Merial Animal Health has announced that the duration of immunity for the tetanus component of Proteqflu-Te has been extended to 2 years.

Merial's Veterinary Technical Manager Kevin Whelan said: "This is a welcome new addition to the label claims for this advanced vaccine, which is the only equine flu vaccine in the UK to contain a recently updated influenza virus strain. The updated strain, innovative canarypox vector technology and now the extended tetanus duration of immunity claim make the vaccine an excellent choice for vets in the UK"

Merial says Proteqflu-Te can now be used on an alternate year basis in combination with the company's other flu vaccine, Proteqflu, which does not contain tetanus toxoid. The one year duration of immunity for the influenza component remains unchanged.

Please contact your local Merial Representative or the Merial Technical Support line on 0870 6000 123 for further information. 

Locum vets Cristiana and Marco Tudini have had the holiday of a lifetime after winning a competition run by the recruitment consultants, Recruit4vets.

The couple, who came to the UK in 2006, were amongst 1000 people who entered the draw last year, when Cristiana was working for Companion Care in Folkestone.

Kelly Worrall from Recruit4vets said: "Our team called Cristiana on a typical day in the practice to deliver the news. She was obviously thrilled to get the call. Not only did we help find Cristiana her dream job, we sent her on a dream holiday too!"

Cristiana said: "My husband and I went to New York at the beginning of December. New York was full of festivities and was magical to go around Christmas time, we even visited Rockefeller Centre and watched the lights and singers. My husband and I are vegan, so we were delighted to find NYC filled with vegan restaurants and fast food outlets, we didn’t stop eating the whole trip! 

"New York City was absolutely amazing, this really was a dream come true!"

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has dismissed an application to be restored to the Register of Veterinary Surgeons from a former Kent-based veterinary surgeon, Warwick Seymour-Hamilton.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton was originally removed from the Register in June 1994 for failing to maintain his equipment and facilities such that it evidenced a total disregard of basic hygiene and care for animals, thereby bringing the profession into disrepute.

The restoration hearing on Friday 18 March was Mr Seymour-Hamilton’s fourth application for restoration, with previous applications being submitted but refused in July 1995, June 2010 and January 2015. However, as the Committee made its decision on the merits of the case before it, those previous applications were not admitted as relevant to its decision.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton told the Committee that he currently works as a herbalist and naturopath for humans and wished to be restored to the Register so he could include animals in his research. He had completed a course in herbal and naturopathic medicine at the College of Naturopathic Medicine in Dublin in 2010, and told the Committee that he believed that being restored to the Register would lend credence to his endeavours to secure funding and other support. He stated that he did not intend to work again in a veterinary practice.

However, the Committee rejected his application on a number of grounds, including the impact on animal welfare should Mr Seymour-Hamilton be restored to the Register; the length of time he had been off the Register and the fact that he was therefore not up-to-date with contemporary veterinary practice and professional conduct; and that his efforts to keep up-to-date in terms of knowledge, skills and developments in practice were insufficient.

Judith Webb, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee is concerned about the length of time that has passed since he last practised and the paucity of the evidence he has provided to establish that, if permitted to return to practice, he would be able to attain the professional standards required of a modern veterinary practitioner, either as regards surgical capabilities/competence or as regards his knowledge of currently available veterinary medicines."

She added: "This Committee’s obligations and duties are to see that the interests of animal welfare are properly protected by ensuring that only those who are properly trained, knowledgeable and experienced are permitted to treat animals and that public confidence in the standards of the profession are maintained. The risks attendant on a restoration of this applicant to the Register are, in the judgement of this Committee, plain and obvious. Accordingly, this application is refused."

Elanco is hosting a webinar for vets about practical flock health management Wednesday 28th February at 12.30-2pm

During the webinar, panel contributors Fiona Lovatt (past president of Sheep Veterinary Society), Jenny Hull (Black Sheep Farm Health, Northumberland), Lesley Stubbings OBE (lead member of SCOPS and independent sheep consultant), and Phillippa Page, (independent sheep vet consultant) will discuss: 

• Fertility management and improving flock returns
• An update on the cost of blowfly strike control
• Improving lamb survival rates 
• Using health and performance data to maximise sheep production
• Advances in the control of gastrointestinal roundworms in sheep

The first 250 delegates to sign up will receive a copy of the In Practice supplement as well as a Zolvix notebook and pen.

https://app.livestorm.co/elanco-animal-health/flock-health-in-practice-webinar

The Dogs Trust has released the results of its 2010 Stray Dog Survey, which shows that 51% of stray dogs picked up by local authorities in the UK were reunited with their owners.

According to the charity, this compares with 42% last year and is only the second time the figure has gone through the 50% barrier since survey records began in 1997.

Where the method used to return stray dogs was identified, the proportion of dogs returned through microchipping was 35% - up from 31% last year.

Dogs Trust is repeating the call for the introduction of a compulsory microchipping system for all dogs in the UK. It believes this will help reunite even more owners with their lost pets, trace abandoned pets back to irresponsible owners and ultimately reduce the number of healthy dogs unnecessarily put to sleep in the UK.

The annual Stray Dog Survey, conducted by GfK NOP on behalf of Dogs Trust, shows an overall increase in instances of straying from 107,228 to 121,693. However, taking into account the number of dogs reclaimed or returned to owner (45,329 in 2009 and 61,908 in 2010) we can estimate that this year the number of dogs actually abandoned (approximately 59,785) as opposed to being wanted pets that simply strayed has fallen by 3%.

There has been a considerable decline in the number of dogs being put to sleep by Local Authorities due to ill health, aggression (under the Dangerous Dogs Act) or simply for want of a home. Down from 9,310 in last year's survey to 6,404 this year. Dogs Trust is delighted at the progress Local Authorities have made in bringing down these numbers and their efforts in rehoming and returning so many dogs to their owners.

Dogs Trust Chief Executive Clarissa Baldwin said: "Dogs Trust is encouraged to see that although the instances of straying in the UK has increased in the last two years, the percentage of these dogs being reunited with their owners has increased and, more importantly, the numbers being put to sleep has fallen drastically.

"We are delighted to see that microchipping is having a serious impact on the stray dog situation in the UK. Dogs Trust runs subsidised microchipping campaigns across the country and in particular those areas with the biggest stray dog problems. A compulsory microchipping system would undoubtedly improve the situation further."

Dogs Trust says the introduction of compulsory microchipping would:

• Enable lost or straying dogs to be reunited promptly with their owners - meaning fewer dogs will be put to sleep at council pounds
• Permanently identify a dog in such a way that is virtually impossible to alter or remove - a clear advantage for dogs that are stolen
• Enable clear identification of the dog's owner when prosecution is being considered for dog thieves and antisocial behaviour
• Significantly decrease the workload of all those dealing with stray dogs
• Reduce kennelling costs for Local Authorities and save time
• Allow puppies bred illegally or inappropriately on puppy farms to be traced to their source

BVA President Gudrun Ravetz has argued that recognising and retaining the vital roles that vets play across animal health, animal welfare and public health is pivotal to securing successful outcomes from Brexit, in her speech at the BVA's annual London Dinner in Westminster last night.

She said: "The veterinary family – which is my focus as BVA President – is part of the international scientific community, and we are a diverse profession with far-reaching influence and impact in so many areas of political and public life ... A healthy veterinary workforce is vital for UK animal and human health."

With the residence or working rights of UK-based EU vets a 'top five' priority for the profession in forthcoming Brexit negotiations, Gudrun highlighted workforce issues: "The UK veterinary profession relies heavily on EU graduates, who have felt the impact of the EU referendum result since day one … In the meat hygiene sector alone, some estimates suggest 95% of veterinary surgeons graduated overseas.

"That’s why our first action after 23 June was to call on UK governments to protect the status of EU veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses currently living and working in the UK. It was encouraging to see some of these key priorities … make it into the Prime Minister’s list of negotiating priorities. But we have said from the outset that our members need certainty and reassurance, so we urge the Government to make that firm commitment now."

"We know vets remain nervous about the changes to come, with many of our members concerned about the threat Brexit poses for UK animal health and welfare … Yet we can also see the opportunities Brexit presents, and BVA is determined to work with the Government to seize these opportunities, where they exist, to improve standards."

Highlighting opportunities that Brexit could offer in terms of improving animal health and welfare, Gudrun suggested a tightening up of the Pet Travel Scheme to reduce the growing trend of illegal puppy imports and improvements for welfare at slaughter. She said:

"The Welfare at Time of Killing or WATOK Regulations for England … are a case in point about the welfare-mismatch that could occur between domestic standards and those of our trading partners under the new Brexit arrangements. By failing to bring in evidence-based parameters for all waterbath stunning of poultry, [the] legislation has rendered it impossible for Official Veterinarians to protect the welfare of all chickens at slaughter. The regulations are simply not for fit for purpose, and could call into question England’s claim as a leader in high animal welfare."

The BVA President then shared a highlight of an early meeting between BVA and the then new Defra Secretary of State Andrea Leadsom MP last July: "We were pleased to hear [the Defra Secretary of State’s] vision to make the unique selling points of 'UK PLC' high animal welfare and food safety standards. It's a commitment that BVA fully backs ... To ensure our high standards continue, it is essential that we maintain existing veterinary certification and controls to satisfy our own consumer demand for quality and safety. Official statistics put the value of UK livestock outputs at £13 billion and not a penny of that could be realised without veterinary input."

Gudrun concluded by saying: "We can only make a success of Brexit if we harness our veterinary resource in clinical practice, public health, government services, conservation, academia, research and industry. We are a small profession but our impact is significant."

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity Lord Gardiner of Kimble responded, saying: "In my role at Defra I am continually reminded of the importance of the relationship between vets and government - most recently in tackling the outbreak of Avian Influenza in the UK. Your thoughts and ideas are invaluable as we manage the many opportunities and challenges posed by exiting the European Union, ensure the highest standards of animal welfare, protect the country from new animal disease threats, and attract the brightest and best into the profession.

"I look forward to continuing to work closely together as we push ahead with our plans to create a world leading food and farming industry based on high standards of animal health and welfare." 

To find out more about the BVA’s work on the UK’s exit from the EU, visit www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/policy/future-of-the-profession/brexit/

Petplan is running its television advertising campaign from now until October.

The advert (below) is airing on Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, ITV2, ITV3, More 4, Gold and USA.

Suzanne Cheadle, Acting Head of Marketing at Petplan said: "As the UK market leader, it is imperative that pet owners recognise and understand who we are and what we stand for. We need to help pet owners understand not only why pet insurance is so important, but explain why they should choose Petplan over any other provider. In 36 years, there's not an illness or accident that we haven't seen, and our Covered For Life policies have been developed with unrivalled knowledge and experience."

Following last week's news from Defra that sales of antibiotics for food-producing animals in the UK have dropped by 27%, comfortably beating the government target of 50mg/kg which was set following the 2016 O’Neill Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, targets for further reducing antibiotic use across the key livestock sectors have been announced by Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance 'Targets Task Force'.

The Targets Task Force comprises a leading veterinary surgeon and farmer from each of the beef, dairy, egg, fish, gamebird, pig, poultry meat and sheep sectors, who have been consulting with key organisations in their respective industries. The group also includes observers from regulators Food Standards Agency and Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).

While the targets each sector has set vary according to the availability of data and scope in their sector, the targets as a whole have been described as 'positive and proactive' by the VMD. 

The headline targets for the eight sectors include a reduction in use of antibiotics in pigs by over 60% between 2015 and 2020, with minimal use of highest priority Critically Important Antibiotics (CIAs). RUMA reports that good progress has already been made in this sector, with usage falling by around 35% between 2015 and 2016.

Targets Task Force member and president of the Pig Veterinary Society Mark White said: "It's encouraging to see the response in the sector to the challenge laid down, which bodes well for achieving our ambitious 2020 goal. It is evident that the sector – steered mainly by the members of the Pig Veterinary Society, AHDB Pork and the National Pig Association – has the will and the capability to fully engage with the issue."

Next steps, he said, were to focus on eliminating routine preventative treatment where it is still happening, mainly due to lack of resource or expertise. "We can also work to improve water delivery systems so that more targeted treatment in the water can be used instead of in-feed medication."

The dairy cattle sector has committed to a 20% reduction by 2020, with a particular focus on halving use of the highest priority CIAs. The work to achieve this will be led by a newly-created Dairy Antimicrobial Stewardship Group (DASG) which includes all key organisations in the sector.

Some of the strategies to achieve these goals in dairy farming include reducing the use of antibiotic dry cow therapy and injectable products, and cutting back on group treatments such as antibiotic footbaths for lameness which remain largely unproven, instead using topical and targeted treatments.

Di Wastenage, dairy farmer from Devon, Task Force member and chair of the DASG, said the sector needed to be ambitious about what it could achieve. “While use is lower than in some sectors, there are clear areas to tackle where use can be habitual, or common disease problems go unchallenged.

"For example, eliminating BVD and Persistently Infected animals from the herd is one of the obvious places to start, as well as talking to your vet to calculate the usage levels you have at the moment. Calf rearing can produce a 'hot spot' of treatment, as can digital dermatitis. Everyone has the potential to use antibiotics more responsibly somewhere."

The gamebird sector, having undergone a comprehensive awareness-raising initiative among game rearers in 2017 to cut back on reducing the need for medicines, aims to reduce use by a quarter this year, with a further 25% reduction between 2018 and 2020. 

Three sectors – poultry meat, laying hen and fish – are either already low users of medicines or have made significant reductions over the past five years. These sectors will be focusing on maintaining use at the minimal level needed to ensure good health and welfare among their livestock, while tackling emerging challenges should they arise.

The poultry meat sector, previously described as a 'pathfinder' for the rest of the farming industry, has already reduced use by 71% between 2012, when its stewardship scheme was introduced, and 2016. 

In doing this, the poultry meat sector has also ceased all preventative treatment and use of the highest priority CIAs. It will now maintain current levels in chickens and look for further reductions in turkeys. This sector will use clinical governance to ensure CIA antibiotics are only prescribed when absolutely needed and with sign off from veterinary specialists and management.

The laying hen and fish sectors have similarly committed to continuing low use, with the laying hen sector eliminating all use of highest priority CIAs in the past two years. The development of a vaccine in the salmon sector several years ago successfully controlled one of its most challenging bacterial diseases, so the focus has turned to the health of the ‘cleaner fish’ used to provide natural control of sea lice.

The trout farming sector, with its greater number of small producers, is concentrating on reducing the need for antibiotics and improving data capture.

The beef and sheep sectors are already low users of antibiotics, but have acknowledged they each need better data, and will also commit to addressing 'hotspots' of use. Both have committed to a 10% reduction in antibiotic use by 2020, subject to securing better data.

For the beef sector, reduction in use centres around calves and youngstock, particularly in the areas of respiratory disease. There is also an emphasis on calves from dairy herds, where mixing animals from different sources can create a peak in disease pressure similar to children going to school for the first time.

In sheep, the focus areas are to reduce routine preventative antibiotic usage against abortion (miscarriage), lameness and neonatal lamb diseases such as watery mouth and joint ill. 

With initiatives proving that routine preventative use is largely avoidable through a combination of vaccination, good hygiene, quality nutrition and careful shepherding, Dr Fiona Lovatt of the Targets Task Force is optimistic about the opportunities to reduce overall use.

"In the sheep sector, we’re not high users of antibiotics. But we want to ensure that any use is totally targeted so we are challenging all inappropriate or routine preventative use.  

"Convincing farmers to change practices is tricky, and none of us want to see an increase in levels of disease, but those who have had the courage to work with their vets to change what they do are now seeing what is possible. The answer is to take a holistic approach and work closely with a keen sheep vet."

Gwyn Jones, chair of both RUMA and the Targets Task Force, said he has been overwhelmed by the positivity of the group and its willingness to be ambitious. "The members have worked very hard and have shown incredible leadership and persistence. They have also provided unprecedented support and inspiration to each other.

"I am delighted they have agreed that the group should continue to meet twice-yearly to review progress and discuss issues."

The full report with all targets for each sector can be downloaded from the RUMA website www.ruma.org.uk.

SPVS has released its 2025 veterinary fees survey results, drawing on responses from 148 UK practices.

For small animal work, the survey shows consultation fees up 4.5% and neutering fees up 8%.

Vaccine fees increased by 9–16%, which SPVS suggests may reflect wider use of Lepto 4 vaccines replacing Lepto 2.

Prescription fees rose 3% to £19.25 (excluding VAT), which SPVS notes remains well above the CMA’s proposed capped rate of £13.33.

The largest shifts in small animal charging were in some surgery and diagnostics. SPVS highlights examples including pyometra treatment, x-rays and ultrasound, which it reports have increased by around 20%.

The picture was different in large animal practice, where SPVS says all visit charges decreased.

Large animal prescription fees, however, rose to £24.48, an increase of nearly 20% on last year.

In equine work, consultation charges increased by 10% and many visit charges fell, according to the survey. The biggest single increase SPVS flagged was blood sampling and interpretation of results, up 42%.

Commenting on the findings, SPVS said there were “no real surprises” this year, with mostly moderate increases and a smaller number of larger uplifts.

SPVS also took the opportunity to emphasise how it believes potential CMA remedies on medicines pricing could affect practice economics, because many veterinary businesses rely on cross-subsidy. 

That, it said, could cause a “waterbed effect” where other fees have to rise to maintain viability.

SPVS said it has been meeting with the CMA to slow any changes so that fee increases can be introduced gradually and to minimise potential risks to animal welfare, and plans to run in-person roadshows after the final remedies are published.

https://spvs.org.uk/cma-spvs-response 

North Downs Specialist Referrals in Surrey has launched its first recognised programme to train veterinary specialists. 

The first course will be overseen by Jodie Hughes, an RCVS and European specialist in anaesthesia and analgesia. The hospital’s inaugural resident will be Luisa Oliveira (pictured right), who earlier completed a rotating internship at North West Veterinary Specialists in Cheshire, and, more recently, an anaesthesia-specific one at NDSR. 

Jodie said: “Luisa’s residency will comprise mainly the provision of anaesthesia to multiple animal species, ranging from the ‘simpler’ procedures to the most critical and complex, which we frequently encounter in our interventional cardiac procedures and emergency work. 

“A significant component of the training will involve the management of pain, both in the acute setting (in the peri-operative period) and in the chronic setting, whilst dealing with our pain clinic patients. 

“Luisa will also be trained in the management of emergency and critical care patients and will undergo rotations in other services to better grasp their requirements.

“As we work exclusively with dogs and cats, we will work in close collaboration with several other hospitals in the UK and continental Europe, to complement Luisa’s training with other species. 

“As part of this, Luisa will be exposed to multiple advanced techniques, including ultrasound-guided regional nerve blocks and interventional procedures in our pain clinic. 

Luisa said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for me to work alongside an incredibly experienced and skilled team at NDSR. 

The training programme has been developed by Rui Pinelas, RCVS and European specialist in anaesthesia and analgesia at NDSR, who is optimistic there will be further training opportunities in the near future. 

Rui said: “This was something NDSR has been keen to implement for some time and we had been having ongoing discussions to choose the perfect time. 

“In terms of logistics, it took around three months for us to set up this anaesthesia residency, which was largely spent organising our partnerships with the other training facilities and undergoing an evaluation as to whether our facilities and case load would meet the specialist board’s strict requirements, which we are delighted they did.” 

RCVS Knowledge has launched a new award to recognise individuals who make significant contributions to the eradication of infectious diseases, named in memory of the eminent veterinary virologist Walter Plowright and his wife, Dorothy Plowright.

Every two years, the Plowright Prize will offer £75,000 to recognise an individual working in Europe or the Commonwealth who has made a significant impact on the control, management and eradication of infectious diseases of animals.

Eligible activity must demonstrate animal, humanitarian or economic benefit. The prize money is intended to support the individual’s ongoing work in the field.

Potential recipients of the prize include veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and research scientists. Awardees may be working in a research setting, in academia, in practice or in other related sectors. Individuals must be nominated for the award, and the prize is not open to organisations.

Nominations are now invited for the inaugural prize, and must be received by 31st March 2020.

Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge Chris Gush said: "We are honoured to be launching the Plowright Prize in memory of one of the world’s most exceptional veterinary surgeons and scientists, and in celebration of decades of dedication to an area of substantial societal significance.

"It is our belief that this prestigious international prize will help stimulate further research and improvement activities, including supporting the development of expertise in the area of infectious disease within the veterinary profession."

Walter Plowright (1923-2010) was an acclaimed veterinary scientist whose major breakthrough in the battle against rinderpest – the tissue culture rinderpest vaccine (TCRV) – provided the key to eliminating the disease. In the year of Walter’s death, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations officially announced the complete eradication of the disease, only the second such feat in human history, alongside smallpox.

The story behind the profession’s eradication of rinderpest, commonly known as cattle plague, can be read in RCVS Knowledge’s publication Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine Matters.

In 2023, the prize will celebrate 100 years since Walter Plowright’s birth with a special award of £100,000 to that year’s winner.

Full criteria for the Plowright Prize can be found on the RCVS Knowledge website: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/grants/available-grants/plowright-prize-2019/.

Photo: Helen Leeds

Some of the most experienced and well-qualified veterinary dentists in the country have agreed to help their colleagues in general practice by answering questions about veterinary dentistry that they post on VetSurgeon.org.

Dentistry Specialists: Andrew Perry, Jose C. Almansa Ruiz, Rachel Perry, and Bob Partridge, together with veterinary dentists Dr Matthew Oxford FRCVS, Evelyn Barbour-Hill and Susan Thorne join the team of Small Animal Medicine Specialists who are also on hand to answer questions posted by GP vets on VetSurgeon.org

All questions asked on VetSurgeon.org are added to a searchable knowledge base for the benefit of everyone in the profession. So anyone who asks a question is not just doing it for their own benefit, but for everyone.

Questions can be case-related, or broader questions asking what the team thinks about a drug, technique or piece of research.  

Anyone who subscribes to the VetSurgeon Digest of questions here, and posts a dentistry question here before 30th September 2023 will have their name put in the hat for a bottle of Moet champagne.

VetSurgeon.org Editor Arlo Guthrie said: “One other thing. Do share this news story with your colleagues in general practice. For them to be able to tap into the minds of some of the leading lights in both dentistry and medicine is a really amazing resource, especially for more recent grads."