Specialists at the RVC appear to have saved Christmas after successfully treating Snowflake, one of twenty reindeer owned by a Mr S. Claus* of Rutland, for a neoplastic lesion of the third eyelid. 

Snowflake previously had a squamous cell carcinoma mass on the right lower eyelid, which was completely removed in 2018.

However, her owner noticed an abnormal growth in the left eye, and brought her back to the RVC.

On presentation, Snowflake was bright and in good body condition, weighing 71kg.

Both eyes were open and appeared comfortable and visual.

Ocular reflexes and responses were also present as expected and there was no evidence of recurrence of the squamous cell carcinoma on the lower right eyelid.

Snowflake was, however, diagnosed with mild cataracts in her right eye deemed unlikely to interfere with her vision.

In addition, the mass of her left third eyelid was nonpigmented and displayed a poorly defined mass-like lesion, with an irregular surface on the leading edge, appearing consistent with a squamous cell carcinoma.

The team, led by Dr Maria-Christine Fischer, Lecturer in Ophthalmology, Dr Sara Lawrence-Mills, Senior Clinical Training Fellow in Anaesthesia, and Dr Carolina Palacios Jimenez, Lecturer in Anaesthesia, decided to undertake surgery.

They removed the third eyelid under sedation and applied local anaesthetic blocks and topical tetracaine eye drops.

Cryotherapy was then applied to the wound edge as an adjunctive therapy.

The RVC says that to date, there are few publications detailing anaesthesia in reindeer and so this protocol was a novel approach to maintaining a safe level of sedation in a well-domesticated animal.

The College added that the use of these nerve blocks to facilitate ophthalmic surgery has not been reported before and is in the process of being published.

Snowflake’s third eyelid was submitted for histopathology, which confirmed the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma, which the team at the RVC was able to remove completely.

During the process, Snowflake’s daughter was with her so they both remained calm, and she has now made a full recovery and has enjoyed being reunited with her herd.

Maria-Christine said: “Snowflake had a cancerous mass on her third eye lid.

"Surgical removal of the third eyelid in a reindeer has not been reported before.

"We were pleased that we could perform the surgery with Snowflake under a standing sedation and with using local anaesthetics.

"As an ophthalmologist, I am committed to preserving vision so it’s rewarding that we were able to completely excise the tumour and did not have to remove the eyeball. It’s a very good outcome.

"I’m also pleased that Snowflake recovered quickly from the procedure, and we were able to share the protocol of the sedation and the local nerve blocks with other vets via a scientific publication.

"Sharing our knowledge will hopefully be beneficial for future ophthalmic surgeries in reindeer.”

* aka Mr Nick Dean.

Petlog has kicked off its annual National Microchipping Month by joining forces with Hampden Veterinary Hospital in Aylesbury.

Petlog holds National Microchipping Month throughout June each year to promote the benefits of microchipping and the importance of keeping contact details up to date.

This year, Hampden Veterinary Hospital has been encouraging pet owners to make sure their pets are microchipped by offering half price microchipping at a 'responsible pet ownership' event hosted at the hospital.

Celia Walsom, Petlog Executive said: "National Microchipping Month is a fantastic chance to promote the benefits of microchipping, and we are thrilled that Hampden Veterinary Hospital took such a proactive role in encouraging responsible dog ownership through this event. Microchipping is a great way to permanently identify your pet, and ensure that if he or she goes missing that you are reunited as quickly as possible."

Petlog says that last year, it received almost 120,000 lost and found calls in total from around the UK.

This June, Petlog customers can upgrade to the Petlog Premium lifetime service online for £7.50, allowing them to update their contact information as often as needed with no extra costs.

For more information on National Microchipping Month or Petlog visit www.petlog.org.uk or www.thekennelclub.org.uk.

Merial has launched a limited trial pack version of Equioxx^® (firocoxib), the company's COX-2 specific NSAID for horses, which contains 10 tubes of the oral paste.

According to the company, Equioxx is the only equine NSAID that is highly COX-2 selective, acting to reduce pain and inflammation whilst preserving the natural physiological effects of the COX-1 enzyme, at therapeutic levels.

The company also claims that field studies have confirmed that firocoxib is highly effective at controlling pain and improving function in horses with chronic osteoarthritis.

Jim Tipp BVSc MRCVS, partner at Shropshire based Fyrnwy Equine Clinics said: "As a COX-2 specific NSAID it is not only a good analgesic, but is also an excellent anti-inflammatory. In addition, the COX-1 sparing properties of Equioxx are beneficial where there is increased risk of ulceration."

Equioxx is also available as a low dose injectable solution. For more information contact Merial Customer Services on 0870 6000 123.

Vets Now has reached the final of the "Employer of the Year" at the forthcoming Private Business Awards.

Judged by a panel of key UK business leaders, the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 6^th September 2012.

More than 600 businesses throughout the UK entered the awards. Richard Dixon, founder of Vets Now said: "We are delighted to have reached the final in the Employer of the Year category. We have an absolutely amazing bunch of vets, nurses and receptionists across the country and I am hugely proud of them. They work their socks off; frequently in really challenging circumstances and have significantly contributed to improving the quality of life for the profession and the quality of Out of Hours care available for pets.

"Caring for animals is at the heart of what we do and we treat over 100,000 pets every year through our network of 53 emergency clinics. The very nature of Out Of Hours emergency veterinary care is very challenging to the profession and the support we offer to veterinary practices is also extremely important to us. In the last year our services have enabled more than 2,000 vets up and down the country to have their nights and weekends off, while their clients receive a high quality Out of Hours service. Our referral services also ensure that pets needing care from recognised Specialists can receive this from a trusted team."

The RCVS and the BVA have issued statements after hearing reports of individual vets and veterinary practices being on the receiving end of abusive and threatening messages from groups campaigning against the XL Bully ban. 

The RCVS said: "We understand that there are very strong opinions about the ban, and we respect the rights of individuals to make their own decisions.

"However, expressing these opinions can never justify or include the harassment and abuse of individual vets, vet nurses or their practice colleagues."

The BVA added: “The Government’s XL Bully ban is also placing additional pressure on veterinary teams who are doing their best in very challenging circumstances to help keep responsible XL Bully owners with their pets wherever possible.

"Their commitment extends to supporting clients with any decision-making around euthanasia in individual cases.

"It’s simply unacceptable for these professionals to face additional challenges through abuse, intimidation or threats.

"Such actions can have a hugely negative impact on individual vets and the wider team."

Resources:

• RCVS XL Bully Guidance: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/xl-bully-dog-ban/
• RCVS Advice line for questions about the legislation: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/contact-the-advice-team/
• BVA toolkit for dealing with abuse: https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/end-the-abuse-of-veterinary-professionals/
  
• Vetlife helpline: https://www.vetlife.org.uk/how-we-can-help/

Photo: Dlexus

Petplan has launched a new system through which veterinary staff at Appointed Representative (AR) practices can activate 4 weeks Immediate Veterinary Cover (IVC) for clients' puppies, kittens and rabbits at www.petplanvet.co.uk.

Petplan says the new system will greatly improve its service to the veterinary industry, enabling same day information transfer, reducing the amount of paperwork and admin for veterinary staff as well as ruling out the chances of paperwork getting lost or delayed in the post.

Simon Masding, Petplan Head of Sales and Partnerships said: "Petplan has the most established cover note scheme in the market and due to the strength of our brand and the products we offer is able to generate more insured clients for practices than any other provider. Our team of Account Executives visit practices across the UK on a daily basis which means we understand the pressures of day-to-day practice life. Our new online IVC service is just one of the innovative ways we try to make things easier for veterinary staff so they can focus on looking after clients and their pets."

For more information about becoming a Petplan AR practice, and Immediate Veterinary Cover, call Petplan's Vetline on 0800 316 8800.

Any practices that activate IVC online at petplanvet.co.uk  before 31^st July 2012 will be entered into a prize draw to win an iPad.

Almost 90% of the British public think that microchipping dogs should be compulsory, according to a new survey carried out by Petlog, the lost and found pet database.

A public consultation into compulsory microchipping, which proposes that microchips are used to help tackle the issue of dangerous dogs, closes today. Interestingly however, the survey showed that the main reason for compulsory microchipping should be to help speed up the return of a lost pet, although 38% of those who are in favour of compulsory microchipping also thought it would help to tackle dangerous dogs.

Celia Walsom, Petlog Executive said: "The results from this survey were very promising and showed that there is huge support out there for compulsory microchipping. I hope that the public consultation demonstrates the true extent of public support and that Defra will seriously take this on board.

"Unfortunately, press coverage surrounding compulsory microchipping has been focusing on the issue of dangerous dogs and has ignored the main objective of a microchip which is reunification.

The Microchipping Alliance which comprises animal welfare charities, veterinary organisations, assistance dog charities, dog membership organisations and others who are impacted by dog issues, released a briefing at the end of last year that looked into the economic consequences of compulsory microchipping. The briefing states that if compulsory microchipping was to be introduced to all dogs there is a potential saving of over £20 million from reduced kennelling and other costs associated with stray dogs.

Celia continued: "The reasons for compulsory microchipping are strong. We at Petlog along with the Microchip Alliance and a number of other organisations want to see microchipping made compulsory to help dog welfare and reduce the number of dogs needlessly rehomed or put to sleep because they couldn't be reunited with their owner."

Petlog conducted the survey using visitors to the London Pet Show to find out public feeling regarding compulsory microchipping.

This month is National Microchipping Month, an initiative run by Petlog to promote the benefits of microchipping to pet owners and also encourage people to make sure that their contact details are up to date.

If you would like to take part in Petlog's microchipping survey, you can still do so, here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Petlogmicrochipping. 

For more information, visit www.nationalmicrochippingmonth.org.uk.

Following issues with the implementation and associated costs of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' database (iMIS), independent IT specialists TFX Consulting Ltd have reported on both the implementation project and the long-term suitability of the database for the College's needs.

The TFX iMIS Report highlights inadequacies in the procurement process for the IT system, especially with regard to the drafting of the original brief. The Report suggests that this led to differing expectations from the College and ASI, the company licensing and assisting with the implementation of the software, in terms of the detail and complexity of the project.

Although TFX says it believes the iMIS system to be suitable for the finance functionality required, it is critical of its ability to support some other RCVS data structures, and considers it is a poor fit for the complex registration and education functions of the College. The Report writers note that the RCVS continues to fulfil its statutory duties in terms of fee collection and the maintenance of registration records.

The key recommendations of the Report are that the RCVS continues to work with the iMIS database in the immediate future, particularly with regard to core functions, but that a new partner is sought for ongoing support of the system. Thereafter, the Report recommends that a plan is put in place to migrate away from the system over a period of two to three years, as part of a natural upgrade path for RCVS IT systems.

As part of this programme, TFX recommends that a detailed analysis exercise is required, with the objective of more completely defining the College's complex requirements.

This is the second of two reports prepared by TFX; the first reviewed the College's technology more generally. The Technology Report provided valuable advice in areas of network security, staged replacement of legacy hardware and a coherent software and licensing programme, with associated staff training. 

The TFX iMIS Report can be downloaded from http://www.rcvs.org.uk/TFX

The TFX Technology Report will not be published, as it concerns issues relating to security of the College's IT infrastructure.

RCVS President Jerry Davies said: "We are grateful to TFX Consulting, and Ben Murray in particular, for the depth and clarity of both of their reports. It has been very useful to have independent scrutiny of the iMIS project and our IT systems as a whole.

"Lessons can be - and have been - learned. For example, new project management protocols have been introduced by the College, and the instigation of an Audit and Risk Committee has been agreed".

Council accepted the findings of the Report at its recent meeting, and the new Chief Executive and Secretary, Nick Stace, will consider how the recommendations are best implemented, when he takes up his post in September 2012.

The Association of Zoo and Exotic Nurses (AZEVN) and Harper Adams University have developed a new Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (Exotic, Zoo and Wildlife), which will start in September 2024. 

The course has been designed for RVN’s with an interest in nursing, welfare and conservation of non-domestic animal species. 

The course will be offered as a Graduate Certificate and a Postgraduate Certificate, which will allow RVN’s from any academic background to gain the RCVS Cert AVN.

The course lasts one academic year and will be studied mainly online.

Student finance is currently available for students applying to study the 60 credit Graduate Certificate.

Funding is available for a full MSc (180 credits) at postgraduate level, for which the PgC in AVN Exotics, Zoo and Wildlife can make up one third of the study credits, if completing an MSc over 3 years.

More information can be found on the Student Finance website. 

AZEVN Chair, Matt Rendle RVN said: “Finally, we have an RCVS recognised qualification that will allow RVN’s from all academic pathways to show the high level of knowledge and understanding they have.

"The modules allow veterinary nurses taking the qualification to have a focus on the species or area that they are personally passionate about, be that axolotls, aardvarks or adders!

"This is a huge leap forward for veterinary nurses in the UK.” 

www.azevn.org
www.harper-adams.ac.uk

ProteqFlu, the live attenuated canarypox equine influenza (EI) vaccine, has had its shelf life extended from 27 to 36 months.

Merial says the increased shelf life is the result of ongoing investment in vaccine research & development, and that the new data underpins the stability of modified live vaccine technology.

Merial highlights that ProteqFlu is the only equine flu vaccine in Europe to include the updated American clade 1 Ohio/03 strain in accordance with the OIE recommendations (2004).

Ceva Animal Health has launched a new travel size 20ml bottle of Feliway Spray to help cat owners keep their pet comfortable whilst travelling this summer.

To promote the launch Ceva is giving away thousands of prizes to Feliway customers, offering them the chance to win a top prize of a spa day at Champneys, cat carriers, soft toys and travel stickers, whilst stocks last. To take part, customers need to enter their unique pack code via the Feliway Facebook page to toss an online coin to see what they have won.

In addition, veterinary surgeries that purchase a 12 pack of the 20ml spray will get a second 12 pack free.

Julia Wood, product manager at Ceva said: "Transporting cats  even short distances, for necessary trips to the vet, cattery or to a local show, can easily become a nightmare for both the cat and the owner.  We've introduced the new travel size spray to make it even more convenient for cat owners when they are on the move and we hope the extra competition incentive will drive sales for veterinary clinics."

RCVS has launched its Surveys of the Professions, billed as the largest and most comprehensive study of the UK veterinary sector, to inform strategy and policy for years to come.

The two surveys, for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses respectively, ask the professions a wide range of both quantitative and qualitative questions, covering everything from what they do in a typical working day, to career aspirations, to levels of mental and physical wellbeing.

The surveys are confidential and anonymous.

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “Our Surveys of the Professions are not just a useful and interesting snapshot of the veterinary professions at a particular moment in time, but are really consequential in terms of what we do with the results.

"For example, information from the previous surveys were used to inform our current Strategic Plan, including our mission to be a compassionate regulator, ongoing support for the Mind Matters Initiative, and a focus on workforce-related issues.

"In a similar spirit, this year’s results will inform the forthcoming RCVS Strategic Plan.

“Of course, the quality of the results of the surveys really depends on hearing from as many of you as possible – so we would like veterinary professionals from all parts of the UK as well as our overseas members, from all backgrounds, of all ages and working on all different disciplines to feed into all areas of the surveys and help us with our research.

"Please don’t miss out on having your say, and a huge thank you for taking the time to support this important work.”

The deadline for completing the survey is on or before Friday 16 February 2024. 

Neurologist Matthew James from CVS's Dovecote Veterinary Hospital has been given BSAVA PetSavers Veterinary Achievement Award 2024 for research into the initial management of epileptic dogs in first opinion practice.

Matthew’s award is in recognition of his paper Approach to initial management of canine generalised epileptic seizures in primary-care veterinary practices in the United Kingdom, co-authored with Laurent Garosi, which was selected by the BSAVA Committee as being the most valuable to veterinary practice.

James’ study explored data collected as part of the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) at the University of Liverpool.

In total, clinical records concerning 3,150,713 consultations (917,373 dogs) were collected and analysed from 224 UK veterinary practices.

This included the management of canine generalised epileptic seizures in 517 dogs up to 6 years of age.

The study concluded that 98% of dogs presenting for a single epileptic seizure were not started on long-term therapy, in accordance with the approach recommended by the International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force (IVETF).

Other findings from the study included:

• Sixty-seven dogs (13.0%) received ASDs at first presentation. Prescription of ASDs was significantly more likely in dogs presenting with cluster seizures.
• Phenobarbital and imepitoin were the most frequently chosen ASDs.
• Eighty-six dogs were presented with cluster seizures; less than half of these were prescribed anti-seizure drugs, most frequently imepitoin (n= 19) and phenobarbital (n=17). Imepitoin was frequently selected in the treatment of cluster seizures despite no authorisation for this purpose.
• Presentation for a single epileptic seizure occurred in 321 dogs; seven were prescribed anti-seizure drugs. Primary care clinicians rarely prescribed anti-seizure drugs following a single epileptic seizure in accordance with International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force recommendations.
• Of the dogs presenting with a single seizure and at least 6-month follow-up (n=165), 33 (20%) did not have subsequent seizures recorded.

The paper also reported on factors potentially associated with prescription of ASDs.

It stated that dogs who presented for cluster seizures (more than one epileptic seizure in a 24-hour period) were more likely to be prescribed ASDs, or to be referred to a specialist, than dogs without cluster seizures.

Dogs that were neutered or microchipped were more likely to be started on ASDs following the initial presentation, perhaps suggesting that owners who take part in regular preventative healthcare prior to the onset of their dog’s seizures could be more willing to start therapy in the earlier stages of the disease.

In addition, more than half of dogs with cluster seizures were not prescribed any ASDs.

Given that the presence of cluster seizures is typically considered an indication to start long-term therapy by the IVETF, Matthew says this may be one aspect of seizure management that could be improved in primary care practice.

Regarding the choice of anti-seizure drugs (ASDs), imepitoin was more frequently prescribed than phenobarbital in response to cluster seizures.

But unlike phenobarbital, the paper highlighted that the market authorisation for imepitoin does not include the treatment of cluster seizures.

Therefore vets should be aware that the use of imepitoin for cluster seizures should be considered as “off-licence” - and has additional implications for obtaining informed consent.

Matthew said: “We believe this research contributes to an improved understanding of the current management strategies for canine epilepsy in general practice and how this compares to the current guidelines advised by the IVETF.

"Given the prevalence of epileptic seizures within the UK canine population, as well as the large proportion of dogs that will be managed entirely within general practice without referral to a neurologist, it is vital to ensure that the level of care being provided is optimal.

"We therefore hope that this research ultimately supports and guides general practitioners in their approach to canine epilepsy, thereby improving the quality of life of affected dogs and their owners.”

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jsap.13543