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Spontaneous reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is the cornerstone of pharmacovigilance. Despite this, it is believed that there is significant under-reporting in the veterinary setting. Low reporting rates delay marketing authorisation holders (MAHs) and regulators taking mitigating action in the case of safety concerns.We designed a survey to explore the perceptions, attitudes and experiences of UK veterinary professionals towards ADR reporting. The survey was advertised widely through conventional and social media and at several conferences.In total, 260 respondents completed the survey, including 210 veterinary surgeons, 49 veterinary nurses and one suitably qualified person. Respondents generally understood the need to report ADRs. The main barrier to reporting was the suspected ADR being well known, and the most popular potential facilitator identified was the ability to report via the practice management system. Facilitation via education in the form of a pharmacovigilance themed continuing professional development event was particularly popular among veterinary nurses, who reported time as being less of a barrier to reporting than their veterinary surgeon counterparts.Our findings suggest that technological interventions to facilitate reporting and empowerment of veterinary nurses to report through a tailored training event should be explored further.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of society. In April, the RCVS and the BVA produced guidelines for practitioners to help define emergencies, and suggested a transition to telemedicine where possible. These changes led to profound reductions in veterinary consultations.1 Here we summarise discussions about Covid-19 recorded in consultations in companion animal practices, as a way to further assess the impact on veterinary care provided. …

We recently wrote a letter reporting a potential outbreak of prolific vomiting in dogs with prolonged lethargy and inappetence, sometimes with diarrhoea ( VR , 15 February 2020, vol 186, p 191). Data collected by practices participating in the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) also showed a profound rise in dogs presenting for non-specific gastroenteric disease, probably starting around November 2019 (see Fig 1 of the original letter). Statistical analysis has now confirmed this to be significantly outwith normal seasonal enteric disease fluctuation, therefore constituting an outbreak. Analysis of data submitted by laboratories to SAVSNET did not identify any equivalent increase in known enteric pathogen diagnoses. However, we did observe a regular winter peak in the …

In the veterinary sector SARS-CoV-2 has led to practitioners being faced with a daily struggle to balance their responsibility to preserve animal welfare with ensuring the continued health of the public, colleagues and their families. As many colleagues will be aware, the RCVS and BVA have released and are updating guidance1, 2 detailing recommendations for how veterinary practices should operate throughout these challenging times. The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has also released more specific guidance for companion animals, including recommendations for how best to approach pet vaccination over the coming months.3 The BSAVA …

BackgroundUveitis appears to be less prevalent in the UK compared with other parts of the world and studies characterising the disease in the UK are lacking. The objectives of this retrospective study were to describe acute and recurrent cases presenting for management of uveitis in a referral hospital on the North West of England and compare the signalment of horses presenting with uveitis with the equine hospital population during the same period.MethodsMedical records of horses presented to the referral Equine Hospital, University of Liverpool with signs of uveitis between 2008 and 2018 were reviewed and clinical details extracted.ResultsSeventy horses presented with uveitis; 33 were classified as acute and 37 as recurrent cases. Sixteen of the horses were affected bilaterally. More bilateral cases were classified as recurrent than acute (P=0.04). No differences in age or sex were noted between acute and recurrent cases, or between cases and the general hospital population. Warmbloods and Appaloosas were over-represented when compared with the general hospital population (PConclusionWhile relatively uncommon in the UK, uveitis can affect horses from a relatively young age. The disease appears to have a relatively higher frequency than expected in Warmbloods and Appaloosas. It is more likely that a recurrent case will have both eyes affected.

Ocular disease is a frequent finding in working horses. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and types of ocular pathology, and explore risk factors potentially associated with disease within a population of working horses in Ethiopia. In total, 1049 horses were selected from horses attending clinics run by the Society for Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA). Each had an ophthalmic examination conducted under field conditions using a pen-torch. All owners completed a short questionnaire. The prevalence of ocular abnormalities was 23.5 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval (CI) 18.0 per cent to 30.1 per cent) and the percentage of horses with an abnormality in at least one eye was 43 per cent (95 per cent CI 28.7 per cent to 58.4 per cent), although this varied between towns. Mild eye pathology and end-stage disease with irreversible pathology were most common. There were significantly more eye abnormalities in the right eye compared with the left, and older horses were more likely to have ocular pathology. Only 55.1 per cent of owners had noticed there was an ocular abnormality present, and only 2.2 per cent had received any previous treatment for eye disease. Only 1.9 per cent presented to the clinic because of an eye problem. There appears to be either a lack of owner awareness, or a low perception of the importance of eye disease among owners.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) and canine enteric coronavirus (CECoV) are often cited as causes of diarrhoea in dogs. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of CPV and CECoV in dogs presenting with severe diarrhoea to PDSA PetAid hospitals throughout the UK. A total of 355 samples were collected from the PDSA between 2006 and 2008. All samples were tested for CPV using a long range PCR and for CECoV using RT-PCR. The prevalence of CPV was 58 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval [CI] 52 to 63 per cent), with some evidence for regional variation. The prevalence of CECoV was 7.9 per cent (95 per cent CI 5.1 to 10.7 per cent). Analysis showed that animals with no history of vaccination were more likely to be CPV positive, with greatest effect in younger animals. CPV-positive animals were more likely to present with depression/lethargy than CPV-negative cases. The volume of diarrhoea and the presence of haemorrhage did not appear to be associated with the likelihood of detecting CPV. This study shows that CPV is a common finding in dogs presenting to PDSA hospitals with severe diarrhoea, and that CECoV is a less common but still potentially important pathogen. It also confirms that young and unvaccinated animals appear to be more at risk of presenting with CPV.

In this paper, the management and health problems of donkeys on loan to independent carers from The Donkey Sanctuary are characterised, and the demographics of the UK's donkey population are described using data from a variety of sources. All carers that fostered a donkey from The Donkey Sanctuary between September 2004 and August 2005 (1432 donkeys) were surveyed using a postal questionnaire requesting information about the donkey, its premises, daily care, health and preventive medicine. The response rate was 77.8 percent. The mean (sd) age of the donkeys was 20.8 (7.4) years. The majority (92 percent) of the donkeys were kept as pets. Approximately one-third (33.6 percent) of the donkeys were overweight. The most common medical problems were hoof, dermal and oral problems. A total of 86 percent of the donkeys had a dental examination at least every 12 months, and at least 45 percent had at least one dental problem.

Samples of faeces were taken from 183 healthy pet dogs in a census-based, cross-sectional study in Cheshire; culture methods were used to detect any Campylobacter species and a direct PCR was used to detect Campylobacter upsaliensis . Forty-six of the dogs were positive for C upsaliensis by either culture or direct PCR, giving a prevalence of 25˙1 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval [CI] 19˙0 to 32˙1 per cent). One sample was positive by culture for Campylobacter jejuni (95 per cent CI 0˙0 to 3˙0 per cent) and one for Campylobacter lari . Multivariable logistic regression identified risk factors for the carriage of C upsaliensis by a dog as: living with another dog that also carried C upsaliensis ; being small rather than medium-sized; being less than three years old; living in a household that kept fish; being fed commercial dog treats; and being fed human food titbits, particularly in the dog9s bowl.

This study investigated the nature and frequency of the contacts that occur between dogs, and between dogs and people, by means of a questionnaire survey of 260 dog-owning households in a community in Cheshire, uk. The contacts were highly variable and were affected by the size, sex and age of the dog, individual dog behaviours, human behaviours and human preferences in the management of the dog. A number of situations were identified that may be important in relation to zoonoses, including sleeping areas, playing behaviours, greeting behaviours, food sources, walking, disposal of faeces, veterinary preventive treatment and general hygiene.

SIR, — There is a rising awareness of the development of, and increase in, antimicrobial-resistant infections encountered in veterinary medicine. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms and associated risk factors in companion

This retrospective, matched case-control study compared the characteristics of veterinary surgeons employed in veterinary research with those who had never held a research post. The cases were randomly selected from graduates of veterinary schools in Great Britain or Ireland who were employed at universities or institutes that conduct research and who played a major role in veterinary research projects during 2001 to 2003. The controls were veterinary surgeons who had not held any post that was primarily a research post since they graduated. The cases and controls were matched by year of graduation and data were obtained for 173 matched sets. Graduates who were significantly (P0.05) more likely to have a career involving research included male graduates, graduates who had completed a summer studentship, graduates who had completed an internship, residency or houseman's programme, graduates who held a veterinary diploma, and graduates who had intended to pursue a career in research or academia when they graduated from veterinary school. A career involving research was significantly (P0.05) more likely to be associated with full-time employment and a lower salary than a career that did not involve research.

The records of 496 orthopaedic operations on 428 horses were reviewed to estimate the prevalence of, and identify the risk factors for, the development of colic in horses after surgery. Colic was defined as any recognised sign of abdominal pain that could not be attributed to a concurrent disease. Fourteen of the horses developed colic; eight of them were undiagnosed, three were classified as impactions, one as tympanic colic of the colon, one as incarceration of the small intestine in the epiploic foramen, and one as left dorsal displacement of the colon in the nephrosplenic space. Morphine was associated with a four-fold increased risk of colic compared with the use of no opioid or butorphanol, and out-of-hours surgery was also associated with an increased risk.