VetHelpDirect.com, a website which helps pet owners decide how urgently their pet needs veterinary attention, has been relaunched with new content for donkey, reptile and bird owners.
Founded by VetSurgeon member Susie Samuel MRCVS in 2006, the site allows pet owners to look up the symptoms their animal is displaying. When the owner answers a series of simple, step-by-step questions, the site then generates a priority rating from "Self care - treatment at home" to "Urgent - you need to contact your vet immediately", coupled with specific first aid advice. It's a sort of home triage system.
VetHelpDirect was designed by vets and all of the content is by vets. The site covers dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and now donkeys, reptiles and birds. I see that the world-renowned avian vet (and all-round good bloke) Neil Forbes FRCVS and his team at Great Western Referrals, together with Dr Karen Rickards, head vet at the Donkey Sanctuary have helped create the new areas of the website, so the information it contains will certainly be of the highest standard.
In fact, the whole site is impressively well-designed and simple to use, an opinion obviously echoed by the readers of WebUser magazine, who gave it 5/5 stars last May, beating Jamie Oliver's website.
Cleverly, the triage system on VetHelpDirect ties in with a directory of veterinary practices, so if immediate care is the answer and the owner doesn't have a vet already, help is at hand. Veterinary practices can pay to have an enhanced listing in the directory.
For a fee, VetHelpDirect can also embed the triage system into your own practice website. That seems like a good way of adding additonal, interesting and interactive content to a website. The interesting question is how much money it will save the practice by eliminating unecessary calls from pet owners who don't really need to talk to a vet.
Equally, though, the site may have an important role to play in telling owners when they SHOULD get to the vet quickly. A recent success story was that of 'Bucket', a 5 year old cat from Nottingham. Bucket was fortunate to live after his owner Sarah Rennoldson logged on to Vet Help Direct.com after he displayed odd behaviour. Acting on the advice displayed on the site her owner immediately contacted her local vet Jaqui Gilmour MRCVS at Bill Bowlers Vets. Bucket was diagnosed with a blocked bladder, which was quickly operated on. Jaqui said: ' If Sarah hadn't brought Bucket in so quickly, he could have gone into renal failure and could have developed metabolic disturbances. He would have been really, really sore, and left untreated a blocked bladder can cause death.'
For more information, 'Start a Conversation' with Susie Samuel MRCVS
The National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) has launched a new 'Use Medicines Responsibly' campaign.
The main thrust of the campaign is an initiative by NOAH to encourage pharmaceutical companies to add: 'Use Medicines Responsibly' as a strapline to their own advertising campaigns, with a link to the NOAH information resource for prescribers and users of animal medicines: www.noah.co.uk/responsible.
Speaking at the NOAH annual members' conference in Northampton, NOAH chief executive Phil Sketchley said: "NOAH believes responsible promotion of animal medicines to be an important link in the chain towards responsible use. Companies' promotional material can educate prescribers and users of animal medicines to the benefit of their animals' health and welfare.
"We believe this new advice resource, with the reminder on advertisements, will help."
A new equine parasite supplement to the online peer-reviewed publication Parasites and Vectors has been published by Fort Dodge.
Entitled "Equine parasites: diagnosis and control - a current perspective," it contains papers on a range of topics including a major European resistance study into key anthelmintic molecules. It is authored by equine parasitology experts and opinion leaders from around the world and was first published in September 2009. It is freely available at http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/
The session will be led by Adam Gregory, Head Nurse, who has experience gained around the world both as a veterinary nurse and a zookeeper.
Adam will take attendees through the basic triaging steps to assess and review treatment that may be needed, as well as covering a range of common presenting problems.
Great Western Exotics says it will be a great opportunity for first opinion vets and nurses to become more familiar with the needs of these birds to ensure they receive the best treatment possible in emergency situations.
To sign up to the talk, email Jess: GWEreferrals@vets-now.com.
https://www.gwexotics.com
The RCVS is seeking candidates to run for election to the RCVS and VN Councils.
There are six seats on the RCVS Council and two on the VN Council due to be filled in the 2010 election. Candidate nominations must be received by 31 January 2010; voting papers will then be distributed to all veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses eligible to vote, the election held in March and the results announced early in May. Those elected will take their seats at RCVS Day in July to serve four-year terms.
Jane Hern, RCVS Registrar said: "Like us or loathe us, what the RCVS does impacts directly on the lives of veterinary surgeons and nurses, their clients and patients. Getting regulation right is something that all Members and Listed/Registered VNs have power to influence.
"We know from the reaction we get when we propose changes or ask for your comments that vets and VNs are not backwards about coming forwards," Jane continued. "There has been a substantial rise in the number of vets voting, since a low point in voter turnout was reached in 2002. So, if you know someone you think is up to the job, why not persuade them to stand?"
All prospective candidates need to provide the signatures and registered/listed addresses of two proposers, and should also submit a short biography, 'manifesto' and photograph for inclusion in the elections booklets. Nobody can nominate more than one candidate, and no current member of the RCVS Council or VN Council may nominate anyone.
Newly elected RCVS Council members should expect to sit on at least one committee which, together with Council attendances, means a time commitment of at least six to eight days a year. Those elected to the VN Council should expect to spend approximately six to eight days attending Council meetings, working parties and subcommittees. Both RCVS Council and VN Council members are permitted to claim certain expenditures arising from Council-related duties and their employers can also claim a standard day-rate for loss of earnings.
Nomination forms and full details relating to RCVS Council nominations can be downloaded from www.rcvs.org.uk/rcvscouncil10 or obtained by contacting the Executive Office (020 7222 0761 or executiveoffice@rcvs.org.uk). Nomination forms and details relating to the VN Council will be online shortly at www.rcvs.org.uk/vncouncil10 and can also be requested from Annette Amato (020 7202 0788 or a.amato@rcvs.org.uk).
All nominations must be made in writing on the prescribed form and received by the Registrar on or before the closing date of 31 January 2010.
Millpledge has launched Dermafuse Tissue Adhesive, an n-butyl cyanoacrylate medical adhesive used to bond tissue together following veterinary procedures.
Dermafuse contains a blue dye to help users see where product has been applied.
On contact with body tissue, Dermafuse changes from liquid to solid state by polymerizing within seconds to seal the wound.
Millpledge says the adhesive stops minor bleeding and binds wound edges, which may eliminate the need for sutures or bandages. In some instances it also acts as a barrier to keep foreign matter from entering the wound. The tissue adhesive is sloughed as healing occurs.
Each 3g bottle contains approximately 175 drops. Four sterile applicator tips are provided with each pack.
An international group of scientists has published new results that herald a breakthrough in finding a vaccine against the most commonly diagnosed infectious disease of horses, strangles.
UK experts from the Animal Health Trust collaborated with scientists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), the Karonlinska Institutet Medical University and Intervacc AB, on the project - the results of which could benefit humans as well as animals.
Professor Andrew Waller, Head of Bacteriology at the AHT, said: "We have been working towards developing a vaccine for 7 years, and finally it seems as if all the hard work is paying off. We've already developed better ways of diagnosing exposure to the infection, and now, with the success of creating a safe and effective vaccine, it looks as if we're finally bringing together the tools necessary to eradicate this terrible disease."
The vaccine consists of seven different Streptococcus proteins and results from early tests published in PLoS Pathogens have been incredibly positive showing a high level of protection and no side effects. It is hoped that the strangles vaccine could be commercially available in the near future.
Streptococcus equi, the bacterium that causes strangles, shares 80 per cent identity with Streptococcus pyogenes - the leading cause of bacterial pharyngitis, tonsillitis and rheumatic fever in humans, which kills thousands of people each year. Scientists hope that the knowledge gained through developing the strangles vaccine will also help in developing vaccines to combat these human conditions.
Research leader, Professor Bengt Guss of SLU, said: "This is a most exciting project, where research is generating new applications and knowledge that can be used to develop vaccines against these important bacteria. This is particularly important considering the increased number of infectious diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria."
The vaccine development work was only made possible thanks to information from the Streptococcus equi genome sequencing project funded by The Horse Trust.
The Horse Trust's Chief Executive Brigadier Paul Jepson, said: "We are absolutely delighted that by pulling apart the genome of this plague of the horse world scientists have generated a truly safe and effective strangles vaccine. That this work could also benefit other animal and human health is beyond our wildest hopes."
Full text of the research findings can be found in PLoS Pathogens online at http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1000584
As part of its Pet Factor campaign, the National Office of Animal Health has launched a competition via its consumer website Pet Health Information www.pethealthinfo.org.uk to find a pet with "the Pet Factor".
NOAH is inviting owners, vets, and vet nurses to go on to the website and put forward nominations, in no more than 200 words, of animals that have staged an amazing recovery, shown exceptional bravery or set themselves apart in some other way.
The Pet Factor campaign was launched with a set of three viral videos, focussing on Pet Factor auditions for a dog, cat, and hamster that reminded owners of the importance of basic pet care.
The PHI site encourages owners to go to talk to pet care professionals to seek advice about how to keep their pets healthy and happy.
Phil Sketchley chief executive of NOAH said: "The video campaign was very successful, with over 25,000 people having watched them so far. Now we want to take the campaign further and find pets that have done something special in a way that really embodies the spirit of 'the Pet Factor'."
The winning pet and their owner will receive a full photo shoot worth over £1,000 with renowned animal photographer Sam Lunt. The final photographs will be presented to them in a beautiful bound book, to remember their special day.
If you think one of your clients deserves to win, submit your 200 word entry at www.pethealthinfo.org.uk, with a photograph if you have one. The closing date is 28 February 2010.
Dechra Veterinary Products, manufacturer and distributor of Equipalazone®, has launched a new website with up-to-date advice and guidance on the subject of equine pain management for horse owners: http://www.equinepainmatters.com/
Dechra says the website offers owners a place to go for information about pain in their horse including causes, diagnosis and the tools and techniques that their vet may use to treat pain. Owners will also be able to download anatomy charts and information leaflets on topics such as pain management, lameness, anaesthesia, sedation, euthanasia, the importance of microchipping and wound management.
Larry King, equine product manager at Dechra said: "This website is great for horse owners as they now have one place to go for information about equine pain matters. It will help them gain a better understanding of managing pain in their horses and the critical role that their vet plays in this area. Veterinary practices can also refer owners to it to support their consultation. This is the first website to put all this information together, so we are sure it will be popular.
"Cards with the new website address are available for practices to hand out to clients. "The website allows clients to browse the site in the comfort of their own home and is also ideal for practices with limited storage space for client information materials."
Dechra also encourages practices that have their own websites to link directly to www.equinepainmatters.com. Practices can order hand-out cards by contacting Dechra on 01743 441632 or email marketing@dechra.com.
Vetoquinol has announced that packs of Rubenal 300mg are now available in bottles of 60 tablets instead of the previous 20.
Rubenal, which was launched earlier this year, is a complementary nutritional feeding stuff for the support of renal function in case of chronic renal insufficiency in dogs and cats. It is used as an aid to the maintenance of the normal renal fibrous architecture.
Simon Boulton, Rubenal's product manager said: "This increased pack size is a direct result of customer consultation. It will make treatment more cost effective for dogs and allow a longer treatment period per pack purchased."
For further information please contact your Vetoquinol representative or telephone 0800 1698197.
Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica has launched a unique and natural muscle building supplement for horses, Equitop Myoplast Power Pearls, containing 18 key amino acids.
The company says maintaining muscular condition in performance and sports horses can be challenging, especially when work load is increased or during periods of convalescence, as feeding high levels of concentrates can often lead to horses becoming 'fizzy' and bulking up on fats and oils.
Scientifically designed to support lean muscle growth, not bulk, Equitop Myoplast Power Pearls is great for optimising performance in horses in intensive training and competition, as well as bringing on young, breeding and injured animals, and for older horses which lose condition easily.
The product is endorsed by top British show jumper, Ellen Whitaker and veterinary surgeon and dressage rider, Christel Robbins BVSc MRCVS.
Craig Beck from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica said: "Equitop Myoplast Power Pearls is already one of the most popular equine supplements sold in Germany and is used by top riders in all disciplines to help ensure their horses reach their full athletic potential. We are certain that with the support of riders such as Ellen Whitaker, Equitop Myoplast Power Pearls will prove just as popular in the UK."
Equitop Myoplast Power Pearls is available in a 1.5kg tub (RRP £65) and can be fed separately or mixed with feed. Horses weighing less than 500kg should be fed one scoop (25g) per day, while larger horses should receive two scoops (50g). Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica recommends that Equitop Myoplast Power Pearls is fed for at least a month as results are normally visible within 3-4 weeks.
Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica is committed to supporting veterinary practices and Equitop Myoplast Power Pearls will be distributed exclusively by veterinary wholesalers. An extensive advertising campaign in professional equine publications will help raise awareness of Equitop Myoplast Power Pearls and, for a limited period, horse owners and equine professionals can download a voucher from http://www.equitop-myoplast.co.uk/ offering a £15 rebate against their first purchase. Veterinary practices can redeem these vouchers by returning them to Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica via a freepost address.
For further information on Equitop Myoplast Power Pearls, please contact your local Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica representative, visit www.equitop-myoplast.co.uk or call 01344 746959.
Vets Now, the out-of-hours emergency services provider is to launch the Vets Now Hospital service in Glasgow city centre, where it will offer emergency and critical care together with a range of specialist referral options.
This follows on the heels of The University of Glasgow Small Animal Hospital, a new £15 million facility which opened at the end of August.
Vets Now says that the new hospitals and the range of clinical services on offer to the profession and pet owners will make the west of Scotland a centre of excellence in advanced clinical care for animals.
The opening of the two facilities will also offer both organisations a new platform on which to develop further their long standing relationship through future collaboration in the areas of teaching, training and investigation into animal disease.
Vets Now Group Managing Director, Richard Dixon said: "The opening of the two facilities presents a number of opportunities for both organisations to work collaboratively to develop teaching and training for undergraduates, residents, interns and nurses, and to work together to gain further understanding into animal disease through clinical investigation and the practice and promotion of evidence based medicine."
Professor Stuart Reid, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University said: "The expanded service which will be offered by the Small Animal Hospital and the new Vets Now Hospital obviously presents an enhanced range of choices for pet owners and first opinion vets in Scotland and an opportunity for both organisations to work collaboratively to ensure that undergraduates and clinical professionals have access to the best training and opportunities to develop professionally. We have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship for a number of years and we look forward to the new opportunities which the opening of the two hospitals will bring in the future."
The Small Animal Hospital opened on 31 August. The first Vets Now Hospital will open in Glasgow on 31 October.
Two days left in which to enter Vetoquinol's competition to win up to £300 worth of CPD or a goody bag.
To enter, answer the 7 multi-choice questions here.
To mark its 20th anniversary, Woodley Equipment Company is holding a prize draw to win one of three bottles of Chateau Pitray 1989 Bordeaux red wine.
Woodley Equipment Company Ltd was established in 1989 by Mike Wickham, a biomedical scientist who specialises in haematology and blood transfusion.
Visit www.woodley20years.com to enter the draw. The winner will be drawn on Friday 30th October 2009.
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, makers of Caninsulin, is launching Pet Diabetes Month, a call to arms for owners to check if their pets might be at risk of diabetes. To enable the testing, urine glucose test strips will be made available free of charge to vet practices to dispense during Pet Diabetes Month (1 - 30 November 2009).
ISPAH says that despite general awareness of the signs of diabetes in humans, many pet owners still have little understanding of the condition in their animals. The urine-sampling aspect of the campaign, entitled the Great Pet 'Pee' Test, intends to address this by making test strips freely available. It is hoped that many of the undiagnosed diabetics in the UK's pet population will be identified during the campaign and appropriate treatment plans undertaken.
Practices wishing to participate in Pet Diabetes Month and the Great Pet 'Pee' Test will benefit from practice leaflets containing the test strips, waiting room posters, the website http://www.petdiabetesmonth.co.uk/ and the opportunity to be included in a regional PR campaign.
Shoumik Das BVM&S MRCVS, Marketing Manager for Caninsulin, said; "The tremendous success of National Vaccination Month clearly demonstrates that pet owners are keen to take an active interest in the care of their pet, but often don't know where to start. By providing the test strips free to practices to distribute to pet owners we are once again giving them the tools to take control of their pets' health. If we can identify even a few of the missing thousands of pets potentially at risk from diabetes, that has to be good news for the pets and also vet practices."
Interested practices should contact their local Intervet/Schering-Plough Territory Manager or phone the company's Veterinary Support Group on 01908 685685.
1,927 veterinary nurses voted, representing an 8.8% turnout.
Whilst marginally better than 2022's turnout of 8.4%, it's still less than half that seen in 2020.
Matthew Rendle scored 891 votes and Simon Williams 642.
Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar and Returning Officer for both elections, said: “Congratulations to all our successful candidates in this year’s elections and thank you to all those who stood for election this year.
"We look forward to welcoming our successful candidates to their elected places at this year’s AGM.
“While the turnout for the VN Council election improved slightly on last year, it was a shame to see the turnout for vets fall again.
"As part of our wider Council culture project, we are looking at how to increase engagement with our election processes across the board, from candidate nominations, to how we present information about the candidates, to how we encourage greater election turnout.
"We will be consulting with the group set up to look specifically at this issue in due course to see how we can improve turnout going forward.”
The full results for the RCVS Council election can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/vnvote23
The four organisations have written a template letter which anyone can send to any company they see using brachycephalic breeds, such as the Persian, or Scottish Folds, in its marketing materials.
The letter urges companies that use images of cats to work collaboratively with veterinary professionals and pledge to avoid using such breeds in the future.
Dr Nathalie Dowgray, Head of ISFM, said: “Seeing a cute cat in an advertisement can often be a trigger for people to seek out acquiring a cat of that breed without understanding the welfare concerns associated with some pedigree breeds.
"A rise in demand can lead to an increase in breeding practices that result in severe conformational issues and poorer welfare in these breeds.
"We encourage people to download this letter to use when they see breeds of concern being used in advertising, as health is always more important than looks.”
https://icatcare.org/app/uploads/2023/09/ISFM_FECAVA_FVE_UEVPAdvert_Letter.pdf.
VetCell Bioscience has become the first UK-based stem cell centre to be authorised under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations.
Following a rigorous series of inspections and reports by Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Inspectors VetCell, in conjunction with their UK laboratory partner Biobest, were officially authorised as an equine stem cell centre on 1 October 2009.
David Mountford, Chief Operating Officer of VetCell Bioscience said: "To have received formal authorisation so swiftly reflects the high standard of our operation and our ability to lead the field in the increasingly competitive sector of stem cell technology."
Stem cell therapy involves implanting millions of the animal's own stem cells and autologous growth factors directly into the injured tendon or ligament. The service VetCell Bioscience offers is the collection, storage, processing and supply of stem cells suitable for administration back into the donor animal.
According to the company, there is considerable interest from the human sector and studies in human medicine, for the treatment of Achilles tendinopathies, could begin as early as next year.
Veterinary training provider Improve International has opened training facilities at its new European head office, near Swindon.
The company says its relocation to Alexandra House Conference Centre is a strategic move, allowing it to offer residential courses, new programmes and extended courses, as it challenges the industry to re-think its approach to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and postgraduate qualifications.
Nick Fowler, General Manager of Improve International said: "As a training company founded by vets for vets, we want to harness the passion and experience which can be found throughout the profession and nurture a desire for lifelong learning.
"Training shouldn't become a CPD 'tickbox' that's cumbersome to fit around practice commitments. That's why we have moved towards a far more flexible modular programme, where we can design a personal development plan around an individual's career aspirations - whether they are vets in general practice, vets with special interests, a veterinary nurse, or a practice manager.
"Having the very best facilities in which to train is integral to this plan, so having outgrown our centre in Cricklade, we were keen to find new premises which would meet all our needs. Although it's an unusual scenario to move into an established conference and events centre, we felt that the facilities offered by Alexandra House - from the fully serviced training rooms to the uniquely designed practical suite, 5 star bedrooms, acres of grounds, on-site leisure complex and great food - would all enhance the training experience of our delegates."
A separate wing of Alexandra House has been converted into Improve International's office space, training rooms and a 700 square feet state-of-the-art practical facility which the company says will be one of the finest available in Europe.
Improve International will open a second sister centre at Cranage Hall in Cheshire, also part of the Principal Hayley conference group, within the next 12-months.
Information about courses and facilities is available at www.improvecpd.com
Jacqui Molyneux, SPVS President Elect, has announced details of the work she has been involved in to radically restructure and improve the training of veterinary nurses in the UK.
For the last 10 years the VN qualification has involved candidates sitting for an NVQ in veterinary nursing. This NVQ is however being phased out by the Government, whatever party that may be, from next September. The RCVS is therefore taking this opportunity to put in place a viable alternative qualification to improve and build upon the current structure.
Jacqui said: "We are coming from the standpoint that, worryingly, there is a dire shortage of RVNs available for practices to employ. If we do not take this opportunity to do something now, the situation will in all likelihood deteriorate even further.
"I chair a working party convened in May which has been looking at current VN training and how to improve it. There was an initial written period of information gathering followed by three full days of face-to-face consultation meetings with invited interested parties in July and September. This period of consultation has resulted in a proposal being put forward.
She added: "The proposals are radical and in some ways controversial but have been put together in response to the feedback we have received so far. I must, however, reiterate that it is, at this stage, a proposal and we are still in a consultation period.
"At the end of the period we will have another working party meeting and reassess the proposal. This will then go to the Awarding Body Board and on to both VN council and RCVS council for full approval. I hope we will end up with a scheme that reflects the vital role nurses play in a modern veterinary practice."
The consultation document can be found here.
Research by the Kennel Club to promote Discover Dogs (Earl's Court, 14th & 15th November) has found dogs help one in twenty people find love, and one in three to make new friends.
More than four in five said the mere presence of a wagging tail has provided them with the courage or excuse to talk to a stranger - possibly because two-thirds agree that people with dogs seem more friendly and approachable.
The research was carried out in October amongst a representative sample of 530 dog owners. It found that nationally,:
33% have made a new friend when walking their dog
4% have met a partner when walking their dog
64% of dog owners feel people with dogs seem more friendly and approachable
16% say that their dog is the only one that they can trust
40% say that their dog is their best friend
19% spend more time on social networking sites than they do outside socialising
46% rarely meet people outside of their existing social group
Caroline Kisko, Secretary of the Kennel Club, said: "This research confirms that dogs enrich our lives in so many ways and, as well as helping us to make new relationships, they still retain the title of man's best friend. At Discover Dogs we can help people to find the right dog for them and to learn how to give them the best possible life, so that we can return the favour."
The resources comprise guidance materials, a health and wellbeing assessment, associate case studies, links to external support and information posters.
The company is also piloting a mindfulness app called Headspace, which is now freely available to everyone at Linnaeus, whether they are experiencing the menopause or have other needs.
Saskia Connell, People and Organisation Director at Linnaeus, said: “Menopause is a stage of life that is unique for everyone who experiences it – and can also affect the people around them.
"For those experiencing the menopause, sadly 45% say they feel their symptoms have had a negative impact on their work, according to the British Menopause Society.
"As an employer, we need to make sure they have our full support and a flourishing career.
One of Linnaeus' practices, Park Vet Group, has taken things a step further and introduced other wellbeing initiatives to support its associates with the menopause.
The practice offers confidential support to all associates who want to talk about any health concerns, plus open sessions to establish conversations about menopause.
Its team, led by Practice Manager Harriet Tims (pictured right), also introduced yellow 'Just to Make you Smile' toiletry bags containing sanitary products, tissues, hygiene wipes, deodorant spray and face wipes.
Anyone at Park can help themselves to the bags, or add products should they wish.
YORKTEST Veterinary Services has announced a change of name to Avacta Animal Health Ltd., following its acquisition by Avacta Group Plc.
The allergy testing and customer support that is synonymous with YORKTEST Veterinary Services will now appear under the brand name of SENSITEST® - the complete allergy service.
Janice Hogg, MD Avacta Animal Health said: "It is an exciting time for us at present and the change of name to Avacta Animal Health signifies this forward progression. Our extensive and high quality allergy portfolio is now branded "SENSITEST®. Previously this was only used in Europe but it will now be our global branding for the complete allergy service offered by Avacta Animal Health. "
For more information on Avacta Animal Health and SENSITEST® telephone 0800 8494 550 or visit website at http://www.animal-allergy.co.uk/.
A new programme to help reduce the stress of pets suffering a reaction to sudden loud noises such as fireworks and thunderstorms, has been launched by the makers of Zylkène.
Intervet / Schering-Plough Animal Health, which manufactures Zylkène, a product to help manage stress in dogs and cats, has developed the programme in association with animal behaviour experts at Bristol University.
The Zylkène Sound Desensitisation Programme, to be used in conjunction with Zylkène, features sound tracks, advice, written and verbal instructions and a practice track designed to help pet owners find a long-term solution to a common and distressing problem. The CD features fireworks, thunder and lightening and gunshots sounds and includes component sound tracks to avoid overwhelming very sensitive pets.
One CD will be given away free of charge with every box of Zylkène purchased between 1 September and 30 November, while stocks last.
The Zylkène Sound Desensitisation Programme complements an educational waiting room display and owner information sheets which provide owners with practical advice and techniques to help pets cope throughout the firework season.
Melanie Dass, product manager at Intervet /Schering-Plough Animal Health, said: "The sad fact is that just under half the UK dog population reacts to sudden loud noises, as do many cats. Stress caused by unexpected sounds manifests in many ways from hiding, house soiling or attempts to escape.
"Unfortunately, if this problem is not correctly managed, firework-related stress reactions can become progressively more severe and can extend to other sounds such as thunder and even everyday noises such as car doors being slammed. Desensitisation is a proven method of changing a pet's response to sudden loud noises. This new Zylkène Sound Desensitisation Programme means we can now offer pet owners short and long term problems to a common and distressing problem."
Petplan has launched nominations for its Petplan Insurance Advisor of the Year Award.
The award is to recognise the hard work and dedication that Pet Insurance Advisors (PIAs) do to highlight the importance of insurance to pet owners as a means of financial protection. To nominate your PIA visit http://www.petplan.co.uk/piaaward/
Petplan works with nearly 2000 vet practices to promote pet insurance within practice. Once a practice has received Appointed Representative status, employees can train to become a dedicated Pet Insurance Advisor by registering on http://www.petplan.co.uk/piaaward/
Petplan says that since pet owners often look to vets for advice about where they stand on insurance matters, having a dedicated member of staff there to explain insurance benefits can give an added value service to your practice. Also the PIA scheme can contribute to staff's CPD, and help them develop transferable skills such as confidently promoting products and handling client objections.
Kelly Cummings, the winner of the 2008 Petplan Insurance Advisor of the Year award said: "Encouraging owners to invest in pet insurance early on in their pet's life can help to ensure a stress-free future. The PIA scheme offers good advice about the basics of insurance which are easy to understand for vet staff. This information can then be simply conveyed to clients."
The PIA of the Year will receive a new laptop and their practice will receive £100 in vouchers! Nominations close on 31st August 2009 and the nominees will be judged by industry professionals. The winner will be announced at the annual BVNA Congress on 10th October.
Please note: due to insurance regulation, the PIA scheme is only available to veterinary staff employed at Petplan Appointed Representative practices.