Pfizer, manufacturer of the wormer StrongidTM-P has launched a new promotional campaign. Love your horse is based on simple, straightforward and unbiased educational messages to help ensure the optimum health and wellbeing of horses and ponies in the UK.
Pfizer's veterinary adviser Ben Gaskell said: "Simplistically, the three key tools for the horse owner to understand are diagnostics, worming and pasture management. If these tools are used in combination with specialist advice, then the horse owner will be able to provide a sustainable, reliable and cost-effective worm control strategy for their horse."
At the core of the campaign is a new range of four highly informative and uncomplicated leaflets directed at every type of horse owner: Do you need to worm; Choosing and using the right wormer; Managing your pasture and Worming and Your new horse.
"Each leaflet has been designed to work as a stand-alone piece or can be presented as a smart, matching series of four," says Helen Shirley, brand manager for StrongidTM-P. "The leaflets can be displayed in-store in a distinctive counter-top leaflet dispenser and are supported by eye-catching point of sale materials including posters and balloons."
The new campaign packs will be rolled out to all stockists from early June, supported by a dramatic new Love your horse advertisement in national equestrian trade and consumer titles.
The campaign will build up momentum over the summer months and into autumn's double dosing time with a series of authoritative, no-nonsense features and news stories from StrongidTM-P's veterinary advisor Ben Gaskell.
For further information please email: Strongid-P@pfizer.com
A group of 36 newly-qualified veterinary nurses visited the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on Friday 13 June for two admissions ceremonies.
Veterinary Nurses Council Vice-Chairman, Elizabeth Branscombe, began the ceremonies by welcoming guests to both Belgravia House and the start of the VNs' professional careers. She emphasised that the title of Veterinary Nurse is one to be proud of, and spoke about the exciting times ahead for the profession.
‘Having successfully completed your portfolio and exams you are now eligible to enter the Veterinary Nurses Register and follow the Guide to Professional Conduct. It is a satisfying and challenging career which can lead onto many other opportunities, such as practice management or teaching future veterinary nurses.'
Family, friends and colleagues were present to see the new VNs receive their certificates and badges from RCVS President, Dr Bob Moore, who congratulated them on their achievements, and also recognised the support they had received from those around them.
‘Congratulations to each and every one of you in reaching the first stage of your career. Now is the time to thank your colleagues, family and friends for helping you get to where you are today. Their support is crucial for your success, now and in the future. Today is for celebrating; enjoy what you have achieved,' he said.
The VNs and their guests then enjoyed a drinks reception with the President.
Petplan has expanded its partnership business and is now offering 6 weeks free insurance vouchers to pet owners who have their animals microchipped with Bayer's Tracer.
Simon Wheeler, Head of Marketing at Petplan said: "We are delighted to be working with Tracer. Through this partnership, we hope that more pet owners will realise the importance of taking out insurance and microchipping their pets. Vets could also benefit from this partnership, as owners who insure their pets are far more willing to consult their vets and do so more frequently, meaning a more regular income stream from insured clients."
The insurance voucher will insure dogs, cats and rabbits for vet fees covering illness or injury (up to £2000), advertising and reward (up to £250) and boarding fees (up to £250) in the event of the owner being hospitalised.
Donna Cable, Assistant Product Manager at Bayer HealthCare said: "This is an exciting new development which allows us to highlight the importance of pet insurance in conjunction with microchipping for all pets. Our relationship with Petplan is an example of how two market leaders in the veterinary industry are working together to promote responsible pet ownership."
The new agreement will give pet owners piece of mind. In the unfortunate event of their pet going missing, Tracer could locate their pet and Petplan would pay to advertise the missing animal and offer a reward.
For more information about Petplan, please visit http://www.petplan.co.uk/ or call Petplan Vetline on 0800 316 8800 to become a registered Petplan practice.
Alfaxan®, Vetoquinol's injectable general anaesthetic, is one year old this month. To celebrate the occasion, and the product's use by 860 UK practices in over 80,000 procedures so far, Vetoquinol is offering a free Alfaxan party bag.
The party bag includes an Alfaxan anaesthesia monitoring chart and an Alfaxan vet brochure with dosage chart and timer. In addition, everyone who claims a party bag will be entered into a lucky dip. Ten winners will be chosen at random to receive an oesophageal stethoscope kit, containing one normal stethoscope, with a removable head, and three Portex oesophageal stethoscope probes (small, medium and large) for monitoring patient's heart and respiratory rate.
To claim your party bag, call the dedicated Alfaxan technical support line on 0800 345 7560 or email: MyAlfaxanPartyBag@vetoquinol.co.uk.
Vetoquinol also reports a very positive response to Alfaxan from the profession during its first year.
Simon Boulton, one of Vetoquinol's Veterinary Advisors, has been conducting wet labs across the country for the company. He said: "Vets have used the wet lab service to get me along to anaesthetize patients for the day using Alfaxan. I have had a great deal of positive feedback and the product is becoming more and more widely used. Extremely smooth and reliable inductions, followed by good cardiovascular and respiratory stability were the most noticeable features of Alfaxan anaesthesia, liked by both the vets anaesthetizing the patients and the nurses who monitor them."
The National Office of Animal Health has launched http://www.pethealthinfo.org.uk/, a new website that bills itself as: "A 'one stop shop' featuring a wealth of animal health information and advice to help owners and potential owners to make decisions about their pets' healthcare."
I must say, full marks to NOAH and the web designers 9xb for a really polished website that presents information in a very easy-to-navigate format. First class job.
In general, the site content seems very good too. There's help for owners deciding what pet to buy, health guides for various common conditions for each species, first aid advice, and much more.
Personally, I think it would have been a nice tweak to offer something a tad more interactive in the section about picking a pet - something that actually made suggestions depending on your answers to the questions the site poses.
I also wonder how useful the Vet FAQs are likely to be. There are so many possible questions a pet owner might have, that a slightly random list seems to me to be of limited use.
But these are small points in the grand scheme of things. Overall, an excellent production, and one you may want to link your practice website to.
Britain's £4bn a year equestrian industry must be prepared for exotic diseases to hit the naïve population - but does not need to panic. This was the message delivered to 200 delegates at last week's Emerging Exotic Diseases seminar in Newmarket, hosted by The Thoroughbred Breeders Association and The Horse Trust.
The seminar focused on two particular diseases: African horse sickness (AHS) - described as "the most devastating horse disease on the planet" and West Nile virus (WNV) which has been found to be transmissible to humans.
African horse sickness is endemic in South Africa, where devastating but sporadic outbreaks - now becoming more frequent - have been linked to movement of zebra between the increasing numbers of game parks. Professor Alan Guthrie highlighted the clinical signs of the disease and the ways in which South Africa undertakes treatment and control.
But he warned: "There is no specific treatment for AHS. Affected animals should be provided with supportive therapy, nursed and rested as the slightest exertion may result in death. Animals that survive should be rested for at least four weeks following recovery before being returned to light work. They should also be carefully monitored for complications such as piroplasmosis."
West Nile Virus appeared in the USA in 1999, spread rapidly through equines in all 48 mainland states and peaked in 2002 with some 15,000 cases, said Dr Josie Traub Dargetz of Colorado State University USA.
"Since then, although endemic, the number of annually diagnosed cases has fallen, probably due to naturally acquired immunity, preventive management, and frequent use of WNV vaccination," she said.
"Management and control measures in the U.S.A. include the use of mosquito control through source reduction by larviciding and adulticiding, repellents (topical pyrethroids), and vector- resistant housing."
Tolerance of WNV is more obvious in South Africa. "Epidemics of neurological disease caused by WNV and which were characterized by ataxia, weakness, recumbency, muscle fasciculation and high case-fatality rates have recently been reported amongst horses in North America, North Africa, Asia and Europe. In contrast, WNV infection is endemic in South Africa but neurological disease has only very rarely been observed in horses infected with WNV in the country," Prof Guthrie added.
WNV is already controlled in the US by vaccination but, while a range of vaccines for AHS is available in South Africa, these have not been found suitable for use in Europe. Dr Jules Minke of Merial France explained: "Notwithstanding the evident success of the polyvalent modified live vaccines against AHS in endemic areas, there are concerns about their use in epidemic situations because of their inherent biological safety risks." Work is, however, under way to develop a vaccine which would be acceptable.
In the UK, Defra is charged with implementing control procedures should either disease be diagnosed. Matthew Hartley, Deputy Head of Exotic Notifiable Diseases, told the conference: "Defra is participating in an equine-industry-led working group to develop a UK African Horse Sickness Strategy. The strategy takes forward current European legislation and describes how it would be implemented in partnership should African Horse Sickness arrive in the UK. This is currently in the drafting phases and will be available for consultation later this year.
A survey of qualified veterinary nurses conducted by vetnurse.co.uk on behalf of Molar Ltd, makers of PlaqueOff Animal, has found a significant number of veterinary practices are not routinely offering dental checks and advice to their clients.
According to Molar, it is generally accepted that without proper dental care around 70-80% of pet dogs and cats will have some sort of dental disorder by the age of three and certainly by the age of six.
452 qualified veterinary nurses who worked in practices employing an average 5 veterinary surgeons and 6 VNs took part in the survey.
According to the survey, over 67% of practices do not have a dental nurse and only 36% of VNs have ever attended a dental training course.
More than 76% of veterinary nurses thought it highly important for owners to practice good regular oral hygiene on their pets. However, less than 0.2% of practices are carrying out dentals 20 or more times a week, 53% perform 5 to 10 dentals a week and 34% less than 5 a week.
Over 66% of dental checks are carried out by a veterinary surgeon and over 90% of practices do not carry out an x-ray as part of a dental check-up.
The majority of practices were charging £100-150 for a basic scale and polish without x-rays for a medium-sized dog and £50-100 for a cat (including VAT).
Following a dental check-up on a pet, less than 0.3% offered a free dental check-up in six months or ‘money-off next purchase' incentive, but 82% provided product leaflets, over 60% dental hygiene foods or product samples and 55% a practice-designed dental info sheet in a post-dental pack for the client. And 60% of practices routinely contacted clients for regular dental check-up reminders.
John Leonard of Molar Ltd said: "These results indicate that there is a lot of scope for practices to promote dental care as a preventative measure against possible oral and general health problems later in a pet's life with the added bonuses of client relationship-building and increased business opportunities".
Genitrix has introduced special envelopes for its Xeno 450 and Xeno 50-Mini spot on parasite control ranges.
The envelopes, provided in packs of 30, enable practices to dispense lesser numbers of pipettes than are in the complete boxes to pet owners with animals of low bodyweight with their own set of dispensing instructions.
Xeno 450 and Xeno 50-Mini are Ivermectin-based treatments. Xeno 450, launched in 2006, is indicated for rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets while Xeno 50-Mini, launched in 2007, is suitable for rats, mice, other rodents and birds, as well as rabbits and guinea pigs under 800g in bodyweight.
The dispensing envelopes have been produced following feedback from practices that they frequently had to supply just one or two pipettes from a box for animals of a low bodyweight but then needed additional sets of dispensing instructions to give to clients.
A free pack of dispensing envelopes is available by calling the Genitrix Helpline number 01403 786345 or contacting your wholesaler.
The European Commission has published an amendment to Regulation concerning the transitional period under which the UK keeps it's requirements for blood testing, a six month wating period, tick and tapeworm treatment.
The amendment extends the transition period to the 30th June 2010, which means that the current rules applying to pets entering the UK will remain in place until 1st July 2010.
Hill's Pet Nutrition is once again seeking high achievers who have made the most of their VHA (Veterinary Healthcare Adviser) qualification.
Colleagues in practice are being asked to nominate VHAs who qualified in 2007 for VHA of the Year. VHAs can also nominate themselves, or be nominated by their Hill's Territory Manager.
Nominees are asked to prepare a submission which can include written evidence, photographs and testimonials from clients or colleagues to demonstrate how the VHA has made a difference to their practice.
The winner of VHA of the Year will receive an award and £1000 of holiday vouchers at a special gala dinner held during BVNA congress, to which all VHAs are invited. On the evening, prizes for the Top Exam Marks from 2007 and runner up for VHA of the Year will also be awarded.
Last year's winner was Jane Bartlett of the Orwell Veterinary Group, who developed new tools to support her nurse clinics, including a client lifestyle questionnaire that helped her formulate tailored advice for the client allowed them to better manage the needs of their overweight pets.
Speaking on behalf of Hill's, Libby Sheridan, Veterinary Affairs Manager described Jane as being a great example of what a motivated VN can achieve in practice.
Submissions for VHA of the Year need to be received by the end of August 2008 and should be sent to Libby Sheridan at Hill's Pet Nutrition, Building 5, Croxley Green Business Park, Hatters Lane, Watford, WD18 8YL.
Nurses who have a thirst for CPD can find out about all of Hill's upcoming courses by registering for Hill's Veterinary Nutrition Academy on-line at www.myhillspet.com/vna.
Enrolment onto the Academy is free and there are also 100 reward points for registering which can be redeemed in the VNA Shop.
Nurses now have their own dedicated online CPD service. Keysteps Online for Veterinary Nurses was launched by CPD Solutions on the 7th July.
Vets have had access to their version of the programme, for the past four years, which enables them to complete their CPD hours at a time and place of their choosing.
The new site has been developed in response to demand for high quality, easily accessible CPD that is specifically designed for veterinary nurses working with small animals.
‘Nurses have been looking at the vets' version of Keysteps Online and asking us for their own programme' said Susie Coughlan, Managing Director of CPD Solutions. ‘They want the complete flexibility that the site offers, together with tuition on essential nursing topics in video form. Now we've made it available for all veterinary nurses, and Keysteps Online will provide sufficient material for nurses to complete their required 15 hours of CPD each year.'
Keysteps Online provides video programmes by expert speakers in a range of essential subject areas, and combines these with self assessment quizzes to test the viewer's understanding. Additional downloadable and online resources provide support for each topic. New programmes are added on a regular basis, and build into a library of valuable resources that can be accessed at any time by subscribers.
Other features of the new service for nurses include their personal secure CPD diary that automatically logs CPD completed and the option to learn in small or large chunks of time from any convenient location.
For a free 14 day trial nurses can visit http://www.keysteps.net/
Animal Friends Insurance (AFI), a not-for-profit pet insurance business, has a High Court injunction which paves the way for its customers to make a smooth transition from the company's previous underwriters, Equine and Livestock Insurance Company (E&L), to Red Sands Insurance Company (Europe) Limited.
Equine and Livestock terminated their underwriting agreement with AFI in February 2008, citing unprofitablility of the book for them as the reason.
Negotiations over the transfer of the book to Red Sands Insurance Company (Europe) Limited foundered when E&L demanded £750,000 from AFI for the transfer and for their agreement not to solicit AFI customers.
Following legal advice AFI wrote to its customers offering to renew policies with Red Sands. This spawned letters to AFI customers from E&L which caused great confusion amongst customers as to what was happening with their insurance. The letters also offered first a 10% then a 20% discount to tempt AFI customers to renew with E&L and not to stay with AFI.
AFI therefore applied for an emergency injunction to prevent E&L making further contact with AFI customers (except in agreed situations, notably claims), to stop the escalating confusion and also to require them to acknowledge renewals advised to them by AFI into Red Sands and not to take further payments on those insurances. The application was successful.
Elaine Fairfax, Managing Director and Founder of AFI said: "I am delighted at the Court ruling. It has resolved the terrible confusion that followed E&L's letters to our customers. Unfortunately we know that some customers said they would renew with E&L thinking they were staying with us! Now we can simply renew our customers' policies with our new underwriters as we had originally intended to do at no inconvenience to them as they need do nothing if they want to stay with Animal Friends. They will enjoy exactly the same policy terms and premiums as before and our underwriters will even take on existing ongoing conditions where a policyholder has lifetime cover."
She added: "Although this has been a horrible experience we are delighted to have new underwriters as they have given us authority to handle everything in-house. For vets this means that Animal Friends will now be handling claims at our Wiltshire H.Q. We have a bespoke pet claims software systems and veterinary nurse staff to give the best possible service. We have the facility to pay claims swiftly direct into a customer's bank account or direct to a vet. It is also exciting that we shall be able to draw on Hollard's* international pet insurance experience to introduce some unique new products and ideas into the UK pet insurance market in the near future."
The RSPCA has launched a campaign to try and help stamp out puppy trafficking. As part of the campaign, the charity has released the results of a survey of vets (June 2008) which shows that:
A separate survey found that nearly a third of 16-24 year olds are contemplating buying a puppy, and that half would consider buying from a pet shop.
The RSPCA said it believes it's high time that people planning on buying a puppy know the risks they face if they don't do their research and get one from either a rescue centre or a responsible breeder.
CEVA Animal Health, makers of the natural pheromonatherapy product D.A.P.® - Dog Appeasing Pheromone, is supporting National Dog Adoption Month in August and has produced a ‘how to get involved' pack for veterinary practices.
During the month, rescue centres throughout the country are hosting open days to raise awareness of the benefits of re-homing rescue dogs and provide people who are looking to re-home a pet with the opportunity to meet the dogs up for adoption.
Featuring details on how to join forces with participating rescue centres, including information on giving talks at the events, CEVA's pack is available to download from the National Dog Adoption Month website - http://www.dogadoptionmonth.co.uk/.
For more information on National Dog Adoption Month or on how to get involved, please visit http://www.dogadoptionmonth.co.uk/ or phone CEVA Animal Health on 01494 781510.
The story of ‘Spliff' the Staffy has clinched the title of the National Office of Animal Health nationwide search for the most striking ‘it shouldn't happen to a pet' anecdote.
Submitted by Vets4Pets in Grimsby, the practice will receive a prize of £500 towards the staff Christmas party.
In a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of animal health and welfare considerations amongst pet owners and potential owners, NOAH has recently launched the new Pet Health Information website (http://www.pethealthinfo.org.uk/) to enable them to make informed decisions about their pet's healthcare.
In Spliff's case, the website could have helped solve a number of queries.
For Spliff it all started with a visit to the vet for a minor operation to cure a simple earache.
The problems started as Spliff was about to leave the practice, with a shiny new bucket collar.
However, his owner explained that Spliff is a bit of a snappy dresser, and if it isn't bling, he's not interested. Despite the practice's advice, he insisted the collar was removed so he could take Spliff home to recover.
The very next day, the phone started ringing ‘Spliff's scratching his ear - we need a collar.' Far too busy to bring him round, the owner sent his girlfriend to pick it up.
Problem solved - surely? Nope. The phone continued to ring. Spliff was ‘going nuts!' Apparently the dog was unable to walk, and was getting very distressed.
Finally, after nearly 24 hours of increasingly frantic calls, Spliff's owner brought him in. He arrived insisting that the vet came out to the car, as Spliff still couldn't walk. Not a common side effect of a minor operation on the ear, so it was a worry.
All became very clear when the vet reached the car, the ear was healing up nicely, and Spliff's paralysis was easily solved. They had put his bucket collar on the wrong way round, and every time he took a step - his front feet got trapped in the collar.
Rather than collapse in a heap, Spliff, in one of the first sensible decisions of his life, chose not to move at all. Mystery duly solved, Spliff went on to make a full recovery.
Sounds like the owner should probably smoke a bit less of it.
Fort Dodge has unveiled an initiative to help practices improve peri-operative care and the management of hospitalised cases with the launch of its Early Warning Scoring System (EWSS) kit.
The kit contains cat and dog anaesthesia and observation charts for the effective monitoring of cats and dogs during operations, post-operatively and for hospitalised medical cases.
EWSS observation charts are widely used in the NHS but this is believed to be the first time that such a system has been developed specifically for use in veterinary practices. They have been designed by Mike Davies BVetMed CertVR CertSAO FRCVS, Technical Services Manager at Fort Dodge, and are intended to help veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons identify patients whose condition is deteriorating before they reach a critical state.
Mike Davies speaks around the country on preventive medicine and geriatrics and his experience of working closely with practices is that many do not have good protocols in place for nurse monitoring of patients. The EWSS grades parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and CNS response and the charts incorporate areas in which the practice can record pain using a visual analogue scale or a numeric scoring system.
The company has also launched Dorbene vet, a new product providing fast-acting sedation and analgesia for dogs and cats. Its active ingredient is the trusted and well proven alpha-2 agonist medetomidine hydrochloride, which affects the nervous system by inhibiting noradrenaline mediated neurotransmission. A dosing guide for Dorbene vet is also included in the EWSS.
The launch of Dorbene vet complements Fort Dodge's existing companion animal products, analgesic Torbugesic and dissociative anaesthetic Ketaset. Used alone it offers dose-related sedation within 10-15 minutes, which is rapidly reversible using the alpha-2 antagonist atipamezole for predictable recovery. It is presented in 10 ml and 50 ml multi dose vials in amber coloured glass which protects the product from light.
For further information on the EWSS or Dorbene vet, contact Fort Dodge on 01489 781711.
Three new learning aids launched by BVA: Practical Animal Handling - Online Tutorial The BVA AWF have launched an online tutorial on practical animal handling which has been prepared in conjunction with Newcastle University. The tutorial is primarily aimed at veterinary students and nurses. It features videos of expert veterinary staff demonstrating the correct procedures for handling small animals for clinical examination and medication and its aim is to show that the primary consideration should be for the welfare of the animal. To access the online tutorial visit http://www.bva-awf.org.uk/resources/tutorials/. Disbudding of Kid Goats The Goat Veterinary Society (GVS) has produced a DVD designed to help veterinary surgeons to disbud goats. Produced in association with the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation the DVD is in memory of the late Mike Teale MRCVS, following a donation from his family. The DVD discusses the potential problems associated with disbudding kid goats and provides guidance on how to avoid them. It shows the best technique for disbudding from start to finish and discusses anatomical considerations, methods of anaesthesia and analgesia and disbudding, with particular attention drawn to the regulatory aspects as they currently apply in the UK. For further information on the GVS DVD, including obtaining a copy, at a cost of £10, please visit http://www.bva-awf.org.uk/headlines/news/Disbudding_of_kid_goats_DVD__2_.pdf. Bat Care Guidelines - a Guide to Bat Care for Rehabilitators The Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) has produced Bat Care Guidelines, in association with the BVA AWF, RSPCA and RCVS Trust, aimed at veterinary professionals, wildlife hospitals and new rehabilitators. The document is split into basic sections including 'health and safety', 'rescue and collection' and 'ailments and treatments' which aim to provide minimum guidelines for bat care. The new initiative is part of an ongoing partnership focusing on the rehabilitation of wild bats in the UK. Visit http://www.bva-awf.org.uk/grants/projects/BCT_workshop_article_08.pdf for further information.
The latest addition to the Tracer® Advance microchip practice support package is a free story book, designed specifically to entertain and educate children in the waiting room, but also to serve as a timely reminder to pet owners of the need to have their pets chipped.
Despite the improved awareness of the benefits of microchipping and year-on-year increases in the numbers of pets being chipped, around 70% of cats and dogs remain unchipped.Practices can order copies of Lily and the Magic Microchip from their Bayer Animal Health representative.
Additional sales support material with an educational theme will be made available later in the year, particularly as the annual fireworks campaign approaches. Tracer Advance is the only polymer microchip available in the UK and is only available through veterinary practices.
Hill's Pet Nutrition is offering a 100 per cent money-back guarantee that new Hill's Prescription DietTM Canine r/dTM will help overweight and obese dogs to lose weight in just 8 weeks while still maintaining lean muscle mass.
Libby Sheridan, Veterinary Affairs Manager at Hill's Pet Nutrition said: "We understand that there is a considerable amount of effort required from owners to help their pet lose weight. Along with the additional cost this can make it difficult to convince them to buy in to a prescription weight loss diet.
In order to give vets and pet owners confidence, Hill's is offering a 100 per cent money-back guarantee to pet owners if they don't see any weight loss in just eight weeks."
New r/d, available in 1.5kg, 4kg and 12kg bags, helps with the nutritional management of overweight or obese dogs. According to Hill's, palatability has increased with 9 out of 10 dogs preferring new r/d and its high fibre formula also provides dietary bulk to aid satiety and avoid hunger. New r/d also has high levels of L-carnitine to help burn fat while maintaining lean muscle mass.
Hill's has developed a range of support measures and practice display materials to help raise awareness of obesity and encourage pet owners to try new r/d.
For further information please contact your Hill's Territory Manager or call 0800 282438.
Myerscough College held their presentation of awards ceremonies over two days on Thursday 10th July and Friday 11th July.
The ceremonies see many students presented with outstanding achievement awards, rewarding their efforts over the duration of the course. This year saw eleven veterinary nursing students given awards as the top students on their courses:
Kylie Jones, from Dukinfield, Stockport, won the Myerscough Animal Academy Award for the ABC Animal Nursing Assistant Certificate.
Emily Buchanan, from Palace Green, London, won the Myerscough College Award for the RCVS Level 2 Veterinary Nursing Block Release.
Heather Crewdson, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, won the Vet Net LLLN Top Student Award for the RCVS Level 2 Veterinary Nursing Day Release September intake.
Nicola Severs, from Bury, won the Myerscough Animal Academy Award for the RCVS Level 2 Veterinary Nursing Day Release January Intake.
Michael Treagust, from Solihull, Birmingham, won the Hutton Award for the RCVS Level 3 Veterinary Nursing Block Release.
Clare Redmond, from Chorley, Preston, won the Vet Net LLLN Top Student Award for the RCVS Level 3 Veterinary Nursing Day Release September Intake.
Kate Abel, from Scarisbrick, Ormskirk won the Hills Pet Nutrition Award for the RCVS Level 3 Veterinary Nursing Day Release January Intake.
Sarah Forster, from Winsford, Cheshire, won the Little Fencefoot Farm Top Student Award for the RCVS Level 2 Equine Veterinary Nursing Course.
Heather Hope, from Penrith, Cumbria, won the Little Fencefoot Farm Top Student Award for the RCVS Level 3 Equine Veterinary Nursing Course.
Danielle Penrose, from Hartlepool, won the Robert Allan Memorial Top Student Award for BSc (Hons) Veterinary Nursing.
Nicola Casement, from Leigh, Lancashire, won both the Lynwood School of Veterinary Nursing Award and JAK Marketing Top Student Award for BSc (Hons) Clinical Veterinary Nursing. The awards recognise the exceptional dedication and commitment that they have put into their studies.
Heather Crewdson and Sarah Forster will now both progress on to RCVS Level 3 courses at Myerscough. Kylie Jones, Clare Redmond, Kate Abel and Danielle Penrose will look for employment in the Veterinary Nursing Industry. Nicola Casement will remain as Head Veterinary Nurse at Bridgewater Court Veterinary Clinic in Walkden near Manchester.
The RSPCA has released the latest figures showing the extent of cruelty to animals in the UK.
In 2007, they show a:
"These animals are the helpless victims of our affluent, throwaway society," says Tim Wass, Chief Officer of the RSPCA Inspectorate. "They're bought on a whim and discarded when the novelty wears off. Today's must-have item quickly turns into tomorrow's cast-off.
"Worse still," added Tim, "some animals are violently abused because they don't meet their owners' unrealistic expectations: like the cat kicked to death for having muddy paws or the dog strangled with its lead for misbehaving."
But the year RSPCA reports that there has been good news too, with the success of the new Animal Welfare Act already starting to take effect. The new Act - which came into force during 2007 - has made it possible to take action sooner than ever before in situations where there are animal welfare concerns.
The Act is already producing powerful results in its first twelve months. Where animal welfare concerns have prompted the RSPCA to give advice to an animal owner, that advice was followed and the problems resolved 92% of the time, meaning that no further action was necessary.
Tim said: "Even in these early days, the benefits of the new law are clear. Without the new Act, this year's cruelty figures could have been even more horrific."
He added: "Dogs have always borne the brunt of cruelty - from violent outbursts to extreme neglect. But that's what makes this year's horrendous 34% increase even more shocking: it's a massive increase on an already high figure."
It was hoped that last year's leap in convictions for cruelty to horses was an anomaly. But this year's figures show that the higher numbers have been maintained - they increased by 33% between 2005 and 2006 - and then increased by a further 13% to 119 in 2007.
The rise in banning orders is a big improvement on the previous year, which had actually recorded a fall. The new Animal Welfare Act obliges courts to explain their reasons if they don't impose a ban and this may have contributed to the increase. The new requirement seems to have focussed attention on preventative action which can prevent suffering and save lives.
Tim said: "The main reason we take people to court is to prevent cruelty being repeated. It's very reassuring to see the courts taking this seriously by issuing more and more banning orders, which prevent those convicted of cruelty from keeping animals in future."
IDEXX Laboratories is offering VetNurse members a chance to go to the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials on Thursday 11th September 2008.
Your day will comprise a full one day entry ticket for one person from your practice, including a course walk with Major Richard Waygood, Riding Master of the Household Cavalry, in the morning. Your day is sponsored by IDEXX Laboratories who will also host your course walk.
Entry is simple, you need to just answer the question below and the first 40 correct answers will receive a day's pass to the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials!
IDEXX Laboratories supports veterinary practices by offering a selection of programmes that help you with best medicine practice for your pet owners. A unique programme to IDEXX In-House users only, links the benefits of speed and point of care diagnosis and IDEXX Reference Laboratory testing to provide your clinic with substantial savings.
QUESTION: Which of the two programmes listed below links both reference and in-house testing and allows you to make these substantial savings? A. IDEXX Advantage Programme B. IDEXX External Quality Assurance Programme Send your answer with your name, practice name, practice address and telephone number to: marketing-uk@idexx.com Terms & Conditions 1. Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules by participating in this competition. 2. The closing time and date for entries is 17:30 15th August 2008. 3. No purchase is necessary for entry to the competition. Only one entry per veterinary practice will be entered into the competition. 4. Entry is open to all veterinary practices registered and operating in the UK on the date of redemption of the prize and employees who enter the competition on behalf of the entrant must be aged 18 years and over on the date of redemption of the prize. All persons connected with the competition are excluded from entering. No third party entries, bulk or multiple entries or entries submitted by agents will be accepted. IDEXX Laboratories reserves the right to verify the eligibility of entrants. 5. The prize cannot be exchanged for cash, or any other goods/services. All prizes are non-transferable. 6. The prize winners will be the first 40 correct answers received. The prize winners will be notified by e-mail or telephone. 7. IDEXX Laboratories reserves the right to substitute a prize of similar value should the specified prize become unavailable for any reason. 8. IDEXX Laboratories reserves the right to feature the winner names and details of the competition in any future promotional or publicity material. 9. IDEXX Laboratories reserve the right to alter, amend or foreclose the competition without prior notice. 10. The prize does not cover any travel or accommodation costs. 11. The decisions of IDEXX Laboratories are final and legally binding on all entrants and no correspondence will be entered into. The competition is governed by the laws of England and Wales and all entrants agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
ESCCAP - the European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites - is calling for veterinary practitioners, pet owners and human health physicians to work in unison to reduce the risks associated with zoonotic transmission of parasitic diseases.
The group, comprising eminent European veterinary practitioners and leaders in veterinary parasitology and public health, have joined forces to develop independent guidelines and educational materials for the optimal control of internal and external parasites that threaten the health of pets and people.
"Our mission is simple - to ensure that parasites are no longer a health issue for pets or humans across Europe," said Maggie Fisher, ESCCAP Director, ESCCAP UK member. "Our data and research clearly outlines the future spread of certain parasites across Europe and what will happen in the UK if preventative measures are not taken seriously. The group has been formed to provide free, scientifically robust and accessible material to every interested party."
Policy guidelines to outline prevention and management strategies for endoparasites and ringworm are now readily available with guidelines on ectoparasites and vector-borne diseases in development. There is a website for veterinary professionals - http://www.esccap.org/ with a pet owner website currently in development. Practitioners also have access to important research and comparison data that shows future trends and the potential threat to the country's canine and feline population.
Maggie said: "The first policy guideline we launched is on the subject of worms. There are a wide range of worms that can infect dogs and cats not only in mainland Europe, but increasingly in the UK. Some of these worms are more important than others due to prevalence, their pathogenicity for the host and their zoonotic potential. This guideline aims to provide an overview of these worms, their significance and, importantly, suggests rational control measures for the most important species. We've looked closely at methods of preventing or controlling infection in the animal, prevention of transmission via environmental contamination to other animals and humans, and prevention of human infection. Our aim is that this guideline policy is adopted in every veterinary practice throughout Europe."
Ringworm control in dogs and cats forms the basis of the second guideline policy. "The presence of dermatophytosis is influenced by a number of factors relating to the animal, environmental issues and the crowding of animals. This guideline recommends a management programme for ringworm and what vets should be considering in the treatment, management and control of dermatophyte transmission."
Vets wishing to obtain a downloadable version of the policy papers can do so free of charge from http://www.esccap.org.
Practices wishing to sign up to ESCCAP for regular updates and further information should email: queries@esccap.org.uk.
ESCCAP is supported by Novartis Animal Health, Merial and Bayer HealthCare Animal Health.
The Company of Animals has announced the launch of the CLIX® Car Safe Harness. Designed by Animal Psychologist and founder of The Company of Animals, Dr. Roger Mugford, the CLIX® Car Safe harness has been designed to maximise safety and comfort for dogs while ensuring easy fitting and use for owners.
Ergonomically designed from one continuous loop of approved, safety-standard seatbelt material, the CLIX ® Car Safe Harness provides maximum strength restraint in the unfortunate case of an accident. With a simple buckling mechanism, there is no need to fiddle around with the dog's legs to get them through the harness. Instead, the harness clips from either side of the dog and then plugs into the seat belt socket. Alternatively, it can be looped through the seat belt harness, easily adjusting to any type of car.
The CLIX ® Car Safe Harness has been lined with soft neoprene padding at all points of contact for maximum comfort and safety. Special attention has been paid to the cross design used to protect the dog's chest to ensure that the harness remains in place, even when the dog changes position.
CLIX® Car Safe Harness is available in four sizes and is suitable for most breeds of dog. It comes with a free guide on safe travelling with dogs full of helpful tips on car safety. The CLIX® Car Safe also doubles as a walking harness.
For more information, visit http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/clix-carsafe.php
Nurse Helen Lower has successfully completed the Equine Veterinary Nursing qualification and becomes the first in the North of England to do so under the new direct track training system.
Until recently equine nurse training had an indirect route to qualification involving a two years' training with small animals and an extra year's specialist training to qualify as an Equine Nurse. Now The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons recognises that equine nursing requires specialist knowledge and training. It has responded appropriately with a tailor made training structure which will develop highly skilled nurses for this challenging area of veterinary medicine.
Helen Lower joined Bearl Equine Clinic three years ago. She began her career with BHS exams and taught riding for a while before joining the Hunt Service for two years.
At Bearl Equine, Helen leads a team of four nursing assistants and works closely with Jonathan Wainwright, Head of Nurse Training to implement the in-house training programme across the team.
Bearl Equine Clinic is a six vet first opinion and referral practice based in rural Northumberland. The clinic is equipped with MRI, Scintigraphy and full surgical unit.