The EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee has published Brexit: farm animal welfare, a report which highlights both the need for the UK to retain EU veterinary surgeons who currently comprise over 90% of the country's Official Veterinarians, and the risk that post-Brexit trade deals could compromise animal welfare.

The report says the greatest threat to farm animal welfare standards post-Brexit would come from UK farmers competing against cheap, imported food from countries that produce to lower standards than the UK. Therefore, the Government's wish for the UK to become a global leader in free trade is not necessarily compatible with its desire to maintain high animal welfare standards.

Noting the UK's overwhelming reliance on non-UK EU citizens to fill crucial official veterinary positions in the UK, the Committee called on the Government to ensure that the industry is able to retain or recruit qualified staff to fill these roles post-Brexit.

Responding to the report, BVA President Gudrun Ravetz said: "The report offers strong leadership and a clear message, emphasising the consumer and cross-sector consensus that current animal health and welfare standards must be at least maintained in Brexit negotiations. Prioritising these standards in trade negotiations could guarantee a unique selling point for the UK. As the report recommends, as consumers we must make sure we do not compromise quality for cost-savings in order to avoid a race to the bottom for welfare standards. We now need clarity from the Government on how underpinning processes and overarching principles, like Article 13 which ensures animal welfare requirements are fully considered in policy-setting, will be incorporated into domestic law. 

"The report supports our view that animal welfare should be considered a public good and we reiterate our calls following the Secretary of State’s recent speech that a replacement CAP scheme should encompass animal welfare, animal health, disease surveillance, biodiversity and environmental stewardship to benefit not only UK producers, but consumers and wider society too.

"The EU Committee’s recognition of the vital role vets play in animal health, welfare and public health is extremely encouraging. Official Veterinarians (OVs) working in abattoirs protect and reassure UK consumers, certifying and supervising the import and export of animals and animal products to third countries. As I outlined in my evidence to the Committee, some estimates suggest 95% of OVs working in UK abattoirs graduated overseas, mostly in the EU. However, we are already hearing of fewer applicants for veterinary public health roles since the referendum.

"There are significant concerns about the potential impact of a post-Brexit veterinary workforce shortage on the UK's £100 billion agri-food sector, in terms of risking business and consumer confidence as well as the UK’s future export capability. A strong, sustainable veterinary workforce is absolutely vital to safeguarding animal health, welfare and public health post Brexit."

The Government has announced that it is extending existing dangerous dogs laws to apply to private property, closing a loophole in the current law which only applies to public land.

Jim Paice, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, said: "We've all heard the stories of snarling dogs not being properly kept under control or heard from health workers, postal workers or social workers who are at risk of serious injury from out of control dogs while just doing their job, attending to people in their homes.

"Today we are announcing a comprehensive package of measures that tackle the problem head on, which will better protect legitimate visitors to private property and will enable the police to take action before someone is hurt or killed."

The plans also put forward proposals to allow the police, when dealing with any dogs which are subject to proceedings under the Dangerous Dogs Act, to take a common sense decision as to whether the dog really needs to be kept away from their owners until the outcome of proceedings.

Mr Paice added: "Our plans must strike the right balance between protecting the public from dangerous dogs and ensuring that safe and properly looked after pets don't need to be wrenched from their home unnecessarily.

"We're giving the police more discretion to take common-sense decisions where dogs are clearly not a threat by ending the requirement that they be seized and kennelled, at great cost to the taxpayer and distress to the owner involved, while a decision is taken on whether to exempt the dog from being destroyed under the Dangerous Dogs Act."

Other measures announced today include:

• Consulting on whether to micro-chip all dogs to help tackle the problem of irresponsible owners and ease the overwhelming number of strays that are put down as the owner cannot be identified
• Providing £50,000 for local and community projects involving animal welfare organisations, the police, local authorities and community groups to promote more responsible dog ownership in estates, youth clubs and schools
• Providing £20,000 for the training of expert police dog legislation officers in each force
• Issuing new guidance to help the courts deal more effectively with seized dogs

However, the proposals do not go far enough for Dogs Trust, the dog welfare charity. Clarissa Baldwin, the charity's CEO said: "The Government has spent a great deal of time examining this legislation since it came to power and whilst we accept DEFRA has done their best to look at this issue, unfortunately, their best is no where near good enough.  Not good enough to better protect the public or good enough to improve animal welfare.

"Government must tackle this problem head on with completely new legislation rather than just tinkering around the edges.  We're extremely disillusioned that there is nothing in the consultation on measures that will actually help to prevent dog attacks, which is surely what the aim of these proposals should be.  We seem to be waltzing along on this issue rather than the quick step we need to meaningful reform.

"We consider that the introduction of compulsory microchipping of all dogs, not just those born after a certain date, is the only way that we will see immediate welfare benefits and a reduction in the number of stray dogs in the UK.  

"Microchipping will not prevent dog attacks but it will allow the owner of a dangerous dog or a dog that was dangerously out of control to be identified by enforcement agencies. The act of microchipping is also a key intervention, providing an opportunity to advise owners about responsible dog ownership and the law."

Elanco Animal Health, maker of Comfortis, Trifexis and Atopica, has launched ScratchTracker, a smartphone app designed to help dog owners with a simple way to monitor pruritus in their pet and share the results with their vet.

Elanco says ScratchTracker uses a scoring scale that has been developed by veterinary dermatologists and is proven to be an accurate and consistent way for pet owners to assess pruritus in dogs.

It's hoped the app will help veterinary surgeons track how a dog is responding to treatment and identify reasons for an increase in the dog's level of itchiness.

After downloading ScratchTracker from the Apple App Store or Google Play, pet owners are asked to rate how itchy their pet is by agreeing to a statement such as 'Extremely severe itching/almost continuous: itching doesn't stop whatever is happening, even in the consulting room' or 'Moderate itching/regular episodes: itching might occur at night, but not when eating, playing or exercising'. The reading will then be submitted and ScratchTracker will convert it to a numerical score tracking history which can be emailed from the app to the veterinary surgeon.

Alice Laurens, DVM MRCVS, product manager at Elanco Animal Health, said: "The ScratchTracker App is a useful tool to track pruritus in dogs for either a short period of time or for dogs suffering from a lifelong condition such as atopic dermatitis as part of a long term management programme."

For further information, contact your Elanco Animal Health key account manager or email: elancoCAH.uk@elanco.com

The latest addition to the Bayer portfolio of educational websites for pet owners was launched this week and to mark the occasion, there are 5 digital cameras and photo frames to be won by vets and nurses.

Targeted specifically at cat owners, with a dedicated section for vets and nurses, http://www.profender.co.uk/ aims to educate owners about the importance of worming their cats and visiting their vets.

Pet owners visiting the site will be able to profile their cat to determine the optimum worm treatment regime. To help improve compliance, owners can also subscribe to a free SMS or email reminder service to alert them when a worming treatment is due.

The vet- and nurse-only section of the website contains a wealth of information, including animated worm lifecycles and details on Profender Spot-On, its formulation and mode of action.

To enter the competition to win a digital camera and photo frame, you just need to answer three questions. Click here.

During November the RSPCA is running a national survey to identify the animal welfare issues that worry the public, and the charity is offering a free designer t-shirt in return for taking part.

To take part in the survey, call the RSPCA on 0300 123 8888 for a copy of its national animal welfare questionnaire to complete and post back. In return, you'll receive a T-shirt designed by Hemingway Design (pictured right). Wayne Hemingway was a judge at this year's RSPCA Good Business Awards and is against the use of animal fur in fashion.

Commenting on the campaign, Louise Richmond, RSPCA said: "Foot and mouth and bluetongue are all over our screens at the moment but we want to find out more about what really concerns people about animal welfare. Whether it's fur in fashion, intensive farming, badger culling or dogs left in hot cars we want to know what it is that will best encourage the British public to back our campaign."


For more information, visit: http://www.therspca.co.uk/tshirt/

The BBC reports that a new strain of MRSA has emerged in British cows and is thought to be infecting humans.

For more on this story, click here.

Bayer Animal Health has launched its annual tick awareness campaign, this year titled 'No Bite is Right', with results of a survey which found that 44% of pet owners don't use regular preventative tick treatment. 

The OnePoll survey of 4000 pet owners, which was conducted on behalf of the company in January, also found that 60% of pet owners are worried about ticks spreading disease to their pet, and 28% have found one. 

As part of the 'No Bite is Right' campaign, owners are being encouraged to speak to their veterinary surgeon about using preventative tick products to help reduce the risk of their pet becoming infected by tick-borne diseases. 

Jenny Helm, University of Glasgow Veterinary Clinician, said: "In recent years I have noticed and been made aware from owners and other vets, of a steady rise in tick numbers across the country. With this there is an increased risk of potentially fatal tick-borne diseases being transmitted to pets. However, if a tick can be killed before it bites, this avoids the risk and provides vital protection to the pet."

Richard Wall, Professor of Zoology at Bristol University, said: "Research has shown that in recent years, tick abundance has increased and the period of seasonal activity has extended in many areas. Climate change, particularly warmer, wet winters have had direct effects on tick feeding as well as impacting indirectly on vegetation cover and creating a more suitable habitat. The increase in deer numbers, habitat modification by conservation and changes in farming practices have also all contributed to the growth in numbers."

Stella Huyshe-Shires, from charity Lyme Disease Action, says: "Lyme Borreliosis is a rapidly emerging disease in the UK and a number of experienced healthcare professionals believe the increase in reported cases reflects a genuine rise over the last 20 years, and not just increased awareness leading to more diagnosis. There appears to have been an increase in ticks and, in turn, an increase in the prevalence of Lyme borreliosis in ticks."

'No Bite Is Right' is part of Bayer Animal Health’s wider 'It’s a Jungle Out There' parasite protection initiative. A series of campaign roadshows for pet owners will be taking place this year at the Ayr, Devon and New Forest County Shows. You can find out more about how your practice can get involved with the campaign by following the conversation on www.facebook.com/jungleforpets and downloading campaign materials at www.vetcentre.bayer.co.uk.

The Animal Protection Agency (APA) is highlighting the publication of new, evidence-based guidelines for the inspection of animal establishments such as pet shops, breeding centres, boarding kennels and sanctuaries.

For decades, animal welfare and public health issues have been reported at a variety of animal establishments. The Animal Protection Agency says that inconsistent inspection methods and a lack of objective guidelines have contributed to a situation it describes as unacceptable.

The new report, ‘Guidelines for Inspection of Companion and Commercial Animal Establishments', which was part-funded by the APA and is published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science¹, offers guidelines for animal husbandry (including invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds) and inspection protocols for a variety of commercial and non-commercial establishments.

Space for animals, responsible handover, facility layout and human health and safety are among the issues detailed in the publication, which also offers a scoring tool.

The APA says the publication is believed to be the most objective information resource of its kind anywhere in the world. It is freely accessible to anyone, whether for formal governmental, professional managerial or private use.

Lead author and biologist Clifford Warwick said: "Clear, definitive and objective guidance for animal care and facility inspection has long been needed to enable responsible authorities to oversee animal health and welfare with confidence, and hopefully many will welcome and find helpful this new report."

Co-author and veterinary expert Mike Jessop MRCVS said: "Animal welfare and improved public health are the clear winners from a standardised inspection system that is applicable to all companion animal establishments. Moving to a more objective and evidenced system of inspection is long overdue. The same principles and protocols are readily adaptable to encompass inspection of any animal holding facility."

Animal Protection Agency Director Elaine Toland said: "Britain has been called a 'nation of animal lovers', and many want the best for their pets. But there is also a nation of 'animal traders and keepers' out there who often aim to provide the most 'cost effective' and therefore lowest possible standards of space, habitat and general care that they can get away with, and that mindset needs to change."

Reference

1. Warwick C, Jessop M, Arena P, Pilny A and Steedman C (2018) Guidelines for Inspection of Companion and Commercial Animal Establishments. Front. Vet. Sci. 5:151. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00151 

Virbac has announced the launch of Canigen Lepto4 vaccine, which covers an additional two strains of Leptospirosis over its existing Canigen Lepto2 vaccine. 

The company says the new product is designed to give practices the flexibility to meet the needs of certain high-risk groups in the UK and in dogs which may be travelling abroad. 

Both vaccines are offered with technical training and support from Virbac. This includes a suite of educational and promotional resources to enable practices to engage with their clients and help to make informed decisions about Leptospirosis vaccination for their dog.

Sarah Walker MRCVS, Product Manager, said: "We are committed both to providing our practices with a full and flexible range of canine vaccines and to offering them all the support they need to advise their clients effectively on this important issue.  

"While Canigen Lepto2 is still perfectly suitable in many cases and provides a broad spectrum of protection, the launch of Canigen Lepto4 helps to offer a solution for those who may needed a broader degree of protection through being at a higher risk or those which travel abroad."

The RCVS DC has directed that a Wirral-based veterinary surgeon should be removed from the Register after finding that he had treated clients badly, kept inadequate clinical records, was dishonest in dealing with the RCVS, and that animals in his care were placed at risk.

At the end of the five-day hearing, the Committee found that Ian Beveridge, of the Daryl Veterinary Centre, Heswall, was guilty of charges relating to two separate cases: one concerning a crossbred bitch named Holly, who belonged to Mr and Mrs Flanagan and was treated in February 2011; and the other, a cat called Blu, belonging to Ms Simpson and treated in March 2010.

On the morning of 23 February 2011, Holly was admitted to the Daryl Veterinary Centre in a collapsed state with a swollen abdomen. The Committee found a proper assessment should have led Mr Beveridge to perform an abdominocentesis at the practice, the results of which, in view of the practice and its facilities, would inevitably have led to Holly immediately being referred elsewhere. However, the Committee heard that Mr Beveridge simply placed her on a heat pad for observation until about midday, something it considered no reasonably competent veterinary surgeon in general practice would have done. The Committee also found that, on more than one occasion, Mr Beveridge had refused to discuss referral with Mrs Flanagan, and this amounted to failing to treat her with courtesy and respect as required by the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct 2010, which applied at that time. Holly was ultimately referred elsewhere and survived. The Committee also found the records of Holly's admission to be completely inadequate.

Blu was presented on 22 March 2010 in a collapsed state by Mr Taylor, Ms Simpson's former partner with whom the cat lived. The Committee found that Mr Taylor was told that the cat would be kept on a heat pad, that no other treatment or diagnosis was discussed, and that the possibility of euthanasia was not raised. Having been unable to contact Mr Beveridge that evening, Ms Simpson went to the practice the following morning, intending that her cat be discharged and taken elsewhere. However, the Committee found, when Mr Beveridge eventually fetched Blu, who had died, he blocked Mrs Simpson's exit from the consulting room, saying words to the effect that had she been a better owner, none of this would have happened.

Mr Beveridge also sent to the College clinical records for Blu detailing a blood sample taken at 19.00 on 22 March, and subcutaneous fluids administered during that night. The Committee found this to contain deliberately false information in order to cast a better light on his management of Blu and that he was dishonest; the document was essentially a fabrication to enhance his own interests.

In reaching its decision, the Committee said that it made allowances for the fact that Mr Beveridge operated in first-opinion practice at a basic level. Notwithstanding this, however, it found him guilty of a very serious failure of care to both patients, which gave rise to serious risks to their safety and welfare.

Professor Peter Lees, chairing and speaking on behalf of the Committee said: "On each occasion [Mr Beveridge] treated the owners with a lack of courtesy and respect and made the difficult and distressing circumstances in which they found themselves much worse than they need have been. The Committee takes a very serious view of his attempt to prevent Ms Simpson leaving the consulting room with Blu, and of the unjust and upsetting way in which he sought to blame her for the animal's death. He showed her no consideration at all. Likewise his refusal to contemplate referral for Holly until compelled by Mrs Flanagan to do so and his persistent refusal to engage with her about this at all was, in the Committee's view, reprehensible."

The Committee directed Mr Beveridge's name should be removed from the Register.

Ceva Animal Health has produced a new booklet explaining the discharge procedures for horses that have been treated with Equidronate (formerly called Tildren), a bisphosphonate infusion used for the treatment of bone spavin.

Ceva says the new booklet is designed for vets to give their clients to help convey the most effective post-treatment management protocol. It explains what Equidronate is, how it works and how it is administered. It goes on to cover how owners can help to monitor progress once exercise has commenced, by completing the specially created assessment forms contained within the booklet every couple of weeks.

According to the company, trials published earlier this year show that horses suffering lameness caused by bone spavin can show marked improvement following treatment with an Equidronate infusion, in combination with controlled exercise.

Copies of the new leaflet are available free of charge from your Ceva sales representative. Leaflets on understanding bone spavin, understanding navicular disease and understanding sacroiliac disease are also available.

Leeds-based Gary James Cassius Samuel has been struck off by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee following his conviction for animal welfare offences in 2016.

The Disciplinary Committee heard that Mr Samuel had been convicted of five animal welfare offences at Leeds Magistrates' Court in January 2016. The charges related to causing unnecessary suffering to a number of animals including twelve dogs and four cats, and failing to take steps to ensure that the needs of the animals for which he was responsible were met. The animals were kept at the Armley Veterinary Practice, for which Mr Samuel was, at the time, practice principal.

Mr Samuel was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment suspended for 12 months on the condition he completed 150 hours' unpaid work and paid a fine of £100. He was also ordered to pay costs of £500 and a victim surcharge of £80. He was also made subject to a disqualification order for three years.

Dr Samuel subsequently appealed against his conviction in April 2018. His appeal was dismissed in respect of five of the charges but was upheld in respect of one charge, which, as a result, did not form part of the College’s case.

Dr Samuel declined to attend the hearing in person and was not represented before the Disciplinary Committee. In considering the facts of the charges against Dr Samuel the Committee found them proven.

The Committee then went on to consider whether the proven charges, both individually and cumulatively, rendered Dr Samuel unfit to practise as a veterinary surgeon.

The College’s case was that the convictions concerned animal welfare and therefore went to the heart of his practice as a vet, that Dr Samuel behaved in a manner incompatible with being a veterinary surgeon, that he failed in his core responsibility as a veterinary surgeon to protect and act in the best interests of animal welfare, and that he maintained he had no responsibility for the animals on his practice premises – an assertion referred to as ‘an extraordinary position for a veterinary surgeon to take’. 

Ian Green, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "ust as the judgment of the Crown Court and the Magistrates Court had found, the Committee also found that Dr Samuel must have known that the animals were in distress and were in a neglected state. The Committee was sure that Dr Samuel must have been aware of the animals notwithstanding his continued denial. The Committee concluded that Dr Samuel was unfit to practise because of the facts underlying the convictions. Dr Samuel had an overriding duty of care for the animals and to take action in relation to their health and welfare because they were living under the roof of his veterinary practice."

In considering its sanction against Dr Samuel, the Committee concluded that removal from the Register was the most appropriate option. It took into account the fact that the animals were found starving in a cellar without water, that Dr Samuel had not demonstrated insight into the serious nature of his offences, that he continued to deny responsibility and, furthermore, found no evidence that he no longer posed a risk to animals in the future. 

Ian Green added: "The Committee decided that the behaviour found proved was fundamentally incompatible with being a veterinary surgeon because in this case there had been a serious departure from standards as set out in the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons…. Furthermore, there had been serious harm caused to a number of animals and a risk of harm to a number of other animals."

Dr Samuel has 28 days from being informed of the Disciplinary Committee’s decision in which to make an appeal to the Privy Council.

The Committee’s full decision and findings can be found here