IBD gene far more quickly, easily and accurately than the methods that have been used before. This will significantly reduce the time needed to generate new vaccines.

Professor Venugopal Nair, joint leader of the research at Pirbright said: "The method we have created with CRISPR/cas9 really increases the scope of how we edit the Marek’s disease vaccine to include other virus components. Now we have shown that the gene-edited vaccine protects against both Marek’s disease and IBD, we are looking at inserting more genes from other viruses."

The team intend to generate a vaccine that will be able to protect against multiple avian diseases and will next target two high consequence poultry viruses - avian influenza virus and the Newcastle disease virus. The flexibility of the new method also means that as the viruses evolve, the vaccine virus can be easily edited to include new genes which protect against emerging strains.

The Pirbright Institute says there has been huge commercial interest in using this technology to develop novel vaccines, so it intends to partner vaccine manufacturing companies to bring CRISPR/cas9 edited vaccines to market. 

This scientific paper can be found in the Vaccine journal and was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); grant numbers BB/P016472/1 BB/L014262/1.

Photo: Cells infected with the Marek's disease vaccine virus, HVT, (green) expressing the inserted infectious bursal disease virus gene, VP2 (red). Cell nuclei are shown in blue. © Dr Na Tang, The Pirbright Institute 2018.

Luis Sainz-Pardo, a Spanish vet who migrated to the UK, has started VetAbroad, a new company which will offer advice and support to practices employing foreign vets, and training to non-UK practitioners in order that they are better equipped to work in this country.

Luis says it's not unusual for practice owners and managers to have concerns about how best to mentor and support non-UK veterinary graduates. Teamwork and a sense of what it means to be part of the UK veterinary community are essential. But cultural differences, professional obligations and coping with regional accents and idioms, all present significant challenges for both the non-UK vet and the practice employing them. Luis says he's experienced these challenges from both sides of the fence: first as a vet migrating to the UK and later as the owner of one of the first practices to achieve BSAVA practice standards. 

To help foreign vets coming to the UK, VetAbroad has launched a new e-learning course Working as a foreign vet in the UK that trains non-UK vets to practise in the UK. It is suitable for graduates who've recently started to work here, those preparing for work in the UK and graduates who have been in the UK for longer but would benefit from brushing up on the expectations of UK regulatory bodies, clients and practices.

The 140-hour course includes a significant audio element to ensure competence in the understanding of spoken English. It addresses all aspects of life as a vet in the UK, including culture, necessary adaptations, the RCVS Code of Conduct, teamwork & productivity and client & patient care. The course ensures that graduates know what they need to fulfil their obligations of professional conduct, to respond appropriately to UK clients and to fit with the needs of busy UK veterinary practices.

To help practice owners and managers that employ foreign vets, VetAbroad offers a mentor scheme to help deal with their issues or concerns. For a nominal monthly fee, the mentor is able to counsel, provide advice, identify training needs, or liaise between the two parties, taking into account cultural differences, common misconceptions and barriers to communication. VetAbroad says the percentage of vets not adapting to the UK system is close to 50% and providing appropriate support is likely to improve employee retention, client satisfaction and productivity.

For more information, visit www.vetabroad.com 

Defra has confirmed that equine infectious anaemia (EIA) has been detected in two horses in Wiltshire following importation from Romania via Belgium.

The premises is currently under restriction and the two infected horses will be humanely destroyed in line with existing regulations. The other horses on the premises will be subject to epidemiological investigation in the coming weeks. A further two horses have also been under investigation and test results have proved negative.

The animals arrived in a group of 10 horses, nine of which originated from Romania and one from Belgium. The nine Romanian horses were tested for EIA as part of routine post-import testing. Seven horses all tested negative. The horse that originated in Belgium is due to be tested shortly.

Chief Veterinary Officer, Nigel Gibbens said: "This is the first case of equine infectious anaemia infected animals being imported into Great Britain since 1976 and shows the success of our post import testing regime. These were apparently healthy horses carrying a notifiable disease that we are keen to keep out of Great Britain. After considering the risk I have decided to take appropriate action and humanely destroy these two horses that tested positive."

The RCVS has contacted 1,071 veterinary surgeons asking them to share their continuing professional development (CPD) records as part of the its annual audit of compliance.

Under the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct veterinary surgeons are expected to demonstrate that they are keeping their skills and knowledge up-to-date by engaging in at least 105 hours of CPD over a rolling three-year period.

As part of the auditing process the 1,071 vets will be asked to share their CPD records for 2014 to 2016, either by allowing the College to access their online Professional Development Record or by sending the College a copy of their CPD record card.

The audit will focus on six groups:

• 91 vets who have not confirmed their CPD compliance when renewing their registration for two consecutive years;
• a random sample of 400 vets who said they were compliant when renewing their registration in 2017;
• 235 vets who were found to be non-compliant in the 2016 audit;
• 131 vets who did not respond when asked to share their records in the 2016 audit;
• 32 graduate vets who have not responded to any communication about the Professional Development Phase;
• and 128 vets who said they were not compliant as part of the 2017 annual renewal process.

The College says that if any of the veterinary surgeons who have been audited are found to be non-compliant they will be asked to explain why and send a plan stating how they will make up the hours in order to become compliant.

The deadline for sharing records is Tuesday 31 October 2017.

As part of the auditing process the College is reminding veterinary surgeons that CPD encompasses a wide range of recorded activities, which can be clinical or non-clinical, including private reading/study, webinars, mentoring, clinical audit and discussion groups as well as attending seminars and workshops.

Don't forget that reading content and participating in forum discussions on VetSurgeon.org can count towards your annual requirement, using the 'Claim CPD' feature at the top of each page. 

Those with any questions about the auditing process or what constitutes CPD can contact Jenny Soreskog-Turp, RCVS Education Officer, on cpd@rcvs.org.uk.

Virbac has launched an iPhone app designed to support veterinary surgeons in the diagnosis of canine dermatological conditions.

Called Virbac-Derm-Diag it enables clinicians to create a clinical history (including photographs) of a patient then recommends a clinical chronological approach for the diagnosis of many of the canine skin diseases seen most commonly in practice. It also contains a library of downloadable monographs, videos and images of skin diseases which can be used to support discussions with owners about diagnosis and potential treatment regimes.

Chris Geddes MRCVS, Product Manager, said: "Dog skin disorders are among the most common health problems seen in practice and have a wide range of causative factors. We are really excited about the launch of the app, which should prove really useful as vets work through the various steps of history-taking and examination required to reach an accurate diagnosis.

It also provides a wealth of materials to help them explain the implications of diagnosis to owners and recommended treatment options."

Veterinary dermatologist Anthony Chadwick said: "This is an ideal app for those vets who have an interest in dermatology and want readily accessible information at their fingertips. The images of lesions are likely to be particularly helpful."

Virbac Derm-Diag, it is available by searching for 'Virbac' in the app store (or click here). The content is restricted to veterinary surgeons, who must register at www.virbacderm.com to gain an access code.

Virbac says an iPad version will be available within weeks and there are plans to launch the app on other platforms shortly.