Bayer Animal Health, maker of Tracer microchips, has produced a new video in which Emma Milne and Petlog Executive Celia Walsom consider the implications for practices of the change in the law which will make it compulsory for all dogs to be microchipped from April 2016.
The 15-minute video considers various issues, such as:
The RCVS has announced that those veterinary surgeons who wish to gain the middle tier RCVS Advanced Practitioner status will have extra time to do so this year.
The status, which was launched last August, recognises those veterinary surgeons who can demonstrate knowledge and skills beyond their initial degree in a designated field of veterinary practice. This year the application process, which opens today, will end on Friday 30 October, meaning that veterinary surgeons will have over four months to submit their application, compared to less than three months last year.
Christine Warman, Head of Education at the College, said: "Following on from the great success of our first ever application process last year, in which some 640 vets applied of whom 575 were successful, we have decided to lengthen this year's application window. We hope that this will allow prospective applicants extra time to consider and make an application."
Applications received in June and July will be considered by the Advanced Practitioner Panel and, where successful, ratified by the RCVS Education Committee in October this year, which may result in an earlier listing for successful applicants. Successful applications received in August, September and October will be ratified at the Education Committee's February 2016 meeting.
This year veterinary surgeons will be able to make an application for Advanced Practitioner status through the online 'My Account' area on the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/login). The fee payable on application is £80 and the RCVS can also now take payment online.
Details of the application process, eligibility criteria, eligible qualifications and fee information, as well as a list of designations, can be found in the Advanced Practitioner Applicant Guidance Notes document which is available to download from www.rcvs.org.uk/advanced
Those who are interested in applying can also contact Duncan Ash, RCVS Education Officer, for an initial discussion on 020 7202 0703 or d.ash@rcvs.org.uk
All SPVS members who complete the survey online will be sent their own personalised survey results allowing them to benchmark their practice against the industry averages.
SPVS is also offering 3 months free membership to anyone who takes part who is not already a member.
VPMA and BVNA members can also complete the survey and the results will be published on their websites.
Peter Brown, SPVS President Elect who leads on development of the surveys said: "Whether you are recruiting, doing an internal pay review, looking for a new job yourself or trying to negotiate a pay rise, it helps to understand what the typical salaries are and the trends. Our new software allows you to easily compare your salaries to others in personalised results making it a valuable business tool."
SPVS is urging as many people as possible to take part in the survey as the more participants, the more reliable the results.
For more information, visit www.spvs.org.uk or call 01926 840318.
The redesign includes an overhaul of the layout, structure and navigation of all the College’s websites: Professionals, Animal Owners, Find a Vet and RCVS Knowledge.
Some of the main changes are:
Ian Holloway, Head of Communications, said: "We’re delighted to be launching our new-look site today and hope all the improvements we’ve incorporated will make using the site a much better experience for veterinary professionals and animal owners alike.
"Working closely with our website provider, NetXtra, over the past nine months, we’ve been able to develop a new-look site with vastly improved design, structure and navigation, whilst avoiding the major expense of building a completely new website from scratch.
"We’re very grateful to them, and to all those vets, vet nurses and members of the public who have helped us with user-testing and content mapping to improve the site as much as possible for everyone who uses it."
Anyone with any comments or feedback about the new-look site is invited to send it to communications@rcvs.org.uk.
There are eight veterinary surgeons standing in this year’s RCVS Council election, including three existing Council members eligible for re-election and five candidates not currently on Council. They are:
John DaviesDr Melissa DonaldDr Tom LonsdaleProfessor Stephen MayDr Kate RichardsPeter RobinsonDr Richard StephensonDr Kit Sturgess
Ballot papers and candidates’ details for both elections have been posted to all veterinary surgeons who are eligible to vote. Voters have also been emailed unique links the secure voting websites.
All votes must be cast, either online or by post, by 5pm on Friday 24 April 2020.
All candidates were invited to produce a video in which they answered up to two questions submitted to the RCVS by members of the electorate. The videos received so far have been published on the RCVS website at www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote20 and on the College's YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/rcvsvideos). The candidate statements and biogs, and the questions submitted by members of the profession have also been published on the vetvote20 page.
Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar and Returning Officer, said: “With all that is happening currently, we are glad to say that we have been able to continue with business as usual as far as the RCVS and VN Councils elections are concerned, albeit with some minor delays on publishing the candidate videos.
Those who are eligible to vote in the RCVS Council election but have not received either an email or ballot paper should contact Luke Bishop, RCVS Media Manager, on l.bishop@rcvs.org.uk
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association is inviting nominations for its 2012 awards.
The awards, which recognise the achievements of veterinary surgeons around the world in advancing the care of companion animals, are made annually and will be presented during the 2012 WSAVA World Congress in Birmingham from 12-15 April 2012.
Nominations for the 2011 awards have already closed and will be presented at this year's event, which takes place in Jeju, Korea from 14-17 October.
Nominations are invited for the following awards:
The WSAVA Hill's Pet Mobility Award This recognises the outstanding work of a clinical researcher in the field of canine and feline orthopaedic medicine and surgery. Through improvements in the mobility and quality of life of pets, the research should have contributed significantly to the well-being of pets' lives and to the human-animal bond worldwide.
The WSAVA Hill's Excellence in Veterinary Healthcare AwardThis recognises the outstanding work of a veterinary surgeon in promoting companion animal health care and the human-animal-veterinary bond through leading edge clinical nutrition and through advanced medical and surgical techniques which enrich relationships between people and their pets.
The WSAVA International Award for Scientific Achievement This recognises the outstanding contribution of a veterinary surgeon who has furthered the advancement of knowledge of the cause, detection and management of disorders in companion animals.
In addition to these awards, the WSAVA Executive Board makes a special additional award for Service to the Profession. The award recognises exemplary service by a vet to foster and enhance the exchange of scientific and professional ideas throughout the world. For 2012, the award will again be sponsored by Dr John and Mary Holt, Past WSAVA President and Service to the Profession Award recipient, both of whom remain well recognized supporters of the profession.
Finally, the WSAVA's Global One Health Award will also be presented to an individual judged to have made particular progress in an aspect of One Health relating to companion animals. A second award aimed at encouraging younger members of the profession to embrace One Health will also be made to the individual who gives an oral or poster presentation at the 2012 Congress which best encapsulates the One Health concept. The recipients of these awards are nominated by members of the WSAVA's Scientific Advisory and One Health Committees in conjunction with the Local Hosting Committee.
Professor Jolle Kirpensteijn, President of the WSAVA, said: "It's important to recognise and celebrate the outstanding work of our colleagues around the world as they continue to advance the care of companion animals. The developments and scientific breakthroughs they work so hard to achieve are helping to improve the daily quality of life and health experienced by many millions of animals around the world.
"A WSAVA Award confers recognition and gratitude from the global veterinary community. Each year, we receive a higher number of entries and we look forward to reviewing the nominations for the 2102 awards. We are, of course, grateful to Hill's Pet Nutrition for its generous sponsorship and for its continuing support of the WSAVA. The awards are just one of the ways in which we work to deliver our joint vision to foster the development of veterinary knowledge on a global scale."
Nominations must be received by the WSAVA Secretariat by 1 September 2011 and can be submitted by email (wsavasecretariat@gmail.com) or post. They should include a covering letter, nominee CV and list of nominee publications. Full contact details are at www.wsava.org/contact.htm.
Husky, a rather aptly named refrigeration company, has announced it is to launch a veterinary vaccine fridge.
According to the company, the new fridge is a specially adapted version of its SS1 model, one of the most popular refridgerators for caterers because of its performance, reliability and durability.
The new unit is designed to ensure the safe storage of a wide range of vaccines at 2º - 8º degrees Celsius. The unit also incorporates an audible door open alarm, failed temperature alarm, and a fail-safe secondary back-up digital display thermometer as an added safeguard.The vaccine refrigerator door includes security lock as standard, and the refrigerant used in manufacture is R600, a highly efficient hydrocarbon refrigerant coolant - CFC-free and a natural non-greenhouse gas.
Geoff Thomasson, Chief Executive of the Husky team of companies said: "The SS1 has long been a winner with the hospitality trade and we believe we will enjoy similar success with this medical version. The potential market is enormous."
For more information, ring 01455 555340 or email: info@husky-global.com
Elanco Companion Animal Health, maker of Comfortis chewable tablets for dogs, has launched a range of support materials to help educate pet owners on flea infestation and the healthcare issues associated with fleas and encourage enquiries about flea control solutions.
The Range of Comfortis materials features point of sale equipment including free-standing zig-zag display units, window hanging displays, stacking cubes, freestanding easels and leaflet holders as well as client leaflets, waiting room display kits, posters and 20% discount letterheads and postcards for mail-outs. An animation (shown below) is also now available in various formats for veterinary practices to use on their waiting room monitors or websites. The animation, which aims to educate dog owners on flea infestations and complications, covers common risk factors for flea infestations, flea facts including the lifecycle of the flea and encourages pet owners to ask for further information on oral flea control options.
Matthew Rowe, senior product manager at Elanco Companion Animal Health said: "With many pet owners seeking their flea control solutions from other sources, such as the increasingly competitive pet superstores, veterinary businesses need to provide unique preventative healthcare services to their clients to help bond them to the practice and ensure that they return again and again. The new Comfortis support materials will help raise client awareness of the benefits of veterinary prescribed flea treatments and thereby help differentiate veterinary practice flea control solutions from those available in country stores, pet shops, supermarkets and pharmacies."
For further information on Comfortis, or the range of support materials, contact your Elanco Companion Animal Health key account manager or email elancocah.uk@lilly.com.
The RCVS Charitable Trust, has announced a complete rebranding that includes a change of name - RCVS Knowledge - and the refocus of its mission on supporting the flourishing evidence based veterinary medicine (EBVM) movement across the globe.
For the past 50 years, the charity has been known as a small funder of veterinary research and the home of the only freely-accessible library for the practising veterinary community in the UK.
Nick Royle, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge said: "RCVS Knowledge is a name that encompasses our three core offerings: historical knowledge represented by our valuable Historical Collection, present knowledge, represented by our library, and future knowledge, represented by the new evidence based veterinary medicine project, which is underpinned by our grants programme."
The RCVS Knowledge re-launch goes further than a mere name change, and comes as the charity refocuses its efforts to become a global intermediary for EBVM, a direction reached following a period of consultation, and on the back of a successful symposium on the subject held at the end of 2012.
Nick, a former CEO of the human evidence based medicine resource, The Cochrane Collaboration, said: "Today, veterinary surgeons and nurses are required to take account of an ever-increasing pool of scientific data, the owners' values and preferences, and their own clinical expertise when making clinical decisions. RCVS Knowledge is ideally placed to generate, collate and distribute this information to support evidence based practices. We aim to develop tools to assist practitioners to quickly make well-informed treatment decisions."
As part of the new direction, the Historical Collection will be made accessible and available online, following a start-up grant from the Wellcome Trust. Clare Boulton, Head of Library and Information Services, said: "The Collection contains priceless and fascinating material, covering topics such as early horse-care and management, veterinary expeditions of discovery through Africa, and research that made the British Cavalry horses of 1914 the finest in the world. But this is just the beginning. If you have relevant experience or some funds that could help us, please get in touch."
Meanwhile, RCVS Knowledge's Library and Information Service will be re-designed to make it much more than shelves of journals, but rather a resource with the capacity to steer first-rate care and innovation, and an information engine capable of driving evidence based veterinary medicine at a global level.
The Grants and Awards program, for which the former RCVS Charitable Trust has been known, will be redesigned to celebrate professional excellence, and to address gaps in veterinary knowledge. Nick said: "We are aware of the responsibilities that veterinary surgeons and nurses face every day and feel we are in a position to support their decision making. We would like to urge every veterinary professional with an interest in EBVM, a curiosity about the history of their profession or a need to access up-to-date research to get in touch, so that we can keep you up to date with developments."
Merial has announced the results of a survey which suggests that whilst diagnosis of gastric ulcers in horses is improving, there is still room for improvement.
The survey of 50 equine vets, which was conducted in May this year, showed that the number of practices owning a scope has more than doubled over the past six years. Half of equine practices now own a scope. Over the same period the average number of monthly scopes has risen from 1.5 to 9.25 and referrals from practices without a scope has risen by 65%.
Merial's Louise Radford MRCVS said: "The survey also showed that symptom recognition among vets prompting the need for an endoscopy has also risen. The vast majority of vets now consider changes in behaviour, loss of appetite and poor performance as potential signs. In addition, 100% of those surveyed would consider an endoscopy when presented with the signs of recurring colic.
"However whilst this is great progress, when diagnosis is compared to the incidence of ulcer, we know that more needs to be done. It is believed that up to 30% of leisure horses have some degree of gastric ulceration, and this increases in sports horses, yet just a fraction of this figure represents those scoped."
Richard Hepburn BVSc MS(Hons) CertEM(IntMed) DipACVIM(LA) MRCVS, American and RCVS Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine at B&W Equine Hospital says he is pleased that more horses are being scoped for gastric ulcers but says that further education is needed: "We've seen a huge leap in the appreciation of the incidence of gastric ulceration in non-racing animals, which long term will better our understanding of the individual clinical relevance of particular lesions, and the benefits of treatment and management change.
"This should improve both performance and horse welfare, as well as increasing client satisfaction. Despite the huge increase in the diagnosis and treatment of equine gastric ulcers it is still believed that many horses go undiagnosed."
The UK-Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance (UK-VARSS) annual report shows that while sales of antibiotics increased slightly by 1.5 mg/kg to 31.0 mg/kg in comparison to the previous year, this was offset by a reduction in use of the more potent critical antibiotics.
UK veterinary antibiotic use in 2019 was the second lowest since the start of regular reporting, and the UK has one of the lowest levels in Europe.
Between 2018 and 2019 there was a 21% drop in of use of Highest Priority Critically Important Antibiotics (HP-CIAs) in food-producing animals, which account for 0.5% of total antibiotic sales. The UK has also seen an overall reduction in the level of resistance in E. coli from healthy pigs at slaughter since 2015 and resistance to HP-CIAs in E. coli is at very low levels.
Peter Borriello, Chief Executive Veterinary Medicines Directorate said: "In the last five years we have worked closely with the farming industry and veterinary profession to achieve huge reductions in use of antibiotics in animals.
"This demonstrates how farmers and vets have been working together to use antibiotics responsibly while safeguarding the health and welfare of our livestock.
"The UK Government will continue to work with industry to focus on infection control, reducing the need to use antibiotics to treat disease and maintain the UK’s world leading standards in animal welfare."
Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: "I am delighted that the UK continues to lead the way as one of the lowest users of antibiotics in livestock across Europe.
"These findings are testament to the hard work of the UK’s farmers and vets to use antibiotics responsibly in order to tackle antibiotic resistance and protect our most critically important antibiotics in human health, while also reducing the burden of disease in animals."
A poll carried out by The Children's Mutual has found that becoming a veterinary surgeon is one of the most popular career ambitions for 5-7 year olds, second only to becoming a teacher.
The Children's Mutual questioned over a thousand parents about what their children said they wanted to be when they grew up and found that the majority of today's children are looking for a career which requires further training and education. The top careers of doctor, teacher and vet have featured in the 'What I Want To Be' poll for the last three years, demonstrating that children consistently aspire to careers that will need higher education.
However, if you want your children to follow in your footsteps as a vet, you might like to start setting something aside now. According to The Children's mutual, it currently costs £74,700 to train to become a doctor and £75,100 to become a vet but these are set to increase by around £41,000 based on current projection levels over the next 18 years.
The top 10 career ambitions in 2010 (2009 in brackets) were:
Tony Anderson, Marketing Director of The Children's Mutual, said: "The children questioned for our research are lucky enough to have a Child Trust Fund account and with half of accounts opened with us receiving additional savings on a monthly basis, we hope these children face brighter financial futures. The question going forward is how parents will fill the savings black hole for children born from January 2011 if the Child Trust Fund is scrapped."
Petplan has announced that it has raised £1million for the Blue Cross in the past decade.
The funds have gone towards running a dozen rehoming centres for dogs, cats, horses and rabbits, as well as four major animal hospitals across the country.
Petplan offers four weeks free insurance to adopters of dogs, cats and rabbits from Blue Cross as well as many other animal charities across the UK. All animal charities who work with Petplan receive 10% of the premium for any full policies they generate. The company says that in 2011, it raised over £2million for animal charities this way.
Petplan says that in addition to creating additional funds for the charity, providing four weeks free pet insurance also gives charities peace of mind that if the pet should require veterinary treatment the adopter has the funds available to ensure the animal receives the care it needs. This also means that the animal is less likely to be returned to the charity because the adopter can't afford the veterinary fees or that the charity will be asked to help cover the cost of treatment.
Chief Executive of the Blue Cross, Kim Hamilton, said: "As a charity that does not receive any government or lottery funding, we rely solely on donations from the public and valuable funding from our corporate partners. Petplan understands that our primary focus is animal welfare and the income generated from working with them has enabled us to give even more pets a healthy life in a happy home."
Simon Masding, Petplan's Head of Sales and Partnerships said: "At Petplan we work with over 1,700 animal charities and therefore understand the financial struggles that charities face on a daily basis. Along with offering charities commission Petplan also run the Charity Cheque initiative. When a four weeks free pet insurance voucher is activated it automatically enters the charity into a monthly prize draw to win £500."
For more information on how your animal charity can work with Petplan please visit www.petplan.co.uk/charity or call Charityline on 0800 072 8877.
Ceva Animal Health has launched Vectra 3D, a broad spectrum topical ectoparasiticide for dogs which is effective against fleas, ticks and flies.
Vectra 3D contains a formulation of a brand new active called dinotefuran, pyriproxyfen and permethrin.
According to the company, Vectra 3D provides a rapid flea kill within two hours for dogs on current treatment and complete protection against the major vectors: fleas, ticks, sand flies, mosquitoes and stable flies1. Additionally, because dinotefuran kills on contact, it is claimed to reduce the incidence of flea feeding1.
Vectra 3D is applied in a line from the base of the tail to the neck using a patented applicator with an elongated tip, designed to make it easy to apply the product through the hair directly onto the skin. The applicator is also designed to provide accurate dosing without making any mess, as nothing comes out until the tube is squeezed.
Ceva highlights that the number of people travelling with their pets has increased by 61% since 20122, and that Vectra 3D is the only topical ectoparasiticide that offers repellent action against sand flies for one month, together with protection against mosquitoes and stable flies.
Julia Wood, product manager at Ceva Animal Health said: "Vectra 3D is an innovative formulation which uses a unique, easy-to-administer applicator to provide complete protection against fleas, ticks and flies. And with spring nearly upon us, it's time to start talking to clients about flea treatments, such as Vectra 3D."
To support the launch of Vectra 3D, Ceva is hosting a series of CPD meetings at venues across the UK. Accounting for two hours CPD, the afternoon meetings will cover vector-borne diseases, the importance of ticks in the UK and product information on Vectra 3D. They will be presented by Ian Wright BVMS BSc MSc MRCVS and Richard Wall BSc MBA PhD FRES and take place at:
For further information, contact your Ceva Animal Health territory manager or email Ceva Animal Health on customerservicesuk@ceva.com.
The idea is for as many practitioners as possible to come and share their experience, tips or advice in a discussion thread where members can vote for the posts that they think are the most interesting or helpful. The most up-voted reply is highlighted at the start of the discussion thread and will receive an Amazon voucher worth £50 at the end of the week.
The new discussion format highlights some of the great strengths of VetSurgeon.org over other discussion platforms such as Facebook, chiefly that the format on VetSurgeon lends itself to longer, more reflective posts befitting scientific discussion, and also that useful pearls of clinical wisdom don't get lost in a sea of similar replies and remain easy for everyone to refer back to. Not to mention the fact that time spent taking part in clinical discussions on VetSurgeon.org can be logged towards your annual CPD requirement, using the 'Claim CPD' button at the top of the page.
The new discussion format is closely moderated to ensure a collaborative, constructive debate. Do come and take part, or just read the thread and vote for the post you find most helpful or interesting (you'll be helping a colleague on their way to an Amazon voucher!). The vote link is in the bottom right hand corner of each post.
https://www.vetsurgeon.org/001/veterinary-clinical/small-animal/anaesthesia/f/discussions/29467/open-discussion-what-is-the-best-anaesthetic-and-analgesia-protocol-with-reasons-for-routine-neutering-in-healthy-animals.
And if you find it useful, don't forget to press the red 'Claim CPD' button at the top, which also acts as a useful bookmark.
‘Feline enthusiasts assemble! How to help senior cats retain their superpowers' will be led by Geoff Duncan, veterinary technical advisor at Dechra, alongside panellists Natalie Dowgray, Head of ISFM, Sam Taylor, Head of Veterinary Specialists at ISFM (pictured), Vicky Halls, Head of Unowned Cats at ISFM and Marge Chandler, Clinical Nutritionist at Vets Now Referrals.
They will discuss the type of behavioural indications that a senior cat may present with, support for a stress-free visit and how practices can get the most out of these visits including the ‘how and why’ of BCS (body condition score), MCS (muscle condition score), the frailty scale and best practice nutritional guidance.
This hour-long session will be held twice: at 9.10am in Gallery Suite 22 on Thursday 16th November and 1.45pm in Gallery Room 17 on Friday 17th November.
‘Nordic voices on antibiotics in otitis externa; a call for responsibility’ will address the challenges associated with antibiotic usage in the management of otitis externa and discuss the importance of embracing the Nordic model to help significantly cut down on antibiotic usage in the UK.
It takes place at 10.10am on Friday 17th November in Gallery Room 17.
The CPD sessions are first come, first served.
The company is also offering Happy Hour cocktails on its stand from 4:00pm to 6:00pm on Thursday.
CEVA Animal Health has produced Understanding sacroiliac disease, a leaflet to help horse owners understand the cause, diagnosis and management of sacroiliac disease.
CEVA says sacroiliac disease can be a particular challenge because although it can occur in isolation it often occurs in addition to other sources of hindlimb lameness. Acute sacroiliac injury is usually a result of trauma, such as a fall, which may cause pelvic rotation or fracture, resulting in hindlimb lameness and sensitivity to palpation of the tubera sacrale soon after injury. With chronic sacroiliac disease there is usually no history of trauma, rather a prolonged history of poor performance.
Understanding sacroiliac disease explains the anatomy of the sacroiliac joint, the clinical signs of the disease, how it is diagnosed, the treatment options and the general prognosis. The leaflet is available to equine vet practices as a useful information source for clients. You can order free copies from your CEVA sales representative.
VetSurgeon.org member Dr Sarah Caney's company, Cat Professional, is conducting a survey of owner experiences of caring for cats with chronic kidney disease and is looking for practices to help recruit participants.
Recruited practices will be given a complimentary print copy of the new client education book 'Caring for a cat with chronic kidney disease' by Dr Sarah Caney and a set of flyers to give out to eligible cat owners.
Owners completing the survey will each receive a complimentary electronic copy of the same book.
The book is aimed at owners and aims to support veterinary recommendations regarding management of this common condition.
To find out more about this survey please visit http://www.catprofessional.com/ or contact Dr Sarah Caney on 07711 390219.
Carl Padgett has been elected President of the British Veterinary Association for 2011/2012.
Carl graduated from Glasgow University in 1989 and spent most of his career as a large animal practitioner. He is now a director of Bay Vets Ltd in Lancaster, and has particular interests in cattle health, production and welfare, veterinary politics and the role the profession has to play in the wider livestock industry and the companion animal world.
A former president of the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) and recent Chairman of Trustees of the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation, Carl has been involved in veterinary politics for over 15 years.
Carl said: "My representative roles for BVA, and prior to that BCVA, have enabled me to understand and realise my interest in the veterinary profession: ensuring the profession has a voice and our place in society is valued.
"Our multi-disciplinary education and training places the profession in a unique position to deliver a healthy future at many levels: representing the health and welfare of animals committed to our care, protecting the consumer by ensuring food safety and security at national and international levels by working within the agricultural world and ensuring public health in a variety of ways. Vets are not just part of the leisure industry making animals better; we fill a much wider role in underpinning society and its contact with animals at all levels."And so to the future. Although we do indeed live in a changing world, many of the challenges we face as a profession continue through from one President to the next, as they span beyond the year-long term of office. Over the last couple of years BVA has made a lot of progress on a number of policy issues and, in some instances, our lobbying efforts have paid off with Government announcements and new legislation reflecting our endeavours. Looking ahead, much of the coming year will be about putting those policies into practice, and that's why the theme of my presidential year will be 'Delivering a healthy future'.
"I am proud and honoured to be elected BVA President to continue serving the membership as part of the BVA Officer team."
Peter Harlech Jones was elected BVA President-elect for 2011/2012 at the same time.
Virbac has announced that Canine Prostate Awareness Month, its initiative to highlight the prevalence of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), will be running again in November, and is urging practices to join in.
The initiative is timed to coincide with Movember, the fundraising initiative for male prostate disease and testicular cancer. Virbac says it hopes CPAM will remind owners that men are not the only ones to suffer from prostate disorders. Indeed, more than 80% of entire male dogs over the age of five are thought to suffer from BPH1.
As part of CPAM, Virbac is providing participating practices with promotional materials including owner educational and display materials, a template press release for local media, and free branded slip leads to pass on to owners who have had their dog checked.
Chris Geddes MRCVS, Senior Product Manager, said: "CPAM is a well-supported initiative and, running it at a time when the media spotlight is already on the dangers of prostate cancer in men, means we can spread the message that owners should also be monitoring older dogs for signs of prostate disease."
Virbac has introduced Odelis CPSE, the first ELISA test to screen for, diagnose and monitor BPH. It is available from three UK diagnostic laboratories. According to the company it is a cost-effective, precise and reliable alternative to rectal palpation. It also offers Ypozane, a tablet treatment for BPH, which takes effect within a week and lasts for six months.
Chris added: "The problem with BPH is that the majority of dogs suffer in silence. It is a painful condition that goes unnoticed until it reaches an advanced stage, where the owner notices blood in the urine or painful urination.
"We're providing practices with all the materials they need to promote the campaign in their locality and hope that those getting involved will find it effective in terms of bringing clients into the practice for advice on BPH. We've also organised coverage in national dog magazines to drive clients to practices."
Practices that diagnose a dog with BPH during CPAM are asked to contact Virbac with details as it plans to collate a series of case studies from the initiative. Love2Shop vouchers to the value of £50 will be provided for the five most pertinent case studies submitted by the end of 2013.
For further information on CPAM, email cpam@virbac.co.uk, contact your Virbac Territory Manager or call the company direct on 01359 243243.
Reference
Guidelines on the examination of rams for breeding have now been officially updated, thanks to the pooled expertise of delegates at a recent Sheep Fertility Workshop, sponsored by Ceva Animal Health, the Sheep Veterinary Society and EBLEX-AHDB.The previous Sheep Veterinary Society guidelines on the examination of rams for breeding were drawn up in 2007. However, the society says that to date, there has been considerable variation in the practice of ram fertility testing amongst sheep vets across the country.
The Sheep Fertility Workshop, which was held in Edinburgh in June 1014, brought together veterinary experts and scientists to discuss the provision of a comprehensive, evidence-based, best practice protocol, with clear recommendations for practitioners on the assessment of rams.Dr Fiona Lovatt, senior vice president of the Sheep Veterinary Society and director of Flock Health Ltd, who coordinated the workshop, said: "The outcome of some active debating was the recognition that various elements of the guidelines needed to be updated in line with currently recognised best practice. One thing that is really essential is that the practising vet is clear as to the reason for the ram PBE and carefully considers how to communicate the findings and their limitations to the ram's owner."
The updated guidelines cover three levels of ram pre-breeding examinations (PBE):
Carol Atkinson, Ceva's reprodAction range marketing manager, said: "We are proud to have supported the workshop, the outcome of which has been some valuable modifications to the guidelines. We now have a robust, practical benchmarking system in place to help ensure consistency of ram fertility and flock health and development."
The workshop was funded by the Sheep Veterinary Society, Ceva Animal Health and EBLEX-AHDB, with contributions in kind from Innovis, Zoetis and Novartis Animal Health.
The guidelines are available to all members of the Sheep Veterinary Society and can be downloaded from www.sheepvetsoc.org.uk, together with two further forms that are available following appropriate training: SVS Ram PBE data collection and SVS Ram certificate. The Sheep Veterinary Society will be holding a series of CPD days for practitioners in advance of next year's breeding season. Further details will be posted on the website shortly.
Chris Tufnell, current President of the RCVS, said: "We are very sad to hear of the death of Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior, a figure who had a truly exceptional career, unique in its achievements and one dedicated to bridging and bringing together the worlds of medical and veterinary science.
"His dedication to the concept of One Health is demonstrated by the fact that, during his life time, he was both President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (from 1984-85) and the Royal Society of Medicine (1998-2000), the first veterinary surgeon to be elected to that position, as well as being a founding Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
"He was the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and prizes including Honorary Fellowship of the College and, at RCVS Day in 2015, received the Queen’s Medal, the highest award that the RCVS can bestow upon a veterinary surgeon. This was given in recognition of his contribution to One Health but also his international work as a Fellow and Professor in numerous countries across the world and his political work as the first veterinary surgeon to enter the House of Lords in 1990.
"He gave an outstanding service to the profession, to veterinary science and to animal welfare but was known for his endearing personality as much as his intellect. He will be missed by many colleagues in the veterinary world but his legacy will live on through inspiring veterinary surgeons from all walks of life to work more closely with other healthcare and medical professionals and through his numerous published books and papers. Our sympathies are with his family and friends."
Photo: Lord Soulsby getting a standing ovation at RCVS Day 2015. Courtesy RCVS.
BCF Technology has announced the launch of the Logiq S7 Expert ultrasound system.
BCF says the new system offers the latest in ultrasound technology and represents a significant leap forward in imaging capability.
The Logiq S7 ultrasound system includes features such as B-Flow, Elastography, Flow Quantification, Contrast Imaging, B-Steer+, 3D/4D ultrasound, Volume Imaging and Multi-Modality Imaging Display.
Nigel Perry from BCF said: "The new Logiq S7 Expert provides the highest image quality currently available in the market. With a wide range of probes available for every veterinary application. If you are looking for the ultimate in ultrasound capability then the Logiq S7 is the system for you."
For more information, visit http://www.bcftechnology.co.uk/ or call +44(0)1506 460 023.