The BSAVA has opened enrolments for a new postgraduate certificate programme in small animal diagnostic imaging.

The programme starts in January 2022 and places are on a first come, first served basis. 

The BSAVA says the new programme is designed primarily for veterinary surgeons working in small animal practice who have a particular interest in diagnostic imaging. The aim is to provide participants with the knowledge and expertise they need to choose the most clinically relevant diagnostic imaging technique confidently and competently.

Participants will also learn how to interpret images obtained with radiography and ultrasonography accurately and enhance their understanding of more advanced imaging techniques.

The programme is designed to allow part time study and comprises 75% core teaching with a 25% elective component, allowing participants to personalise their study to meet their clinical needs. The in-person attendance part of the programme focuses on hands on practicals and workshops.

The online units for the programme will contain both pre-recorded webinars as well as interactive live sessions with the unit teachers. Students can also choose one of the two currently available electives to focus on at the end of the second year: either ‘Enhanced Ultrasonography’ or ‘Enhanced Cardiac Imaging’.

Lucie Goodwin, Head of Education said: “The certificate has been designed to take into account the caseload and facilities in primary care practice ensuring that it is relevant, and the skills students learn can be directly applied to practice. An increased amount of content delivered online means that the certificate is more accessible to vets around the UK and overseas, minimising travelling for attendance days, which are mainly for practical sessions. We are also pleased to be able to offer an elective component to this PGCert and following feedback from students, will look to develop further electives.”

The programme will be assessed by written exams, a case diary and a case book. Successful completion will lead to the award of BSAVA Postgraduate Certificate in Small Animal Diagnostic Imaging (BSAVA PGCertSADI).

To apply, visit the BSAVA website here. If you have any questions about the certificate, you can contact certificate@bsava.com.

Each year the WSAVA Congress is held in a different location around the world and attracts over 70,000 veterinary professionals who relish the opportunity to hear from top international speakers on all aspects of practicing small animal veterinary medicine. 

The WSAVA is an international network of associations dedicated to the continuing development of companion animal care around the world. It brings veterinary practitioners and academia together to help enhance the knowledge of specific topics, such as hereditary disease and nomenclature of pathological processes.

To celebrate the Association's 50^th anniversary Professor Michael J Day, chairman of the WSAVA Scientific Advisory Committee, has proposed that this year be the year of 'One Medicine'.  The theme is intended to recognise the importance of the link between the medical and veterinary professions.  It will encompass the human population, domestic animals and wildlife, and the impact that current environmental changes are having on these groups.  Lectures and seminars during this year's congress will reflect the 'One Medicine' topic, looking for an exchange of ideas and to build the foundations for future developments of mutual interest.  For further information please visit http://www.wsava2010.org/.

Veterinary staff can enter the WSAVA prize draw by visiting Petplan at stand 311 during the BSAVA Congress or via the dedicated Petplan veterinary staff website, petplanvet.co.uk.

The BVA has welcomed a Scottish Government consultation on the compulsory microchipping of all dogs in Scotland, launched by Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead on 27th December.

Microchipping of all dogs is already a legal requirement in Northern Ireland and will become a requirement in Wales in 2015 and in England in 2016.

BVA President Robin Hargreaves, said: "BVA has long supported the compulsory microchipping of all dogs as a significant welfare measure and so we are delighted that the Scottish Government has launched this consultation.

"Every vet in practice will tell you what a highlight it is to be able to reunite a lost dog and its owner quickly and easily. The more dogs that are microchipped, with correct details on the database, the easier that process becomes meaning fewer dogs sent to kennels and charities."

Ronnie Soutar, President of BVA Scottish Branch, said: "Microchipping is a safe, effective and permanent way to link dogs with their owners and it is an essential part of responsible ownership. It is a small cost in terms of dog ownership with veterinary practices in Scotland offering microchipping at a very reasonable price or at a discount or free as part of a practice promotion. "It is important to remember that microchips are only as useful as the information held on the database and so we must work together with the Scottish Government to ensure that dog owners understand the importance of keeping this information up to date."

The consultation also asks for views on dog licensing and compulsory muzzling of dogs in public areas - measures that BVA has not supported.

Mr Hargreaves said: "We have some serious reservations about the call for all dogs, or dogs of a specific breed, to be muzzled in public areas.

"Under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act dogs are afforded the right to exhibit normal behaviour which could be compromised by the requirement to wear a muzzle at all times outside of the home. We hope that respondents to the consultation reject this idea."

The BVA says it will be consulting its members to respond in full to the consultation.

VetSurgeon member Howard Wilder, founder and managing director of British veterinary pharmaceutical company Genitrix, has been named Director of the Year at the 2010 Institute of Directors' London and South East Director of the Year Awards.

Genitrix provides treatments and therapies for pets and horses, and has just launched Libromide, the UK's first licensed formulation of potassium bromide, used in the treatment of canine epilepsy. Howard won the award in the category for businesses with a turnover of up to £4.99 million. 

Howard said: "I founded Genitrix in 1998 and it's undoubtedly my greatest achievement. From scratch, and in just 12 years, we've become one of the top 20 companies in the veterinary pharmaceutical sector and compete strongly with multi-million dollar global corporations.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to have won.  It's recognition both of the success of Genitrix and for me personally.  I've worked very hard to make Genitrix the best run business in the sector and this confirms that I'm heading in the right direction."

Defra Minister David Heath has announced the latest bute (phenylbutazone) test results. The presence of bute has been confirmed in 8 samples out of 206 tests.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies has stated that horsemeat containing phenylbutazone presents a very low risk to human health.

Responding to these latest developments the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) have issued the following statement:

"The presence of phenylbutazone (or bute) in horses intended for the food chain will be of concern to consumers who rightly expect the UK food chain to be robust. We are grateful to the Chief Medical Officer for clarifying the very low level of risk that this presents to human health and we will work with the FSA and Defra in any way we can to assist their investigations into these incidents.

"The ability to treat horses with bute is very important for equine welfare. Bute provides affordable, long-term pain relief for horses and is unique in this respect.

"The UK Horse Passport Regulations are designed to facilitate the ongoing medical treatment of horses not intended for the human food chain, whilst ensuring that these animals do not enter the food chain.

"We fully support the concept of the Horse Passport Regulations but have argued for some time that there are problems with the system in terms of the number of Passport Issuing Authorities and the vulnerability of the system to fraud. We are very keen to continue our dialogue with Defra and others to find ways to make the system more robust.

"Our members are aware of the strict rules regarding the regulation of medicines (including bute) and the use of horse passports, and in recent years we have provided clear guidance on the regulations to help both vets and their clients. These incidents will hopefully reinforce these messages amongst horse owners and all of us involved in equine healthcare."

Guidance notes are available via the BEVA website Medicines Page (http://www.beva.org.uk/useful-info/Vets/Guidance/Medicines)

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are reminding veterinary surgeons of their legal responsibilities under the Horse Passport Regulations 2009.

The move follows a small number of horses testing positively for the presence of phenylbutazone, which, if consumed, can be harmful to human health.

Defra and the FSA have asked for the assistance of the profession in ensuring that treatment with phenylbutazone is properly recorded in Horse Passports and have said that they are working together to understand the cause of the positive tests, and what longer term measures can be put in place to stop this happening.

 In the interim, all horses slaughtered for human consumption will be sampled for the presence of phenylbutazone, with immediate effect.

The letter from Defra and the FSA can be downloaded from the RCVS website.

The full advice can be read in a Veterinary Medicines Directorate/Defra leaflet, which can be found online at http://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/pdf/leaflet_horses.pdf.

Mark Bowen, Chair of the British Equine Veterinary Association's Health and Medicines Committee, said: "The number of horses entering the human food chain from the UK has doubled since 2009 and is no longer an insignificant minority of horses. All vets should be checking horse passports and only dispensing sensible quantities of this drug, and its prodrug suxibuzone."

Meanwhile, a form is available from the British Equine Veterinary Association website for veterinary surgeons to use if the horse passport is not available, but emergency treatment is required: http://www.beva.org.uk/_uploads/documents/emergency-treatment-form-no-passport-2011.pdf

Invicta Animal Health has been appointed exclusive UK distributor of EquiChek, a rapid screening test which uses whole blood to assess the level of Serum Amyloid A (SAA), a major acute phase protein of inflammation in horses.

According to the company, EquiChek is the first test which is able to provide a visual semi-quantitative result within 15 minutes. The test will display 4 lines for a normal level of SAA and sequentially fewer lines depending on the severity of the inflammation.

Rob Watkins, Managing Director of Invicta, said: "Monitoring SAA levels in horses is a well-documented method of indicating a variety of conditions and for assessing health/inflammatory status prior to performance. However, the needs for equipment and time to perform the tests have always limited the situations in which it can be used.

"EquiChek changes all that. A stableside test for SAA means that monitoring real-time becomes a reality. Whether for tailoring antibiotic therapy, to check pre-breeding health status through to pre-competition health assessment, the applications are literally endless".

For further information see www.invictavet.com  or phone 01403 791313

The BVA has received a response to its letters to the Secretary of State and to Environment Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland requesting an early statement to the effect that non-British EU veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses who are currently living, studying or working in the UK will continue to be able to do so in future.

The response from Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing MSP, which was also sent on behalf of Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary Roseanna Cunningham MSP, said that:

"The First Minister is seeking guarantees from the UK Government that the residency status and other existing rights of the 173,000 EU citizens living in their respective countries will remain unchanged now and in the future."

This point was echoed in a response from Wales’ Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths AM, who said:

"The First Minister has also made it clear there are many sectors of business, which depend on EU citizens to fill vital posts and damage to public services and the wider economy would be immense if EU citizens were required to leave the country. I appreciate this could cause difficulties in relation to the veterinary profession and delivery of our Animal Health and Welfare programmes and policies in Wales."

Similarly, the Northern Ireland Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Michelle McIlveen MLA, acknowledged the vital contributions EU citizens make to animal health and welfare, saying:

"I will also endeavour, given the importance of animal and veterinary public health to the local economy, to ensure that this concern [you raise] is represented in the composite Northern Ireland input into the final United Kingdom negotiating position and strategy."

The new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Andrea Leadsom MP, has offered to meet with BVA President Sean Wensley to discuss these and other priority issues for the veterinary profession.

BVA is establishing a Brexit working group to prioritise and develop policies on the key issues that should be raised in forthcoming discussions and negotiations. 

The BVA has welcomed Defra Secretary of Sate Hilary Benn's announcement on the arrival of the first batch of Bovilis(r) BTv8 vaccine in the UK.

Congratulating Intervet on the speed with which the vaccine had been developed BVA President Nick Blayney said: "This news represents a crucial stage in our fight against Bluetongue. The last few months have been a particularly busy time as the end of the vector-free period approached bringing with it the threat of more cases of Bluetongue."

BTv8 is devastating in its second season and the BVA was delighted to join with organisations from across the livestock sector to launch the Joint campaign Against Bluetongue (JAB).

"Our aim has been to achieve the mass vaccination of Bluetongue susceptible animals, including goats and camelids and since the veterinary profession is the corner stone of the vaccination programme, with responsibility for vaccine delivery, proper usage and monitoring for efficacy, BVA has been in overdrive through much of March and April trying to ensure that vets were fully up to speed in advance of the arrival of the vaccine. Now that the vaccine is here, having been granted a provisional marketing authorisation for use inside Protection Zones and classified as a POM-V, we have further updated our advice to the profession. Our one-page summary sets out key considerations for vets including meeting the "under our care" prescribing requirements, movement controls, doses, off-label use, distribution and storage and communication in the hopefully unlikely event of any suspected adverse reactions."

Mr Blayney was highly complimentary of the co-operation and shared sense of purpose demonstrated by all those involved with JAB and was proud that the message - Bluetongue - Don't Hesitate - Vaccinate! Contact Your Vet Today - had emphasised the unique role of the vet in the protection of animal health and welfare.

The RCVS welcomed 15 veterinary surgeons who passed the RCVS Statutory Examination for Membership with a registration ceremony held on Monday at Belgravia House.

The RCVS Statutory Examination for Membership is open to veterinary surgeons with a veterinary degree gained outside the UK that is not recognised by the RCVS, and who therefore cannot join the RCVS Register. Candidates for the exam must also score at least 7.0 in the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test, which is comparable to requirements for entry to UK veterinary degrees and those of other professional regulators.

RCVS President Jacqui Molyneux said: "Your success is remarkable - especially for those whose first language is not English. The veterinary profession in the UK is small and welcoming, and you will find valuable support offered by the different members of the veterinary team as well as from professional organisations."

Registering at the ceremony was Mr Vahidreza Ardani, who qualified from the Islamic Azad University in Iran, where he practised for ten years as a large animal vet. He said: "It took me nearly three years of study to prepare for the IELTS [English language] exam. I have also been seeing practice here for the past two and a half years, including at the small animal hospital at the University of Glasgow.  I hope now to find work at a small animal practice."

Ms Olga Woolmer, who qualified from Perm State Agricultural Academy, Russia, also registered. Olga saw practice in several UK small animal and equine practices as preparation for the exam, whilst also working as an animal technician. She said: "I'm really grateful to all the practices that let me see practice. In particular, Burghley Veterinary Centre at Stamford helped me a lot in learning about what veterinary clients in the UK expect and how to sound confident when I give advice - which ultimately is best for the patient. It's great that I will soon be able again to do the work that I've trained so hard for."

Ticks infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease may be considerably more prevalent in the UK than recent estimates indicate, according to new research from the University of Bristol that used pet dogs as 'sentinels' for human disease risk.

Transmitted by ticks, Lyme disease is a debilitating chronic infection which affects a number of animals including humans and dogs. It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Clinical signs in humans include a characteristic circular red rash that spreads from the site of the tick bite, followed by a flu-like condition. In dogs, the symptoms can be much more vague and difficult to diagnose. If untreated, the disease progresses to neurological problems and arthritis; chronic forms of the disease can last for many years.

While only occasionally affecting humans, reported cases in the UK are thought to have increased more than fourfold since the beginning of the century - from 0.38 per 100,000 in 2000 to 1.79 per 100,000 in 2009. In 2010 there were 953 reported cases in England and Wales but the level of under-reporting is likely to be considerable.

To obtain a clearer picture of the prevalence of infected ticks, Faith Smith of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences and colleagues recruited veterinary surgeons across England, Scotland and Wales to examine dogs selected at random as they visited veterinary practices. Since pet dogs largely share the same environment and visit the same outdoor areas as their owners, exposure to infected ticks in dogs is likely to provide an index for corresponding risks to humans.

Of 3,534 dogs inspected between March and October 2009, 14.9% had ticks. Of the samples that could be tested, 17 (2.3%) were positive for the Borrelia bacteria. The expected prevalence of infected ticks on dogs is 0.5 per cent, or 481 infected ticks per 100,000 dogs. This suggests that the prevalence of Borrelia in the UK tick population is considerably higher than previously thought.

Faith Smith said: "Lyme disease appears to be a rapidly growing problem in the UK with important health and economic impacts in terms of loss of working hours and potential decrease in tourism to tick hotspots.

"Without considerably better surveillance and routine diagnostic testing, Lyme disease is only likely to become more prevalent. In particular, future warmer winters might well extend the period over which ticks are active seasonally, while growing wild reservoir host populations, such as deer, will allow the tick population to expand."

The study is published today in the journal Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. The research was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Merial Animal Health Ltd.