The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has announced the results of the RCVS Council and Veterinary Nurse Council elections.

A record number of candidates stood in the RCVS Council election this year, and the results were much closer than usual.

Two candidates entirely new to the Council have been elected, one of whom - Amanda Boag - received the highest number of votes. The other - Chris Barker - also did well, coming in third place overall.

Three existing RCVS Council Members have been re-elected for a further four years, and Stephen May, who was formerly an appointed Council Member from the Royal Veterinary College, was also voted onto Council for the first time.

Of the three candidates standing for election to VN Council, one existing Member - Kathy Kissick - has been returned, and one new member - Elizabeth Figg - has been elected.

All successful candidates will take up or resume their seats at RCVS Day on 6 July 2012.

Turnouts for both elections remained low, with just 3,625 veterinary surgeons (15.1%) and 743 veterinary nurses (7.5%) choosing to exercise their right to vote.

By comparison, in 2011 voting figures were 3,887 (15.9%) and 723 (7.6%), respectively.

Veterinary surgeons' and veterinary nurses' use of online and text voting, rather than postal voting, increased again this year from 25% to 30.6%, and 12.9% to 20%, respectively.

The World Veterinary Poultry Association (WVPA) has announced that nominations are now open for its Young Poultry Veterinarian of the Year 2015 Award, sponsored by Zoetis.

The award, now in its fourth year, is open to qualified poultry veterinarians who are under the age of 35 on January 1, 2015. The winner will be selected by a global panel of judges and will receive a USD$5,000 contribution towards attending international scientific or continued professional development meetings.

The WVPA is calling for nominations to be made on behalf of young veterinarians who have excellent poultry diagnostic and advisory skills, are effective communicators and transferors of their knowledge and can demonstrate a real passion for their industry.

Nigel Horrox, vice president of the WVPA said: "We continue to be impressed by the calibre of entries for this award, and we are confident that this year will be no exception.

"We are looking for an individual who is not only invaluable to their local poultry industry, but who consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty and is a credit to their profession."

Hector Badillo, group director of global marketing at Zoetis, said the contribution made by young poultry veterinarians is vital to the future of the industry. "We are proud to support this award, which recognises top new talent in the global poultry industry and the outstanding contribution made by an individual."

Entries for the award are to be made via the dedicated website: www.wvpa-award.com. Nominees/applicants are asked to describe in 500 words or less their role and achievements in the industry and why they feel they should win the award. The award will be presented at the XIX Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Association, Cape Town, South Africa, September 7-11, 2015.

Closing date for entries is March 31, 2015.

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has announced that it has received marketing authorization from the European Commission for a single-shot vaccination schedule of its Porcilis PCV vaccine against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infections.

The new approval allows vaccination with 1 dose of 2 ml in pigs from an age of 3 weeks onwards (known as the 1 - 2 - 3 approach) in the case of low to medium levels of maternal antibodies against PCV2, and also to include reduction of mortality as an additional indication. This new single-shot application for Porcilis PCV offers additional flexibility over the currently available dosage scheme of this vaccine, which has been available in Europe since April 2009.

Intervet/Schering Plough says the major characteristics of Porcilis PCV are that: (1) it contains the Cap-2 subunit antigen coded by ORF2 and therefore induces strong immunity against PCV2 infection; (2) it is combined with XSolve, an adjuvant offering immunity until the end of the finishing period; and (3) is able to break through of all levels of maternally-derived antibodies in piglets depending on the vaccination schedule used.

The company adds that one single dose of Porcilis PCV has been demonstrated to induce both humoral and cell-mediated responses against PCV2, despite the presence of low to medium levels of maternal antibodies. According to a recent study published in Vaccine, the immunity induced by a single dose of the vaccine resulted in reductions of viremia, viral shedding and viral load in tissues in vaccinated pigs as compared to controls. Field trials have also demonstrated that vaccination of pigs at 3 weeks of age or older reduces the presence of virus load in the blood and reduces weight loss associated with PCV2 infection during the fattening period.

Infection with PCV2 is known to cause a variety of syndromes in pigs, together known as Porcine Circo Virus Disease (PCVD). Symptoms may include clinical signs such as weight loss or failure to grow, enlarged lymph nodes, difficulty in breathing, pale skin and jaundice.

Researchers from Highcroft Veterinary Referrals, the Royal Veterinary College and the University of Zurich are asking veterinary surgeons to take part in a survey designed to identify the rate of complications associated with Angiostrongylus vasorum (lungworm) infection or treatment in dogs.

The research, which is led by Drs Kieran Borgeat, Jose Matos and David Connolly, is the first step of a larger project, which hopes to culminate in the development of a set of consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of lungworm in dogs.

The researchers say that the guidelines are needed because there is currently no consensus amongst veterinary practitioners as to how dogs infected with Angiostrongylus vasorum (lungworm) are best treated. In addition, whilst there are anecdotal reports of adverse reactions after treatment, none are currently published in the literature.

The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete, and all participants who leave their email address will be entered into a prize draw for £100 worth of Amazon vouchers.

No pharmaceutical or food companies have been involved in the design or funding of the research, and approval has been granted by the RVC Ethics and Welfare Committee.

The survey  will close on 1^st May 2016, or when 1000 responses have been completed. All information entered into the questionnaire will be completely anonymous and contact information will be held in a confidential database and not shared with any third parties.

To take part, visit http://tinyurl.com/lungwormsurvey

RCVS Knowledge has announced the launch of inFOCUS, a free resource to keep veterinary practitioners, academics and students up to date with the latest research and critically appraised topics.

Produced by Knowledge’s Library and Information Service, inFOCUS watches all relevant veterinary journals and provides concise summaries of the most important, interesting or practice-critical primary and secondary material.

Subscribers to inFOCUS are sent a bi-monthly email containing the summaries – including the bottom line for implementation in practice – and the option to read the original articles.

The new service aims to remove the time constraints associated with identifying the most vital research.

A Clinical Review Team, made up of experts and specialists from across the veterinary community, assesses journals to find the best items based on relevance, quality and potential impact, and then reviews and summarises the literature for each edition of inFOCUS.

RCVS President Stephen May said: "inFOCUS is a crucial and long-awaited provision available to everyone involved in veterinary care.

"By removing the barriers to accessing and reflecting upon latest research and commentary, this innovative way of bringing you must-know updates further enforces the move towards evidence-based veterinary medicine, of which RCVS Knowledge is a champion. 

"Whether you’re someone who regularly checks veterinary publications or you rarely get the chance to analyse the available material, make sure inFOCUS is on your reading list."

As well as the six-times-per-year email, inFOCUS will be viewable online, where editions from previous months will be housed and individual summaries categorised by animal type. Though initially focused on small animals, literature from across the broad spectrum of veterinary practice will be highlighted.

You can subscribe here to have the latest inFOCUS updates sent directly to your inbox.

Also, if you're interested in helping to ensure that the most important research reaches the veterinary community, you can apply to join the Clinical Review Team here.

The latest addition to the Tracer® Advance microchip practice support package is a free story book, designed specifically to entertain and educate children in the waiting room, but also to serve as a timely reminder to pet owners of the need to have their pets chipped.

Despite the improved awareness of the benefits of microchipping and year-on-year increases in the numbers of pets being chipped, around 70% of cats and dogs remain unchipped.

Practices can order copies of Lily and the Magic Microchip from their Bayer Animal Health representative. Additional sales support material with an educational theme will be made available later in the year, particularly as the annual fireworks campaign approaches. Tracer Advance is the only polymer microchip available in the UK and is only available through veterinary practices.

Following ongoing lobbying by the British Veterinary Association and others, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate has dropped controversial plans for a new veterinary medicines category - POM EA (prescription-only medicine extended administration).

The proposed category has been discussed at the Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) since 2009. The original purpose was to provide a new category under which a veterinary surgeon would make a clinical assessment and, if appropriate, issue a Veterinary Permission of Extended Administration (VPEA) allowing the animal holder to obtain the prescribed POM EA medicine (from a veterinarian, pharmacist or SQP) for up to 36 months from the date of authorisation.  

The BVA, along with its specialist divisions, says it opposed POM EA from the outset and failed to see that there was any justification for a new category. Veterinary surgeons are already able to write prescriptions for extended use and, as most health plans are reviewed annually, anything beyond a yearly assessment would be unacceptable on health and welfare grounds. An additional category would have also taken the UK even further out of step with the rest of the EU.

The BVA submitted written comments and attended a stakeholder meeting with the VMD to discuss concerns. Despite the VMD suggesting revisions to the original proposal the BVA and other stakeholders maintained that the new category was unnecessary.

Following these consultations, the VPC decided, at a meeting in March, not to progress the proposal any further.

Harvey Locke, President of the BVA, said: "We are extremely pleased that the Veterinary Products Committee has listened to our concerns and decided to drop its plans for POM EA.

"The BVA felt strongly that the proposed new category was unnecessary at best and potentially harmful to animal health and welfare at worst.

"In all fields of practice veterinary surgeons would not feel comfortable prescribing for such long periods without regular contact with the animals they care for."

The Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the AHT has identified a genetic mutation which causes a severe progressive disease in Parson Russell Terriers (PRTs).

Late onset ataxia (LOA) affects coordination and balance, making everyday movement and tasks increasingly difficult. The new DNA test can accurately predict the risk of developing the disease in 97-100 per cent of PRTs and will effectively reduce the number of LOA cases in the breed.

Dogs usually develop the disease between six months and one year of age but because there is no cure, sufferers are usually euthanised around two years after onset as their quality of life diminishes.

After testing DNA of over 200 PRTs in total, the AHT's scientists were able to isolate the genetic mutation which causes the disease and establish that LOA is an inherited recessive trait; therefore dogs must have two defective copies of the genetic mutation, one from each parent, to be affected.

The test results will inform dog owners if their dog is clear from, a carrier of, or affected by LOA.

Cathryn Mellersh, Head of Canine Genetics, at the AHT said: "This is great news for PRT breeders as we believe LOA is an emerging condition in the breed and through this test we should be able to cut the disorder 'off at the pass', before the mutation becomes any more widespread.

"Interestingly, our research also suggests that there may be other causes of ataxia in the breed. It is important for breeders to understand that a clear result using the LOA DNA test will not exclude the formal possibility that dogs could still develop a genetically different form of ataxia."

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: "LOA is a relatively new but devastating condition and we are delighted that we've been able to work with the Animal Health Trust to develop a DNA test that will give breeders the opportunity to significantly reduce this disease. We will keep working together to develop tools and information for breeders, so that they are able to select dogs that will have healthy puppies."

The DNA test for LOA is available from the AHT at the price of £48. Full details are available at www.ahtdnatesting.co.uk.

As of today, VetSurgeon.org Jobs costs £25 +VAT for advertising a job vacancy ... reduced from £99 + VAT before the coronavirus pandemic to support the veterinary profession in these economically challenging times. 

The service has been free of charge since March 15th 2020, when it first became clear how difficult things would become. However, as life has become less restricted, now seemed an appropriate time to introduce a very modest charge to help with the site's ongoing development and maintenance. 

Over the last four and a half months, there has been a significant increase in the number of jobs advertised on VetSurgeon (to the extent that VetSurgeon and VetNurse Jobs now have more jobs advertised than either the Veterinary Times or the Veterinary Record). What's more, feedback from advertisers is that they've received more enquiries both on VetSurgeon.org and over on VetNurse Jobs.

On VetSurgeon, this may be due in part to a number of locum vets seeking permanent positions. However, it also seems likely to be a consequence of a 'virtuous circle' whereby more jobs advertised = more visibility on Google and other social networks = more enquiries = more jobs advertised = more visibility and so on.

For this reason, the plan for the future is to optimise the price of advertising on VetSurgeon.org at the lowest level needed to encourage the largest number of vacancies, the greatest number of enquiries and the revenue needed to pay for the ongoing running of the sites.

For more information about recruitment advertising on VetSurgeon.org.

The International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) is to hold its planned Hong Kong congress in London this year, because of ongoing travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic. 

Taking place on 26th November, the event will focus on putting the Cat Friendly Principles into action within the veterinary clinic, including how to work with cats in challenging situations, the role of appropriate handling techniques and the use of anxiolytics and sedation.

Speakers include Dr Sarah Heath (Veterinary Specialist in Behavioural Medicine), Dr Matt Gurney (Veterinary Specialist in Anaesthesia and Analgesia), Linda Ryan (Veterinary Technician Specialist in Oncology and Behaviour) and Kelly Eyre (RVN). 

Head of ISFM Dr Nathalie Dowgray said: “This has been a really exciting programme to put together.

"Some cats can be challenging in the veterinary clinic even when the team has made every effort to be cat friendly. We wanted to recognise that and include in our panel discussion real-life scenarios to equip vets and nurses with the tools they need for when things don’t go according to plan.”

The Feline Fine London congress is open to all veterinary professionals, including nurses and receptionists.

https://icatcare.org/isfmcongress-2022-london 

The RSPCA has released the latest figures showing the extent of cruelty to animals in the UK.  

In 2007, they show a:

• 34% increase in convictions for cruelty to dogs (1,197 in 2007)
• 15% increase in convictions for cruelty to cats (277 in 2007)
• 12% increase in RSPCA cruelty investigations (137,245 in 2007) and a
• 26% increase in banning orders1 issued by the courts (861 in 2007).

"These animals are the helpless victims of our affluent, throwaway society," says Tim Wass, Chief Officer of the RSPCA Inspectorate.  "They're bought on a whim and discarded when the novelty wears off.  Today's must-have item quickly turns into tomorrow's cast-off.

"Worse still," added Tim, "some animals are violently abused because they don't meet their owners' unrealistic expectations: like the cat kicked to death for having muddy paws or the dog strangled with its lead for misbehaving."

But the year RSPCA reports that there has been good news too, with the success of the new Animal Welfare Act already starting to take effect.  The new Act - which came into force during 2007 - has made it possible to take action sooner than ever before in situations where there are animal welfare concerns.

The Act is already producing powerful results in its first twelve months.  Where animal welfare concerns have prompted the RSPCA to give advice to an animal owner, that advice was followed and the problems resolved 92% of the time, meaning that no further action was necessary.   Tim said: "Even in these early days, the benefits of the new law are clear. Without the new Act, this year's cruelty figures could have been even more horrific."

He added: "Dogs have always borne the brunt of cruelty - from violent outbursts to extreme neglect.  But that's what makes this year's horrendous 34% increase even more shocking: it's a massive increase on an already high figure."

It was hoped that last year's leap in convictions for cruelty to horses was an anomaly.  But this year's figures show that the higher numbers have been maintained - they increased by 33% between 2005 and 2006 - and then increased by a further 13% to 119 in 2007.

The rise in banning orders is a big improvement on the previous year, which had actually recorded a fall.  The new Animal Welfare Act obliges courts to explain their reasons if they don't impose a ban and this may have contributed to the increase.  The new requirement seems to have focussed attention on preventative action which can prevent suffering and save lives.

Tim said: "The main reason we take people to court is to prevent cruelty being repeated. It's very reassuring to see the courts taking this seriously by issuing more and more banning orders, which prevent those convicted of cruelty from keeping animals in future."

The BSAVA has announced Richard Dawkins as its headline speaker at BSAVA Congress 2013 next April.

Richard follows in the footsteps of Lord Robert Winston and Susan Greenfield as the special speaker for the BSAVA lecture.

The talk, sponsored by Anistel, takes place on the Thursday afternoon of in Hall 1 and is open to all Congress delegates.

Dawkins is a prolific writer who first came to prominence with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, his strident manifesto for secularism. However it is The God Delusion that now finds him so frequently called upon for comment. Along with Stephen Hawkins, he is one of the few scientists that members of the public can easily identify, in part due to his willingness to engage in academic and media debates.

Dawkins was born in Nairobi in 1941 where his father worked for British colonial service. He returned to Britain after the war to grow up on the family's estate farm. He studied zoology at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was tutored by Nobel Prize-winning ethologist Nikolaas Tinbergen, graduating in 1962. He received his M.A. and D.Phil. degrees by 1966, and remained a research assistant for another year, when his research concerned models of animal decision-making.

He has since been an assistant professor of zoology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a lecturer and reader in zoology at University of Oxford. In 1995 he was appointed Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, a position that had been endowed by Charles Simonyi with the express intention that the holder "be expected to make important contributions to the public understanding of some scientific field", and that its first holder should be Richard Dawkins.

Image courtesy Zoe Margolis