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Genitrix has extended its Dentagen dental care range with the addition of Dentagen Aqua, a water additive treatment to control plaque and prevent bad breath in cats and dogs.
Genitrix says the product offers a completely new approach to dental care for companion animals and is expected to prove particularly effective in treating cats which do not respond well to existing treatments, such as dental chews and tooth-brushing.
Dentagen Aqua is a palatable liquid which is added to a pet's drinking water on a daily basis. Its active principal is RF2, a plant extract. According to the company, RF2's ability to enable natural and healthy mouth bacteria to flourish while inhibiting the formation of plaque even at low concentrations has been demonstrated in extensive clinical trials. It operates as an 'anti-biofilm' treatment, modifying the growth of the membrane of oral bacteria to prevent them from producing plaque.
Dentagen Aqua is supplied in a 250 ml bottle costing £6.80. At the recommended dose of 5 ml per day, the bottle will provide 50 days' treatment for a cat or small dog.
In 2008, Genitrix launched the original Dentagen plaque protection system which consists of a unique RF2-impregnated wax provided to practices in a syringe to be applied to the gingival layer and the buccal area of teeth of dogs or cats at end of dental procedures. Dog owners can then maintain the protective coating by giving their pet Dentagen plaque prevention chews. The launch of Dentagen Aqua means that an equivalent solution is now available for cat owners or for dogs which don't eat chews.
With over 85% of dogs and cats over three years old suffering from some form of dental or gum disease, it's the most common health problem in these animals. The market for preventative dental healthcare supplements is estimated to be close to £1 million per annum.
Rob Watkins, Marketing Director at Genitrix, said: "Dentagen exceeded our expectations during its first year and has proved popular with both vets and dog owners. Given the vital importance of good dental health for dogs and cats, it seemed the logical next step to produce a water additive version to make the treatment easier for cat owners in particular."
The Investigating Committee and the Disciplinary Committee are responsible for conducting desk-top investigations and disciplinary hearings in response to complaints, disclosures and notifications that may amount to serious professional misconduct by Registered Farriers.
As the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons did in 2015, the FRC is splitting off its disciplinary functions from that of its Council, meaning it now needs to recruit new members to perform the role.
More information is available in VetSurgeon Jobs, here.
Ben trained in medicine at Oxford and London before becoming a household name through his weekly Bad Science column published in the Guardian between 2003 and 2011.
Ben is the author of three books. His first, Bad Science, published in 2008, sold over half a million copies worldwide and is published in 31 languages. His second, Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients was published in 2012 and his third, a volume of collected journalism entitled I think you’ll find it’s more complicated than that, in 2014. He currently works as an academic in epidemiology.
In his lecture, Ben will be talking about how quacks and charlatans misuse evidence, and the placebo effect, to bamboozle the public. It's an issue of particular interest for the veterinary profession, given the growing focus on evidence-based medicine.
The lecture is open to all London Vet Show attendees and will take place in the BVA Congress Theatre at London’s ExCeL between 12.30 – 1.30 on Friday 17 November.
BVA President Gudrun Ravetz said: "We know that many people’s first point of call is the media or Dr Google when trying to decide what pet to purchase or how to treat their animal’s - or their own - health! So, I’m sure veterinary colleagues from all areas of the profession will find Dr Goldacre’s insight both engaging and inspiring in their day-to-day and working lives."
Other BVA Congress sessions at London Vet Show 2017 include Nudge, nudge – how can we change owner behaviour for better welfare?; Veterinary workforce crisis: what’s really going on? and Veterinary Surgeons Act: an open and shut case?. BVA Congress sessions as well as associated BVA Farm Animal, BVA/BEVA Equine, and BVA Career Development Streams count towards CPD.
BVA members can get access to the full BVA offering, as well as the usual London Vet Show programme, for 15% less than the lowest advertised price. To book, enter your BVA membership number and the code BVA 8 to claim your discount when you book online at www.londonvetshow.co.uk
Photo: John King 2012
In 2022, Winchester published the results of a study led by Professor Andrew Knight, which claimed the headline: "Vegan diets may be the healthiest to feed pet dogs, say researchers"1,2.
For the study, 2,639 dog owners were invited to report their own opinion of seven indicators of their dog's health.
The researchers also looked at the prevalence of 22 specific health disorders, reported as being based on 'predictions by vet assessments', finding 49% prevalence in traditional meat diets, 43% for raw meat diets and 36% for vegan diets.
However, it was not clear in the report what "predictions by vet assessments" actually means. Whose predictions? The vets'? Or the owners'?
Closer examination of the original study reveals it was "owners' predictions of vet assessments".
Owner-reported opinion, otherwise known as anecdote, is of course notoriously unreliable, and if there is one thing more unreliable than owner-reported opinion, it would surely be owner-reported opinion of their vet's opinion.
Furthermore, the original study was of an observational design, and therefore could only suggest correlation, not causation.
Lastly, the original analysis only looked at the relationship between diet and owner observations/opinion, without considering the impact of other factors assessed by the study, such as the age of the dog and whether the owner was a vegan.
For the new study3, therefore, researchers at the University of Liverpool led by Professor Alex German re-analysed the data used for the original study, in particular correcting the data for confounding variables.
When analysed in this way, significant illness in dogs correlated most strongly with the age of the dog, whether it was on medication, and the frequency of visit to the vet.
Compared to these, the association between owner opinions of health and feeding vegan dog food was minimal.
Co-author of the second study, Richard Barrett-Jolley, Professor of Neuropharmacology, said: “We know how seriously owners take their pet’s health.
"By revisiting and further interrogating these data, we have been able to draw more nuanced insights. “Crucially, we cannot draw a firm conclusion as to what diet type is actually best for dogs; this was never possible given the nature of the original dataset and study design.
"However, we can conclude that variables other than dog diet are more strongly associated with owner opinions about the health of their dog.”
References
Conducted as a multicentric international study involving board-certified veterinary dermatologists, the trial included 35 dogs with CIF in at least two paws.
Each dog acted as its own control, and was treated with systemic antibiotics, with one paw being treated with FLE and the other paw without.
Paws were allocated based on a coin toss, and the study was single blinded: the principal investigator was responsible for the assessment of lesions, and the co-investigator was responsible for administration of FLE treatment.
The dogs were assessed over an 8-week period with check-ups every 14 days.
At every check-up the paws treated with FLE showed a greater improvement than paws without FLE treatment.
The lesions were assessed and scored with the global lesion score, the pruritic visual analogue scale, a cytological scoring, and photographic documentation.
The results of the study demonstrated that FLE combined with systemic antibiotics significantly reduced the time to clinical resolution compared to antibiotics alone.
By week four, 50% of paws in the FLE group had reached clinical resolution compared to 17% in the control group.
By week eight, 88% of paws in the FLE group had healed compared to 54% in the control group.
Dr Anja Lange, DVM, Department of Dermatology, AniCura Kleintierspezialisten Augsburg GmbH, Augsburg, Germany, said: “Canine interdigital furunculosis is a challenging condition to treat that can be prolonged and frustrating.
"Having FLE as an additional management tool is very exciting, not least because it speeds up time to healing, but it also requires us to use less antibiotics.
"The use of FLE was well accepted by all of the dog owners from the study and the dogs themselves tolerated it well, showing it can be a very useful adjunct to cases in clinical practice.”
Reference
Published by CABI and sponsored by Mars Petcare UK, Companion Animal Economics was developed by Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine at the University of Lincoln, and Dr Sandra McCune, Human-Animal Interaction expert at Mars Petcare’s WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition. It documents and examines available evidence on the direct and indirect benefits and costs of companion animals to society, including their influence on human mental and physical health, illness prevention and well-being.
Other authors include Dr Sophie Hall from the University of Lincoln’s School of Life Sciences, Professor Ted Fuller and Luke Dolling from the Lincoln International Business School, and Katie Bristow-Wade of Dogs for Good.
Professor Mills said: "Vets are well aware how important companion animals are to their owners, but it is important that they appreciate the positive impact that they can have on the physical, mental and social health of both individuals and society more widely. This book should help raise awareness of this and their economic importance in times of economic uncertainty."
Dr McCune said: "Almost half of households in the UK share their homes with animals cared for as companions – a relationship we consider to be valuable and enriching. At Mars Petcare, we’re committed to creating A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS™. That’s because we know that pets make our world better. This important report provides a modern day update on the impact of companion animals on the UK economy and society, without reducing the discussion to a simplistic cost-benefits ratio. Critically, it aims to raise awareness of the need for research to evaluate the complex routes by which pets make an economic impact on UK society."
The author says relatively little information on the economic impact of pets has been published since the 1988 seminal Council for Science and Society (CSS) report on Companion Animals in Society, which inspired Companion Animal Economics. Since then, trends in pet ownership and associated industries, have changed a great deal. The report’s methodology sought to capture this new context, including issues like pet tourism, pet obesity, and expanding veterinary services, identifying clear gaps where further high-quality data and additional research are needed.
When evaluating the contribution of companion animals to the UK economy, both positive and negative aspects were considered. The cost of NHS treatment for bites and strikes from dogs is estimated at £3 million per year. At the same time, the report also estimates that pet ownership in the UK may reduce use of the UK health service by up to £2.45 billion per year. This conservative conclusion is drawn through examining healthcare savings through reduced number of doctor visits.
Given the scale of the potential impact, the report concludes that research into companion animals and their economic impact on society needs further investigation and should be supported by government. While UK data were used in the report, many of the points raised relate to other industrialised nations, demonstrating the global nature of this issue.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has launched the Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme, through which veterinary medicines retailers can now be accredited by the regulator.
The scheme, which is voluntary, involves an application process and site inspection to check ongoing compliance with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations.
The British Veterinary Association has supported the move, but called for the scheme to become compulsory. The BVA says it is also calling for more robust measures to stop prescription fraud and is in discussions with the VMD.
Harvey Locke, Past President of the BVA, said: "Our biggest concern with online medicines retailers has been that animal owners didn't know whether they were buying genuine, safe medicines that comply with UK regulations.
"This simple scheme launched by the VMD will allow customers to know within seconds whether the company they are using complies with the high standards set by UK legislation and the regulator.
"The scheme is a very welcome positive step in protecting the public from illegal sites, but in future we would like to see it becoming compulsory so that everyone can be confident that they are buying products that are safe for their animals and themselves."
The awards are designed to recognise successful implementation of quality improvement (QI) in veterinary practice, which can reduce avoidable errors, ensure practice is based on the best available evidence and, ultimately, save lives.
Entrants will need to demonstrate the impact that QI methods have had in their practice, such as increased efficiency, improved clinical or financial effectiveness, the development of a culture of continuous improvement, support in the use of evidence-based approaches, or a general bettering of excellence in care.
The awards are open to any member of a practice, including veterinary surgeons and nurses, practice managers, receptionists, locums, students, and more. You can also nominate a colleague, or vice versa.
Individual winners will get free tickets to an upcoming RCVS Knowledge event and be given a plaque pronouncing them a 'Knowledge Champion', while one team will scoop Knowledge’s 'Champion Practice' award.
RCVS Knowledge Executive Director Chris Gush said: "These awards are a great opportunity to celebrate the good work that is going on in practice and to highlight examples of quality improvement.
"I would encourage all – from quality improvement experts to QI beginners – to get involved and enter the awards."
The closing date to submit an application is 1st November 2018, allowing plenty of time for those interested in introducing a quality improvement initiative in their practice to do so and apply for the awards at a later date.
To learn more about QI and how you can get started, visit RCVS Knowledge's QI pages.
Alternatively, you can enter the awards here: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/grants/available-grants/
Sileo provides a micro-dose of dexmedetomidine hydrochloride, a selective alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist which Zoetis says helps a dog calm down or remain calm yet fully functional in situations involving fear-eliciting sounds.
Sileo is presented as an oromucosal gel formulation in a 3ml oral syringe that can be used to apply multiple doses.
Zoetis says that its user-friendly application means that, once prescribed, it can be given by the dog owner and used only when needed for each noise anxiety event. It takes effect within 15 - 60 minutes and last for 2-3 hours. Should the fear-eliciting noise continue, further doses can be given at two hour intervals up to a total of five times during each noise event.
The company says that even when the full dosing limit is used, the dog will remain functional during treatment; the clinical effects of dexmedetomidine are dose-dependent and the anxiolytic effect is reached before the sedative effect.
Animal behaviourist, Jon Bowen BVetMed DipAS (CABC) MRCVS, said: "Fear of seasonal loud noises such as fireworks, thunder and gunshots are known to affect around 50% of the UK dog population but the prevalence of fears of other everyday noises and the extent to which those fears contribute to nuisance and problem behaviour in dogs is something we are researching at the moment. Sileo is ideal as an acute anxiolytic for planned or expected events such as fireworks or thunder, but it has an even wider range of potential applications in planned events that involve stressful noise exposure including travel, social gatherings and even visits to the vet."
Sileo is available to order now via your veterinary wholesaler.
For more information contact your Zoetis account manager or customer support on 0854 300 8034 or visit www.zoetis.co.uk/Sileo.
The company says Bovela is the only BVD vaccine available proven to provide 12 months’ protection, against both types of BVD, and after only one shot.
Cattle business manager, Robert Bakewell said: "Provided Bovela is used as recommended on the product label, we are happy to guarantee that it will prevent the birth of PI (persistently infected) calves caused by transplacental infection by the BVD virus.
"We are also encouraging farmers to seek advice and input from their vet about BVD control by offering a £50 voucher towards testing for Bovela users. All herd owners need to do is speak to their veterinary surgeon or email bvdzero.uk@boehringer.com."
This was the sixth time that Mr Warwick Seymour-Hamilton had applied for restoration after being removed from the Register in June 1994, the reasons for which related to the condition of his practice premises and his record-keeping following an inspection by the RCVS. His most recent restoration hearing took place in May 2017.
In his application Mr Seymour-Hamilton said that he wanted to be restored to the Register to aid his research into herbal medicines and, during the course of the hearing, he also challenged some of the evidence given to the Committee in the June 1994 hearing. In particular he challenged the assertion that his practice was open when it was inspected by the RCVS as, he submitted that, he had retired three weeks’ prior to the inspection due to ill-health.
Mr Seymour-Hamilton told the Committee that he did not wish to return to clinical practice but wished to restore his membership of the RCVS in order to prescribe his own herbal treatments and to obtain peer review that would allow his treatments to be licensed. Furthermore, he produced, during the hearing, a continuing professional development (CPD) record card in which he had logged 1,438 hours of CPD in 2017.
In considering his application for restoration the Committee dismissed his challenge to the details of his original hearing in June 1994.
Ms Judith Way, Chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee has noted that this issue is ancient. It is not for this Committee to consider it. Moreover the finding of the Committee represents a determination which was not challenged by the applicant until one of the more recent restoration applications. He never appealed it. Nor did he attend at the original hearing. It acknowledges that the premises could well have been closed given their condition, but whether they were or not is not for it [the Committee] to decide. It is quite possible the applicant has persuaded himself of the position. This is not an issue which is a persuasive factor in this application."
Regarding Mr Seymour-Hamilton’s contention that he would use his RCVS registered status to further his research into herbal treatments Ms Way said: "The Committee accepted there were no direct public protection issues which caused it concern, although it did retain some anxiety that the applicant’s commitment to herbal medicine could govern the way in which he would wish to care for an animal. A more rounded veterinary approach, which involved a full evaluation of an animal’s condition, a coherent diagnosis and a subsequent discussion about treatment with the client is called for."
Turning to his CPD she added: "His CPD now has a bias for herbal medicine as does his extensive reading. The Committee was not satisfied that his skills are up-to-date and that he could practise veterinary medicine safely. The Committee was not satisfied that he would approach a sick animal with the full and rounded approach required of a veterinary surgeon. Nor did his confidence in this regard allay the concerns of the Committee. He expressed belief in himself on the basis of his practice which came to an end some 24 years ago."
The Committee did acknowledge that Mr Seymour-Hamilton’s removal from the Register had a considerable impact on him and that, not only is he ashamed of it, but he believes it is frustrating his ability to advance the cause of herbal medicine.
In conclusion, Ms Way said: "Taking all these matters into account, the Committee has concluded that the applicant has not satisfied it on all of the evidence that he is fit to be restored to the Register and so this application is refused."
Jason (pictured right with Paul), said: "Let me tell you, that was hard! Nine days and 900km of mountain bike riding, with 250km technical single track and only about 10 km tar, but we did it! We are so proud to be able to contribute to a future for rhinos!"
The veterinary velocipedists were raising money for The Chipembere Foundation, which specialises in sourcing, testing and funding technology for monitoring rhinos. They fund K9 handlers and their tracking and apprehension dogs, as well as funding and providing anti-poaching teams with vital equipment needed to translocate rhinos across Southern Africa.
It costs about £38000 to translocate a rhino from South Africa to neighbouring Botswana where there is less poaching (for now). Satellite tracking leg collars cost £1500 with an annual service and VHF collars and transmitters costing around £220. Dog and dog handler training is in the region of around £5000 per dog and there are additional costs for kennels, transport vehicles and day to day items like bowls, brushes, leads etc.
If you want to support Jason and Paul in their efforts to make a positive difference to the plight of the fast-dwindling numbers of rhino, visit www.justgiving.com/teams/rhinocycle.
In a survey conducted for the company last year, 31% of pet owners said they would wait 3 days or more before going to a vet if their pet's eye condition hadn’t improved.
The awareness week is designed to make owners more aware of their animals’ eye health, to help understand the signs and when to take action.
The campaign also offers support for veterinary practices to engage with their communities with educational displays and digital outreach.
Dr Emma Hancox, Technical Vet at Dômes Pharma said: “We know that pets often suffer in silence when it comes to eye issues, and it’s often hard for owners to recognise the signs.
“Through this campaign, we aim to equip veterinary professionals with the tools they need to educate pet owners and ultimately help to improve pet eye health across the country.”
Participating clinics can request display materials and shareable content for social media to drive engagement throughout the awareness week.
There is also a prize draw to win an ophthalmoscope for your practice.
https://domespharma.co.uk/national-pet-eye-health-awareness-week
MMI seeks to address mental health and wellbeing issues within the veterinary profession, while the Doctors’ Support Network provides peer support for doctors and medical students with mental health concerns.
&me was launched this time last year at the Palace of Westminster at an event sponsored by Kevan Jones MP (Labour, North Durham,) who has spoken about his own experiences with depression.
Overall eleven &me ambassadors have volunteered their own stories with mental ill-health:
A number of &me ambassadors will be taking part in an ‘&me live’ session at BSAVA Congress, from 5-8 April 2018 in Birmingham, providing a short overview of their story before taking questions from the audience. The session will take place from 8.30 to 10.10am on Saturday 7 April and will be open to all those attending Congress.
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO and Mind Matters Director, said: "The feedback our &me ambassadors have received is truly heartening.
"Steve Carter, for example, had both an ex-student and colleague comment on his story thanking him for all he’s done, while a Facebook post about Rob Pettitt reached nearly 25,000 people.
"The campaign highlights how it is possible to recover from mental ill-health and flourish in your career, with the aim of encouraging those at the start of their mental ill-health experience to seek appropriate help, whether that is something profession-specific, such as Vetlife or DSN, or their GP."
Louise Freeman, Co-Chair of the DSN, added: "Many healthcare professionals face similar pressures that can lead to mental ill-health, including long hours, intense pressure, and the nature of the job which requires practitioners to constantly provide care for others, without necessarily recognising the need for self-care at the same time.
"A recurring theme that we’ve seen from these ambassadors’ stories has been that they drew on support from friends and family, and we really hope that this campaign encourages other professionals to seek help if they feel they are struggling."
The campaign is interested in hearing from not only doctors and veterinary surgeons but also nurses, veterinary nurses, dentists, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals who want to open up about their experiences of mental ill-health.
To participate in the campaign, email Dr Louise Freeman on vicechair@dsn.org.uk.
Further information about the ‘&me’ campaign can be found at www.vetmindmatters.org/&me, and a blog by Louise, 'Me and #AndMe', can be found at www.vetmindmatters.org/me-and-andme/.
The new changes are being introduced in the following phases:
The new Environmental Sustainability Award allows practices to demonstrate that they have embedded environmentally sustainable behaviours and are excelling with their sustainability goals.
The Award includes points for reducing waste, consolidating medicines orders and minimising drug wastage, and calculating the practice’s carbon footprint and setting reduction targets.
The changes and additions to the standards at Core Standards and General Practice level cover the sustainability of a wide range of practice areas, including requiring a sustainability policy, communicating sustainability achievements, and minimising anaesthetic gas usage.
As well as improving environmental sustainability, the new and amended standards also include requirements to help make practices more socially sustainable, through measures including increasing diversity and inclusion.
The PSS has produced a list of resources to support veterinary practices with meeting the new environmental sustainability standards and implementing sustainable practices in general.
Mandisa Greene, Chair of the Practice Standards Group, said: “We want to assure PSS-accredited practices that the new standards won’t mean an overhaul of ways of working or result in expensive investment in resources.
"Instead, the standards explain ways that practices can increase their sustainability by putting in place new measures gradually over the next 12 months, in time for them becoming mandatory.
"As with all standards updates, the PSS team are always available to answer any questions that practices have and anyone who is unsure about how to apply them is encouraged to get in touch with the PSS team.”
During the last Standards Committee meeting, there were also several approved clarifications to the standards in the form of guidance notes and minor changes across a range of accreditation levels.
These include updates to the guidance notes for requirements on sterilisation of dental instruments, environmental swabbing of clinical areas, and anaesthetic monitoring.
The new version of the standards that includes all the latest changes, and a separate document listing all the updates, are available to download here: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/practice-standards-scheme/additional-resources
Any questions from practices about the updates can be sent to the PSS team at pss@rcvs.org.uk
Phovia is a two-part FLE system consisting of a chromophore gel that is applied to the affected skin and a blue light LED lamp.
When used together they produce light of varying wavelengths that penetrates the skin to different depths, which Vetoquinol says helps to control bacteria and reduce inflammation on the surface of the skin and stimulates regeneration in the epidermal and dermal layers.
The unit is portable, and applications take four minutes once a week.
After diagnosis and subsequent recommendation by a veterinary surgeon, any trained member of the clinical team can use Phovia.
For the study, which was led by Dr. Andrea Marchegiani, nine female dogs that had undergone unilateral or bilateral mastectomy for mammary neoplasia had half their wounds treated with FLE, whilst the other half served as the control and received no FLE.
To assess the potential benefits of FLE in reducing infection risk, swabs were taken for culture and sensitivity three, five and seven days after surgery.
The swabs from all FLE-managed wound portions showed no bacterial growth, in contrast to the control wounds, in which three dogs had positive culture results.
Andrea said: “For many reasons healing of surgical wounds can become challenging, especially after removal of mammary gland lumps.
"Veterinary clinicians have to face the three-fold challenge of meeting owner expectations of prompt and trouble-free wound healing, recognising those wounds in which healing may be prolonged or impaired and also following the principles of antibiotic stewardship.”
The study concluded that the research underscores the value of Phovia as a significant adjunct to conventional postoperative care in veterinary medicine, offering the dual benefits of reducing potential infection risks and lessening the home care burden for pet owners.
FLE’s application could potentially replace certain topical treatments and improve overall compliance by simplifying the administration of home therapies, thereby relieving pet owners of some responsibilities associated with postoperative care.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/8/1250
Norbrook Laboratories Ltd has launched Mycinor tablets (clindamycin), an antibiotic for treating soft tissue infections in dogs.
Rebekah Dudek, Norbrook Veterinary Advisor said: "Clindamycin is one of the leading prescription medicines used to treat soft tissue infections and offers very effective treatment particularly for dental and oral infections.
"Mycinor can be used to treat infected mouth cavities and oral infections and to provide antimicrobial cover prior to dental procedures such as tooth removal, scale & polish etc. Beyond dental expertise, Mycinor can also be used to treat soft tissue infections, skin infections in the form of superficial pyoderma and osteomyelitis bone infections. Mycinor is a fast acting antibiotic, rapidly absorbed into the body with effective levels within 30 minutes of administration."
Mycinor is available as 25mg, 75mg and 150mg in packs of 100tablets, and as a 300mg tablet in a pack of 150 tablets. Rebekah added: "Mycinor is a very effective and safe antibiotic and is ideal for long and short term treatments. It can be dosed once daily or at twice daily intervals if preferred."
For more information, visit www.norbrook.com
There are 10 candidates standing in this year’s election, including four existing Council members eligible for re-election and six candidates not currently on Council. They are:
Mr David Catlow MRCVS
John C Davies MRCVS
Dr Mandisa Greene MRCVS
Miss Karlien Heyrman MRCVS
Professor John Innes FRCVS
Dr "Not Again" Thomas Lonsdale MRCVS
Dr Susan Paterson FRCVS
Mr Matthew Plumtree MRCVS
Mr Iain Richards MRCVS
Colonel Neil Smith FRCVS
The biographies and statements for each candidate can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote18.
At the time of writing, the College is still waiting for the Legislative Reform Order (LRO) concerning its governance arrangements, including a reduction in the size of Council, to be approved.
Under current arrangements six candidates will be elected to RCVS Council – however, if the LRO completes the legislative process and is passed by both Houses of Parliament, then only the three candidates with the most votes will take up their places on Council.
Ballot papers and candidates’ details are due to be posted to all veterinary surgeons eligible to vote during the week commencing 12 March, and all votes must be cast, either online or by post, by 5pm on Friday 27 April 2018.
Once again this year the College is inviting veterinary surgeons to email a question for the candidates to vetvote18@rcvs.org.uk or tweet it using the hashtag #vetvote18 by midday on Monday 26 February.
Each candidate will then be asked to answer two questions from all those received, and produce a video recording of their answers. Recordings will be published on the RCVS website and YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/rcvsvideos) on the week the election commences.
Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar, said:"After last year’s record turnout in the RCVS Council elections we are continuing to work with Electoral Reform Services (ERS) to make it easier for members to vote for their preferred candidates.
"While the traditional paper ballot papers and booklets will be posted as usual, ERS will once again send personalised emails linking members to their unique secure voting website and then send regular reminders to those who haven’t yet had the chance have their say."
The company points out that poisoning cases rise dramatically over Christmas, when food that is poisonous to dogs is more likely to be left out and owners are more relaxed (is that a euphemism, TVM?).
For that reason, the Emedog bumper pack contains 20 x 1ml single use vials - four times more than the regular pack and retails at £251.76 a saving of 10% compared to purchasing four regular packs.
Dosage is one vial injected subcutaneously per 10kg and vials have a three-year unopened shelf life, which should minise wastage.
Will Peel MRCVS, Product Manager at TVM UK said: "The number of poisoned animals seen by vets rises dramatically over the festive season so it’s vital that vets have enough product to see them through this time. The Emedog bumper pack will ensure that they are prepared for Christmas with the resources they need to deal with such cases."
The Emedog bumper pack is available from November 2019 from all veterinary wholesalers.
Gil Riley of the Pool House Veterinary Hospital in Lichfield, Staffordshire has won the annual Petplan Equine Vet of the Year Award.
The Award was announced at the 21st annual Animal Health Trust (AHT) Equestrian Awards gala dinner held at the Lancaster Hotel in London last Thursday.
Horse owners from all over the UK nominated vets who had gone above and beyond the call of duty. A short list of three finalists was then drawn up and the winner selected by an independent panel consisting of: Peter Webbon AHT Chief Executive and Equine Vet, Alison Bridge Editor-in-Chief of Horse & Rider Magazine, Chris House President of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) and Jo Whitaker Marketing Development Manager for Petplan.
Peter Webbon of the AHT said "We received a record number of nominations this year and the standards were incredibly high. However, Gil was nominated by over 100 clients and we felt he was truly deserving of this award."
Alison Andrew, Marketing Manager for Petplan said: "This award recognises the amazing hard work and commitment of people within the equine veterinary profession and those who provide outstanding service to horse owners."
Gil joined the Pool House Veterinary Group and Equine clinic practice to expand his equine skills after working in a mainly agricultural practice in Wales and is jointly responsible for the Equine part of the Practice. He has subsequently been awarded the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Certificate in Equine Practice and he is particularly interested in lameness and laminitis. He also recently acted as British Team Vet at the International Driving Trials in Germany.
Gil said: "Everyday I feel like I'm pulling the greatest trick in that I get paid for doing what I love. To receive further recognition with this award almost feels greedy. I'm tremendously flattered and indebted to all my clients who nominated me."
In his acceptance speech Gil praised his team for their dedication and support without whom, he said this would not have been possible. Special thanks went to his proud wife Emma on the evening of their fifth wedding anniversary.
The Animal Health Trust Equestrian awards are designed to recognise the outstanding achievements made by horses, riders, owners and trainers throughout the equestrian world. Since the Petplan Charitable Trust was founded in 1994 it has raised over £5million, almost £500,000 of which has been donated to the AHT to fund research and development.
At this year’s event, sessions include ‘Backyard pigs – Notifiable Diseases and Zoonosis’, and a discussion on the role of paraprofessionals in the sector led by Simon Hall, APHA’s Director for EU Exit and Trade.
Drop-in Q&A sessions, workshops offering practical advice and guidance on the revalidation process and a strong focus on the Cymorth TB programme in Wales also feature.
The conference programme includes dedicated lecture streams aimed at large animal, small animal and equine practitioners and, with more than 8,000 OVs due to revalidate their qualifications in March 2019, Improve says lecture content has been tailored to cover areas of key relevance for them.
An exhibition of products and services for OV’s runs alongside the conference.
APHA’s recently appointed Veterinary Director, Dr Andrew Soldan (pictured right), said: "Having recently taken on the role of Veterinary Director for APHA, I am very much looking forward to meeting up with our OV’s and exploring some of the key challenges facing us all, as we seek to control animal disease threats at home and from abroad."
David Babington MRCVS, Business Development Director at Improve International, said: "This conference has established itself as an annual fixture in the OV diary and it remains the only event dedicated to their needs. This year’s packed programme will again highlight the growing importance of OV’s, particularly as we look ahead to the post-Brexit era."
For more information on the Official Veterinarian Conference and Exhibition or to register visit: www.officialvet.com
The research is being carried out by Cats Protection, RSPCA, PDSA, Wood Green The Animal Charity, Blue Cross, Celia Hammond Animal Trust, Battersea, The Mayhew Animal Home, SSPCA and International Cat Care, with support from Bristol University.
The study involves four short (<15 minute) questionnaires spread over a 6-month period, for which you could also win a £50 voucher.
Click here to find out more and sign up www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/neutering
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has launched a new cattle and sheep vaccine which it says gives vets an additional opportunity to prescribe the broadest possible protection against clostridial diseases.
Bravoxin 10 is a low dose clostridial vaccine containing antigens for protection against C. perfringens type A, C.perfringens type B, C.perfringens type C, C.perfringens type D, C.novyi type B, C.septicum, C.tetani, C.sordellii, C.haemolyticum and C.chauvoei.
Dosage volumes are 2ml for cattle and 1ml for sheep and the new vaccine can be used in animals from as young as two weeks old if the dam has not been previously vaccinated. A booster dose pre-calving or lambing will also deliver 8-12 weeks passive immunity in calves and lambs (apart from against C.haemolyticum).
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health ruminant veterinary adviser Rosemary Booth MRCVS said: "Clostridial bacteria take the lives of cattle and sheep on a regular basis and are the cause of a significant proportion of the sudden livestock deaths in this country. In 2007, an independent survey of over 500 UK dairy and beef farmers revealed that half the interviewees had experienced calves or adult cattle dying for no apparent reason. The reality is that many of these losses could have been due to clostridial diseases. Farmer respondents valued the livestock loss at anywhere between £505 and £1243 per animal. Even at the lowest stock valuation, preventing the loss through broad-spectrum vaccination would pay for nearly five years of Bravoxin 10 use in a 100 cow herd.
"Now that additional clostridial pathogens such as C. sordellii and C. perfringens A have been recognised by the VLA and SAC as significant causes of deaths on both cattle and sheep farms, it makes sense to widen pathogen cover on some ruminant livestock units. Bravoxin 10 allows practitioners to prescribe the broadest possible disease protection."
The sheep industry already understands the importance of broad-spectrum vaccination against clostridial diseases, but Iain Carrington from Intake Veterinary Services based in Northumberland believes cattle producers should also upgrade their protection.
"There was a time that clostridial disease control in cattle meant vaccinating your youngstock against blackleg at turnout, or discovering dead animals and then reacting with blackleg vaccine," he said. "But over the last few years, I have seen an increased incidence of different clostridial diseases in far from typical circumstances.
"There are also a large number of cattle deaths going undiagnosed and it is likely that many are caused by clostridial species. As a result, we are now advising many of our clients to take a broader-spectrum vaccination approach to ensure adequate protection - not only of the cows themselves - but also their calves through good colostral transfer," he said.
Bravoxin 10 is a prescription-only medicine (POM-V). For further information, contact the Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health Veterinary Support Group on 01908 685685.
The survey is open to all veterinary surgeon members and participants will be entered into a free prize draw to win £500 of BEVA CPD vouchers.
As we all know, antibiotic resistance is increasing throughout human and veterinary medicine, and there are few new antibiotics being produced. As BEVA says, it’s therefore imperative for vets to protect the usage of antimicrobials to maintain their effectiveness for the future.
To that end, the purpose of the survey is to help fill in gaps in knowledge about how antimicrobials are being used and also the current landscape of resistant infections encountered in equine practice.
The survey has been designed by Amie Wilson and Dr Gina Pinchbeck at the University of Liverpool and Tim Mair the incoming President of BEVA.
Tim said: "This survey will assess any changes in prescribing of antimicrobials in equine practice since the last survey in 2009. In addition, we will collect data on the current frequency and types of antimicrobial resistant infections seen by clinicians in all areas of equine practice and what infection control and audit practices are currently using to combat this."
The survey results should lead to a greater understanding of the role of antimicrobial treatment in the overall epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance in horses and will help protect antibiotics for the future of equine and human health.
To take part in the survey, visit: https://liverpool.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/beva-questionnaire-2019-final
The results will be announced to coincide with European Antibiotic Awareness Day on 18 November 2019.
If you have any questions about the survey you can contact the researchers direct: Amie Wilson, University of Liverpool A.wilson3@liv.ac.uk; Dr Gina Pinchbeck, University of Liverpool ginap@liv.ac.uk; Tim Mair, British Equine Veterinary Association tim.mair@btinternet.com
Organisers Closer Still Media have published details of the small animal clinical sessions being held in the RVC Clinical Theatres 1, 2 and 3, and BVA’s farm theatre and equine stream (in partnership with BEVA).
Charlotte Ellicott, Head of Marketing and Content, said: “The clinical streams are shaping up to be cutting-edge this year.
"We are delighted to have the continued support of excellent CPD providers like the RVC and BVA.
"Later in the year we will also be able to supplement these key theatres with the line-ups from IDEXX’s Advanced Diagnostic Stream, IVC Evidensia’s Referral Theatre, Central CPD’s Wet Labs and many more.”
Professor Jill Maddison, Professor of General Practice at the RVC said: "We have a fantastic line-up of speakers gathering from near and far who will be delivering lectures covering all aspect of clinical practice.
"Our keynote international speaker will be Caroline Mansfield, Professional Research Fellow and Registered Specialist in Small Animal Medicine, who will be presenting six sessions covering all things gastroenterology."
British Veterinary Association President Malcolm Morley said: “This really is a remarkable programme and I would encourage all vets to take advantage of the high-quality CPD opportunities on offer at London Vet Show this year.
"We look forward to complementing these excellent clinical sessions with another round of thought-provoking BVA Congress discussions. The topics for these will be announced soon.”
Early bird tickets for the London Vet Show are on sale until 28th April for £289+VAT.
BVA and BEVA members receive further discounts.
London.vetshow.com.