The BVA is calling on Defra and the APHA to take an innovative approach to capturing farm animal post-mortem data, after its Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey found that 90% of production animal vets now conduct their own PMs.
In 2014, there was a 31% increase in production animal vets carrying out their own PMs following post mortem laboratory closures, yet most vets keep this PM data at their practice, with less than 5% inputting it into a national system such as NADIS, AHT or APHA and less than 1% to a benchmarking group.
Sean Wensley BVA President said: "We have heard a lot about big data and its positive uses economically and socially. Disease surveillance could be a shining example of where big data and innovative data capture comes into its own. In a global world, where diseases such as Schmallenberg and bluetongue can emerge in our livestock without having previously been seen on these shores, being able to quickly join up the dots of disparate disease data is vital.
"We understand that Defra and APHA must make difficult choices due to economic pressures and we very much welcome research already utilising post mortem data such as the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s Fallen Stock Project. What we now need is clear communications and guidance on carcase collection and access to PM examination arrangements together with a determination to see this as an opportunity to innovate, exploring how digital technology can help vets in the field record and capture data that feed into national databases and help us to see the bigger picture."
BVA is asking that all vets affected by laboratory closures are clearly informed about alternative arrangements for carcase collection and PMs, with 63% of vets affected by laboratory closures reporting that carcase collection in their local area was not working well.
BVA is calling on government and industry to lead in developing new and cost efficient ways to capture and analyse disease and surveillance data, drawing on innovations in digital technology and big data analysis.
Photograph courtesy BVA
The BSAVA is calling on veterinary surgeons to vote for colleagues that they feel are deserving of one of the Association's prestigious awards.
The awards are:
All members of BSAVA are eligible to vote - either in just one, or multiple categories. Visit www.bsava.com/awards or call 01452 726705 for details.
The deadline for votes is 14 September. The Awards Ceremony will take place at BSAVA Congress 4-7 April 2013.
In addition, the Association is inviting applications for the Frank Beattie Travel Scholarship. Established in 1988 in memory of Frank Beattie, a well respected veterinary surgeon and a long-standing member of the BSAVA, it is awarded annually from a generous gift given by Frank's widow, Annie. The scholarship, worth £2000, is to help a BSAVA member undertake a trip abroad to study a particular aspect of veterinary practice. To apply for this scholarship email h.field@bsava.com or call 01452 726705. The deadline for application is 28 September.
Academics from the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences have been awarded a grant from RCVS Knowledge to create a free online teaching and learning resource for evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM).
The project will produce an open access series of online, re-usable learning tools presented as a web tutorial. The tutorial will have a number of modules teaching the fundamental concepts of evidence-based veterinary medicine such as finding evidence, creating patient questions, evaluating evidence, critically appraising the literature and designing knowledge summaries with clinical bottom lines for clinicians.
Brief tasks will allow users to apply and test their knowledge in bite-sized ways, for example by answering multiple choice questions, identifying appropriate clinical questions and designing search strategies to answer those questions, completing a literature search and filling in a template for a knowledge summary.
Dr Kristen Reyher, Senior Lecturer in Farm Animal Science in the School of Veterinary Sciences (pictured right), who is leading the project team, said: "This project is the largest RCVS Knowledge award to date. It is a significant step forward and will establish Bristol as a leader in this essential area. Our approach will increase the opportunities for students and members of the profession to engage in this exciting field, and the online resource will offer the flexibility to be re-used not only in independent learning, but also in a variety of teaching and learning scenarios across the sector.
"As a global group, we are passionate about being involved in larger, long-term projects to push EBVM further into the consciousness of the profession, and believe this project moves us one step further along in bringing together key stakeholders and creating an excellent online re-usable resource."
The project team represents a variety of diverse backgrounds including clinicians, scientists, researchers and other areas of the veterinary profession. The team says it believes that collaboration, sharing and adaptation of the many resources that have already been developed individually is the most powerful way to meet stakeholder needs and make a significant contribution to EBVM.
It is hoped the team's approach will increase the opportunities for students and members of the profession to engage in this exciting field and, by using best practice in pedagogy, help ensure the topic is introduced well and adopted wholeheartedly by the veterinary profession.
The resource will be available as a stand-alone tutorial for independent learning and will also have the flexibility for institutions to re-use and re-purpose individual parts to meet their own training needs. The resource will be showcased at RCVS Knowledge's EBVM Skills Day 2015 in London this autumn [Friday 30 October].
The company has created the X-Pert Radiation Safety Centre, with free downloadable toolkits for both small animal and equine practice, including positioning guides, top tips, chemical restraint protocols, and a series of case studies with equine and small animal clinics, including Pennard Vets.
Dr Victoria Johnson, CEO and radiologist (pictured), said: “Radiation safety breaches represent a significant health and safety incident and a risk to the health of veterinary team members and their patients.
"Despite this, we know that breaches are not uncommon in clinical practice.
"To help meet the challenge of improving safety in busy practice workflows, VET.CT has created a comprehensive suite of practical resources to support veterinary teams in applying best practice to ensure the health of their personnel and patients.
"We have also partnered with clinics from around the world, including GP, equine and specialist hospitals, to provide some great case studies of how the principles can be applied in practice.”
Victoria added: “Good radiation safety practice also encourages habits that lead to better diagnostics.
"We know that taking extra care to ensure good patient preparation, positioning and optimising settings results in fewer exposures and higher quality diagnostic images for more accurate interpretation.
"This all contributes to improved efficiency, patient management and outcomes, greater satisfaction, and of course, happier owners.”
The X-Pert radiation safety resources for small animal practice: https://uk.vet-ct.com/welcome-to-x-pert
The X-Pert radiation safety resources for equine practice here: https://uk.vet-ct.com/welcome-to-x-pert-equine
The RSPCA has announced that it will continue its fight to stop the Government's planned cull of badgers after MPs voted against an opposition motion to reverse the Government's strategy aimed at combating bovine TB.
MPs voted 299 to 250 against proposals to stop the cull going ahead in two pilot areas in Somerset and Gloucestershire - a narrower margin than the Government has in the House of Commons despite the three-line whip enforced.
RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant said: "We fight on. This vote flies in the face of scientific and public opinion. We are grateful to those MPs who spoke out against the cull and particularly those who defied the Government's three line whip.
"There can be little doubt that had MPs been free to express their views through a free vote there would have been a large majority against the cull as there was last October.
"The only real way forward is the vaccination of both cattle and badgers, better biosecurity and control of cattle movements."
The debate follows a report issued by the EFRA select committee which said more investment is urgently needed into vaccination as a solution for bovine TB.
One of the earliest decisions of this government was to cancel five of the six badger vaccination projects planned - a policy the RSPCA believes was short-sighted.
RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant said: "Much more needs to be done to bring forward the timetable for the development of effective oral vaccination programmes for both cattle and badgers as the EFRA report says.
"Meanwhile we stand ready to work with those who want to vaccinate and save lives rather than cull and kill."
Unlike traditional PCR tests, Rhea molecular diagnostic tests need no lab equipment, allowing them to be used directly in the field.
The first panel test in the new range is Rhéa Vector-Borne Diseases, which simultaneously detects four major pathogens in under 40 minutes: Theileria spp., Babesia spp., Anaplasma spp. (including A. marginale and A. phagocytophilum), and Borrelia spp.
Enalees says the Rhéa range addresses a growing need in the sector, enabling vets to act quickly and accurately.
https://www.enalees.com
Vet Stuart Thorne from Fellowes Farm Equine Clinic in Abbots Ripton has praised the work of the charity-run National Foaling Bank after it helped save the life of an orphan three day old filly foal.
Petplan has issued a last call for entries to the 2009 Petplan Veterinary Awards, and announced that comedian Jason Manford, best known as team captain on Channel 4's 8 out of 10 Cats, will be the compere.
The Veterinary Awards aim to honour the special stars within the veterinary profession and nominations remain open under four different categories:
Petplan says it has already received hundreds of nominations from clients and industry professionals alike. To make sure your colleagues are considered for the accolade log onto www.petplan.co.uk/vetawards to nominate. Entries must be in by 6th February 2009.
The Petplan Veterinary Awards are to be held on Thursday 2nd April on the first evening of BSAVA.
The new resources include:
Celia Marr, chair of BEVA’s infectious disease working group, said: “Equine disease prevention and management are fundamental for responsible equine health, welfare and performance.
“These resources cover the need-to-know information and are all in one easy reverence location on the newly designed infection control page on the BEVA website.”
https://www.beva.org.uk/Resources/Equine-infectious-diseases
The British Veterinary Nursing Association and the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons have launched a waiting room poster to help practices raise awareness of the status of their VNs and promote the welfare benefits that VNs can help provide.
Rolled copies of the A2 posters are available in a tube for £2.50 (to cover postage). Folded copies are free or you may download the poster here.
Contact the BVNA office on 01279 408644 to request a copy.
Initial laboratory tests on the samples taken this morning from the cattle on the holding in Surrey where disease was suspected have indicated the presence of Foot and Mouth Disease. On the basis of these initial laboratory results and clinical symptoms Debby Reynolds, UK Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO), has confirmed Foot and Mouth Disease. The farm comprises a number of separate parcels of land and a single Protection Zone will be put in place which extends a 3 kilometres radius from each of them, and a Surveillance Zone of 10 kilometres radius beyond that. Footpaths will be closed in the Protection Zone.
Here's the latest horror to hit the shops in time for Halloween this year:
Form an orderly queue please, everyone.
Intervet has announced that its bluetongue vaccine, Bovilis® BTV8 has been granted a licence by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). The licence, which is the first for a bluetongue vaccine in the UK, sets out dose rates and treatment regimes for the product use.
The recommended dose rates for animal over one month of age are as follows:
Sheep – 1 x 1ml, injected subcutaneously.
Cattle - 2 x 1ml, approximately three weeks apart, injected subcutaneously.
In successive years, re-vaccination should be given two weeks prior to the risk period.
Treated animals should have protective immunity three weeks after the initial course. Bovilis BTV8 should only be administered to healthy animals. Treated stock may have a slight swelling at the site of injection.
The vaccine must be stored at between 2ºC – 8ºC and, once opened, should be used within eight hours. The vaccine is available in 20ml and 50ml bottles. The licence recommends the use of multi injection vaccination systems.
Intervet will be supplying a discounted 1ml vaccination gun into the market.
Purina has launched a range of services and support materials to help veterinary professionals approach the subject of nutrition with owners.
The Gastrointestinal Support Pack includes a GI handbook, "lunch and learn" educational sessions, a diagnostic support tool (available at www.purinavets.eu/giapplication) and a toolkit containing information sheets and diagnostic advice.
The company has also announced the result of some consumer research it conducted through One Poll in 2013, which revealed that 77% of dogs have experienced some form of digestive health issue, but only 20% of owners had visited their vet to discuss it. The research also found that 80% of owners would be willing to change their pet's diet if it would improve their digestion.
Esther Rawlinson, Purina UK Veterinary Affairs Manager said: "GI upsets and associated 'accidents' can be really distressing for both owner and pet but are seemingly suffered as 'just one of those things' by many. This needn't be the case though, as a lot of GI-related conditions could be prevented or at least managed by the correct nutritional advice and a specially formulated veterinary diet. By addressing nutrition at every consultation, vets can better identify those patients who suffer regular GI disturbance but whose owners do not feel it worthy of mentioning when in the clinic. The survey results show that there is a huge opportunity for vets to improve the health of many more of their clients' dogs and this is why Purina has introduced a range of GI services and support materials. We aim to help vets to include a nutritional assessment in all of their consultations."
For more information call PURINA PetCare Team on 0800 212 161.
Langford Veterinary Services, a fully owned subsidiary of the University of Bristol, has announced the opening of a new standing equine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facility at the university's equine centre.
The equine MRI facility completes the diagnostic imaging facilities in the School, which include a 16-slice CT scanner for small animals and standing horses, digital radiography, high-resolution fluoroscopy, diagnostic ultrasound, echocardiography and scintigraphy with a high-resolution 1.5 tesla MRI scanner, available seven days a week.
Evita Busschers, Senior Teaching Fellow and orthopaedic surgeon in the equine centre, said: “We are very grateful to the Trustees of the Alborada Trust and the Langford Trust who have provided generous support for the MRI facility. The new imaging facility will enable us to provide an even better and more complete service for our equine patients and completes the diagnostic imaging facilities available at the centre.
“Equine MRI offers the ability to image soft tissue structures and identify soft tissue injuries that cannot be demonstrated with other diagnostic imaging modalities and therefore has major additional value in providing a diagnosis and prognosis in lameness evaluations.”
Miles Littlewort, a trustee from the Alborada Trust added: “Donating the money is the easy bit but ensuring that it has been used where it should be and that it has made the necessary difference is much more challenging. We are so pleased to have had the opportunity to support the Langford Trust and their work to improve animal health and welfare. We are delighted to have attended the opening, to meet the clinicians who will use the magnificent facility and to learn about the clinical research which gives all veterinary surgeons evidence-based information to enhance diagnosis and treatment for all patients.”
Following the announcement from the Dogs Trust that the number of stray and abandoned dogs has reached an 11 year high, Pedigree has launched it's fourth annual Adoption Drive.
The campaign, which seeks to raise awareness and funds for the thousands of strayed and abandoned dogs in the UK, comes at a time when recent statistics put the number of dogs being picked up by local authorities in the last year at 126,176 - the worst in over a decade.
Since its launch, The Pedigree Adoption Drive has raised over £1million for rescue centres up and down the country who are working tirelessly to find new and loving homes for abandoned dogs. Last year alone, grants of almost a quarter of a million pounds were distributed to 34 rescue homes and went towards funding the vital refurbishment of dilapidated kennel blocks, desperately needed veterinary facilities and the supply of essential surgical equipment.
TV presenter and wildlife vet Steve Leonard, who is supporting this year's campaign, said: "Rescue centres across the country are at capacity due to the overwhelming number of stray and abandoned dogs in Britain - a number which is sadly still on the rise. We need to work together to make people aware of this issue and educate them about both the benefits and commitment involved in owning a dog. The funds and support generated by this campaign, help to give abandoned dogs everywhere a second chance at the loving homes they deserve."
During the campaign, Pedigree is sponsoring Pete Wedderburn's blog on www.vetsurgeon.org
Following a new study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association's One Health Committee has called for a co-ordinated global infectious disease monitoring system to be established for veterinarians who work in small companion animal practice worldwide.
The study, led by Michael Day, Professor of Veterinary Pathology in the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol and Chair of the WSAVA's One Health Committee, lists the key zoonotic diseases of cats and dogs.
It recommends that the knowledge gained through surveillance would permit more effective global control of small companion animal zoonoses and reduce the risks associated with the human-animal relationship.
Professor Day said: "It is well recognised that most of the major new diseases of mankind will have an animal origin and that dogs and cats are a potential source of such emerging diseases.
"The number of small companion animals is particularly significant. For example there are an estimated eight to ten million dogs living in up to 31 per cent of UK homes and in the USA, 72 million dogs in 37 per cent of homes. The benefits of pet ownership on human health, well-being and development are unquestionable but, as they have moved from the barn, to the house, to the bedroom, the potential for disease spread to humans increases. Control of diseases among dogs and cats is a good way to prevent spread to humans.
"In human, livestock and wildlife heath there are already programmes of active surveillance for infectious disease underway to monitor the global distribution and movement of key infectious agents. For example, the WHO monitors human influenza virus infection through a network of 111 centres in 83 countries. In contrast, there is no such monitoring for the infections that may be transmitted between small companion animals and man. Meanwhile, canine rabies virus infection, one of the diseases listed in the paper, is estimated to kill a minimum of 55,000 people in Africa and Asia each year.
"The development of such a scheme would require the significant political will, scientific application and financial support that could be achieved through a public-private partnership. The aim of our position paper in Emerging Infectious Diseases is to initiate stakeholder discussions with that end goal in mind."
A study published in Current Biology has demonstrated that there are remarkable similarities in the way that dog and human brains respond to sound, and that dog brains, like those of people, are also sensitive to acoustic emotional cues.
Lead by Attila Andics, researchers from MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group in Hungary trained 11 dogs to lay motionless in an fMRI brain scanner. This made it possible to run the same neuroimaging experiment on both dog and human participants - something that had never been done before. They captured both dogs' and humans' brain activities while the subjects listened to nearly 200 dog and human sounds, ranging from whining or crying to playful barking or laughing.
The resultant scans showed that dog and human brains include voice areas in similar locations. Not surprisingly, the voice area of dogs responds more strongly to other dogs while that of humans responds more strongly to other humans.
The researchers also noted striking similarities in the ways the dog and human brains process emotionally loaded sounds. In both species, an area near the primary auditory cortex lit up more with happy sounds than unhappy ones. Andics says the researchers were most struck by the common response to emotion across species.
There were some differences, too: in dogs, 48% of all sound-sensitive brain regions respond more strongly to sounds other than voices. That's in contrast to humans, in which only 3% of sound-sensitive brain regions show greater response to nonvocal versus vocal sounds.
The researchers say that the findings suggest that voice areas evolved at least 100 million years ago, the age of the last common ancestor of humans and dogs. It also offers new insight into humans' unique connection with our best friends in the animal kingdom and helps to explain the behavioural and neural mechanisms that made this alliance so effective for tens of thousands of years.
Andics said: "This method offers a totally new way of investigating neural processing in dogs. At last we begin to understand how our best friend is looking at us and navigating in our social environment."
Photograph: Borbala Ferenczy. Dogs at the MR Research Centre (Budapest).
What does a well-known flea & tick collar have in common with the World Cup?
It transpires that the same Bayer MaterialScience technology which is being used by Adidas to make the 'Brazuca' - the new official match ball - more stable, elastic and hardwearing, is also used to allow imidacloprid and flumethrin to diffuse consistently through Seresto flea and tick collars for up to 8 months.
There you go. Bet you didn't know that.
The Diabetic Clinical Score is a quick, standardised scoring system to record the clinical signs of diabetes in a patient, which was designed by Royal Veterinary College Internal Medicine Specialist Stijn Niessen
The scoring system has been turned into a pet diabetes app which allows clients to record and monitor the impact of treatment.
CVS' aim is to use the recently validated tool in over 80% of patient cases to improve the treatment and control of diabetes whilst supporting the practice team to develop their skills in managing the condition.
Participating practices will use the DCS, alongside blood glucose measurements, to diagnose and monitor patients.
Veterinary nurses will refer animals coming in for six-monthly Healthy Pet Club check-ups to a vet for a possible diabetes diagnosis, whilst vets diagnosing diabetes will introduce owners and patients to the DCS to record a diabetes log, to help manage the condition.
To upskill and develop colleagues in the use of the DCS, dedicated vet and nurse training sessions have been held by the clinical leadership team, including a kick-off ‘diabetes day’ which focussed on current thinking and introduced the DCS tool.
CVS teams have also grouped together to agree a coordinated approach to managing pets with diabetes in their practice.
Supporting diabetes resources have also been drafted for practices, including new clinical guidelines, supporting paperwork and CPD.
Lara Wilson, Regional Clinical Lead at CVS said: “Diabetes is notoriously difficult to diagnose and different vets can use different approaches to managing cases.
“The Diabetic Clinical Score will help the whole team around the patient – the owner, vet and veterinary nurse – to effectively and cohesively manage their care.
It will implement joined-up thinking and help to put a standardised disease management framework in place.
“It will be fantastic to see the benefits that the Diabetic Clinical Score will bring to our patients and practices.
"I am certain that this will help contribute towards them providing some of the best diabetes clinical diagnosis and care in our profession.”
Here’s a gadget I’d love to get my hands on: the Zoombak advanced GPS pet locator, launched in the UK today.
The locator attaches to any dog collar, or indeed your car, husband, wife or teenager, and allows you to get a real time fix of their location by telephone, or on your computer. It costs £99.99 from pet retailers, with an additional £9.99 per month service subscription (£99.99 if paid annually upfront), which allows for an unlimited number of ‘locates’. Hot on its heels comes the Pawtrack, which will also cost £99.99 with a similar monthly subscription which allows for 1200 locates per month.
Pawtrack is being aimed at both cats and dogs, and whilst it is marginally smaller and lighter than the Zoombak, there isn’t a lot in it. Both are still probably too cumbersome for a cat, which is why Zoombak more pragmatically recommends its product for dogs over 7 kg.
Doubtless it won’t be long before they miniaturise the technology so that it’ll be the width of a nostril hair, thereby solving the problem of pet theft and loss completely. Meantime, these look like a practical and fun gadget for the owners of larger breeds that regularly go AWOL.
For more information on stocking Zoombak please contact Zoombak on 08708 033095.
Animus4Vets has launched a new complete series of training CDs. The new series of 4 CDs is entitled Sales and Merchandising and covers aspects such as consulting room sales, waiting room sales and educational displays.
Animus4Vets says the new CDs have been designed in a similar format as their first Client Care series and aim to enable veterinary practices to run their own in-house training.
For more information go to http://www.animus4vets.com/ and follow the CD training links or phone 01449 775330.