Life Technologies has announced the launch of a new ELISA test for bluetongue virus (BTV) antibodies.

According to the company, studies have confirmed that the LSI VET Ruminant Bluetongue II-serum ELISA can detect antibodies to BTV in experimentally infected sheep after 6 days, and in cattle after 7-8 days - several days sooner than some other commercially available test kits, including the company's previous ELISA test which the new product has replaced.

Life Technologies asked the UK's Pirbright Institute, the European Union Reference Laboratory for BTV, to conduct a preliminary assessment of the new test. The new test was able to detect antibodies in all 24 BTV reference sera and BTV 26 held by Pirbright, and showed high sensitivity in a longitudinal study of experimentally infected animals.

The Pirbright study also demonstrated that the LSI VET Ruminant Bluetongue II-serum ELISA could detect BTV antibodies in cattle and sheep that had been vaccinated with an inactivated Bluetongue vaccine.

The new test was developed by Life Technologies Animal Health in its research laboratory near Lyon in France and will be available in EU countries via Life Technologies Animal Health distributors according to local regulatory requirements (see www.lifetechnologies.com/lsi-animal-health) for details.

Dechra Veterinary Products has added Lax-a-Past – a complementary feed designed to help eliminate the problem of hairballs in cats – to its portfolio. 

Lax-a-Past is a palatable paste that can be administered orally to kittens and cats aged over 6 months.

It can be used weekly to help stop hairballs from forming or in higher doses over a consecutive three-day period to help eliminate them. 

Carol Morgan, Brand Manager from Dechra Veterinary Products (pictured right) said: “Hairballs are a well-known issue for cats. Lax-a-Past is a complementary feed that offers a simple, easy-to-administer solution to help relieve the digestion problems caused by hairballs.  

“It is very easy for owners to administer as the required dosage can be squeezed out and spread on a front paw or given directly into the mouth."

Lax-a-Past is available in a 70g tube.

For more information visit www.dechra.co.uk.

Cats Protection and Dogs Trust have launched an awards scheme inviting veterinary students to submit a series of three feline or canine case studies.

The Clinical Cases Study Awards 2010 encourage students to highlight the differential diagnoses and treatment regimes in a 1,500 word report. 

The selected cases should be related, and animals can be from the UK or overseas. Reports should include a brief introduction, common presenting signs, possible causes of the animal's condition or illness and a diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plan for each animal, with photographs included as appropriate.

There will be separate prizes for the best feline report and the best canine report. Each winner will receive £500 and the chance to have their report summary published in a Cats Protection or Dogs Trust magazine, whilst runners-up in each category will receive £250.

Guidance notes to help students draft their report are available from either charity. Reports should be sent with a covering letter and a CV to veterinary@cats.org.uk  to arrive no later than 1 March 2010. 

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a judging day on 6 April at Dogs Trust's Rehoming Centre in Kenilworth. Selected finalists will have the opportunity to attend the BSAVA Congress in Birmingham, where the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 9 April.  

Maggie Roberts, Cats Protection's Director of Veterinary Services said: "As a charity that helps over 193,000 unwanted cats each year, Cats Protection works closely with the veterinary profession and recognises how important today's veterinary students are to the future of feline welfare. Cats are intriguing creatures and their diseases can be complex.  It will be interesting to see the range of cases the students present."

Chris Laurence, Veterinary Director at Dogs Trust added: "This is the first time we have invited veterinary students to submit case studies for the awards and I hope that universities will support the scheme by encouraging their students to enter. We see the awards as an introduction point for students to engage with two of the leading welfare charities - something that will be a beneficial experience and potentially assist them with their future careers."

Further information can be obtained from either Gemma Lovegrove at Cats Protection on 01825 741991 or email veterinary@cats.org.uk or from Chris Laurence at Dogs Trust on 02078 337 662 or email chris.laurence@dogstrust.org.uk

CVS has announced that it is diversifying into pet grooming, opening grooming studios in its practices across the UK.

The company says the move is in response to the large number of clients that ask its staff to recommend a groomer in their area.

The new service has been branded MiGroomers and the first four studios have been opened at The Priory Veterinary Group and The Orchard Veterinary Centre in Nottingham, at Bridge House Vets in Mansfield, and at Haygate Veterinary Centre in Telford. Further studios are opening the Old Golf House Veterinary Group in Norfolk and in the Southwold-based Fromus Veterinary Group by the end of the month.

CVS says MiGroomers studios offer a full range of grooming services, all carried out by experienced groomers, Diploma-qualified to City and Guilds Level 2 or above.

Barry Brackner, Marketing and Commercial Director at CVS, said: "Given the frequency with which we are asked to recommend local groomers, moving into this growing sector where space in our practices allows it, seems a logical next step towards providing our clients with a one-stop-shop for all of their pet care requirements.

"It  also enables us to offer additional career opportunities for our staff - something which is a priority for us at CVS. All of the current MiGroomers studios are being run by existing staff with an interest and qualification in grooming so it's a win/win and initial feedback from clients has been very positive.  We will open further additional MiGroomers studios where we have the interest from staff and the potential to provide the appropriate facilities."

The PDSA has announced that it is offering free workshops to help veterinary professionals deliver new welfare checks called 'PetWise MOTs'.

The PetWise MOT checks focus on the five welfare needs, and the workshops count for seven hours CPD. The charity says that while the workshops are suitable for all members of the practice team, they should be of particular interest to nursing teams and those with a keen interest in engaging clients with the needs of their pets.

The aim of the MOT Checks is to improve pet wellbeing in the UK, following reports of a reduced level of awareness amongst the public of the five welfare needs defined by the Animal Welfare Acts.

Richard Casey, PDSA Pet Wellbeing Project Manager, said: "We know there is more to a pet’s wellbeing than just providing for their basic health needs. This unique consultation structure was developed in response to falling awareness among owners of their pets’ welfare needs, with millions of pets suffering unnecessarily. The PetWise MOTs use a simple traffic light system and personalised action plans to reverse this trend by helping to inform and engage owners about what their pets need to be healthy and happy."

The consultations were first trialled on the charity’s mobile PetCheck vehicles, then expanded to PDSA’s 51 pet hospitals. According to the charity, over 100,000 PetWise MOTs and follow up checks have now been completed in the last few years, with outcomes including:

• 45% reduction in the number of pets not having any of their welfare needs met (for example, 30% pets were assessed as ‘red’ for their health needs during their first PetWise MOT, but on the return checks this had reduced to 9%).
• 14% increase in the number of pets having all their needs fully met
• 40% increase in the uptake of preventive services within six months
• 28% of pets receiving a PetWise MOT went on to receive treatment for conditions that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.
• 86% of clients found their PetWise MOT extremely beneficial
• 100% of clients feel every UK vet practice should offer this service.

Alison Case, a Senior Vet at Bow PDSA Pet Hospital, said: "PetWise MOTs give a really practical approach to running clinics based on the pet’s welfare needs. We’ve seen a positive impact on patient care by looking at husbandry at home as well as the clinical concerns of the patient. The consultations help to strengthen the clinic-client bond through professional support and advice. We’ve had great feedback from our clients, who are now much more aware of the routine needs of their pets and often attend for further check-ups as well as regularly purchasing preventive treatments."

The workshops will focus on dogs, cats and rabbits, although the consultations are transferable to all species.

For more information or to book a place, visit www.pdsa.org.uk/petwise or email petwise@pdsa.org.uk. 

The BSAVA has announced the launch of Diagnostic Rounds: free, once-a-month evening case-based CPD sessions for members, starting in September. 

Each Diagnostic Rounds session will be live-streamed and interactive, with 90 minutes of interpretation of diagnostic images and test results. The BSAVA says the sessions will be packed with cases and images, enabling all vets no matter where they are in their career, to keep developing their interpretation skills.

Lucie Goodwin, Head of Education said: “We are really excited to be launching Diagnostic Rounds and have a great line up of speakers and topics for the next twelve months. Our members have told us that they want more diagnostic imaging and case-based CPD and we are delighted to be able to deliver this in a fun, interactive and accessible way. As interpretation skills are relevant to daily veterinary practice, Diagnostic Rounds will be relevant to all small animal vets with something for everyone, regardless of career stage.”

The Diagnostic Rounds will be delivered by specialist diagnostic imagers, medics, cardiologists, and clinical pathologists. Whilst there will be a strong focus on diagnostic imaging, there will also be sessions on ECG interpretation, endoscopy, and clinical pathology. Speakers will include Mike Martin on ‘Imaging cardiology cases’, Ed Hall on ‘Interpreting endoscopic findings of the GI tract’ and Helen Wilson on ‘Imaging respiratory emergencies’.

Leading human and animal health organisations – the British Medical Association (BMA), British Dental Association (BDA), British Veterinary Association (BVA) and Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) - have joined forces for the first time to promote a ‘One Health’ approach to ensure responsible guardianship of antibiotics and their proper public use on European Antibiotics Awareness Day tomorrow.

Antibiotics are obviously a vital medicine for both animal and human health, and modern health systems rely on the availability and effectiveness of a range of antimicrobials to treat and prevent infections. Yet inappropriate use – such as prescribing for self-limiting infections, not finishing a prescribed course of antibiotics or habitual prophylactic use in healthy animals to prevent disease - all contribute to the development of resistant bacteria in both humans and animals.

Whilst antibiotic resistance in animals does not perhaps present the greatest immediate existential threat, there is a strong argument for a united message to the public coming from doctors, dentists, chemists and veterinary surgeons.

Quite simply, some 13M households own a pet. Pretty much all of them visit a vet at some stage, and most will be a human patient at some point in their lives. So, what a veterinary surgeon says about the use of antibiotics in animals has the potential to help transform how owners think about them when they come to visit the doctor.

A survey of general practitioner doctors last year found that 90% feel pressured by patients to prescribe antibiotics and 28% have prescribed them several times a week when not sure they are medically necessary. If veterinary surgeons refuse to prescribe them for pets unless medically necessary, explaining that they are a precious resource which can no longer be wasted, it could help relieve the pressure on doctors. The same goes for the importance of compliance; if owners learn the importance of their pet taking the full course, there's a greater chance they'll understand why they need to complete their own course of treatment.

BVA President Sean Wensley said: "Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is too important an issue for uncoordinated approaches amongst the medical professions. We need to work together to share knowledge and successful approaches, as well as taking responsibility for not just the immediate clinical situations before us, but also for our role in supporting the health and wellbeing of wider society. An effective approach to tackling AMR is about professions and patients working together for the greater good."

BMA board of science Chair Professor Sheila the Baroness Hollins said: "Doctors have expressed significant concern about the threat of a ‘post-antimicrobial age’. It is vital that we see action to improve antimicrobial prescribing across all disciplines. Only by different professionals working together to improve antimicrobial stewardship will we start to address this major public health issue."

BDA President Professor Nairn Wilson said: "All health professionals have a responsibility to draw a line under inappropriate or unnecessary use of antibiotics. One in ten prescriptions in the UK are provided by dentists, so we’re determined to do our bit. We are facing a clear and present danger to public health, and it will only be overcome if we act together."

For further information about EAAD 2015, visit www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/EAAD  

To mark EAAD 2015, BVA has produced a range of new posters to promote the responsible use of antibiotics for use in veterinary practices or as a source of information for pet owners which can be found on their website www.bva.co.uk/eaad.

Defra has today published reports from the Health and SafetyExecutive and Professor Brian Spratt, of Imperial College London,into the recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Surrey. The report is available here.

Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Food, Farming and Animal Health spelled out the law on dangerous dogs at the RSPCA Conference on Dogs this week, and announced the publication of a Defra leaflet which provides clear, concise and accessible information regarding the law on dogs which are dangerously out of control and dogs which are banned.

He said: "The vast majority of dog owners are responsible and the vast majority of dogs are well behaved, but recent tragic cases of dog attacks underline why we need to give absolute clarity to anyone that owns a dog on their responsibilities under the law.

"This new leaflet explains to dog owners, and people who come into contact with dogs, how the law prevents irresponsible dog ownership.  It is important that people understand the law as it may deter irresponsible dog owners from allowing their dogs to be dangerous."

The leaflet outlines the following key points:

• Any dog is defined as dangerously out of control if it injures a person or if it behaves in a way that makes a person worried that it might injure them. The maximum penalty for allowing your dog to be dangerously out of control is two years imprisonment, or a fine, or both.
• A control order can be obtained if a dog is judged to present a risk - even if it is in its own home or garden.
• If a dog injures another person's animal and the owner of the animal reasonably believes they could be injured if they intervened, then the dog could be judged as being dangerously out of control and an offence may therefore be committed
• If someone uses their dog to injure someone they could be charged with malicious wounding. The maximum penalty for this is five years imprisonment.

The leaflet also deals with the law on banned dogs. It explains that:

• Four types of dog are banned - Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero.
• Whether a dog is banned depends on what it looks like rather than the breed or name by which it is called. This is because the legislation refers to dogs which conform to a certain type and have particular characteristics, not specific breeds.
• Defra's website has a full description and photographs of prohibited dogs.
• It is against the law to own, breed from, sell, give away or abandon any banned dog.
• The maximum penalty for possessing a banned dog is a fine of £5,000, or six months imprisonment, or both.
  

A printable version of the leaflet is available on the Defra website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domestic/dogs.htm

Defra is also currently working on a booklet to provide guidance on the law to those who are enforcing it, including the police and local authorities.

Defra says the public leaflet, in combination with the enforcers' document, is an essential part of its strategy to promote the better enforcement of the law on dangerous dogs.

Ark Surgical has announced the launch of an 'entry level' reusable retractor ring which the company says is suitable for many routine procedures.

This addition to the range complements the existing disposable system which is widely used for more complex and specialist procedures carried out in practices and referral centres alike.

The reusable Retractor System consists of a rectangular retractor ring, (which can also be configured to a small square as shown) and six 5mm sharp elastic stay hooks, all of which are validated for 20 sterilising cycles or one year, whichever occurs first.

Key areas of surgery where the retractor system is most commonly used include: general, abdominal, neurological, soft tissue and orthopaedic.

For more information visit http://www.arksurgical.co.uk/ 

Veterinary nursing dominated the event held by the RCVS to celebrate the launch of its new Royal Charter at the House of Commons last week. 

Over 200 guests attended the occasion, which was sponsored by the MPs Neil Parish (Conservative), Angela Smith (Labour) and David Heath (Liberal Democrats).

The new Charter, which came into effect on 17 February, sets out the objects of the College and underpins many of its core functions such as the Practice Standards Scheme. However, the main focus of the event was the impact the Charter has had on veterinary nursing. Specifically how it recognises veterinary nursing as a profession and empowers the VN Council to set standards for training and CPD.

Professor Stuart Reid, RCVS President said: “There is one more piece of this jigsaw that is missing. We would like to increase further the confidence of the public in veterinary nurses with formal statutory protection of the title veterinary nurse. It is simply unacceptable that unqualified individuals should be able to use the same title as a well-qualified, properly regulated professional.”

Kathy Kissick, a registered veterinary nurse and Chair of VN Council, commended the hard work it had taken to get a new Charter, adding: “I am so very proud to stand here as a registered veterinary nurse and an associate of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Registered veterinary nurses should wear their badges with pride.”

Nick Stace, RCVS CEO, closed the event by outlining how the College was fulfilling its strategy to become a first-rate regulator citing the streamlining of the complaints process, the new alternative dispute resolution (ADR) trial and the Mind Matters Initiative as just some of the ways in which the College is making a positive contribution to the welfare of animals, the public and the profession.

Picture shows (Left to right) RCVS President, Professor Stuart Reid, Neil Parish (Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton), Angela Smith (Labour MP for Penistone), Kathy Kissick RVN (Chair of VN Council) and RCVS CEO Nick Stace.

Dechra Veterinary Products has picked up a major award at the 2011 Veterinary Marketing Awards for a calendar called 'The Horse in History'.

The calendar, designed to promote all of Dechra's equine products but particularly Equipalazone, also won the award for most innovative use of direct mail. The company's website, http://www.dechra.co.uk/, was highly commended in the New Media category.  

The John O'Hara Award is made to the VMA category finalist which, in the opinion of the judges, best demonstrates a high level of innovation or adventurousness in an aspect of the advertising mix.  Designed to celebrate the unique position of the horse down the ages in culture, art, science and legend, the calendar featured twelve iconic illustrations, from the white horse carved into the chalk hillside in Uffington, Oxfordshire, to Da Vinci's sculpture.

It also included an embedded competition giving practices the opportunity to win practical aids, including wind up torches and water bottles, with the major prize being a trip to Vienna to see the Lipizzaner Stallions at the Spanish Riding School.

Larry King, Senior Brand Manager at Dechra, said:  "Horses have had a unique relationship with man for thousands of years and this is what we wanted to celebrate with our calendar. The monthly competition with 100 prizes on offer and the special prize draw at the end of the year gave it a real point of difference and it proved very popular with our customers.  It was the first time we'd run such a campaign over twelve months and we believe it to be unique in the animal health sector.

"We were delighted and honoured to win both the award for best use of direct mail and the John O'Hara award for The Horse in History.  It will inspire us on our quest to continually set new standards in the way we communicate with our customers."

The Norman Cavalry

Galloping Horse

 
The Uffington White Horse

  
The Anatomy of The Horse 

Incitatus

Bucephalus

 
Altamira Cave Painting

Gran Cavallo

Rocinante

American Carousel Horse

Aethenoth