paige_soap, Author at Oakhill Vets

CHANGES TO HOW WE CAN PRESCRIBE PRESCRIPTION-ONLY MEDICINES

On 1^st September our regulatory body, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) introduced new guidance on prescribing prescription-only medicines.

The new guidance requires that a physical examination of your pet must be performed every time any antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and antiparasiticides are prescribed.

The guidance is an important step towards ensuring responsible antimicrobial use and reduces the veterinary impact on the wider issues of global antibiotic resistance and decline in insect populations.

How will this affect you?
Your pet will need to come in for an in-person consultation and examination every time:

That we need to prescribe antibiotics – whether in tablet form or in topicals (such as ear and eye preparations).
We/you decide to change from one flea/worm/tick product to another or have not been seen within the last 12 months.

We are unable to dispense the above medications based on urine/faecal testing alone.

For long term prescription medication that is not an antimicrobial/antiparasitic, our usual policy of requiring an examination every 3 months continues to apply.

The consultations will be charged at our usual fees.

You can read the full guidance from the RCVS on their website.

365 CARE PLAN MEMBER?

Those on our 365 Care Plan will continue to have their check-ups and flea/tick and worm treatment provided by the plan. Find out more about the benefits of joining our 365 Care Plan!

365 CARE PLAN

INVESTORS IN THE ENVIRONMENT AWARD: ACHIEVING ‘BRONZE’, AND HEADING FOR SILVER!

Last year, Oakhill Vets started our journey working towards ‘bronze’ accreditation with Investors in the Environment (iiE).

Investors in the Environment is a national sustainability accreditation that supports organisations to develop an ‘environmental management system’ that focuses on four key areas of sustainable development: Leadership and Governance, Climate Change, Nature and Natural Resources, and Pollution and Waste.

Being kind to the environment has always been a part of Oakhill’s ethos and working towards iiE accreditation has been a fantastic way to formalise our commitment to the environment. In working towards this accreditation, we wanted to challenge ourselves to make Oakhill’s operations as sympathetic as possible to people and the planet. It has given us the structure to hold ourselves accountable to reducing our carbon footprint and developing sustainable practices.

The accreditation has three levels – bronze, silver, and green. Achieving the bronze award is all about identifying resources that our company is going to measure and creating a base-line-year of data for these resources. As well as this, we needed to radicalise our environmental and sustainability policy, to include bolder aims, create a waste management plan, and produce a robust sustainability action plan, to set out a roadmap to achieving our sustainability goals.

Vet Lisa is the ‘Sustainability Lead’ at Oakhill, and she has been working hard, alongside the project’s sustainability champions, the wider staff team, and our directors, to complete all the necessary work to achieve this accreditation. After a busy period of reporting and planning, Oakhill had its ‘Sustainability Audit’ with the iiE team in October, and we’re very proud to announce that we achieved ‘bronze’ accreditation!

Next steps…

The next step is to begin working towards achieving ‘silver’ accreditation. This will build upon all the work we have done for the bronze accreditation and deepen our commitment to treating the planet with love, turning our sustainability goals into habits and practices. We are looking forward to the challenge!!

AMERICAN XL BULLY DOG BAN: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OWNERS?

On 15 September the Prime Minister announced plans to ban American XL Bully dogs in the UK. We understand that this Government announcement is hugely concerning and upsetting for many, and we will support American XL Bullies and their owners as best we can over the coming months.

From 31 December 2023 it will be against the law to:

sell an XL Bully
abandon an XL Bully
give away an XL Bully
breed from an XL Bully
have an XL Bully in public without a lead and muzzle

From 1 February 2024 it will be a criminal offence to own an XL Bully in England and Wales unless you have a Certificate of Exemption for your dog.

Go to Government Website

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE AN XL BULLY DOG?

The Government have released an official definition of an XL Bully dog to identify if your dog may be an XL Bully. This involves checking the dog’s physical characteristics such as its size and height.

Height is a necessary requirement so you should assess your dog’s height first, measuring from the ground to the withers (the top of the shoulders) and not higher. The minimum height is:

20in (51 cm) at the withers for an adult male.
19in (48cm) at the withers for an adult female.

If the minimum height is not met, then your dog is not considered an XL Bully and no further assessment is needed. If your dog meets the height requirement, you will need to work through the rest of the definition.

Read Official Definition

KEEPING AN XL BULLY DOG

From 1 February 2024 it will be a criminal offence to own an XL Bully in England and Wales unless you have a Certificate of Exemption for your dog. You have until 31 January 2024 to apply for this exemption.

To keep an XL Bully dog you must ensure it is:

microchipped.
kept on a lead and muzzled at all times when in public.
kept in a secure place so it cannot escape.

You will also need to neuter your dog. If your dog is less than one year old on 31 January 2024, it must be neutered by 31 December 2024. If your dog is older than one year old on 31 January 2024, it must be neutered by 30 June 2024. We recommend that you arrange for your dog to be neutered as soon as possible to ensure that you meet these deadlines.

As the owner, you must also:

be over 16 years old.
take out insurance against your dog injuring other people.
be able to show the Certificate of Exemption when asked by a police officer or a council dog warden, either at the time or within 5 days.

If you own an American Bully XL type dog, we recommend you start preparing now, by making sure your dog is neutered, microchipped, and trained to wear a muzzle.

Take Steps to Keep Your XL Bully

HOW DO I APPLY FOR A CERTIFICATE OF EXEMPTION?

You can apply via the Government’s website, through their online portal or by downloading the form to apply by post. The deadline for online applications is 12 noon on 31 January 2024. If applying by post, your application must arrive before 15 January 2024.

Through the online form you can apply for up to three dogs in one go. If you have more than three dogs, you will need to repeat the process to apply for the remaining dogs. By post you can apply for up to 30 dogs at a time. For example, if you have five dogs, you can apply for three in one go, then apply again for the remaining two.

Before you apply for a Certificate of Exemption you must:

Pay the £92.40 application fee for each dog you want to apply for – you’ll need your 10-digit payment reference number.
Have third party public liability insurance for banned breeds of dogs – you’ll need to know the start date of your insurance.
Have your dog microchipped – you’ll need to provide their microchip number. To find their microchip number, check the dog’s vaccination record or ask us. (If your dog is less than 8 weeks old when you apply for a Certificate of Exemption, you’ll have until 31 March 2024 to give the microchip number.)

You’ll also need to provide evidence your dog has been neutered. For your Certificate of Exemption to remain valid, you and your vet must complete a VCN01 form and return to Defra by the dates below. You can download the form from the Government’s website.

If your dog is less than 1 year old on 31 January 2024, they must be neutered and the VCN01 form received by Defra by 31 December 2024.
If your dog is more than 1 year old on 31 January 2024, they must be neutered and the VCN01 form received by Defra by 30 June 2024.

Apply Now

VETERINARY DECLARATIONS FOR EXPORTS TO THE EU

From 13th December changes to legislation concerning requirements for export to the EU are coming into place. These changes mean that all farms selling livestock for slaughter will require an annual vet visit to comply. For farms that are Red Tractor assured this is sufficient evidence and there is nothing else you need to do. Farms that are not Red Tractor assured will require a vet visit and a signed declaration.

The annual health visit can be combined with a visit for another reason or can be included as part of an Animal and Health Welfare Pathway review. On the visit we will need to check each site that is part of the same CPH to review biosecurity and confirm that no notifiable diseases are suspected. We will then provide a signed declaration with a unique reference number, which you will need to keep a
copy of and supply to the abattoir/market where you sell your livestock for slaughter. This declaration will be valid for 12 months from the date of the visit.

KEY POINTS

All farmers sending livestock to slaughter need evidence of annual animal health visits from 13th Dec.
Red Tractor assured farms already have sufficient evidence and do not need further visits.
Otherwise, a signed declaration will be needed from your vets to confirm that we have done an annual
health visit. This declaration will last for 12 months.

LIVER FLUKE IN CATTLE

Liver fluke or ‘fasciolosis’ is common in cattle, and according to NADIS costs the cattle industry £23 million each year. The lifecycle involves a snail host which thrives in wet, ambient temperatures and releases cercaria (swimming larvae) between August and October that infect cattle and cause disease that is seen from mid-winter onwards.

SIGNS OF LIVER FLUKE

Clinical signs include scouring, weight loss and reduced growth rates. Fasciolosis can cause anaemia which presents as pale colour of gums and vulva. Cattle affected by liver fluke can also present with submandibular oedema also known as ‘bottle jaw’. Sub-clinical signs such as a decrease in milk yield and quality are common. It has been shown that even a low-grade infection can reduce milk yield by 400 litres per cow per lactation and untreated animals can produce 10% less milk solids. Decreased appetite and reduced feed conversion also lead to poor growth rates and depressed fertility.

Abattoirs can provide reports on liver condemnation due to fluke migration. This can be a useful tool to monitor disease and plan targeted treatment.

It is worth noting that liver fluke can still be a risk in herds that are housed all year round.

TESTING FOR FLUKE

If you are worried about fluke in your herd, tests can be performed on bulk milk samples, coproantigen tests on pooled or individual faeces samples, as well as individual blood samples. Using bulk milk to monitor for the presence of liver fluke within your herd can help to determine if further diagnostic tests are required before discussing and planning treatment with your vet.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

The main flukicides available are listed, along with the life stages they target. It is important to use the most appropriate flukicide for the life stage responsible for disease in your animals to prevent resistance, resolve clinical disease, and kill all the fluke present in your animals
at the time of treatment.

This list is not exhaustive, if the product you have is not present on the list please discuss with your vet.

It is worth noting that in high-risk years, when the weather is best suited to the snail host’s lifecycle, extra treatments may be required.

There is no immunity to liver fluke, meaning cattle can become reinfected at any age if returned to high-risk pasture. Therefore, pasture management such as drainage or fencing off high-risk snail habitats, quarantine of incoming stock, and an annual treatment programme is extremely important for ongoing prevention.

Active ingredient	Stage	Meat withdrawal	Milk withhold
Albendazole	Adult only	14 days	60 hours
Oxyclozanide	Adult only	13 days	108 hours
Closantel	Adult and immature >7 wks	63 days	Not allowed
Triclabendazole	All stages	56 days	*41-50 days

* Not permitted for use in cattle producing milk for human consumption

DIGITIAL DERMATITIS AKA “DIGI”

Wet and muddy conditions provide the perfect environment for Treponemes and other anaerobic bacteria to invade the soft tissues of the feet and cause lameness. Digital dermatitis is also infectious and can spread rapidly through housed herds.

THE COST OF LAMENESS

Animal health and welfare: Digi is a painful condition which ultimately causes discomfort to your cows. This often means a reduced expression of normal behaviour. Poor oestrus expression has a knock-on effect on submission and conception rates which increase calving to conception intervals, numbers of barren cows, and calving index.
Reduced production: Lameness can lead to a reduced milk yield, a shorter productive lifespan, and a reduced reproductive performance.
Conservative estimates of costs range from £50-£100 per case of digi .

RISK FACTORS FOR DIGITIAL DERMATITIS:

Poor underfoot conditions

Wet/ muddy conditions
Poaching (gateways and troughs)
Inadequate/ incomplete scraping
Badly maintained concrete
Inappropriate/ insufficient cubicles

Inadequate footbathing

Too infrequent
No prewash/ hosing
Wrong concentration or volume
Solution not changed frequently enough
Delayed detection and treatment

STRATEGIES TO PREVENT DIGITIAL DERMATITIS

Early detection and treatment are key to preventing digi from spreading rapidly, especially at housing. Many animals do not appear lame so taking a few extra seconds at milking to look for the classic digi lesion above and between the heel bulbs of the hind feet is well worthwhile.
Strict biosecurity is vital for prevention, as digi is spread between farms from cattle movements and from shared holding or handling facilities.
Good hygiene and slurry management is also important – whilst infected animals are the main reservoir of infection, the bacteria that cause digi survive in slurry, wet bedding, muddy gateways and water-only foot baths.

Case study: Mr T’s melanoma

CASE STUDY: MR T’S MELANOMA

Meet Mr T, who earlier this year developed a slight swelling on the left hand side of his back, under the saddle region. He didn’t seem overly bothered about this swelling, but his owner asked Sarah to check it out as they were concerned that it was steadily growing bigger.

Sarah was a bit perplexed – the swelling felt to be a solid lump under the skin attached to one of Mr T’s ribs. The lump was therefore ultrasound scanned, which showed it was a soft tissue mass and was spreading between the ribs and expanding down towards his chest cavity. Given its location and the fact that it was growing bigger and likely to be causing Mr T some discomfort, it was decided that it was best off being removed. A biopsy was taken to determine what the mass was and the degree of malignancy as this would determine the ‘margin’ required at surgery.

SURGERY

For his surgery, the team were assembled with Guy operating and Charlotte performing Mr T’s anaesthetic. Due to how close the mass was to his lungs, Mr T was fully anaesthetised, as any sudden movements on his part could have resulted in his thoracic cavity being inadvertently entered. With Mr T nicely asleep, Guy carefully dissected the mass away from the normal tissues surrounding it. A drain was placed to help reduce fluid build up where the mass had been removed, and once he was up and awake, Mr T had a belly bandage placed to help keep his surgery site clean. Thankfully, the mass was a melanoma, which is a relatively common tumour in older grey horses, albeit in Mr T it was in a very unusual spot!

MELANOMAS

Melanomas are typically found in the perianal region, under the tail, inside the sheath, around the vagina or inside the mouth, although some horses will develop them under the skin elsewhere or internally.

Melanomas themselves are not generally too much of an issue if located externally, unless they become very large and ulcerated and therefore sore, but removal is most straightforward whilst they are small. Also, there is some evidence that the fewer melanomas a horse has present, the less they will go on to develop, so early removal is now generally recommended.

Sycamore poisoning

SYCAMORE POISONING: THE FACTS

Many of you may have noticed the characteristic helicopter seeds present in sycamore trees as of late, so we thought it would be a good time to remind you about sycamore poisoning, also known as atypical myopathy.

WHAT IS IT? A highly fatal muscle disorder that occurs following the ingestion of sycamore seeds or leaves in autumn, or seedlings in spring, that contain the hypoglycin A toxin.

SEVERITY: There is sadly a 75% fatality rate with most non-survivors succumbing within 72 hours of the development of clinical signs.

PREVELANCE: The toxin is not present in all sycamores and toxin levels may differ at different times of year and under different climatic conditions. Cases often follow an adverse change in weather conditions such as frost or rain.

CLINICAL SIGNS: Weakness, stiffness, muscle tremors, a fast (sometimes irregular) heartbeat, difficulties in breathing and dark red/brown coloured urine. Other clinical signs include depression and signs of colic. Severely affected horses become recumbent and others may be found already deceased.

DIAGNOSIS

The presence of compatible clinical signs.
A history of grazing pasture containing sycamore trees.
Physical examination.
Blood work findings.

Blood work includes evidence of dehydration and an exponential increase in muscle enzyme values, with or without increased kidney enzyme values. We run this bloodwork in-house with a rapid turn-around time on results.

For the definitive diagnosis, sample(s) are submitted to the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) for analysis. Results take a number of days to return; therefore if atypical myopathy is suspected, then the affected patient will be treated as such.

TREATMENT

Time is of the essence and rapid initiation of treatment is essential to improve prognosis. Suspected cases are generally hospitalised to facilitate intensive medical management.

Treatment is predominantly based on supportive care including administration of large volumes of intravenous fluid therapy. The provision of adequate pain relief is vitally important and the administration of vitamins can be advantageous.

PREVENTION

Prevention is based on preventing exposure to sycamore seedlings in spring, and seeds and leaves in autumn. Fence off the sycamore trees and surrounding area.

Collect the seeds and leaves regularly.
Fields containing sycamore debris should not be used to make hay/haylage.
To discourage your horse from seeking out undesirable plants, additional forage should be provided if pasture is poor.

Important: helicopter seeds may travel up to 200 yards!

Remember, not all sycamores contain the hypoglycin A toxin. To determine if your trees do, you can get them tested at the RVC Comparative Neuromuscular Diseases Lab.

Keeping ticks and mites at bay

Together with fleas, ticks and mites are some of the most common parasites affecting our pets in the UK. Some of these external parasites also carry human health implications, so it’s important to do everything you can to prevent, spot and treat them!

TICKS

Ticks are particularly prevalent in woods and moorland. Different types of tick have evolved to feed from different animals, for example sheep, other livestock and wild animals such as deer and hedgehogs. The likelihood of your pet being exposed to ticks will depend on the type of environment it visits and also the other animals that live there. Ticks are unlikely to pass from pet to pet.

Ticks feed by latching onto the animal, piercing the skin and sucking blood. Ticks can live and feed from several different animals in their lifetime, so can sometimes spread diseases from one animal to another.

How to spot ticks on your pets:

You may often notice a single engorged tick as a grey nodule attached to your pet.
There may be many ticks attached at one time, especially around the face, ears and front legs.
As the tick feeds, it increases in size (the female Ixodes ricinus can reach up to 10mm when fully engorged).

Ticks and the travelling pet
In many EU countries, travelling dogs are at risk from tick-transmitted diseases such as borreliosis, babesiosis and ehrlichiosis, all of which are serious. It is essential to discuss control with your vet before travelling abroad.

Borreliosis, or ‘Lyme Disease’, is also a risk to dogs here in the UK and can affect humans.

Treatment
Tick control should be considered for all pets, but especially those travelling abroad or visiting high risk areas of the UK (such as woods and moorland). It is important to use a veterinary product that has been tested to ensure safety and efficancy. Please discuss with your vet which product would be most suitable for your pet’s lifestyle.

If a tick is found on your dog, it should be removed as soon as possible using a specially designed ‘tick-hook’. It is important to remove the mouth parts intact, as they can cause an infection if left inside your pet.

MITES AND WHEN TO SUSPECT THEM

Mites are very small parasites that will often only be seen with magnification or a microscope. They live within or on the skin and often cause intense irritation, such that the signs an affected pet will show are usually the result of self-damage through scratching and biting.

Five types of mites are common in pets:

Sarcoptes – This is the mange mite (‘fox mange’, ‘scabies’), which is relatively common in dogs, but rare in cats. It causes severe irritation, is highly contagious and may also pass to humans!
Ear Mites – The ear mite, otodectes, lives on the skin that lines the long ear canal of dogs and cats. It is very common in puppies and kittens and causes very itchy ears that will produce a lot of thick brown waxy discharge.
Cheyletiella – Often referred to as ‘walking dandruff’ this mite, which can also affect humans, produces an itchy, scurfy skin mainly on the body of dogs.
Harvest Mites – As its name suggests, is common in late summer and often found on the head and legs of dogs and cats after walking through long grass. It is distinctly recognisable as clusters of bright orange mites.
Demodex – these unusual mites are found within the hair follicles and sebaceous (skin) glands. They are not contagious and tend to cause disease when the immune system of the animal is suppressed.

Treatment

The diagnosis of mite infestations can sometimes be difficult and treatment protocols will vary according to the type of mite. It is very important that if your pet shows any increase in scratching or itchiness is brought to the attention of your vet, especially if there are also signs of skin or hair damage.

Animal Health and Welfare Pathway

ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE PATHWAY

The Animal Health & Welfare Pathway is a government initiative aimed at supporting the continual improvement of farm animal health and welfare. You can book a 2-3 hour vet visit to discuss any key herd or flock health issues on your farm – fully funded by Defra. This scheme is an opportunity to boost your profitability through reducing the impact of endemic diseases and improving animal welfare and production.

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW?

This veterinary review is tailored to your farm and will concentrate on identifying your farm’s specific health and welfare priorities, including screening tests for endemic diseases.

The structure is completely open, allowing the time to be used to focus on the area that would benefit you most. For example, for cattle it may focus on lameness, mastitis, housing or cow tracks, and in flocks it may focus on parasites, ‘iceberg diseases’, lameness and abortion agents At no cost to you the visit involves testing cattle for BVD, and pre and post worming egg counts for sheep.

DURING THE VISIT WE COULD:

Create a bespoke worm/parasite control plan to help improve performance and reduce wormer usage.
Investigate calf scour and pneumonia.
Help with lameness control, incl. footbathing regimes.
Develop a mastitis control plan.
Review lamb health and mortality.
Discuss antimicrobial use.

GRANTS AVAILABLE

The review can also be used to support the application for small and large capital grants, aimed at improving farm animal welfare and production. Grants will be available towards the cost of equipment and technology items and also for new housing, building upgrades and pasture improvements.

All cattle and sheep farmers are eligible, as long as you are enrolled in the Basic Payment Scheme and have more than 11 cattle or 21 sheep. Funding has been calculated to cover around two hours of vet time and testing for priority diseases.

HOW TO APPLY

STEP 1 – REGISTER
Register your interest at Gov.uk

STEP 2 – GET YOUR REFERENCE
You will receive an email inviting you to apply with a unique reference number.

STEP 3 – COMPLETE REVIEW
Must be within 6 months. You will be given a written report outlining your test results and any recommendations.

STEP 4 – RECEIVE FUNDING
This report is then shared with DEFRA and you will receive the funding.