Hill's Pet Nutrition is offering veterinary surgeons, vet students and nurses in the UK an opportunity to look round its Pet Nutrition Centre in Topeka, Kansas, via a live webcast to be delivered at 7pm on Tuesday 11^th January 2011.

To join the webcast, which will last around 1.5 hours, go to http://www.fc-tv.com/webcast/keystone/hills/jan-11-11 and enter the password pnctour. This event is specifically for veterinary surgeons, veterinary students and veterinary nurses only. 

Tim Dobbins, Associate Veterinary Affairs Manager said: "We look forward to our colleagues joining us for this special live webcast and hearing some of the latest thinking that explains the science behind some of our most exciting products."

Virbac is offering a free Rapid Romanowsky stain kit and Coplin jars to practices buying easOtic and Epi-Otic in a new promotion which runs until the end of October.

easOtic is Virbac's treatment for otitis externa. It features a 1ml airless pump for precise measurement and an award-winning bottle design to aid compliance by ensuring easy and accurate application.

Epi-Otic is Virbac's antibacterial and antifungal ear cleaner for use in routine cleaning. It is pH neutral and contains sodium docusate, which dries the ear canal after application.

Practices making a qualifying purchase of both products will receive the Stain Kit, comprising the three staining solutions and three Coplin jars, free of charge.

For further information, contact your Virbac Territory Manager.

Norbrook Laboratories has launched Cefimam DC intramammary ointment, a new dry cow preparation containing the 4th generation cephalosporin, cefquinome.

The company has also released a Polish language version of its Best Practice Guide for On-Farm Mastitis Control, in response to demand from producers with non-English speaking farm-hands.

Norbrook vet Chris Geddes said: "I believe this is the first time that such a guide has been produced to cater for farm-hands of a different nationality working within the UK. Good mastitis management starts with good education; giving everyone on the farm the same opportunity for learning the best techniques for prevention means that we help minimise incidences of mastitis, which costs the dairy industry millions of pounds in lost revenue every year.

"This prevention includes a thorough and consistent approach to dry cow management. The early drying off period is often a risky time, when pre-existing subclinical infections can bed-in. The cow is also at increased risk of gaining new infections due to lack of udder hygiene procedures that would normally occur at milking, and weakened immunity as she approaches calving. Our new cefquinome preparation is a valuable addition to have in the treatment armoury for dry cow management. It has broad-spectrum activity and high cellular penetration to help tackle hard-to-manage cases with the aim of returning to maximum productivity by the start of the milking season."

Cefimam DC will be available at all veterinary wholesalers in packs of 24x and 120x 8g intramammary tubes. Vets can obtain both English and Polish versions of the Best Practice Guide for On-Farm Mastitis Control from Territory Managers.

For further information or copies of the Best Practice Guide for On-Farm Mastitis Control in English or Polish, contact your Territory Manager or call Norbrook GB head office on 01536 741 147.

The University of Surrey has announced that it is to launch a new school of veterinary medicine in 2014.

According to the University, the new school will embrace the 'One Health - One Medicine' philosophy and will include the development of a unique research-led veterinary medicine degree programme with an emphasis on research, veterinary pathology and livestock medicine.

The new school will be based at the University of Surrey's Manor Park site in Guildford, in order to encourage collaboration of students and staff from different disciplines, with those studying towards a veterinary medicine qualification being exposed to engineering and physics as well as receiving training in core business skills.

The new School of Veterinary Medicine at Surrey will be delivered through collaborations with key partners including: the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), the BBSRC Pirbright Institute, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), Fitzpatrick Referrals, Liphook Equine Hospital and Westpoint Farm Vets. The University says it is looking to extend its relationships with regional veterinary practices over the coming year.

Students will also be exposed to global issues concerning animal health through the University Global Partnership Network (UGPN), a trilateral agreement between Surrey, North Carolina State and São Paulo Universities through teaching collaborations, summer scholarships and research exchanges.

Professor Lisa Roberts, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey, said: "As a research-intensive University we have the expertise, reputation, technical and business skills which our students can benefit from, allowing us to train the veterinary leaders of the future. Combining state-of-the-art facilities, our unique partnerships and a campus location, the new School will provide a stimulating environment not only for undergraduates, but for the professional development training of qualified veterinary surgeons."

Professor John Fazakerley, Director of The Pirbright Institute, said: "This is good news for the UK veterinary research community. The Pirbright Institute currently works in close collaboration with the University of Surrey on research that benefits animal health and welfare; we very much look forward to building on this established and growing association as the new school of veterinary medicine is launched. There is an important place for trained veterinarians in scientific research and we are delighted that the University has decided to emphasise these areas in particular."

Professor Andy Durham of the Liphook Equine Hospital said: "The new School of Veterinary Medicine development programme at the University of Surrey is ideally timed to provide an alternative to the traditional veterinary education and to respond to the demands of a changing profession with fresh plans, ideas and enthusiasm.  Enticing newly developed facilities make Guildford an excellent student town and with several collaborative specialist partners within the locality the new School of Veterinary Medicine is perfectly placed geographically to provide a veterinary education fitting for the 21st century."

The University is also in consultation with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Freda Andrews, Head of Education at the RCVS, said: "We were pleased to meet Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, President and Vice-Chancellor and his colleagues from the University of Surrey recently, and interested to hear their proposals to develop a new School of Veterinary Medicine. We will be working with them over the coming months to develop a timetable for considering the new programme against our accreditation standards. The monitoring process will take a number of years."

The University says it has already laid the foundations for the new School through its expansion of teaching and research activities in its Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, including the launch of the BSc programme in Veterinary Biosciences in 2009 and in October of this year a new MSc in Veterinary Microbiology.  A new MSc in Veterinary Pathology is also currently under development.

The University says that over the next 12 months it will be recruiting new academic staff, attracting the first cohort of students and beginning building works in preparation for the first cohort of students in 2014.

CVS Group has announced that European internal medicine specialist Caroline Kisielewicz MVB CertSAM DipECVIM-CA is joining ChesterGates Veterinary Specialists with effect from 1 October 2014.  

Caroline Kisielewicz graduated from University College, Dublin in 2006 and, after working in first opinion small animal practice for two years, completed an ECVIM-residency training programme at the Small Animal Hospital at the University of Glasgow in February 2013.

Most recently she has been working at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals at the Royal Veterinary College. She is interested in all aspects of small animal internal medicine, particularly emergency medicine, transfusion medicine, immune-mediated diseases and endocrine diseases.

CVS Referral Director, Professor John Innes said: "We are delighted to welcome Caroline to our specialist team at ChesterGates. She is a rising star in internal medicine and I believe it is a measure of CVS' growing reputation for offering a diverse range of career options that we are attracting some of the strongest  talent from the specialist vet pool.

"Caroline joins Ellie Mardell and Chris Saul here at ChesterGates to help us to offer an even more comprehensive and user-friendly internal medicine service."

Caroline said: "I was keen to join this excellent multi-disciplinary specialist referral hospital with its dynamic, friendly and close-knit team. Working at ChesterGates gives me the opportunity to provide the highest standard and quality of care and treatment for my patients, clients and their referring vets."

Ceva Animal Health has published a one hour virtual symposium about its new feline pheromone, Feliway Optimum, which will be launched in September.

'The new discovery in feline communication' symposium was held during the ISFM (International Society of Feline Medicine) International Feline Congress from 8th - 10th August.

The symposium was presented by Professor Patrick Pageat DVM MSc PhD HDR Dipl ECAWBM-BM Hon Dipl CLECVe, who researched and developed both Feliway and Adaptil, and Dr Andy Sparkes BVetMed PhD DipECVIM MANZCVS MRCVS, veterinary consultant at ISFM. 

Patrick presented ‘the science behind the new pheromone discovery’ and covered how it was developed, how it works and why it is a step up from the existing pheromone products. Andy followed with ‘Feliway Optimum: clinical evidence’ and featured the clinical data behind the new product and how it outperforms existing pheromones.

To register for ‘the new discovery in feline communication’ symposium on demand, which equates to one hour’s CPD, email cevauk@ceva.com.

A research project funded by The Horse Trust has made important discoveries about how two peptides regulate the inflammatory response in horses. This knowledge could help with the development of improved anti-inflammatory drugs, which are used to treat a wide range of conditions in horses.

The research project was led by Professor Fiona Cunningham at the Royal Veterinary College in Hertfordshire and Dr Karen Rickards at the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, assisted by Dr Andrew Brooks at the RVC, and by Dr Kirstie Pickles, now at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh.

Inflammation is associated with a wide range of equine diseases, including recurrent airway obstruction, laminitis and sweet itch. Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as glucocorticosteroids, mainly work by blocking the formation and/or actions of compounds produced in the horse's body that cause inflammatory responses. However, these drugs are not always effective and can have unwanted side effects.

This research, funded by The Horse Trust, aimed to find out more about two naturally-occurring peptides - chains of amino acids that are shorter than proteins - known as annexin-1 and CXCL8. Both have been shown to affect the inflammatory response but little research has been done on their effects in horses. In the long term, knowing more about these compounds could help in the development of new anti-inflammatory drugs with fewer side effects.

During inflammation, neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) stick to the cells lining blood vessels and migrate into inflamed tissue, where they ingest and break down harmful agents. Using techniques that mimic these events, CXCL8 was found to cause adherence and migration of horse neutrophils. However, when it was used in combination with another pro-inflammatory substance, neutrophil migration and adherence were markedly decreased.  This suggests that attempts to reduce inflammation by blocking the actions of CXCL8 might not be as beneficial as had been thought.

At the start of the project, the researchers had no information about horse annexin-1, other than its gene sequence, so their first step was to develop a method to detect the peptide in white blood cells. They established that it was present and, as horse annexin-1 has not yet been synthesised, they used a synthetic peptide derived from annexin-1, Ac2-26, to look at the effects on horse neutrophils.

They found that Ac2-26 decreased neutrophil adherence and migration in response to other pro-inflammatory compounds, although at high concentrations the peptide itself caused some cell activation, thereby increasing inflammation. They also found that dexamethasone (a glucocorticosteroid) increased the levels of annexin-1 in cells, indicating that, as in humans, this class of drugs is likely to act in part through the formation of annexin-1.

These findings suggest that the use of compounds which mimic the actions of annexin-1 may have limitations as anti-inflammatory drugs. As glucocorticosteroids partly work by forming annexin-1, further research is needed in order to find out how annexin-1 will act in the horse's body and establish how its formation contributes to the beneficial effects of these drugs.

Professor Cunningham said: "This Horse Trust-funded research has resulted in some very interesting findings about how inflammatory cells are regulated in horses. The receptors that annexin-1 and CXCL8 act upon could be targets for new equine inflammatory drugs, but more research is needed first to fully understand their actions and how they produce these effects."

The team's research has been accepted for publication by the journal Veterinary Immunology & Immunopathology.

Vets that took part in the Vet Charity Challenge 2013 have raised a total of £50,000 which was presented to three animal charities at the London Vet Show. 

The Vet Charity Challenge took place in September, when 53 teams of four spent the day walking, running, cycling, kayaking and orienteering, along with a variety of mental tasks. The money it raised has been distributed between Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, SPANA and Animals Asia

Jason Rogers, BCF Technology Marketing Manager and one of the organisers said: "The response we got for the Challenge this year has been remarkable with double the number of teams we had in 2012. It was quite a sight to see over 200 people at the briefing at the start of the day. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and get into the spirit of the event. The amount raised this year is truly amazing."

One of the participants, Kerry Lambert from Ashworth Veterinary Group, Hampshire said: "The day was both exhilarating and exhausting. It was very well organised and friendly."

Caitrina Harrison from Vétoquinol added: "As one of the sponsors for this year's Vet Charity Challenge, Vétoquinol had three of the 53 teams entered. The amazing team spirit, fun atmosphere and inter-company rivalry all contributed to a fantastic event. The day was well organised and certainly our three teams, had a fantastic time. We'll be back again next year!"

Speaking for the three charities that benefited from the donations, Deborah Bourne, Corporate Fundraiser from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People said: "We would like to say a huge thank you to all the sponsors and competitors who got involved with this year's inspirational Vet Charity Challenge! Thanks to the determination, team spirit and generosity of everyone who took part, the money raised from this fantastic event will enable us to train more life changing hearing dogs to support deaf adults and children across the UK."

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) has clarified regulations on equine dental procedures following a survey which showed confusion, even amongst vets, over who is allowed to do what in a horse's mouth.

In the survey of BEVA members, more than half were unaware of the dentistry techniques that equine dental technicians (EDTs) are permitted to perform and the levels of veterinary supervision required.

In response, the association has put together a new information leaflet which explains the regulations surrounding equine dental care and describes where recommended practice differs from the letter of the law.

All diagnostic and treatment procedures in the horse's mouth are Acts of Veterinary Surgery under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. The only exception is the manual removal of small dental overgrowths and sharp enamel points with hand instruments.

However it is acknowledged that there are a limited number of procedures that, despite being considered Acts of Veterinary Surgery, may be delegated safely to suitably qualified EDTs without compromising the horse's welfare and safety. In 2009 the RCVS, with assistance from BEVA, BVDA and BAEDT, listed these processes and categorised all dental procedures into three groups:

• Category 1 - Procedures that are not Acts of Veterinary Surgery, and which can be performed after recognised training but without qualification
  
  • Examination of teeth
  • Removal of sharp enamel points using manual rasps only
  • Removal of small dental overgrowths (maximum 4mm reductions) using manual rasps only
  • Rostral profiling of the first cheek teeth (maximum 4mm reductions), previously termed 'bit seat shaping'
  • Removal of loose deciduous caps
  • Removal of supragingival calculus.
• Category 2 - Procedures that are Acts of Veterinary Surgery but can be safely delegated to suitably qualified EDTs
  
  • Examination, evaluation and recording of dental abnormalities
  • The removal of loose teeth or dental fragments with negligible periodontal attachments
  • The removal of erupted, non-displaced wolf teeth in the upper or lower jaw under direct and continuous veterinary supervision
  • Palliative rasping of fractured and adjacent teeth
  • The use of motorised dental instruments where these are used to reduce overgrowths and remove sharp enamel points only. Horses should be sedated unless it is deemed safe to undertake any proposed procedure without sedation, with full informed consent of the owner.
• Category 3 - Procedures that are Acts of Veterinary Surgery and cannot be safely delegated.
  All other procedures and any new procedures, which arise as a result of scientific and technical development, would by default fall into category 3, which are those procedures restricted to qualified veterinary surgeons and are not proposed for deregulation. It is therefore NOT legal for these to be performed by non-veterinarians. 

Despite there being no legal basis supporting non-vets performing Category 2 procedures, the RCVS has stated that there would be no public interest in prosecuting vets who collaborate with suitably qualified EDTs to perform non-invasive (Categories 1 and 2) procedures.

BEVA recommends that, for their own protection, all vets who deal with horses:

• Are familiar with Category 1 and Category 2 procedures (see below and http://www.beva.org.uk/_uploads/documents/current-regulations-on-equine-dental-procedures.pdf)
• Ensure they know whether or not any EDT that they are collaborating with is qualified to perform Category 2 procedures (i.e. has a "Defra approved" qualification - BEVA/BVDA or WWAED).
• Report to the VMD instances of non-vets supplying oral sedatives or other prescription only drugs.

Vicki Nicholls, equine vet at Wright and Morten in Cheshire, chair of BEVA council's Paraprofessional Committee and member of the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians (BAEDT) said: "The lack of awareness is alarming and clearly emphasises the need to make vets and equine dental technicians fully conscious of current regulations regarding equine dentistry. Non-adherence to the regulations is a serious matter and could lead to prosecution of the veterinary surgeon, EDT and/or owner."

The number of vets taking the BEVA/BVDA exam in equine dentistry has increased in recent years with about 15% of those who have passed the exam being vets. BEVA says this is indicative of the growing awareness, amongst owners and vets, of the importance of dental health. It also reflects a desire to develop and demonstrate both practical skills and a theoretical understanding of equine dental care to augment the vet's broader medical knowledge. Expertise in equine dental care has, for many veterinary practices, become a valuable asset.

Copies of the dental regulations information leaflet can be downloaded from the BEVA website at www.beva.org.uk. BEVA also runs regular dentistry CPD courses, details of which can be found on the website.

Image source: Rachel C from Scotland

The RCVS and the BVA have joined forces with Defra on a project to assess the challenges and opportunities posed by EU exit, with the aim to develop a flexible and skilled veterinary workforce which meets the UK's needs for both the immediate and longer term future.

The Veterinary Capability and Capacity Project (VCCP) is co-chaired by the UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens, RCVS Senior Vice-President Dr Chris Tufnell, and BVA Senior Vice-President Gudrun Ravetz. The project board also comprises the CVOs for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Sheila Voas, Christianne Glossop and Robert Huey, as well as the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Food Standards Agency.

The project’s objective is to work with the veterinary sector to better understand the UK’s workforce needs and ensure that both the Government and veterinary businesses can continue to protect animal health and welfare, safeguard the food chain and maintain levels of public health and public services, and enable trade in animals and animal products.

The project will include a joint BVA-RCVS submission to the Migration Advisory Committee’s call for evidence on workforce issues post-Brexit. Three working groups have been set up within the project to look specifically at issues of veterinary resources, recruitment and retention.

The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Nigel Gibbens, said: "Leaving the EU provides us with an opportunity to develop gold standard policies on animal welfare. The UK Government is determined to get a good Brexit deal for Britain and Ministers have been absolutely clear we will maintain our world-leading animal welfare standards.

"The VCCP is a great example of collaborative working between government, professional bodies and regulators to prepare for our exit from the European Union.

"I am pleased the Prime Minister has set out the government’s aim to secure the status of the veterinary workforce as a top priority as we leave the EU. The UK’s vets - both Official Veterinarians and those in the private sector - play a key role in protecting our country from endemic and exotic diseases, tackling outbreaks when they occur, safeguarding our animals and tackling global challenges like antibiotic resistance."

Chris Tufnell said: "Since the vote to leave the European Union last year the RCVS has been working in partnership with BVA to highlight to Government and others the potential workforce shortages that could arise from a loss of non-UK EU-qualified vets, particularly in public health work where they tend to predominate. Our position was highlighted in our Brexit Principles published earlier this year and at an event organised by us and the BVA at the Palace of Westminster for MPs and Peers.

"We are very glad that Defra is working proactively with us and BVA to understand  the scale of the issues and map out the risks and opportunities and to help us plan for a number of different scenarios in advance so that we do not find ourselves in a position whereby animal health and welfare or public health might be compromised by workforce shortages."

BVA Senior Vice President Gudrun Ravetz said: "Vets provide the foundation for the UK’s high animal health and welfare, and make an essential contribution to the UK economy and wider society. Veterinary teams up and down the country support the UK’s 11 million pet-owning households; not a penny of the UK’s £12.7 billion livestock industry could be realised without vets; and vets are vital to facilitating UK trade, through health certification and controls, so that consumers have confidence in the food safety and welfare of the products they buy.

"Non-UK EU vets make up around 50% of our new workforce each year yet, since the EU referendum; we are facing increasing problems in recruiting and retaining EU colleagues to the UK. The impact of the loss of even a small percentage of the veterinary workforce could have serious repercussions on the practices, communities and industries that vets serve. This profession-wide project is pivotal to ensuring we have a veterinary workforce that can serve the UK’s needs post-Brexit."

The BVA’s Brexit and the veterinary profession report can be found at www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/policy/future-of-the-profession/brexit/

To read the College’s Brexit Principles in full visit www.rcvs.org.uk/brexit

The Prime Minister has set out the government’s offer for EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU on their rights and status after the UK leaves the EU: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-the-position-of-eu-citizens-in-the-uk-and-uk-nationals-in-the-eu

The government’s response to House of Lord’s EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee’s inquiry into Brexit: Farm Animal Welfare also addresses veterinary capability post-Brexit:https://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/eu-energy-environment-subcommittee/Brexit-farm-animal-welfare/Gov-Brexit-farm-anim.pdf

Lintbells is launching Mobility Matters, a new guide to setting up nurse-led mobility clinics in practice, together with a pack containing a range of supporting marketing materials.

The support pack is available now for existing stockists; others can sign up for a pack (whilst stocks last) at the London Vet Show in November, where Lintbells will be at stand U50.

According to the company, an estimated 15% of canine cases presented at first opinion practices are musculoskeletal and cats are also commonly affected.¹ 

The Mobility Matters support materials are designed to help practices communicate the issues to clients, both in the waiting area and consulting room and online. There are also resources to help behind the scenes with setting up the clinics, including the new guide. 

Gemma Cunningham, Lintbells Product Marketing Executive said: "We’re keen to bring attention to nurse-led clinics, which are not just great for patients but great for business too. Measurable outcomes include client satisfaction, incremental sales and improved patient comfort or quality of life. We’ve taken into account existing barriers based on what veterinary teams have told us and created the pack to address those needs. Our Mobility Matters referral cards, which help vets signpost clients to the clinics are a brilliant example of how the pack can help teams work more effectively together."

For more information, contact Lintbells on 01462 790886.

Reference

1. Hardie EM1, Roe SC, Martin FR, J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2002 Mar 1;220(5):628-32., Radiographic evidence of degenerative joint disease in geriatric cats: 100 cases (1994-1997).

Three practice managers have been awarded the Veterinary Management Group’s Certificate in Veterinary Practice Management (CVPM).

The successful candidates, who completed their studies during 2020 and passed the examination in November, are Lucy Wilson (pictured right), from Equibreed UK, Reading, Vanessa Austin, who works at at Vets4Pets, Northampton, and Donna Johnson, the Clinical Services Manager at The Pet Vet, Barnsley.

Lucy said: “I chose to do the CVPM to cement my knowledge of how to run our practice to the best of my ability and to provide the highest level of support to my colleagues. The CVPM resources, syllabus and experience have given me a thorough understanding of my skills and areas to develop. I cannot recommend the experience highly enough.”

Chair of the VMG Certification and Training Committee, Philippa Davies, said: “The CVPM exam tests candidates’ skills in operational management, prioritising, strategy, and thinking on your feet. It’s a gruelling assessment and holders are an elite group. We are delighted to welcome Vanessa, Donna and Lucy and congratulate them on their achievement.”

For more information, visit: https://www.vetmg.com/education/cvpm/ 

The University of Liverpool's School of Veterinary Science has released the results of research carried out in collaboration with the Royal Canin Research Centre in France, which shows that cats eat 15% less in the summer than the winter.

Researchers spent four years monitoring how much cats chose to eat. The 38 cats studied had a microchip on their collar which allowed them to take as much food as they wanted from a dispenser which only opened for them.  At the same time, this microchip recorded how much the cat had eaten and when.

Veterinary surgeon and study author, Dr Alex German, said: "Cats, like many humans are more inclined to comfort eat when it's cold outside but, in their case, it's likely to be due to the extra energy they need to keep warm when out and about."

The study found that cats ate approximately 15% less food during summer, and the researchers concluded that the extra effort to keep warm in winter and the temptation to rest during hot summer days contributed to the swing in activity levels during the year.

The cats were all inhabitants of a centre in southern France where they were allowed to play and exercise outside all year round. The cats were of mixed breeds, ages and genders. Data on food was compared to the climate in the area using computer modelling to provide information about how the temperature changed over the year.

Seasonal food intake has also been examined in the past on farm animals, such as dairy cows, to establish new ways of increasing milk production, but this is the largest study that has yet taken place with domestic cats.

Dr German said: "People should consider the amount of food their cats need at different times of year as this can be part of helping them to maintain a healthy weight."

The paper was published in the journal PLOS One. http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0096071