The Soil Association is calling on the Government to issue guidelines that will limit the veterinary use of the most modern penicillin-type antibiotics, to prevent the spread of a serious new superbug.

Recently released minutes of a Government committee reveal that Ministers have been briefed about the emergence on a British dairy farm of a mutant strain of antibiotic-resistant E. coli which causes life-threatening cases of food poisoning, including hemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic uraemic syndrome.

The bug, known as E. coli O26 is a vera-toxin producing E. coli (VTEC), similar to the infamous E. coli O157. According to the Soil Association, what makes the discovery of this variant so significant is that this is the first time in the UK, and only the third time in the world, that VTEC E. coli has been found with an enhanced type of antibiotic resistance known as extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), which makes it resistant to almost all antibiotics. ESBL resistance has previously been found on 57 UK farms, but until now only in strains of E. coli that cause urinary tract infections and blood poisoning.

Although antibiotics are not recommended for the treatment of VTEC E. coli, scientists warn that the emergence of resistance is undesirable because these resistant bacteria are encouraged every time certain antibiotics are used, resulting in increased spread and greater risk of contaminated food products.

On non-organic dairy farms, cows are routinely given antibiotics at the end of their lactation to prevent mastitis. In addition, milk from cows given antibiotics for treatment, or prevention, is often fed to calves when it contains residues and cannot be sold. However, because ESBL E. coliO26 is resistant to all the antibiotics used in ‘dry cow therapy' and many of those used for treatment, the high use of antibiotics on dairy farms will promote the rapid spread of these dangerous bacteria.

Soil Association Policy Adviser, Richard Young said: "This is one of the most worrying developments in the continuing rise of ESBL E. coli. Today is the first European Antibiotics Awareness Day, but there is a distinct lack of awareness that the continuing high use of antibiotics in farming is contributing to the increase in antibiotic-resistant infections in humans.

"The Government often calls on doctors to prescribe antibiotics less often. But similar advice needs to be given to veterinary surgeons and farmers. Half of all antibiotics are given to animals, and there is mounting evidence that antibiotic-resistant bacteria in farm animals pass to humans. If we want antibiotics to save lives in the future as they have done in the past then the Government must provide specific recommendations based on scientific advice, and vets need to pull together with doctors to limit the use of problematic drugs."

The BVA has announced the launch of a new Organisational Membership scheme, following the recent activation of its Affiliate and Associate membership categories which saw the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) and the Veterinary Practice Management Association (VPMA) welcomed as Affiliate members.  

BVA President Nicky Paull said: "The Organisational Membership scheme is a fantastic new initiative that allows an employee, through an employer, to make great savings on the annual BVA membership subscription fee when renewing or joining.

"Simply by registering your practice or organisation for the scheme, staff can benefit from an excellent deal on BVA membership, saving up to 60% off the normal subscription fee of £252 a year".

To qualify for the new membership scheme, all staff holding a veterinary medicine degree must become a BVA member.  The subscription is £1,000 for up to 10 members with increments of £500 for each additional five members.  Suitably qualified associate members (for example, veterinary nurses or veterinary practice managers) also have the option of being part of an employer's scheme membership.  

Nicky said: "Organisational Membership, along with the Affiliate and Associate membership categories, is a reflection of the BVA's awareness of the changes effecting the composition and structure of veterinary practice and the wider veterinary world and of our determination to adapt in order to be able to fully support and promote all members of the veterinary team."

The lower age limit for student veterinary nurses - previously set at 17 - has been removed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, in order to comply with age discrimination legislation.

The entry requirements remain unchanged: five GSCEs at grade C or higher, or five Scottish Standards at grades one to three (including English Language, Maths and a Science subject).

Candidates must also have a place with an RCVS-approved Training Practice or on a recognised veterinary nursing degree course.

Libby Earle, Head of Veterinary Nursing said: "We hope that the removal of this age barrier will be seen as a positive step that will serve to improve access to training. Practices remain free to recruit as they see fit to meet the particular demands of their business."

New veterinary nursing careers leaflets have been produced to reflect the change and are available from vetnursing@rcvs.org.uk / 020 7202 0711, or to download from RCVSonline: www.rcvs.org.uk/publications

VetSurgeon member Andrew Dobson of The Barn Equine and Large Animal Practice in Great Wakering, Essex has won the inaugural Petplan Equine Vet of the Year Award.

Owners and riders all over the UK were invited to send in nominations for this new people's award. A short list of three finalists was then drawn up and the winner selected by an independent panel consisting of Jo Whitaker, brand manager for Petplan Equine; Alison Bridge, editor-in-chief of Horse&Rider magazine; David Stickels, head of fundraising for the AHT, and David Dugdale, president of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA).

Andrew was nominated by a number of his grateful clients and their glowing testimonials impressed the judges enough to give him the edge over his closest rivals for the title.

"This award is intended to recognise the amazing hard work and commitment of people within the equine veterinary profession and those who provide outstanding service to horse owners," explained Jo Whitaker. "We received some very strong nominations and all three finalists are clearly exceptional vets. Andrew Dobson was nominated by a number of his clients and they all stressed his professionalism and devotion to the horses in his care and how he regularly goes beyond the call of duty in making sure that both horses and owners are given the very best treatment."

Suzy Dorey was among the clients to nominate Andrew: "When I came across Andy I realised that he was an old fashioned type of vet and had the time and patience to deal with the horses and just as importantly the clients. I cannot recommend Andy highly enough and would like to see him given recognition of some sort for being a dependable, down-to-earth vet."

Andrew said: "I am absolutely stunned. I'm so honoured and amazed to of received the Petplan Equine Vet of the Year award. I really enjoy what I do and would like thank all my clients, Petplan Equine, the Animal Health Trust and Horse&Rider for their support."

Petplan Equine, the equine insurance provider, has announced the three finalists for the inaugural Petplan Equine Vet of the Year Award. 

They are:

• Mark Lingard of Moy Farm Vet Centre, near Preston, Lancashire
• Andrew Dobson of The Barn Equine and Large Animal Vet Clinic in Essex
• Mark Murrell of Platt & Murrell also from Essex.

The winner of this new people's award will be announced at the glittering 20^th annual Animal Health Trust (AHT) Equestrian Awards ceremony to be held at London's Royal Lancaster Hotel on the evening of Thursday 6^th November 2008.

Owners and riders were asked nominate their local equine vet for the award if they felt that they were deserving of the recognition that this accolade would bring. A short list was drawn up from the nominations received and an independent panel has selected the finalists from whom the winner will be announced and receive his or her award at the AHT Equestrian Awards.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Animal Health Trust Equestrian Awards, which recognise the outstanding achievements made by horses, riders, owners and trainers throughout the equestrian world. This milestone coincides with Petplan Equine's 20^th anniversary and, since 1994 when the Petplan Equine Charitable Trust was founded, it has raised over £5 million, almost £500,000 of which has been donated to the AHT to fund research and development.

Jo Whittaker of Petplan Equine said: "It has been a privilege to be involved with the AHT Awards over the years. We are particularly excited to be able to recognise the amazing hard work and commitment of people within the equine veterinary profession and those who provide outstanding service to horse owners. We received some very strong nominations and selecting just three was not easy although, in the case of the finalists it was clear that each consistently went beyond the call of duty."

She added: "Horse welfare is paramount at Petplan Equine and the company is committed to promoting responsible horse ownership, through its charitable contributions, wide range of policies and publications such as the Horse Handbook. This award has been created to give the equine community the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the vet who has made the most outstanding contribution to the care of horses."

The winner will be posted on www.petplanequine.co.uk on Friday 7^th November

Equine charity The Horse Trust has reported an unprecendented number of enquiries from people wanting to rehome their horses and ponies. 

In the three weeks since the financial crisis resulted in repossessions, job losses and cash shortages, more than 500 people made inquiries about having their horses rescued or rehomed.

Susan Lewis, The Horse Trust's marketing manager said: "There is a new generation of horses which is being affected in this way. Animals which have been cherished for 20 years and are now approaching retirement age are becoming too expensive for owners to maintain at livery - especially as the winter season is approaching with its inherent requirements for additional feed, housing and veterinary care."

She added: "Most people are saying: 'Help, what can I do? I adore my horse which has lived with me since I was a tiny child - but now I can barely feed myself let alone my horse. He has always come first - but having lost my home and the field in which I keep him, I just don't know where to turn'.

"It isn't a new story - and we have for many years warned horse owners that they face the issues of cost, care and commitment well into the old age of a horse, which can be up to 30 years. Now, however, it seems that we are facing a more widespread crisis."

Like most other horse charities, the Trust's Home of Rest for horses is full to capacity.

"We simply can't take on any other animals," said Susan. "The charity pound is now stretched to breaking point as people's purses dry up - and with rising feed prices and veterinary charges, it now costs more than £17 a day to keep a horse here.

CEVA Animal Health and the University of Lincoln have presented three distance learning students on the university's pheromone therapy course with awards in recognition of their research into the benefits of pheromone therapy in combating behavioural problems in pets.

Veterinary nurse, Mandy Davis RVN, won first place and was presented with a cheque for £1,000 for her evaluation of the use of rabbit appeasing pheromones in a pet demonstrating fearful and aggressive behaviour towards its owner. 

Second place and a cheque for £500 went to pet behaviourist and VetSurgeon member, Dr Carri Westgarth BSc(Hons) PhD from the University of Liverpool, for her case which reported on  the use of D.A.P.^® and clomipromine in a separation-related problem in a dog.

Third place and a cheque for £250 was awarded to veterinary surgeon, Graeme Buchan BVMS MRCVS, from Blackness Veterinary Centre in Dundee for his study into the use of a D.A.P.^® Collar in the management of disruptive stress in the home.

"More and more pets are referred to animal behaviour experts each year and pheromone therapy is increasingly being used to help pets overcome behavioural issues such as aggression and separation anxiety," said Professor Daniel Mills, recognised specialist in veterinary behavioural medicine, at the University of Lincoln.  "The students' case histories demonstrated their understanding of the benefits of pheromone therapy and how products that mimic the effects of naturally occurring pheromones can improve both the health and welfare of stressed pets.  Many of the reports were of a very high standard, and showed a good understanding of the science behind the practice, which is so important for effective use."

The University of Lincoln launched the country's first accredited course in pheromone therapy in 2007 to help increase the veterinary profession's understanding of stress and its potential to trigger behavioural issues in pets. The distance learning course, which is supported by CEVA Animal Health, is aimed at veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and behaviourists and comprises 12 audio visual tutorials covering pheromone therapy and its applications in companion animals which can be undertaken at a pace to suit individual students.

Lucy Brett, product manager at CEVA Animal Health said: "The pheromone therapy course is a must for veterinary professionals wishing to learn more about behavioural problems in pets, including the stress triggers that can lead to disruptive and undesirable behaviour and the benefits of synthetic copies of natural pheromones in overcoming these issues."

The deadline for applications for the University of Lincoln's next Pheromone Therapy Course, which starts in February 2009, is 16 December 2008.  For further information, please contact the University of Lincoln on 01522 882000 or visit www.lincoln.ac.uk.

SPVS is leading a ground-breaking new project which aims to find out how veterinary surgeons are treating a range of clinical conditions.

Two hundred practitioners are being sought to provide details of how they address clinical conditions in three study areas: small animal, equine and farm animal, on a new website: www.howdoido.org. The findings, which will be made anonymous, will eventually form the basis of a clinical benchmarking process, which will tie in with the growing trend towards evidence-based medicine.

SPVS's objective is to understand and support how clinicians work in practice and approach particular clinical cases. The Society is working alongside Dr Mark Johnson who carried out the Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Equine Fatalities.

SPVS Junior Vice President Jacqui Molyneux said: "This is an exciting new study which will shed a lot of light on what we as clinicians are doing in practice with the eventual aim of developing a clinical benchmarking process.

"The project however will only be worthwhile if a significant number of practitioners take part, so we're encouraging vets to visit the website and find out more.  It will take no longer than ten minutes to fill in each clinical case."

The RCVS has announced that registrations for the new RCVS Register of Veterinary Practice Premises will be accepted from 1 November 2008, allowing all those who wish to supply medicines from veterinary practice premises from 1 April 2009 onwards a full five months to comply with the latest medicines legislation.

In order to fulfil its obligations under European law to maintain and improve traceability of, and accountability for, veterinary medicines, the UK Government decided that any veterinary surgeon may only supply veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) from premises registered with the Secretary of State, with effect from 1 April 2009.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is responsible for the inspection and registration of practices under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations. Steve Dean, VMD's Chief Executive, says the new veterinary practice premises register will complete the UK information base by bringing veterinary practices in line with other suppliers of veterinary medicines who already have to operate from registered premises.

The Register will enable the supply of veterinary medicines by veterinary surgeons, including controlled drugs, to be subjected to inspection and verification. As a result, DEFRA Ministers and the European Commission can be re-assured that veterinary medicines are being supplied in the UK in accordance with EC legislation.

In discussion with the VMD, it was agreed that the most appropriate body to maintain this register would be the RCVS, not least because the College already manages the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme and publishes the (voluntary) Directory of Veterinary Practices, so has the necessary systems already in place. The register will be published on RCVSonline and updated quarterly.

Whilst there will now be a statutory fee levied for each practice premises registered on the new Register, the College's existing database framework has kept this to a relatively low £40 compared to what other bodies might have had to charge after starting from scratch.

Practices could appear in the Directory for free because the cost of producing it was partially covered by subsequent data sales. However, the new Register will need to be self-funding, as the data it contains will be freely available online.

Not all practices will have to pay the statutory fee. RCVS President Jill Nute said: "For those practice premises already accredited under the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme (PSS), the fee will be taken from their existing PSS annual fee. 

"What's more, accredited practices will not face additional four-yearly inspections by VMD inspectors (unless there is an investigation for enforcement purposes) as their PSS inspections already ensure that they keep up to date with current medicines legislation."

Practice premises that have applied to join the Scheme, but have not yet been accredited, will not face additional VMD inspections either, but will still need to pay the statutory fee.

To help practices understand the new requirements and what they need to do before next April, the RCVS has produced a range of guidance, including a series of Frequently Asked Questions (www.rcvs.org.uk).

"In particular, we hope this guidance will help to explain which premises are likely to be considered ‘veterinary practice premises' and the difference between those premises and places where medicines might simply be stored or kept," said Mrs Nute.

"It is important to realise that there is a legal requirement to register veterinary practice premises for the supply of medicines, and a professional obligation, set out in the Guide to Professional Conduct, to keep a record of where all medicines are stored or kept. This record should avoid the need for additional registration of car boots, farms and homes."

Over the coming weeks, application forms will be posted to all practices currently listed in the Directory and accredited under the PSS, containing all the practice information currently held. These forms must be checked, signed and returned, even if no fee is due. Separate application forms will be available for any non-accredited practice premises not published in the Directory, and a letter will be sent to all RCVS members to ensure the whole profession is aware of the new requirements.

The RCVS has accredited four more universities to assess modules for its Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (CertAVP). This means that there are now 78 modules for candidates to choose from, with many modules available through more than one university, giving veterinary surgeons a real choice as to how they work towards postgraduate qualifications.

The RCVS CertAVP Subcommittee has approved applications from the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and the West of England (in partnership with Hartpury College). 

A very broad range of modules is now available, covering most species and many disciplines. They include some firsts for the CertAVP - equine modules will be available through both Edinburgh and Liverpool universities, and Edinburgh will also be assessing modules in equine dentistry, laboratory animal science and cattle and sheep medicine, amongst others.  Glasgow's range includes modules in veterinary public health, as well as emergency critical care, while the University of the West of England's offering includes the key skills modules, and ‘B' modules in small animal, equine and production animal practice.

These universities now join the Royal Veterinary College and the Universities of Cambridge and Middlesex in being accredited to assess modules. While all of the accredited universities provide courses to support candidates working towards modules, including distance-learning options and online support, they must also offer an assessment-only route for those who prefer self-study, or who want to attend courses elsewhere. 

The modular CertAVP was launched during 2007 and gives candidates the benefit of a mix and match style of learning. This aims to meet the needs of those who are committed to planned continuing professional development (CPD) but who need to balance this with busy practice life.

The new Certificate also better meets the needs of those whose practice interests change over the enrolment period, or who want to combine study across different species and disciplines to suit their practice caseload.  Previously there was little flexibility built into the examination system.

"We are delighted that the list of modules available has nearly tripled this month," says Freda Andrews, RCVS Head of Education. "Interest in the new certificate is growing, and there are already around 200 people enrolled with RCVS for various modules.  So it's great news that these universities are now backing the Certificate and enabling much greater choice for veterinary surgeons studying for the qualification."

Full details of the new modules are available on RCVSonline at www.rcvs.org.uk/modcerts

VetSurgeon.org member Sam Westhead, a vet from Farnborough, has secured sponsorship from Vets Now and Vet Times in his entry to the grueling Ironman 70.3 World Championship challenge in Clearwater in Florida this November

The two organisations will each sponsor Sam £250 for taking part in the challenge.

Sam, who works at Grazely Vets in Farnborough, qualified for the World Championship event earlier this year in the Singapore Ironman 70.3, coming first in the veterans group and a not too shabby 30^th overall!

Clearly not for the faint hearted, the Ironman 70.3 World Championship consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56-mile bike and a 13.1 mile run, adding up to 70.3 miles of total racing.

Speaking about his entry to the race, Sam commented; "The training is going well and I'm trying to focus on keeping up the momentum and enthusiasm for the race as the countdown is now on!  I'm obviously looking forward enormously to arriving in Florida in a few weeks time and competing in the event - it's a real achievement to have got to this stage.  I would like to say a big thank you to Vets Now and the Vet Times for their extremely kind donations which will go some way to covering the cost of my flights to and from the event."

Richard Dixon, Group Managing Director for Vets Now said; "Sam is an extremely dynamic individual who displays wonderful passion for both his career and in living life to the full.  I know he has trained hard to qualify for the event and to get to this stage and Vets Now is delighted to be backing Sam in this particularly grueling and ambitious challenge.  We wish him well in his final few weeks of training and of course in the event in November."

Some interesting statistics from insurers Petplan today. Turns out that almost a third of 3000 pet owners surveyed by the company admitted accidentally injuring their pet, resulting in an average vet bill of £170.

Nearly 6 out of 10 owners admitted stepping on their pet, while 21% confessed to dropping them. The next biggest threat posed to pets by their owners was accidental poisoning. 

The survey found that dogs are most likely to be stepped on, whilst guinea pigs are most likely to be dropped by their overly affectionate owners.

The survey also found that 1/3rd of pets hurt themselves jumping off furniture, and one in five have been injured running in front of a car.

More than a third of pets injure themselves eating something they shouldn't, including the dog that swallowed a pair of knickers, which ended up costing £1,200 to retrieve.