Boehringer Ingelheim has introduced two new pack sizes for its Ingelvac PRRS EU vaccine to help optimise efficiency of treatment and reduce waste.

The new 10ml (10-dose) and 100ml (100-dose) packs of Ingelvac PRRS EU are available now, and will complement the existing 50ml (50-dose) packs. 

Callum Blair MRCVS, Swine Brand Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: "Nobody likes to end up with part used bottles of any vaccine that then have to be discarded. The addition of Ingelvac PRRS EU 10-dose and 100-dose packs will provide choice for different sized units and help reduce wasted doses."

For more information, visit www.prrs.com.

Pfizer Animal Health has launched PrintRoom, an online printing service to help equine practices deliver high quality communications to their clients, to support the company's Equip range of equine vaccines.

PrintRoom can be used to produce customised vaccination reminder cards, invitations, letterheads, stable name sheets, and more.

You can choose from a palette of designs, images and colours and can also upload your own logos and images to tailor your client communications to your preferred style.

PrintRoom has a MailMerge option to pre-address all your mailings and you can pay for postage and set the date of despatch online, to help ensure boosters are administered on time and passports stay up to date.

Paul Blanc, Equine Brand manager at Pfizer said: "Good communication with your clients plays a vital role in maintaining vaccination compliance and retaining and gaining business. Our print room service makes it easy to produce a broad range of customised practice marketing materials to a very professional standard that stand out from the crowd."

For further information visit http://www.pfizerprintroom.com/, call 0845 6027439 or contact your Pfizer Account Manager.

Leading veterinary dermatologist Sue Paterson has called for veterinary surgeons to prescribe narrow spectrum, long-acting antibiotics for first line cases of otitis externa (OE) to reduce concerning levels of multiply-resistant, chronic infections.

Sue, who is President of the European Society of Dermatology and an RCVS Specialist, says in a video interview that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is making otitis externa cases difficult to resolve and that vets can help overcome the problem by rethinking their first line prescription choices.

In the video, created in conjunction with Elanco Animal Health (maker of Osurnia), Sue said: "It’s a sad thing to say but if everybody did manage cases of otitis externa appropriately first time, I probably wouldn’t have a job at all."

"Many of the cases I see as a referral clinician are longstanding cases with very severe, multiply-resistant infections. If we get these cases right on the first occasion with appropriate prescription of drugs, and we don’t hurt dogs so we can give ongoing treatment, then we’d never ever see pseudomonas infection again."

Sue believes part of the problem is that veterinary surgeons are incorrectly saving some of their best first-line treatments for difficult cases. This is perpetuating the antimicrobial resistance problem as cases are being inadvertently mismanaged.

She said: "Florfenicol, which is the active antibiotic in Osurnia, has excellent gram positive activity which makes it an ideal first line choice. However, there’s a misconception that florfenicol is a fluoroquinolone - which it isn’t - so vets are incorrectly ‘saving it’ rather than using it on the first occasion."

Sue also highlights that poor compliance, resulting from the patient’s behavioural problems associated with ear phobia, also has a long-term impact:

"We’ve seen many 'well behaved' dogs that have bitten their owners as a result of fear aggression; we’ve had dogs that have pinned their owners against the wall. I would argue very strongly that if you use long-acting products in dogs on the first occasion then you avoid creating that problem and these dogs don’t become difficult to medicate on a long-term basis."

Sue summarised two factors that vets need to consider when deciding on the appropriate treatment: the right active ingredients to target common first-line pathogens; and the method of application. She urged vets to consider using a long-acting product applied within the practice, removing the need for home treatment to reduce stress for both owner and the dog, improve long-term compliance and maximise clinical outcomes.

To hear Sue’s tips on how to treat cases of otitis, watch the video here – www.osurnia.co.uk

The Association of Veterinary Animal Care Assistants (AVACA) has launched a census to gather information about Veterinary Care Assistants (VCA) / Animal Nursing Assistants (ANA) and is asking practices to take part to record the number of people in these roles in their practice.

Currently, there is no data on how many VCA/ANAs are working in UK veterinary practice and the type of tasks they are performing.

The Census takes 10 minutes to complete and will provide valuable information to help in the recruitment, training and development of VCA/ANAs.

It can be completed online at https://bit.ly/avaca-2023-census before 18th August 2023.

Any team member can respond on behalf of their practice and all practices are encouraged to fill out the Census regardless of the number of VCA/ANAs employed.

The AVACA also wants to identify how many practices don’t employ VCA/ANAs and the barriers to them becoming team members, so every response will deliver useful information.

Kay Watson-Bray, CEO of the British Veterinary Receptionist Association and founder of AVACA, said: “With so much pressure on practices right now, the VCA role offers great potential to help manage workloads.

"But a picture is already emerging where the scope of the role varies widely between practices and even the name of the role is inconsistent.

"We believe that VCAs work mainly in the areas of caring, cleaning, communication, and coordination, but that’s not currently quantified, and while some see being a VCA as a route into veterinary nursing, again we don’t understand how many primarily aspire to progress into another role or how many want to become excellent VCAs.

"We’d like to clearly identify what VCAs want and need to help them develop as veterinary professionals.”

The Census is being sponsored by Purina Petcare, whose Scientific Affairs Manager, Libby Sheridan, said: “This is a project we are very keen to support.

"Practices need VCAs to help maintain high standards in animal care when everyone else is so busy.

"Coaxing a reluctant patient to eat again or ensuring the operating theatre is turned around quickly so it’s available for use after a long morning’s surgery, are time-consuming tasks that can be hard to squeeze into the working day.

"And as RVNs take on further practice responsibilities, it’s clear there is room for these highly-trained support roles within the team.”

Dechra has announced its acquisition of a Invetx, a biotech company. 

Invetx specialises in developing protein-based therapeutics for chronic conditions in companion animals, with a focus on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).

Dechra says these therapies have targeted modes of action and therefore are often more effective, provide an extended duration of activity and have fewer side effects, all of which help to extend and improve the quality of life for companion animals while decreasing the care burden for pet owners.

Jesper Nordengaard, Chief Executive Officer of Dechra, said: "I regard this acquisition as hugely important for Dechra, marking the start of a new chapter in our growth.

"It demonstrates our ambition to create further points of differentiation and relevance with veterinarians and pet owners alike, confidence in our ability to deliver highly innovative new products, and capacity to execute large scale transactions at speed."

Jesper added: “The half-life extension technology developed by Invetx allows for the generation of therapeutics that make treatment of chronic conditions far more convenient for pet owners and veterinarians through improved compliance.

"The pipeline of products currently being developed are all high value potential and will deepen our expertise in core therapeutic areas such as atopic dermatitis and osteoarthritis, allowing for synergistic product development, sales & marketing, and education efforts in the future.”

https://www.invetx.com 

Rimifin (carprofen), an NSAID marketed by Vetoquinol, has been given a new flavour to help increase compliance.

Robert Simpson, Product Manager for Rimifin said: "Pet owner compliance and involvement in chronic pain situations is critical to ensuring effective long term treatment. Ease of administration is also very important in this setting. The addition of this flavouring to this popular and cost effective NSAID will help to ensure that administration to the patient is as easy as possible for pet owners and vets."

To find out more about Rimifin please contact your Vetoquinol Territory Manager or call 01280 825424.

The International Society of Feline Medicine (the veterinary division of charity International Cat Care) reports that over 300 practices in the UK and a further 150 around Europe have now become officially accredited as 'cat friendly'.

A further 1,200 practices outside Europe have also embraced the scheme, which ISFM has been running with support from Purina. 

There are signs that this number is set to grow. In a survey conducted by ISFM and Onswitch at BSAVA Congress this year, more than 80% of veterinary surgeons and nurses were aware of the Cat Friendly Clinic programme and over 20% said that they were working towards accreditation.

The charity says that in addition to this growth in the number of accredited practices, there has been a more general move in the profession towards positive action for the welfare of cats in daily practice, often championed by veterinary nurses.

It is often the nurses, says the charity, who have implemented the changes required to create a less stressful environment for cats. It is the nurses too who have reported changes in the behaviour of cats within the clinic. With less stress and aggression in the clinic, cats are easier to handle and owners are much happier with the relationship between them, the cat and the clinic.

Andy Sparkes, ISFM Director said: "It is so exciting to see the changes which are happening – not only are we improving our veterinary care, but we are making the whole veterinary experience better for cats and their owners.

"Clinics also notice a difference in practice revenue, as well as having very happy clients. Clients notice the difference in their cats’ behaviour and clinics become known for being cat friendly. Previously it has been difficult to market the clinic to cat clients who need a very different message to dog clients.

"The benefits of having everyone in the practice on the same cat friendly page are many: nurses' lives are made easier by having calmer cats to deal with, vets can carry out procedures more easily because cats are less aggressive, and owners receive the same cat-friendly message about cat care no matter who they speak to within the clinic. Most importantly, the patients themselves are less stressed, less fearful and more likely to have a successful diagnosis and treatment. This leads to more satisfaction, more success in treating cats, and to much better cat welfare.' 

According to the charity, veterinary practice architects and designers are also taking on the idea and most new premises are now being built with separate waiting areas for cats and separate feline hospital wards.

Matthew Rees of Technic, the hospital cage manufacturer, says he has noticed "a significant and quite dramatic increase in both the awareness and desire to achieve ISFM Gold Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation".

The company has designed a new range of ISFM gold standard cat pens. Matthew said: "The CFC scheme has also made a huge difference to us as manufacturers – with International Cat Care’s assistance and straightforward advice, we have now started to understand cats and in fact 'think feline’! Our products are without doubt far better due to this and ultimately it is the cats of the world that will benefit."

Inga Feller Devaud, from Purina said: "The Cat Friendly Clinic programme is changing veterinary practice for good. Our aim is that cats will no longer be treated as small dogs and that the veterinary experience for cats and their owners will be much less stressful, and barriers to visits will be removed, improving both preventive healthcare and speed of treatment for ill cats. Purina is delighted to be partnering with International Cat Care and ISFM at the forefront of these changes."

For more information on how to become a Cat Friendly Clinic, visit: www.catfriendlyclinic.org

The London Vet Show has announced its most extensive equine programme to date at this year's show (17-18th November, London Excel), with an additional equine lecture stream and 50% more equine content than last year.

There are three full equine streams running for the duration of the two days, programmed by the Royal Veterinary College and the British Veterinary Association in partnership with the British Equine Veterinary Association. Organisers say the programme has been designed to ensure it caters for both mixed and equine only veterinary surgeons. 

The lecture streams are complemented by the show’s ‘Meet the Professor’ equine sessions, where a number of the speakers are able to have more intimate discussions with a smaller group of delegates.

Topics covered in the 36 sessions include:

• ‘Strangles – panic on the yard?’ by Philip Ivens MA VetMB Cert EM (Int. Med.) DipECEIM MRCVS, European and RCVS Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine
• ‘Case based approach to intelligent wound care’ by Georgie Hollis BSc, Director of Intelligent Wound Care Ltd and Derek Knottenbelt OBE BVM&S DVM&S DipECEIM MRCVS, Professor/Consultant at Equine Medical Solutions
• ‘Advanced dentistry: decision making and techniques’ by Chris Pearce BVSc CertEM(IntMed) CertES (Soft Tissue) Dipl.EVDC(Equine) MRCVS, European Veterinary Specialist in Equine Dentistry, The Equine Dental Clinic Ltd and Equine Dental Services and Referrals
• ‘Beyond mud fever: pastern dermatitis complex’ by Rob Pilsworth MA VetMB MSc MRCVS, Associate at Newmarket Equine Hospital
• ‘What more is there to LRT disease then IAD and RAO?’ by Dr Scott Pirie BVM&S PhD Cert EP Cert EM (Int. Med.) DipECEIM FRAgS MRCVS, Senior Lecturer, equine medicine at the University of Edinburgh.

For more information on the BVA/BEVA Equine Theatre, RVC Equine Theatre 1 and RVC Equine Theatre 2 programmes at the London Vet Show or to register for the event visit londonvetshow.co.uk.

Research published this week by the Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS), with funding from the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association (PFMA), confirms what many veterinary professionals will already know from first-hand experience - many elderly people are suffering from distress after being forced to give up much-loved pets to move into care.

The study of 234 care homes and sheltered housing units in six UK cities revealed that only 29% routinely allowed pets, despite the growing body of evidence of the health and social benefits of pets to older people. And many of these facilities specifically excluded cats and dogs even though these are the most commonly kept species of pet. The importance of pet ownership seemed to be largely ignored with only 24% of facilities asking potential residents whether they have a pet and only 35% having any formal policy about pets.

Chairman of SCAS Elizabeth Ormerod BVMS MRCVS said: "Many vets will already be aware that the importance of pets to older people cannot be understated; for some they are their best friend, their family and their only lifeline to the outside world.  People of all ages should have the right to benefit from animal companionship, as long as this is managed responsibly. So we're encouraging all housing and residential care providers to develop clear and carefully considered pet policies."

The SCAS study was carried out by psychologist Dr June McNicholas B.Sc.Ph.D, a renowned researcher of the human-animal bond.  She contacted 44 veterinary surgeries in the study area to investigate the implications of these pet policies for animals, and veterinary surgeons reported that they were presented with between two and four pets per month for euthanasia for the known reason that an elderly owner was going into care.  This equates to over 1,000 pets per year in the study area alone and many thousands more across the UK. 

Elizabeth Ormerod continued: "Sadly, it is common practice for animals to be given up to an animal shelter or presented at a veterinary practice for euthanasia because their elderly owners are going into care.  The impact on the owners is devastating.  But vets should be aware that many care facilities do now take pets and if not, it may be possible to rehome them through charities like The Blue Cross."

Vets questioned in the study said that they tried to avoid the euthanasia of healthy pets except when they were very elderly or infirm and would therefore be difficult to rehome.  But both vets and vet nurses expressed concerns that pets were sometimes brought in by the relatives of an elderly owner, who may have been unaware of the fate of their beloved pet.

The ‘Pets and Older People in Residential Care' research findings are published in full on a dedicated area of the SCAS website (www.scas.org.uk/petsforlife), which also offers essential information for veterinary practices, care home providers and older people who are thinking about moving into care.  This includes: 

• Information on finding care facilities that will allow pets
• Guidelines on preparing a ‘case for support' for taking a pet into care
• Contact details for animal welfare organisations who can help to rehome pets
• Free phone and email support for owners coping with pet loss through the Pet Bereavement Support Service (jointly run by SCAS and The Blue Cross)

A leaflet has also been produced with key advice for older people and contact details for more information.  This is being distributed to veterinary surgeries but is also available to download free from the website or it can be ordered by calling SCAS on 01993 825 597.  A SCAS publication ‘Older people and pets: a comprehensive guide' is also available to order online or by phone for £12.50 plus postage.

The Privy Council has dismissed the appeal of a Lincolnshire veterinary surgeon against the RCVS Disciplinary Committee's decision to strike him off the Register in January 2011 for serious professional misconduct.

At a two-week Disciplinary Committee hearing in January, Joseph Lennox Holmes of Waltham Veterinary Clinic, Grimsby, was found to have advised on and undertaken surgical procedures without sufficient clinical grounds or consideration of alternative treatment options; failed to obtain the informed consent of his clients; undertaken procedures outside his area of competence; failed to refer or discuss the option of referral to a specialist; and, failed to provide his patients with adequate pain relief. These findings related to two separate complaints and a total of 31 charges, of which 28 were found to amount to serious professional misconduct.

The Appeal was heard by Baroness Hale, Lord Wilson and Lord Kerr on 1 November 2011, and their judgment was delivered on Tuesday by Lord Wilson.

There were two principal parts to Mr Holmes's appeal: firstly, that RCVS procedures for investigating and determining complaints were biased against him and infringed his human right to a fair hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal; and, secondly, a number of complaints about the DC's findings and conclusions.

According to the RCVS, their Lordships recognised that the College's regulatory framework was constrained by the existing Veterinary Surgeons Act and "support[ed] statutory reform so as to enable members of the disciplinary committees to be chosen from outside the council"; but, they were satisfied that the College had made "strenuous attempts" to ensure its disciplinary procedures were fair and in accordance with human rights legislation.

They also remarked that the College had made "elaborate efforts" to separate the membership and work of the three RCVS Committees that produce guidance, investigate complaints and adjudicate on complaints, respectively. Their Lordships considered that "a fair-minded and informed observer [having considered all the facts] would not conclude there was a real possibility that the DC was biased against Mr Holmes".

Their Lordships also dismissed all of the 'deficiencies' that Mr Holmes had sought to identify in the DC's findings and conclusions. They generally preferred the College's evidence, witness accounts and expert witness testimony, and felt the DC had correctly considered the multiple charges before it.

They also found that the expertise of the DC in assessing the standards of the profession was "entitled to substantial respect" and agreed that the only sanction appropriate to Mr Holmes' "catalogue of egregious misconduct" was the removal of his name from the Register.

"[This sanction] was the only disposal which could properly reflect the primary need to serve both the interests of animal welfare and the reputation of the veterinary profession," they concluded.

Their Lordships' decision is now subject to approval by the Crown, following which, Mr Holmes would be removed from the Register and no longer entitled to practise as a veterinary surgeon.

Pets’n’Vets, a family practice group with surgeries around Glasgow, has launched an enhanced graduate recruitment programme designed to attract the best and brightest new graduates.

The new.graduatevet programme (or 'Dot' programme) offers hands-on surgical training and seminars from Advanced Practitioners at Pets'n'Vets' Roundhouse Veterinary Hospital in Glasgow, together with a dedicated website for all new and recent graduates: www.new.graduatevet.co.uk.

Pets'n'Vets says the programme has now been further enhanced by the addition of new CPD elements and the provision of additional monthly benchmarking and seminars.

Oliver Jackson, a partner at Pets‘n’Vets, said: "This is the best well-rounded, supported and unique new graduate training programme available in Scotland. Support is delivered through an integrated mentor system, peer-to-peer learning opportunities and regular case reviews, with the programme designed to integrate with, and augment, the PDP requirements, all in a clinically-driven setting free from tie-ins or financial targets."

The Dot programme sees new graduates undertake advanced training and extra practice on surgery, consultations and general practice to accelerate their skills and confidence as well as a digest of bespoke seminars aimed specifically at life in practice and optimising clinical outcomes and confidence.

The programme also includes regular periods of shadowing certificate-holding vets in a diverse range of areas, including ECC, orthopaedics, cardiology and advanced medical work-ups. 

Oliver said: "We are proud to develop the programme which we believe will provide a platform for new graduates to apply the skills they’ve learned at university throughout the previous five years, and allow them to excel in their careers.

"This programme will form the first step in an ongoing personal development process and a bright future in our vet practices when they have completed their new graduate training."

Ruby Shorrock is a full-time veterinary surgeon at Pets'n'Vets who is now most of the way through last year’s inaugural Dot programme. She said: "I would heartily recommend the Dot programme to new veterinary graduates.

"The training programme enabled me to become an independent vet with all the support I need and it’s fantastic to be in a locally-owned small veterinary practice where graduates like myself get individual attention in an accredited hospital with the capacity to nurture our skills and personal development and where the gold standard I learned at university is in use every day."

New grads can apply for a place on the Dot programme by logging onto www.new.graduatevet.co.uk and emailing hr@petsnvets.org

Fort Dodge, which supplies Bluetongue vaccine in continental Europe, has licensed its cattle vaccine in the UK and is now launching the product onto the UK market. 

The company has already won and met tenders from several European governments, including France, Spain, Italy, Portugal Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the Czech Republic for its Zulvac 8^® Bovis vaccine and says it is the only international company to have produced vaccines for the most commonly occurring serotypes of the disease including 8, 4 and 1.

Approved by the VMD with a Provisional Marketing Authorisation, Zulvac 8 is available in 50 dose and 10 dose packs. The key claims are active immunisation against Bluetongue serotype 8 of cattle from 2.5 months old and a significant reduction of viraemia.

The vaccine is administered in 2 x 2 ml doses at three week intervals given by intra muscular injection and the product is supported by a fixed 2ml multidose applicator with Sterimatic needle protector and cleaning system to ensure accurate dosing and hygienic conditions.

John Hanley, Managing Director of Fort Dodge UK, said: "We were first to market with our Zulvac 8 product in three European countries and have received an Award for Agricultural Merit from the Spanish Government for our work in Bluetongue control. Following the licensing of Zulvac 8 Bovis in the UK we now have the opportunity to launch the product onto the UK market.

"In terms of pricing, Zulvac 8 is competitive per dose against other products in the market and it is supported by the experience gained in Europe with millions of animals already vaccinated.  We're delighted that the VMD have authorised the vaccine and believe its availability can play a key role in protecting the UK's cattle from this dreadful disease."

The product is authorised for use by cattle farmers in the protection zone only, and will require veterinary prescription.  Farmers can administer the vaccine to their cattle and the 2ml intra-muscular injection will be an advantage in aiding administration especially when used with Zulvac Bovis applicator with sterimatic needle protector and cleaning system.

The first batches will be available from veterinary wholesalers from week commencing 22^nd September 2008.