Can irresponsible breeders be made criminally liable?
The BVA is to be congratulated on its continuing proactive and authoritative efforts to highlight the problems of inherited conditions arising from irresponsible breeding, especially in relation to dogs. Members may therefore have been encouraged by the – apparently unqualified – statement from Defra reported in last weekend’s Sunday Times that ‘Anyone knowingly breeding animals with genetic defects could be considered to be committing an offence under the 2006 [Animal Welfare] Act’.1 There is no indication of the provision under which Defra considers such a prosecution might be brought, but o...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Radford, M. Tags: Letters and notices Source Type: research
Feeding of raw Brucella suis-infected meat to dogs in the UK
Following on from the letter regarding the identification of Brucella canis in imported dogs earlier this year (VR, April 15, 2017, vol 180, pp 384-385), we write to highlight a further potential route of Brucella transmission into the UK. The UK was notified on October 4 that some consignments of raw, frozen hare meat, imported for use in raw pet food, may have contained meat from hares infected with Brucella suis. The product was purchased by a very small number of pet owners and retailers, and a recall of the potentially affected product has already been undertaken. The presence of B suis in the hare meat was identified...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Frost, A. Tags: Letters and notices Source Type: research
What type of leadership does the veterinary profession need?
There is a leadership conversation going on in the veterinary profession right now. You can see this in various reports and workstreams. For example, Vet Futures, the five-year programme of work undertaken by the RCVS and BVA that is aiming to future-proof the profession for 2030. What strikes me, though, is that we’re struggling to define what we mean by leadership. What sort of leadership does the profession really need? There are various forms. At the simplest level, leadership is ‘the act of leading a group or organisation’. While this works on some level, it’s often confused with just holding a...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Pratt, A. Tags: My view Source Type: research
Selected highlights from other veterinary journals
This study aimed to determine whether total serum cholesterol concentration was altered in dogs with osteosarcoma and, if so, to evaluate whether there was an association between total serum concentration and clinical outcomes of dogs with osteosarcoma. Sixty-four dogs with osteosarcoma were included in the study. The control population consisted of dogs with traumatic bone fractures (n=30) and healthy patients of a similar age and weight as those of the osteosarcoma cases (n=31). Survival analysis was done on 35 appendicular osteosarcoma patients that received the current standard of care. Statistical associations were as...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Research digest Source Type: research
Minimum effective naltrexone dose to antagonise etorphine immobilisation and prevent the complications of renarcotisation in domestic goats
Naltrexone is used to antagonise etorphine immobilisation, but a safe and effective dose for this purpose has not been objectively determined. Eight domestic goats were immobilised with etorphine (0.07 mg/kg) eight times at ≥13 day intervals. Naltrexone at doses of 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg/mg etorphine were administered intravenously 17 minutes after etorphine injection. Effectiveness of antagonism was recorded based on recovery and renarcotisation scores and clinical observations. All doses produced rapid recovery to the point of standing (median 59 seconds, range 33–157 seconds), with no significant differ...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: ODell, J. H., Kock, M. D., Thompson, P. N., Meyer, L. C. R. Tags: Paper Source Type: research
Understanding the primary care paradigm: an experiential learning focus of the early veterinary graduate
At a time where high levels of stress are reported in the veterinary profession, this study explores the challenges that veterinary graduates encounter when they enter general (first opinion) practice. Participants had written reflective accounts of their ‘Most Puzzling Cases’ for the postgraduate Professional Key Skills module of the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice, offered by the Royal Veterinary College. Reasons that a case was puzzling, or became challenging, were thematically analysed. Fifteen summaries were analysed. Three core themes were identified: ‘clinical reasoning’, centred ...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Dixon, W. H. R., Kinnison, T., May, S. A. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Survival in 76 cats with epilepsy of unknown cause: a retrospective study
Survival of cats with epilepsy of unknown cause (EUC) has not been reported. Seizure semiology and its relationship to treatment outcome and survival was studied in a population of 76 cats. A questionnaire for seizure semiology was developed based on experimental data. Seizure semiology was characterised by owner interviews at least one year after discharge. Seizures were classified as (1) primary generalised and (2) focal without and (3) with secondary generalisation. Median age at seizure onset was four (range 0.3–18) years. One-third of cats with EUC presented with primary generalised seizures and 78 per cent of t...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Szelecsenyi, A. C., Giger, U., Golini, L., Mothersill, I., Torgerson, P. R., Steffen, F. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Survival in feline epilepsy: the long and short of it
Both quality and quantity of life are of importance to the owners of companion animals,1 and in ideal circumstances, each veterinary treatment would ensure high quality of life and increase longevity.2 Understanding which disease- and treatment-related factors influence survival in diseased animals may help guide their management; for example, whether a treatment that compromises quality of life provides sufficient additional lifespan to justify its use. In animals with life-limiting diseases, mismatches may exist between owners’ expectations of survival versus reality. For example, in a study of dog and cat owners&r...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Packer, R. M. A. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Veterinary Risk Group: points for information analysis 2016
This month’s surveillance focus article discusses the ‘points for information’ considered by the Veterinary Risk Group in 2016. It has been prepared by Sam Wright and colleagues from the group. (Source: Veterinary Record)
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Surveillance Source Type: research
Disease surveillance in England and Wales, October 2017
Current and emerging issues: meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a pig with skin disease
Highlights from the scanning surveillance network
Update on international disease threats
‘Points for information’ discussed by the Veterinary Risk Group in 2016
These are among matters discussed in the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA’s) disease surveillance report for October 2017 (Source: Veterinary Record)
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Surveillance Source Type: research
'Demand for certain dogs is far greater than the number of good breeders
Collaboration between the veterinary profession, the Kennel Club, breeders and owners is the only way to tackle extreme breeding, concluded the Dog Breeding Reform Group (DBRG) at its inaugural symposium last week. Sophie Beckwith reports. ‘There is one golden rule for dog breeding – only fit and healthy dogs should be used.’ That is the opinion of Carol Fowler, founder of the Dog Breeding Reform Group (DBRG), which had its inaugural symposium at Surrey university last week. She described dog breeding as a lucrative business and said that unscrupulous individuals with poor regard for animal welfare were p...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research
World Horse Welfare: improving the lives of horses for 90 years
ADA Cole was an ordinary citizen ‘who witnessed cruelty and refused to look away’. Seeing the horrific treatment of horses arriving in Europe for slaughter, she set up the ‘International League Against the Export of Horses for Butchery’ in 1927 to campaign to end the trade. Nine decades on, the charity she set up is celebrating its achievements under a new name – World Horse Welfare. The charity’s first major achievement was in 1937 when the Exportation of Horses Act received Royal Assent, effectively stopping British horses being exported to Europe for slaughter. It is thought that this...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research
Raptor persecution figures may be 'tip of the iceberg
British birds of prey face continued persecution due to inadequate prosecution according to a report from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Birdcrime 2016, which was released on Wednesday, showed 81 confirmed incidents of illegal raptor persecution across the UK last year. However, not one resulted in successful prosecution. It is the first time in 30 years that no-one has been prosecuted for such crimes. The RSPB report noted 40 shootings, 22 poisonings and 15 trapping incidents against raptors such as hen harriers, peregrine falcons, red kites and buzzards in 2016. Almost two-thirds (53) of the confir...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research
Clinical trial results extend drug licence
The licence for Vetmedin (Boehringer Ingelheim) has been extended to cover dogs with asymptomatic myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). The new treatment is likely to lead to changes in the way dogs with heart murmurs are diagnosed and managed, say experts. From now on they suggest vets should no longer take the ‘watch and wait’ approach after detecting a heart murmur, an early sign of MMVD, instead they should carry out imaging to check for cardiomegaly. This license extension follows the results of a clinical trial – the so called EPIC trial – which studied the effect of pimobendan (the active i...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research
Antibiotic sales target hit two years early
Sales of antibiotics for use in livestock have dropped by 27 per cent in two years, exceeding a government target two years ahead of schedule. Figures in the Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance (VARSS) report for 2016, released by Defra last week, show that between 2014 and 2016 overall sales dropped from 62 mg/kg to 45 mg/kg. This is the lowest level since records began. Sales of the highest priority critically important antibiotics (HP-CIAs) also fell, accounting for less than 1 per cent of all antibiotics sold for use in animals in 2016. Defra previously set 50 mg/kg as a target for average use acros...
Source: Veterinary Record - November 2, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research
