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Background: Soft tissue injuries and joint disease are the predominate causes of lameness in the equine athlete and these pathologies carry a guarded prognosis for a return to previous performance. Recently the use of autologous products has become more widespread as a treatment in equine sports medicine. However, the efficacy of these products is yet to be fully established. Objective: To evaluate the current published evidence base regarding the efficacy of autologous products in soft tissue injuries and joint disease. Methods: A systematic review of English articles using MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science databases from 1980 to 2017. The search strategy identified 1594 papers for review. Results: Fifty‐eight papers were included in this review, 28 of which were randomised controlled trials. Significant benefit was reported under several parameters, most notably in the use of autologous chondrocytes in artificially induced cartilage defects on histology. One paper documented a significant clinical response under lameness examination. Conclusion: The current literature shows that the treatment of soft tissue injury and cartilage disease with autologous products is safe and that the use of some products can give significant benefit on some outcome measures. True clinical significance is yet to be demonstrated with any product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There was lively debate of some key issues at an online meeting of BVA Council on 20 April (see pages 346 and 348). Other matters discussed included two new BVA position papers and potential changes to BVA governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces that Clare Rusbridge of veterinary services company Fitzpatrick Referrals has received the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA) award for the best original paper published in the "European Journal of Companion Animal Practice."

Globally, the eradication of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is still in its infancy, but eradication has been, or is being, adopted by several countries or regions. Comparisons between countries' schemes allow others to assess best practice, and aggregating published results from eradication schemes provides greater statistical power when analysing data. Aggregating data requires that results derived from different testing schemes be calibrated against one another. The authors aimed to evaluate whether relationships between published BVDV test results could be created and present the outcome of a systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The results are tabulated, providing a summary of papers where there is potential cross-calibration and a summary of the obstacles preventing such data aggregation. Although differences in measuring BVDV present barriers to academic progress, they may also affect progress within individual eradication schemes. The authors examined the time taken to retest following an initial antibody BVDV test in the Scottish eradication scheme. The authors demonstrate that retesting occurred quicker if the initial not negative test was from blood rather than milk samples. Such differences in the response of farmers/veterinarians to tests may be of interest to the design of future schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are no guidelines for antimicrobial use in experimental animals even though appropriate selection is required to reduce risk of surgical site infection (SSI) and resistance development. Pigs are used extensively as experimental surgical models for people. This review compares reported antimicrobial prescription in recently published pig surgical studies (retrieved by PubMed, Web of Knowledge and Google Scholar) with human guidelines for prophylactic antimicrobial use (National Institute of Clinical Excellence and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists). A five-point appropriate antimicrobial use index (AAUI), based on aforementioned guidelines, was used to grade 233 studies. Use of World Health Organization-designated critically important antimicrobials (CIA) was recorded. Antimicrobial use was described in 111 of 233 (48 per cent) papers. AAUI scores of 5 (maximal compliance) and 0 (no compliance) were awarded to 34 (15 per cent) and 101 (43 per cent) articles. Where reported, prophylactic antimicrobials were mostly administered after surgery (62/95, 65 per cent) and intramuscularly (36/72, 50 per cent). CIAs were described in 21 of 111 (19 per cent) papers and SSIs in 21 of 233 (9 per cent). Reported antimicrobial prophylaxis in experimental pig surgery deviates from human clinical guidelines. This has implications for antimicrobial resistance, study quality and animal welfare. Until species-specific guidelines are formulated, experimental surgical studies involving animals would probably benefit from adherence to human guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shock index is a measure that shows promise in determining the severity of shock in dogs, but it should not be used as the sole indicator of prognosis. Veterinarians should consider other factors such as heart rate, blood pressure, mucous membrane color, capillary refill time, and serum lactate concentration. Several studies have examined the shock index in dogs and found it helpful in identifying acute blood loss and distinguishing dogs in shock from healthy dogs. However, these studies had limitations, including small sample sizes and lack of control groups. This article provides a summary of various research papers on the use of the shock index in veterinary medicine, highlighting the need for further research to determine its clinical utility. [Extracted from the article]

Veterinary practices have evolved since the era of solo practitioners working on one site. Today veterinary practices tend to include veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, receptionists and business managers, leading to the notion of the veterinary team and the rise of interprofessional working. In addition, practices have grown in size and frequently include several branches, creating a distributed team. Research regarding veterinary teamwork is lacking. This paper uses Social Network Analysis (SNA) to address this issue. SNA measures interactions between members of a network. The types of interactions in practice and the effects of practice size and location (branches) are considered. Information sharing and asking for advice are straightforward, lower order interactions. Problem solving and being influenced by another are complex, higher order interactions. Smaller practices have higher densities of interactions, implying a more cohesive team. However, individuals in smaller practices still do not interact with everyone and therefore actively choose with whom to interact. Practices with little staff rotation across branches experience limited interactions across locations. The results of this study have implications for practices aiming to expand their team, either in a single site or by acquiring more branches. Suggestions for ways to maintain and improve interactions are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The pressure on equine veterinarians to provide services that meet with a client's demands, that is, realizing client satisfaction, is considerable. Aim: The aim of this paper is to analyze existing literature, with a view to distill the most relevant components for client satisfaction in equine veterinary practice. Materials and Methods: A structured literature search was conducted. Included papers were systematically organised and analysed using an inductive approach. Results: Seven components relevant to client satisfaction in equine veterinary practice were identified: quality of care, quality of service, horsemanship of the veterinarian, costs of service, interpersonal skills, professional attitude and transfer of knowledge. Discussion: The limited amount and variable quality of available records regarding client satisfaction in equine veterinary practice are the main limitations of this study. Conclusion: The seven categories identified are likely to play a fundamental role in achieving client satisfaction in equine veterinary practice. Additional research is required to validate these categories and relate them to different types of clients as well as map their needs and expectations, so that they can be used to assist equine veterinary professionals in tailoring customer experience to the individual client. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern veterinary practices consist of multiple professions/occupations, often spread over multiple branches. Within these teams are identifiable 'key people' who are central to information and resource flow. Key people are frequently the appointed leaders, such as practice managers, but also include emergent leaders. Veterinary surgeons are commonly involved in the flow of higher order interactions such as problem solving, while administrators are often involved in information interactions. These key people are repeatedly boundary spanners, sharing resources across physical boundaries such as branches. Their marginal status (belonging to multiple groups) also allows them to interact across professional boundaries. Lower order interactions including asking for information and advice are often interprofessional; however, higher order interactions tend to be intraprofessional. Analysis of interaction reciprocity between professions demonstrated the prevalence of a profession based hierarchy, with veterinary surgeons at the top. Being social outside of work with a colleague is also linked to work based interactions. The results of this paper demonstrate the need for practices to consider key people and support them appropriately. Further to this, they suggest that, to promote an effective team, interactions should be based on experience as much as professional status, and that social interactions should be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defra's recent strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis (bTB) establishes three spatial zones: high-risk areas (HRAs) and low-risk areas, and an area referred to as 'the edge', which marks the areas where infection is spreading outwards from the HRA. Little is known about farmers in the edge area, their attitudes towards bTB and their farming practices. This paper examines farmers' practices and attitudes towards bTB in standardised epidemiologically defined areas. A survey was developed to collect data on farmer attitudes, behaviours, practices and environmental conditions as part of an interdisciplinary analysis of bTB risk factors. Survey items were developed from a literature review and focus groups with vets and farmers in different locations within the edge area. A case-control sampling framework was adopted with farms sampled from areas identified as recently endemic for bTB. 347 farmers participated in the survey including 117 with bTB, representing a 70per cent response rate. Results show that farmers believe they are unable to do anything about bTB but are keen for the government intervention to help control the spread of bTB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While most cattle and sheep in the United Kingdom are stunned before slaughter, non‐stun methods are permitted to supply meat to specific consumers. This study aimed to identify the existing literature that compared animal welfare indicators during stun and non‐stun slaughter, using a scoping review framework. Method: Following a structured search strategy, including the establishment of a PICO (population, intervention, comparator and outcomes) question, a comprehensive literature search of the CAB Abstracts, MEDLINE and PubMed databases, was conducted. A total of 962 papers were identified, of which 16 were selected for data extraction. Results: Fourteen papers concluded that welfare at slaughter was negatively impacted at non‐stun slaughter in comparison to stun slaughter; two papers were inconclusive. Welfare indicators identified included biochemical parameters, brain activity and visual signs of consciousness. Limitations regarding inconsistent restraint method, neck cut position and non‐standardised measures of welfare at slaughter are highlighted. Conclusions: This study provides further evidence that stunning is an effective method to improve the welfare of sheep and cattle at slaughter. Animal welfare advisors, politicians, religious communities and others interested in animal welfare could use the findings to further discuss and establish new dialogues for producing updated guidance on animal welfare at slaughter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Veterinary ethics is recognised as a relevant topic in the undergraduate veterinary curriculum. However, there appears to be no widely agreed view on which contents are best suited for veterinary ethics teaching and there is limited information on the teaching approaches adopted by veterinary schools. This paper provides an inside perspective on the diversity of veterinary ethics teaching topics, based on an in-depth analysis of three European veterinary schools: Copenhagen, Lisbon and Nottingham. The case study approach integrated information from the analysis of syllabi contents and interviews with educators (curricular year 2010-2011). These results show that the curriculum of veterinary ethics is multidimensional and can combine a wide range of scientific, regulatory, professional and philosophical subjects, some of which may not be explicitly set out in the course descriptors. A conceptual model for veterinary ethics teaching is proposed comprising prominent topics included within four overarching concepts: animal welfare science, laws/regulations, professionalism, and theories/concepts. It is intended that this work should inform future curriculum development of veterinary ethics in European schools and assist ethical deliberation in veterinary practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plastic pollution is of growing concern in marine ecosystems worldwide. Specifically, microplastics (<5 mm) may interact with a variety of biota with the potential to cause harm to organism health. Studies investigating microplastics are increasing, yet their occurrence within free‐ranging and living marine mammals remains largely unexplored. Methods: By using a protocol involving enzymatic digestion, filtration and microscopic identification, faecal samples collected from a grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) haul‐out site in the North Sea were investigated for microplastic presence. Results: Altogether, 71 suspected microplastic particles, consisting of both fibres and fragments in a variety of colours and sizes, were identified across 66 analysed faecal subsamples. Conclusion: The present study indicates that marine mammals are ingesting microplastics and that faecal material can be used to indirectly and non‐invasively record microplastic uptake data in pinnipeds. Since the current paper is the first to document potential microplastic exposure among wild, living and free‐ranging grey seals of the western North Sea, further research is needed to begin to understand the biological significance of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]