A study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP) has revealed that the evidence base for recommending any one treatment for keratomalacia in dogs and/or cats over another is very weak. 

In the study titled “Outcomes of treatments for keratomalacia in dogs and cats: a systematic review of the published literature including non-randomised controlled and non-controlled studies”, a systematic review of the current literature was undertaken to determine the evidence base for the various treatments of keratomalacia in dogs and cats.

The aim of the review was to assess the evidence base and identify recommended treatment(s) based on globe survival, visual outcome, and time to resolution (while maintaining a globe).

An online literature search found 18 relevant studies which were then reviewed and assigned a level of evidence base as described in the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (OCEBM) Levels of Evidence Working Group.

Each study was assessed for type of study described (e.g. retrospective, prospective, controlled, random/non-random, cohort study, case series/study), the number of animals included, criteria for assessing outcome (e.g. vision, corneal clarity, anatomic repair) and duration of follow-up and time to resolution.

Systematic reviews of randomised trials, randomised trials or observational studies with dramatic effects would have provided the most reliable evidence on which to base recommendations for treatment(s) but none were available for inclusion.

Only one study was classified as level 3 evidence (non-randomised controlled trial) and considered the use of corneal cross-linking (CXL) in the treatment of keratomalacia.

Most studies were level four evidence reporting the outcome of a single treatment, with three prospective studies and seven retrospective studies.

The remaining seven studies were level five evidence (mechanism-based reasoning) and were considered not to provide good evidence for answering the particular study question.

The findings of the study suggest that the evidence for improved outcome of one proposed treatment over another proposed treatment for keratomalacia in dogs and/or cats is very weak.

A combination of treatments – both medical and surgical – may be the most appropriate depending on the individual case.

Studies utilising mechanism-based reasoning would suggest that medical treatment with anti-collagenase treatment is a minimum requirement for keratomalacia cases to prevent globe loss through perforation, with associated pain and suffering.

Nicola Di Girolamo, Editor of JSAP, said: “The findings of this study highlight once more the infrequency of randomised controlled trials in the veterinary literature, and the need for such studies to expand the evidence base in this field.

“Focussing on collecting available evidence in well-conducted systematic reviews is a critical step in order to improve accessibility of the literature for general practitioners and specialists alike.”

The full article can be found in the October issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice and can be read online here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13326. It is open access and can be freely accessed by anyone.

Photo courtesy BSAVA 

VetHelpDirect.com, a website which helps pet owners decide how urgently their pet needs veterinary attention, has been relaunched with new content for donkey, reptile and bird owners.

Founded by VetSurgeon member Susie Samuel MRCVS in 2006, the site allows pet owners to look up the symptoms their animal is displaying. When the owner answers a series of simple, step-by-step questions, the site then generates a priority rating from "Self care - treatment at home" to "Urgent - you need to contact your vet immediately", coupled with specific first aid advice. It's a sort of home triage system.

VetHelpDirect was designed by vets and all of the content is by vets. The site covers dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and now donkeys, reptiles and birds. I see that the world-renowned avian vet (and all-round good bloke) Neil Forbes FRCVS and his team at Great Western Referrals, together with Dr Karen Rickards, head vet at the Donkey Sanctuary have helped create the new areas of the website, so the information it contains will certainly be of the highest standard.

In fact, the whole site is impressively well-designed and simple to use, an opinion obviously echoed by the readers of WebUser magazine, who gave it 5/5 stars last May, beating Jamie Oliver's website.

Cleverly, the triage system on VetHelpDirect ties in with a directory of veterinary practices, so if immediate care is the answer and the owner doesn't have a vet already, help is at hand. Veterinary practices can pay to have an enhanced listing in the directory.

For a fee, VetHelpDirect can also embed the triage system into your own practice website. That seems like a good way of adding additonal, interesting and interactive content to a website. The interesting question is how much money it will save the practice by eliminating unecessary calls from pet owners who don't really need to talk to a vet. 

Equally, though, the site may have an important role to play in telling owners when they SHOULD get to the vet quickly. A recent success story was that of 'Bucket', a 5 year old cat from Nottingham. Bucket was fortunate to live after his owner Sarah Rennoldson logged on to Vet Help Direct.com after he displayed odd behaviour.  Acting on the advice displayed on the site her owner immediately contacted her local vet Jaqui Gilmour MRCVS at Bill Bowlers Vets. Bucket was diagnosed with a blocked bladder, which was quickly operated on. Jaqui said: ' If Sarah hadn't brought Bucket in so quickly, he could have gone into renal failure and could have developed metabolic disturbances. He would have been really, really sore, and left untreated a blocked bladder can cause death.'

For more information, 'Start a Conversation' with Susie Samuel MRCVS

Her Majesty The Queen has today opened the University of Surrey's new £45m School of Veterinary Medicine, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

Her Majesty and His Royal Highness toured the Large Animal Clinical Skills Building, where they met students taking equine examinations and working with livestock. The Royal Party also viewed a demonstration in the Biomechanics Laboratory, meeting Professor Noel Fitzpatrick and dogs that have benefitted from prosthetic limb surgery. They also watched teaching sessions in the Clinical Skills Laboratory, meeting staff and students.

After the tour, The Queen, The Duke and assembled guests attended a short ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new teaching facilities, during which Her Majesty unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion.

As The Royal Party left, they were bid farewell by Joey, the star of the theatre production War Horse.

Professor Michael Kearney, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, said: “We are hugely honoured to welcome Her Majesty and His Royal Highness to the University of Surrey. This is a very special occasion that tops off an exceptional start to the academic year for the University, after the launch of our 5G Innovation Centre and achieving The Times and Sunday Times ‘University of the Year’ accolade.

“The School of Veterinary Medicine further cements our position as a world-class institution that is delivering cutting-edge teaching and research from state-of-the-art facilities. It will not only provide the next generation of sought-after veterinary graduates, but it will offer significant opportunities for collaboration between human and animal medical science professionals and public sector organisations.”

Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, one of the founding partners of the School of Veterinary Medicine, said: “I had a vision where we would deliver a degree structure which was truly focussed on what you dream about when you are sixteen years old, when you are desperate to become a vet. I fully intend to be part of a team that will kindle that fire throughout professional life to shine a light onto the world that badly needs ambassadors of purpose and integrity to be the caretakers of health on Earth, both now and for long after I’m gone and these new buildings will still be standing. This is our legacy, and we are intensely proud to be part of this evolution in health education.”

The BVA and the BCVA have launched a joint position paper which states that calves should be routinely provided with appropriate analgesia alongside local anaesthesia to effectively manage pain during necessary veterinary and husbandry procedures.

The recognition, management and treatment of pain in calves was identified by the BVA and the BCVA as a priority animal welfare problem following the launch of the BVA’s Animal welfare strategy last year, with the two organisations working closely together to progress an evidence-based best practice position and set of recommendations for the profession.

The new position statement specifically recommends the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in addition to local anaesthesia when conducting disbudding and castration in calves, as these are procedures that have been shown to cause acute pain at the time of the procedure and chronic pain afterwards. Analgesics have been shown to reduce the signs of pain in this post-operative period in a wide range of research studies. 

The position also recommends the 'Three Rs' approach to castration and disbudding of calves, advocating that, where possible, these procedures are: Replaced by, for example, selecting polled sires to replace disbudding; Reduced by, for example, appropriate use of sexed semen to reduce the number of male calves requiring castration; or Refined, with the use of analgesics.

BVA President Gudrun Ravetz said: "BVA and BCVA’s joint position further reinforces the profession’s focus as animal welfare advocates, and conveys the need for adequate pain management that is reflective of current scientific understanding of pain recognition and treatment in cattle.

"Existing legislation requires a level of anaesthesia and we would encourage veterinary colleagues and stock-keepers to also discuss appropriate analgesic regimes used so that vets prescribe appropriately licensed NSAIDs and other analgesic medicines as required, as part of ensuring a good life for the animals we farm for food."

The recommendations support the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science’s study, published yesterday in the Veterinary Record, which has found that calf husbandry procedures were significantly less likely to include the use of analgesics in addition to the local anaesthetic (that is routinely used) for other similarly painful procedures. While local anaesthesia can reduce or eliminate much of the acute pain, chronic pain may still remain once the relatively short duration of local anaesthetic action wanes.

John Remnant, a member of BCVA Board and Clinical Assistant Professor in Farm Animal Health and Production at the Nottingham Vet School, said: "It appears that veterinarians’ awareness of pain in cattle and willingness to use analgesics in general has increased over the last decade. However, whilst this should be commended, the apparent lack of use of appropriate analgesia specifically in calves undergoing routine husbandry procedures such as castration and disbudding requires urgent action. I am delighted that the findings of Nottingham University’s study support BVA/BCVA’s statement."

BVA and BCVA’s joint position paper on Analgesia in calves can be found at: https://www.bva.co.uk/uploadedFiles/Content/News,_campaigns_and_policies/Policies/Ethics_and_welfare/Analgesia%20in%20calves%20BVA%20branded.pdf

Photo: A calf in England, New Forest national park. Jim Champion. Wikipedia.

VetSurgeon.org member Julian Earl MRCVS has published 'Cows in Trees', a warm and witty memoir of his life as a veterinary surgeon.

Having been told at school that he'd never cut it as a veterinary surgeon, Julian qualified from Liverpool in 1981. He became a partner at Banovallum Vets in Horncastle in 1989 and later the sole owner. Along the way, he also gained AP status in Sheep and Animal Welfare and served as President of the Sheep Veterinary Society and the Lincolnshire Veterinary Association. Oh, and in 1991, he was part of a team that set a world record relay time cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats, raising £8,500 in the process.

Then, in 2012, everything changed. Julian had a cycling accident during a road race in Lincolnshire. He fractured his skull and suffered multiple brain haemorrhages, broken ribs, a fractured shoulder and a punctured lung. Doctors told his wife he'd be unlikely to survive.

But survive he did, and with his injuries precluding a return to practice, he's reinvented himself as an author and approved para-cyclist. 

His book is a collection of light-hearted anecdotes and memories from his life in practice, with practical advice about what to try and avoid when working as a veterinary surgeon. 

And yes, he was once called out to attend a cow stuck in a tree!

You can buy the book on Amazon in hardcover for £12.95, here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Julian-Earl/e/B01EVCT67K/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1461874827&sr=1-1

VetSurgeon.org has announced the launch of VetSurgeon Jobs, a new service designed to change the way veterinary surgeons are hired, saving veterinary practices hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds.

Since 1761, when the veterinary profession first came into existence, employers have had no choice but to advertise job opportunities for veterinary surgeons and practice managers in magazines. 

Editing, printing and publishing a magazine is an eye-wateringly expensive business, costs which have been reflected in the price advertisers have had to pay.

The Internet has brought those costs right down. Furthermore, in a survey of job seekers carried out last earlier this month by VetSurgeon.org, 70% said they spend most time browsing jobs online these days, as opposed to in a magazine. 

However, when you look at the costs of advertising on websites published by veterinary magazine publishers, which start at £395 and quickly rise to £795 for a 28-day online advert, it is clear that these prices still reflect the considerable costs of magazine production. 

Today, VetSurgeon.org launches it’s online-only job advertising service, priced simply at £99+VAT, which gets you a 60-day advert on the website most followed by UK veterinary surgeons. 

That price doesn’t just offer a considerable saving over alternatives in the veterinary profession, it also beats the major online-only players outside the profession (including Monster, Reed and Totaljobs)

There’s more to it than just price, though. Unlike the alternatives, VetSurgeon Jobs is not an 'off-the-shelf' solution, but something designed from the ground up for the veterinary profession.

For jobseekers, VetSurgeon Jobs has been designed to make finding the right job as simple and straightforward as possible. Just enter the postcode and search radius, and the available jobs re-order by distance. You can subscribe to be alerted of only those jobs that meet your very specific criteria (such as locum positions within a given radius). Perhaps most importantly, VetSurgeon Jobs is an integral part of the thriving community on VetSurgeon.org. So you can add your CV to your online profile and then engage directly with employers on the site.

For employers, VetSurgeon offers the opportunity to publish a more engaging, interesting advertisement than is currently offered anywhere else, including maps, photos, logos and headline propositions.

Arlo Guthrie said: "It’s a cliche, but if ever there was a 'win-win' situation, this is it. I’m able to offer you the chance to save a small fortune, whilst making some for myself and to reinvest in yet more features designed to support your profession."

For more information, visit https://www.vetsurgeon.org/jobs/, ring 0207 183 2511 or email support@vetsurgeon.org. 

And if you want to support our efforts ... please share this story using the links immediately below.

The British Veterinary Association is urging veterinary surgeons and nurses to get behind its new #breedtobreathe campaign, designed to stop the rising popularity of brachycephalic breeds with all their conformation-related health and welfare issues.

According to the BVA’s Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey, 9 out of 10 companion animal veterinary surgeons report that the number of brachycephalic dogs being brought into their practice has greatly increased over the past three years.

98% said they had treated brachycephalic dogs for conformation-related health problems in the past year, and that 56% of the brachycephalic dogs being brought into practice either had, or would have benefited from having treatment for conformation-related health and welfare problems.

49% of UK vets say that the high profile of brachycephalic breeds in social media and advertising is one of the main reasons that clients choose to get a brachycephalic pet. 

The #breedtobreathe campaign includes a number of things designed to tackle the problem. Firstly, practices are urged not to use images of brachycephalic dogs in their own marketing materials and communications. In addition the BVA has prepared a toolbox with a template letter for you to send to companies and brands that use brachycephalic breeds in their advertising, together with a range of images and a video you can share on social media, such as Facebook.

BVA President John Fishwick said: "Several well-known brands that use images of flat-faced dogs, such as Costa Coffee, Heinz and Comic Relief, have responded positively to letters from BVA and individual members of the profession recently, and pledged to avoid using them in future campaigns. These seemingly small victories offer hope for greater and long-lasting change.

"While the veterinary profession is relatively small, its reach is significant and its role is critical to the health and welfare of not only animals, but the rest of society too. That is why we believe that it is important for the veterinary team to utilise its spheres of influence both online and offline, which includes avoiding mixed messages between what clients and the wider public are being told by vets and VNs in practice and what they were seeing in practice communications.

"We’re urging vets to continue speaking out on behalf of the animals that we swear an oath to protect, since we know that hearing first-hand from individual members of the vet-led team has a real impact on the brands in question. BVA will continue to support members in challenging irresponsible promotions using these breeds."

The BVA has drawn up a position statement which lists ten actions that veterinary practices can undertake to improve brachycephalic breeds’ health and welfare and promote responsible ownership: 

1. Offer pre-purchase consultations with prospective dog owners. The potential health problems of brachycephalic conformation can be clearly outlined in these consultations.
2. Strongly advise against breeding if a dog is suffering from BOAS or requires conformation altering surgery to prevent further litters with extremes of conformation
3. Promote the Puppy Contract through practice communication channels www.puppycontract.co.uk
4. Promote and actively participate in available health schemes, including those for brachycephalic breeds that currently exist amongst breed clubs
5. Carry out exercise tolerance tests (ETT) and functional grading for brachycephalic breeds as part of their annual health assessment
6. Enrol the practice in clinical surveillance programmes such as VetCompass^TM and SAVSNET, to contribute to data gathering and evidence generation
7. Develop a practice communication strategy to clearly communicate the health problems experienced by dogs with brachycephalic conformation
8. Develop practice policy to ensure that practice communication channels do not portray dogs with brachycephalic conformation as cute, humorous or appealing
9. Ensure practice policy supports staff to appropriately convey evidence-based information and advice to owners of dogs with brachycephalic conformation
10. Support local breed clubs and representatives to develop and implement plans to improve the health of dogs with brachycephalic conformation

For more information, visit: www.bva.co.uk/brachys. 

Photo: ponpimonsa_bibi/Shutterstock

Royal Canin and IDEXX Laboratories have joined forces to host a webinar looking at the best ways to manage the symptoms of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), taking place on Tuesday 30th April at 8:00pm.

'FLUTD and Dysuria – a frustration for many and not just the cat' will be presented by Dr Hanne Friis Lund (DVM) from Idexx and Katy Smith from Royal Canin (pictured right).

Hanne will be talking about diagnostics, focusing on urine analysis and laboratory tests, whilst Katy will discuss nutritional management of the condition.

Hanne said: "Feline lower urinary tract disease is a very common condition in both male and female cats affecting 1-3% of cats every year.

"It goes without saying that FLUTD causes great discomfort and pain for the feline, which is why the webinar will explore how best to manage the condition from a nutritional point of view.

"From the innovative Haematuria Detection by Blücare litter granules which turn blue when a urinary condition is detected to the new urinary range kibble from Royal Canin’s Veterinary Health Nutrition, the webinar will be leaving no stone unturned."

To register for the webinar, go to: https://vetportal.royalcanin.co.uk/cpd/webinar/

Centaur has launched a new service on the MyCentaur website which allows for 24-hour ordering from any broadband enabled computer.

 A secure practice shopping list with controlled staff access to ordering and management information enables practices to safely control any buying. 

According to the company, a key feature of the website is that any orders placed on line by 9pm will be delivered the following day, which gives practices even greater flexibility on ordering times over any existing vet wholesaling ordering service. As well as greater convenience, a financial benefit in using this method of ordering is that all on-line orders attract an additional two per cent discount.

Virbac Animal Health has launched CaniLeish, the first vaccine for canine leishmaniosis in the European Union.

Leishmaniosis is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by infection with protozoa of the genus Leishmania (L infantum in Europe). Leishmaniosis is transmitted by the bite of infected sandflies. In south-western Europe 2.5 million dogs are believed to be infected^1,2 with the parasite and the disease is spreading northwards,³ as more people travel with their dogs or import infected animals from endemic areas.⁴  So far preventative methods have been limited to reducing the habitat of sandflies, minimising the physical contact of dogs with sandflies and using insecticides on dogs (sprays, spot-ons, repellent-collars, etc).

According to Virbac, CaniLeish's ability to protect dogs was demonstrated in an experimental challenge study, where the benefit of vaccination was still evident after one year.⁵ In an extreme condition natural challenge trial lasting two years under environmental conditions rarely encountered in reality, 93% of dogs vaccinated with CaniLeish did not develop symptomatic leishmaniosis. CaniLeish provides a fourfold reduction in the risk of developing this fatal disease. ⁶ Its safety profile has been shown in laboratory testing and field trials.⁷ In addition, Virbac says it contains no whole parasites that could be virulent in any host.

David McGahie BVMS Bsc (VetSci) MRCVS, Medical Department Manager at Virbac SA, said: "The development of this vaccine is a key milestone in the battle against this challenging disease which is a major problem in many regions of the world. Although in the past it was considered a rather exotic disease here in the UK, the advent of the Pet Travel Scheme means it has become increasingly important as a problem for dogs which regularly travel abroad to endemic regions."

CaniLeish can be given to dogs as young as six months of age: the primary course consists of three injections given over six weeks. Dogs should be re-vaccinated annually, with a single dose administered one year after the third injection and annually thereafter.

References:

1. Baneth G, KoutinasAF, Solano-Gallego L, et al. Canine leishmaniosis: new concepts and insights on an expanding zoonosis: part one. Trends Parasitology 2008; 24: 324-330
2. Moreno J, Alvar J. Canine leishmaniasis: epidemiological risk and the experimental model. Trends Parasitol, 2002; 18 (9):399-405
3. Maroli M, Rossi L, Baldelli R, et al. The northward spread of leishmaniasis in Italy: evidence from retrospective and ongoing studies on the canine reservoir and phlebotomine vectors. Trop. Med. Int. Health, 2008; 13: 256-264
4. Shaw SE, Lerga AI, Williams S, et al. Review of exotic infectious diseases in small animals entering the United Kingdom from abroad diagnosed by PCR. Vet. Rec. 2003; 152: 176-177
5. McGahie D.  CaniLeish^®: Development of a new preventive tool. How do you produce a vaccine which really works? Proceedings of the symposium "Advanced management of Canine Leishmaniosis" Southern European Veterinary Congress 2011, Barcelona, pp 13,14
6. Oliva G, Nieto J, Foglia Manzillo V, et al. Evidence for protection against active infection and disease progression in naïve dogs vaccinated with LiESP/QA-21 (CaniLeish®) exposed to two consecutive Leishmania infantum transmission seasons. Proceedings BSAVA/WSAVA/FECAVA congress 2012, Birmingham.
7. McGahie D.  Results of safety trials with CaniLeish^®. What can be expected?. Proceedings of the symposium "Advanced management of Canine Leishmaniosis" Southern European Veterinary Congress 2011, Barcelona, pp 15,16
8. Guerin PJ, Olliaro P, Sundar S, et al. Visceral leishmaniasis: current status of control, diagnosis and treatment, and a proposed research and development agenda. The Lancet Infectious Diseases 2002; 2: 494-501
9. Gramiccia M, Gradoni L. The current status of zoonotic leishmaniases and approaches to disease control. International Journal for Parasitology 2005; 35: 1169-1180

The government has today launched a call for evidence which seeks views on the banning of third party sales of puppies, which would mean anyone wanting to buy or adopt a dog would have to deal directly with a breeder or one of the country's rehoming centres.

Interested parties are invited to share their views by the 2nd May 2018. 

The ban is being explored by the government as part of a package of reforms designed to drive up animal welfare standards.

A number of other measures to tighten up the regulation of puppy breeders are also being laid before Parliament today, to come into force later in the year:

• Banning licensed sellers from dealing in puppies and kittens under the age of eight weeks;

• Ensuring that licensed dog breeders show puppies alongside their mother before a sale is made;

• Tackling the sale of weak underage puppies and the breeding of unhealthy dogs and dogs with severe genetic disorders;

• Introducing compulsory licensing for anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs;

• Requiring puppy sales to be completed in the presence of the new owner, preventing online sales where prospective buyers have not seen the animal first;

• Insisting licensed dog breeders can only sell puppies

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: "We need to do everything we can to make sure the nation’s much loved pets get the right start in life. From banning the sale of underage puppies to tackling the breeding of dogs with severe genetic disorders, we are cracking down on sellers who have a total disregard for their dogs’ welfare.

"This is a further step to raise the bar on animal welfare standards. We are also introducing mandatory CCTV in all slaughterhouses and increasing maximum prison sentences tenfold for animal abusers."

BVA President John Fishwick said: "As vets, we see first-hand the tragic consequences that can result from poorly bred puppies so it’s encouraging to see the Government announce this raft of measures to improve dog welfare.

"We support the principle that puppies should not be sold by third parties, but this is a complex area that must consider advertising, internet sales and pet owners’ buying habits to ensure illegal puppy sales won’t be driven underground.

"Effective legislation must be backed by enforcement, so it’s essential that local authorities are equipped with adequate resources to help guarantee the welfare of millions of dogs across the UK.

The consultation can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/banning-third-party-sales-of-pets-in-england-call-for-evidence 

The RCVS has published a report of the Veterinary Workforce Summit 2021, which includes potential solutions to the workforce crisis that were discussed at the event.

The Veterinary Workforce Summit was held last November, when 80 stakeholders from independent and corporate practices, veterinary schools, charities, government, the food hygiene sector, species associations and industry bodies came together to look at how the profession could address the workforce crisis. 

Prior to the Summit, preliminary research was carried out to assess the profession's views on the workforce crisis and how it was affecting them.

Based on findings from the preliminary research, six themes around the issue of workforce shortages were identified and used to structure the discussions of the day.

These were: readiness for work; work-life balance; workplace culture; client interactions; career development; and return to work.

The day was opened by Lizzie Lockett, RCVS Chief Executive, who focused on the issues underpinning the workforce crisis:

• ‘Recruitment’; despite the number of vet schools and the annual number of veterinary graduates, there are still not enough vets and vet nurses to fill the demand for veterinary services.
• ‘Retention’; high numbers of vets and vet nurses are leaving the profession every year, with many citing unsociable working hours and stress, among other factors.
• ‘Return’; there are significant numbers of vets and vet nurses who had left the profession who could potentially return to it but maybe feel that the culture of the profession may prevent them from doing so.

Later in the day, delegates were divided into groups and asked to develop ideas and pitch a solution to a problem the sector is facing.

Some of the solutions that the professions might use to address the key workforce issues which came out of the pitches included:

• Rebrand the GP role (for both vets and vet nurses) to emphasise its benefits and rewards, which will encourage people to choose general practice as an active career choice that they wished to pursue long term.
• Develop ways for practices to prioritise workload and to ensure that people’s skills are maximised. This could include developing legislation that allows nurses to take on greater responsibility and developing efficiency models which focus on delegation and outsourcing rather than working longer hours.
• Introduce a compulsory curriculum for developing interpersonal, leadership and personal skills to be considered as important as mandatory CPD. This could be achieved through developing a workplace charter and identifying leaders with a passion for personal progression who could spearhead the initiative.
• Create a compulsory communications skills programme which would be introduced in a sustainable way.
• Introduce a professions-wide career framework to help everyone in the veterinary team achieve job satisfaction at the time they wanted it, at a salary that recognised their value and met their needs.
• Create a flexible back-to-work package of support to help them return to the veterinary professions after leaving the Register.

Kate Richards, RCVS President, said: “Although the issues affecting the UK veterinary sector aren’t new, they have been exacerbated over the past few years by factors outside of the sector’s control.

"We know that putting in place solutions to address and solve the issues that the veterinary sector is facing will take time.

"We want to reiterate that the Summit was the first, albeit an incredibly important, first step in co-creating innovative solutions to workforce shortages.

"I look forward to working collaboratively with our veterinary colleagues from across the professions to bring the workforce action plan to life and work on the solutions that come out of it.”

The RCVS says the next steps from the Summit are to consider the feasibility of the suggested solutions and integrate those that seem likely to deliver effective results into an action plan, alongside other activities that are already underway.

The College says it is open to hearing additional ideas for the professions and encourages anyone who has suggestions to get in touch with Sophie Rogers, ViVet Manager, on s.rogers@rcvs.org.uk

The full Workforce Summit report can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications

Elanco Animal Health has announced the launch of Kexxtone this month, a new treatment which it claims can reduce the incidence of ketosis in dairy cows by 74%* following a single treatment.¹

Kexxtone is a targeted solution for any dairy cow or heifer that is expected to develop ketosis around the period of calving. It is administered as a bolus,and provides coverage during the main risk period for the condition.

Ketosis often goes undetected because the signs are not immediately apparent. However, it is a common condition, affecting around 30% of cows² and has a negative impact upon cow health, fertility and milk production. Ketosis can result, on average, in milk losses of around 350-500 litres per cow⁴ per lactation. The cost of production losses and disease related consequential losses due to subclinical ketosis has been estimated at around 250-600 EUR per cow.⁵

Elanco says this new approach is likely to significantly expand the array of options open to vets actively involved in dairy herd health management. Kexxtone comes with the benefit of a zero day milk and meat withdrawal³ and the formulation is based on monensin - a molecule with a long history of beneficial use. 

According to the company, Kexxtone uses novel technology to allow a continuous and regular release of the active ingredient into the rumen which forms a gel when exposed to rumen fluid. This gel is progressively released into the rumen by a pressure sensitive spring in the Kexxtone device. The active ingredient shifts the microbial balance in the rumen to produce more of the glucose precursor propionic acid, therefore increasing glucose delivery and ultimately increasing the energy available to the cow. This improvement in energy utilisation buffers dairy cows against the tendency to drop into negative energy balance during the transition period around calving and early lactation - the major cause of ketosis.

Mike Steele, Technical Consultant at Elanco said: "Kexxtone offers an exciting opportunity in which everyone wins - vets who can offer positive interventions able to make a big impact on the bottom line, are going to be increasingly integral to their farm clients' herd health planning framework. It's no longer just about nutritional intervention and emergency salvage; it's about being able to proactively easily measure the true herd prevalence of ketosis and where appropriate, take preventative targeted action to really make a difference."

Kexxtone is available to order now from veterinary wholesalers - for further information contact the Elanco Territory Manager or call Elanco Animal Health on 01256 353131.

References

1. CVMP assessment report of an application for the granting of community marketing authorisation for Kexxtone (EMEA/V/C/002235)

• Elanco Farm Audit 2011, No. GN4FR110006.

• Kexxtone® Summary of Product Characteristics,

• Ospina 2010. Association between the proportion of sampled transition cows with increased nonesterified fatty acids and ß-hydroxybutyrate and disease incidence, pregnancy rate and milk production at the herd level. J. Dairy Sci. 93:3595-3601.

• Adapted from Esslemont 2012. The Cost of Ketosis in Dairy Cows, World Buiatrics Congress, Lisbon, Portugal