Virbac has launched Multimin, a prescription only, four in one trace mineral injection to combat oxidative stress and its effects in cattle.

Oxidative stress is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants which can lead to cell and tissue damage, impacting the health and performance of cattle.¹ Virbac says the trace minerals in Multimin are essential structural components of antioxidant enzymes which are required to neutralise free radicals and combat oxidative stress.^2,3

Multimin, which comes in a 100ml PET bottle, contains zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. It is designed to be administered during or before periods of high demand in dairy and beef cattle, such as breeding, calving, weaning and vaccination. After injection, it reaches peak levels in the blood after 8 hours^4,5 and the liver after 24 hours.^4,5

Virbac says Multimin has been proven in 24 peer-reviewed papers and field trials of more than 6,000 cattle, and that it offers a fast, simple and accurate way to top up essential trace minerals at times of high demand, to help improve cattle health and performance.

Lynda Maris, Virbac Large Animal Product Manager said: "Trace mineral requirements are currently primarily provided through the diet and various forms of oral supplementation. However, reduced oral intake, poor absorption from the rumen and antagonism from other minerals means that during periods of high demand, even in apparently well supplemented animals, a trace mineral gap can occur between the trace minerals required for optimum health and performance versus those available."

Lynda added: "Multimin is a great addition to the Virbac Large Animal range. It represents an exciting new opportunity for vets to strengthen their herd health plans, boost practice revenue and help to further reduce antibiotic usage."

For more information, speak to your Virbac Territory Manager or visit the Virbac stand at the BCVA Congress, 17^th – 19^th October.

References

1. Celi, P. Oxidative stress in applied basic research and clinical practice (Eds.Armstrong, D., Mandelker, L. & Vajdovich, P.). Humana Press, 191–232 (2011). 
2. Hough, M. A. & Hasnain, S. S. Structure of Fully Reduced Bovine Copper Zinc Superoxide Dismutase at 1.15 Å. Structure 11, 937–946 (2003).
3. Rotruck JT, Pope AL, Ganther HE, Swanson AB, Hafeman DG and Hoekstra WG (1973) Selenium: biochemical role as a component of glutathione peroxidase. Science, 179 (4073):588–590. 
4. Pogge, D, Richter, E, Drewnoski ME, Hansen SL. Mineral concentrations of plasma and liver following injection with a trace mineral complex differ among Angus and Simmental cattle. J. Anim.Sci. 90, 2692–2698 (2012).
5. Study data on file. 

Improve International, organiser of the Official Veterinarian (OV) Conference, is offering OVs the chance to win a free or discounted ticket to attend a day of this year’s conference.

To win, OVs are asked to submit a question to a speaker of their choice by Monday 12 August.

The question judged the most interesting will win the free ticket and five runners up will each receive a 50% discounted ticket. In each case, the OV can choose their preferred day to attend.

The full programme can be found at: https://officialvet.com/programme/ and questions can be submitted to enquiries@improve-ov.com or by private message through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/officialvet/

Improve says this year's speakers will address an increasing threat from notifiable diseases in the UK, with evidence of M. bovis infection linked to a raw pet food diet identified in cats, an outbreak of equine viral arteritis in Dorset and cases of African swine fever recently reported in western Europe. The programme includes small animal and farm animal focused lecture streams on both days, an equine stream on the first day and a series of specialist workshops on the second.

Dr Andrew Soldan (pictured right), Veterinary Director at APHA, said: "Notifiable diseases are an ongoing threat to the health and welfare of animals and our farming industries in the UK. Animal keepers and vets play a vital role in their early detection. We’re particularly concerned by the risk of African swine fever following the disease being found in wild boar in Belgium last year. 

"Small animal and mixed practice OVs can help us reduce the risk of ASF infecting UK pigs by informing pig keepers of the risk and advising them of the importance of not feeding kitchen scraps and catering waste to pigs.

"We’re currently in the vector season so bluetongue is another disease to look out for in cattle and sheep. Providing advice to livestock farmers on how they can minimise the risk of its introduction through vaccination and checking the source of imported animals is another important role for OVs."

David Babington MRCVS, Business Development Director at Improve International, said: "OVs play a crucial role in monitoring our exposure to notifiable diseases and in alerting us to possible outbreaks. For this reason, providing a full update on the current disease status is an important element of this year’s programme, though we will also cover other important topics, including illegal puppy imports, pet travel and, inevitably I’m afraid, Brexit."

For more information on the Official Veterinarian Conference and exhibition or to register visit: www.officialvet.com.

Ceva Animal Health, supplier of the Cevac Chlamydia vaccine, is supporting a new campaign to raise awareness of Enzootic Abortion of Ewes (EAE) and drive farmers to their vet to vaccinate before tupping to prevent unnecessary lamb losses and the inappropriate use of antibiotics.

A new infographic and educational webinar are now available to share on social media, to increase farmer awareness and provide best practice guidance.

The infographic and webinar explain how vaccination is considered best practice for control of the disease, giving better disease control whilst ensuring responsible use of antibiotics.

Independent sheep veterinary consultant Dr Fiona Lovatt, who leads the cross-industry Sheep Antibiotic Guardian Group, said: "Despite EAE being responsible for over 35% of all abortion diagnoses, only one million of the 3.5 million replacement ewes in the national flock each year are vaccinated against EAE. Any sheep farmer that either buys in ewes for replacements or has close neighbours that also lamb sheep, risks bringing enzootic abortion into their flock.

"Once the disease infects an unvaccinated flock, some ewes are ‘programmed’ to abort at their next lambing, leaving no choice but to put remedial measures in place – usually including both vaccination and antibiotic treatment.

"This means EAE is a disease that, once in a flock, carries high costs both financially and emotionally in terms of lamb losses and farmer stress. Hence it is important that flocks receive appropriate vaccination at least four weeks before ewes go to the ram and avoid the inappropriate use of antibiotics closer to lambing."

Fiona points out that a single dose of EAE vaccine costs about £2.40 and is an investment that effectively lasts the ewe for her lifetime in the flock, protecting against losses. In contrast, abortion or stillbirth – which accounts for around a quarter of all lamb losses each year – costs over £25 for every single lost lamb. 

Fiona added: "Every injection of antibiotics also costs an additional £1. But is just a ‘sticking plaster’ with short-lasting effectiveness in terms of disease control but long-lasting damage in terms of mounting resistance."

Ceva says it will continue to work closely with veterinary practices to secure stock of Cevac Chlamydia vaccine to ensure farmers can purchase and use the vaccine at the right time. Ceva also provides subsidised blood sampling for diagnostic purposes. 

For further information, call Ceva Animal Health on 01494 781510 or email cevauk@ceva.com.

Photo: Mike Benjamin

HallMark Meat Hygiene has announced that it has been released from its contract with Food Standards Scotland (FSS) for the delivery of meat industry official controls in Scotland, effective from 16^th September. 

The company provides official veterinarians, meat hygiene inspectors and other technical staff to the regulatory compliance sector, and its other clients include Defra, APHA, the Food Standards Agency, DAERA, AHDB, and several private organisations across the UK. 

Hallmark says discussions have been ongoing with FSS since mid-2018, since when the company has faced increasing challenges in recruiting and retaining veterinary staff, as a result of eroding salary values and the weakening pound post-Brexit. 

David Peace, Chairman of HallMark Meat Hygiene said: "The position we presented to FSS set out HallMark’s case for a substantial increase in funding to apply entirely to frontline veterinary salaries. 

"Starting salaries for veterinary staff working with HallMark in this sector had altered very little during the past twenty years. As a responsible employer and trading partner, and with inflation and a weaker pound severely testing real pay levels, HallMark felt it necessary to address those issues robustly and directly to ensure staff are properly compensated and, as a result, that services are stabilised for the benefit of the Scottish meat industry."

"We’re naturally disappointed to part company with a valued customer such as FSS. By mutual agreement last year, we submitted a business case setting out what we believe is necessary to stabilise and maintain service delivery into the future. Ultimately, FSS decided not to accept that business case, and we consequently requested to be released from our contract with them.”

HallMark says it will continue to provide veterinary and technical services to government departments across the UK. Indeed, only last year HallMark’s parent company acquired MLCLS (Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Limited), the leading independent carcase classification business, originally owned by AHDB. HallMark is also an equal partner in its joint venture company, Probita Solutions Limited, which recruits and deploys vets in support of veterinary practices involved in TB testing activities. 

The company also says it will continue to bid for major meat sector tenders in the future.

Mr Peace added: "This news should absolutely not be interpreted as a HallMark withdrawal from meat industry official controls. We will continue to offer the same diligence and dedication to welfare and hygiene standards, wherever opportunities arise, and it will be our mission to offer to government the most efficient and professional compliance services possible, optimising the cost of compliance delivery."

The RCVS Council has today announced a 'wide-ranging' review of a number of key provisions of the supporting guidance to the Code of Professional Conduct, following ongoing discussions around trialling the development of telemedicine services, including remote prescribing, in UK veterinary practice.

The review was recommended to Council by its Standards Committee following its exploration of the implications of new technologies for both animal health and welfare and veterinary regulation.

The main areas under consideration are the interpretation and application of an animal being under the care of a veterinary surgeon, and the provision of 24-hour emergency cover.

The College says that during the course of its research, which included numerous meetings and reports, a public consultation and examination of external legal advice, the Committee identified a number of anomalies in the College’s existing guidance that could affect how the Code’s provisions were applied across a range of different scenarios.

Chair of the Standards Committee, Dr Kate Richards, said: "It became clear to us that we could not consider telemedicine and remote prescribing in isolation and that it raised broader questions around the appropriateness of, and justification for, certain elements of existing RCVS guidance. I’m therefore pleased that RCVS Council has decided that the right and responsible approach is first to conduct a full review of these provisions."

The College anticipates that the review will require wide engagement from all relevant sectors, potentially including a Select Committee-style hearing in certain areas. This, it says, would help to ensure any decision to treat different groups differently, in relation to 'under care' and 'out-of-hours', is both reasoned and justified.

In the meantime, the College says that the current provisions of the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct and its supporting guidance remain in full effect.

Further information about the review will be made available in due course.

UPDATE (19/06/2019)

Following a number of concerns raised by members of the profession about this story, the RCVS has issued a further statement as follows:

We would like to acknowledge and address a number of concerns that have arisen amongst the profession following RCVS Council’s discussion last week that followed up queries raised during the previous debate in November, around the provision of telemedicine services, including remote prescribing.

The RCVS Council decision, made unanimously, was to proceed with a wide-ranging review of RCVS supporting guidance concerning 24-hour emergency cover and the interpretation and application of ‘under veterinary care’, and to postpone the proposed telemedicine trial for the foreseeable future and certainly until the conclusion of this review. The review will encompass, but not be limited to, consideration of what restrictions or safeguards to place on remote prescribing in the form of vet-to-client telemedicine.

RCVS Council discussed this paper ‘in committee’ in order to be able to examine the confidential legal advice it had requested at its previous meeting. The decision to hold these discussions privately was purely related to the privileged nature of legal advice and in no way related to any ‘commercial interests’.

We recognise fully that this is a complex issue, with strong views held on all sides. However, it is entirely right and proper for RCVS Council members to be able to discuss and debate such topics in detail, before reaching a decision through a vote. In the course of such discussions, issues may arise that had not previously been identified, and which may alter the original direction of thinking.

We appreciate that Council’s decision was perhaps unexpected, especially as the original topic had been under consideration for some time. This is why we announced it as soon as possible, along with an indication of what Council would like to happen next.

Whilst it is far too early to have worked out the details of the agreed review, it will be open and inclusive in parallel with our previous consultations, which continue to receive considerable levels of engagement across the veterinary professions and wider industry stakeholders.

We will publish full details about our plans for this review over the coming weeks, and will continue to work hard to engage all veterinary professionals in these important decisions.

Veterinary surgeons, human healthcare professionals and experts from the maritime and aviation industries gathered at the Royal Society of Medicine earlier this month to discuss and share knowledge about the contributions of human factors to patient safety.

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."

Bayer has announced the Europe-wide launch of Baycox Iron (36 mg/ml toltrazuril plus 182 mg/ml gleptoferron) suspension for injection for piglets.

Baycox Iron Injection is indicated for the concurrent prevention of clinical signs of coccidiosis (such as diarrhoea) in neonatal piglets on farms with a confirmed history of coccidiosis caused by Cystoisospora suis, and the prevention of iron deficiency anaemia.

Professor Nicole Kemper, Director of the Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behaviour at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover in Germany said: "Piglets go through intense handling in their first days of life. While this is done to give them a better start to life and protect them from disease, it can also cause a lot of stress. Measures to reduce the need for piglet handling can make an important contribution to enhancing piglet well-being in the farrowing pen."

Octavio Orlovsky Eckhardt, Head of Species Marketing Swine at Animal Health, Bayer said: "A combination therapy that can effectively address these concerns with reduced handling can make a real difference for pig health and well-being.

"At the same time, farmers and workers can benefit from the reduced labour. For example, on a 1,000 sow farm, the reduced complexity is estimated to save up to one full work day every month."

For more information on Baycox Iron Injection, contact your local Bayer Animal Health representative.

Boehringer Ingelheim's fourth National BVD Survey has found that 47% of farmers across the UK say veterinary advice was the main reason for their decision to vaccinate.

1243 farmers took part in the survey, which was held in partnership with the National Beef Association, British Dairying magazine, the relevant farming unions and the four eradication programmes.

Matt Yarnall from Boehringer said: "Reliance on veterinary input for this decision shows how valuable client discussion and guidance is. And further interrogation of the data shows other areas of BVD control where veterinary input could be extremely valuable.

"Too many producers are still holding onto PI animals in the hope they can be reared successfully and too many are making basic mistakes when it comes to herd biosecurity.

"The survey data revealed that 43% of farmers in Wales have identified a PI, but it is hugely concerning that almost half (42%) of these producers would not cull them immediately; these animals will go on to spread virus throughout the herd."

In Northern Ireland, 26 individual producers said they have kept a PI. "However, 20 had to be put down before reaching adulthood or had to be treated for other health conditions," said Matt. "Even in Scotland, with its well-established scheme, a small percentage of farmers claim they would isolate a PI and try to rear to slaughter and it was exactly the same in England."

Similarly, when it came down to the definition of a closed herd, Boehringer reports that there was significant lack of understanding about what this actually means.

Matt said: "Of the 62% of English producers that state they are closed herds, 2% rear calves away, 19% bring bulls in, 2% buy in heifers or cows and 1% purchase fattening stock.

"Obviously, this means they are not truly a closed herd and supports previous years when 23% and 24% of ‘closed herd’ producers in 2018 and 2017 respectively also brought bulls onto the farm.

"Add to this that 10% of these herds do not currently vaccinate so will not be protected against the BVD virus, and it is clear to see how vulnerable they are."

In Wales, 56% of herds were classified as closed, yet 12% still brought bulls on to the farm. Likewise in Northern Ireland, 60% of farms classified their herds as closed but 20% brought bulls on to the unit. The vast majority of Scottish herds also claimed to be closed, yet there were still inconsistencies around buying policy and biosecurity.

Matt said: "A certain lack of awareness about both the BVD Stamp it Out initiative and Gwaredu BVD schemes (43% English and 27% of Welsh producers respectively claimed to have no knowledge of these programmes) could actually be a positive for vets. It could be the perfect opportunity to engage in proactive conversations with clients, covering issues such as testing, PI removal and biosecurity."

Dechra Veterinary Products has launched Tialin (Tiamulin hydrogen fumarate), an antibiotic indicated to target a range of conditions in pigs and poultry.

Tialin is licensed for the treatment of dysentery, colitis, ileitis, pneumonia and pleuropneumonia in pigs. It is also suitable for the treatment and metaphylaxis of chronic respiratory disease and infectious synovitis in chickens and infectious sinusitis and airsacculitis in turkeys. Withdrawal times range from zero in eggs to two - six days in meat and offal.

The product is available in two strengths: 25% (250 mg/ml) and 12.5% (125 mg/ml). It can be bought in five and one litre bottles with a shelf life of two years or three months once opened.

Dechra Brand Manager Emma Jennings said: "Any of these diseases could have a widespread effect on a herd or flock of any size so it is vital that veterinary professionals have access to a treatment such as Tialin to offer farmers.

"Its short withdrawal times and long shelf life makes it a cost effective and valuable tool for vets and farmers in their treatments of these diseases. All the products in our premium SoluStab range have been specifically developed with a unique formula to provide the optimum balance of stability and solubility."

For more information, visit www.dechra.co.uk/therapy-areas/food-producing-animal/water-medication.

Dechra also offers an online tool to calculate dosage for SoluStab products at http://calculator.solustab.eu/.

Dr Ben Swift from Royal Veterinary College and Dr Cath Rees from Nottingham University have been off to Buckingham Palace to collect the Royal Dairy Innovation Award for a bovine tuberculosis test they developed together.

The test, which enables the rapid identification of cattle infected with Mycobacteria, was first developed by Dr Swift as part of his PhD studies at the University of Nottingham. Since joining the RVC, he has continued to evolve the technology working alongside academics at his former university.

Dr Swift and Dr Rees were presented with the award by HRH the Princess Royal.

The Royal Dairy Innovation Award recognises research and development in the field of dairy farming and is awarded for the most practical, relevant product or service which is, or likely to be the most significant innovation for the future.

The RVC says the test is able to detect mycobacteria in the blood and milk of cattle within six hours using a bacteriophage-based technique. As a result, cattle affected by Mycobacterium bovis, the bacteria that causes bovine TB, can be diagnosed for the disease more quickly, allowing for more effective disease management in herds.

Additionally, the test has been used to effectively detect Johne’s Disease – another endemic illness that affects dairy cattle – in new born calves for the first time. By being able to catch the disease at an early stage, this test can help further with controlling infections in dairy herds. 

The test is now licenced to spin-out company, PBD Biotech Ltd and marketed as Actiphage. It can also be used as a highly sensitive quality assurance test in milk and dairy products. 

Dr Swift, who is a Research Fellow in antimicrobial resistance, said: "It is really exciting to be recognised with this award. Translating technology from the bench to be used in real-world scenarios is a great thing and really shows the impact of our research. Hopefully this will help manage two extremely difficult diseases in the UK and worldwide."

Photo: Benjamin Swift (RVC), Dr Cath Rees (University of Nottingham), Princess Anne and Dr Berwyn Clarke (PBD Biotech).

Dechra Animal Health has launched Revozyn RTU, billed as a revolutionary breakthrough for subclinical and clinical local mastitis in cows.

Revozyn RTU, which contains 400 mg/ml Penethamate hydriodide, is the first ready-to-use injectable narrow spectrum Penethamate on the UK market. It can also be used to treat relapses of old infections.

Dechra says that the intramuscular injection works by diffusing through the blood vessels and accumulating in the udder tissue and milk, treating the whole udder effectively. Apparently the new formulation also features an ion trapping mechanism that results in high Benzylpenicillin concentration in milk and udder tissue.

Revozyn RTU comes in a 50ml multi dose vial. It has a 28-day shelf life after first use and has withdrawal periods of four days for milk and 10 days for meat and offal.

Dechra Brand Manager Emma Jennings said: "The treatment and control of mastitis is one of the largest costs to any dairy farmer. It affects productivity and cow welfare and we are delighted to be able to introduce this revolutionary product.

"Revozyn RTU can change the way that clinical and subclinical mastitis in dairy cattle is treated. Its narrow spectrum of activity means that the risk of antibiotic resistance is reduced and there is no need for additional animal handling, thereby saving time and protecting user safety.

“The flexible dosing of Revozyn RTU and 28-day shelf life also make it a cost effective option for farmers".

For more information, visit www.dechra.co.uk.

Forte Healthcare (UK) has announced the launch of Utertab 2000mg (Tetracycline hydrochloride, POM-V) for the treatment and prevention of post parturient disorders in cattle.

Forte highlights that Utertab's intrauterine administration allows it to act directly in the target tissue. It is presented in a perforated blister pack for better sealing. 

Dr John Henderson, Large Animal Product Manager at Forte Healthcare Ltd said: "Given the need to use appropriate first-line antibacterial drugs where possible we are delighted to bring vets a new Tetracycline pessary, ‘Utertab’, for the treatment of metritis and retained foetal membranes.

"In-situ therapy for these conditions has more recently been neglected in favour of injectables but still has much to recommend it. We look forward to highlighting these benefits over the next few months."

For further information on Utertab 2000mg, contact your local Forte Territory Manager or enquiries@fortehealthcare.com.