Mike Martin, an RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology, has launched a new reference library of cardiology echo scans on VetSurgeon.org.

The movies show cardiac scans performed on normal dogs, and on cats and dogs with a variety of different conditions, both acquired and congenital.

Mike said: "I hope these movies will be a really helpful reference for colleagues who have an interest in cardiology. They provide so much more information than can be gleaned from a still image in a textbook, now that online video quality has improved so much."

Mike's gallery is an excellent example of the way in which a social networking website like VetSurgeon allows its members to share information and collaborate. Other referral practitioners interested in having their own gallery in which to share videos or images with colleagues in the profession should contact the site editor, Arlo Guthrie for further details.

Click here to visit Mike Martin's Cardiology Gallery

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Trust is looking for a vet with a particular interest in veterinary education, professional development and research, to be a new trustee.

The RCVS Trust is an independent small charity that provides two key services to the veterinary profession to further education and animal welfare: an educational grants programme and a Library and Information Service.  It is seeking a trustee who can bring new contacts and ideas relevant to the work of the Trust.

The Trust is also seeking further 'lay' trustees with experience of library services, fundraising and grant-making.

The current Board members have a wide range of experience from academia, government, animal health and small and large animal practice, and veterinary nursing. However, there is room for some new Trustees to join and bring the Board up to full strength.

Stephen Ware, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said: "The Trust has an important role in supporting practising vets, veterinary nurses, researchers, students and academics through its grants programmes and library and information resources." 

"We are looking for a veterinary surgeon who is actively involved in the wider profession through networks and specialist interest groups, and who is willing to promote the work of the Trust, for example, at veterinary congresses.  Given the nature of the Trust's work, the new trustee should also have experience of postgraduate education or research.

"We need someone who has the energy and experience to get things done - and who can work with other trustees in a collegiate style."

Trustees serve an initial three-year term, spending around six days a year at meetings in London and conferences.  Reasonable expenses are reimbursed. Experience of charity governance and finance is not necessary as training and support will be given. 

Those interested in the role can contact Cherry Bushell, Director of the RCVS Trust, for an informal discussion and an application form.  The closing date for applications is 30 April.

I invited Marc Abraham to come and answer some of the concerns raised on VetSurgeon about the ITV Pets Undercover programme.

His PR agency has instead pointed me in the direction of a response he has posted on his own website this morning. Click the link below.

http://www.marcthevet.com/response-to-%e2%80%98pets-undercover%e2%80%99/

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has launched a new cattle and sheep vaccine which it says gives vets an additional opportunity to prescribe the broadest possible protection against clostridial diseases.

Bravoxin 10 is a low dose clostridial vaccine containing antigens for protection against C. perfringens type A, C.perfringens type B, C.perfringens type C, C.perfringens type D, C.novyi type B, C.septicum, C.tetani, C.sordellii, C.haemolyticum and C.chauvoei.

Dosage volumes are 2ml for cattle and 1ml for sheep and the new vaccine can be used in animals from as young as two weeks old if the dam has not been previously vaccinated. A booster dose pre-calving or lambing will also deliver 8-12 weeks passive immunity in calves and lambs (apart from against C.haemolyticum).

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health ruminant veterinary adviser Rosemary Booth MRCVS said: "Clostridial bacteria take the lives of cattle and sheep on a regular basis and are the cause of a significant proportion of the sudden livestock deaths in this country. In 2007, an independent survey of over 500 UK dairy and beef farmers revealed that half the interviewees had experienced calves or adult cattle dying for no apparent reason.  The reality is that many of these losses could have been due to clostridial diseases. Farmer respondents valued the livestock loss at anywhere between £505 and £1243 per animal. Even at the lowest stock valuation, preventing the loss through broad-spectrum vaccination would pay for nearly five years of Bravoxin 10 use in a 100 cow herd.

"Now that additional clostridial pathogens such as C. sordellii and  C. perfringens A have been recognised by the VLA and SAC as significant causes of deaths on both cattle and sheep farms, it makes sense to widen pathogen cover on some ruminant livestock units. Bravoxin 10 allows practitioners to prescribe the broadest possible disease protection." 

The sheep industry already understands the importance of broad-spectrum vaccination against clostridial diseases, but Iain Carrington from Intake Veterinary Services based in Northumberland believes cattle producers should also upgrade their protection.

"There was a time that clostridial disease control in cattle meant vaccinating your youngstock against blackleg at turnout, or discovering dead animals and then reacting with blackleg vaccine," he said. "But over the last few years, I have seen an increased incidence of different clostridial diseases in far from typical circumstances.

"There are also a large number of cattle deaths going undiagnosed and it is likely that many are caused by clostridial species. As a result, we are now advising many of our clients to take a broader-spectrum vaccination approach to ensure adequate protection - not only of the cows themselves - but also their calves through good colostral transfer," he said.

Bravoxin 10 is a prescription-only medicine (POM-V). For further information, contact the Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health Veterinary Support Group on 01908 685685.

Hill's has issued an open invitation to vets and nurses to come along to its stand to see some unique personal and practice development tools, now available on-line.

Adrian Pratt, Veterinary Affairs Manager said: "These are tough times for anyone in business but for many years now we have been listening to vets about the key problems they face. We found that vets and nurses felt that long term compliance was one of their biggest issues and quantitative measurements have certainly backed that up. In response, we have, over the last few years, been developing and refining a very exciting new initiative, the CRAFTworks programme, the new on-line version of which we will be launching at BSAVA. Working with veterinary practice input, we have tailored this programme to really deliver in terms of patient care and profitability. We are very much looking forward to introducing this scheme and I believe that many practices will see real benefits in terms of their bottom line."

Training has been widely tipped as critical if the UK is to work its way out of recession but cost can be an issue. Hill's has responded by launching a new addition to the Vet Nutrition Academy (VNA) website. This latest on-line course is case based, provides training in clinical nutrition and is available absolutely free of charge to those who register with VNA. The course can be viewed at terminals on the Hill's stand and delegates will also be able to sign up at no cost and receive a gift on completion of registration. The clinical nutrition offering is just one of a stable of courses available through the VNA website, which also includes registration forms for key CPD events and a facility to earn rewards for studying.

Last year on the Hill's stand, rehabilitation specialist Lowri Davies introduced many vets to goniometry, a technique to measure mobility that was then still quite novel in the veterinary sector. The on-stand seminars were so popular that the format will be repeated this year with 15 minute CPD sessions focusing on the development of appropriate exercise programmes in a range of scenarios including the growing, geriatric and overweight dog. Four topics will be covered each day for an hour of certified CPD during breaks and lunchtimes. 

There will be numerous opportunities for delegates to achieve work life balance with the popular Hill's speciality coffee bar available for those who want to chat through their nutrition dilemmas with technical staff or talk about the opportunities on offer. There is also a free gift for everyone who visits the stand and the chance to try out a Wii Fit - the latest product from Nintendo that combines fitness with having fun. There are three Wii Fit Bundles to be won by entering the daily competition.

Adrian said: "It's always good to talk to colleagues we already know but if it has been some time since you have talked to Hill's I really encourage you to come along for an informal chat and see just what we have to offer. The longer we work with veterinary practices the better we understand their needs and the better we can respond to those needs. We want to continue to learn from the profession and to use the resources we can bring to the table to help veterinary businesses to thrive and prosper." 

Hill's Pet Nutrition has decided to make its library of symposia proceedings freely available to all vets. It's part of Hill's drive to support vets with training during tough times.

The library, which has been built up over 13 years, is made up of the proceedings and supporting articles from lectures covering topics as diverse as inflammatory bowel disease in the feline and nutrigenomics.

Adrian Pratt, Veterinary Affairs Manager, said: "These proceedings contain definitive texts on conditions that are commonly seen in practice, described at an advanced level but in an easy to assimilate format. We do have a number of proceedings still in stock and I would much rather see them being used and all that valuable knowledge put into practice."

Anyone in practice with an interest in a particular area can apply to receive a copy of their preferred symposium.

According to Hill's, these booklets are excellent tools for those seeking to fill their CPD requirement through self-directed learning and provide advanced material that can be difficult to access elsewhere (note that undocumented self learning can only account for up to 10 hours on the RCVS record card).

The service is completely free of charge and orders can be placed by calling 01923 814454. As copies of some seminars are available only in limited numbers, applicants are asked to select only those proceedings in which they have a genuine area of interest.  Only one copy of each symposium proceeding will be supplied to each individual, although multiple topics can be selected.

Symposia Proceedings Titles
Hill's European Symposium on Chronic Renal Disease 2004
Hill's European Speaker Tour on Canine Joint Health- Advances in clinical management and Nutrigenomics 2005
Hill's European Symposium on Advances in Feline Medicine 2006
Hill's Symposium on Dermatology Palm Springs 2006
Hill's European Symposium on 'Moving on with mobility' 2007

Those who wish to supplement their learning further may wish to visit The Vet Nutrition Academy which also provides a number of free and subsidised courses to members of the veterinary healthcare team. Registration is free at www.myhillspet/vna. To complete registration the practice U number will be required and this is available by contacting Jane Quail at Hill's on 01923 814454.

Merck, part owner of Merial, has announced a merger with Intervet Schering-Plough.

However, rumours that Merck plans to sell its 50% stake in Merial and move forward with Intervet Schering Plough are incorrect, according to Merck spokespeople.

They'll have to start thinking about what to call themselves soon. Merial-Intervet-Schering-Plough is a bit of a mouthful.

The Kennel Club has launched the Genetics Centre at the Animal Health Trust (AHT) to accelerate research into inherited canine disease.

It aims to create further diagnostic tests which, together with breeding advice, will improve the health and welfare of generations of dogs.

Because of the small gene pool in purebred dogs, inherited diseases resulting from single gene mutations are more likely to occur than in their cross bred cousins. This can lead to significant welfare issues. There are more than five million purebred dogs in the UK alone and many of these will benefit from the findings of the Genetics Centre.

Over the next five years, the centre aims to investigate 25 inherited diseases. It will develop, where possible, screening tests to determine affected and carrier dogs that can be performed with simple mouth swabs. In deciding which diseases to investigate, the joint Kennel Club and AHT team will look at their impact on the health and welfare of dogs, but also on the support of breeders and access to data and samples.

Dr Peter Webbon, Chief Executive of the AHT, said: "We're delighted to work in partnership with the Kennel Club on this important welfare issue. Our level of skill and expertise within this field is unparalleled and the new centre enables us to extend our current range of DNA tests.

"We hope, in time, this will equip breeders with essential information so they can plan successful breeding strategies to avoid the birth of affected dogs, and ultimately, to eliminate disease from breeds at risk."

Dr. Cathryn Mellersh and Dr. Sarah Blott, two of the AHT's genetics experts, will lead the Centre. Both have been fundamental in identifying defective genes and developing screening tests which identify a dog's genetic status and minimise the risk of producing affected puppies.

The Centre will also introduce new approaches in dog breeding.  One major advance will be estimated breeding values (EBVs). These will enable whole dog populations to be evaluated for inherited disease - even if individuals haven't been scanned or DNA tested themselves.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club spokesperson, said: "The Kennel Club is pleased to support research which improves the health and happiness of dogs. Working in partnership with the Animal Health Trust means we can start to tackle the problem of inherited disease much quicker.  

"We have already made significant investment in this area, and are now delighted to step up the scope of this research. It is a very real possibility that through this Centre we will be able to eradicate certain inherited diseases in some dogs."

Dr Ed Hall, President of BSAVA, said: "Inherited disease is one part of a complex issue involved with breeding pedigree dogs.

"I personally welcome any efforts to improve our current understanding of the area and trust that the Kennel Club Genetics Centre will make massive progress in the next five years in order to enable owners to make informed breeding decisions and, in time, to reduce the effect of inherited disease."

The results of a new study¹ highlighting the prevalence of Angiostrongylus vasorum infection as seen by UK veterinary surgeons, combined with the low awareness amongst dog owners of this parasite² has led Bayer Animal Health to launch a nationwide 'Be Lungworm Aware' initiative.

Backed by a hard-hitting national advertising, PR and radio campaign which kicks off in April, the initiative aims to highlight the prevalence of this potentially, and often fatal infection, and to drive pet owners to their veterinary practices for further information.

The initiative also sees the launch of a new educational website for dog owners - http://www.lungworm.co.uk/. The site offers further information on the infection, including likely signs, how to obtain treatment and a video of the lifecycle of the parasite showing the threat posed by the lungworm's intermediate hosts - slugs and snails.

The study revealed that 16% of vets questioned had one or more confirmed cases of the disease. A further 10% had seen dogs that they suspected had the infection.  However, only 6% of dog owners questioned in a UK wide survey had unprompted awareness of the parasite.

Bayer's Chris White said: "These results are no surprise following the reports last year of confirmed cases of Angiostrongylus vasorum as far north as Glasgow. The disease has seen a rapid rise in importance over the past few years highlighted by the number of vets and nurses that attended the Advocate CPD meetings held around the country at the end of last year.

"The 'Be Lungworm Aware' initiative aims to educate owners on the risks associated with infection, to encourage them to visit their vet for further information and discuss their dogs' parasite protection plan."

For further details, or to order the supporting practice materials, including a new educational waiting room display and practice PR pack to help raise awareness locally, please contact your Bayer representative or ring 01635 563682.

¹Insight Track, 2008
²Insight Track, 2009

Merial has announced that a recent change of licence means you can now administer the new generation NSAID, Previcox® for the relief of post operative pain associated with soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery in dogs.

Mark Riggs MRCVS, Veterinary Technical Advisor for Merial said: "Previcox (firocoxib) is now licensed for the relief of post operative pain. Oral PREVICOX can be administered starting 2 hours prior to surgery and has a rapid onset of action reaching peak plasma levels within 90 minutes. The palatable tablet can be given without food and is a realistic option which should be seriously considered when choosing pain relief for surgical patients.

"Containing the active ingredient firocoxib, Previcox is also highly COX-2 selective, being 380 times more selective for COX-2 than COX-1. As a result, it offers a highly desirable efficacy and safety profile which is particularly beneficial in cases which have gone through the additional stress of surgery.

"The recently published study by John P. Punke et al strengthens the evidence reinforcing the benefits offered by firocoxib. The research evaluated the in-vivo effects of firocoxib, meloxicam and tepoxalin in target tissues of dogs suffering with chronic osteoarthritis.

"Eight dogs were used in the cross-over study and each dog received each of the treatments (and a placebo) for seven days, with an appropriate wash out period in between. Firocoxib significantly reduced inflammatory mediators within blood and synovial fluid at all time points, whereas meloxicam only showed a significant reduction compared to baseline values at day four.  

"With evidence demonstrating the speed of the anti-inflammatory effect of firocoxib, it may be time for vets to reconsider their post operative pain management. Previcox can be administered orally prior to surgery and can be given once daily for up to three days post operatively. For orthopaedic surgery this treatment schedule can be extended after the first 3 days upon judgement of the attending vet."

For further information please contact your local territory manager or call the Merial Customer Support Centre on 0845 601 4236.

Vetoquinol is advising vets and farmers to be on the lookout following the discovery of counterfeit Marbocyl on two farms in Northern Ireland.

The counterfeit product contains an unapproved source of Marbofloxacin in an untested formulation which presents an unknown risk to animal and human health if used.

1. The counterfeit item concerned (shown above) is labelled as Marbocyl 10% Injection bearing a similar label to the bona fide article.
2. The product is presented without a carton or package insert
3. The cap does not have the green flip-top tamper-evident seal
4. The label does not bear the Vetoquinol logo or the UK approved logo
5. It contains only 8.5% marbofloxacin
6. It contains unknown compounds

Vetoquinol has informed the national authorities about this situation.  It is illegal either to sell or supply the product or to knowingly buy and/or use it.

The withdrawal period of this counterfeit product is unknown.  Should the product be used it could be detected in milk or after slaughter. Vetoquinol advises the veterinary community to be aware of the risk, to carefully check the product packaging before use and to continue to source the product from reputable suppliers.

Vetoquinol urges vets and farmers to take the following actions if you find this product on farm or are approached to purchase it:

1. If possible, obtain a sample of the material.
2. Record the details of how the product came into your possession, together with the names and addresses of anyone involved.
3. Report the details directly to Vetoquinol. Your report will be treated in confidence and will help us to eliminate this unapproved material from the market.

Vetoquinol says vets can rest assured that it will do all that is necessary to remove this product from the market.

If you need further information or advice, do not hesitate to contact Vetoquinol on 0800 1698197.

The RCVS issued a reminder today that there is just over a month left before the 1 April deadline for all veterinary practice premises from which medicines are to be supplied to be registered with the College.

Just over 4,500 premises have applied for registration since November 2008. This includes about 750 premises not previously listed with the College, demonstrating the usefulness of the process, which will enable the government to fulfil its obligations under European law to maintain and improve traceability of, and accountability for, veterinary medicines.

From 1 April it will be an offence for a veterinary surgeon to supply a veterinary medicinal product from any practice premises not registered with the RCVS. On conviction, those committing the offence may be liable to prosecution, which may include a fine or prison sentence. Veterinary surgeons convicted of criminal offences are also considered by the College's Preliminary Investigation Committee to decide whether the conviction would affect the individual's fitness to practise and should be referred to the Disciplinary Committee.

In addition to ensuring their practice premises are registered, veterinary surgeons also need to keep a record of other places where medicines are stored, so these can be considered during an inspection - such as vets' homes or cars, or perhaps a charity premises from which veterinary work is carried out and where medicines are stored. Such records will not be published, although some of those premises may need to be registered in their own right.

Practices accredited under the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme will be inspected by the RCVS; non-compliance with medicines standards will be dealt with under the rules of the Scheme. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) will carry out inspections of other registered premises to ensure compliance with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations. Where non-compliance is noted, the VMD will take a proportionate enforcement approach ranging from issuing advice to, where appropriate, serving an improvement notice or seizing medicines.