The BSAVA and the Small Animal Medicine Society (SAMSoc) are asking for feedback from vets in practice about their new tool to support and streamline the decision-making process around infectious disease.

The aim of the tool is to enhance the confidence of veterinary professionals in deciding when to prescribe and when to withhold antibiotics.

The tool is the next step in the PROTECT ME initiative, the core of which is the BSAVA/SAMSoc Guide to Responsible Use of Antibiotics: PROTECT ME guide in the BSAVA Library and the accompanying ‘Antibiotic use in our practice’ poster.

The current demo version of the tool provides advice on gastrointestinal infections.

Work is underway to cover all areas of the PROTECT ME guide.

Cameron Shuttlewood, Production Editor at BSAVA said: “Responsible use of veterinary medicines is key in supporting One Health and in retaining the right to prescribe antibiotics that are important in human medicine.

“We are pleased that the small animal veterinary community is embracing the importance of antibiotic stewardship, and we want this tool to make it quick and easy to follow existing evidence-based guidance.”

The full PROTECT ME guide, including printable posters and non-prescription forms, is available from www.bsavalibrary.com/PROTECTME.

BSAVA members can request free printed copies of the poster for their practice.

Non-members can purchase copies from www.bsava.com/shop for £5.

bsava.fillout.com/protectme

Acoording to news reports, a government minister has said that a package of measures to encourage responsible pet ownership is on the way, and that may include compulsory microchipping.

Replying to a question in the House of Lords, Lord Taylor of Holbeach said the government would put forward its arguments for and against microchipping when it announces its new strategy on dog ownership.

However, according to the BBC report, Conservative peer Lord Renton said ministers must think "carefully before" taking such a step: "There are many dogs that take very badly to having a chip in them," he said. "They get very sore."

Who ever said the Lords were out of touch, eh?

A rural social scientist has argued in this week's Veterinary Record that the dwindling influence of vets in the public health arena threatens food safety in the UK.

Philip Lowe, from the Centre for Rural Economy at the University of Newcastle, argues that a shift in practice from treating animals used for food on farms to looking after pets in urban communities, is largely to blame.

The proportion of time vets in private practice spent treating animals used for food halved between 1998 and 2006. Most vets run their own businesses, and pet owners have proved a more sustainable and lucrative source of income than farmers.

Professor Lowe sympathises with the need to make money, but laments this drift towards the profession turning into "another private sector service industry."

He says this fails to make use of vets' considerable and wide ranging expertise, adding: "I would argue that it also diminishes the public standing of the whole profession. I certainly couldn't imagine the medical establishment in this country accepting a role that marginalised public health, even if the NHS did not exist. More seriously for all of us, I believe that not involving vets in this important area also puts food safety in the UK at risk.

"At the same time we live in an age when there is real and widespread public concern about welfare standards for farm animals, threats from animal diseases old and new (such as blue tongue, bird flu and swine flu), and food safety."

Professor Lowe says that in the past, the veterinary arm of government traditionally provided leadership for the profession that was embodied by the Chief Veterinary Officer and was underpinned by the proportion of vets' income derived from public funding. But this is no longer the case, and is further undermined by the percentage of vets employed by government having shrunk from 11% to 4% over the past 40 years.

Professor Lowe argues that the profession needs to rethink its role and the direction in which it is travelling. He says there needs to be more specialist support and training for student vets and novice practitioners so that they are not put off from farm practice before they have had a chance to develop their skills and confidence in this area. 

However, he cautions against returning to the stereotype popularised by the fictional James Herriot vet, who was depicted as a mainstay of the rural community: "The farm vet's position and respect for their expertise needs to be restored, but not in the old Herriot mould. He or she has to take on the much greater challenge of risk and welfare regulation and management across the whole food system".

The Royal Veterinary College has established the Nestlé Purina RVC Intensive Respiratory Centre to provide advanced critical care for patients with severe respiratory diseases. The Centre will offer small animals the UK’s most advanced level of respiratory care with equipment that is more frequently found in human intensive care units, such as a state-of-the-art mechanical ventilator, a critical care monitor and specially made oxygen units (kennels).

Advances in veterinary care mean that animals are able to undergo more invasive procedures, such as extensive thoracic surgeries including cardiopulmonary bypass operations. These patients require more intensive post-operative care, including mechanical ventilation in some cases. The acquisition of this state-of-the-art equipment, to enable such an advanced level of care, has been made possible through sponsorship from Nestlé Purina.

Respiratory diseases are fairly common in companion animals – however there are limited options for treatment for animals that are severely affected with life-threatening respiratory failure. To date new techniques and treatments that have been developed for human patients with severe respiratory diseases have not been applied to animals. Some of the activities of the centre will involve evaluating the effectiveness and appropriateness of using some of these newly developed techniques on small animals.

“The RVC is perfectly placed to pioneer innovative treatment to improve the lives of animals with severe respiratory problems,” said Daniel Chan, Lecturer in Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care at the Royal Veterinary College.

“We’ve got the expertise of specialists in internal medicine, emergency and critical care, surgery, anaesthesia, diagnostic imaging and clinical nutrition – by combining these skills and with the support of Nestlé Purina, we will be able to deliver a comprehensive programme of care. This co-ordinated approach is unique.”

Specialised training modules and lectures for veterinary students, nurses and practitioners, will also be delivered as part of the Centre’s remit and the Centre is also creating a forum for clinicians and researchers from across the world to share information about advances in this field.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has today released details of the strategy for rolling out vaccination across England.

Under EU law, vaccination can only be carried out in a Protection Zone. As vaccine starts to be delivered by Intervet, vaccination will, therefore, commence in the Protection Zone only. Once vaccination is progressing across the Protection Zone, the intention is to extend or modify the Zone county by county, in order to permit further vaccination. The strategy has been developed and agreed with a Core Group of industry stakeholders. It is designed to be flexible, taking into account the changing nature of the disease, such as moving zones, the varying levels of disease risk in the zones and the availability of vaccine.

More details of the vaccination strategy, alongside indicative prices for the vaccine, can be found on the Defra website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/control/vaccination-rolloutplan.htm

Virbac has launched Cooldent, described as a highly palatable, fast-acting tablet to freshen dogs' breath.

Claire Lewis, Product Manager, explained: "Bad breath in dogs is unpleasant and is most frequently caused by a build-up of plaque and calculus on their teeth. 

"Cooldent's natural ingredients have an anti-plaque action and help both to maintain a balanced intestinal flora and to reduce gas production. They also help to freshen dogs’ mouths by contributing to the reduction of volatile compounds, produced by bacteria which can cause halitosis."

She added: "We are delighted to add Cooldent to our comprehensive dental range, alongside our VeggieDent, natural, all-vegetable, highly palatable teeth-cleaning chews for dogs and Vet Aquadent, an easy-to-use drinking water additive which helps to fight dental plaque and tartar formation in dogs and cats."

Clark Dental has launched the new Nomad Handheld X-Ray machine from Aribex™.

According to the company, Nomad already has a superb track record as a practical, effective and recognised state-of-the-art device. It boasts a multitude of benefits and features and is suitable for many different environments. Two rechargeable batteries provide 150 exposures each, and it’s compatible with both digital sensors and traditional X-ray film.

The operator is protected by a patented internal radiation shield as well as an external backscatter shield, which the company says provides excellent protection: one operator would have to expose over 10,000 E-speed films per year in order to approach the lowest measurable dose on a monitoring badge. With a direct digital sensor, the scatter dose is even less.

For further information, please contact the exclusive UK supplier, Clark Dental, on Tel: 01270 613750 or email maria@clarkdental.co.uk

Lincolnshire veterinary surgeon David Bull MRCVS has won a Vet Futures ‘Headlines of tomorrow’ competition with his entry: ‘Vets and medics collaborate to prevent human and animal obesity’. 

The competition was held at BSAVA Congress in April where Vet Futures-themed fortune cookies contained a message asking those attending ‘What future headline do you want to see?’ and providing a weblink to enter the competition.  

David, a joint partner at Vets4Pets in Lincoln South and an Advanced Practitioner in General Small Animal Surgery, said: "The headline was inspired by topical issues, having ‘One Health’ in mind and the issue of obesity in our patients, as well as the general human population. I feel that these are some of the big issues of our time, especially that of obesity which has been linked to so many other diseases and is essentially a self-induced problem.

“We see so many overweight cats, dogs and rabbits on a daily basis. It seems to be becoming a more common problem, as well as seemingly more accepted in society. This is to the extent that we have some clients that come in worried because they have been told that their dog is too thin, when in actual fact they are in an ideal body condition and are being compared to overweight pets which have become perceived as normal.”

Some of the other topics raised in the competition include the veterinary profession taking the lead in tackling ‘superbugs’, veterinary surgeons topping job satisfaction and wellbeing polls and the profession taking a leading role in One Health and medical advancements.

Leah Hunter MRCVS has been named BVA's Young Vet of the Year at an award ceremony where Rachel Dean won the Outstanding Service Award, Professor Andrew Cunningham FRCVS the Advancement of Veterinary Science Award, Polly Compston MRCVS the Animal Health and Welfare Overseas Award, and Pet People Vets the Wellbeing Award for small to medium-sized veterinary practices. 

Leah won the award for her extraordinary dedication, compassion, unwavering devotion to her patients and professionalism in all aspects of her work, both in practice and outside it.

After graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 2021, Leah began working as a mixed practice vet at Flett and Carmichael Veterinary Surgeons in Orkney, where she always goes the extra mile for her patients, whether within her practice or out and about in the Orkney countryside and coastline.  

She is involved with multiple charities outside of work, becoming an Orkney Nature Festival trustee, a British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) medic and Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme volunteer.

Her involvement is not confined to daylight hours or predictable situations as she frequently responds to emergency call-outs for seals, porpoise or dolphins at all hours, often in challenging conditions.

It is not uncommon for her to be found on windswept beaches in the dead of night, providing expert care to stranded or injured marine mammals.

She has also been involved in providing first aid to stranded whales and dolphins and assisting in their re-floatation or euthanasia when the animals can’t be refloated due to illness and also assisted with 37 pilot whale postmortems on Sanday, Orkney, in 2024 after the most significant mass stranding event in the UK in the last 100 years.  

Leah said: “I am very humbled to even be nominated, let alone win this award, especially when I know how many amazing and talented young vets there are in the UK.

"I truly do love the work that I do, island vetting really is unique and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to help make a difference.”

Rachel Dean won her award for her significant contribution to clinical practice and veterinary education.

Since graduating from the University of Glasgow, she has worked in mixed, dairy and small animal general practice in the private, charity and academic sectors.

"She is passionate about veterinary healthcare and is a recognised international leader of evidence-based veterinary medicine and encourages authentic collective clinical leadership and progressing care through developing professional connections, research, innovation, quality improvement and professional development.

BVA President Rob Williams said: “Rachel's work on evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM), including founding the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine at University of Nottingham’s School of Veterinary Medicine, has been truly pioneering and she is an impressive educator, having delivered education and mentoring in the fields of feline and shelter medicine.” 

Andrew Cunningham won his award for his exceptional contributions to the advancement of veterinary medicine and the field of wildlife veterinary science.  

Andrew is currently Deputy Director of Science at ZSL, where he has worked in various roles since 1988.

He has led several national and international, multi-disciplinary wildlife disease research projects investigating the emergence, spread, impact and mitigation of disease threats to wildlife conservation, understanding the role of anthropogenic environmental change on wildlife disease emergence.

His large body of original, high-quality research has had major impacts across conservation biology, veterinary science and public health, informing and influencing the policies of governments, intergovernmental organisations and NGOs.

Polly Compston received her award for her outstanding contribution to animal health and welfare on a global scale. 

After graduating from Edinburgh Vet School, Polly worked in mixed and small animal practice before completing a residency in clinical research at Rossdales Equine Hospital alongside an MSc in Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health.

She went on to work in research for an NGO, developing an evidence base for animal welfare interventions across Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, and later completed a PhD on the economic and social drivers of foot-and-mouth disease control in Kenya.

She currently has two roles, one as Veterinary Head of Outbreak Central Services at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), leading licensing, tracing and surveillance teams in the UK’s response to notifiable disease outbreaks, and also as a Technical Lead at EuFMD supporting international efforts for improved transboundary livestock disease control.

Finally, Pet People Vets, 387 Vets and Brooke Action for Working Horses and Donkeys all won a Wellbeing Award for going above and beyond to support staff wellbeing.

Congratulations to one and all!

The 2026 RCVS Knowledge Awards, which recognise teams who are using Quality Improvement (QI) methods to advance the quality of care are now open for applications.

The Awards are open to all organisations and practice teams across the UK who are using recognised QI techniques to improve outcomes. 

The Award categories are as follows:

• The Antimicrobial Stewardship Award showcases practical examples where veterinary teams have used QI methods to improve responsible use of antibiotics.
• The Quality Improvement to Lead Organisational Change Award is open to organisations that make positive organisation-wide change using recognised QI methods.
• The Quality Improvement in Practice Award celebrates veterinary teams that have used recognised QI techniques to drive improvement in care.

Ashley Doorly, Head of Quality Improvement at RCVS Knowledge, said: “Now in its seventh year, the RCVS Knowledge Awards continue to highlight the incredible work being done across the veterinary professions to improve patient safety and outcomes, boost team morale, embed evidence-based veterinary medicine, and support more fulfilling careers.

"Over the years, we’ve seen how strong team culture lays the foundation for successful Quality Improvement projects.

“This year, we’re especially excited to receive applications that explore emerging priorities such as sustainability, One Health, and contextualised care.”

https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/awards/rcvs-knowledge-awards 

The RCVS has announced that nominations are now open for the RCVS Elections and launched a new video which explains why you should consider putting your name forward.

Six seats are available on RCVS Council, each for a four-year tenure. Existing RCVS Council Members David Catlow, Jacqui Molyneux, Bob Partridge, Christine Shield, Neil Smith and Clare Tapsfield-Wright are due to retire from Council next year, but are all eligible for re-election.

Last year, for the first time in over a decade, no women candidates stood for election, and the College says it is determined to widen participation in Council amongst the whole profession.

To help veterinary surgeons learn more about what's involved in being a Council Member, the benefits it can bring and the amount of time it requires, the College has produced a short video featuring the experiences of some existing members of Council and their reasons for standing.

Gordon Hockey, RCVS Registrar, said: "We have chosen the theme 'People like you' for these videos because people on the Councils really are no different to their colleagues across all aspects of the veterinary and veterinary nursing professions. The thoughts and experiences they describe on camera will sound very familiar to many of their colleagues and peers! We need people of all ages and of varying experiences and professional backgrounds to ensure there is a healthy and diverse range of views available."

The College will also be hosting a special 'Meet the RCVS' day on Tuesday, 10 December for anyone considering standing for election but wanting to find out more first. Further information and bookings are available from Fiona Harcourt, Communications Officer (020 7202 0773 / f.harcourt@rcvs.org.uk).

Nominations are open until 5pm on Friday, 31 January 2014, allowing plenty of time to find out more about what's involved and to find two proposers.

Details about how to stand in the elections are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/rcvscouncil14.

Two equine journals have joined forces to create a free online collection of their recent articles on endocrinology to raise awareness of these common disorders and to provide veterinary surgeons with what they say is a definitive source of references all in one place.

The collection of references published by Equine Veterinary Education (EVE) and Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ) covers a range of topics within the field of endocrinology and includes authoritative review articles on insulin dysregulation², glucocorticoids and laminitis³ and paraneoplastic syndromes⁴.

The initiative has been made possible with the support of British Equine Veterinary Association Trust and has been compiled by leading international authorities on equine endocrinology, Professor Philip Johnson, of University of Missouri and Professor Nicholas Frank of Tufts University, Boston and the University of Nottingham.

They say that equine endocrine disorders, such as Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), are becoming more promptly identified and treated, thanks to ongoing research and advances in diagnosis, pharmacokinetics and management protocols.

PPID, or Cushing's, is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that is more easily recognised in its advanced form in older horses. Surveys show a PPID prevalence rate of up to 22% in horses over the age of 15⁵, with the odds of developing clinical signs associated with PPID increasing by approximately 20% per year after this age.

Insulin dysregulation (ID), characterised by increased insulin response to oral sugars, hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance, is identified in both PPID and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS)². Both PPID and EMS have been linked to the development of recurrent laminitis with subsequent high risk of mortality⁶. The exact mechanisms which link insulin to laminitis remain to be clarified¹ but this online collection highlights several studies, which partially address this important jigsaw^7-12.

Best practice for the management of EMS is outlined by Professors Nick Frank and Ray Geor in the December issue of EVE¹³. The first goal is to induce weight loss, and guidelines for designing diets for obese equids are provided. Exercise and dietary management¹⁴ have been shown to reduce the clinical signs and indices of inflammation in equine metabolic syndrome^{13 - 15}, however, further studies are needed to quantify the efficacy of these management changes on long-term outcomes.

The online collection also includes several studies addressing the diagnosis of PPID. The value of plasma adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), when interpreted with seasonally adjusted reference ranges, is discussed by several authors^18-20. Professors Frank and Geor advocate it as the most readily accessible test for monitoring PPID cases in a field setting, although they maintain that the thyrotropin- releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test is more sensitive and therefore has advantages when diagnosing PPID in its early stages¹³.

Pergolide has emerged as the drug of first choice for treatment of PPID¹³. While many vets recommend the early introduction of medication in the hope that it may avert the specter of laminitis, at present, there are no trials comparing pergolide with alternatives. Furthermore, there have been no long-term studies to show that horses treated with pergolide before the onset of clinical signs of PPID have better outcomes, including a reduced incidence of developing laminitis, than horses in which treatment is delayed until clinical signs become apparent.

Professor Celia Marr, Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal said: "Better control of PPID and insulin dysregulation should lower the risk of laminitis to help improve the health and longevity of many predisposed horses and ponies.

"Raising awareness of the benefits of early diagnosis and sharing the latest research on these and other associated conditions are imperative to provide horse owners with the best diagnostic and treatment programmes for their horses. However, it is easy to under-estimate obesity: horse owners need to think about improving management of their horses' feeding and exercise in order to avert problems before they become a veterinary issue."

References

1. Kritchevsky, S.E. and Johnson, P.J.  (2014) Current Status and Future Directions: Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction and Equine Metabolic Syndrome. Equine Veterinary Journal 46, to add.
2. Frank, N. and Tadros, E.M. (2014) Insulin Dysregulation. Equine Veterinary Journal 46, to add.
3. Cornelisse, C.J. and Robinson, N.E. (2013) Glucocortioid therapy and the risk of equine laminitis. Equine Veterinary Education 25, 39-46.
4. Axiak, S. and Johnson, P.J. (2012) Paraneoplastic manifestations of cancer in horses. Equine Veterinary Education 24, 367-376.
5. McGowan, T.W., Pinchbeck, G.P. and McGowan, C.M. (2013) Prevalence, risk factors and clinical signs predictive for equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction in aged horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 45, 74-79.
6. Tadros, E.M. and Frank, N. (2011) Endocrine disorders and laminitis. Equine Veterinary Education 25, 152-162.
7. TÓth, F., Frank, N., Martin-JimÉNez, T., Elliott, S.B., Geor, R.J. and Boston, R.C. (2010) Measurement of C-peptide concentrations and responses to somatostatin, glucose infusion, and insulin resistance in horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 42, 149- 155.
8. Venugopal, C.S., Eades, S., Holmes, E.P. and Beadle, R.E. (2011) Insulin resistance in equine digital vessel rings: An in vitro model to study vascular dysfunction in equine laminitis. Equine Veterinary Journal 43, 744-749.
9. Borer-Weir, K.E., Menzies-Gow, N.J., Bailey, S.R., Harris, P.A. and Elliott, J. (2013) Seasonal and annual influence on insulin and cortisol results from overnight dexamethasone suppression tests in normal ponies and ponies predisposed to laminitis. Equine Veterinary Journal 45, 688-693.
10. Burns, T.A., Watts, M.R., Weber, P.S., McCutcheon, L.J., Geor, R.J. and Belknap, J.K. (2013) Distribution of insulin receptor and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor in the digital laminae of mixed-breed ponies: An immunohistochemical study. Equine Veterinary Journal 45, 326-332.
11. Gauff, F., Patan-Zugaj, B. and Licka, T.F. (2013) Hyperinsulinaemia increases vascular resistance and endothelin-1 expression in the equine digit. Equine Veterinary Journal 45, 613-618.
12. Dunkel, B., Wilford, S.A., Parkinson, N.J., Ward, C., Smith, P., Grahame, L., Brazil, T. and Schott II, H.C. (2014) Severe hypertriglyceridaemia in horses and ponies with endocrine disorders. Equine Veterinary Journal 46, to add.
13. Frank, N. and Geor, R. (2014) Current best practice in clinical management of equine endocrine patients. Equine Veterinary Education to add.
14. Hudson, A.B., McGowan, C.M. and Morgan, R. (2012) The clinical management of EMS at the Philip Leverhulme equine hospital. Equine Veterinary Journal 44, 6.
15. Menzies-Gow, N.J., Wray, H., Bailey, S.R., Harris, P.A. and Elliott, J. (2014) The effect of exercise on plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers in normal and previously laminitic ponies. Equine Veterinary Journal 46.
16. Rendle, D.I., Rutledge, F., Hughes, K.J., Heller, J. and Durham, A.E. (2013) Effects of metformin hydrochloride on blood glucose and insulin responses to oral dextrose in horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 45, 751-754.
17. Owers, R. and Chubbock, S. (2013) Fight the fat! Equine Veterinary Journal 45, 5-5.
18. Copas, V.E.N. and Durham, A.E. (2012) Circannual variation in plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone concentrations in the UK in normal horses and ponies, and those with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. Equine Veterinary Journal 44, 440-443.
19. McGowan, T.W., Pinchbeck, G.P. and Mc Gowan, C.M. (2013) Evaluation of basal plasma α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and adrenocorticotrophic hormone concentrations for the diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction from a population of aged horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 45, 66-73.
20. Rendle, D.I., Litchfield, E., Heller, J. and Hughes, K.J. (2014) Investigation of rhythms of secretion and repeatability of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone concentrations in healthy horses and horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. Equine Veterinary Journal 46, to add.