VetPartners has invested in four new immunoassay analysers at its equine hospitals: Liphook in Hampshire, Rainbow in North Yorkshire and Rossdales in Suffolk, to offer more accurate blood tests for Cushing's.

The new Tosoh AIA 900 analysers have been trialled for the last 18 months at Liphook Equine Hospital, which was the first practice to introduce ACTH testing for horses 25 years ago and gets hundreds of blood samples every week from veterinary practices all over the UK and Europe.

Professor Andy Durham, who heads up the laboratory at Liphook, said the test period has shown that the new machine produces more accurate results primarily because it’s less sensitive to ACTH degrading in blood samples between collection and receipt by the laboratory.

Andy said: “There are several analytic methods available for use in horses, and we wanted to see if this alternative machine had diagnostic benefits over the ones we’d used previously.

"The ACTH molecule we test for immediately begins to break down after a blood sample is taken, even if you handle it carefully and place it in chilled packaging, but this new analyser is able to detect much more of the degraded ACTH molecule, and therefore it gives a more accurate result.

“As a comparison, ACTH values measured using the previous method suffered about three to four times more degradation over 24 hours.

"What this means for horse owners is that it will reduce the risk of false negative results in ACTH tests, so more horses suffering from Cushing’s disease will receive the treatment they need.”

In testing, the new analysers also demonstrated greater accuracy when measuring insulin levels in blood samples.

https://liphookequinehospital.co.uk
https://www.rainbowequinehospital.co.uk 
https://www.rossdales.com 

Wafcol, or The Worcestershire Animal Foor Company Ltd as it is known in full, has launched a new website. 

The company says it has always claimed its food, developed with leading dermatologist Sue Paterson and BVA President Harvey Locke, can change dogs' lives and that the site now allows you to see how that happens.  

Along with the usual dietary information and range details you would expect to find, the website has a section dedicated to customer testimonials featuring stories like that of Rocco, a five year old chocolate Labrador that was given to The Labrador Lifeline Trust because his owners were unable to cope with the endless vet bills for his skin condition.

Pennie Medland, Area Co-ordinator for The Labrador Lifeline Trust said: "His face was sore and all under his chest and tummy was dry and crusty...he looked thoroughly miserable and depressed."

As part of Rocco's treatment by the Trust's vet, his food was changed to Wafcol Salmon and Potato and after just a few weeks he became a different dog. Pennie said: "The hair on his face has grown back, the awful itching has stopped and his general demeanor is so different from the sad depressed boy I first saw. He has cheered up no end and is really bouncy - it's fantastic to see. Our thanks go out to Wafcol."

For further details about the Wafcol Sensitive range of diets,  visit www.wafcol.co.uk or call 0844 375 7002 now.

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh has awarded its 2007 Marbocyl Achievement Award to Geoff Culshaw, BVMS, CertVC, MRCVS, Head of the School’s small animal cardiology unit, and Diane MacDonald, VN, Head Nurse in the Hospital for Small Animals.

Professor Stephen May FRCVS, Emeritus Professor at the Royal Veterinary College, and Kulin Patel MRCVS, Veterinary Advisor for International Trade at Defra, have been awarded OBEs in King Charles III’s Birthday Honours List

Stephen was recognised for his services to veterinary education and animals in science.

He served as RCVS President from 2017 to 2018 and has been actively involved in the work of the College for many years, serving a total of 19 years as a Council member, both as a vet school-appointee and an elected member, before retiring in 2024.

During his time on Council, he led the Legislative Reform Working Group which developed the Legislative Reform Proposals, as well as the Graduate Outcomes Project, out of which the Veterinary Graduate Development Programme was developed.

Kulin was recognised for his services to animal health and international trade.

RCVS President, Linda Belton MRCVS, said: “Huge congratulations to both Professor May and Dr Patel on this outstanding achievement.

"Thank you both for your extraordinary contributions to the veterinary profession during your careers, for which I would like to extend my appreciation on behalf of everyone at the RCVS.

“I would also like to extend congratulations to all those mentioned in the King’s Birthday Honours List for contributions to the veterinary world, animal health and welfare, and to the One Health concept more generally.

"We could not do the work we do without vital stakeholder collaboration, and it is fantastic to see outstanding individuals in the field being recognised for all they have contributed to our society.”

This is the call to Government from an industry-wide stakeholder group that has joined forces and vowed to do everything in its power to stamp out the disease which is seeing upwards of 28,000 cattle a year culled.

The industry stakeholder group has put its name to an eight-point statement of agreement following the non-decision announced by the Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, on dealing with bTB.

Included in the eight points is a call for an independent body to take on the future decision making for animal health; a commitment of non-participation in the TB Partnership Group as announced by the Secretary of State; and an industry policy of non-participation in discussions on cost sharing and responsibility on animal health and welfare issues.

The NFU, which hosted the stakeholder meeting, has been heartened by a report, also out today, from the Efra select committee on badgers and cattle TB which says the Government is playing down the serious nature of bovine TB. In its response the committee, chaired by the Rt Hon Michael Jack MP, says:

• there is little in the Government’s strategy to tackle the disease in the short term and this is not good enough;
• the Government is opting out of leadership on the issue and subcontracting important decisions with high cost implications to the Bovine TB Partnership Group;
• the Government has chosen to put all its eggs in one basket by focusing its energies and funding on the long-term goal of developing cattle and badger vaccines when it is unlikely a badger vaccine will be available before 2014 and a cattle vaccine before 2015.

NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said: “The industry feels let down and angered by the Government’s abdication of responsibility around this devastating disease. We have been left with no choice but to walk away from any attempt by Government to validate their ‘policy’ decision and pass responsibility for controlling this disease to the already beleaguered cattle sector. The Efra committee’s report reinforces both the fact that the Government has made the wrong decision and the need for something to be done now rather than waiting for vaccines to become available years down the line which will be too late for many farmers whose businesses are being decimated by this disease. The Efra report recognises the value of the VLA9 culling proposal put together by the NFU and other industry bodies for the South West of England. Hilary Benn has been invited to meet the people involved with VLA9 but has declined to do so which, given the hard work that has been put in on the plan, is very disappointing.”

The RCVS is inviting nominations for its 2025 Honours & Awards, to recognise veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and laypeople, both in the UK and overseas, who are doing their utmost for animal health and welfare, the professions and society at large.

The awards fall into two categories, those which you need to be nominated for by other people and those which are also open to self-nomination: 

Requiring nomination by another person:

• The Queen’s Medal – an award for a veterinary surgeon who has achieved a highly distinguished career with sustained and outstanding achievements throughout.
• The Veterinary Nursing Golden Jubilee Award - awarded to a veterinary nurse who has had a sustained and distinguished career, who can demonstrate a leadership role within the profession and who can act as an ambassador for the value of veterinary nurses and their work.
• Honorary Associateship - awarded to laypeople who have made a special contribution to the veterinary sphere and could include, for example, scientists, lecturers, journalists, charity-workers, farriers, farmers and those involved in the commercial field.

Self-nominations allowed:

• The RCVS International Award - awarded to vets, vet nurses or laypeople who have made an outstanding contribution on issues that are in line with the RCVS mission. 
• The RCVS Impact Award - awarded to vets or vet nurses who have recently, or are currently undertaking a project or initiative that has a significant impact on the profession at large, animal health or welfare, or public health.
• The RCVS Inspiration Award - awarded to vets or vet nurses who have demonstrated the ability to inspire and enthuse others consistently throughout their careers.
• The RCVS Compassion Award - awarded to a vet or vet nurse who has demonstrated compassion towards fellow professionals and/or members of the animal-owning public.
• The RCVS Student Community Award – awarded to a vet or vet nursing student who has made a real effort to support their fellow students and the wider veterinary/veterinary nursing school community.

The deadline for the 2025 awards is Friday, 13 December 2024.

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/how-we-work/rcvs-honours-awards 

Following a five-year review of the Practice Standards Scheme, new standards will take effect from 1 April 2010, and be formally launched at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress in Birmingham (8-11 April).

The Scheme, to which around 50% of practice premises are now signed up, exists to raise standards for the benefit of the public, as well as employees. The review was undertaken by the Practice Standards Group, which includes representatives from all of the key veterinary and veterinary nursing organisations. Its objective was to ensure that standards remain relevant and achievable, while representing better practice. The Group took on board improvements in practice over the last five years, and feedback from inspectors and practices.

Practice Standards Group Chairman, Jill Nute said: "It was important that the Group took account of what the public might reasonably expect of a well-equipped, professional practice. We have made some adjustments to the original standards, placing greater emphasis on clinical outcomes and training."

She added: "To ensure the Scheme goes beyond a 'box-ticking exercise', the emphasis for inspectors has moved towards assessing how standards are applied. For example, not just noting whether a protocol exists for the servicing of anaesthetic equipment, but asking staff involved how this is carried out and what checks are made on a daily basis to ensure the equipment is satisfactory."

The numbered 'tiers' have gone, as these were shown to be confusing. The descriptive categories (Core, GP, Hospital), together with differentiations (equine, small animal, farm animal, emergency services clinic), remain. In addition, to encourage more farm animal practices into the Scheme at GP level, 'where applicable' has been added to certain GP standards, so that those without small animal or equine facilities can comply.

There are some new standards - such as the requirement for annual appraisal systems for all clinical staff. In other cases, as expectations of better practice increase, standards that were previously for Hospitals must now be met by General Practices, and some of those for GPs now apply across the board.

Another change has been in the Manual (see www.rcvs.org.uk/newPSSmanual), which now incorporates guidance alongside the standards rather than in a separate document. The new format clarifies the derivation of each standard, so that legislative requirements are distinguished from those required under the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct and those indicated by better practice.

Practices already on the Scheme will be given plenty of time to comply.

Visit stand 911 at BSAVA Congress for more information, or attend Hall 6 at 3.30pm on Saturday 10 April for a presentation on the changes.

Hill's Pet Nutrition has been awarded “The Pet Food Company Most Trusted By Vets” at the Vet Trust Awards 2025.

Presented by The Webinar Vet and Vet Dynamics, the Vet Trust Awards celebrate notable contributions to veterinary advancement.

Claire Towers, General Manager of Hill’s Pet Nutrition UK and Ireland said: “Our recognition as the most trusted pet food brand is a testament to the unwavering dedication of the Hill’s team, ensuring vets remain integral to our mission.”

Dechra Veterinary Products is celebrating sales of 100 million sachets of Equipalazone® Powder with a campaign in which customers will get a special deal, and the chance to enter a draw for a VIP, 3-day trip to Badminton 2008.

Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College working in collaboration with the University of Cambridge have found that anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) increase appetite in dogs with epilepsy, causing many of them to become overweight. 

The researchers say that although increased appetite has been reported as a side effect of many AEDs in veterinary literature, the effect had not been quantified or studied in detail.

To assess the phenomenon in greater detail, the research team analysed food motivation through a validated Dog Obesity Risk Assessment questionnaire created by University of Cambridge¹.

The study compared 222 dogs diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy with a control population of 7,086 healthy dogs.

The survey was designed to determine if epilepsy and AEDs were associated with increased food motivation, weight gain and decreased activity, and to assess if and how caregivers managed weight gain in this population.

The data revealed that dogs with idiopathic epilepsy receiving AEDs had significantly higher food motivation in comparison to healthy dogs – they had increased interest in food, were less selective about food, were more interested in food between meals, and wanted more food than usually offered.

In response, carers of dogs on medication put greater effort into restricting how much their dogs ate, particularly of human food.

Despite this, these dogs had significantly greater fat mass.

More than half of owners of dogs with epilepsy always used treats to administer their dog’s ASD medication (53%) and did not compensate for it by reducing the dog’s main food ration (34%).

Given the epilepsy treatment often involves medication two or three times a day, this has the potential to increase calorie intake substantially, an issue compounded by epileptic dogs also being less active.

The researchers say it's important that vets and nurses advise owners to monitor their dog's weight and help them manage it. 

Dr Anna Morros-Nuevo of the University of Cambridge, and primary author of this study, said: "Idiopathic epilepsy, and in particular seizure episodes, have such an overwhelming impact on these dogs' families that side effects such as weight gain often get overlooked, both by vets and the pet's families.

"But unfortunately, obesity has lifelong negative impact on health and quality of life, since it predisposes dogs to suffer from joint problems and respiratory diseases, as well as metabolic disorders and urinary incontinence.

"Obese dogs have also been shown to have a shorter lifespan than dogs with a normal weight.

"While ASD are non-negotiable for many of these dogs, their caregivers and veterinarians should be aware of the lifelong impact of their side effects and manage them carefully.

"We hope these findings will help to increase awareness for both veterinary professionals and dog carers of the side effects of ASD and their impact for the patient."

Reference

1. Morros-Nuevo, A., Packer, R. M. A., Reagan, N. & Raffan, E. ‘Caregiver-reported increased food motivation and adiposity in dogs receiving antiseizure dogs’, Vet Record, 195(12) doi: http://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.4907 

Research from Bristol University confirms that Angiostrongylus vasorum is spreading in the UK, with 16 per cent of dogs involved in a recent study testing positive for the parasite’s larvae.

The nationwide survey, funded by the RCVS Trust and Novartis Animal Health, was set up to determine the geographical distribution and typical presentation of angiostrongylosis in UK dogs and to elucidate risk factors for infection. The findings are based on examination of 630 faecal samples from dogs (500 sick and 130 healthy) around the country which presented in practice with a wide range of clinical signs for which there was no other obvious diagnosis.

"We received faecal samples from dogs with respiratory and cardiovascular disease, bleeding, neurological and gastrointestinal disorders," explained Eric Morgan, Veterinary Parasitology and Ecology Research Group, University of Bristol School of Biological Sciences. "We also received samples from a smaller number of apparently healthy dogs and examined all of them in the laboratory using the Baermann’s test. The sample was analysed alongside an accompanying questionnaire that recorded history, clinical signs and the vet’s index of suspicion that A. vasorum was the cause of the disease."

More than half (60 per cent) of the dogs that were positive displayed respiratory signs, including coughing. The next most common signs were cardiovascular (including syncope, lethargy and exercise intolerance). The most widespread combination of clinical signs was respiratory and cardiovascular. However, several dogs also presented with haemorrhagic signs and no respiratory involvement, and a wide spectrum of other signs such as diarrhoea, lameness and neurological disease.

Eric said: "Angiostrongylus vasorum is a great imitator and our research proves it can present in a wide variety of ways. Prompt diagnosis is vital but relies heavily on vets being aware of A. vasorum involvement. They should be especially suspicious of dogs that are coughing, lethargic, prone to collapse and presented in practice with unexplained bleeding."

Geographical extent
Due to the survey relying on voluntary vet involvement, there was a strong bias in the regions represented, with high numbers of samples coming from South Wales and Surrey. Eric said: "Although these are known hot spots for A. vasorum, there were also positive samples from across southern England demonstrating that the parasite is much more widespread than we previously thought. It’s important that vets outside of the known endemic areas regard this disease as a real threat, to ignore it because you believe dogs outside these areas are not at risk would be a very dangerous assumption indeed. You could already be missing cases."

Risk factors
The most significant risk factor was age, with younger dogs more likely to be infected although cases were found in dogs up to 11 years old. “The age profile of positive cases did not vary by region, suggesting that there is no significant build-up of immunity in the dog population,” Eric continues. "Several dogs became re-infected which also suggests that strong immunity does not develop following infection."

More than 40 breeds were represented in the survey with Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Jack Russell Terriers more commonly infected than other breeds. However, when considered alongside all the other risk factors the difference was not significant. "There are certainly no breeds which are resistant to infection, all of them can get it and are therefore at risk!"

Dogs that had not been wormed in the past six months were more likely to be positive (17 per cent of these were positive) than those dogs that had been regularly wormed (12 per cent). "It’s important to realise that even in dogs that are regularly wormed, incidence is still high," concludes Eric. "Vets should pay particularly attention to the worming regimes that they routinely recommend and ensure that the products they prescribe have some activity against A. vasorum. They should also be prepared to consider A.vasorum as a diagnosis even in dogs that are routinely wormed. What we have to remember is that this is a tough worm to get rid of and one we need to take seriously if we are to prevent its spread."

A new study of 1,000 children aged between nine and 10 years old, conducted by Mars Petcare in conjunction with the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition and The University of Liverpool, with partners Liverpool John Moore's University and Liverpool City Council, has revealed the depth of the bond between children and their pets.

The research revealed that:

• almost 50% of children talk to their pets as they would to their friends
• over 60% of children are greeted by their pets when they come home from school
• over 50% of children head straight for their pets above any other member of the family when arriving back home
• nearly 40% confide in their pets
• 80% children consider their pet a member of their family
• more than a third of children believe their pets understand how they feel.

The research looked at the ownership of a range of pets - including dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, horses and fish - and revealed  that more than 50% of children consider their dog to be their "favourite" pet, followed by cats (15%).

The research also looked at the impact that pets have on children who do not have siblings, showing a strong attachment between single children and their pets. Lead researcher Dr Carri Westgarth from the University of Liverpool's Institute of Infection and Global Health said: "In the absence of siblings, pets offer children the chance to care for and nurture others; a vital skill in a child's learning and development. The youngest siblings in a family also had stronger attachment to their pets which can be attributed to a lack of younger, more dependable siblings to care for. "

Dr. Sandra McCune, Scientific Leader for Human - Animal Interaction at WALTHAM, said: "Pets play a crucial role in the development of children; allowing them to socialise, care for and nurture others. This is particularly important for children who do not have siblings to learn from and play with, and for the youngest siblings in the family who do not have a younger, more dependable sibling to care for. Children often yearn to own a pet and the developmental impact that they have for kids is significant. Not only are they good in terms of exercise and responsibility, but also helping children understand relationships. Playing, taking care of and talking to animals can have a really positive impact on a child's development."