She said: “My theme will be focussed on recruitment and particularly widening participation, as one of the three themes of the RCVS Workforce Action Plan.
"I want to get out during my presidential year and talk to school children and teachers, especially head teachers at their conferences, to make them aware of the opportunities that are available to a veterinary science graduate.
“I want to continue to work with the Veterinary Schools Council’s Widening Participation Vet Schools Network to make school children from all backgrounds aware, whether they are from a large, single-sex private school, or a mixed-faith inner-city comprehensive, that veterinary science is accessible to them.
“A veterinary science degree equips graduates with the appropriate skillset to follow a myriad of different career paths.
"For example, in clinical practice caring for people’s beloved pets or working with farmers to produce high-welfare food in an economical and sustainable way. Not to mention groundbreaking research into human and animal diseases, public health to help safeguard food security, the pharmaceutical industry to develop new and innovative treatments, and the armed forces to maintain the health and welfare of military working animals. I could go on.
“As professions, and this means not just veterinary surgeons but veterinary nurses, we need to get out there and sell ourselves to the wider public.
"We have made a start, but we need to become more inclusive and diverse.
"We need to do some myth-busting about the real requirements needed to be a vet or vet nurse.
"There is no doubt you do need to have good A levels to study veterinary medicine, but, beyond that, bright students from any background can join our professions.
"You can be a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse if you are black or white; Muslim or Christian; and from any socioeconomic background.”
Sue's speech is available to read in full at www.rcvs.org.uk/features.
Bluevac-3 is an inactivated injectable vaccine indicated for the active immunisation against BTV-3 for use in sheep and cattle.
Ceva says it reduces viraemia, prevents mortality and reduces the clinical signs of BTV-3 in sheep and reduces viraemia in cattle.
In sheep, Bluevac-3 can be administered from two months of age and two doses of 2ml should be administered subcutaneously three weeks apart.
In cattle, the vaccine can be administered from two months of age and two doses of 4ml should be administered three weeks apart.
Onset of immunity occurs 21 days/three weeks after completion of primary vaccination in cattle and sheep.
The vaccine can be used in pregnancy in cows and ewes.
No negative impact on milk-yield after using the vaccine in lactating ewes and cows is expected.
Ceva developed the new vaccine in partnership with vaccine manufacturer CZV Vaccines and launched it in Europe early in the summer, to mitigate the impact of the disease already experienced in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Craig Wright, ruminant business unit director at Ceva Animal Health, said: “In co-operation with our partner, CZV Vaccines, we have worked tirelessly to bring Bluevac-3 to the UK to help fight bluetongue which has the potential to cause severe financial loss to farmers.
"The availability of an effective vaccine is an essential tool to help suppress future outbreaks by reducing viraemia, preventing mortality and reducing the clinical signs of BTV-3.”
Licences to allow the use of the new vaccine will either be geographically targeted general licences, initially in high risk counties as part of a phased approach, or specific licences which can be applied for through APHA.
General licencing will be subject to risk assessment.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-product-characteristics-for-bluevac-3-btv-3-vaccine-in-the-uk.
In the webinar, which is sponsored by Horiba, Ian will present an update on new exotic parasite infections and distribution across the UK and Europe, and what this means for pets, livestock and the people that care for them.
“New Exotic Parasites – Worming Their Way In?” is suitable for vets, nurses, students and veterinary care assistants.
https://horiba.link/4h2.
Mike Martin, an RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology, has launched a new reference library of cardiology echo scans on VetSurgeon.org.
The movies show cardiac scans performed on normal dogs, and on cats and dogs with a variety of different conditions, both acquired and congenital.
Mike said: "I hope these movies will be a really helpful reference for colleagues who have an interest in cardiology. They provide so much more information than can be gleaned from a still image in a textbook, now that online video quality has improved so much."
Mike's gallery is an excellent example of the way in which a social networking website like VetSurgeon allows its members to share information and collaborate. Other referral practitioners interested in having their own gallery in which to share videos or images with colleagues in the profession should contact the site editor, Arlo Guthrie for further details.
Click here to visit Mike Martin's Cardiology Gallery
BCF Technology has launched the Cuattro Small Animal DR, a digital radiography system which it describes as 'revolutionary for the small animal veterinary practice'.
BCF says the system transforms small animal practices' imaging function, producing diagnostic X-ray images in 5 seconds.
Craig Hoines from BCF said: "The Cuattro Small Animal DR is a smart investment for any practice looking to grow and expand. Investing in your imaging function is a perfect way to do this. The Small Animal DR will allow you to cut X-ray study time significantly, improve in-practice workflows and speed up patient care without increasing costs. The team at BCF can show you how."
According to the company. the Small Animal DR can be practical investment for any size of small animal practice.
For more information, visit www.bcftechnology.com or call +44(0)1506 460 023 to arrange a demonstration.
Graham, 72, who worked at Westover Veterinary Centre in Norfolk for 40 years, set off on his bike from his home in Crostwick last week. He aims to complete the journey in two years, following a route that will take him through Western Europe and into Greece before flying to Ethiopia and cycling through Kenya, where he spent eight years as a government veterinary officer in his early career. He will then follow the Indian Ocean down the African continent's east coast to Cape Town.
Graham said: "I’m no stranger to life on the road – my first job on qualifying was as a field vet in Kenya which I did for eight years. This will be a real adventure though as I am definitely not an accomplished cyclist, however I look forward to the challenge and to raising money for AWF. The route may change slightly as the trip goes along, but that’s down more to government travel advice than my decision - for example, although not currently on my route, I would still like to cycle through Egypt to give a lecture or two, however we’ll need to see what’s possible."
Graham cycled via London to join the annual AWF Discussion Forum in Westminster, attended by other vets, parliamentarians and key stakeholders from the sector, before continuing his cycle to the English south coast with TV vet Emma Milne. Along the way Graham will also be working with equine charitable organisations including the Brooke, SPANA and World Horse Welfare, giving equine welfare and dentistry talks, as well as occasionally returning to the UK to lecture and attend AWF Trustee meetings.
If you would like to sponsor Graham and donate to AWF, or simply find out more about his trip through his regular blog posts, visit vetduncdares.wordpress.com.
The founders of ioLight, Andrew Monk and Richard Williams, will be in attendance on the Bayer stand to answer questions about the new product.
James Crawford, Head of Marketing at Bayer, said: "Bayer is delighted to present the ioLight microscope on our stand at the London Vet Show 2016. The microscope provides fantastically clear images and is simple to use, showing off Bayer's products for all our customers to see."
Professor Mike Taylor, a Diplomate of the European Veterinary Parasitology College, is in the process of evaluating the ioLight microscope as a tool for the diagnosis of parasitic infections of farm animals.
Normally he uses a laboratory microscope for this work but they are not routinely used on a farm. He has also tried a portable digital microscope, but finds it does not give the resolution required for identification of protozoan parasite species or for counting nematode eggs. Mike said: "The ioLight’s portability, image quality and connectivity to the Apple iPad offer great potential for the development of rapid methods for identifying parasites, or determining parasite burdens. I can envisage its use by both veterinarians and suitably trained livestock farmers, in the practice laboratory or directly on the farm."
Andrew Monk said: "Since our launch earlier this year we have seen a massive interest from the veterinary sector. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to demonstrate our microscope to such a large audience, and are looking forward to working with Bayer."
For more information visit iolight.co.uk or email Andrew Monk at andrew.monk@iolight.co.uk.
James Beaumont, Product Manager at Animalcare, said: “Microchipping is an essential but simple way to safeguard the welfare of the UK’s horses. Animalcare was the first company to offer a microchipping service with its identichip microchips, so we know from first-hand experience that microchipping is the most important step owners can take to ensure that lost, abandoned or stolen animals are quickly identified.
“Ensuring the welfare of their patients is a guiding principle for equine vets and we know that they are working very hard to remind owners of the need to ensure that their animals are microchipped and to then keep their contact details up to date. We hope that they will find our social media toolkit useful and that, between us, we can ensure that as many horses as possible are microchipped in time for the new law coming into force.”
To request your social media toolkit, contact your Animalcare Territory Manager or ring 01904 487687.
The increase, which was approved by the Privy Council on Thursday 2 March, will mean that the standard annual renewal fee for UK-practising veterinary surgeons (which must be paid on or before 1 April 2023) will increase by £15 to £379.
The full list of RCVS fees can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/how-we-work/fees
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “We are proud that all throughout the pandemic period, when we know that many were struggling, we managed to keep our fees at the same level in the 2020/21, 2021/22, and 2022/23 fee years.
“The increase that we proposed to the Privy Council is very modest, particularly in comparison to the overall levels of inflation that the British economy has experienced over the past year, which has had an impact on our costs.
“While we appreciate that any rise in fee levels will not be welcomed by everyone, we can assure all members of the professions that we are continuing to use our income prudently and with oversight from our Audit & Risk and Finance & Resources Committees.”
As the increase has been confirmed by the Privy Council, annual renewal fee notifications will be sent to all veterinary surgeons in early March.
New research, conducted by the WALTHAM-initiated Laminitis Consortium, has raised questions over the assumption that soaking hay will make it safe to feed to laminitis-prone horses and ponies1.
The Laminitis Consortium comprises world-leading equine veterinary, nutrition and research experts interested in collaborating on the important topic of laminitis. It includes the authors of this work: Dr Pat Harris of the WALTHAM® Equine Studies Group, Clare Barfoot of Mars Horsecare UK Ltd and Dr Annette Longland of Equine Livestock and Nutrition Services (ELNS).
Over-consumption of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) has been associated with the onset of laminitis. It has been recommended that hay with a non-structural carbohydrate (WSC and starch) content of less than 10% should be fed to obese animals as well as those at risk of laminitis2 and that hay should be soaked in water before being fed in order to reduce the WSC3,4,5. The study, which was completed earlier this year, examined the loss of water-soluble carbohydrates from nine different hays submerged in water for up to 16 hours. It was presented to the biannual Equine Science Symposium in America in May 2009.
Previous studies have shown that the prolonged soaking of chopped hay in large volumes of water can result in the leaching of nutrients, including soluble carbohydrates. However, because common practice in the UK tends to involve long-stemmed hay, soaked in relatively small volumes of water over varying timescales, the Laminitis Consortium's study aimed to replicate such a practice6.
The nine different hay samples were analysed for WSC and then soaked in cold water. The soaked samples were subsequently analysed at four intervals of 20 minutes, 40 minutes, three hours and 16 hours.
Clare Barfoot said: "The results showed a highly variable leaching of WSC and substantially less leaching than reported previously for chopped hay soaked for 30 minutes.3
"Very few samples reached below 10% WSC, despite prolonged soaking. The concern is that this strongly suggests that soaking may not be sufficient to render some hays safe to feed to horses and ponies prone to laminitis.
"Our current advice is that ideally you should analyse your hay before feeding it to an animal at high risk of laminitis and choose hay with the lowest WSC content you can find. Soaking hay provides an additional safeguard but should not be relied upon."
The study also highlights that if hay is soaked for extended periods, it may not meet the nutritional requirements of the animal because substantial amounts of other nutrients, protein, vitamins and minerals will also be lost 5. In such cases it is even more important that the horse or pony should receive a balanced supplementary feed.
The Laminitis Consortium is continuing its work in this area and hopes to be able to identify practices that will be of greater benefit to the horse owner faced with hay of unknown WSC content.
1Longland AC Barfoot C & Harris PA (2009) The loss of water- soluble carbohydrate and soluble protein from nine different hays soaked in water for up to 16 hours. J. Equine Vet Science 29 (5 ) p 383 - 384, 2 Frank N Equine Metabolic Syndrome J Equine Vet Sci 29 (5) p 259 - 267, 3Cottrell, E., Watts, K., Duarte, S. and Ralston, S. (2005). Equine Science Symposium, 2005, 4Kenny, D. (2007). Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science. 5Warr EM, Petch JL. Equine Vet Educ 1993;5:169-171, 6Longland, A.C. (2009) In preparation.
A research project funded by equine charity The Horse Trust has succeeded in killing equine sarcoid cells in vitro by silencing a gene in the virus that causes sarcoids. The researchers are now hoping to obtain funding for clinical trials using the new technique, which could result in a more effective, non-toxic treatment for sarcoids.
Sarcoids are skin tumors caused by infection with the Bovine Papillomavirus (BPV). They are the most common type of tumour found in horses - the estimated prevalence in the UK is 6-7%. Although the disease is rarely life threatening, many horses with sarcoids are euthanased because the condition is untreatable or because the horse is unsellable. Currently there is no universally effective treatment for sarcoids and if treatment fails the sarcoids will often come back worse.
However, research that was given funding by The Horse Trust offers a potential ray of hope for owners of horses affected by sarcoids. The research was published in Virus Research journal earlier this year.
The research, which was led by Professor Lubna Nasir of the University of Glasgow, found that by inhibiting the activity of a particular viral protein within sarcoid cells, the amount of viral DNA in the cells reduced. This led to a reduction in the growth of the sarcoid cells and caused the cell to die by Programmed cell-death (PCD). The researchers believe that PCD occurs because the sarcoid cells become reliant on the virus.
Professor Nasir said: "This could potentially be a major breakthrough in the treatment of sarcoids. We are now seeking funding to use this technique in clinical trials on horses that have sarcoids."
The research team inhibited the activity of a viral protein called E2, which is needed by BPV to replicate. They used a novel approach termed 'gene silencing' to suppress the activity of the gene that codes the E2 protein. The research was carried out in vitro on fibroblast cells, which had been cultured from sarcoid tissue removed from animals during surgery.
As this research was carried out in vitro, the researchers will now need to see if they can replicate the results in vivo, by developing a way of targeting the sarcoid cells in horses.
"One of the challenges with gene silencing is administering it within clinical setting - as you need to get molecules into every cell. As sarcoids are on the surface of a horse, we think administration should be relatively easy - potentially by injecting or applying a cream to the sarcoid," said Professor Nasir. "If we are able to successfully develop this technique it would be a non-toxic and easy to administer treatment for horses affected by this distressing condition."
Nasir's research could also have an impact on the treatment of lesions in cattle, which are also caused by BPV. Around 50% of cattle in the UK are estimated to have lesions. It may also help with the treatment of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections in humans. HPV, which is similar to BPV, can lead to various cancers in humans including cervical and vaginal cancer.
Paul Jepson, Chief Executive and Veterinary Director of The Horse Trust said: "We are really excited that the research we have funded could lead to a major breakthrough in the treatment of sarcoids."
Vets Now has won the 'Social Entrepreneur of the Year' award in the Scottish Business Awards for Pet Blood Bank UK.
The charity was initiated by a Vets Now employee, Wendy Barnett, following a change in legislation which created the opportunity to establish a pet equivalent of the human national blood transfusion service. After a trial through Vets Now, Pet Blood Bank UK was set up in 2007 as an independent charity, with a loan and ongoing fundraising support from Vets Now.
Pet Blood Bank UK collects blood from donor dogs, processes it and supplies it to the veterinary profession to use in cases such as traumatic injuries or where major surgery is required. Last year 164 specially organised dog donor sessions were held where owners are encouraged to bring along their dog to 'donate a pint'. Each donation has the potential to save up to four lives. Nearly 9,000 units of blood have been collected in the past five years.
The charity, which has an education and animal welfare remit, charges veterinary practices just the costs incurred in collecting, processing and storing the blood. As well as providing blood, the Pet Blood Bank UK team are experts in transfusion medicine and receive numerous calls through their advice service. Regular lectures, educational talks to the profession and guidance is given to enquiries from all over the world on how to set up a blood bank.
Wendy Barnett, who is now Head of Clinical and Professional Services at Pet Blood Bank UK, said: "At the heart of our charity is a real desire to ensure that should a dog need blood there is a supply available and I'm delighted that our work, and the support of our many doggy donors and their owners, has been recognised through this award.
"Literally thousands of dog lives have been saved as a result of the service and this has been a real collective effort with Vet Supervisor Jenny Walton and the team here contributing to our success. However, we can't rest on our laurels. Demand from vets has been such that we've had to increase our donor sessions considerably. Like humans, there is a less common dog blood type and we desperately need dogs with negative blood type - such as Greyhounds, Weimaraners, Flat Coat Retrievers, Airedales, Boxers, Dobermans and German Shepherd Dogs to donate at our sessions."
Richard Dixon, founder of Vets Now, said: "Wendy was instrumental in setting up the charity and through her vision and leadership donation sessions have grown from one to three a week, with a 38% increase in donations year on year. We are proud of what Wendy has achieved and the role that the charity now plays in providing much needed blood and guidance to veterinary practices the length and breadth of the UK."
The RCVS Charitable Trust, has announced a complete rebranding that includes a change of name - RCVS Knowledge - and the refocus of its mission on supporting the flourishing evidence based veterinary medicine (EBVM) movement across the globe.
For the past 50 years, the charity has been known as a small funder of veterinary research and the home of the only freely-accessible library for the practising veterinary community in the UK.
Nick Royle, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge said: "RCVS Knowledge is a name that encompasses our three core offerings: historical knowledge represented by our valuable Historical Collection, present knowledge, represented by our library, and future knowledge, represented by the new evidence based veterinary medicine project, which is underpinned by our grants programme."
The RCVS Knowledge re-launch goes further than a mere name change, and comes as the charity refocuses its efforts to become a global intermediary for EBVM, a direction reached following a period of consultation, and on the back of a successful symposium on the subject held at the end of 2012.
Nick, a former CEO of the human evidence based medicine resource, The Cochrane Collaboration, said: "Today, veterinary surgeons and nurses are required to take account of an ever-increasing pool of scientific data, the owners' values and preferences, and their own clinical expertise when making clinical decisions. RCVS Knowledge is ideally placed to generate, collate and distribute this information to support evidence based practices. We aim to develop tools to assist practitioners to quickly make well-informed treatment decisions."
As part of the new direction, the Historical Collection will be made accessible and available online, following a start-up grant from the Wellcome Trust. Clare Boulton, Head of Library and Information Services, said: "The Collection contains priceless and fascinating material, covering topics such as early horse-care and management, veterinary expeditions of discovery through Africa, and research that made the British Cavalry horses of 1914 the finest in the world. But this is just the beginning. If you have relevant experience or some funds that could help us, please get in touch."
Meanwhile, RCVS Knowledge's Library and Information Service will be re-designed to make it much more than shelves of journals, but rather a resource with the capacity to steer first-rate care and innovation, and an information engine capable of driving evidence based veterinary medicine at a global level.
The Grants and Awards program, for which the former RCVS Charitable Trust has been known, will be redesigned to celebrate professional excellence, and to address gaps in veterinary knowledge. Nick said: "We are aware of the responsibilities that veterinary surgeons and nurses face every day and feel we are in a position to support their decision making. We would like to urge every veterinary professional with an interest in EBVM, a curiosity about the history of their profession or a need to access up-to-date research to get in touch, so that we can keep you up to date with developments."
25% of owners said they have seen their dog running away on hearing the word 'vet' and 30% have actively avoided a visit to the vet because of the animal's stress.
To try and get round the problem, 30% of owners use language to avoid alerting their animal: either spelling out the word 'V-E-T', or using a different word, like the 'dogtor'.
47% of owners disguise the trip and take their dog for a walk first, whilst 46% give their dog extra treats that day.
Robert Newcombe, Senior Veterinary Surgeon at the PDSA Plymouth PetAid Hospital, has won a £50 Marks and Spencer gift card after completing a survey sent to VetSurgeon members on behalf of Swann-Morton.
57% of 283 survey respondents said that they had always used Swann-Morton, with quality and reliability ranking highly amongst the reasons (83%). The survey showed a low awareness of the Swann-Morton website at www.swann-morton.com and the fact that there is a dedicated veterinary section. The site also has an extensive product section and an interactive training section with streaming videos and downloadable PDF copies of the product literature.
In addition, the survey found that 40% of veterinary surgeons feel that the number of surgical procedures being performed overall has increased over the last 3 years.
For further information on the full range of Swann-Morton products please contact Chris Taylor at Swann-Morton, telephone: 0114 234 4231 or email: christaylor@swann-morton.com
Key Note Ltd, has published Pet Insurance 2015, a report into the state of the UK pet insurance market which forecasts that premiums will rise by 46.7% by 2019.
The report notes that the percentage of adults in Great Britain owning at least one dog has increased by 2.1 percentage points over the past 5 years, and the percentage owning at least one cat is 2.5 percentage points higher than it was 5 years ago. Yet despite growth in the pet population, the increase in the volume of pet insurance policies (23.6% between 2010 and 2014) has been far exceeded by the increase in the value of premiums written (40.7%).
Key Note says claims inflation has been a major factor in rising premiums; despite gross written premiums for cats, dogs and other pets increasing by 13.3% between 2013 and 2014 alone, the cost of claims for the same animals rose by 14.7% over the same period, over and above the premium increases seen.
According to the company, rising claims are largely down to the increasing cost of veterinary treatment — as advances in pet medicine increase apace with those in human medicine, treating pets is getting more costly. Not only this, but other factors, such as the rise in overweight or obese pets and even antibiotic-resistant bacteria, both common problems in the human health service, are also pushing up the costs of veterinary treatment.
In other general insurance markets, most notably motor insurance, which price comparison websites (PCWs) were initially set up to focus on, competition exerts a major downward pressure on premiums. However, the report says this is not always the case in the pet insurance market. This is because it can be difficult for those who have already claimed on pet insurance policies to switch insurers; the result of doing so is often that the condition the pet has previously been treated for is classed as ‘pre-existing’ in the new policy and therefore it, and related conditions, will not be covered under the new policy. This could leave pet owners liable to pay for veterinary treatment in full.
The situation has been further exacerbated by the high-profile withdrawal of a number of underwriters from the pet insurance market. The nature of the pet insurance market, though at first seeming diverse, actually involves a relatively limited pool of underwriters behind the numerous brands available. The report details how just four underwriters between them either underwrite or, at the very least, arrange and administer the pet insurance policies of 27 of the foremost brands in the pet insurance market.
Key Note forecasts that although insurance companies will see an increase in the volume of pets insured, this will not compensate for the relentless increase in the cost of claims which will be largely responsible for driving the cost of pet insurance up 46.7% by 2019.
By becoming a Stonewall Diversity Champion, the RCVS joins over 750 other organisations who are striving to create workplaces that are equal, inclusive and accepting.
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS Deputy CEO and Director of the Mind Matters Initiative, said: "We are delighted to be working with Stonewall and will benefit greatly from its expertise and energy. These may not be easy issues to tackle but we hope that this tie-up with Stonewall will, in itself, send a positive message of our intent to take the issues seriously and make the RCVS, and the veterinary profession at large, as inclusive as possible.
"There are three aspects to the work we plan: first, to ensure the RCVS is a welcoming and accepting employer by integrating inclusion and diversity into all aspects of our organisation; second, to review our policies and procedures around areas such as registration, to make sure that they take account of the diversity within the veterinary profession; and, finally, through our Mind Matters Initiative, we aim to work with our partners to develop inclusive workplaces throughout the veterinary profession. The ability to be oneself in the workplace has a big impact on mental health and wellbeing so it’s a core issue for Mind Matters."
The College says that the move to link up with Stonewall came about as a result of discussions with Mat Hennessey, President of the British Veterinary Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender group, who said: "We are extremely excited about the collaboration between the RCVS and Stonewall, and feel this positive move to culture equality and inclusivity will benefit the profession as a whole. Stonewall is the largest LGBT+ charity in the UK and Europe and thus has a wealth of knowledge and resources relating to LGBT+ issues. We look forward to continuing to work with both parties during this important venture."
Abby Crawford, Public Sector Client Manager at Stonewall, said: "We know that LGBT staff can face specific barriers in the workplace and it’s great that the RCVS has taken a strong commitment to LGBT equality in this way. We look forward to working with them to create more inclusive environments for their staff and service users – working towards a world where all lesbian, gay, bi and trans people are accepted without exception."
The redesign includes an overhaul of the layout, structure and navigation of all the College’s websites: Professionals, Animal Owners, Find a Vet and RCVS Knowledge.
Some of the main changes are:
Ian Holloway, Head of Communications, said: "We’re delighted to be launching our new-look site today and hope all the improvements we’ve incorporated will make using the site a much better experience for veterinary professionals and animal owners alike.
"Working closely with our website provider, NetXtra, over the past nine months, we’ve been able to develop a new-look site with vastly improved design, structure and navigation, whilst avoiding the major expense of building a completely new website from scratch.
"We’re very grateful to them, and to all those vets, vet nurses and members of the public who have helped us with user-testing and content mapping to improve the site as much as possible for everyone who uses it."
Anyone with any comments or feedback about the new-look site is invited to send it to communications@rcvs.org.uk.
In their report, RCVS assessors highlighted the calm and professional environment at Lumbry Park, which they said, taken together with the enthusiasm of the team provided a very positive overall feel. Its provision of separate dog and cat patient visiting rooms was also singled out as a good use of space and support for clients, especially with the potential for long stay cases.
Lumbry Park Hospital Director Ray Girotti said: "We wanted to participate in the Practice Standards Scheme to benchmark the service we offer to our patients and their owners against the best veterinary hospitals in the country. The whole team has worked together to get us to this stage and we are delighted that our efforts have been recognised by the RCVS with the award of Hospital status."
In the 15 minute podcast, Carolyn Kyte, a vet in general practice, talks to Natalie Barnard, a veterinary dermatology specialist from Highcroft Referrals, and together they share their experience of the challenges of treating animals with otitis and explain why owners play a important role in successful treatment of the condition.
Dechra Brand Manager Carol Morgan said: “Otitis is very common, particularly in dogs, but there is no ‘quick fix’ when some underlying factors are causing the problem. This can lead to frustration for the pet’s owners and animals not getting the consistent treatment they need to get better.
“What Carolyn and Natalie bring to the table with their new podcast for the Dechra Academy is a light and insightful discussion about communication and education being the keystone for better otitis outcomes and how vets can improve on their consultation skills to handle cases better.”
The otitis podcast is here: https://academy.dechra.com/learn/course/internal/view/elearning/1034/think-differently-about-otitis
Dr Mark Johnston, CEO of Vetstream said: “The usage data of Vetlexicon has continually shown us how important the client factsheets are to practices helping clients understand the health and welfare of their animals.
"Whilst most of our subscribers are accepting of the Vetlexicon content in English, the preferred language of many pet owners is not necessarily English, and we wanted to help practices with that.
"So a major new dimension to the new Vetlexicon website is to enable the content to be made available in many European and Asian languages so that when you are viewing a client factsheet, you can instantly see that content in Spanish, French or Korean and then print it out on paper and give to the owners for them to share with friends or family on their return to home; or to print it as a PDF and email it to them.
"Practices have told us that this will be so useful for the relationship with their clients, and so it is great to be able to provide that now.”
The company says it has also improved the interface and functionality of the site and made it mobile phone friendly.
www.vetlexicon.com
Virbac has announced that Canine Prostate Awareness Month, its initiative to highlight the prevalence of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), will be running again in November, and is urging practices to join in.
The initiative is timed to coincide with Movember, the fundraising initiative for male prostate disease and testicular cancer. Virbac says it hopes CPAM will remind owners that men are not the only ones to suffer from prostate disorders. Indeed, more than 80% of entire male dogs over the age of five are thought to suffer from BPH1.
As part of CPAM, Virbac is providing participating practices with promotional materials including owner educational and display materials, a template press release for local media, and free branded slip leads to pass on to owners who have had their dog checked.
Chris Geddes MRCVS, Senior Product Manager, said: "CPAM is a well-supported initiative and, running it at a time when the media spotlight is already on the dangers of prostate cancer in men, means we can spread the message that owners should also be monitoring older dogs for signs of prostate disease."
Virbac has introduced Odelis CPSE, the first ELISA test to screen for, diagnose and monitor BPH. It is available from three UK diagnostic laboratories. According to the company it is a cost-effective, precise and reliable alternative to rectal palpation. It also offers Ypozane, a tablet treatment for BPH, which takes effect within a week and lasts for six months.
Chris added: "The problem with BPH is that the majority of dogs suffer in silence. It is a painful condition that goes unnoticed until it reaches an advanced stage, where the owner notices blood in the urine or painful urination.
"We're providing practices with all the materials they need to promote the campaign in their locality and hope that those getting involved will find it effective in terms of bringing clients into the practice for advice on BPH. We've also organised coverage in national dog magazines to drive clients to practices."
Practices that diagnose a dog with BPH during CPAM are asked to contact Virbac with details as it plans to collate a series of case studies from the initiative. Love2Shop vouchers to the value of £50 will be provided for the five most pertinent case studies submitted by the end of 2013.
For further information on CPAM, email cpam@virbac.co.uk, contact your Virbac Territory Manager or call the company direct on 01359 243243.
Reference
The training material includes a range of new downloadable marketing resources for vets and SQPs to help maintain communications with their farmer customer base while face-to-face contact opportunities are restricted. They include a newsletter and social media and farmer engagement tools for various dairy, beef and sheep disease management issues.
Vets can also access new BRD management content highlighting the benefit of immunity-led disease prevention and ultrasound scanning of calf lungs. You can also view a range of practical ‘how to’ videos, as well as five different webinar recordings explaining ways to collaborate more effectively with farmers over youngstock rearing issues. The content is based on implementing MSD Animal Health’s versatile calf health checklist engagement tool, which facilitates an audit-based approach to assessing and improving current on-farm management practices.
MSD says it has another two webinars in the pipeline, which will be released in the weeks ahead: ‘Immunology’ with Professor James Roth and ‘Salmonella’ with Katrina Henderson from SAC.
To access all the training content, visit: https://www.msd-animal-health-hub.co.uk
The authors say the research marks a significant step forward in understanding how veterinary surgeons and owners can more effectively manage and prevent outbreaks of the disease.
For the study, researchers from the RVC, the University of Cambridge, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Redwings Horse Sanctuary, analysed more than 500 S. equi samples from across the UK between 2016 and 2022.
In particular, they wanted to better understand the relative contribution of short-term (immediately post infection) versus long-term carriers (carriers that were infected months or years prior).
The samples were collected from clinical cases sent to diagnostic laboratories by veterinary surgeons seeking confirmation of infection.
Surplus samples were submitted to the Surveillance of Equine Strangles network and then cultured in the RVC’s research laboratory and their DNA extracted and sequenced to reveal each bacterium’s complete genetic code.
Adopting an approach that combined whole genome sequencing and epidemiological data, the researchers were able to trace how strains are related and have evolved.
With the use of computer programmes, they also tracked how genetically related strains spread between horses and across regions, over time.
By adopting this approach, the team was also able to pinpoint likely transmission events and chains of infection.
The main findings were:
The research highlights the need for early diagnosis, isolation and laboratory-confirmed clearance, particularly through guttural pouch testing, before assuming a horse is infection-free.
It also advocates for tighter biosecurity and movement protocols, especially when transporting horses across regions.
Dr Abigail McGlennon, former PhD student in the Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences at the RVC, and lead author of the paper, said: “Strangles is a challenging and distressing disease for horses, owners, yards and vets, and this work has highlighted just how easily it can be spread across the UK in a short period of time.
“This study shows how important enhanced surveillance utilising epidemiological and genomic data is to investigate and understand strangles transmission across the UK.
"Our data highlights the importance of greater awareness and adoption of post-outbreak screening protocols to confirm freedom from infection, rather than owners assuming recovery based on the resolution of clinical signs.”
WikiVet has announced the launch of a new information resource about undesirable behaviour in cats for veterinary professionals and students.
The resource has been produced by WikiVet in collaboration with Ceva Santé Animale following a survey of 800 cat owners by the Royal Veterinary College in which 75% said that problem behaviour is a subject that they expected vets to be knowledgeable about.
WikiVet says that despite this level of concern and expectation among cat owners, many find that their local vet is less knowledgeable than they anticipated and cannot offer the effective advice they need. Hence the new resource.
The new Feline Behaviour Section on WikiVet is described as the first of its kind and contains over 40 encyclopaedic pages on the topic of feline behaviour as well as expert videos and an interactive quiz. The section includes information on normal feline behaviour, problem behaviours and how to manage them, as well as the importance of cats' environment.
Jon Bowen leads the Veterinary Behaviour Service at the RVC, is an expert in feline behaviour and has contributed his knowledge to the resource. He said: "I am thrilled to have been involved in the creation of these new resources which will help to raise awareness and understanding of this complex and previously under-appreciated topic."
To mark the beginning of the project WikiVet is launching the Feline Behaviour Global Student Challenge. This is an online quiz which gives participants the chance to test their expertise and identify gaps in their knowledge. The top three scores will be rewarded with a £50 ebook prize. Once the competition has ended, the quiz will be available to users of WikiVet.
Martin Mitchell, Group Communications Director at Ceva Santé Animale, said: "In an increasingly urban and stressful world, the veterinary profession has a major role to play in educating the public about behaviour related issues. As Ceva, we are delighted to partner WikiVet in the development of this valuable new online resource that we all hope will help veterinarians and future veterinarians to pass on their knowledge to help improve the bond between cats and their owners."
For more information, visit: http://en.wikivet.net/Feline_Behaviour_Launch