Davies Veterinary Specialists, the small animal referral hospital based at Higham Gobion in Hertfordshire, has reported treating four cases of serious lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum) infection over the past couple of months, all within around 30 miles of each other.

The practice says it usually sees only two or three lungworm cases a year, at most. It is thought that the increase in cases could be the result of a lack of knowledge amongst some owners about the right wormers to use, as well as the fact that lungworm appears to be getting a stronger foothold in some areas, possibly due to factors such as climate change.

One of the cases referred to DVS was a Cocker Spaniel called Honey belonging to Irené O'Hanlon-Marin from Beaconsfield. Vets initially believed the dog's symptoms of neck pain, breathlessness, shaking and lethargy to be the result of a recent head injury. Serious alarm was raised when Honey appeared to suffer a fit three weeks later, became unable to walk and lost her vision in one eye. She was immediately referred to DVS as an emergency.

Peter Smith, Neurology Specialist at DVS, said: "Honey was in a pretty serious condition when admitted here and would, I suspect, have died if she'd been left another few hours. She's now back home and much improved, and appears to be regaining her sight."

Irené O'Hanlon-Marin said: "It scares me to think how little I knew about lungworm and the fact that I need to use a specific wormer for it. We have been so lucky with Honey but I am determined to help prevent other dogs going through what she suffered so we all need to help spread the word about the dangers of this parasite."  

The other three cases referred to DVS were from High Wycombe, Pinner and St Albans. The practice reports that all patients have recovered well.

The International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) will be hosting its annual Congress in Dublin from 29th June to 3rd July 2023, with the theme of ‘Between a Urolith and a Hard Place: Acute upper urinary tract disease and beyond…’

The ISFM says Congress will offer veterinary professionals an extensive scientific programme designed to support a multi-modal and cat friendly approach to caring for feline patients with acute upper urinary tract disease and other emergencies.  

Speakers will include Søren Boysen (Emergency & Critical Care), Serge Chalhoub (Internal Medicine), Laura Owen (Soft Tissue Surgery) and special guest Allyson Berent (Non-Invasive Surgery). 

Sam Taylor MRCVS, ISFM Veterinary Specialist Lead (pictured right) said: "We seem to be seeing more and more feline urinary cases, urolithiasis and acute kidney injury - and of course the familiar blocked cats!

"In Dublin, I can’t wait to hear how to approach these cases as well as look more in-depth at ECC and discuss cat friendly critical care amongst many other topics from all angles – surgery, medicine, behaviour, imaging and more!’ 

The 2023 ISFM Feline Congress Dublin is open to veterinary surgeons and nurses of all experience levels.

https://icatcare.org/congress-2023-dublin/ 

The results of the UK's first ever public National Equine Health Survey have quantified non-notifiable healthcare issues affecting horses, ponies, donkeys and mules in the UK.

The survey, which was pioneered by The Blue Cross animal charity and is supported by The British Equine Veterinary Association, was carried out last November following two years of pilot schemes. The intention was to find out more about endemic non-notifiable diseases that have never before been recorded in horses, ponies, donkeys and mules, such as coughs, skin diseases and lameness.

The results were announced at the National Equine Forum by Professor Josh Slater, Professor of Equine Clinical Studies at The Royal Veterinary College, who has been working with The Blue Cross on the survey.

A total of 306 sets of records were submitted from 3120 horses in mainly private ownership, with a balance of representation from competition yards, riding schools, welfare charities and studs. A broad range of syndromes and diseases were assessed including colic, sarcoids, laminitis, wounds, dental issues, eye disease, lameness and weight issues.

The results showed that lameness was the most common problem affecting horses (11% of horses surveyed) but that the foot was not the most common cause of lameness and that laminitis (3%) was less common than the 7-8% total that previous surveys had suggested.

Weight management was the next most common issue for horse owners, with 9% of horses recorded as overweight and 8% as underweight.  These figures are lower than previous surveys which may be because they are based on the owner's assessment of their horse's weight which is subjective and may vary according to their perception of 'the right weight'.

Skin disease and wounds (5% and 4% respectively) posed a significant problem and colic (2%) was also a common occurrence, with a 6:1 ratio between medical and surgical cases.

The survey is breaking new ground in Europe as well as the UK. Currently Government agencies in all European countries conduct surveillance for prescribed exotic diseases such as West Nile Virus and African Horse Sickness but currently there are no large scale surveillance programmes for endemic diseases.

Professor Slater said: "The regular collection of such data holds numerous benefits to the UK equine industry. Not only does the survey provide a benchmarking facility for equine disease, welfare, standards of care and codes of practice but it will also underpin standards for yard inspection schemes. Not least it confirms the workability of an important template to monitor the serious threat of infectious and exotic disease in the future." 

He added: "It's exciting to see hints in the NEHS 2010 survey that data 'straight from the horse's mouth' might challenge some established ideas. For example; the survey found that lameness was common, as you would expect, but that the foot was not the most common cause of lameness, which you might not have expected. This kind of data has never been collected before and is invaluable to the veterinary profession and wider animal welfare industry, helping to inform our future research, training and education. It will be really exciting to see the results of the larger surveys The Blue Cross are running in 2011." 

Kerry Doyle, education officer at The Blue Cross said: "We are thrilled to be involved with this innovative project to enhance the future health of our horses and very grateful to all those who have participated in the survey so far. We now need even more horse owners to sign up for the next round so that we can capture as much useful data as possible."

The National Equine Health Survey is currently funded by The Blue Cross but sponsorship is being sought. It is to be conducted twice-yearly with the next census week planned for 9-15 May 2011. All keepers and owners of horses are urged to participate and details of all horse owners will remain anonymous. It's very quick and easy to complete and should only take around five minutes. To register online visit www.bluecross.org.uk/NEHS or email NEHS@bluecross.org.uk.

Merial Animal Health has announced that the second Equine Flu Awareness Month will be held in April this year, with the objective of further educating owners and improving herd protection against this highly contagious disease.

Following last year's campaign, Merial commissioned a survey to learn more about how horse owners seek and receive information about the wider aspects of preventative healthcare, and in particular about the relationship with their veterinary practice.

In the survey of 455 horse owners, which was carried out by CMI Research, 78% said their veterinary surgeon was the most important source of information. The next most important influencers were yard managers/grooms at just 22%.

Louise Radford MRCVS from Merial said: "We wanted to learn more about client education and the opportunities for practices to get more from their client relationships, including vaccination and booster uptake. However we hadn’t estimated just how much horse owners rely on their vet for information!"

"However there appears to be a significant gap between vets as a source of information, and their client’s purchasing habits. Health plans are a great example of the potential for improved compliance, with benefits to the horse, client and practice. Yard health plans present an opportunity to increase booster uptake and also to include animals that might not otherwise be vaccinated.

"Of those horse owners and grooms surveyed who did not vaccinate some or all of their horses, their reasons included horses that never leave the yard, or are old, young, or do not interact with other horses. Yet we know that horses that don’t travel are still at risk of equine flu, as virus can travel up to a mile as an aerosol on the wind, in addition to being carried on objects such as buckets and tack.

"So as the key influencers on preventative healthcare, there is much that practices can do to further engage with clients to increase uptake of products and services, improve client loyalty, and ultimately boost the practice business."

For more information on Equine Flu Awareness Month- 2017, including client materials and video content, visit www.equinefluawareness.com

Animalcare has appointed a new technical vet, Colin Capner, to give support and advice about its products to practices in the UK. 

Colin graduated from the RVC in 1992 and has worked as a clinical veterinary surgeon in a variety of first opinion practices and referral centres. He trained as a veterinary anaesthetist at Bristol and Cambridge Universities before moving into the pharmaceutical industry, gaining experience in drug development and technical support, and pre- and post-marketing, at a number of companies.

Colin said: “Animalcare is introducing a number of new and innovative medicines, such as Daxocox, its weekly NSAID to reduce breakthrough pain in dogs with osteoarthritis, to the veterinary sector. This makes it an exciting environment in which to provide technical support.

“I’m looking forward to exploring how my experience can be most useful in supporting Animalcare’s expansion and, more importantly, ensuring that the company’s customers receive the guidance and advice they need to optimise the effectiveness of Animalcare’s product range in treating their patients.”

For technical support, email: technical@animalcare.co.uk

The Veterinary Surgery in Lowestoft is launching a radioactive iodine therapy service for veterinary practices in the East of England to refer hyperthyroid cats from 5th June.

The service will be run by Dr Eloise Quince BVetMed CertAVP(SAM-F) PgCertVPS MANZCVS MRCVS and Dr Kate Allgood BVetMed CertAVP(SAM) MRCVS.

The practice says radioactive iodine therapy is the treatment of choice for hyperthyroid cats as it provides a permanent cure in up to 95% of cases.

It is administered by an iodine injection under the skin in a specialised unit by a trained vet and nurse. 

The practice says a benefit of RI is that it treats ‘ectopic tissue’ that may be present outside of the thyroid gland, for example in the chest, which is not treated by surgical methods of thyroid removal.

Normal thyroid tissue is also spared, so that there is normal thyroid function post-treatment.

Though some blood tests need to be taken post-treatment, there is no need for ongoing blood samples and the monitoring of the thyroid function once successful treatment has occurred.

Elissa Norman, Clinical Director, who initially developed the idea for the iodine unit said: “The iodine unit first started as a scribble on a piece of paper and a dream of our team back in 2017 and it has taken a huge amount of dedication and effort from a large team of people to get to the point of opening in 2023.

"Radioactive iodine offers a lifetime cure for our hyperthyroid cats and we are delighted to be able to bring this service to the cats of East Anglia.”

To refer a cat patient, vets should email iodine@veterinary-hospital.co.uk.

The RCVS has published a series of case studies designed to help veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses in gaining properly informed consent from clients for procedures and treatments.

The case studies were developed by the RCVS Standards Committee and use a variety of examples of where miscommunication between a client and the veterinary practice can lead to an inadequate level of consent being gained for procedures and treatment, including euthanasia.

Examples include damaged teeth being removed during a clean and polish dental procedure without the owner’s express permission and not giving the full range of options available in the case of a dog with an osteosarcoma.

The case studies follow the Standards Committee approving changes to chapter 11 (‘Communication and consent’) of the supporting guidance to the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct in January 2018 to give further advice on how to discuss informed consent with clients, who can be responsible for gaining consent for a procedure and additional guidance on consent forms.

Dr Kate Richards MRCVS, Chair of the RCVS Standards Committee, said: "We hope these case studies will prove useful to practitioners who are having to deal with the complexities around making sure that procedures are fully explained to ensure informed consent is gained.

"We understand the difficulties that are encountered and so these case studies, based on real-life scenarios, highlight where things may go wrong and how these incidents can be avoided by being thorough and ensuring that good communication is at the heart of all we do."

To view the case studies, visit www.rcvs.org.uk/informed-consent.

Chapter 11 of the RCVS supporting guidance on communication and consent is available to view at www.rcvs.org.uk/consent

VetSurgeon.org has launched a new collaborative publishing section of the website (called a wiki) in which any member of the site may publish case studies and reports, abstracts, short communications, research papers and the results of clinical audit for open discussion and review by all.

The state-of-the-art systems in use on VetSurgeon then allow all members to comment on the work submitted. Initially, it's hoped that this will stimulate valuable further debate, discussion and critical review of papers that have already been published elsewhere. However, another benefit of this system is that it enables anyone in the profession to publish their research to the veterinary community immediately,  without being at the mercy of such things as the availability of space in a traditional print journal, so original work is warmly welcomed.

Arlo Guthrie, editor of VetSurgeon said: "Of course I recognise that authors still want the kudos of publication in a traditional peer reviewed journal. However, in addition to offering immediate publication, this system also opens the review process up so that everyone in the profession can participate in a completely open way. If it works, it may even come to be thought of as a more stringent and robust method of review than the traditional method. Or perhaps more likely, peer review could become a two stage process in which work is assessed by a panel of experts and then by the sort of 'open review' offered by VetSurgeon.org."

Doubtless there will be concerns about the validity of information published in this new section of VetSurgeon, primarily because it may NOT have been subject to peer review at the time of publication. Arlo said: "I don't think this is an issue. VetSurgeon members should just have a different starting point. When you read content in, say Vet Record, you can presume it's been scrutinised and read it in that context. On VetSurgeon, you should assume the opposite, and then use the tools offered by the site to judge the value of the work yourself."

Ways of assessing work published on VetSurgeon.org include:

• Where articles are published by the author, a link to their profile will appear in the bottom right margin. Reading their biography may help you judge the likely quality or value of their work. You may also contact them directly through the site, to ask them more.
• Where articles have been published in a traditional journal, the abstract will contain details, and a link at the foot of the article.
• Challenge what you read! All members may comment under each article. Reading points raised by other members, and how the author responds, will again help you assess the value of the article.

In phase one of this project, taking place over the coming few days, all abstracts published in Veterinary Practice magazine are being uploaded to the new wiki.

Click here to visit the new VetSurgeon Wiki

The National Office of Animal Health has welcomed the publication of the first of government’s 'no-deal' Brexit planning notices, but highlights the risk of interruption to the supply of vital veterinary medicines.

NOAH Chair Gaynor Hillier said: "The production and supply of veterinary medicines is totally dependent on complex international supply chains that must continue to function effectively after Brexit, their unique status being recognised in the recent government White Paper.

"Raw materials will need to arrive at manufacturing sites and veterinary medicines will need to be transported across borders to meet market requirements. Any border delays, additional complex processes or increased costs will risk medicines availability for UK vets, farmers and all our animals."

According to a recent NOAH member survey, less than 15% of companies say they are prepared for a 'hard Brexit' with the vast majority of respondents saying they are not fully prepared should there be a reversion to WTO rules on 30 March 2019.

NOAH says this is not through lack of effort or unawareness of the need to act, but due to the magnitude of the complex tasks involved in such a specialist sector, coupled with uncertainty over what a 'no-deal' Brexit will look like.

In contrast, almost 60% of companies said they are prepared for a transition period to December 2020. Even then, NOAH says the proposed transition period will not be enough in some cases. 

The survey examined product availability in the UK: almost 55% of respondents reported potential availability issues for the UK market impacting more than 40% of their products. The full spectrum of types of products (from vaccines to painkillers: from antibiotics to wormers) across all animal species (farm, equine and pet) are potentially at risk, with particular concerns raised around the supply chain for vaccines.

Emeritus Professor Leslie Vaughan DSc DVR FRCVS, President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1987-8, has died.

Qualifying from the Royal Veterinary College in 1949, Professor Vaughan held various posts within the RVC, including House Surgeon, Lecturer and Reader. He was awarded a personal chair in 1972 as Professor of Veterinary Orthopaedics, becoming the Professor of Veterinary Surgery and Head of Department two years later. He was Vice-Principal from 1982 to 1991.

Having formally retired in 1991, Professor Vaughan continued to see small animal orthopaedic cases referred to the Queen Mother Hospital (QMH) at the Royal Veterinary College until he finally ‘put down his scalpel' at the end of 2007. During these 16 years, not only was he involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching on rotations, but claimed no payment personally for his work: he donated any fees to the RVC's Animal Care Trust to support further development of the QMH.  It is fitting that the third and final phase of the QMH was opened this week by HRH the Duchess of Cornwall.  This was the culmination of a major project that Professor Vaughan helped initiate in the mid-1980s.

Professor Vaughan, who was 81, became a Fellow of the RCVS in 1957 for a thesis entitled: A study of the clinical and pathological aspects of the intervertebral disc protrusion in the dog.

Dr Jerry Davies, RCVS Treasurer and former colleague of Professor Vaughan said: "Leslie Vaughan had an international reputation in veterinary orthopaedics, both as a clinician and a researcher, that included small animal, equine and even farm animal species.

"Those remarkable achievements were equalled by his skills as a teacher.  He had an ability to instil in his students the fundamental principles of diagnosis where meticulous clinical observation and examination must precede the careful selection of adjunct investigations such as radiography and laboratory testing.  The extraordinary number of veterinary surgeons, both past and present, that will have benefited from his teaching over no less than 58 years will never be surpassed". 

The funeral will be held at St John's Church, Harpenden, Herts (http://www.stjohnsharpenden.org.uk/), at 11.30 am on Monday December 1, 2008.

The BSAVA has published the full programme for this year's Congress, which will be held online from the 25th to the 27th March.

The programme includes more than 130 hours of CPD delivered by over 100 speakers from home and abroad, with talks for all members of the practice team. 

The UK speakers include Rebecca Geddes on kidney medicine and nursing; Amy Newfield on IV access techniques; Rob White on brachycephalic surgery and acute abdomen surgical techniques; Penny Watson on liver disease; Dick White on the surgical team; Butty Villiers on cytology for vets and nurses; John Chitty on several rabbits, small furries and exotics topics.

BSAVA President, Professor Ian Ramsey, said: “Following months of meticulous planning we are thrilled that the programme is now live

"The sheer range and high quality of our speakers and content, together with our new, more dynamic format takes webinar learning to a new level."

“Delegates will be able to develop their skills and knowledge on topics they see regularly in practice. To make things even easier we will be providing practical resources such as client handouts for delegates to take back to their clinics. This, coupled with many speakers sharing their own notes and practical resources means less note-taking and a quicker and easier way for delegates to share what they have learnt with their colleagues.”

There will be three keynote speakers; Jenny Campbell, a former Dragon on BBC’s Dragon’s Den, will be sharing her experiences as an entrepreneur and business leader. Two other keynote names will be announced shortly.

On the social side the focus is on bringing people together online to share light-hearted entertainment and laughter. Delegates can exercise their taste buds with some wine and whisky appreciation, throw some shapes with a virtual disco, exercise their bodies as well as their minds with yoga and unwind with some restorative meditation practices.

Ian added: “This year’s BSAVA Congress is going to be the most innovative ever and deliver like never before. There is plenty of relevant and engaging CPD for every practice professional, with all the convenience of a virtual event. If you haven’t already taken a look at the programme and registered, I urge you to do so now. With prices starting at just £99 +VAT for members it represents really great value.”

To register now visit https://www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2021/en/page/home 

Vetpartners is offering grants to support those of its vets who want to boost their clinical skills by doing veterinary work overseas.

The veterinary group is stumping up more than £100,000 for the initiative, which will enable 20 vets and nurses, and 56 new grads from across the group to work with the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) and other overseas animal charities.

The grants are for £1,500 and those taking part will also get up to one week of paid time off work whilst they volunteer.

VetPartners CEO Jo Malone said: “We wanted to support colleagues to have a fantastic experience while improving their skills in a different environment.

"It will give people a chance to use their clinical skills to give back to charities which are doing great work.

“If you’re working in a veterinary practice in Europe, you have support from team members around you and great facilities and equipment compared to the more challenging conditions working for a charity overseas.

"Working in these more challenging environments while they are volunteering will help build resilience, as our team members are unlikely to have experienced anything like this before.

“Charities like the World Veterinary Service are working ethically to help animals that may or may not have ever had veterinary care, and are doing a great job so we are delighted to support them.”

A new study has found that 89% of farm fridges may not maintain temperatures within the 2–8°C range recommended for the storage of most vaccines.

In the study, which was supported by MSD and led by Rosie Lyle of Bishopton Veterinary Group, 18 farmers placed temperature loggers in the fridge where they normally store vaccines. Temperatures were then monitored between February and April. Throughout this period, 89% of loggers recorded a temperature outside the 2–8°C range at least once, and 43% recorded temperatures outside this range more than 50% of the time.

The authors say that these findings raise potential concerns about vaccine efficacy.

Rosie found that 55% of the loggers recorded a temperature over 8°C, and 39% recorded a temperature below 2°C.

Across all the fridges monitored, the maximum temperature recorded was 12°C and the minimum was -11.5°C.

Rosie said: "This is a surprisingly wide range. Obviously, these findings are concerning for farmers as we know that both too high and too low temperatures can impair vaccine efficacy.

"Live vaccines tend to be particularly sensitive to elevated temperatures, whereas inactivated vaccines are more affected by freezing, especially when the adjuvant contains aluminium salts".

"It’s important for both farmers and vets to be aware of potential concerns about vaccine efficacy, given the possible impact on herd health and the potential for vaccine failure to reduce trust in vaccines and herd health recommendations".

In light of Rosie’s findings, other XLVets practices are now encouraging farmers to take action to improve medicine storage, including using max/min thermometers or temperature loggers to track fridge temperature, as well as taking steps to maximise the efficiency of each fridge.

Susan Goodfellow, Marketing Manager at XLVets, said: "We wouldn’t have known that this is an important issue to highlight to farmers without collecting the information, so Rosie’s study was very valuable.

"In the XLVets community, we support clinical leadership with these kind of projects – we actively collect data and make sure that farmers can benefit from the latest findings. As a group of independent practices working together, we can achieve much more than we could in isolation."