The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials has announced a £15,000 bursary to the Animal Health Trust. The bursary will be used to help fund the development of a rapid result blood test to identify horses infected with Strangles.

The AHT has already developed a test that can detect the disease, however the result is not known for 48 hours. The aim of the new research is to develop the test to produce a result within 10 minutes. The test, which is being developed in conjunction with Forsite Diagnostics Ltd, will be a useful tool for disease screening at sales and competitions.

"As an independent charity we receive no government funding and this bursary is extremely important to us and we are delighted to be working in partnership with The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials on this specific project," said Dr Richard Newton of the AHT who is carrying out the research in partnership with Professor Andrew Waller. "Without this vital funding to carry out the painstaking work that will give us the confidence to launch the test, it will remain no more than a theoretical possibility."

The Bursary will be presented at this year's Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (1- 4 September 2011) - in recognition of the 50^th Anniversary of the event.

"With increasing horse movement, not only world-wide but closer to home between competitions and livery yards, preventing the spread of disease is an increasingly important challenge facing the horse world," said Elizabeth Inman Director of the Trials. "We are delighted to be able to play a part in this challenge and hope that this anniversary bursary will help to fast-track this new test out of the laboratory and into the field and thereby help reduce the spread of what is a horrible disease for horses and owners." 

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has reprimanded a veterinary surgeon for submitting a certificate of Clinical Inspection for Veterinary Inspectors ("TB52") for tuberculin tests he had undertaken on cattle, despite knowing that he had not fully complied with the standard operating procedures (SOP) for these tests.

At the outset of the three-day hearing, John Wilson admitted that, when acting as an Official Veterinarian (OV) he had not carried out tuberculin tests on cattle at a Wiltshire farm on 19 May 2011 strictly in accordance with the SOP required by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), an executive agency of Defra.

The admitted shortcomings were that on 19 May, the second day of testing, Mr Wilson had failed to confirm the identity of all the animals, failed to inspect the animals digitally (ie using his hands) and had not measured the fold of skin at the injection site of all the animals. The College argued that this was contrary to the directions of the AHVLA and, in subsequently signing the TB52 certificate, he was either dishonest or should have known that the certification was incorrect. Mr Wilson admitted that he ought to have known the certification was incorrect but denied dishonesty, because he believed that he had conducted the test in a satisfactory manner and had correctly identified all the reactors in the herd.

Mr Wilson was a veterinary surgeon of over 40 years experience and unblemished record, and the Committee found his account of events to be accurate and honest. He said the farm involved was unprepared and test arrangements were chaotic, with poor handling facilities, and he would have been concerned for the safety of the animals and their handlers if he had complied fully with the SOP. He had advised the farmer to delay the test but his advice was rejected.

The Committee accepted that the testing had been carried out under exceptional and difficult circumstances. It noted that Mr Wilson had identified a reactor and taken appropriate actions, knowing that the outcome would be the quarantining of the whole herd. He had made no financial or other gain, other than the nominal fee charged for the work. Although failing to comply with the SOP fell short of what was expected of a veterinary surgeon, because of these circumstances, and as he had acted in what he considered to be the best interests of the animals and personnel, these actions did not amount to serious professional misconduct.

The Committee found that, even allowing for these difficulties and concerns, in signing the TB52 certificate a few days later, without any qualification, Mr Wilson ought to have known that it was incorrect, and his actions fell far short of the standards expected of the veterinary profession. They did not however find that he had been dishonest.

The Committee stressed the importance attached to accurate and reliable certification, in maintaining the confidence of the public and the profession, and in ensuring animal welfare.

Professor Lees, chairing and speaking on behalf of the committee said: "The Committee is aware, as confirmed by AHVLA, that this is a single, isolated event and the first offence in some 40 years of the Respondent working as a LVI [local veterinary inspector] or OV. After considering all the mitigating factors.and, given the exceptional circumstances of this specific case, the decision of the Committee is to reprimand Mr Wilson."

Cardiologists at Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in Solihull have performed a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure on an eight-week-old Staffordshire bull terrier puppy weighing 2.2kg, believed to be amongst the smallest dogs ever to have undergone the procedure.

Scans had showed that as a result of the PDA failing to close after birth, Teddy's heart had become significantly enlarged, with fluid building up on his lungs, causing dyspnoea.

The closure operation required a 1cm incision and involved passing catheters via an artery in the hind leg and then plugging the PDA. The whole procedure, including anaesthetic, took about 90 minutes to complete. 

Mike Martin, RCVS Specialist Veterinary Cardiologist at Willows who led the operation, said: "Teddy was already suffering heart failure, with severe heart enlargement. His breathing was very heavy and fast due to the fluid build-up in his lungs. He was not going to survive another week without the PDA being plugged. 

"We’ve gained a lot of experience over the years and we’re pushing the boundaries as best we can. We had previously operated on dogs weighing around four or five kilos, then three kilos, but Teddy, at 2.2kg, has been our smallest by some way. 

"It all went according to plan and Teddy was up, running and playing happily the same afternoon. There was a slight added pressure to the procedure, in that maybe he would be too small, but we made his owners aware of the fact it may not be successful and he might need traditional surgery. He’d been prepped and was ready for that if needed. 

"A lot of little dogs such as Yorkies and Chihuahuas suffer from heart problems when they are too small for cardiac catheterisation but instead have to undergo traditional surgery, so this type of interventional procedure is increasingly important." 

To find out more information about Willows Referral Service, visit www.willows.uk.net.

On the 1st July, the RCVS will publish new guidelines about whether procedures count as routine veterinary practice (RVP), clinical veterinary research (CVR) or as experimental.

The new guidance replaces Chapter 25 of the Supporting Guidance to the Code of Professional Conduct.

Routine Veterinary Practice describes the procedures and techniques performed on animals by veterinary surgeons (or veterinary nurses under their direction) in the course of their professional duties, which ensure the health and welfare of animals committed to their care. 

CVR is when routine procedures are undertaken for the benefit of the animal/s, with the concurrent intention to generate new knowledge that benefits animals, such as developing new procedures, improving a diagnosis, changing a routine procedure, or comparing existing procedures.

While the idea of CVR is not new, this is the first time that the RCVS has provided specific guidance on it.

The guidance also introduces an obligation, which comes into effect on 1st September, to obtain ethics review for all studies where one would be expected to obtain permission from the owner/keeper of an animal prior to being enrolled, or when consent is needed for use of previously collected samples or the use of data from an animal.

The newly drafted Chapter 25 gives extra guidance on the following areas:

• What do you want to do?
• Why do you want to do it?
• Does the procedure or technique include the use of a medicine prescribed under the cascade?
• Do you have informed consent?
• Is this clinical veterinary research?
• Has the procedure or technique been performed before?
• Have you performed the procedure or technique before?
• Do you need to obtain ethics review?

Chair of the Standards Committee and incoming RCVS President, Dr Melissa Donald (pictured right), said: “We hope that the guidance will inspire confidence in our veterinary colleagues at all levels to undertake treatment routes which develop veterinary knowledge as a whole, while still being for the benefit of the animal being treated.” 

For further information or advice on whether a proposed procedure would be covered by the guidance, contact the Standards and Advice team via advice@rcvs.org.uk.

The new guidance will be found on the RCVS website from the 1st July: www.rcvs.org.uk/recognised

For further information in relation to ethics review of proposed veterinary clinical research studies, contact the Secretary to the RCVS Ethics Review Panel via ethics@rcvs.org.uk or visit www.rcvs.org.uk/ethics

The BSAVA has announced that its dispensing course will now be held online on Thursday 26 November 2020.

The course helps veterinary practices manage their dispensaries with up-to-date information on medicines regulations. It covers the main aspects of dispensing including an overview and update on legislation, using the cascade and the storing and disposal of medicines. There will also be sessions covering controlled drugs, dispensing mishaps and what to expect from an inspection.

Tutors Pam Mosedale, Donal Murphy, Michael Stanford, Mike Jessop and John Millward will deliver lectures via webinars throughout the day, which ends with a live streamed interactive Q+A session.

The course is suitable for vets, vet nurses and other staff who deal with the dispensing of medicines and the pharmacy.

Attendees will have access to supporting resources for approximately two weeks after the course, including electronic course notes and lectures from the day and an active discussion forum.

The Association says course meets the RCVS practice standards veterinary hospital dispensing course requirements and is ideal for the new PSS Medicines Award CPD requirement.

It is also AMTRA accredited and carries 43 AMTRA CPD points.

Attendance for the day is compulsory and an attendance register will be taken for the Live Q&A session.

Course organiser Pam Mosedale said: “We are very excited to be able to deliver the BSAVA Dispensing Course online and still allow for interaction between speakers and delegates in the live session. With Practice Standards and VMD visits restarting, it is fantastic that we are still able to support practices in these difficult times by ensuring they are complying with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations.”

The course costs £150.00 (incl. VAT) for BSAVA members and £225.00 (incl. VAT) for non-members. To book visit https://www.bsava.com/Education/CPD/Event-Detail/dateId/2099 

Animalcare is offering veterinary practices free pots of Procanicare, its GI support product for dogs.

Procanicare contains three canine-specific strains of Lactobacillus bacteria, which the company says are proven to improve stool consistency, accelerate recovery following acute episodes of diarrhoea and improve well-being.¹

The company also points to a number of studies which it says are evidence of the importance of supporting puppies' intestinal microbiomes.

'New puppy diarrhoea' is, it says, typically due to exposure to factors that are known to risk microbiome disturbance, such as diet change and going to a new home, at a time when the microbial population is at its more sensitive.²

Animalcare says other studies show that microbiome disturbances in early life can have a significant impact on health in adulthood.^2,3

James Beaumont, Marketing Manager at Animalcare said: “We often hear from breeders, new puppy owners and vets that puppies which have had Procanicare seem brighter, have firmer stools and less flatulence. With the evidence mounting that the adult intestinal microbiome is shaped in early life and knowing the important and varied role that it has in wider health throughout life, we want to help vets proactively support the GI health of their youngest patients by providing Procanicare for them to trial, with no risk.”

References

1. Gomez-Gallego.C .et al (2016) A canine-specific probiotic product in treating acute or intermittent diarrhea in dogs: A double-blind placebo-controlled efficacy study. Vet Microbial. 197:122-128.
2. Gensollen, T., et al. (2016) How colonization by microbiota in early life shapes the immune system. Science 352 (6285), 539-544.
3. Rodríguez, J.M., et al. (2015) The composition of the gut microbiota throughout life, with an emphasis on early life. Microbial Ecology in Health & Disease, 26:26050

A new programme to help reduce the stress of pets suffering a reaction to sudden loud noises such as fireworks and thunderstorms, has been launched by the makers of Zylkène.

Intervet / Schering-Plough Animal Health, which manufactures Zylkène, a product to help manage stress in dogs and cats, has developed the programme in association with animal behaviour experts at Bristol University.

The Zylkène Sound Desensitisation Programme, to be used in conjunction with Zylkène, features sound tracks, advice, written and verbal instructions and a practice track designed to help pet owners find a long-term solution to a common and distressing problem. The CD features fireworks, thunder and lightening and gunshots sounds and includes component sound tracks to avoid overwhelming very sensitive pets.

One CD will be given away free of charge with every box of Zylkène purchased between 1 September and 30 November, while stocks last.

The Zylkène Sound Desensitisation Programme complements an educational waiting room display and owner information sheets which provide owners with practical advice and techniques to help pets cope throughout the firework season.

Melanie Dass, product manager at Intervet /Schering-Plough Animal Health, said: "The sad fact is that just under half the UK dog population reacts to sudden loud noises, as do many cats. Stress caused by unexpected sounds manifests in many ways from hiding, house soiling or attempts to escape.

"Unfortunately, if this problem is not correctly managed, firework-related stress reactions can become progressively more severe and can extend to other sounds such as thunder and even everyday noises such as car doors being slammed. Desensitisation is a proven method of changing a pet's response to sudden loud noises. This new Zylkène Sound Desensitisation Programme means we can now offer pet owners short and long term problems to a common and distressing problem."

Online registration for the BSAVA Congress 2011 is now open at www.bsava.com.

According to the BSAVA, web registration has been enhanced this year to provide a smoother process for individual, group and practice badge bookings.  Plus, there is a 5% discount on registration fees.

BSAVA has brought forward the Early Bird deadline this year to 3 January 2011 to coincide with the impending VAT increase, so you'll need to register before this date to get the best price.

There is also a new 'Weekend Rate', which offers delegates access to the Saturday lectures, Party Night ticket, a Sunday exhibition pass, a delegate bag with proceedings, plus delegate lunch and refreshments on both days.

See www.bsava.com for further details and registration fees.

Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists, a small animal referral hospital in Alton, Hampshire and part of the CVS Group, has announced a partnership with the Evelina London Children’s Hospital to promote the concept of ‘One Health’. 

The partnership happened after Lumbry Park’s Clinical Director, veterinary cardiologist, Dr Luca Ferasin and his wife Heidi had a son, Mattia, with multiple and life-threatening congenital heart defects. During their son's subsequent treatment, which involved seven hours of successful open heart surgery, Dr Ferasin and his wife got to know Dr Caner Salih, a consultant paediatric cardiac surgeon and member of the team caring for Mattia. So when Dr Salih acquired French Bulldog puppy called Büdu a few weeks later, and a heart murmur was detected during his first visit to the vet, he turned to Dr Ferasin for advice.

Dr Ferasin diagnosed Büdu with the congenital heart condition Perimembranous Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). A VSD is characterised by a hole between the left and right ventricles of the heart which causes an abnormal blood flow between the two chambers. Ironically, a large VSD was one of the multiple heart defects successfully corrected during Mattia’s life-saving cardiac surgery.  

Dr Salih said: "I first met Dr Ferasin and Heidi under one of the most stressful circumstances a parent can experience, that of waiting for a child to undergo life-saving cardiac surgery. Sometime later I had first-hand experience of something not comparable but nonetheless very stressful of having to wait for the results of a diagnostic test which Dr Ferasin was able to provide for our newly acquired puppy. I appreciated more than ever the importance of knowing that our newest family member was in the most capable of hands."

Dr Ferasin said: "The related stories of Mattia and Büdu highlight the remarkable similarities between paediatric and small animal medicine, not only in terms of medical conditions, diagnostic techniques and therapeutic procedures, but also in terms of the psychological, emotional and social importance of the human-animal bond –  in both directions. After all, just like babies and young children, veterinary patients cannot communicate with us - while their ‘parents’ have the same need for reassurance that their beloved ‘baby’ will recover. 

"Our partnership with the Evelina London Children’s Hospital will celebrate these similarities and promote the concept of ‘One Health’ in a bid to advance both human and veterinary medicine. By working closely with the Evelina London, we aim to contribute positively to the development of novel techniques, research and therapies in both our children and in companion animals. We’re planning a range of initiatives, including fundraising and collaborations with the clinical staff at Lumbry Park and the Evelina London, in particular with those in the cardiology and cardiac surgery departments. We’re also planning social events, such as advanced pet-therapy sessions for children undergoing treatment at the Evelina and their families, including direct interaction with our veterinary patients with similar conditions."

He added: "Thanks to the dedicated team at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Mattia is thriving and is a happy, healthy and fun-loving little boy. He will continue to visit the hospital for reassessments as he grows.  Büdu visited us again at Lumbry Park during 2016 for a reassessment and an ultrasound of his heart showed the spontaneous closure of his VSD, resulting in the resolution of his condition. This is a rare but fantastic outcome which, to the best of our knowledge, has only been reported in a couple of canine cases in the veterinary literature. What better reason to cement the bond between human and veterinary medicine!"

Dr Salih added: "Many people do not appreciate the amount of shared learning that has, for decades, occurred between the study of animals and medicine. Many of the advances in areas of human healthcare we embrace today simply could not exist without this relationship – and open heart surgery is one. The Evelina is delighted to be collaborating with Lumbry Park on this exciting venture."

CVS reports that it is upskilling its nurses in diagnostic imaging techniques - so that they can take X-rays and perform CT scans, MRI and ultrasound.

To date most of these imaging procedures have been performed by vets within the group’s small animal first opinion veterinary practices.

The company says its Foundations in Diagnostic Imaging for Nurses training is designed to give its nurses more clinical stature in first opinion practice.

The programme will teach nurses the workings of an x-ray machine, common X-ray positions and contrast material.

It will also cover the principles of CT and MRI, showing how to set up and operate each piece of equipment, and how to support patients through these imaging procedures.

Finally, the course will provide the training nurses need to be able to perform ultrasounds within the current RCVS legal frameworks.

CVS says it believes this is a first in the veterinary profession

Tara Ryan, Chief Veterinary Nursing Officer at CVS said: “Imaging is a brand new area that we are starting to delegate to our nurses.

"Having heavily invested in our small animal first opinion practices over the last decade, we have a wide range of imaging equipment at many of our sites.

“Excitingly, this programme will open up the ability for nurses to start to contribute more information - to help vets identify and diagnose conditions and diseases in patients.

"It is another big step that we are taking to empower our brilliant nurses and to enable them to make a great clinical contribution towards the care of our patients – and to be the nurses they want to be.”

CVS is prioritising the consulting room and Schedule 3 delegated tasks as important areas for improving what it calls 'nurse optimisation'.

The company recognises that 'buy in' from veterinary surgeons is vital to the success of its efforts to optimise the role of its nurses, and the group has also published guidelines to provide clarity around effective delegation under Schedule 3. 

Following a public consultation, the RCVS Council has voted to adopt all the proposals made by the RCVS Legislation Working Party concerning future veterinary legislation.

The Legislative Reform Consultation took place between November 2020 and April 2021 and asked members of the veterinary profession and the public to give their responses to a package of proposals for future veterinary legislation designed to enhance the role of veterinary nurses, modernise RCVS registration, lead to a modern fitness to practise regime, and ensure the regulation of veterinary practices. 

The proposals represent the biggest legislative reform since the 1966 Veterinary Surgeons Act.

In total the consultation received 1,330 responses, of which 714 (54%) were from veterinary surgeons, 335 (25%) from veterinary nurses, 93 (7%) from veterinary paraprofessionals, 73 (5%) from student veterinary nurses, 58 (4%) from members of the public, 40 (3%) from veterinary and industry organisations, including representative bodies, and the remainder from veterinary students and veterinary practice managers.

An analysis of the consultation responses covering each of the five core areas and their individual recommendations can be found in the final report, which is available at www.rcvs.org.uk/legislativereform.

After considering this report, Council voted by a majority to accept the recommendations, meaning that they are now formally adopted as RCVS policy and will form the basis for discussions on the need for new legislation with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).

Professor Stephen May has chaired the Legislation Working Party that developed the proposal since its inception in 2017 when he was RCVS President. He said: “We are very grateful to those individuals and organisations who took the time to complete this very important consultation on recommendations for the future legislative framework for the professions. We also appreciate the candour of those who were unsure about or opposed to the recommendations.

“When the Legislation Working Party met to consider the responses and the report, it decided that, while no substantive changes needed to be made to the principle-based recommendations, the points raised both against and in favour of individual recommendations gave us important material for additional consideration, and food for thought as to how any detailed proposals would be implemented once enabling legislation is in place.

“We look forward to submitting these recommendations to Defra formally, with a view to them becoming, in time, a bill put before Parliament to replace the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. In so doing, this would establish a modern, flexible and comprehensive piece of legislation that would make sure the regulatory structure for the veterinary professions is fit for purpose for decades to come.”

As well as the main report of the Legislative Reform Consultation, RCVS Council also considered a series of interim measures that would be in line with the overall aims of future legislative changes, but which could be implemented without primary legislation.

The proposed interim measures included:

• the establishment of smaller-scale (‘mini’) Preliminary Investigation Committees (PICs) to help streamline the concerns investigation process;
• the establishment of a Charter Case Protocol where certain cases that meet the threshold for a full disciplinary hearing, but which might be likely to attract a lesser sanction, may be concluded, without recourse to a full public Disciplinary Committee hearing, via a system of published warnings; and,
• changing the standard of proof in determining the facts of a case during a Disciplinary Committee hearing from the criminal standard (‘beyond all reasonable doubt’) to the civil standard (‘on the balance of probabilities’).

Council members voted on each of these interim measures on an individual basis – with the mini-PICs and the Charter Case Protocol being accepted by majority vote.

However, Council members voted against implementing the change to the standard of proof at this time, citing a number of concerns about the potential impact of it being implemented under the current concerns investigation and disciplinary procedures. Similar concerns had been put forward by many of those who responded to the consultation itself.

Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar, said: “The approved procedural changes will, I believe, lead to a significant improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of our disciplinary processes. The Charter Case Protocol will mean that, in suitable cases where a finding of serious professional misconduct at a full disciplinary hearing would likely only lead to a reprimand or to no further action being taken, a more proportionate and less time-consuming and expensive means of resolving cases will be available. However, it will still reflect the seriousness of the matters and continue to protect the public interest, welfare and the reputation of the profession.

“Furthermore, by phasing out the Case Examiner Group stage and instead referring concerns to ‘mini’ PICs, which will decide if the threshold of serious professional misconduct has been met, it will make our concerns investigation processes clearer and more streamlined and therefore more efficient. We look forward to publishing further details on both of these changes in due course.

“Although Council members accepted that a change of the standard of proof would be an integral part of introducing a modern fitness to practise (FTP) regime as part of any future legislation, they had significant concerns about the ‘interim’ recommendation to introduce it under the current arrangements, in advance of implementing a full FTP model, and so a majority felt that they could not vote for it.”

To read the full report of the Legislative Reform Consultation, including analysis of the responses, please visit www.rcvs.org.uk/legislativereform.

HT Vista has had a paper published in Frontiers of Veterinary Science which it says validates the use of its thermal imaging and AI device for accurate screening of dermal and subcutaneous masses¹.

The HT Vista device measures heat transfer rate differences between masses and adjacent normal tissues and then processes that data using machine learning algorithms to classify the masses.

The study evaluated a diverse canine population of 299 dogs with 525 cutaneous and subcutaneous masses.

In the study, the device correctly classified 45 out of 53 malignant masses and 253 out of 378 benign masses (sensitivity = 85% and specificity = 67%).

The negative predictive value of the system (i.e., percent of benign masses identified as benign) was 97%.

This study concluded that the data supports the use of the HT Vista device "as a screening tool and decision support tool for the everyday diagnosis of dermal and subcutaneous masses in general practice, enabling clinicians to differentiate between benign lesions and those requiring additional diagnostics".

Liron Levy-Hirsch, Managing Director of HT Vista’s UK subsidiary said: “We are thrilled to have scientific research validating the success of the HT Vista device.

"The veterinary teams who have already adopted the device into their practice are having great success with it, and with the backing of this newly published paper we hope to reach more practices and ultimately save more dog’s lives.”

www.ht-vet.com / www.ht-vista.uk 

Reference

1. Dank G, Buber T, Rice A, Kraicer N, Hanael E, Shasha T, Aviram G, Yehudayoff A and Kent MS (2023) Training and validation of a novel non-invasive imaging system for ruling out malignancy in canine subcutaneous and cutaneous masses using machine learning in 664 masses. Front. Vet. Sci. 10:1164438. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1164438 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1164438/full 

A vision for improving horse welfare has been set out following research carried out by the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences and funded by World Horse Welfare.

It is hoped the findings, which were unveiled at the House of Commons yesterday, will enable the welfare priorities of the UK’s 800,000 horses to be addressed.

This is the first time welfare organisations, breeders, the equine industry and the veterinary profession have come together to agree on a strategy to best improve the welfare of horses in the UK.

The equine welfare study found the welfare needs of many horses are not currently being met and the report has highlighted four welfare priorities. 

Dr Siobhan Mullan, Research Fellow in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law at the University of Bristol and one of the report’s authors, said: "Bringing together the views of people associated with horses in England and Wales has provided an overview of horse welfare, from the day-to-day concerns of equine caregivers to identifying four priority challenges to equine welfare.

"This research has also identified how equine welfare can be improved, by addressing both the priority challenges, and a wider set of industry and horse-based needs."

Roly Owers, World Horse Welfare Chief Executive, added: "This research report provides a vital insight to the UK’s equine sector, mapping out the welfare landscape from a wide range of sector experts and stakeholders.

"In order for World Horse Welfare and others to most effectively address the welfare challenges facing UK equines, we need to better understand today’s welfare priorities and this research will provide a valuable guide to help in driving the focus of our educational initiatives and resources over the next few years.”

The priority welfare challenges and solutions outlined in the report are:

Unresolved stress/pain behaviour
Problems associated with unresolved stress/pain behaviour affect large numbers of horses, often for long durations with variable severity of suffering caused to individual horses.

More academic research is needed to fully understand the links between behaviour, stress and pain, and objective measures of stress and pain in horses should be developed. Vets, riding instructors, the Pony Club, riding clubs and the equine press have a role in educating horse caregivers about signs of stress and pain and the appropriate responses. Academics and experts also have a role in tackling this issue through evaluating the effectiveness of intervention programmes.

Inappropriate nutrition
Overfeeding and obesity are the main welfare problems associated with nutrition and affect large numbers of horses, often for a long time with varying severity of suffering.

Vets have a key role in tackling the problems associated with inappropriate nutrition. A consistent approach by all vets is needed, to prevent horse owners choosing vets that don’t challenge owners about their horses’ nutrition. Feed companies can also play an important role in tackling this issue, although many feed companies already offer appropriate nutrition for a range of horses and exercise situations. Better owner education, based on existing good research, would ensure the right nutritional choices are made for individual horses.

Inappropriate stabling /turnout
Welfare of horses is compromised when the amount of time spent at pasture/stabled does not meet their individual needs, when they are kept in social isolation or when they are exposed to unsuitable grazing conditions. Welfare problems associated with incorrect stabling/turnout affect large numbers of horses for a long time with variable levels of suffering.

Although all horse owners make choices relating to the amount and type of stabling and turnout experienced by their horses, livery yard owners could play a role in addressing this issue. For example, by encouraging different approaches to management, including group housing and the use of all-weather turnout facilities. Strengthening legislation is another possible way for improvement but a ‘one size fits all’ approach would be inappropriate. For example, for some horses, turn out to pasture may not always be suitable.

Delayed death
Horses may be kept alive inappropriately resulting in firstly, prolonging welfare problems, such as continued suffering of a horse in pain. This affects relatively large numbers of horses, for short periods of time with the severity of suffering often being severe. Secondly, an increased risk of suffering, for example where horses are unwanted by their owners, become low value and subsequently aren’t cared for well.

One way for improvement could be by putting pressure on the EU to make changes to the passport regulations. In particular, legislation changes that would enable horses who had received medications, including Phenylbutazone, to be slaughtered to enter the human food chain after a six month withdrawal period. In addition, challenging negative attitudes of horse owners towards timely euthanasia is important.

The research, undertaken over a four year period, was to understand the welfare status of horses in England and Wales, identify priority welfare issues and explore horse owner and industry experts’ perceptions of these issues.

Stakeholders from across the equine industry contributed to the research: from vets to farriers and welfare charities to governing body representatives, participants represented a wide-reaching cross section of horse care roles and responsibilities.