According to the company, Prinocate contains the same combination of Moxidectin and Imidacloprid as Advocate. In dogs it is licensed for the treatment and prevention of Angiostrongylus vasorum (lungworm); for the treatment and prevention of fleas and also for lice, mites, heartworm and roundworms. In cats, the licence covers fleas, mites, roundworm and heart worm.
Prinocate is offered in six presentations to suit all weight ranges and in packs of three pipettes, to suit most pet health plans. Each pipette is individually wrapped for ease of use and dispensing.
Krka’s National Veterinary Sales Manager Will Ridgway, said: "Prinocate offers practices and pet owners the reassurance of tried and trusted actives moxidectin and imidacloprid, the reliability of spot-on delivery and the affordability that Krka customers have come to expect.
"Its launch, hot on the heels of Selehold, and added to our wormers Milprazon and Anthelmin, means that Krka now offers an attractive, reliable and affordable parasite control range and, during its launch period, we are offering one free pack of Prinocate for every five purchased.”
He added: “As Angiostrongylus vasorum is one of the main parasites of concern in practice today, to mark the launch of Prinocate, we’re delighted to be offering a free webinar with Ian Wright during which he will explore how A.vasorum has managed to spread so successfully and the most effective preventative protocol to offer your clients.”
The webinar takes place on Tuesday, 2nd June 2020 at 8:00pm. To register, visit: https://tinyurl.com/avasorum
The hearing concerned an incident which took place at the VetsNow Huyton premises in Liverpool. There were two charges against Dr Rafiq. The first was that in December 2017, shortly after a litter of puppies was delivered by caesarean to a French Bulldog named Lila, she took one of the puppies away from the practice with the intention that it should not be returned to Lila’s owner and that, in doing so, she was dishonest, misleading and had not acted in the best interest of the puppy’s welfare.
Another puppy was taken away by an animal care assistant who was also working at Vets Now Huyton on the night in question.
The second charge against Dr Rafiq was that she had told her employer at VetsNow that the puppy she had taken from the practice had died in the car when she had been driving home when, in fact, the puppy was alive at that stage and, in telling her employer this, she had been dishonest and misleading.
There was one charge against Mr Perez: that he had made an entry in the clinical records for Lila that she had given birth to four live puppies when in fact she had six; that he had only discharged four of the six puppies to the owner; that he knew that his colleagues intended to remove or had removed the puppies; that he had failed to prevent the removal of the puppies and had failed to report to a colleague the removal of the puppies. The charge also stated that, in relation to the incident, Mr Perez had been dishonest, misleading, did not act in the best interests of the puppies’ welfare and failed to keep accurate clinical records.
At the outset of the hearing, Dr Rafiq admitted in full the charges against her and accepted that she had acted dishonestly. Mr Perez admitted some of the charges against him including that he had made the false clinical record, had discharged four rather than six puppies and had failed to keep accurate clinical records, however he denied any knowledge of the intention to remove puppies and denied that his conduct had been misleading or dishonest.
The Committee was not satisfied that Mr Perez knew at the time of surgery that his colleagues intended to remove the puppies and also considered there was insufficient evidence that he subsequently became aware of their removal.
As a result, the Committee found that he could not have prevented their removal or reported the matter to a colleague. However, the Committee did find that his actions were unintentionally misleading regarding the clinical records and the discharge of the incorrect number of puppies.
The Committee found all the charges against Dr Rafiq proven.
The Committee considered whether the admitted and/or proven charges against Dr Rafiq and Mr Perez amounted to serious professional misconduct.
In respect of Mr Perez, the Committee was critical of his failure to keep accurate clinical records and considered that it was his duty to know how many puppies were born and to record them accurately.
However, while the Committee concluded that Mr Perez’s conduct fell below the expected professional standards of a veterinary surgeon, it did not fall so short as to constitute serious professional misconduct. As a result, no further action was taken against Mr Perez.
In regard to Dr Rafiq, the Committee recognised her admission at the outset that her actions constituted serious professional misconduct and noted her expression of remorse.
The Committee did however have concerns regarding the evidence she gave as to her actions being motivated by animal welfare concerns. The Committee felt that such concerns should have been raised with colleagues and it found that Dr Rafiq had acted recklessly and had been dishonest both with the owner and with her colleagues.
The Committee therefore concluded that her conduct fell so far short of what would be expected of a veterinary surgeon that it constituted serious professional misconduct.
The Committee then considered the sanction against Dr Rafiq, taking into account aggravating and mitigating factors. The aggravating factors included a risk of injury to the puppies, an abuse of the client’s trust, sustained misconduct as the puppy was retained by Dr Rafiq from 2/3 December until its actual death on the night of 5 December, that the dishonesty was sustained until 7 December and that she had only demonstrated limited insight in respect of her wider professional responsibilities.
In mitigation, the Committee considered that her actions involved no financial gain, that it was a single and isolated incident, that she had no previous adverse findings, that she had demonstrated genuine remorse and that she had made admissions at an early stage.
Dr Rafiq, who was unrepresented during the hearing, also submitted evidence in mitigation including testimonials from colleagues and clients, her youth and inexperience at the time, and her remorse, among other things.
In deciding the sanction Ian Arundale, who chaired the Committee and spoke on its behalf, said: "The Committee concluded that Dr Rafiq was a competent veterinary surgeon who was very unlikely to pose a risk to animals in the future.
"However, it considered the reputation of the profession and the need to uphold standards was an important consideration that outweighed the hardship which would be suffered by Dr Rafiq by not being able to practise in her chosen profession. It considered that Dr Rafiq would be fit to return to the profession after a period of suspension.
"It therefore determined that, notwithstanding the nature and extent of the dishonesty in this case, a suspension order was a sufficiently severe sanction to maintain the reputation of the profession and to meet the wider public interest. It took into consideration the overall dishonesty, including that Dr Rafiq had been dishonest when first confronted about these matters, when deciding on the length of any suspension.
"The Committee considered the sanction of suspension was proportionate in the circumstances of this case where there was supporting evidence that Dr Rafiq was a competent and well-regarded veterinary surgeon. It considered the positive testimonial evidence given… and that she was held in high regard by her current employers who were aware of the admitted misconduct, were significant factors in deciding that a suspension order was the proportionate sanction."
The Committee determined that a six-month suspension order would be the most appropriate sanction under the circumstances and directed the Registrar to remove Dr Rafiq from the Register for this period of time.
Atilla was presented with the concerned owners of an eight year old Staffie at the end of August this year, having found blood in the dog’s urine. He said: "Fortunately the owners were extremely vigilant and noticed the blood. They phoned on a Sunday and arrived in the surgery as an emergency two hours later, bringing with them a urine sample. The urine was dark red and remained so when spun. I then carried out an in-house peripheral blood smear and found the Babesia piroplasms. Treatment started immediately with Imizol injections."
"Having just seen the dog two weeks later for its second injection, the lucky Staffie is thankfully doing very well. This dog was fortunate though as we were not seeing it regularly at the practice so it had not been receiving regular tick treatment. This meant it was exposed to the dangers of tick-borne diseases even though it hadn’t travelled outside the UK."
Hannah Newbury, Technical Manager at MSD Animal Health said: "This case is a reminder of the value of vets remaining vigilant to the possibility of Babesiosis being present in dogs that have not travelled outside the UK or had contact with dogs that have.
"It also highlights the need for vets to discuss parasite risk with owners to ensure that dogs are given regular tick-treatments throughout the year to reduce the risks to pets and owners.”
"As we learnt from the cases of canine Babesiosis in Essex last year, there are established populations of the tick Dermacentor reticulatus acting as vectors of the introduced pathogen Babesia which is a major concern for animal health. It also demonstrates the potential dangers from the inadvertent introduction of novel disease pathogens if vigilance and surveillance are not maintained."
Bravecto Plus contains fluralaner (280 mg/ml), an ectoparasiticide which provides systemic activity against ticks (lxodes ricinus) and fleas (Ctenocephalides felis), and moxidectin (14 mg/ml), an endoparasiticide which provides systemic activity against a range of internal worms, including heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis), intestinal roundworm and hookworm.
Bravecto Plus is applied topically using the "Twist'n'Use" pipette. Once applied, the product kills ticks and fleas for 12 weeks, while also treating intestinal roundworm and hookworm and preventing heartworm disease for eight weeks.
Bravecto Plus can also be used as part of a treatment strategy for flea allergy dermatitis.
Bravecto was first launched in 2014 as a chewable tablet for dogs. In 2016 Bravecto spot-on was launched as a topical solution for dogs and cats. More than 80 million doses of Bravecto have been sold in 72 countries since 2014.
Amanda Melvin, marketing manager, at MSD Animal Health, said: "We are pleased to introduce the latest innovation in feline parasite protection to the Bravecto family."
For more information, refer to the summary of product characteristics or contact your MSD account manager.
Two new campaigns which call on the veterinary profession to unite against the practice of homeopathy have been launched this week.
Both campaigns raise concerns about the ethics of veterinary surgeons using irrational, unscientific and ineffective remedies to treat ill animals or in place of conventional vaccinations.
The Campaign For Rational Veterinary Medicine presents the case against homeopathy on a new microsite, and asks the profession to unite around a call for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to issue a public position statement that homeopathy is ineffective in animals, bringing it into line with the NHS, the findings of the British government's own review of homeopathy, and the BVA.
The campaign also asks that veterinary surgeons who prescribe homeopathic remedies be required to get owners to sign a consent form, prepared by the College, giving the College’s views on the ineffectiveness of homeopathy.
Lastly, the campaign asks that promotion or advertising of homeopathy by veterinary surgeons should abide by Advertising Standards Authority regulations and carry a statement from the College.
The Campaign for Rational Veterinary Medicine has been set up by a group of practitioners including the BSAVA Past President, Mike Jessop, Alex Gough, Martin Whitehead, Niall Taylor, Phil Hyde, Martin Atkinson and Brennen McKenzie, supported by VetSurgeon.org Editor, Arlo Guthrie. It also has the support of the noted author, academic and erstwhile dog owner, Professor Edzard Ernst.
Arlo said: "This is not just about the ethics of prescribing or tolerating the practice of prescribing water to animals that are dependent on us. There are 13m pet owning households in the UK. As well as visiting the vet, they will all be patients at some stage in their lives. So what you and the College say about homeopathy in animals has the potential to affect the choices they make for themselves too. Think how much money and false hope you could save them, and the consequent benefit to human welfare."
By complete coincidence, another campaign against veterinary homeopathy was launched last week. This one, by Danny Chambers MRCVS goes further, calling for a complete ban on the prescription of homeopathic remedies by veterinary surgeons. The petition has already gathered over 750 supporters.
Arlo said: "I think it’s important to say that the two petitions are not mutually exclusive. If you think both represent acceptable solutions, then sign both!"
Visit the Campaign for Rational Veterinary Medicine here, and sign the petition here.
Sign Danny Chambers' petition on change.org here.
The association has released figures from its Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey in which 86% of 671 veterinary surgeons polled in May/June last year had treated conformation-related health problems in brachycephalic cats, such as Persians and Exotic Shorthairs.
The most common conformation-related treatments carried out by these vets were for:
Eye problems (69%)
Breathing/respiratory problems (60%)
Dental issues (45%) and
Skin problems (32%).
The survey also found that on average, 28% of the flat-faced cats vets see in their practices have had or would benefit from having treatment for conformation-related health or welfare problems.
Respondents also said that only a quarter of brachycephalic cat owners were already aware of the potential health issues and just one in twenty were aware of the additional costs associated with the breeds before choosing their pet.
BVA Senior Vice President Gudrun Ravetz said: "Everyone knows that the internet loves cat photos and videos. But as time passes we’ve noticed a growing appetite for novelty creeping in - with quirky and unusual cat breeds proving increasingly popular on social media.
"Currently the UK population of pure breed cats is very small as most cat owners opt for regular non-pedigree ‘moggies’. However, we are worried that the popularity on the internet of breeds with extreme conformation, such as the very flat-faced Persians and Exotic Shorthairs, or gene abnormalities such as cause the ears to bend forward in the Scottish Fold breed, may prompt increased demand among consumers who are unaware of the potential serious health and welfare issues associated with such breeding.
"These figures show that many, many owners are choosing pets without understanding either the possible welfare implications of their extreme features or the potential cost of treating them."
The BVA, which has been campaigning to curb the growing popularity of brachycephalic breeds of dog for some time, says it is keen to emphasise that health and welfare issues relating to extreme conformation are not limited to dogs or to brachycephaly. To that end, it will be launching a wider position statement on extreme conformation in animals later this summer.
For BVA #BreedtoBreathe campaign materials, including infographics and videos which draw attention to the serious health issues experienced by brachycephalic animals, visit: www.bva.co.uk/brachys.
Photo: Shutterstock/Piyato
The milk withdrawal has been reduced from 108 hours to 96 hours and the dose is now 15 mg/kg for three consecutive days.
Kath Aplin, veterinary adviser for Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, said: "The new dosage regimen gives clearer guidance to vets and their clients; a 660kg cow should receive 10g of penethamate hydriodide (one vial) daily for three days.
Mamyzin, a lecithin coated pro-drug of benzyl penicillin, is highly lipophilic and actively concentrates in the udder, where it is capable of entering epithelial cells to achieve intracellular bacterial kill1. It provides targeted, narrow spectrum treatment for gram positive mastitis in situations where injectable therapy for mastitis is required."
Reference
The BBC has broadcast an investigation in which the RSPCA is accused of various acts of inappropriate and uncharitable behaviour towards a veterinary surgeon, a barrister, an aged pet owner and the owners of an animal sanctuary.
The accusations were broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Face the Facts, and included:
Responding to the accusations, RSPCA's Chief Executive Gavin Grant sounded by turns arrogant and defiant, dismissing accusations of harassment of vets and barristers as 'a nonsense' and saying that the idea that the police/CPS should take over prosecutions (as happens in Scotland) is 'fanciful'. When the interviewer suggested that the charity was losing its reputation as a 'helpful' organisation and becoming known as 'heavy-handed', Mr Grant seemed unapologetic, deflecting the question by talking about the values of those that founded the charity.
Ophtocycline is licensed for the treatment of keratitis, conjunctivitis and blepharitis caused by Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Proteus spp., and/or Pseudomonas spp.
Dechra says chlortetracycline hydrochloride works against both aerobic and anaerobic Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.
The recommended dosage is four times a day for five days. The 10 mg/g ophthalmic ointment has a 14-day broached shelf life. There is a one-day withdrawal period for meat and offal.
Dechra Brand Manager Carol Morgan said: "Ophtocycline provides veterinary professionals with a targeted treatment to effectively tackle the growing and reproducing bacteria that causes these eye conditions.
"Chlortetracycline is a bacteriostatic antibiotic which interferes with bacterial protein synthesis in the rapidly growing and reproducing bacterial cell and has both time-dependent and concentration dependent effects.
"We are very pleased to be able to roll out this product to the UK market as part of our ophthalmic range alongside popular products such as Isathal."
For more information visit: www.dechra.co.uk
Boehringer Ingelheim has produced an calculator to help veterinary surgeons prescribe the most appropriate dose of Vetmedin for canine congestive heart failure patients.
The company says the calculator is particularly relevant because Vetmedin has a wide dose range of 0.2-0.6mg/kg/day, giving vets the opportunity to tailor and alter the prescribed dose according to clinical signs. Overall, the recommended dose is 0.5mg/kg/day. The daily dose of Vetmedin should be divided into two equal doses and given 12 hours apart, ideally one hour before food.
Boehringer's Vetmedin product manager, Jemima Scott said: "We hope that the calculator will help veterinary surgeons prescribe the most appropriate starting dose for Vetmedin, and provide guidelines on how to continue to tailor the dose as the condition progresses."
The dose dial will be mailed out to vets in October. Additional copies are available from the company directly on +44 (0) 1344 746959.
Rosemullion Veterinary Practice is a three-site small animal practice owned by CVS.
It has 100 members of staff and dispenses 3,584 medications in an average month.
According to an article in Companion Animal, medication errors account for 30% of all reported errors in veterinary practice1.
Errors can be prescribing errors - where the vet prescribes the incorrect medication or dosage, or dispensing errors where the incorrect medication, strength or volume is dispensed by the pharmacy team.
Some errors can ‘look or sound alike’ – where medications have similar names or packaging – making them easy to mix up.
Rosemullion conducted an initial clinical audit of entries on its VetSafe system between 1st March and 31st May 2023.
Analysis was conducted on the drugs involved, whether they were prescribing or dispensing errors or near misses, and looking for patterns of behaviour or the drugs involved.
During this time there were 29 (0.27%) near misses and 14 (0.13%) errors.
Prescribing near misses most often involved flea and worm products.
Here additional feedback from vets was that it was difficult to remember weight brackets for all products and when weight brackets were included in the drug description this made them easier to prescribe accurately.
As a consequence, the Rosemullion pharmacy team introduced the inclusion of weight brackets on all flea and worm products.
Dispensing errors and near misses were mostly related to ‘look or sound alike’, particularly in worming tablets, flea treatments and Rheumocam cat and dog.
To address this, the Rosemullion pharmacy team added extra labelling to dispensary draws and separated draws for flea and worm treatments into different weight brackets.
Rheumocam – with its similar packaging design and box sizes – was also split into separate cat and dog drawers, and drawers clearly labelled up with the version and volume to make dispensing clearer.
Feedback was also given to the drug manufacturer.
Rosemullion also held a CPD session to highlight the common errors that were occurring, to explain resulting process and systems improvements, and ask the team to take extra care with these dispensaries.
A new ‘handing out medication’ process was also created – involving checking the medication in the bag matched the on the screen notes, confirming it was for the correct animal and validating it was what the owner was expecting.
A subsequent audit was run from 1st October to 31st November 2023.
The results revealed there were no prescribing or dispensing errors (0%) and only 8 (0.13%) near misses during this time.
Alice Bell, Senior Vet and Quality Improvement Lead at Rosemullion Veterinary Practice, said: “We place patient safety at the forefront of all we do.
"We wanted to conduct this extensive audit to assess our prescribing and dispensing processes and systems.
“The methods we had in place made it easy to do the task correctly and the changes we have now put in place have made the process even safer for our clients.
"Our overall error and near miss is now at a really low number compared to our total number of medication dispenses.
“The teams have been very receptive to the improvements and the project has had a positive impact on various aspects of the practice, including on team wellbeing.”
Rosemullion Veterinary Practice’s initiative has recently been recognised with a RCVS Knowledge Highly Commended status at its 2024 awards.
Mrs Grecko faced two charges.
The first was that she got a nurse colleague to order griseofulvin, a prescription-only antifungal medication, knowing that it was for human use, rather than legitimate veterinary use.
It was also alleged that she then caused a student veterinary nurse to record the order in the name of another veterinary surgeon, who was not involved in the order or prescription of the medication, and falsely record that it was for Mrs Grecko’s dog.
The second charge was that she had acted dishonestly and misleadingly, as the medication was, in fact, intended for use by her husband.
At the outset of the hearing, Mrs Grecko admitted she had asked her RVN colleague to order the medication and for her SVN colleague to record that the medication was for her dog and that doing this was dishonest and misleading.
Mrs Grecko accepted that these admitted charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.
She denied asking an SVN to record it under the name of another veterinary surgeon.
However, the Committee heard from two eye-witnesses who testified consistently that Mrs Grecko had told her SVN colleague to record the medication under another vet's name, and from another witness who testified that Mrs Grecko had made a similar admission.
It therefore found it proven that she had asked her SVN colleague to make a false record, that it was dishonest and misleading, and that together, the charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.
Paul Morris, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf said: “The Committee considered that Mrs Grecko’s conduct had breached her obligations as a veterinary surgeon to respect the proper protections that were in place for the control of prescription-only medications.
"She had committed a serious abuse of her position in using the fact that she could obtain medications by virtue of her profession to circumvent the protections.
"She had been prepared to involve others in the course of the conduct.
"In addition, Mrs Grecko had been prepared to engage in an attempt to conceal her actions and falsify the clinical records in the process.
“Although it was acknowledged that Mrs Grecko may have been subject to some conflicting demands, being affected by her husband’s interests and may have felt a pressure to act, the Committee considered that she had completely failed to acknowledge and respect her overriding professional responsibilities.”
The Committee considered that the offence was a serious one, taking into account the abuse of position and pre-meditated and dishonest conduct.
The Committee also took into account previous adverse findings against Mrs Grecko from 2011, which involved misconduct of a very similar nature, which meant that they could not accept her argument that she had learnt her lesson, and also meant that, in the Committee’s judgement, she presented a significant risk of further repeated errors of judgement and dishonest conduct.
Mr Morris added: “Further, the Committee considered that members of the public would be very concerned to learn that, having once been reprimanded for her previous dishonest conduct, Mrs Grecko had repeated her behaviour.
“It [the Committee] concluded that this rendered Mrs Grecko’s disgraceful conduct in a professional respect incompatible with continued registration and no lesser sanction than removal from the Register would be sufficient to protect the wider public interest in maintaining public confidence in the profession and declaring and upholding proper professional standards.”
Mrs Grecko now has 28 days from being informed of her removal from the Register to lodge an appeal.
www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
Dechra says the combination of triamcinolone acetonide and salicylic acid works to provide effective symptomatic treatment, particularly for certain types of otitis externa that are not caused by a bacterial or yeast infection, such as flare ups caused by allergies.
Dechra Brand Manager Carol Morgan said: "Otitis externa is a condition that causes inflammation of the external ear canal and it can have a debilitating effect on cats and dogs.
"Recicort is a moderately potent steroid with an anti-inflammatory and vasoconstrictive action that works by suppressing the inflammatory response and the symptoms of various disorders often associated with itching. It doesn’t contain an antibiotic or antimycotic so it won’t contribute to antimicrobial resistance either.
"This prescription-only treatment is an important addition to our dermatology portfolio for veterinary professionals who are looking for a suite of highly effective and cost effective treatments."
Recicort is available in 20 ml bottles. For more information visit: www.dechra.co.uk
A German Shepherd bitch is making an impressive recovery from serious burns, after treatment with manuka honey impregnated dressings.
'Lady' sustained her injuries after being trapped in a blazing house in Cornwall, as reported by the BBC. She has since been under the care of Amanda Manley at the Cornwall Animal Hospital, who has been using Activon Tulle Manuka honey impregnated dressings to treat the wounds.
Amanda said: "I'd like to say it was all down to the manuka honey, although it's difficult to make a scientific judgement without a control in place. Nevertheless I am very impressed with the results and will definitely use honey again in a similar situation"
Rachel Fuller, Product Manager for Activon (medical grade manuka honey dressings) at Dechra Veterinary Products said: "In human medicine, manuka honey has become popular as a result of its antibacterial and healing properties. All honey has a degree of effectiveness, but the unique properties of manuka honey make it by far the most effective for use on wounds. It is now gaining recognition among veterinary professionals, which has led to the introduction of honey-based wound management systems for animal care".
According to Dechra, Manuka honey has been shown to be effective against over 70 strains of bacteria commonly found in wounds, including MRSA1. It also has an osmotic effect which draws fluid from a wound bed and helps to remove slough and debride necrotic tissue that can harbour bacteria and impede wound healing2. It protects the wound bed and provides a moist wound healing environment3 and the water soluble antioxidants provide favourable conditions that help to promote granulation and epithelialisation, thus faster healing. There is a rapid reduction in odour when honey is applied to a malodorous wound and it also acts as an anti-inflammatory, which therefore reduces pain.
The Cornwall Animal Hospital is a registered charity which exists to provide affordable pet care to those on a low income. It has provided all Lady's treatment at cost, including the Activon dressings, which have since been replaced by Dechra as a gesture of support.
Photographs of the case at initial examination, post debridement / pre-treatment and post treatment are in the galleries.
References
For the study the RVC used VetCompass, its pioneering technology which analyses the veterinary records of 10 million animals from 1,000 veterinary practices in the UK and is now the world’s largest research database of anonymised clinical records.
The college says this made the study the largest-ever conducted into osteoarthritis in dogs under veterinary care – covering 455,557 dogs.
The study found that:
Rottweilers are the breed most prone to osteoarthritis, with the Old English Sheepdog and Dogue de Bordeaux also being very prone to the condition.
The large population of Labrador Retrievers in the UK makes them the most commonly treated breed for osteoarthritis in the UK.
2.5% of dogs involved in the study had osteoarthritis (which would equate to a total of around 200,000 dogs in the UK).
Dogs that were above average weight for their breed were nearly 2.3 times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition.
Males dogs were 1.2 times more likely to have osteoarthritis than female dogs.
The RVC says that on average, dogs receive their first diagnosis by the age of 10.5 years. Of the dogs who are diagnosed with osteoarthritis, 75% of cases are recommended to remain on medication as a form of pain relief.
It is hoped that this research will improve diagnosis times, which will enable dogs suffering from osteoarthritis to be treated faster.
Dr Dan O’Neill, RVC Senior Lecturer and co-author said: "Breed predisposition to disease is now recognised as one of the biggest problems facing dogs. Studies of huge populations, such as this one, are giving us vital insights into breed-related health problems in dogs that would have been impossible before VetCompass. This study has enabled us to positively support changes in dog welfare."
Anderson KL, O'Neill DG, Brodbelt DC, Church DB, Meeson RL, Sargan D, et al.: Prevalence, duration and risk factors for appendicular osteoarthritis in a UK dog population under primary veterinary care. Scientific Reports 2018,8(1):5641.
Photo: Dog hip arthritis. Richard Meeson.
Vets4Pets has announced that it is piloting a 'revolutionary' new 24/7 service at its practices in Rayleigh in Essex, Rustington in Sussex and Bournemouth in Dorset.
The company says that clients of the new 24/7 clinics will be able to have their pets seen and treated at any time by the same team, with the same level of service and at the same price as daytime treatment.
Research carried out by Vets4Pets showed that pet owners struggle to fit visits into their busy working lives, so the 24 hour practices will offer consultations up to 10:00pm and allow clients to drop pets off early in the morning, before traditional practices open.
In addition, the 24/7 clinics will see emergency and routine cases around the clock at no extra cost and will provide care for pets that need to be hospitalised overnight. Vets4Pets says that the practices are equipped with in-house surgical facilities, lab, pharmacy, digital x-ray and ultrasound, and will have a veterinary surgeon and nurse on-site at all times, so its clients will get the highest standard of care.
Clients of other practices within the group will also be able to use these facilities if their own vet feels their pet would benefit from overnight care and is within driving distance of a 24/7 practice.
Kirsty Bridger MRCVS, Joint Venture Partner at Rayleigh Vets4Pets said: “We have been telling our clients about 24/7 for the last few weeks and we have only received positive responses. The perceived increase level of service has been so well received and customers are delighted that we will be offering out of hours services with no extra charge. This is about listening to what our clients need and providing them with more convenience and excellent service however and whenever we can.”
Sally Hopson, CEO of the Vet Group said: “All of us at Vets4Pets are focused on leading innovation in the veterinary sector, and as our clients live increasingly busy lives, these 24/7 pilot practices are our way of helping them manage their hectic schedules, while also ensuring that pets in need of urgent treatment can be seen at any time. We are very excited about the potential of our 24/7 practices and our ability to offer customers extended quality, service and convenience of veterinary care.”
VetSurgeon.org asked Vets4Pets some questions about the new 24/7 practices:
VetSurgeon: Is V4P going to offer an OOH referral service to other practices?V4P: As this is a pilot, initially Rayleigh will only be offering this service to other practices within the VetGroup. However, once we understand more about how the model works, we may open the service to other practices, particularly in areas where there are few or no other options for them to outsource OOH cover.
VetSurgeon: How is V4P able to offer OOH consultations at the same price as daytime consults?V4P: At Vets4Pets we care about offering our clients the best service we can. We believe that it's important that clients can access veterinary care at all times of the day or night without prohibitive surcharges. The 24/7 business model is built around this concept. This is clearly a significant change from the traditional way of thinking about out of hours care within the industry and we think clients and their pets will benefit.
VetSurgeon: How will it affect the quality of life of the vets & nurses working at the practices?V4P: We have thought carefully about the rotas that the vets and nurses will be working. We've looked at best practice within the veterinary industry and in other industries which work around the clock and we have developed guidelines based on these benchmarks which will then be flexed depending on the requirements of each individual team.
VetSurgeon: Does V4P think others will follow?V4P: We hope this is something that will expand across our own group once we've completed the initial pilot phase. We believe it's the right thing to do for our clients and for their pets. This is a new way of thinking about out of hours care and we're lucky to be able to work with forward thinking Joint Venture Partners who are putting their clients at the centre of their thinking. If others follow the model, that can only be a good thing for pet owners and for pets.
VetSurgeon: Does this threaten Vets Now?V4P: We work with Vets Now in many of our practices and we hope to continue to have a positive working relationship in the future. VetsNow have a different and well established business model. Our objective is simply to offer our clients and their pets the best levels of care that we can by being able to provide them with the same level of service at the same price at any time of day or night.
David Grant MRCVS, Director of the RSPCA's Harmsworth Animal Hospital and one of the stars of the BBC's hugely successful Animal Hospital series, is to retire this month.
To mark his outstanding service, David will be presented with the prestigious Queen Victoria Gold Medal - the Society's highest meritorious award for staff and volunteers - at the RSPCA Honours awards event on 8 September. It is reserved for the most exceptional servants to the RSPCA and its cause.
The popular figure, who began his veterinary career in the late sixties working in farm practice, has looked back on his time with the RSPCA as part of the charity's latest podcast.
David said: "25 years seems like 25 weeks. It is quite scary when you look at it that way. Joining the RSPCA was the best professional decision I ever personally made in my career. I look back and I don't regret one single day."
David recounts many of the stories from his career in the podcast, such as the time he came face to face with one of the world's most venomous snakes, which was found in a box on Regent's Canal. He also looks back on the unexpected fame that followed his starring role on Animal Hospital.
He said: "It has just been tremendous fun. It hasn't felt like work.
"It has worked out that in the last 25 years I haven't had a single boring day. I've had some really exciting days. I've had the most amazing things happen, such as Animal Hospital. The only bad thing about the past 25 years is that they have gone in a flash."
The podcast is available to listen to at www.rspca.org.uk/podcast. It is also available to download from iTunes.
Photo courtesy RSPCA
Pfizer Animal Health has announced that its Dental Leadership programme is now available on-line at www.dental-leadership.co.uk.
The course is offered under the 'Pfizer Academy' umbrella and has previously been available in hard copy for over five years. Almost 1000 vets and nurses have tackled the course since inception and it is anticipated that the on-line version will prove to be equally successful.
Annelies Hall is the AntirobeTM Product Manager at Pfizer Animal Health. She said: "High quality CPD can sometimes be difficult to fit into a busy schedule. We recognised that the open learning format was attractive to vets and nurses because it was flexible and could be fitted around a demanding job. The teaching of dentistry to students has become much higher profile lately but many older graduates feel it is an area where they can learn more, and due to the prevalence of dental disease, can immediately put their learning into action."
A separate course is available for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses and the course contributes 10 hours of CPD time. Learning is assessed through an on-line multiple choice examination and a certificate can be printed off when the pass mark is achieved. The course was developed by Pfizer Animal Health in association with Norman Johnston BVM&S, Dipl.AVDC, Dipl.EVDC, MRCVS, American & European Specialist in Veterinary Dentistry and covers topics such as anatomy, preventative treatment, periodontal disease, the dental workplace, equipment, radiography, economics and marketing veterinary dentistry.
Lisa Milella, President of the British Veterinary Dental Association said: "Dentistry is one of the most important aspects of veterinary healthcare alongside vaccination and medical care. Dental procedures should contribute 25% of the daily operating list in every small animal practice but unfortunately less than 5% of clients realise that their pet has a problem, leaving the onus on their veterinary practice to pro-actively identify dental disease."
The course is free of charge and those wishing to enrol are asked to visit www.dental-leadership.co.uk. For any further enquiries call 0870 0056554. The dental leadership website also contains details of the 2009 Pfizer Dental Bursary for veterinary nurses wishing to study for the BVNA Certificate in Dentistry.
In the trial, published in the Equine Veterinary Journal, synovitis was induced in the right intercarpal joint of 24 horses by intra‐articular injection of 0.5 ng lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli. After intra‐articular challenge, the nutraceuticals resulted in significantly lower synovial fluid TP, TNCC and PGE 2 compared with placebo, leading the authors to conclude that: "The preventive administration of these nutraceuticals showed anti‐inflammatory effects in this validated synovitis model."
Dr Maarten Oosterlinck DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECVS, one of the authors of the study, said: "Nutraceuticals are often used in the management of osteoarthritis, which is a common cause of chronic lameness in horses but their 'curative' efficacy remains controversial and the quality of the relevant studies is generally low. We set out to evaluate ArtiTec in a well-designed and controlled study. Our research shows that ArtiTec significantly decreased joint inflammation and could be useful in preventing the onset of arthritis."
Cavalor also points to a further field trial of the product by vets in Belgium which showed that it improved lameness in 74% of cases.²
ArtiTec contains glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, blackcurrant extract, feverfew and pineapple, turmeric root and Boswellia Serrata.
Lieselot Hamerlinck, managing partner at Cavalor said: "Joint supplements account for 34% of the equine supplement market so we know how important these products are to horse owners. Cavalor ArtiTec is the result of an extensive research and development programme and its anti-inflammatory effect has been documented in both scientific studies and a field trial. It can also be used in combination with our other joint supplements, Arti Matrix and Arti Base."
For more information, contact Zebra Products on 01352 763350.
The study, Understanding How Dogs Age: Longitudinal Analysis of Markers of Inflammation, Immune Function, and Oxidative Stress, was published this week in the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences1. It followed 80 dogs for over 10 years, from adulthood till end of life, measuring a number of parameters to track their aging process.
Findings included:
Mars says it is the largest prospective study to investigate aging in dogs and offers new insight into the ways in which we may be able to support dogs in their old age.
Janet Alexander, Senior Research Scientist at the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition and lead author of the study said: "We now know that dogs suffer from low level inflammation and cellular damage as they get older, similar to humans. The study identified multiple targets for potential therapeutic intervention to defend against or delay the impact of aging and the new insights can help us to provide more effective life stage support."
Mars has also released the results of its Aging Pets Ownership Survey2, conducted last month, which found that:
VetSurgeon.org visited a random selection of stands in the commercial exhibition at BSAVA Congress, and asked: "What's new and exciting?"
Here's what they said:
Filavac is licensed for use in rabbits within the UK and provides 12 month's duration of immunity, allowing it to fit into annual vaccination and healthcare plans.
Filavac can be administered from 10 weeks of age with a seven-day onset of immunity. It is presented in 5 x 0.5ml single dose packs.
Nicki Glen, marketing project manager for Filavac at Ceva Animal Health said: "Rabbits are increasingly popular as household pets and should therefore become an important focus for veterinary practices.
"We are delighted to have taken on the exclusive distribution of Filavac to provide veterinary practices with a competitively-priced and convenient vaccination for both RHDV 1 and 2."
For further information, contact your local Ceva Animal Health territory.
Virtual Recall's products include vaccination, neutering, appointment and healthcheck reminders, customer feedback, telemedicine and post operation surveys, and healthcare advice communications.
Jamie Brannan, Senior Vice President UK, Ireland and Nordics said: "This is an exciting opportunity for Zoetis to add a new solution for veterinarians with an innovative service that will support clinics in increasing their level of compliance, education and engagement at the pet owner level.
"As we expand our comprehensive offering across the continuum of care for veterinary clinics, Virtual Recall will enhance the level of pet owner services that can be offered to their pet owner customers in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
“Our studies have shown that veterinary customers are keen to reduce administrative workload and find new ways to engage with pet owners. We believe that Virtual Recall will achieve that, helping to educate and improve pet owner compliance and adding financial benefits to the veterinary practice.”
Jamie Crittall, Co-founder, Virtual Recall said: “As a company we’ve always been restless – constantly looking at new ways and developing new technologies in which we can drive animal healthcare compliance. Zoetis’ thoroughly well-earned reputation for always putting their customers first – wanting them to thrive and be successful – combined with a commitment to enhance the lives of people and animals, is infectious. It is a very exciting new chapter for Virtual Recall and fellow co-founder Charlie Barton and I are thrilled to continue at the helm."
The Disciplinary Committee heard that in 2018, when Dr Dyson was employed as Head of Clinical Orthopaedics at the Animal Health Trust (AHT), she completed a research project: ‘Influence of rider: horse body weight ratios on equine welfare and performance – a pilot study’, for which she had previously been given the go-ahead by the AHT’s Clinical Research Ethics Committee. The results of the study were then submitted to the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour: Clinical Applications and Research for publication.
After peer-reviewing the project paper at the request of Journal Editor Karen Overall, Dr Matthew Parker, a Senior Lecturer in Behavioural Pharmacology at the University of Portsmouth, was concerned by the lack of a Home Office licence and asked for details of the licence or an explanation of why the project didn’t need one, and for the paper to be re-submitted.
In reply, Dr Dyson then emailed Ms Overall saying: “We have a former Home Office Inspector on our AHT Ethical Committee and two current licence holders (Named Veterinary Surgeons) who are fully conversant with the current legislation ... I also sought informal advice from a current Inspector. All were fully aware of the protocols to be employed and gave me assurance that in their opinion Home Office approval would not be required”.
Ms Overall then asked Dr Dyson to obtain a letter from the Home Office to support this position.
On 24 December 2018, Dr Dyson sent Ms Overall a letter purportedly from a Home Office Inspector called Dr Butler who, she explained, had advised her during the planning phase of the project. In the letter, the fictitious Dr Butler confirmed that their advice was sought for the project and that in their opinion, a Home Office Licence was not required.
Ms Overall then sent the letter to Dr Parker for further review, who decided to contact Dr Martin Whiting, Head of Operations at the Home Office Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) to ask if he knew of Dr Butler.
Dr Whiting confirmed that the Home Office had no record of employing a Dr Butler as an Inspector and that they were in the process of making further inquiries into the matter.
After Dr Whiting’s reply was forwarded to Dr Dyson, she replied to him saying that she thought the studies’ procedures did not meet the criteria for the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), but that this was questioned by peer reviewers.
She said that her decision to send Dr Butler’s letter was one that she would ‘eternally regret’ and that she was ‘an inherently honest person’.
She explained that she was under a huge amount of pressure in her personal and professional life and that she was ‘fully aware that [she] acted completely inappropriately and she requested the incident be overlooked’.
In March 2019, Dr Dyson sent a letter to William Reynolds, Head of the Home Office ASRU, in which she expressed remorse for writing the letter. Mr Reynolds subsequently raised a concern with the RCVS about Dr Dyson’s alleged behaviour.
Dr Jane Downes, who chaired the Disciplinary Committee, and spoke on its behalf, said: “The Committee heard from Dr Dyson that she had no recollection of several events detailed in the charge, including writing the letter from Dr Butler and sending the email to Ms Overall which contained Dr Butler’s letter. She accepted that the letter was dishonest and that it should not have been sent. However, she also claimed that, as she could not remember writing the letter, she did not act dishonestly.
The Committee heard testimonials from several witnesses who held Dr Dyson in high regard, including colleagues from the AHT, who attested to her integrity.
However, there were many dubious claims made by Dr Dyson throughout the hearing, including that the Home Office Inspector that she referenced as ‘my friendly inspector’ was someone who could have given informed consent to a project as Dr Dyson confirmed that she had met the individual briefly, around two and a half years ago at a drinks reception.
In reaching its decisions, the Committee considered Dr Dyson’s previously impeccable character, the written and verbal testimonies from witnesses. They also considered that during the hearing, Dr Dyson explained that at the time she fabricated the letter, she was under a lot of work and personal pressures, including managing a workload amidst colleagues’ resigning or going on maternity leave and it being the anniversary of her dog having to be humanely destroyed.
However, it did not accept Dr Dyson’s claims that she had amnesia at this time, and considered that she had not owned up to her wrongdoing until it was discovered. Although Dr Dyson maintained her actions were not pre-meditated, the Committee considered that, in the case of the forged letter, a certain amount of planning and careful thought was involved. The Committee believed that Dr Dyson knew what she was doing at the time, but acknowledged she may subsequently have blanked out what she did.
The Committee found all but one of the allegations proved and confirmed that it “was satisfied that the writing and sending of that letter was the culmination of a course of dishonest conduct.”
Committee Chair Dr Downes said: “In assessing [the evidence of] Dr Dyson the Committee took into account the difficulty faced by any Respondent appearing before their Regulator and also the various interruptions occasioned by issues which had to be dealt with during her evidence. Whilst [Dr Dyson is] undoubtedly highly qualified and highly respected, the Committee nevertheless considered her evidence lacked credibility and was not reliable.”
The Committee found that Dr Dyson’s conduct had breached parts of the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons and amounted to serious professional misconduct.
Dr Downes continued: “The Committee determined that it was important that a clear message be sent that this sort of behaviour is wholly inappropriate and [was] not to be tolerated. It brings discredit upon Dr Dyson and discredit upon the profession.
"For whatever reason, Dr Dyson chose not to respond to Ms Overall’s email on 30th November 2018 in an honest and straightforward way. Instead, she lied about the makeup of the AHT Ethical Committee in order to cloak her response with authority.
"She also lied about having received advice from a current Inspector for the same reason. In the Committee’s view, she made a conscious decision to provide a dishonest response. She no doubt believed that would be the end of the matter.
"When that did not work, she lied further in the email to her co-author, Andrew Hemmings, claiming to have a letter from her friendly Inspector. When that too did not work, she impersonated a Home Office Inspector in creating the ‘Dr Butler letter’.
"She then added a false declaration to the manuscript, which she subsequently submitted to the Journal along with an email containing yet further lies. That was all done in a blatant and wilful attempt to deceive Ms Overall ... into believing the contents of the correspondence to be true, that confirmation a Home Office Licence was not required had been obtained and all was therefore well with the submitted manuscript.
"There was no rush, or urgency to have the paper published and the actions were not done in a moment of panic. No doubt she had not planned the entire course of events in advance, but instead reacted to each new obstacle that came her way, but her overall course of dishonest conduct spanned over three weeks.
“The Committee was well aware of the impact and ramifications for Dr Dyson of any decision to remove her from the Register but had to weigh her interests with those of the public.
"In doing so it took account of the context and circumstances of the case, all matters of personal mitigation, as detailed above, Dr Dyson’s undoubted distinguished international career and reputation and the need to act proportionally.
"However, for all the reasons given above, the Committee was of the view that the need to uphold proper standards of conduct within the veterinary profession, together with the public interest in maintaining confidence in the profession of veterinary surgeons, meant that a period of suspension would not be sufficient and that the only appropriate and proportionate sanction in all the circumstances of this case was that of removal from the Register."
Broadline was a fipronil-based parasiticide which also contained (S)-methoprene, eprinomectin and praziquantel.
NexGard Combo, on the other hand, contains esafoxolaner together with eprinomectin and praziquantel for worming.
Both products are licensed for use in cats with or at risk from mixed infestations by fleas, ticks, mites cestodes, nematodes.
There's an explainer video about NexGard Combo on the Boehringer Academy website: https://www.boehringer-academy.co.uk/