Fitz All Media, organiser of the VET Festival, reports that a record 1,900 delegates and 60 exhibitors attended the event earlier this month, a 12% and 28% increase on the previous year, respectively.

Founder Professor Noel Fitzpatrick said: "It is a real joy to see the VET Festival growing and growing, not just in physical size, but from the immense goodwill that radiates from it. The weather didn’t get in the way of the wellness and there was nothing rainy about the atmosphere at VET Festival - in fact I think that the rain brought us closer together.

"I set out to build a community of compassion for our profession and I genuinely felt that there was a tangible sense of togetherness. There were loads of great conversations with each other and with the exhibitors. The educational content really was world class and the tents were packed. I hoped that VET Festival would be a breath of fresh air, where having an education event outdoors - combined with a focus on wellness of body and mind for all of us - could help vet professionals to be the very best that they could be - and so serve our patients better. 

"Everyone there was part of something innovative and refreshing I felt – the delegates, the exhibitors, the team who have worked year-round to create the event, and the fantastic speakers. I’m very grateful to all of them and I sincerely hope that this feeling remains strong for each and every one all year round.

"The resonant theme this year was ‘kindness’ – to ourselves, to each other, to the families of animals and the animals we are lucky enough to take care of. Nobody is a nobody at VET Festival, and never will be. In that field, we’re all equal, no matter what we do in the vet profession - we all matter - we all want the same thing, which is wellness for each other and the animals we serve - and importantly, we’re all in it together for the greater good, rain or shine."

Horiba is to host a free CPD webinar for farm vets: 'Hypocalcaemia – Strategies for Prevention and Monitoring', on Thursday 28th April at 7.30pm.

Horiba says subclinical hypocalcaemia (SCH) is a significant and under-diagnosed metabolic problem in dairy cattle affecting up to 50% cows annually.

After lactation, total calcium levels in the cows’ blood drop which can lead to sub-optimal health and yield.

The webinar will be presented by James Husband BA, VetMB, DipECBHM, DCHP, MRCVS, who will offer the benefit of his research and experience on the subject.

At the end, there'll be a Q&A session.  

During the webinar, Horiba will also introduce its patient-sideLAQUAtwin Ca-11C pocket meter, which measures blood ionised calcium levels fast and is currently on special offer until 30th June 2022. 

To register, visit: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6274625209458361872 

Dechra, maker of Mirataz, is hosting a feline inappetence breakfast meeting at the ISFM Feline Congress at The Clayton Hotel in Dublin at 7.15am on Saturday 1st July to update vets on the practical management of inappetence in cats.

The one hour ‘Wake up to inappetence: practical solutions for the cat that won’t eat both in the clinic and at home’ breakfast meeting is being presented by Sam Taylor, feline specialist advisor at ISFM.

The session will focus on practical management for both in- and out- patients, covering when to use appetite stimulants and place a feeding tube and how to support caregivers. 

Sarah Musgrave, brand manager for Mirataz at Dechra said: “Inappetence in cats is extremely common and has many underlying causes. 

"Appetite stimulants, such as Mirataz, can play a significant role in supporting cats with unintended weight loss while further investigations are underway. 

"Our breakfast meeting at ISFM Feline Congress will cover the practical management of inappetence in cats and provide delegates with hints and tips to take back to the clinic."

https://icatcare.org/congress-2023-dublin/programme.
https://www.dechra.co.uk/mirataz 

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica has launched a series of information sheets written by veterinary surgeons, nutritionists and leading riders to support its muscle building supplement for horses, Equitop Myoplast Power Pearls.

Available to download as PDFs from its website - http://www.equitop-myoplast.co.uk - this resource for horse owners covers a range of feeding topics including training the young showjumper and feeding the performance horse, older horses and horses during periods of rest and recuperation.

New video and written testimonials from performance riders and veterinary surgeons are now on the website, which also offers owners advice on healthy lean muscle growth and the benefits of Equitop Myoplast.  Olympic dressage rider, Emile Faurie, international showjumpers, Ellen Whitaker and Scott Brash, and show horse producer, Katie Jerram, all endorse the product.

A client leaflet has also been launched featuring the testimonials and providing owners with information on Equitop Myoplast and an online offer of £15 off their first purchase of the supplement by downloading a voucher from the website.

Boehringer says Equitop Myoplast is packed with 18 key amino acids and is scientifically designed to support lean muscle growth, not bulk.  The company says the supplement is great for optimising performance in horses in intensive training and competition, as well as bringing on young, breeding and injured animals, and for older horses which lose condition easily.

For further information, please contact your Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica territory manager or call 01344 746959.

Vetericyn VF, the vet-only wound and skin care spray from Innovacyn has been named product of the year by Animal Health International, one of the world's largest food and companion animal health distributors.

Commenting on the award, Innovacyn said: "for an organisation the size and reputation of Animal Health International to give this top honour to Vetericyn is a great vindication of the product's efficacy but also the very positive feedback they have received from professional users."

Vetericyn VF is available throughout the UK from all the leading veterinary wholesalers. Further technical resources are available at: www.vetericyn.com/veterinarians  or email enquiries to uk@vetericyn.com

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has announced that RCVS President-elect Niall Connell, Linda Belton and Jo Dyer have been re-elected to Council after what is believed to have been a record turn out this century.

A total of 8,234 votes were cast in this year’s election, a turnout of 25.5%. The College says the previous highest turnout recorded this century was 22.8%, and it thinks this year's result may even be an all-time record.

It is unclear how much the results were influenced by VetSurgeon.org's reporting of the candidates standing for election, but in another first, Niall Connell was later seen sporting a t-shirt displaying the story: "Arlo said I'm 'by all accounts, something of a national treasure'. Had to do it. Got the T Shirt."

You're welcome, Niall. And huge congratulations to Jo Dyer, who is such a passionate advocate for coal face vets, and to Linda Belton too. 

At the other end of the results, isn't it staggering that there are as many as 422 MsRCVS who are prepared to vote for a single non-issue candidate based the other side of the world. Who are you? Why do you do it? I mean, one can understand a few people voting for the Monster Raving Loony Party out of the general population numbering millions. But 5% of a small, highly educated and qualified profession? What on earth is that about?

The full results, in order of number of votes, are:

• Niall Connell – 3,766 votes (re-elected)

• Linda Belton – 3,581 votes (elected)

• Jo Dyer – 3,146 votes (re-elected)

• John Innes – 2,716 votes

• Kate Richards – 2,283 votes

• Tim Greet – 2,280 votes 

• Peter Robinson – 1,791 votes

• John Davies – 507 votes

• Tom Lonsdale – 422 votes

Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar and Returning Officer for the election, said: "Congratulations to Niall and Jo for being re-elected to Council and congratulations also to Linda who we look forward to welcoming to Council at this year’s Royal College Day on Friday 12 July. I would also like to thank Kate, Tim and Peter for their contributions during their time on Council and give my commiserations to them and the other candidates who were unsuccessful this year. 

"I was delighted to see that, this year, we had over a quarter of those eligible to vote doing so which means both a record number of votes and a record turnout – it seems this was assisted by our email reminders which, each time they were sent out, lead to a significant boost in uptake.

"However, we will not rest on our laurels and will continue to think about how we can further improve engagement in the election process and turnout for subsequent years."

The results of the election will be declared formally at this year’s Royal College Day – the College’s Annual General Meeting and awards ceremony – which takes place at the Royal Institute of British Architects on Friday 12 July 2019 where the successful candidates will also start their new four-year terms.

No election to Veterinary Nursing Council was held this year due to the fact that there were only two candidates – Liz Cox and Jane Davidson – standing for the two elected places. Both Liz and Jane will take up their three-year terms at Royal College Day.

The Blue Cross is calling for nominations from veterinary practices across the country for its Veterinary Nurse of the Year Award 2008.

The annual award is presented at the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) Annual Congress. It recognises the contribution of veterinary nurses in educating the public about responsible pet ownership and the welfare of pets in the community. 

This year's Congress will take place on 10-12 October at the Kettering Conference Centre, Northamptonshire.

Last year's award was won by Anna Hatchett for her outstanding contribution to animal welfare, both within her veterinary practice and among the local community in Whitby, North Yorkshire.

Anna Hatchett was nominated by two vets, Edward Gillams and Kate Loomes, who previously worked with her at The Beck Veterinary Practice in Whitby. Ms Loomes commented: "Anna is an exceptionally dedicated and talented nurse. She has an amazing memory for clients and takes time to enquire as to how their individual pets are. She doesn't hesitate to take in and care for stray and lost animals and works well over her working hours when animals are in need of help."

Nominations for this year's award can be made by completing the nomination form on The Blue Cross website at: www.bluecross.org.uk/BVNA2008or by contacting Sally Leathem on 01993 82557. The deadline for nominations is Friday 15 August 2008.

A group of veterinary practices within the XLVets community have got together to carry out a study into sheep scab and encourage greater transparency, after fears that some farmers may try to keep the condition hidden. 

Caused by the mite Psoroptes ovis, sheep scab was notifiable in the UK until 1992, after which a voluntary reporting scheme was put in place in England and Wales. Sheep scab was made notifiable again in Scotland in 2010.

The study was suggested by Emily Gascoigne MRCVS of Synergy Vets, who noticed that hers was one of the few practices that appeared to be voluntarily reporting cases in England.

She said: "It’s been observed that that farmers can feel ‘judged’ when sheep scab appears in their flock and the impulse to keep it hidden may hold back efforts to control it.

“The results will help to quantify the problem but we are also tackling the other side of the coin by trying to make sheep scab less of a taboo. The potential for contiguous infection from one farm to the other means that forewarned is forearmed.

"Farmers often blame themselves when their sheep get scab which although it can result from a failure of biosecurity at boundaries or during quarantine, can also be brought in on people, deliveries or equipment. Then there are real worries about whether that will affect the saleability of their stock or their relationship with their farming neighbours. We want to encourage vets and farmers to start the conversation and to start actively testing for sheep scab.”

Around 40 practices within the XLVets community are now taking part in the study. In addition to contributing to the survey, participating practices will also be sharing information with farmers about the importance of testing for sheep scab.

The initiative is being supported by Bimeda UK, which provides an online Sheep Scab Academy to help veterinary surgeons and SQPs stay up to date with best practice for sheep scab control. Bimeda UK’s Professional Services Vet Sharon Cooksey, said: "Bimeda has worked for many years to raise awareness and promote best practice in managing this awful disease, including supporting the launch and ongoing operation of the Biobest ELISA test, so this is an initiative we are happy to support.”

The survey has been running since the start of October and will continue for the next five months, with results expected around March 2021. 

Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW), which starts on 23rd May this year, is calling on veterinary practices to sign up to its free health check scheme to help raise awareness of rabbits' behavioural needs.

Participating practices will receive free support packs to help them advertise and run their health check events, as well as goodie bags to give out to clients who bring their rabbits in.

The 2011 event will see a PR, advertising and marketing campaign with backing from Burgess Excel and RAW partners, including Panacur Rabbit, Petplan Insurance, RSPCA, PSDA, The Blue Cross, Wood Green Animal Shelters and RWAF (Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund), which are the driving forces behind the RAW 2011 initiative.

Naomi Chatterley, marketing manager at Burgess Excel, said: "Following the success of last year's event, our aim is to create an even bigger success in 2011. This May, the focus is on raising awareness of rabbits' emotional welfare needs by encouraging owners to consider their rabbit's mental and emotional health. Rabbits that are not stimulated both mentally and physically tend to develop behavioral problems such as fur plucking, depression or severe aggression. Our sole aim is to educate owners about responsible rabbit ownership and improve the wellbeing of Britain's 3^rd most popular pet."

If you are interested in supporting RAW 2011 by hosting rabbit healthcare clinics at your surgery, please visit http://www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk/  to order your free support kit and register your event.

Companion Care Vets has reported a record calendar year in 2010, with 15 new surgeries opened taking the network up to 69.

Companion Care also welcomed 17 new joint venture partners, increasing the total number of partners to 87. The company expects to double the number of surgeries over the next 3 years following the announcement that it is to open standalone practices alongside the in-store Pets at Home surgeries.

According to the company, the opening of 15 new full service surgeries represents an investment of approximately £3 million during the year. More than £340,000 of that investment went on state-of-the-art digital x-ray imaging equipment - a feature of all new surgeries.

Managing director, Jane Balmain, said: "The in-store model has been hugely successful and we will continue to accelerate our growth plans for in-store surgeries as the Pets at Home store footprint expands.

"The launch of our new standalone division provides a solution for the vets and nurses who are looking for a partnership but whose preference is for a more traditional standalone style surgery. The level of interest since our announcement has been massive and we will be looking to capitalise on this in 2011 and beyond.

"Our vision is for Companion Care Vets to become a truly national leading veterinary group and with the record year in 2010 and our plans for 2011 and beyond, we are now well on the way and confident of achieving this."

The ‘Midgeater' device introduced by Calor in 2003 to combat biting midges causing irritation to humans, has now been successfully tested by leading scientists as a monitoring device in the fight against bluetongue.

Leading midge scientist Dr Alison Blackwell, who is the Managing Director of University of Edinburgh based Advanced Pest Solutions, presented her company's findings in her keynote speech to the Royal Entomological Society in Belfast on November 19th.

The current method of trapping midges when monitoring the deadly bluetongue virus is a light trap, but Alison and her team have established that a modified Midgeater can be more effective in catching the main midge species that carry the virus.

Alison said: "During trials this year, we found that Calor fuelled Midgeater traps modified with a simple ‘black' light source and fitted with an octenol / ammonia bait, proved to be far more effective at catching the main species of midge known to carry the bluetongue virus than the light traps which are currently used to monitor midge populations in relation to the disease".

Farmers throughout the UK recently commenced a vaccination programme to protect their animals from the only strain of the bluetongue virus that has so far been encountered in the UK, serotype 8, but there is still a real need to carefully monitor biting midge populations, as other strains of the virus are approaching our shores.

Alison added: "In the last few weeks serotype 1 and serotype 6 have been found in Northern Europe and there are currently no vaccines available in the UK for these types of the bluetongue virus, so it is important that we remain vigilant and monitor midges throughout the UK".  

Advanced Pest Solutions have tested their modified Midgeater traps in England and Wales. The English, project which was carried out at a specialist bull breeding facility, also included the use of the Barrfly air curtain, from fellow Scottish business Innovent.

Alison explained: "Innovent's air curtain is designed to prevent midges passing through it into sensitive areas. The insects simply aren't strong enough to fly through the air currents it produces.

"The air curtain, combined with the Calor supplied traps and APS's consultancy and analysis creates a comprehensive ‘assess, protect and stop', midge management system that businesses can use to reduce the exposure to the risks of midge borne diseases."

Vets North, the regional veterinary congress, is set to return as a face-to-face event at Haydock Park Racecourse on 15-16 September 2021. 

The Congress, which is organised by Improve International, has separate streams for small animal medicine and small animal surgery and a dedicated veterinary nursing stream.

There will also be an exhibition of the latest innovations in veterinary products and services running alongside the lectures.

Helen Richmond, Head of Publishing at Improve said: “While technological innovation has made online congresses much more engaging and accessible over the last year, we felt the time was right to bring Vets North back in a face-to-face environment. Many of our previous delegates have already told us how much they are looking forward to being able to learn and enjoy some social time together again.

“As usual this year’s programme will include presentations and lectures from global experts, who will give advice and share knowledge that can be implemented in practice immediately.  We would like to thank Elanco as our lead sponsor of this year’s Vets North and we also thank our other partners and sponsors for their support and loyalty during this difficult year.”

"Naturally, keeping delegates safe is our highest priority so we are working with the venue to ensure that the Government’s recommendations are implemented to the full and that Haydock Park is a COVID-secure venue.”

Early Bird tickets are available until the end of June.

For more information visit www.vetsnorth.com or call 01793 20805.