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VetSurgeon.org publishes a curated feed of veterinary news for practising veterinary surgeons, with a primary focus on the UK profession.
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Our editorial approach is deliberately selective and concise. We prioritise clarity and relevance over volume, aiming to make each story worth your time.
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Anthony Chadwick, a referral dermatologist, has teamed up with other experts to offer a series of web-based seminars with the aim of bringing accessible and convenient CPD to vets. 50 VetSurgeon members can attend the webinars for half price. Just enter the word vetsurgeon in the discount box on the site.
The webinars can be viewed from a practice or office and cover key veterinary topics including:
The webinars will be broadcast between 9.00 pm and 10.00 pm in a series running from 22 April to 27 May 2010.
Anthony said: "Many vets don't finish consulting until 7.00 pm and then have evening or family commitments. This can make finding the time to attend high quality CPD difficult, particularly if it's a long way away.
"Webinars are already proving popular as a convenient but effective form of CPD in many sectors so I'm hoping to help the veterinary profession share the benefits they offer. Certainly my own experience is that they are easy to access and offer excellent value without the hassle of travel and late nights."
To view the webinars vets need a fixed line broadband connection, a PC with a sound card and a headset. Once payment is made, delegates are given instructions online to enable them to view the webinar they have selected.
The cost to view the whole series is £80.
Further information, including the full course schedule, is available at http://www.thewebinarvet.com/ or by contacting Anthony Chadwick on 0151 270 1759.
22% (6,785) of veterinary surgeons eligible to vote did so, compared to the previous record of 18.8%.
The votes were as follows:
For the two places available on VN Council one new member was elected and one existing member re-elected for four year terms. Andrea Jeffery was re-elected with 1,293 votes, while Susan Howarth was elected with 1,064 votes.
Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar, said: "Congratulations to all those elected to RCVS Council and VN Council and thank you to all those who stood as candidates in both elections.
"We would especially like to thank Jerry Davies, Peter Jinman and Bradley Viner who are standing down from RCVS Council this year after deciding not to seek re-election, in addition to Chris Gray and Tom Witte for their contributions to RCVS Council and Marie Rippingale for her contribution to VN Council.
"Thank you also to all those who took the time to ask questions of our candidates and cast a vote. This year we made a concerted attempt to make it even easier for the electorate to vote, with secure links to the voting websites sent by email and regular email reminders to those who hadn’t yet voted. The fact that both record numbers and proportions of the professions voted this year is testament to our efforts to further increase engagement with veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses.
"However, while we welcome these significant increases, we recognise that it is still a relatively small proportion of the profession voting in these elections and so will continue to think of new ways to engage with the professions not just at election time, but across our many activities."
All the successful candidates will take up their positions at RCVS Day – the College’s Annual General Meeting and Awards Day – on Friday 7 July 2017 at the Royal Institute of British Architects where the formal declaration of both election results will also take place.
The WikiQuiz project - a free online question and answer tool which enables vets, vet students and vet nurses to test their knowledge - is now online thanks to £4,770 of funding from the RCVS Trust.
WikiQuiz is a new resource to enable vets and students to structure and direct their learning, and links directly to information on WikiVet, the free research and academic collaboration resource put together by over 40 academics, veterinary surgeons and students from the Universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh and Nottingham, and the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). However, unlike its namesake Wikipedia, WikiVet is designed to be an accurate, peer-reviewed source of information for the veterinary profession and tailored to the undergraduate veterinary curriculum. Some of the material is also of interest to veterinary nurses, in particular those pursuing advanced professional qualifications.
Nick Short, Head of E-Media at the RVC said: "WikiQuiz is purpose-built for vets and students to structure and direct their learning. The questions and answers in WikiQuiz will help vets and veterinary students and work out what topics they might need to study, and link them directly to relevant information published on WikiVet.
"The Wikipedia concept is familiar and popular with students and vets; however, the information on the site can lack quality and relevance", he continued. "In creating WikiVet, we've used the look and feel of Wikipedia - but by making WikiVet available only to veterinary students, surgeons and nurses, introducing a peer-review system and appointing an editorial board to oversee the site, we can ensure the information published is relevant and accurate.
"We are hugely grateful to the RCVS Trust for supporting this project."
Cherry Bushell, RCVS Trust Director said: "Veterinary undergraduates and veterinary surgeons alike need to be able to assess where there are any gaps in their knowledge as part of planning their learning and development. The WikiQuiz resource helps them to do this.
"Using good quality online tools and information can save vets and students valuable time - which is one reason why we chose to support WikiQuiz. The WikiVet project also fits very well with the online Library services provided to vets, veterinary nurses and students by the Trust."
Veterinary surgeons, students and nurses can apply for a free log-in to WikiVet at http://www.wikivet.net/.
Fourth year veterinary students from the University of Sydney's Faculty of Veterinary Science have produced a nude calendar in which they use a variety of strategically placed animals to protect their modesty.
The calendar, called Under the Overalls, features a variety of animals, including three lucky (depending on your point of view) llamas, a calf, three sheep and a rather unfortunate fish.
It's all in aid of charity. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/undertheoveralls, or you can buy the calendar for $20 at www.undertheoveralls.com.
Picture: House of Cameo
B&W operates an integrated practice based around a multi-disciplinary referral hospital in Breadstone, Gloucestershire, with additional clinics in Cardiff, Gloucestershire and Bristol. The group employs more than 30 veterinary surgeons, including seven diploma holders, and offers a full range of services, including what it says is the most comprehensive equine imaging service in the UK.
Ian Camm, Managing Director of B&W, will continue in the role of Equine Regional Director for the South West at CVS. He said: "We are excited about life within CVS and see many opportunities for our staff both within B&W and within the wider Equine Division at CVS. We look forward to working with the CVS team to realise the potential the partnership offers to members of our team and to further developing B&W as an equine veterinary centre of excellence."
Simon Innes, Chief Executive at CVS, said: "Our Equine Division has grown rapidly over the last 18 months because we offer an ambitious and exciting vision for the future of equine practice. B&W is one of the UK’s premier equine practices and we are delighted to welcome the team to CVS and look forward to working with them to help them build an even more successful future."
Stephen, who works for the PDSA, wowed the judges with his photograph of a pair of wild ponies, entered into the 'All creatures great and small' category. He said: "I had a great day out photographing these wild grey ponies on a similarly grey January dayon the Long Mynd, a heath and moorland plateau in the Shropshire hills. I was simply out on a photo walk to take in the scenery and wildlife, look for a good shot and get a breath of fresh air; I’m chuffed that the judges have selected it as a category winner!"
Peter, who graduated from Nottingham University this summer and works at a practice in Bicester, won in the ‘Human:animal bond’ category with his entry: 'Best part of a job', which shows a laid-back 10-week-old cocker spaniel puppy lounging contentedly on his lap. Peter said: "This photo was taken whilst on placement in Chipping Norton as a student. The puppy was in to have her second vaccinations and a general health check after she had been with her new family for a week, and she was on my lap so that I could calm her, examine her, and socialise her. Working in the veterinary world is by no means easy, which is why moments like this are so important. Everyone needs a puppy cuddle!"
This year, the judging panel included David Tipling, one of the world's most widely published wildlife photographers. He said: "Helping to judge this year’s competition was for me a fascinating insight into a vet’s working life. Photography, like any art form, is subjective, but I was looking for pictures that had been composed and thought about and most importantly would linger in the mind long after they had been viewed. Much debate and discussion led us to some clear favourites from which to choose two overall winners."
"The winning shot [by Stephen] is beautifully composed, has a symmetry and used the dark and light tones of the ponies to complement each other, resulting in a striking image that we were all drawn to. I was drawn to [Peter’s] image partly by its abstract nature; on first view it is not obvious the dog is on someone’s lap. It is a strong, engaging image and because of that slightly abstract feel means it stays long in the memory.”
Peter and Stephen each receive £250 worth of gift vouchers from John Lewis.
The RSPB has reported the results of two studies which revealed that a greater diversity of birds of prey, including some eagles, are killed eating carrion contaminated with diclofenac.
The RSPB says that these findings strengthen the case of banning the use of veterinary diclofenac in livestock across Europe, including Spain and Italy where the drug has already been approved.
In the first paper1, published in the journal Bird Conservation International, scientists present results of tests carried out on two steppe eagles found dead at a cattle carcass dump in Rajasthan, India. Both birds had diclofenac residue in their tissues and exhibited the same clinical signs of kidney failure as seen in Gyps vultures experimentally given diclofenac.
Steppe eagles are closely related to the golden eagles found in the UK, the vulnerable Spanish imperial eagle and other globally vulnerable or declining Eurasian eagles. Scientists now fear that all species in this genus, known as Aquila, are susceptible to diclofenac. With fourteen species of Aquila eagle distributed across Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North America, this means that diclofenac poisoning should now be considered largely a global problem.
Dr Toby Galligan, RSPB conservation scientist and one of the authors of the paper, said: "We have known for some time that diclofenac is toxic to Gyps vultures, including the Eurasian griffon vulture, but we now know it is toxic to an Aquila eagle too. This suggests that the drug is fatal to a greater number of birds of prey in Asia, Europe and around the world. We had suspected as much from observed declines in non-Gyps vultures in Asia, but this study confirms our worst fears."
In another paper2, published in Bird Conservation International, Dr Galligan led an examination of recent population trends in Egyptian and red-headed vultures in India. That study shows population declines of similar timing and scale as the declines observed in Gyps vultures, providing indirect evidence that these species have been impacted by diclofenac as well.
After years of campaigning by conservationists, the governments of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan banned veterinary formulations of diclofenac between 2006 and 2010. Recently, experts have recorded a slowing of Gyps vulture declines as a result of the bans. However, formulations of diclofenac intended for use in humans are still widely available and illegally used to treat livestock, the carcasses of which are the main food source for vultures in South Asia. It was announced in March that veterinary diclofenac had been authorised for manufacture and use in Italy and Spain and had been distributed to other European countries. Since then, a coalition of organisations including the Vulture Conservation Foundation, the RSPB and BirdLife International have been campaigning for this decision to be reversed.
Dr Galligan continued: "In light of recent developments in Europe, our findings take on an even more worrying meaning. All of Europe's charismatic Aquila eagles, like the Spanish imperial eagle and, closer to home, the golden eagle, are opportunistic scavengers and therefore could be at risk of diclofenac poisoning. As we have seen in South Asia, wherever free-ranging livestock are treated with diclofenac, population declines in vultures and eagles can occur. The European Commission needs to recognise this problem and impose a continent-wide ban on veterinary diclofenac before it can impact on our birds."
Last week, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) announced measures against the drug.
In a statement the VMD said: "The UK's Veterinary Medicines Directorate is taking the issue of diclofenac's risks to vulture populations seriously. As a precautionary measure the VMD will not approve any requests from vets to import products containing diclofenac. Furthermore, the VMD has agreed not to issue any export certificates which name diclofenac-containing products in the list of products to be exported."
Sacha Cleminson, Head of International Biodiversity Policy at the RSPB, said: "The announcement from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate is a welcome signal to Europe that the UK is taking the issue seriously. This new evidence underlines the need for a ban across Europe, and ultimately beyond."
References
Have population declines in Egyptian Vulture and Red-headed Vulture in India slowed since the 2006 ban on veterinary diclofenac? Toby H. Galligan et al. Bird Conservation International Online. 1st April 2014.
Neurology Specialists Mark Lowrie and Laurent Garosi from Davies Veterinary Specialists and Robert Harvey from the UCL School of Pharmacy have discovered a new syndrome which causes noise-triggered seizures in old cats, dubbed FARS (feline audiogenic reflex seizures).
The discovery came about after the charity International Cat Care contacted Davies Veterinary Specialists for help with several enquiries it had received regarding cats having seizures, seemingly in response to certain high-pitched sounds. The problem was not documented and little, if anything, was known about it.
Mark, Laurent and Robert decided to investigate, and compiled a questionnaire for owners to complete. The research generated worldwide media interest (dubbed 'Tom and Jerry syndrome' after the cartoon character Tom who has a strong startle reflex and often reacts with involuntary jerks to sound stimuli), and they received hundreds of replies from across the globe from people who had noticed the same problem in their cats in response to certain types of sound. These owners had also found that their local vets had no information at all about it, and often did not believe that a sound had triggered the seizure.
The research has resulted in a paper, Audiogenic reflex seizures in cats, which is published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
The paper pulls together information from 96 of reported cases, looking at the type and duration of seizure and the triggering sound. The authors say it reveals that some cats do indeed suffer from audiogenic reflex seizures - those which are consistently caused by sounds (this is also recognised in people). Certain sounds induced 'absences' (non-convulsive seizures), myoclonic seizures (brief, shock-like jerks of a muscle or a group of muscles), or generalised tonic-clonic seizures. This last category is what most people think of as a 'seizure', with the cat losing consciousness and its body stiffening and jerking, often for several minutes. The new syndrome has been termed feline audiogenic reflex seizures (FARS).
The investigation found that FARS occurred in pedigree and non-pedigree cats, but that among the pedigrees, the Birman breed was over-represented. This is also a problem of older cats - the average age of seizure onset was 15 years, with cats ranging in age from 10 to 19 years.
The most commonly reported triggers for FARS were:
Other, less common triggers were the sound of breaking the tin foil from packaging, mobile phone texting and ringing, digital alarms, Velcro, stove igniting ticks, running water, a dog jangling its collar as it scratched, computer printer, firewood splitting, wooden blocks being knocked together, walking across a wooden floor with bare feet or squeaky shoes and, in one case, the short, sharp scream of a young child.
Avoiding the sounds could reduce the seizures, although owners reported that it was sometimes difficult to avoid certain sounds, and the loudness of the sound also seemed to increase the severity of seizures.
The geriatric nature of this condition is such that it may be overlooked in older cats, which may potentially suffer from other concurrent conditions. The hope is that publication of the paper will raise awareness among vets in practice about this syndrome. Meanwhile, work is ongoing to identify the genetic basis of this disorder and the team is now also working on a paper about treatment of these cases.
Lead author, Mark Lowrie, said: 'We have been overwhelmed by the response to our work. A second study is soon to be published suggesting that levetiracetam is an excellent choice of medication in managing this condition. Our experience is that it can completely rid a cat of these sound-induced seizures, including the myoclonic twitches - one owner reported that levetiracetam had 'truly been a miracle drug for my cat''.
Claire Bessant, Chief Executive of International Cat Care, summed up: 'How wonderful to be able to go back to those worried owners who came to us for help with a problem previously unrecognised by the veterinary profession with not only an explanation for their cats' behaviours, but a way to help them as well.'
The study can be read for free here: http://jfm.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/04/27/1098612X15582080.full.pdf+html
Reference
Mark Bowen, Associate Professor at The University of Nottingham, has been appointed as President of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) for 2015/16.
Mark will take over the role from Andrew Harrison at the end of BEVA Congress on 12th September. Vicki Nicholls, Veterinary Assistant at Wright and Morten Vets, Cheshire becomes President Elect.
He said: "BEVA’s strengths lie in its members, who are committed to the welfare of the horse and the advancement of clinical practice. With new benefits for members, a new website, a new role for the BEVA Trust and the highest quality of education, BEVA is now an even more forceful and effective voice for the equine profession, both internally and externally.
"Whilst the profession attempts to shape its future for the next 15 years, we must continue to support the innovative individuals in the profession who look ‘outside the box’ and make sure that the future of our profession, the next generation of veterinary surgeons, does not become restricted by dogma and tradition; that they too can replicate the level of innovation seen in equine practice over the last 50 years.
"It is vital that we continue to strengthen our relationships with the British Horseracing Authority and contribute to the development of a funding body to replace the Horserace Betting Levy Board. Our relationship with the BVA, the regulation of allied professionals, the rescheduling of ketamine, the new EU animal health regulations and EU medicines regulations, even the role of Europe, are key areas where BEVA will make veterinary voices heard for the benefit of equine welfare.
"Lastly, employment and retention of veterinary graduates in the profession is a cause of concern to us all. Over the next year we will enhance the Internship Awareness Programme and provide support and mentoring for the younger members of the profession. BEVA council is full of individuals committed to working on your behalf and I am looking forward to working alongside them all for the benefit of us all."
The company says the like-for-like sales increase was at the upper end of its target of between 4% and 8%, and that it continues to see resilience in the veterinary sector, with membership of its Healthy Pet Club preventative healthcare scheme increasing in the year by 19,000 members (an increase of 4.0%) to 489,000.
CVS says its Board decided to enter the Australian marketplace because of its low levels of corporate consolidation, favourable market dynamics and strong similarities with the UK, including highly trained veterinary surgeons, shared language and culture, and the group's experience with UK vets working between Australia and the UK.
Earlier this month, the group signed agreements for the conditional acquisitions of four independent small animal first opinion veterinary practices in Australia: two in Brisbane, one in Queensland and one in Sydney, for an initial consideration of £16.8M.
Two of the acquisitions have now been completed, and the other two are expected to be completed shortly.
The company says it now plans to acquire more Australian practices in major urban conurbations, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Newcastle and Adelaide.
Ben Jacklin, Deputy CEO said: "Having worked as a vet in Australia earlier in my career, I know well their high standards of clinical care, and the dedication of highly talented veterinary professionals that work there.
"As a company dedicated to giving the best possible care to animals, I see a fantastic opportunity for us to enter this growing market, with low levels of corporate consolidation, and execute our vision of being the veterinary company people most want to work for.
"I have spent time in Australia over the last 12 months, including meeting some fantastic veterinary practices, and it is clear we have a significant opportunity.
"With the four outstanding practices that are joining us, and a strong pipeline of further acquisition opportunities, I am excited to build a significant CVS business in Australia with the same culture and values that have brought us success in the UK."
The RSPCA is asking veterinary surgeons to take part in a new survey which aims to build a true picture of the scale of the problem of illegally imported puppies being brought into the UK.
Amongst other things, the survey asks what you consider to be the greatest concerns regarding the poor breeding, dealing and illegal import of puppies and what you think can be done to tackle these and the associated problems.
You can take part in the survey here: www.surveymonkey.com/s/QQNBVFV
James Yeates, Chief Veterinary Officer, said: "RSPCA intelligence suggests that there is a growing illegal trade in puppies from other EU countries and is causing serious health and welfare problems. In many cases puppies are dying or becoming seriously ill. Risk factors appear to include being taken from their mothers too early, not being vaccinated and having to endure long journeys in poor conditions.
"However, it's very difficult to get a full view on the scale of the problem as many cases never get reported to the RSPCA. Vets are likely to be the first port of call when a puppy bought by an unsuspecting buyer becomes sick and may be faced with many of these cases - if sadly not all.
"We're interested in hearing from vets to get their evidence from practice and to hear their ideas about how we can tackle the lucrative illegal trade in puppies."
Faecal matter transplantation (FMT) has been used in people to treat Clostridium difficile infections and has also been trialled in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
The researchers believe that FMT offers a potential new option for the treatment of chronic diarrhoea in dogs and the study will investigate whether it contributes to a more rapid resolution of clinical signs. The study is being conducted in association with eight other private practices or universities around the country.
Julien Bazelle, a European Veterinary Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine at Davies said: "The goal is to recruit, over a short period of time, canine patients with chronic small intestinal diarrhoea, for a randomised trial in which the cohort receives or not FMT at the time of the initial investigations and prior to any other treatment.”
Dogs aged 6 months to 10 years with a history of chronic small intestinal diarrhoea (+/- other GI signs) are needed to participate in the study. Half of the dogs will receive FMT and the other half will be managed without. FMT will be performed in eligible patients during the sedation for their routine abdominal ultrasound. Transplanted faecal matter will be administered via a retention enema.
To be eligible, dogs must not have received antibiotics, probiotics or steroids recently.
If you have a potentially suitable patient please contact: julien.bazelle@vetspecialists.co.uk or Fergus.Allerton@willows.uk.net
MSD says that no other UK-licensed BRD vaccine can be administered earlier in life and that the onset of immunity for BRSV is 6 days (for calves vaccinated from the day of birth onwards) and 5 days (for calves vaccinated from the age of one week onwards).
Onset of immunity for Pi3V is one week after vaccination. The duration of immunity is 12 weeks for both viruses.
From a practical standpoint, the new license means Bovilis Intranasal RSP Live can now be used on farm at the same time as other early life interventions associated with newborn calves – for example, colostrum/first milk feeding, navel management, tagging, jacketing and necessary pen movements.
Additionally, Bovilis Intranasal RSP Live can be used up to six hours after mixing with the solvent, which MSD says is the longest of all the available intranasal vaccines for these pathogens.
The vaccine is supplied as a nasal suspension product that doesn’t need a specific applicator – although for maximum flexibility an easy-clean injector and nozzle kit is available for vaccinating multiple animals.
The vaccine is available in 5x1 dose, 5 dose and 5x5 dose packs.
The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has directed that the name of a veterinary surgeon who had been practising in Essex be removed from the RCVS Register, having found him guilty of attempting to obtain medicines dishonestly.
James Alexander Lockyear, a graduate from Pretoria University in South Africa, was charged with two offences. The case was heard in his absence, although the Committee did not draw any adverse inference from this. One charge concerned his attempted purchase of steroids from a pharmacy in Colchester by dishonestly representing that the medicine was for legitimate veterinary use. The second charge related to several instances of what the Committee referred to as "inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour", including showing an offensive image to another staff member on a mobile phone, placing the testicle of a castrated dog in his mouth and the misuse of an endotracheal tube.
All of the incidents had taken place between April 2008 and September 2009, while Mr Lockyear was practising as a locum veterinary surgeon at St Runwald's Veterinary Surgery, Colchester, Essex.
The Disciplinary Committee heard evidence from a pharmacist, Mr Noble, to whom Mr Lockyear had presented an incomplete veterinary prescription for 12 ampoules of Sustanon, a prescription-only anabolic steroid for humans, and a further pharmacist, Mr Foskett MRPharmS, who outlined his suspicions that the steroids were in fact for Mr Lockyear's personal use (Sustanon is a substance which can potentially be misused in relation to body-building). Mr Lockyear had originally claimed the drugs were for general stock at the practice; he later returned with a second prescription, for double the amount of Sustanon, claiming it was for his own dog; later again, he said the prescription was for a friend's dog.
The Committee also heard evidence from the veterinary owner of the practice, a veterinary nurse and a student veterinary nurse working in the practice team, and from Dr Maddison MRCVS, an expert on small animal clinical pharmacology. Dr Maddison informed the Committee that there was a veterinary alternative to Sustanon, so it was not necessary for that drug to have been sought by Mr Lockyear. She was also of the view that Sustanon would not have been suitable to treat the ailments for which Mr Lockyear claimed it was to be used.
The Committee found Mr Lockyear guilty of the first charge - that is attempting to obtain medicines dishonestly. Chairing the Disciplinary Committee, Mrs Alison Bruce, said: "Whilst it was a one-off incident, it is conduct which falls far short of that which is expected of a member of the profession. It involves serious dishonesty; it represents an abuse of a veterinary surgeon's authority to prescribe drugs; it is conduct which tends to undermine public trust in the profession, and the honesty of its members; it is conduct which compromised other professionals, the pharmacists involved, and undermined the trust which ought to exist between pharmacists and veterinary surgeons generally, in the important area of drug prescription." The Committee therefore directed that Mr Lockyear's name be removed from the Register.
Regarding the second charge, the Committee was most concerned about the incident relating to the dog's testicles, which it felt offended against Mr Lockyear's duty to treat with respect all animals which were his patients. Taking the three incidents as a whole, the Committee felt that Mr Lockyear should be seriously criticised for behaviour that was "unprofessional... juvenile, inappropriate, disgusting and offensive". However, they felt that the conduct was not malicious, and did not occur in the presence of a member of the public, so concluded that this did not amount to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.
Melissa graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 and, after working as a food animal intern at Iowa State University in the United States for a stint, in 1990 joined a two-person traditional mixed-animal veterinary practice on the Ayrshire coast. Over the next 25 years she developed it into a 4.5 person small-animal practice with a focus on dentistry, before moving away from clinical work in 2015.
Melissa was first elected to Council in 2016 and re-elected in 2020 and, since joining, has sat on a number of committees including the Education Committee, Finance & Resources Committee, and Preliminary Investigation Committee/Disciplinary Committee Liaison Committee. Since 2019 she has chaired the Standards Committee where she has led the Review of ‘Under Care’ and Out-of-Hours Emergency Cover and also chairs the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice Subcommittee.
As well as her work with RCVS she has also been President of the British Veterinary Association’s Scottish Branch and is currently a Non-Executive Director of the Red Tractor Assured Food Standards Scheme and a Trustee of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Outside of work, she enjoys running, swimming, cooking, reading and hopes to have the patience one day to write children’s books.
Melissa said: “I’m delighted and humbled to have been voted in as JVP from July. Thank you to my peers on Council and, as with everything I have done in my career, you, the profession, will see me put all my energy and commitment into the role.
"Themes that I'm keen to develop as a member of the RCVS Officer Team will be: communication, as that can always be improved; community, including within the profession, within the workplace and within the society in which you live; and continuing with the ‘blame culture’ theme originally set out in Chris Tufnell's presidency by looking into how we can use veterinary human factors to improve patient safety."
Other appointments that were confirmed by election at the same meeting of Council was Dr Niall Connell MRCVS as RCVS Treasurer, a role he will take up at the July AGM after completing his year as Senior Vice-President.
Niall: “It is a tremendous honour for me to be elected Treasurer. The RCVS has an exciting strategy which I am looking forward to playing my part in ensuring we remain on a sound financial footing, supporting projects within the RCVS Strategic Plan and continuing to play a wider role within the RCVS Officer Team.”
In terms of committee chairs, Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS was reconfirmed as Chair of the Education Committee, Dr Melissa Donald was reconfirmed as Chair of the Standards Committee and current RCVS President Dr Mandisa Greene MRCVS was elected as Chair of the Advancement of the Professions Committee, replacing Professor David Argyle in that post from July 2021.
Following Professor Argyle stepping down as Junior Vice-President earlier in March 2021, an election to replace him as Junior Vice-President for the remainder of the presidential year will take place in April 2021. Subject to the usual approval from Council, this person will take up the position of RCVS President 2021-22 following the AGM in July.
Sanofi-aventis has signed an agreement under which it will buy Merck & Co Ltd's 50% stake in Merial Limited for $4 billion cash, after which it will own Merial outright.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Merck is selling its stake in Merial to avoid concerns from antitrust regulators that its pending acquisition of Schering-Plough will make it too dominant.
Merck, sanofi-aventis and Schering-Plough have also announced another agreement under which sanofi-aventis will have the option to combine Merck's Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health business with Merial to form an animal health joint venture owned equally by Merck and sanofi-aventis.
I thought Merial-Intervet-Schering-Plough was a bit of a mouthful, but sanofi-aventis-Merial-Intervet/Schering-Plough? The receptionist is going to have her work cut out.
The clinic will assess cats and dogs under six months old where a heart murmur has been detected.
Willows will then recommend a course of action and, if required, carry out keyhole surgery.
Chris Linney, head of cardiology at Willows, said: "This is the first specialist-led, congenital heart disease clinic in the country and will use some of the latest and most advanced equipment available in the veterinary world. As well as advanced ultrasound, we also have state-of-the-art CT available for assessment of complex cases.
"With the support of the 24/7 hospital service and other specialist disciplines here at Willows, it means we can offer excellent care to our patients, their owners and referring vets.
"All young animals with murmurs may benefit from the clinic, but those that are always recommended to undergo assessment are puppies with murmurs grade three (out of six) and over, and kittens with murmurs grade four (out of six) and over.
"By reviewing these animals at a younger age, we hope to be able to put care plans in place that can improve their long-term health.
"We will also offer a precise diagnosis, outlook and prognosis on the cause of the heart murmur and, where needed, carry out minimally-invasive keyhole surgery.
"Often, the earlier these are performed the better the outlook for the patient."
For more information, visit www.willows.uk.net.
The researchers’ objective was to determine whether dogs with intracranial space occupying lesions (iSOLs) on MRI, or MRI-determined indicators of intracranial hypertension (ICH) had higher sedation scores with a more rapid onset of recumbency after the administration of IV butorphanol than dogs without intracranial disease.
They hypothesised that 0.2 mg kg-1 of butorphanol administered intravenously would result in statistically significantly higher sedation scores and quicker onset of recumbency in dogs with MRI-iSOL and MRI-ICH.
For the observational study: 'The sedative effect of intravenous butorphanol in dogs with intracranial space occupying lesions or indicators of intracranial hypertension', 53 dogs presented for a brain MRI.
Each dog was sedated with 0.2 mg kg-1butorphanol IV, and the quality of sedation and the onset of recumbency were scored before drug administration and every 5 minutes after administration for 15 minutes using a modified sedation scale.
The maximum sedation score was 18, and onset of recumbency was recorded when a dog lay down without the ability to stand.
Dogs with MRI-iSOL had significantly higher median sedation scores than dogs without MRI-iSOL (12 versus 5 respectively) 15 minutes after butorphanol administration (T15, p < 0.01).
A greater number of dogs with MRI-ICH achieved recumbency (n = 9/10; 90%) than those without MRI-ICH (n = 20/43; 46.5%; p = 0.01).
Emma Sansby, Resident in Anaesthesia and Analgesia at Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists, who led the research, said: “When intracranial disease is suspected, the administration of butorphanol as a premedicant for anaesthesia could be used to predict the presence of MRI-iSOL and MRI-ICH.
"If a dog becomes recumbent or has a sedation score of more than 10 within 15 minutes of butorphanol administration, the animal should be treated with an anaesthesia protocol adapted to the presence of ICH – so as not to increase intracranial pressure.
“These adaptations include but are not limited to; adequate preoxygenation - to prevent hypoxaemia and elevation of the head to no more than 30 degrees; preventing increases in central venous pressure - by avoiding jugular compression and avoiding excessive intraabdominal and intrathoracic pressure; and a smooth anaesthetic induction - ensuring an adequate depth of anaesthesia prior to tracheal intubation to prevent the cough reflex and judicious mechanical ventilation to enable a low-normal end-tidal carbon dioxide.”
Photo: www.depositphotos.com
Pfizer Animal Health has launched Poulvac, the first modified live vaccine against E.coli in chickens.
The company claims that the vaccine, which can be used from one day of age, is set to bring major benefits in safeguarding the health of broilers, pullets for egg laying and breeding stock.
According to Pfizer, E.coli is one of the most significant bacterial pathogens found in chicks during the first week, leading to problems throughout the life of a flock including inferior performance, lack of uniformity and increased mortality. It is a costly, widespread problem for the UK poultry industry.
The vaccine was developed from research beginning in the 1990s at the Government's veterinary laboratories at Weybridge (now AHVLA) in the UK, employing genome technology to produce an avirulent strain of E.coli that induces protective immunity to the pathogenic strains of the bacteria.
The vaccine is completely non-pathogenic, and does not persist in the bird or the environment for any significant period of time. A gene deletion in its development restricts in vivo replication and leaves behind activated macrophages ready to respond to pathogenic E.coli strains.
Dr Stuart Andrews, poultry technical manager of Pfizer in the UK and Ireland said: "Poulvac E. coli provides broad cross protection against the key serotypes of E. coli infecting chickens. It is the only modified live, nonreactive vaccine proven to meet the European regulatory requirements for efficacy and safety.
"Trials have confirmed that Poulvac E.coli does not persist in the bird and proves to be self-limiting. The vaccine can survive in the environment for only a short time, and spread to in-contact birds is also limited."
The vaccine is administered as a coarse spray with onset of immunity 14 days afterwards and duration of immunity for up to 12 weeks. It can be used from day-old up to six weeks before the onset of lay, and has a nil day withdrawal period.
In the USA where Poulvac E coli has been available for six years field experience has shown the considerable benefits. In the Midwest where average layer mortality at 50 weeks of age was 2.31 per cent, this was reduced to 1.51 per cent with three doses of the vaccine*. In Eastern USA flock mortality compared with five previous flocks was reduced from over three per cent to one per cent.
A field trial in the USA with more than 300,000 broiler breeders vaccination before lay reduced mortality from 2.8 to 1.9 per cent - with only two out of 28 flocks needing antibiotic treatment compared with 13 of the 28 unvaccinated flocks.
On a broiler field trial in Georgia over four million birds were vaccinated with Poulvac E. coli at hatch. The vaccinated birds had a better feed conversion (1.79 against 1.84 for the controls) and with condemnations at the processing plant down from 1.22 to 0.73 per cent the result was a lower production cost of 0.51¢ per lb.
In another broiler trial covering more than two million birds in Arkansas livability was improved from 95.20 to 95.77 per cent and feed conversion improved from 1.95 to 1.90, gaining 0.45¢ per lb.
* Pfizer says it is important to note that in these studies carried out in the USA more than one dose of the vaccine was often administered. A single vaccination is licensed in the Summary of Product Characteristics however, where clinical disease requires and at the discretion of a veterinary surgeon, the vaccination schedule may be re-started as there is no contra-indication on the SPC.
The outreach programme began earlier this month at the Devon County Show (pictured right), where the College used the opportunity to spread the word about its petsneedvets campaign, handing out over 1000 promotional bags in the process.
Next on the itinerary is the Royal Welsh Show near Builth Wells from the 23rd to 26th July. From there, the College will be heading to the BBC Countryfile Live event, held in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire from the 2nd to 5th August.
Ian Holloway, Director of Communications at the RCVS, said: "Following the success and popularity of our stand at Countryfile Live over the past two years we decided that this year we would broaden our horizons and attend some of the UK’s most prestigious and well-attended regional events.
"We have our ever-popular careers materials available, and it was wonderful to see dozens of young people at the Devon County Show asking us about how they can become veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses, as they always have the past two years at Countryfile. This is a really encouraging level of interest in the professions and we’re very happy to provide information to help them fulfil their aspirations.
"Attending more and different public events is a trend we are very keen on continuing with and we will be looking at other events to attend in different parts of the UK for next year."
For more information about upcoming events involving the RCVS visit www.rcvs.org.uk/events
Photo: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
Isle of Wight based veterinary surgeon Dan Forster has had his mobile practice named as the best Business to Consumer Start-up at the inaugural Ready for Business Awards 2013.
Dan launched The Mobile Vet in June 2013, since when he has treated patients from across the Isle of Wight and allowed members of the community who may have been unable to take their pets to the vets for years due to illness or age-related conditions access care for their animals. He says his service has also reactivated many dormant patients who had not visited a vet for many years and had fallen behind with vaccinations, plus those who had decided not to visit because their pets were too nervous or aggressive. Apparently, the service has also gone down well with busy families and households with multiple pets.
The judging panel included David Hitchcock of Barclays, Amanda Hurford from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Titus Sharpe, chief executive of MVF Global and winner of the Sunday Times Tech Track 2013. They selected The Mobile Vet as the winner due to its innovative approach whilst still offering all the traditional veterinary services its customers require. The judges were also impressed by its potential for growth, not just in the South East, but possibly throughout the UK and its drive to continually invest in the latest equipment and create additional job opportunities.
Dan said: "We are truly delighted to have our achievements recognised with such a prestigious accolade so soon after launching The Mobile Vet. The help we received to get started and the on-going support available to us has made it possible to develop our idea into a thriving business operation and we now look forward to pushing ahead with our plans for the future."
Kevin Horne, chairman of the Cavendish Consortium added: "In what was a highly competitive category, The Mobile Vet stood out as offering a very difference proposition to its customers and demonstrated a clear understanding of the needs of its clients. We were impressed by the drive and determination shown by Dan and his colleagues to make what is an extremely novel idea a business reality and wish them, and all the other worthy finalists, well as they strive forward."
Virbac, maker of Pronefra for the management of CKD in cats and dogs, has launched a free app to help interpret patients' urine test results in line with the latest International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) Guidelines.
The app, which is also called Pronefra, is available for download on both the Play store and Apple store.
Simon Boulton MRCVS, Marketing Manager for Companion Animals, said: "Reference ranges supplied by machines and labs are not always appropriate for the renal patient so we wanted to help practices to interpret kidney-specific results quickly and easily in line with the latest recommendations. The Pronefra app was the result. We have received very positive feedback on the app so far and hope it will help practices improve the quality and length of life of their renal patients."
Virbac is also providing further Pronefra practice support materials, include a pet health recording book for clients to aid in compliance and other educational tools for vets, nurses and clients.
532 veterinary practices responded to the survey, which was sent to 3,096 veterinary practices for which the RCVS had a unique email address, on 3rd April.
The survey found that:
Three-quarters of those who responded to the survey answered a question on how the RCVS could better support veterinary practices through the crisis. The most frequent response (27%) was that the RCVS needed to provide clearer guidance, in particular as to what services it was permissible for veterinary practices to provide [the College published its updated guidance and flowchart on 9 April].
Of those who responded to the question, 15% felt that the RCVS was doing a good job or that there was nothing more it should do, while just 2% of responses expressed negative sentiment towards the RCVS.
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS Chief Executive, said: “I would like to thank all those practices who took the time in what is already a very fraught situation to respond to our survey and provide the evidence we need to gain a holistic picture of coronavirus’ impact on the business and economics of veterinary practices. We plan to continue running these surveys on a regular basis in order to gauge impact over time and the findings will feed into our policy and decision-making.
"This ongoing research will also be a vital tool when we are talking to Government and other bodies about the impact of policy on the veterinary sector. On this note, we are aware of the challenges of a minimum furlough period of three weeks given the need for practices to take steps to offer 24/7 emergency and critical care, and have written to government on this with some case studies around the impact this is having.
"To those on the ground it won’t come as too much of a surprise that the impact of the coronavirus has been profound in areas such as practice turnover and staffing, with many vets, veterinary nurses and other support staff being furloughed with the aim of signing them up to the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
"There are some bright spots in the data we’ve gathered – very few practices reported that they had made or were planning to make staff redundant, and many practices reported mitigating the challenge of social distancing by carrying out consultations with new and existing clients remotely.
"Since the survey took place we have also taken steps to meet some of the requests for greater clarity and guidance from the RCVS with the publication of our flowchart helping practices to decide what treatments it is appropriate to carry out safely amidst the COVID-19 pandemic."
The survey results can be read in full at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications.
The next practice impact survey is planned for early May.
SPVS is leading a ground-breaking new project which aims to find out how veterinary surgeons are treating a range of clinical conditions.
Two hundred practitioners are being sought to provide details of how they address clinical conditions in three study areas: small animal, equine and farm animal, on a new website: www.howdoido.org. The findings, which will be made anonymous, will eventually form the basis of a clinical benchmarking process, which will tie in with the growing trend towards evidence-based medicine.
SPVS's objective is to understand and support how clinicians work in practice and approach particular clinical cases. The Society is working alongside Dr Mark Johnson who carried out the Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Equine Fatalities.
SPVS Junior Vice President Jacqui Molyneux said: "This is an exciting new study which will shed a lot of light on what we as clinicians are doing in practice with the eventual aim of developing a clinical benchmarking process.
"The project however will only be worthwhile if a significant number of practitioners take part, so we're encouraging vets to visit the website and find out more. It will take no longer than ten minutes to fill in each clinical case."
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has announced the launch of PORCILIS AR-T DF, an inactivated vaccine against progressive atrophic rhinitis in piglets with a new adjuvant which the company says is associated with fewer injection site reactions.
PORCILIS AR-T DF uses DILUVAC FORTE (DF), an aqueous vitamin E-based adjuvant and will replace PORCILIS AR-T, a similar vaccine containing an oil-based adjuvant. The newly formulated vaccine is approved to reduce the clinical signs of progressive atrophic rhinitis in their offspring. Progressive atrophic rhinitis is caused by a toxin from the bacteria Pasteurella multocida affecting bone-forming cells in the snout of the young piglet.
Marc Dickie, Senior Director, Global Swine Business Unit at Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health said: "The innovative PORCILIS AR-T DF vaccine combines the proven efficacy of the current PORCILIS AR-T with an improved safety profile and convenience for the veterinarian that is offered by the aqueous DILUVAC FORTE adjuvant. The new vaccine also demonstrates the commitment of our company to continuously improve our vaccines, thereby offering value-added benefits to our customers."