The Webinar Gazette To provide: The highest quality vet-led content To be: The world’s largest online veterinary community
The Webinar vet
To have: The planet’s most confident vets
M ay 2021
WHAT’S INSIDE CPDer of the Month Speaker of the Month THE Vet Exhibition David’s Reviews From the Literature
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'm writing this newsletter on Earth Day in our office at the Liverpool University precinct. It's nice to be in the office meeting a couple of the team in a socially distanced fashion. Earth Day has been celebrated since 1970 and each celebration makes it more and more important to consider what we are doing to protect the planet. This year, The Webinar Vet's theme for the year is " Regenerating the veterinary world." As part of this theme every quarter we will be undertaking a variety of initiatives, in Q1 two trees will be planted for every new person who joins our unlimited membership. Clearly, over the last 11 years, we've helped take millions of travel miles
off the roads and airways by vets and nurses doing their training online and this has accelerated threefold during lockdown. The pandemic will make everyone be more mindful of the environment and how we can protect it for future generations. I wonder what you are planning to do to help the planet? Please let me know. There are myriad challenges facing us at the moment: the climate change conundrum, Brexit, IR35 and the pandemic. We are trying to be part of the solution for these problems. I have stood down temporarily as CEO of The Webinar Vet to spend more time working on Simply Vet. Simply Vet provides
recruitment and payroll solutions to the profession. With the IR35 changes, it is very difficult to remain selfemployed whilst working as a locum. So far over 50 vets and nurses have joined us as employees. We provide payroll services for them and help in finding work. There is a really cool app to make it super easy for locums to record their hours. Locums are also helped with their own personal development so that they become better professionals whilst working with us. Kathryn Bell is stepping in as CEO of The Webinar Vet whilst I am working at Simply Vet. Kathryn has worked with me for 9 years and is amazing!
The team has grown over the last 12 months. I wanted to welcome our newest member, Ben Furfie, to the team. Ben is leading our developer team to improve the user experience for everyone using The Webinar Vet or WikiVet. Speaking of WikiVet, I was saddened to hear that Nick Short, one of the founders
of WikiVet had passed away. Our sympathy goes out to his family, friends and colleagues. Nick was a very warm, kind man and he will be missed. We are well aware that we want to do the best we can to make WikiVet an amazing encyclopaedic resource for the whole veterinary community and an outstanding legacy for Nick. RIP.
Take Care,
Anthony
Introducing you to Conference Virtually
Your partner for virtual events! Conference Virtually is the partner of choice for many of the world’s leading veterinary professionals. We help organisations connect with their audience via virtual conferencing, trade shows, hybrid events, and community networking. Conference Virtually was created to help veterinary communities deliver outstanding online events to their audiences. We are a full-service provider for your virtual event; from organising speakers, sourcing sponsorship, operational and technical support, marketing and much more! Since our launch, Conference Virtually has hosted over 30 events worldwide and are continuing to grow within the online event space. We have served over 15,826 Delegates Worldwide and delivered more than 404000 Certified CPD Hours. Given the constantly changing global climate, the ability to connect is more important than ever before. Even when we are forced to be apart, making use of engaging and dynamic digital conferences are being more heavily relied upon. With the event being held online, there is opportunity for professionals from across the globe to access the event who perhaps would not have done so in the physical sense. This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with your community worldwide. Thinking of hosting an event? Check out the Conference Virtually website for more information! https://conferencevirtually.co.uk/ Join veterinary organizers hosting creative events with Conference Virtually.
CPD’er of the month
This month’s CPDer of the month is
JENNIE HUGHES
1. Which webinar did you enjoy the most this month?
Hard to pick a single webinar for this. I would probably lean towards the series on obesity management from VC2021. 2. Did you attend any large events this month? If so, which?
BSAVA virtual congress, VC2021 3. What was the biggest take-home message you learned this month from our webinars?
T
he Webinar Vet is an awesome platform with such a wide range of topics that it is easy to find webinars that interest me and allow me to gain all of my CPD requirements, and the Virtual Congresses are always outstanding. Thank you Webinar Vet, and keep being amazing.
How to properly formulate and implement a weight management plan for cats and dogs, and the use of courgette as a “zero-point” treat in the management of obesity in pets. 4. Are you looking forward to any future webinars or events from The Webinar Vet?
Definitely Virtual Congress 2022
Speaker of the Month Kieran Borgeat BSC BVSC MVETMED CERT VC MRCVS DIPACVIM DIPECVIM
Kieran is Clinical Lead in Cardiology at Langford Vets. He is a Diplomate of both the American and European colleges and an RCVS Recognised Specialist. He has published widely, with a particular interest in feline echocardiography, cardiac biomarkers and interventional procedures. He treats all species with heart disease, and has spoken all over the world on cardiology and interventional radiology.
Feedback on Dr Kieran Borgeat's webinars: “Great webinar! Thanks Kieran!” “Really enjoyed this webinar. It was really interesting, I learnt loads and found Kieran a really engaging speaker. Thank you!” “Excellent webinar really good revision and a great one to revisit when it has all faded from the memory again” “Good informative webinar, good guidelines”
Use discount code
SOTMMAY Speaker of the Month – May 2021 – The Webinar Vet Shop
“This webinar was really interesting all the way through, and had a good balance of anecdotal tips and evidence based medicine.”
Welcome to THE Vet Exhibition As many of you may be aware, THE Vet Exhibition was opened as home to our 9th annual Virtual Congress and will remain open 24/7, 365 days a year for you to be able to watch webinars in our auditoriums, attend events delivered by Conference Virtually and network with your peers and industry partners in our lounges and exhibition hall! We re-launched the space last week and we hope you managed to join us for our first official networking evening. If not, there will be plenty more as well as monthly competitions with some fantastic prizes to be won! For now, why not check out the environment, interact with our exhibitors and watch this space for new and exciting updates!
www.thevetexhibition.com
Stephanie, THE Vet Exhibition Show Manager
Introducing…NationWide Laboratories! Joining our fantastic exhibitors MSD Animal Health and Virbac, this month we welcomed NationWide Laboratories into THE Vet Exhibition. Alina Zheleznyakova, Customer Marketing Manager from NationWide Laboratories is speaking about working in lockdown, appreciation of the veterinary community, virtual and real-life events and THE Vet Exhibition.
Tell us a bit about yourself. I have been working in B2B Marketing for nearly 20 years and witnessed digital and social media growing rapidly alongside traditional marketing, including events and exhibitions. When global pandemic hit, and face-to-face interactions were abruptly put on hold, we had to find new ways to talk to our clients and offer them the support they needed through online channels. Virtual world has (to a certain extent) become more real. The veterinary professionals have been amazing throughout the pandemic, helping the nation’s animals under strict government guidelines. NationWide Laboratories proudly supports them with more than 1,200 tests and profiles and offers them CPD opportunities.
Have you worked with The Webinar Vet before? As a company, we pride ourselves in our experienced team of the UK based pathologists. We have been working in close partnership with the Webinar Vet sharing our expertise with vets and nurses by offering them both free and affordable CPD.
What initially attracted you to the idea of THE Vet Exhibition? Since the beginning of pandemic, we have been exploring various online opportunities to stay in touch with the veterinary community. We have been supporting BVDSG and BSVP virtual meetings, took part in BSAVA Virtual Congress 2021 and when THE Vet Exhibition opened its doors, we immediately saw the benefits of the platform. Firstly, it is a 12-month project that allows us to present valuable content to the veterinary professionals in manageable bitesize portions. You will be able to access it free of charge in your own time from any connected device. Secondly, when it comes to content presentation, we have unlimited possibilities of combining different sources and offer our attendees multiple options to choose from. Thirdly, and most importantly, it allows us to stay in touch with the community and tailor our interactions based on what is interesting to them.
What can we expect from the NationWide Labs stand? We are going to take our attendees on an exciting journey, sharing our expertise in different areas of interest. Every veterinary professional will be able to find things useful to them in the wonderful job they do every day. We will be offering full free CPD sessions with a CPD certificate and invite you to our “HOW TO” podcast talking about sampling methods and techniques etc. Our library will include case studies, bitesize overview of the recent scientific papers and other interesting materials available to download. We will always be seeking your feedback. Will you be interested in a themed live chat with our pathologist? Or would you like to virtually meet our team? So, please come and let us know your thoughts.
What do you feel are the key benefits to having a long-term presence in a virtual exhibition environment? Like many people in the veterinary community, we are looking forward to getting back to face-to-face events, when it is safe to do so. As the country is gradually coming out of lockdown, there is hope that it will happen sooner rather than later. However, meanwhile we still need to be careful and a long-term online opportunity to interact with our clients and potential customers seems like a sensible and responsible choice. What is important to understand, is that the virtual exhibition is not a substitute for a real-life event. It compliments it and offers the veterinary community an extra platform for interaction and communication.
Do you have plans to update your stand throughout the year? We will be delivering new content every month and offer our visitors new monthly topics, including cytology for vets and nurses, dermatology and parasitology, canine and feline adrenal diseases, canine and feline hematology and biochemistry, microbiology and antimicrobial resistance and much much more. And we want our attendees to be part of this journey by letting us know what they find useful and which area of interest they would like to explore with NationWide Laboratories.
How did you find the process of designing your virtual exhibition booth? An exhibition booth in a way represents a gateway to the company, its expertise, mission and values. So, it is serious! And the virtual booth is no exception. We took the concept of our BSAVA 2020 booth (which did not see the daylight because the show was cancelled) and moved it into the virtual space. It sounds a little bit nostalgic, but we hope that when we do come back to face-to-face events, our visitors will immediately recognise it due to the second lease of life given to it online.
Are you on social media and happy for people to connect with you? If so, what are your contact details? Please feel free to follow us on: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationwide-laboratories/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/NationWideLabs and we will keep you updated about THE Vet Exhibition and other projects. Visit our website https://www.nwlabs.co.uk/ to know more about our products, technology and laboratory services needed to operate an efficient veterinary practice. And, of course, come to see us virtually at THE Vet Exhibition!
IT'S VET NURSE AWARENESS MONTH!
Hey, Vet Nurses!
Enjoy 10% off a Nurse Membership! In celebration of Vet Nurse Awareness Month, we’re offering all Vet Nurses 10% off our fabulous Nurse Membership! Benefits include... Unlimited access to over 1,500 hours of webinars Monthly live vet nurse webinars Live Q&A sessions CPD tracking and certification CPD support from our dedicated team Access to expertise Vet Nurse bundles Free access to Virtual Congress 2021
This offer only lasts for the month of May, so don’t miss out!
GET STARTED
WEBINAR CASE STUDIES IN THORACIC DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING MICHAEL E HERRTAGE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
David’s Review This is one of two very practical veterinary webinars from Mike Herrtage delivered in Virtual Congress 2021. There are six cases presented here and in the corner of the screen you can see Mike, looking very relaxed and enjoying himself as he takes you through the cases. It is just like being in the clinic receiving one to one tuition and cannot be surpassed. It is also a very pictorial webinar with many images of radiographs, ultrasound, and CT scans.
E
ach case is presented in the same way. We are given the case details, its history, physical examination findings, and details of investigations, where these were significant. This is followed by right lateral and left lateral chest x-rays and also ventrodorsal. In the first case you are asked which lung pattern predominates?
Mike pauses here while you try to figure out the answer. This is followed by a very detailed analysis of the radiographic findings leading to further investigations and a definitive diagnosis. There are some surprising diagnoses in the following cases and it all adds up to a very educational and entertaining session.
Is it?
The other session covers abdominal conditions.
• Bronchial • Vascular • Localised alveolar • Nodular interstitial • Unstructured interstitial
WEBINAR: CASE STUDIES IN ABDOMINAL DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING MICHAEL E HERRTAGE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
T
his webinar follows the same format as the previous one. The first case describes a 6-year-old male neutered Labrador retriever. He has a history of intermittent vomiting for 2 weeks with a
waxing and waning course. More recently there has been cranial abdominal pain. You are shown two radiographs and asked for your interpretation.The possibilities include:
• Normal
exceptional and ultrasound investigations are key factors. One of the cat ‘s diagnoses was completely unexpected for me. It was the result of a brilliant piece of detective work and diagnostic images.
• Hepatic enlargement • Intestinal obstruction • Ascites • Peritonitis Further investigations were a lateral radiograph and, a strong feature of this webinar, a series of 9 ultrasound images. These are superb and lead to a diagnosis confirmed with an exploratory laparotomy. Each image is explained in detail and will please those with an interest in ultrasound and no doubt stimulate many others to study this valuable diagnostic technique. There are five more cases featuring more retrievers and two cats. The images in all of these are
Lecturing from home, I guess, greatly suits Mike who speaks throughout with no slips of the tongue, and breaks only occasionally for a sip of water. He obviously enjoyed delivering these webinars and you will enjoy them toonot to be missed!
WEBINAR COPING WITH THE SMALL MAMMAL JOHN CHITTY ANTON VET ANDOVER
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his veterinary webinar is very wide ranging and aims to instill confidence in any colleague that finds these exotic pets in the waiting room. In addition there are some useful tips on anaesthetic techniques, diagnostic techniques and the approach to some common issues affecting small mammals.
• Don’t know much about them
This is best summarised by the first and second slides: -
• Age. Later John makes the point that for a mouse an additional month of life could be considered significant (the owner may not necessarily agree!)
Why does your heart sink when you have one booked in? And how can we change that? I am sure we have all been in this situation at some time and maybe still. So what exactly are the problems? They are listed….
• Budget • Expectations • Handling-they bite! • Size-what can you do? • They die and often are really sick on first presentation
• Anaesthesia and its potential problems • Nobody’s happy at the end.. but a lot of this presentation helps you avoid the unhappy client, which goes
back to managing expectations and good communication We are warned that the webinar won’t tell you everything. However using basic principles and the logical clinical approach used with the larger companion animals will go a long way. But first you need essential knowledge. A surprising number of publications are shown on screen-12 in all, apart from the usual learning sources, lectures and your own research. Colleagues such as John, with their specialist knowledge are always happy to mentor too. The approach invites us to train the whole practice beginning with the receptionists who need to know what is an emergency, how to transport and
what to do when the client arrives. Advice is given on handling and a slide of tail slip shows what can happen if handling is not carefully done (titled bits fall off!), and sometimes anaesthesia is required to examine the pet fully. Just as with cats and dogs the history is very important and under the heading what can you do without handling, there is quite a long list of questions to ask, as well as simply watching the animal while these questions are being considered. A useful part of the history will be videos /photos taken by the owner at home. We move on to drug trials including some detail on ivermectin, before considering some of the difficulties associated with the smallest of these patients-including their wriggliness (I added this to the spell checker!) General principles of anaesthesia in these patients are considered along with their hospitalisation and postoperative requirements. There is some general advice too on surgical considerations. You are recommended to avoid: • Excess time • Excess tissue handling • Excess bruising • Excess haemorrhage • Restricting breathing-so easily done with forceps lying on the thorax for example. Tips are suggested on how to reduce suture removal, and promote wound care. With routine neutering we are asked should we do it? The cost-benefit needs consideration along with the disease/welfare risks if it is not done, along with the usual concerns with GA risks and possible post-operative complications. Various alternatives to neutering are mentioned including hormone therapy, splitting groups into single sex, and whether both males
and females should be neutered or just one sex. Some common clinical scenarios are now summarisedmammary tumours in rats, pyometra in rats, hedgehogs and hamsters and whether these can be treated without surgery. Another common problem is fighting between male rats and there is a surprising range of options part from the seemingly obvious castration. Blood sampling is next and you are asked to discuss whether handling or anaesthesia is best for this followed by a very useful slide which gives information on how much blood you can safely take and from where. There is practical information on which tubes to use and a discussion of what is normal in these animals. Sometimes with the most modern laboratory equipment quite small quantities suffice. We move on to more general clinical scenarios beginning with anorexic animals. This prompts a section on the common problem of incisor overgrowth and how to deal with it. There are some good radiographs of animals with dental problems demonstrating how useful radiography is, as with the next clinical scenario-lameness. Included here are some tips of value when managing simple fractures. A frequent clinical scenario is weight loss. A few guidelines are listed. Is the weight loss due to not eating and is disease or hierarchical problems? Is systemic illness present and could this be associated with liver, renal, muscle wastage or heart disease? Cardiomegaly can easily be seen with lateral radiographs, but we are recommended to consider the use of ultrasonography, and there is an excellent example of dilated cardiomyopathy diagnosed by this method. There is mention of rat brain tumours and here we see the use of advanced imaging. The final two sections deal with respiratory disease and ear disease, again showing how useful good quality imaging is.
At the end of the webinar John goes back to one of the problems listed –with the question do they just die though? This leads you back to expectations and a consideration of what constitutes success. For this good communication is required, a consideration of quality of life and where necessary managing death. John summarises his presentation: • Small mammals are approachable • There’s plenty you can do and not necessarily expensive • Need a holistic approach • Communication is important • Knowledge of species is vital • Matching of expectations is paramount. Burgess, a pet food company that arguably does more than anyone to promote small mammal welfare, generously sponsored this excellent webinar. Peter Lancaster from the company gives some information on the various foods that the company manufactures, including a complete food for hamsters, gerbils and mice. Burgess was also heavily involved in the recent Guinea Pig Awareness week, ending on March 28th. This reached an admirable 1.1 million people in addition to generating considerable media interest. Next up will be the annual Rabbit Awareness week –from the 28th of June to the 4th of July. It’s worth topping up your wine glass if you watch the webinar in the evening because after the Burgess contribution the floor is open for questions. This generated another half an hour-emphasising one of the many advantages webinars have. On the transmission night there were more than 600 attendees from all over the world and a lot of detailed questions were asked. John not only handled these very well but is also happy to answer any sent to him by email.
WEBINAR CANINE MAST CELL TUMOURS: UPDATE AND NEW TREATMENTS OWEN DAVIES MA VETMB MVETMED MANZCVS (SAM) DACVIM (ONCOLOGY) DECVIM-CA (ONCOLOGY) MRCVS RCVS, AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN SPECIALIST IN VETERINARY ONCOLOGY
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his case based and very practical veterinary webinar aims (and succeeds) in getting colleagues up to date in this rapidly changing discipline. Mast cell tumours are common, potentially highly malignant, but as we see in this presentation are often treatable with the potential for a high percentage of successful cures.
• Nothing • Staging • TKI therapy • Vinblastine and prednisolone therapy • Staging and TKI/Vinblastine/ Prednisolone • Run further prognostic tests
This is not a poll in the usual way of WebinarVet webinars. The outline of the webinar is as It just give you time to reflect on what you would follows: do. Decisions like this are • How to navigate MCTs by the probably among the most use of case examples frustrating encountered by vets in practice, as illustrated • What treatment is best? in a rainbow coloured line • Surgery? diagram with ‘behaviorally • Stellfonta? benign’ at one end and ‘highly aggressive’ at the other end • Chemotherapy? of the spectrum. Where along • Tyrosine kinase inhibitor this pathway does an individual (TKI)? patient lie? The first case is an 8-yearold chocolate Labrador with recurrence of a cutaneous mast cell tumour on his prepuce. We are introduced to some prior details from the referring vet of a ‘complete excision’ and Patnaik intermediate grade and Kiupel low grade. Additionally a mitotic count of 4/10 high power field (hpf) We are asked what to do next? Six possible procedures are listed.
Owen introduces his own approach to categorise MCTs by deciding whether significant negative prognostic factors are present. He presents a succession of cases that were high risk, beginning with a clinical picture of a tumour of such severity clinically that high risk is obvious. But others are less obvious and breed, lymph node metastasis, systemic signs and whether local recurrence has occurred all need to be considered. Ultimately we rely
often on the pathologist and a discussion follows on the merits of the grading systems (Patnaik and Kiupel), and the less well-evaluated AgNOR, c-kit mutation and KIT proteinstaining pattern 2/3. A brief digression discusses cytological criteria based on an article by Camus and others in Vet Pathology in 2016. Armed with the background knowledge in previous slides we return to the questions posed above for the Labrador with a preputial tumour, which I won’t detail here as a spoiler! MCTs metastasise via the lymphatics, liver and spleen, and it is suggested therefore that staging should involve these. Further information is given for the Labrador and we are asked to assess his prognosis varying from 7 months survival through to 3 years. The answer may surprise you, but an article based on 21 dogs receiving the recommended treatment in cases like the Labrador’s backs it up. 3 metastatic scenarios are suggested: • Non-metastatic • Regionally metastatic • Distantly metastatic
This leads on to the section devoted to surgical treatment. Consider local treatment only for low risk tumours. The majority of these will be cured with carefully planned surgery/other local therapy. High-risk tumours benefit from local therapy and systemic treatment. The basic principles of surgical treatment of MCTs are outlined in one slide with a simple line diagram illustrating the importance of removing a tumour with 2 cm of lateral margins (in most cases) and crucially one facial plane deep. Moving on to medical treatments there is a lot of very detailed information on the use of Stellfonta, prednisolone, vinblastine/ prednisolone, Palladia and Masivet. Extensive use of case material guides you through the use of these various treatments. I particularly liked the explanation of how receptor kinase inhibitors function, beautifully and simply illustrated. Typical costs involved reinforced the
practical nature of this webinar, and the before and after clinical cases are also very useful practically, five of which illustrate the main points of the presentation. The final summary slide is excellent stating that most MCTs will be cured with local therapy alone, but it is indicated in all cases, including high-risk cases. These will require medical treatment too. How to identify high-risk cases is summarised, and reasons for requesting additional tests suggested. The unique local therapy, (Stellfonta) is of great interest in the treatment of MCT’s in surgically awkward areas, but help in deciding whether to use TKIs or chemotherapy is also summarised here. Overall this is one of the best summaries I have come across in a veterinary webinar. The webinar is excellent throughout and highly relevant to all colleagues whether in first opinion or referral practice.
WEBINAR BLINDNESS DUE TO OPTIC NERVE AND BRAIN DISEASE RON OFRI DVM PHD DECVO KORET SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM, ISRAEL
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his is the latest in a series of veterinary webinars on blindness, and a useful reminder of previous and forthcoming webinars sets the scene for this latest one. Previous lectures in this series were as follows: August 6th. 2020 Applied anatomy of the fundus: making sense of what I see in the ophthalmoscope October 20th 2020 Ophthalmic exam made easy January 7th. 2021 Acute blindness in dogs UPCOMING LECTURES June 17th 2021 Blindness in cats September 23rd. 2021 Inherited retinal diseases of the dog If you have missed any of the previous lectures, I strongly recommend that you take a look at them, as you will find Ron Ofri combines knowledge, enthusiasm and an obvious enjoyment of teaching. Also, Ron is one of the authors on the reference text, Slatter’s Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology, now in its 6th. edition. It is not surprising that all his lectures inevitably contain brilliant images of eye conditions. This presentation has the following outline: -DISEASES OF THE OPTIC NERVE • Optic neuritis • Optic nerve tumours and orbital disease
OPTIC CHIASM AND POST-CHIASMAL DISEASES Before beginning Ron flags up a dog with a vest stating ‘I’m blind’ - a sensible idea to prevent startling the dog and risking a bite. Optic neuritis may be caused by infectious agents, be associated with any cause of meningitis, notably GME, which is discussed in detail later, or is idiopathic –probably the most common cause. 12 possible infectious causes in dogs are listed, with 6 in cats. Causes in horses and ruminants are also mentioned. Many of the infectious cases in the literature are small number case reports. A very extensive, meticulous review of the optic neuritis cases from 1981 to 2011 demonstrates these small numbers. Ron also reviews the most comprehensive review to date of 96 cases of optic neuritis published in 2017 in Veterinary Ophthalmology. This was an article from North Carolina State University and based on this Ron outlines a typical patient presentation: • Mean age 6.1 +/- 3 years • 51% were small breed less than 10 kg • 56% had additional neurological sigs • 20/96 unilateral. 76/96 bilateral • All dogs had menace or PLR deficits-86/96 had both • Peripapillary retinal oedema/detachment 37/92 • Disc/ retinal haemorrhage 23/92 • Punctate/linear Peripapillary white lesions 13/92
This list may sound daunting but it is backed up by excellent clinical images. Diagnostic testing includes a physical, ophthalmological and neurological examination, blood tests/ CT/MRI imaging, fluorescein angiography, chromatic PLR and electroretinography. Much of this is obviously specialised but extremely well explained with some striking examples. I particularly liked the fluorescein angiography case. Treatment of optic neuritis targets the underlying cause when possible. Immunosuppressive treatment with, for example prednisolone, mycophenolate or azathioprine is recommended, but the prognosis is guarded to poor. Results are given from the North Carolina study and also from a UK study published in 2020 in JSAP. Blindness due to orbital disease is next. Common signs of retrobulbar disease are listed, and there is another detailed review of the veterinary literature. Articles cited include assessment of ultrasonography and CT scans for the evaluation of unilateral orbital disease in dogs, differentiation between inflammatory and neoplastic orbital conditions based on CT scans, and a review of orbital and intracranial MRI in 79 dogs and 13 cats. The important conclusions for each article are summarised. The signs, causes, typical findings and treatment of retrobulbar abscess are followed by a very detailed analysis of retrobulbar tumours. Apart from the usual high quality clinical slides there are also some CT scans illustrated. An astonishingly large number of orbital neoplasms have been documented as referenced in an article from Edward Flaherty and colleagues, from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Based on 112 cases from 2004-2019 there were 39 epithelial tumours, 45 mesenchymal. 9 neural and 19 round cell or other tumour types. Image guided core needle biopsies were found to be the most reliably diagnostic.
The final part of this webinar summarises the essentials of brain tumours. • Blindness seen in cerebral/diencephalon tumours, not brain stem • Neurological signs are usually slowly progressive with owners reporting approximately 25% with seizures, behavioural changes, circling and head pressing. • Median age is 9 years in dogs but more than 10 years in cats • Meningioma is more prevalent in dolichocephalic dogs with Golden retriever predisposed • Glioma is more prevalent in brachycephalic dogs, especially Boxer dogs. Apart from the neurological examination MRI is preferred to CT in the diagnosis. Treatment is by surgery or radiation. Depending on the species, and tumour type median survival ranges from 6 months to 3 and a half years. Strikingly survival without treatment is between 1 and 4 months. Chemotherapy is generally ineffective. The webinar ends with an in depth account of Granulomatous Meningo Encephalitis (GME), an autoimmune inflammation of unknown cause, and is followed by a short account of infectious encephalopathy. These ophthalmological webinars are very good value for specialists and first opinion colleagues alike. I am already looking forward to the webinars on blindness in cats and particularly the one on inherited retinal diseases in dogs. For some unexplained reason this is an area I have always struggled with, but look forward to finally getting to grips with it.
From the Literature – May’21 Nutrition may not have been your favourite subject at college but its importance has never been more relevant than now. If you visit your local pet store, particularly the supermarket forum, you will see a huge number of commercial pet diets on offer. But which ones would you advise as suitable to your clients’ pets? And why are there so many ‘grain free’ diets available? The latest volume of the consistently excellent journal Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice Volume 51 Issue 3 May 2021 has the entire edition devoted to Nutrition, and there are some very interesting and informative articles on display. For example:
Pros and Cons of Commercial Pet Food (Including Grain/ Grain Free) for Dogs and Cats Sherry Lynn Anderson BS DVM PhD Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice Volume 51 Issue 3 May 2021 pages 529-550
S
herry is an associate professor in the department of Veterinary Biosciences and Diagnostic Imaging from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, USA. Her contribution is clear, easily digested (sorry) and exceptionally well researchedsomething that we have come to expect from this journal. The article begins with a little history. You may have heard of James Spratt and his dog biscuits? It turns out he was an American living in the middle 1800s in the UK, who came up with the idea of manufacturing hard dog biscuits made from vegetables, beef blood, wheat and beetroot. So you could say that the origins of pet food manufacture was in the UK, but it wasn’t long before Mr. Spratt recognised where his
product could be best marketed. This was naturally in his home country where he sold his product to wealthy dog owners, and no doubt rapidly joined their ranks. Since then the commercial pet food industry has made giant strides, along with other aspects of pet ownership. In 2019 an American Pet Product Association (APPA) survey demonstrated that Americans had spent more than 95 billion dollars on their pets that year compared to 48.35 billion in 2010 Nowadays pet owners are spoiled for choice for pet food-so much so that many are confused and even overwhelmed by the choices on offer and susceptible to misinformation from the internet. To illustrate this Sherry performed a google search using the phrase
‘How safe is commercial pet food?’ The search yielded approximately 608,000,000 results! More than half of the first ten sites contained opinion- based information and misinformation that seemed intent on evoking fear in pet owners regarding commercial pet food.
specialists, toxicologists, microbiologists, and engineers, just to name a few.’ As suggested in the title quite a lot of space is devoted to concerns about grains in commercial pet foods. To quote -‘concerns about grains seems to have been driven largely by marketing and not science.’
Nevertheless if pet owners were asked the question in a survey ‘Would you like your veterinarian to recommend a routine/ maintenance diet for your pet?’, 68% answered yes , but only 38% reported having received nutritional advice from their vet. This is obviously a gap that needs to be filled in the interest of pet welfare.
Diet associated with dilated cardiomyopathy associated with grain free diets is an example of problems that can occur when marketing, not science, drives sales of certain types of commercial pet food. This is a problem currently under investigation and results to date are ccomprehensively described in the article.
Not all pet food companies invest the same amount of resources into ensuring the quality of their diets. Consumers spend more on pet food and treats than on any other area of the pet industry including veterinary care. This is a trend that has been growing for more than a decade. In Shelly’s opinion ‘it is easy to see why making and selling pet food has become such an attractive industry for so many people. Lawyers, veterinarians without advanced training in small animal nutrition, people with marketing degrees, and lay people are just a few examples of people making and marketing their own brands of pet food. This trend is in contrast with major pet food companies that employ a team of qualified experts, such as boarded veterinary nutritionists, PhD nutritionists, food safety
There is much more that I haven’t mentioned and the article is very well worth visiting. I liked the part where frequent complaints that are directed at vets are dissected out with appropriate responses. The attention to detail is quite extraordinary including a blow-by-blow account of how kibble food is (or should be) produced. Above all it has stimulated my interest to know more about this subject, an area I have neglected until now. The gut microbiome is very much in the news currently and another area, which perhaps many of us have yet to get to grips with. In the same issue of the above journal is an article, which will certainly stimulate interest.
The Gut Microbiome of dogs and Cats and the influence of Diet Rachel Pilla DVM PhD and Jan S Suchodolski DrVetMed PhD Veterinary Clinics of North America Volume 51 Issue 3 May 2021 pages 605-621
T
his is another extensively researched article and I am just summarising some of the key points that are mentioned. In the introduction we are told that the gut microbiome is composed of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotic organisms that reside in the gastrointestinal tract. The bacterial component is the largest and provides essential digestive functions, such as the fermentation of fibres. The gut microbiome also contributes to host metabolism, protects against pathogens, and educates the immune system. Expanding knowledge of microbiome functions has revealed remote connections leading to the coinage of terms such as the gut-brain axis, gut-skin axis and others. Key points that are mentioned include the following; • The gut microbiome is a functional organ, and dietary substrates are converted by different
intestinal bacteria to metabolically active compounds that influence the host • As an example butyrate can be produced from either fibre or protein. It follows that an increase in either can bring about similar benefits. Fibre and protein content in the diet appear to be the main influence in microbiome composition in both dogs and cats • In spite of the above statement research is required to identify the ideal fibre and protein intake necessary to promote a healthy microbiome • Diet-induced changes in the microbiome of healthy dogs are less marked compared with microbiome changes induced by disease Elsewhere in this edition you will find articles on talking about dog and cat nutrition with clients, insights into commercial pet foods, sustainability and pet food: Is there a role for veterinarians? There is, of course, as there is with exotic pets and there is an article with twenty pages of detailed information on nutrition for Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents-called Pocket Pets in the USA. To set the scene there is an editorial from Dottie Laflamme DVM PhD DACVN, which is well worth reading.
W I K I V E T
OUR MARKET POSITION
PEER REVIEWED
MOBILE
TARGETED
ENGAGED
GLOBAL
MARKET AUTHORITY
W I K I V E T
37.4%
62.6%
41% Aged 18-24 26% Aged 25-34
WikiVet is an established website with a domain authority of 56. WikiVet ranks for over 34,000 keywords the number of keywords bringing users to an analyzed domain via Google's #100 organic search results.
27.8% United States
15.8% United Kingdom
90% of WikiVet traffic comes through Organic Search. Worldwide traffic is consistent at 50K+ Referring backlinks are 141.5K - inc some authority domains such as onlineveterinaryanatomy.net with 17,516 backlinks to WikiVet. Our database of students receives a weekly email and a monthly newsletter. Wikivet has a team of ambassadors (up to 900), from various year groups representing 450 Vet Schools Worldwide.
VETERINARY SUPERSTITIONS Jane Davidson Vet Dermatol 2021 32 26-42
I
have written on some of our veterinary superstitions before, issues with saying the ‘Q’ word and inciting a stampede of sick pets to the clinic door being a firm favourite. Over the Easter weekend it seemed that emergency clinics were getting patients who were breaking
another favourite superstition – that bad things come in 3s. There were tales of 5 blocked cats at one clinic, with the ominous thought a 6th one must be out there straining somewhere. So what is this ‘rule of 3’? Is it true? I bet now you are all thinking of ‘that’ on call weekend with 3 CBAs, 3 pyos or worse, 3 GDVs. Telling the tales of how fast you can turn a theatre around on skeleton staff when it's needed. I recall once 2 caesareans arriving within 30 mins of each other at my OOH clinic. The only feeling worse was knowing that somewhere the universe was readying another dog for a period of unproductive straining. Where does the rule of 3 come from? It’s a part of clinic life so how did it start? I had a little internet rummage and found that the rule of 3 is a coping strategy! https://www.nine.com.au/entertainment/viral/why-bad-things-happen-in-threes/4141201399ee-4a7f-9ee6-14409368e5f2 Wow! Apparently we dislike randomness and as a way to cope with ‘bad things’ humans have developed a way to put random acts in to a pattern. The rule of 3 doesn’t have any other boundaries. While we may group them in OOH shifts that we have personally experienced this is our personal view. The other people working on different shifts will have different time lines for their ‘3’ to fit into. There is no rule that says what the ‘bad things’ are, again we define ‘bad’. For us in veterinary clinic we link similar cases, for others it may be parking tickets, or stubbed toes. It’s a pattern to help us cope with whats happening now and give ourselves an ‘end point’ for a period of stress or anxiety. So the next time you think of your ‘rule of 3’ cases or in clinic you are preparing for that 3rd caesarean to arrive, remember this is a GOOD thing. You are coping with the present and planning a way to cope with the future. The rule of 3 may or may not be ‘real’ but your ability to
THE SCIENCE OF SKINCARE FOR DOGS AND CATS
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DESIGNED WITH THE CLIENT AND VET IN MIND - TOLERANCE AND EFFICACY CLINICALLY PROVEN
1 SIMPLE
Easy to pick the right product and covers all situations PYO: Antibacterial and antifungal CALM: Itchy irritated and sensitive skin SEB: Oily, flaky and dry skin
2 COMPLIANCE
A range of application methods to suit every pet and owner
3 SKIN BARRIER
Helps the 3 natural barriers: mechanical, immunological and microflora
CARE: Ultra gentle - general use
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tested by veterinary dermatology experts. Proven performance on the 3 skin barriers
THE FRAGRANCE OF SUMMER “Coco + Vanilla” loved by 97% of pet owners1 (even in the presence of chlorhexidine - 4.5/52)
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For more information contact your local territory manager 1. Internal data 2019, clinical cases. 2. CODHA post-use market research 2019, 50 pet owners, France
Ceva Animal Health Ltd, Unit 3, Anglo Office Park, White Lion Road, Amersham, Bucks HP79FB Tel: 01494781510 www.ceva.co.uk
Summary of a European Field Trial assessing the performance of DOUXO® S3 Calm shampoo and mousse in dogs with sensitive skin1 INTRODUCTION
RESULTS
Background
Analysed population
Topical products can provide direct relief for dry and irritated skin in dogs. Ophytrium is a purified natural ingredient selected for its high tolerance and simultaneous threefold action on the skin barrier: • strengthens the mechanical barrier • limits the adhesion of bacteria and biofilm formation • soothes the skin
Twenty dogs were recruited to the study and included in the analysis. One dog did not complete the study. At inclusion, their mean CADESI-04 score was 18.0 and their mean PVAS score 4.9, corresponding mainly to mild to moderately affected dogs.
CADESI-04 (Figure 2): quick and significant decrease Mean CADESI-04 score had decreased to 7.9 by D7 and continued to decrease to 6.4 by D21 (58.3% mean improvement; P<0.01 at both timepoints compared to D0). Most dogs achieved a decrease in their CADESI-04 score over the course of the study. Also, nearly 80% of dogs reached the target threshold of 10.
Objective The objective of this prospective, European multicentric, uncontrolled field study was to evaluate the performance of a protocol that combined applications of an Ophytrium-containing shampoo and mousse (DOUXO® S3 CALM Shampoo and Mousse, Ceva Santé Animale, France) in dogs with sensitive skin that presented with a flare.
CADESI-04 (Mean +/- SEM)
MATERIALS AND METHODS Dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis according to accepted criteria2 and presented with a skin flare up could be included in the study. They had to be up to date with their ectoparasiticide control and have no other skin conditions that could cause itchy skin. Any concurrent immunomodulatory treatment was only allowed if it had not been started or had any changes to it in the preceding 8 weeks before inclusion.
D7
-58.3%
30
20
**
10
***
Day 0
Key:
DOUXO® S3 Calm shampoo application DOUXO® S3 Calm mousse application
2 week
3 week rd
Examination by a dermatologist Owner pruritus evaluation (PVAS score)
Dermatologists considered the prescribed protocol as satisfactory, good or excellent in almost 75% of cases. From the owner’s perspective, the protocol also showed high satisfaction and in particular was considered practical.
CADESI-04 <10 at D21
78.8%
Day 21
Day 7
Figure 2: Evolution of CADESI-04 Score
Mean decrease of PVAS D21/D0
9– 8–
-30.8%
7– 6– 5– **
4–
PVAS decrease ≥50% at D21/D0
42.1%
PVAS change ≥2 at D21/D0
52.6%
**
3–
PVAS <2 at D21
2–
47.4%
1– 0–
Day 0
Figure 1: Study design
Veterinarians and owners overall assessments (Figure 4)
63.2%
Mean PVAS score had decreased to 3.2 by D7 and continued to decrease to 2.9 by D21 (30.8% mean improvement; P<0.01 at both timepoints compared with D0). A decrease in the itch score of ≥50% was seen in 42.1% of the dogs and more than 50% achieved a ≥2 cm decrease of their PVAS score. Almost 50% presented with PVAS score < 2, which corresponds to the PVAS score for a normal dog.
Visual Analogue Scale of pruritus (Mean +/- SEM)
1 week
CADESI-04 decrease ≥70% at D21/D0
Itch score (PVAS) (Figure 3): quick and significant decrease
D21
nd
73.7%
** p<0.01 *** p<0.001 Compared with D0
10 –
st
CADESI-04 decrease ≥50% at D21/D0
0
Included dogs received DOUXO® S3 CALM shampoo and mousse as per the protocol in figure 1. At each visit on D0, D7 and D21, the CADESI-043 score was assessed by a dermatologist and the itch score (PVAS4) by the owner. At the end of the study on D21, owner and veterinarian overall assessments of the protocol were recorded.
D0
Mean decrease of CADESI-04 D21/D0
40
Day 21
Day 7
** p<0.01 Compared with D0
Figure 3: Evolution Pruritus visual analogue scale (PVAS) score
PET OWNERS Protocol practical
42.1%
Overall satisfaction about the protocol
VETERINARIANS
47.4%
36.8% 42.1% 0
5
10
89.5% 78.9%
15
20
NUMBER OF DOGS Completely agree/ Very satisfied
Somewhat agree/ Satisfied
21.1% 15.8% 0
5
36.8% 10
73.7% 15
NUMBER OF DOGS Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Figure 4: Overall satisfaction of pet owners and veterinarians
CONCLUSION The protocol combining the application of an Ophytrium-based shampoo and mousse resulted in a quick and significant improvement in both skin health and itch score in dogs that presented with a skin flare. Protocol practicality and performance, as well as the product characteristics resulted in high pet owner satisfaction. This, combined with the pleasant application of the mousse through massage is expected to encourage compliance. References: 1. Gatellet M, Ahman S, Bruet V, Cadot PM, Mueller RS, Noli C, Nuttall T, Ollivier E, Blondel T, Savelli N. Performance of a combined application of Ophytrium-containing shampoo and mousse in dogs with sensitive skin: A European field trial. 2020 World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology. 2. Favrot C, Steffan J, Seewald W, Picco F. A prospective study on the clinicalfeatures of chronic canine atopic dermatitis and its diagnosis. Vet Dermatol. 2010;21(1):23–31. 3. Olivry T, Saridomichelakis M, Nuttall T, Bensignor E, Griffin CE, Hill PB; International Committe on Allergic Diseases of Animals(ICADA). Validation of the Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index (CADESI)-4, a simplified severity scale for assessing skin lesions of atopic dermatitisin dogs. Vet Dermatol. 2014 Apr;25(2):77-85, e25.4. Rybnícek J, Lau-Gillard P, Harvey R, Hill P. (2009). Further validation of a pruritus severity scale for use in dogs. Vet Dermatol. 2009;20:115-22.
rabbit
INTERACTIVE
Rabbit Welfare & Ethics Day. 5th June 2021. Via The Webinar Vet. Rabbits are recognised as one of the most neglected pets in the UK. We can all do something to improve their welfare. You are invited to a Rabbit Welfare & Ethics Day. The aim of the day is to highlight some of the many issues that face pet rabbits today, and then discuss what we can all do to improve their welfare, and hopefully come up with some actions to do so. 9.00-9.30
Introduction
Dr Emma Milne
9.30-10.00
Bracycephaly; prevalence, consequences, welfare impact. What can be done?
Dr Richard Saunders
10.00-10.30
What is the ideal rabbit diet?
Dr Nadene Stapleton
10.30-11.00
Showing and show jumping. Is it ethical?
Dr Emma Milne
11.00-11.30
Coffee
11.30-12.00
‘There’s no place like home’. Rabbit housing in the 21st century.
Dr Jane Tyson
12.00-12.30
The rise of ‘Rabbit Friendly’ practices, how can we ensure that the rabbits needs at home are being met?
Dr Anna Ewers Clark
12.30-13.00
Rabbit Welfare Strategy and Best Practice Guidelines RSPCA & RWAF
13.00-14.00
Lunch
14.00-14.30
Prioritising welfare needs, identified by research at Bristol University / RSPCA
Dr Nicola Rooney
14.30-15.00
“Morbidity and mortality of domestic rabbits under primary veterinary care in England” Why are we failing them and what can be done?
Dr Dan O’Neill
15.00-15.30
“What Makes a rabbit cute? Preference for rabbit faces differs according to skull morphology and demographic factors” How can we change this?
Dr Naomi Harvey
15.30-15.45
Coffee
15.45-16.15
Exploring other extreme anatomical features and the welfare impact for the rabbit
Dr Emma Milne
16.15-17.00
Discussion and action planning
All
17.00-17.30
Summary and close
Dr Emma Milne
We hope you can attend. The invitation is for two people from your organisation. Please RSVP by e-mailing rae@rabbitwelfare.co.uk
Prices: £80 early bird (until 1 May). £100 full price. £50 for students.