Just wanted to say a big thank you to all of the SAMSOC memebers who over the last couple of years have donated old text books. Over the last few months I have received photos and messages via WVS that are copied below. So once again thank you.

For those of you who don't know I collect old veterinary textbooks for the Worldwide Veterinary Service. This is a charity that is involved in a number of project around the world with small and large animals.

WVS send volunteer veterinary surgeons from the UK to help charities around the world in a variety of projects. One of the aims of WVS is to provide those volunteers with educational resources that can assist them in their work. Donated textbooks are used by the vets when treating animal but also to teach locals basic first aid that can help not only with animal  welfare but in the case of farm animal their productivity. An simple example is teaching an african farmer how to assess a cows foot when it is lame. Locals being taught simple first aid could them treat their own animal e.g. a stone in a shoe., which previously would have been over looked. For more details of WVS work log on to www.wvs.org.uk

Admittedly old text books gathering dust do make a study look more impressive, but lets be honest how often do we open them!! If you still have old equine text, old cattle text, a copy of slater that you bought when you (briefly ) thought about being a surgeon or even just updated your medical text those books could be invaluable in another place. Donating is a win win situation for all, the books will be greatly received and used ( see below), you get a warm fuzzy feeling and you open up a load of space for that wall mounted flat screen you have always wanted or another DIY project you had in mind.

Joking aside If you do have any textbook ( preferable  less than 10-12 years old) that you would like to donate and feel could be useful please contact me by commenting on this new feature below or direct by e mail ( iab@vetspecialists.co.uk)  

Some of the messages I have received

The books were sent to veterinarians working at the charities in Cape Town, South Africa. 

I have attached a couple of photos to this email  We send out donated textbooks to charities where veterinary resources are scarce, so these donations are incredibly valuable to the veterinarians who use them. The photos attached show vets at the Cat Assistance Team (CAT) and TEARS (The Emma Animal Rescue Society), receiving donated veterinary textbooks!

 “Our dedicated, hard-working veterinarian, Dr Slyvia Shortreed (in photo) expressed the need to purchase a textbook which would help her in her work. Rita Brock from Cat Assistance Team suggested that we approach Worldwide Veterinary Service. Rita sent an email, and within 10 days, two textbooks entitled Textbook of Veterinary Medicine Volumes 1 & 2 by Ettinger / Feldman were delivered to the astonished Sylvia…. Needless to say Sylvia was delighted with her early Christmas present and most grateful to Worldwide Veterinary Service for their donation”

 We also received an email from Rita Brock of CAT which said:

 "Compassion knows no boundaries! It gave me enormous pleasure to be a link in this chain and see Slyvia’s delight when John and Janet handed her the books this morning. The Ettinger’s will be put to brilliant use at the TEARS surgery. Many animals will benefit from them in the future. I am extremely grateful for your support – you are making a huge difference to a tiny organisation on the other end of the world. Today confirmed my favourite saying: nothing is impossible.”

 This year we also sent some textbooks to PDSA South Africa and received the following response:

“We would like to thank you most sincerely for donating veterinary reference books to us. These books have been given to the hospital staff of the Cape Town PDSA Hospital and will be exceptionally useful in training our Animal Welfare Officers. The staff requested me to cover the books in self adhesive plastic – to ensure they are taken care of – and our staff are working through them on a rotational basis”

.

Dear SAMSoc colleagues,

Many will remember the talk Prof Martin Bland gave at our meeting last year. His secretary has asked me to post the following advert for a course on statistics for vets this October (four day) entitled 'Introduction to Statistics for Vets', to be delivered by Professor Bland himself at the
University of York. Attached is the flyer.

Regards,

Stijn.

Programme attached including details of how to register

Just a reminder of research projects by our members that are ongoing. Full details can be found in the wiki on the group homepage:

Diabetes Treatment Survey for vets, nurses and owners

Primary Investigator Contact Info: 

Stijn Niessen 

Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, 

Royal Veterinary College, 

University of London, UK 

sniessen@rvc.ac.uk

Genetic Basis of Endocrine Disease in Dogs

Further details can be obtained from:

Brian Catchpole BVetMed PhD MRCVS

Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Immunology

Dept. of Pathology & Infectious Diseases

Royal Veterinary College

Hawkshead Lane,

N. Mymms

Herts AL9 7TA

Tel: +44 (0)1707 666388

Fax: +44 (0)1707 666483

Email: bcatchpole@rvc.ac.uk

Congenital PSS in Birman Cats - DNA Project

Angie Hibbert BVSc CertSAM DipECVIM-CA MRCVS

Feline Centre

University of Bristol

Langford

Exocrine Pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) Treatment Study 

Aran Mas DVM MRCVS

P-J.M.Noble BSc BVM&S PhD MRCVS, 

A.J.German BVSc PhD CertSAM DipECVIM-CA MRCVS

If you have a suitable case and would like to discuss enrolment on the trial, please do not hesitate to contact us (telephone 0151 795 6100, vetinmed@liv.ac.uk)

Efficacy of masitinib in dogs with steroid-resistant inflammatory bowel disease

cic@rvc.ac.uk

Fabio Procoli

Efficacy of Protexin Pro-Kolin Enterogenic in conjunction with ronidazole in the treatment of T.foetus in cats with diarrhoea

Tel. 0131 650 7650

Email. slalor@staffmail.ed.ac.uk

Hi everyone

thought i would refresh everyones memories of the projects ( looking to recruit samples, cases or complete questionaires) . Listed in the SAMSoc Wiki section. More detail can be found on the project you may find interesting  including contacts etc within the Wiki.

If you have a project that you would like to list please post away or contact me via a vetsurgeon conversation link or by e mailing me directly at iab@vetspecialists.co.uk 

all the best

Ian

Free plasma metanephrines – a novel diagnostic approach for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma in dogs

The Royal Veterinary College is investigating whether an increased plasma metanephrine concentration can be used to identify pheochromocytomas in dogs. We hope this will provide a useful indicator for pheochromocytomas, which are otherwise challenging to diagnose and our preliminary data suggests that plasma metanephrine concentrations increase in affected dogs.

We would welcome EDTA plasma samples from dogs undergoing investigation of adrenal masses, especially if pheochromocytoma is strongly suspected. The full cost of this test will be covered by the project grant and HPLC results are usually available within 7 days.

Efficacy of masitinib in dogs with steroid-resistant inflammatory bowel disease

Fabio Procoli DMV MRCVS, Senior Clinical Training Scholar in Small Animal Internal Medicine

Karin Allenspach Dr.med.vet. PhD DECVIM-CA MRCVS, Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Internal Medicine

Masitinib is a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor licensed for the use in dogs with mast cell tumours, where it has proven efficacy. There also reports that this drug can decrease inflammation in people with several immune mediated disorders, including IBD.

The Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the Royal Veterinary College is performing a clinical trial to evaluate the clinical efficacy of masitinib as a sole treatment for canine IBD in steroid-refractory cases over a period of 8 weeks.

Further details can be found in the SAMSOC wiki.

Other projects listed

Free plasma metanephrines – a novel diagnostic approach for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma in dogs

The Royal Veterinary College

Genetic Basis of Endocrine Disease in Dogs

As part of the LUPA initiative ( http://www.eurolupa.org ), the Royal Veterinary College, University of London and the Universities of Manchester and Uppsala are collaborating to investigate the genetic...

Exocrine Pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) Treatment Study

Exocrine Pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) Treatment Study Aran Mas DVM MRCVS P-J.M.Noble BSc BVM&S PhD MRCVS, A.J.German BVSc PhD CertSAM DipECVIM-CA MRCVS

Congenital PSS in Birman Cats - DNA Project

We are currently looking at the predisposition of Birman cats to congenital portosystemic shunts. The project is being run by Angie Hibbert  and Professor Tim Gruffydd-Jones at the Feline Centre Bristol

Diabetes Treatment Survey for vets, nurses and owners

Stijn Neissen RVC

Efficacy of Protexin Pro-Kolin Enterogenic in conjunction with ronidazole in the treatment of T.foetus in cats with diarrhoea

A study is underway to evaluate the efficacy of Protexin Pro-Kolin Enterogenic in conjunction with ronidazole in the treatment of T.foetus in cats with diarrhoea. Referring vets who have diagnosed T.foetus by PCR are asked to contact Professor Danielle Gunn-Moore or Stephanie Lalor at University of Edinburgh Hospital for Small Animals using the contact details below to discuss enrolment of cats into the study.

Tel. 0131 650 7650
Email. slalor@staffmail.ed.ac.uk

Thought i would let you all know, that we have now reach the milestone of 100  SAMSOC members registered on the site.

The commitee is now starting to look for new ideas to develop within the site that will benefit members. Current features include - the forum, a wiki for listing projects that are recruiting cases and a media section for interesting radiographs/case material.

If you have any good ideas please contact us and we will see what we can do

All the best and see you tommorow

Ian

PS- There are still some members have yet to register on the site. So if you know one of them give them a nudge. 

Hi everyone

Jon  Wray presented a seminar on writing a CERTSAM casebook at the meeting this year and he has kindly agreed to allow us to post the notes for this session in the media section of the SAMSOC website. This document is accessible to all SAMSOC members and is password protected. So if you would like the access the document please contact me by the vetsurgeon conversation facility and i will provide you with the password

As a reminder

The following projects have been posted within the SAMSOC Wiki - full details of the projects can be found in the wiki. I am please to report that I am aware of case recruitemnts being made as a consequence of the Wiki. So if you would like to post a project ( takes under 10 mins) please feel free and if you need any help let me know

All the best

Ian

Projects on going at the moment

Free plasma metanephrines – a novel diagnostic approach for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma in dogs

Metanephrine and normetanephrine are catecholamine metabolites produced by the cells of the adrenal medulla and detection of an increased plasma metanephrine concentration is the biochemical test of choice...

Genetic Basis of Endocrine Disease in Dogs

As part of the LUPA initiative ( http://www.eurolupa.org ), the Royal Veterinary College, University of London and the Universities of Manchester and Uppsala are collaborating to investigate the genetic...

Exocrine Pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) Treatment Study

Exocrine Pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) Treatment Study Aran Mas DVM MRCVS P-J.M.Noble BSc BVM&S PhD MRCVS, A.J.German BVSc PhD CertSAM DipECVIM-CA MRCVS EPI is a common condition in dogs with early...

Congenital PSS in Birman Cats - DNA Project

We are currently looking at the predisposition of Birman cats to congenital portosystemic shunts. The project is being run by myself and Professor Tim Gruffydd-Jones at the Feline Centre Bristol in conjunction...

Feline Chronic Kidney Disease: Use of oral phosphate binders

As part of ongoing research into Feline Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) at the Royal Veterinary College, The Clinical Investigation Centre (CIC) is working with an animal health company to verify the efficacy...

Diabetes Treatment Survey for vets, nurses and owners

Diabetes Treatment Survey When treatment protocols for diabetes are assessed, the focus lies on how good such treatment is in dealing with the disease and this is often measured using objective parameters...

2009

Petplan Charitable Trust PhD Study
to Investigate Feline Infectious Peritonitis-Specific Nucleotide Motifs

A three-year study, leading to a PhD, is being funded by the Petplan Charitable Trust and is available to commence on 1^st February 2011 in the School of Veterinary Sciences, Langford at the University of Bristol.  The aim of the project is to define nucleotide sequence motifs in feline coronaviruses (FCoVs) associated with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and to then develop a diagnostic test for the confirmation of FIP.  The applicant will gain extensive experience in molecular-based techniques and bioinformatic analysis.  Furthermore, the applicant will receive training in the design, conduct and presentation of research. Practical work will be done in the School of Veterinary Sciences, Langford and the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Bristol. The work will be jointly supervised by Professor Stuart Siddell and Drs Chris Helps and Séverine Tasker, supported by collaborators both within the University of Bristol and in other Universities.  Good computer skills are essential, and some experience of molecular research and feline medicine is desirable.  The successful applicant will have a high level of literacy and numeracy, good organisation skills and a willingness to learn and develop research skills to a high standard.  The successful applicant will also have excellent communication skills and confidence in making contact with cat owners and veterinary surgeons.

Applicants must possess, or expect to obtain, a first class, or good upper second class, degree in a biological related subject, or a degree in a veterinary science, and be able to demonstrate a clear interest in FIP.  This project is available to citizens of a number of European countries (including the UK) who have been resident in the UK for a period of 3 years or more.

Informal enquiries about the project are encouraged and can be made to Dr Séverine Tasker (email: s.tasker@bristol.ac.uk).

To apply, please send a CV, cover letter, and the names and addresses of two referees to Alison Foxwell, Head of Department’s Office, School of Veterinary Sciences, Langford House, Langford, North Somerset, BS40 5DU (email: cvs-hod-office@bristol.ac.uk), quoting reference SCH/10/09, by December 15^th 2010.