The RCVS has announced that its new Royal Charter, which recognises veterinary nursing as a profession, is due to come into effect early next year once it has been signed by Her Majesty the Queen and received the Great Seal of the Realm.
The Charter, which was approved at a meeting of the Privy Council on 5 November, sets out and clarifies the objects of the RCVS and modernises its regulatory functions.
The Charter will also confirm the role of the College as the regulator of veterinary nurses and give registered veterinary nurses the formal status of associates of the College.
In addition, the Charter will also underpin other activities of the College such as the Practice Standards Scheme.
One of the key changes is that those qualified veterinary nurses who are currently on the List will automatically become registered veterinary nurses. This means that they will be required to abide by the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses, will be held accountable for their actions through the RCVS disciplinary process and will be expected to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date by undertaking at least 45 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) over a three-year period.
In addition, the Charter will give formal recognition for VN Council to set the standards for professional conduct and education for veterinary nurses.
Kathy Kissick RVN, the current chair of VN Council, said: “A Charter which recognises veterinary nursing as a fully regulated profession is something that many veterinary nurses, as well as the British Veterinary Nursing Association, have been wanting for some time so I commend this development.
“This can only be a good thing for the profession, the industry as a whole and animal welfare because it makes sure that registered veterinary nurses are fully accountable for their professional conduct and are committed to lifelong learning and developing their knowledge and skills.
“Furthermore, the new Royal Charter is a significant step towards attaining formal, statutory protection of title, which would make it an offence for anyone who is not suitably qualified and registered to call themselves a veterinary nurse.”
From next autumn those former listed veterinary nurses who have become registered veterinary nurses will be expected to confirm that they are undertaking CPD and will also need to disclose any criminal convictions, cautions or adverse findings when they renew their registration.
A detailed set of frequently asked questions for listed veterinary nurses who will become registered veterinary nurses once the Charter is implemented can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/rvn.
Although the date for signing and sealing the Charter has not yet been confirmed, once it comes into effect the College will be contacting all listed veterinary nurses by letter to outline the changes as well as putting an announcement on www.rcvs.org.uk.
The lives of pet rabbits in Britain, the UK's third most popular pet, are being drastically cut short due to owners' ignorance and misinformation, according to a survey for Rabbit Awareness Week (26th April - 2nd May 2010).
The survey revealed a widespread lack of knowledge about what pet rabbits need to live longer, healthier and happier lives. Almost half of the respondents believe that vegetables, fruit and carrots are the most important food for rabbits. In addition, 71% didn't know that fibre, in the form of hay and grass, is the most important food for rabbits, without which they can die.
More than 50% of those surveyed did not know that rabbits should be kept in pairs, and 90% of respondents didn't know that owning a rabbit is likely to cost more than £3,000 over the course of its lifetime.
Sean Wensley, senior veterinary surgeon at the PDSA, said: "Despite more than a million pet rabbits currently being kept across the country, the results of this survey add to our concerns that their welfare needs are sadly misunderstood.
"It is vital that owners understand the commitment involved in owning pet rabbits, both financially and in terms of the time taken to care for them properly. It is also essential that owners understand their rabbits' welfare needs, including their need to be fed a suitable diet, to have a large hutch and exercise run, to have company and to receive appropriate health care, including vaccinations against deadly diseases."
For more information, see: http://www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk
BVA has added its voice to the Labelling Matters campaign for the introduction of mandatory method of production labelling of meat and dairy products. This would help consumers across the UK to answer the simple questions "How was this animal kept?" and "Did this animal die a humane death?", including stunning before slaughter.
A key element of the Labelling Matters campaign is that mandatory method of production labelling must be underpinned by robust welfare outcome safeguards, with on-farm welfare assessments ensuring that high welfare standards are being achieved.
Legislation for mandatory method of production labelling has been implemented already for shell eggs, which must legally be labelled either as “eggs from caged hens”, “barn eggs”, “free range” or “organic”. Labelling Matters wants to see this principle extended to meat and dairy products from other farmed animals.
The BVA highlights evidence which shows that consumers in the UK and across Europe want clear food labelling with information about animal welfare:
BVA President Sean Wensley said: "For vets it's a top priority that the animals we rear for food have a good life and a humane death. Research shows that vets are not alone in caring about where their food comes from. Mandatory method of production labelling makes sense on a number of fronts: consumers can be clearly and consistently informed about how the animals reared for their meat and dairy products were kept, with on-farm welfare assessments assuring high standards. Mandatory method of production labelling would give unambiguous information to the high numbers of consumers who care about animal welfare when buying meat and dairy products and help ensure market support for British farmers who pride themselves on achieving the highest welfare standards."
Homeopathy is widely used in livestock, especially to replace or reduce the use of antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases, although its use is often seen as controversial. For organic agriculture, homeopathy is even promoted.
In the review, Dr Caroline Doehring and Professor Albert Sundrum from the University of Kassel, Germany, assessed peer-reviewed studies on the efficacy of homeopathy in cattle, pigs and poultry published between 1981 and 2014.
They analysed a total of 52 clinical trials, 34 with cattle, 12 with pigs and six with poultry. They were published in 48 publications.
Of these, 28 concluded that the homeopathic remedy administered was effective, 22 showed no efficacy and 2 were inconclusive.
Only 10 trials provided information on cure rates for the treatments. These varied to a high degree, while the remedy used did not seem to make a big difference.
Trials on pigs were frequently efficacious, while studies with cattle or poultry had a similar distribution of efficacious and non-efficacious treatment.
Double-blind randomised controlled trials reported efficacy of the homeopathic treatment almost as often as they reported lack of it.
Meanwhile, single-blind and non-blind randomised controlled trials, and observational trials were more likely to present evidence of efficacy, suggesting that positive outcomes may be due to bias.
Other study limitations, such as potential conflict of interests, low sample size, risk for selective reporting and bias, were found in the majority of trials.
While some clinical trials showed effectiveness, the authors of the review question the reliability of the evidence, because all studies had a range of limitations. For example, all clinical trials were conducted under very specific conditions and none were repeated under comparable conditions.
Therefore, the authors say the findings cannot be be used to recommend homeopathy: "The current evidence of studies providing evidence in favour of homeopathy lacks reproducibility and therefore cannot claim to have sufficient prognostic validity."
"Due to a lack of prognostic validity, replacing or reducing antibiotics with homeopathy currently cannot be recommended unless evidence of efficacy is reproduced by RCTs and proven in various farm practice conditions."
The traditional approach is to use anatomical knowledge to inject pain relief in the area of the nerves to be blocked.
Liz is leading a move away from this approach to a more precise method which uses ultrasound guidance to visualise the nerves, allowing the local anaesthetic to be placed directly around the nerve itself.
For some nerve blocks, it is possible to block just the sensory branches of nerves, which means pets can walk better immediately after surgery while not feeling any pain.
Liz, a past president of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists, said: “Local analgesia is now at the forefront of our post-operative care and reliably improves the quality of a pet’s recovery and reduces the need for opioid pain relief, which can cause side effects.
“We’re using the latest techniques to deliver the nerve-blocking anaesthetics to exactly where they’re needed.
“For many of the nerve blocks, the use of ultrasound guidance allows more precise delivery and a complete blockade of the sensory nerves, which is why, here at Paragon, we’ve invested in state-of-the art ultrasound machine designed specifically for superficial and deep nerve blocks.
“This means we can provide more effective immediate post-operative analgesia for our patients and minimise the need for further pain killers.
“The nerves can be directly visualised and local anaesthetic directly placed around the nerve bundles.”
Liz is keen to highlight the advantages of the increased use of local anaesthesia in the treatment of animals. She added: “We’re hoping we’ll soon be able to publish some clinical research on the use of some of the blocking techniques used to demonstrate our clinical impression of their effectiveness in patient management.”
The theme this year is 'The ever-complex cat: a multidisciplinary approach to feline medicine', around which there will be a full programme of talks and lectures, including more than 30 hours of CPD.
The main strands for each day are:
Keynote speaker Professor Kenneth Simpson, BVM&S, PhD, Chief of the Section of Small Animal Internal Medicine at Cornell University will deliver a series of talks on his specialisms, including gastrointestinal (GI) disease, pancreatitis and liver enzyme interpretation.
Joining him are more than twenty international feline experts who will be considering the cat from all angles, from imaging and clinical pathology to histology.
Nathalie Dowgray, Head of ISFM, said: "We are very excited about the line-up of speakers for this year’s congress, it is a fantastic opportunity for vets to understand the complexity of feline medicine and come away better able to manage difficult cases."
New for this year are live panel sessions in which delegates will be able to join the speakers in expert discussion on key feline topics, as well as opportunities to network and chat directly with leading names in the veterinary industry.
Delegates will also have access to all of the content for six months of on-demand learning after congress ends.
Registration is open now and available at a special early bird rate until March 31st. This year there are bursary places available for veterinary surgeons and students from low-income countries. More information about eligibility and how to apply can be found on the website.
To register, visit: https://icatcare.org/events/isfm-world-feline-congress/
At the meeting, Simon Biles from Moore Scarrott gave a 30 minute presentation, which was followed by a one hour discussion.
The recording can be watched on VetSurgeon.org here https://www.vetsurgeon.org/001/nonclinical/m/meetings/138080, where you can also claim the time watching towards your annual CPD requirement. Press the 'Claim CPD' red button in the title bar towards the top.
To make it easier to find content that interests you, there are markers on the video timeline.
There is also a forum thread on vetsurgeon.org for further discussion of any of the points raised in the film. See: https://www.vetsurgeon.org/001/nonclinical/f/site-support-discussions/29784/vetsurgeon-zoom-ir35-locums-and-umbrella-companies
For more information about Moore Scarrott, visit: https://www.moore-scarrott.co.uk
The three presentations, which are between 30 minutes and an hour in length, are aimed at vets but may also be of interest to veterinary nurses. They cover: ‘Topical therapy in canine atopic dermatitis’ and ‘Antimicrobial resistance’ presented by Dr Tim Nuttall and ‘Emotional considerations in dealing with dermatology cases’ by Dr Sarah Heath.
The presentations will be available for download from 7th June 2021, and viewers will be able to enter into a prize draw to win a £50 Love2Shop voucher and a free Cytology Manual.
To pre-register, visit: https://www.thewebinarvet.com/pages/ceva-dermatology-tea-time-top-ups-bite-size-cpd-sessions/
Expanding on the training available in autumn 2022, which was launched based on the results of an extensive training pilot, MMI is offering a total of 14 sessions taking place both online and in person over the next few months. Sessions will be running from January to April 2023. The courses will cover areas that have been identified as priority topics from previous MMI surveys, feedback from the professions, and evaluation of the training pilots.
Mind Matters Initiative Manager, Lisa Quigley, said: “Mental health and wellbeing are impacted by a whole host of structural and societal factors and maintaining a healthy workforce goes far beyond supporting people on an individual level.
"Whilst it is undoubtedly important to provide people with the skills they need to look after themselves, we are aiming to expand on this by providing individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to recognise and address wider collective issues. For example, the importance of creating and maintaining a positive workplace culture.
Session dates and specific topics are as follows:
Mental Health First Aid (£30 in-person)
9am – 5pm
Psychological Safety and Civility (£20 in-person, £15 online)
In-person – 9am – 4pm
Online – 9am – 1pm
Sustaining Your Emotional Health (£15 in-person)
2pm – 5pm
For more information on the training courses, visit: https://vetmindmatters.org/training/
Gerry, who joined North Downs in 2008, has been clinical director at the hospital since 2012.
He has published scientific literature and lectured across the world on a range of cancer subjects including lymphoma, mast cell tumours, lung tumours, insulin-producing tumours and novel anti-cancer therapies.
He also chairs and participates in a number of European oncology research projects and has a particular interest in collaborative clinical research.
Gerry said: “I’m delighted to be taking on this role, working alongside an incredibly talented and committed team.
“NDSR has achieved so much over the years, not only with cutting-edge treatments and procedures, but also with the implementation of an innovative new nursing structure, an industry-leading internship programme and being among the first veterinary hospitals to achieve a Green iiE award, to name just a few.
Talking about his main aims for the new role, Gerry said: “I want to create opportunities for our amazing team to develop into leadership roles, giving more autonomy to individual services and improving communication between services and management.
“From a care quality perspective, we always want to improve, and I look forward to harnessing innovative ideas and tools that might lead to better outcomes for pets and their families.
https://www.ndsr.co.uk.
BPEX is looking for a few more veterinary surgeons to test its Real Welfare smartphone app, which is used to collect data regarding welfare outcomes in pigs.
BPEX says it will pay vets for their time carrying out the testing but it needs regular submissions of data to give both Android and iOS a good workout.
Project Manager Katja Stoddart said: "It has been a long and sometimes difficult journey but the app is now performing well on both platforms and we are receiving positive feedback from those using it.
"That does not mean there are no problems but those that do crop up are now minor and can easily be dealt with.
"We still need a handful more vets willing to do the testing but we must stress we need regular data submission to make it worthwhile."
Ultimately the app will replace the bureau service which has only been extended until the end of this year so vets will need to change over before the bureau closes.
Katja said the portal will continue so vets can do the assessments in paper form then transfer via a computer but it will be much quicker and easier in the long run to input in real time using the app.
She added: "This will also mean the data is available immediately for the vet to discuss with the producer."
Those veterinary surgeons being audited are being asked to share their records for 2013 to 2015 by either allowing the College to access their online Professional Development Record or by sending the RCVS a copy of their CPD record cards. The deadline for sharing records is Friday 14 October 2016.
The audit is focused on six groups:
If any of the veterinary surgeons who have been audited are found to be non-compliant (ie. less than 105 hours of CPD over a rolling three-year period), they will be asked to explain why and send a plan stating how they will make up the hours in order to become compliant.
The College says it is also keen to remind veterinary surgeons that CPD encompasses a wide range of recorded activities, which can be clinical or non-clinical, including private reading/study, webinars, mentoring, clinical audit and discussion groups as well as attending seminars and workshops.
More information about what counts as CPD can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/cpd
Those with any questions about the auditing process or what constitutes CPD can contact Jenny Soreskog-Turp, Education Officer at the College, on cpd@rcvs.org.uk
Ed's note: Don't forget to claim your VetSurgeon.org CPD certificate detailing time you've recorded reading content and taking part in qualifying discussions on the site. Click 'My Account' and then the 'CPD' tab to view your records and create your certificate.
Five graduates from St George's University School of Veterinary Medicine (SGUSVM), in the Caribbean island of Grenada, have passed the Statutory Membership Examination of the UK's Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
According to the University, SGUSVM graduates have traditionally demonstrated impressive pass rates on this rigorous exam, but this year's 100% pass rate by SGU students - compared with an overall 44% pass rate for candidates overall - is an exceptional result for SGU students, and only the second time it has been achieved in the school's history.
In order to practice veterinary surgery in the UK, all graduates with foreign or Commonwealth qualifications must pass the RCVS examination. The exam consists of two days of written papers, followed by clinical, oral and practical exams at a UK veterinary medical school. Thirty-five St George's graduates have passed into the RCVS since the School's inception in 1999.
The RCVS sets no quota for this Statutory Membership Examination, meaning those who meet the standards will pass, regardless of the number of candidates sitting the exam.
Austin Kirwan, St George's Associate Dean of UK and Ireland Clinical Affairs stated: "St George's School of Veterinary Medicine once again produces an excellent set of results with a 100 percent pass rate for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Statutory Membership Examination for those SGU students who sat the examination. This is a credit to the school in the quality of education it provides, but also an indication of the calibre of person SGU attracts in its student cohort - outstanding success abounds by thinking beyond."
Presenting the graduates with a membership certificate at the Ceremony of Admissions at Belgravia House in London, RCVS President Dr Jerry Davies said: "I was delighted to welcome so many of this year's successful candidates to the College. Whether newly graduated or long qualified elsewhere, all of those registering today have succeeded in meeting the educational and professional requirements that enable them to call themselves veterinary surgeons and to practise in the UK."
The Veterinary Marketing Association has announced a Practice Marketing Award, with a prize of £500 worth of CPD, for which entries are now being sought.
The award, which is sponsored by Merial, is open to companion and farm animal practices that can demonstrate effective marketing to their clients during the course of 2012.
For more information, visit: www.vma.org.uk/awards, or email: secretary@vma.org.uk for entry details.
Novartis Animal Health has launched a 0.5L pack of the anthelmintic Zolvix to make the product more readily available for quarantine dosing, and for the smaller sheep farmer.
Novartis says that because Zolvix is a broad spectrum anthelmintic that has the ability to kill all common sheep gastro-intestinal nematodes, including those resistant to existing treatments, it has a key role to play in quarantine treatment to keep parasite infection down to a minimum.
Simon Harris, Endoparasite Brand Manager at Novartis Animal Health, said: "As the first of the new generation of the Orange or 4-AD anthelmintic group, Zolvix has demonstrated effectiveness in killing worms, even those resistant to other products.
"Sheep farmers are being encouraged to use Zolvix as a quarantine treatment that can significantly reduce worm burdens on farm. I would stress that it is essential guidelines are followed in order to preserve Zolvix's ability to combat nematodes that have acquired resistance to other classes of wormers.
"This new pack size is aimed at farmers who are introducing new stock to their flocks, but will also be convenient for the smaller sheep farmer and smallholders who don't require such a large quantity of product."
Novartis says that because Zolvix is a short-acting anthelmintic, it does not encourage resistance to develop through a long duration of action. It has a high margin of safety so can be used to treat sheep and lambs including pregnant or lactating ewes and breeding rams. Its short meat withhold period of just seven days allows flexibility when marketing lambs.
George won the Best Medicine Award for: 'Predictors of clinically significant bleeding in dogs with severe thrombocytopenia'.
Kathryn won the Best Practitioner Award for: 'Reflecting on first opinion clinical improvement project across 39 UK vet practices to support diagnosis and management of OA.'
Sebastian won the Best Surgery Award for: 'Complications and outcomes following surgical management of Achilles Tendon injury'
The Best Student Award was won by Michelle Demkova for: 'Lifting the flap on otitis externa in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK – the VetCompass view'.
In addition, Clare Jones RVN won the Best Poster Award for: 'Confidence with CPR within Veterinary Professionals. Would standardised CPR training help confidence within Veterinary Professionals?'
Submissions for the 2025 Clinical Abstracts will open on 9th September 2024, and will close on 18th October, and those chosen will present their work at BSAVA Congress 2025, in Manchester on 20th – 22nd March.
https://www.bsavacongress.com/register-interest
A team of researchers led by Tim Mair, CVS Equine Veterinary Director and Specialist in both Equine Internal Medicine and Equine Soft Tissue Surgery at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic, will review 100 cases of colitis in adult horses and 100 controls referred to seven equine veterinary hospitals in the UK: five CVS equine veterinary hospitals as well as Rossdales Equine Hospital and University of Liverpool’s equine hospital.
A set of diagnostic tests on blood and faeces will be performed in these cases.
The laboratory tests will include: small redworm serology, culture and PCR of faeces for Salmonella spp, PCR of faeces for Clostridioides difficile and Clostridium perfringens, ELISA of faeces for toxins of C.difficile and C.perfringens, PCR of faeces for coronavirus.
The clinical features, laboratory results, treatments and outcomes will also be recorded.
Tim said: “Acute colitis accounts for around 5% of admissions to referral hospitals.
"And of those who are referred with it, half will not survive but there is very limited evidence available.
"So it’s vital that we build our evidence-base of this life-threatening condition.
"We hope that the outcomes of our new study will lead to a greater understanding of the causes and better inform veterinary treatment of colitis in UK adult horses.”
The Colitis in Adult Horses study is supported by a research grant from CVS, and funding for the small redworm ELISA will be given from Austin Davis Biologics.
The study started at the beginning of 2024 and the first horses have been recruited.
The results of the study are expected to be published in 2025.
SPVS is inviting practitioners to a week-long CPD and diving course taking place at the Red Sea from June 14-21st.
Five days of diving at Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh will be combined with 16 hours of CPD on orthopaedics, including fracture planning presented by Malcolm Ness BVetMed DipECVS CertSAO FRCVS. Other subjects include the provocatively titled ‘So You Think You Know How to Run a Business?’ presented by Simon Robinson, Senior Business Manager at LloydsTSB.
The event has been organised to avoid the busy school holiday period and vets’ own family commitments.
Ewan McNeill, SPVS Senior Vice President, said: “This is a fantastic week of CPD and diving and demonstrates the wide variety of CPD-driven events SPVS is hosting, ranging from Snowscene to Sail Training. There’ll be a professional diving instructor present at all times, so even if you’re a beginner, this week is definitely one for the diary!”
The venue is the newly refurbished Bayview Hotel, which is situated five minutes from the centre of the resort, jetty and Oxygene dive centre, a BSAC school and PADI resort.
Cost per person is £750 including five days diving, flights from Gatwick, transfers, seven nights half board, boat diving at two dives a day, tanks and weights and Marine park fees. Any extra dives can be paid for locally.
Price quoted is for those who already hold an Open Water Diver certificate, but a referral course is available at an extra £105 for anyone wanting to qualify.
For more information, and to book your place, please contact the SPVS office on 01926 410 454 or email office@spvs.org.uk.
ECC vet Shailen Jasani has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for further development of his pet bereavement website, www.theralphsite.com
The Ralph Site is a non-profit pet bereavement support online resource and Facebook community which Shailen set up in 2011 after the loss of his cat Ralph.
Shailen says that over the past three years, the site has proved to be a much needed resource, with many pet carers benefiting from what it offers and a growing number of practices referring their bereaved clients to the site for information and support, and a sympathetic and empathetic virtual ear. So far, the site has had approximately 60,000 visitors and the Facebook community now stands at an impressive 34,000 Likes.
Shailen manages the site by himself and has has also personally funded all of the expenses to date including design, development, on-going management and promotion costs, to the tune of £30,000.
However, he says he now needs further funds to make the site work properly on smartphones and tablets, improve the memorial section and promote it more widely to pet owners, for which he is turning to crowdfunding and hoping that members of the profession will support what he is doing, both with contributions and by helping spread the word amongst family, colleagues and clients.
Shailen said: "The issue of pet bereavement and the impact of pet loss on their carers is a serious one which is slowly but surely gaining increasing recognition. A resource such as the Ralph Site is invaluable for practices to be able to link and refer clients to. I very much hope colleagues will get behind my campaign."
To find out more about the campaign, visit: http://igg.me/at/theralphsite/x
To use the service, practices have to register for VetsDeliver via Easy Direct Debit (which handles payments), then configure the system for the number of consultation rooms needed and to add practice branding. The first consultation room costs £69 per month, with discounts for subsequent rooms.
Practices can promote the service to pet owners by sharing a link for appointments via social media, the practice website, or a mail out to clients.
Clients then follow the shared link, complete a form and book a consultation slot.
After the consultation, the practice can email a link to the pet owner so that they can pay for any medication.
Adrian Tantrum (that must have been quite a cross to bear at school), Head of the Companion Animal Business Unit at MSD Animal Health said: "As market leaders, with brands such as Bravecto, Nobivac and Caninsulin, we want to help practices adapt to the new normal.
"We have listened to feedback from practices around what they want from a telemedicine platform and worked with EDD to create a simple and easy to use service. This will allow practices to provide pet owners with the support they need, whether it be their parasiticide prescriptions or providing continuity of care for diabetic patients, and will of course bring much-needed cash flow into their practices.
"We've chosen Zoom for the video capabilities as it is one of the most popular video conference apps with millions of users worldwide, so we know it's familiar to most pet owners."
Adrian added: "As we all adjust to new ways of working we are putting in place a whole series of new services for practices that will help bring them closer to their clients and allow them to continue to provide pet owners with the expertise and support they need. Being able to see a vet 'face-to-face', if not in the flesh, will be reassuring for a lot of pet owners who will be worrying about both new and on-going conditions."
For more information, contact your MSD account manager.
Invicta Animal Health has launched a new identification service for ChroMyco Duo dermatophyte kits in partnership with Axiom Veterinary Laboratories.
Veterinary practices can now send positive ChroMyco plates to Axiom and receive a species identification report for the specially discounted price of £8.00.
Rob Watkins, Managing Director of Invicta Animal Health said: "We are delighted to launch this service in response to customer feedback. This enables practices to gain a positive dermatophyte diagnosis in as little as three to six days so that treatment can be commenced promptly. Then, by sending the plate to Axiom, the actual species can be subsequently identified.
Axiom, with its innovative microbiology department and dedication to quality combined with its reliable network of courier services and postal processing systems are the ideal laboratory to provide this service".
Submission forms are available free of charge from Invicta Animal Health 01403 791313. ChroMyco Duo dermatophyte test kits are available from wholesalers and priced at £25.00 for 5 kits.
MSD Animal Health has launched a new range of vaccination equipment to help sheep and cattle producers administer its portfolio of farm animal vaccines as effectively, cleanly and safely as possible.
The new vaccinators all incorporate the Sterimatic system, which is designed to take the worry out of administering injections to livestock by delivering an accurate dose of any given product, whilst also cleaning and protecting the needle automatically. MSD says the Sterimatic system also decreases the potential for disease transmission, minimises the risk of infection and abscessing at the vaccination site, and reduces needle-stick injuries.
The new equipment is colour-coded and ergonomically designed for comfort in the hand and comes in clear, sterile bags that list the recommended vaccines for use with each vaccinator.
The new vaccinators are now available from animal health product wholesalers.
The National Equine Health Survey is an online snapshot survey designed to uncover common health issues in horses, directly from horse owners themselves. Results of the survey are used to build a picture of equine health and disease in the UK and define priorities for future research, training and education.
Over the past six years the survey, in partnership with the British Equine Veterinary Association, has developed to become one of the UK’s most important endemic disease monitoring initiative. The results are referenced in leading veterinary and equestrian publications and papers and are regarded as valuable benchmarks for our general knowledge of horse health.
Blue Cross Education Officer Gemma Taylor said: "These majestic police horses have taken part in our survey and we hope that they will encourage others to follow suit and be ambassadors for horse welfare.
"The more data we can collect from the National Equine Health Survey the more robust our results will be, helping us to steer equine awareness, education and research to keep our nation’s horses healthier."
Last year survey records were returned for almost 17,000 horses, ponies, donkeys and mules and the six most notable disease syndromes identified.
To take part in the National Equine Health Survey, visit: www.bluecross.org.uk/NEHS
To find out more about Blue Cross’s rescue and rehoming work with horses and ponies visit bluecross.org.uk
Kaminox contains potassium gluconate and B-vitamins to help dogs affected by hypokalaemia.
Originally released as an oral liquid supplement, Vetplus says this new powdered formulation offers a more concentrated level of potassium for larger pets or those that require a higher dose.
Kaminox sachets are sold in packs of 30, with a scoop provided for easy administration.
Meanwhile, the liquid supplement is available in 60ml and 120ml bottles.
www.vetplus.co.uk/products
Eurovet has launched Octacillin Pig, a water-soluble amoxicillin powder for treating pneumonia caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and meningitis caused by Streptococcus suis.
Octacillin is widely used in poultry and has recently been approved for use in pigs. Eurovet says Octacillin Pig is ideal for delivery via automatic water systems, as it dissolves completely in hard or soft water and remains stable in solution for 12 hours. It has a withhold period of 2 days.
Pneumonia caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae tends to affect pigs at 8-16 weeks of age and has a very short incubation period of just 12 hours.
Octacillin Pig will be available from early March.
For further information call 01223 257933.