Guidelines on the examination of rams for breeding have now been officially updated, thanks to the pooled expertise of delegates at a recent Sheep Fertility Workshop, sponsored by Ceva Animal Health, the Sheep Veterinary Society and EBLEX-AHDB.

The previous Sheep Veterinary Society guidelines on the examination of rams for breeding were drawn up in 2007. However, the society says that to date, there has been considerable variation in the practice of ram fertility testing amongst sheep vets across the country.

The Sheep Fertility Workshop, which was held in Edinburgh in June 1014, brought together veterinary experts and scientists to discuss the provision of a comprehensive, evidence-based, best practice protocol, with clear recommendations for practitioners on the assessment of rams.

Dr Fiona Lovatt, senior vice president of the Sheep Veterinary Society and director of Flock Health Ltd, who coordinated the workshop, said: "The outcome of some active debating was the recognition that various elements of the guidelines needed to be updated in line with currently recognised best practice. One thing that is really essential is that the practising vet is clear as to the reason for the ram PBE and carefully considers how to communicate the findings and their limitations to the ram's owner."

The updated guidelines cover three levels of ram pre-breeding examinations (PBE):

1. Ram MOT - this involves a clinical examination, together with palpation and visual inspection of the external genitalia. It is generally accepted that all rams should be examined annually in this way.
2. Semen assessment - this can be useful for infertility investigations. Use of an artificial vagina is the gold standard method of semen collection though this is not always practical.  Electro-ejaculation may be used routinely but only where the rams are to be used in a high-pressure situation such as single sire groups or with synchronised or large numbers of ewes. 
3. PBE Certification (for sale or insurance purposes) may be required.  Full records must be kept and it is expected that this will include full assessment of semen with morphology undertaken.

Carol Atkinson, Ceva's reprodAction range marketing manager, said: "We are proud to have supported the workshop, the outcome of which has been some valuable modifications to the guidelines. We now have a robust, practical benchmarking system in place to help ensure consistency of ram fertility and flock health and development."

The workshop was funded by the Sheep Veterinary Society, Ceva Animal Health and EBLEX-AHDB, with contributions in kind from Innovis, Zoetis and Novartis Animal Health.

The guidelines are available to all members of the Sheep Veterinary Society and can be downloaded from www.sheepvetsoc.org.uk, together with two further forms that are available following appropriate training:  SVS Ram PBE data collection and SVS Ram certificate. The Sheep Veterinary Society will be holding a series of CPD days for practitioners in advance of next year's breeding season. Further details will be posted on the website shortly.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has today announced the availability of a new members’ service, the BVA Good Practice Guide on Veterinary Medicines.

The guide, written in consultation with, and endorsed by, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) contains invaluable information on the classification, administration and prescribing of veterinary medicines, as well as practical advice on the supply, disposal and record keeping requirements relating to medicines used in veterinary practice.

The BVA hopes that the Guide will provide a one-stop-shop for members where they will find accurate answers to everyday questions such as:

• Can I charge the client for a written prescription?
• When can I use ‘the cascade’
• What information is required on a written prescription?
• How should controlled drugs be disposed of?

The BVA’s Good Practice Guide provides information applicable to all types of veterinary practice from companion to farm animal, mixed to equine. The Guide does not just explain how to implement the Veterinary Medicines Regulations, it also includes information on health and safety, hazardous waste regulations, and what the Suspected Adverse Reaction Surveillance Scheme (SARSS) is and when to use it.

The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use (CVMP) has reached a final conclusion that the benefit-risk for veterinary medicines containing zinc oxide, used to prevent post weaning diarrhoea in piglets, is negative and that this class of products should be withdrawn.

The proposed withdrawal is vigorously opposed by the National Pig Association, which argues that zinc oxide is effective at controlling E.coli infections and can result in lower use of antimicrobials. Furthermore, the ban was proposed by France and the Netherlands, neither of which use zinc oxide.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has submitted evidence to support a proposal for a 10 year transition period if medicines containing zinc oxide are to be withdrawn. This will allow for changes in pig farming practices to avoid increases in the occurrence of diarrhoea at weaning, to ensure animal welfare and prevent increases in the use of antibiotics.

The European Commission will now make a final decision on zinc oxide products - taking into account the CVMP’s recommendation and evidence submitted by Member States - which is expected to be announced some time after June this year.

VetKind, a collaboration between the Association of Veterinary Students of UK and Ireland and SkillsTree Training, are giving a webinar this Saturday which will offer advice for student vets about how they can look after their mental wellbeing during the coronavirus pandemic.

The one-hour webinar, titled 'Calm in the Corona' takes place between 11am and 12 noon on Saturday 25 April and is being supported by the RCVS Mind Matters initiative.

The session will look at some of the common responses to uncertainty during the pandemic, with an emphasis on how to recognise and nurture more adaptive or helpful responses that do not lead to heightened anxiety or distress.

Topics will include creating routines, setting boundaries and how to seek social support despite quarantine measures.

Building on the interactive approach from previous VetKind conferences, student veterinary nurses and veterinary students will be invited to share their coronavirus experiences, ideas and successes with their colleagues.

Jenny Moffett, Managing Director of SkillsTree and VetKind facilitator said: "Although we’re all talking about social distancing right now, it’s more accurate to think of it as physical distancing. Social support is more important than ever, and webinars can be a really effective way to connect, and work together on a common challenge.

"We know that many students may be facing heightened stress and anxiety right now as they worry about the impact the pandemic may have on their own and their family’s health, their education, their finances, their housing and so on. We hope that this webinar will provide some effective coping strategies and an opportunity to share fears and worries and find constructive solutions to them."

Those that wish to take part in the webinar should email avsvetkind@gmail.com. An automatic reply with the link to participate in the webinar will then be emailed back.

Denmark-based consulting firm praQtice has launched a subsidiary in the UK to offer veterinary practice management consultancy services.

The company says it concentrates on six business areas: strategy and business development, marketing, employee and manager development, finance, research and analysis, and training.  

praQtice says it has worked with a wide range of practices, from the small local practice to the large hospital, helping them bring together their mission and vision. The company also has the benefit of having an in-house marketing and communication department which it says has had considerable success - not only in Scandinavia, but in the UK when last year praQtice won a Veterinary Marketing Association award.

The launch in the UK will primarily be driven by three praQtice consultants - founder and business developer Christian Kolthoff, Marketing Consultant Mario Riewerts and Business Developer Helen Kington.  

Helen said: "This will be great for UK vets, largely it has been the same group of consultants working with the same thoughts and ideas for the last 10 years. We need to look beyond our borders in order to evolve. In Scandinavia you can only put a mark up of 5% on your drugs, which does not make you a profit. Thus they have learnt to be much better in delivering and pricing for their professional service, I am sure we can learn a lot from them.  What we also see all over Europe is that practices are getting bigger and bigger. But as the practices grow, so does the number of problems and the partner's income rarely follows. praQtice is about quality of life and allowing yourself to dream, we then give you the tools along with helping you through the implementation to make those dreams and ambitions come true.

You can meet the team at the VPMA Congress in Oxford (28th-30th January), where founder and CEO Christian Kolthoff will be speaking. Meantime, if you would like more information about praQtice, visit www.praqtice.co.uk or telephone Helen Kington on 07765 338 607

For the first time ever, an educational advertisement about the importance of worming cats and the availablity of spot-on treatment, is to be broadcast on TV.

The advert has been produced by Bayer Animal Health, makers of Profender Spot-on, with the aim of driving pet owners to their vet to ask about spot-on worming for their cats.

Bayer product manager Dan White said: "Profender Spot-on solution is a POM-V product. So we have produced a public information style advert which is educational rather than commercial, in accordance with industry regulations on advertising this animal medicine category to the public. It informs and reminds cat owners of the importance of worming, and encourages them to ask their vet for more information.

"In addition, the advert also features details about a competition to find the cat with the biggest personality to celebrate responsible cat ownership, and invites them to upload images and/or videos of their cat onto the website http://www.spotonwormer4cats.com/."

The 20 second advertisement will be broadcast throughout May on ITV1, ITV2, Channels 4 and 5, and Sky One, and is estimated to reach 7 million cat owners.

Practices can obtain a range of campaign support materials by contacting their Bayer Territory Manager or by calling the Bayer Leaflet Line on 0845 2574798 and quoting 'spot-on'.

VetsSouth, the new CPD congress and commercial exhibition being held in Exeter on 11th and 12th February, has announced that it will lead with a discussion about what practices can do to reduce bovine TB in clients' herds in 2015. 

The congress, which is open to practising vets throughout the UK but aimed specifically at those in the west and south of the UK, will have three-and-half hours of discussion led by Roger Blowey (pictured right) and Richard Gard, with contributions from a number of practices in Gloucestershire, Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.

During a day on "cattle" on the Wednesday, Roger Blowey will also lead two sessions on "Recent dramatic changes in our understanding of cattle lameness", covering anatomy and foot lesions in the first and moving on to digital dermatitis and other infectious lesions in the second.

The rest of the programme is concerned mainly with small animals, the line-up of speakers including Dr David Williams on ophthalmology, Matthew Oxford on dentistry, Dr Andy Sparkes on feline medicine and surgery, Sarah Health on canine and feline behaviour and Anthony Chadwick on dermatology; plus six speakers from the Bristol veterinary school: Dr Jo Murrell and Gwen Covey-Crump on pain management, Dr Domingo Casamian Sorrosal and Dr Sonia Fonfara on cardiology, and Guillaume Chanoit and Ivan Doran on soft tissue surgery.

In addition, Professor John and Mrs Margaret Cooper will lead a day-long seminar on veterinary forensic medicine; the VDS will be running half-hour one-on-one sessions on improving consultation techniques; and there will be workshops on "ocular examination and pathology", "cat-friendly clinics" and "practical tooth extraction".

Exhibitors include Langford Veterinary Services, Vets4Pets/Companion Care, Protexin, Summit Veterinary Pharmaceuticals, Dechra Veterinary Products, Royal Canin, Bayer Animal Health, Natures Menu, Pet Medic Recruitment/Mi Vet, Teignview Veterinary Group, Henry Schein Animal Health, Axiom Veterinary Laboratories, iM3 Dental, Medimark Scientific, Merial Animal Health, Nova Laboratories, Improve International, DVH Veterinary Sales, Centaur Services, A. Menarini Diagnostics, The Webinar Vet and Improve International.

The event is being run by VP CPD in association with Improve International and The Webinar Vet, with generous sponsorship from Dechra Veterinary Products. Attendance on both days is priced at £145 (plus VAT); one-day passes cost £80 (plus VAT) with additional charges for the workshops and VDS sessions. The prices include speaker notes, refreshments throughout each day and a buffet lunch. CPD certificates will be sent on request after the event.

Full details and a booking form are on www.vetssouth.com. 

Animalcare, the distributor of Daxocox, has launched canine osteoarthritis ‘Lunch and Learn’ CPD for vets and RVNs.

The company says the sessions will help veterinary staff learn more about the condition - which affects up to 20% of dogs in the UK annually¹ - the causes and consequences of osteoarthritis pain, the main predisposing risk factors and the impact of chronic pain on central sensitisation.

The CPD will look at what steps practices can take to mitigate animal suffering and increase long-term owner compliance and will encourage practices to look at their current osteoarthritis management strategy. 

Kai Crawshaw, Brand Manager at Animalcare, said: "Canine osteoarthritis is a growing concern for UK vets – latest figures suggest that over two million dogs are suffering, based on current population figures.

"Managing these cases can be challenging, but through this lunch and learn session, we aim to support veterinary staff and help them to expand their knowledge and implement an improved approach for managing canine osteoarthritis.’

www.animalcare.co.uk/lunch-and-learn 

Reference

1. Anderson, K.L., O’Neill, D.G., Brodbelt, D.C., et al, 2018. Prevalence, duration and risk factors for appendicular osteoarthritis in a UK dog population under primary veterinary care. Scientific reports, 8(1), pp.1-12.

Improve International has announced that the role of Official Veterinarians in animal welfare is the theme of this year's OV Conference, taking place on the 29th & 30th September. 

The conference programme includes lecture streams and round-table discussions on themes relating to both Large Animals and Small Animals, in addition to a series of lectures aimed at Equine Practitioners.

This second OV conference is a collaboration between Improve International, which handles OV registration and training in England, Scotland and Wales; 5m Publishing and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). They say their objectives are to provide a forum to discuss the latest developments in OV work and to offer an opportunity for OVs to network and share experiences and ideas.

Large animal topics to be discussed at the event include Bovine TB, Bluetongue and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea while small animal practitioners will focus on export regulations, certification, the Pet Travel Scheme, together with welfare and exotic disease issues. Equine lectures will include legislation updates and welfare and exotic diseases.

An exhibition of the latest products and services of interest to OVs will again run alongside the conference which will take place at the Alexandra House Hotel and Conference Centre, near Swindon, where Improve International is based.

David Babington MRCVS, Managing Director of Improve, said:  "The enthusiastic discussions following many of the lectures at our first conference and the resoundingly positive feedback we received from the 250 delegates attending convinced us of the value of a forum that brings OVs together with experts from private practice, other animal health-related organisations and the APHA. 

"Animal welfare is a particularly important topic for OVs so it is the theme for this year's event and all of the speakers will address it within the context of their lectures.  We look forward to, once again, welcoming OVs from across the country to Alexandra House in September 2016."

For more information on the Official Veterinarian Conference and Exhibition or to register visit: www.officialvet.com

Veterinary Women In Leadership (VWIL) is to host an online CPD event designed to empower women in the veterinary profession to problem-solve and achieve career goals on 7th December 2022 from 1-7pm.

The event, sponsored by Provet Cloud, will include interactive workshop sessions on ‘Finding Flexible Working Solutions’, ‘Financial Security and Negotiation Skills’, and ‘Developing Your Personal Brand’.

Women from all areas of the veterinary industry will also be sharing their inspirational career stories. 

The speaker line-up for the event includes Flexee’s Silvia Janska, who takes a look at ‘Finding Flexible Working Solutions’, including how they can be implemented in practice to empower individuals and teams, and benefit the business.

Katie Ford and Paul Horwood from VetYou, will be addressing overcoming barriers in talking about, navigating, and creating security with money to arm delegates with negotiation tools and useable resources in their workshop session on ‘Financial Security and Negotiation Skills’

Hamzah Malik from Regent Animal Health will lead a workshop on ‘Developing Your Personal Brand’ to build delegates’ confidence in ways to explore and articulate personal identity and strengths, and apply brand marketing principles to boost career success.

The event will also feature ‘Seeing is Believing’ breakout sessions with female speakers from all spheres of veterinary practice, business, industry, nursing and education, sharing their career stories and taking part in Q&A sessions.

The event is suited to all those thinking about the next career step, considering leadership roles or already working within leadership positions in the veterinary sector.

Veterinary professionals and students can take advantage of an early-bird rate until 20th November.

For more information and to register for the event, visit: https://eu.eventscloud.com/website/7528/home/ 

The British Veterinary Association and British Cattle Veterinary Association have welcomed the launch of the Defra consultation on tackling bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) in England, which includes recommendations for badger control in areas where bTB persists at high levels, despite attempts at control using other measures.

The two associations have long argued that bTB cannot be controlled without measures to control the disease in both cattle and wildlife.

In particular the BVA and BCVA have welcomed:

• the recognition that the farming industry, veterinary profession and Government need to work in partnership;
• the understanding that there is no single solution to tackling bTB and that we need to use 'every tool in the toolbox';
• the commitment to a balanced package of measures linked to the understanding that we cannot succeed in eradicating bTB in cattle without addressing the reservoir of disease in wildlife; and
• the commitment to monitor the effectiveness, humaneness and impact of badger control measures.

The Associations have noted the expectation that the farming industry will pick up the costs of vaccinating and culling badgers and will consider in detail the Government's proposals for licensing criteria and culling methods.

The BVA and BCVA will be providing a detailed response to the consultation following discussion with members of both Associations.

Professor Bill Reilly, President of the BVA, said: "We are extremely pleased that the Coalition Government has made tackling bovine TB such a priority. Both the BVA and BCVA have made the case that this devastating disease will not be eradicated without measures that tackle TB both in cattle and in wildlife.

"We will be looking in detail to ensure that the proposals are as effective and, importantly, as humane as possible.

"Our initial reaction is that the proposals announced by Defra are based on scientific evidence and expert veterinary advice and we strongly support the direction the Government is taking."

Keith Cutler, President of BCVA, added: "It is important that the Government has recognised that there is no single solution to tackling bovine TB.

"Controlling the disease in badgers through vaccination and culling has a role to play, but will only be effective if properly targeted and used alongside all other available control measures.

"The BVA and BCVA are therefore very pleased to see proposals that deliver a package of measures."

Pfizer Animal Health, maker of the equine wormers Equest and Equest Pramox, has unveiled www.wormingyourhorse.info, a new website which aims to make it easier for horse owners to understand and follow the most up-to-date principles of sustainable worm control.

Based on the company's Manage, Test, Plan, Dose campaign, Pfizer says the new website is designed to take the confusion out of equine worm control with clear, logical and easy-to-understand guidance and advice.

The four main sections use diagrams and text to explain how and why it's important to manage the worm challenge on the pasture; the role of faecal worm egg counts (FWECs); how history and management play a part in planning the best worm control programme and how to choose and use the right wormer at the right time of year.

There's an interactive and educational parasite page that shows the parasites that can affect the health of your horse. There are click through buttons on parts of the horse's anatomy revealing details about the appearance of each particular parasite, their lifecycle and the symptoms they can cause. In addition there's a section on frequently asked questions which provides no-nonsense answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about worm control.

Paul Blanc, Pfizer's equine brand manager said: "In developing our new website we have listened carefully to what horse owners really want and need to know. The result is a source of plain-speaking, unbiased facts and advice, providing horse owners with the most current thinking on sustainable worm control in a format they can really identify with."