New research from the Royal Veterinary College has revealed that a chromosomal defect is the reason why a significant proportion of horse pregnancies fail within the first two months of development.

The College says this will pave the way for new diagnostic tests for what could be one of the most common causes of pregnancy loss in mares.

The researchers, led by Dr Mandi de Mestre (pictured right), Reader in Reproductive Immunology and Head of the Equine Pregnancy Laboratory at the RVC, collaborated with seven different veterinary practices to gain access to samples from across the UK and Ireland and found that around 20% of the pregnancies lost were aneuploid, which is when a copy of a whole chromosome is either duplicated or lost (similar to Down's).

Charlotte Shilton, RVC PhD, the student who performed the analysis, applied three different genetic approaches to confirm the results.

Work is now underway to identify the underlying cause of these aneuploid pregnancies, with early data from this study suggesting it is most commonly introduced via the egg or sperm. Until now, chromosomal defects such as aneuploidy have only been reported as a rare condition in young horses with developmental disorders. 

The researchers say the study explains why the condition is so rare in horses, with most embryos and foetuses possessing this genetic change dying very early in development, as is also observed in human pregnancy. The study highlights the need to reconsider this genetic condition both in pregnancy loss but also for early developmental disorders.

Dr Mandi de Mestre, Reader in Reproductive Immunology at the RVC, said: “Early pregnancy loss remains a very frustrating condition for clinicians to treat as the underlying cause is unknown in around 80% of cases. These findings will allow researchers to develop new diagnostic tests for pregnancy losses, which would offer hope to thousands of owners of breeding mares that suffer this condition.

“A diagnostic test would allow them to make informed decisions on treatment strategies and to advise on whether they should invest in further attempts to breed their mare benefiting both horses and their breeders alike in the future. I would like to thank both the Thoroughbred Breeders Association and our collaborators at Texas A&M University and the participating veterinary surgeons for their support on this project.

Reference

1. 10.1038/s41598-020-69967-z "Whole genome analysis reveals aneuploidies in early pregnancy loss in the horse" www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69967-z

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.

The RSPCA has made a formal complaint against the Daily Telegraph to the Press Complaints Commission after the newspaper failed to print an apology or offer a right to reply after printing a series of articles which the charity considers potentially defamatory.

The RSPCA claims the stories are factually incorrect and 'reflect biased and unbalanced reporting style'.

The charity has taken particular issue with stories which, they say, claim it broke charity rules over the successful prosecution of a hunt and saying that the RSPCA was warned on hunt prosecutions by the Charity Commission. According to the RSPCA, the Charity Commission has been clear that no rules have been broken and no warning has been issued.

RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant said: "These stories are a sustained attack on the RSPCA. The facts are that we have always and will continue to only act in the interests of the animals. We simply want the truth to be heard. The Daily Telegraph is entitled to its editorial position in support of blood sports despite the overwhelming public rejection of that view.

"They are not entitled to produce factually inaccurate articles that smear the good name of the RSPCA"

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has announced that Startect Dual Active Oral Solution (Zoetis), licensed for the treatment of mixed gastro-intestinal nematode infections and associated diseases in sheep, has been re-classified as POM-VPS, meaning it can now be prescribed by pharmacists and suitably qualified persons (SQPs) as well as veterinary surgeons.

The VMD, which reclassified the product following a request from Zoetis, says that increasing the availability of this anthelmintic should help it to be incorporated into strategic worm control programmes on farms in line with best practice guidance on worm control. This could result in long term health benefits for sheep, for example by reducing the development and spread of anthelmintic resistance, thereby prolonging the effective use of anthelmintics.

However, both the British Veterinary Association and the Sheep Veterinary Society have expressed concerns over the move.

BVA Junior Vice President John Fishwick said: "We know that resistance to anthelmintics is increasing in grazing animals worldwide and needs to be addressed to avoid a potentially disastrous situation of being unable to tackle parasites. The reclassification of Startect Dual Active from POM-V to POM-VPS is in direct opposition to the trend in Europe, where we are seeing increased control over dispensing of anthelmintics in species where resistance is posing a serious threat to animal health, welfare and profitable production; we're extremely concerned that we might start seeing resistance develop in Group 4 as a result.

"BVA believes that the prescribing of anthelmintics requires a level of control best provided by a veterinary surgeon who has the animals under his/her care, and is based on a sound clinical diagnosis. The drugs are best used as part of a flock health plan drawn up by farmers in conjunction with their vet in order to protect animal health and welfare and safeguard the efficacy of these products for the future."

Sheep Veterinary Society President Kathryn Dun said: "Group 4 anthelmintics should be used only as part of a careful designed strategy for the individual farm and it is imperative that this strategy is worked out with a vet and is part of a flock health plan for that farm. The products need to be used, in the correct way, to help prolong the life of our other anthelmintics.

"We are unlikely to have any further new groups of anthelmintics in the foreseeable future, so education of those buying and selling these products is crucial to ensure the longevity of the effective action of them against sheep parasites."

Further information on BVA's policy on anthelmintics can be found here: www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/policy/medicines/anthelmintics     

Seventeen overseas-qualified veterinary surgeons who succeeded in passing the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Statutory Examination for Membership, have been admitted to the RCVS Register and may now practise in the UK.  

Remarkably, nearly half of them (8) were graduates of St George's University School of Veterinary Medicine (SGUSVM) in the Caribbean island of Grenada. Austin Kirwan, St George's Associate Dean of UK and Ireland Clinical Affairs said: "This outstanding result confirms the school's status as a leading international teaching institution for prospective veterinarians. Our graduates now have a proven record of high standards which is encouraging to those who follow in their footsteps."

To mark the occasion, a ceremony was held at Belgravia House for the registrants, their  friends and families. After the veterinary surgeons' names were entered into the Register, RCVS President, Mr Peter Jinman, made a short address to welcome those attending, and presented the new Members with their certificates.

"Today is a celebration not just for those registering but for all of you," he said, acknowledging the importance of the support provided to vets by their friends and family. He also encouraged those who were newly graduated to sign up for the Professional Development Phase as the route to postgraduate education, saying that "Education does not stop today; indeed it is just a closing of one chapter and tomorrow is the opening of another, for learning is a lifelong experience."

Andrew Robathan MP has opened Companion Care Vets latest surgery in Leicester, bringing the number of surgeries across the UK to 67.

The surgery is located within the brand new Pets at Home store at Fosse Park, and the joint veterinary partners are Shabbir Shariff and Sameer Bheda.

The surgery houses a full operating theatre, digital x-ray facilities, in-house laboratory and a hospital ward providing a full range of treatments from health checks to emergency operations.

Shabbir said: "I have always wanted to own my own surgery and jumped at the opportunity to work with Companion Care Vets."

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has accepted an application for restoration to the RCVS Register by James Main, who was struck off in 2011, following his administration of a prohibited substance to a racehorse and his subsequent attempts to conceal his actions.

At a Disciplinary Committee hearing held on 22 February 2011, Mr Main, a partner in the O'Gorman, Slater, Main & Partners veterinary practice in Newbury was found guilty of serious professional misconduct and his name was removed from the Register. The then-Committee established that, contrary to the British Horseracing Authority's (BHA) rules of racing, Mr Main had injected tranexamic acid into the racehorse 'Moonlit Path' on 19 February 2009, knowing that the horse was to race later that day. He was also found guilty of dishonestly concealing this injection in his practice records as a "pre-race check".

At yesterday's hearing, the Committee noted that the decision to remove Mr Main from the Register had sent a clear message to the profession of the importance of strict compliance with the BHA's Rules of Racing; it was the inevitable consequence of his breaches of those rules and his dishonesty in concealing the administration of the injection. In oral evidence, Mr Main said he accepted the findings and decision of the previous Committee, and he apologised.

The Committee also noted a number of changes since implemented at Mr Main's practice, including a pharmacy review to improve traceability of drugs; withdrawal of the use of tranexamic acid in the management of Exercise Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage; and a cautious approach to drug withdrawal times. Mr Main's practice had also reviewed its processes to ensure its veterinary surgeons complied with all relevant rules, regulations and guidance, and that any requests by clients to breach these rules would be refused.

The Committee accepted evidence that Mr Main had worked in a management capacity in his practice since 26 March 2011, performing no clinical role, and had undertaken appropriate continuing professional development since being removed from the Register. It also noted the large volume of testimonials and public support presented at the hearing from both veterinary surgeons and clients in the horse world.

Furthermore, it noted that removal had been financially and emotionally detrimental to Mr Main, his family and practice and, if his name were not restored to the Register, there would be a continuing detrimental effect on his family finances and the practice.

Committee Chairman Professor Peter Lees said: "The Committee accepts that Mr Main has found the removal of his name from the Register a humbling and salutary experience and accepts his apologies. It is satisfied that he is very unlikely to breach the rules of racing in the future and does not consider that there is a risk to the future welfare of animals by restoring his name to the Register.

"The Committee does not consider that any further period of erasure would be of benefit either to the public or the veterinary profession."

The Committee directed that Mr Main's name be restored to the Register.

Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College have officially launched a new Feline Diabetic Remission Clinic in the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals in Hertfordshire, to investigate the optimum methods to achieve good control, and ultimately diabetic remission, in diabetic cats.

Led by Dr Stijn Niessen, the team at the new clinic will offer diabetic cats optimum management, while at the same time gathering information to enhance current scientific understanding of the best treatment for diabetic cats.

Feline diabetes mellitus is a costly, chronic disease which can significantly decrease the quality of life of both cat owners and their pets. However, a proportion of diabetic cats can achieve diabetic remission and no longer require insulin therapy, which is increasingly considered the ultimate goal in treating diabetic cats.
 
According to the RVC, early evidence suggests that good, early blood glucose control increases remission rates in diabetic cats. However, there is little evidence about which treatment protocol offers the best blood glucose control and chance of remission.

Stijn said: "Our mission is to investigate the best method of achieving good blood glucose control, and diabetic remission, in diabetic cats. The clinic also aims to identify predictors of diabetic remission, which will help veterinarians advise their clients on the chance of their cat achieving diabetic remission in the future."

He added: "Interestingly, most cats seem to suffer from a similar type of diabetes as most humans. We always suspected cats to be extremely wise, but isn't it interesting to know that they also might hold the answer to many questions we have about the human disease!"

The clinic is currently recruiting cats that have had diabetes for less than 4 months' duration for a clinical trial, examining the effect of new insulins on blood glucose control and remission rate.

Enrolled cats will qualify for full underlying disease assessment at the referral hospital, several re-examination appointments, 12 months of prescription diabetic food, and 6 months of insulin therapy - all at no cost to owners.

For more information on the trial or the work of the clinic, contact Feline Diabetic Remission Clinic: telephone: 01707 666 605 or email: fdrc@rvc.ac.uk 

The BVA has added its voice to calls for the suspension of imports of cattle and sheep from areas where the bluetongue virus is known to be circulating.

Following yesterday’s announcement by Defra that BTV1 (Bluetongue Serotype 1) had been detected in five cattle imported from a Restricted Zone in the south west of France, BVA President Nicky Paull said:  “I am saddened, but not surprised, that the actions of some are putting our livestock here in the UK at risk.  As long as some farmers continue to import stock from these areas we will continue to see this problem and we therefore believe that the only answer is to suspend imports.  We also see absolutely no reason why compensation should be paid to those who have risked the health and welfare of the national flock and herd.

“My advice to farmers still is to vaccinate against BTV8 if you have not done so already.  If you did vaccinate during the summer then plan to boost protection at the end of the winter period so your stock is protected next summer.  With no vaccine currently licensed for BTV1 however, do not import livestock from mainland Europe - we should not rely on the hope of a BTV1 vaccine in time to prevent serious problems next summer if we buy this new strain of bluetongue virus into the UK.”

CVS Group has announced that European internal medicine specialist Caroline Kisielewicz MVB CertSAM DipECVIM-CA is joining ChesterGates Veterinary Specialists with effect from 1 October 2014.  

Caroline Kisielewicz graduated from University College, Dublin in 2006 and, after working in first opinion small animal practice for two years, completed an ECVIM-residency training programme at the Small Animal Hospital at the University of Glasgow in February 2013.

Most recently she has been working at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals at the Royal Veterinary College. She is interested in all aspects of small animal internal medicine, particularly emergency medicine, transfusion medicine, immune-mediated diseases and endocrine diseases.

CVS Referral Director, Professor John Innes said: "We are delighted to welcome Caroline to our specialist team at ChesterGates. She is a rising star in internal medicine and I believe it is a measure of CVS' growing reputation for offering a diverse range of career options that we are attracting some of the strongest  talent from the specialist vet pool.

"Caroline joins Ellie Mardell and Chris Saul here at ChesterGates to help us to offer an even more comprehensive and user-friendly internal medicine service."

Caroline said: "I was keen to join this excellent multi-disciplinary specialist referral hospital with its dynamic, friendly and close-knit team. Working at ChesterGates gives me the opportunity to provide the highest standard and quality of care and treatment for my patients, clients and their referring vets."

Herefordshire-based Alex McGhee MRCVS, a business intelligence manager at Linnaeus, has headed off to the Maldives to help save endangered sea turtles. 

Alex is applying the data science he uses in his day job to help local vets at the Olive Ridley Project care for the ancient reptiles.

Six of the seven species of sea turtles are endangered due to human behaviour, many of them killed by poachers for their shells, eggs and meat.

They're also affected by the increasing volume of plastic waste in the sea. 

Alex, who normally spends his time leading a team of business intelligence engineers and analysts who provide insights in finance, HR and clinical event reporting, is setting the charity up with practice management software to help it capture clinical records and track the sea turtles. 

Alex said: "We’ll be setting up the software, making sure the vets can operate it and then adding all their existing data to it. We’re giving them a powerful tool to capture clinical records and manage turtles over a long period of time.”

“These valuable creatures are hugely important to marine ecosystems and have travelled our seas for the last 100 million years, so I’m delighted to be able to play a part in their conservation.”

For more information on the Olive Ridley Project, visit https://oliveridleyproject.org.

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the RCVS has announced various changes to the timetable for its review of ‘under care’, remote prescribing and 24/7 out-of-hours emergency cover.

As part of its review, the College had planned a series of focus groups of veterinary surgeons and nurses across the UK. However, these have had to be delayed both because of social distancing rules and because of the pressures that practice teams are currently working under. However, the agency tasked with hosting the focus groups is now exploring alternative options and it is hoped there will be a revised timetable soon. 

In the meantime, the College says it now plans to commission an additional independent agency to survey veterinary surgeons about their experience of remote prescribing during lockdown. 

In March, RCVS Council agreed to temporarily allow veterinary surgeons to prescribe prescription-only veterinary medicines remotely, without first having physically examined the animal, subject to a number of conditions and safeguards being in place.

This position is due for review by 30th June, and the College will be looking for feedback and data from veterinary surgeons about your experience of remote prescribing, in order to determine whether these arrangements can continue, with or without any extra safeguards.

Because remote prescribing is also one of the most important aspects of the planned under care review, feedback gathered now will help inform future discussions too.

RCVS President Niall Connell said: “We recognise the current conditions that veterinary practices are working under in no way represent normal practice life. Most practices will not have been set up to offer remote services and remote prescribing in a way that they might have chosen, given sufficient time and appropriate detailed guidance, if indeed there are any future guidance changes after the review.

"However, we feel it would be remiss of us not to seize the opportunity arising from this current crisis to ask about the experiences – good or bad – of those on the frontline of clinical veterinary practice in providing remote services to their clients.

"Whilst this will be no substitute for the formal evidence gathered by the research agency in due course, whatever data and feedback we can collate from veterinary practices at this unique time for our professions will, I’m sure, be extremely valuable to our ongoing discussions."

Norbrook has launched Loxicom 0.5mg/ml oral suspension for small dogs, indicated for the alleviation of inflammation and pain in acute and chronic musculo-skeletal disorders.

Loxicom Oral Suspension comes in a clear 15ml bottle which allows vets and clients to monitor levels of the product and re-order when necessary.

Loxicom 0.5mg/ml for Dogs comes with two sizes of syringe, a 1ml syringe graduated from 0.25kg-5kg to treat even the smallest of dog breeds accurately, and a 5ml syringe graduated from 1kg-25kg to treat small and medium dog breeds. The syringes plug securely into the bottle to ensure a tight-fitting connection and minimal leakage when administering the product.

This new oral suspension joins the range of 1.5mg/ml oral suspensions for Dogs and 5mg/ml injections for Dogs and Cats, launched in 2009, and the 0.5mg/ml oral suspension for Cats launched earlier this year at the BSAVA Congress.