Organisers of The Vet Charity Challenge, which last year raised £50,000 for charity, have announced that the event will take place Saturday 27th September 2014 in Pewsey, near Marlborough, Wiltshire.

The event consists of teams of four walking/running, cycling and kayaking as well as some orienteering and mental and physical tasks.

Registration will open at the start of April. Organisers say that spaces are limited and in 2013 filled up very fast, so early booking is advisable.

The charities being supported in 2014 will be Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, SPANA and Cats Protection.

The Vet Charity Challenge is sponsored by BCF Technology, Kruuse and Vetoquinol and supported by the VMPA and Veterinary Practice magazine.

For more information visit www.vetcharitychallenge.co.uk.

The BSAVA has launched a new video library containing over 400 videos on clinical topics which have been published in Companion articles and manual chapters.

The videos cover a range of topics including imaging, neurology, endoscopy and endosurgery.

BSAVA members will automatically have access to over 80 videos relating to Companion articles.

If the user does not have access to a particular video, they will be able to use a BSAVA library pass to gain access to the parent chapter and all the videos it contains. 

Alternatively, they can buy access to an individual chapter or a full manual. 

Ian Mellor, Head of Publishing at the BSAVA said: “We are delighted that we can bring this new feature to the BSAVA Library, giving our audience easier access to great video content.

"This is part of a few enhancements to the library where we hope to give users a better experience.

“Users will also be able to see more easily how many library passes they have left, and they will now be able to see recommended related resources next to the content, meaning that they can easily find information under the same topic without having to search extensively.”

The video library can be accessed through the BSAVA Library here: https://www.bsavalibrary.com/videos

SPVS has launched the Veterinary Business Excellence Awards, an initiative designed to honour outstanding veterinary practices that have demonstrated exceptional performance and innovation in areas that are crucial to the success of the profession.

There are four categories of award:

• Leadership Skills: Recognising practices that exhibit visionary leadership, strategic planning, effective communication, and the ability to inspire and motivate their teams.
• Team Dynamics: Celebrating practices that have a culture of collaborative teamwork, conflict resolution, and nurturing a supportive and inclusive work environment.
• Self Development: Honouring practices that prioritise continuous learning, professional growth, adaptability, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
• Management: Acknowledging practices that excel in resource management, financial stewardship, client relationships, and innovative practice development.

Veterinary practices who feel they have excellence to showcase are invited to submit their nominations via: https://spvs.org.uk/business-excellence-awards, highlighting why they deserve to receive the award against each of the selection criteria.

The deadline for nominations is 5pm on 31st October 2023.

The SPVS Board then will review submissions and shortlist the top 5 nominations in each category.

Shortlisted practices will be contacted by 5pm on the 15th November 2023, and invited to submit a more detailed statement of 750 words or a 90-second video, giving them another opportunity to showcase their accomplishments.

A panel of SPVS members will evaluate the final submissions and vote for a winner in each category.

Category winners will be announced before the end of the year, and will win full day + evening tickets to SPVS Congress 2024 on Thursday 25^th January 2024 for three team members, plus overnight accommodation at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole. 

The overall winner will be announced at the SPVS Congress 2024 opening ceremony (25^th – 27^th January 2024).

Martin Hosegood MRCVS has been selected to run for (your) Vetlife in the Virgin London Marathon.

Martin said: "Through my role at VDS where I assist those on the receiving end of an allegation of professional negligence or professional misconduct, I have seen the fantastic work that Vetlife does to assist anyone in the veterinary community who is having a difficult time. I’ve run the marathon before for other charities but there will be something special about running it to help support my own profession. I feel privileged to have been chosen."

Martin (aka Obed) is a Bristol graduate who worked mainly in large animal practice for 25 years before becoming a VDS claims consultant in 2010. He has also been advising a large safari park on the health, conservation and management of a wide range of zoo species for many years and still continues this role now, albeit in a reduced capacity.

Martin will be running on April 26th with 38,000 other runners – almost five times the number that ran the first race in 1981. Other competitors will include Tim Peake, who will be running the race aboard the International Space Station, Dame Kelly Holmes MBE, James Cracknell and Rosie Allister, Chair of Vetlife Helpline. 

Rosie said: "It’s brilliant that Martin is giving up his time and training miles to support Vetlife. People who call Vetlife Helpline can often feel very alone; knowing the profession is behind us and wants to help can make a real difference. I’m hoping Martin waves as he overtakes me on the day! And that more vets and VNs will help us fundraise for Vetlife in the future."

Anyone willing to sponsor Martin can do so at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ObedMartinHosegood

Vetoquinol has launched Rimifin® a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for dogs, containing carprofen.

Carprofen can reduce inflammation and pain caused by musculo-skeletal disorders and degenerative joint disease. It can also be used as a follow-up to parenteral analgesia in the management of post-operative pain following soft tissue surgery.

Rimifin® is available in a range of tablet sizes, 20mg, 50mg and 100mg. A single 100mg tablet can treat a 50kg dog.

The new Aberdeen clinic will be based at Ardene House Veterinary Hospital, Kingswells in Aberdeen and will provide the out-of-hours cover for a number of veterinary practices in the Aberdeen area, treating their clients' pets at nights, weekends and bank holidays.

Vets Now was founded in 2001 when vet Richard Dixon, saw a gap in the market for not only providing an alternative to the 'on call' service which vets are required to provide by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, but to providing a dedicated emergency service for pets, similar to A & E for humans. Vets Now now treats around 100,000 small animal emergencies every year with clinic teams working purely out-of-hours, to ensure that they are always fresh and ready to provide life saving treatment to pets who are injured or critically ill.

Richard said: "Vets Now has a clinic in Edinburgh and we have recently opened the first of our Vets Now Hospitals in Glasgow which combines emergency care with a range of specialist referral options, serving the whole of Scotland so we're looking forward hugely to extending our service in Scotland by bringing the dedicated emergency service to Aberdeen."

Vets Now will be working with Ardene House Veterinary Hospital, Abervet, Ashgrove Veterinary Centre, Bridge Veterinary Group and Swan Veterinary Practice to deliver their Out Of Hours emergency care.

Veterinary practices who would like to find out more about using the new Vets Now service in Aberdeen should contact Vets Now on 01383 620064.

Grahame Gardner is offering a 25% discount across many of its scrubwear ranges till the end of February 2013, including the Urbane Scrubs collection, the unisex Easiephit range and the Scrubzone brand.

For further information, visit www.grahamegardner.co.uk or call 0116 255 6326.

US-based Life Technologies has launched a new PCR-based test system which, according to the company, allows large numbers of pigs to be screened more quickly and cost-effectively for a range of common pathogens, such as PRRSV, SIV and PCV2.

The system uses samples of oral fluids which can be obtained by leaving a cotton rope in each pen for pigs to chew on. After 20 minutes or so, the rope can be retrieved and the saliva and gingival crevicular fluid squeezed into a sample bag and represents a pooled sample from the group.

Studies have demonstrated that oral fluid samples collected in this way can form the basis of a quick and cost-effective method for screening a range of common viral pathogens. The samples were tested using a commercially available sample preparation and real-time PCR test system which can isolate and identify viral nucleic acid in a matter of hours.

For PRRS, pooled samples of oral fluids were collected from groups of experimentally infected pigs using the rope technique, along with serum samples from each individual pig on the same days. Both serum samples and oral fluids were processed using the same Applied Biosystems preparation system and real- time PCR test, both of which were supplied by Life Technologies. The results showed that PRRSV nucleic acid was detectable in both serum and oral fluid samples from the day of infection through to 40 days after infection.

For PCV2, 24 pigs that were free of PRRSV and SIV were divided into 4 pens in separate rooms, and challenged with two different virus strains (PCV2a and PVC2b) at different times. One pen acted as a (non-challenged) control. Oral fluids were collected regularly up to 140 days after initial challenge and tested using real-time PCR. High titres of PCV2 were detected from day 12 to day 28 post infection and virus was detectable throughout the entire testing period (days 2 to 98).

For SIV, a total of 180 spiked oral fluid samples were tested using real-time PCR, and subtyping reagents were also used to identify haemagglutinin and neuraminidase subtypes. The results showed that SIV nucleic acid was detectable in oral fluid samples spiked with high, medium and low copy numbers of SIV, and all positive samples could be successfully sub-typed.

Christina Boss, European Professional Service Veterinarian for Life Technologies said: "Collecting samples in this way is far less invasive for the pigs and so avoids unnecessary stress. And because all of the pigs will chew on the rope, it provides a very broad sample from the group, which is the key to assessing overall herd health. In addition, if the pooled sample provides a positive result, then the animals in that pen can be tested individually to identify those that are infected.

"These results show that the simplicity of oral fluid sampling, combined with the speed and sensitivity of a PCR-based system, provides a practical and cost- effective way of monitoring large numbers of pigs for common virus pathogens.

"The use of a semi-automated, PCR-based diagnostic system means that nucleic acid purification can be achieved in just 25 minutes and results from the real-time PCR available in 90 minutes. The molecular test is very specific and reliable, so the veterinarian can initiate individual testing as quickly as possible and make confident recommendations to the producer."

According to Life Technologies, screening for PRRS using samples of oral fluids has been gaining popularity over recent years because large numbers of pigs can be tested without increased cost or labour. The new research is due to be presented as a poster at the ESPHM meeting in Bruges in April.

Ceva Animal Health has announced that Bluevac-3, its new bluetongue (BTV-3) vaccine, will be available from mid-October.

Bluevac-3 is an inactivated injectable vaccine indicated for the active immunisation against BTV-3 for use in sheep and cattle. 

Ceva says it reduces viraemia, prevents mortality and reduces the clinical signs of BTV-3 in sheep and reduces viraemia in cattle.

In sheep, Bluevac-3 can be administered from two months of age and two doses of 2ml should be administered subcutaneously three weeks apart.

In cattle, the vaccine can be administered from two months of age and two doses of 4ml should be administered three weeks apart.

Onset of immunity occurs 21 days/three weeks after completion of primary vaccination in cattle and sheep.

The vaccine can be used in pregnancy in cows and ewes.

No negative impact on milk-yield after using the vaccine in lactating ewes and cows is expected.

Ceva developed the new vaccine in partnership with vaccine manufacturer CZV Vaccines and launched it in Europe early in the summer, to mitigate the impact of the disease already experienced in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

Craig Wright, ruminant business unit director at Ceva Animal Health, said: “In co-operation with our partner, CZV Vaccines, we have worked tirelessly to bring Bluevac-3 to the UK to help fight bluetongue which has the potential to cause severe financial loss to farmers. 

"The availability of an effective vaccine is an essential tool to help suppress future outbreaks by reducing viraemia, preventing mortality and reducing the clinical signs of BTV-3.”

Licences to allow the use of the new vaccine will either be geographically targeted general licences, initially in high risk counties as part of a phased approach, or specific licences which can be applied for through APHA.

General licencing will be subject to risk assessment.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-product-characteristics-for-bluevac-3-btv-3-vaccine-in-the-uk. 

Tyne and Wear-based Razvan Georgescu has been suspended by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee for six months after being convicted of drug-driving. 

Mr Georgescu faced three sets of charges:

The first was that in  April 2024 at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to driving a car when the proportion of the controlled substance Benzoylecgonine (the main metabolite of cocaine) exceeded the specified limit contrary to the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Road Traffic Offenders Act.

He was disqualified from driving for 20 months, fined £634, ordered to pay £254 victim surcharge and £150 costs.

The second and third charges were that he was misleading and/or dishonest with the RCVS when he was asked to provide information about the circumstances leading to his conviction.

In correspondence with the College, he claimed that the incident happened on his day off, when he was in fact due to work that day.

He also submitted – or allowed to be submitted – a false staff rota for the day of his arrest.

The Disciplinary Committee found the charges against Mr Georgescu proven on the basis of the certificate of conviction and his admission, prior to the hearing, that he had given false information.

The Committee then considered whether the three charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.

The Committee considered the fact that Mr Georgescu was driving, and intending to work, while he was seven times over the prescribed proportion of Benzoylecgonine allowed to be in in his bloodstream.

Paul Morris, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “With regard to the impact this conduct would have on right thinking members of the public, Dr Georgescu himself said, when cross examined, that were he standing in the shoes of an owner of an animal he was going to treat that day with the knowledge that he had in his blood more than 7 times the prescribed limit of a prohibited drug he “would not be comfortable for sure” and would cause such persons to “lose trust”.

“Having regard to the above facts and matters the Committee has no hesitation in concluding that the facts relevant to his commission of the offence in Charge 1 were so serious and presented such prospective risks to other road users that it renders the respondent unfit to practise as a veterinary surgeon.”

Charges 2 and 3 were considered together, with the Committee again finding serious professional misconduct on the basis that Mr Georgescu had set out to lie to the RCVS and had continued and repeated the lie for a period of six months.

The Committee identified a number of aggravating features in his conduct including the fact it was premeditated, entailed sustained and repeated dishonesty, involved wilful disregard for the role of the RCVS as the veterinary regulator and that admissions were only made when he realised he couldn’t sustain his falsehoods any longer.

Finally, having found that all charges were proven and amounted to serious professional misconduct, the Committee decided that suspending Mr Georgescu from the Register of Veterinary Surgeons would be adequate to protect the welfare of animals, maintain public confidence in the profession, and declare and uphold proper standards of conduct.

Paul Morris added: “The misconduct of the respondent is serious but his misconduct falls short of being fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the Register.

"He does have insight into the seriousness of his misconduct and there is, in the judgement of the Committee, no significant risk of repeat misleading behaviour.

"The Committee also considers that the respondent will be fit to return to practice after the period of suspension in question.

“The Committee did consider striking the respondent from the Register but determined that this sanction would be unduly punitive and deprive the public and the profession of an otherwise competent veterinary surgeon.

“The Committee has reflected carefully on the question of how long the period of suspension should be and has determined that it should be a period which is not so long that it will result in the loss of the respondent to the profession which he professes to love and in which his referees assert he is a capable and caring veterinary surgeon.”

www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

Dechra has announced its acquisition of a Invetx, a biotech company. 

Invetx specialises in developing protein-based therapeutics for chronic conditions in companion animals, with a focus on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).

Dechra says these therapies have targeted modes of action and therefore are often more effective, provide an extended duration of activity and have fewer side effects, all of which help to extend and improve the quality of life for companion animals while decreasing the care burden for pet owners.

Jesper Nordengaard, Chief Executive Officer of Dechra, said: "I regard this acquisition as hugely important for Dechra, marking the start of a new chapter in our growth.

"It demonstrates our ambition to create further points of differentiation and relevance with veterinarians and pet owners alike, confidence in our ability to deliver highly innovative new products, and capacity to execute large scale transactions at speed."

Jesper added: “The half-life extension technology developed by Invetx allows for the generation of therapeutics that make treatment of chronic conditions far more convenient for pet owners and veterinarians through improved compliance.

"The pipeline of products currently being developed are all high value potential and will deepen our expertise in core therapeutic areas such as atopic dermatitis and osteoarthritis, allowing for synergistic product development, sales & marketing, and education efforts in the future.”

https://www.invetx.com 

According to Intervet, a study undertaken in Germany last summer has proven the efficacy of Butox SWISH at killing the midges responsible for carrying the bluetongue virus, when applied monthly to cattle. The study showed that even brief contact between a midge and hair from a treated animal killed midges rapidly for up to four weeks post-treatment.

The standard dose, applied in the usual way (on the neck and topline of the animal) delivers full-body coverage of Butox SWISH’s deltamethrin, helped partly by its unique micronised formulation. The product is also highly lipophilic which means it binds onto the natural oil secretions of the coat helping to improve coverage.

The trial used six heifers (each weighing around 400kg) treated with 30ml Butox SWISH (the standard fly dose and method of application). Two un-treated heifers were also studied for comparison.

During the five week period, contact between midges and treated hair caused immediate paralysis, and the midges then died at varying intervals depending on contact time and the number of days post-treatment with Butox SWISH. The trial verified the application of Butox SWISH monthly at the standard dose for cattle.

Trial director, Professor Mehlhorn suggested that producers should be prepared to reduce vector contact by removing their breeding habitats and combining this with the use of a knock-down treatment like Butox SWISH, which is the only product of its type which has proven efficacy against midges. Used in conjunction with vaccination, these measures may not stop the disease entering the herd, but will help reduce the spread of disease.