Zoetis has announced that Suvaxyn MH-One, its vaccine against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in pigs, has a revised licence allowing it to be administered from seven days of age with a two-week onset of immunity.

The company says this means that piglets can be protected by three weeks of age when they are commonly already infected with M. hyo. Duration of immunity extends well beyond the average UK pig slaughter age of 176 days.  

 Nigel Lodge, National Veterinary Manager for Zoetis in the UK said: "This is a significant step forward, recognising the full efficacy of the Suvaxyn MH-One vaccine against enzootic pneumonia. Trials have confirmed that use of Suvaxyn MH-One at seven days reduces lung lesions - even in the presence of maternally derived antibodies.

"The vaccine, which adds to our large and growing pig vaccine and product portfolio, also benefits from using adjuvants carbopol and squalane."

According to the company, the performance gains from early protection are shown in a field trial with 240 pigs injected at one week of age which showed significantly higher average daily weight gain, providing nearly 5 kg extra weight over the study period to 166 days.

The Kennel Club is hosting its second Puppy Awareness Week to help improve the health and lives of dogs around the UK, and is seeking assistance from the veterinary profession.

Puppy Awareness Week is taking place from 8^th - 14^th September and aims to help people find a healthy, happy puppy that is right for their lifestyle, whilst raising awareness about the plight of puppies and breeding bitches born into cruel puppy farms.

To help, veterinary surgeons and nurses are being asked to join in the week, putting up posters and literature in client waiting areas, and selling Puppy Awareness Week badges for £2, which will go to the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary said: "It is vitally important that we spread the word about buying puppies responsibly. At veterinary surgeries there is a captive audience of animal lovers and we can't think of anyone better to communicate with. Not only are a vet's clients animal lovers and as such, potential new dog owners, but they may also make great champions of the cause, spreading the message about buying a puppy responsibly further afield.

"Sadly, we are seeing tens of thousands of puppies born each year suffer as puppy farms churn out litter after litter of undernourished and badly cared for puppies, and then selling them on to unsuspecting owners through pet shops, newspaper ads, online adverts and various other means. With help from veterinary practices we want to provide information throughout Puppy Awareness Week to help people understand how to buy a healthy, happy puppy, and to raise money for the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, which supports charities and organisations that are making dogs' lives better."

To get involved in Puppy Awareness Week and receive literature and Puppy Awareness badges, contact the Kennel Club press office at press.office@thekennelclub.org.uk.

Puppy Awareness Week will kick off at Pup Aid on September 8^th in Primrose Hill, London and will run until 14^th September. To find out more, visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk/paw.

BEVA has launched a collection of resources for vets about equine infectious diseases.

The new resources include:

• A tool to check endemic and exotic infectious differentials for various presenting signs
• Clinical pathway tools for cases presenting with ataxia, nasal discharge, and with more to follow
• Equine Herpes Virus consensus building tool
• Biosecurity management and preparedness infographics for horse owners
• Vaccination position statements and list of those available in the UK
• Flu vaccine reckoner table of the various vaccine manufacturers and competition bodies.

Celia Marr, chair of BEVA’s infectious disease working group, said: “Equine disease prevention and management are fundamental for responsible equine health, welfare and performance.

“These resources cover the need-to-know information and are all in one easy reverence location on the newly designed infection control page on the BEVA website.”

https://www.beva.org.uk/Resources/Equine-infectious-diseases

NVS Group is launching the Big Chill, a new initiative to promote wellbeing in the veterinary workplace.

As part of the campaign, vets are invited to share their top tips for maintaining a calm workplace for staff and patients at: https://www.nvsweb.co.uk/products/big-chill.

Veterinary professionals are being asked to share their top tips in two areas. Firstly, on how they prioritise self-care for themselves and teammates, and secondly, on how they best deal with nervous, stressed or anxious patients.

All respondents will be entered into a prize draw for a VetYogi practice subscription.

Gemma Vardy, Senior Category Specialist at NVS Group, said: “Mental health and wellbeing have never been more important within the veterinary industry which is why our dedicated Big Chill campaign supports the wellbeing and mental health of veterinary professionals while also shining a light on animal calming products, such as our select healthcare calming chews, which help support calm and enhance patient experiences.”

https://www.nvsweb.co.uk/products/big-chill 

Here’s a gadget I’d love to get my hands on: the Zoombak advanced GPS pet locator, launched in the UK today.

The locator attaches to any dog collar, or indeed your car, husband, wife or teenager, and allows you to get a real time fix of their location by telephone, or on your computer. It costs £99.99 from pet retailers, with an additional £9.99 per month service subscription (£99.99 if paid annually upfront), which allows for an unlimited number of ‘locates’.
Hot on its heels comes the Pawtrack, which will also cost £99.99 with a similar monthly subscription which allows for 1200 locates per month.

Pawtrack is being aimed at both cats and dogs, and whilst it is marginally smaller and lighter than the Zoombak, there isn’t a lot in it. Both are still probably too cumbersome for a cat, which is why Zoombak more pragmatically recommends its product for dogs over 7 kg.

Doubtless it won’t be long before they miniaturise the technology so that it’ll be the width of a nostril hair, thereby solving the problem of pet theft and loss completely. Meantime, these look like a practical and fun gadget for the owners of larger breeds that regularly go AWOL.

For more information on stocking Zoombak please contact Zoombak on 08708 033095.

Following a new study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association's One Health Committee has called for a co-ordinated global infectious disease monitoring system to be established for veterinarians who work in small companion animal practice worldwide.

The study, led by Michael Day, Professor of Veterinary Pathology in the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol and Chair of the WSAVA's One Health Committee, lists the key zoonotic diseases of cats and dogs.

It  recommends that the knowledge gained through surveillance would permit more effective global control of small companion animal zoonoses and reduce the risks associated with the human-animal relationship.

Professor Day said: "It is well recognised that most of the major new diseases of mankind will have an animal origin and that dogs and cats are a potential source of such emerging diseases.

"The number of small companion animals is particularly significant. For example there are an estimated eight to ten million dogs living in up to 31 per cent of UK homes and in the USA, 72 million dogs in 37 per cent of homes. The benefits of pet ownership on human health, well-being and development are unquestionable but, as they have moved from the barn, to the house, to the bedroom, the potential for disease spread to humans increases. Control of diseases among dogs and cats is a good way to prevent spread to humans.

"In human, livestock and wildlife heath there are already programmes of active surveillance for infectious disease underway to monitor the global distribution and movement of key infectious agents. For example, the WHO monitors human influenza virus infection through a network of 111 centres in 83 countries. In contrast, there is no such monitoring for the infections that may be transmitted between small companion animals and man. Meanwhile, canine rabies virus infection, one of the diseases listed in the paper, is estimated to kill a minimum of 55,000 people in Africa and Asia each year. 

"The development of such a scheme would require the significant political will, scientific application and financial support that could be achieved through a public-private partnership. The aim of our position paper in Emerging Infectious Diseases is to initiate stakeholder discussions with that end goal in mind."   

Langford Veterinary Services, a fully owned subsidiary of the University of Bristol, has announced the opening of a new standing equine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facility at the university's equine centre.

The equine MRI facility completes the diagnostic imaging facilities in the School, which include a 16-slice CT scanner for small animals and standing horses, digital radiography, high-resolution fluoroscopy, diagnostic ultrasound, echocardiography and scintigraphy with a high-resolution 1.5 tesla MRI scanner, available seven days a week.

Evita Busschers, Senior Teaching Fellow and orthopaedic surgeon in the equine centre, said: “We are very grateful to the Trustees of the Alborada Trust and the Langford Trust who have provided generous support for the MRI facility.  The new imaging facility will enable us to provide an even better and more complete service for our equine patients and completes the diagnostic imaging facilities available at the centre.

“Equine MRI offers the ability to image soft tissue structures and identify soft tissue injuries that cannot be demonstrated with other diagnostic imaging modalities and therefore has major additional value in providing a diagnosis and prognosis in lameness evaluations.”

Miles Littlewort, a trustee from the Alborada Trust added: “Donating the money is the easy bit but ensuring that it has been used where it should be and that it has made the necessary difference is much more challenging.  We are so pleased to have had the opportunity to support the Langford Trust and their work to improve animal health and welfare.  We are delighted to have attended the opening, to meet the clinicians who will use the magnificent facility and to learn about the clinical research which gives all veterinary surgeons evidence-based information to enhance diagnosis and treatment for all patients.”

CPD Solutions have announced 3 new dentistry and oral surgery course dates, with expert tutor Alex Smithson of the Dental, Oral and Maxillofacial Referrals in Lancashire.

All courses will include extensive wet lab sessions, which will cover conditions commonly seen in practice and answer all those questions you always wanted to ask but never had the time to look up!

For details visit http://www.cpd-solutions.com/ or call 0151 328 0444 and ask for Holly.

Petplan has issued a last call for entries to the 2009 Petplan Veterinary Awards, and announced that comedian Jason Manford, best known as team captain on Channel 4's 8 out of 10 Cats, will be the compere.

The Veterinary Awards aim to honour the special stars within the veterinary profession and nominations remain open under four different categories:  

• Vet of the Year
• Vet Nurse of the Year
• Vet Receptionist of the Year
• Vet Practice of the Year

Petplan says it has already received hundreds of nominations from clients and industry professionals alike. To make sure your colleagues are considered for the accolade log onto www.petplan.co.uk/vetawards to nominate.  Entries must be in by 6^th February 2009. 

The Petplan Veterinary Awards are to be held on Thursday 2^nd April on the first evening of BSAVA. 

Janssen Animal Health is advising vets to be on the look out for coccidiosis as the spring lambing season approaches: cases usually rise in March and peak in April and May.

According to the company, some reports also suggest that the incidence of coccidiosis in calves may apparently increase during the grazing months. However, vets are reporting that interpretation of laboratory tests used to confirm diagnosis, such as oocyst count, can be problematic due to the ubiquitous nature of the Eimeria parasite in the UK.

Young animals may be infected by oocysts shed by asymptomatic carriers or infected older cohort animals. Low levels of challenge can help young animals develop immunity but exposure to high oocyst numbers, particularly in combination with stress can lead to clinical and subclinical forms of the disease. Diagnosis can be problematic, particularly in subclinical cases of disease where failure to gain weight is the main presenting sign and in clinical cases the differential diagnoses include all causes of scour in young animals.

Janssen Animal Health has suggested a few indicators that may be useful in identifying cases of coccidiosis. The Vecoxan Coccidiosis Survey in 2008 and 2009 asked farmers about their experiences of coccidiosis and identified that bad weather was a major trigger particularly in lambs; while castration and weaning were also factors in calves. As the parasite life cycle is 21 days, vets should be alert to disease 2-3 weeks after a stressor event.

The company has also suggested a few guidelines to aid interpretation of laboratory results:

• Identification of pathogenic Eimeria species can be suggestive but does not provide conclusive evidence of a causative effect.
• Speciation of Eimeria is useful (not easy in lambs) as there are several non-pathogenic strains which can give high counts without clinical effect
• The number of oocysts will not always correlate with clinical signs
• Low levels of oocysts in faeces are less likely to be significant but some animals can die even while excreting at a low level because shedding occurs after the gut damage has already occurred.
• There is extensive replication and multiplication through the parasite lifecycle - susceptible infected animals will usually shed millions or even billions of oocysts.
• Adult animals that are infected but immune tend to excrete oocysts at a regular low level.
• A pooled sample from at least 10 lambs or calves may give a better indication of the level of infection.
• The history of the farm, the individual patient and the presence of risk factors should be taken into account when interpreting results.

Janssen says Vecoxan (diclazuril) does not interfere with the development of immunity and kills all stages of the parasite in the host.

The European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP) has launched interactive maps to display the geographical distribution of parasites and parasite-associated infections in companion animals across six European countries.

The maps provide vets with a visual representation of targeted diagnostic tests conducted in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the UK, using data sourced from Idexx.

They show the percentage of positive test results for a range of parasites and parasite-associated infections in dogs and cats, including Giardia, roundworm, and whipworm, and Lyme (Borrelia burgdorferi), Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., and Leishmania in dogs.

Data can be filtered by country, region, animal species, parasite type, and time period.

ESCCAP highlights that the data reflects the percentage of positive tests in screened animals, not the overall prevalence of infection.

https://www.esccap.org/parasite-infection-map/ 

The National Office of Animal Health has released two films to help industry and consumers understand issues surrounding the use of animal medicines in the food chain.

A film made for the food chain industry titled "Animal Medicines in Food Production - The Food Industry Perspective" has been produced to help industry understand the levels of awareness and concerns that consumers have.

A second film, "Animal Medicines in Food Production - Challenging the Myths" is aimed at consumers and looks at some of the myths surrounding the use of animal medicines in livestock production.

Phil Sketchley, Chief Executive of NOAH, said that while the public was generally supportive of the use of animal medicines in farm production, there was a knowledge gap among consumers about the way that medicines were used: "It was interesting to discover how much people knew about medicines in food production. There were some very positive attitudes among consumers, particularly towards the way British farmers care for their animals. But there were still some areas of concern, for example with the belief among a large number of people that growth hormones were still being used on UK farms, despite the fact they have been banned since 1988.

"The industry film should help people involved in food production understand what consumers are thinking when it comes to animal medicines. Animal health and welfare and ensuring sick animals are treated is a big issue, and food producers and retailers need to be able to communicate clearly with consumers on the subject of animal medicines.

"It is important there is transparency on all issues of animal health and welfare."

Dogs which survived the devastating earthquake in the Zun Dao township of Sichuan, China have a new lease on life after the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and local officials announced an agreement to end the cruel killing of dogs and instead address public health concerns through an IFAW sponsored anti-rabies vaccination and veterinary aid programme in the 20,000+ population.

“This agreement is a major breakthrough,” said Jackson Zee, IFAW rescue leader. “Chinese media have been filled with reports of people evacuating with their pets, being comforted by their pets, and even saved by their pets after their homes collapsed, so we are delighted to see this next step as local officials are acknowledging that humane care of dogs, cats and livestock can benefit both animals and people.”

After the devastating earthquake that claimed around 80,000 human lives, IFAW rushed close to £100,000 in aid and sourced over six tonnes of animal food for some of the hardest-hit areas within Sichuan province.

IFAW met with local government officials in Zun Dao and offered humane alternatives to the dog culls presently in effect in much of the devastated areas. Officials agreed to halt any dog culling operations in the area and are welcoming IFAW’s efforts to address the present public health concerns by conducting an anti-rabies vaccination and veterinary care programme in the area.

Accompanied by local veterinarians, IFAW began visiting villages immediately and on the first afternoon provided food, collars, leads and appropriate vaccinations for at least 50 family owned dogs. There are an estimated 4,000 owned dogs and 1,000 strays in Zun Dao and surrounding villages and relief efforts are expected to increase in the coming days.

In addition to the efforts in Zun Dao, IFAW has been providing humanitarian aid in the region by meeting some of the most basic and urgent needs. From cooking oil to laundry detergent, mosquito repellents and toys for children, these much-needed supplies are helping families get back on their feet and take care of their pets and backyard farm animals. Desperately needed supplies such as 100 water pumps, fencing, generators and other supplies have also been rushed to Mianyang to help rescue animals in advance of anticipated flooding while additional support has been given to the acclaimed Giant Panda Nature Reserve in Gansu province.

IFAW is appealing for public support to increase the amount of aid for animals and people in the earthquake region. To donate or view more information on current rescue efforts, visit www.ifaw.org.