Graham Gardner has launched its summer collection of scrubwear in the form updated versions of its Urbane and Easiphit Collections, with new colour combinations added to the range.

The Urbane Collection, pictured right, is designed specifically for the female form. Easiephit is a contempary unisex collection.

Simon Ward, Sales Director said: "Scrubwear is becoming a firm favourite with veterinary staff in the UK. The relaxed comfort offered by scrubs is very attractive to staff, and the smart image of colour coded garments is very well received by managers seeking a unified department look. With the increased stocks and increased colour combinations, customers can now get their hands on the new uniforms more quickly than ever before!"

Other colour combinations are still available as special imports. Non-stocked colour requests will be directed to Grahame Gardner's USA Partners and the sales team will ensure that customers are kept updated as to delivery times.

Both Easiephitt and Urbane have also increased their stocked size range. Grahame Gardner now aim to hold sizes from extra, extra small to extra, extra large.

For further information on Urbane, Easiephitt or Grahame Gardner Ltd, please call 0116 255 6326, or visit http://www.grahamegardner.co.uk/.

The RCVS has appointed Amanda Boag as its new Treasurer, replacing Dr Bradley Viner who will become (junior) Vice-President in July.

Amanda will officially take up her post at RCVS Day - the College's Annual General Meeting and Awards Day - on Friday 11 July.

Amanda is a Clinical Director at Vets Now and is also currently President of the European Society of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. She was elected to RCVS Council for a four-year term in 2012.

As Treasurer she will be responsible for maintaining an overview of the College's affairs, ensuring its financial viability and making sure that proper financial records and procedures are maintained.

Amanda said: "I am very honoured to have been appointed Treasurer for the RCVS and am looking forward to working closely with other Council members and the Belgravia House team.

"I would particularly like to thank my predecessor Bradley Viner for the excellent work he has done over the past four years. This has been a period of great change for the College and during his tenure he has done a huge amount of work to support the improvements in governance, including standardising the way that the College's accounts are reported.

"Our finances are currently in a healthy state despite no increase in the annual renewal fee for several years. I am now looking forward to building on his legacy and ensuring the finances remain healthy, allowing us to move forward with our Strategic Plan."

At RCVS Day on 11 July, Professor Stuart Reid will also be confirmed as President; current President Neil Smith as (senior) Vice-President; Chris Tufnell as Chairman of the Education Committee; and David Catlow as Chairman of the Standards Committee.

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has produced a new Orf Vaccination Starter Pack to help vets better inform their sheep farmer clients about the disease.

The new campaign Vaccination Starter Pack includes a practical guide to Orf and its control in UK sheep flocks, a DVD profiling vet and farmer experiences of managing the disease, an 'Orf questions answered' handout and a best practice vaccination protocol. Additional practice support materials highlighting the problems caused by Orf and its control with Scabivax Forte are also available.

The Starter Pack and full range of promotional materials are available from local Intervet/Schering-Plough Account Managers or by contacting the Veterinary Support Group on 01908 685685.

The Veterinary Marketing Association is running a free seminar on Thursday 24^th November from 5-7pm for any delegates of the London Vet Show, or those in the vicinity, that feel they'd like to learn about the principles of marketing.

The VMA says that in today's competitive environment, the key to success for a veterinary business is often making oneself heard and standing out above the competition, but questions how many vets are taught any marketing at college or whether marketing is something that most vets just pick up over time?

The VMA's Principles of Marketing seminar will aim to address the basics in marketing, with an emphasis on the veterinary sector. It's taking place at the Hilton Hotel, London Olympia, a few minutes walk from the show.

The VMA has enlisted the services of Paul Fifield (Visiting Professor in Marketing Strategy at the Southampton University School of Management) to deliver the seminar.

This event is open to anyone and entry is free. As spaces are limited to a maximum of 60, registration is strongly advisable. For more information, or to register, please visit the VMA's website - http://www.vma.org.uk/.

The seminar will be followed by a free buffet and time for questions.

The International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force (IVETF), a group of 26 veterinary practitioner, neuropharmacology, neuropathology and neurology experts led by Holger Volk, Professor of Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery at the RVC, has issued new guidelines for treating and caring for dogs with epilepsy.

The guidelines have been adopted by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and published in the form of a ‘consensus statement’ in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (JVIM).

Professor Volk, who co-chaired the consensus statement process, said: "I was honoured to have been asked to co-chair such an important forum in American veterinary practice. This will be another landmark paper to help improve the care vets deliver for the patients with epilepsy, both in America and beyond.

"Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases encountered by veterinary surgeons and practitioners around the world. The prevalence of the condition means there have been numerous research studies carried out over the years. But, despite such frequent research, there has been a lack of consistency when it comes to diagnosis and treatment.

"This lack of cohesion and collaboration made it difficult for owners and veterinary professionals to communicate effectively on the issue of pet epilepsy. This has led to the global veterinary community changing its approach and, in recent years, working more closely together."

Professor Volk says the aim of these latest guidelines is to provide joined up and collaborative thinking, teaching and learning on various different aspects of the condition that specifically affect America. These include the development of treatment strategies and any potential issues with chronic anti-epileptic drug treatment.

The ACVIM guidelines follow on from seven in-depth consensus statements produced by the IVETF and published open access in BMC Veterinary Research last year, outlining recommendations and classifications on all aspects of canine epilepsy. It was the first time this many veterinary neurology clinicians and neuroscientists formally agreed on the key aspects of the condition.

Professor Volk, who is also the Clinical Director of the RVC’s Small Animal Referral Hospital, added: "There is a real exciting buzz around canine and feline Epilepsy currently. Finally getting to global consensus from the international veterinary community will accelerate research and lead to improved patient care and quality of life for owners and patients alike."

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies are to start testing whether a compound of cooling chemicals, extracted from mint, can be used to treat laminitis, a condition which affects seven per cent of the British horse population.

The new project, funded by The Horse Trust and led by Professor Sue Fleetwood-Walker, builds on recent work that revealed for the first time that, there is significant nerve damage, as well as inflammation, within the hoof of laminitic horses. This explains why anti-inflammatory drugs are so ineffective in treating the pain of chronic laminitis and highlights the need for therapies to treat nerve injury-induced or ‘neuropathic’ pain in horses.

Prof Fleetwood-Walker’s team discovered in 2006 that the ‘mint’ chemicals have a pain–killing effect in laboratory studies of chronic pain. They will now investigate whether this synthetic treatment could help horses with laminitis.

Freda Andrews, the Director of Education at the RCVS, has announced her retirement from the position on 2nd April after nearly 16 years at the College.

Freda joined the RCVS as Head of Education in September 1999 and became Director of Education in 2013, with strategic responsibility for both veterinary and veterinary nursing education.

Nick Stace, RCVS Chief Executive Officer, said: "We will miss Freda for her professionalism, her encyclopaedic knowledge of all things related to veterinary education and her attention to detail, but she leaves behind a team that is stronger-than-ever and a considerable legacy for the profession as a whole.

"Under her watch the Education Department has seen a significant number of achievements. This includes the introduction of the Professional Development Phase which has helped veterinary graduates develop their confidence and competence during the first few years of practice and the accreditation of the University of Nottingham's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science - the first new UK vet school in 50 years."

Freda's responsibilities as Director of Education will now be split between Christine Warman, Head of Education, and Julie Dugmore, Head of Veterinary Nursing.

Freda said: "I have really enjoyed working with such a fascinating profession and I think that through working very closely with our colleagues in the vet schools, as well as with practising vets, veterinary education has made some significant advances. For example, there is more focus now on communication and professional skills and greater alignment of accreditation standards internationally, to name but two things.

"I am sad to leave but I know that the future of veterinary and veterinary nursing education has been left in the very safe hands of Christine and Julie and their respective teams." 

The Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP) has published the first study to document the histopathological frequency of hepatobiliary diseases in a large cohort of dogs in the United Kingdom.

The researchers hope that the study will help to increase a veterinary surgeon’s index of suspicion of a particular liver disease, particularly if a biopsy-confirmed diagnosis is not possible.

In the study titled “Histopathological frequency of canine hepatobiliary disease in the United Kingdom”, histopathology reports from canine liver tissues submitted to a commercial veterinary laboratory by UK first and second opinion practices were retrospectively reviewed.

Data collected included breed, age, sex, gross and histological descriptions, diagnosis and additional comments.

Data were then grouped into 23 categories according to WSAVA histological criteria for canine hepatobiliary diseases using the four main morphological groups of vascular, biliary, parenchymal and neoplastic disorders. Breed analysis was then performed on the top five ranking breeds within each individual category.

A total of 4584 histopathology reports of canine liver tissue were included in the analysis.

The most common histopathological diagnoses were reactive hepatitis (16.8%), chronic hepatitis (16.0%) and reversible hepatocellular injury (RHI) (12.9%).

Labrador retrievers were found to have increased odds for reactive hepatitis (OR 1.57, 95%CI 1.23-1.99), whilst crossbreeds demonstrated reduced odds (OR 0.65, 95%CI 0.54-0.79).

Breeds with increased odds of chronic hepatitis included the Labrador retriever (OR 4.14, 95%CI 3.47-4.93), springer spaniel (OR 6.30, 95%CI 5.10-7.79), cocker spaniel (OR 2.78 95%CI 2.20-3.53) and West Highland White Terrier (OR 3.23, 95%CI 2.24-4.65).

Within the RHI group, the schnauzer (OR 8.06, 95%CI 5.77-11.26) and Bichon Frise (OR 5.19, 95%CI 3.63-7.42) had increased odds of disease.

Dr Yuvani Bandara, corresponding author for the paper, said: “This is the first study to report the histopathological frequency of hepatobiliary diseases and to identify possible breed predispositions in a large cohort of dogs in the UK.

“Despite multivariable analysis not being performed to account for confounding factors, we hope that this information informs and supports future investigations for hepatic disease in particular breeds and potential predispositions.”

The full article can be found in the September issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice and can be read online here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13354.

Reference

1. Y Bandara, WA Bayton, TL Williams, T Scase and NH Bexfield (2021) Histopathological frequency of canine hepatobiliary disease in the United Kingdom. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 62 (9). Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13354 

Vet Futures, the joint initiative by the RCVS and the BVA to help the profession prepare for and shape its own future, has revealed the results of a survey which found that 59% of veterinary surgeons are optimistic about the future of the profession.

600 vets took part in the survey, which explored vets' attitudes towards their profession, and asked them to prioritise the key issues and rank some of the major threats and opportunities for the profession.

Reducing stress was the single most important goal for the future, with 19% of respondents choosing it from a long list of options.

The BVA and the RCVS say that priority goals for veterinary surgeons varied according to different areas of work and seniority in the profession. However, an overriding and uniting theme from the findings was the pursuit of recognition for the role vets play across the board. Vets' perception of the veterinary contribution to non-clinical roles, such as research, food supply and security, and public health, is high, but they don't believe the general public values these roles.

Four of the respondents' top five goals for 2030 related to recognition:

• Veterinary leadership on animal welfare
• Respected and valued role in society
• Valued role for vets in education on responsible animal ownership
• Higher profile on animal-related issues that affect public health

Looking at how vets are respected and valued by society, Vet Futures points to its national ICM opinion poll of more than 2,000 members of the public which found that 94% of the general public trusts the veterinary profession generally or completely. 

In terms of their own careers, 59% of vets said they felt that they had met or exceeded their expectations, leaving 41% saying their careers had only met some expectations (38%) or not met any (3%). Amongst this large minority of dissatisfied vets the reasons for their responses included: few opportunities for progression, pay, and working hours.

The survey also asked vets to rank threats and opportunities for the profession and found that respondents considered the three greatest opportunities to be:

• Increasing expectations around customer service - seen as the greatest area of opportunity
• The structure and content of undergraduate courses - vets want training to reflect the real breadth of career choices and allow students to specialise earlier
• Public health concerns relating to animal disease - vets are eager to increase awareness and understanding of their contributions to public health

BVA President John Blackwell said: "It's heartening to see that, at the moment, the veterinary glass is half full for many. But we know that younger vets are disproportionately represented amongst those who are feeling less positive about their own careers, which is a real concern for future generations. There is clearly work to be done, through Vet Futures, for the profession to think innovatively in order to tackle some of their concerns around career progression, pay and working hours, as well as stress.

"The good news is that, through the Vet Futures UK-wide roadshow and our online engagement, we have been hearing new and interesting ideas for the future. We want to hear from as many vets, vet nurses and others who have a stake in the future of the profession and I would encourage people to get involved through our 'Veterinary Vision' essay competition or via the Vet Futures website."

RCVS President Stuart Reid added: "There is a lot for the veterinary profession to be proud of but the Vet Futures survey shows that vets are concerned the general public doesn't understand or value the variety of roles we undertake outside clinical practice.

"We have also heard through our guest blog that vets working outside of practice sometimes feel that they are treated as second-class vets.

"Through the Vet Futures project RCVS and BVA aim to address the lack of public awareness about the variety of roles undertaken by members of the profession, as well as increase understanding and access to these varied career opportunities amongst the profession. 

"We want to enable all veterinary surgeons to not only feel optimistic, but confident in their future."

Horiba is hosting a webinar about infectious lower respiratory tract disease in cats and dogs, presented by Amanda Paul FRCVS, on Thursday 11th July at 7:30pm.

Amanda originally studied and worked in Australia where she undertook a residency in small animal medicine at Murdoch University, completing a Masters in respiratory medicine in dogs.

She moved to the UK in 2016 to work in referral medicine, joining Hamilton Specialist Referrals in 2024 as head of its medicine service.

The webinar will include a refresher on the bacterial, fungal, parasitic and protozoal causes of lower respiratory tract disease and its pathology, after which it will look at techniques and methods for diagnosis.

Amanda's presentation will also look at the secondary effects of infectious lower respiratory disease pathogens, and prescribing and management options.

https://horiba.link/respiratory-disease-in-dogs-and-cats

Fort Dodge Animal Health has announced it is working with the authorities to put measures in place to make its West Nile Virus vaccine, licensed in the United States, available to the European equine market.  These measures will ensure a vaccine is readily available in the event of an outbreak in the UK. 

This news comes as the Zooprophylactic Institute of Teramo, the Italian National Reference Centre for Exotic Diseases, has confirmed an outbreak of WNV among horses in stables in the northern province of Ferrara. About 20 horses are believed to have been affected.

Fort Dodge was the first company to develop and fully license a vaccine to protect horses against this potentially deadly disease. An inactivated whole virus vaccine, it was the only vaccine available in the United States at the height of the 2002 outbreak, which affected 15,000 horses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture credited the vaccine with contributing to the 70 per cent decline in U.S. equine West Nile cases since the height of the outbreak. WNV is now considered endemic in all areas of North America.

"As this latest outbreak of WNV in Italy highlights, the disease presents an increasing threat to the equestrian sector in Europe," says Helen Barnes, EMEA Equine Business Manager for Fort Dodge. "With little current natural immunity among the equine population, the consequences of a major outbreak could be devastating."

"Until now, horse owners in Europe have perhaps believed WNV is not a disease they should be concerned with but the outbreak in Ferrara came out of the blue, and at a time when a human case of WNV was also reported in the same province. This situation of both human and equine cases being reported is identical to that seen in the outbreaks in the United States. It's a stark reminder of the challenge this disease poses, particularly as environmental factors, such as global warming and heavy rains threaten to create mass breeding grounds for mosquitoes," says Barnes.

"Our experience with WNV in the United States has given us an exceptional understanding of the disease and the importance of vaccination. We now look forward to working in partnership with the European governments, the EU Commission and the veterinary community across Europe to help build understanding and knowledge of this dangerous emerging disease threat."

Quantum Vet Diagnostics (a division of Woodley Equipment Co Ltd) has announced the launch of a new wet chemistry analyser.

The Quantum Saturno is offered exclusively by Quantum with a total maintenance and reagent package. One fixed monthly payment provides all standard reagents for a month, control solution, monthly maintenance visits by an experienced technician, all parts, consumables, repairs and support from a dedicated wet chemistry division. There are also a wide range of special chemistry tests available.

Quantum says the key features of the new analyser are:

• User friendly
• 150 Tests per hour
• Up to 240 samples can be programmed at one time
• Automatic pre dilution
• Reagents volume monitored with an on-line inventory
• Walk away operation
• Direct reading automatically reads every 24 seconds

For more details contact 01798 813659 or email: sales@quantumvetdiagnostics.com