The vaccine will be available to order directly from Merial on receipt of a Special Import Certificate (SIC) issued by the VMD to the named vet. The SIC is only required once but needs to accommodate all potential doses required, enabling Merial to supply to direct orders from the practice.
The product is available in 10 dose packs at a net price of £89.00 per pack.
For further information, contact Merial Customer Support Centre (UK) on 0870 6000 123 or your local equine territory manager.
Amongst other things, the plans offer 24/7 telephone counselling from GPs and trained counsellors.
Simplyhealth Professional’s Head Veterinary Officer, Gudrun Ravetz (pictured right), said: "Veterinary practice is a 24/7 job and it can be difficult for the veterinary team to access GP and counselling appointments during the day and of course, a mental or physical health crisis can hit at any time of the day or night. Access to the telephone care line ensures staff can freely access potentially life-saving advice and support at their time of greatest need, no matter when or where."
Optimise health plans also include access to the online myWellbeing portal which offers advice on a range of subjects, including childcare and eldercare responsibilities, finance and legal issues.
The plans also provide employees with free health evaluation tools and cashback on services including sight tests, dental treatment, diagnostics, physiotherapy and even prescription costs.
Lastly, Optimise health plans encourage leisure activities by offering discounts on sports equipment, gym membership and healthy family days out.
Gudrun added: "By providing access to talking therapies and removing some of the barriers to self-care, the Simplyhealth Optimise plans aim to support practices who want to ensure their staff can easily access the tools they need to maintain a healthy mind and body. Knowing that your practice cares enough about your wellbeing to put a care plan in place is very attractive to new recruits and existing staff alike."
Practice owners and managers can find out more by talking to their Simplyhealth Professionals Business Consultant, visit www.simplyhealthprofessionals.co.uk or call 0800 328 3233.
The study, which was carried out by researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences at the University of Nottingham, is one of the first to look at colostrum hygiene in Great Britain. The researchers analysed data from 328 colostrum samples from 56 British dairy farms.
Samples collected from collection and feeding equipment had higher levels of bacteria than those collected directly from the cows’ teat, suggesting that whilst colostrum from the cow is relatively low in bacterial levels, improperly cleaned equipment can be a major source of bacterial contamination. Over one third of samples collected from collection or feeding equipment were over the threshold for high bacterial levels and represented a significant risk to the health of calves.
Dr Robert Hyde (pictured right), one of the researchers on the study, said: “By analysing colostrum collection protocols on the farms, we were able to identify a small number of management practices likely to have a substantial impact on colostrum hygiene for the majority of farms.
"For example, the use of scalding hot water to clean collection and feeding equipment could reduce bacteria levels by over 90% compared with using cold water only. Less than half of farms used scalding hot water to clean colostrum collection and feeding equipment, suggesting there are a large number of farms that could make this simple change.”
The main recommendations from the research are that colostrum hygiene protocols should include the cleaning of colostrum collection and feeding equipment after every use with hot water as opposed to cold water, and hypochlorite or peracetic acid as opposed to water or parlour wash.
Cows' teats should be prepared with a pre-milking teat disinfectant and wiped with a clean, dry paper towel prior to colostrum collection, and colostrum should be pasteurised where possible.
The AHDB guide to colostrum hygiene can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FziQX0B9yb4
Robert added: “This study provides a first look at bacteria levels in Great Britain, and the results suggest there are a few simple changes to collection and cleaning protocols that could have a significant impact on colostrum hygiene levels on British dairy farms. By making these simple changes there is likely to be significant improvement in colostrum hygiene, which is essential in minimising the risk of disease and ensuring the optimum health and welfare of calves on dairy farms.”
The full study is open access and can be found here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.601227/full
The University of Nottingham herd health toolkit contains a “Colostrum bacteriology” section, where vets and farmers can use the results from this study to see what management changes might have the largest impact on colostrum hygiene, can be found here: https://herdhealth.shinyapps.io/toolkit/
Reference
DuoTox is the first product to combine activated charcoal and diosmectite, providing a wider spectrum of absorbency against various toxic substances.
Accidental poisoning poses a significant threat to pets, with vets in the UK reporting over 30001 cases a week and making an average 60 calls a day to the VPIS for assistance2
In 2020, 7.1 million pets fell ill after eating something poisonous1 and the VPIS reported a 40% increase in poisoning enquiries in 20212.
The most commonly used product for accidental ingestion is activated charcoal, but it only has affinity for certain substances.
Diosmectite also only binds to select substances, but is not as widely used.
Up until now, the two have not been used together in one product, leaving situations where the chosen binder has no effect.
NVS says that in cases of potential ingestion, identifying the exact substance consumed, and relying on vets to know which binder to use for each substance, is a barrier to successful toxin binding.
Malcolm Dickinson, Category Manager for Select from NVS, said: “Activated charcoal has affinity for substances that are, for example acidic, non-ionised or poorly water soluble, leaving a gap for substances that are alkaline, cationic, hydrophilic etc.
"This is where the absorbency profile of diosmectite comes in to create one product with a much wider spectrum of adsorbency.”
“This will be hugely beneficial to vets in practice: vets can reach for one product, knowing it will be effective.”
DuoTox is available in both paste and liquid forms, designed with palatability in mind.
https://www.nvsweb.co.uk/product-brand/select-healthcare/
References:
The updated indications reflect the recognition that Stelfonta may be used in any case where surgery may not be an option:
For the treatment of non-metastatic (WHO staging) mast cell tumours that are either non-resectable or those that are resectable but where surgery is not considered the best option, specifically: cutaneous mast cell tumours (located anywhere on the dog) and subcutaneous mast cell tumours located at or distal to the elbow or the hock.
Tumours must be less than or equal to 8 cm 3 in volume, and must be accessible to intratumoral injection.
Neil Mottram MRCVS, Technical Manager at Virbac said: “Stelfonta offers veterinary surgeons a medical option for the successful elimination of mast cell tumours.
"The extended labelled indication demonstrates the wide variety of cases that can benefit where medical treatment is preferred, such as; tumour factors (location and size) making surgical margins difficult, patient factors (concurrent disease and risk of anaesthesia), clinic factors and the simplification of this medical treatment and owner factors, where there is a preference to avoid surgery."
Stelfonta is administered by injection directly into the tumour mass and Virbac say that generally, dogs do not require sedation or local or general anaesthesia during treatment.
The active ingredient, Tigilanol tiglate, works largely through specific protein kinase c (PKC) activation, in which it locally stimulates the immune system, resulting in destruction of the tumour and the tumour’s blood supply, followed by rapid healing of the site with minimal scarring.
www.virbac.co.uk
The RSPCA reports that it has saved nearly 400 animals from flooding, including 40 fish, in the last 3 days alone.
The koi carp were rescued from a pond in Wraysbury, Berkshire, which was being overcome by rising floodwater.
Other rescues have included:
The charity says its flood rescue team has helped 586 animals affected by floods since Jan, with 386 of those in the last three days alone. Their efforts were praised by Labour leader Ed Milliband yesterday, who was at the scene with an RSPCA water rescue team in Wraysbury.
RSPCA flood rescue co-ordinator Jason Finch said: "The water rescue teams on the ground are doing an amazing job with limited resources. We will continue to do everything we can to help animals, and humans, during this difficult time and are so grateful for all the support our workers have received from the public."
Photograph courtesy RSPCA
The first is Design Hub, a self-service marketing portal which allows practices to choose from a variety of designs for posters, social media posts and other collateral and brand them with the practice logo. The portal includes a planner which details noteworthy dates, veterinary campaigns and events that practices might want to include in their marketing plans.
Member practices using the new portal during February also have the chance to enter a competition to win £500 Love2shop vouchers.
The second resource is a pets portal which the company says will make it easier to access live information about pets enrolled on its health plans, make administrative changes, process refunds or cancellations and soon, add new pets.
From July the pets portal will compatible with tablets and other mobile devices, so practice staff can move out from behind the desk and have conversations with pet owners in the waiting or consulting rooms.
Paul Bates, Practice Development Specialist, said: "We had already identified that practices wanted to be able to register plans and change details online. It was important for us to also ensure that the tool we developed had the desired functionality and was robust enough to handle large volumes of data being entered simultaneously across the country.
"We also wanted it to be fit for purpose so that if we want to develop more advanced features going forwards, we don’t have to recreate the wheel and can build on what we have already. The portal will be really useful in its own right and gives us a great launching pad for future development."
To access the new portals, email: pethealthplanscomms@denplan.co.uk, or contact your Simplyhealth Professionals Practice Support Advisor or Business Development Consultant.
For more information about Simplyhealth Professionals visit http://www.pethealthplans.co.uk/vets.
The divestment is expected to be concluded in mid-2020, and Bayer intends to exit its stake in Elanco over time.
Bayer says that combining Elanco and Bayer Animal Health will create the number two animal heath company, with top three positions across a broad range of species and geographies. It also enhances Elanco’s portfolio of leading global brands and bolsters its innovation capabilities and R&D pipeline.
Jeffrey N. Simmons, president and chief executive officer of Elanco, said: "Combining Elanco’s strong relationship with veterinarians and Bayer’s leadership in retail and e-commerce will ultimately benefit all our customers. We look forward to joining our complementary portfolios and capabilities to build a fully focused animal health company, providing a sustained flow of innovation for farmers, veterinarians and pet owners."
60 vets took part in the survey. 80% believed they had seen an increase in behavioural problems since lockdown. Over 60% reported an increase in the incidence of obesity and diarrhoea. Nearly 50% had seen an increase in urinary tract disorders and haemorrhagic gastroenteritis.
When asked which conditions had been harder to manage clinically since the start of the pandemic, the top seven conditions were:
Medicine specialist, Dr Stefanie Mitze (pictured right) said: “We conducted the survey to help us understand changes in disease incidence and the clinical challenges faced by our colleagues in first opinion practice over the last year.
"The fact that the incidence of disorders which can have a stress-related component, including behavioural problems, diarrhoea and urinary tract disease, were reported to have increased by a high proportion of respondents indicates that many pets may be experiencing heightened stress during the pandemic.”
Stefanie is now creating a series of free bitesize CPD videos to help manage these more challenging cases. She said: “We recognise the past year has been challenging, especially with complex staffing issues, reduced vet visits and restricted face-to-face communication with clients. For complex, chronic medical conditions, especially those which require frequent follow up, we wanted to support colleagues in providing the best care possible in the current circumstances. We hope these CPD sessions will provide practical tips to help deliver just that.
The CPD sessions are available at: https://www.hamiltonspecialists.vet
CEVA Animal Health has launched Diarsanyl Plus, a new intestinal support paste for dogs, cats and small animals containing prebiotics.
Diarsanyl Plus contains the same unique combination of ingredients as Diarsanyl - montmorillonite, Na+, Mg2+ and K+ ions and dextrose - but now also contains prebiotics called fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS).
According to the company, montmorillonite maintains intestinal function by coating and protecting the enterocytes and absorbing toxins, Na+, Mg2+ and K+ ions help maintain electrolyte levels and dextrose provides a much needed energy source for the small intestine. The prebiotics help maintain normal intestinal flora by promoting the growth of good bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli and stimulating the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) - acetate, propionate and butyrate - which are important energy sources for the large intestine.
Fraser Broadfoot, product manager at CEVA Animal Health said: "Diarsanyl Plus will build on the proven efficacy of Diarsanyl by including prebiotics that naturally balance the intestinal flora of animals with digestive upsets and diarrhoea. The new easy-to-use syringes and palatable formulation will also make it easier for pet owners to administer."
Diarsanyl Plus is available in 10ml, 24ml and 60ml pack sizes for a variety of species, from small animals to large dogs.
For further information, please contact your CEVA Animal Health representative or call 01494 781510.
The resource includes content from Companion, BSAVA Congress, and the BSAVA Manual of Wildlife Casualties.
Topics range from hand-rearing to anaesthesia to relevant legal questions and cover both hedgehogs and general wildlife casualties.
Liz Mullineaux, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Wildlife Medicine (Mammalian), Senior Vice President of the British Veterinary Zoological Society, and editor of the BSAVA Manual of Wildlife Casualties, said: "Hedgehogs are the most common mammalian wildlife casualty seen by veterinary surgeons.
"Those caring for these animals have very variable knowledge and look to vets for appropriate help, advice, and clinical care.
"It’s therefore really important that vets and vet nurses in practice have some good information about hedgehogs to hand.
"As well as knowing about clinical conditions, a broader understanding of wildlife rehabilitation is essential.
The collection, which costs £20.00 for BSAVA members or £45.00 for non-members, can be accessed via the BSAVA Library: https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/hedgehogs.
Dave Dickson MRCVS (pictured right) said: "The ECG series is full of case examples and practical advice, delivered by the friendly cardiologists at HeartVets.
"The course should give you confidence to record and interpret ECGs in practice, knowing how to put the ECG information into context with each case and improving how you manage cardiac cases in practice."
ECGs for Vets and Nurses, an online course offering an introduction to ECGs.
The course, which costs £95 for three month's access, has over seven-and-a-half hours of content, divided up into 20-45 minute webinars, so you can watch at your own pace.
For more information, visit: https://heartvets.co.uk/learning-zone/
MSD Animal Health has announced the launch of The Big Tick Project, both to investigate whether ticks are carrying more pathogens and to raise awareness amongst the public.
The company highlights research which shows that nationally, tick distribution has expanded by 17% in the last 10 years and tick numbers have also increased in 73% of locations surveyed.1 In addition, the company says there is evidence that ticks are feeding earlier in the year and feeding for longer2, thus increasing their potential to pass on significant disease to both animals and humans. Lyme disease in particular can be serious health issue for both humans and animals, being increasingly recognised and recorded in the UK recent years3.
So, as part of the project, practices are being invited to collect ticks and send them to the University of Bristol for analysis. In addition, there'll be a national PR and marketing campaign fronted by the naturalist Chris Packham (pictured right).
Practices taking part in the project will receive a tick collection kit and marketing support pack including access to dedicated PR services, postcards and posters to raise awareness of ticks within their clinic and local community. The collection kit includes instructions, collection equipment and Freepost packaging to allow ticks removed from dogs to be sent to the university quickly and easily.
Professor Richard Wall from University of Bristol said: "For accurate results we need as many ticks as possible and I really encourage vet practices up and down the country to get involved. We need data from all types of practices ranging from urban to rural locations to help vets and human health professionals make more effective recommendations and help prevent tick-related disease."
To take part in The Big Tick Project, email a contact name and your practice details to: info@bigtickproject.co.uk.
References
Flimabend is diluted into water and replaces the flock’s drinking water for a set period during the day.
The new 20g pack includes a post-prescription leaflet to help veterinary surgeons support clients in calculating the correct dose, based on the bodyweight of their flock. It also includes a measuring scoop to ensure accurate administration.
Flimabend is effective against the three key intestinal worms affecting chickens – Ascaridia (roundworm); Capillaria (hairworm) and Heterakis gallinarum, which can be a vector for Blackhead disease. No egg withdrawal period is required.
Charlotte Read, Krka's Key Account Manager – Farm said: “Poultry-rearing is on the increase in the UK, both at a commercial level and among the public. Recent figures suggest that more than one million UK households keep chickens, with the majority of domestic flocks comprising five laying hens and a cockerel1.
"A regular worming routine is, of course, essential for optimal flock health and ensuring ease of use in a worming product is the most effective way of ensuring compliance, especially among those keeping backyard chickens.
“As one of the first water-based worming products available for small flocks, Flimabend now offers an innovative presentation of Flubendazole which we believe offers a new level of convenience and flexibility.”
Krka is currently offering virtual ‘lunch and learns’ on the worming of backyard chickens. Contact your Krka Account Manager for more details.
Zoetis says the Vetscan OptiCell represents a significant leap forward in technology and offers meaningful time, cost and space savings for veterinary healthcare teams, contributing to better patient outcomes and a more efficient clinic workflow.
It uses cell-focusing and AI-powered classification technology for CBC analysis, delivering a claimed lab quality accuracy at the point of care.
Dr. Richard Goldstein, DVM, DACVIM, DECVIM-CA, Global Chief Medical Officer and Head of Medical Affairs at Zoetis said: “Vetscan OptiCell delivers high-quality results, enables improved efficiency, and provides a compact footprint.
"For the first time, we are able to use advanced AI image recognition technology to characterise the blood cells instead of relying on their size or other physical parameters.”
Pre-orders will be available in the UK later this year.
The virtual collection provides a source of evidence to determine what is or is not of clinical significance in cardiac arrhythmia and what might represent the best course of action, if action is needed, within the requisite parameters of safety and welfare.
With an editorial written jointly by Peter Physick-Sheard and Joann Slack the virtual collection includes:
... and more.
Professor Celia Marr, Editor of the EVJ said: “In terms of day-to-day veterinary work, rhythm disturbances are a frequent frustration during prepurchase examinations or perceived poor performance assessments. This outstanding collection brings to hand the most recent evidence to help clinicians support their observations, facilitating diagnosis and a treatment plan in this challenging area.”
The Virtual issue can be downloaded here: https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)2042-3306.irregular-hearts-performance.vi
The book contains 40 chapters of articles about clinical techniques, diagnostic pathways and management approaches published in Companion between 2016 and 2020.
Editor of Companion, Samantha Taylor said: “At Companion we strive to produce well-illustrated, practical articles to help vets and VNs in practice face the day-to-day challenges of a varied caseload. We hope this collection meets our aims by covering a variety of clinical problems from hypercalcaemia in cats to managing the snuffly rabbit, from Leishmaniasis to lymphoma and many more.
Ian Ramsey (BSAVA Senior Vice President) said: “This collection represents a unique body of well-illustrated work prepared by experts from all around the UK and beyond. I would like to thank them all on behalf of BSAVA members and readers of this book for taking the time and care to develop these resources for their colleagues around the world.”
Samantha added: “Whether kept on the shelf for when needed or thumbed through over a cup of tea, we hope that within the pages of this new volume you find a useful tip or technique that helps.”
The How to…collected articles from BSAVA Companion (2016–2020), 3rd edition has been published as a BSAVA member loyalty reward gift for those eligible veterinary members who renew their membership this year.
The book is also available to buy from the BSAVA website www.bsava.com/shop priced at £20.
The first is to confirm officially that Suprelorin, it's non-surgical alternative for neutering male dogs, may be implanted by RVNs under the direction of a veterinary surgeon under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act.
The company is also hosting two free webinars for nurses to learn more about neutering: The Science of Canine Castration and Practical Tips for Clinics, presented by Dr Michelle Kutzler and Nicola Lakeman on Thursday 9th December 2021, and Behaviour in Post-Pandemic Puppies and Practical Tips for Clinics, presented by Stephanie Hedges and Nicola Lakeman on Thursday 16th December 2021.
Dr Neil Mottram MRCVS, Technical Product Manager at Virbac said: "A huge surge in dog ownership in the last two years, combined with the additional pressures of Covid-19, has massively increased pressures on veterinary teams.
"At the same time we know that pet owner attitudes to surgical neutering is changing with 1 in 3 pet owners saying that they would look at alternative methods to surgical castration1.
"Suprelorin offers practices the opportunity to utilise the skills of their RVNs to provide a choice to clients when it comes to neutering and help to ease pressures on surgical waiting lists".
The partnership includes a minimum donation of £10,000 which the company hopes to bolster with additional volunteering and fundraising support.
Gerard Ensink, Head of Animal Health UK and Ireland at Boehringer Ingelheim said: “We are truly delighted to be supporting StreetVet.
“There is already so much passion for the charity within our company.
"Even before we announced this charity partnership, several of our colleagues have been volunteers with StreetVet in a personal capacity.
"We look forward to supporting StreetVet and believe that together we can make a real difference to individuals and their pets who are experiencing homelessness.”
https://www.streetvet.co.uk
The model for the forecast was developed by the College with the Institute of Employment Studies using data from the RCVS Registers, the 2019 and 2024 Surveys of the Professions, Office for National Statistics data for projected economic growth and the PDSA’s Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Reports.
However, the model does not take account of the impact of the increasing costs of veterinary care on pet ownership trends, the full effect of which may not yet have been felt.
The main predictions of the model are:
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS Chief Executive Officer, said: “In 2021, there were clear concerns about there being a workforce crisis within the veterinary professions, and while that certainly seemed to be the case, and is likely to continue to be so in the short-term, according to this model the future picture for the professions looks much better in most areas of veterinary practice.
“However, government service/public health looks to be an area where there is still a significant shortfall in supply, which is concerning considering the importance of government vets in food safety, disease prevention and international trade and we are willing to continue to work with government to find ways to remedy this shortfall.
“We are aware that there may be some concerns about the implications of the model, particularly concerning the potential oversupply of veterinary nurses.
"While we stand by the robustness of the data, demography is not destiny, and with the planned enhancement of the veterinary nurse role, and the likelihood of suppressed demand due to prior shortages, it is likely that the number of veterinary nursing roles will expand to encompass the number of veterinary nurses available to work in it.
“Finally, we are aware that there are also some limitations to the model in its current form, for example, in terms of regional data.
"This is a work in progress, and we will continue to update and improve the model as and when new data allows.”
The workforce modelling report is available to download from www.rcvs.org.uk/publications
The first opinion Linnaeus Group practice, which also holds RCVS hospital status, is run by a team of nine vets, 14 nurses, nine receptionists and four animal care assistants.
It was given an outstanding rating for client service, inpatient service, patient consultation service and team and professional responsibility.
Maureen Geraghty Sathi, Practice Manager at Maven said: "We’re always asking ourselves how could we do this better? Everyone has to be on board or it would not work."
The practice had a focus team look at awards and the improvements it would need to make to achieve the required standards. Amongst the various things that were highlighted as exceptional were:
A genuinely separate cat waiting area and cat consult room.
An extensive pain monitoring system with pain scoring for all patients in hospital and an outpatient system which enables clients to monitor and chart their pets pain levels at home and review them with their vet.
Daily clinical rounds which involve the entire clinical team as well as management and a member of the customer care team. Aside from discussing clinical cases for the day this platform also enables daily review of any significant events or morbidity and mortality cases to be highlighted and time allocated for review.
A system whereby vets at the practice email clients in advance of any surgical procedure with information on the procedure itself as well as any potential risks associated with the procedure allowing time for further discussion with the client as needed
Consistent use of surgical and GA checklists to maximise patient safety.
In the final report, the RCVS practice standards assessor wrote: "The structures and management in place were of the very highest order. I was really impressed by the commitment of this practice to provide the very highest standards of clinical care to its clients."
Maureen said: "I am massively proud of the team, to see the pride in how they work. It is lovely to be told that you are working to an extremely high level and genuinely reflects the standards of the team day by day."
The money, which was raised from the annual raffle and auction was nearly 50% more than last year's total, which was an already impressive £27,800.
When the total was announced, former Vetlife President and auctioneer for the evening, Graham Dick was visibly moved and rendered temporarily speechless.
Once he's had a chance to recompose himself, he said “Your continued selection of Vetlife as the nominated charity for your now legendary fundraising at your annual conference not only raises much needed funds to enable it to continue to fulfil its mission, but also provides an excellent opportunity to re-enforce its contribution to the wellbeing of so many fellow veterinary professionals.” \
“This amazing sum raised could not have been possible without the provision by so many of such a wide range of raffle prizes and high value lots for auction and the generosity of those who bid unstintingly for them.
"On behalf of those in our veterinary community for whom such generosity may have made a substantial difference Vetlife is extremely grateful.”
Vet Dynamics Director Vicky Robinson said: “Both Graham and I were virtually speechless to see the amazing generosity from our delegates and exhibitors and, of course, the kindness of the donors.
"It's such a pleasure to be able to contribute to a charity who work tirelessly to help our wonderful profession.”
Photo: Vicky Robinson and Graham Dick
The Action Plan presents what the College is doing to tackle the issue and explains how collaboration, culture change, career development and leadership, among other things, could help with workforce shortages by improving retention of current members of the professions, encouraging more people to join, and making it easier for those who have left the professions to return.
The report lists seven main areas to be addressed:
The full list of actions, with context about what has fed into ambitions, can be found in the Action Plan which is downloadable at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications.
Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS, Junior Vice-President and Chair of the RCVS Advancement of the Professions Committee, said: “This is a very complex, broad and multi-faceted area of concern so the Action Plan has been a long time in the making to ensure that we adequately capture what needs doing and how, in order to enable us to work collaboratively with all veterinary organisations going forward.
"This is not a finished list, but gives all within the veterinary sector the ability to look at the key areas of work that need to be done and prioritise the ones that most suit their organisational needs."
The survey of 1,019 dog owners was conducted by petbuzz in December 2022.
Veterinary cardiology specialist, Dr Rachel James, said: “The CKCS has long been a very popular breed of dog in high demand, due to their loving and placid nature making them perfect family pet.
"We know that sadly at least 50% of CKCS have evidence of MVD disease by the time they are five, with 98% of dogs affected in their lifetimes.
"However, we can help our clients when selecting this breed to choose a puppy that is less likely to develop MVD at an early age, by utilising the heart testing scheme (Doppler heart testing).
"Prospective owners should be asking to see test results for the parents, grandparents, and even better great grandparents too, on both maternal and paternal sides.
"In addition breeders need more support and education to encourage the use of the heart testing scheme and how this can enable them to choose the best dogs to breed from.
"Furthermore we should be encouraging breeders to breed from dogs only when they are at least 3 years of age.”
Vita Animal Health commissioned the survey to raise awareness of the condition and to remind owners to use their vet’s expertise.
Vita’s veterinary nurse, Tara Evans, said: “The CKCS is a very popular breed of dog, perhaps set to be more so now King Charles III is reigning monarch.
"This survey has shown that awareness of mitral valve disease – which is very common in this breed – is not as good as it could be.
"We want to support vets in raising awareness and have useful resources such as our heart disease infographic (www.vitaanimalhealth.com/common-signs-of-heart-disease) that we welcome all vets in using.”