Vetpartners is offering grants to support those of its RVNs who want to boost their clinical skills by doing veterinary work overseas.

The veterinary group is stumping up more than £100,000 for the initiative, which will enable 20 vets and nurses, and 56 new grads from across the group to work with the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) and other overseas animal charities.

The grants are for £1,500 and those taking part will also get up to one week of paid time off work whilst they volunteer.

VetPartners CEO Jo Malone said: “We wanted to support colleagues to have a fantastic experience while improving their skills in a different environment.

"It will give people a chance to use their clinical skills to give back to charities which are doing great work.

“If you’re working in a veterinary practice in Europe, you have support from team members around you and great facilities and equipment compared to the more challenging conditions working for a charity overseas.

"Working in these more challenging environments while they are volunteering will help build resilience, as our team members are unlikely to have experienced anything like this before.

“Charities like the World Veterinary Service are working ethically to help animals that may or may not have ever had veterinary care, and are doing a great job so we are delighted to support them.”

A study published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice has concluded that the majority of suspected adverse drug reactions (SADR) in veterinary medicine go unreported.

The authors say that whilst it has long been suspected that adverse drug reactions are under-reported, this study is the first to show the scale of the problem, using real data from veterinary clinical records.

For the study, researchers looked for electronic heath records within the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) which contained “adverse drug reactions” and “side effects” in the free-text clinical narratives.

The results were then analysed to determine the suspected product, the seriousness and expectedness of the event, and whether the event had been reported to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate or Marketing Authorisation Holders.

Of the 827 cases of suspected adverse drug reactions identified out of a total of 10,565 records reviewed, approximately 90% were not reported.

74% were related to dogs and 70% were listed as “expected” (i.e. already listed in the product information).

The clinical severity of the reaction didn’t appear to impact whether it was reported. 

Dr Heather Davies, lead author of the study, said: “As adverse drug reaction reporting rate is directly linked to the regulators ability to mitigate safety issues, this paper is a call to arms encouraging all veterinary professionals to report suspected adverse drug reactions and regulators to make reporting quicker and easier.

"It also the highlights the promise that big real-world data sets hold in enhancing drug safety monitoring processes.” 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jsap.13721

Veterinary scientist, Dr Alex German and veterinary nurse, Shelley Holden are joining presenter and vet, Mark Evans in a new Channel Four series exploring the secret life of dogs, the first of which airs tonight at 8:00pm.

The three-part series looks at how people's lives and those of their dogs have radically changed in the last 50 years.

Using hidden cameras, episode one investigates how dogs gain weight when their owners are not present or out at work, as well as what research is being done to understand the UK's obesity epidemic in dogs and cats.

Alex, who is head of the University's Weight Management Clinic, said: "Obesity is common in dogs and can lead to a range of illnesses and diseases.

"Although treatment for weight loss has been in existence for some time it has not been without its problems, and owners, with busy lives, can find it difficult to even understand how their dog has gained weight in the first place.

"By showing what dogs get up to out of their owner's sight, this programme explores how understanding our animals' behaviour and habits can help in producing a healthy diet and exercise regime."

Dr German has also contributed to the Channel Four website, which provides information for owners and access to case studies: http://dogs.channel4.com/fat-dogs/

The first MRCVS to be killed in the First World War has been honoured with a portrait at the College's offices in Belgravia House - 100 years after his death.

The portrait of Lieutenant Vincent Fox, who was from Dundalk, Co Louth, and was an alumnus of the then Royal Veterinary College in Dublin, was presented by his great grand-nephew, James Tierney, and received by RCVS Registrar Gordon Hockey.

Lieutenant Fox, a member of the former Army Veterinary Corps (AVC), was killed in action by a shell on August 26 1914 during the Battle of Le Cateau in northern France in which British and French forces fought to impede a German advance. He is now buried in the nearby Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery at Caudry.

Paul Watkins, a veterinary surgeon and military historian, conducted the research into Lieutenant Fox, his career and his deeds in the First World War, with the help of his family. He said: "The family story was that he had been found dead in a church with no mark or scars on him and, in fact, this turned out to be completely true.

"The church where he died was in the village of Audencourt in northern France where a dressing station had been set up for the wounded.

"The key issue was that, in the absence of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Lieutenant Fox was ordered to take charge of the medical treatment of the men using his skills as a veterinary surgeon. I'm sure he did his very best under such extreme circumstances but he would have been very ill-equipped."

Talking more generally about the role of the AVC during the First World War, Dr Watkins said: "The AVC made very significant contributions to the war effort because there were so many horses and mules deployed. They would have been responsible for a range of tasks from husbandry - and educating other soldiers on husbandry - to the treatment of injured animals."

In total, some 67 veterinary surgeons are believed to have been killed in the First World War - of whom 34 died from disease, 24 died as a result of wounds and nine were killed in action.

On presenting the portrait, which was drawn by artist Dave Gleeson based on a photograph of Lieutenant Fox, Mr Tierney, from Dublin, said: "I am very pleased that the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has accepted this portrait as future generations of vets will be able to see it here and learn about my great grand-uncle's story.

"He has become my hero because he died while trying to save human lives and, for me, that's a huge source of pride.

"While his story is very interesting, however, it's not just about him. There are 66 other names on the RCVS First World War memorial and they all have a story to tell as well."

Gordon Hockey, RCVS Registrar, added: "We are very pleased to receive this portrait of Lieutenant Fox in recognition of the sacrifice he made during the First World War. The fact that he died while tending to his wounded fellow soldiers demonstrates the caring nature of the profession and the wider contribution to society made by veterinary surgeons.

"In this centenary year I would also like to commend the contribution made by members of the profession as a whole during the war."

Throughout the centenary the RCVS Knowledge Library blog - written by Clare Boulton, Head of Library and Information Services - will be updated with stories about the conduct of veterinary surgeons in the First World War. Visit rcvsknowledgelibraryblog.org to see the updates.

The Royal Veterinary College and the Animal Health Trust are trying to recruit 3000 horse and pony owners to take part in 'CARE about laminitis', a web-based research project that aims to reduce the threat caused by laminitis.

The four-year study, which is being funded by World Horse Welfare, is being conducted by PhD student, Danica (Dee) Pollard, based at the AHT. The main aims of the study are to:

• Estimate the frequency of owner-reported laminitis, including both horses that are diagnosed by a vet and those that aren't
• Further investigate factors which increase or decrease the risk of an animal developing laminitis, especially focusing on factors relating to management that can be changed by owners
• Provide owners with evidence-based guidelines that will reduce the impact of laminitis nationwide.

Currently the veterinary-reported frequency of laminitis in Britain, estimated between 2009 and 2011, shows that active episodes of veterinary-diagnosed laminitis occurred in nearly 1 in 200 horses/ponies registered with veterinary practices, and accounted for nearly 1 in 200 equine visits. Dee said: "However an overall lack of studies into the frequency of laminitis leaves little to compare these estimates with."

If you'd like to take part in the study, or invite clients to do so, visit: www.careaboutlaminitis.org.uk or email danica.pollard@aht.org.uk.

The veterinary buying groups VetShare and London Vet Forum (LVF) have announced that they have merged to become the VetShare Buying Group.

VetShare Buying Group says that merger will ensure it has the resources and capabilities to compete in an industry that is increasingly made up of larger merged animal health suppliers.

The venture was prompted by a decision by London Vet Forum to offer itself up for a merger or sale with the aim of attracting better discounts for its members. It then interviewed a shortlist of candidates and says VetShare come out on top principally for its clarity and competitive discounts negotiated with the manufacturers.

In addition, VetShare and LVF shared some ways of working - members handle their own wholesaler invoice with the wholesaler-practice relationship remaining intact, allowing discounts to be rebated as a separate transaction. This means that members can continue to do business as before, while also benefiting from being part of the new, larger buying group.

Vet Ruth Gray, VetShare Director, said: "We are very pleased to have been chosen by the LVF directors to take their members into the future. We are the only major buying group without reps on the road and yet are now perhaps the largest buying group in the UK. We started VetShare initially to help our own practice achieve better discounts with the assumption that if we set up the perfect model for us then it would probably also be perfect for others. In hindsight, I think our assumption was right and this merger will mean even better discounts with new and exciting opportunities for existing members of both groups".

For more information on membership and the merged group, visit www.vetshare.co.uk or call Ruth on 0800 7566636.

The Veterinary Benevolent Fund (VBF) has announced the retirement of its President Dr. Lydia Brown, who had served the maximum of nine years as a trustee and member of the VBF Board.

Lydia became a director of the VBF following the merger of the Fund with the Vet Helpline (VHL) and the Veterinary Surgeons' Health Support Programme (VSHSP) in January 2005.

A past-president of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and former chairman of the RCVS Trust, Lydia was a driving force behind the establishment of the VSHSP in 1999. This support programme was developed in response to the genuine need for a confidential service to treat veterinary surgeons with a wide variety of addictive conditions. Since then she has been involved in the expansion of the Helpline service from a telephone service to an increasingly-widely used email service.

The charity says that it is as a result of Lydia's thoroughness, sympathy and understanding, that very many veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses have been helped to recover from many forms of addictive conditions and health problems. 

ECC vet Shailen Jasani has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for further development of his pet bereavement website, www.theralphsite.com

The Ralph Site is a non-profit pet bereavement support online resource and Facebook community which Shailen set up in 2011 after the loss of his cat Ralph. 

Shailen says that over the past three years, the site has proved to be a much needed resource, with many pet carers benefiting from what it offers and a growing number of practices referring their bereaved clients to the site for information and support, and a sympathetic and empathetic virtual ear. So far, the site has had approximately 60,000 visitors and the Facebook community now stands at an impressive 34,000 Likes.

Shailen manages the site by himself and has has also personally funded all of the expenses to date including design, development, on-going management and promotion costs, to the tune of £30,000.

However, he says he now needs further funds to make the site work properly on smartphones and tablets, improve the memorial section and promote it more widely to pet owners, for which he is turning to crowdfunding and hoping that members of the profession will support what he is doing, both with contributions and by helping spread the word amongst family, colleagues and clients. 

Shailen said: "The issue of pet bereavement and the impact of pet loss on their carers is a serious one which is slowly but surely gaining increasing recognition. A resource such as the Ralph Site is invaluable for practices to be able to link and refer clients to. I very much hope colleagues will get behind my campaign."

To find out more about the campaign, visit: http://igg.me/at/theralphsite/x

A survey conducted earlier this year by Novartis Animal Health¹ has shown that owners of dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis want to learn more about the condition after their veterinary consultation.

When asked about what would help them understand and cope with their dog receiving a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis, 42% of dog owners said that they want reliable information about the condition on the Internet that they can read at their own pace. 27% said that hearing or reading about case studies of dogs that were diagnosed with atopic dermatitis would be a source of help and reassurance.

That isn't to take anything away from the importance of the relationship between owner and vet: 49% of respondents said that having enough time to discuss everything with their vet is the most important thing following a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis.

However, the reality of busy small animal practice means that some vets are apparently finding themselves short of time, with 62% saying that they would like to have more time in consultations to explain the diagnosis fully.

To support both vets and owners, Novartis has produced a range of education materials available at www.itchfreepet.co.uk. They include information about a variety of skin conditions in dogs and cats, including causes, clinical signs, diagnostics and treatment options, which can all be used to support recommendations made during consultations.

Novartis says it is also continuing to support vets with the 'Comfort Club' scheme, through which owners get the 2nd, 6th and 12th month of Atopica treatment free of charge. The club also allows clients to try other dermatology products that might help their pet's condition free of charge, including shampoo, EFA's and specialist diets.

Ricardo Garvao, category manager at Novartis said: "By providing reliable information and tools to help re-iterate and expand on the information given to owners by their vets, we hope to help both parties make the most of the face to face time that they have with each other. Ultimately this will strengthen the vet-client relationship, which can only improve long-term clinical outcomes.

"Good client education is vital, demonstrated by the fact that nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of pet owners that admit to giving up on their vet's advice claim that this is because they haven't understood it. A large part of the trust building process is being able to recommend a management strategy with proven efficacy and safety data for long-term use, such as Atopica. Atopica has been keeping dogs with atopic dermatitis comfortable for a decade due to its proven ability to safely provide long-term reduction of pruritus and skin lesions associated with the disease, as demonstrated by the recently published independent paper 'The use of ciclosporin: a decade of experience in veterinary dermatology."

Reference

1. All statistics taken from the Atopica Decade of Comfort surveys, which asked 1000 dog owners and 132 practicing vets across the UK to give their opinions, experience and understanding of canine atopic dermatitis.

Zoetis (maker of Cerenia, the anti-emetic) is using social media for its latest campaign to remind owners that vets have a solution for dogs that suffer from travel sickness.

The company highlights research which shows the problem is more common than one might think, with 62% of dogs experiencing travel sickness for the first time as puppies. What's more, 1/3rd of owners say they would travel with their dogs more often if they didn't get car sick.

Stephanie Smith, Marketing Manager for Cerenia said: "While less than half of vets in the UK report seeing at least one canine motion sickness case each month, we know that over one third (34%) of dogs that travel experience motion sickness. That's a lot of opportunity for vets to provide pets and owners with some relief."

To spread the word, the company has set up an educational microsite: www.nonstoptravelfun.co.uk which it is now promoting with an online social media campaign, including twitter #nonstoptravelfun and targeted bloggers and pet sites. The company has also been advertising the microsite on Facebook and Google, which I'm told has driven thousands of visitors over the past fortnight.

Stephanie added: "Motion sickness can impact the whole family, making travelling an unpleasant experience. Our new campaign aims to raise awareness for the issue and encourage pet owners to seek veterinary help for the problem, so they can enjoy non-stop travel fun, without the sickness."

Researchers from the University of Bristol have published the results of a study which has identified risk factors for syringomyelia (SM) and which could help breeders select away from characteristics which predispose dogs to the disease.

Syringomyelia, which more commonly affects toy breeds such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Chihuahua, causes fluid-filled cavities in the spinal cord. In these toy breeds, SM is usually secondary to a specific malformation of the skull called Chiari-like Malformation (CM).

The research looked at the relationship between head shape and the incidence of  CM/SM. Dogs were measured in several countries using a standardised "bony landmark" measuring system and photos analysed by researchers.

The researchers found two significant risk factors associated with CM/SM in the skull shape of the CKCS: brachycephaly (the broadness of the top of skull relative to its length) and the distribution of doming of the skull. The study suggests that brachycephaly, with resulting doming towards the front of the head, is associated with CM/SM.

Thomas Mitchell, the undergraduate student who conducted the study under the supervision of Dr Clare Rusbridge, said: "Dog breeders are very experienced at selecting for a certain conformation or appearance in dogs. Our findings may allow breeders to select away from the condition over fewer generations by choosing appropriate matings and offspring to continue breeding programmes. The identification of an appearance that might protect against developing the disease is a significant step forward in tackling this painful condition.

"The study also provides guidance to breed clubs, breeders and judges that have a responsibility to avoid obvious conditions or exaggerations which would be harmful in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of the breed.  It will also provide vets with verified advice to provide to breeders outside the show ring and to occasional hobbyists."

The study has been published online in the journal Canine Genetics and Epidemiology, and a video animation which shows the differences in head shape is available on YouTube.

The work was funded by a grant from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust and the Companion Cavalier Club provided a grant for the publication of the research.

Reference

• Syringomyelia: determining risk and protective factors in the conformation of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog, Thomas J Mitchell, Susan P Knowler, Henny van den Berg, Jane Sykes and Clare Rusbridge, Canine Genetics and Epidemiology 2014, 29 July 2014.

New research¹ published in in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery by veterinary clinicians at the University of Lisbon and a clinic in the nearby town of Barreiro in Portugal, suggests that cats may benefit from reduced anxiety, stress and perceived pain if music is played in the operating theatre.

Lead author, Miguel Carreira, said: "In the surgical theatres at the faculty where I teach and at the private veterinary medical centre where I spend my time operating, environmental music is always present, and is an important element in promoting a sense of wellbeing in the team, the animals, and their owners. Different music genres affect individuals in different ways. During consultations I have noticed, for example, that most cats like classical music, particularly George Handel compositions, and become more calm, confident and tolerant throughout the clinical evaluation. After reading about the influence of music on physiological parameters in humans, I decided to design a study protocol to investigate whether music could have any physiological effects on my surgical patients."

The clinicians studied 12 female pet cats undergoing surgery for neutering, and recorded their respiratory rate and pupil diameter at various points to gauge their depth of anaesthesia. The cats, which had been fitted with headphones, were meanwhile exposed to 2 minutes of silence (as a control), followed randomly by 2 minutes each of Barber’s 'Adagio for Strings (Opus 11)', Natalie Imbruglia’s 'Thorn' and AC/DC’s 'Thunderstruck'.

The results showed that the cats were in a more relaxed state (as determined by their lower values for respiratory rate and pupil diameter) under the influence of classical music, with the pop music producing intermediate values. By contrast, the heavy metal music produced the highest values, indicating 'a more stressful situation'. The clinicians conclude that the use of certain music genres in the surgical theatre may allow a decrease in the dose of anaesthetic agent required, in turn reducing the risk of undesirable side effects and thus promoting patient safety. 

Dr Carreira and his colleagues plan to continue their studies by looking at the influence of music on other physiological parameters, including cortisol and catecholamines, in dogs as well as cats. In the future, they hope to incorporate more sophisticated techniques, such as functional MRI and electroencephalography, into their investigations. 

The study can be read for free here: http://jfm.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/03/30/1098612X15575778.full.pdf+html

Reference

1. Mira F, Costa A, Mendes E, Azevedo P and Carreira LM. Influence of music and its genres on respiratory rate and pupil diameter variations in cats under general anaesthesia: contribution to promoting patient safety.  J Feline Med Surg. Epub ahead of print 30 March 2015. DOI: 10.1177/1098612X15575778