The RCVS has published a video in which the new President Neil Smith outlines his objectives for the year ahead.

In the video, Neil says the presidential task he most looks forward to is admitting new veterinary surgeons and nurses to the Register. There have been 740 registrations made as part of graduation ceremonies across the UK's seven veterinary schools this summer.

Neil said: "It's a great privilege to welcome these new graduates to the College. Graduation represents a culmination of such a long period of hard work - supported by family, friends and vet school staff. It's also the start of what I hope will be satisfying lifelong careers in a profession that is proud to keep animal health and welfare at its heart.

"I hope that this latest generation of veterinary surgeons will benefit from the broad range of career opportunities available, just as the animal-owning public will benefit from their skills and knowledge."

On graduation, all new veterinary surgeons received a memory stick from the College, which included a Guide for New Members, the Code of Professional Conduct, CPD Record Card, information about the Professional Development Phase, which is mandatory for all new graduates working in clinical practice, and other College publications. If any new graduate did not receive their memory stick, they should contact membership@rcvs.org.uk.

Davies Veterinary Specialists, the small animal referral hospital based at Higham Gobion in Hertfordshire, has reported treating four cases of serious lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum) infection over the past couple of months, all within around 30 miles of each other.

The practice says it usually sees only two or three lungworm cases a year, at most. It is thought that the increase in cases could be the result of a lack of knowledge amongst some owners about the right wormers to use, as well as the fact that lungworm appears to be getting a stronger foothold in some areas, possibly due to factors such as climate change.

One of the cases referred to DVS was a Cocker Spaniel called Honey belonging to Irené O'Hanlon-Marin from Beaconsfield. Vets initially believed the dog's symptoms of neck pain, breathlessness, shaking and lethargy to be the result of a recent head injury. Serious alarm was raised when Honey appeared to suffer a fit three weeks later, became unable to walk and lost her vision in one eye. She was immediately referred to DVS as an emergency.

Peter Smith, Neurology Specialist at DVS, said: "Honey was in a pretty serious condition when admitted here and would, I suspect, have died if she'd been left another few hours. She's now back home and much improved, and appears to be regaining her sight."

Irené O'Hanlon-Marin said: "It scares me to think how little I knew about lungworm and the fact that I need to use a specific wormer for it. We have been so lucky with Honey but I am determined to help prevent other dogs going through what she suffered so we all need to help spread the word about the dangers of this parasite."  

The other three cases referred to DVS were from High Wycombe, Pinner and St Albans. The practice reports that all patients have recovered well.

Village Vet is set to become the first veterinary group to have its clinics recognised as 'Cat Friendly' under the International Society of Feline Medicine's (ISFM) WellCat For Life programme, sponsored by Purina.

Working in partnership with Purina, each clinic is undergoing a bespoke 'moggie makeover' to help make visits as stress-free as possible for cats and their owners.

Founder of Village Vet, Brendan Robinson said: "We understand how stressful trips to the vets can be for both our feline friends and their owners. Cats account for 45% of our client base, so it is our goal to make visits to our practices as relaxed and stress-free as possible.

"The Hampstead practice, for example, is introducing a specialist cat ward situated well away from the sight and smell of dogs, with large, glass-fronted kennels that cut down noise and keep the cats hidden from each other.

"Another important change is the introduction of dedicated 'feline advocates' across each practice whose role is to 'think cat' and maintain the gold standard cat care. Front of house staff are also being trained to help owners make their cat as comfortable as possible in the waiting room, by directing them to the cat only waiting areas and offering towels to cover the baskets so cats feel safe and secure."

To help implement the changes, Purina has funded and organised practice visits with feline specialist Andrea Harvey. During her time with Village Vet, Andrea visited each practice to help train the 'feline advocates' and run workshops with vet nurses and front of house staff.

Rea Johnston from the Maida Vale Village Vet has been appointed as a 'feline advocate'. She said: "Here at Village Vet, we have always understood the importance of catering to cats' specific needs. But Andrea really helped inspire the team to think of practical changes that could make a real difference to our clients and their pets. Our support staff now have much greater confidence and it's making a big difference to our clients."

Claire Bessant, CEO at ISFM said: "As territorial animals, cats can become stressed as soon as they leave their home, so by the time they get to the vet practice they can be extremely anxious. This stress can manifest itself physically, which in extreme cases can affect diagnosis of certain conditions.

The Cat Friendly Clinic self-assessment scheme is open to any veterinary clinic that deals with cat patients. It lays out numerous requirements regarding the design, equipment and facilities within the clinic. Importantly, it also covers the quality of care provided to cats, the level of understanding of cats and their needs in the clinic, and interaction between the clinic and cat owners.

Reaching a gold or silver standard allows practices to display the Cat Friendly Clinic logo. For more information, visit: www.wellcat.org.

Zoletil, Virbac's 2-in-1, injectable anaesthetic for cats and dogs has had a licence change increasing its extended in-use stability from 24 hours to 8 days.

A single vial can now be used for 8 days after reconstitution when stored in a fridge at between two and eight degrees celsius.

This, says Virbac, will help maximise the use of each vial, ultimately reducing wastage and providing a cost-effective solution.

The Kennel Club has announced the results of a survey of 329 Breed Kennel Rescue organisations which has revealed that over 50% of dogs given up for rehoming are given up by women, compared to 17% by men and 27% by couples who made the decision jointly.  

The Kennel Club said the survey also revealed lifestyle changes, a lack of training and time to look after the family pet adequately are the main reasons why dogs are rehomed.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: "People really need to explore their reasons for wanting a dog in the first place, do the research properly and invest time into training their dog. We are seeing an increasing number of owners being driven by celebrity trends in choice of dog breed, such as the French Bulldog, owned by Millie Mackintosh, Jessie J and Jonathan Ross.  

"Every year dogs are abandoned or given up when the novelty wears off. Dogs are a lifelong commitment and anyone considering getting a pet needs to be sure that they will be able to properly care for the animal for the rest of its life."

Kennel Club Breed Rescue organisations last year rehomed over 20,000 dogs, more than Dogs Trust and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home combined. January was revealed to be the busiest month, highlighting the impact of many families being unprepared for getting a dog and potentially still buying them as a Christmas gift, despite advice to the contrary. More than one in three breed rescue organisations reported an increase of dogs needing to be rehomed compared with 2012.

Caroline continued: "Although not as well-known as other organisations, Kennel Club Breed Rescues work incredibly hard to support their breed. They are set up and run by people passionate about dogs and their particular breed in particular. There is a breed rescue organisation for almost every one of the 212 breeds of pedigree dog in the UK, and more than one in three of the breed rescue organisations also accept crossbreeds as well as pedigrees.

"Breed rescue is a fantastic place to consider when looking for a dog. The expert staff and volunteers will often know the full history of the dogs in their care and provide you with invaluable knowledge on the breed and tips for caring for individual dogs to make sure the dogs find a family for life."

The BSAVA has released the final figures showing that 6,331 veterinary surgeons, nurses, practice managers and students attended the event, up from 6,178 in 2013.

Outgoing BSAVA President Professor Michael Day was delighted that so many attended. He said: "What continues to set BSAVA Congress apart is simply 'quality'. The quality of the faultless organisation, the quality of the scientific content, and the quality of our exhibition and incomparable social programme."

A few other numbers from Congress this year included:

• Between them, vets and nurses accrued more than 100,000 hours of CPD in a programme that included orthopaedics, neurology, anaesthesia and analgesia, dermatology, oncology and pain management.
• BSAVA's charitable arm announced £40,000 worth of research funding, to be split between the seven veterinary colleges, and a further £5,000 available to veterinary nurses.
• By close of play on Saturday, more than 1,800 textbooks had been bought from the BSAVA balcony.
• There were nearly 300 exhibitors, amongst which Bayer Animal Health won the best 'space-only' Stand Award, Forum Animal Health picked up 'Best Large Shell Scheme', and Chunk Training won 'Best Small Shell Scheme'.
• According to the Birmingham Convention Bureau, BSAVA Congress brought £15M to the regional economy.

Sunday saw the inauguration of the new BSAVA President Katie McConnell. She said: "Like so many previous presidents, I look back on my early volunteering days with deep affection but it would have been a great surprise to my earlier self to be told that one day I would be the BSAVA President.

"During my presidential year I would like to meet as many BSAVA members as I can, hopefully in their own regions. I plan to travel to regional BSAVA continuing education meetings, not to stand up and lecture but to listen to individual members and find out what the BSAVA means to them. The BSAVA is run by members for members and the only way to shape its work is to become engaged with it."

The RSPB has reported the results of two studies which revealed that a greater diversity of birds of prey, including some eagles, are killed eating carrion contaminated with diclofenac.

The RSPB says that these findings strengthen the case of banning the use of veterinary diclofenac in livestock across Europe, including Spain and Italy where the drug has already been approved.

In the first paper¹, published in the journal Bird Conservation International, scientists present results of tests carried out on two steppe eagles found dead at a cattle carcass dump in Rajasthan, India. Both birds had diclofenac residue in their tissues and exhibited the same clinical signs of kidney failure as seen in Gyps vultures experimentally given diclofenac. 

Steppe eagles are closely related to the golden eagles found in the UK, the vulnerable Spanish imperial eagle and other globally vulnerable or declining Eurasian eagles. Scientists now fear that all species in this genus, known as Aquila, are susceptible to diclofenac. With fourteen species of Aquila eagle distributed across Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North America, this means that diclofenac poisoning should now be considered largely a global problem.

Dr Toby Galligan, RSPB conservation scientist and one of the authors of the paper, said: "We have known for some time that diclofenac is toxic to Gyps vultures, including the Eurasian griffon vulture, but we now know it is toxic to an Aquila eagle too. This suggests that the drug is fatal to a greater number of birds of prey in Asia, Europe and around the world. We had suspected as much from observed declines in non-Gyps vultures in Asia, but this study confirms our worst fears."

In another paper², published in Bird Conservation International, Dr Galligan led an examination of recent population trends in Egyptian and red-headed vultures in India. That study shows population declines of similar timing and scale as the declines observed in Gyps vultures, providing indirect evidence that these species have been impacted by diclofenac as well. 

After years of campaigning by conservationists, the governments of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan banned veterinary formulations of diclofenac between 2006 and 2010. Recently, experts have recorded a slowing of Gyps vulture declines as a result of the bans. However, formulations of diclofenac intended for use in humans are still widely available and illegally used to treat livestock, the carcasses of which are the main food source for vultures in South Asia.
 
It was announced in March that veterinary diclofenac had been authorised for manufacture and use in Italy and Spain and had been distributed to other European countries. Since then, a coalition of organisations including the Vulture Conservation Foundation, the RSPB and BirdLife International have been campaigning for this decision to be reversed.

Dr Galligan continued: "In light of recent developments in Europe, our findings take on an even more worrying meaning. All of Europe's charismatic Aquila eagles, like the Spanish imperial eagle and, closer to home, the golden eagle, are opportunistic scavengers and therefore could be at risk of diclofenac poisoning.  As we have seen in South Asia, wherever free-ranging livestock are treated with diclofenac, population declines in vultures and eagles can occur. The European Commission needs to recognise this problem and impose a continent-wide ban on veterinary diclofenac before it can impact on our birds."

Last week, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) announced measures against the drug. 

In a statement the VMD said: "The UK's Veterinary Medicines Directorate is taking the issue of diclofenac's risks to vulture populations seriously. As a precautionary measure the VMD will not approve any requests from vets to import products containing diclofenac. Furthermore, the VMD has agreed not to issue any export certificates which name diclofenac-containing products in the list of products to be exported."

Sacha Cleminson, Head of International Biodiversity Policy at the RSPB, said: "The announcement from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate is a welcome signal to Europe that the UK is taking the issue seriously. This new evidence underlines the need for a ban across Europe, and ultimately beyond." 

References

1. Diclofenac is toxic to the Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis: widening the diversity of raptors threatened by NSAID misuse in South Asia. Anil K. Sharma et al Bird Conservation International Online. 26th May 2014.

2. Have population declines in Egyptian Vulture and Red-headed Vulture in India slowed since the 2006 ban on veterinary diclofenac? Toby H. Galligan et al. Bird Conservation International Online. 1st April 2014.
   

The European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS) has announced that it has approved the creation of a new European College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ECVECC).

The 10 Founding Diplomates will comprise the Organising Committee of Amanda Boag, Joris Robben and Nadja Sigrist along with Sophie Adamantos, Marcel Aumann, Andrew Brown, Dan Chan, Cristina Fragio, Isabelle Goy-Thollot and Francoise Roux.

Amanda Boag, Chair of the Organising Committee said: "This is the final milestone for achieving recognition for Emergency and Critical Care as a defined speciality within Europe.

"Over the last 10 years, ECC has grown within Europe and especially the UK. Academic institutions, notably the RVC, have supported and developed ECC through their student and post graduate education.  

"Commercial companies such as Vets Now have also grown and have strong internal training programmes such as the Cutting Edge.  

"There are multiple opportunities for those working in practice to obtain further skills in this area with the RCVS certificate and the BSAVA/Vets Now ECC certificate and it is fantastic that we will now be able to offer European Diploma training programmes in the UK.

"Alongside this, opportunities for our nursing colleagues are growing including a large number of nurses registered for the City and Guilds Nursing Certificate in ECC delivered by Vets Now.

"Creating a European College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care is the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle and the Organising Committee are delighted that all the hard work of those who have been involved with the development of ECC in Europe has paid off."

The College will be formally launched at the EVECCS Congress in Prague (www.eveccs2014.org) in June.

The Born Free Foundation, British Veterinary Association, Captive Animals' Protection Society and the RSPCA have welcomed the Government's draft legislation to ban the use of wild animals in circuses in England, to be implemented in 2015.

The groups, which have worked closely together for a number of years on the campaign to seek an end to the use of wild animals in big tops in the UK said that they were "delighted" to see the ban brought forward in concrete terms.

A spokesperson, talking on behalf of all four leading organisations said: "We are pleased to see that the Government appear to have come good on their promise to ban the outdated practice of using wild animals in circuses.

"We have long argued that the complex needs of wild animals cannot be met in a travelling circus environment and were disappointed when the Government introduced a licensing regime earlier this year which appeared to legitimise a practice which we, and our hundreds of thousands of supporters, want to see abolished altogether.

"We are looking forward to seeing the ban fully implemented at the earliest opportunity".

BVA President Peter Jones said: "Whilst there are only 20 wild animals kept by two licensed circuses in the UK, their welfare is emblematic of the way we treat all animals."

The groups said that they would work to support Government in the formal enactment of the Bill and the Born Free Foundation and the RSPCA reiterated their pledge to offer to find safe homes for life for all wild animals currently being used in English circuses.

Docsinnovent Ltd has launched what it says is the first ever commercial range of veterinary-species-specific, supraglottic airway devices.

Nicki Glen, Marketing Manager at Docsinnovent said: "v-gel is a truly unique, supraglottic airway management device that represents the culmination of years of extensive research and development. It has exceptional provenance from the human equivalent "i gel" having been used in hospitals around the world for the past 5 years.

"Made from a medical grade elastomer material, the v-gel has been designed to create an anatomical high quality pressure seal around the laryngeal structures whilst avoiding compression trauma."

Initially for rabbits and cats, and subsequently for dogs and horses, each species will have six colour coded sizes supplied in a protective cradle that also helps manage the sterilisation process.

According to the company, the benefits of the v-gel system are:

• The v-gel offers the anaesthetist a new method of airway management which reduces the potential of upper airway trauma and improves patient comfort post operatively.
• The unique, soft gel like material and anatomically mirrored design aids easy insertion and provides a high quality pressure seal whilst reducing trauma risk.
• The design minimises rotation and allows the v-gel to self position during insertion, over the airway.
• Each individual unit facilitates high quality autoclave sterilisation to ensure that there is no risk of cross infection.
• The device has a larger than normal airway channel to reduce airway resistance when compared with endotracheal tubes.

For more information, visit stand 609 at BSAVA Congress or, from 12th April, www.docsinnovent.com.

In addition, there is a clinical research abstract being presented at BSAVA Congress:

Title: Use of a novel Supraglottic airway device to maintain gaseous anaesthesia in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Presented and researched by Kevin Eatwell BVSc (Hons) DZooMed (Reptilian) Dip ECZM               (Herp) MRCVS
Venue: In the Crompton Room, Austin Court under the EXOTICS stream
Time: Thursday 12th April at 12:20pm

Petplan has announced the finalists for the inaugural Petplan and Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH) Animal Charity Awards.

The awards have been set up by Petplan to celebrate the outstanding work of animal charities and not-for-profit organisations across the UK.

The finalists for each of the categories are:

Animal Charity Team of the Year

• Caring for Cats Yorkshire & Humber, York
• Fairly Beloved Rabbit Care, Glasgow
• Greyhound Rescue West of England, Somerset (pictured above right)

Animal Charity Volunteer of the Year

• Alan Shields, Hope Rescue, South Glamorgan
• David & Sandy Bailey, Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary, Bristol
• Marguerite Cain, National Animal Welfare Trust, Clacton

Animal Charity Employee of the Year

• Emma Darch & Sam Gratton, National Animal Welfare Trust, Somerset
• Kate Wickins, Wood Green Animal Shelter, London
• Sarah Connolly, Paws Animal Rescue, County Tipperary

Simon Masding, Petplan's Head of Sales and Partnerships said: "Animal wellbeing is central to all we do at Petplan. We work with over 1,500 animal charities and give over £2million to assist them every year. The Petplan and ADCH Animal Charity Awards is another way for us to support and recognise the teams and individuals at charities dedicated to improving the lives of animals. We're delighted that these new awards have got off to a fantastic start with over 3,400 nominations from adopters, supporters, charity staff and volunteers."

Winners will be announced on the 2nd May in an awards ceremony in Stratford-upon-Avon. For further information go to www.petplan.co.uk/charityawards

Elanco Companion Animal Health has announced that Comfortis (spinosad) flavoured chewable flea control tablets have been licensed for cats.

In addition, the company has extended its range with the addition of two new sizes for toy dogs and smaller cats.

Comfortis chewable tablets for dogs and cats are fast-acting, monthly oral adulticides that start to kill fleas in cats and dogs in 30 minutes and, according to Elanco, rapidly achieve 100% efficacy.

Comfortis chewable tablets for dogs and cats kill adult fleas for a month and Elanco says the fast speed of kill means that adult fleas are killed before they can lay eggs, making Comfortis effective in preventing new infestations.

Patrick Bourdeau, Dip ECVD-Dip EVPC, of the Veterinary School of Nantes (Oniris), France said: "Comfortis offers a highly effective format to those owners who have not had relief with other forms of flea control. The tablet offers a high level of convenience to owners to ensure both cats and dogs receive immediate relief from flea infestation.

"This is especially pertinent to the nearly 30% of cat owners who have reported problems with administering other forms of flea treatment, including spot-ons, which can have an effect on efficacy¹. This includes the animal escaping when they sense a topical treatment is about to be administered or during actual administration³".

He added: "Comfortis is a highly effective treatment for flea control for cats and dogs, and one that will aid with compliance because it is easier to administer correctly."

Charlotte Mayne MRCVS, principal and veterinary surgeon at The Mayne Veterinary Clinic in Colchester, Essex, said: "We have used Comfortis chewable tablets for cats in practice, with 94% of clients who were prescribed the product for their pet being able to administer Comfortis and 80% of owners able to give the treatment so easily that they did not need to pill it².  Indeed, all the clients who were able to administer the treatment said they would use it again with comments such as 'it's brilliant - the best product ever' to 'my cat ate it like sweets' and we had 'lots of dead fleas'."

Comfortis chewable tablets for dogs and cats are available in 90mg, 140mg, 270mg and 425mg packs of six.  Comfortis chewable tablets for dogs is also available in 665mg, 1040mg and 1620mg packs of six.

For further information on Comfortis, please contact your Elanco Companion Animal Health key account manager or phone 01256 353131.

References

1. Bourdeau et al (2011) Perception by owners, GEDAC
2. The Mayne Veterinary Clinic.  67 cats.