The British Veterinary Dental Association (BVDA) has signed a new agreement with Hill's Pet Nutrition which will provide support for the next three years. 

The agreement comes after the previous period of sponsorship between the company and the BVDA reached the end of the three year term.

Lisa Milella, President, signed the agreement on behalf of the BVDA. She said: "Hill's has provided our organisation with invaluable support that will help us to continue to support the teaching needs of vets, undergraduates and nurses. We will also be able to ensure that dentistry is front of mind when thinking about the health and welfare of animals. Hill's has been a pleasure to work with over the last three years and I am very pleased to be renewing our agreement."

Adrian Pratt, Veterinary Affairs Manager at Hill's Pet Nutrition also welcomed the agreement, "Dentistry is an important source of revenue for practices and central to the wellbeing of pets. Both are priority areas where Hill's will be offering support, particularly during the current economic downturn. We are therefore very pleased to be able to confirm our association with the BVDA."

The agreement comes as the BVDA prepares to celebrate its 21^st Birthday at BSAVA Congress in April. The satellite day event on the 1^st April promises to be a 'must' for anyone interested in veterinary dentistry, with state of the art lectures that will illustrate how far the craft of dentistry has developed in the last 21 years.   

The key note lecture, 'Magical MTA!*' will be delivered by Phil Thomson, Registrar at Birmingham Dental School, using a video linked operating microscope to illustrate how this gold standard endodontic treatment can be implemented. Additional lectures include oro-facial tumours, reconstructive surgery, radiotherapy and an active debate is promised on the topic of feline chronic gingivostomatitis. The meeting is open to members and non-members. Further details and registration are available by contacting Lisa Milella on telephone 01923 349690 or at lisa@milella.fsnet.co.uk.

*Mineral Trioxide Aggregate - MTA - a root canal repair material that allows natural healing and repair of dental tissues of otherwise unsalvageable teeth.

The BVA has expressed its concern that almost two-thirds of food companies have no information on their commitment to stunning animals before slaughter – with only 4% having a "universal commitment".

The findings were published in the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare report (BBFAW, published 27 January) and also show that slaughter without pre-stunning is the only welfare measure showing a decline in the percentage of food companies that have a specific policy on the practice, down from 34% in 2014 to 32% in 2015. 

BVA has run a long-standing and high profile campaign to end non-stun slaughter in the UK, with a public petition in 2015 gaining 120,000 signatures. BVA, together with all leading farm animal welfare organisations, believes that all animals should be stunned before slaughter to render them insensible to pain. Scientific evidence supports the use of pre-stunning to safeguard animal welfare. In 2015, two-thirds of BVA members listed the issue as one of their top priorities for government. 

BVA President Sean Wensley said: "Vets and the public are united in their concern about animal welfare at slaughter. There are several positive findings on the growing commitment of food companies towards farm animal welfare in the BBFAW report, which we welcome, but the report highlights a disappointing lack of commitment towards animal welfare at the time of slaughter. The European Commission’s study of 13,500 meat consumers across Europe found that 72% wanted information about the stunning of animals at slaughter. Food companies need to sit up and take consumers’ concerns about humane slaughter seriously. People want to be assured that farmed animals receive both a good life and a humane death."

IVC has opened Blaise Veterinary Referral Hospital, one of the largest referral centres in the UK, with a capacity to treat up to 10,000 pets a year.

Located on the Longbridge regeneration site near Birmingham, Blaise Referrals is IVC's first purpose-built, multi-disciplinary hospital in the UK and the company says it provides a blueprint for its future hospitals, with a clinician-led building design and a nurse-led clinical floor, both of which are fairly new practices for the profession.

Blaise Referrals will accept patients from first opinion practices across the UK and offer a wide range of services including orthopaedic and soft tissue surgeries, neurology, cardiology, internal medicine.

The hospital has a state-of-the art intensive care unit with a dedicated ICU team which can support other hospital departments with its advanced facilities.

The 36,000 square foot hospital also boasts a 1.5T Siemens MRI, a 64 slice Siemens CT scanner, multiple ultrasound machines and both fixed and digital radiography machines.

The team at Blaise is led by clinical director Andrew Kent and hospital director Julie Davis, both of whom have been hard at work over the last year amassing a team of veterinary professionals across multiple disciplines including Jacques Ferreira as head of anaesthesia, Jennifer Raj as head of internal medicine and Carlo Anselmi as head of diagnostic imaging.

Andy said: “We’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point and I know I speak on behalf of the whole team here at Blaise when I say we are thrilled to officially be able to welcome pets and owners from all around Birmingham and the Midlands.

“Recent years have seen an ever-increasing need for specialist referral services in the veterinary industry and we are here to answer that demand by providing excellent high-quality and professional care for pets who need it.”

www.blaise-referrals.com

Protexin Veterinary has partnered with Improve International to give its customer practices free CPD.

Vouchers for twelve months' free access to Improve's Online Bitesize CPD series will be offered to veterinary surgeons, nurses and practice managers by their Protexin Territory Manager, based on their use of products in the Protexin range.

Online Bitesize CPD offers veterinary professionals the opportunity to meet their annual CPD requirements in short bursts of learning at a time and place to suit them. Its online modules of 20, 40 and 60 minutes cover a range of clinical topics, including cardiology, ophthalmology, small animal medicine, feline medicine and exotics.

Improve says the modules have been designed to be visually engaging, highly interactive and informative to ensure that the experience is rewarding.

James Kyffin, Veterinary Director at Protexin, said: "We are thrilled to be continuing our relationship with Improve International by offering practices access to its Online Bitesize CPD. We are passionate about education and Bitesize offers a convenient, exciting way for the profession to gain access to high quality CPD."

John Douglass at Improve International added: “We hope that veterinary professionals who have not yet experienced our training will take up the opportunity created by this association with Protexin Veterinary and learn new skills with our Online Bitesize CPD service for twelve months at no cost.

"The interactive modules we have created are led by recognised experts and will help them to refresh their knowledge, learn new skills and achieve their annual CPD points quota online at any time.”

Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss is urging veterinary surgeons employed in government roles and private vets undertaking government work (OVs) to take part in a wellbeing survey being conducted by the Association of Government Veterinarians.

The aim of the survey, which closes on 16th June, is to recognise and help raise awareness of the multiple challenges faced by veterinary surgeons undertaking roles for Government as a distinct subset of the veterinary profession.

The Association of Government Veterinarians says that following the survey, it'll be producing a report which identifies issues which affect government vets' wellbeing, identifies existing tools to promote wellbeing within Government and considers developing new ones if necessary. It will also consider best practice and any gaps in the wellbeing services currently available that vets in Government roles would benefit from.

To take part in the survey, visit: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/vetswellbeing

You can read more about the survey here: https://vets.blog.gov.uk/2018/04/06/how-are-you-feeling-association-of-government-vets-wellbeing-survey-launched/

Photo: Christine Middlemiss introduces the survey.

The University of Liverpool's School of Veterinary Science has announced the introduction of a new curriculum designed to enhance undergraduate veterinary teaching and learning.

The University says that the curriculum, which was developed in consultation with staff, current and past students, and other key stakeholders, will provide world-leading clinical training, underpinned with the latest scientific knowledge.

The review also explored new ways of teaching in order to reduce the number of lectures in favour of more dynamic forms of training, such as 'scenario' sessions where students work in groups to tackle clinical problems.

Dr Alex German, programme director for the new curriculum, said: "Instead of a modular format, where subjects are taught in self-contained units, we now integrate subjects throughout the degree programme so that students can seamlessly connect what they have learnt to what they are practising.

"Pre-clinical subjects are taught early on, but then revisited during the later stages of the course to ensure that clinical knowledge is based on sound physiological and pathophysiological principles."

Fundamental research skills, such as basic statistics and scientific writing, are taught in the early years, and then reinforced when students undertake a full honours-degree-equivalent research project in their third year.

Evidence-based veterinary medicine principles also underpin all clinical subjects, enabling undergraduates to review clinical evidence critically, and appraise new data as it emerges.

The most significant changes, however, focus on the teaching of clinical skills, which is now taught throughout the five-year programme. To support this, the School has appointed a number of new lecturers specifically to teach clinical skills, and opened new purpose-built teaching laboratories.

Teaching includes the use of models such as a cattle obstetric simulator, a life-size model of a horse with foam pads for practising injections, and a 'Lambinator' for lambing practise.  Many of the models have been designed and built by the new lecturers.

A 'cow laboratory' has also been developed to provide an area for self-directed teaching where students can practise skills such as, haltering and casting a cow, learning how to cast a calf's leg, and perform rectal examination with the use of 'Betsy', the in-house reproductive tract simulator (pictured right).

Alison Reid, clinical skills lecturer, said: "When I qualified ten years ago, I could not confidently perform some of the skills we are now teaching our first year students and I remember how unnerving that was when I first entered practice.  

"If we can take away the difficulty associated with performing unfamiliar manual skills under pressure, we will be improving the lives of our graduates, their colleagues and their patients."

The Practice Standards Group, which comprises representatives from all of the key veterinary and veterinary nursing organisations, has updated the standards of the Practice Standards Scheme and a draft of the new Manual is now available for comment.

The Scheme is a voluntary accreditation programme that aims to promote and maintain high standards of facilities and care within UK veterinary practices. When it was launched in 2005, a commitment was made that the standards would not change for five years, unless new legislation (such as the Veterinary Medicines Regulations) required it. Following a detailed review of the standards, to ensure they continue to be relevant to current veterinary practice, proposals have been made by the Group for new standards to be implemented during 2010. 

Jill Nute, Chairman of the Practice Standards Group said: "It is unlikely that any already-accredited practices will be required to invest in additional facilities or equipment to meet the new standards.

"Instead, greater emphasis has been placed on clinical outcomes and training. For example, performance review has been introduced for all clinical staff, including the Professional Development Phase for new graduates. We are keen to hear feedback on the proposed new standards."

One recommendation is that the 'tiers' should be dropped. The categories will retain their descriptive names, for example, Small Animal General Practice or Equine Veterinary Hospital. Feedback suggests that clients, and the profession, found the tiers to be misleading.

The layout of the Manual has been revamped, to include guidance that was previously available online. Guidance for each relevant standard can now be seen at a glance. There is also an icon to indicate if documentary evidence will be required by the inspector. In addition, the new format clarifies the derivation of each standard, so that legislative requirements are distinguished from those required under the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct and those indicated by better practice.

Membership of the Scheme continues to grow, with 126 applications to join the Scheme in the first six months of this year, representing 264 premises, compared with 61 applications in the whole of last year. There are currently 2,351 practice premises under the ambit of the Scheme - approximately 50%.

The draft new Manual is online at www.rcvs.org.uk/consultations.

Hard copies are available from Eleanor Ferguson, Practice Standards Scheme Manager: e.ferguson@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0720.

The deadline for comments is 31 August 2009. Responses will be considered by the Practice Standards Group at its September meeting and thereafter by Council in November.

VetSurgeon.org has launched a new survey of vets designed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of social media as a professional tool, and what more could be done to help the profession collaborate more effectively.

Probably the two most popular social media platforms for veterinary surgeons in the UK are Facebook (and its various veterinary groups) and VetSurgeon.org.

Facebook has the advantage that so many people use it to share photographs with family and friends, so they are already on the site and it is only a very short hop over to participate in a veterinary discussion group. That makes it an excellent way to get a broad opinion on almost any subject. 

But, and it is a very big 'but', Facebook was never designed to be a platform for sharing clinical information or discussing cases. So, for example, you cannot see the professional qualifications of anyone contributing to the discussion unless they happen also to be your 'friend', so it can be hard to tell whether they have any idea what they're talking about, or are, in fact, the leading light. 

There are various other aspects of Facebook that are problematic when it comes to clinical discussions, including the difficulty in referring back to useful information shared and the way in which 'me too' replies can drown out good quality information. 

The survey aims to find out how much of a problem vets think these things are, whether certain groups within the profession could be better served by social media - for example those that may find it daunting asking for help in an online group, and what features vets would like VetSurgeon.org to invest in.

The survey can be completed anonymously, but if you give your name at the end, you'll be entered into a draw for a case of champagne (or equivalent). 

Take part here: https://bit.ly/2lzzpy4

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Cats Protection is calling for an urgent shift in pet owners' thinking in order to control the UK's cat population, after being inundated with thousands of unwanted kittens again this summer.

The charity is urging owners to neuter their cats at four months of age - two months earlier than the traditional six months - because this is when cats reach sexual maturity.

The call follows a recent survey carried out by the charity which found that just 4% of people neutered their cat at or before the recommended four months.

Each year, Cats Protection takes in thousands of unwanted or abandoned kittens which are the result of unplanned breeding so the charity is keen to make cat owners aware of the need to neuter.

 Jane Clements, Cats Protection's Neutering Manager said: "Getting the neutering message across is proving to be a very tough hurdle for cat welfare because our research shows the vast majority of people are still not neutering their cats early enough to avoid unwanted litters of kittens.

"Without neutering, the UK's cat population quickly gets out of control and each summer we are overwhelmed with kittens in need of homes so it is vital people ensure their cats are neutered at the correct age to prevent unwanted litters."

While the lack of early neutering was a problem across Britain, the survey found the ITV Yorkshire and ITV Central areas are the least likely to neuter at the recommended age, both with just 1% of cats neutered at or before four months. 

Cats Protection is planning to open a new homing centre later this year in Gildersome, Leeds, Yorkshire, and it is hoped its presence there will raise awareness of the need for better cat welfare and early neutering. The centre will find homes for around 500 cats each year, increasing the charity's work in the region by up to 68 per cent. Information about the new centre can be found by visiting www.cats.org.uk/support-us/future-for-cats/gildersome-homing-centre.

The charity is also embarking on a large scale neutering campaign in North Birmingham, which it hopes will help to raise awareness of the issues in the area.

Cats Protection runs a national register of veterinary practices that carry out neutering at four months of age. To register your practice, please visit the website at www.cats.org.uk/early-neutering

A new study published in Equine Veterinary Education¹ has confirmed that if veterinary surgeons are trained to use a Ridden-Horse-Ethogram they are better able to recognise pain-related behaviour in horses, which may reflect lameness or back or sacroiliac pain.

This, say the authors, should in turn help them to communicate potential performance problems more effectively with their clients.

Conducted by Dr Sue Dyson, Head of Clinical Orthopaedics at the Centre for Equine Studies at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, the study compared the real-time application of the Ridden-Horse-Ethogram with analysis of video recordings of the horses by a trained assessor and determined whether vets, after preliminary training, could apply the ethogram in real time in a consistent way and in agreement with an experienced assessor.

Twenty horse and rider combinations were used for the study. The horses were in regular work and were capable of working ‘on the bit’. They were assessed by a chartered physiotherapist and then a Society of Master Saddlers (SMS) qualified saddle fitter checked the fit, placement, balance and suitability of each horse’s saddle. Eleven horses were found to have ill-fitting saddles and 14 had back muscle tension or pain but these did not influence the behaviour scores.

The horses were also assessed by an independent lameness expert. Sixteen showed low-grade lameness or abnormalities of canter, which were likely to be pain induced but did not prevent the horses from being used for the study.

All 20 horses were given a 15-minute ridden warm-up before executing an 8-minute purpose-designed preliminary level dressage test. During each dressage test a team of 10 equine vets, who were selected from 40 volunteers and given preliminary training, applied the Ridden-Horse-Ethogram. They assessed each horse for the presence of a total of 24 behaviours that occur more commonly in lame horses compared with non-lame horses. It has previously been shown that the presence of ≥8 behavioural markers is likely to indicate the presence of musculoskeletal pain.

All behaviours were scored with a binary method as present or absent. The ethogram was also applied to each horse by an experienced trained assessor (Dr Dyson) and the tests were filmed so that the experienced assessor could make a comparison between her real-time behaviour assessments and video analysis.

There was good agreement between the expert’s scores and the volunteer vets’ scores and excellent consistency in overall agreement among the volunteers. The scores also reflected the volunteers’ capacity to use the ethogram to identify lameness status, with higher scores awarded to the lame horses compared with the non-lame horses.

There was no significant difference in real-time scores and video-based scores for the experienced assessor, verifying the reliability of the system.

Sue said: "The study confirms that with basic training veterinary observers can use the ridden horse ethogram with consistency as an effective tool to help identify musculoskeletal pain which could reflect lameness or back or sacroiliac pain.

"The volunteers were unanimously positive about the potential value of the ethogram in helping them to determine the presence of musculoskeletal pain in horses performing poorly or at pre-purchase examinations."

Sue and her team are now working with the evidence-based online educational resource Equitopia, in conjunction with Padma Videos, to produce a training video to enable vets, owners, riders, trainers and paraprofessionals to learn how to apply the Ridden-Horse-Ethogram.

For more information, email info@equitopiacenter.com.

1. Can veterinarians reliably apply a whole horse ridden ethogram to differentiate non lame and lame horses based on live horse assessment of behaviour?  S. Dyson, K. Thomson, L. Quiney, A. Bondi and A. D. Ellis Equine Vet. Educ. 2019, doi: 10.1111/eve.13104

Dechra Veterinary Products has launched a new website to support dog owners who have been prescribed Thyforon for the treatment of their pet's hypothyroidism.

Dechra Brand Manager Craig Sankey said: "It can be a very worrying time for owners if their pet is being investigated for, or diagnosed with, hypothyroidism and the new website aims to help them understand more about the condition, how it manifests itself and what they can expect on the management journey.

"Effective management of the condition can significantly improve a dog’s quality of life and prevents the development of other, potentially life-threatening conditions, for which treatment can be intensive and costly."

The website also has a Frequently Asked Questions section and an interactive log book for owners to fill in which can also be emailed to their veterinary surgeon to assist in tracking the dogs’ progress and ensure that treatment is at its optimal level.

For more information, visit www.hypothyroiddog.com

International Cat Care is highlighting a new study by the University of Edinburgh which concluded that flatter-faced cats were more likely to have breathing problems and that the breathing difficulties were also associated with increased tear staining and a more sedentary lifestyle¹.

The charity says it joins mounting evidence that brachycephalic cats, including most modern Persians or Exotic Shorthairs, are suffering from a number of health problems, including breathing problems, eye inflammation, skin infections and difficulty eating. 

In the study, published open access in the journal PLOS ONE, cat owners were asked to complete a detailed health questionnaire and submit photographs of their cats so that researchers could measure the muzzle ratio and nose position ratio. 1000 valid questionnaires and 373 valid photographs were received.

The research confirmed that flatter-faced cats (of breeds such as the Persian or Exotic Shorthair), were more likely to have breathing problems and that the breathing difficulties were also associated with increased tear staining and a more sedentary lifestyle.

A previous paper, published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS)² showed how the skulls of brachycephalic cats are actually deformed, especially the nose and jaw. 

The charity says that unfortunately, breeds of cat and dog with flat faces are becoming more and more popular, and extremes (of an already abnormal anatomy) can become instant internet celebrities. These breeds and individuals often have large or prominent eyes which are considered by some to be 'cute' because they are baby-like, and the flattened face often has an up-turned or down-turned mouth, which gives it a human or cartoon characteristic of smiling or scowling, such as Grumpy Cat. 

Claire Bessant, Chief Executive of International Cat Care said: "It is very depressing to see the life which has been deliberately dealt to some breeds of cats because of a human desire to develop a certain look. I urge cat lovers to speak out and help others to understand that this is not something we should be doing to cats, and not something we should be tolerating.

"One of the best and most beautifully naturally designed animals – the cat – would not normally have any of these problems; we have created them through selective breeding.

"We should not be encouraging people to breed these cats by calling them 'cute', by being amused at their facial characteristics, or by the fact that they snore – rather we need to understand that this is human intervention that is wholly detrimental to the welfare of the cats and is simply cruel.

"International Cat Care takes an ethical view of all cat breeds and our website (http://icatcare.org/advice/cat-breeds) outlines the problems that exist for some breeds, including very flat-faced cats in the Persians and Exotic breeds. Our stance is that we should never deliberately breed cats for any feature or characteristic that impairs their welfare."

References

1. Farnworth MJ, et al. Flat feline faces: is brachycephaly associated with respiratory abnormalities in the domestic cat (Felis catus)? PLoS One 2016; 11: e0161777. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161777
2. Schlueter C, Budras KD, Ludewig E, et al. Brachycephalic feline noses: CT and anatomical study of the relationship between head conformation and the nasolacrimal drainage system. J Feline Med Surg 2009; 11: 891–900. DOI: 10.1016/j.jfms.2009.09.010.