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Information about several papers in the Veterinary Records in Great Britain is presented. The inclusion of communication skills training in the undergraduate veterinary programs will benefit students. Canine leptospirosis will be diagnosed using the dipstick. Fractures in birds will be treated through external fixation.

The article presents the summaries of research papers that address updates in veterinary medicine in Great Britain published within the issue, including "Metabolic Profile Analysis of Dairy Cows in the UK," "Veterinarian's Attitudes to Pain and Analgesic use in Cattle," and "Health Status of Organic Dairy Cattle in Ireland."

The article presents several research papers for veterinary medicines as of the week ending March 4, 2006 in Great Britain. The World Trade Organization has provided information on the mast cell tumor on dogs. Veterinarian David Halloy and colleagues studied the effects of treating respiratory diseases caused by bacterial infections in pigs with antibiotic ceftiofur. Animal doctor Marcela Uhart and colleagues describe the health status of several adult, free-ranging rheas.

Presents research papers on veterinary in Great Britain. Performance of echocardiography in parrots in healthy parrots; Risk involved to livestock of transmitting disease through the use of composted waste as fertilizer on land; Utilization of magnetic resonance imaging in the management of sacral osteochondrosis in a dog.

Presents various papers relating to veterinary medicine released in Great Britain as of July 19, 2003. Studies on culicoides pulicaris as a vector for bluetongue virus; Survey of foodborne pathogens in Swedish wildlife; Hepatitis due to reovirus-like infection in farmed halibut.

The article offers updates related to veterinary reports. It cites the discussion of Neil Hudson and associates regarding the admission processes to the veterinary degree courses at each of the seven veterinary schools in Great Britain. Meanwhile, it discusses research of Takeshi Tsuka and colleagues in using the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the residual cleft cysts of Japanese black cows. Nick Sutton and colleagues identify cases of exposures of cats to neem oil.

The article offers information related to veterinary medicine studies in Great Britain. A study by Tim Geraghty and colleagues explored the usefulness of ultrasonography for determining subclinical thrombophlebitis in horses with a venous catheter. Another research focused on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of an insulin preparation in dogs. Sian Mitchell and Sandra Scholes described an outbreak of malignant catarrhal fever in cattle.

The article offers an overview of various studies related to veterinary medicine. A study revealed that being neutered is one of the factors affecting the likelihood for pet cats in Great Britain. A study discussed the association of bilateral laryngeal paralysis (BLP) with hepatic disease in horses. A study conducted on dogs indicated the involvement of infected foxes and invertebrates in the spread of Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in dogs in Great Britain.

The article presents several veterinary researches in Great Britain. It states that a study on the provision of supplements by dog owners shows that 98.8 percent of the private veterinary practices clients reported feeding a commercial maintenance or dietetic diet to their dog. While another study on abnormalities in sperm chromatin have been linked with abnormal morphology and poor fertility in bulls.

The article presents several veterinary medicine-related studies in Great Britain in 2008 including an investigation on the usefulness of measuring cortisol precursors in the diagnosis of pituitary-independent hypercortisolism (PDH) in dogs; an examination on the effects of antibiotic dry-cow therapy with or without an internal teat sealant; and a research whether different techniques of processing barley can improve its pre-caecal digestibility.

The article reports developments related to veterinary medicine in Great Britain. The author presents the comparison of medetomidine and dexmedetomidine in dogs. They have discussed the efficacy of hand scrub methods in reducing bacterial counts. It is also discussed the use of an ovine growth hormone assay in acromegalic cats.

The article presents developments related to veterinary medicine. It was reported that anthrax has been well recognized in livestock and humans in Zimbabwe and outbreaks have been reported in the surrounding countries. According to another report, distension of the gallbladder can arise as a result of an obstruction or because of anorexia. Another report cites that Mycoplasma bovis is not a common cause of mastitis in herds in Great Britain.

The article offers news briefs concerning veterinary in Great Britain. The intranasal and injectable vaccine of puppies against Bordetella Bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus which is used to protect dogs against kennel cough can be given together effectively. The killing animals through cutting the major vessels of the neck with a knife is done in shechita slaughters. The assessment of bluetongue infection being spread by windborne Culicoides midges is in the outbreak.

The article presents several researches related to veterinary medicine. A four-point photographic scale was used to assess footpad dermatitis in broiler chickens at two processing plants in Great Britain. An investigation on the purported bias system in France that may lead to inaccurate estimates of the prevalence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in sheep and goats in European countries has been done. A research on the lesion found in the oral mucosa of sheep is also conducted.

The article reports developments related to veterinary medicine in Great Britain. An examination on dermatological conditions in cats and dogs were the topic of the research conducted by Peter Hill and colleagues. Darren Shaw and Emma Keeble determined the prevalence of Encephalitozoon cuniculi in healthy pet rabbits. An assessment on the effects of therapy program in dog behavioral problems was conducted by Emily Blackwell and colleagues.

The article reports on developments related to veterinary medicine in Great Britain. The knowledge of the associations between the prion protein genotype of sheep and their risk of clinical scrapie has been used to develop genotyping and breeding programs that aim to eradicate the disease. According to a questionnaire survey concerning parasite management, the sheep farmers use variety of strategies based on information from the farming press, agricultural merchants and veterinary surgeons.

Presents updates of various clinical studies regarding diseases of animals in Great Britain. Effects on the used of a live intranasal vaccine in livestock with hemorrhagic septicemia; Causative factors for hypocalcemia in adult dogs; Identification of the genotype for cryptosporidium parvum infection in horses.

Focuses on studies about veterinary medicine in Great Britain as of August 7, 2004. Relationship between lameness and back problems in horses; Pathology of digestive tract lesions in stranded sea turtles; Variability of the prion protein gene in goats.

Reports developments related to veterinary medicine in Great Britain as of June 2004. Examination of the role of PrP protein in copper metabolism; Production of the acute phase proteins; Analysis of the prevalence of canine leucocyte adhesion deficiency in Irish setters.

Reports developments related to veterinary medicine in Great Britain. Relapse rate after discontinuing therapy for atopic dermatitis; Heart rate variable in cat exposed orally to bovine spongiform encephalopathy; Risk factor for seropositivity to Neospora caninum in dogs.

The article presents abstracts related to veterinary medicine topics in Great Britain which include the pregnancy complications of calve infected with bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), the response of broodmares on vaccination integrated with live Lawsonia intracellulari and the signs of thrombocytopenia and antiplatelet antibodies in dogs with leishmaniosis.

The article presents abstracts of veterinary research conducted in Great Britain. They include "Adjunctive treatment of dogs undergoing immunotherapy," by Dr. Silva Colombo and colleagues, "Ultrasonographic examination of the omasum in cows," by Professor Ueli Braun and colleagues, and "Bacterial infections in farmed rabbit does in Spain," by Dr. Pablo Segura and colleagues.

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 per cent. The mean (sd) age of the donkeys was 20.8 (7.4) years. The majority (92 per cent) of the donkeys were kept as pets. Approximately one-third (33.6 per cent) of the donkeys were overweight. The most common medical problems were hoof, dermal and oral problems. A total of 86 per cent of the donkeys had a dental examination at least every 12 months, and at least 45 per cent had at least one dental problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the position paper published by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) earlier in August 2014 on antibiotic resistance and antibiotic use in livestock. It mentions that the paper aims to clarify the position of RUMA on antibiotic resistance and how antibiotics can be used responsibly in livestock in Great Britain. Moreover, RUMA is also supporting calls for the collection of better data on the use of antibiotics in animals.

The article presents a study which aims to compare the opinions of dairy farmers and farm veterinary surgeons on herd health plans (HHPs) and herd health and production management (HH&PM) in Great Britain to discover differences in their opinions. The study distributes two paper-based questionnaires, one for farm dairy farmers and one for farm veterinarians. The study reveals that cost-effectiveness is a major concern among farmers and veterinarians.

From May 15, 2005 to April 15, 2008, 1878 cases of neoplasms in dogs were reported to the web-based Danish Veterinary Cancer Registry. The proportions of malignant (38 per cent) and benign (45 per cent) tumours were similar. The most common malignant neoplasms were adenocarcinomas (21 per cent), mast cell tumours (19 per cent) and lymphomas (17 per cent). The benign neoplasms most commonly encountered were lipomas (24 per cent), adenomas (22 per cent) and histiocytomas (14 per cent). Skin (43 per cent) and the female reproductive system including mammary tissue (28 per cent) were the most common locations of neoplasia. There was a distinct breed predisposition for tumour development, with a high standard morbidity ratio (indicating a higher risk of cancer) for boxers and Bernese mountain dogs. A standard morbidity ratio below 1 was observed in German shepherd dogs and Danish/Swedish farm dogs, suggesting a lower risk of cancer in these breeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two serovars of salmonella which are currently of particular importance in both human and animal infections are Salmonella enterica serovars Enteritidis phage type 4 (PT4) and Typhimurium definitive type 104 (DT104). This paper describes the trends in the relationships between the levels of infection of people and a range of farm animal species with these two serovars and explores some of the reasons behind them. In 1996, there was a peak of 520 reports of S Typhimurium DT104 infection in people in Scotland, but the number has decreased every year since, to 96 in 2001. In cattle the incidence of S Typhimurium DT104 also peaked in 1996, with 138 incidents, and it has similarly decreased every year to 2001 when there were 10 reported incidents. Similar declines have been observed in its incidence in sheep and pigs. In people the number of reports of S Enteritidis PT4 peaked in 1997 at 1684 and then declined to 457 in 2001. In chickens, the number of reports of S Enteritidis PT4 peaked in 1998 at 34 incidents, but no incidents were reported in the following three years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine involves the utilisation of scientific evidence for clinical decision making. To enable this, research topics pertinent to clinical practice need to be identified, and veterinary clinicians are best placed to do this. The main aim of this study was to describe the veterinary population, the common species and conditions veterinary clinicians nominated they saw in practice and how much information clinicians perceived was available in the literature for these. A questionnaire was distributed to all Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons registered veterinarians agreeing to be contacted for research purposes (n=14,532). A useable response rate of 33 per cent (4842/14,532) was achieved. The most commonly seen species reported by vets were dogs, cats and rabbits followed by equines and cattle. Overall, skin conditions were most commonly mentioned for small animals, musculoskeletal conditions for equines and reproduction conditions for production animals. Veterinary clinicians perceived there was a higher level of information available in the literature for conditions in dogs, cattle and equines and lower levels for rabbits and guinea pigs. The results from this study can be used to help define the research needs of the profession to aid the incorporation of evidence in veterinary practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several topics discussed during the council meeting of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on November 2, 2006, in London, England is presented. Professor Neil Gorman aired concerns on the provision of a 24-hour emergency cover in remote areas and the mainland country. The drafted proposal on the new scheme of undergraduate clinical training was also discussed as well as the proposal on granting to members free access to Council papers.

The aim of the current study was to quantify the risk of tail injury, to evaluate the extent to which tail docking reduces this risk, and to identify other major risk factors for tail injury in dogs in Great Britain. A nested case-control study was conducted during 2008 and 2009. Data were obtained from a stratified random sample of veterinary practices throughout Great Britain, and questionnaires were sent to owners of dogs with tail injuries and owners of a randomly selected sample of dogs without tail injuries. The risks of injury were reported adjusting for the sampling approach, and mixed effects logistic regression was used to develop a multivariable model for risk factors associated with tail injury. Two hundred and eighty-one tail injuries were recorded from a population of 138,212 dogs attending 52 participating practices. The weighted risk of tail injuries was 0.23 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval 0.20 to 0.25 per cent). Thirty-six per cent of injuries were reportedly related to injuries sustained in the home, 17.5 per cent were outdoor-related injuries, 14.4 per cent were due to the tail being caught in a door, for 16.5 per cent the cause was unknown and the remainder were due to other causes. Dogs with a wide angle of wag and dogs kept in kennels were at significantly higher risk of sustaining a tail injury. Dogs with docked tails were significantly less likely to sustain a tail injury; however, approximately 500 dogs would need to be docked in order to prevent one tail injury. English springer spaniels, cocker spaniels, greyhounds, lurchers and whippets were all at significantly higher risk when compared to labradors and other retrievers. Differences between countries (England, Scotland and Wales) and between rural and urban environments were not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2008 to obtain information on the advice veterinary practices currently give to their clients and the opinions of veterinary surgeons regarding neutering of dogs. An additional survey of dog owners was conducted to obtain information on the neuter status of the general dog population in Great Britain. A significantly higher proportion of practices had a policy for the age of neutering bitches than for dogs. The average recommended age for neutering bitches was 6.5 months (95 per cent confidence interval [CI] 3.1 to 9.7 months) and for dogs it was 7.5 months (95 per cent CI 1.4 to 13.6 months). There was very little agreement between veterinary practices as to whether bitches should be allowed to have their first season before neutering, with 164 of 973 respondents (16.9 per cent) always recommending this, 198 (20.3 per cent) recommending it most of the time, 203 (20.9 per cent) sometimes, 203 (20.9 per cent) rarely and 201 (20.6 per cent) never recommending it. The owner study showed that 54 per cent of dogs (233 of 431) were neutered, with the North region having the lowest proportion of neutered dogs (11 of 25; 44.0 per cent). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the introduction of a draft policy paper on the distribution of medicines in Great Britain. Emphasis on animal health and welfare and of public safety; Proposal of the maintenance of a three-tier system of medicines; Policy governing the training and monitoring standards of veterinary prescriptions.

The article reports on the call by the Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) for views of industry groups about the practice of mixing anthelmintic drenches for sheep before administration in Great Britain. According to reports, VMD seeks view for further consensus on the discussion about whether labels and package leaflets for anthelmintic drenches fro sheep should include a warning against mixing the drench with another product before it is being administered.

Reports on a paper prepared by the British Equine Veterinary Association on the horse passports due to come into force in England on November 30, 2003. Value of the passport system in preventing medicines not intended for use in animals used for food from entering the food chain; Difficulties that could arise in identifying horses.

The article focuses on the complaint submitted before the Preliminary Investigation Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in Great Britain which alleges a veterinarian of negligence for failing to explain to a dog owner regarding the contraindication of the medicines that were prescribed. The alleged negligence resulted to the death of the dog and the committee had expressed concern on the action of the veterinarian even though no decision was made regarding the case.

The article offers information on the developments within the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in Great Britain. A new draft on the Veterinary Nursing By-Laws regarding a provision on the existing list of veterinary nurses (VNs) to be known as the Register was presented to and approved by the Council. Jacqui Molyneux, a new council member, aired her concern on the practice of unregistered VNs of wearing uniforms and badges when they should not be allowed to.

The electronic patient records of all equine patients of Rossdales Equine Practice between January 1, 2005 and November 1, 2013 were reviewed to determine the number of cases of supporting limb laminitis (SLL) in a large equine practice and referral hospital setting in the UK and to discuss the implications for future epidemiological studies. The clinical notes were searched electronically for a combination of 'laminitis AND (contralateral OR supporting OR overload OR weight bearing)'. The prevalence of SLL within each identified denominator population and the corresponding 95% CI were calculated. SLL developed in nine horses, one donkey and one pony. Thoroughbreds were the most commonly affected breed (72.7 per cent, CI 46.4 to 99.1 per cent), aged 2-14 years (median six years), and only mares (n=9) and stallions (n=2) were represented. SLL was not restricted to horses that were nonweightbearing lame, it developed within 4-100 days after injury (median 14.5 days) and occurred most commonly in a forelimb (54.6 per cent, CI 25.1 to 84.0 per cent). During the same time frame, a total of 65,327 horses were registered with Rossdales Equine Practice, resulting in an overall practice prevalence of SLL of 0.02 per cent (CI 0.01 to 0.03 per cent). Future epidemiological studies to investigate risk factors for SLL prevention will, therefore, be a logistical challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to determine the PRNP genotype distribution of the sheep population and to assess the impact of the National Scrapie Plan, a total of 9972 brain samples were collected between January 2012 and April 2013 from sheep sampled under the TSE active surveillance programme in Great Britain. Genotype frequencies observed were ARR/ARQ (29.5 per cent), ARR/ARR (28.6 per cent), ARR/AHQ (10.9 per cent), ARQ/ARQ (9.8 per cent) and AHQ/ARQ (7.2 per cent). Of the remaining possible genotypes, none accounted for more than 5 per cent of the sheep sampled. ARR was the most frequent allele (52.3 per cent), followed by the wild-type ARQ (30 per cent), AHQ (11.3 per cent), VRQ (3.4 per cent) and ARH (3 per cent). There has been a positive but limited effect of the breeding for resistance schemes within Great Britain on the genotype distribution in the sheep national flock. The dissemination of the resistant alleles has proven to have been less noticeable than in the breeding flocks. The risk of atypical scrapie remains very similar to that in 2002. Significant differences were observed in the genotype profiles of the abattoir survey and fallen stock survey samples. It would be advisable to promote best practice among farmers to consolidate the level of genetic resistance in their flocks and to set up a national flock genotype monitoring programme in partnership with the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal health surveillance in Great Britain (GB) is conducted through public and private initiatives, yet there is no consolidated information on these activities and their outcomes. We developed an inventory of livestock health surveillance programmes in GB to identify gaps in resource use and potential synergies that could be exploited. The inventory contained details of 36 livestock surveillance activities active in 2011. Data were collected by questionnaire and interviews. Livestock health surveillance funding was found to be unevenly distributed between species: the vast majority (approximately 94 per cent) was spent on cattle diseases (tuberculosis surveillance accounted for most of this expenditure), with 2 per cent on pigs, 2 per cent on sheep/goats, 1 per cent on poultry, and 1 per cent on antimicrobial resistance surveillance across all species. Consequently, surveillance efforts in GB appears heavily skewed towards regions with high cattle densities, particularly highprevalence tuberculosis areas such as the southwest. The contribution of private schemes to surveillance funding was hard to quantify due to limited access to data, but was estimated to be about 10 per cent. There is scope to better understand the benefits of surveillance, enhance data sharing, clarify costs and identify who pays and who gains. Health surveillance should be considered within the sharing of responsibilities for disease control. Context Animal health surveillance in Great Britain is conducted through public and private initiatives, yet there is no consolidated information on these activities and their outcomes. We developed an inventory of livestock health surveillance programmes in Great Britain to identify gaps in resource use and potential synergies that could be exploited. Main conclusion Surveillance funding in Great Britain is heavily focused on cattle, with the vast majority of this being spent on bovine tuberculosis (TB). Economic information on private and public sector surveillance activities in Great Britain is currently very limited and data are often not available. As a consequence, economic assessments of disease mitigation - including cost-benefit analyses - are biased and incomplete. Approach An inventory of all known livestock surveillance activities in Great Britain that were active in 2011 was developed. Data on 51 characteristics (for example, surveillance purpose, target population, funding source) of each surveillance component were collected using detailed questionnaires accompanied by guidance notes which were sent to surveillance programme managers or filled in using publicly available information from the internet. The information collected was used to perform a visual mapping exercise to identify overlaps and potential synergies between schemes. The overlaps and synergies that were identified enabled suggestions to be made on possible redundancies and where some additional collaboration could add value. The current distribution of financial resources between programmes was considered as part of this objective. A total of 36 surveillance components covering 21 diseases in four livestock sectors (cattle, sheep and goats, pigs and poultry) were identified for the inventory and included in the subsequent economic analysis. Of these 36 surveillance components, 28 were programmes operated by the AHVLA/Defra and eight were industry-led schemes. Results Spending on disease surveillance was found to be very unevenly distributed across species (Table 1). The vast majority (94 per cent) of livestock surveillance expenditure in Great Britain in 2011 was spent on cattle (mainly bovine TB), 2 per cent was spent on pigs, 2 per cent on sheep and goats, and 1 per cent on poultry. The remaining 1 per cent was spent on surveillance for antimicrobial resistance across all species. Interpretation The results of this work suggest that surveillance funding in Great Britain is mainly focused on cattle, with the vast majority of this being spent on bovine TB. This surveillance is part of the UK national control programme required by legislation, of which infection control is an integral part and a large cost. As a result, surveillance in Great Britain is heavily skewed towards regions of the country with high cattle densities, namely the south-west. Other diseases, other species and other regions of the country would appear relatively underfunded in comparison. The estimate of private sector expenditure made a small contribution to total estimated surveillance spend (approximately 10 per cent across all species, although the exact figure is likely to be a little higher because not all private funding was disclosed). This finding may partly be due to gaps in the data we were able to obtain, particularly from the poultry sector and from the herd health schemes for all species. As a result, this source of surveillance information is not publicly available and the benefits of such schemes are limited to the industry. This represents a potentially significant lost opportunity because of the similar nature of several of these schemes conducting surveillance on the same diseases. Significance of findings There is plenty of scope to better understand the benefits of surveillance, enhance data sharing, clarify costs and identify who pays and who gains. Animal health surveillance should be considered within the sharing of responsibilities for infectious disease control. Decisions taken with regard to disease mitigation will continue to be constrained until economic information is systematically collected and analysed. In times of increasingly limited resources, this gap should be addressed urgently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characteristics of 94 veterinary surgeons associated with delivering preventive herd-level strategies to control mastitis, lameness and Johne's disease were investigated using two multinomial models. The response variables were 'Gold Standard Monitoring' (including on-going data analysis, risk assessments and laboratory testing), and a lower level of involvement called 'Regular Control Advice'. Although the sample was biased towards those who spend the majority of their time with dairy cows, 69 per cent currently had no involvement in Gold Standard Monitoring for lameness, 60 per cent no involvement with Johne's, and 52 per cent no involvement with mastitis. The final model predicted that an assistant without a postgraduate cattle qualification, who had spent no time on dairy cattle continuous professional development (CPD) in the last year, had an 88 per cent chance of having no involvement with Gold Standard Monitoring for any disease, versus <5 per cent chance for a CPD 'enriched' partner with a postgraduate cattle qualification; there was <1 per cent chance this assistant would be involved with Gold Standard Monitoring of all three diseases on one or more farms, versus a 58 per cent chance for this partner. CPD and employment status were also associated with markedly different probabilities for delivering Regular Control Advice. Increased postgraduate education may further veterinary involvement of this nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological evaluation of canine epilepsy is an under-researched area. The objectives of this study were to estimate prevalence and investigate risk factors for epilepsy of unknown origin (EUO) among dogs attending primary veterinary practices in the UK. The clinical data analysed spanned a two-year period and included all dogs attending 92 primary veterinary clinics participating in the VetCompass project. Five hundred and thirty-nine EUO cases were identified giving a prevalence of 0.62% (95% CI 0.57% to 0.67%). Males were over 1.5 times as likely to have EUO compared with females (95% CI 1.44 to 2.06; P<0.001). Of purebred dogs, the border terrier had 2.70 (95% CI 1.57 to 4.62; P<0.001) and the German shepherd dog had 1.90 (95% CI 1.28 to 2.80; P=0.001) times increased odds of EUO compared with crossbred dogs. In addition, the West Highland white terrier had reduced odds (OR 0.23; 95% CI 0.08 to 0.62; P=0.004) of EUO compared with crossbred dogs (likelihood ratio test P<0.0001). No association was found with neuter status, colour or weight. The current study highlights the clinical importance of epilepsy as a canine disorder in the UK. Increased awareness of sex and breed predispositions may assist clinicians with diagnosis. Further research is merited to evaluate the specific breed associations identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the corporate governance procedures of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) have been examined by an independent review group and have been found to be consistent with good practice in Great Britain. It states that the review group recommended that the guidance in the Council members' handbook for managing potential conflicts of interest should be reformulated as a code of conduct, which would be made available to everyone standing for election to the Council.

The article presents the ten candidates for election to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Council for 2008. Four of the candidates are existing Council members and six new candidates are up for election. The candidates include Dr. Christopher Chesney, Dr. Bertie Ellis, and Mrs. Catherine Goldie.

Veterinary practices in the United Kingdom were surveyed to compare their surgical draping practices with Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) accreditation tier and other surgery-related factors. Using descriptive statistics and logistic or ordinal regression analysis (where appropriate), the relationships between draping material and accreditation tier and other surgery-related factors were assessed. Procedures were categorised as short or long. Two hundred and sixty-nine surveys were completed. Reusable drapes were used in 66 per cent of practices. Antibiotics were administered routinely in 38 per cent of short and 93 per cent of long procedures. Practices accredited as a Veterinary Hospital (VH) were 6.3--7.2 (short and long surgeries, respectively) times more likely to use disposable drapes, when compared with non-accredited practices. Use of dedicated surgical attire, draping the whole animal/table, and routine antibiotic usage were also positively correlated with disposable drape usage. Fifty-one per cent of practices rated infection rate as most important when choosing drape material. 'Best practice' techniques are associated with lower importance given to infection rate, and higher importance given to financial cost, when choosing drape material. Disposable drape use correlates with RCVS accreditation and with other aspects of surgical technique. Importance ratings awarded correlate with best practice procedures. Clinical relevance 'Best practice' draping procedures, that are not governed by RCVS accreditation scheme, are also more frequently performed in accredited VHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]