The session will be conducted in the style of the BBC Radio 4 Moral Maze discussion programme, with panelists and witnesses arguing for and against the viewpoint corporatisation is inevitable and will benefit vets and their clients.
Moderated by Madeleine Campbell, Keith Chandler and Karl Holliman will argue for corporatisation and Andrew Harrison and Tim Greet will be against. They will call upon a series of 'witnesses' for detailed questioning before the topic is more broadly debated.
CVS, the UK’s biggest veterinary group now owns more than 410 veterinary practices, of which over 30 are specifically equine or mixed practices.
The latest equine acquisitions include Bell Equine, a one-site Equine Referral Hospital in Kent, in January 2017 and Severn Edge Veterinary Group, a mixed practice with 12 sites in Shropshire, including a six-vet dedicated equine practice, in April 2017.
One line of argument says that the commercial and business advantages of a corporate, together with their scale and diversity, can give veterinary surgeons greater potential for a more flexible career path and advancement within the industry, and a more sustainable working career in equine practice.
On the flip side, there's the removal of any opportunity to buy into ownership, reduced decision-making ability because of adherence to corporate procedures, extra paperwork, longer approval processes and an increased emphasis on the bottom line.
David Mountford, Chief Executive of BEVA said: "The auditorium is usually full to bursting for our Moral Maze sessions because they bring a broader and more engaging dimension to important topics. The statement Corporatisation of equine practices is inevitable and will benefit vets and their clients is bound to generate some stimulating and possibly heated debate."
This year's BEVA Congress will be held at Liverpool Arena Convention Centre, and anyone who registers before 3rd August will receive significantly reduced booking fees.
For more information, visit: www.beva.org.uk.
The awards, which which celebrate initiatives that advance the quality of veterinary care and demonstrate a commitment to using an evidence-based approach, will be open for applications until 13th January 2023.
The two new award categories are Antimicrobial Stewardship and Canine Cruciate Outcomes.
The Canine Cruciate Outcome Awards are to recognise and celebrate individuals and teams who are using Quality Improvement initiatives alongside RCVS Knowledge’s Canine Cruciate Registry (CCR) to monitor and improve their canine cruciate surgery outcomes.
Applications are invited by surgeons and teams who are using the CCR.
The Antimicrobial Stewardship Awards, which are divided into farm animal, equine, and companion animal categories, aim to showcase practical examples where individuals and teams are improving responsible antimicrobial prescribing.
In addition, the charity is looking for entries for its existing awards for students and those who have implemented Quality Improvement (QI) techniques.
The Veterinary Evidence Student Awards enables students from around the world to enhance their academic and research skills by writing a Knowledge Summary and submitting it for publication to Veterinary Evidence, RCVS Knowledge's open access, peer-reviewed journal.
The Quality Improvement Awards showcase the implementation of Quality Improvement techniques which drive improvement within the professions.
www.rcvsknowledge.org/awards
In particular, the association says it is looking for people with expertise in the following areas:
VMG President Rich Casey (pictured right) said: “During the last two years alone, we have launched a new suite of ILM-accredited Award in Veterinary Leadership and Management (AVLM) qualifications, together with our evidence-based Leadership Standards Framework.
"We have also announced our intent to support the specific needs of our members more closely through our own congress and other initiatives, as well as helping to guide the wider veterinary profession through the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
“We’re proud of what we have achieved so far but we have much more to do.
'We are looking for several new directors with specific skills to help us offer the highest level of support we can to our members in 2023 and beyond.”
The deadline for applications is 3 October 2022.
https://vetmg.com/vmg-new-director-search
According to today's Daily Mail, veterinary surgeon Lis Crowsley may have been killed as she tried to protect her dogs from cows that were with their newly-born calves.
Click here for the full story.
The RCVS is advising all practices that it is not currently carrying out a data-gathering exercise and that phone calls prompting the return of a survey, and requesting mobile phone numbers, are not being made on behalf of the College.
The warning comes after several practices have called the College to query 'feedback forms' - supposedly issued in relation to the Practice Standards Scheme or the payment of members' retention fees.
The practices were asked to return forms which they had not received, and also to provide mobile phone numbers, by someone who claimed to work for the 'statutory regulator' or 'the RCVS'. Contact phone numbers left by the caller were either RCVS fax numbers or numbers which looked like RCVS direct dial numbers, but were not.
Lizzie Lockett, Head of Communications, said: "This looks like an exercise to gain mobile phone numbers which is being carried out in the College's name. We are currently investigating who might be making these calls. In the meantime, if a practice receives such a call, it would be helpful if they could take down a name and contact number and let us know."
Ring 020 7202 0725 or email l.lockett@rcvs.org.uk to report any suspicious activity.
The Animal Health Trust is appealing to veterinary surgeons and nurses to encourage clients who keep their horses on premises that have been affected by Equine Grass Sickness to sign up to the second year of its nationwide EGS vaccine trial.
Equine Grass Sickness (EGS) occurs predominantly in Europe, with Britain experiencing the highest incidence worldwide. In 2014, 59 cases of EGS were reported through the EGS Surveillance Scheme, but it is likely that this represents only a fraction of cases occurring annually throughout Britain.
Almost all cases of EGS occur in horses with access to grazing. The AHT says there is growing scientific evidence to suggest that the disease may be caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum type C, commonly found within soil and capable of producing neurotoxins to which horses are particularly sensitive. EGS occurs when a combination of risk factors trigger the production of these toxins within the horse's intestinal tract, causing damage to the nervous system and paralysis of the gut.
As similar equine diseases such as tetanus and botulism can be prevented by vaccination, it is theoretically possible that a vaccine could prevent EGS. To this end the AHT, in collaboration with the Universities of Edinburgh, Liverpool and Surrey launched the EGS field vaccine trial in 2014 in order to establish whether a vaccine could indeed be effective in reducing the risk of the disease. The trial is funded by a number of sources including Neogen Corporation; Animal Welfare Foundation; Horserace Betting Levy Board; Racing Foundation; Moredun Foundation Equine Grass Sickness Fund; Hong Kong Jockey Club; The British Horse Society and the EB Moller Charitable Trust.
Now entering its second year, the EGS vaccine trial involves enrolled horses and ponies receiving either a course of the C. botulinum type C toxoid vaccine or an inactive placebo, as well as an annual booster. The incidence of EGS is monitored throughout the trial to determine the efficacy of the vaccine, and enrolled horses and ponies are closely monitored through regular follow-ups for the duration of the trial.
With 60% of EGS cases occurring during April - June, the highest risk season for EGS is fast approaching. The AHT is appealing to owners who keep their horses on premises that have had at least one case of EGS in the past three years to enrol their horse in the vaccine trial and provide an invaluable contribution to this pioneering research prior to these high risk months. Veterinary practices with clients who fit this description are asked to help the recruitment process by encouraging suitable cases to sign up to the trial.
Dr Jo Ireland, the AHT's Equine Grass Sickness Research Co-ordinator, said: "We have been delighted with the overwhelmingly positive response to the EGS vaccine trial and many owners have welcomed the chance to be a part of such important research. We don't want any eligible horse owners to miss out on the opportunity to contribute towards a potential breakthrough in the prevention of EGS, so we are encouraging more owners to enrol their horses on the trial this year."
To find out more about the vaccine trial or how clients can enrol horses and ponies, visit the AHT's dedicated EGS website www.equinegrasssickness.co.uk or email equinegrasssickness@aht.org.uk.
John said: "This is a great opportunity to raise awareness for what is a very serious problem in our profession - we all know someone within the veterinary community who has had mental health problems - and I am very proud that it is a strong community trying to tackle this issue.
"But it is not just about one day – we can’t forget about it for the rest of the year. We all live extremely busy lives and if we are not functioning as people, we are not going to function as professionals."
John says veterinary professionals must take a balanced and holistic view of their lives and develop strong teams at local, regional, national and even international level, to build resilience in dealing with stress and dispelling the stigma about mental illness that may prevent people seeking help.
Mental ill-health will affect one in four people over the next 12 months[i] and in England, one in six people experience a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week[ii]. There are particular issues within the veterinary profession, with higher than average rates of suicide, and patterns of distress, anxiety and depression, among other illnesses.
The BSAVA will launch a new ‘Beyond the Clinics’ personal development stream at Congress next April, including a non-clinical series of lectures on physical and mental health, and, with RCVS, it hosts a series of Mind Matters CPD courses across all 12 regions – all of which were sold out in 2016.
John added: "I’m looking forward to inviting colleagues to Beyond The Clinics on the Sunday of Congress, which is a great opportunity for the whole profession to think more deeply about how we look after each other, by increasing knowledge about mental wellbeing, building resilience in dealing with stress and dispelling the stigma about mental illness that may prevent people seeking help.
"I’m also very proud of the BSAVA’s involvement in the Mind Matters initiative, set up by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. All 12 of our regions hosted sold out courses during 2016, which is part of the profession’s response to research showing that the stress of working in modern veterinary practices has taken a heavy toll on the mental wellbeing of many staff."
Limited places are available for the BSAVA’s Mind Matters regional meetings – more information is available at www.bsava.com/Education/CPD/Mind-Matters
The meetings provide training for all members of the practice team to help them recognise any signs of mental problems in their colleagues – and, perhaps, in themselves. The training aims to help individuals know how to communicate with people they are concerned about and offers tips on stress management and staying well.
John, who has suffered mental health difficulties himself, says it is important to reach out and respond as a profession to this serious problem.
"My main advice is to be aware of others, be supportive, understand and appreciate them, notice when someone isn’t acting normally, and also remember that you are in a team together with people to talk to and you should do that. You can’t take stress away completely but you can’t put everything on the practice owner, this is a whole team responsibility – upwards, sidewards and downwards."
References
Virbac has announced the reintroduction of chews as part of its dental range.
VeggieDent chews are available in packs of 15 in sizes suitable for small, medium and large dogs. The chews contain chlorhexidine and have a texture and shape designed to optimise plaque removal by physically abrading the tooth surface during chewing.
Product manager Chris Geddes said: "The gold standard of dental hygiene is regular brushing, but that isn't always possible, and products such as this are ideal for those difficult cases."
For further information please speak to your Virbac representative, phone 01359 243243 or email admin@virbac.co.uk.
Pfizer VPS has launched a 'Pre-Sale Scab Treatment Certificate' so that sheep treated for sheep scab and protected against re-infestation beyond their autumn sale date can be formally certified as such.
A choice of two moxidectin-based treatments are eligible for use, one with 28 days and the other 60 days licensed persistency against the scab mite.
Pfizer VPS vet David Bartram explained that following treatment, the sale date must fall within the persistency window: "The idea is that farmers present their certificate at markets on sale day, then auctioneers announce the scab-protected status during their sales patter. Whether this adds to the sale price will be interesting to find out, but it's sure to be seen as a valuable attribute by buyers who won't need to treat for scab when they arrive home."
Details of the certification process are available from SQPs at animal medicine suppliers. The two eligible treatments are CYDECTIN 1% LA and CYDECTIN 2% LA for sheep.
The Small Animal Medicine Society (SAMSOC) and the BSAVA have together produced a new poster containing guidelines for the appropriate use of antibiotics in practice.
In recent years, alongside wider recognition of resistant bacteria such as MRSA in animals, the veterinary profession's use of antibiotics has been under the spotlight as a possible factor contributing to the increasing prevalence of bacterial resistance seen in human patients. Veterinary surgeons are faced with the dual problem of treating more and more resistant bacterial infections, whilst the threat of withdrawal of the right to prescribe certain antibiotics hangs over the profession.
SAMSoc and the BSAVA say they feel the time has come for the veterinary profession to take a coordinated responsible approach to its prescribing practices.
Ian Battersby of the Small Animal Medicine Society (SAMSoc) has sought to address the need for rational guidelines for the most appropriate antibiotics, for the correct duration, to maximise clinical efficacy but minimise selection of resistant bacteria. Collaboration with BSAVA resulted in a set of helpful prescribing guidelines in poster form, being sent to members of both associations. A limited number of copies will also be available from the BSAVA Balcony at Congress 2012, and BSAVA has dedicated the October issue of its membership magazine, companion, to the subject.
Ian said: "Of course these PROTECT guidelines are suggestions based on current knowledge and in the future we hope they will be further refined as our experience grows. This is an evolving situation and hopefully more work will be undertaken, in particular looking at treatment durations, allowing further refinement and optimization of practice policies. The key principles are that by implementing a prescribing protocol in our practices we are treating our prescribing privileges responsibly and maximizing the efficacy of the presently available agents for the benefit of both veterinary and human patients now and in the future.
"I would like to particularly thank everyone who has helped with this project; Andrew Jagoe, Professor Ian Ramsey, Tom Maddox, Jon Camillari, Alison Woodward and Dr Tim Nuttall, and BSAVA for facilitating the production of the poster".
The RCVS has announced a total of £1 million funding to address mental health and wellbeing within the veterinary profession over the next five years.
The RCVS Operational Board has agreed £100K of funding for the first year of the Mind Matters initiative, with a view to a similar amount per year for the subsequent four years.
Additionally, the College says it intends to contribute approximately £500K over the next five years to the Veterinary Surgeons' Health Support Programme (VSHSP). This is a continuation of previous funding, effectively doubling the College's contribution. The VSHSP, independently run by the Veterinary Benevolent Fund, offers a confidential service that aims to combat problems with alcohol, drugs, eating disorders and other addictive and mental health issues. Neil Smith, Mind Matters' Chair said: "I am delighted that we have £500K of new funding over the next five years to dedicate to improving the mental health and wellbeing of the veterinary team, together with the increase to our support for the VSHSP. It shows the College's commitment in this vital area, and is a substantial amount that will really help change lives."
The funding will be reviewed annually as part of the RCVS budgeting process.
Mind Matters activities will fall into five streams:
Mind Matters is supported by a taskforce comprising the Veterinary Benevolent Fund, the British Veterinary Association, the British Veterinary Nursing Association, the Veterinary Practice Management Association, the Veterinary Schools Council, the Veterinary Defence Society, the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons and the Association of Veterinary Students.
The sessions will be delivered by Andrew Kent, clinical director at Blaise and a small animal internal medicine specialist, Lara Dempsey, head of soft tissue surgery, Jacques Ferrerira, head of anaesthesia, Mike Farrell, head of orthopaedic surgery, and neurology clinician, Emma Suiter (pictured).
The talks will cover:
Client communication will also be covered, together with some orthopaedics for those with an interest in that area.
Andy said: “We’re building an incredible team at Blaise and are very excited at the prospect of sharing the specialist knowledge that our clinicians have with our wider veterinary community.
"Treating liver conditions can be incredibly complex and our educational programme presents an unrivalled opportunity to deep dive into this part of an animal’s body and how best to approach it.”
Tickets are available for £48 from https://www.ivcevidensiareferrals.com/Delivering-the-Best, with all profits going to the charity StreetVet.
Blaise Veterinary Referral Hospital in Longbridge is IVC’s first purpose-built pet hospital and will be open to accept referral patients from November 2023.
www.blaise-referrals.com
http://herbertsyard.com
The UK's first online gastric ulcer risk assessment for horse owners has just been launched as part of the 2009 Gastric Ulcer Awareness Month (GUAM), organised by Merial Equine Health.
Merial has developed the risk online questionnaire to enable owners to evaluate their horse's risk of ulcers. By logging on to the website http://www.gastriculcerrisk.co.uk/, owners, trainers and riders can complete a form which then returns the results via email. Where an animal is considered to be at medium to high risk, owners will be advised to consult their veterinary practice.
The company's Dr Emma Batson said: "Since the first GUAM in 2007, significant progress has been made in developing awareness and understanding of equine gastric ulcer syndrome.
"However there is still more to do! Our goal is to move gastric ulcers further up the diagnostic process, such that the condition is an early consideration for all horses presented with the vague symptoms associated with ulceration. We know that due to the vague nature of the symptoms, many of horses are suspected of other ailments such as back and teeth problems, general poor performance, or behavioural issues prior to being diagnosed with ulcers.
"This new initiative has been developed through consultation with practising internal medicine specialists. We hope it will help to highlight more cases and encourage clients into the practice with horses that are at genuine risk of ulcers. Further diagnosis, treatment and management measures can then be considered in consultation with the client.
"The website also has a veterinary page so that follow up information and any gastroscopy results can be recorded by the vet. We hope that this feedback will help generate some valuable data for the industry."
To help you promote this initiative, Merial has produced an impactful poster for use in practice waiting rooms, along with educational literature. The poster will be available as a loose insert in various publications during April and May.
For those practices which require a referral scoping service, Merial can put you in touch with three specialist consultants; Rachael Conwell (North) Dr.Tim Brazil (Midlands/nationwide) and Richard Hepburn (South West) who each provide a mobile scoping clinic.
Merial is also promising support for the mobile scoping service for the five practices that direct the largest number of clients to http://www.gastriculcerrisk.co.uk/
A number of events are also taking place during the month for vets, trainers and horse owners, including the following CPD events:
GUAM is supported by BEVA and Dr Batson hopes that the 2009 initiatives will further boost awareness, understanding and diagnosis of this underrated condition.
Royal Canin is launching a new packaging format for its range of feline wet diets.
The company says the launch comes in response to research showing that more than three-quarters of pet owners (76%1) feed their cats wet food and almost half of wet cat products sold are in a canned format (48%2).
The current alutray packaging will be replaced by 195g cans, which Royal Canin says are easier to use and store, and which clients believe to be better value for money than other packaging formats.
The new cans will contain the same recipes as before, with the same balance of nutrients in each wet diet. They will consist of a loaf or mousse, providing a complementary texture to the chunks in gravy found in the equivalent pouched diets.
Royal Canin is also highlighting the benefits for veterinary practices: The cans are designed to provide greater clarity of display and on-shelf presence. They are also easier to stack for storage, and they meet an established demand.
Ian Williams, one of Royal Canin's small animal vets, said: "We believe the new packaging is an improvement on our established and popular range of wet Veterinary Diets for cats. The range is extensive which allows owners to follow a vet's nutritional recommendations without changing their pets' feeding habits, an excellent way to increase compliance."
The new canned format will be phased in as stocks are replenished, with the following cans being added to the Royal Canin range of wet feline foods: a new Renal and Urinary S/O can, joining the existing Recovery can within the range of Veterinary Diets; and a new Paediatric Weaning can within the Veterinary Care Nutrition range.
For more information about Royal Canin and the diets, visit www.royalcanin.co.uk.
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
On top of that, over 25% of vets said they don't talk to their farmer clients about the disposal of empty pharmaceutical waste.
The survey also found that while veterinary surgeons are aware that both glass and shatterproof plastic vials are incinerated, over 65% of those questioned believed that glass vials were more environmentally friendly, when in fact, the company says its CLAS (Ceva Layered Anti Shatter) shatterproof plastic vials have 33% less impact on the environment from cradle to grave2.
Ceva is producing a range of support materials, including tailored social media and newsletter content, to help vets to raise awareness of their pharmaceutical waste disposal service and drive improvements across the industry.
Peter Keyte, ruminant business unit manager at Ceva Animal Health said: "As an industry we should be doing all that we can to improve our environmentally friendly credentials.
“Ceva will continue to invest in innovative eco-friendly technology for livestock injectables and pioneer improvements to help ensure best practice throughout the industry.”
For further information, or to request a pharmaceutical waste disposal service support pack, contact your local Ceva account manager or call 01494 781510.
The 1st Reproduction Control Guidelines of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) have just been accepted for publication and are expected to recommend a move away from a blanket neutering policy.
Dr Neil Mottram BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS Technical Manager at Virbac said: "This webinar will help clinicians understand and navigate the latest evidence-based medicine in regards to neutering.
"The panel of world-leading experts on reproduction will present their guidance on medical and surgical neutering and offer delegates the opportunity to interact with a live Q&A section at the end of the event.
https://app.livestorm.co/virbac-france/1st-reproduction-control-guidelines?type=detailed
The VetDebt Recovery Compass tool provides a way for practices to understand how outstanding payments affect their cash flow and practice value, and what steps to take next.
Mike Brooks, Chairman at DSL UK (pictured), said: “The VetDebt Recovery Compass offers a quick and easy way to see the true financial impact of unpaid debt.
"By making this information free and accessible to everyone, we hope to empower veterinary teams to take control of their finances.
DSL says that the new tool, which is available at www.dsluk.net, allows practices to see both the immediate recovery potential and the long-term value impact of their debts in less than 30 seconds.
The calculator also provides a species-specific breakdown, helping to identify where debt issues may be most significant and where to target first.
Mike has also appeared on the Federation of Independent Veterinary Practices (FIVP) Practice Matters Podcast, discussing how practices can better manage the topic of debt: https://fivp.org.uk/ep023-fivp-practice-matters-at-spvs-the-farm-vet-journey-practice-debt.
Vétoquinol has launched Flexadin, a new range of joint support products for cats and dogs with osteoarthritis (OA)
Robert Simpson, Flexadin Product Manager said: "This new range is made up of two products: Flexadin Plus and Flexadin Advanced, both are dietetic complementary feeds which are members of a small group of joint support products which contain Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin E. These ingredients are proven to aid the support of the metabolism of joints in the case of OA. Although many different joint support aids are available, not all of them contain these extra ingredients."
Vétoquinol says that in addition to Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin E, Flexadin Plus contains the traditional ingredients: glucosamine, chondroitin and devil's claw. Flexadin Advanced contains the novel ingredient, UCII - a type of undenatured type II collagen which has been manufactured using a patented process.
Flexadin Plus comes in two formulations, the first is specifically designed for cats/small dogs and the other is for medium/large dogs. Flexadin Advanced is specifically for dogs.
Robert added: "Flexadin Advanced has a specific property which means that the administration rate is only one chew per day whatever the weight of the dog. This has an important impact on the price per day for medium and large dogs which may require more than one tablet of traditional joint support products. This property also makes Flexadin Advanced a convenient option for owners. In addition to this benefit, UCII is becoming more and more popular due to the results of scientific studies in dogs, horses and even humans.
"We are all very excited about the advances this range can bring to veterinary practices."
Both Flexadin Plus and Advanced are presented as palatable, shaped, soft chews which come in zip-lock packs to keep the soft chews fresh and tasty. Flexadin Plus comes in packs of 90 chews whilst Flexadin Advanced comes in packs of 30 chews.
For further information about Flexadin, contact Vétoquinol on: 01280 825424.
Normally only accessible by ISFM members, the channel has been opened up as a free resource to help vets keep on top of CPD and includes over 40 webinars presented by internationally recognised veterinary specialists.
Topics include: anaesthesia and analgesia, behaviour, emergency and critical care, feline medicine and neurology. Each webinar is worth 1 hour of CPD and you get a certificate.
The channel includes a new webinar: ‘COVID-19 – helping cats cope’ which looks at how you can advise owners to help their cats deal with changes at home.
ISFM’s Feline Medicine Consultant, Sam Taylor said: "ISFM is committed to educating veterinary professionals on all things feline, so we are delighted to be able to bring some of our normally member-only benefits to a wider audience during this challenging time."
To register for the ISFM webinar channel, visit: https://icatcare.org/event/isfm-vet-webinars/
The campaign comprises of a series of live interviews, articles and surveys aimed at exploring the impact of breast cancer, menopause, infertility and baby loss women, and men, and how the veterinary profession can better support people having to cope with these issues in the workplace.
The campaign includes free access articles and live online sessions with VetYourBreasts campaign organiser, veterinary surgeon Anna Beber, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month; VetMINDS co-founder, vet Nat Scroggie, on 12th October during Baby Loss Awareness Week; Dr Karen Morton, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist on World Menopause Day 18th October; and SPVS Senior Vice President, Catriona Curtis, talking about her personal experiences with infertility on 2nd November during National Fertility Week.
A survey on the impact of the menopause, particularly on working life, is being run in partnership with SPVS in the run up to World Menopause Day. The survey seeks to gain a broad understanding of both awareness and experience across the profession, and responses are encouraged from all ages and genders, whether personally affected or not. The survey can be accessed here until 15th October: https://bit.ly/2FVXIkv
SPVS President, Anna Judson, said: "Having experienced the effects of the menopause working as a practice owner, I wish I had known more about the impact and that I was not alone in how I was feeling. There is a growing appetite to tackle these issues and we want to hear from anyone affected by the menopause, in order to put the right support mechanisms in place. We're proud to sponsor the menopause webinar and partner with Veterinary Woman on raising awareness about health issues, which are often brushed under the carpet."
Liz Barton, editor of Veterinary Woman, said: "I have been incredibly moved to see the deep empathy and encouragement amongst veterinary colleagues beginning to open up about the impact of health challenges, particularly at work. When I realised the campaigns in October were topics we need to talk about more as a profession, it seemed right to use this as a platform to tackle some of the hidden, emotive health challenges we bear throughout our life and work. We are looking for partners to help us develop the conversations and practical assistance for individuals and practices, to better support those who are silently living with these burdens."
Companies and organisations wishing to support the work should contact liz@veterinarywoman.co.uk. Individuals can register for updates about how to access the sessions by joining the Veterinary Woman email list for updates (www.veterinarywoman.co.uk), or following Veterinary Woman on social media.
'Period prevalence and mortality rates associated with hypocholesterolaemia in dogs and cats: 1,375 cases1' determined the period prevalence of hypocholesterolaemia and the associated mortality rates in dogs and cats at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California, Davis.
The medical records of cats and dogs presenting to the hospital from 1st September 2011 to 30th August 2016 were retrospectively reviewed to identify all animals that had at least 1 cholesterol measurement; a total of 16,977 dogs and 3,788 cats were identified. Patient signalment and clinical information were collated from the medical records, including the primary disease processes in patients with moderate to severe hypocholesterolaemia. The period prevalence and mortality rate of hypocholesterolaemia were calculated.
The period prevalence of hypocholesterolaemia was 7.0% in dogs and 4.7% in cats. The mortality rate of hypocholesteraemic dogs and cats was 12% in both species, which was significantly higher than that of animals with normal serum cholesterol.
Steven Epstein, corresponding author for the paper, said: 'The odds of death in dogs and cats with hypocholesterolaemia were 3.2 and 2.5 times higher than in those with normocholesterolaemia respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant linear trend towards higher mortality in association with more severe hypocholesterolaemia in both species.
'Disease of the hepatic, gastrointestinal and lymphoreticular systems were most commonly associated with hypocholesterolaemia, and infectious and neoplastic disease were the most commonly associated pathophysiological processes in both species. In dogs with neoplasia, lymphoma was over-represented.'
Nicola Di Girolamo, Editor of JSAP said: 'These findings suggest that low cholesterol levels are associated with mortality in canine and feline patients. It is not clear whether hypocholesterolaemia is simply a marker for disease severity, or if it has active physiological effects contributing to poor outcomes. At this stage, it seems indicated to enhance intensity of diagnostic effort and therapy for affected animals.'
The full article can be found in the November issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice which is free for BSAVA members. It can also be read online here: https://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13204
BlueSky says that conventional treatment for equine sarcoids, which are induced by tumour antigens E6 and E7 of the bovine papillomavirus, have only limited effect and typically result in the recurrence of the tumours.
However, research published by the company in PLoSONE1 showed that sarcoids treated with delNS/E6E7 were completely and permanently eliminated.
For the study, 29 horses were treated with different regimes involving direct injection into the tumours over three years.
Visible and very significant regression of the sarcoids was achieved in 20 of the treated horses, and 100% regression of the sarcoids in 10 equine patients.
Thomas Muster, CEO of BlueSky Immunotherapies said: "The complete elimination of very aggressive and difficult-to-cure equine sarcoids is yet another important proof of the potential offered by our delNS platform."
In addition, the systemic delNS-mediated immune stimulation eliminated non-injected sarcoids and the papillomavirus that caused the sarcoids.
Thomas added: "We are therefore confident that we will also be able to successfully heal and/or eliminate the cervical tumours of the women enrolled in the clinical trials currently under way."
The procedure involves introducing a catheter through the jugular, then using fluoroscopy and transoesophageal echocardiography to guide it from the right atrium through to the left side of the heart to relieve abnormal high pressures in the left atrium.
Willows says it is one of only a few centres across Europe equipped to carry out the procedure and that typically, patients who undergo TSP can be discharged from hospital the day after surgery.
Fabio Sarcinella (pictured right), an RCVS and European specialist in small animal cardiology at Willows, said: “Early clinical evaluation of the TSP procedure in humans over the last few years has shown improved quality of life and reduced clinical signs in patients with heart failure.
“The procedure has also been associated with low-risk and a meaningful drop in left atrial pressure of the affected patients.”
Fabio added: “As well as being minimally invasive, the improvement in heart chamber pressures via TSP often allows for a reduction in the dose of water tablets which are used to control the heart failure signs in the lungs.
"Lowering the dose reduces the risk of side effects related to these drugs such as kidney failure.”
Willows says TSP is most commonly used for left atrial decompression in dogs with heart failure and concurrent renal disease or that have advanced heart failure but continue to have symptoms despite optimal medical treatment.
www.willows.uk.net
Two recently published studies have demonstrated that the canine anti-emetic Cerenia® (maropitant - Pfizer) which was launched last year also relieves car sickness in dogs.
In a pilot study, 17 dogs were given either Cerenia or placebo one hour before being taken on a car journey. After a washout period of 10-14 days, each dog was crossed over to the other treatment and once again taken on a journey to assess travel sickness. The results showed that likelihood of vomiting was reduced by 70% when the dogs were given Cerenia compared to placebo – but due to the small number of dogs enrolled the results did not reach statistical significance.
The same research group also carried out a large, multicentre, blinded and placebo controlled study of Cerenia in preventing vomiting in 213 dogs known to be prone to travel sickness. They were given a single oral dose of Cerenia or placebo one hour before a car journey. The results showed that Cerenia was associated with a reduction in vomiting of 79% compared to placebo (p<0.0001).
The dosage of Cerenia used in both studies was 8mg/kg dose for the prevention of motion sickness–higher than the 2mg/kg dose that is routinely used to treat general emesis, administered at least one hour before the journey. According to the researchers’ report in the Veterinary Record, the need for a higher dose is linked to the specific neural (central) pathway of emetic stimulation that is involved in motion sickness. Cerenia acts primarily at NK1 receptors in the emetic centre and thus has the ability to block vomiting due to vestibular stimuli.
According to Pfizer, a single oral dose lasts for at least 12 hours, so pets can be dosed the night before an early start. For motion sickness prevention, Cerenia is licensed for up to 2 days’ consecutive use, so owners can use it for a return journey the next day if need be.
Pfizer also says that market research suggests almost one in five dogs suffers from travel sickness, which is not only inconvenient but does also stop some owners from travelling with their pet. In the past, owners have had to rely on OTC (over the counter) remedies or medicines developed for use in humans to prevent travel sickness. Many of these are ineffective or have unwanted effects such as sedation or extrapyramidial effects in dogs. Cerenia is the first anti-emetic to be developed specifically for use in dogs and was launched in April 2007– higher dose tablets aimed specifically for the prevention of travel sickness are expected to be made available early this year.