BSAVA Summit will take place from 16-17 December 2019 at the Royal College of Physicians in London and will involve a series of high-profile keynote speakers and interactive workshops.
The Association says the event will deliver CPD differently to other veterinary meetings, with most sessions run as facilitated workshops to enable delegates to lead and shape discussions.
Confirmed facilitators include RCVS CEO Lizzie Lockett, BEVA President Renate Weller, Director of Clinical Research and Excellence in Practice at VetPartners Rachel Dean and Small Animal Medicine Specialist and Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Cardiology Dr Kit Sturgess. Each day delegates can choose three out of a total of five workshops. Online forums will be used in the run up to BSAVA Summit to develop ideas and thinking for the workshops before the event.
Day one will focus on ‘The Profession Today’ and topics will include workforce issues, telemedicine, specialism, the future of advanced practitioners and regulation of the profession.
Day two will explore the future of ‘The Profession Tomorrow’ with topics including communication, over-diagnosis, over-treatment and innovation.
On the Monday evening delegates, speakers and facilitators will be able to network at a drinks reception in the library at the Royal College of Physicians.
BSAVA President Sue Paterson said: "We have launched BSAVA Summit to address the rising demand for a space to debate important topics, challenge mindsets and question accepted benchmarks. Following feedback from our members and the profession, Summit will revolutionise veterinary conference norms with a free-flow approach to champion active debate, discussion and reflection.
"There is a growing need to tackle some of the ethical and professional problems that face vets today such as over diagnosis, the role of specialists in practice, and research in practice. Importantly, the format of the discussion forums means that whilst the debate is led by a facilitator, the delegates will drive the agenda to arrive at stimulating and satisfying outcomes. It has been designed to fit with the new outcomes-based approach proposed by the RCVS where veterinary professionals are encouraged to plan their CPD, do their CPD and reflect on what they have learnt.
"The delegates are the key to the event, and Summit should attract people who want to be involved, want to input, want to make a difference and want to help drive the profession forward. I already have people eagerly emailing me wanting news of when the registration goes live.
"Summit aims to help delegates take a hard look at the way they work. Our aim is for each delegate to set themselves personal goals and we will be following up in 3 months to see if they have achieved them."
The BSAVA says that although the Summit is primarily targeted at experienced small animal practitioners, all vets, including equine and large animal practitioners, are welcome to attend.
The full programme will be available and registration will open online on 17th June. BSAVA members will have an opportunity to book advance tickets, with general sale opening two weeks later.
For further information visit www.bsavasummit.com.
AceSedate for horses contains 10mg/ml acepromazine as its active ingredient, which the company says means a lower dose volume is required compared to the non-UK licensed equine acepromazine options available.
The dosage of AceSedate is 0.03-0.10 mg per kg bodyweight, however Jurox recommends that the lower end of the dose range is always selected where possible. It can be administered via intramuscular or slow intravenous injection.
AceSedate is supplied in a multidose vial and the shelf life after opening the immediate packaging is 28 days.
Richard Beckwith, country manager of Jurox (UK) Ltd, said: "The launch of AceSedate means injectable acepromazine is now licensed in the UK for horses, giving vets peace-of-mind that a licensed product is now available. It is a welcome addition to our equine anaesthesia, analgesia and sedation portfolio."
For more information, visit: www.jurox.com/uk, contact your local Jurox technical sales representative, telephone the customer services team on 0800 500 3171 or e-mail customerservice@jurox.co.uk.
Amongst the speakers were Catherine Oxtoby MRCVS, Risk Manager at the Veterinary Defence Society, and Dr Huw Stacey, director of clinical services at Vets4Pets.
Dr Stacey explained how Vets4Pets and Companion Care practices are embracing a culture of sharing information when things don’t go according to plan in practice.
He said: "We all face challenges in the workplace, and this event focused on how different professions can share ideas and good practice and how they find solutions to any challenges.
"The culture of aviation and maritime is one of minimising risk and putting safety first, and it is fascinating to compare their approach to that found in medicine and veterinary.
"One common theme we discussed was the wellbeing of both professionals and patients or clients, with tiredness being at the top of the list of things that can negatively affect wellbeing and performance.
"Both aviation and maritime recognised that long shifts, particularly overnight, needed to be reduced in order to improve the outcome for everyone.
"In veterinary and human medicine, tiredness and long shifts are often worn as a badge of honour and being tired at work was something that should be admired, rather than addressed.
"But, tired vets are effectively neglecting themselves and their own wellbeing, which in turn leads to pets not receiving the best level of care in practice.
"This is something we’re taking seriously at Vets4Pets and Companion Care, and we’re currently looking at ways to decrease the risk of overworked and tired vets and vet nurses."
Another area of discussion was around the reporting of near misses and when things don’t go right, and how veterinary professionals need to identify and share the learnings from these events, not only within their practice, but with the wider profession too.
He said: "We need to continually emphasise the concept of a ‘just’ culture, to ensure our colleagues feel confident about reporting incidents open and honestly."
"It is not in the interests of the professional, the patient or the client to bottle things up, and at Vets4Pets and Companion Care we’re encouraging all of our practices to adopt the VDS VetSafe system, which provides a mechanism for sharing incident reports across the profession, enabling us all to learn from them to the benefit of our patients."
The allied professionals that the BVA says should be led by veterinary surgeons include: Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVNs), Official Auxiliaries/ Meat Hygiene Inspectors, embryo transfer technicians, equine dental technicians, foot trimmers, farriers, hydrotherapists, animal behaviourists and veterinary physiotherapists.
To clarify where the responsibility for a patient sits and how it is shared between veterinary surgeons and allied professionals, the new policy statement also calls for:
The regulation of allied professionals to include mandatory veterinary diagnosis and oversight and appropriate access to veterinary records as pre-requisites before treatment;
Clarity on the delegation of duties for RVNs under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act and protection of the ‘veterinary nurse’ title in legislation;
Consultation with the veterinary profession on any regulatory changes that may arise as a result of technological or other innovation.
British Veterinary Association President Simon Doherty (pictured right) said: "Against an evolving landscape, it’s essential that the veterinary profession keeps pace with change and addresses the challenges and opportunities it presents.
"Vets across sectors have always worked closely with allied professionals. The hub and spoke model acknowledges and clarifies this working relationship with clear lines of accountability and responsibility for the animals under our care. It also emphasises that vets’ right to diagnose, prescribe, and undertake surgical procedures and medical treatments must not be undermined.
"An effective and efficient vet-led team can help deliver better animal health and welfare, improved client care, and more effective use of skills within the veterinary professions. Given the ongoing workforce shortages, a strengthened veterinary workforce also has the potential to ease recruitment and retention concerns for both vets and RVNs and offer improved wellbeing.
"BVA will continue working with professional bodies and organisations to formalise the hub and spoke model, promote the value of regulation, and drive up professional standards."
Equibactin vet contains sulfadiazine and trimethoprim, and is indicated for use in the treatment of infections, particularly respiratory tract infections associated with Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus aureus; gastrointestinal infections associated with E. coli; urogenital infections associated with beta-hemolytic streptococci; and wound infections and open or drained abscesses associated with Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus aureus.
The new product has been designed to provide accurate administration to all sizes of horses or ponies. One syringe provides a complete dose for 600kg bodyweight and is subdivided into 12 markings, to help keep track of dosages.
Dechra Brand Manager Emma Jennings said: "Equibactin vet has a proven antibiotic combination with a synergistic effect2 making it an excellent first line broad spectrum antimicrobial treatment for most Gram positive and negative aerobes.
It can be administered without food which improves the oral bioavailability, offering equine veterinary surgeons a quick and efficient treatment when it comes to targeting these infections that are often experienced in day-to-day practice.
"With its ease of use and three-year shelf life, we anticipate that Equibactin vet will quickly become a popular product when it comes to maintaining equine health."
For more information, visit www.dechra.co.uk/products/equine.
References
Global names in gastroenterology will be sharing the latest knowledge to help veterinary surgeons and nurses support the work of the BHS and Nottingham University’s REACT to colic campaign, which is designed to help vets and horse owners work together for colic patients.
On Friday 13th September there'll be a two-hour session chaired by Harry Carslake, a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary internal medicine (ACVIM). The session will involve five experts speaking about aspects of colic, followed by discussion and the opportunity for questions from delegates.
Natasha Jocelyn, Internal Medicine Specialist, Sussex Equine Hospital, will speak about managing the acute colic in the field: what to do when flunixin doesn’t work.
Prof. Dr. Gunther Van Loon European Veterinary Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium, will discuss managing acute colic in the equine hospital.
Dr Nathan Slovis member of the American College of Internal Veterinary Medicine, Director of the McGee Medicine Department and a partner at Haygard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky will explain colic guidelines – can ‘algorithms’ help?
Prof. Dr Lutz Goehring European Veterinary Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, will explore the question ‘is there an evidence-based approach to managing enteritis?’
David Rendle European Veterinary Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine, Rainbow Equine Hospital, North Yorkshire, will look at parasitic disease as a cause of colic and methods of management.
All BEVA Congress delegates get a certificate of attendance worth seven hours of CPD.
If you're struggling for time or torn between several lectures you can use the BEVA Congress Encore Room to play back missed lectures at your convenience. BEVA Congress is also providing day crèche for children between the ages of 0-8 years. Find out more here.
Anyone who registers for Congress before 8 May 2019 will receive significantly reduced booking fees, and BEVA members save up to £379 on their Congress passes.
The MSD Animal Health Vet Surgeon Research Bursary offers awards of up to £4,000 each. Each project has to be completed within one to two years and the veterinary surgeon proposals are judged by university academics to ensure independent assessment.
Michelle Townley, veterinary advisor at MSD Animal Health said: "We’re delighted to be awarding Amie this bursary as we consider deepening the understanding of equine vaccination practices and protocols to be important new knowledge for the companion animal sector, especially in the light of the recent equine flu outbreak.
"We will be inviting applications for the 2019 vet surgeon bursaries from August this year so would encourage any vet keen to develop their research skills to keep an eye on our website for further information. We would like to encourage as many vets as possible to apply as part of our commitment to advancing research within the veterinary industry."
2018 is the second year MSD Animal Health has extended its Veterinary Surgeon Research Bursary to include companion animals. The 2017 award went to Dr Sarah Caddy for her research into cat bite abscesses.
Veterinary surgeon research bursary applications will open again in August.
For more information, visit www.msdahresearchbursary.co.uk.
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.
Katie, who works at Milbourn Equine, is now preparing with her horse Templar Justice, or TJ for short, to take part in what is widely acknowledged to be one of the world's most difficult equestrian events.
Last year, she competed at the Burghley Horse Trials and was voted "Amateur Rider of the Year" by Horse and Hound magazine.
Katie says she is determined to build on that success with a strong showing at Badminton: "The Burghley Horse Trials were amazing last year. I was so excited to be there and it went so well. To now be competing at Badminton will be an awesome experience.
"It’s one of only six 'five-star' equestrian events in the world and to compete there really is my dream come true."
Till then, veterinary surgeons are advised to make due diligent attempts to source a UK-authorised product before considering importing an alternative medicine.
Procaine hydrochloride is used in farm animal medicine in particular, to provide local and regional anaesthesia for a range of procedures including calving, lambing, caesarean operations, castration and dehorning of cattle, with demand particularly high in the spring.
Simon Doherty, BVA President, said: "We’re pleased that VMD has issued some clarification to answer our concerns over procaine hydrochloride shortages. BVA had heard from some veterinary practices that they were only able to get hold of a fraction of what they needed, which would have resulted in a very acute impact on farm animal welfare. Although we had moved to get assurances sooner, we appreciate that there are formal routes for reporting and that the announcement of any shortage must be handled sensitively to avoid exacerbating the problem.
"VMD’s clarification is especially timely as this is a period of peak seasonal demand for these products. We will keep our members closely informed of any further developments."
Carried out by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and Rossdales Equine Hospital, the study also revealed that the groups particularly at risk were native pony breeds and their crosses, as well as horses and ponies with a history of laminitis and those with lameness or soreness after routine hoof care.
This research, funded by World Horse Welfare, comes from the first ever online study that collected information on laminitis from a group of owners in real time.
The researchers say that the study is also the second largest to identify weight gain as a risk factor for laminitis. Data was collected from the owners of 1,070 horses and ponies in Great Britain, who reported their animal’s management, health and estimated weight via online questionnaires for 29 months.
Owners were encouraged to use a custom weight tracking tool designed by the study/research team to help regularly track changes in their animal’s weight and body condition. The uptake of this tool was high, with over half of participating owners using it.
The tool is freely available at: www.aht.org.uk/research/lameness/laminitis.
Other study findings included:
A high risk of laminitis was present in horses shod or trimmed at intervals of more than 8 weeks, and in those that took a long time to return to soundness after a bout of laminitis.
Diet, grazing management and health were factors closely associated with the development of laminitis and will be the subject of future investigation.
Researchers also noted that weight gain often occurred unintentionally, even when owners were aiming for their animals to maintain or lose it. This reiterates the need to consistently record weight and body condition in order to prevent undesirable weight gain.
Dr. Dee Pollard of the AHT, one of the study’s chief authors, said: "This is one of the largest, and the first, online laminitis studies where we collected regular information from the same group of owners in real-time. We assessed the relationship between laminitis and many potential management and health factors and identified those more likely to be present before a laminitis episode was reported.
"We now have good evidence to develop laminitis prevention guidelines, and a number of different avenues to explore in the future. We cannot emphasise enough how important systematic and regular weight and body condition monitoring are. It’s very easy to miss weight gain when you are just relying on your eyes and you see your horse or pony every day. You need to get hands on, feel for the fat deposits and take measurements, remember the figures don’t lie!"
Reference
The new website explains what Veterinary Specialists are, how they may be able to help, and how the referral process works. The BCVSp says it has been designed to be a useful resource which primary practices can direct their clients to if a referral is being considered.
As well as being able to search for a Specialist by location and by discipline, owners can also read some real life patient case studies following the referral, treatment journeys and outcomes of animals that have benefited from Specialist care and meet some of the Specialists via podcast links.
BCVSp Trustee Celia Marr said: "While most happy healthy animals will never need Specialist veterinary care, if they do we want their owners to know that we are here to help.
"There are many hundreds of Specialists working at the forefront of veterinary care and also those working in research, pathology and academia, helping to advance animal health and welfare, every day. We believe our new website should help to spread the word and make referral more understandable and accessible."
Visit the new website at www.yourvetspecialist.org
The study "Influence of dietary restriction and low-intensity exercise on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in obese equids" was carried out by Nick Bamford and colleagues at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Science, in collaboration with Spillers.
A total of 24 obese horses and ponies were randomly divided into two groups; 'restricted diet only' or 'restricted diet plus exercise'. All horses and ponies were fed the same diet of restricted hay (no grazing), a small amount of alfalfa chaff and soya bean meal, and a vitamin and mineral supplement.
The exercise programme, which was designed following feedback from horse owners to help ensure it could be implemented relatively easily in the real world, consisted of 15 minutes of brisk trotting (with a five minute walk before and after) five days per week for 12 weeks.
The 'restricted diet only' group showed an overall reduction in body weight and body condition score. They had increased levels of adiponectin – a hormone produced by fat cells, low levels of which are a risk factor for laminitis. They had decreased baseline insulin, high levels of which have been linked to an increased risk of laminitis, and decreased leptin, high levels of which are associated with obesity.
Although exercise did not increase weight loss, it did produce additional benefits that were not seen in the 'restricted diet only' group, the most important one being improved insulin sensitivity. More insulin sensitive horses and ponies need to produce less insulin in order to control their blood sugar. This is important because high levels of insulin in the blood and/or reduced insulin sensitivity are risk factors for laminitis. Horses and ponies in the exercise group also had decreased levels of ‘serum amyloid A’, a protein that is a marker for inflammation.
Clare Barfoot RNutr, the research and development manager at Spillers said: "Reducing calorie intake and feeding a diet low in starch and sugar should be the priority for overweight horses and ponies. However, the results of this study suggest that exercise may offer additional health benefits for obese horses and ponies and/or those with ‘EMS’ that cannot be achieved by cutting calories and weight loss alone."
Photo: Spillers/Steve Bardens
I'm delighted to welcome Celia Marr from Rossdales and Edd Knowles from Bell Equine, who have kindly agreed to be our contributing experts. They'll drop in from time to time to add anything helpful they can to the forum discussions.
As elsewhere on VetSurgeon.org, reading content in the new groups or participating in discussions can count towards a VetSurgeon.org CPD certificate. Just press 'Claim CPD' at the top of the page, then collect the record and certificate from your profile.
All members of the site with an interest in equine medicine are now invited to press the join button on the left hand side of the group home page (when viewed on tablet or bigger). You may also wish to select the option to receive a daily or weekly digest of new content by email, which you can cancel at any time.
Equine is the third special interest group launched on VetSurgeon.org. The other two are Small Animal Medicine and Small Animal Dentistry.
It's a subject that will be front of many people's minds following the recent cases of equine flu.
As part of the campaign, MSD has produced a range of veterinary practice support materials to help you engage with owners and yards on the subject of preventative healthcare best practice and compliance.
The range includes shareable social media content, videos, a 'What's Your Risk' practice poster, an online risk assessment tool and a number of downloadable information leaflets. Practices will also be supported through the Keep Britain's Horses Health (KBHH) web page, Facebook page and Twitter.
MSD says there are also planning and evaluation resources to help practices manage an effective campaign.
Vicki Farr, Equine Veterinary Advisor at MSD Animal Health said: "The recent outbreaks of equine flu have rocked the horse-racing world, costing the industry millions and raising important animal welfare issues. Furthermore, they have highlighted the need for good preventative healthcare and, in particular, vaccination.
"HHW will therefore come at a relevant time for horse owners and yards when the impact of equine flu is still at the front of their minds.
"This year HHW will provide vital tools for practices; building on the knowledge and resources we’ve acquired throughout the KBHH campaign and from previous HHWs.
"Our focus is on engaging owners and yards on understanding the risk of disease for their horse, while rewarding them for best practice. We are again providing a wide range of resources for practices to help them create an engaging and successful campaign that helps build knowledge amongst the equine community."
For further information, talk to your MSD Animal Health Equine Account Manager, call 01908 685685 or refer to KBHH social media feeds on Facebook page and Twitter (@keepinghorseshealthy).
The company says the aim is to identify the most effective ways to minimise the risks this common and debilitating infectious equine virus poses. The survey can be found here.
Equine Herpes Virus is a contagious virus, which can cause respiratory disease, abortion and more rarely neurological disease. In addition, sub-clinical infections can be associated with a syndrome of poor performance and have a potential effect on the health of the whole yard.1
The disease is transmitted from horse to horse through the respiratory tract, by inhalation of the viral particles shed by infected horses. Once a horse is infected with Equine Herpes Virus it is likely to be latently infected for life. Viral reactivation and nasal shedding can occur at any time, particularly during stressful periods such as when mixing with other horses at equine events. This can lead to acute disease episodes. Often affected horses are asymptomatic but if they do show symptoms these may include depression, lethargy, pyrexia, nasal discharge and a dry cough. Reduction of shedding through management and vaccination is key to disease control.2
Wendy Talbot, National Equine Veterinary Manager at Zoetis said: "EHV has potentially serious health, performance and financial implications across every sector of the equestrian industry.
"The aim of our survey is to find out more about current vet protocols in practice. The results should help us to identify and then ensure that the most effective prevention strategies are accessible to vets and their clients."
The survey runs from 4 – 22nd March 2019 in parallel to a separate survey for horse owners.
For further information, contact your Zoetis Account Manager or the Zoetis Technical Team on customersupportUK@zoetis.com or 0845 300 9084 choosing option 1.
The 'Vet REACT Colic Champions', which is being supported by 62 veterinary practices around the country, will help horse owners create a plan of action if their horse develops critical colic and needs referral to an equine hospital.
The campaign follows research conducted by the University of Nottingham which found that one in three emergency call-outs by vets were due to colic and 90% of owners were not confident in spotting its early signs.
Emmeline Hannelly, Welfare Education Manager at the BHS said: "It’s fantastic that so many vets are supporting our 'Vet REACT Colic Champions' scheme – we are delighted to be working with them. We hope that it will help even more owners to make informed decisions related to colic and in turn, improve equine welfare.”
Sarah Freeman, Professor of Veterinary Surgery at the School of Veterinary Science and Medicine, University of Nottingham said: "We are delighted to be working with vet practices on the 'Vet REACT Colic Champions' scheme. Their support and guidance has been a huge help in reaching such a wide population and we hope we can reach even more people in the future."
Alex Kingdon, BVM BVS MRCVS from Avonvale Equine Practice said: "Being part of the 'Vet REACT Colic Champions' scheme is incredibly important to our practice. Colic is by far one of the most common emergency conditions we see and the scheme has already had a huge impact on many horse owners.”
For further details on the 'Vet REACT Colic Champions' scheme and 'React Now to Beat Colic' campaign, visit: www.bhs.org.uk/colic
Photo: Shutterstock/PJ Photography
The company says it's not just older horses suffering from joint disease, 36% of horses developed the condition by the time they were eight years old.
In the survey, 69% of horses needed up to five visits to their veterinary surgeon for treatment, while 21% needed as many as ten visits. Horse owners spent an average of £2,104 treating their horse’s joint condition while 5% spent more than £7,500 on the problem.
In addition, 53% said they've missed up to ten competitions due to joint disease, with 17% missing more than 20 competitions.
The survey revealed that joint problems are an ongoing concern for many. 76% of owners said they worry about their horse developing osteoarthritis and 30% had retired a horse earlier than expected owing to joint disease. In addition, 84% admitted that they would not buy a horse if they knew it had joint problems.
In terms of joint care, 74% of respondents said they give their horse a joint supplement. 69% check their horse's legs daily and 90% implement post-competition leg care measures.
Cavalor’s Lieselot Hamerlinck said: "It is good to see that so many horse owners are using a joint supplement but it’s important that they understand what to look for when choosing which product to use. They should look for anti-inflammatory products, not just joint support and for clinical evidence on any product claims. It’s not just about giving a joint supplement every day, it’s more about giving the right product tailored to the horse’s individual needs.
"Also horse owners should be mindful that it is equally important, if not more so, to take proper care of their horse’s joints all year round, not just during competition."
For further information, visit www.cavalor.com.
Chanelle's head of sales and marketing, Killian Gaffney said: "The total UK market is around 80,000 bottles annually. However, with the major supplier announcing some re-stocking in March but full availability still under question, there is a real sense of urgency for practitioners.
"The Chanelle team worked throughout December with our manufacturing division to ensure that the UK product shortfall could be alleviated.
"Air freighting supplies seemed the obvious course of action, and ensured we could supply the UK market as quickly as possible."
For further information, contact: Chanelle on 00353 91 841 788.
Henry Schein said in a statement on Friday that it had sold the business in order to focus on its dental and medical markets and pursue new investment opportunities.
Covetrus says it will be using the experience, technology and global scale of the merged companies to provide veterinary practices with a more comprehensive set of integrated services and technology solutions, and tools to strengthen client relationships and grow their practice.
Covetrus launched on Nasdaq last Friday, when President and Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Shaw, said: "Today marks an important new chapter in the world of veterinary medicine, as we launch Covetrus as a new company listed on Nasdaq.
"We look forward to strengthening our customer relationships and expanding our veterinary practice partnerships worldwide as we bring more comprehensive and powerful solutions to market to meet their evolving needs and improve health and financial outcomes."
The company says that so far, it has had no cases of flu reported in horses vaccinated with Equip F or Equip FT in the UK. However, it cautions that in the present flu outbreak it is not clear if any of the current influenza vaccines will provide complete clinical protection against the mutated strain.
In addition, Zoetis highlights that:
Equip F and Equip FT are both indicated for reduction in clinical signs caused by Equine Influenza, including Florida Clade 1 strains.
Cross protection has been demonstrated by virulent challenge for representative strains of Florida Clade 1 (Paillot et al 20081, Bryant et al 20102) and Clade 2 (Paillot et al 20153).
Vaccination with Equip F stimulated a flu specific cell-mediated immune response to a Clade 1 strain which was detectable for up to one year after the third vaccination in primary course (Paillot et al 20153).
Zoetis says it is confident that the Equip range continues to be effective against its licensed indications.
If you have further questions about the vaccines, ring 0845 300 8034 and choose option 1 to speak to Zoetis' technical team.
Supplies of the vaccine, which is indicated for the active immunisation for horses against equine arteritis, ran low at the end of last year when Zoetis' existing stock was due to expire without any new stock in place.
Sarah Gasper, BEVA’S Learning Manager said: "Many of us on the BEVA education team understand exactly what it’s like to return to practice whether after a career break, paternity/maternity or sickness leave. We also understand the specific challenges of moving from mixed into equine practice.
"We have created these courses to help make the transition back to work as smooth as possible. We’ve tried to incorporate everything we wish we had had access to when we returned to practice!"
Reinvigorate your approach to equine practice will be held on 12th March 2019 at Lythe Hill Hotel, Haslemere. The lecture and forum based course will explore the latest advances in internal medicine, orthopaedics, and sports medicine, and how to apply them to develop evidence-based clinical approaches to common and emergency scenarios in practice.
Getting (back) into equine practice will be held on 13th March 2019 at Liphook Equine Hospital, Hampshire. This entirely practical day of CPD will all be about improving the confidence of established equine vets and for vets returning to work following a career break. The course will focus on the practical procedures that an established equine ambulatory vet might be expected to perform on a regular basis. In a new approach to CPD we are trialling a system where delegates can shape part of this unique CPD day for themselves, with an online poll pre-course to select from a choice of practicals.
Both courses will have childcare facilities to help support parents wishing to attend CPD.
BEVA will also be running a course on the fundamentals of sedation, field anaesthesia and castration on 27th and 28th March 2019 at World Horse Welfare, Snetterton, Norfolk. This 'hands-on' course is designed for new or recent graduates or those in mixed practice with varied levels of equine work. It comprises evening lectures on the first day to free up more time for hands-on training on day two. It will cover sedation and field anaesthesia required for common field surgery such as castration, both in theory and in a practical session, with the equine welfare charity venue able to provide a high number of colts for castration work. Nerve blocks and regional anaesthesia for other common procedures will also be covered on cadavers.
For further information on BEVA’s new CPD courses visit www.beva.org.uk/cpd
The company says the new product has been launched in response to demand from UK equine veterinary surgeons specialising in dentistry
Hexarinse for Horses is presented as a palatable, mint-flavoured, ready-to-use formulation in a five litre container.
Virbac says the antibacterial action of chlorhexidine supports the maintenance of oral health after dental procedures and may aid the management of periodontal disease, oral inflammation and the management of peripheral caries.
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Their study, which was published in the research journal PeerJ at the end of last year1, investigated the effects of insulin on equine hoof lamellar cells in the laboratory.
The researchers say that high levels of insulin have been known for some time to cause acute endocrine laminitis, seen when ponies and certain types of horses graze lush pasture or consume a starch- or sugar-rich diet, or when they develop Cushing’s syndrome.
Many ponies and horses at risk of the condition produce large spikes of insulin in their blood stream after consuming meals high in non-structural carbohydrates (in particular starch and simple sugars) which indicates that this could be the way in which they succumb to acute endocrine laminitis.
The mechanism by which insulin can cause effects in the foot leading to laminitis has been the subject of much debate in recent years.
Hormones like insulin must interact with a specific receptor on the surface of cells in order to produce their effects. What has confused researchers in the past is that there appear to be no insulin receptors on the hoof lamellar cells (these cells give the lamellar tissues their strength and changes to their growth or structure weaken the bonds and cause laminitis).
The researchers considered the close similarities between insulin and a growth factor hormone called insulin-like growth factor -1 (IGF-1). There are receptors for IGF-1 on the lamellar cells, and the researchers speculated that high concentrations of insulin might be able to cross-stimulate these cells by activating the IGF-1 receptors. To investigate this possibility PhD student Courtnay Baskerville, together with her supervisor Professor Simon Bailey, developed a method for culturing lamellar epithelial cells in the laboratory, and incubated them with increasing concentrations of insulin.
They found that high concentrations of insulin stimulated the cells to proliferate. Furthermore, this effect could be prevented using an antibody that specifically blocks only the IGF-1 receptor. Further downstream effects within the cells were also shown. The changes seemed to occur mainly at very high concentrations of insulin. Similar concentration levels can be seen in ponies and horses with insulin dysregulation linked to Equine Metabolic Syndrome, but are not commonly seen in normal horses that are considered to be at lower risk of laminitis.
Further work is now ongoing to determine exactly how these cellular changes induced by sustained high insulin concentrations might cause laminitis. However, it seems that targeting the IGF-1 receptor may be an option for developing new drugs to prevent and treat laminitis.
Professor Simon Bailey said: "The information gathered in this study provides the equine industry worldwide with valuable insights into the causes of the common and serious condition of laminitis. The research group would like to acknowledge the support of the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, in particular the involvement of Professor Pat Harris.”