The Advertising Standards Authority has decided not to uphold complaints against the Morrisons Christmas TV advertisement.

The full adjudication can be read here.

Peter Jones, President of the British Veterinary Association, said: "This ruling is disappointing but the ASA has set out its reasons for the decision and we accept those reasons. Thankfully, the advert only had a short shelf life and we hope that Morrisons is now very unlikely to make the same mistakes again. Overall, we hope the whole incident has served to educate Morrisons and the general public about the dangers of grapes and raisins to dogs."

Veterinary surgeons have named their top new veterinary products of 2012 in a survey carried out by CM Research.

As part of the research, 343 vets working in UK practice were asked what they considered to be the best new product of 2012. Their answers were unprompted, and they were only allowed to mention one product or service. For this reason, some vets voted for products that were launched earlier than 2012. The full results were as follows:

Hill's y/d
An iodine restrictive hyperthyroid management food launched by Hill's Pet Nutrition in May 2012 won with an overwhelming 31% of the votes. www.hillspet.co.uk

Cardalis (CEVA Animal Health)
Launched towards the end of 2012, CEVA's combined ACE inhibitor / spirolactone for heart failure in dogs scored a creditable 9.6% of mentions. www.ceva.co.uk

Seresto (Bayer Animal Health)
Bayer's 8-month flea and tick collar came third with 6% of the votes. www.seresto.com.

Caninsulin Vetpen from MSD
Launched in July 2012, this new insulin delivery pen for Caninsulin is designed to improving dosing accuracy, consistency and ease of use. The user-friendly pen design is said to improve initial pet owner acceptance and on-going compliance. 

Atopica Cat (Novartis Animal Health)
Novartis launched Atopica Cat, an oral version of its treatment for chronic allergic dermatitis, at the start of 2012. www.itchfreepet.co.uk

Comfortis (Elanco)
Launched in 2011, Comfortis is a novel oral flea adulticide for dogs which kills adult fleas rapidly for a month. www.comfortis.com

Nobivac Myxo RHD (MSD)
The first vaccine to combine 12 months protection against both myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease within a single inoculation. It is a non-adjuvanted vaccine which, according to MSD, delivers greater simplicity of protocol and enhanced disease protection.

Cimalgex (Vétoquinol)
Launched towards the end of 2011, Vetoquinol's 2nd generation Cox-2 inhibitor is said by the company to be very well tolerated, have an excellent efficacy profile and be very easy to use, meaning that Cimalgex allows veterinary patients to benefit from pain relief in situations where clinicians would have been worried about the risks versus the benefits of prescribing a NSAID for pain management.

Activyl (MSD)
MSD's novel flea spot-on is the first to work by bioactivation, only becoming an insecticide after being ingested by the flea, thus minimising owner's exposure to insecticides. Said to be effective against the other stages of the flea life cycle, too. www.activyl.co.uk

RevitaCAM (Abbott)
RevitaCAM is the first and only veterinary NSAID (meloxicam) with oromucousal delivery. www.revitacam.co.uk.

Metacam for cats (Boehringer Ingelheim)
Boehringer extended its Metacam 0.5 mg/ml Oral Suspension for Cats range with the launch of a 30ml bottle size in July. www.metacam.co.uk.

Zuprevo (MSD)
MSD's antibiotic to combat bovine respiratory disease (BRD) was launched in the third quarter of 2011. www.zuprevo.com

V-Gel (Docsinnovent)
V-gel was the first ever species-specific supraglottic airway device (pictured top right), currently available for cats and rabbits. Billed as the latest ground breaking technology for a safer anaesthesia, easier breathing and avoiding damage to the throat and trachea; a safer alternative to ET tubes. www.docsinnovent.com

Onsior (Novartis Animal Health)
The tissue-selective oral and injectable Cox-2 inhibiting NSAID from Novartis was actually launched back in 2009.

Certifect (Merial)
Merial's flea and tick spot-on for dogs was launched by Ray Mears in the UK in February 2012. www.certifect.co.uk

Calmex (VetPlus)
Somewhat controversial when it made its first appearance in 2011, Calmex is a feed to help dogs and cats that may experience behavioural problems as a result of their environment or situations that may cause anxiety or fear. More info.

Comfortan (Dechra)
The first licensed methadone for dogs was launched by Eurovet towards the end of 2011, before it was acquired by Dechra in May 2012. www.dechra.co.uk

Hill's Vet Essentials
Hill's vet-exclusive petfood range is designed to meet essential dietary needs at every life stage. More info.

Trocoxil (Pfizer)
Trocoxil, Pfizer's NSAID for canine osteoarthritis was remarkable for its once monthly dosage regime, when launched back in 2009.

Veraflox
Bayer launched its next generation fluoroquinolone antimicrobial for bacterial infections in cats and dogs at the end of 2011.

Yumove
Yumove is a joint support supplement from Lintbells, containing glucosamine and chondroitin. More information.

The British Small Animal Association has responded to Defra's statement on compulsory microchipping.

The Association says it is an advocate of compulsory microchipping as the most effective way to permanently identify a dog - as long as owners maintain an up-to-date registration on the various databases. As such it broadly welcomes the recent Defra statement.

However, BSAVA points out that the statement has come before a full and considered consultation in terms of its implementation, and says it raises a number of questions for vets in practice:

• The Dogs Trust scheme is offering to supply practices with the microchips. Yet with an estimated 3 million or more dogs in the UK currently without microchips, will the profession be expected to bear the brunt of the cost of training and paying staff to carry out the procedure, as well as the significant administration that follows?
• The current information from Defra suggests that the service will be free to pet owners. Even if this is the case at the Dogs Trust, Battersea and Blue Cross centres, it is unlikely that they will receive all unchipped dogs, so will those owners entering a private practice have a similar expectation?
• BSAVA is also concerned about an emphasis on microchipping that doesn't also consider the management of the relevant databases. Implanting a microchip in itself is without value unless it is linked to accurate information that is kept up to date.

Despite the headlines around the statement, this is yet to be laid down in law and will require changes under the Animal Welfare Act and potentially the Dangerous Dogs Act, so there is still a conversation to be had about its implementation.

For this reason BSAVA has announced that it is launching a consultation with its members to establish their concerns and opinions in order to work with all the organisations involved in the best interest of animal welfare and the profession. If anyone in practice wants to feed into this consultation, they should visit http://www.bsava.com or contact BSAVA's Scientific Policy Officer Sally Everitt via email - s.everitt@bsava.com.

BSAVA President Mark Johnston said: "While implantation can be straightforward for those with appropriate experience it will be important to ensure that all those who carry out implantation are properly trained. However microchipping is not just a matter of implanting the microchip, there is a significant amount of administrative work in ensuring that animals are properly registered and that details are kept up-to-date. All of these stages need to be properly funded if the scheme is to be successful and sustainable. BSAVA will be consulting its members to gather their views and concerns and hope to be involved in a productive conversation with all interested parties."

BSAVA says there is a good news animal welfare story within this statement concerning the seizure of animals during investigation under the Dangerous Dogs Act. The new measures will allow the authorities to decide whether a suspected prohibited dog can stay with their owners until the outcome of court proceedings. Until now all such animals had to be kennelled until the proceedings had concluded, which often means that dogs who posed no risk suffered unnecessarily.  BSAVA welcomes this new measure in the interest of animal welfare.

The Animal Medicines Distributors Association (AHDA) and the Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority (AMTRA) have both come out against the BVA's call for all anthelmintic medicines to be reclassified as POM-V, which would prevent them being prescribed by Suitably Qualified Persons (SQP).

Ian Scott, Secretary General of AHDA, said that instead of launching an attack on SQPs, the BVA should be working with them and animal owners to tackle anthelmintic resistance: "The BVA has written to the VMD to ask that all anthemintics be classified to POM-V only. This will monopolise the supply and distribution of anthelmintics for vets only. It effectively places the blame for anthelmintic resistance squarely on SQPs.

"An attempt by BVA to create a division between vets and SQPs demonstrates that the BVA is out of touch with its members.

"Both prescribing channels must work together to tackle the problem and AHDA has been working hard with vets at national and local level to ensure customers receive consistent, high quality, up-to-date and relevant advice from both channels.

"What is worrying is that the BVA attack also infers that farmer producers and equine owners are incapable of making decisions that not only affect their livelihood but cast doubt on their ability to care for their animals' welfare."

Meanwhile, Stephen Dawson, Secretary General of AMTRA said: "The large majority of SQPs deal with parasite control on a daily basis, having trained and been examined to a syllabus developed with BVA input. SQPs have to undertake compulsory continuing professional development, the majority of which includes good practice in parasite control. Therefore AMTRA has every confidence that qualified SQPs have excellent knowledge of parasitology to advise their clients on the correct choice and use of anthelmintics.

"It is important to recognise the hard work, knowledge and dedication of thousands of SQPs throughout the UK. The implication of what BVA say is that they are laying a proportion of the blame for resistance to these medicines at the door of SQPs. But the evidence isn't there: countries in Europe and elsewhere with different prescription systems, mainly though vet-only channels, still have major resistance problems. Prescription of antimicrobials by veterinary surgeons hasn't prevented concerns about prescribing practices and developing resistance. The key point is good advice from the prescriber and how they are then used in practice, rather than who prescribes them. The challenge for us all is not just to seek excellence in prescribing but also in usage on farm, something SQPs are ideally placed to do with their frequent farmer contact.

"I would urge all parties to work in partnership to ensure that best practice in prescription and use is followed by all prescribers and users. It is up to all prescribers to act responsibly, but to single out one group over another is unjustified. A pseudo-monopoly by vets on supply would do nothing to help farmers in difficult times."

Mr Dawson also expressed doubts about permanent POM-V status for new livestock anthelmintics: "While we fully support VMD's and VPC's need to be sure that the risk associated with wider availability of a new product is low, AMTRA considers that the current division in distribution classes and consequent low uptake of the newer products means that the much bigger risk is that widespread reliance on the three aging classes may be followed by reliance on just the two new classes when the older classes become unusable. Much better to have responsible prescription of all five classes now, by appropriately trained SQPs, vets and pharmacists, to ensure that there is a prospect of long term availability of effective parasite control."

The Government has announced that from 6 April 2016 all dogs will be required to have a microchip.

This will give owners 3 years to comply with new legislation being drafted by Defra.

According to Defra, 100,000 dogs are dumped or lost each year at a cost of £57 million to the taxpayer and welfare charities. Only 60% of the 8 million dogs in the UK are currently chipped.

Making microchipping compulsory is intended to help reunite owners with lost or stolen pets, relieve the burden on animal charities and local authorities and protect the welfare of dogs by promoting responsible dog ownership.

Owners will be able to get their dog microchipped free at any of the 18 Dogs Trust centres around the UK, and free microchips will be offered by Dogs Trust to local authorities, housing associations and veterinary surgeries. In addition Battersea Dogs and Cats Home has announced that free microchipping will be offered at its three centres, and the Blue Cross will also offer free microchipping to dogs and cats at its 16 hospitals and centres across England.

Veterinary associations have hailed the introduction of compulsory microchipping for all dogs in England as a giant leap forward for dogs and their owners. BVA President Peter Jones said: "The introduction of compulsory microchipping is a giant leap for dogs and their owners and is something that vets have long campaigned for. Microchipping is a safe and effective way to link dogs to their owners and is an essential part of responsible ownership."

The Government also announced plans to extend the scope of the Dangerous Dogs Act to private places and to allow police to decide if dogs seized under the Act can stay with their owners until the outcome of the court case, removing the need for these dogs to be kennelled. Both of these measures were supported by BVA and BSAVA in joint responses to the Defra consultation.

Dechra Veterinary Products has relaunched Oxyglobin after concluding an exclusive agreement to supply the product across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Oxyglobin is used to stabilise anaemic dogs until the underlying condition can be controlled and the animal's body can produce its own new red blood cells.

Dechra says the treatment, which is now available in both 125ml bags and individual 60ml transfusion bags, maintains tissue oxygenation even when there is severe stenosis of blood vessels. It has a viscosity which is more than water but less than blood for ease of flow through vessels, and also increases circulatory volume.

Dechra Veterinary Products Brand Manager, Carol Morgan, said: "Veterinary professionals have been waiting for Oxyglobin to come back onto the market for some time and we're delighted to be able to relaunch it in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

"It was withdrawn from the market in 2010 when OPK Biotech acquired the assets of manufacturer Biopure Corporation in 2009. But this year, OPK Biotech resumed the manufacture of Oxyglobin and we have stocks available to practices from this month (FEB)."

"Oxyglobin turns around clinical outcomes for dogs with anaemia, regardless of the cause of the condition, which is why it is the objective choice for safety, effectiveness and convenience.

"Oxyglobin is the only oxygen-carrying fluid available off the shelf for dogs in need of oxygen support and no typing or cross-matching of the recipient's blood is required."

Oxyglobin, a sterile formulation of polymerised purified bovine haemoglobin in a balanced salt solution with proven efficacy, is available in single dose 60ml and 125ml infusion bags.

For further information on Oxyglobin, see www.dechra.co.uk

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is calling on the Veterinary Medicines Directorate to classify all anthelmintics as POM-V, so that they can only be prescribed by a veterinary surgeon, rather than by vets and Suitably Qualified Person (SQPs) as at present.

The BVA has written to the VMD to request that changes are made to the Veterinary Medicines Regulations. The BVA is also supporting the efforts of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe in lobbying the European Commission for tighter rules to be in place across all European Member States regarding the accessibility of anthelmintics.

The BVA says that at a time when expert opinion is increasingly alarmed at the growth in resistance to anthelmintics in grazing animals, it believes that it is important that all anthelmintics be classified as POM-V so that their use is conditional on appropriate veterinary advice for all species.

Many experts in parasitology have cited the distribution of anthelmintics by SQPs in the past as one of the main reasons for the dangerous levels of resistance to anthelmintics in grazing animals in the UK at present. SQPs do not have the level of expertise that a veterinary surgeon has in veterinary parasitology.

BVA is an active member of the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance and in 2010 BVA launched a poster and detailed guidance for vets on how to prescribe and use anthelmintics responsibly. BVA's CPD Group is also working on a programme of CPD to reinforce the responsible use of these medicines.

Peter Jones, BVA President said: "We know that resistance to anthelmintics is a major problem that must be addressed vigorously if the livestock industry is to avoid a potentially disastrous situation of being unable to tackle parasites in grazing animals.

"Anthelmintics should only be prescribed by a veterinary surgeon who has the animals under his/her care and based on a sound clinical diagnosis.

"We strongly supported the VMD's recent decision to continue to classify the new anthelmintic product containing monepantel as POM-V, but the UK stands alone in Europe in classifying other anthelmintics as POM-VPS.

"The UK must be brought in line with the rest of Europe and we need Europe-wide legislation to better control access to anthelmintics in order to safeguard the efficacy of these products in the future."

Applications are now open for new members to join the RCVS Preliminary Investigation and Disciplinary Committees.

This is the first time that non-Council members have been able to sit on these two key committees, and follows the approval of a Legislative Reform Order (LRO) to the Veterinary Surgeons Act, which comes into force on 6 April 2013.

Under the new legislation, the two statutory committees will move through a transition period until they completely comprise independently-appointed non-Council members, by July 2015.

This move will provide regulation in line with modern practice, by ensuring that the same group of people is not responsible for setting the rules, investigating complaints and adjudication, and by bringing lay people formally into the Preliminary Investigation Committee.

The LRO will also allow the RCVS to increase the pool of people available to investigate complaints and sit on disciplinary hearings, reducing the workload on the individual Committee members whose primary appointment is to RCVS Council.

This first recruitment phase seeks:

• Three lay members and two veterinary surgeons to serve on the Preliminary Investigation Committee from 1 July 2013;
• Four lay members and four veterinary surgeons to serve on the Disciplinary Committee from 1 July 2013;
• Two veterinary surgeons to serve on the Preliminary Investigation Committee from 1 July 2014; and,
• Three lay members and three veterinary surgeons to serve on the Disciplinary Committee from 1 July 2014.

RCVS President, Jacqui Molyneux said: "It's exciting that we can now seek to appoint non-Council members to the two committees involved in our disciplinary system - a breakthrough that has taken a long time to achieve.

"We are interested to hear from veterinary surgeons and lay people who are keen to contribute to the public good and support us in our regulatory role. It's an excellent opportunity to be part of the next chapter of the RCVS, as we become a more modern and effective regulator."

The recruitment process is being handled by Thewlis Graham Associates and details can be found at www.thewlisgraham.com. The selection committee will comprise Sir Michael Buckley, Christopher Laurence MBE QVRM TD BVSc MRCVS and Dr Joan Martin MA FCOT.

The closing deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 4 March 2013.

Grahame Gardner is offering a 25% discount across many of its scrubwear ranges till the end of February 2013, including the Urbane Scrubs collection, the unisex Easiephit range and the Scrubzone brand.

For further information, visit www.grahamegardner.co.uk or call 0116 255 6326.

The RSPCA has made a formal complaint against the Daily Telegraph to the Press Complaints Commission after the newspaper failed to print an apology or offer a right to reply after printing a series of articles which the charity considers potentially defamatory.

The RSPCA claims the stories are factually incorrect and 'reflect biased and unbalanced reporting style'.

The charity has taken particular issue with stories which, they say, claim it broke charity rules over the successful prosecution of a hunt and saying that the RSPCA was warned on hunt prosecutions by the Charity Commission. According to the RSPCA, the Charity Commission has been clear that no rules have been broken and no warning has been issued.

RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant said: "These stories are a sustained attack on the RSPCA. The facts are that we have always and will continue to only act in the interests of the animals. We simply want the truth to be heard. The Daily Telegraph is entitled to its editorial position in support of blood sports despite the overwhelming public rejection of that view.

"They are not entitled to produce factually inaccurate articles that smear the good name of the RSPCA"

Petplan has launched what it says is the biggest advertising campaign in its 36-year history.

The company won't reveal what it's spending on the campaign, but its built around a TV advert (below) being shown on all the major channels throughout January, so certainly a bob or two. The ad features 45 different breeds of cats, dogs and rabbits - representing some of the breeds Petplan has insured over the years.

Simon Masding, head of sales and partnerships at Petplan said: "As the UK market leader, it is imperative pet owners recognise and understand who we are and what we stand for. We want to help our partners educate pet owners not only why pet insurance is so important, but explain why they should choose Petplan over any other provider. In 36 years, there's not an illness or accident that we haven't seen and our new advert dramatises in a charming way the depth and breadth of our breed and claims experience".

As part of the campaign, Petplan is running a 'Guess the Breed' game: correctly identify 10 of the breeds featured and be in with the chance to win a Petplan gilet. To enter, visit www.petplanvet.co.uk

Would-be candidates in the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeon Council and Veterinary Nurse Council elections are reminded that the nominations deadline is 5pm on 31 January 2013.

Veterinary surgeons need two nominations from veterinary surgeons, and veterinary nurses two nominations from veterinary nurses, to stand in the respective elections.

Veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses not presently on either Council can nominate one candidate each. 

Nomination forms, full instructions and guidance notes are available from www.rcvs.org.uk/rcvscouncil13 and www.rcvs.org.uk/vncouncil13. 

Six seats are due to be filled on RCVS Council, and two on VN Council. Those elected will take their seats on RCVS Day next July, to serve four-year terms. Council members will be expected to spend at least six to eight days a year attending Council and Committee meetings, working parties and subcommittees (for which a loss-of-earnings allowance is available).