Is the long course loan everything its cracked up to be?
I recently discovered that final-year degree students are subject to a drop in their maintenance loan because of the assumption by Student Finance England (SFE) that the final year is shorter. This is something that the majority of students are not made aware of when they begin their degree. Not only that, for final-year vet students, the opposite is true. It is the longest and most expensive year because of the requirement to undertake clinical rotations. I am a fourth-year student at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, and, after discovering this bombshell, I began trying to clarify what we’re ...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: OSullivan, A. Tags: My view Source Type: research

Selected highlights from other veterinary journals
This study investigated the relationship between the hormones endogenous plasma oxytocin and vasopressin, which have been linked to behaviour in other mammalian species, and aggression in domestic dogs. For part 1 of the study, dogs with a history of aggression towards unfamiliar dogs while walking on a leash were compared to a matched control group with no history of aggression. Blood samples were taken to measure vasopressin and oxytocin levels before the experiments began. Dogs were then walked past one of three different stuffed dogs to measure their response before another blood sample was taken. For part 2 of the stu...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Research digest Source Type: research

Risk factors for redemption of feline neutering vouchers issued by welfare organisations
Animal welfare organisations in the UK invest substantial resources to fund subsidised neutering vouchers to increase feline neutering rates. Little evidence exists to quantify factors influencing voucher redemption. This cross-sectional study assessed risk factors (including voucher value and expiry period) for redemption of neutering vouchers issued by staff of the feline welfare charity Cats Protection. Data were collected using telephone interview-administered questionnaires of cat owners who were issued a neutering voucher(s) and from Cats Protection voucher payment records. During the four-month study 2655 owners wer...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Kinsman, R. H., Gruffydd-Jones, T. J., Clements, J., Murray, J. K. Tags: Paper Source Type: research

Cross-sectional study of antimicrobials used for surgical prophylaxis by bovine veterinary practitioners in Australia
This study investigated antimicrobial use for surgical prophylaxis in bovine practice in Australia. A cross-sectional study of veterinarian antimicrobial usage patterns was conducted using an online questionnaire. Information solicited included respondent’s details, the frequency with which antimicrobials were used for specific surgical conditions (including the dose, timing and duration of therapy) and details of practice antimicrobial use policies and sources of information about antimicrobials. In total, 212 members of the Australian veterinary profession working in bovine practice completed the survey. Antimicrob...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Hardefeldt, L. Y., Browning, G. F., Thursky, K. A., Gilkerson, J. R., Billman-Jacobe, H., Stevenson, M. A., Bailey, K. E. Tags: Paper Source Type: research

Are serum amyloid A or D-lactate useful to diagnose synovial contamination or sepsis in horses?
This study assessed the diagnostic value of serum amyloid A (SAA) and D-lactate in blood and synovial fluid (SF) as diagnostic markers of synovial sepsis in horses and correlated them with total nucleated cell count (TNCC), percentage of neutrophils (%N) and total protein (TP) in SF. Blood and SF SAA and D-lactate concentrations were determined in a case–control observational study including 112 horses (38 with synovial contamination or sepsis (SCS), 66 with non-septic intra-synovial pathology (NSISP) and 8 controls). Blood and SF SAA were significantly higher in SCS than in NSISP and control horses. SAA values were ...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Robinson, C. S., Singer, E. R., Piviani, M., Rubio-Martinez, L. M. Tags: Open access Paper Source Type: research

Can serum amyloid A concentrations aid diagnosis of synovial sepsis?
As equine practitioners, we all know that diagnosing synovial sepsis can sometimes be challenging when trying to distinguish between early stage infective arthritis, with a relatively low total nucleated cell count (TNCC), and traumatic arthritis with a high white blood cell count.1 Another challenge can be obtaining enough synovial fluid, if any, to allow determination of the three most useful parameters in making the diagnosis of septic synovitis: TNCC, neutrophil percentage and total protein. Under the worst circumstances, if a very chronic septic process is encountered with extensive soft tissue trauma or infection and...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Townsend, T. R. Tags: Research Source Type: research

Equine disease surveillance: quarterly summary
Summary of surveillance testing, April to June 2017 International disease occurrence in the second quarter of 2017 These are among matters discussed in the most recent quarterly equine disease surveillance report, prepared by Defra, the Animal Health Trust and the British Equine Veterinary Association (Source: Veterinary Record)
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Surveillance Source Type: research

News in brief
Exotic vets concerned about Defra’s bovine TB decisions Members of the British Veterinary Zoological Society (BVZS) are concerned about recent decisions by Defra on controlling bovine TB and badger culling. They think the new instructions lack specificity. At their AGM last week, they agreed to set up a working group to discuss the issue and decide whether they need to adopt a more robust policy. New president for BVZS Fieke Molenaar, vet at ZSL London, is the new president of the BVZS. Mark Stidworthy, a veterinary pathologist for International Zoo Veterinary Group (UK), becomes the senior vice president and Peter K...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News in brief Source Type: research

Government responds to 'Brexit: farm animal welfare
Securing the status of the veterinary workforce following Brexit is a top priority for the prime minister and ongoing negotiations as part of the Article 50 negotiations will help to firm up this commitment. That was the message from the government last week in a response to the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee’s report ‘Brexit: Farm Animal Welfare’. Written by Lord Gardiner, parliamentary under secretary of state for rural affairs and biosecurity, it said that the government recognised ‘the key role played by vets in ensuring high farm animal health and welfare standards, incl...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research

Campaign to end the 'cruel practice of primates as pets
A 55,000-strong petition to ban the sale of primates as pets has been handed to the Government this week. The petition, which was organised by a coalition of veterinary and animal welfare organisations, including the BVA, RSPCA, Captive Animals Protection Society, Four Paws and Wild Futures, was spearheaded by MPs Sheryll Murray and Sue Hayman and was handed in at the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday. A copy was also handed into Defra. An estimated 5000 primates are being kept as pets in the UK and rescue groups such as the RSPCA and Wild Futures report that they receive approximately one call a week relating to the welfar...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research

Bogus vet sentenced to 3-year prison term
A fraudulent vet who used the identity of a legitimately registered vet has been sentenced to three years in prison. Peter Keniry (pictured), who has previous convictions for fraud and impersonating a veterinary surgeon, admitted one charge of fraud and one of practising as a registered veterinary surgeon when he was not qualified. Most recently, Keniry was employed at Priory Close Vets in Taunton for almost two years before a member of staff alerted their suspicions to the RCVS. The College says that within 24 hours of being informed, its chief investigator Michael Hepper alerted Avon & Somerset Police. He attended th...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research

RCVS approves mediation service
The RCVS Council has unanimously approved the establishment of an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) service to help resolve lower-level complaints about veterinary services through mediation. Since 2014, the College has trialled two different ADR services with the aim of helping to resolve complaints between owners and veterinary practices that do not meet its threshold for serious professional misconduct. The approved service was the Veterinary Client Mediation Service (VCMS), which has been trialled since October 2016. Administered by Nockolds Solicitors, the VCMS is free to both owners and veterinary professionals, a...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research

'Understanding pet owners is key to improving exotic pet welfare
Online care advice for exotic species is often contradictory, inconsistent and variable in quality, making it difficult for owners to know what constitutes good care of their pet. That is the key finding from independent research commissioned by the RSPCA. The charity has published the findings in a report to highlight the extent of poor exotic welfare. ‘Understanding the Motivations of Beginner Reptile Owners’ makes the case for higher quality and accessible care information to encourage responsible reptile ownership. Researchers examined barriers to good exotic welfare by interviewing vets, members of the rep...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research

Policing welfare at reptile shows - findings from the last three events
Exotic vets have an important role to play in the policing of animal health and welfare at reptile breeder meetings. The largest breeder meeting in the UK is organised by the International Herpetological Society and take place three times a year in Doncaster. Exotic vets Tariq Abou-Zahr and colleague Tom Bellamy attend them to ensure that good animal welfare is being practised. The main welfare issues they identified at the last three meetings include: containers which are too small and do not allow animals to turn around comfortably (pictured), lack of suitable substrate to absorb excrement and some shyer animals exhibiti...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research

Winning abstract looks at smartphone use in practice
Personal electronic devices are frequently used in practice, yet are rarely cleaned and carry resistant bacteria. That was the finding from the winning abstract at the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) conference by Georgia Vinnall, an RVN at Langford Veterinary Services. She investigated the use of personal electronic devices (tablet computers, smartphones, etc) in practice and found them widely used – 48 out of 50 participants in her study reported using them for tasks such as managing in-patients, giving advice to clients, or taking photos or videos. Of the 46 devices swabbed to evaluate bacterial cont...
Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research