EUROPEAN legislation is not top of many people's preferred reading lists, and the text can be somewhat daunting, which could be one of the reasons why UK politicians seem to be happier arguing about whether or not to commit to a future referendum on EU membership than focusing on matters at hand. Nevertheless, a package of proposed measures adopted by the European Commission last week is important and should not be ignored. The measures are intended to modernise, simplify and strengthen enforcement of health and safety standards throughout the food chain and, as such, will have a significant impact on animal health and food safety activity for years to come. Once adopted, they will affect what happens in the UK irrespective of the outcome of all the political wrangling currently going on in Westminster, so MPs and others with an interest in this area might usefully devote...]]>
THE European Commission (EC) has put forward its proposal for a new European Animal Health Law, which, it intends, will eventually regulate animal health throughout the European Union.
The proposal was published on May 6 as part of a package of measures ‘to modernise, simplify and strengthen the agri-food chain in Europe’. In a press release, the EC explained that, currently, almost 70 pieces of EU legislation cover the food chain. Under its proposed package of measures, which currently cover official controls, animal health, plant health and plant reproductive material, this will be reduced to five (a fifth proposal dealing with EU expenditure on feed and food for 2014 to 2020 will be put forward later). It said that bureaucracy surrounding processes and procedures for farmers, breeders and food business operators would also be reduced, to make it easier for them to carry out their work.
‘Businesses...]]>
THE Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is asking vets to complete an online survey about their prescribing practices under the ‘cascade’. It explains that the European Commission is considering amending legal provisions relating to the cascade as part of its current review of the Veterinary Medicinal Products (VMP) Directive (Directive 2001/82/EC), and that, with more information about how the cascade is used on a daily basis by vets, the VMD will be better placed to represent the UK's interests and influence the Commission's review.
The questionnaire, which will be available until July 12, can be found under the ‘What's New’ section of the VMD's website, www.vmd.defra.gov.uk. The VMD says that it should take 15 to 20 minutes to complete. The questions relate to vets' prescribing practices and general knowledge of the cascade, and all responses will be anonymous. The VMD hopes that the information obtained will...]]>
THE RCVS has described its first webinar-based ‘question time’ as a success. It says that approximately 80 veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and practice managers – nearly twice the number usually seen at its regional question time meetings – logged on for the event, which was hosted by the Webinar Vet on April 24.
All the delegates found the event useful, the College reports, with feedback after the event including comments such as ‘Definitely worthwhile and more attendees than if 100 miles away’ and ‘Thank you very much for this opportunity to communicate, more please!’.
Questions discussed by the RCVS panel, which comprised its officer team plus the vice-chairman of the Veterinary Nurses Council, included veterinary nurse training, the supply of veterinary students, prescribing under the cascade, dangerous dogs, what constitutes continuing professional development and transparency from the College.
‘Not only was this a cost-effective way of reaching...]]>
THE Government introduced its Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill in the House of Commons on May 9. The Bill includes provisions that will amend the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, extending the offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control to cover private property as well as public spaces.
According to the Government, the Bill, which had been outlined in the Queen's Speech to Parliament the day before, aims to condense 19 existing measures on antisocial behaviour into six ‘more effective ‘powers. The provisions in the Bill will, in most part, cover England and Wales only, although a number will cover Great Britain and some will extend to the whole of the United Kingdom.
The Bill is in 13 parts, with provisions in part 7 covering amendments to the Dangerous Dogs Act. In addition to the provisions extending the Act to private property, other...]]>
A PILOT project run by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) has been short-listed for the annual Charity Awards, the results of which will be announced in June.
The project, on the island of Bohol in the Philippines, was launched in 2007, and aimed to eliminate rabies from the island within four years. It sought to empower and educate the community, focusing on children under the age of 15 (the group at highest risk of dying from rabies), to give them the skills they needed to manage the risk of rabies themselves. It also aimed to improve diagnosis of the disease and the availability of vaccines. A further aim was to create a model that could also be used elsewhere.
The GARC reports that, by 2009, the number of canine and human deaths from rabies had been reduced to zero. It is providing continuing education for...]]>
A STUDY to assess the prevalence of gastric ulcers in British sport horses was launched on May 9 at Maizey Manor Farm in Wiltshire, the yard of event rider, Catherine Burrell. Speaking at the launch, equine practitioner Richard Hepburn, who is heading the ‘InnerVision’ study, said: ‘Gastric ulceration in sports horses is poorly understood, especially compared with racehorses. But what we do know is that it's a very important factor in the performance and wellbeing of many horses in training and competition.’
To help gather data, he has enlisted the help of 21 equine practitioners nationally who will all use the same protocols when carrying out endoscopic examinations of sport horses, so that every examination is conducted in the same way. Over the coming month, participating practitioners will examine between 10 and 20 horses. They will examine all areas of the stomach, pylorus and duodenum of the...]]>
ALMOST 800 horse owners completed a survey commissioned by the National Fallen Stock Company (NFSCo) asking about their plans for dealing with the death or euthanasia of their horse and for disposing of its body.
The survey, which ran throughout February and March, also included questions to assess whether owners understood their legal obligations regarding their horses, the food chain and passports. It was split into two parts – the first part was answered by owners who had had previous experience of the death or euthanasia of a horse; the second part was answered by all owners regardless of their experiences.
The NFSCo reports that, overall, 73 per cent of those responding to the survey had previously had to dispose of a horse that had died or been euthanased. Of these, 64 per cent had opted for their animal to be euthanased by injection administered by a...]]>
Applications are being invited for the 2013/14 Moredun Foundation Scholarship. The scheme offers individuals the chance to pursue a short-term project to broaden their education and experience in areas relating to livestock health and welfare and the agricultural industry. Up to three scholarships of £1000 each will be made in 2013/14. Full details and application forms are available from www.moredun.org.uk/scholarship. The closing date for applications is July 31, 2013.
A free half-day seminar considering the Government's latest proposals for changing the law governing dogs is being offered by Trevor Cooper, a solicitor specialising in the law on dogs. The seminars will take place on June 17 and 24 in London, June 18 in Bristol, June 19 in Manchester, June 26 in Harrogate and June 27 in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. They are...]]>
In the story ‘Bigger than ever’ (VR, April 27, 2013, vol 172, p 441; doi: 10.1136/vr.f2616) it was incorrectly stated that Gethyn Roberts, who received a BSAVA ‘Recognition of service award, was a key account manager with Elanco. In fact, Mr Roberts works for Virbac. The error is regretted.
]]>THE RCVS Disciplinary Committee has directed that the name of a veterinary surgeon who it found guilty of 32 charges relating to TB testing and certification should be removed from the RCVS Register.
At the end of a 10-day disciplinary hearing on May 3, the committee found that Sorin Dinu Chelemen had not properly followed the standard operating procedures (SOPs) relating to TB testing, that he had been dishonest in certifying the tests and that he had breached his duties as an Official Veterinarian (OV).
The RCVS reports that Mr Chelemen disputed all the charges he faced, which related to his work as an OV on four farms while he had been employed as a locum at the Endell Veterinary Group in Salisbury. Mr Chelemen, who represented himself at the disciplinary hearing, gave the Disciplinary Committee detailed accounts of what he said had happened during the TB...]]>
THE Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has announced a new collaboration with Buckingham Equine Vets (BEV) to allow veterinary students, veterinary nurses and qualified vets to develop their clinical skills at a modern equine practice.
The announcement, on May 9, coincided with the opening of a new purpose-built equine clinic on BEV's site at Wicken near Milton Keynes. The equine-only practice serves clients across Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. It says its clients will benefit from the collaboration with the RVC through access to diagnostic and treatment services and support from the college's equine staff.
Stuart Reid, the RVC principal, commented: ‘The combined experience and expertise of the RVC and BEV will undoubtedly result in better learning opportunities for our students and an even higher quality of care for patients.’
Josh Slater, head of the equine medicine and surgery group at the RVC, added: ‘We are proud...]]>
THE impact of changing diets and the addition of novel feed additives on greenhouse gas emissions by beef cattle is under investigation in a new research project being conducted by EBLEX and Scotland's Rural College.
During the three-year study, animals will be finished on either concentrate-based or forage-based diets, each with two different feed additives, such as vegetable oils. The role of the microbial population in the rumen will be studied to examine how rumen function changes according to diet, additive and breed. The results will be related to greenhouse gas emissions and feed efficiency, as well as the long-term effects of feed additives.
Mary Vickers, senior livestock scientist with EBLEX, explained how the emissions would be measured: ‘The animals will be moved into specialist chambers for short periods of time where their emissions can be captured. In addition, when they are accessing rations from group pens,...]]>
Scanning animals for microchips
Compulsory microchipping of dogs
Communicating BVA's policy on bovine TB
Lay TB testing
Pros and cons of corporate practice
A RESULT of the increasing significance and improvement of veterinary care for reptiles, kept both by professional zoological gardens and private breeders, is that veterinary surgeons who specialise in reptile reproduction have to meet more and more demanding requirements. These are comparable with the demands placed on human physicians or veterinarians caring for dogs and cats. This is illustrated by the development of diagnostic techniques that use various modifications of classical rigid endoscopic methods. These methods have made it possible for veterinarians to develop reliable and safe techniques of biopsy of organs such as the liver and kidneys (Hernandez-Divers and others 2005). The samples taken in this way and processed by histological techniques can be used to assess the extent and form of damage of vital organs and make a correct diagnosis and objective prognosis.
To be most useful, clinical diagnostics must be reliable and fast. At...]]>
A 2 per cent bodyweight acute soybean meal (SBM) intoxication was recently described in steers (Raboisson and others 2012). It induced a decrease in ruminal pH followed by an increase in ruminal ammonia, and blood metabolic alkalosis with hyperuraemia, severe hyperammonaemia and hyperglycaemia. This report describes the epidemiology, clinical signs (CS) and biochemical modifications observed during accidental SBM intoxication.
Thirty-nine Holstein cows were housed in loose yarding with a straw lying area. Mean annual and daily production was around 7000 and 25 litres of milk per cow, respectively. The diet consisted of corn silage, SBM and commercial concentrates. One tonne of SBM was accidently poured on the straw area (25 kg per cow on average) between 14:00 and 18:00 on day 0 (D0). During the evening, the farmer administered 300–400 g of NaHCO3 powder orally, once, to cows 1–5.
Cows 1–3 died during the night D0–D1 (
R. J. Mellanby, R. Odgen, D. N. Clements, A. T. French, A. G. Gow, R. Powell and others
THERE is an increasing concern that reproductive isolation related to breed specifications in dogs, while maintaining genetic differences among breeds, is likely to result in genetic disease characteristics of specific breeds. This study examined the genetic diversity among popular dog breed groups in the UK.
DNA samples were extracted from samples taken from 13 different dog breed groups, with at least 15 animals in each group, and analysed. The owner and/or vet assigned the breed type for 12 groups, while the final group, Cavalier King Charles spaniels, were pedigree animals at a dog show.
The study found that several breeds maintained a high degree of genetic diversity; the Jack Russell terrier group, which is not a Kennel Club-registered breed...]]>
RATHER unbelievably, it has been over 10 years since the first edition of this extremely popular ‘one-stop shop’ textbook on surgery and medicine in the horse was first published. This new edition, as well as incorporating an extensive revision of the original text, incorporates new chapters on wound management, critical care, anaesthesia and diagnostic imaging. Rather poignantly, the book includes what will be the final contributions of some sorely missed clinicians, including Barry Edwards, Martin Weaver and Grant Frazer, who all died subsequent to submitting their final texts. Their contributions to the book are a fitting tribute to their outstanding contributions to equine veterinary medicine and surgery in general.
The editorial team comprises five well-respected clinicians drawn from both practice and academia, but there are 35 individual contributors to the book, all internationally renowned experts in their field. The book is well illustrated throughout...]]>
IF you like lists and lots of them, you will find this new edition of the ‘Handbook of Veterinary Anaesthesia’ a useful text. It is a comprehensive reference guide to virtually everything ‘anaesthesia’, with short chapters that allow the reader to locate the required information. The authors have covered a large amount of the peri-operative period in the handbook's 30 chapters, providing an overview of all aspects of anaesthesia and analgesia of many species.
In parts, the list-styled layout proves hard to follow and makes extracting information problematic. In the introduction there is a plethora of definitions, some of which may be considered unnecessary, despite being more than comprehensive.
Throughout all of the chapters, useful facts and ‘cautions’ boxes are highlighted to allow the reader to digest important information more readily. These are an excellent way of scanning through the text and provide an...]]>
THE understanding of the working and functioning of the cells, organs and systems of the body and their interacting activity is the fundamental basis for the understanding of any biological process. The fifth edition of ‘Cunningham's Textbook of Veterinary Physiology’ sets out to formulate information to aid this understanding, specifically with students of veterinary science in mind.
Building on previous versions, the new edition of this book proposes to be an accompaniment to first-year students of veterinary-related subjects, but will also prove to be a useful aid to students of other, related, scientific disciplines where an overview or aspects of veterinary physiology is required.
The textbook is organised into distinct sections, with chapters focusing on the body systems and processes of key importance, and on the interactions between them, which embody the overall discipline of animal physiology. Given the diverse nature of this discipline,...]]>
THIS book is by leading and practising UK- and USA-based veterinary oncologists, with contributions from board specialists in medical oncology, radiation oncology, pathologists and diagnostic imagers. The authors of the majority of the chapters are well-known experts in their respective fields. The book is nicely split into sections and then into chapters. It is easy to find what you are looking for, be it some background science and explanation regarding cancer therapies, or information on a more specific tumour type.
The book begins with a discussion of the basic science and principles of oncology, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This is explained nicely but simply, and is well illustrated throughout.
The first section focuses on the basic science of oncology and may therefore be less useful to clinicians and more interesting to those seeking a greater understanding of tumour biology. The level is basic...]]>
John Gripper writes: As a veterinary student in 1955, I was fortunate to see practice at Barrett and Nicol in Guildford and, on qualifying, worked in the practice for two years. John was a skilled veterinary surgeon who set himself high ethical standards in his professional work. He worked hard and put in long hours building up his practice, but he was always available with advice when needed. He was an innovator and willing to try new ideas. I was lucky to have such a good tutor at the start of my veterinary career and a friend for life.
]]>President: Mr P. G. Harlech Jones
Past-President: Mr C. Padgett
President-Elect: Mr R. Hargreaves
7 Mansfield Street,
London W1G 9NQ
Telephone 020 7636 6541
Fax 020 7908 6349
e-mail: bvahq@bva.co.uk
The BVA officer team's activities in the week ending May 12 included:
The officers attended a meeting of the BVA Ethics and Welfare Group. Topics discussed included policy development, post cut stunning at slaughter, wild animal culls, exotic pet welfare, and an update from the Horseracing Working Group.
The President participated in an online question and answer session on the responsible use of medicines, organised by Farmers Weekly.
n A joint officers meeting with the British Cattle Veterinary Association. Topics discussed included Defra's review of minor procedures, future supply of cattle vets and career prospects, bovine TB, CPD and the responsible...]]>
IN tribute to John Nicol (VR, May 4, 2013, vol 172, p 478), Margaret Nicol and Brian Arbuckle write: John Nicol died on April 21 at the age of 87. He was born in Fenwick, Ayrshire, into a farming family – his mother having milked cows just a few hours before his birth. The family moved to a Hertfordshire farm before the war, hiring a train to transport the animals. Following schooling in St Albans, John attended the Royal Veterinary College, which had been evacuated to Reading, and qualified in 1948.
His first job was in Cornwall and, as his future wife, Margaret, was still in Reading, he took the overnight sleeper to spend a day with her before returning on the next overnight sleeper. In the meantime he wrote to her every day – no mobile phones in those days – before taking a post in...]]>
A MEETING of the Disciplinary Committee of the RCVS, as constituted under the Veterinary surgeons Act 1966, will be held at the RCVS, Belgravia House, 62-64 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AF, on:
Monday, May 20, at 10.00 and, if necessary, on May 21 to 24, at 10.00, to hear an inquiry into Mr Ian Beveridge, MRCVS.
Members are reminded that hearings are in public and, subject to limitations of space, any person may attend.
]]>TWO new field-based veterinary advisers have recently been appointed by Ceva. Jo Gourlay, who will be providing technical support for customers in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland, qualified from Edinbugh, before working in mixed and small animal practice. Anna Zakharova, who will be providing technical support for customers across Wales, the West Midlands and south-west England, holds a pharmacology degree from Aberdeen university and a veterinary degree from Cambridge. She has worked for Defra and in mixed, equine and small animal practices and has lectured on animal health and welfare.
]]>IN tribute to Ralph Gilmore Nurse (VR, April 13, 2013, vol 172, p 402), Jonathan Nurse writes: Ralph Gilmore Nurse was born in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, on November 2, 1939. While staying at his uncle's farm he experienced numerous visits by the local veterinary surgeon – Arthur Harris – and was so impressed that he set his heart on becoming a veterinary surgeon. He was educated at Llanelli Grammar School and later at Bristol university from where he graduated in 1963. The last years of the veterinary course were a struggle for Ralph, but it was at this time that he met Hetty, his wife of 51 years. Her support helped him through those difficult times.
He first joined a practice in Neath, south Wales. The practice was a typical agricultural practice of the time and Ralph quickly developed his calving and client communication skills. In the autumn...]]>
Bateman On April 14, 2013, Doreen Bateman (née Fawbert), MRCVS, of 1 Glenartney Court, Callander, Perthshire. Mrs Bateman qualified from London in 1944.
Crowther On June 20, 2011, Robert Wade Crowther, BSc, MRCVS, MBE, of 13 Asklepios Street, Strovolos, Cyprus. Mr Crowther qualified from London in 1938.
Mindel On May 2, 2013, Julius Benedict Mindel, BSc, MRCVS, of Kfar Tavor, Lower Galilee, Israel. Mr Mindel qualified from Edinburgh in 1953.
]]>I WAS interested to read the letter by Barlow and others (VR, May 11, 2013, vol 172, p 508), describing the presence of nematodes in the intestinal tract and free within the abdominal cavity of a brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus). Barlow and others requested information about other cases of helminth infections in British bats and, therefore, the following may be of interest.
Over the past 28 years, I have carried out postmortem examinations on nearly 700 bats, most of which had been found dead or dying in south-west England. On many occasions I have observed nematodes in brown long-eared bats similar to those described by Barlow and others. Between 1985 and 2001, the nematodes were routinely submitted to the Natural History Museum in London and in every case they were identified as Seuratum species, probably Seuratum mucronatum.
In 1994, I provided alimentary tracts from 32 bats...]]>
FIELD veterinarians refer approximately 2200 dead animals per year for postmortem examination to the University of Liège's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. In March 2013, a seven-year-old Belgian blue cow was referred with a history of depression, anorexia, weight loss and purulent metritis that did not respond to standard antibiotic therapies. Postmortem examination revealed severe emaciation (cachexia), chronic peritonitis and purulent metritis, with multiple abscesses scattered throughout the uterine wall.
No specific bacterial species was isolated from uterine exudates, the flora of which was dominated by Arcanobacterium pyogenes. Further, uterine tissue and exudate samples were homogenised in TRIzol reagent and total RNA was extracted. Detection of the bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) genome by real-time RT-PCR was attempted according to La Rocca and Sandvik (
MEANINGFUL breed-specific data on the health of purebred dogs are often lacking. Therefore, as joint health coordinators for the UK English springer spaniel breed clubs, we have compiled a breed health survey, which can be found on the new English springer spaniel health reporting website at www.englishspringerhealth.org.uk
The survey aims to give us a better picture of the health and temperament of English springer spaniels across the breed in the UK. It will run for three months, from May 1 to July 31, 2013. It will aim, for the first time, to help put any breed problems into context by asking owners to submit reports on their healthy dogs as well as those with diagnosed health conditions, and to report on any dog they have owned that has died since January 2008.
After the three-month survey period has ended, the results will be analysed and...]]>
I AM a second-year history PhD student researching veterinary education and practice from women's perspectives. I am supervised by Abigail Woods from Imperial College London, Clare Boulton of the RCVS Charitable Trust and Pat Thane from King's College London.
There has been much debate about the ‘feminisation’ of the veterinary profession and the implications that it may have for the profession. As an historian, I am trying to understand how women's opportunities and experiences in the profession, both good and bad, have changed throughout the 20th century. I am conducting a survey to capture the real-life experience of practitioners, which I hope both women and men in the profession will be willing to complete.
The survey can be downloaded from http://pioneersandprofessionals.wordpress.com/survey. Alternatively, a hard copy of the survey, together with a prepaid return envelope, can be provided by e-mailing me at the address below or...]]>
DYNAMIC upper respiratory collapse is a common cause of poor performance in horses (Dart and others 2001, Parente and others 2002, Tan and others 2005, Lane and others 2006). Dynamic endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract allows the identification of various obstructive conditions that endoscopy at rest is unable to identify. Until recently, this has only been achievable using high speed treadmill endoscopy (HSTE). This technique has allowed the identification of numerous obstructive conditions, including recurrent laryngeal neuropathy, intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate, axial deviation of the aryepiglottic folds, vocal fold collapse and, more recently, ventroaxial luxation of the apex of the corniculate process of the arytenoid cartilage (
THE announcement by the AHVLA last week that it has set 2014 as the target date for the introduction of a ‘better balanced veterinary delivery model’
THE Welsh Government has suspended work on the draft Control of Dogs (Wales) Bill, saying that there could be benefits to working with the UK Government to take forward proposals being developed in England ‘on a Wales and England basis’.
The Welsh draft Bill was published for consultation in November last year and included a range of measures aimed at dealing with out-of-control and dangerous dogs and promoting more responsible dog ownership (VR, December 1, 2012, vol 171, p 545). However, in a written ministerial statement on May 2, Alun Davies, the Welsh minister for natural resources and food, said that, while there had been broad support for new legislation in this area, he had reviewed the provisions of the draft Anti-Social Behaviour Bill recently published by the Home Office and believed that this legislation might provide ‘a useful vehicle to fulfil our ambitions’. While he accepted...]]>
THE AHVLA is targeting the middle of 2014 for introducing new working arrangements with private veterinary surgeons.
In a statement on April 30, the agency said that it was seeking to modernise its relationship with private veterinarians to create a better balance between the needs of disease control, farmed livestock, veterinary businesses and the taxpayer. It said the new arrangements would build on consultations undertaken in 2011 (VR, September 24, 2011, vol 169, pp 320, 321, 322) and 2012 (VR, December 22/29, 2012, vol 171, pp 634-635) which had helped to shape the options being considered. It said its new Veterinary Delivery Partnership Project aimed to introduce a new delivery model to replace the current out-of-date arrangements that no longer met European standards of governance. It said it wanted to develop relationships with suppliers of veterinary services ‘including, but not limited to, tuberculin testing’, taking the opportunity...]]>
The second year of the Welsh Government's five-year programme to vaccinate badgers against bovine TB in an Intensive Action Area (IAA) is underway.
Vaccination will take place in cycles lasting approximately three weeks in 10 to 12 different locations within the IAA in west Wales. It will continue until the end of October.
Alun Davies, the Welsh minister for natural resources and food, said: ‘Our vaccination project is aimed at developing a degree of immunity to TB within the badger population. Participation in the project is voluntary and I am very grateful for the ongoing cooperation and assistance that has been shown by farmers and landowners in the area.
‘We are continuing to monitor the results of vaccination, and of our whole eradication programme, carefully to ensure we are making good progress towards our ultimate goal of a TB-free Wales.’
In the first year of the programme,...]]>
‘RISK-BASED trading can make a real contribution to the aim of reducing TB and help all farmers take more control over the TB risk that the purchasing of animals poses to their herds.’
So says the Bovine TB Risk-Based Trading Group, an industry-led group which was set up by Defra in July last year and asked to develop some voluntary measures for risk-based trading to help reduce the risk of spread of bovine TB.
In a report published last week, Bill Reilly, the group's chairman, explains that risk-based trading aims to provide farmers with a more accurate assessment of the TB risk level of the cattle that they are buying as well as the background risk level of their own herd. ‘Risk-based trading should encourage farmers to consider the relative disease risk of animals that they are buying, empower them to make better informed cattle trading decisions,...]]>
THE International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Kenya has announced that it is in the very early stages of work to develop cattle that are resistant to trypanosomosis.
The institute reports that, along with its partners, which include the Roslin Institute, New York University and Michigan State University, it has taken a preliminary step in the process and has successfully cloned a male calf from one of East Africa's most important cattle breeds, the Boran. The calf, which has been named Tumaini (meaning ‘hope’ in Kiswahili), is now eight months old and is healthy, the ILRI says. The next step will be to develop a new Boran clone modified with a gene that naturally confers resistance to the disease. This, the ILRI says, involves using a synthetic copy of a gene sequence originally identified in baboons that should protect cattle against the disease.
In a final step,...]]>
THERE was a marked increase in the number of veterinary surgeons voting in this year's elections to the RCVS Council, with voting at its highest level for 10 years.
In total, 4661 veterinary surgeons voted, surpassing the previous high point of 4232 in 2010. The RCVS reports that voting in the election rose in comparison with 2012, in both absolute and proportional terms, with 18.8 per cent of registered veterinary surgeons voting, compared with 15.1 per cent last year. Most of those voting did so by post (3247), although 1330 vets voted online; only 84 voted by text.
The results of the election were as follows (successful candidates highlighted in bold type).
THE Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has completed a Crown censure procedure against the AHVLA for safety failings relating to the control of biological agents at laboratories in Devon and Surrey.
The HSE reports that censure proceedings followed an investigation into the handling of samples containing Mycobacterium bovis. The HSE found that, for more than two years between January 2009 and July 2011, the AHVLA's laboratory at Starcross in Devon had failed to appropriately inactivate M bovis in samples that were subsequently sent to the AHVLA's laboratory at Weybridge for genetic testing. The HSE claims that employees at Weybridge were put at serious risk because they handled the samples without suitable control measures, believing that they posed little risk.
The HSE explains that Crown bodies, such as the AHVLA, must comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc, Act 1974 but are excluded...]]>
THE results of a recent survey suggest that many pet owners only treat their pets for fleas two or three times each year.
The survey of 1000 pet owners was conducted by Pets at Home in March this year to mark the start of National Flea Month. National Flea Month takes place in May each year with the aim of raising awareness about fleas, the problems they can cause and how owners can protect their pets and their homes.
Half of the pet owners responding to the survey said that they had experienced fleas in the past two years; more than half said that they or a member of their family may have been bitten by a flea. One in eight respondents said that they had been confronted by a guest after being bitten in their home, and a fifth said that they had refused to let...]]>
OVER 11,000 nominations were received for this year's Petplan Veterinary Awards, with the winners being announced at an awards ceremony held in Birmingham on April 4
The annual awards ‘recognise and celebrate staff and practices throughout the country that have delivered an exceptional level of care to the nation's pets and their owners’.
This year, the Vet of the Year award went to Laura Pugh, of Ashfield House Veterinary Hospital in Long Eaton, Nottingham. The judges said that ‘what really stood out was Laura's willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty’. They noted that, in addition to her day job, she was very involved in her local community, wrote an animal column in her local neighbourhood magazine, ran evening talks on a variety of subjects and visited local schools.
Catherine Raw of Broadleys Veterinary Hospital in Stirling was named the Vet Nurse...]]>
Vets and veterinary nurses are being invited to contribute to the PDSA's Animal Wellbeing (PAW) survey for 2013. The results from the annual survey will contribute to the charity's PAW Report, which aims to provide a snapshot of the husbandry and welfare provisions for dogs, cats and rabbits in the UK. The charity hopes that this year's survey will enable it to track changes in behaviour by owners and opinions across the professions to help inform future planning. The survey is live until the end of May and can be completed at www.pdsa.org.uk/pawreport
Two new guides to the stunning of animals are now available to download from the Humane Slaughter Association's (HSA's) website,
FIREFIGHTERS in Shropshire have been gaining experience of handling large animals during a training course at Harper Adams University that has been designed to develop their skills in dealing with animals in emergency situations.
The university explains that, with Shropshire being a rural county, firefighters are often called on to deal with situations involving animals, whether at the scene of an accident, at a barn fire or as part of a rescue operation. About 40 members of the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service have taken part in the new two-day course, which has given them experience of handling a range of animals, including horses, bulls, cows, sheep and pigs.
Jim Huntington, senior lecturer in animal production, welfare and veterinary sciences at Harper Adams, said that the firefighters had enjoyed working with the animals. ‘The course addresses the major risks associated with handling large animals and also looks...]]>
A NEW research group is to be established within the Moredun Research Institute to work on strategies to combat a number of pathogens that cause significant economic loss to aquaculture fish stocks.
The Moredun has established a new relationship with the Inverness-based Fish Vet Group (FVG), which provides clinical, technical and advisory services to fish farmers, regulatory authorities, food processors and others in the aquaculture industry. The research group will be embedded within the Moredun for an initial period of five years and will work to develop novel vaccines to protect farmed fish against disease.
The Moredun notes that salmon production in Scotland generates approximately £434 million annually and that Scotland is now the world's second largest producer of salmon. It explains, however, that the expansion in the aquaculture industry in recent years has also been accompanied by the emergence of many infectious diseases, which cause significant...]]>
THE contribution of a number of individuals to preventing and reducing animal welfare problems in the UK and abroad was celebrated at the second annual Ceva Animal Welfare Awards ceremony, which was held in Birmingham last month.
Following nominations from friends, family or colleagues, the winners were selected by a panel of judges. Timothy Phillips, from the Elm Veterinary Group in Plymouth, was presented with the Chris Laurence Vet of the Year award in recognition of his charitable work in the Greek islands with Friends of the Strays of Greece. Mr Phillips performs surgeries and other treatments, and has helped to establish a rehoming system, with dogs being vaccinated and declared healthy by vets before being flown out of Greece.
The youngest winner on the night was Logan McKerrow, aged six, who was named as the Young Person of the Year in recognition of his fundraising for...]]>
As the understanding of avian physiology increases, anaesthesia is being used in birds more often and the safety of the procedure has evolved significantly. In an article in the May issue of In Practice, which is distributed to subscribers and BVA members with this issue of Veterinary Record, Aidan Raftery focuses on the use of anaesthesia in avian medicine, and on applying best practice to the species most commonly seen in UK practices.
Also in the May issue, Pierre-Yves Mulon describes the different treatment options for the common long bone fractures encountered in cattle. He explains that the decision between treatment and euthanasia depends on many factors, including the economic value of the animal, the cost of the treatment and the prognosis.
In another article, Emily Haggett describes a systematic approach to dealing with collapsed neonatal foals.
For those of a small animal bent,...]]>
Mortality due to idiopathic necrotising enteritis in beef suckler calves
Clostridium perfringens type D disease in a bull
Diaphragmatic rupture and hernia in a Beltex ewe
Viral-type pneumonia and enteropathy in weaned piglets
Colisepticaemia and adenovirus infection in housed broilers
Case 1. A 10-year-old female intact German shepherd dog, presented with a six-month history of progressive neck pain and ataxia of all four limbs. Neurological examination was consistent with a C1-C5 myelopathy. Atlanto-occipital cisternal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis was unremarkable.
MRI of the neck using a 1.5 T magnet (Echospeed; GE Medical Systems) revealed degeneration of the C5-C6 intervertebral disc with mild dorsal protrusion causing mild right-sided ventro-lateral spinal cord compression; additionally, a 5 mmx6 mmx7 mm oval cystic structure dorsolateral to the spinal cord was noted, causing moderate right-sided dorso-lateral spinal compression at the same level. This lesion was T2 hyperintense, T1 hypointense, T2 FLAIR hypointense (all when compared with the spinal cord) and non-contrast enhancing.
A right-sided dorsal laminectomy was performed at C5-C6. The cystic lesion, originating from the dorsal nerve root lateral to the dorsal root ganglion, was fenestrated and a biopsy was obtained, taking care to avoid...]]>
Effective sheep flock health plans must be underpinned by flock-specific diagnostic information and should make use of wider national flock health information. However, information on disease prevalence at flock level is often incomplete. This is despite the fact that protocols to diagnose common sheep diseases are well established and cost effective.
Annual ewe mortality rates in the UK are estimated at 3–8 per cent (Johnston and others 1980, Scott 2007). The profile of diseases which contribute to mortality and involuntary culling in adult ewes in the UK flock is at present probably best estimated using Veterinary Investigation Diagnosis Analysis (VIDA) data (Gibbens and others 2008). This is generated by the Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) endemic disease scanning surveillance programme, which examines 500–700 ewes annually (VIDA 2012). However, the sample size, especially for carcases, is small, and the programme may have inherent biases (Nevel and Stark...]]>
G. G. Duscher, A. Feiler, M. Leschnik, A. Joachim
KNOWING when the season of tick activity starts is important, both for determining the consequences of infestation and taking appropriate steps to prevent it. This Austrian study investigated the seasonal distribution of ticks throughout the year, the attachment sites of ticks on dogs, and the effect of acaricides and repellents on the occurrence and distribution of ticks on the canine host.
Eighty-five clinically healthy dogs were allocated to one of three groups: an acaricide and repellent group, an acaricide only group and an untreated group. Animals in treatment groups were further categorised according to within or outside protection times (that is, the recommended treatment interval for the ectoparasiticides being tested). The study lasted for 11 months, during which time the dogs were walked daily in an area known to...]]>
THE earlier editions of this book have always had a prominent place on my bookshelf, as they were publications I liked to have near at hand to grab for a quick revision, clarification of a minor detail and also for learning something new.
In the preface, the authors indicate their remit was to produce a valuable aid to the clinician in practice and also to provide a textbook for veterinary students. Thus the earlier sections are obviously directed at setting the scene and outlining the fundamentals of toxicology, important calculations, and why detailed knowledge of the mechanisms of toxicity, absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion for toxicants or xenobiotics is critical for ensuring optimum management of cases. There are also excellent chapters devoted to approaches to history taking, appropriate sampling for use of the diagnostic and clinical laboratories and the importance of documentation for cases...]]>
THIS is a new American textbook that is designed to be a practical book, using colour photographs and diagrams to teach anaesthesia. It is aimed at veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and veterinary students wanting a ‘succinct and practical handbook’ rather than a comprehensive, theory-based textbook.
Being an American text, there are a few minor things that are not directly applicable to UK veterinary practice and the section on anaesthetic circuits is confusingly laid out and has some inaccuracies. The over-simplification of non-rebreathing systems would be confusing to students, as it does not differentiate between different types of non-rebreathing circuit. Another text would need to be read to gain a thorough understanding of anaesthetic circuits. Such, albeit minor, inaccuracies are found sporadically throughout the book; for example, the stated atipamezole dose is incorrect for cats.
The book is generally well laid out and easy to...]]>
President: Mr P. G. Harlech Jones
Past-President: Mr C. Padgett
President-Elect: Mr R. Hargreaves
7 Mansfield Street,
London W1G 9NQ
Telephone 020 7636 6541
Fax 020 7908 6349
e-mail: bvahq@bva.co.uk
The BVA officer team's activities in the week ending May 5 included: The president-elect attended a meeting of the BVA/KC Canine Health Schemes Eye Panel Working Party. The past-president took part in an Animal Welfare Foundation grants committee teleconference. The past-president attended a meeting of the TB Eradication Advisory Group for England. The president-elect attended a meeting of the Kennel Club's Dog Health Group to discuss the quality control of vet checks at shows and the Breed Watch scheme. The President was a guest at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) Fellows' dinner. The...]]>
IN a further tribute to Peter Stockdale Dawson (VR, April 27, 2013, vol 172, p 454), Peter Jackson writes: Peter Dawson joined the second year of the veterinary course at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in 1956. His friendly manner and amusing stories from his native Northern Ireland meant he quickly became integrated into the class. At that time, most of us planned to go into general practice and we were rather surprised when Peter said he would be going into research. His future career proved that this was a good decision and he was part of a number of important discoveries involving disease in farm animals, including poultry.
After qualifying in 1960, Peter had a very a brief spell in practice before joining the staff of the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) at Weybridge. He was initially involved with work on the bovine respiratory viruses...]]>
THERE has been limited investigation into diseases of bats in Great Britain, apart from European bat lyssavirus (EBLV) surveillance and, more recently, surveillance for evidence of Geomyces destructans, the fungal cause of white nose syndrome (WNS) in North America. Dead bats are infrequently found, and this, combined with rapid autolysis, are the main reasons why studies on bat disease are scarce.
Here we report on the postmortem examination findings in a brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus) from Devon, submitted for G destructans surveillance. The carcase weighed 8 g and there was a moderate degree of postmortem autolysis. A large number of nematode-like worms were present within the intestinal tract (Fig
EPIZOOTIC haemorrhagic disease (EHD) and bluetongue are caused by viruses belonging to the genus Orbivirus, family Reoviridae. To date, eight and 26 distinct serotypes of EHD virus (EHDV) and bluetongue virus (BTV) have been identified, respectively. EHDV and BTV can infect wild and domestic ruminants and are primarily transmitted between hosts through the bites of vector-competent midges of the genus Culicoides. This letter reports the results of serosurveillance for EHDV and bluetongue in southern Spain.
In recent years, several emerging vectorborne diseases, including bluetongue (BTV-1, BTV-4 and BTV-8), Bagaza, Schmallenberg, Usutu and West Nile, have been reported in southern Spain, most of them originating from north Africa. Although EHDV circulation has been recently detected in livestock in the Mediterranean basin (EHDV-6 in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Turkey during the period 2006-2008; EHDV-7 in Israel during 2006), no outbreaks have been reported in Europe. However, the presence of...]]>
WE would like to bring to the attention of colleagues the results of recent active surveillance for Schmallenberg virus (SBV). Blood samples were taken in mid-March 2013 from six yearling female sheep in a large commercial flock on the edge of Dartmoor, Devon before sale. The sheep had been managed outdoors in this location since birth. The animals were housed in a large, well-ventilated livestock shed for 48 hours before sample collection; around 50 in-lamb ewes shared the same airspace but had no physical contact.
Samples were submitted to the AHVLA for testing using quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) for SBV RNA and indirect ELISA (iELISA) for IgG antibody. Two of the animals were positive for viral RNA, one of which had an inconclusive iELISA result (60 per cent) and one a strongly positive result (>100 per cent). Four of the individuals were qRT-PCR negative but antibody positive. A...]]>
THE Sheep Health and Welfare Group (SHAWG) has recently identified sheep scab as a priority for the English sheep industry. In November 2012, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) was granted funding through the Rural Development Programme for England from Defra, to help support knowledge and skills training until the end of March 2014, in order to improve control and treatment of sheep scab. The project is managed by the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) with the Agricultural Development Advisory Service (ADAS) delivering in-depth training to vets and SQPs from mid-June. We hope that vets who attend will subsequently deliver training to farmers in their local area.
Course materials have been prepared by the ADAS consultants, Richard Wall, Peter Bates and members of the Sheep Veterinary Society, and will be delivered to vets through CPD workshops in June and July 2013. Supporting literature has been...]]>
A WORKFORCE study published by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) last week suggests that the supply of veterinarians in the USA may be exceeding demand for their services.
In general terms, the findings tend to support the impression given by a story in the New York Times earlier this year, which reported that high debt and falling demand for veterinary services raised the prospect of lean times ahead for new graduates...]]>
A GENUINE new partnership between government, the cattle industry and the veterinary profession is needed to tackle bovine TB, according to the British Cattle Veterinary Association. ‘We are not winning the battle against bovine TB and time is not on our side,’ says Jonathan Statham, the association's president. ‘Hence the call by BCVA for a genuine new partnership between industry, government and the veterinary profession to allow for ownership of bovine TB and other endemic diseases. We invite all UK administrations to sign up to the concept, with healthy cattle and wildlife populations being the main aim.’
The BCVA suggests that the right kind of partnership could take greater ownership of endemic diseases, including bovine TB, but with appropriate ‘public good’ support from government. It is proposing that an industry-owned, not-for-profit cattle health company could facilitate cost-effective delivery of controls for diseases endemic in the British cattle...]]>
CATTLE keepers in south Wales whose herds are deemed Officially TB Free Withdrawn (OTFW) by the AHVLA are being asked to participate in a pilot scheme to encourage them to share details of new TB incidents on their premises with their neighbours.
Under the pilot scheme, which was launched by the South East and South West Regional TB Eradication Delivery Boards on April 22, keepers in the area are being asked to sign a voluntary consent form soon after the disease is identified. This, the AHVLA says, will allow it to disclose their name and address and, in some cases, the business name, to herd owners and private vets of contiguous premises. It is hoped that farmers with premises contiguous to a cattle herd with an OTFW status will then be able to take steps to prevent disease transmission between herds; for example, by moving cattle away...]]>
THE results of a study of the veterinary workforce in the USA, carried out on behalf of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), have suggested that, in 2012, approximately 12.5 per cent of veterinary services went unused. The study predicts that veterinary services are likely to be underused by 11 to 14 per cent through to 2025.
The study was designed to produce information on the current and future supply of, and demand for, vets and veterinary services in the USA, and was commissioned by the AVMA to help inform strategies to ensure the economic viability of veterinary medicine. Researchers carried out literature reviews, analysed data and surveys and conducted interviews with stakeholders and experts. Variables such as entrants to the veterinary workforce, retirement patterns, work hours and geographical distribution of veterinary services were taken into account, with assumptions being made when data were not available. A...]]>
ALL dogs in Wales will have to be identified with a microchip by March 1, 2015, the Welsh Government has announced.
Speaking on April 26, Alun Davies, the Welsh minister for natural resources and food, said that responses to a consultation held by the government in 2012 had been overwhelmingly in favour of plans for compulsory microchipping. ‘It is increasingly important that we have a method of tracing dogs back to their owner,’ he said. ‘Dog owners already have a duty of care under the Animal Welfare Act but it can be difficult to ensure that this duty is being met without a reliable form of identification. By microchipping all dogs in Wales we can formalise the relationship between an owner and pet and ensure an increased level of accountability.’
The Welsh Government notes that there are an estimated 450,000 dogs in Wales, of which some 58...]]>
The Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) will hold its annual discussion forum at One Great George Street in London on May 13. The forum will focus on the role of vets in animal welfare policy and practice, with subjects to be discussed including the future of food assurance schemes, care of laboratory animals and the work of the Named Veterinary Surgeon, and the vet's role in recognising the link between abuse in animals and people. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis and cost £50. Places can be booked online at www.bva-awf.org.uk/events/2013/5/13/awf-discussion-forum
In the latest grants round under its ‘Grand Challenges Explorations’ initiative, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been inviting proposals that will harness commonalities between human and animal health. Grants of US $100,000 are available under the topic of ‘The One...]]>
UNCONTROLLED movements of infected animals from eastern Africa and the Arabian peninsula are the most likely source of an introduction of Rift Valley fever (RVF) into Mediterranean countries neighbouring the EU, according to a scientific opinion from the Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) panel of the European Food Safety Authority.
The AHAW panel was asked by the European Commission to provide an update on the global occurrence of RVF and possible changes in its distribution over the past 10 years. It was also asked to provide maps of the geographical distribution of potential invertebrate vectors (mosquitoes) for the virus in the Mediterranean Basin, to assess the risk of the virus being introduced into a number of countries in the southern Mediterranean Basin and to assess the risk that RVF could become endemic in them.
In its opinion, the AHAW panel says that, based on a comprehensive literature...]]>
AWARDS for the best reports produced by veterinary students who undertook extramural studies (EMS) placements at one of Dogs Trust's centres last year were presented during a special lunch at the BSAVA congress in Birmingham in April.
Paula Boyden, veterinary director of the charity, said it was the support offered by the private practices that provided veterinary services to the charity that allowed it to offer EMS placements. Participating students are asked to write a report on aspects of their placement, which takes place at one of Dogs Trust's rehoming centres that also has a surgical suite.
In 2012, 38 students completed a two-week placement and four were shortlisted for an award. Gloria Feltham from Bristol veterinary school, who completed a placement at Dogs Trust Salisbury, Richard Hesketh, also from Bristol, who completed a placement at the Kenilworth centre, and Susan Price, from Nottingham veterinary school, who...]]>
SUICIDE in the veterinary profession is a difficult subject but ‘if we don't talk about it, it's not something that we are going to fix’, said Rosie Allister, speaking at BSAVA congress in Birmingham on April 4.
Ms Allister (right), a qualified vet who is currently studying mental health and wellbeing among newly qualified veterinary surgeons, delivered a series of lectures as part of the psychology in practice stream. She explained that mental health was a ‘big issue’ and that studies had consistently shown that vets were three times more likely to commit suicide than the general population.
There had been speculation as to why this was, including the personality type of people becoming vets, and vets' access to means of suicide; however, Ms Allister pointed out that the literature indicated that these risk factors did not hold. ‘There are aspects of veterinary work and veterinary working...]]>
The supply and use of veterinary anthelmintic and flukicide products in production animals is currently under scrutiny, in view of the concerns about the development of anthelmintic and flukicide resistance. A recent position statement from the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (
While the rationale behind these recommendations could be questioned, the subject of responsible use of anthelmintics is important and serves to emphasise that veterinarians working with food-producing species must have a sound knowledge of both product availability...]]>
Pet reptiles are reported to be increasing in numbers with over 8 million captive in the UK alone (Federation of British Herpetologists data), with bearded dragons one of the most popular lizard species kept with numbers estimated to be in excess of 1 million. Agamid Adenovirus-1 (AAdV-1) infection was first reported in Australia in the early 1980s, and subsequently in the USA in the 1990s (Mitchell 2007). It spread through US populations and is now considered endemic (Mitchell 2007, Reavill and Griffin 2011). AAdV-1 is believed to be responsible for neurological symptoms, immunosuppression, reduced growth and death in infected bearded dragons, but many infected dragons may remain asymptomatic carriers, infecting offspring and in-contacts. As with many reptile viral infections, true pathogenicity is unclear with environmental factors and coinfections suspected to play a significant role in individual response (Marschang 2011).
As development of new colour patterns and scalation...]]>
An increasing human population in Uganda has had consequences for free-ranging chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), including habitat destruction and antagonistic interaction with humans. This situation has led to increasing numbers of human-induced chimpanzee injuries, as well as elevated risks of pathogen transmission between these species. As a result, the need for veterinary intervention has increased commensurately.
The most common form of human-induced injury in chimpanzees in Uganda is from snaring (Waller and Reynolds 2001). Other situations that may require intervention are disease outbreaks and orphaned individuals. For example, respiratory disease outbreaks of human metapneumovirus and respiratory syncytial virus have occurred in chimpanzees in West Africa and have had devastating effects (Köndgen and others 2008). Interventions in such cases may be justified to provide treatment to the affected individuals and to obtain diagnostic specimens.
In deciding whether to intervene, veterinarians consult with wildlife authorities and consider the risk...]]>
Dogs and families share microorganisms
S. J. Song, C. Lauber, E. K. Costello, C. A. Lozupone, G. Humphrey, D. Berg-Lyons and others
COMMUNITIES of microorganisms found in the intestines of humans are determined by genetic relatedness, diet and age; they are also affected by their surroundings and those with whom they interact. However, little is known about the effect of cohabitation on the microbiota of other sites. This study investigated the exchange of microorganisms found on the skin, on the tongue and in the intestines of families.
Samples were taken from the faeces, skin and tongue of 60 families comprising spousal units, with or without children and with or without dogs.
Household members shared more microorganisms than individuals from different households, particularly in the case of skin microbiota. These patterns were also mimicked in the fur samples of cohabiting dogs. Dog-owning adults shared more skin microorganisms with...]]>
ON April 13, 2013, Neal Haywood Farr, BVetMed, DipAH, MRCVS, of The Paddocks, Ryton, Dymock, Gloucestershire. Mr Farr qualified from London in 1962.
J. A. Dyson writes: Born into a Herefordshire farming family, Neal Farr attended Hereford Cathedral School, where he won his colours for boxing and rugby. When not indulging in those activities, he was, however, a most genial fellow. He was an accomplished horseman, and hunted and rode in point-to-point races.
Following his national service in the Royal Navy, commissioned as a sub-lieutenant, he entered the Royal Veterinary College. Neal enjoyed the student sporting and social life to the full. Again, rugby featured strongly, at a time when the team from London university's smallest college was a match for any from the largest colleges or even the teaching hospitals.
At that time, few students had cars and the popular form of independent transport was the...]]>
President: Mr P. G. Harlech Jones
Past-President: Mr C. Padgett
President-Elect: Mr R. Hargreaves
7 Mansfield Street,
London W1G 9NQ
Telephone 020 7636 6541
Fax 020 7908 6349
e-mail: bvahq@bva.co.uk
The BVA officer team's activities in the week ending April 28 included the following:
The President and president-elect met with the deputy CVO and the veterinary liaison member of the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England (AHWBE). They discussed the work of the AHWBE and its recent AGM.
The President held a teleconference with animal health industry consultant Julian Braidwood, to discuss the joint BVA and Laboratory Animals Veterinary Association's response to the Home Office consultation on draft guidance concerning the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
The President, along with the BEVA president, met with the shadow secretary of...]]>
Marshall On October 2, 2012, Malcolm Marshall, BVMS, MRCVS, of 30 Doo'cot View, Banff, Aberdeenshire. Mr Marshall qualified from Glasgow in 1957.
Nicol On April 21, 2013, John Nicol, MRCVS, of 7 Greencroft, Merrow, Guildford, Surrey. Mr Nicol qualified from London in 1948.
Somerwill On April 12, 2013, George Leonard Somerwill, OBE, TD, MRCVS, of 5 The Courtyard, Gainsborough Road, Stowmarket, Suffolk. Mr Somerwill qualified from London in 1947.
Visram On April 20, 2013, Kausarali Hassanali Visram, BVSc&AH, MRCVS, of 2a Drybridge Street, Monmouth, Monmouthshire. Mr Visram qualified from Bombay and was admitted to the RCVS Register in 1985.
Walker On January 21, 2013, Arthur Ian Tweddle Walker, BSc, PhD, CBiol, FIBiol, MRCVS, of 29a Mount Harry Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. Dr Walker qualified from Edinburgh in 1954.
]]>A REUNION for the Royal Veterinary College's graduates of 1976 will be held on Saturday, November 2, 2013, at Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel, Wotton-under-Edge, South Gloucestershire GL12 8HH.
Any year member, who has not yet been in contact with the organisers is asked to do so soon, as numbers for room allocations are needed as soon as possible. A final list of fellow attendees will be provided to all those who reserve a place.
To book, contact Sue Hiscock or Hilary Tolputt, telephone 023 8040 6204, e-mail: nicksue1@hotmail.co.uk.
]]>As an undergraduate, Anne was an...]]>
IT was with some concern that we read the report in Veterinary Record (April 20, 2013, vol 172, p 408) regarding the publication by Defra of a draft Bill that could introduce a ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses in England from December 1, 2015.
It reported that the BVA had noted that only 20 wild animals are currently performing in two licensed circuses in England. The BVA President is reported as saying that there is no space in today's society for wild animals to be used in the entertainment of people. The President then qualified this; however, taken out of context and read on its own, this is a deeply disturbing statement by the BVA.
The British Veterinary Zoological Society (BVZS), a specialist division of the BVA, wholeheartedly supports the BVA's attempts to improve the welfare/husbandry of all animals, whether exotic/wild or...]]>
WHETHER a ban on ‘wild’ animals in circuses is indeed implemented has still to be seen. There are legal hurdles yet to jump despite the draft Bill.
Moral posturing often overcomes rational argument but shouldn't masquerade as an ethical stance. If a ban is enacted it won't be scientifically based; it will be a political expediency because a vocal minority made a lot of noise.
I was part of an extensive scientific review of animal welfare in British circuses commissioned by the previous government (
WE read with interest the paper ‘Seropreva-lence study of leptospirosis in horses in northern Poland’ (
Leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonosis in the world and its incidence is known to be higher in tropical areas than in temperate countries. These organisms are waterborne pathogens, able to survive for longer periods in higher temperatures and humid environments. A humid climate and abundant rainfall, which are known risk factors for exposure to contaminated water favourable to leptospirosis, are common in tropical regions (
Our...]]>
AT the next Veterinary Benevolent Fund (VBF) AGM on Thursday, July 18, 2013, there will be an election for four directors to the board of the VBF. Three of the current directors will stand for re-election.
The board is the governing body of 12 directors who manage the VBF – the single charity formed by the merger of the VBF, Vet Helpline and the Veterinary Surgeons' Health Support Programme.
Applications are invited from members of the VBF to serve on its board. They must be supported by a proposer, who must also be a member of the VBF. Applications from younger members of the fund as well as those with a wide experience of the profession and knowledge of managing business finance will be welcomed.
The VBF employs a full-time administrator and, in addition, the BVA's head of finance is appointed as the VBF company secretary. Directors...]]>
Over 20 per cent of the BVA's qualified members completed its recent CPD survey, providing a good insight into members' CPD needs. This is a fantastic response and demonstrates a clear interest from members in receiving top-quality, affordable CPD from their Association.
The results are being analysed by the BVA's CPD Group, which is developing its CPD programme for 2014. The survey findings will ensure that the programme will meet members' needs. Thank you to all members who took the time to complete the survey; more details of next year's programme will be publicised later in the year.
]]>THE parliamentary Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRACom) was highly critical of the Government's proposed new measures for dealing with dangerous dogs when it reported on those proposals in February, so the Government's response to its comments, which was published last week, is clearly of interest.1
The Government is proposing a number of new measures to apply in England. These include extending existing dangerous dogs legislation to private property, requiring all dogs to be identified by microchip from April 2016, and giving the police powers to decide whether or not to seize dogs pending the outcome of court proceedings (VR, February 16, 2013, vol 172, pp 168, 170).
The EFRACom is not alone in having been disappointed by the Government's proposed package of proposals and, in its report in February, dismissed it as ‘woefully inadequate’. In particular, it pointed out that it included little in the...]]>
‘THE Government does not consider consolidation of dog legislation to confer any great benefit to the public or those involved in dog control.’
This comment forms part of the Government's response to the recommendations made by the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRACom) in a report of an inquiry into dog control and welfare. In its report, which was published in February, the committee of MPs described the Government's proposals on dog control as ‘woefully inadequate’ and recommended a more comprehensive, preventative approach (VR, February 23, 2013, vol 172, p 195).
The Government's response to the EFRACom's report was published on April 17; in it, the Government says that it has carefully considered the issues raised by the committee, and that it agrees with some of the recommendations made. It also says that, in developing future policies in this area, it will take...]]>
HUMAN cases of campylobacteriosis in Europe increased in 2011, as did the number of human infections with verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC); however, the number of Salmonella infections in people fell.
These are among the findings reported in the 2011 annual report on zoonoses and foodborne infections from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The report, which was published this month, covers 10 zoonotic diseases and collates data on foodborne outbreaks (defined as those that include two or more human cases in which the same contaminated food has been eaten). Data were supplied by 27 EU member states and three European countries that were not members of the EU.
Campylobacteriosis remained the most commonly reported zoonotic disease in Europe in 2011, with 220,209 human cases, a 2.2 per cent increase on 2010. Chicken meat was the foodstuff in...]]>
A NEW agreement between the University of Edinburgh and the Chinese Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) will, the two organisations hope, strengthen veterinary training and promote the role of the vet in safeguarding animal welfare in China.
The University of Edinburgh says that the agreement is the first between the CVMA and a UK university. It forms part of a collaboration between the CVMA and the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education, which opened in 2011 and is part of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. The centre's researchers collaborate with international partners to advance the understanding of animal welfare issues; the aim is to facilitate the highest standards of animal welfare training through collaboration with professional bodies and other academic institutions around the world.
Under the agreement, both parties will collaborate on veterinary research and educational programmes, and promote and support innovation in postgraduate...]]>
The first confirmed case of Schmallenberg disease in Scotland has been reported in a calf born into a suckler herd in Dumfriesshire. Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) said on April 19 that birth defects in the calf were consistent with the pathology of the disease, and that tests carried out by SAC Consulting Veterinary Services and the Moredun Research Institute confirmed the presence of Schmallenberg virus (SBV).
‘The report of this recent calving in Dumfriesshire would indicate that SBV was spread by midges in the area during last autumn,’ said Brian Hosie, head of SAC Veterinary Services. ‘We would urge farmers to be more alert than ever to potential problems among cattle or sheep and discuss any concerns with their veterinary surgeons.’
Last month, the Scottish Government reported that blood tests on eight dairy cows in a herd at SRUC's Barony campus in Dumfries and Galloway had tested...]]>
WORLD Veterinary Day takes place on April 27 this year, with the theme ‘Vaccination to prevent and protect’. In different countries throughout the world, events are being held to mark the day, which was instigated by the World Veterinary Association (WVA) in 2000 to celebrate the contributions of the profession to society. It takes place each year on the last Saturday of April.
Since 2008, the WVA and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) have presented the World Veterinary Day Award for the most successful celebration of the veterinary profession by national veterinary organisations, either alone or in cooperation with any other selected veterinary body. Among the events taking place this year, the Iraqi Veterinary Medical Association is planning an extensive vaccination programme in villages around the city of Mosul to vaccinate cattle against foot-and-mouth disease. In Bangladesh, the Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University will...]]>
UK to host international congress The Sheep Veterinary Society has announced that the UK has been selected to host the 9th International Sheep Veterinary Association conference, which will take place in Harrogate in May 2017. The conferences are held every four years and the last time the event was held in the UK was in Edinburgh in 1993. Neil Sargison, of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the current president of the Sheep Veterinary Society, said that it was ‘a huge honour and privilege’ for the UK to host the international conference in 2017 and that it showed how well respected sheep veterinarians in the UK were, both at home and abroad. 2017 will also mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Sheep Veterinary Society. The society hopes that delegates from as far afield as New Zealand, Australia and South Africa will...]]>
THREE new leaflets to help vets raise awareness among the general public of the realities of practice have been produced by the BVA.
The Association notes that, in a member research project which it conducted last year, members asked for help in educating the public about veterinary practice and improving public perceptions of the profession. In response, it has produced leaflets for clients on three different topics – the cost of veterinary care; the benefits of pet insurance; and how to choose a veterinary practice. All three leaflets can be downloaded free of charge from the BVA's website, www.bva.co.uk/public
Peter Harlech Jones, the BVA President, said that, in the member research project, vets across all member grades had clearly told the Association of their concerns about the perceptions that some sectors of the general public had of the profession. In response, the BVA would now be focusing...]]>
INTERNATIONAL Cat Care is the new name of the Feline Advisory Bureau; the charity hopes its new identity will more clearly reflect the work it does to improve the lives of cats, both in the UK and internationally.
Launching the new identity on April 4 at the BSAVA congress in Birmingham, Claire Bessant, its chief executive, said: ‘We continue to evolve as a charity and we are increasingly working internationally to help vets and local communities provide better care for cats. While our mission and core values will remain the same, we needed a strong brand identity to better reflect this work and to help us engage more directly with consumers and vets.’
A new website has been created as part of the rebrand: www.icatcare.org. This continues to host information and advice on cat care for both veterinarians and owners, but also highlights the charity's work internationally....]]>
This is an edited version of a report produced by the AHVLA, of a workshop held in February. The workshop was the third such annual event held by the AHVLA. The overarching aim of the series is to foster collaboration and communication between modellers and policymakers to ensure animal health management gains maximum benefit from modelling. More information is available from Francesca Gauntlett, modelling coordinator in the AHVLA's Epidemiology, Surveillance and Risk Group, e-mail: francesca.gauntlett@ahvla.gsi.gov.uk
THE AHVLA recently hosted a mathematical modelling workshop which looked at the influence of human behaviour, economics and politics on model validity, credibility and reliability. The workshop ‘Modelling for policy: expertise with impact’ covered animal disease, public health and climate models and was attended by modellers, scientists, social researchers, economists and policymakers from the UK and Europe. Speakers from the AHVLA, Defra, the Health Protection Agency and other institutes addressed three...]]>
THE World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) took the opportunity provided by the BSAVA congress in Birmingham this month to highlight progress it had made with two key initiatives.
The WSAVA's Global Nutrition Committee (GNC) was created in 2010 and aims to have a nutritional assessment confirmed as the fifth vital assessment in a standard physical examination (after temperature, pulse, respiration and pain), and for the veterinary team to provide nutritional recommendations for each individual animal as an integral component of patient care. It has already created a set of nutrition guidelines, which were launched in 2011 and have since been endorsed by 19 veterinary organisations in 16 countries. The guidelines aim to help vets and pet owners ensure that pets are fed according to an optimal and individually tailored nutrition plan.
At the WSAVA's world congress in New Zealand in March, the GNC launched a ‘nutrition...]]>
THIS year's BSAVA congress attracted 6178 vets, veterinary nurses, practice managers and students to Birmingham over the course of the four-day event from April 4 to 7. This, the BSAVA reports, was the highest ever attendance, and a six per cent increase in delegate numbers on 2011, the last time a solely BSAVA congress was held. In 2012, the congress was a joint event between BSAVA, WSAVA and FECAVA.
Delegates from overseas had a significant presence, with almost 60 countries being represented. There were 186 delegates from Scandinavian countries, 56 from Germany, 40 from the Netherlands and 31 from the USA.
In the congress exhibition, almost 300 exhibitors showcased their products and services. Boehringer Ingelheim's stand won this year's award for the best ‘space only’ stand, while Abbott Animal Health won the award for the best large shell scheme. The best small shell scheme award went to...]]>
BOVINE viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is an outstandingly successful virus. It is best known as the cause of a variety of clinical conditions resulting in economic losses in cattle, but understanding its biology has shown that BVDV and other pestiviruses have features unique among viruses.
BVDV causes both transient and persistent infections and can escape the host's immune responses during both events. Transient infection occurs in cattle of all ages. Oronasal infection results in transient viraemia and virus excretion is low before it is eliminated by a standard immune response. The innate interferon response is followed by adaptive cell-mediated and humoral responses so that specific anti-BVDV antibody can be detected within three weeks of infection. Antibody levels continue to rise over the next two months and a solid immunity to that virus is maintained for years.
However, if infection occurs in a pregnant animal, the virus escapes...]]>
Marek's disease (MD) of chicken is caused by Gallid herpesvirus 2 belonging to the genus Mardivirus and family Herpesviridae. Annual losses due to MD the world over have been estimated to be more than 1 billion US dollars (Nair 2005). Previously, MD was reported to be a disease of younger chicken of 4–20 weeks old, but in recent times, it has been often observed in adult flocks (Lobago and Woldemeskel 2004, Ikezawa and others 2010). Mining activities generate a lot of dust that contaminates the environment and soil (Nagajyoti and others 2010), and prolonged exposure to mine dust could cause immunosuppression in chickens (Muniyellappa and others 2012). This communication reports occurrence of various forms of MD in vaccinated commercial layer flocks in the mining areas.
Six commercial layer poultry farms were randomly chosen in the mining area of north Karnataka. Flock details, clinical history and signs, morbidity, mortality,...]]>
Fibromatous nodular lesions were observed on the antler skin of reindeer from four separate farms, and from the haired skin from a deer from a fifth farm. The aim of this study was to investigate if the proliferative lesions represented an unusual manifestation of a viral infection. Despite extensive investigations using immunohistochemistry, PCR and electron microscopy, no evidence of viral involvement could be demonstrated. The aetiology of the lesions remains unknown.
Fibropapillomas are nodular or plaque-like lesions associated with papilloma virus (PV) infection; they have been observed in several deer species, including reindeer (Sundberg and Nielsen 1981, Ginn and others 2007). The histopathological findings typically include proliferation of dermal fibroblasts. Reindeer papilloma virus (RtPV1) has been detected in papillomatous lesions involving the haired skin of reindeer (Narechania and others 2004). In this report, we describe fibrous proliferation of the dermis of lesions involving the antler velvet and...]]>
Sterilisation increases life span in dogs, but why?
J. M. Hoffman, K. E. Creevy, D. E. L. Promislow
STERILISED dogs are known to live longer; however, little is known about the reasons for this. This retrospective study investigated the effects of the sterilisation not only on life span, but also on the causes of death, controlling for the confounding effects of age.
Veterinary medical records were obtained for 40,149 dogs that had died in North American teaching hospitals between 1984 and 2004. Life span was found to be greater in sterilised dogs (mean age 9.4 years) compared with reproductively intact dogs (mean age 7.9 years). Sterilisation increased the life expectancy of male dogs by 13.8 per cent and female dogs by 26.3 per cent.
Sterilisation decreased the risk of death from some causes, such as infectious disease and trauma, while there was increased risk from others, such...]]>
ON March 26, Peter Stockdale Dawson, BVM&S, BSc, PhD, MRCVS, of 17 Leetes Lane, Little Eversden, Cambridge. Dr Dawson qualified from Edinburgh in 1960.
Kim Whittlestone writes: Peter Dawson was born in 1935 and grew up in Northern Ireland. He was schooled in Belfast and, after a first degree in zoology at Queen's University Belfast, obtained his BVM&S from Edinburgh in 1960. Peter had always intended to go into research, so after three months in a mixed practice in Leeds, he joined the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) in Weybridge, Surrey. He was involved in studying the viruses affecting respiratory disease in cattle and, in 1961, the CVL allowed him to take up a PhD studentship at Reading University, focusing on bovine strains of parainfluenza 3 virus. This work led to the realisation that it was widespread in the...]]>
Keith Meldrum writes: Peter Dawson had a distinguished career at the Central Veterinary Laboratory and during that time published 10 scientific papers. He, together with Bill Allan, toured the country meeting with many poultry firms and practising veterinarians to explain how Newcastle disease vaccines could be used to prevent the emergence of that disease when the compulsory slaughter policy ended. Later, he took charge of the infant epidemiology department, which now has such a key part to play in animal disease understanding and control. When he became Assistant Chief Veterinary Officer with responsibility for the Veterinary Investigation Service, he was able to practise his calm managerial skills to deal with a plethora of challenges and to great effect.
]]>President: Mr P. G. Harlech Jones
Past-President: Mr C. Padgett
President-Elect: Mr R. Hargreaves
7 Mansfield Street,
London W1G 9NQ
Telephone 020 7636 6541
Fax 020 7908 6349
e-mail: bvahq@bva.co.uk
The BVA officer team's activities in the week ending April 21 included: The president-elect met with Defra officials to discuss new legislation on microchipping. The president-elect attended a Dog Advisory Council open discussion, which debated a draft of the Council's recommendations on dog breeding. The President met with the RCVS President to discuss new vet schools, UK inputs into the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), graduate support and wellness, and communications. The past-president gave a talk about bovine TB to the Liverpool Clinical Club. The past-president attended a meeting of the Review of...]]>
THE recent paper by Vander Heyden and colleagues (2013) concludes that ‘It appears that mares fed concentrate during their gestation are more likely to produce foals that subsequently develop osteochondrosis (OC) compared with other mares’. This comment could have consequences for veterinarians' advice to owners of brood mares, practical horse management on studs and for the manufacturers of horse feeds. The conclusion is dubious and we, therefore, are concerned that uninformed persons could be easily misled by this paper, resulting in a negative effect on brood mare management.
The questionnaire that the authors distributed to collect the data incorporated in the analysis used the term ‘concentrate’ as a ‘catch-all’, including straight cereals and all manner of things, embracing complete feed. Furthermore, there was no quantification of amounts fed. The concentrate ‘yes or no’ question indicates nothing about energy and nutrient intake, the balance between requirement and supply,...]]>
FOLLOWING reports that ovine scrapie (referred to here and subsequently as classical scrapie) can be transmitted from dams to lambs via milk (Konold and others 2008, Ligios and others 2011), we subsequently carried out a study to investigate whether caprine scrapie could also be transmitted via milk, using material collected from a field outbreak of scrapie in goats in the UK (González and others 2009). Lambs were selected as milk recipients from a closed flock of known scrapie-free status (Simmons and others 2009) because an assured scrapie-free source of goats was not available.
Due to the lack of published information about the susceptibility of sheep to caprine scrapie, a pilot study was conducted to determine whether sheep were susceptible to infection. Eleven Cheviot lambs with prion protein (PrP) genotype AA136RR154QQ171 (ARQ/ARQ) (n = 5) or VV136RR154QQ171 (VRQ/VRQ) (n = 6) were challenged orally within 24 hours of birth with 5 g (as...]]>
C. Sandersen, L.Vander Heyden, J. Detilleux, J. Lejeune and D. Serteyn comment: We thank the correspondents for their comments on the design and the conclusions of our study (Vander Heyden and others 2013) and welcome the opportunity to respond to the issues raised.
Our aim was certainly not to discourage horse breeders from feeding ‘appropriate concentrates’ to pregnant mares and we regret if this is the conclusion that someone may draw from our study. Our study identified the feeding of concentrates to the mare as a potential risk factor for developing osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in the foal. This finding should incite new studies to identify the possible link between feeding of the mare and OCD in the foal. The underlying mechanism has not been investigated in the present study. Studies from human medicine and from various animal models give insight into the vast domain of fetal programming....]]>
REPTILE medicine has evolved significantly in recent decades; however, most of the information available refers to tropical and subtropical captive and free-living species. The European fauna makes up about 1 per cent of the extant snakes (35 out of 3217 species) (McDiarmid and others 2012) but despite the low number of species, there is limited knowledge on the bacterial pathogens and diseases associated with them (Cooper and others 1985). Several of the native European snakes, mostly Vipera species, have been identified as reservoirs for salmonella; Salmonella enterica subspecies III being one of the most common isolates (Briones and others 2004, Köbölkuti and others 2009, Filippi and others 2010). Besides the Salmonella-carrier status of European snakes, little is known about the clinical importance of Salmonella Arizonae, especially in native colubrid snakes.
This short report describes the clinical and pathological findings of a S Arizonae-associated septicaemia in a captive...]]>
IN 1995 researchers at the University of Bristol conducted a survey of veterinary practitioners to investigate the use of analgesics in small animals. It is evident that over the past 18 years there has been a big investment in small animal analgesia research, undergraduate teaching and CPD in this field, and the number of licensed analgesic drugs available for use in cats and dogs has significantly increased. In order to investigate whether these investments are reflected in the use of pain relief by veterinary practitioners involved in small animal work, we would like to repeat this survey.
We have recently posted a survey to 4000 randomly selected practitioners working with small animals. The survey pertains to the use of analgesics in cats and dogs in the perioperative period and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. In order to allow meaningful comparison of the data collected 18 years...]]>
THE AHVLA's Veterinary and Technical Services Strategy, which was published last week,
The strategy sets out to describe ‘the essential functions required of the AHVLA looking ahead five to 10 years, to understand what might change and what may be constant’. It may well be that, as the document points out, ‘this timescale transcends political changes and immediate pressures on...]]>
THE RCVS is drawing veterinary practices' attention to recently published advice about activities that require licensing by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA).
The guidance has been produced by the GLA, and the RCVS says it has worked with the authority to ensure that it includes realistic examples of activities that do and do not require GLA licensing and to ensure that the list of examples does not restrict veterinary surgeons from using paraprofessionals for appropriate tasks.
The guidance confirms that veterinary services that have to be provided by a qualified veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse fall outside the scope of the licensing. Also falling outside of the licensing requirements are activities that are carried out by other people (non-qualified staff) working under veterinary direction, as long as they are carried out as part of delivering a service to maintain or improve the health of livestock. However, if...]]>
THE illegal presence of residues of phenylbutazone (bute) in horsemeat is ‘of low concern for consumers’, according to a joint assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In a risk assessment published this week, they explain that this is because of the low likelihood of exposure and the overall low likelihood of toxic effects. However, they confirm that it is not possible to set safe levels for phenylbutazone in food products of animal origin, and say that its use in animals intended for the food chain should remain prohibited.
The EFSA and EMA were asked by the European Commission to assess the risks posed by the presence of phenylbutazone in horsemeat following the identification of beef products adulterated with horsemeat and the discovery of phenylbutazone in horse carcases illegally entering the food chain. In 1997, the EMA evaluated the drug...]]>
FORTY per cent of new puppy owners did no research before they acquired their new pet, according to the results of a recent survey. Most of these owners said they either thought they already knew enough or felt they did not need to do research, while some said they just did not have the time to look up or ask for information.
The survey of 2000 puppy owners was commissioned by Ceva Animal Health, to support its product Adaptil. Almost 90 per cent of the owners surveyed agreed that acquiring a new puppy was just like raising a child, and 59 per cent said they were not completely prepared for the experience – 55 per cent admitted that it was more stressful than they had previously anticipated. More than one-third of respondents said they felt as stressed, or more stressed, raising a puppy as they did raising...]]>
THE BVA has welcomed the publication of a draft Bill that could introduce a ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses in England from December 1, 2015.
The draft Wild Animals in Circuses Bill was published by Defra on April 16. In a supporting written ministerial statement, David Heath, the minister for agriculture and food, said that the Bill fulfilled the Government's commitment to publish draft legislation setting out a ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses during the current parliamentary session.
The Government has already introduced the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012 to help safeguard the welfare of wild animals still in travelling circuses in England. Once enacted, the legislation published this week will make it an offence for any circus operator to use a wild animal in a performance or an exhibition in a...]]>
THE Kennel Club has been accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to certify dog breeders belonging to its Assured Breeder Scheme. The club says it can now assess breeders against the requirements of its scheme and ensure that scheme members take all the necessary steps to breed quality, healthy puppies.
UKAS accreditation was recommended by Professor Sir Patrick Bateson following the Independent Inquiry into Dog Breeding in January 2010. He said that this would be an important step to give puppy buyers a clear indication of who they could trust as there was too much confusion in the puppy buying market and too many rogue breeders. The Kennel Club says that, since the report, the situation in the UK has got worse, with people taking advantage of the relaxation of pet travel laws in January 2012, which makes it easier for people to bring in...]]>
THE RCVS Disciplinary Committee has dismissed a case against a veterinary surgeon who was alleged to have been dishonest in claims made against insurance following a dog's veterinary treatment.
On April 11, at the end of a four-day hearing, the committee found Sheena Brimelow, who was formerly employed by the Kinver Veterinary Practice in Kinver, Stourbridge, not guilty of charges relating to seven insurance claims submitted between January 1, 2008 and October 1, 2009. The claims related to her parents' dog, which she had treated at her then employer's practice.
The RCVS reports that Ms Brimelow admitted that she had submitted invoices with her claims showing the retail prices for several items, when she had paid the practice only the cost prices. She said she had deleted records from the practice computer showing the retail prices so that the ingoings and outgoings in the practice finances were...]]>
VETERINARY practices across the UK are being asked to participate in a ‘Vet Cat Watch Day’ on May 8 to help gather information about feline diseases and injuries.
The day is being led by Jon Bowen, an animal behaviour consultant at the Royal Veterinary College, to help address a lack of data on these issues in cats. ‘There are more than 10 million pet cats in the UK,’ he said; ‘however, there is little information about the prevalence of injuries, disease, cat fights and road traffic accidents on a national scale.’
Vets are being asked to record the reason why every cat they see on May 8 has been presented to the practice; for example, for behavioural problems, injuries caused by another cat, skin disease, fractures, etc. At the end of the day, they are asked to upload their results anonymously to a short online survey
‘Should vets be Darwinian?’ asked Richard Dawkins, who delivered the annual BSAVA lecture on April 4, at the BSAVA's congress in Birmingham.
Professor Dawkins (right), a renowned evolutionary biologist, focused on how Darwinism and medicine could be brought together. ‘You can’t understand animals without thinking about their evolutionary history, especially the Darwinian process that has shaped their ancestors, and the same applies to the parasites, pathogens, microorganisms and cancers that plague them.’ He added that, because of this, ‘vets have even more reason [than medical doctors] to think in an evolutionary way.’
Discussing natural and artificial selection, he noted that the bacterial generation time scale was ‘very fast’ and that it was ‘no wonder that bacteria, so swiftly, are capable of developing resistance to antibiotics.’ He asked rather pointedly, ‘Shouldn’t we have foreseen that, when antibiotics were first introduced?’
He added that the pharmaceutical industry...]]>
‘CLINICAL governance is core to being a professional. It's all about giving good client care, but also about achieving good clinical outcomes.’
So said Bradley Viner, the RCVS treasurer, introducing an interactive session organised by the College during this year's BSAVA congress in Birmingham. Entitled ‘Untangling clinical governance’, the session was intended to help congress delegates understand why governance was important to veterinary practice, why it did not need to be too onerous, and what benefits it might bring.
Dr Viner explained that, in the RCVS Codes of Conduct for vets and veterinary nurses that were launched in 2012, there was a considerable degree of compulsion on individuals to incorporate clinical governance into their professional activities. However, because the Codes governed individual behaviour, responsibility for clinical governance was currently an individual one, not a business responsibility. That said, clinical governance already formed part of the Practice Standards...]]>
‘ASKING, validating, documenting, and referring or reporting.’
According to the Links Group, these are four steps a vet should take when dealing with a suspected case of animal abuse. They are included in a guidance document produced by the group to help vets and other practice staff recognise and deal with cases of animal abuse, particularly if domestic violence towards people is also suspected.
The Links Group is a multiagency organisation that was established to promote the welfare and safety of people and animals that are victims of domestic violence. At a session discussing the group's work during the BSAVA congress on April 6, its chairman, Freda Scott-Park, outlined some of the initiatives it had been promoting.
She drew attention to a pilot training day, to be held in Stirling on April 17, to help vets deal with the issue in practice. The intention was to run...]]>
A charity is seeking veterinary volunteers to participate in ‘Mission Rabies’, a project to vaccinate 50,000 dogs in India against rabies in just one month later this year. Dedicated veterinary teams will be sent to 10 rabies hotspots across India during September, with the vaccination project culminating on World Rabies Day on September 28.
Mission Rabies is being put together by Luke Gamble, chief executive of Worldwide Veterinary Service, who has witnessed the suffering of people and dogs in India as a result of the disease. The project was promoted during the BSAVA's congress in Birmingham, where delegates had the chance to board a high-tech, all-terrain, self-sufficient mobile veterinary hospital that will travel across India, visiting checkpoints and supporting training and essential veterinary outreach services to improve animal welfare.
Mission Rabies is supported by a number of other organisations, including Dogs Trust, Davies Veterinary Specialists, the WSAVA...]]>
Passive smoking is well documented in people, in particular in the case of children, but relatively little is known about the effects on pets. In a study funded by the Petsavers charity, Clare Knottenbelt, professor of small animal medicine and oncology at the University of Glasgow, has been looking at the effects on animals and, at a briefing held at the BSAVA's congress in Birmingham on April 5, she presented some of her findings.
In her study, Professor Knottenbelt took hair samples from three groups of dogs: those that lived in houses where people smoked; those that lived in non-smoking households; and those that lived in houses where people smoked but went outside to do so. Nicotine levels were measured from within the hair, providing an indication that the nicotine had entered the body.
As expected, she said, the levels of nicotine differed significantly between the first...]]>
PLANS for Europe-wide testing of meat for horse DNA and improvements to the horse passport system were outlined by Owen Paterson, the Secretary of State at Defra, during the 21st National Equine Forum (NEF), which was held in London on March 5. The event was attended by over 200 members of the equestrian community, including the NEF's president, HRH the Princess Royal, international equine vets, riders and trainers and equestrian trade business leaders.
Mr Paterson emphasised the importance of the equestrian industry to the economy, and its key role in rural life. ‘I believe that Defra's job is to create the right conditions for rural growth,’ he said. ‘We need to provide help when it is needed and get out of people's hair when it is not.’
He went on to address the topic of the substitution of beef with horsemeat, which, he said, had shaken consumer...]]>
Equine influenza in the UK
Equine infectious anaemia in the UK and mainland Europe
Results from the national equine health survey
Summary of surveillance testing, October to December 2012
IN THE past two decades there have been major changes in how farm animals are housed and managed. This is partly due to increased public awareness and interest in farm animal welfare and legislative changes. The most notable change in farm animal welfare legislation has been regarding housing for laying hens. In 1999, the EU banned the use of conventional battery cages by 2012 (Directive 1999/74/EC), resulting in a shift to alternative housing systems, such as furnished (enriched) cages, and loose-housing systems (eg, aviaries and free-range systems). Directive 1999/74/EC has been publicised as the ‘most important single piece of legislation to affect poultry keeping’ (Frölich and others 2012), having both economical and political effects (Pritchard 2012). Similar legislative changes are slowly occurring in other countries as well. For example, conventional battery cages will be phased out in some states in the USA within the next few years...]]>
The post-translationally modified amino acid 3-methylhistidine (3-MEH) is a component of the contractile proteins actin and myosin. The presence of 3-MEH in urine is associated with protein breakdown or nitrogen loss, as reported in laboratory rats (
Muscle wasting and weakness in humans...]]>
In the absence of sensitive, rapid and accurate diagnostic tests for the presence of parasites in individual sheep, introduced sheep are potential sources of multiple anthelmintic-resistant nematodes and psoroptic mange (sheep scab) mites, Psoroptes ovis (Sargison 2011, Burgess and others 2012). Current UK guidelines recommend treatment of all introduced sheep with an effective anthelmintic and, if there is a risk that they may harbour scab mites, additional treatment with an appropriate acaricide on arrival at the farm (Abbott and others 2012). The need for such quarantine treatments applies equally to all introduced animals, including purchased sheep and sheep returning from grazing areas away from the main farm (Sargison 2011).
A dual active formulation of derquantel (DQL) and abamectin (ABA) (STARTECT Dual Active Oral Solution for Sheep, Zoetis; DQL+ABA) was recently authorised in the UK and Ireland for the treatment of gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep including strains resistant...]]>
T. Kageyama, S. Fujisaki, E. Takashita, H. Xu, S. Yamada, Y. Uchida and others
AS of April 10, 2013, novel influenza A viruses of the H7N9 subgroup had infected 33 and killed another nine people in the Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces of China. This study aimed to carry out a biological evaluation of the genetic sequences of the avian influenza A (H7N9) viruses that caused the fatal human infections.
From the genetic analysis of the first four fatal cases, the researchers found that the novel influenza A (H7N9) viruses were likely to have acquired the haemagglutinin (HA) gene from an avian H7 virus of unknown neuraminidase (NA) subtype, the NA gene from an avian N9 unknown HA subtype, and the remaining viral segments from avian H9N2 viruses known to have been circulating in...]]>
President: Mr P. G. Harlech Jones
Past-President: Mr C. Padgett
President-Elect: Mr R. Hargreaves
7 Mansfield Street,
London W1G 9NQ
Telephone 020 7636 6541
Fax 020 7908 6349
e-mail: bvahq@bva.co.uk
The BVA officer team's activities in the week ending April 14 included the following: The president-elect attended a meeting of the RCVS Practice Standards Group. The officers attended a BVA Council meeting where topics discussed included microchipping dogs, vets scanning microchips, corporate practice, lay TB testing, and communicating the BVA's TB policy. The officers were briefed on the results of a member research project, focusing on the BVA's CPD provision. The president-elect attended a meeting organised by Dogs Trust to discuss guidelines on inspecting dog breeding establishments.
ON February 8, Robert Sharp Dugdale (formerly Robert Dugdill), BVSc, MRCVS, of 1112 Links Road, RD3, Napier, New Zealand. Mr Dugdale qualified from Liverpool in 1942.
Linda Dugdale writes: Robert Dugdale's career spanned nearly 50 years, after he qualified from Liverpool (as R. Dugdill) in 1942 and until he retired in Mutare, Zimbabwe, in 1991.
Bob spent four years in Burma with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, caring for mules and horses. After short spells in New Zealand and in the UK, he settled into government service in Rhodesia in 1957. He retired as Provincial Veterinary Officer for Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe, in 1982. He then continued work for a further nine years in private practice until retiring and moving to live in New Zealand in 1992.
He thrived on tropical medicine and large animal care, and he was involved in campaigns to control and eradicate foot-and-mouth disease,...]]>
THE RCVS will hold its first ‘Virtual Question Time’ on Wednesday, April 24, from 20.00 to 21.00. Veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and others associated with the veterinary profession are invited to discuss issues currently affecting the profession with the RCVS officers and VN Council members.
The meeting will be run as a free, live-audio webinar by the Webinar Vet. The RCVS President, Jacqui Molyneux, will open proceedings and introduce the panel, before answering questions from the participants. Questions are welcome on any issue. There is no set agenda but the College suggests that topics might range from its First Rate Regulator initiative, new vet schools, veterinary nurse training and clinical governance, to proposed changes to the Practice Standards Scheme and recent amendments to the Veterinary Surgeons Act.
All veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses are welcome to take part. The session will be recorded so that those who...]]>
A NEW disease in cattle, causing clinical signs including fever, reduced milk yield, inappetence and loss of body condition, was reported in the Netherlands and Germany in August 2011. From November 2011 onwards, there were reports of abortions and stillbirths associated with congenital abnormalities affecting mainly sheep but also cattle and goats. A novel virus, named Schmallenberg virus (SBV), was identified as the cause of both clinical presentations. SBV is an arthropod-borne orthobunyavirus of the Simbu serogroup.
On January 23, 2012, the presence of SBV infection was confirmed in Britain for the first time on four sheep farms in Norfolk, Suffolk and East Sussex (
AFTER a successful outcome in treating a case of suspected botulism in a horse, I was encouraged to write to Veterinary Record by the owner/yard manager about the ease of long-term rehydration by the frequent administration of fluids per rectum, especially in non-hospitalised cases, after they noted the paucity of references in the literature to rectal fluids in the treatment of botulism and grass sickness.
In many cases, such as impaction colic, constipation, grass sickness and now botulism, I have used, and left with the owner, a standard calf stomach tube with a two litre bag attached to introduce warmed tap water into the rectum.
The technique has some advantages over other methods of fluid administration in the field (Quizlet 2012) including quick, easy delivery through gravity, lack of expense, no requirement for specialist equipment, the sterility of fluids not being an issue, the giving of large...]]>
THE Animal Health and Industry Training Institute (AHITI) in Kabete, Kenya, was founded by Igor Mann in 1965 and, in the succeeding decades, has trained a great number of animal health and production staff in support of the country's veterinary services.
AHITI will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2015. This commemorative event is to be designated ‘AHITI 50’ and it is proposed that, as part of the celebrations, a history of the institute should be compiled.
Colleagues who worked in east Africa, before or after independence in the 1960s, or were involved in overseas development policy at that time, may well remember the energetic and charismatic Dr Mann. We are anxious to hear from such people and also to learn where relevant literature and correspondence about the establishment and evolution of AHITI might be found. In particular, we are seeking copies, or the likely holders of copies,...]]>
THE emergence of a new strain of avian influenza virus in China has reignited public interest in the disease while again raising concerns about the potential for a human pandemic. The new virus, influenza A(H7N9) seems to be unusual in that, although some H7 viruses (H7N2, H7N3 and H7N7) have occasionally been reported to infect humans, no human infections with the H7N9 subtype have been reported previously. Also, unlike other avian influenza strains, including highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1, which causes large-scale die offs in poultry flocks, it is hard to detect in poultry because it causes few signs of disease in birds.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported three cases of human infection with the virus on April 1. By April 9, 24 cases had been confirmed by laboratory testing; seven of those people had died. Of the remaining cases, 14 were considered serious and three...]]>
‘IT IS clear from the comments of various interested groups that there is no single understanding of what is meant by prophylactic use of medicines. RUMA believes the debate would benefit from some clarification by explaining the manner in which antibiotics are used responsibly in farm animals and moving away from potentially confusing and misleading terms such as prophylaxis and metaphylaxis, which imply different things to different people.’
So says the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) in a recently published position statement on the preventive use of antibiotics in farm animals. In the statement, RUMA, an alliance made up of a number of organisations in the UK with an interest in food safety, animal health and animal welfare, says it is aware of the debate on the preventive use of antibiotics and, in particular, the European Parliament's view that prophylactic use of antibiotics on...]]>
Farmers Weekly has launched a ‘Making sense of medicines’ campaign to help livestock farmers understand the latest thinking on the use of medicines. The six-week campaign, which is supported by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) and the National Office of Animal Health, aims to ‘ensure the industry continues to have access to the medicines that are fundamental to running productive, high health and welfare systems’.
Giving some background to its campaign, Farmers Weekly says that concern over resistance to antibiotics in livestock and people is driving change in how they can be used on farm. ‘To safeguard a healthy livestock industry, farmers must demonstrate they are using medicines responsibly or face losing key disease control measures for good,’ it says.
The campaign notes that global pressure on medicines use in animals and people means that the livestock industry is ‘under the spotlight’ and...]]>
VETERINARY students wanting to take part in this year's MSD Animal Health Connect and Equine Connect bursaries have until the end of May to submit their proposals.
The Connect bursaries are designed to provide financial assistance to enable veterinary students to carry out their own research project during the summer months. As with the 2012 scheme, two categories of award are available: the Connect Bursary, worth £1000, for research projects focusing on any species (one bursary will be awarded to a student from each of the seven UK veterinary schools), and the Equine Connect Bursary, also worth £1000, for equine-related projects (a single bursary to be awarded to one student, with applications invited from all UK veterinary schools).
Each successful applicant will receive £1000 towards their research project, plus the chance to win a share of an additional prize pot of £6000, with £3000 and the Connect...]]>
THE board of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) has recently adopted a paper setting out a number of recommendations to help maintain the efficacy of anthelmintics, including a recommendation that products for food-producing animals should only be available on veterinary prescription.
The paper recognises that anthelmintic resistance is a growing problem, especially in sheep, goats, cattle and horses, and in certain parts of Europe. It notes, however, that, compared to resistance to antimicrobials, the public health impact of anthelmintic resistance is more limited and hence attracts less public attention. It points out that, in some European member states, anthelmintics are available without a veterinary prescription; in some regions a veterinary prescription may be needed, but the products are still easily accessible.
The FVE makes five recommendations: All anthelmintic products for food- producing animals should be only available on veterinary prescription, so that their use is...]]>
The BVA President, Peter Harlech Jones, has asked BVA members to be alert to the needs of veterinary and farming colleagues who may be struggling with isolation and the harsh realities of the recent cold weather across the UK.
‘We have all seen the terrible news stories about the impact of the cold weather on farms, with large numbers of lost stock,’ he said. ‘It's important that we remember the people at the heart of those stories – the farmers and vets dealing with the consequences, both financially and emotionally. The relationship between a vet and his/her farming clients is so close – when the farm is struggling, the vet feels it too.’
He encouraged BVA members to keep details of veterinary and farming helplines close to hand, highlighting the Vet Helpline (telephone 07659 811 118) and Farm Community Network Helpline (telephone 0845 367 9990), and a...]]>
A DRAFT Bill to amend the Dangerous Dogs Act and extend the legislation to cover dog attacks on private property was published by Defra on April 9.
The Government announced plans to amend the legislation in February, when it also announced that all dogs will have to be microchipped from April 6, 2016 (VR, February 16, 2013, vol 172, pp 168, 170).
Among the measures outlined in the draft Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Bill is an extension of the law to include all private property, meaning that owners could be prosecuted if they fail to stop their dogs attacking someone on their own or someone else's private property. This, the Government says, will give protection to healthcare, postal and utility workers who visit private property in the course of their job. There will, however, be no protection for trespassers who are attacked by a householder's dog.
Other measures...]]>
PETS at Home, the UK retailer of pet food, pet-related products and accessories, has announced that it has acquired the joint venture veterinary business Vets4Pets. The company says it plans to integrate Vets4Pets' 93 stand-alone veterinary practices with its existing 116 in-store joint venture vet business, Companion Care.
Pets at Home says that the integration of Vets4Pets and Companion Care ‘will create a strong player in the small animal veterinary market’ and will allow it to grow a network of veterinary practice, both in its stores and in stand-alone locations.
‘The expansion of our veterinary business is a key element of our growth strategy for Pets at Home, providing additional services to our customers within our stores or close to our customers’ homes,' said Nick Wood, the company's chief executive. ‘The acquisition of Vets4Pets is an important step in the delivery of this strategy. Vets4Pets is highly...]]>
ADVERTISING could be considered a fair barometer of the prevailing economic climate, said Mike Walker, the chairman of the judging panel for the annual Veterinary Marketing Association (VMA) awards. As such, he said, he had approached the judging process for the awards for campaigns during 2012 wondering if the campaigns were likely to match the ‘pizazz’ of 2011.
In reality, the overall standard of entry had been slightly higher than last year, although the number of entries was static. He speculated that that was because marketing budgets were tighter, and possibly because some aspiring marketeers may have held back as the bar had been set so high.
Although entries may have been static, it was a record year for attendance at the annual awards ceremony, which was held at the Under Globe, London, on March 15. The winning products, their manufacturers and the agencies responsible for marketing...]]>
The intern will support the activities of Lord Trees, and, he explains, the internship is ultimately also intended to help extend the profession's engagement in some of the ‘big issues’ facing society: ‘I see this internship as, not only an aid to enable me to be more effective in Parliament, but also, and importantly, as a career development opportunity for a young vet or veterinary student. I hope that working for a time in Parliament, interacting with key veterinary and allied organisations and considering the big issues that concern society will, over time, inspire a cohort of our profession to aspire to positions of national and international influence. That can only be good for...]]>
VETERINARY surgeons are an ‘easy target’ in the debate on antimicrobial resistance and must, therefore, be seen to be acting responsibly on the use of antibiotics.
So said Mark Johnston, the outgoing president of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA), in his speech to the association's annual general meeting in Birmingham on April 7.
Noting that the Chief Medical Officer had recently stated that resistance to antimicrobials represented a ‘catastrophic’ threat (VR, March 16, 2013, vol 172, p 276), he suggested that this had serious implications for the veterinary profession. A number of proposals had already been put forward at a European level to restrict veterinary prescribing of antimicrobials, and he encouraged the profession to adopt guidelines on responsible antimicrobial use. If it failed to do so, he warned: ‘We will lose the right to sell or be heavily restricted on what we can prescribe and...]]>
Alexander Campbell (right), formerly head of the Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS), was awarded honorary associate membership of the BSAVA at the annual general meeting. Honorary associate membership of the association is awarded to non-veterinarians in recognition of outstanding contributions to the BSAVA, the veterinary profession, small animal medicine and research.
Mr Campbell began his career as a specialist in poisons information at the Poisons Unit at Guy's Hospital in London. Realising that veterinary toxicology data were scarce, he started to follow up veterinary inquiries to the unit and collate the data returned and to refine the advice provided using species and breed-specific data where possible. The VPIS was launched as a fee-paying service in 1992. It now publishes original research, contributes to university and CPD courses and collaborates with many animal welfare groups and charities.
Mr Campbell recently left the VPIS to pursue...]]>
THE education of clients and veterinary surgeons about genetics and inherited conditions; collaboration between all parties with an interest in the subject; and the generation and collection of sound data are all central to tackling the welfare problems caused by breeding for physical characteristics in companion animals.
These were the main messages to emerge from a press conference held on April 4 at the start of the annual BSAVA congress in Birmingham. A panel of veterinary surgeons and others involved in various ways with tackling inherited problems in dogs and cats faced questions from the media.
When asked what single change members of the panel would like to see to help improve the situation, there was general consensus that education was key – not just of clients, but of veterinary surgeons as well.
In terms of client education, reaching potential pet owners before they acquired an animal...]]>
Defra is hosting three question and answer sessions on Twitter to allow questions on bovine TB to be put to experts on the disease. The first session took place on April 9, when the Chief Veterinary Officer, Nigel Gibbens took questions about the history of the disease in England, its impact and the measures used to prevent its spread. The second session will take place on April 18 at 12.30, with Glyn Hewinson, chief scientist at the AHVLA, answering questions about vaccines for badgers and cattle, TB research and other measures to reduce the spread of TB among cattle. The final session will be held on April 24 at 13.00, when Ian Boyd, Defra's chief scientist, will consider the science behind the TB eradication strategy and the badger cull pilots. Each session will last one hour and will be hosted via the @DefraGovUK Twitter...]]>
THE Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) has appointed Peter Jeffries as its new chief executive.
Mr Jeffries (right), who graduated from Liverpool in 1980, took up his new role on April 2; he has been a member of the charity's board since it was formally created in 2006. GALVmed aims to make livestock vaccines, diagnostics and medicines accessible and affordable to keepers in developing countries who are reliant on their animals.
Mr Jeffries completed a MSc degree in fish disease at the University of Stirling and spent a number of years in dairy practice in England before moving to Zambia to establish and run an animal health manufacturing and distribution company. He has subsequently held management roles in regional marketing, global marketing, strategic marketing, global technical support and business development and has been based in Kenya, France and the USA.
Peter Wells,...]]>
A GROUP of undergraduates from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has travelled to Madagascar to spend a month conducting research into the prevalence and socioeconomic consequences of African swine fever virus (ASFV) in part of the country.
The current RVC Undergraduate Research Team (URT) is based in Ambatondrazaka in north-eastern Madagascar. Since the first URT expedition 50 years ago, different teams have travelled all over the world to undertake research to help communities that are dependent on animals. The RVC says that the URT is an example of the ‘one health’ initiative, taking an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to tackling problems affecting animal and human populations.
With pig farming being one of the most economically important forms of livestock production in Madagascar, ASFV can have significant socioeconomic consequences for the local community. Research into the transmission of the virus and methods of preventing it is critical for...]]>
Manganese deficiency identified in cows with a history of long bone deformities in calves
Paramphistomosis suspected as a cause of illthrift in beef youngstock
Mycoplasma bovis associated with mastitis and pneumonia in a dairy herd
Fatal verminous pneumonia in a goat herd
Respiratory syncytial virus suspected in pneumonic changes in a fattening lamb
Mulberry heart disease diagnosed in two-week-old suckling piglets
WRITING a science editorial regarding new aspects of equine grass sickness (EGS) is challenging at a time when we are eagerly awaiting results from vaccination trials and ongoing research, trying to identify the cause of EGS and factors involved in aetiopathogenesis.
Britain has remained the country most affected by this often fatal neurodegenerative disease, with EGS being one of the most important threats to equine health in some areas. To collate details of clinical cases in Great Britain, a nationwide surveillance scheme has been instituted (Wylie and others 2011). Similar to the Alert group for atypical myopathy, a European epidemiosurveillance network could be initiated for EGS, because the disease has also been reported in other countries, including Cyprus, Hungary and the Czech Republic (Protopapas and others 2012, Schwarz and others 2012; personal communication, B. Bezdekova). In north eastern Hungary, young horses (two to three years old) have...]]>
Environmental contamination by asbestos, obtained by mineral extraction for its use in buildings and industrial activity, still represents one of the health priorities of modern times (Bruno and others 2007). Asbestos-related risks and its implications in human disease, such as mesothelioma and similar conditions, are still controversial. In 2004, epidemiological studies revealed an unexpected high prevalence of pleural mesothelioma in human beings of Biancavilla village in Catania, a small town at the foot of Mount Etna (Biggeri and others 2004). This discovery provoked the public health authorities to investigate the environmental risk in the area. The source of the problem was identified as a local open-pit mine located near Monte Calvario, which had been used over the last century as a source of concrete-pozzolan sand for buildings in the town. Materials extracted from the quarry were incorporated into walls and frames of many old houses. Chemical studies...]]>
Foal immunodeficiency syndrome (FIS), a fatal autosomal recessive disease found in three breeds of horses, was first reported (in the Fell pony) in 1996, and it soon became apparent that significant numbers of syndrome foals were being born each year. In each FIS case, the foals are clinically normal at birth, but start to weaken at 2–8 weeks (Scholes and others 1998) as they develop profound anaemia (Dixon and others 2000) and do not have the ability to produce their own antibodies (Thomas and others 2005), due to the almost total lack of B lymphocytes in the circulation or tissues (Thomas and others 2003), but with apparently normal levels of functional T lymphocytes (Bell and others 2001). The outcome is persistent opportunistic infections with no effective treatment; euthanasia is the preferred option. FIS has also been reported in Fell ponies in The Netherlands (Butler and others 2006), Germany...]]>
E. M. Harrison, G. K. Patterson, M. T. G. Holden, J. Larsen, M. Stegger, A. R. Larsen and others
SEVERAL meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) lineages that carry a novel mecA homologue (mecC) have recently been described in livestock and humans. In Denmark, two independent human cases of mecC-MRSA infection were previously, but not exclusively, linked to a livestock reservoir on the patients' farms.
To determine if the patients were infected by the same bacterium and if the infection came from their own livestock, isolates from the patients and farm animals were investigated using whole genome sequencing.
Phylogenetic analysis across the entire core genome revealed that isolates from these cases formed two distinct, farm-specific clusters. The isolates from patient A and cow A differed only by five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), that is, single differences in the nucleotide sequence. For patient B, the two...]]>
THIS book is a very well-organised introduction to the discipline of veterinary dentistry and covers the basic information required to perform veterinary dentistry in general practice. The layout of each chapter is well thought out. There is a newly introduced outline at the beginning of each chapter, which provides the reader with an overview of the chapter content. The key terms to be used and the learning objectives to be achieved are also listed at the start of each chapter. This layout works well and gives the book an organised, easy-to-read structure that is conducive to learning. The worksheets at the end of each chapter then allow readers to assess their knowledge and retention of information.
The chapters are tightly written in a clear, concise style, with beautiful illustrations and well-structured clinical photographs that complement the text. In many instances in veterinary dentistry there...]]>
FOLLOWING the success of the excellent book, ‘A Victorian Veterinary Student's Diary’, the Granville Penn Press (an imprint of the Veterinary History Society) has released its second publication: ‘Twentieth Century Veterinary Lives’. Authored by Bruce Vivash Jones, a former president of the society, it is essentially a collection of veterinary biographies, enlivened by personal recollections. The overall aim is to place on record the achievements of prominent vets. Drawing on a range of obituary material and historical texts, it offers short accounts of the lives of 119 veterinary surgeons.
Deciding who is worthy of inclusion in such a volume is a problematic exercise. The author's declared principle of including only those who lived most of their lives in the 20th century is contravened on several occasions, with the inclusion of figures such as Sir Frederick Smith (1857-1929), Director General of the Army Veterinary Corps,...]]>
Edited by M. Christine Zink and Janet B. Van Dyke
484 pages, paperback, £62.99. Wiley-Blackwell. 2013.
ISBN 978 0 8138 1216 8
Simon J. Girling
376 pages, paperback, £39.99. Wiley-Blackwell. 2013.
ISBN 978 0 470 65917 5
President: Mr P. G. Harlech Jones
Past-President: Mr C. Padgett
President-Elect: Mr R. Hargreaves
7 Mansfield Street,
London W1G 9NQ
Telephone 020 7636 6541
Fax 020 7908 6349
e-mail: bvahq@bva.co.uk
The BVA officer team's activities in the week ending April 7 included the following: The president-elect attended a meeting with an alliance of animal welfare and other organisations to discuss Defra and Home Office proposals on dog control. The past-president and president-elect attended a meeting of the BVA Board. The President was a guest at BSAVA congress in Birmingham, where he attended the PetPlan Vet Awards and presented the award for best veterinary support staff. The president-elect also attended BSAVA congress. The President met with the Veterinary Defence Society to discuss and plan the programme for...]]>
IN tribute to Angus Macdonald Ewing Carmichael, BVMS, MRCVS (VR, March 30, 2013, vol 172, p 344), Richard Penny writes: Angus Carmichael was born on June 12, 1925 in what was then Northern Rhodesia. In 1926 his father became seriously ill, from what was diagnosed as complications of malaria contracted during service in the First World War, and his mother decided that the family should return to the UK. The journey home was a stressful one: a six-day trek through the jungle, four days by train to Cape Town and six weeks by sea to London. His father died when Angus was a year old and, as an only child, he was brought up in Scotland by his mother. He was schooled at Rutherglen Academy where he excelled at games, particularly football.
In 1941, the school doctor suspected Angus had a heart problem and advised early nights...]]>
Kendall On September 17, 2012, Heather Brownrigg Kendall, BVSc, BSc, MRCVS, of The Beechwood Surgery, 2 The Avenue, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent. Ms Kendall qualified from Liverpool in 2001.
Nurse On March 3, Ralph Gilmore Nurse, BVSc, MRCVS, of 3 Emperor Close, Heybridge, Maldon, Essex. Mr Nurse qualified from Bristol in 1963.
Rushton On March 31, Anne Kemp Angus Rushton (nee Seaman), BVMS, MRCVS, of Cherrydene, New Road, Windermere, Cumbria. Ms Rushton qualified from Glasgow in 1966.
Walsh On February 11, John Oliver Walsh, MVB, MRCVS, of The Elms, Townspark, Cahir, County Tipperary, Ireland. Mr Walsh qualified from Dublin in 1964.
]]>WE would like to report serological evidence of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) infection in a dairy herd in south-west Scotland in 2012.
The herd is managed as two separate groups: group P, consisting of 190 cows that had access to pasture grazing between May and September 2012; and group R, consisting of 60 cows that were housed throughout 2012 and were never at pasture. Both groups shared the same building from the end of September 2012, but were managed and milked separately.
As part of routine herd health surveillance, we tested bulk milk for antibodies against SBV on the two separate groups in December 2012. The sample from group P was positive for antibodies against SBV (97 per cent positivity, values >40 per cent considered positive) and the sample from group R was negative for antibodies (1 per cent positivity). Within the same month, we then blood sampled...]]>
AS contemporary recent graduates, we would like to offer an alternative to Ms Jeffery's recent letter (VR, March 30, 2013, vol 172, p 345) concerning the Viewpoint article ‘Don't forget the science’ (VR, March 16, 2013, vol 172, pp 293-294).
There is certainly a practical skills gap between what is taught at veterinary school and the expectations of clients and employers of newly qualified veterinary surgeons. This is clearly evidenced by the RCVS Survey 2010 (www.rcvs.org.uk/publications/rcvs-survey-of-the-professions-2010/), where only approximately 10 per cent of veterinary surgeons agreed or strongly agreed that ‘newly qualified vets have the necessary skills’. Whether this is due to unrealistic expectations or a deficiency in the veterinary training requires further investigation and we would call on the RCVS to explore and address this in more depth.
The role of extramural studies (EMS) in bridging the gap for recent graduates cannot be understated....]]>
THE BVA President in his address to the Association's annual dinner last month referred to a news story published in Veterinary Record about the EU Health Commissioner setting out a provisional timetable for the introduction of cattle vaccination against bovine TB (VR, February 2, 2013, vol 172, p 113), and asked ‘Can we afford to sit around until then [2023] and do nothing?’
Anyone who took the trouble to read the well-laid out and informative letter from the Commissioner and who still believes that vaccination of cattle is a realistic, indeed desirable, strategy for the control of bovine TB in the UK cannot be living in the real world. Furthermore, even in the unlikely event of an effective cattle vaccine becoming available, it will do nothing to address the huge burden of infection that exists in large parts of the badger population. We have already expressed similar...]]>
AS the treatment of cancer in our patients improves and becomes more widely accepted, indeed expected, by our clients, we are increasingly obliged to consider the measures that impact on our patients' quality of life, the ‘raison d’être' of our profession, including the management of pain. As part of a Masters degree in clinical oncology at the University of Birmingham, I am researching into our profession's attitudes to the management and control of chronic cancer pain in dogs.
In human oncology, pain is a common and feared symptom of cancer (van den Beuken-van Everdingen and others 2007) and is undertreated and underappreciated (Davis and Walsh 2004, Deandrea and others 2008), causing much unnecessary suffering. Among the many reasons for this are under-reporting of pain, fear and misconceptions of drug use by caregivers and patients, poor clinician/client communication, and a lack of knowledge and understanding among clinicians (Portenoy...]]>