Strangles outbreaks: what’s happening in the UK? Strangles, where horses display clinical signs including pyrexia, inappetence, purulent nasal discharge and swelling and abscessation of the lymph nodes of the head and neck, is the most frequently diagnosed infectious disease of horses worldwide. As far as is known, only the indigenous horse population on Iceland remains free of strangles, a situation that has been maintained through minimal importation of horses for over 1,000 years and being geographically isolated. Each outbreak of strangles has the potential to involve all horses on a yard and in order to prevent further spread, movement restrictions often remaining in force for more than two months, are required. Development of a new surveillance project Surveillance of Equine Strangles (SES) is a project based at the Animal Health Trust, funded by the Horse Trust and SEIB Insurance Brokers. Through an expanding network of diagnostic laboratories SES is investigating where in the UK strangles is ...

The hot topic of telemedicine is likely to generate fervent discussion in the popular Moral Maze debate at this year’s BEVA Congress 11-14 September 2019. There’s still a chance to secure a discounted early bird pass for Congress - Book before 5 August to save 10%. Telemedicine has the capacity to affect everyone working in equine practice but the panel will be establishing whether it is a friend or a foe. It isn’t a new concept but it is a rapidly changing area, with a major corporate having recently announced that it is setting up its own telemedicine service. While the medical world has shown that telemedicine has opportunities and benefits, it also comes with threats. The Moral Maze session on Friday 13 September, will involve panel of eight vets (Marianna Biggi, Niall Connell, Phil Cramp, Huw Griffiths, Jonathan Pycock, Simon Staempfli, Sarah Taylor and Victoria Johnson) chaired by Roly Owers.  They will actively debate the pros and cons of telemedicine, to help the veterinary pr ...

“We are delighted to see that, in a written statement by the then Home Secretary Sajid Javid to the House of Commons dated 23 July, the Home Office has accepted all of the recommendations made by its Migration Advisory Committee in its review of the Shortage Occupation List, including that veterinary surgeons be added to the List.   “Both the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) worked together to ensure this outcome, which will see a lowering of the immigration barriers, for example, in terms of visa requirements, for overseas veterinary surgeons who wish to live and work in the UK.   “We also considered this a vital piece of preparation for the UK leaving the EU, as around half of those registering as veterinary surgeons with the RCVS in a given year are non-UK EU nationals and we would not want to see this vital supply of veterinary talent immediately dry up should ‘freedom of movement’ end when the UK leaves th ...

Re-written rules which will take effect on 1 September now available to view online. Workshops available to assist participants in becoming familiar with the new Rules. Cross-industry working groups has provided feedback which helped improve the Rules and the website.  The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has today published the revised Rules of Racing which will take effect on 1 September.   The Rules, which are now available to view online here, have been re-written to make them easier to understand for both participants and the wider public. A cross-industry working group was established to allow feedback from stakeholders during the process, which has now been incorporated into the new Rules.  Workshops will be available to participants in order to help them become familiar with the new Rules and to ensure that any further amendments can be made before the Rules are formally introduced.  The project has primarily been focused on the structure and pre ...

The 2020 RCVS Knowledge Awards are now open for applications and nominations, again recognising examples of continuous quality improvement (QI) in practice. Open to anyone working in a veterinary setting at any stage of their career, the competition rewards teams and individuals (clinical and non-clinical), who have achieved better outcomes through QI initiatives for patients, clients, the business or the working environment. Individual winners will be crowned ‘Knowledge Champions’ and one team will become RCVS Knowledge’s ‘Champion Practice’. Each winner will also receive a £250 reward, tickets to the awards ceremony next calendar year and the opportunity to work with RCVS Knowledge to further promote their quality improvement work. Candidates can nominate themselves or others for an award. If you want to nominate a colleague, the deadline is 17th October. The deadline to apply on your own behalf or that of your team/practice is 29th November 2019. Full det ...

During his inaugural speech as President of Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) for 2019-20, Dr Niall Connell quoted US children's rights activist Marian Wright Edelman on the importance of role models for diversity saying, "it's hard to be what you can't see". Niall was invested as RCVS President at this year's Royal College Day - the College's Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony - which took place at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) on Friday 12 July. He succeeds Amanda Boag who has now become Senior Vice-President of RCVS.  A graduate of Glasgow Vet School in 1982, Niall has been an elected member of Council since 2013 and had a career in small animal practice including managing the PDSA Petaid Hospital in East Glasgow for 15 years. In 2003, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and, in 2009, took ill-health retirement. As well as being a member of RCVS Council, since his retirement he also works as a Clinical & Professional Skills instructor at Glasgow Vet ...

A new facility providing equine services is being rolled out nationwide, after a successful initial pilot scheme in Scotland over the last few months. The new service assists with information to better help horse, pony and donkey owners with end of life decision making and the practicality of dealing with it.    Aptly called the Equine End of Life Service, it offers access to experienced, skilled and sympathetic  euthanasia and collection professionals by harnessing the network of independent and fully licenced collectors that NFSCo (The National Fallen Stock Company*) currently works with.  They adhere to the highest welfare standards, and bio-security levels are strictly upheld at all times. The web based platform acts as an information source on euthanasia decision-making, and the options for removal and disposal of the animal. The website provides a postcode-based quote generating facility, with a friendly experienced team of helpline staff on hand to offer advice and assist with th ...